The Indian Premier League Season 16 is league is hitting the home stretch with all of the nine teams are still in with a chance to make the playoffs. It was time to take stock of what went right for the top teams, while not so right for the early pacesetters like Rajasthan Royals, who have suffered six losses in their last eight games.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00T20 cricket is about damage limitation.
00:02Obviously, you want to take wickets up front,
00:05but it's about damage limitation whilst you're doing that.
00:07So it's crucial that guys have practiced options.
00:12If anybody's trying to get into the IPL,
00:13or the kids are watching, or the girls,
00:16young girls are watching who want to play,
00:18you know, a high standard of T20 cricket,
00:21you've got to have something that you go to
00:23that's your super strength.
00:25Welcome once again to our weekly chat show,
00:32Talking IPL, what's happening in IPL the entire week.
00:36And as we are entering the final phase of the league stage,
00:40we also need to know who will make it,
00:43who will not make it,
00:44an exciting week that went by,
00:46and an exciting week that is yet to come against us or upon us.
00:51Welcome to Paul, Paul, welcome to the show.
00:56Sai, our enthusiast is there,
00:58as well as joining us is Shyam Krishna,
01:00the Senior Associate Editor of Galk News,
01:04who's another IPL fan.
01:07Welcome everyone to the show.
01:08Thank you very much.
01:09Thanks Adesh, thank you very much.
01:12Paul, I'm going to start with you straight away.
01:16How exciting is this week,
01:18last week with so many matches played still,
01:22there are nine teams still in the fray.
01:25So do you think that that's one of the things
01:27that makes IPL one of the most sought after leagues in the world?
01:33Absolutely, you know,
01:34that's exactly what the broadcasters and the fans want, isn't it?
01:38We all want that touching distance away
01:42from getting through to semifinals, finals.
01:45Most exciting time is building up
01:47to be a really special IPL.
01:50Yeah, having said that,
01:53but not the best of times for the English players, isn't it?
01:55Yeah, of course.
01:56The good thing is that Joe Root has now come into the T20,
01:59IPL playing his first matches after many years.
02:02So not again, we spoke about it,
02:06especially the form of Butler.
02:08Is it a bit of a concern, Paul?
02:11Well, not really.
02:12I think IPL and the T20 franchises around the world,
02:17T20, you want your best players to win,
02:20you know, half a dozen games.
02:21And, you know, they can't do that every day.
02:24And it's what you actually want in a team
02:26is everybody making contributions,
02:28not just the same people.
02:30So any coach around any T20 team,
02:33yes, they want their big stars to do well.
02:35Of course you do.
02:36But, you know, you need everybody in every position
02:38to be confident and have some form behind them,
02:41especially when you go into the close games
02:43and when it really matters.
02:45Yeah.
02:46Taking a cue from Shyam,
02:49what Paul said is you don't want just one player to perform.
02:53Is that what is happening with Rajasthan?
02:55Because they have been backing too much on Jaiswal
02:58and suddenly one day he has an off day
03:00and the team collapses.
03:02Not necessarily, because like Paul rightly said,
03:06it is not just the entire team.
03:09If you look at each match,
03:10it is just one or two players firing.
03:13If you look at yesterday's match for KKR,
03:15it was Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana.
03:18They were the only two players to fire for them
03:20and that was good enough for them to win.
03:22So which is the true of most teams.
03:26If you look at Bombay's revival,
03:28was solely engineered by Surya Kumar Yadav.
03:32So, I mean, some teams might be inspired by
03:36or led by one particular player,
03:39but not always the case.
03:41Like if you look at Bangalore,
03:43Royal Challengers Bangalore are said to be
03:45just a three-man team.
03:46Because if you take Kohli, Faf to Plessy
03:50and Glenn Maxwell out of the equation,
03:53their batting is just abominable, actually.
03:57But the thing is, that was enough for them to reach
04:00still within a striking distance of the last four.
04:03So Rajasthan case, actually,
04:05they have more than just Jaiswal.
04:08I mean, unfortunately, Butler is not having
04:12the best of seasons.
04:13That is because we are comparing with
04:15a phenomenal season last year.
04:17I mean, you can't have that kind of season
04:19year after year.
04:21But having said that, he had one very good innings
04:25and a couple of not too bad innings.
04:27So also with Sanju Samson had a few 50s here and there.
04:31Then we had also had Hetmair coming down
04:34the order in some matches.
04:37But the only disappointment in Rajasthan
04:40has been Devdutt Padikkal.
04:43So to expect consistency from players
04:47in a T20 tournament,
04:48I think it is a little far-fetched.
04:51I don't think it's possible simply.
04:52Because if you look at Jaiswal,
04:55one match he just hammered the daylights
04:57out of the bowlers.
04:58And next day he goes out for a duck.
05:00That is the nature of the IPL or rather the T20 games.
05:04So I think consistency need not be a barometer
05:08so long as they don't flunk far too often.
05:12This consistency, I'll come back again to Paul.
05:16Sai, I know you have been waiting.
05:19It's very tentative times for SRH
05:23because now literally every match
05:25SRH has to win starting from today.
05:28So how do you think, it's panning out.
05:32Do you think that the bottom half
05:36clearly has a disadvantage
05:37while the top half have a slight edge
05:39over the other teams?
05:41Actually, not really.
05:43Every team has got an equal advantage.
05:44I mean, this is one of the IPL sessions
05:47where the action is not yet over till it's over.
05:51Every team other than Delhi Capitals
05:54are in the race to qualify if SRH wins.
05:57Now for SRH, SRH has got a selection dilemma.
06:01Till now, they have not yet used Adil Rashid
06:03because they can use only four players.
06:05It's Adil Rashid, Jansen or Glenn Phillips.
06:07Whom do you choose?
06:08And Glenn Phillips is an outstanding fielder
06:11and an outstanding batsman
06:12and he was touched unlucky last time.
06:13So they are in a selection dilemma
06:15on who are the four players they used
06:17and also their bowling has yet to come to the mark.
06:20I just hope that they get in their acts right
06:24and get over Gujarat Titans today.
06:27Talking about bowling,
06:29you have one of the fastest bowlers in the world,
06:31Umar Malik.
06:32You have him and then you have dropped him.
06:34And then now the bowling is still not settled.
06:37So what is your thought?
06:39I know he was hit for a couple of matches.
06:41Still, that's where the experience counts, isn't it?
06:44And the confidence like the other teams show,
06:47like say for example, Mumbai or Chennai.
06:50These are the teams, they don't drop players
06:52just because they didn't have a couple of good games.
06:55I think it's the right time to bring him back in
06:57and give him another shot at it today.
06:58I mean, now all the players will be trying to play
07:02for their revival.
07:03So because the next selection will be on
07:05for the next IPL 24.
07:06So the players who are at least,
07:08they need to perform or perish.
07:09So the last three games for them,
07:11so Umar Malik will definitely come out.
07:13I mean, they will try to give him a chance
07:15in today's match, I hope.
07:16And I hope he performs well.
07:18I mean, he is a talent.
07:19He's a budding talent, a speedster.
07:21All he needs to do is just hold his horses
07:22and bowl at the right length.
07:24And I'm sure he'll get the thing for SRH.
07:30Paul, coming back to you,
07:31Asham made a very valid point.
07:33Consistency is very difficult in T20.
07:36As a coach for Leicester
07:38and as a mentor of the Mentors Academy in Dubai,
07:44how do you train the kids to keep the consistency?
07:48Because that's where they will be able to cement
07:50their spot whichever format they are playing, isn't it?
07:53Yeah, it's a good point.
07:55I mean, consistency of mindset is the most important
07:58because you're going to get hit for a boundary or two.
08:01It's how you hold your emotional control,
08:03how you just breathe and keep focused.
08:06And you need to have a couple of balls
08:08to go to for each baseman.
08:10You've got to do your homework.
08:12You've got to make sure, right,
08:13do I deliver a slow ball outside off stump?
08:17Do I go wide Yorker or do I blast his feet off?
08:21And it's having a go-to delivery
08:24that you have one definite go-to delivery
08:27to keep your consistency.
08:33T20 cricket is about damage limitation.
08:36Obviously, you want to take wickets up front,
08:38but it's about damage limitation whilst you're doing that.
08:41So it's crucial that guys have practiced options.
08:45If anybody's trying to get into the IPL
08:47or the kids are watching
08:48or the young girls are watching
08:51who want to play a high standard of T20 cricket,
08:55you've got to have something that you go to
08:57that's your super strength.
08:59And obviously, you do your homework
09:01against teams at this level.
09:02It's easy done with the analysis work that's done.
09:05So you've got to make sure that the captains are with you
09:08and believe you have the field that you want
09:11to get hit into a quadrant of the ground
09:13that you want to get hit to,
09:14whether it's from backward point to third man
09:17or from square cover to mid-off.
09:21You've got to have the fields correct
09:23that you can deliver your consistent ball into.
09:27And what about the batmen?
09:28For the young batters, how do you train them?
09:32What would be your suggestion?
09:34Yeah, well, certainly, at the moment,
09:36we're doing a bit of work with a GMR academy in Dubai.
09:42And it's a wonderful academy
09:44that we've got youngsters coming through
09:45doing school curriculums,
09:46but also at the time,
09:48we've got great mentors coming to work with them.
09:50Cheminda Vass was with us.
09:51He's an amazing bowling coach.
09:54So he works with the young kids on their actions,
09:58making sure it's a consistent, safe, reliable action
10:01and making sure you find out what their strength is.
10:04What is their super strength?
10:05And that's no different from a youngster in an academy
10:08to an IPL legend.
10:10They've all got super strengths.
10:12As soon as you think of a great player,
10:14you think of two or three things about that player.
10:16And that's, yes, they've practiced it a lot,
10:19but that's a natural strength.
10:20So half the balance of a coach in the battle of coaching
10:24is making sure that the super strength
10:27is good in each particular facet of the game.
10:31If a ball swings, you've got to go up front
10:33and try and swing it and take wickets
10:34or somebody's got express pace.
10:37Have them, have a go at the start,
10:39like a Joffrey Archer,
10:40have a go at the start, for instance.
10:41And then if it doesn't, if it goes well,
10:43try and get another one in.
10:45And the captain's got to think on his feet.
10:47And then if it doesn't go so well,
10:48right, we're pulling back now.
10:50We'll try and take some wickets
10:51and maybe working with a spinner in the middle
10:53to make him feel even quicker
10:56against a spinner at one end.
10:59Captaincy is really crucial in this format.
11:01And the communication between captain
11:04and the bowlers and the batsmen are massive.
11:07Batsmen and batters have to go through,
11:12they have to go through the gears.
11:14You have to get in, you have to rotate
11:16and have to dominate.
11:17And that's, you know, getting in, rotate,
11:19dominate is in most formats.
11:21But in IPL and the T20 format,
11:24that's going to take just a few balls
11:25to go and assess very quickly.
11:28Okay, John, Paul made up a nice point
11:31about captaincy.
11:32If you look at the top five teams,
11:34almost all of them had some very good captains,
11:36Gujarat, CSK, Mumbai Indians.
11:41Of course, Lucknow had a disadvantage
11:44of losing Rahul.
11:45Whereas, FAF has been leading
11:48from the front for RCB.
11:50So what are your thoughts?
11:51How important are the captains
11:52in this particular T20 format
11:54or with this IPL in this season, Shah?
11:58Captaincy in cricket itself
12:00is very different from every other sport.
12:03Because it's the captain
12:06who makes the decisions on the field.
12:08You can have the coaches
12:09and all the think tank,
12:11all your coaching staff
12:12to make the broad outlines of a strategy.
12:15But on the field,
12:16it is an evolving situation,
12:18whether it's a test match
12:19or a three-day match
12:20or a one-day match or a T20.
12:22The difference is in T20,
12:23it evolves by the minute
12:26or by the second
12:27or by the ball, I would say.
12:29So which means the captain
12:30should be thinking on his feet all the time.
12:34So he should be quick to notice changes
12:37in the batsman's approach,
12:39strategy, mentality of his own players.
12:42So a captain's role
12:47can never be overemphasized in T20 cricket
12:50because it's so very crucial.
12:52So which is why,
12:53if you look at the teams doing well,
12:55they all have very good captains.
12:57Because I was listening to Mike Henson
12:59the other day on the choice of Fass Du Plessis
13:02as the RCB captain.
13:05Why did he choose?
13:06Because they said,
13:07OK, they went through a whole lot of players
13:09who could possibly become captains.
13:11But you know,
13:12the guy who's stepping down is Virat Kohli.
13:15So they needed somebody
13:18whom Virat Kohli could respect.
13:22Somebody who could keep Virat Kohli under control.
13:25And that is one of the couple of names
13:27they zeroed in was Fab.
13:29And that is how Fab turned out to become
13:31the RCB captain.
13:34So if you look at,
13:36say, Mumbai Indians
13:38or Chennai Super Kings,
13:41Dhoni and Rohit Sharma,
13:43two stalwarts there,
13:45and their roles as captains is very crucial,
13:47especially in Chennai.
13:48You take away Dhoni,
13:50you saw when Dhoni handed over the captaincy
13:53to Ravindra Jadeja,
13:55the Chennai Super Kings fell in a heap.
13:59So this is precisely where the role of a captain comes in.
14:03A captain can lift a team
14:05and at the same time,
14:07a captaincy can,
14:09what do you call it,
14:10a poor captaincy can disintegrate a very good team.
14:13I mean, for people like me,
14:18the best example of a captain comes back
14:20from Ian Botham and Mike Braley.
14:23Ian Botham, he was the best all-rounder of his time,
14:26perhaps one of the best in the history of cricket.
14:29But he made a poor captain.
14:32He was doing so badly in the Ashes that,
14:35I think it was the 81 Ashes if I remember right,
14:38and England were two down.
14:39And then he resigns and Braley comes in
14:42and the whole series turns on his head.
14:45Botham becomes a match winner,
14:47England goes on to win the series.
14:49So this is how much a captain can influence a game.
14:52So that is Test cricket.
14:53So in T20 cricket,
14:54you multiply it by a thousand,
14:57you get the idea.
14:59And who's your best,
15:00who has impressed you the most,
15:02Shami, of these captains,
15:03if I may ask you one name?
15:06I mean Dhoni, without a doubt.
15:08I don't think anybody has made captaincy
15:14such an art among the IPL teams.
15:17You can see exactly the micro moves he makes,
15:21makes such a major impact on a particular game.
15:26That is just the game.
15:28Now, if you look at the players, for example,
15:30he's got what they,
15:32I mean, you always hear about the Dhoni magic.
15:35But you think that that's an exaggeration.
15:37But you look at the players,
15:38he's molded.
15:40Like for example,
15:41Shivam Dubey,
15:44he was just a hit and miss player.
15:46And now he's turned out to be a,
15:48what do you call it?
15:49A middler or charlotte for Chennai Super Kings.
15:53So also you look at Rahane.
15:57Rahane was a fringe player till last season.
16:00When he comes into Chennai,
16:02Chennai Super Kings,
16:03he becomes a match winner.
16:05So also last year,
16:06if you look at Robin Uthappa,
16:08who was just languishing in Rajasthan,
16:10he comes to Chennai,
16:11plays some vital knocks for them.
16:13I mean, you can quote so many examples of
16:17players coming into Chennai Super Kings
16:19and becoming match winners.
16:20I mean, that I would say,
16:21it's simply down to Dhoni magic.
16:24That's really interesting, actually.
16:25A really interesting point about the captaincy.
16:29Because one thing I've tried to do in our academy,
16:32in the Gems,
16:34with Gems Academy, the JMR Academy,
16:37what we're trying to do is get Sehwag,
16:39we've got Sehwag involved,
16:40we've got Michael Vaughan involved.
16:42We've got Nidadar, the Pakistan ladies captain.
16:45Because captains look at people.
16:48They look at people and their character.
16:50They're very good, almost psychologists.
16:54They have that calmness about them.
16:55And they'll look at it from a really personal view.
16:58How are they feeling?
16:59How are they supporting them?
17:00And that's really, really important in the captaincy.
17:03And the best do that.
17:04And for me, I've really enjoyed Faf du Plessis,
17:07having seen him at close quarters in T10.
17:10His knowledge on players is incredible,
17:12but he's giving to his players
17:14and the time he gives to each player in the evenings,
17:17away from the games,
17:18those golden conversations that give confidence
17:21and give belief in their players
17:23and takes pressure off,
17:24is the biggest thing.
17:25He's taking pressure off.
17:27He's massive.
17:28Lovely, lovely point.
17:30Sai has been waiting again.
17:33Sai, just to ask you this,
17:36how are you impressed with the way
17:41some of these players have come out,
17:43like say, Tawakia,
17:45or for that matter, yesterday in KKR,
17:47you're looking at, say,
17:50the skipper...
17:53Nitish Rana.
17:54Nitish Rana or your...
17:56Rinku Singh.
17:57Rinku Singh.
17:58How comfortable or...
18:01What are your thoughts about these players
18:03who are all coming in
18:04and knocking on the doors of Indian team, of course.
18:07J.S. Wiley has been smashing it.
18:10But what is your thought process on these players
18:12and what is the way or...
18:14What do you think it will happen to these players next?
18:17See, till the last match,
18:18before the KKR match with Chennai,
18:20I mean, Rinku Singh was supposed to be the finisher.
18:22He goes slam-bang and he finishes it off.
18:24But yesterday, he showed character.
18:26He showed poise.
18:27And he can take the match in deep, you know.
18:29And he did play a good role.
18:31As a...
18:31I mean, as a good finisher.
18:33I mean, so he has got all...
18:34I mean, we have a role for five or six for him in the future.
18:39Once the senior people like Virat Kohli,
18:42Rahul Chama and all these people retire,
18:44Yashaswi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh are strong contenders for the team India.
18:50And I think even now,
18:50I recently read an article where Ravi Shastri was telling,
18:53it's time that we bring in Yashaswi Jaiswal into the team.
18:57For T20 and the rest of the senior players.
19:00I think it's not a bad idea too.
19:02You know.
19:02And another thing I just wanted to talk to you about the captaincy.
19:06You know, yesterday,
19:08the match between RR and RCB,
19:10I think that is the time when the captain should have told the RR...
19:12It was five or six down.
19:14The captain should have told the team,
19:16yes, let's make a match out of it.
19:18And try to get closer to the target.
19:20And reduce your net run rate.
19:21Now, when the last final sessions are going to the net run rate.
19:24And it's going to get tight.
19:26And RR is going to regret the losses that they made.
19:29They should have played sensibly there, you know.
19:31If you look at the previous match also.
19:33As you said, they have lost six of their eight matches, isn't it?
19:37Correct.
19:39There should be some introspection which has not happened, isn't it, Sai?
19:43Very true, very true.
19:44And I think they are missing out some strategies there, you know.
19:47And that's where they should have actually told the players,
19:49okay, now we are six down.
19:51Let's hold on till at least...
19:52Get it till the 20th over.
19:53Let's close in the gap.
19:55That's what I think Gujarat Titans did, you know.
19:56When Rashid Khan hit 79 runs with Mumbai Indians.
19:59They actually reduced the run rate margin for Mumbai Indians.
20:03So, it's getting to...
20:04I mean, I think we all go down the net run rate.
20:06The last four will be on the net run rate.
20:08It's going to get challenging now.
20:10So, captains play an important role there too.
20:13Yeah.
20:14We have been talking about a lot of bowlers.
20:16But if you look at the spinners,
20:17there is no real young spinner who has really made a big mark, isn't it?
20:22People like the oldies have come back.
20:25Chahal or Ashwin or Piyush Chawla.
20:31These guys have all come back and they have performed well.
20:35So, what is your thought process?
20:37Is there any young spinner coming in?
20:39Or who's done the best in your terms in the young generation?
20:46See, from the Indian perspective,
20:47I think it's only Chahal, the senior player.
20:50There's no new contender as yet.
20:52Other than Varun Chakravorty who has come in.
20:54But we don't see anybody else other than Varun Chakravorty.
20:57But from the international perspective,
20:59Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed,
21:00they have both done fantastically well.
21:03And I think they have kept the hopes alive,
21:05contender for the purple cap alive.
21:08So, I mean, Rashid Khan has got the highest number of wickets.
21:10So, yes, Indian is still lacking.
21:12I think that's an area where,
21:13I mean, there is an opening for a youngster to come in.
21:15And if they perform, they will definitely get in.
21:18So, we are still short of spinners.
21:20Yeah.
21:21So, now we are coming to the home stretch of the IPL.
21:25Again, one more call I would like to take.
21:28Because by the time we come next week,
21:30the top four would have been identified.
21:33So, who are your final picks?
21:34Are you willing to keep the four, Sai,
21:37from what you said in the past?
21:39Or you want to change?
21:41Gujarat Titans, RR, RCB.
21:44I mean, the question now is if SRH has to be there
21:47and the RR will go out.
21:49So, one of them will go out.
21:50So, it's going to be a tight call.
21:52So, I still want RCB, Gujarat Titans and SRH to be in.
21:56The fourth, anyone can come fourth.
21:57No problem.
21:59Okay.
22:00That's going to be not possible for maybe one or two.
22:03Cham, what are your thoughts?
22:05I think Mumbai, they have surprised you, isn't it?
22:07Initially, you were not very convinced with the way Mumbai did.
22:11But they are in the pole position right now in the third spot.
22:14Though, if they don't win anymore,
22:17of course, they have got two more games to go.
22:19Even if they win one, they will be into the playoffs.
22:22So, what are your four picks now?
22:24You want to make a change?
22:26Yeah, Mumbai really, really surprised me.
22:29Because right before even the tournament started,
22:32I wrote a piece saying that Mumbai won't qualify.
22:35That is simply by looking at the team.
22:37Simply because Jofra Archer has not fully recovered.
22:41But even if he had recovered fully,
22:43I don't think her lack of match practice would have hamstrung his bowling.
22:48So, straight up, you are without Jofra Archer,
22:52you are without Jasprit Bumrah.
22:53So, which means you don't have a straight,
22:56what you call a spearhead for your attack.
23:00And that actually showed in the early part of the campaign.
23:06But what was even worse for Mumbai was their batting also misfired.
23:12So, in between Cameron Green played a few innings,
23:15then there were a few cameos from Tim David.
23:18But beyond that, Philak Sharma kept them afloat.
23:21But even then, that was not good enough for them to win consistently.
23:26But all that changed when Surya Kumar Yadav returned to form.
23:31I think he has been a single-handed match winner for them consistently.
23:35Like even the last few games,
23:36he is instrumental in getting them the win.
23:41Now that they are pretty much in the running for the playoff spots,
23:47I am sure they will pick up one of the spots.
23:49Which means I am forced to eat my own words.
23:51I don't mind.
23:52That's okay, Shyam.
23:53You were pretty good at the start.
23:56So, that's fine.
23:58So, from the four teams which I chose at the start of the tournament,
24:03I am raging in the line-up now.
24:05Gujarat Titans, which I had said will retain or defend their title successfully.
24:12I think they are still on course to do that.
24:15But the other three teams, I will put down Arar.
24:19Because their Rajasthan Royals have been on a losing spree.
24:24For their first seven matches, they have been phenomenal.
24:28You cannot say the same about the rest of the matches.
24:30Because they have just been winning big and losing big.
24:34So, that kind of form is never going to get you a slot there.
24:40So, they will not make it.
24:43So, for me, it's Gujarat, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
24:50So, this is, according to me, the four teams.
24:53You are in the city now.
24:55Yes.
24:58Good.
24:59Okay.
24:59Paul, coming to the talk about Suri Kumar Yadav.
25:04What is so special about him, Paul?
25:08Well, he's just been phenomenal, hasn't he?
25:12He's somebody that is just an instant game changer.
25:17I mean, he's just been phenomenal to watch.
25:20We thought we've seen talent over the years.
25:22But this is very, very special.
25:28Elegant, classy, proper cricket as we know it.
25:34It's not flashy.
25:36But so effective, you know.
25:38It's been great to watch, hasn't it?
25:41Yes.
25:42Do you want to stick your record and pick the four teams for the final play-offs?
25:48Yeah.
25:50Gujarat are on fire, which is good for them.
25:53Chennai, you can't take it away from them.
25:55With that experience, with Dhoni.
25:58Mumbai Indians quality.
26:00And look now, I think those four now who are there.
26:06For me, I just want Ajinkya Rahane to do well.
26:08I just want him to keep playing well.
26:10I want to see a 75-knot out from him to bring his form back to England.
26:15Yes, yes.
26:15Leicester, yeah.
26:16Lovely.
26:17OK, lovely.
26:18On that, I think by and large, the four teams are on track.
26:25I said it at the start.
26:26GT, CSK, Mumbai.
26:28Because Mumbai and CSK had the experience.
26:30And GT, they are a good team.
26:32The fourth one, I've stuck my neck out to say RCB.
26:34They're still in the reckoning.
26:36But let's see what happens this week and what unfolds
26:38as a crucial week for every team.
26:40And stay tuned to all the Gulf News channels.
26:43And see you next week.
26:45And talk more about IPL.
26:47Thank you very much for watching.