Hardik penalised for over-rate offence; Boucher concedes outside noise clouded Pandya
However, in the scenario of Hardik being purchased by some other franchise in next year’s IPL mega auction, he will miss that particular team’s first game.
However, in the scenario of Hardik being purchased by some other franchise in next year’s IPL mega auction, he will miss that particular team’s first game.
Smarting from four consecutive losses, Rajasthan Royals will look to arrest the slide and cement their top-two finish when they host table-toppers Kolkata Kight Riders (KKR) in this season’s final league match on Sunday evening.
Sunrisers’ ultra aggressive approach saw them qualify for the playoffs with 15 points from 13 games, giving them a privilege which can give them two shots at making the final.
Thursday’s washout in Hyderabad meant that Sunrisers Hyderabad joined Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals as the three confirmed teams for the playoffs and the race is now for only one spot with two teams in fray -- CSK and RCB.
While Mumbai Indians were knocked out of the playoffs race long back, Lucknow Super Giants’ chances of making the last-four are hung by a thread even if they win their last league stage game here by a huge margin.
CSK’s batting has so far revolved around skipper Gaikwad, whose second IPL century, the other day, came in a losing cause, and the in-form Shivam Dube, who once again impressed with yet another fifty.
The Delhi Capitals are fresh from recording a narrow four-run victory over Gujarat Titans, and find themselves at the sixth place in the table.
RR, the inaugural IPL champions, have been on a rampage this IPL and barring a minor blip against Gujarat Giants, the Sanju Samson-led unit has recorded seven wins from their eight outings so far.
Having lost six games out of eight, Punjab Kings will look to end the season on a high in their remaining six matches, beginning with Friday’s outing against second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Sunrisers have already breached the 250-mark thrice this season, and the carnage at the M Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru will be still fresh in the minds of the RCB fans as they prepare for the reverse fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
