IPL Pulse: Green grass and great hands
Good morning,
There's grass on the Eden Gardens pitch, Rahane is ranting against his "critics" and KKR are losing (it). All that and more about SRH's win in today's edition of Pulse, your 2-minute morning scan of the IPL universe.
Last night in five lines
1. Travishek lit the fuse as SRH raced to 84 in the Powerplay.
2. Klaasen surged with a clumsy fifty, Reddy finished it off as SRH totalled 226/8.
3. KKR's Finn Allen started with a 25-run over but fell c&b by Harsh Dubey.
4. Two run-outs of Angkrish and Green, no fifty partnerships followed from KKR
5. From 74/3 to 161 all out in 16 overs, SRH won by 65 runs as Nitish picked two, Unadkat three.
Oh, that happened
In our reckless prediction yesterday, we said the only spin would come in a Rahane post-match chat, and he didn't disappoint. Brushing aside questions on his approach and strike rate, the KKR captain said he has "one of the best strike rates" since 2023 (which is true for Powerplay) and felt critics are "probably not watching the game" or have "a certain agenda against me". He added that some "don't like me playing" and "are jealous" of the success he got. (Well, sounds like a long season for KKR...)
Pulse Awards
The mustard-oil-in-ears award goes to the KKR curator for producing the exact opposite of what the home side would have wanted.
The what-is-going-on-here award goes to Cameron Green for getting run out and then not bowling. (Where's an Aussie journo to vent at when you need one?)
The living-on-borrowed-time award goes to Angkrish Raghuvanshi for flirting with run-outs all innings until inadvertently nailing one eventually.
The world-is-against-me award goes to Ajinkya Rahane for looking like the cricketing demons and the critics have taken a liking to him.
Talking point
Rinku Singh's catching keeps reaching new highs. Does he ever miss? Right now, he might be the safest pair of hands in the IPL. He already leads KKR's all-time outfield catches list despite playing far fewer games than Russell or Narine. Since 2022, no one has taken more catches, and he has dropped just one. His efficiency (97.3%) and catches-per-innings ratio are among the best ever, second only to AB de Villiers.
Who's saying what
Reddy credited Klaasen's experience, saying he "really enjoys batting alongside him" and that "sometimes you have to listen to your senior". SRH skipper highlighted the Powerplay burst from Travishek that "made the game easy" and admitting fielding is one area they "need to work on". Rahane, meanwhile, said KKR might look to "get an extra batter in our lineup" going forward.
Stat Snack
This is the first time since 2012 that KKR have lost their first two games of an IPL season. (Is that a good omen or a bad one?)
What's the latest gossip?
The mind-reading, slightly dramatic little birdies say KKR might be scouting for a new home. One where there's no place for grass, not even in the outfield, so no one turns up on match day asking, "who ordered this lawn?" Ideally, a surface so dry it starts cracking when the toss coin lands.
Tonight's watchlist
CSK vs a team that's beaten them at home three seasons in a row. Since 2022, PBKS also lead 6-1 in head-to-head. Could Brevis return? Signs from the net session are that he might just, although the wait for Thala's comeback isn't over yet.
Reckless prediction for tonight's match
#yellove to win, but the kind PBKS coach Ricky Ponting would approve of.
