Twenty-twenty matches are considered to be the shortest format of Cricket, yet they provide 100 times more excitement and enjoyment than ODIs and tests. Only in rare occasions T20 matches are curtailed further, but this IPL 8 witnessed a lot of clashes played under D/L method and less than 20-20 overs.
Virat Kohli’s tryst with rain in the IPL 8
Surprisingly, RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore), one of the strongest contenders for this year’s IPL trophy, had to face the fury of rain god over the past few days on a number of occasions. It lost to KXIP (Kings XI Punjab) in one such a clash held on May 13. It was reduced to 11-11 overs for both sides.
Batting first, KXIP set a target of 107 for RCB to chase in 11 overs. But the latter failed to achieve the target within the stipulated overs. It was Wriddhiman Saha’s 12-ball 31-run knock with 5 boundaries and a six that helped Punjab pile a huge total after 11 overs. RCB got off to a flying start by scoring 33 runs in 3 overs. But the dismissal of skipper Virat Kohli’s 9-ball 19-run (4 x 2, 6 x 1) knock proved to be a disaster for the team.
Eventually, Punjab won the match by 22 runs after restricting RCB on 84/6 at the end of 11 overs. Now that was the past. RCB looked far better as a team in the match that followed against the SRH (Sunrisers Hyderabad) on Friday. This match was rain affected too and RCB had to chase again.
Henriqus and Skipper Warner stole the show with their brilliant half centuries. Henrique’s 57 (22b, 4s x 5, 6s x 4) and Warner’s 52* (32 b, 4s x 5, 6s x1) helped SRH set a massive total on the scoreboard. The 103-run partnership between them for the second wicket after the dismissal of opener Shikhar Dhawan was absolutely breath-taking. SRH put a mammoth total of 135/3 after 11 overs.
Rain interrupted the play after SRH’s inning. Kohli and Dinesh Karthik were very disappointed as they conceded a lot of runs due to bad fielding and wet ground. Match officials revised the target for RCB. They needed to score 81 runs in just 6 overs to win the match. Thanks to Gayle’s 35 (10b, 4s x 4, 6s x 3) and Kohli’s unbeaten 44* (19b, 4s x 3, 6s x 3) that helped RCB win the match convincingly by scoring 83 at the 6th over. Virat Kohli was at his best in both the rain affected matches. Definitely this IPL 8 will be remembered for Kohli’s tryst with rain in a strange manner.
Tags: Cricket, Indian Premier League, IPL, IPL 2015, IPL 8, Kings XI Punjab, KXIP, Pepsi IPL, RCB, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli
