And we are off again!
After an enforced 10-day break the IPL will resume on Saturday after one of the most difficult times in its history. It will look slightly different in terms of personnel and venues, but not that much.
This is a tournament that is used to upheaval and chaos, as seen in the past when whole seasons were relocated out of India at the drop of a hat when the situation required.
Five England players at the IPL have been included in the ODI squad against West Indies, which now clashes with the rescheduled play-offs.
This caused an unwanted headache for the ECB, but it will be seen as a win that they’ve been able to come to an agreement with the BCCI to let the three players most likely to be involved – Jos Buttler, Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell – return early to the UK at the end of the group stage.
In truth, though, had this not happened and the players had stayed at the IPL, it would have been a real body blow for the ECB and another sign of its diminishing power in the global game.
Watch the final-over drama as Gujarat Titans stunned Mumbai Indians to move top of the IPL table
Most overseas players have or will be returning to India although there are some that aren’t – like Jamie Overton and Jake Fraser-McGurk – so the IPL has decided to allow the franchises to sign temporary replacements.
This could have a big impact on who makes the play-offs and beyond, so let’s remind ourselves which teams are still in the mix and who they’ll have available.
1st – Gujarat Titans (P11, Pts 16)
The Titans are sitting pretty at the top of the table and if they beat the Capitals on Sunday will be in the play-offs. They were the only team who didn’t completely disperse last week with only Buttler and Gerald Coetzee returning home. They will lose Kagiso Rabada and Buttler at the end of the group stage though and it’s the ex-England captain who will be the biggest miss. Gujarat rely heavily on their top three to score the runs – Kusal Mendis has been signed as a replacement for the play-offs and he is going to have to hit the ground running.
Jos Buttler’s fabulous IPL form continued as he smashes another quick-fire half century for Gujarat Titans
2nd – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (P11, Pts 16)
RCB’s last two games could well be against two sides that have been knocked out (Sunrisers and Super Giants) and I expect them to finish in the top two. They will lose Bethell at the end of the group stage but Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt being dropped from the England ODI squad means they can stay until the final if need be. The only overseas player they are waiting on is probably the most important – Josh Hazlewood has a shoulder niggle and it hasn’t been confirmed yet if he will return. That decision could be the difference between RCB lifting the trophy for the first time, or not.
3rd – Punjab Kings (P11, Pts 15)
The Kings could have every reason to feel a little hard done by, they have been impacted by the break more than most. Firstly, they are going to have to replay their game against Delhi from scratch after they got off to a blistering start with the bat. Secondly, they now have to play all of their remaining matches in Jaipur, which is not their home ground. They also saw all of their overseas players return home during the break and will lose Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis at the end of the group stage for the World Test Championship final. Ricky Ponting will need to be active in the replacements market.
4th – Mumbai Indians (P12, Pts 14)
Both of Mumbai’s remaining games are against play-off competitors (Delhi and Punjab) and there is a chance they may have to win them both to finish in the top four. Trent Boult should be back for the remainder but they will lose Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch before the play-offs. The first step is to get there – after that the Indians too will have to join the hunt for top quality overseas replacements, who will be thin on the ground.
Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the second-fastest IPL century holder, was dismissed for a two-ball duck against Mumbai Indians
5th – Delhi Capitals (P11, Pts 13)
The break came at a good time for the Capitals, whose form had dropped off a cliff – they have won only one of their last five matches. The bad news is there is still a bit of uncertainty around over which players will return. The out-of-form Jake Fraser-McGurk has confirmed he won’t be coming back and Delhi have decided to replace him with Mustafizur Rahman, if they can convince the Bangladesh Cricket Board to release him. The fact they want to bring in a left-arm seamer to replace a batter is interesting – does that mean they are not expecting Mitchell Starc back at all? Delhi’s last three games are all tough (Gujarat, Mumbai and Punjab), they are going to have to do it the hard way.
6th – Kolkata Knight Riders (P12, Pts 11)
The champions are still mathematically in with a chance of making the top four but realistically need something close to a miracle to get there. They’d have to beat RCB and the Sunrisers then hope other results go their way and they can sneak through on net run-rate. Moeen Ali has pulled out for personal reasons but they still have a strong overseas contingent to pick from, including Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Quinton de Kock.
Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerve to beat Rajasthan Royals by one run and keep themselves in the hunt for an IPL play-off place
7th – Lucknow Super Giants (P11, Pts 10)
Lucknow are behind KKR in the table but have a slightly better chance of making the play-offs because of their game in hand. They have to win all three of their remaining games to have a chance but this looks unlikely given that they’ve been absolutely hammered in their last three! At the moment, Aiden Markram is the only player who has to leave before the play-offs. Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh and others are expected to arrive back in India soon.
This news was originally published on this post .
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