IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians dominate the IPL Points Table

After being involved in one of the best games in Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians find themselves again in the thick of the things, this time for the premier game on IPL Sunday night against Rajasthan Royals. Indian Cricket fans witnessed some fascinating cricketing action over the course of the weekend and as of this moment, IPL 2020 Points Table has interesting equations and matches lined up ahead.

Here's the review for all the matches in IPL weekend 5:

IPL 2020 Match 42:  Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals

After that drubbing by RCB, KKR had to be at the top of their game as both KXIP and SRH were breathing down their neck in the race to qualify for the IPL playoffs. It was crucial to hit the ground running against a DC side who themselves were coming on the back of a defeat in their previous game.

KKR batting first did not start on a great note as they lost their top-order batsman quickly to create some panic for the Kolkata cricket fans who had witnessed their team manage to score just 84 runs in the previous match. KKR needed a long partnership to put up a solid score on the board and Nitish Rana stepped up. He proved why KKR management has shown faith in him as he scored a well made 81 to put a commanding position.

His partner at the other end was Sunil Narine who was making a comeback after missing a few matches due to issues with his bowling action. A decision which surprised many was when he came to bat ahead of skipper Eoin Morgan. Many thought this was a wrong move given the situation KKR were in but he proved everyone wrong. He played freely with the license to hit as he scored a quickfire half-century which included some exquisite shots around the park.

Antioch Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were in the wickets for DC, as they have been throughout the season with Marcus Stoinis chipping in for a couple.

Chasing a target of 195, DC hoped to get starts from in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had scored centuries in two previous matches. On the other end, they dropped Prithvi Shaw for an experienced Ajinkya Rahane who has struggled to get going this year.

The start wasn’t great as they lost both the experienced duo quickly as Pat Cummins was on fire, to give KKR an early advantage. The Delhi middle-order has performed when in need which is why they were at the top of the IPL standings, coming into the match.

Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were starting to build a good partnership but Varun Chakravarthy ensured that it did not do much damage as he dismissed both the set batsmen in quick succession. That was the beginning of the “Varun Chakravarthy show” as he went on to take 5 wickets in the game. It was the first 5-wicket haul of this year’s IPL which broke the back of DC's chase to help KKR get the two crucial points.

With all the teams coming clutch in their respective matches, it will be fun to see the race for the IPL playoffs spots.

 My Ratings:

· DC – 8 / 10

· KKR- 10 / 10

IPL 2020 Match 43: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

KXIP were down and out from IPL 2020 at one point but since the arrival of the Universal Boss Chris Gayle, they have been on a winning streak defeating teams in the top half of the IPL table. SRH on the other hand was dominant in their last match as their middle order finished the game in style. While KXIP needed to win all of their remaining games to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs, SRH could do with a win themselves.

KXIP were without Mayank Agarwal who has been in fine touch while opening the batting due to an injury. Mandeep Singh replaced him at the top, but there was something different about it. He had lost his father earlier that day and to take the field after such an immense loss says a lot about his character.

The KXIP opening pair started off well but couldn’t break the shackles from the word go. The SRH bowlers were on song as they brilliantly on a pitch where it was difficult to score freely. They kept taking wickets at regular intervals to keep the score in check. In the end, KXIP could only manage 126 at the end of 20 overs with Nicholas Pooran the highest run-scorer of the innings.

The target seemed easy to chase especially with the way David Warner was timing the ball. He looked in great touch and it felt like, SRH would dominate them to chase down the total. However, the KXIP bowlers had some other ideas. Even with wickets falling at intervals, SRH looked well in control of the match and most likely go on and win the match.

At 100-3 after 16 overs, SRH needed just 27 runs off 24 balls to get those 2 crucial points. The KXIP bowlers were determined to continue their resurgence into the tournament and what followed was a bowling masterclass. They managed to take 7 wickets in the next 23 balls conceding just 14 runs. This was one was the most remarkable batting collapse in IPL T20 history as KXIP snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat to stay alive in the tournament.

My Ratings:

· KXIP – 9 / 10

· SRH – 7 /10

IPL 2020 Match 44: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

The battle of the big guns, CSK vs RCB never disappoints! Coming into the match CSK were all but out of the tournament while RCB were looking to solidify their place in the top two and qualify for the playoffs. It was a turn of tables for both the sides as it is usually the other way around with RCB slacking at the bottom of the table and CSK fighting at the top.

RCB batted first on a slowish track which was supposed to help spinners in the second innings. However, the RCB batsmen found it hard to score freely as the ball was stopping and coming onto the bat. RCB were guilty of scoring too slowly in the middle overs as they managed to score just six boundaries between 5th to 15th overs.

Virat Kohli tried to break the shackles, but he too departed after making 43 ball half-century. AB De Villers struggled to pull out the big shots as he barely managed a run a ball innings before returning back to the pavilion.

The credit goes to the CSK bowlers, especially last match’s lone warrior Sam Curran who took three wickets. CSK started the chase confidentiality avoiding a top-order collapse like in the previous match as youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad played patiently this time around to prove his credentials. Faf du Plessis departed after a quickfire inning, but Ambati Rayudu stitched up a partnership with Gaikwad to make sure CSK were on track to chase the target. Captain Cool MS Dhoni joined in and added the finishing touches as CSK completed a dominant victory over RCB.

Ruturaj Gaikwad made a well made 65* to prove a point and show the “spark” the skipper and CSK management wanted to see from the youngsters.

My Ratings:

· CSK – 10/10

· RCB – 7/ 10

IPL 2020 Match 45: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians have played the brand of Cricket which justifies their defending title tag of IPL 2019 Champions. Unlike most years when they start off slowly, MI have been dominant this year. There’s a feeling that even if two or three players miss out scoring big eventually someone or the other will get you. RR on the other hand have been guilty of losing matches from winning positions which is one of the main reasons for their position in the points table.

MI was without Rohit Sharma for the second consecutive game as Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan once again opened the innings. After their last match heroics, the expectations were up for them to provide a good start however De Kock departed early courtesy of Jofra Archer.

The other MI batsman all got starts but they were not able to convert it into a big score. In almost all the matches, someone from Mumbai's batting line-up has risen up to take the responsibility and put a good score on the board.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya hadn’t displayed his capabilities until now but he was ready to step up. He smashed the RR bowlers, left, right and centre to score a magnificent 21 ball 60 * which included 7 sixes to help MI get to a target of 195.

If RR were to chase this huge total they needed one of their stars to play a match-winning knock and that is what exactly happened. Ben Stokes, the best all-rounder in world cricket finally arrived at the IPL 2020 as he was back to his best to score an unbeaten century to take his team over the line.

As lovers of the game of cricket, it was eye-pleasing to see the best in business, back to his very best. He was supported by Sanju Samson who made a well made unbeaten half-century to set up a 150+ run partnership for the third wicket.

RR are just not out yet, and they need to keep churning out results like this in their remaining matches and hope for the best.

My Ratings:

· RR – 9.5 / 10

· MI – 8.5 / 10