Power-hitters raise the bar in new era of IPL run-fests

Published

2 years ago

May 10, 2023

A marauding Faf du Plessis and emerging power-hitters including Rinku Singh have helped make team totals over 200 the new normal in this high-scoring edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 38-year-old South African Du Plessis, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, leads the batting charts with 576 runs at a destructive strike rate of over 157 and 32 sixes.

This season does not finish until the end of the month but it has already witnessed 30 innings totalling 200 or above.

That happened on 18 occasions in the entire edition last year.

Du Plessis hit 65 on Tuesday and forged a 120-run stand with Glenn Maxwell -- but opponents Mumbai Indians still reached the 200 target with 3.3 overs to spare, AFP reported.

This season third-placed Mumbai have chased down three 200 or 200-plus totals with Suryakumar Yadav hitting half-centuries in all of them.

"I have no idea what a safe score is. The last four games we have seen excess of 200 has been scored," said Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma.

"Most of the teams are taking risks and it is coming off.

"The batters are taking risks and 200-plus scores are being chased.

"The mindset of the batters is to do something special for the team and it is coming off as well."

Players and pundits say there are a few reasons for the tall totals.

IPL pitches are more batting friendly than before to encourage big-hitting and provide more entertainment.

Former Australia batsman and ex-IPL coach Tom Moody says that the Kookaburra balls could have something to do with it because they are not swinging as much.

The nature of Twenty20 cricket is also evolving, with a new breed of specialists.

But the biggest factor behind the skyscraper scores in the IPL looks to be the new Impact Player rule.

It allows a substitute and effectively adds an extra batsman or bowler to the team line-up.

Lucknow Super Giants have led the high-rise war after they posted the second-highest team total since the IPL began in 2008.

They made 257-5 in a 56-run victory last month against Punjab Kings, with West Indies' Kyle Mayers and Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis smashing 11 boundaries each.

Virat Kohli recently scored a 46-ball 55 in a losing cause for Bangalore and the superstar batsman was criticized for consuming too many deliveries.

Moody called Kohli's innings "yesterday's approach or last year's approach".

"Now we have an impact player, the game has changed," the Australian, who took Sunrisers Hyderabad to the 2016 title, told ESPNCricinfo.

"We already have evidence of that with the number of teams who have scored over 200, (it) is a record number of 200-plus scores of any IPL and we are not even close to the finish."

While the likes of greats Kohli and David Warner have struggled to meet the intensity, left-handed batsman Rinku has come into his own as a finisher this season.

He raised the hitting stakes when he smashed five sixes in the last five balls to pull off a miracle chase for Kolkata last month.

The tournament has witnessed six last-ball finishes this season and Mumbai batsman Nehal Wadhera pointed to the impact sub again.

"The Impact Player rule also gives the batters a bit of freedom to play fearlessly as they know they have an extra batter in their wings," Wadhera said.

"The rule has also led to more close finishes in the IPL, which we love to watch."

Zimbabwe’s opening ODI against Afghanistan abandoned

Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.

Published

16 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Ariana News

Heavy rain led to the abandonment of the first one day international between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.

Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.

Azmatullah Omarzai took 4-18 in 4.2 overs as the visitors made good inroads to have Zimbabwe 44-5 in the 10th over before the rain returned and ended hope of further play.

The second of the three match ODI series will be played at the same venue on Thursday.

Lanka T10: All three matches abandoned due to rain

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2024

Ariana News

Relentless rain on Monday resulted in all three Lanka T10 Super League matches being abandoned without a ball bowled at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

All teams except for the Jaffna Titans had been anxiously waiting to play their remaining matches of the league round in order to qualify for a place in the second stage of the inaugural event.

The matches that were affected were Nuwara Eliya Kings v Galle Marvels; Hambantota Bangla Tigers v Colombo Jaguars; and Jaffna Titans v Kandy Bolts.

All six teams grabbed a point each from the results which meant that Jaffna Titans, Hambantota Bangla Tigers, and Galle Marvels have qualified for the second stage of the tournament.

Prior to Monday, however, Jaffna had already clinched their spot to play in Qualifier 1. They head the standings with 10 points winning four of their six matches with two No Results.

Following Monday’s result Hambantota finished second with seven points to join Jaffna in Qualifier 1.

Galle also had the same number of points (7), but on the net run rate had to be content with the third spot, which meant that they will play in the Eliminator.

Who will play Galle is the big question here for three teams with four points each in the running – Colombo, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya.

The three matches scheduled for Tuesday will decide the fate of the remaining three sides.

Weather permitting, the matches scheduled are: Colombo Jaguars v Jaffna Titans; Kandy Bolts v Nuwara Eliya Kings; and Galle Marvels v Hambantota Bangla Tigers.

Currently, Colombo, with a better net run rate, are placed fourth, with Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in fifth and sixth places respectively.

The knockout games are scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, with the final on Thursday, December 19.

Matches, depending on the weather, will be broadcast live on Ariana Television from 2:30 pm Tuesday.

ATN once again seals deal to broadcast upcoming IPL across Afghanistan

Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.

Published

2 days ago

December 17, 2024

Ariana News

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has once again secured the rights to broadcast another thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) live and exclusively in Afghanistan.

That’s right, fans will once again be treated by Ariana Television to all the thrills, spills and unforgettable IPL moments in the comfort of their own homes.

Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.

While we know the event will run from March 14, the complete IPL 2025 schedule, including dates for knockout matches, and the final, is yet to be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Next year’s tournament, like in the past, will see ten teams competing in 74 matches.

Kolkata Knight Riders are the defending champions, having won their third title in the 2024 edition after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

The teams are:

– Chennai Super Kings
– Delhi Capitals
– Gujarat Titans
– Kolkata Knight Riders (defending champions)
– Lucknow SuperGiants
– Mumbai Indians
– Punjab Kings
– Rajasthan Royals
– Royal Challengers Bangalore
– Sunrisers Hyderabad

IPL 2025 sees some exciting team changes, reshuffled lineups, and strategic player acquisitions.

For instance, Rishabh Pant broke the auction record on day one of the two-day IPL Auction in Jeddah when Lucknow Super Giants got the star wicket keeper for a whopping $3.20 million.

Punjab Kings in turn snapped up Shreyas Iyer for $3.17 million.

The IPL Auction also saw one cricketer becoming the youngest ever to be sold on auction.

Indian’s 13-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, went to the Rajasthan Royals for $130,500 after coming into the auction at a base price of $35,591.

Seven Afghan players were snapped up for next year’s season, including Rashid Khan who was retained by Gujarat Titans for $2.1 million.

Karim Janat will make his debut at the IPL and was picked up by Gujarat Titans for just over $88,000; Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was signed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million; Azmatullah Omarzai was sold to Punjab Kings for $284,000; Rahmanullah Gurbaz was resigned by Kolkata Knight Riders for over $236,000; Fazalhaq Farooqi went to Rajasthan Royals for $236,000 USD; and 18-year-old young spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was signed by Mumbai Indians for $568,000.

While match details have not yet been announced, cricket fans across the country can watch this space and follow Ariana Television’s social media platforms for news and information ahead of the tournament.

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