Hello all! In a new attempt to improve the website and interest the readers, we have introduced BA Digest wherein our writers would bring thr highlights of the games being played and referesh your memories!!!
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Writers: Shahriar Kabir, Kaviyarasu and Manoj Jain
RCB Vs CSK (Match 1 - IPL 2024):
The defending champions Chennai Super Kings, under a new captain in Ruturaj Gaikwad following their same ethos, started the IPL season with a thumping 6 wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangaluru.
Opting to bat first, RCB had a rollicking start to the innings. Courtesy their skipper Faf Du Plessis, but the storm didn’t last long as CSK ace pacer Mustafizur Rahman removed Du Plessis and then had Patidar for a 3 ball duck. Mustafizur's career best spell at IPL left RCB at strife on 78-5. Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat then tried to salvage the situations. They were happy with ones and twos and then once they got themselves in they ruthlessly attacked the CSK pacers in the death overs. Anuj Rawat blasted an ablaze 48 off 25 balls to carry RCB to 173-6.
CSK's openers got off to a flier, Rachin Ravindra, in particular had a debut to remember as he blazed a fantastic 15 ball 37, which ultimately set the tone in the chase. RCB pulled things back in the middle overs with a short ball barrage which rewarded them with couple of wickets and made things interesting. Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja initially were uncomfortable with short balls but once they both got settled in, they plundered RCB bowlers everywhere of the park to hand CSK a crashing 6 wicket win to kick off the season.
PBKS Vs DC (Match 2 - IPL 2024):
Punjab Kings had triumphed over Delhi Capitals by 4 wickets in the second match of the season. Sam Curran's half century and a blistering cameo from Livingstone gave them the taste of victory to commence the IPL campaign.
DC after being inserted to bat first, Warner and Marsh were on a ruthless mood. They were putting things away with their monstrous blows and Delhi raced their way to 54-1. Warner fell to a slower ball off Harshal Patel and PBKS kept chipping away with wickets in the middle overs to leave DC reeling at 138-7. But the young Indian prodigy Abishek Porel showed DC a ray of hope to finish the innings on a high. He teared apart Harshal Patel and ransacked him for 25 off the last over. Abishek's last over onslaught gave DC a commendable total of 174-9 on the board.
Chasing the total, Dhawan and Bairstow started with a flurry of boundaries before both of them got back to the hut in quick succession. Sam Curran and impact player Prabhsimran strung a partnership of 43 runs. Curran was dropped on 33 and which costed DC the match as Sam went for playing the anchor role with 63 off 47 balls. It was Liam Livingstone at the backend of the innings who finished things off magnificently for DC with a blistering 38 off 21 balls. A calculative chase from PBKS gifted them a great start to the IPL season.
KKR Vs SRH (Match 3 - IPL 2024):
Kolkata Knight Riders charred Pat Cummins Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 runs infront of a packed Eden crowd to get away the season with a pulsating victory.
Batting first, Phil Salt got going smashing Merco Jansen for three sixes on the trot but the Kolkata batters were on a hurry to gift their wickets away. It all started with the make-shift opener Sunil Narine, their skipper Iyer had a 2 ball duck and Rana fell while attempting a reverse-sweep. KKR were reduced to 51-4 after 8 overs. Rinku Singh then came out with all guns blazing to give a much needed momentum to the innings. After the arrival of Russell, both of the power hitters went berserk, particularly Dre Russ. Smoking things out of Eden for fun and his brute power raced his way to half century off only 20 balls. 85 runs came off the last 5 overs including a 26 run over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and KKR finished on 208-7 on a belter.
SRH started off to a brisk as Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma both got starts but both fell after scoring 32 runs. Sunil Narine sneaked in with a miserly spell and a wicket to keep KKR on top. SRH lost the plot in middle overs as KKR spinners ran riot. But Protea monster Heinrich Klaasen gave the hosts scare as he plundered Varun Chakravarti's final over with 21. And then Shahbaz Ahmed and Klaasen both smoked Mitchell Starc for 26 off the penultimate over to reduce the deficit to 13 runs off the final over. But Harshit Rana held his nerve to give KKR vital two points in a nail bitting thriller at Eden Gardens.
RR Vs LSG (Match 4 - IPL 2024):
Sanju - Sandeep combined heroics thumped Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs to open the account for Rajasthan Royals. A death bowling masterclass from Sandeep and a captain's knock from Sanju Samson gave Rajasthan a comfortable victory to kick off the season.
Rajasthan opting to bat first, openers Jaiswal and Buttler got starts but threw it away. The new prompted number 4 batter Riyan Parag batted fearlessly to up the tempo. It was Parag and Samson who steered the ship for Rajasthan. Lucknow bowlers also missed their lengths at times and were being hammered by the duo. Parag raced his way to 43 off just 29 balls, while his skipper Sanju Samson stayed at the crease till the end.
He obliterated the LSG bowlers to blast a fantastic 82 off 52 balls to aid RR put up 193-4 on the board. Rajasthan might have been gutted for not adding some more, as LSG bowlers pulled things back in the death overs to restrict Rajasthan under 200.
In reply, LSG's top order was dismantled by the onburst of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger. Boult had QDK first and then chopped on Devdutt Padikkal's stumps for a 3 ball duck, the riot was prolonged by Burger as he ripped through Ayush Badoni and left LSG reeling at 11-3.
But things got in the favour of LSG, where Rahul and Pooran were at the crease. The duo combined a 85 run stand which almost killed the chase before Sandeep Sharma came as the deity of Rajasthan. LSG needed 65 off last overs and the settled duo was out there, Sandeep came and put up an outstanding spell to marginalise Lucknow. LSG were 20 runs short in the chase and Sandeep was the hero behind this win of Rajasthan, conceding just 22 runs in his 3 over quota with a pivotal wicket of Rahu. He bowled his entire spell in the death overs from 16th to 19th over.
