The IPL 2021 league stage has come to an end with the 4 teams Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders qualifying for the coveted playoffs.
The top-2 teams of Points Table, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals will face each other in the Qualifier 1 at Dubai, while the 3rd placed Royal Challengers Bangalore and 4th placed Kolkata Knight Riders will face each other in the Eliminator at Sharjah.
Recent Form of the teams playing in Playoffs: -
Delhi Capitals: DC lost their last league match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a close finish on the 8th of October. With RCB needing 5 runs off the last ball of the inning, Avesh Khan bowled a full-toss to rookie wicketkeeper batsman Srikar Bharat who smacked it for a six to win the match for RCB. So, death bowling concerns remain for DC. Also, with the help of good form by the batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer and the good form of bowlers like Avesh Khan and of Axar Patel, they reached in top-2 of points table, giving them one more chance to redeem themselves should they lose Qualifier 1.
Chennai Super Kings: CSK lost their last match against Punjab Kings where captain KL Rahul demolished their bowlers with a superb 98* in a run-chase. They even lost their second-last league match against Delhi Capitals in a nail-biting finish, losing by 3 wickets. This is due to the reason that their middle-order, barring Ravindra Jadeja and Ambati Rayudu, misfired in most of the matches. Jadeja should be promoted ahead of the likes of Dhoni and Raina/Uthappa to make the most of the death overs.
Their bowlers have been in good form, although Dwayne Bravo has been off-colour with the ball in past few matches. Jadeja’s good form with both bat and ball along with the batting form of openers has helped CSK finish in top-2 of points table, giving them one more chance to redeem themselves should they lose Qualifier 1.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: RCB desperately wanted to finish in top-2 but due to poor net run-rate, they had to contend with No.3 position. They won a thriller against Delhi Capitals in their last league match and have been exceptional at death overs with pacer Harshal Patel their leading wicket-taker in IPL with 30 wickets in 14 matches. They will want to adjust as quickly as possible at Sharjah Cricket Stadium as it has become a graveyard for batsmen this year as opposed to last year.
Kolkata Knight Riders: In the 1st half held in India, KKR won only 2 matches out of the 7 matches played. It was a turnaround for them as they won the next 5 matches out of 7 in the 2nd half held in UAE. Plus, their net run-rate has been great by virtue of which, they fixed the 4th spot in points table.
Mystery-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been consistent in this IPL with 16 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 6.50. Barring their captain Eoin Morgan, rest of the batsmen have been consistent enough to give them a chance of beating RCB. Also, the last time they met, KKR thrashed RCB by 9 wickets while chasing a target of 93 runs.
So, expect another mouth-watering clash between these two teams on a slow and low pitch of Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Eliminator.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Venues and Timings: -
Qualifier 1: DC vs CSK, Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai at 19:30 IST on 10 October 2021.
Eliminator: RCB vs KKR, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah at 19:30 IST on 11 October 2021.
Qualifier 2: Sharjah Cricket Stadium at 19:30 IST on 13 October 2021.
Final: Dubai Cricket Stadium at 19:30 IST on 15 October 2021.
Live Streaming: - Star Sports and Disney Hotstar VIP
