Another action-packed weekend in the IPL 2024 season concluded with three exciting matches culminating in thrilling conclusions. Here, we shall take a look at how those matches went and some major highlights from them.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals | Saturday, 06.04.2024
This match was a spectacle for the fans as Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler registered centuries for their respective sides. While Kohli’s ton lost, Buttler’s century led Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable victory.
Batting first, Kohli didn’t find any support from the other RCB batters, and he batted until the end to propel RCB to a total of 183/3. He remained unbeaten on 113 off 72 deliveries. The next highest score was Faf du Plessis’ 44 off 33 balls. The Royals, in response, lost the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal quite early in the match, but there was no stopping them once skipper Sanju Samson joined Buttler at the crease. The duo registered a stand of 148 runs for the second wicket, which came to an end with Samson’s dismissal for a well-made 69 off 42 deliveries.
RR lost the quick wickets of Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel, but Buttler kicked on along with Shimron Hetmyer and propelled RR to a six-wicket win with five deliveries to spare. Needing just one run to win off the last over, Buttler smashed a six off the very first delivery to get his team over the line and bring up his century.
Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals | Sunday, 07.04.2024
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians bounced back in style, scoring 29 runs in a home win over the Delhi Capitals to end their three-game losing streak.
Batting first, Mumbai Indians posted a massive total of 234/5 in their 20 overs, riding on superb knocks from Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tim David, and Romario Shepherd. While the first three players impressed with quickfire fifties, Shepherd’s ten-ball cameo of 39 towards the end caught everyone’s attention.
The Capitals tried their best to chase the target down but fell short by only 29 runs. Prithvi Shaw impressed with a well-made 66 off 42 deliveries. His innings was brought to an end by an unplayable yorker from Jasprit Bumrah. Tristan Stubbs stole the show with an unbeaten 71 off just 25 deliveries, but that wasn’t enough to help them chase the target.
Gerald Coetzee was the pick of the MI bowlers, claiming four wickets for 34 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was as good as ever, registering economical figures of 2/22 in his four overs. Shepherd also claimed a wicket and was declared the Player of the Match.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans | Sunday, 07.04.2024
The Lucknow Super Giants completed a hat-trick of victories on Sunday evening, registering a superb 33-run win over the Gujarat Titans. Batting first, the Super Giants were in trouble as they lost two wickets for only 18 runs. But skipper KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis steadied the ship with a 73-run stand for the third wicket.
Rahul was dismissed on 33, while Stoinis made 58 off 43 deliveries. The track was on the slower side, but Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni’s cameos of 32 and 20 propelled LSG to a competitive total of 163/5.
The Titans started well, with openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan putting on a stand of 54 runs in the powerplay. But the visitors lost their way once both openers got dismissed. The LSG spinners took complete control of the proceedings, with Krunal Pandya overall being the most impressive spinner. Pandya registered superb figures of 3/11 in his four overs, while Ravi Bishnoi and M Siddharth also bowled economically.
However, the show’s star was Yash Thakur, who registered a five-wicket haul to bundle out the Titans for only 130. He was also declared the Player of the Match for his superb figures 5/30 in 3.5 overs, as the Super Giants won the match comfortably.
