All posts tagged: IPL match review

Manjrekar slams KL Rahul’s strike rate inconsistency

Manjrekar slams KL Rahul’s strike rate inconsistency

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2 min readMay 7, 2026 09:16 AM IST Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar minced no words as he slammed wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul following Delhi Capitals’ stinging defeat against the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday night. After a series of poor outings, Delhi surprisingly opted to bat first on a slower pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium against CSK. Opening the batting, Rahul only mustered a run-a-ball start before falling midway through the Powerplay. Delhi’s batting progressively slumped as they could only set up a 156-run target for CSK. Led by a superb unbeaten 87 from Sanju Samson, CSK crushed DC by eight wickets, handing them their sixth loss of the season. Manjrekar put the blame of the defeat squarely on Rahul’s slow-knock and lamented his inconsistency with intent in the Powerplay. “It’s almost like odd and even games, where sometimes he goes after the bowling straightaway, which is the KL Rahul you want. But then he feels like he has earned the right, and he feels responsible for the rest of the batters to come, …

‘It was an incredible knock of the highest standard’: Kane Williamson lauds Nitish Rana for 81-run innings vs Chennai Super Kings | Ipl News

‘It was an incredible knock of the highest standard’: Kane Williamson lauds Nitish Rana for 81-run innings vs Chennai Super Kings | Ipl News

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New Zealand batter Kane Williamson lauded Nitish Rana’s batting in the Sunday’s match against Chennai Super Kings, calling it a knock of the highest standard. The former Kiwi skipper also praised the fielding of Rajasthan Royals, saying that it was big factor in the Royals’ 6-run win over the 5-time champions CSK. “Nitish is an excellent player of spin, but he got his innings started against the seam, using the pace well. He accessed the areas behind square nicely and perhaps came in at No. 3 due to the left-hand, right-hand combination. It was an incredible knock of the highest standard, and I think that’s key for him moving forward in this tournament,” Williamson said. “Rajasthan Royals have several other talented batters, but today, Nitish was the match-winner. That said, in a game like this—on a surface where the margins are so fine—I believe Rajasthan Royals’ fielding is what truly got them across the line,” he added. Story continues below this ad In the match, Rana’s explosive 81 off 36 balls, laced with 10 fours …

‘He should have batted ahead of Ashwin’: Shane Watson on MS Dhoni coming out at No. 9 vs RCB | Ipl News

‘He should have batted ahead of Ashwin’: Shane Watson on MS Dhoni coming out at No. 9 vs RCB | Ipl News

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Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson batted for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be promoted up the batting order for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This was after CSK suffered a heavy 50-run defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chepauk on Friday with Dhoni coming in to bat at number 9 with Ravichandran Ashwin sent before him. The former CSK captain would play a vintage 16-ball 30 but the match was already out of CSK’s hands by then. “This is exactly what CSK fans come to see — 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin,” Watson said. “Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” he added. Story continues below this ad The …

Cheteshwar Pujara says Chennai Super Kings middle order does not look ‘completely ready’ after loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Ipl News

Cheteshwar Pujara says Chennai Super Kings middle order does not look ‘completely ready’ after loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Ipl News

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Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Cheteshwar Pujara said that the Chennai team might lack the firepower in their middle order which might come back to haunt them in a tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL). This was after CSK had lost by 50 runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Chepauk on Friday, their heaviest ever home defeat while chasing. “There is a lot of concern in the batting line-up outside of Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad because their middle-order will have to click at some point,” Pujara said in an interaction with ESPNCricinfo. “They will have to start scoring runs quickly. They rely heavily on their middle-order. Yes, their top-order is their strength, but when they don’t perform well that’s the time the middle-order has to step up, it doesn’t look like they’re completely ready for it. It looks like they’ll need better surfaces to get back into form and when they start playing at home again, they’ll be able to perform well,” he added. Story continues below this ad The veteran batter …