5 matches that could spice up the third week of IPL 2022
After week two of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Rajasthan Royals (RR) are sitting pretty on top of the IPL points table 2022. They have six points to their name from four matches, having won three and lost only one. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are second, having won three and lost two of their five matches in IPL 2022.
Two weeks into the tournament, debutant franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) are the only IPL team to not have lost a single match. They have played three games in IPL 2022 so far and have registered wins in all three of them. GT complete the top three in the points table. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are yet to get off the mark, having lost four consecutive matches each.
Looking back at close encounters in week two of IPL 2022, Gujarat defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a last-ball thriller, chasing down 190. On the other hand, Rajasthan escaped a brutal onslaught from Marcus Stoinis to register a three-run win against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Fans and organizers will be hoping for more thrilling encounters in the third week of IPL 2022. Here’s look at five matches that can spice up week 3.
#1 CSK vs RCB (Match 22, April 12 at DY Patil Stadium)
Chennai may not have registered a single victory in IPL 2022 so far, but a CSK-RCB clash always promises excitement. If the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu and skipper Ravindra Jadeja can lift their game, CSK can still pose a challenge to Bangalore. In the bowling as well, they need to find some inspiration, somehow.
RCB, on the other hand, will be buoyed following their win over Mumbai and will been keen to carry on the momentum. Wanindu Hasaranga has been excellent with the ball while the young Anuj Rawat showed why he is rated so highly with an impressive fifty against MI.
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#2 RR vs GT (Match 24, April 14 at DY Patil Stadium)
This can be billed as a clash between two in-form teams in IPL 2022. Rajasthan did go down to Bangalore as Dinesh Karthik went berserk, but they were back to their winnings ways against Lucknow. In Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer, Rajasthan have a fearsome batting line-up. The bowling is equally deadly with Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna.
However, Gujarat have the ability to match them player by player. Shubman Gill has been in rollicking form at the top of the order, skipper Hardik Pandya has been playing the key cameos while Rahul Tewatia has been doing the finishing job. In Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan, they have, arguably, the best bowling line-up in IPL 2022.
#3 SRH vs KKR (Match 25, April 15 at Brabourne Stadium)
After beginning IPL 2022 with two disappointing performances, Hyderabad lifted their game and thumped Chennai by eight wickets to get their first points on the table. SRH have some decent talent in both batting and bowling. Young opener Abhishek Sharma has found some form while Rahul Tripathi is also looking dangerous. With the ball, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar are highly skillful performers. Kolkata went down to Delhi in their last match, so they will be keen to fight back. Shreyas Iyer will want to make a statement of intent against SRH. With Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in fine form, KKR have the bowling to trouble Hyderabad.
#4 MI vs LSG (Match 26, April 16 at Brabourne Stadium)
Following four defeats in four matches, five-time champions Mumbai’s pride would have been severely dented. True, this team is not the same that has dominated the IPL over the years. Forced to release most of their key players ahead of the mega auction, they have failed to build a strong side all over again. But MI still have skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav who, on their day, can single-handedly win matches. Tilak Varma too has shown that he can make a big difference with the bat. Despite the loss to Rajasthan, Lucknow will have the upper hand against Mumbai. But they cannot get complacent against a wounded MI.
#5 DC vs RCB (Match 27, April 16 at Wankhede Stadium)
Delhi have been inconsistent in IPL 2022 so far, winning two and losing two. However, when they have got it right, they have been amazing. Against KKR, they were brutal with the bat at the start with Prithvi Shaw and David Warner. Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel then played stunning cameos at the end. Kuldeep Yadav carried on his great form in IPL 2022, picking up four wickets against his former franchise. The teams met twice in IPL 2021 and both matches had thrilling finishes. DC vs RCB again promises to be a close tussle as both sides have the bowling and batting to make the game-changing impact.
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