IPL 2020: Best of stats after CSK, KKR pick up dominating wins
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowed out of IPL 2020 on a high with a dominating win over the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), while the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outplayed the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as part of Sunday's doubleheader action.
In the first game of the evening, CSK were clinical with the ball as Lungi Ngidi sent back both the openers in his first spell to dent KXIP early. With none of the middle order batsmen able to put up a big score, a fighting knock from Deepak Hooda (30-ball 62*) steadied the batting effort as Punjab finished with a par total of 153/6 from their 20 overs.
As for CSK's chase, young Ruturaj Gaikwad grabbed all the headlines with his wide array of strokes, and his third half-century on the trot (49-ball 62*) played a major hand in the Super Kings' win. Gaikwad was well complemented by Faf du Plessis (34-ball 48) and Ambati Rayudu (30-ball 30*) as CSK crossed the line with seven balls to spare, and in the process, they also quashed KXIP's hopes of making the last four.
Interesting stats from the CSK vs KXIP match
• Deepak Hooda's score of 62 is the highest for anyone batting at No.6 this season.
• KL Rahul is the 5th player to face 500+ balls in an IPL season, making him the second Indian to do so after Virat Kohli.
• Deepak Chahar took 7 wickets in powerplay overs this season as compared to 15 wickets in the last season.
• This was the first time that CSK registered consecutive 50+ opening partnership stands in the IPL since 2015.
• Ruturaj Gaikwad is the first CSK player to notch up three consecutive 50+ scores.
• After Virendar Sehwag in 2012 and Virat Kohli in 2016, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the third Indian player to receive three consecutive Man of the Match awards.
• CSK have defeated KXIP by 9 or more wickets for the 4th time in IPL history. Notably, they have achieved the same feat three times against all other teams.
Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan star in KKR's win over RR
In the second game of the night, Eoin Morgan's KKR kept their hopes alive of making the playoffs with a massive 60-run win over RR that also helped them to occupy fourth spot on the IPL 2020 points table.
Put in to bat first by RR skipper Steve Smith, KKR lost Nitish Rana on the second ball of the first over, before a crucial 72-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi seemed to lay a platform for a big finish.
Quick wickets for RR saw KKR in some trouble at 99/5 in the 13th over, but a 11-ball 25 from Andre Russell and some pyrotechnics courtesy of Morgan (35-ball 68) took the Knight Riders to a massive 191/7 from their 20 overs.
Although RR got off to a powerful start with Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa starting on an aggressive note, KKR picked up wickets at regular intervals to pile the pressure on Smith's men.
Stokes, Jos Buttler and Rahul Tewatia all threw away their wickets after getting good starts, and in the end, there was a little too much for RR to do as they collapsed to a huge 60-run loss.
Interesting stats from the KKR vs RR match
• No KKR batsman has scored a century since Brendon Mcculum, who scored a century in the first IPL season.
• Eoin Morgan is the only middle order batsman to feature in the IPL 2020 Orange Cap list.
• Before this match, KKR had taken only 8 wickets in the powerplay this season. In this game against RR, they picked up 5 wickets in the powerplay.
• In the first 10 matches that Pat Cummins played this season, he took 3 wickets, whereas he took 9 wickets in the last four matches this season.
• Pat Cummins is the only bowler to take 4 or more wickets in the first six overs this season. In fact, he is the first bowler to do so since Dhawal Kulkarni picked up 4 wickets vs RCB in 2016.
• RR lost 5 wickets in the first six overs for the first time in IPL history.
• This is the first time that RR finished last in the points table in IPL history.