IPL 2018: Delhi lose at home by 4 runs, KXIP claim top spot on points table

Shreyas Iyer tried his level best to bring it home for Delhi Daredevils, but Kings XI Punjab bowlers were a tad better and made sure they seal the win

In a heartbreaking match, Delhi Daredevils lost the match by four runs, chasing the target for 144 against Kings XI Punjab in the 22nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2018). Shreyas Iyer took the match to the very last ball but could not see his team through. Kings XI Punjab bowler made sure that wickets keep falling at regular intervals and run flow was controlled. Crucial players failed to perform as Delhi lost three wickets in the powerplay. Rishab Pant was a surprise failure this match. DD lost by 4 runs. KXIP now are on the top of the VIVO IPL points table.

IN PICS: How Kings XI Punjab claim top spot on the points table, as Delhi lose by 4 runs

Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir disappointed once again and left Delhi reeling at 43-3 in 6 overs with their poor performance.

Delhi Daredevils bowlers bowled their hearts out to keep KXIP batsmen from scoring runs. KXIP made 143-8.

Liam Plunkett, making his comeback in the team, was the pick of the bowlers. He scalped three wickets and kept the run flow in check. KXIP batsmen, without Chris Gayle, looked totally out of touch and failed to hit big shorts and rotate strike. It seemed that the home advantage played well in favour of Delhi Daredevils.

Wickets kept falling for Kings XI, as Yuvraj Singh failed to impress once again. He was not in his best form and failed to move his feet much, eventually giving away his wicket. Nair and Miller stabilised the innings and looked to accelerate as only four overs remaining in the innings and the score nowhere close to par. Delhi bowlers kept it really tight despite dropping two sitters.

Kings Xi Punjab were off to a decent start despite losing two wickets in the powerplay against Delhi Daredevils. Runs kept flowing as Mayank and Nair hit boundaries at regular intervals. However, Avesh Khan took Aaron Finch's wicket, who had a bad outing once again.

Delhi Daredevils innings update: Over by over

Over 1: Ankit Rajpoot to Prithvi Shaw, two successive dot ball. 4 of the 3rd ball and single of the 4th. Rajpoot to Gambhir, wide. Dot ball, away-going delivery, didn't miss the edge by much. Dot ball to finish the over. the ball struck the pad. DRS taken ball pitched outside the leg-stump.

Over 2: Barinder Sran to Shaw, French cut went for four. Another 4 as Show cuts ferociously. Triple of the 3rd ball. Gambhir takes a single off the fourth. Edged the 5th ball for four followed by double of last ball (more)

On display in IPL 2018: The brutal beauty of Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The CSK skipper's knock against KXIP on Sunday night wasn't about answering the brickbats; it was about him and his fans

There are things in sports that genuinely cheer you up. One such is the sight of Mahendra Singh Dhoni swinging through the arc, head down, knees slightly bent, kinetic energy from those baseball-bat-sized arms powering through the ball, and the crowd exploding. It is a thing of brutal beauty. There were many around the world who woke up on Monday morning with that very image still fresh in their minds. The bowler missing, Dhoni pouncing. The ball soaring, the stadium erupting.

In Mohali on Sunday night, a Colosseum-like crowd found itself paying obeisance to a gladiator whose time many thought had come. The willingness to carry on, as admirable as it was, was proving to be too stifling. The performance was no longer backing the obduracy. That still may hold true, but we will leave that for another day.

Instead, this was about celebrating the gifts of a man whose show we have feasted on for 15 years and still cannot seem to feel content. This was about him and his fanatical band of followers, the kind who still look up to him like an eternal demigod. This was about him telling us why he still remains indispensable. This was about him showing us what we have been terribly missing. This, in a boxing sense, was like a seasoned heavyweight fighter absorbing the early blows and then unleashing a savage combination of jabs and hooks to leave his opponent sprawled on the canvas. Well, almost.

The critics have made their peace with Dhoni’s scrappiness. Dhoni is justified in believing that he doesn’t have anything to prove to them, and they don’t bother too much with arraigning him, either. Anyway, this wasn’t about answering the brickbats — Dhoni just doesn’t play his cricket that way. For long, the Indian public has lionised him for his capacity to put on a show, for his mastery that allows him to elevate his game to a whole new level when the chips are down. The performance against Kings XI Punjab was just about the Indian cricket fan. It was Dhoni’s way of thanking thousands of them for sticking by him so loyally, despite his very apparent decline. After all, this is what fandom often triggers; a belief that your heroes can never be spent forces. Acceptance isn’t something that is part of the fan lexicon. And Dhoni on Sunday night competently displayed why it mustn’t be.

This wasn’t so much about Dhoni rolling back the years as it was about him exhibiting what he can do when he’s afforded time at the crease. Dhoni is no longer the furious sprinter of his youth, he is now the canny middle-distance runner who knows exactly when to make his move. He perhaps left it too late in Mohali, but he was clearly hampered — in addition to a back problem — by Ravindra Jadeja’s sluggishness at the other end. Even then, this was a calculated assault that would have culminated in an unlikely win on another day. (more)

IPL 2018: Amid Cauvery protest, CSK seek perfect return to Chepauk vs KKR

Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders win their respective first encounter against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In the fifth match of the 11th season of Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), when M S Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) play at their home ground of Chepauk in Chennai to take on Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), they will do so with some amount of confidence – especially after having beaten defending champions Mumbai Indians on their own turf by 1 wicket in a thrilling contest on Saturday.

However, they will also try to look at and correct their flaws in the opening game of the tournament which necessitated some last-minute heroics by Dwayne Bravo to seal the match for them in a nail-biter finish. Besides, there is one setback that CSK have suffered due to the injury sustained by Kedar Jadhav – the all-rounder has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2018 due to a hamstring injury.

For their part, KKR also won their opening match on Sunday against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengal at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, by 4 wickets on Sunday.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: To wear or not to wear black bands? Cauvery shadow over CSK match

Today’s CSK vs KKR match – a homecoming like no other as the 'Men in Yellow' play at M A Chidambaram Stadium for the first time since May 2015 – promises a treat to the legion of CSK fans. Ahead of their favourite team’s match, many loyal supporters turned up in huge numbers even to watch them train.

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the CSK vs KKR match is being played in the shadow of some off-field issues and threats of disruption. Some political groups have been opposing IPL matches being played in Chennai against the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka Cauvery water sharing dispute. They are demanding that a Cauvery Management Board should be set up immediately and protesting the Narendra Modi-led central government’s failure to do so. They have threatened to disrupt any IPL proceedings.

With several fringe elements threatening to protest the IPL 2018 matches in Chennai over the Cauvery issue, security arrangements have been beefed up to prevent any untoward incident, according to the police. CSK CEO K S Viswanathan, however, said the team's home matches would go on according to schedule. The city police had been informed about the schedule and they would handle the situation accordingly, he added.

A few day's earlier, superstar of Tamil films-turned-politician Rajinikanth had urged CSK players to wear black badges while playing their match against KKR to protest the Centre's apathy to the Cauvery issue. (more)

STAR ropes in 11 brand partners for IPL 2018 on both TV, digital platforms

Anil Jayaraj, executive vice-president and head for ad sales, STAR Sports, believes this has been the key driver for attracting brands

STAR India has attracted 11 brands for its telecast of the Vivo IPL 2018 (IPL). After the network's winning bid of the annual T20 for Rs 163.5 billion to telecast for five years, this is the first time the IPL will be available on the same network on TV and digital.

Anil Jayaraj, executive vice-president and head for ad sales, STAR Sports, believes this has been the key driver for attracting brands.

He says, “Having both TV and digital platforms means brands for the first time have the opportunity to leverage the power of multi-screen. This allows brands to combine the power of mass reach and targeted performance. We’ve gone to market with a combined proposition but have been fluid in that if a brand wants to lean more heavily on either platform we’ve adapted. We’ve not come across a single brand yet that has refrained from either platform.”

Some of the brands that have signed on the property include IPL regulars like Vivo (also the title on-ground sponsor), Kent and Parle. Newcomers include Elica Kitchens, Dream11, Polycab Wires and Coca-Cola.

The global beverage giant has been a known brand in the past but had dialled back on cricket sponsorships in the recent past. However, it has started investing in cricket tournaments since last year.

“IPL has always lived up to its promise of being the most impactful media property and this year, there is the added attraction of the return of two popular teams. We are seeing good traction with our clients. STAR has developed a very strong marketing plan and created a lot of innovative opportunities for advertisers across their broadcast and digital platforms,” says C V L Srinivas, CEO of GroupM South Asia.

Last year, Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) had roped in nine brands on TV while Hotstar had close to 10 brands associating with the property on the digital platform. While SPN earned around Rs 13 billion from ad-sales in IPL 2017, industry estimates peg Hotstar’s ad-sales revenues in the Rs 1.8 to Rs 2 billion range last year. Experts say it is too early to say how much STAR India would make from this year’s telecast of the tournament. However, market estimates say STAR India will be looking at Rs 20 billion in ad-sales revenue.

STAR India has extended the engagement duration on the IPL to six month, starting with the IPL player retention process (televised for the first time this year) in January, followed by the player auctions at the end of January. In the run-up to the tournament, the network will be airing programmes around the teams and their preparation for IPL 2018, all monetisable assets on TV and digital.