A lot has been going on in the world of cricket lately. While the Indian Premier League has come to an end, the T20 World Cup has kickstarted. Let’s look at all that made news in the week gone by and how Twitter reacted to it.
Chennai lift their fourth IPL title
Chennai Super Kings took on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of the IPL 2021 on Friday and went on to win their fourth trophy. Batting first, Chennai posted 190 on the board after Faf du Plessis scored 86 off 59 balls. While 191 looked like a difficult target, KKR started their chase well and were on 91-1 in 10.4 hours. From there on, however, they lost wickets in quick succession, and were eventually bundled out for 165 runs. Du Plessis was named the Player of the Match. Chennai were awarded INR 20 crores for winning the trophy, while KKR took home INR 20 crores.
Faf du Plessis’ exclusion from South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad
Faf du Plessis ended the IPL 2021 as the second-highest run-scorer. The South African scored 633 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.21 and strike rate of 138.20. Du Plessis narrowly missed out on winning the orange cap, which went to teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 635 runs, two more than Plessis. Of the six half-centuries that Plessis scored during the course of the tournament, the one in the final stood out. The veteran batter scored 86 off 59 balls in the final that was laced with seven fours and three sixes. With those kind of performances, Twitter is surprised that du Plessis has not been included in South Africa’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s grand welcome back home
The CSK opener was the highest run-scorer in IPL 2021 with 635 runs in 16 innings at an average and strike rate of 45.35 and 136.26. He also hit the second-most number of sixes in the tournament – 64. The opening batsman from Maharashtra not only won the orange cap, but also became the youngest to do so at the age of 24. Gaikwad was also awarded the Emerging Player of the Season award. He hit four fifties and a century in IPL 2021. Against Rajasthan Royals, Gaikwad slammed his maiden IPL ton – an unbeaten 101 off 60 balls which helped Chennai post 189 runs on the board. Given Gaikwad’s heroics in the IPL, it is no surprise that he received a grand welcome back home in India.
Virat Kohli’s stint as RCB captain comes to an end
RCB’s quest for their first IPL trophy continued as KKR defeated them by four wickets in the Eliminator on Monday. Batting first, RCB managed only 138 runs on what was a difficult wicket to bat on. Apart from Virat Kohli’s 39 and Devdutt Padikkal’s 21, none of the other batters could get going. In reply, KKR gunned down the target in 19.4 hours with the help of a 41-run opening partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill. And with that loss, Virat Kohli’s dream to lead RCB to a title also came to an end. Kohli will not be captaining the side from the next edition. Twitter, meanwhile, recalled Kohli’s captaincy journey in stats.
Delhi Capitals lose two in two knockout games
While the Delhi Capitals topped the IPL 2021 points table after the league stage, they lost both their knockout games and failed to make it to what could have been their second successive IPL final. After losing to CSK in the Qualifier 1, Delhi lost to KKR in the Qualifier 2. After setting a target of 135 runs for Kolkata, Delhi failed to defend it in the last over as Rahul Tripathi hit a six off the second last ball of the last over to take Kolkata over the line.
Avi Barot passes away
On Saturday, cricket fraternity was grieved by the news of the sudden demise of 29-year-old batter Avi Barot, who played domestic cricket for Saurashtra. Only five days before his untimely demise due to a cardiac arrest, Barot had smashed 72 off 43 balls in the final of Reliance G-1 T20 tournament and helped Saurashtra claim the title on Sunday. A former India U19 captain, Barot played 38 First Class matches and scored 1547 matches at an average of 24.95, including one century and nine half-centuries. In List A, he played 38 games, scoring 1030 runs at an average of 28.61, including eight fifties. In the shortest format, the former cricketer scored 717 runs in 20 games at an average of 37.73.
Scotland beat Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup
Not many would have expected Scotland to do what they did. The underdogs defeated Bangladesh by six runs in a thrilling encounter at the Al Amerat Stadium on October 17 in the First Round and will be hoping to make it to the Super 12 stage. Batting first, Scotland put up 140 runs on the board, with Chris Greave scoring a 28-ball 45 laced with four boundaries and two maximums. Bangladesh, who had the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah in their ranks, could manage not more than 134 runs in the second innings. The only significant contribution came from Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored a 36-ball 38.
Shardul Thakur replaces Axar Patel in the World Cup squad
Fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who was named in the reserves for the T20 World Cup, replaced all-rounder Axar Patel in the main squad. Patel will now be in the list of reserved players. BCCI announced the change on Wednesday after Shardul’s consistent performances for CSK in the IPL. Thakur ended the tournament as the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets in 16 matches and also produced a match winning spell in the final where he picked three wickets. The Virat Kohli-led side will begin their World Cup campaign on October 24 against Pakistan in Dubai.
India’s jersey for the T20 World Cup unveiled
Team India’s jersey for the T20 World Cup, which is apparently inspired by the fans, was unveiled on Wednesday. Called the ‘Billion Cheers Jersey’, it was unveiled by MPL Sports, the official kit sponsor of the Indian men’s, women’s, and Under-19 teams. This is the first time in the history of Indian cricket that fans have been memorialised on a jersey. It carries their chants and cheers from iconic past matches, transformed into unique soundwave patterns. India will begin their campaign on October 24 against Pakistan.
Also Read: Who Has Scored the Most Runs in T20 World Cup History?
