IPL restart will see a tweak in team strategies
Virat Kohli returns to Chinnaswamy stadium with RCB after Test retirement, as IPL playoffs race heats up amid overseas player changes.
Kolkata: At a ground he calls home, Virat Kohli will walk out in the reds of Royal Challengers Bengaluru five days after announcing his retirement from Test cricket. No points for guessing who the Chinnaswamy stadium will root for the entire night even though this is a different format altogether.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against a very vociferous 12th man in this all-important clash as the race for the playoffs resume after the IPL had to be paused for the flare-up between India and Pakistan.
Second on the points table with 16 points, RCB need one win to secure a playoffs berth, while winning all three would guarantee a top-two finish with 22 points. Two of those games are at home, and a winning start on Saturday would be just the sort of momentum RCB would be seeking.
Most of their overseas players have returned barring Josh Hazlewood, who according to the Sydney Morning Herald is supposed to join ahead of the playoffs. The 34-year-old Australia pacer—who has taken 18 wickets in 10 games at an average of 17.28 and economy of 8.44—is in rehabilitation because of a shoulder niggle.
“With Josh, he’s our only player not here at the moment,” said Mo Bobat, director of cricket at RCB. “He’s recovering from his shoulder niggle that he had. He’s doing that with Cricket Australia. Our medical team and their medical teams have been liaising on what that detail looks like and he’s just taking that day by day and he’s trying to improve his shot.”
Starc opts out
Mitchell Starc is the most high-profile overseas player to opt out of the final phase even though most of his teammates have returned to India. According to Australian media reports, Starc has informed Delhi Capitals—currently fifth in the points table—of his decision.
Bought for ₹11.75 crore by DC, the Australian fast bowler has taken 14 wickets at an average of 26. DC — in fifth place with 13 points from 11 games — has signed Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman but he has been granted an NOC only for the league stage. Rahman is slated to leave for Pakistan for a five-match T20I series that begins on May 25.
Faf du Plessis and Tristan Stubbs have returned, but Stubbs will leave after the league phase for the WTC final at Lord’s. Australia captain Pat Cummins and batter Travis Head will be starting for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have been eliminated from the playoff race along with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Tim David’s return boosts RCB’s lower middle order while Xavier Bartlett and Mitch Owen have joined Punjab Kings.
All the South Africans named in the squad for the WTC final will leave after the league phase but Caribbean participation has been ensured till the final after the West Indies cricket board allowed Sherfane Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer to miss the the ODIs against Ireland, calling the IPL break “an exceptional and unforeseen situation”. “Strategic adjustments have been made to ensure key areas are adequately covered,” the CWI said in a statement.
“Shamar Joseph remains in the squad. John Campbell will replace Sherfane Rutherford for the Ireland leg, and Shimron Hetmyer, currently unavailable for the Ireland leg, will join the squad for the England matches.”
From the English contingent, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton and Sam Curran are not returning for the remainder of the IPL. Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell are back but Buttler is expected to leave after the league phase.
In view of the changed status of quite a few overseas players, the onus is now on the Indian players to step up more than ever. Strategies will be tweaked for some teams, and redrawn for some, but the good thing is that given how the role of Indians have grown in the past few years, most IPL franchises are expected to deal with any crisis that may arise due to unavailability of the overseas players.
The state of preparedness wasn’t hampered too despite the sudden break, according to KKR’s Manish Pandey.
“It (the mid-tournament break) doesn’t really change much because as professional cricketers, we know what’s to be done. We definitely knew that the tournament would resume, but we didn’t know how soon. But it was good that we didn’t have a long break,” said Pandey at the pre-match press conference in Bengaluru on Friday. “We were still in the gym and doing our work on the game. The whole team is here and everyone is ready to go and we are looking forward to having a great game.”
Leading the table with 16 points, Gujarat Titans (GT) are one win away from cementing a place in the playoffs. Punjab Kings (PBKS) are on 15 points and need two wins out of three, while Mumbai Indians (MI) are fourth with 14 points.
