Halfway through the IPL and we find ourselves in a situation that we have never been before. After playing 8 games, a team led by MS Dhoni lingers at number 6 in the points table with just 2 wins and 6 losses.
In the last match, Pune showed signs of recovery by winning their second game of the tournament and there was a feeling that it could just be the beginning of a comeback for the Pune franchise.
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However, they were brought right back to ground by Rohit Sharma and co. as Mumbai continued their impressive form with a thumping 8 wicket win.
There were plenty of moments in the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
Saurabh Tiwary’s resurgence
If a list of one season IPL wonders were to be compiled, then Saurabh Tiwary would be among the first names to be penned down. His performances with Mumbai in his breakthrough season were so good that it earned him a spot in the national team.
However, it went heavily downhill from there. A huge fee was paid for his services by Royal Challengers Bangalore the following season. The magnitude of the cash put a lot of pressure on him and he cracked under it.
But it seems like he has finally found a new lease of life as an opener for Pune.
It might be too early to give a verdict, but Saurabh Tiwary’s 57 off 45 balls against his former club brings about a ray of hope.
Steven Smith continues his glorious form
Steven Smith is a peculiar character. He came into the scene as a leg-spinner before making a complete transformation as a batsman. Now we rarely see him bowl leggies, but we are graced with his divine batting skills.
He started the IPL atrociously, severely underperforming in the first 5 games. However, with a 100 in the last game, he came into this match with great confidence and it showed.
In just 23 balls, he scored 45 runs to give the run-rate a boost for the Supergiants. In the end, sadly, it went in vain.
Bumrah’s trickery
If Mustafizur Rahman in the best young left-arm pacer in the world, then Jasprit Bumrah is a class above the other right-arm seamers of his age-group. And he showed just that in yesterday’s encounter as he continued his fine rise to the top.
As Rising Pune Supergiants were enjoying a superb start—thanks to Steven Smith and Saurabh Tiwary—Bumrah came in and destroyed everything that stood in front of him.
He took the key wickets of Tiwary and Smith—who were wreaking havoc—and then capped it off by picking up yet another batsmen who was settling down well, MS Dhoni.
He ended up with 3 wickets in 4 overs while giving away only 29 runs. He might as well have won the man of the match if it weren’t for…
Rohit Sharma’s brilliance
Rohit Sharma divides opinions like no other player. However, what cannot be debated is the fact that he is the most enigmatic player of our time. And also the fact that he is the only player to have got as many chances as he did despite being in poor form for an elaborate period in his career.
And he is repaying the faith of the selectors with his performances—which have become more consistent of late.
He became the subject of criticism due to his poor showing for India at the World Cup T20 and the Asia Cup. But with the onset of IPL, he has returned to his best.
Against Pune, he stood up and tormented the Pune bowling attack by scoring 85 runs from just 60 balls. Indeed, he remained unbeaten as he made sure that he left the pitch with the win in the bag.
Jos Buttler’s spark
In last month’s T20 World Cup, he was among the brightest stars. His late-innings hits were what gave England the extra 15-20 runs, which turned out to be the crucial factor in their surge to the final. In the IPL, however, we are yet to see his best other than some sparks here and there.
But yesterday’s game was a good warm up for him as he scored a quick fire 27 off just 17 balls—giving Mumbai Indians the win with 9 balls to spare.
With the most important juncture of IPL up ahead, his form could be the difference between the reigning champions defending their title or losing it.
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