IPL 2020 Points Table: Latest standings after RR and MI secure wins in two thrillers

The Rajasthan Royals beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets in the twenty-sixth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at Dubai.

After electing to bat first, the Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to quite a slow start, as they could manage only 26 runs in the powerplay. While also losing the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. David Warner, along with Manish Pandey, weathered the storm and put up a gritty partnership for the second wicket, striking some meaty blows along the way.

The SRH skipper was batting well on 48 runs, but a brilliant yorker by Archer saw him take the long walk back to the pavilion. Pandey went on to score a magnificent half-century before falling to Jaydev Unadkat for a well-made 44-ball 54.

Twin cameos by Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg saw SRH post a total of 158/4 from their allotted quota of 20 overs. The wickets column seemed to have dried up for the RR bowlers as Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi and Jaydev Undakat were only able to contribute with a wicket each.

In reply, Rajasthan Royals got off to a horrible start as they lost three wickets within the powerplay. The gamble to ask Ben Stokes to open the innings failed miserably as the southpaw could manage only 5 runs before he chopped one back onto the stumps off Khaleel Ahmed.

With Stokes, Steve Smith and Jos Buttler back into the pavilion, it was up to the Indian middle order to step up and deliver a match-winning performance. Robin Uthappa scored a 15-ball 18 while Sanju Samson managed to score a 25-ball 26. It was at this stage that SRH seemed to be in total control of the game, with RR needing 81 runs off the last 8 overs with Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag at the crease.

However, they both played brilliant knocks under pressure and steered RR to victory. Parag scored an unbeaten 26-ball 42 while Tewatia received the man-of-the-match award for his 28-ball 45. As for the bowlers, it was only Khaleel Ahmed and Rashid Khan who returned with a couple of wickets each.

Suryakumar Yadav and Quinton de Kock scored brilliant half-centuries that helped MI secure a win over DC.

In the next match, it was the Mumbai Indians who emerged victorious over the Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first in this encounter.

It was the Mumbai Indians who got off to a good start with the ball thought, as Trent Boult snared the wicket of Prithvi Shaw in the first over itself. Ajinkya Rahane was trapped in front by Krunal Pandya a little later and had to make his way back for a run-a-ball 15.

Shikhar Dhawan then joined Shreyas Iyer in the middle as the duo put up a partnership of 85 runs for the third wicket. They were just beginning take on the bowlers when Shreyas Iyer pulled one straight into the hands of Trent Boult off Krunal Pandya's bowling, and had to return to the pavilion for a 33-ball 42. Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey chipped in with a few runs while Shikhar Dhawan remained unbeaten on 69(52).

Chasing 163 runs, Mumbai Indians were unable to get off to a flying start as they lost the wicket of skipper Rohit Sharma for just 5 runs. Quinton de Kock continued playing well even after Rohit's wicket and went on to score a marvellous 36-ball 53.

The chase seemed to have been derailed when de Kock fell, but Suryakumar Yadav carried his form from the previous match and scored a scintillating 33-ball 53. MI almost got into a bit of a pickle when they lost two wickets in quick succession, allowing DC to claw their way back into this contest.

However, Ishan Kishan helped himself to a few huge hits en route a 15-ball 28 while Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya saw them across the line safely in the end.

As for the bowlers, Kagiso Rabada was once again breathing fire with the ball in hand, as he returned with figures of 2-28 from his four overs. Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin and Marcus Stoinis picked up a wicket each but their efforts went in vain as they ended up on the losing side.

IPL 2020 Updated Points Table:

The updated points table after Match 27 of IPL 13

Even with the results of the two games on Sunday, there is not a significant change in the points table. The Rajasthan Royals move up a spot in the points table and are now placed sixth, resulting in the Chennai Super Kings being displaced and dropping down a spot.

On the other hand, the Sunrisers Hyderabad's position on the points table did not change, although their net run-rate did take a hit. At the top of the table, the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals switched positions. MI reclaimed the top spot as they dethroned DC, who moved down to the second spot.

An exciting clash awaits us tomorrow as Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Dinesh Karthik's Kolkata Knight Riders at Sharjah. Both teams will be coming into that match on the back of a win, and it will be interesting to see who emerges on top in what promises to be a high-scoring clash.