The third week of the Indian Premier League ended on Saturday with Delhi Capitals holding on to their place at the top. With 10 points in six matches, the DC are the most consistent side in the tournament, followed by Mumbai Indians at 2nd.
This week, the action in the tournament provided a little clarity on how the top-4 might look like. While Kings XI Punjab look out of the race with six losses in seven games, Chennai Super Kings would require a herculean effort to put themselves in contentionfor a top-4 spot.
As we see go into the third week of the tournament, let's take a look at five of the top moments from this week of the tournament:
By the barest of margins!
The first match of Saturday's double-header saw one of the most thrilling finishes in the season. With seven runs needed off the last ball, Glenn Maxwell played a lofted drive off Narine's delivery, and the ball fell merely inches from the boundary line as KKR won by two runs.
At one stage, however, KXIP seemed to have been cruising away with the victory, as their opening stand of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul added 100+ runs for the first wicket. However, their middle-order came crumbling down in the 165-run chase, as the side lost four wickets within 43 runs.
Ashwin's Surprise:
Ravichandran Ashwin stirred controversy in the previous edition of the tournament when he ran out, or 'Mankaded' Jos Buttler during the group stage game of the IPL. This time, with DC head coach Ricky Ponting voicing his criticism of the 'Mankad', there were speculations on whether Ashwin would repeat the mode of dismissal this year.
The fans didn't have to wait much for it, however. In the match against RCB, Ashwin decided not to 'Mankad' Aaron Finch who was significantly away from the crease before the ball was bowled. Instead, the off-spinner warned the Australian captain.
The 'Rahuls' turning up the heat!
In the first week of IPL 2020, KL Rahul slammed a brilliant century (132*) against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the next week, Rahul Tewatia stepped up with a miraculous effort against Kings XI Punjab as he slammed 30 runs in an over off Sheldon Cottrell to steer Rajsthan Royals to a record run-chase.
And this week, it was the turn of Rahul Tripathi to turn up the heat. After a 16-ball 36 cameo at number 8 for Kolkata Knight Riders against DC last week, Tripathi was promoted as an opener in the side's next game against Chennai Super Kings.
Tripathi scored 81 off just 51 deliveries as he held one end for a large part of the KKR innings, eventually aiding the side to a competitive total of 167. The side won the match by 10 runs.
King Kohli arrives:
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli finally announced his return to cricket in style on Saturday, as he slammed an unbeaten 90 off 51 balls against CSK to steer the side to a comfortable victory.
Kohli's 90* followed up on scores of 43 and 72 not out in his previous two matches.
During the innings, he also became the first player in the history of the IPL to reach 6,000 runs.
MS Dhoni turns Superman:
The Chennai Super Kings may be having a torrid time on the field, but MS Dhoni's presence behind the wickets remains as consistent as ever.
During the match against KKR, Dhoni took a brilliant diving catch of Shivam Mavi, which left the fans in awe.
