Ravindra Jadeja
Royal Challengers Bangalore were the only unbeaten side this season, all until this Sunday. They dominated a major part of their bowling innings and started the chase of well despite a colossal target, but on both occasions, they ran into the same man that left them deflated. After a whirlwind 62* off just 28 balls, which included a record-equalling 37-run over, Jadeja dismissed two of RCB's main batters this season - Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers - to eventually end their invincibility this season. Jadeja all-round brilliance in Mumbai helped CSK climb to the top of the table while RCB, despite having similar points, fell a position below, to second owing to an inferior NRR.
CSK's change in PowerPlay fortune
In the first three games, Chennai had the worst scoring rate in the PowerPlay, scoring at less than run-a-ball with an average of just 20.60 and five dismissals. Their highest PowerPlay score was 46 in the first three games. In the next two games, CSK's scoring rate spiked to 8.46 with zero dismissals and a boundary rate of 4.5 balls. In both the games they managed scores of 54 against Kolkata Knight Riders and 51 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The key difference has largely been the return of form of Rutiraj Gaikwad who scored 64 in the previous game off 42 balls and followed it with a 25-ball 33 against RCB.
6666264 - That Jadeja carnage at Wankhede!
After the 74-run opening stand that ended with Gaikwad's departure at the start of the 10th over, RCB bowlers had impressively restricted CSK's scoring. In the next six overs, CSK managed to score only 43 runs more for the loss of two more wickets. Even after Jadeja's entrance in the 14th over, the run rate only went by a mark with CSK at 154 for 4 at the end of the 19th over. Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel had superbly pulled back things after Kyle Jamieson's 17-run over, conceding only 20 runs, comprising a solitary boundary and one dismissal, in the death. And just when RCB looked relatively relieved at a somewhat competitive total, CSK had a far bigger surprise waiting for them.
Jadeja smashed five sixes, including one off a no-ball, and a boundary to score a record-equalling 37 runs against Harshal, the present Purple Cap winner in IPL 2021, in the final over of the game to power CSK's total to 191 for 4.
JADEJA IS EVERYWHERE!
Despite losing two wickets in the PowerPlay in response to a huge target set for RCB, Devdutt Padikkal's 15-ball 34 had powered the side to the joint-best score of 65 runs at the end of the first six overs. With Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers still waiting for their opportunity in the dugout, the middle overs held crucial for the CSK spinners to bounce back in the contest. And in a matter of next five overs, the numbers clearly illustrated the winner, courtesy of an omnipresent Jadeja.
After starring with the bat, Jadeja removed Maxwell in his second over, inflicted the run out of Dan Christian and returned to dismiss De Villiers in his third over. Against Maxwell, it was never a surprise given his edge over the Aussie in their head-to-head tie. It was the fifth time he dismissed him in T20 cricket, and 11th across all competitions. Jadeja, being a slow left-arm orthodox, also was a good match-up against De Villiers, who has managed a strike rate of just 116.5 in IPL since 2017, the least he has managed against any bowling variety while being dismissed four times.
RCB hence slipped from 65 for two in 6 overs to 83 for 6 in 11 overs.
