IPL 2018: Mumbai Indians knocked out as Delhi Daredevils win by 11 runs

Mumbai Indians are out of the VVIO IPL 2018 as they lost to Delhi Daredevils by 11 runs. This loss gives hope to Rajasthan and Punjab

In the 55th match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Delhi Daredevils defeated Mumbai Indians and ended their journey in their year's IPL. On the penultimate evening of the league games, Delhi had nothing to lose while for Mumbai, everything was at stake. Mumbai's selection for the playoffs was hanging in balance after the recent turbulence in the VIVO IPL 2018 points table and they could not secure a place for the playoffs.

Earlier, DD won the toss and decided to bat first against Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. The start went well for Delhi and they put up quick 30 runs in the first 3 overs A careless action from Shaw cost him his wicket and Delhi for no reason, lost one of its in-form batsmen. Bumrah got Maxwell's wicket soon and Delhi suffered the second blow. After suffering two setbacks, Delhi was looking for a recovery.

Iyer and Pant did manage to get DD on the track to some extent. The partnership came to an end as Iyer ended up giving a catch. DD dropped big hits and settled for collecting runs through singles and doubles. The run-a-ball approach was reaping benefits for DD as it minimised risk and both the batsmen looked comfortable. Meanwhile, Rishabh pant completed his fifty and changed the gear but perished after a crucial 64-run knock, Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma added runs and took the score to 174 runs, a decent score overall.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: Punjab in trouble as Gayle, Finch gone cheaply; KXIP: 15-2 in 3

Suryakumar Yadav succumbed to the temptation of hitting boundaries in the first over after smashing Lamichhane initially.

Lewis smashed big hits all over the ground. The spin-attack initially went well in DD's favour but Lewis reversed it and MI made the most of it. Mishra provided a crucial breakthrough to DD. A series of missed catches deprived Delhi of another wicket. Lewis was stumped off Mishra's delivery on just 2 runs short off his fifty. Lewis, Pollard and Krunal Pandya fell in quick succession and trouble mounted on Mumbai. Lamichhane picked 3 crucial wickets. Captain Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya were left with a humongous task of rescuing their team. Maxwell-Boult's combo catch ended Rohit Sharma's inning. Pandya was trapped by Mishra soon, Mumbai found itself in deep trouble. Ben Cutting took the job. Mumbai needed 23 runs off the last two overs. The contest was alive till the last over. Mumbai needed 18 runs off the last over with Cutting on strike. Cutting and Bumrah perished and this ended Mumbai's journey in this year's IPL.

Mumbai Indians innings update: Over by over

Mumbai Indians playing XI for today's match: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman

Over 1: Sandeep Lamichhane is in the attack, Suryakumar Yadav wacks it four. And here is a six. What a start. High in the air, just two. Gone. Suryakumar is gone. He goes for 12. Ishan Kishan is the new man in. MI: 13-1

Over 2: Trent Boult comes to the attack, starts with just one. Nicely cut, dot ball. Another dot. Typical Boult, right on the money, dot balls. In the air, did not carry. Swing and a miss. DD: 14-1

Over 3: Maxwell comes to the attack, leading edge of Lewis, did not carry. Good ball. Powerfully cut, just one. One run to Kishan. MI: 17-1

Over 4: Harshal Patel comes to the attack, Four. in the air, dropped. Single. High in the air, four runs. Short ball, dispatched for six. Slower ball, hit over the covers for one. MI: 34-1

Over 5: Maxwell continues, dot ball. Lewis steps out for six. Dot ball. Another dot. Pulled, one bounce to four. half volley, Lewis hits another six. MI: 50-1

Over 6: Liam Plunkett comes to the attack, Starts with a wide. Single. Another Wide. One run. Dot ball. Single. One run. SIngle to finish. MI: 57-1

Over 7: Amit Mishra comes to the attack, Ishan Kishan hits it straight to the fielder at long-on, and he is out. Kieron Pollard comes to the crease, Leading edge, Prithvi Shaw drops it. Dot. Single to finish. MI: 61-2

IPL 2018: Dhoni's tactics help CSK beat KXIP by 5 wickets; RR in playoffs

CSK beat KXIP by 5 wickets to end the round robin matches of the IPL 2018. This ensures a berth for Rajasthan Royals as well. CSK face SRH in the first qualifier on Tuesday

In the 56th and the last league match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Chennai Super Kings defeated Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and ended the latter's journey in this year's IPL, helping Rajasthan Royals to make it to the playoffs. Overall, after a dismal start with the batting, KXIP regained the ground through Tiwary and Miller's partnership and Nair's cameo, CSK too suffered early losses and Punjab's pace-battery wreaked havoc initially, CSK maintained a slow approach and made in road into the game. Things came under control for Chennai, the match was already gone for KXIP as they couldn't maintain the 53-run plus margin to make it to the playoffs, CSK smashed their hopes and slowly marched towards clinching the match, Raina made his half-century and took the team towards victory, in the end he gave the strike to Dhoni to finish it, the captain ended it in his trademark style-- hitting the winning run with a six-- sealing a meeting with SRH for the first playoff on Tuesday. On the VIVO IPL 2018 points table, SRH are on top followed by CSK, KKR and RR. All these teams make it to the playoofs.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings won the toss and decided to field against Kings XI Punjab. Gayle perished soon, Finch and Lokesh Rahul followed him. Manoj Tiwary and David Miller stabilised KXIP innings by adding a 50-run partnership. Jadeja dismissed Tiwary, Miller too fell. Wickets kept falling from the other end but Nair held one end and went on to make his fifty. After Nair's wicket, the innings ended soon. KXIP managed to score a decent total of 153 runs. CSK lost its opener Ambati Rayudu off Mohit Sharma's swinging delivery. An outswinger by Rajpoot proved lethal for du Plessis and the next ball removed Sam Billings on a golden duck. The pace battery had tightened the noose around CSK batting. Rajpoot finished his four overs, clinching 2 main wickets from it, KXIP was searching for a wicket but amidst all this, Ashwin struck on his first ball by removing Harbhajan. The batsmen were just on a run-a-ball spree and KXIP were in a hurry to clinch more wickets as they had very less time to pull a miracle. Ultimately, KXIP were handed a defeat and this ended their journey in IPL 2018.

Chennai Super Kings innings update : Over by over

CSK playing 11 for today's IPL match: Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi. Changes: Faf du Plesis in for Shane Watson

Over 1: Ankit Rajpoot to Ambati Rayudu, away swing took outside edge for one run. Play and miss outside off by Faf du Plessis. Two runs taken. Left outside off for no run. Faf du Plessis squared up by Ankit. Jaffa. CSK: 3/0

Over 2: Mohit Sharma to Ambati Rayudu, defensive shot for no run. Swinging delivery outside edge took the outside edge, Ambati Rayudu OUT. Suresh Raina played a defensive shot for no run. Wades away short ball for one run. Defensive shot by Faf du Plessis for no run. Outside chance of a catch, missed by the bowler, four runs. CSK: 8/1

Over 3: Ankit Rajpoot to Suresh Raina, big inswinger onto the pad, one run. Beaten outside off, DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Outside edge wide of 2nd slip went for four. Faf du Plessis left alone the 5th ball for no run. du Plessis hit a cover drive to end the over. CSK: 17/1

IPL 2018: RCB beat SRH by 14 runs, jump to 5th spot on points table

In the 51st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), RCB beat SRH by 14 runs to stay alive in the tournament.

In the 51st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, RCB defeated SRH by 14 runs in a nail-biter and moved to the 5th spot of the VIVO IPL points table. Kane Williamson played a great knock, scoring 81 runs, and Manish Pandey accompanied him but somewhere, de Villiers and Moeen Ali's knock overshadowed it. The suspense only ended in the last over after Williamson fell on the first ball, the match kept swinging in either direction and just when it looked that Williamson's side was closer to seal the victory, RCB swung back in, courtesy, the last two overs by Tim Southee and Mohammed Siraj.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and invited Royal Challengers Bangalore to bat first. Bangalore suffered an early loss in the form of Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers was at his best today, he made his intention clear right from the start. Rashid stunned Kohli. The dominance was oscillating from one side to the other. Dhawan committed a gaffe by crossing the boundary rope after taking Moeen's catch, AB de Villiers and Moeen made their fifties, the bowlers had no respite, Rashid finally got breakthrough, de Villiers and Moeen Ali were back into the pavilion. Sarfaraz and Grandhomme played an important cameo. Chasing the target of 219 runs, Hyderabad had a fine start soon, Dhawan and Hales were dismissed. Williamson yet again played a great knock and Pandey accompanied him but they just fell short of a few runs.

IPL 2018 MATCH 51 RCB vs SRH SCOREBOARD

Here are the squads for both the teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore playing XI for today's match: Virat Kohli (C), Parthiv Patel (W), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI for today's match: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami (W), Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma.

Sunrisers Hyderabad innings update: Over by over

Over 1: Umesh to start it off for RCB, no run. Just three runs from the over. SRH: 3-0

Over 2: Tim Southee is the new man in. Welcomed with a six. Dot balls. Single to Dhawan. Another six. One run. RCB: 17-0

Over 3: Umesh continues, six.and a four. Swing and a miss. Brilliant catch, Hales is gone for 19. No, the decision is overturned. He is not out. SRH: 28-0.

Over 4: Chahal comes to the attack, just four runs from the over. SRH: 32-0

Over 5: Siraj comes to bowl, gets wacked for six. Two runs. Dropped again. Six to finish the over. SRH: 47-0

Over 6: Chahal is back and soft dismissal of Shikhar Dhawan. Kane Williamson is the new man in. Glanced for four. Dot ball. Bad ball hit for four. SRH: 56-1

IPL 2018, RCB vs SRH: Bangalore, Hyderabad clash to spice up points table

In the 51st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), a win for Royal Challengers Banglore will make the race for playoffs even more interesting.

In the 51st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on already-qualified table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in today's match with their playoffs chances hanging by a slim thread. Captian Virat Kohli has led the team from the front and that resulted in two victories for RCB. After defeating Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in back to back matches, RCB seems like a rejuvenated unit, while SRH have been the team to beat this season, having won nine matches out of 12. RCB are still struggling at the second last position on the table, while SRH are on top of the VIVO IPL points table with 18 points.

Virat Kohli's RCB has survived the tough season, having lost seven of its 12 matches so far but the recent turnaround has given brith hopes of a possible shot at the playoffs berth provided some other results go RCB's way. RCB is overtly dependant on Virat and South African star performer A B De Villiers. Both of them combined have scored nearly half of RCB's total runs this season but the side needs bigger contributions from the likes of Moeen Ali and Corey Anderson.

SRH, on the other hand, depend quite a lot on opener Shikhar Dhawan (369 runs) and skipper Kane Williamson (544 runs) for inspiration. Williamson has been an exemplary leader, who would look to consolidate the team's top spot and ensure a top-two finish at the end of the round-robin stage. Apart from Dhawan and Williamson, Yusuf Pathan (186), Manish Pandey (189) and Shakib-Al-Hasan (166) have also chipped in at crunch situations for SRH. But what has been truly outstanding for SRH is their diverse bowling attack. The bowlers, led by India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8), have been terrific.

Royal Challengers Bangalore players who might make an impact in IPL today's match (RCB vs SHR): Royal Challengers Bangalore have blown hot and cold this season, but they're getting things together right at the business end. Virat Kohli's team hadn't won two matches on the bounce in their first ten matches. But faced with a do-or-die situation, they've pulled off two magnificent wins in their last two matches; first, they chased down 182 against the Delhi Daredevils, and most recently decimated Kings XI Punjab. The match against KXIP was by far their best one could ask for; the bowler's bowled to a plan, the fielders gave their best in the field, and the openers then scored the runs required. RCB's net run rate improved significantly, and they now need to win their remaining two matches to progress beyond the league stage. Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have become Virat Kohli's two dependable bowlers. If Yadav is able to knock off the top-order cheaply, RCB will fancy themselves, given the SRH middle-order hasn't been tested too often this season. Chahal has been successful in keeping control over the scoring, while also dismissing key batsmen in the opposition. Kohli and ace South African batsman AB De Villiers are RCB's key players as far as the batting in concerned.

The pair have combined to pile up nearly half of RCB's total runs this season but the side needs bigger contributions from the likes of Moeen Ali and Corey Anderson. Kohli has led from the front with 514 runs in 12 games.

IPL 2018: Chennai Super Kings are back with a bang; but not at home

They may not be playing at home but what has not diminished is the unquestioning adulation the team receives in Chennai

As Ravindra Jadeja slammed the ball for a six, little did everyone know that it would be the last time Chennai Super Kings would get to celebrate a victory at the Chepauk stadium in the latest iteration of the Indian Premier League. Days later, it was confirmed that CSK will play its remaining home games in Pune. The protests over the Union government’s inaction over sharing of Cauvery river waters had already seen calls for boycott of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. As the threat perception grew more serious in the police’s eyes, CSK was asked to find a new home.

Ironically, the build-up to this campaign for the ‘Yellow Army’ was dominated by the narrative of return. After spending the last two years in suspension due to team official Gurunath Meiyappan’s involvement in betting, CSK’s comeback was eagerly awaited. Particularly by its loyal fan base which gave short shrift to the accusations of spot-fixing and conflict of interest. Rather, the supporters felt unfairly targeted.

CSK has always prided itself on the manic support it seems to attract. The uncritical adoration has been carefully nurtured by the franchise. Arguably, no other IPL 2018 side can boast of such loyalty. Even during the Cauvery protest last week, some agitators spoke of the difficulty in choosing their politics over their favourite team.

CSK itself gives rise to dilemmas as it reflects the contradictions which beset the IPL better than any other side. Like the league, the franchise entertains and succeeds in good measure; but it also replicates the IPL’s tendency to court controversy, leaving a miasmic trail behind.

It began with the charges of auction-fixing (2009) and then moved on to betting and conflict of interest in CSK’s ownership model. Moreover, Chennai has not been an entirely hospitable venue to the IPL. The ban on Sri Lankan players and officials is still fresh in memory while three stands at the Chepauk stadium have remained shut since 2012. Yet, the bumps in the road have not dimmed the enthusiasm of the CSK faithful.

As witnessed during this IPL, the franchise is mindful of playing up this emotional connect. In the lead-up to the tournament, we saw fan videos gain immense traction while CSK itself sought to play up its return to the Chepauk. To embellish its connection with Chennai, the franchise had its players mouth off lines from the trailer of Rajnikanth’s latest film Kaala. In another video, made by fans, supporters borrowed a famous line from the superstar’s hit movie, Kabali – “Tell them we are back,” they roared, with pride.

The engagement continues through social media posts in Tamil by ‘outsiders’ like Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir. Embracing the city and its culture is crucial to CSK’s marketing strategy. It does not amount to mere promotion of the franchise, an emotional bond with the team must be drawn as well. Upon his return to CSK, the beloved leader Dhoni was keen to stress that Chennai is his second home and it hurt him to see his side out of action for two years.

BCCI media rights: STAR India wins the toss in cricket sweepstakes

Winning the rights would have given the Ambanis a big boost, say analysts, in increasing data usage for the 160 million Jio customers

Will acquiring the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) rights for bilateral international cricket matches in India be the winner’s curse for STAR India?

Or will the acquisition reinforce STAR India’s top position in cricket telecasting by increasing the gap with its traditional rival Sony and keeping Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio away for a second time from winning coveted cricket rights (the first time was the Indian Premier League, or IPL), which not only drive customers but also bring in huge advertising revenue as well as subscriptions.

The Ambanis, who have built a media empire, recently took a majority stake in Viacom 18, the company that runs a bouquet of channels led by Colors, and is fighting a headlong battle for viewership in the general entertainment space with STAR India.

What Viacom does not have is a sport channel, which it has avoided because of the high cost of acquiring sport properties.

Winning the rights would have given the Ambanis a big boost, say analysts, in increasing data usage for the 160 million Jio customers, who are looking for compelling content, and cricket is a no brainer. It could have also given Viacom 18 an opportunity to fill a gap for a cricket property. Jio is launching fibre-to-home service, which will be driven by content and TV services, taking on Rupert Murdoch’s DTH business in Tata-Sky.

But STAR India has to pay a stiff bill not only for the BCCI rights but also grabbing the rights of the IPL, also for five years, and that is Rs 44.956 billion (BCCI and IPL) every year, more than double the advertising revenue that flows to cricket currently.

And while it has bid very high to win against all odds, its challenge now is to make money. The enormity of the task can be seen in the fact that currently advertising revenue for cricket on TV is around Rs 20 billion, of which the IPL generates more than Rs 13 billion. Digital advertising last year generated only Rs 2 billion, primarily from the IPL to STAR’s Hotstar, and, despite all the promise, has a long way to go.

So the money-making equation has to change dramatically. STAR sources say they will not be able to break even on day one, but the properties are attractive. Some say it has overbid for both the properties and it might not be able to break even at all and has overestimated the revenue-generating potential for digital. They say that unlike in other countries where sport properties are sold high, India does not have the potential for subscription revenue to go up for a long time, so that one can reduce dependence on only advertising. (more)

STAR ropes in 11 brand partners for IPL 2018 on both TV, digital platforms

Anil Jayaraj, executive vice-president and head for ad sales, STAR Sports, believes this has been the key driver for attracting brands

STAR India has attracted 11 brands for its telecast of the Vivo IPL 2018 (IPL). After the network's winning bid of the annual T20 for Rs 163.5 billion to telecast for five years, this is the first time the IPL will be available on the same network on TV and digital.

Anil Jayaraj, executive vice-president and head for ad sales, STAR Sports, believes this has been the key driver for attracting brands.

He says, “Having both TV and digital platforms means brands for the first time have the opportunity to leverage the power of multi-screen. This allows brands to combine the power of mass reach and targeted performance. We’ve gone to market with a combined proposition but have been fluid in that if a brand wants to lean more heavily on either platform we’ve adapted. We’ve not come across a single brand yet that has refrained from either platform.”

Some of the brands that have signed on the property include IPL regulars like Vivo (also the title on-ground sponsor), Kent and Parle. Newcomers include Elica Kitchens, Dream11, Polycab Wires and Coca-Cola.

The global beverage giant has been a known brand in the past but had dialled back on cricket sponsorships in the recent past. However, it has started investing in cricket tournaments since last year.

“IPL has always lived up to its promise of being the most impactful media property and this year, there is the added attraction of the return of two popular teams. We are seeing good traction with our clients. STAR has developed a very strong marketing plan and created a lot of innovative opportunities for advertisers across their broadcast and digital platforms,” says C V L Srinivas, CEO of GroupM South Asia.

Last year, Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) had roped in nine brands on TV while Hotstar had close to 10 brands associating with the property on the digital platform. While SPN earned around Rs 13 billion from ad-sales in IPL 2017, industry estimates peg Hotstar’s ad-sales revenues in the Rs 1.8 to Rs 2 billion range last year. Experts say it is too early to say how much STAR India would make from this year’s telecast of the tournament. However, market estimates say STAR India will be looking at Rs 20 billion in ad-sales revenue.

STAR India has extended the engagement duration on the IPL to six month, starting with the IPL player retention process (televised for the first time this year) in January, followed by the player auctions at the end of January. In the run-up to the tournament, the network will be airing programmes around the teams and their preparation for IPL 2018, all monetisable assets on TV and digital.