Watch IPL 2023 analysis: Brilliant Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur transform Kolkata Knight Riders
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00:005-6 is nothing new. But to do that 5-6 in the last 5 balls of the match, that is what makes this knock incredible.
00:07And that too, when you need every single one of them to win that game.
00:15Hello and welcome to our weekly IPL Catch-Up chat show. There's been 9 matches since we last spoke last Monday.
00:22We're not going to go and talk about all of them. Otherwise, we're going to be here all day.
00:26But to discuss the main talking points, we're joined by Sian from Gulf News, superfan Si,
00:31and a very special guest, former England wicketkeeper and current coach of Leicestershire, Paul Nixon.
00:38Welcome to the show, guys. Paul, let's start with you. It's great to have you join us today.
00:43You had a super 23-year career, playing career. You were a brilliant wicketkeeper, a solid left-handed batsman,
00:50and quite the sledger as well. But my most memorable moment of you was when you hit merrily for six with that reverse sweep.
00:57What a shot that was. What was your most memorable moment in your career?
01:01Oh, wow. Great question. Memorable? Playing for England any time you play for your country is incredible.
01:08Winning the county championship with Leicestershire, that sort of group in the Big Brother house for six months,
01:14to win a trophy is very special. So I think obviously winning for England, playing for England,
01:19but when you win with the guys who you are in that Big Brother house with in a county cricket season is magical.
01:25So I think 1996, winning the first championship is probably my great memory.
01:29Yeah, great memories. And what about playing in the ICL?
01:32Now, look, the ICL came about before the Premier League came.
01:35It was the Rebel League. We all know that. You played there for two seasons.
01:38What are your memories of that? I remember some incredible young Indian talent.
01:43The passion of Indian cricket was extraordinary.
01:46And just to be around so many different world-class stars, because it hadn't really been done then.
01:51It was a new concept, a new venture. And, you know, we had the likes of Shane Bond,
01:56seeing Shane Bond up close and personal, how he went about his business, his mindset,
02:01and playing on different wickets and, you know, all those various things that come into it.
02:06Just meeting and being with the great players around the world is very special.
02:11Yeah, special times. Alright, good stuff. Let's get up to date with yesterday's IPL games.
02:16And for that, we will bring in Shyam and Sai.
02:18Indian batsman Rinku Singh had a great game yesterday.
02:21He blasted five sixes in the last five balls as Kolkata stunned the champions, Gujarat.
02:26Sai, how good was that from Singh? And what went wrong with the champions yesterday?
02:31I think the captaincy of Hardik Pandya was missing in Gujarat Titans.
02:35And I am not sure whether the selection of the final bowler was the right decision by Gujarat Titans.
02:40And what an incredible innings. Five sixes, unbelievable.
02:44Even the commentators were shocked. I mean, they were saying, okay, it's a try in vain when he hit the first six.
02:49Even the second six also was a try in vain. But when the third six came, oh, it was just incredible.
02:54And one of the best innings in the IPL. And actually, it has actually revived KKR's hopes to stay in the finals.
03:02Yeah, it certainly has done that. Shyam, do you think, I mean, degree, hell of a knock, wasn't it?
03:08To do five sixes at any time, but in a row in the last over, that takes some real guts, doesn't it?
03:14Absolutely. I mean, you need ice-cold nerves to do something like that.
03:19Because this is not the first time. There have been three other instances in the IPL with Chris Gayle, Ravindra Jadeja and I don't remember the other person.
03:28I mean, of course, it has to be Rahul Devotee. It happened in Sharjah, actually.
03:32So, five sixes is nothing new. But to do that five sixes in the last five balls of the match, that is what makes this knock incredible.
03:41And that too, when you need every single one of them to win that game.
03:45I mean, to middle that, of course, I agree with Sai there. The choice of Bolo would be wrong.
03:52Bolo, I mean, actually, he has served up three full stars. But nothing, none of that takes away the credit from Ringu's amazing hitting.
04:01I think they say something which comes closest to him is Carlos Breitbein's four sixes against England in 2016 World Cup Final.
04:10That is again four. This is five. Which means the probability is much lesser. Which makes it an amazing knock.
04:16Yeah, it was an amazing knock. And good win for Kolkata.
04:20The other game yesterday, Hyderabad got their first win of the IPL season. They beat Punjab by eight wickets.
04:26It was a huge win for them, Shan. I mean, they were far better with the ball all round, weren't they?
04:31Yeah, especially with the ball, they were so much better. Because Punjab were dodging at something like 99 for five or something like that.
04:41And it was not 99. They were much less than 80 for five or something like that. Because from there, it was Captain Shekhar Dhawan who hauled them all the way here.
04:52He latched in what you call 99 runs. And I think a bulk of those runs came in with the last wicket pair, putting on 54 runs, which I thought was amazing.
05:04But despite that, that was a total of 140-odd. It's not a total at all. Which is why you see an eight-wicket win.
05:12So, Shekhar Dhawan's brave knock went in vain for them. For the Punjab Kings.
05:17Yeah, it went in vain. Sai, looking ahead, after that crushing seven-wicket loss against Chennai, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said that the senior players, including himself, have to step up and lead by example.
05:32They've had a bad start. They've played two matches and they've lost two. But they're facing Delhi Capitals who've had an even worse start.
05:38They've played three, lost three. They're at the bottom of the table right now. How do you see this game going between the two struggling teams of the IPL?
05:45See, actually, Imran, Mumbai has a history of always being last in the first seven rounds. And then when the next round comes in, they accelerate.
05:55And this has been in the past IPLs. And I am sure Mumbai will come back. And Rohit Sharma will not let it go.
06:01And definitely, Delhi Capitals, being a little without Rishabh Pant, I believe is still weak. And Mumbai should actually win this game against Delhi Capitals.
06:12Sai, I beg to differ. Because this is a crappy Mumbai side, seriously. Because last two seasons, they were doing very bad.
06:20And this time also, they don't have a solid bowler. Because if you look at some of their wins, they were all by fast bowlers.
06:27You had Lasith Malinga. Then you had, later, Trent Boult. And this time, it was supposed to be Bumrah. Bumrah is not there.
06:33And Joffra Archer, he is coming off an injury. So, he is no longer the same force, really. He is fitting his way in.
06:39Not just that, they benched him last match because of the injury scare. So, bowling-wise, they are really, really short there.
06:47So, I don't see Mumbai coming around. Maybe they might come back. I know they have a history of starting slow and coming back.
06:54But I don't think they have it in them in terms of resources to come back, to make a serious run for the last first slot.
07:03Probably, the batting will make them make the amends for the bowling, you know.
07:07So, they have Ishan Krishnan and Surya Kumar. And SKY is yet to come. You know, he is yet to come to the party.
07:13True. Actually, one man can make a difference, which we have seen in this game, where a single batter makes a difference.
07:22You saw Ringo Singh, Vihar, Ajinkya Raghavani do that in their match.
07:26Oh, what a brilliant inning that was.
07:28Yeah. So, Shardul Thakur did for Kolkata again. So, a single batsman can change things around. Yes, certainly.
07:36Yeah. And today, we have Bangalore facing Lucknow.
07:40You have written about Bangalore's issues with the death-overs. They tend to struggle badly ever since the RPL started.
07:47What can they do to sort that out?
07:49I mean, part of their problem is they don't have any frontline bowlers, really.
07:55See, they have Harshal Patel, who is a death-over specialist. But that's about it. If Harshal goes for a run, they have a problem.
08:02See, Mohamed Siraj is a very good bowler with the new ball. But at the slog overs, he can leak runs.
08:10Because he is not an accuracy bowler. He is not the kind of guy who comes in and fires Yorkers there.
08:15So, they have a serious shortage of manpower at the depth.
08:18Very true.
08:20Okay, let's bring back Paul, who has been waiting patiently there. Paul, this is the 16th edition of the IPL now.
08:27Have you been surprised by the way it's taken off? And do you think it will get even bigger?
08:32I really do. No, it's world-class, isn't it? I mean, the passion of Indian cricket is second to none.
08:38So, we all watch it around the world. It's tough for a lot of the English guys now because we had just started out yesterday.
08:45We just finalised a lot of our games, our first games of the county season.
08:49So, yeah, it's been incredible. The format's been played at club level before it started in the evenings.
08:57You know, many teams, 20 overs in the evenings when it's accessible to people.
09:01So, we're delighted. We love it here. We love our blast competition.
09:05Now we have 100 as well, so it's a fit into the schedule, which is creating a lot of interest.
09:10So, yeah, the shorter format is exciting and it's accessible.
09:14Yeah, look Paul, there's 13 England players playing in the IPL this season.
09:19We've got Sam Curran there, who's the most expensive player in the IPL history.
09:24Harry Brook, Moin Ali, Josh Butler, who you'll know well from the same position that he used to play.
09:29Ben Stokes, lots of players. There's several others.
09:32They'll be getting some good experience playing in India before the World Cup.
09:36How important is that, do you think? Is it going to be for them?
09:38Enormous, absolutely enormous. Just to have, when you go back somewhere, you're always more calm and more relaxed.
09:44And actually, the more relaxed you can be in big games, the better it is.
09:48There's naturally that enthusiasm, that excited energy.
09:53So for those guys to come back and know the lines, the lengths, the conditions, the dimensions.
10:00They'll be watching all the players. Everything's videoed nowadays.
10:04They'll be working well with the analysis guys.
10:07The management will be really zooming in for that, so it's crucial.
10:12Yeah, crucial. England were the defending champions, beat New Zealand in the 2019th edition.
10:17What do you make of the chances in India later this year?
10:22Yeah, we've got a great chance, of course.
10:25We're very lucky that we have a lot of world-class players that come into our competition.
10:30The challenges are when the pitches are going to turn a lot more as the tournament goes on and develops.
10:35That'll be the interesting time here.
10:39But I think with the academies that all these guys have gone through of late,
10:43I think the sweeps, the reverse sweeps, the guys that can hit the pockets well.
10:50It's tough to hit straight on very, very turning pitches.
10:53So the guys that are going to play square the wicket are going to dominate.
10:57Yeah, that's for sure.
10:59Your team, Leicestershire, they've developed a hugely promising talent of all-rounder, Rehan Ahmed.
11:05He's only 18. He's made his debut for the Test side, the One Day side and the T20 team as well.
11:12How good do you think he can be? And do you think next year, IPL, he's going to be one of the hot picks?
11:18I really hope so. He's a young man whose mindset really reminds me of the late, great Shane Warne.
11:25He met Warne as a youngster. Warne inspired him.
11:29Rehan got a brilliant 70-odd this game for Leicestershire, where we'd just beaten Yorkshire last night in an unbelievable run-chase of just under 400.
11:38So he's predominantly been a battering of balls and he's now going to just make sure that his stock ball, his googly is his go-to ball.
11:49He's just got to get his stock ball, his leg spinner, be a little bit more consistent.
11:53That same position, a bit more sort of 10-2, 5-12 position to be more consistent.
12:00But the kid's a winner. He's got incredible belief in his game.
12:05I actually think he could bat top order in white-ball cricket for England, no question.
12:10He's a prestigious talent and we haven't seen the best of his batting yet.
12:14But I promise you, he's especially a man.
12:18Yeah, he looks like he's got the makings of having a great career ahead of him.
12:23Who's this player that's playing in the IPL now that's going to be playing for Leicestershire next season?
12:27Yeah, Ginko Rahane. What a player, what a 50, record-breaking 50.
12:32What an innings, beautiful cricket shots. Watching that, watched the highlight, didn't see it live.
12:38But yeah, we've got a brilliant man coming.
12:42He's done so well for Hampshire in the past.
12:45His leadership experience is crucial when you're with a younger group, which we have at the moment.
12:50So we've got Peter Hanscom at the moment in his place.
12:54Peter got 170 yesterday, so he's in good form.
12:58But Ginko, what an experience. So good on the eye to watch.
13:03Hopefully, he's going to bring many people in through the doors at Leicestershire.
13:06A really multicultural city in Leicester.
13:09And yeah, we're all excited to see him.
13:12Yeah, I think he's going to do really well there.
13:14Sharm and Sai, look, in the last nine games that we've had, there's been plenty of interesting results
13:18and some shots, obviously, and some great performances with the bat and the ball.
13:22Who stood out for you in these last eight or nine games for you?
13:26Oh yeah, definitely it was KKR.
13:29And yesterday, my team of Sunrise Hyderabad, they are also coming back.
13:33I think with Makram back in the team and with the right team selection, they are regrouping.
13:37And should be doing well.
13:40But yesterday's match of Rinku Singh and Ajinkya Rahane's innings.
13:44And he is giving a tight run for the number 4 spot in the Indian team.
13:51And he is a brilliant player.
13:53I like his calmness and coolness.
13:55Yeah, for me, more than the person, I would say yesterday's match.
14:01Gujarat Titans losing their first match in this tournament.
14:06I think that match was a typical T20 match.
14:10Kolkata chasing them down.
14:13Venkatesh Iyer were taking them to victory.
14:17And suddenly, stand-in captain Rashid Khan decided to intervene.
14:22He comes up with a hat-trick and the match changes on his head.
14:25And suddenly, you see Gujarat Titans coasting away to win.
14:3029 runs to win in the last over.
14:33Normally, you wouldn't bet against them.
14:36So, Gujarat were in the driving seat until Rinku Singh decided that he could do the impossible.
14:43I mean, to me, that was typical T20 match.
14:46That was the best match.
14:47And the best innings for me, that is not it.
14:50I would go with what Paul Nixon said about Rahane.
14:53Rahane's knock was brilliant.
14:54I am a purist. I mean, I am from the old school.
14:57I would like to see proper cricketing shots.
15:00What Rahane showed in that match was, you don't have to slog.
15:05He didn't play a single shot in anger.
15:08All of them were thoroughbred, pure cricketing shots.
15:11Balls hit straight down the field.
15:14They were on the cover.
15:15Everything was full-blooded shots.
15:18And it was a purist delight.
15:19And to me, that was the innings of the IPL so far.
15:23Yeah, that was a heck of a performance from him.
15:26Paul, is it true that you gave MS Dhoni a few tips about how to wicket-keep a few years ago when you met him?
15:32Yeah, very true.
15:34Robin Singh approached me and he said,
15:38Niko is just battling a little bit with the wobbling ball in England.
15:41Would it be possible to spend a bit of time with him?
15:46The guys are going to be based at Leicester because we've got wonderful facilities off the ground as well.
15:52We've got brilliant nets just off the ground so you can practice whilst the games are going on.
15:57And yeah, we spent a couple of hours together and had a great time talking about the heights,
16:02the bounce of the ball and how early you can come up as a wicket-keeper.
16:05Having your hands out in front a little bit earlier and staying close to the stumps.
16:10And yeah, you know, listen, watching MS over the years has been great.
16:15Just love his calmness under pressure.
16:18Just love his mental capacity just to take it all in.
16:22And yeah, it's been great to watch.
16:24His keeping journey has been good to watch as well.
16:27Yeah, it's been great.
16:28He's still going strong.
16:29We'll see how he does as the season progresses.
16:31That's all from us for today, guys.
16:33Thank you to Sharm.
16:34Thanks to Sai.
16:35And last but not least, thank you to Paul.
16:37Head to golfnews.com for all the latest news and reviews.
16:40And remember, follow us on social media.
16:42We'll catch up again next week.
16:43Until then, take care.