A brilliant, counter-attacking 119 by skipper Sanju Samson was not enough as Punjab Kings handed Rajasthan Royals a four-run defeat in the first match for both teams in the 14th edition of IPL on Monday.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3tbZyRP
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#UAEnews #IPL2021 #cricket
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3tbZyRP
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#UAEnews #IPL2021 #cricket
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00What a game. This reminded me of last year's game at Sharjah, where Punjab had posted 223.
00:15Hi guys, and welcome once again to Straight Back At With Mr Cricket UAE and Gulf News.
00:20We're four days in now, and we've had an absolute fail at it again. The elitism has gone right to the wire.
00:27Punjab managed to get it out of the bag against Rajasthan Royals.
00:32We'll go straight to Anas and see what he's taken.
00:36What a chase. Samson just coming up short right at the end.
00:41Hi guys, before I talk about this exciting game, I just want everybody to log on to our page, Facebook, and do participate in our competition.
00:50You win this exciting jacket every day. Two winners walk away with this exciting jacket, and also a three-month subscription of Gulf News.
00:57So make sure to log on to your favorite page, Gulf News, and be a part of the competition.
01:01Now Matt, coming back to your question, what a game. This reminded me of last year's game at Sharjah, where Punjab had posted 223.
01:12At that period, at one time, it looked like Rajasthan Royals would lose the game.
01:16But then came a player called Tevetia, who hit five 60s of a quarter and won the game.
01:21And today, it was Sanju Samson captaining his team for the first time.
01:26Hit a brilliant 100. So near yet so far. Feel for the captain.
01:30But it's all about making sure that young Arshidi bowled the right over and defended and won the match for Punjab.
01:41Obviously, a lot of changes have been happening with the Punjab team, who have always been seen as underdogs now.
01:48But we've seen in the games going up so far that form is out the window now.
01:55Bangalore have beat the defending champions, DC are winning, Rajasthan are winning.
02:02Is there a change in the guard coming up now, with a lot of these new names coming through?
02:08It's still early to say, Matt. If you have to watch both yesterday's game as well as today's game.
02:14In fact, today's game, I'll be very honest. Even though I had said in the mid-in break that Punjab will defend.
02:21But when Sanju Samson was batting, it looked like it would be a walk in the park like the other game.
02:27But you have to give credit to both the teams. Both teams played well.
02:31But some minor mistakes. For RR, I would say the fielding lapses which cost them the drop catch by Ben Stokes, by dropping Rahul, cost them dearly.
02:40And the last over bowled by Arshidip, as well as the second last over bowled by Mardip, changed the game in their favour.
02:46Sahil, what do you think? Obviously, young guys like yourself coming in like Huda, Vora, there's a lot of new names here now.
03:02Do we think that we're moving away from the Dhoni's and the Kohli's and starting to look towards Sundar Washington?
03:12Like I said, guys like Parag, Huda, people like that.
03:17Yeah, absolutely. Yesterday, big players like Rahul and Samson scored a lot of good runs today.
03:24But we have to also give credit to the likes of Deepak Huda who scored a brilliant 64.
03:29And also for Rajasthan, that new bowler Chetan Sakaria, he bowled very well. You've got to give credit to him.
03:34He got the early wicket of Mayank Agarwal and he was their best bowler for Rajasthan.
03:38And also, as mentioned earlier, Arshidip was outstanding for Punjab.
03:42You know, the big buys like Meredith and Jaya Richardson did not have their best game.
03:46But Arshidip, he kept his cool. A young guy like him, he bowled well to Samson and he won the game.
03:51So these youngsters have played so well. So a lot of credit to them today, really.
03:57Cool. And also, like you said, the thing that is kind of very different this year, obviously,
04:06is that people are playing away from home on strange tracks.
04:11So you've got two away teams. This Mumbai track has been very strange as well.
04:16Do we find that we're going to have more curveball matches that you'll see?
04:23I mean, both teams scoring 200 is, you know, both of them were winning scores today.
04:28But obviously, there could only be one winner. Are we going to find that when we move to other stadiums,
04:34that this will really change? Gautam, can you take this?
04:40Yeah, I think, see, both teams played to their strength here.
04:44And eventually, it was, you know, there was so little to choose from.
04:49We can think about what would have happened if Sanju Samson had gone through for that single
04:55and then what Chris Morris would have done. But it was an amazing match, really.
05:00And by the time they play this set of seven matches and move on to the next set of venues,
05:08you know, there's going to be a pattern on the table which will show up.
05:12So they have to get acclimatized to this kind of conditions.
05:16In Bombay, as Anish said upfront, that it reminded him a bit about Shaja.
05:22And we kept thinking about it that, you know, even 220 plus is possible.
05:28So that's what it is. I mean, they have to get used to it.
05:32And each team, honestly, they're equipped.
05:35It's just a question of whom they're using on a given day, depending on which wickets that they're playing.
05:43Okay. And also, now I think everybody's got a match under their belt now.
05:49How are things, as Anish said, there are still early days.
05:52But how are we looking in terms of who are we fancying and who's disappointed?
05:59Well, to be very honest, Mumbai, as always, are slow starters.
06:03So they will be disappointed. Yeah, Mumbai are disappointed.
06:08Like always, they lose their first game.
06:10But having watched all the four games with the first round of matches,
06:14the team which looked to be the strongest out of all four,
06:19I will go with KKR because of the variety of bowling they have, the fast bowling and the spin tracks.
06:25But when they go to the other venues, how they will adapt, like Mr. Gautam said,
06:29that's going to be a test of character for all the teams.
06:33Absolutely. And obviously, I mean, it's such a tricky tournament.
06:36Obviously, it was an entirely different one last year when they were in the UAE.
06:40This one, you've got the bio bubbles.
06:43And like I said, everybody's playing away from home.
06:47Do you think that that makes it, especially when teams are travelling from one venue to another venue,
06:54but it's still not home, is it going to be difficult for these guys to make it a transient period,
07:01but also still keep the team spirit together, even though they've still got to go from one bubble to another?
07:08It's definitely going to be tough.
07:10Yeah, go ahead, Gautam.
07:11I would suggest if you can address the question, it would be easier for us.
07:14Absolutely.
07:16No, no, just fine.
07:17What I want, Anish, to add on a bit here, because I'm sitting in India.
07:23When we were having this tournament in the UAE,
07:27the perception, I mean, there was no threat perception per se,
07:31because of the bubble and because of the way the things were under control at that point there.
07:38But in India, the event is being played right in the middle of, you know,
07:42a second surge of infections, which we cannot deny.
07:47So, you know, you have to look at the kind of dynamics, you know, the kind of each team.
07:53The other day I was looking at Delhi coming out of their hotel.
07:56Now they're taking the gate, which the service gate, which their, you know, housekeeping staff and kitchen people take.
08:03And the way they have done the branding along the way, just coming out, getting into the bus.
08:09So humongous effort has really gone into making that the players stay safe.
08:15That's difficult to say whether it's, you know, it's riding on the minds of the players.
08:19The event has just started.
08:21So that's why they have done this, you know, cluster caravan in this way.
08:27So, yes, I mean, there could be a bio-bubble issue on the minds of the players.
08:34We come back to your question.
08:37And Sahil, do you think that, obviously, being a lot younger than us old guys,
08:46do you think that being, you know, athletic, active, having to get out there and do these things,
08:54does it impact the guys when they're stuck at home or stuck in a hotel room all the time?
09:01I mean, I've got to be honest here.
09:03It's their job, you know, they're building their career and, you know,
09:06they're getting an opportunity to play such a prestige league like the IPL.
09:10So they should not, I don't think they should complain about this.
09:13I mean, they're getting a good salary.
09:15They should appreciate that they're getting to play the IPL.
09:19Well said, Sahil.
09:22And just one more thing.
09:24As we're going forward now, because you two guys have got a little bit of an interesting rivalry going on here.
09:29Who's winning? Is dad winning or is son winning?
09:34I'll be very honest.
09:35He beats me hands down in the cricket which I play against him.
09:38And when it comes to predictions, his prediction was right.
09:41I did prediction in the middle that Punjab is going to win.
09:45But at the toss, I had said it would be the team chasing.
09:48So hats off to you, Sahil.
09:49Keep up the good work.
09:51Thanks.
09:52OK, so you've learned from the best.
09:56OK, guys, I think that's great.
09:58We're just going to wrap it up.
09:59Obviously, Rajasthan have got a bit of work to do.
10:01Punjab are off to a flyer.
10:02We didn't even talk about Chris Gayle still knocking it out of the park at his grand old age of 70 or whatever he is.
10:10But we're just going to say, please don't forget to log on to Golf News on Facebook.com
10:15where you get a chance to win these great, awesome jackets.
10:18And also a three-month free subscription at Golf News.com.
10:22And please follow us every day.
10:24We'll be here every day, right through the whole of the IPL.
10:27Thank you, Matt.
10:29Thanks, guys.
10:30Thank you, Mr. G.
10:31Take care, Gautam.
10:32And tomorrow, let's see who can beat Mumbai.
10:39IMPACT