ayaz memon ipl

In 2015, Mumbai did the Indian cricket team a great favour, by providing an unknown youngster from Baroda with a platform to shine. Eight years later, the player, Hardik Pandya, returned Mumbai the favour, as his team, Gujarat knocked Bangalore out with a six-wicket win in the last league-stage match of the season.

Put to bat first, Bangalore scored 197 runs, as Virat Kohli scored his seventh century in this competition, and subsequently, creating a new record. But from the opposition, Shubman Gill not only matched it, but he even bettered it, as his unbeaten 104-run knock took Gujarat over the line.

Barring Kohli, none of the Bangalore batters turned up, with the experienced batters now being subjected to a few difficult questions. Having scored only 140 runs this season, Dinesh Karthik was dismissed on a golden duck, whereas an in-form Glenn Maxwell scored merely 11 runs.

Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad starred with the ball for Gujarat, combining effectively to pick up three wickets, and concede just 63 runs in their eight overs. The visitors lost Wriddhiman Saha early, but Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar built a 123-run partnership, which eventually proved to be match-defining.

Following Shankar’s dismissal, Gill took the onus on himself to get his team over the line, which he did by scoring an unbeaten 52-ball 104. Not only did his knock secure a couple of points for his team, but it also booked Mumbai’s place in the playoffs, subsequently calling curtains to Bangalore’s campaign.

This podcast series is brought to you in association with Lloyd. 

Lucknow became the third team to qualify for the 2023 Indian T20 League playoffs, courtesy of a hard-fought one-run triumph over Kolkata, at the Eden Gardens. Subsequently, the two-time champions’ campaign also comes to a conclusion.

Put to bat first, Lucknow scored 176 runs, with Nicholas Pooran’s half-century, and Ayush Badoni’s supporting act rescuing the team from a precarious position. In response, Kolkata were just a run short, with Rinku Singh’s 33-ball 67 not yielding two points.

Lucknow had a difficult start with the bat, as Kolkata’s uncapped pace pairing of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora did a decent job. They combined to bowl seven overs, wherein they conceded just 51 runs and also picked up three wickets.

At one stage, Lucknow were reeling at 73/5, but Pooran and Badoni’s sixth-wicket stand changed the complexion of the game. The Caribbean wicketkeeper-batter was the star of the show, scoring 58 runs in 30 deliveries.

Kolkata had a flying start with the bat, until the introduction of the spin trio of Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham and Ravi Bishnoi. They worked wonders for the team that donned green and maroon in this game, as a tribute to ATK Mohun Bagan, with Rinku ending up on the losing side, despite yet another herculean effort.

This podcast series is brought to you in association with Lloyd. 

Rajasthan have had a messy May in this Indian T20 League which meant they needed a win on Friday night to stay alive in the tournament and they managed that, beating Punjab by 4 wickets in Dharamsala.

It was both teams’ last league stage match which means Punjab are out of the tournament and Rajasthan now move up to the fifth position in the points table. Their qualification hopes will depend very heavily on the result of RCB and Mumbai's games over the weekend as victory for either team will mean automatic elimination for Sanju Samson's team.

This podcast series is brought to you in association with Lloyd.