IPL 2016 Weekly Roundup: Week 2

So the second week of IPL 2016 ended in a nail-biting encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rising Pune Supergiants. The tournament is alive and kicking now and hopefully would keep getting more interesting in the days to come. For now, let us review some of the talking points of the week gone by in the tourney. Kohli’s unwavering passion: Rajkot: Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrates his half century during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on April 24, 2016. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Just how? How does this guy manage to remain so unwaveringly passionate about scoring runs; even after having amassed truckloads of runs throughout the year? With 367 runs in 5 matches, Kohli is way above everyone else in the current IPL and the raging fire in his eyes tell us that there is a lot more to come from this champion. Warner is doing it again: David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI) Year after year, season after season, we have seen David Warner carrying the mantle of his team single-handedly and this year too he seems to be doing the same. He now has 294 runs in 5 matches with 5 fifties; three of which have resulted in victories for his team Sunrisers Hyderabad. The ‘pocket dynamite’ is taking his team home with stunning regularity and seems like an unstoppable force at present. Chasing teams winning: Dwayne Bravo. (Photo Source: BCCI) Sample this: out of the 20 matches played so far in the tournament, 17 have been won by the team batting second. Is this an insane coincidence or is there something more to it? Perhaps the pitches are easing out in the 2nd inning or perhaps teams have just learnt to chase well. Whatever be the case, it is making the toss decidedly crucial and the results of the game a little too predictable. Do you know the highest successful run chase in IPL? – Top 10 successful chases in IPL Punjab’s woes continue: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kings XI Punjab. (Photo Source: BCCI) After being the runners-up in the 2014 edition, Punjab slipped to the bottom of the table in 2015. A lot was expected from them this year under their new leader David Miller. However, they simply have not been able to get anything right and with four losses in five games are languishing at the bottom of the table yet again. Their stars – Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson and Miller himself – have failed miserably and a couple of more losses will make it virtually impossible for them to rise again. Hyderabad can be the ‘Dark Horse’ this year: (Photo Source: BCCI) Yes, they are a little too dependent on captain David Warner to sail them through. However, Hyderabad are gelling well nicely as a group and the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Eoin Morgan and Deepak Hooda are slowly coming into form. Their bowling is being led by the virtually unplayable Mustafizur Rahman and the likes of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Barinder Sran are partnering him well. Once Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra come in by next week, their side would be bolstered further and Hyderabad could then be unstoppable. The points table clutter: Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav celebrate their win over RPS. Yadav hit the match winning six on a Thisara Perera delivery. (Photo Source: BCCI) Kolkata and Gujarat seem to have cemented their place in the top two as of now, while the bottom two is being held firmly by Pune and Punjab. This leaves four teams vying for the third and fourth spots in the table and the race for it has well and truly begun. Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai have all gone through fluctuating fortunes in the championship and will be fighting it out savagely to secure their berths in the top four. Exciting times lie ahead then. Emerging young Indian star of the week – Krunal Pandya: Krunal Pandya of Mumbai Indians celebrates fall of a wicket during an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 20, 2016. (Photo Source: Sandeep Mahankal/IANS) A few eyebrows were raised when Krunal Pandya – brother of Hardik Pandya – was picked up by Mumbai Indians this season for 2 crores. However, the 25-year-old has taken to the IPL like fish to water. He has been the absolute perfect all-rounder for the team – scoring vital runs at a superb strike rate of 187 and bowling crucial overs in the middle, Krunal has picked up 3 wickets at an economy rate of just 6. He is spirited and seems to revel in tense situations. This other Pandya is likely to be the essential cog for Mumbai this season. All that you need to know about Krunal – 11 Interesting facts about Krunal Pandya Tournament slowly coming to life: Delhi Daredevils players celebrate fall of a wicket during an IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians at Feroz Shah Kotla New Delhi on April 23, 2016. (Photo Source: IANS) IPL 2016 began in a whimper with some really dull, one-sided and insipid matches. However, the last five games have all been exciting – two of them being last over finishes. As the teams make their race towards the top four and as they are beginning to find the settled combinations, the games are now becoming more closely fought and exciting. Expect it to reach a crescendo in another 10-12 days. The third week of the IPL should give us some more exciting games and some new emerging stars. It may also give us the tournament’s top four or make the points table even more muddled. Either way, a lot to look forward to. Also check out – IPL 9: Points table, Purple Cap, Orange Cap and fixtures after the RPS v KKR match 20