full
Analyzing the Surprises of IPL 2025: A Deep Dive with Mayank and Abhaye
Mayank and Abhaye engage in an insightful discourse concerning the recent developments within the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They delve into team performances, highlighting the surprising trajectories of franchises such as Delhi Capitals, who initially displayed promise but are now grappling with inconsistencies, and Mumbai Indians, whose resurgence has reestablished them as formidable contenders. As they dissect the implications of strategic auction decisions, the conversation also touches upon standout individual performances, notably Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler, whose contributions have substantially influenced their teams' fortunes. This episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the current standings and reflects on the intricate dynamics of team composition and player form within the league. Listeners are invited to explore these themes as the tournament progresses and the race for the playoffs intensifies.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Last Wicket.
Speaker A:I'm your host Benny and thank you for joining us.
Speaker A:On this week's episode, my co host Mayank had a chat with Abay, who is one half of the Nordic Crick Pundits, a Sweden based cricket enthusiast pair.
Speaker A: most recent happenings in IPL: Speaker A:So while I go to a corner and pretend that CSK hasn't been knocked out yet, please keep listening for the latest in the Indian Premier League.
Speaker B:Hello, welcome to the Last Wicket.
Speaker B:How are you doing?
Speaker A:I'm doing well, very happy to be here and I've seen your podcast earlier and so happy to be part of it today.
Speaker A:I'm doing well in bright sunny Sweden for a change.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:So I guess I wanted to start with your story because I came across Your, you know, YouTube channel had only one odd video, but I know you're right as well.
Speaker B:So tell us a little bit about your cricket journey.
Speaker B:I mean, I think most of us growing up in India like pick up the sport very young, but not everybody picks up writing or podcasting.
Speaker B:So how did you end up doing that and what's been your journey?
Speaker A:Yeah, that's quite interesting.
Speaker A:So yeah, it's a couple of us who run this Twitter handle and also we started with YouTube, but no, we haven't really worked hard on it.
Speaker A:But we hope to do in future quite contrasting cricketing journeys for both of us.
Speaker A:Mine is quite, quite nice to share sometimes.
Speaker A:So we all grew up playing cricket in the backyards and in the parks around our home and so on.
Speaker A:And we watch a lot of cricket as well growing up in India, but I could not play so well and I was often very frustrated every day as a child that why I can't play so well.
Speaker A:But I used to watch a lot and I used to watch the commentary a lot and my family used to think that, you know, he's not going to write an essay tomorrow.
Speaker A:Why is he watching so much analysis after the game and so on.
Speaker A:So yeah, recently when my family read what I write and how I express my opinions, they were like, okay, he couldn't play cricket so well.
Speaker A:But his opinion, he's very opinionated, opinionated about cricketing facts and cricketing strategies and so on.
Speaker A:So he, despite not playing cricket so well, he's developed some aspect about cricket in himself.
Speaker A:So that's my story and that's why I just like writing about cricket, like discussing cricket and especially the strategies with the T20 era.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's really fascinating.
Speaker B:And I think mine is a similar story.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I played cricket quite a bit and still play cricket, actually.
Speaker B:I almost got into the Delhi under 16 team, but that's a story for another time.
Speaker B:And now I just play recreational cricket in the U.S.
Speaker B:as you know, I'm in.
Speaker B:I'm in the Netherlands, and I actually had a chance to find a cricket team here as well and went to a practice session, which was pretty fun.
Speaker B:But, yeah, other than that, I think it started writing right after I realized that the cricket dream was not happening.
Speaker B: So probably around: Speaker B:But obviously I was writing garbage back then.
Speaker B:Hopefully I look back and think, what the hell was I thinking?
Speaker B:But the podcast started more three to four years ago, where in Covid, we were just three of us.
Speaker B:Benny Himanish and myself were, you know, trying to get, you know, we were always home, obviously, with COVID and we were like, hey, let's use this time to connect and meet.
Speaker B:And we started this podcast and obviously as things have gotten busier and we're out of COVID we're not as consistent as you would like to be, but it's such a great way to connect with passionate clients like yourself and get opinions.
Speaker B:You know, you mentioned you love T20 strategies and all of that, and that's.
Speaker B:I love hearing that because I use the format that I focus the least on.
Speaker B:So some sometimes when I hear these things, I'm like, wow, I did not think of that.
Speaker B:Or, you know, it's a great learning.
Speaker B:So excited to have you on.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And yeah, a lot of similarities as well, even though we haven't done so much like yourself.
Speaker A:But, yeah, my friend is also very keen on the other formats.
Speaker A:Even I am.
Speaker A:But I'm a bit biased towards the T20 era.
Speaker A:And yeah, we used to work together in the same company and to continue our relationship and our friendship.
Speaker A:The cricket was a binding factor.
Speaker A:So during COVID we also started this Twitter handle and started this this way to continue our friendship.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker B:All right, let's get into it.
Speaker B:So we're into round 10 of the IPL.
Speaker B:Some teams which had started poorly, like MI, have bounced back.
Speaker B:Some teams have regressed.
Speaker B:I guess I'll start by asking what are the two or three teams that have surprised you by where they stand right now?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I'm a Delhi Capitals fan.
Speaker A:Not sure about you, but.
Speaker A:And I was pleasantly surprised the ways they started because normally they.
Speaker A:They did get some setbacks as well.
Speaker A:Like Hari Brook did not turn up for the tournament.
Speaker A:And surprisingly Hemang Badani and the think tank haven't asked for a replacement either.
Speaker A:Or they have something up their sleeves.
Speaker A:But I think now the time is running out.
Speaker A:And then the the 10 crore spent on T N which was very good spending hasn't been used either.
Speaker A:So without Brook and Natarajan who I thought they'll base their whole team around, they started really well like winning first five matches out of six.
Speaker A:The team is brittle.
Speaker A:But then they were lucky and some key personnel also stood up at crucial moments.
Speaker A:So I'd say that very surprised with the way they started.
Speaker A:But now they're showing the brittle nature of their squad.
Speaker A:And you know KL Rahul is also getting stuck in the middle.
Speaker A:So now they're coming back to the old ways.
Speaker A:So I really hope they win two matches out of four.
Speaker A:But it looks a bit dark right now.
Speaker A:So they did surprise me but now they're sort of coming back to their old ways.
Speaker A:And the other team is Mumbai.
Speaker A:It was surprising last year and this year again that they were not up to the mark.
Speaker A:But suddenly now with Bumrah coming back, it's fascinating that how just a piece gets fixed in the team and now they look invincible.
Speaker A:Just like the momentians of before.
Speaker B:That's a great point.
Speaker B:And when we were Benny and I were recording this at the start of the ipl he asked me for my top four teams.
Speaker B:Mumbai was in there because you look at that 11 and there's just so much talent there.
Speaker B:It's one match winner after the other.
Speaker B:And even not having Bumrah, I felt very comfortable that they were going to qualify.
Speaker B:And even I was very surprised with their start.
Speaker B:Now I think they're honestly, I think it's Mumbai's tournament to lose.
Speaker B:I know it's a long tournament, there's a long way to go and anything can happen in the final and all of that.
Speaker B:But everybody's firing.
Speaker B:Like I don't.
Speaker B:I can't think of a single player in the Mumbai 11 who isn't informed like Will.
Speaker B:Jax is not getting a fair chance to bat considering how long the lineup is.
Speaker B:But he's contributing with the ball, he's taking wickets.
Speaker B:So you know, everybody's contributing.
Speaker B:And yeah, the team is just firing in all cylinders.
Speaker B:But I think the team that surprised me the most has to be Gujarat Titans.
Speaker B:I genuinely thought that while they had built a good top three, of course their middle order lagged a little bit of strength.
Speaker B:You know, Washington Sundar isn't the most amazing T20 player as much as I like him in other formats, you know, he doesn't have the same pedigree of power hitting then even if we talk about like somebody like Shahrukh Khan or Rahul Tawatia, they are typically batters who bat six, seven.
Speaker B:You know, in fact they would bat eight if it was a eight team ipl.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:He wouldn't be batting even at seven.
Speaker B:So the fact that they have made it work by just relying on that top three and then really using those bowling resources well, has been a surprise to me.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:I'm sure you would agree that nobody had expected Prasad Krishna to have this kind of an ipl.
Speaker B:And I think at the beginning Rashid Khan was having a little bit of an off ipl, but he's recovered as well.
Speaker B:So yeah, they've just gone from strength to strength and I don't see how they finish outside of the top two.
Speaker A:Actually, I agree with you.
Speaker A:Gujarat have surprised us, I think.
Speaker A:Yeah, the middle order is little brittle around the Washington Sundar spot where they start.
Speaker A:They also tried Sharfe and Rutherford, but Tevatia and Shahrukh Khan seem to be in a good form in some kind of form.
Speaker A:Shahrukh Khan also hit a strong shot towards the offside and he got out at the start of the tournament and I just felt that he's in good nick and he was also retained.
Speaker A:So probably they'll do well by sending him at number four.
Speaker A:But yeah, they've surprised because they have a strong top three but not a very, very, very explosive one.
Speaker A:But they are doing very well.
Speaker A:And Prasid Krishna as well.
Speaker A:And Prasid Krishna always gets these big bucks in the auction.
Speaker A:So teams do trust him.
Speaker A:And I think Gujarat and Nehraji have finally found the way to unleash the best out of him.
Speaker A:I also feel that the performances have been quite coherent with how the auction and the auction strategy and the retention strategy has been for teams.
Speaker B:What do you mean by that?
Speaker B:Help me understand because I'm not somebody who follows the auction super well.
Speaker A:Oh yes.
Speaker A:So we do it quite passionately.
Speaker A:That's a good point you caught.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So for example, Rajasthan Royals, if you have the budget of around 120 crores to build a team for the next three years, you don't spend 75 crores all on batters at the start.
Speaker A:So they spent.
Speaker A:This is a point which we wrote about on Twitter and also I heard yesterday that Matt Roller, the ESPN journalist, he's also shared the same same fact that 75 crores they spent On Samson, Jesswal, Jarell, Parag and Hetmayer.
Speaker A:So they kind of set more than half of their amount, much more than half of their amount on top order batters.
Speaker A:They still ended up buying a Shubham Dubey web of Suryanshi Nitishrana.
Speaker A:So it's not that for, for the remaining amount.
Speaker A:It, it just went on the bowlers.
Speaker A:It's still the remaining amount also went on the.
Speaker A:On the batters.
Speaker A:And the batting lineup is also not ex.
Speaker A:Entirely strong because even though they reserved a lot of exciting Indian top order batters, Dhruv Jil hasn't been an exact number five you'd want in a T20 setup, at least not till now.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:So it hasn't really even the batting lineup.
Speaker A:I think they were a little bit too desperate to, to.
Speaker A:To catch hold of the exciting batting talent they had in the previous cycle.
Speaker A:They also let Joss Butler go.
Speaker A:They also let Chahel go.
Speaker A:I think they should have stuck to either of the two or maybe both of them and let Jel go by or at least JL go by.
Speaker A:People want Hetmeyer also to have been released, but we see the value in a left handed, lower, lower middle order West Indian hitter.
Speaker A:Yeah, but definitely J's retention is controversial.
Speaker A:That could have changed, especially the amount.
Speaker B:They spend on him.
Speaker B:Because, you know, as much as I like JL and you know he did really well and the few test chances he's gotten as well, but he's not as proven a T20 player.
Speaker B:He's clearly improving.
Speaker B:Like in the beginning of the season he had a couple of really good knocks where he was timing the ball beautifully and, and all of that.
Speaker B:But to spend that amount on a future is an interesting strategy.
Speaker B:But I feel like Rajasthan is one of those franchises who always thinks about the youngsters.
Speaker B: if you go all the way back to: Speaker B:But they really trusted Shane Vaughan and then Shane Vaughan was the one who picked somebody like Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan and you know, all these youngsters who were not as proven.
Speaker B:So I do think that that's sort of their philosophy.
Speaker B:But I do completely agree with you.
Speaker B:They definitely overspent on it.
Speaker A:Rajasthan is like, they've changed with times as well.
Speaker A: So till around: Speaker A: But I think during: Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They go very hard and they take the players they want.
Speaker A:So yes, their strategy is to back the youngsters, especially the batters they've groomed and keep them with in their camp.
Speaker A:But no, it's.
Speaker A:It was a bit too skewed.
Speaker A:And their, their auction strategy wasn't that bad.
Speaker A:They were.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They bid so high for a hazelwood for Ashwin and also for Prasid Krishna.
Speaker A:But then because 75 crores was just reserved for top order batters, they just couldn't get the, the big bowlers or the Indian bowlers especially.
Speaker A:They went hard for Avish Khan as well.
Speaker A:They got Archer who's kind of done well.
Speaker A:But no, it just did not work out.
Speaker A:And I, I'll not go into much details but RCB on the other hand have had such a nice auction strategy.
Speaker A:It was a, it was a very hard strategy.
Speaker A:They did not go for their own KL Rahul but they went with the T20 format in mind and very shrewd cricketing strategy to build a good T20 team.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Talk about some of the recent matches.
Speaker B:Who has been your standout performer?
Speaker A:Yes, I think it's, it's.
Speaker A:It's Rohit Sharma's form.
Speaker A:I think when your big batter, the big name player starts performing, the franchise looks all the more different.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The focus shifts from the batsman who's not performing to the how good the franchise is.
Speaker A:And that matters a lot.
Speaker A:So in Mumbai Indians case, Rohit Sharma's form has really surprised me because I thought that okay, he's probably not going to have one of his best IPLs.
Speaker A:He's not been performing so well in the IPLs as well.
Speaker A:He's been more of the captain of Mumbai Indians, not the batter Rohit Sharma.
Speaker A:And it started not so well for him.
Speaker A:So I thought that he's going to not have a great IPL as a batter.
Speaker A:Mumbai Indians might carry him, Mumbai Indians might still win it.
Speaker A:But then now he's really performing the way he performs as a, as the captain of Indian cricket team.
Speaker A:So that's one thing which gels really well with Rohit Sharma and again also Josh Butler because even though Rajasthan due to any reason or did not retain him, he got big bucks in the auction.
Speaker A:But he's not that young and probably I thought number three will not suit him so well.
Speaker A:He's so used to opening the batting but he's also surprised me.
Speaker A:He's so consistent and.
Speaker A:And plays to the situation.
Speaker A:So, yeah, these two batters have surprised me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The point about Butler at 3 is very interesting because I remember reading when the IPL was starting all these reviews and they were saying Butler must open and he's got this amazing record opening.
Speaker B:And I largely agreed with it.
Speaker B:I just didn't see either side Gilbert 3.
Speaker B:So I was like, I don't know if they'll actually do it.
Speaker B:And somehow they've made it work.
Speaker B:So they turn it to.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Credit to Josh Butler and Gujarat Titans for making it work.
Speaker B:And it's obviously a big reason why they are, you know, right up there.
Speaker B:Obviously, we discussed their bowling and how that's fired and Siraj has looked good and then phases as well.
Speaker B:So it's been a good team performance with people stepping up all the time.
Speaker B:But definitely credit to the top three who are carrying the team.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:We have to talk about Web of Surya once you though, that was.
Speaker B:That was quite a performance.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I don't, you know, with.
Speaker B:With work and with other things going on, I don't get to watch all IPL games.
Speaker B:And, you know, I try to catch up on highlights and that was one I definitely regret missing.
Speaker B:I obviously caught up on the highlights after.
Speaker B:But man, what stroke play, that was just mesmerizing considering his age.
Speaker B:And, you know, I was, in my mind, I was thinking comparing it to other, you know, batters that we've seen.
Speaker B:So as an example, I love watching the under 19 World Cups.
Speaker B:And because you see a lot of young players who haven't yet worked on power hitting, they're more technical, so scores are lesser.
Speaker B:And, you know, you look at somebody like Rian Parag, he won the under 19 World cup when he was 15 and a half or something like that.
Speaker B:So he was obviously clearly talented to get picked that early and all of that, but he didn't have that power hitting.
Speaker B:And to see somebody hit like the way Web of Siriwanshi was hitting just his bad flow, it was just incredible to watch.
Speaker B:What were your thoughts on that?
Speaker A:It was incredible.
Speaker A:And it's incredible how these different leagues are also creating opportunities for different young batters and bowlers.
Speaker A:And they're all different.
Speaker A:These regional leagues are our feeder leagues to the IPL.
Speaker A:And Suryavanshi was extremely good.
Speaker A:He did hit 100, but he showed glimpses of what he can do.
Speaker A:Even in the previous matches, he's got a bit of a Yuvraj Singh, the bat flow, which is Amazing.
Speaker A:And the.
Speaker A:Yes, he's got so much of time, he's got so much of time to improve himself and become even better.
Speaker A:So that sounds quite crazy how the Indian batters are going to take over the world stage in the next decade.
Speaker A:At the same time, I'm really happy that he's with somebody like a Rahul Dravid even though they've, they're not doing so well.
Speaker A:But I think Rahul Dravid is one person who will keep the dressing room environment very calm and very humble as well.
Speaker A:Because it's so easy for a 14 year old to, to, to, to get carried away with what media is writing about him and what other people are writing about him and how people are hyping what he'll do in his 20s and 30s.
Speaker A:But Rahul Dravid will surely share the right life experiences with this young boy so that he, he remains humble, he remains hungry and he keeps learning.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I, I think the, that's, that's not a fact to be, you know, undermined because I feel like one of the reasons and of course I, you know, because we interacting for the first time.
Speaker B:I grew up as a RA fan.
Speaker B:He's still my hero and that's what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Speaker B:So I'm obviously biased towards him but I will say that one of the reasons I felt he's the perfect guy to work with players is when the Under 19 Indian team under Prithvi Shaw and Shman Gill won that World Cup.
Speaker B:Obviously that night was all celebrations but next morning he had a meeting and he told those people that this is a list of all the under 19 players who won World Cups and never made it to the senior side.
Speaker B:So this is just the start of your journey and you know, so he has a way of keeping people grounded and keeping them motivated.
Speaker B:So I could not agree more.
Speaker B:I think he's in the right location for sure.
Speaker B:And, and it's not just Rahul Ravid, to be honest.
Speaker B:JSP Jaiswal has mentioned how the RR franchise has supported him over the years.
Speaker B:You know, all his success on down under in Australia, when, when that was coming through, a lot of people were talking about Zubin Barucha and all the help that, that they provided to Yesha Swijswal once he was identified as a talent.
Speaker B:So definitely he's in the right place as you said.
Speaker B:Like the team this season may not be doing, you know, as well as they would have liked but having the right people around is definitely key for sure.
Speaker A:And Dravid is a, is a true Royals.
Speaker A:As soon as he, he, he did his tenure as Indian coach, he straight away went back to the Royals camp.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Yep, that's true.
Speaker B:All right, let's talk about playoffs.
Speaker B:Who do you think, I mean now obviously 10 games in, it's a little bit more clear but who do you think are going to be like what's going to be the top four?
Speaker B:Who do you think is going to be close but likely missing it?
Speaker B:Let's have a prediction.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So I think I've been watching a lot of the IPL and all the games and the highlights as well.
Speaker A:It's kind of kept me busy because I've also been a bit sick.
Speaker A:So the sickness has given me a lot of time to watch cricket this time.
Speaker A:And yeah, I think the top three spots are nearly done.
Speaker A:I think there's not going to be a surprise now for in rcb, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians.
Speaker A:These three are kind of locked.
Speaker A:Then the fourth spot is going to be.
Speaker A:There are going to be challenges.
Speaker A:Kolkata are not out of it yet but they have a very uphill task and somehow they're not looking like a team to beat as of yet.
Speaker A:They did defeat Delhi which would do great to their confidence but I still think that it's a lot to achieve for them.
Speaker A:Same for Lucknow.
Speaker A:They've surprised the fans a bit.
Speaker A:Again a very skewed auction strategy for Lucknow because so much around 50 crores out of 120 reserved on two exciting left handed wicketkeeper batsman.
Speaker A:So the rest of the team is a little imbalanced I feel but they've done well.
Speaker A:Still a bit too much to do.
Speaker A:Delhi has a good chance for the fourth spot.
Speaker A:They, they started so well and now they're the wheels are coming off sort of.
Speaker A:They need to win two out of the next four games.
Speaker A:I hope as a fan they do.
Speaker A:Punjab is a notch ahead of Delhi.
Speaker A:The match in Dharamshala between Punjab and Delhi is going to be kind of a knockout.
Speaker A:Punjab are a little ahead.
Speaker A:They're already ahead of Delhi by one point and that one point could matter a lot going forward.
Speaker A:So my fourth prediction is Punjab.
Speaker A:I hope it's Delhi but it looks like Shreya Sayer led Punjab.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's funny you say that because you've listed exact four that I had.
Speaker B:So I had RCB GT mi which as you said is not necessarily a surprise.
Speaker B:Both RCB and GT have won so much and they still have reasonable amount of I think four games each left to go.
Speaker B:So there's not that much of a surprise in those two.
Speaker B:Mumbai have three to go, but two of them at our.
Speaker B:At our home, at our.
Speaker B:At our.
Speaker B:At the one.
Speaker B:And they've won, I believe, four out of the five at one.
Speaker B:So they have a pretty good chance of, you know, maybe even pushing for top two.
Speaker B:We'll see, but definitely top three.
Speaker B:The reason I doubt Delhi will make it is because I just think that they have a rough three games to go and they.
Speaker B:They also lost a little bit of momentum where there were a couple of games, one with runouts, and I'm trying to remember the details of the other game, but there were a couple of games where they were closed, they were in the hunt and somehow it slipped.
Speaker B:And I think that's where they've started to be in a tough position because with this, their last three games being pretty tough, they would have really liked to have an option to win maybe one of three.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But yeah, winning two or three of the three is going to be a pretty big challenge.
Speaker B:At the beginning, you asked me, you know, what team I support, I actually don't support one team.
Speaker B:I always root for a team that hasn't won the title.
Speaker B:So I'm really hoping that, you know, Punjab or Delhi, whoever makes it and rcb, like, those will be the teams I'll be supporting as the playoff starts.
Speaker B:But I do like the look of the Punjab team quite a bit.
Speaker B:You know, I think they've done a good job of sort of mixing local talent.
Speaker B:And you made the point of regional leagues being, you know, very important, playing a feeder role into the ipl.
Speaker B:I think this year, well, I should say last two years, you've seen that more than any ever before because a lot of these leagues have come up in the last three to four years post Covid.
Speaker B:And, you know, Priyancharya came from the Delhi Premier League.
Speaker B:Perhaps.
Speaker B:Simran Singh has been around for a while, but he's.
Speaker B:He's done well in Sharipanjab T20 league.
Speaker B:And then same with, you know, Punjab actually has so many incredible players that, you know, that's.
Speaker B:That list is just never ending.
Speaker B:And Punjab have made sure that they use those players.
Speaker B:But to add to that, they have added, you know, Shreya Sayer, who's obviously a capable leader and a batter, of course, is obviously not on the top of the list from an India perspective, but he's shown that he's still pretty solid.
Speaker B:Like he's, you know, one of the highest wicked takers in the IPL and he's showing that experience as well.
Speaker B:The fact that somebody like Stoinus or Marco Janssen, they're not even playing that bigger role and they're still doing well, I think it's a great sign for Punjab over the next three years is I, I think even if they don't win it this time, I, I do see them winning in the next couple of seasons.
Speaker B:Assuming of course, you know, they're not completely changing the team or, or the balance somehow.
Speaker B:But hopefully with the mega auction three years away, that should not be the case.
Speaker A: h almost got Delhi through in: Speaker A:So it's, it's a combination which has worked in the past.
Speaker A:So Punjab have done the right job by picking the right combinations.
Speaker A:In the auction they were so clear about Shreya.
Speaker A:The bid was massive but they had the clarity and now they're reaping the rewards as well.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:One, one thing we did not discuss and as much detail was kkr and I honestly felt when I looked at that team at the beginning of the season that they would be a hit or miss team because they are, you know, you look at somebody like, and he's not a player who's consistent, like he'll have a good season, he'll have a bad season.
Speaker B:He's, you know, that kind of a player.
Speaker B:He's not going to give you wickets or runs year after year, but he's actually done pretty well with the ball.
Speaker B:He's, you know, amongst the wickets.
Speaker B:Yet somehow like they've had good contributions from Rahani Raghavanshi but somehow it's not come together as well.
Speaker B:And then of course there was a whole pitch controversy, them not getting pitches and then IPL ruling that actually home team should not be influencing pitches.
Speaker B:So yeah, a little surprised at how they've done.
Speaker B:I was expecting them to be in the hunt at this point and I think as you said, it's a really outside chance for them at this point considering where they are.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And I think, yeah.
Speaker A:So you'll hear more about KKR when my friend also joins sometime in future because he's, he's a KKR fan.
Speaker A:He's an SRK fan as well.
Speaker A:So I think the match against Punjab where they couldn't chase 111 could be very costly for them.
Speaker A:That match was in the bag and suddenly the KKR choked with spin and so that could, could matter a lot.
Speaker A:Narayan is so crucial to their fortunes.
Speaker A:He's really heart of the KKR franchise and you Saw it in the, we saw it in the last match against Delhi.
Speaker A:The way he performed with the bat and the ball.
Speaker A:He changed the course of the game.
Speaker A:Especially when Delhi were cruising Narayan with the ball.
Speaker A:Really made like the way he got out Aar and Stubbs, he broke Delhi's batting.
Speaker A:So Narayan is so crucial to their fortunes.
Speaker A:He was also captaining them well while Rahan was injured and Rahani has done well.
Speaker A:I think they've caught this problem of entry points of their batters sort.
Speaker A:I think it was a bit better in the last game.
Speaker A:Let's see what happens.
Speaker A:It looks like an uphill task, but it's not impossible.
Speaker A: They've done it in: Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And 21 as well.
Speaker A:If I'm not wrong.
Speaker A:One of the the years when the IPL had got shifted to Dubai.
Speaker B:Gotcha.
Speaker B:The other team we didn't talk as much about was srh.
Speaker B:Now I will admit that I love this team.
Speaker B:I, I saw it on paper and I was like, man, this is an exciting team.
Speaker B:I want to watch this team play.
Speaker B:Somehow they've had a, you know, they've had flashes of brilliance but not consistency.
Speaker B:And that's despite having an amazing top five.
Speaker B:They also have a decent bowling lineup.
Speaker B:I don't think it's, you know, terrible by any standards.
Speaker B:Like if you look at Shami, Harshal, Patel with the slower ones, you know, Cummins, of course, Zampa injuries unfortunate but, but even keeping him aside, that's they have enough there to win, you know, six to seven games.
Speaker B:So I'm a little surprised on how they've done, especially considering how batting friendly hrad wicket is and it suits their style of play.
Speaker B:I do think it's a lesson for teams to not be as sort of one dimensional in building them because I think that's where you see somebody like a Mumbai where they can change big totals, they can defend low scores like that, flexibility to play in whatever type of wicket just makes them stand out, you know, that's why like irrespective of them having a couple of bad seasons, you know, you can never really count them out.
Speaker B:So do you think like the SRH management will be probably thinking of that in upcoming years?
Speaker A:I think they can't do much.
Speaker A:Also comments kind of referred to it yesterday that this is a squad after the mega auction, so the squad will stay together for the next cycle.
Speaker A:I don't think they can do much and I completely agree with you.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I can't use the Rajasthan Royal's point of doing bad retentions and then subsequently not being able to pick the right players during the auction.
Speaker A:They did retain a bowler in Cummins.
Speaker A:Also, Nitesh Kumar Reddy was sort of quite hyped with his all round skills and we haven't seen him bowl so some things haven't gone in the the way they wanted.
Speaker A:The batting has been a bit of hit and miss, but that's what got them results last year.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's not such a bad team.
Speaker A:It's just that Shami and the other bowlers, the Indian bowlers, could not replicate what Bhuvi and Natarajan have done in the past.
Speaker A:So they'll have to stick with the same team.
Speaker A:Maybe scout well to get some surprising Indian talent, but not much they can do.
Speaker A:And it's not a bad team.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:It's just that some players could not step up at the right moment.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Well it's been an absolute pleasure to have you.
Speaker B:I do hope we get a chance to talk to you and maybe next time Raj can join as well.
Speaker B:But really appreciate you joining and sharing all your thoughts on the ipl and we have an exciting few weeks to go so so hope you enjoy it as well and hope we get to chat with you again.
Speaker A:Yes, thank you so much for calling me.
Speaker A:It was pleasure talking to you Mank, and all the best.
Speaker B:Likewise.
Speaker B:Thank you.
