Gargi Raut in Mullanpur
The IPL playoffs kicked off at Mullanpur in a way that many hadn’t expected, with the top two teams—Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on each other. Fans expected a tooth-and-nail fight. But the night ended with RCB dominating the local team. After putting PBKS in to bat first, RCB bowlers put on a brilliant performance to bundle out PBKS for a meagre 101. While Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood struck in the powerplay, scalping four wickets, it was Suyash Sharma who picked up a three-wicket haul. Later, Phil Salt did the bulk of the scoring and took RCB over the line.
Tonight the spotlight is on Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, who are playing the Eliminator. Gujarat Titans had brought their A-game throughout the season, but slipped in the final two league matches, which saw them finish the league stage at No. 3 in the points table. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians started off their campaign on the wrong foot, but ultimately found their rhythm and finished at No. 4.
The race for the final is heating up, and former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes that while it’s difficult to pick a winner just yet, his prediction is a final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians.
“Mumbai has the best team but RCB has the most confidence. It could be an RCB vs MI final. RCB is the team with the most X-factors.” said Clarke.“It’s tough to pick the winner, but my prediction is an RCB vs MI final.”
From here on, every over and every ball counts. While RCB is riding high on momentum, MI finding their groove and GT eager to seal the final spot, the stage is set for a thrilling showdown in the week ahead. If Michael Clarke’s prediction holds, we’re in for a blockbuster RCB-MI finale, but in a tournament as unpredictable as the IPL, the only certainty is uncertainty.
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