Test Match Special - The IPL - Rajasthan still rampant, RCB continue to struggle

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

Why can't RCB find form despite the heroics of Virat Kohli? And can Rajasthan Royals continue their brilliant season? Nikesh Rughani and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala discuss it all.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Bring more gear, carry more passengers, face greater challenges. Welcome to the world of Defender, with seating up to eight, ample cargo space and legendary off-road capability. It's built to make the most of every adventure. Learn more at landrover.ca. podcast at the IPL. Hello and welcome along to the Indian Premier League podcast from Test Match Special. I'm Nick Eshragani. We're racing through the group stages in this year's tournament

and getting a good idea of who might be competing for that trophy come the end of May and of course who will be heading back to the drawing board. The Rajasthan run machines keep on delivering at the top of the table whilst RCB are having arguably their worst season ever despite the heroics of Virac Koli. There's much to discuss in the company of former. IPL star, Abyshek Junjjunwala. This is the TMS podcast at the IPL.

Abyshek, welcome. Let's get straight into it then. Rajasthan Royals, they keep on rolling. We're used to these good starts from them in the competition. They tend to fade away. But now, Yashashvijafal, up and running as well with that 100 against Mumbai and things all clicking into place. Yeah, I think they're looking a very good side, Nikish.

And as you said, everything is clicking. They've got a very good balance, both Butler and Jays while in form. Yeah, it'll be very hard to stop Rajasthan Royals. If they keep performing the way they are, Sanjus Sampson is in great form, Ray and Perag is in great form. Their bowling unit is brilliant and one of the best fielding sites as well in the competition. Yeah, and you've just got to look at that bowling attack. Not just the spin of Yuzendra Jahel.

We'll get a word on him in a moment. Fantastic achievement. First man to 200 IPL wickets in his career. Sandeep Sharma, though, underrated, isn't he? Fife for him in their last game. Do you think he's got an outside sniff of maybe being considered for India in the T20 World Cup squad, perhaps? See, I feel you've got to look at IPL very closely if you're the Indian selector and you've got to give opportunity for the guys to the guys who are doing really, really well. And this is not the first time he has done it.

He's been consistent over the last so many years. He was not pigged in the auction a couple of years ago and he came back as a replacement sub and since then again, he's performed brilliantly. So I think they will keep a close eye on him because he's probably one of the first. the best dead bowlers India has. And Yuzi Chahel. I mean, how could the Royal Challenges, Bengaluru, possibly let this man go a couple of years ago? First man to 200 IPL wickets.

And he's such an attacking bowler as well. He's just a proper out-and-out wicket-taker. You look at the likes of Rashid Khan in T20 cricket. Yes, he's been arguably the best spinner across world cricket for the last five or so years. But he's very much a defensive bowler. Does pick up those wickets because of the squeeze that he puts on the batters.

Whereas with Jahel, he'll always give you that opportunity to hit him. But he usually has the last laugh, and those figures don't lie, 200 wickers. But also, you need to consider one more thing that none of the Indian players are allowed to play in any other league apart from the IPL. So we don't know what Juzavindra Chahel would have done if he had paid in different leagues around the world, which Rashid Khan does. So, yeah, there's an argument for that. But as you said, he's a bowler with heart, which you don't find many in the modern day cricket,

because everyone just both darts bowl really flat to try and squeeze the runs. No one really wants to go for those wicket-taking deliveries. On the flip side, is Evindra Chahel. I think his thought process is very different. He goes for those wickets rather than try to squeeze runs. And hence, the first man ever to get to that 200 wicket in the IPL. Anabishik, moving on from the Rajasthan Royals,

we have to talk about the sunrises Haiderabad. I mean, what the hell is going on there? You know, T20 cricket, right? Let's just put it all into context. It's 21 years old, professionally anyway. 2003, it started off in England. It was a bit of a laugh and a joke on a Friday evening. Let's go and have a slug.

Let's have a few beers afterwards. And it's good entertainment for the crowd. You get the young kids coming to watch. I mean, I remember playing 20-over cricket. It wasn't called T20 then, but it was like under 15's cricket. You'd play on a Wednesday afternoon. It'd be 20 overs a side. You get 100.

It's a pretty decent score. You get 120. Usually you win most games. These guys are scoring 125. in six overs. I mean, that is outrageous. And they've broken RCB's record. I mean, as we stand here today, 23rd of April,

it's actually to the day, 11 years ago, RCB smashed the record for the highest total in the IPL, 263. And then these guys have gone this season and beaten that record four times. Four times they've gone beyond 260. 287. I mean, we're going to see a 300 soon, aren't we? That's what they're aiming for.

And that's what Abhisheek should. Sharma and Travis Head said that we are going to get a 300 in this competition. At some point in time, they still have six or seven games left. So I wouldn't be surprised if they get 300, but they're batting in a different planet at the moment. You've got players like Abishek Sharma, Travis Head, Andre Klausen, Markram. There's so much firepower in that batting order. And more than the firepower is the mindset.

They're going so hard as a bowling unit. You don't really know how to come back. You don't have any answer for that sort of batting. And it's not slogging. This is pure batting. You see some of the shots these guys are playing. It's unreal. But again, and hence there's so much remorse from the bowlers.

And suddenly, since yesterday, there are three or four bowlers who have come out and said that we need to get rid of Impacts Sub. Because that is making life very, very easy because you've got an extra batter. You can go out there and smash from Ball 1. You're not really worried of getting out. And Rohish Sharma made a very big statement regarding the Impact Sub as well. So I think this is the last year of Impact Sub in IPL. Yeah, it does look to have had that kind of effect on the scores that we're seeing this season

because you see some really serious batters coming in at number eight, don't you? The likes of Dinesh Gartik and all these finishes coming in at 7.8 with not much time left, which shows the top order has got it done. I mean, look, it doesn't work when you lose three in the power play and all those sorts of things. But more often than not, you can really go for it from the off and have that little cushion that you've got the extra batter still to come in. But what I really liked about what Rohit said was that you're taking the all-rounders away from the game completely. You've got the likes of Shuvam Dubei.

You've got the likes of so many different players who are like Shivam Dubei. They haven't bowled a single over in this competition, which they used to earlier. They used to come and bowl two, three over. So you're pretty much taking the all-rounders away from the game because you can have five front-line bowlers and you can have seven batters in every game. That's a bit ridiculous. Yeah. And I mean, that must seriously harm Indian cricket as well because they have struggled.

for all rounders, particularly seam bowling all rounders for a long period of time. And there's a few of them floating around in the IPL, but they're just not going to get the opportunity to bowl. And even the spin bowling all rounders, you know, you've got Ashwin, Jadaja, coming towards the end of their careers. I mean, hopefully they've got a few more years left for Indian cricket's sake. But, you know, they're veterans now. And it's not giving these younger guys the chance to come through, is it?

And also, a lot of part-timers. Like, I got an opportunity to bowl a lot of overs because you always played with four or five bowlers. and then you use a couple of the part-timers to come out there and bowl. And, you know, players like me who can bowl would never get an opportunity to bowl again in the IPL. And you don't know if you give them an opportunity, they might turn into a very, very good T20 bowlers. But because of that impact player rule, they might not ever get that opportunity. Yeah, absolutely. So Sunrises flying.

They've won their last four games indeed as well. And pretty comfortably, Travis Head just looking like an absolute beast at the top of the order. And I mean, look, Travis Head is getting the scores. It's Abyshek Shermer who's making probably slightly more of an impact in the early stages. The scores haven't been as big, but the strike rate has been absolutely huge. Another opening pair that's doing really well, Sunil Narain and Phil Salt at the top of the order for KKR. I mean, Salt in as a replacement for Jason Roy. What an impact he's made.

I mean, he's been in great form for England, of course, in the lead up to this IPL, but absolutely fantastic at the top of the order there. and KKR going about their business fairly quietly, but consistently. Yeah, they've been very consistent. And again, putting Sunil and Ryan at the top has really done wonders. Previous season, they used eight different pairs in the opening. Nothing worked. They struggled massively last year.

But this year, with Phil Salt, especially, and Sunil and Ryan again, I think they've found their opening combination, Phil Sword, all the story. It has been Jason Roy pulling out at the very end and him getting an opportunity. and I think so far he has made the most of it. Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand. They're one of a few sides there who, you know, they've only won one in four away from home. Their home record, though, has been fantastic.

That's usually what sees them through. I think before we get on to CSK and, you know, their fortunes this season, how great is it? We keep talking about this guy, this young wicketkeeper that seems to come out, number eight, for a few balls, score 20 odd. Entertain the crowd. I mean, it's like the Coliseum, isn't it? Wherever he goes, whenever he comes out,

they are baying for the opposition blood when he comes out with his talwar, his sword in his hand. And he has delivered in some fashion. He plays no cricket MS, though, only outside of the IPL. He only trains in the run-up to the IPL. He has a bit of net practice, a bit of range-hitting practice. Physically looks in great shape. I mean, there's a slight limp, but I mean, you know,

you look at his body and it's transformed. He's very muscular. and plays that role brilliantly. I mean, he could go on another couple of years, I think, if they carried on with the impact sub. I mean, even if he didn't keep wickets and they had the impact sub for the next couple of years, he could just come in, have a little slog,

and entertain the crowd and go home. That's what I said. He is not just about him playing as a cricketer. It's about the brand value. And what it brings to the franchise, the sponsorship, the franchise gets just based on Amazon. So he is a package, or is a total package, not just cricket, outside cricket as well.

and you're absolutely right and I mentioned it quite a few times if he stops keeping from next year and the impact sub-rule still stays Amazon can carry on for not just two years he can play for three or four years because his hand-eye coordination is still working really, really well he's very fit

and as long as he mentally wants to do it as long as the hunger is there I don't see any reason for him not to do that and Chennai we're off to a fantastic start as I say lost those three games on the road out of four which has been their slight issue playing away from their home stadium where it's quite slow and low and the spinners come into it.

There are one of a number of sides there in the middle of that table, aren't they? They're kind of at the sort of top end of the middle, so to speak, and the net run rate's pretty good. But there's a few sides in there. There's a Gujarat Titans, the Lucknow Super Giants. It's very, very tight in the middle of the table. Usually always comes down to net run rate in deciding that fourth position. Can you see a late surge from a side, like maybe the Mumbai Indians or?

the Gujarat Titans to get into that top four? I wouldn't even count Delhi and Mumbai out as well. As you said, even Delhi capitals, yes, you said, because you just need to get on a run. Mumbai Indians have done it on numerous occasions. Delhi capitals, again, looking good. But I think Lakhno Super Giants in Chennai Super Kings, they would try and make the top four.

One of these teams will have to make the top four. So far, Sunrises, KKR and Rajasthan, sitting pretty comfortably so far, and that could change again. there could be a flip side that they start losing and then they don't really win too many games you have to win at least eight to be guaranteed a spot

and again the net run rate can play a part but I think this is going to be a massive game for Chennai and now three games at home this is their fortress this is where they don't lose Abyshek for now thank you stay there because we'll be back in just a moment there's plenty more to discuss here on the IPL podcast we'll be back in just a moment

IPL on the TMS Podcasts. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate off-road challenge. Perfect for the ultimate defender. The high-performance defender, Octa, 626 horsepower twin turbo V8 engine and intelligent 6D dynamics air suspension. Learn more at landrover.ca. So, Abyshek, Mumbai Indians, as we mentioned there, might well still be in the hunt for that top four finish,

but it's been a far from consistent start of the season under their new captain, Hardik Bandia, of course, not so much Mumbai Indians, fast becoming the meme by Indians, judging by what's going on on social media, aren't they? Yeah, they are. And again, yesterday's game against Rajasthan Royals, They were in a pretty decent position at one point when that partnership happened between Tillak Varma

and Nahal O'Dheda. They battled beautifully, but then again, Hardik Pandya came in 10 of 10 deliveries where he should have scored a lot more. And another 15, 20 runs, it could have been a completely different ball game. So that's why they're struggling, yes. Again, there's a lot of pressure on Hardik Pandya, not just as a player, as a captain as well, because if Mumbai Indian doesn't qualify,

they had a very poor tournament last year. and if they don't qualify this year I think there will be a lot of question marks on him as well and also he's under pressure because there's no guarantee for him to be picked in the World Cup T20 Well he's been told, isn't he? By the selection committee

that he's got to basically be bowling four overs in all of these matches to prove his worth as an all-rounder because as a batter at the moment he's not in the best of form yes he can make that impact and we all know about his hitting ability we haven't seen much of it

in this season's competition so far but he has to be bowling and he hasn't been bowling particularly well. I think that is the huge concern. So concerns about his own form but also the form of his team who have strung a couple of victories together of late after that terrible start to the competition but still a long way off where they would ideally like to be. And also I think him bowling and starting the innings with him bowling

is not really working out from Mumbai Indians because they're leaking too many runs and you've got to think team first, not about your individual performance and how am I going to get selected for the T20 World Cup for India? Because Mumbai Indians wouldn't care about you getting selected for India or not.

They want performance for their own franchise. So if they think Hardik Pandya opening the bowling is not working for them and he's just doing it to get selected for Indian team, they're not going to take it lightly either. Yeah, interesting point. And especially given the kind of attacking power plays that we've seen in this competition as well.

It's not like the old, days of T20 where you bowl a couple early on and the batters are having a look and you might get away with a cheap over to start with. Those days are very much long gone. And, you know, talking of attacking the power play, there's one man who's been doing it really well. It wasn't really his game. A lot of people were writing him off as a T20 player, particularly as an opener in the IPL. Virac Koli, still banging out the runs. But, I mean, the rest of his side, RCB. Let's talk about that match, actually. Before we get onto RCB, the match of the tournament, KKR versus RCB, KKR win by a run. RCB, almost chasing down that 223 target, falling just a couple of

runs short of it in the end. I mean, exciting finish with Garen Sharma coming in those three sixes of Mitchell Stark in the final over. RCB were in it and then they were out of it. Then Dinesh Gartik comes in. Then he goes, it's all over and then it's not quite all over until Mitchell Stark finally gets Karan Sharma. There's a runout off the last ball as well when they're looking to tie the game. It was fantastic, but it's so typically RCB, isn't it? It is so, so typical RCB.

At one point, you were quite certain that they're going to pull it off when Dinesh Karthik and Karin Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, again, batting nicely. But when Dinesh Karth got out, you thought, game over. But again, if you saw Mitchell Stark bowling this IPO, you always had a glimmer of hope. If you're the batter, even if you're Karin Sharma, It doesn't really matter.

And he came in three sixes in a row. And if you look at those deliveries, Nickyche, anybody could have bowled a better over. Because with Karan Sharma being out there, what's the ball he's not going to be comfortable with? Short. If you're Mitchell Stark, you can bowl at 145 kilometers an hour, why would you come and bowl half-bollies outside the off-stump

with the third end point inside the circle? It was bonkers. I just couldn't understand the whole game plan behind that because he didn't bowl a single bouncer in that over. He was very lucky that he got that cotton bowl of a low full toss. Otherwise, the game was there for RCB to win. It was indeed. I mean, what has gone wrong for them?

Is it just back to the old adage of they haven't got a good bowling unit? Because, look, you look at their batters and Coley's been in good form. Duplice has been a little bit hot and cold through the tournament. But Dinesh Gartick's been doing well. Glenn Maxwell, of course, hasn't fired and then was dropped from the side. He wasn't really dropped. He came up to the... Well, he dropped himself, didn't he?

He adroved himself, but it's just that I find that he hardly ever performs for any franchise in IPL. In the last 10 years, I can't recall probably one innings where he has done half decent. And the team still pick him because of the reputation. It's unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, I don't quite know why it hasn't translated into consistent IPL performances. But you see him put on the Australia shirt more often than not he delivers and has delivered in India in that ODI World Cup of late. Of course, all those heroics that he performed on one leg against Afghanistan. You kind of hoped he'd turned a corner there and he'd be performing well for the RCB.

But look, they can't rely on him. He's their big money kind of batter in that lineup aside from Koli. And then the bowlers, look, they've had good bowlers. They've had very good bowlers over the course of the history of the IPL, haven't they? I mean, you go way back and they had somebody like Anil Gumblay performing heroics early on. and then they've had Stark and then they've had all these greats over, you know. When I played against them at a very early of my career

and when RCB was also a new franchise, they had Dale Stain, Jack Callis, Anil Kumle, and they had others, and they had a couple of good spinners. But for some reason, it doesn't matter what bowling attack they choose. They just don't win. And again, Chinaswamy,

one of the hardest round for the bowlers to bowl. It's tiny and an absolute belted to bat. So it's always been difficult for their bowlers to, you know, contain any side. Again, when you, and also what they have struggled is to chase runs. Even if they have all the biggest names in the world with the Gales and Coley and Abidivoli as all packed in one team, they've just struggled for whatever reason or maybe it's not just in the destiny for RCB to win an IPL off of Virad Coley, you never know.

Yeah, I mean, it certainly looks that way. And he's obviously said that he's not going to play for any other franchise in the IPL. So, yeah, look, he's got a few years left. But it's always, is it this year, is it this year? It's definitely not going to be this year, is it? Two points from, you know, more than halfway through the competition. They're rock bottom of the table and struggling very badly indeed. I mean, let's talk about the England players involved.

I mean, there's some talk of Johnny Beirstow, perhaps being better off coming home before the tournament ends. He's scored 96 runs from six innings. He's kind of not really contributing there. He's been in India for, what, five months over the course of this winter, including that test series with England, of course. he's hardly scored a run they need him fit and firing for the T20 World Cup they need his mind fresh more than anything else and I'm not sure this is doing him any good

I don't think this is doing him any favours and you're absolutely right and as you said he's been there for like four and a half five months now which is never easy away from your family even if your family travels for a brief period it's not the same as spending enough time with them and especially when you're not performing

you can really dig a hole for yourself mentally and as you say absolutely right better thing for him and again it's his call if he wants to come back and then really freshen himself up give himself a bit of time off from cricket completely and be fresh for the World T20

indeed I mean Sam Curran on the other hand he's picked up 11 wickets for Punjab Kings he's now opening the batting which look we know he's capable do you think he's taking too much on because obviously he's the stand-in captain as well, whenever Shikadouin's not there. Do you think he's just trying a little bit too hard in everything he does?

That's the impression that I get whenever I see him out there. He's not, it doesn't seem relaxed and, you know, he's not performing to the levels that we saw him during the last T20 World Cup, for example, where he got player of the tournament. Just something seems a little bit off with Sam Curran. But his performance since then has dipped massively. Even previously in the IPL, he had a very, very poor IPL. And I think there was a lot of Chad that would he be released by the franchise because he's a heavy ticket player, 1.8 million pounds.

So that's a lot of money to be paid for six weeks, seven week tournament. And if you don't perform, then that pressure doubles up. Yeah, it's not your fault as a player to be getting picked for that sort of a money. But when you are, there is a lot of added pressure which comes along. So I think he's under pressure because of that, because he couldn't perform last year. He's not doing that well this year as well. Yes, he's got wickets, but again, he's got lucky with his wickets

because a lot of times he's bowling at the death overs where he's picking up wickets when the batters are going after him. But he's been fairly expensive. I think he's going over 10 and over the whole competition. Batting-wise, I don't think open is his spot. He should be coming somewhere on number 4-5 and just play that role where he bats and everyone can go hard around him where he just try and bat till the 20th over. He's that sort of a player.

salt as we mentioned showing very nice sort of numbers there at the top of the order for kkr you look at that england lineup can you see them going in to the start of the competition to the start of the t20 world cup with an 11 that doesn't include feel salt i i don't think so i think the way he has played in this competition yes these are different conditions but it's not about conditions it's about who he playing against he's playing again the best in the business all the top players in the world are there in the IPL so if he's scoring runs against them against the best bowlers you've got to give him an opportunity

and also when a player is in form that's the time you use him was the point him for point picking him after the World Cup when he's lost his form and I always believe that as a player when you're playing well and even for India not just for England for any other country as well pick players who are performed in the IPL because they'll be fresh from some top performances

see that said you do turn your attention to India because obviously a lot of Indian players local players performing well in this season's IPL as they always do but in the run up to a T20 World Cup you've got players in form you want to get them into the national side like you say

I've been doing a little bit of thinking and I mean there could be an alternate universe I think it has to be an alternate universe because there's no way in hell that India are going to do this and drop the likes of Rojit Sherman Virac Koli from the T20 side but you could see a world

where during that competition, Abyshek Sharma opens the batting for India. Rinku Singh's a fixture in the middle order. Sanju Samson's there as you keep a batter. And you've got, you know, maybe a Shivam Dube there as your designated spin hitter and all-rounder in the side. It's not going to happen, but it is frustrating, isn't it? When you see these guys churning out the performances,

but you know that most of them, even if they do get into that squad, they're going to struggle to get into the 11. That's the biggest challenge for Rajitaka and company. Who do they pick? Because, yes, you've got Rohit Sharma who's batting really well. He's got the right intent. Virad Kohli, trying to make the right intent and show the selectors that, you know, my days are not done in T20 cricket.

And he's batted brilliantly, not taking anything away from Virad. But then you've got the likes of Abhishek Sharma who's striking a 300 plus. So how do you keep him away? Because if he can give you those starts in the T20 World Cup, every game, what he has done for Sunrises. far where he's getting a 40 of 10 deliveries. His job's done. I don't think he needs to get more than that.

I don't think you need an opener to get you more than 40 runs. If he can get you that in 10, 12 deliveries every game, it's a no-brainer to pick him in a T-20 World Cup. But will he be picked? There's a massive question mark because you've got the Shubman Gill. You've got the Yasser Zvi Jaisal. You've got so many players. Now Dinesh Karthik is in the mix.

Kail Rahul's back in the mix as well now. I doubt. If they pick Kail Rahul, that's it. I mean, you see the intent changing from the players the moment they're getting close to the selection and it's so obvious if Kail Raul can do that now why can't you do it from the first game of the season? You know, that's the big question mark

and why can't you do it for the rest of the season either? So the selectors needs to keep an eye on these things. Yeah, lots of selection headaches for India and for England and all the country is taking part in that T20 World Cup So we've got around halfway to go in this season's IPL, still very much all to play for, despite Rajasthan, running away there at the top of the table, very tight there in the middle,

and those playoff places looking very interesting indeed as things stand. My thanks to Abyshek, we're never short of things to talk about, of course, around the IPL. And this year's tournament has already been a record-breaking year. There's plenty more to get stuck into from the Test Match special podcast stream. Look out for Kevin Howells and the County Cricket Podcasts. every Thursday in the company of Tamal Mills and Emily Windsor. And throughout the summer, we'll have regular episodes of the multi-award-winning No Balls,

the Cricket podcast with Kate Cross and Alex Hartley. Thanks so much for listening. We'll speak to you again soon. IPL on the TMS Podcasts.