Good morning—yes, it’s that day again. You went hunting for tickets, even drew up a budget for it, and chances are it didn’t quite land. So it’s the couch tonight, with RCB taking on CSK on your screen and Cricbuzz doing the rounds on your phone, just the way Virat Kohli would be expecting. And if you’re wondering what else you missed, plenty of IPL drama unfolded yesterday too. Sameer Rizvi returned for DC for a second straight outing (two in two), and RR finally showed the nerve to win a tight game after last season’s knack for letting close contests slip away. Here’s Cricbuzz Pulse, your quick two-minute morning sweep of the IPL universe.
Last night, in five lines—Sameer Rizvi set the tone for Delhi with a blistering 90 off 51, firing DC past MI and briefly lifting them to the top of the table before RR leapfrogged them later. Mumbai, who posted 162 batting first, never really found their rhythm, with stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav’s 51 kept under pressure by Axar Patel and a controlled spell of spin that squeezed the game. RR then piled on 210, with Dhruv Jurel’s 75 and a 55 from Yashasvi Jaiswal helping them build a big total after Riyan Parag opted to bat first. In the chase, Sai Sudharsan’s 73 kept GT in the hunt, but Ravi Bishnoi’s four-wicket haul turned the middle phase decisively, swinging the match. Tushar Deshpande sealed it with pinpoint yorkers in the final over, defending 11 to help RR edge a thriller by six runs.
And one more standout moment: Ashok Sharma clocked 154.2 kph, the fastest delivery of IPL 2026—an absolute throwback to the Umran Malik era. Now the big question is how that raw pace translates for the contest ahead.
Pulse awards
- you-too-me-too: GT and MI captains for calling it sick and missing matches on the same day.
- neutral-in-the-house: The Ahmedabad crowd, which cheered the game with the same energy whether the ball was going one way or the other.
- outfield-is-lava: Mohammed Siraj, for a boundary miscue that cost him, followed by the frustrating sight of him rolling over the ball right where it hurts most.
- finally-someone-held-their-nerve: Tushar Deshpande, for nailing his yorkers in the last over to close out a game RR might have lost last season.
- celebrated-too-hard: Riyan Parag, whose post-match presentation included a “cracked voice”.
- oh-he-can-bowl-actually: Ravi Bishnoi, who was his captain’s seventh bowling option and still ended up with the Player of the Match.
Talking point—GT’s middle order needs a proper conversation. They’ve already suffered two collapses in as many matches. Last season, their plan leaned on a strong top three and on a middle unit that was comfortable taking risks, with the early batting providing protection. That safety net for the middle order appears to be missing this season—whether it’s form related or availability—because early wickets are forcing batters to come in sooner than planned. The result is that they’re having to bat longer against spin, and that’s not a matchup that suits their Indian batters.
The Chatter—Sameer Rizvi admitted last season that he had “some problems against fast bowlers”, and he’s made it clear he’s worked to fix that this year. Axar Patel, though, kept it hedged when asked about Rizvi’s impact, saying, “Ashu is also batting really well,” even while acknowledging the performance. In Ahmedabad, Ravi Bishnoi talked about fine-tuning his lengths from last season, while Rashid Khan praised Tushar Deshpande’s “exceptional yorkers” at the death. Riyan Parag also looked pleased to see Dhruv Jurel flourish at No. 3, pointing out that the franchise hadn’t “done a lot of justice to the talent that he possesses” by batting him so low in the order.
Stat Snack—Rizvi’s 90 is the third-highest score by an Impact Player in IPL history.
What’s the latest gossip?—The word from the birdies is that franchises are considering introducing “overtime” for players, particularly captains, who may need to work even after the match ends and the crowd has gone. If overtime is big enough, it could potentially be converted into a comp-off that can be used for another game—though it can’t be a playoff match. The idea sounds unlikely, but it’s being discussed anyway, even if it has very little to do with cricket.
Today’s watchlist—SRH host LSG at home. There’s no KL Rahul around this time for a public dressing-down, but you can almost feel that Rishabh Pant will want to get the win. Of course, for very different reasons—after all, it’s still the start of the season. Later in the night, RCB host CSK, and with both sides still trying to find consistency, it wouldn’t be surprising if the evening turns into a relatively early one for viewers. Maybe even all of Krunal’s variations won’t be needed.
Reckless prediction for tonight’s match—MS Dhoni will show up for the post-match press conference and answer only in French.
