Good morning. While you’re sorting through weekend emails and postponed tasks, spare a thought for the IPL, which served up another Sunday full of cricket’s most baffling moments. A batter was ruled out for obstructing the field, one side managed only a single run in a Super Over, and elsewhere a team needed the better part of 12 overs just to reach 50. Welcome to your two-minute IPL morning pulse.
Key takeaways
- CSK suffered their second-biggest home defeat, falling to their opponents by balls remaining in a chase that ended with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jamie Overton dragging them to 158/7.
- On another ground, LSG lost at home for the eighth straight time, despite Mohsin’s five-wicket haul leaving KKR appearing comfortable before late damage in the final over.
- LSG’s Super Over ended with them scoring just one run off Sunil Narine after Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given out for obstructing the field.
- Kagiso Rabada’s resurgence with the new ball has boosted Gujarat Titans’ early-game bowling, with his Powerplay wicket count reaching nine.
- In the lead-up to the next round, Delhi Capitals will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru after their recent setback to PBKS.
Last day in five lines
CSK endured their second-heaviest defeat at home as their opponents completed the win with balls to spare. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jamie Overton steadied the innings after CSK got off to a slow start on a bouncy surface, with the team taking 12 overs to reach 50 before finishing on 158/7.
In the other match at the Ekana (WACA) in the north, LSG were again unable to turn home advantage into points, losing for their eighth consecutive home game. Mohsin delivered a five-wicket spell as KKR looked to be in control after Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 83, but Kartik Tyagi leaked 16 in the last over—an effort that nearly opened the door to a dramatic finish.
The contest then stretched into a Super Over. In that decider, LSG replied with just one run against Sunil Narine, confirming the result after the late wobble.
Oh, these happened
Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed for obstructing the field. The umpire ruled that he altered the direction of his running upon seeing the throw, a decision that left the KKR dugout visibly stunned.
With LSG sending Nicholas Pooran into the Super Over, the script barely had time to develop. Pooran was dismissed on the first ball, and the matchup outcome was hardly surprising to those watching closely—especially after the way the earlier overs had played out.
Pulse awards
The “serial self-sabotage” tag went to KKR and LSG for taking turns to lose control, momentum, and—at times—common sense.
The “Thala-lite” award was handed to Sanju Samson for executing a stumping that served as a reminder of his sharpness behind the stumps.
The “not-quite-in-safe-hands” award went to the group of fielders who, collectively, decided that taking straightforward catches was too ordinary a storyline for a weekend like this.
Finally, the “save-the-bowlers” award went to Lucknow’s pitches, credited with doing what ball-by-ball saliva and bouncers in a single over could not manage—keeping batters only mildly uncomfortable.
Talking point: Kagiso Rabada’s revival
Kagiso Rabada’s new-ball revival has quietly reshaped Gujarat Titans’ early bowling. After taking just two wickets in his first four matches, he followed that up by collecting seven wickets in the next four. That improvement lifted his Powerplay tally to a tournament-leading nine wickets at a strike rate of 12.6.
Notably, the nine-wicket Powerplay figure matches exactly how many wickets he had taken in overs 1–6 across the previous three IPL seasons combined.
Who’s saying what
After the win, Sunil Narine spoke with a light, cheeky tone, saying he had “no other choice” but to bowl the Super Over. He also described the delivery that dismissed Nicholas Pooran as “up there” among the best he has bowled.
On the LSG side, the captain admitted they “need a break,” adding that having “too many minds” on tactics can only make things more confusing in the middle.
He also defended the decision to give Digvesh Rathi the final over—the one Rinku Singh punished with four sixes—stating with resignation that “bowlers will have to bowl tough overs.”
Later, after Sai followed up his century with another 87, Shubman Gill summed up his opening partner’s value as a player who “can give the maximum reward with minimum risk.”
Stat snack
Pooran’s Super Over record makes for a striking read: he scored 1 run off 10 balls and also finished with five dismissals.
What’s the latest gossip?
There’s talk that pitch-curation teams from across the country are already arranging last-minute trips to Lucknow to study how home decks are being produced—decks that can frustrate the home side even more reliably than the visitors.
With boundary dimensions largely consistent across venues, the idea is increasingly being treated as a workable anti-runfest strategy. One insider even suggested, “If you cannot move the ropes back, you can at least make sure nobody quite knows what the pitch is about to do.”
Tonight’s watchlist
Delhi Capitals will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home after their gut-punch defeat against PBKS. If Kotla delivers another batting surface as flat as the previous night, fans can expect another evening packed with runs.
Reckless prediction for tonight’s match
A six in Delhi will clear the stadium and land on a luxury car’s moon roof.
