1 week Ago By Mid-day
Captain Dhoni fails to bring CSK back on trackThere was excitement among Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) fans after veteran wicketkeeper and the IPL’s most successful captain MS Dhoni took over the leadership with regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the tournament due to a right elbow injury. However, it turned out to be a disappointing homecoming for the legendary captain as the hosts suffered their fifth consecutive defeat — for the first time in IPL history — after being outplayed by defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This was one of CSK’s worst-ever defeats as they managed a mere 103-9 in their allotted 20 overs, their lowest total at Chepauk and the lowest by any team in IPL 2025.
KKR, in reply, chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 59 balls to spare, the biggest defeat margin for CSK in IPL history in terms of balls remaining. It was also CSK’s third straight loss at Chepauk, another unwanted record for the franchise. The defeat leaves the five-time champions in a spot, having been placed ninth on the points table with just one win in six matches.
RCB breach Mumbai fortress after a decadeThe visiting Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have look like a team on a mission this season. After beating CSK at Chepauk for the first time since 2008 last month, the Rajat Patidar-led side continued their golden run away from home — this time by defeating five-time champions MI at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time since 2015. Between 2016 and 2024, RCB had faced MI five times at Wankhede and ended up on the losing side each time.
But this time, the team seemed determined to turn the tide. Despite being asked to bat first, RCB posted a mammoth 221-5 in 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant 64 off 32 balls from skipper Patidar. The Hardik Pandya-led MI outfit put up a strong fight but fell short by 12 runs as RCB finally won at the Wankhede.
Four in a row for DCDelhi Capitals (DC), still in search of their maiden IPL title, have made a fine impression, winning all of their first four matches for the first time in the tournament. The Axar Patel-led side extended their unbeaten run with a comfortable six-wicket win over RCB. Chasing a modest 164, DC faced hiccups after finding themselves in deep trouble at 30-3 in just 4.
3 overs. They were further reduced to 58-4 in 8.4 overs, but top-order batter KL Rahul steadied the ship with a gritty unbeaten 93 off 53 balls, guiding his team home with 13 balls to spare.
The victory kept DC as the only unbeaten team in IPL-18.Teams falter chasing 165-plus targetWinning the toss and fielding first has been the go-to strategy for most captains in the T20 format. However, Week 3 of the IPL has seen teams repeatedly failing to chase down targets above 165 despite most captains opting to bowl first.
This week, teams have fallen short in six matches even though captains called correctly at the toss on four of those occasions. Last Saturday, CSK failed to chase 186 against DC at Chepauk, while Punjab Kings showed no fight in their 50-run loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR), chasing 206 in the night game. On Monday, hosts MI fell short by 12 runs against RCB.
Tuesday`s double-header also saw the chasing teams fall short despite spirited efforts — KKR lost by four runs at home to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), while CSK went down to Punjab by 18 runs. On Wednesday, RR looked out of sorts while chasing 218 against Gujarat Titans, eventually losing by a huge 58-run margin.Seven 200-plus totals in eight innings While 200-plus totals are not rare in the IPL, it is still uncommon to see teams breach the 200-run mark in nearly every innings.
The first and second weeks of the IPL saw a phase where no teams crossed 200 in nine consecutive matches (18 innings). However, this week witnessed a remarkable turnaround. In a rare occurrence, seven innings across four matches from Monday to Wednesday saw teams posting scores above 200.
On Monday, RCB scored a mammoth 221-5 against hosts MI, who responded with 209-9. The run-fest continued during Tuesday`s double-header too, LSG smashed 238-3, while KKR nearly pulled off the chase scoring 234-7. In the second match, Punjab put up 219-6 against CSK to seal an 18-run win.
On Wednesday, GT piled up a match-winning 217-6 against RR..
