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PSL: Islamabad edge out the Sultans

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Islamabad United overwhelmed Multan Sultans on Saturday night in a low-scoring game at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Both franchises have qualified for the PSL 2021 playoffs.

Islamabad finished the first round with 16 points as they managed to win eight out of 10 matches.

The Shadab Khan-led troops chased the 150-run target with two balls and four wickets in hand.

While Multan put up another loss on their record, it is not going to take away their playoff berth.

They have 10 points in hand, just like the eliminated Lahore Qalandars, but having the best net run rate in the league (+1.050) has got them in the second spot.

The Domino effect

To think that the Sultans were cruising at 93/0 at one point and finished 149 all out is mind-boggling.

This season has not got a lot of batting collapses but is surely something to take note of for skip Mohammad Rizwan.

Had they gone down like that in a crucial game, the result would have hurt them.

Another MOTM performance from Wasim

United pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr picked up his best bowling figures in the PSL 2021.

His 4-31 was what caused the domino effect in the Multan batting in the first place.

His wickets were Johnson Charles, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Umar and Blessing Muzarabani.

Wasim’s spell crippled the Sultans batting.

Once he began picking important scalps in his spells, other pacers from the Multan cartel had huge help in mounting pressure on the Rizwan-led unit.

Islamabad United 150 for 6 (Shadab 35, Dahani 2-21, Qadir 2-22) beat Multan Sultans 149 all out (Masood 59, Wasim 4-31) by four wickets.

Preview: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans have a chance to avenge their last loss against Islamabad United on Monday when the two sides will meet in the first playoff of the PSL 2021.

Probable Player of the Match – Mohammad Rizwan

Apart from being a strategically aware skipper, Muhammad Rizwan has been exceptional with the bat.

He is currently the second-highest run-getter in the tournament (470) and might dethrone Babar Azam at the top if he resumes where he left off in the Pakistan leg.

The Sultans opener is likely to go ballistic against United in the playoff, but he needs to take care of his strike rate.

Ever since the league was moved to the UAE, Rizwan has not been able to emulate the knocks he has played on Karachi and Lahore’s tracks.

He has been seemingly slow and has found it hard to cream the ball around the park at will.

Match prediction

Islamabad United have won both games they played against Multan Sultans in the first round of the league.

They clinched the February contest by three wickets in the Pakistan leg and routed the Sultans on Saturday night by four wickets.

They looked dominant, calculated and confident coming off consecutive victories.

The only two-time PSL champions are likely to thump Multans to make it 3-0 and secure a berth in the final.

The Sultans have been brilliant this season, but may not be strong enough to outplay Shadab Khan’s side.

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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024

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Smriti Mandhana and Alyssa Healy (Source - X)

RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.

It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain

Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.

It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.

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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window

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Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.

It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.

Watch the viral video here –

Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.

RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief

As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.

On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.

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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy

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Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.

Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.

The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).

‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar

“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.

Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.

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