Super Sunday : From hat trick to Covid
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on 17th April 2022 (Sunday), became the first Indian pacer to scalp 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League history. He achieved the feat in his 138th match of IPL against Punjab Kings (PBKS) while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 150 clubBhuvneshwar Kumar: First Indian pacer to reach 150 wickets in IPL
Before him, West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and veteran Sri Lankan Pacer Lasith Malinga are the only two pacers who have scalped 174 and 170 wickets, respectively, in the Indian T20 league. While just three pacers could reach the mark, spinners like Amit Mishra (166), Piyush Chawla (157), Yuzvendra Chahal (156), and Harbhajan Singh (150) are the bowlers to reach the mark.
The pacer has been representing Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2018 for INR 8.50 crore. However, following injuries in the 2020 and 2021 editions, Bhuvneshwar had an average season as he took only nine wickets in 15 innings played in both seasons. But he looks to make a comeback this season. He has taken eight wickets in 6 matches at an economy of 7.75. In the match against Punjab Kings, the pacer put on an impressive performance by taking three wickets for 22 runs in his spell of four overs. His overs were supported by the pace machine Umran Malik to help Sunriser Hyderabad register their fourth consecutive win.
PL 2022: Rajasthan Royals registered the highest total of the season
In match 30 of IPL, Rajasthan Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in a nail-biting thriller by seven runs at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. The game was a feat to watch, with so many records being made and broken.
Having lost the toss, Rajasthan Royals had to bat first. Jos Buttler smashed his breathtaking second hundred of this season. The great inning from Jos Buttler helped Rajasthan post a mammoth total of 217 on the scoreboard. This is the highest score registered by any team in the fifteenth edition of IPL. Earlier the highest score was 216 runs by Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Dr DY Patil Stadium. However, the pitch at Brabourne saw a high total of 215 posted by Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings in this tournament. In the history of IPL, the highest ever target given is 263 by Royal Challengers Bangalore to Pune Warriors in 2013. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals have their highest score of 226 to Kings XI Punjab in 2020 at Sharjah.
Apart from putting the highest total on the scoreboard and Jos Buttler’s ton, Yuzvendra Chahal became the Player of the match for taking a five-wicket haul and a hat-trick in the match. Yuzvendra Chahal recorded his best bowling figures of 5/40 in the IPL; his previous best was 4/25 against Punjab Kings in 2016. The game witnessed the first instance in the history of IPL, where a century and a five-wicket haul were recorded in the same match. Hopefully, with more matches coming, fans will see many such thrilling records being made or surpassed.
IPL 2022: Covid hits Delhi Capitals' camp
The Covid-19 scare has hit Delhi Capitals. It has forced the franchise to cancel its scheduled travel to Pune ahead of their next fixture on 20th April (Wednesday) against Punjab Kings. The complete team has been put into strict quarantine.
Capitals' physio Patrick Farhart tested positive for covid 19 a few days ago. And soon, Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh too, started showing mild symptoms. He, too, tested positive in the Rapid Antigen Test and was admitted to hospital as the count of cases rose to four in the camp. As a result, all the players have been under quarantine in their respective rooms, with door-to-door Covid tests scheduled for players. BCCI will take the final call on Wednesday's fixture, depending on the Covid test results.
BCCI sources said, "From 16th April onward, the entire Delhi Capitals contingent has been put under a daily RT-PCR testing procedure. The 4th round of RT-PCR tests conducted on 19th April has returned negative. "The Delhi Capitals contingent will undergo another round of RT-PCR testing on the morning of 20th April," the BCCI added.
In the latest update, both the teams are shifted to Mumbai from Pune. If all goes well, the match will occur in Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, instead of Pune.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday announced a change of venue for Match No. 32 – Delhi Capital versus Punjab Kings from MCA Stadium, Pune to Brabourne – CCI scheduled on 20th April 2022, to avoid any further incident due to an undetected case during a long-distance bus journey in a closed environment," said the BCCI in a statement.