By the time Mustafiz got the wicket of Jos Buttler in the final ball of the final over after he had scored a century and Rajasthan Royals (RR) collected 222, the match was already over. It was nice to see Mustafiz get a wicket, one of the 2 in the match though he gave 43 runs in his 4 overs. The other wicket-taker was Khaleel Ahmed who gave 47 runs. It wasn’t just that the Delhi Capitals (DC) bowling was lacking bite but that RR batting was way out with Buttler leading the march. Buttler, scoring his third century justified his price and put everyone to the sword, lasting from an obscenely high scoring beginning till the high scoring very end over. One wonders if the IPL needs a bowling fix or not. The batter-bowler balance is threatening to be upset more than a bit. Except for cameos – like Chahals in a previous match though not today – the batters are the ones who seem to decide the way. Too much for DC  RR beat the hell out of DC and everyone had double-digit run rates against their overs. Only 2 wickets fell and Paddikal (54)and Buttler(116) made 155, the highest first wicket partnership this season. Captain Sanju Samson made 46 too and the team got to 222, a double Nelson. The target was more than 11 runs per over and that DC could reach 207 with the loss of 7 wickets shows that the match didn’t really pick up till the end and that really means the last over. As the asking rate went beyond 12, early on, victory became remote. DC lost Warner, the man supposed to lead the chase by the 4th over after scoring 28 only and Sarfaraz went a ball later. No one stood up to be counted and all had motored along. Risabh Pant scored the highest 44 runs. The match actually did start picking up a bit in the 17th over as the asking and current run rate rubbed shoulders but Lalit Yadav, the last hope was boxed in the 18th (37) and the DC lights began to dim. In came Rovman Powell and there was drama. It was 36 runs to get in the final over and Rovman hit one, two and three sixes in a row. DC could make it only if he hit a 6 in every ball and after the first three, the fans believed it was not just possible but coming. Sadly the next three were 0/2/W. DC lost by 15 runs after a good deal of drama in the final over. Fittingly, the two players who didn’t come out to bat were Mustafiz and Khaleel, the two wicket-takers. The story was there.

​​​​​​​Delhi Capitals team was confident that they could make it three in a row after winning their two round-robin league matches against Chennai Super Kings. However, Chennai captain MS Dhoni displayed his flamboyant charisma at the most crunch moment of the game, leading his team to victory with two balls to spare. Chennai advanced to the 14th edition of the tournament final after defeating Delhi in the IPL 2021 qualifier 1 match. Delhi Capitals will play the winner of the eliminator match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in qualifier 2 for a final berth. Match Report: CSK vs. DC The captain of Chennai Super Kings MS Dhoni opted to field first against Delhi Capitals in the first qualifying match in Dubai on Sunday (October 10) Delhi’s Innings  Delhi Capitals batted first and set up a challenging 172/5 runs in their allocated 20 overs. Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan partnered for a 36-run opening stand, with Prithvi taking the initiative to get the scoreboard moving quickly. Shikhar Dhawan was struggling to time the ball and was finally bowled by Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over. Read: Shakib, Mustafiz set to leave IPL to join national team Getting the first wicket helped Chennai to increase the pressure on the Delhi batsmen. They lost three more wickets within 11 overs, including Prithvi Shaw. The excellent left-hand batsman lost his wicket to Ravindra Jadeja after an aggressive 60 off 34 balls. Delhi skipper Rishab Pant and Windies power hitter Shimron Hetmyer (37) repaired the innings with an 83-run partnership in the fifth wicket and took the total to 163. Rishab Pant remained undefeated with a 51* off 35 balls. Josh Hazlewood was Chennai's most successful bowler, taking two wickets for 29 runs in four overs. Chennai’s Innings Chasing 173 runs, Chennai's most inform batsman Faf du Plessis was dismissed in the opening over. He was clean bowled by compatriot Anrich Nortje on the fourth ball of the first over. However, the loss of an early wicket had little effect on Chennai's momentum in the run chase. Read: IPL 2021: Who will play whom in the playoffs? A 110-run second-wicket partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and the experienced Robin Uthappa helped Chennai stay in the game. They took the total to 113 in the 14th over. Both batsmen were steady and did not take any needless risks while forming the partnership. Uthappa was dismissed in the14th over after a 63-run knock. On the other hand, Gaikwad remained at the crease till the 19th over, ensuring Chennai's progress in the run chase. However, the match took a dramatic turn when in-form Avesh Khan sent Gaikwad back to the pavilion on the first ball of the 19th over. Chennai needed 24 runs in 11 balls at that point. With two new batsmen at the crease, they were under a lot of pressure to get those runs. However, skipper MS Dhoni came out as a savior for his team and ensured victory with some blistering strokes. Read:IPL 2021: Delhi secure Qualifier 1 with 3-wicket win against Chennai Dhoni sealed the victory by smashing Tom Curran for a boundary in the last over's fourth ball. He stayed unbeaten, with a match-winning 18 off 6 balls knock. Taking three wickets, Curran was Delhi's most successful bowler in this game.  Player of the Match Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was awarded the best player of the IPL 2021 qualifier 1 match for his responsible 70-run knock. Way Forward Delhi Capitals lost to Chennai Super Kings for the first time of the IPL 2021 season. They overcame Chennai twice in the league phase and were considered favorites to win the IPL 2021 qualifier 1 match. However, responsible knocks by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa, as well as MS Dhoni's fiery innings, saw Chennai defeat Delhi in the first match of the playoffs round. This will be the 9th IPL final for Chennai Super Kings. Read:IPL 2021: Kolkata, Mumbai, Rajasthan in three-way race for a playoffs spot On the other hand, Delhi Capitals must win the second qualifier match to advance to the IPL final for the second year in a row. Delhi finished runner-up after losing the IPL 2020 final to Mumbai Indians. The qualifier 2 match will take place in Sharjah on Wednesday (13th October).

Delhi Capitals have secured the qualifier 1 spot in the playoffs round after defeating Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in Dubai. Delhi currently top the points table with 20 points and a game in hand. They will play Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday (October 8) and have a chance to finish top in the IPL 2021 round-robin league points table. On the other hand, Chennai must win their last league match against Punjab Kings on Thursday (October 7) to finish in the top two spots in the standings. The match report of CSK vs. DC is discussed in this article. Match Report: CSK vs. DC Delhi Capitals captain Rishab Pant chose to field first against Chennai Super Kings on Monday in Dubai. Chennai’s Innings   Chennai Super Kings batted first and managed to score 136/5 In their allocated 20 overs. They got off to a good start, as the opening pair put up 28 runs in three overs. However, Chennai's batting collapsed when Faf Du Plessis left the crease, as they lost four wickets for 62 runs in nine overs. Read: IPL 2021: Kolkata, Mumbai, Rajasthan in three-way race for a playoffs spot Indian spinner Axar Patel was the real difference-maker between the two teams. He provided the first breakthrough for Delhi by taking Faf Du Plessis' wicket. He also sent Moeen Ali back to the pavilion in the eighth over. MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu put on a 70-run partnership to help Chennai rebuild their innings. They kept a close eye on the scoreboard in the middle but didn't strive too hard to accelerate the run rates. These two players stayed at the crease till the last over for a competitive total. However, they were unable to produce big shots in the death overs and were forced to settle for a low total. Ambati Rayudu scored the highest runs with 55 off 43 balls, while Dhoni made 18 runs. Delhi's spinners had shown excellent discipline in the middle. They were on target and didn't let them free their arms. Axar Patel took the highest two wickets for 18 runs in his four overs. Ravi Ashwin and pacer Kagiso Rabada were both outstanding with the ball for Delhi. Read: KKR vs. PBKS: KL Rahul guides Punjab to 5-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021 Delhi’s Innings Delhi Capitals bowlers did their job very well by limiting Chennai to a manageable score. Delhi reached the 137-run target with two balls to spare. Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan gave Delhi a solid start with a 24-run opening partnership between them. Dhawan assumed control of the innings following the departure of Prithvi Shaw (18). Delhi looked strong in the middle but their batting order crumbled, and things looked worse when Dhawan (39) lost his wicket in the 15th over. Delhi were 99/6 at the time. Delhi fought back with an undefeated 28* off 18 balls knock from West Indian power batter Shimron Hetmyer, and triumphed in 19.4 overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur were outstanding with the ball. For Chennai, they each took two wickets. Read T20 World Cup: Bangladesh team reaches Oman Player of the Match Delhi Capitals spinner Axar Patel was named the best player of the match for his brilliant effort with the ball.     Bottom Line Chennai Super Kings have now lost two consecutive games, and the momentum has shifted back to the Delhi Capitals, who have won two successive matches. Chennai must defeat Punjab in order to secure qualifier 1 spot in the playoffs. Otherwise, they will have to rely on the results of Bangalore's fixtures. Chennai's top order struggled against Delhi, putting the middle order under strain. As a result, they had to settle for a low total to defend. Chennai's top order must rediscover their best rhythm before the crucial playoffs round. On the other side, the Rishab Pant-led Delhi Capitals team has done well as a unit. They have the depth and balance in their squad to win the IPL 2021 tournament. Read: IPL 2021: Shakib's Kolkata leads over Mustafiz's Rajasthan in the playoffs race

Delhi Capitals and reigning champions Mumbai Indians notched identical seven-wicket victories in the Indian Premier League on Thursday. Delhi’s clinical win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Ahmedabad lifted it to 10 points to share lead at the top of the table with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kolkata, after losing five of its seven games, is fifth with four points. Mumbai pushed themselves into the top four with a resounding win over Rajasthan Royals at New Delhi. Mumbai, coming off two consecutive losses, is now fourth while struggling Rajasthan has dropped three of its past four games to sit seventh. Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw’s six fours in the opening over of the run-chase helped Delhi cruise to 156-3 in 16.3 overs as the right-hander made a blistering 82 off 41 balls. Kolkata’s batsmen continued to struggle before Andre Russell’s quickfire 45 off 27 balls lifted his team’s total to 154-6. Off-spinner Lalit Yadav dented Kolkata’s hopes when he dismissed captain Eoin Morgan and hard-hitting batsman Sunil Narine both without scoring in the 11th over and left-arm spinner Axar Patel also grabbed 2-32. Shaw gave Delhi an electrifying start when he hit fast bowler Shivam Mavi for six boundaries in the first over. By the time Morgan turned towards the experience of Pat Cummins in the sixth over, Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan had piled 66 runs in five overs and had taken the game well under Delhi’s grasp. Cummins picked up 3-24, but not before Shaw and Dhawan had raised a 132-run stand -- their second century stand in this season’s IPL. Cummins also had Dhawan lbw off a low full toss and then dismissed Shaw and captain Rishabh Pant in his last over. Shaw hit 11 fours and three sixes before he spliced a catch at point while Pant holed out at long-on boundary while going for a winning boundary. BUMRAH SHINES Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (1-15) was brilliant, with both the new and old ball, to restrict Rajasthan at 171-4 after Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field at Delhi. Chris Morris, Rajasthan’s multimillion-dollar signing, picked up 2-33, but Quinton de Kock (70 not out) was always in control to take Mumbai to 172-3 with nine balls to spare. De Kock, who had struggled for runs in the first leg of the tournament in Chennai, finally found his batting form with a fine half century. De Kock’s 15th half century in the IPL featured six fours and two sixes as the South African left-hander drove and pulled well against the fast bowlers. “We needed that win badly after a couple of losses,” Sharma said. “We did everything right today, right from ball one … very happy with Quinny’s knock, we know how good he can be. Not to forget Krunal’s innings as well.” Krunal Pandya (39) added 63 runs with de Kock for the third-wicket stand before he was bowled by Mustafizur Rahman in the 17th over. But de Kock sealed the game with two boundaries against the Bangladesh left-arm fast bowler in the penultimate over. Earlier, Jos Buttler posted 41 runs off 32 balls and had given Rajasthan a platform, but Trent Boult clean bowled captain Sanju Samson (42) in the 18th over before Bumrah had Shivam Dube (35) caught off his own bowling off a low full toss. “We were a few runs short, 20-25 short,” Samson said. “We built it up nicely and didn’t capitalize. I think they had a very decent bowling lineup … it’s just about our batters performing a little more and I’m sure we’ll do it.”

The IPL of the 2021 season kicked off on April 9th. The final match of the IPL 2021 will be played on May 30 at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad after a month and a half of the competition. Mumbai Indians have won the last two editions of the IPL and they are again a strong contender for the title this year. However, other teams are determined to dethrone Mumbai and win the IPL but which team has more chance to win the trophy? In this article, we discussed who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders. Who are the favorites to win the IPL 2021? Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are now the most confident team in the league after winning the previous two IPL tournaments.So they were not seen to be very active in this year’s IPL auction. Mumbai have complete trust in their IPL-winning squad in the search for a hat-trick title. There are a handful of match-winning players in the squad who can decide the outcome of a match on their own. Top five players of Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain, batsman), Kieron Pollard (all-rounder), Hardik Pandya (all-rounder), Trent Bolt (pacer), Jasprit Bumrah (pacer) Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders have not won an IPL tournament since 2014. So, Kolkata have put together a very strong team for the 2021 season in order to reclaim the title.After a three-year absence, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is back in the Kolkata squad this season. The squad also has a number of spinners. As a result, Kolkata Knight Riders are the strongest spin-reliant team in this year's IPL. Ian Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders have a genuine chance to win the IPL 2021 if they can stay consistent in the final part of the season. Top five players of Kolkata Knight Riders: Ian Morgan (captain, batsman), Andre Russell (all-rounder), Shakib Al Hasan (all-rounder), Sunil Narine (all-rounder), Pat Cummins (pacer) Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve Royal Challengers Bangalore  Every year, Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore enter the IPL as a tournament favorite. However, they are yet to win an IPL tournament. As always, Bangalore have put together a formidable squad for the 14th edition of the IPL. Australia's Glenn Maxwell has been added to their squad for the 2021 IPL campaign. In addition, the squad contains a number of star cricketers. Let's see if team Bangalore can change its IPL fortune this time! Top five players of Royal Challengers Bangalore: ViratKohli (captain, batsman), Glenn Maxwell (all-rounder), AB de Villiers (batsman), Kyle Jamieson (pacer), YuzvendraChahal (spinner) Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't won the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2016. Sunrisers Hyderabad have been led by Australian David Warner for the past few years and they have consistently made it to the knockout stages of the tournament. Sunrisers have some great t20 format players. As a result, they are one of the favorites of this year's tournament like every time. Top five players of Royal Challengers Hyderabad: David Warner (captain, batsman), Rashid Khan (spinner), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (pacer), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (batsman)  Who are the underdogs to win the IPL 2021? Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings have always been considered a favorite, but they are labeled underdogs this season. Dhoni's team has a number of world-class cricketers, but most of them are over 30 years old. With such a team, the odds of winning the IPL are slightly lower than with other teams. So it would not be right to expect much from team Chennai this time. Top five players of Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain, wicket-keeper), Faf du Plessis (batsman), Suresh Raina (batsman), Moeen Ali (all-rounder), Sam Curran (all-rounder) Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka Delhi Capitals Many people are betting on Delhi Capitals to win the 14th edition of the IPL since they were runner-up in the previous edition. While Delhi have some talented players, their lack of experience may lead them to fall behind other teams. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will take over as captain in place of the injured ShreyasIyer. It will be interesting to see how far Delhi will go under his leadership. Top five players of Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (captain, wicket-keeper), ShikharDhawan (batsman), Marcus Stoinis (all-rounder), Tom Curran (all-rounder), Steve Smith (batsman)  Who are the outsiders to win the IPL 2021?  Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals have a number of outstanding T20 cricketers, among them is South African all-rounder Chris Morris. He was the most expensive player in the 2021 IPL auction. Rajasthan paid $ 2.3 million for Morris at auction. Rajasthan is predicted to do well in this year's IPL under the leadership of CaptainSanju Samson. However, they are currently regarded as one of the outsiders to win the trophy. Top five players of Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain, batsman), Chris Morris (all-rounder), Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Ben Stokes (all-rounder), Mustafizur Rahman (pacer) Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021 Punjab Kings PreityZinta's team will compete in the IPL 14 under the new name Punjab Kings this year. Although the squad has some talented players, it is not particularly strong in comparison to other teams. As a result, dreaming of winning the championship right now would be wrong. Punjab will have to maintain continuity at the league level in order to secure a spot in the top four of the points table. Top five players of Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain, wicket-keeper), Riley Meredith (pacer), Jhye Richardson (all-rounder), Chris Gayle (batsman), Mohammad Shami (pacer) Verdict We have analyzed the strengths of the teams to identify who will win the IPL 2021? And also to find out the favorites, underdogs, and outsiders of the tournament. After assessing each team's strengths, it is apparent that the Mumbai Indians are once again the hot favorite. In addition, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad all have an equal chance of winning the IPL in 2021. However, teams in good form at the end of the tournament would have a great chance of winning the trophy. Overall, we expect the tournament's best team will win the trophy. Read: How to Become a Cricketer in Bangladesh: An Overall Guideline