The second week of the 17th edition in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has kept the bar high in excitement and enthusiasm. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finds themselves at the top position with 4 points at a NRR of +1.047. Mumbai Indians (MI), with successive defeats, sleeps at the bottom with a damaged NRR of -0.925.
The last game of the week provided the Chennai fans a huge joy in watching their ‘Thala’ Dhoni back in action after nine long months since the end of the last IPL.
KKR broke the trend of home teams winning the games against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), but the others kept the trend flowing at a decent speed.
Let’s take a look at the top four moments of the second week in IPL 2024
Fun fest in Hyderabad broke RCB’s IPL record of highest team total
The record stood tall for 11-years, before the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 broke the record of RCB for the highest team total in the history of the IPL. Against the five-time champions from Mumbai, at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, SRH posted 277/3 in their 20 overs.
It was hard to trust that everyone who batted in that evening cracked a six, except Mayank Agarwal from both the batting side. Travis Head got an early life, and he went on to nail a 24-ball 62-run knock, while Abhishek Sharma demolished a 23-ball 63-run knock. If that wasn’t enough then, Heinrich Klassen destructed with a 34-ball unbeaten 80-run knock to help them reaching to the landmark.
The only disappointment for the home side was to secure victory in the game by only a gap of 31-runs, even after that mountain.
A 42-year-old denying singles to India’s premier all-rounder in IPL 2024 didn’t sit well
There was different craze. The CSK fans didn’t mind their defeat before the Delhi Capitals (DC). The only thing they loved in the evening was the 42-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his long hairs smashing fours and sixes with ease.
Coming at 120/6, he made a 51-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja in 23 balls. Out of these 51-runs, 37 of 16 came off Dhoni’s willow. That was a great fun and moment to capture for most of the fans.
But the most worrying part on the flip of the coin was watching Jadeja struggling on the other hand in the IPL 2024. At the moment, he is India’s premier all-rounder going into the T20 World Cup, with just around eight weeks in hand. There will be many situations when Jadeja had to come and whack those boundaries, but if the guy who is lifting his bat after almost nine months was denying Jadeja singles in three consecutive balls, then it was a dead sign.
No India fans would be relieved with that. His 17-ball unbeaten 21-runs was full of rust, and glitches.
IPL 2024: From Delhi to Lucknow to the world, Mayank Yadav, the peregrine falcon flies high
Parag proved his worth with royal 84 runs in IPL 2024
The speculation over everything he was doing in the last two seasons was getting questioned. Even if Riyan Parag looked to eat his chicken kabab in the dressing room, the cameras would find him and open the pipe of questions being thrown at him.
This year was different. In IPL 2024. Parag was given a specific job in hand to come at number four and look to play his natural game. The plus point after all these was his fabulous form in the domestic circuit coming into this tournament.
In the first game of this season’s IPL, Parag nailed a few smooth and sweet sixes against the Lucknow bowlers. The story against Delhi in their same game was different. Rajasthan was wrestling at 90/4. Ravichandran Ashwin released a bit of pressure with a few big shots, but Parag was never getting over hyped with it.
His process and goal seemed to set. In every shot he played was full under his control. He looked good to take the Royals near the 170-run mark. Then came Anrich Nortje and Parag smashed his fired-up delivery over covers for a six. He nailed two more boundaries, and a pull over mid-wicket for shot over the rope. Finishing on 84* in 45 with seven sixes and six boundaries, Parag wrote his own IPL 2024 script.
The vintage Sunil Narine with the bat against RCB in IPL 2024
The way Sunil Narine was smashing the balls in all pockets of the ground at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the mind was getting back to the IPL 2017. In that afternoon encounter, he and Chris Lynn was in a different mood to carry them to 105/0 in the first six overs.
This evening, Narine took the same avatar and propelled themselves to 85/0 in the first six overs, of which 47 runs was siting before his name. The RCB bowlers kept on targeting Narine’s head, to which the Trinidad, should one all all-rounder, was making room and smacking the balls over the ring or straight down the ground.
Once they went full, the power was enough to drill those for bigger boundaries. KKR had a cakewalk in their 187-run chase with seven wickets in hand along with 19-balls to spare.
The IPL 2024 carnage moves to its third week with more exciting and breathe taking moments awaiting.
Author: That Mad Writer
Someone who loves how Steve Smith from being Australia's future Shane Warne has become present Don Bradman, gets inspired by Anderson's longevity, gets awed with Kohli's drive and Southee's bowling action. Never gets excited with stats and records, and believes in instincts, and always questions spinners bowling with the new ball.
