IPL SRL All-Stars | Game 1 - Rohit-Warner partnership helps South decimate North in opener

IPL SRL All-Stars | Game 1 - Rohit-Warner partnership helps South decimate North in opener

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BCCI

In the first ever 'All-Stars' IPL SRL encounter, South all-stars dominated and decimated the North-stars by 32 runs to take home the opening game of the series. Rohit Sharma and David Warner combined for a 156-run partnership while Jasprit Bumrah and Rashid Khan picked four wickets between them.

Match Review

The home side won the toss and sent their regards to the away side by batting first on a batsman friendly pitch. The star-studded lineup got off to a cracking start, with both David Warner and Rohit Sharma cracking the white-ball. It flew around the park as the duo combined for a 156-run opening wicket partnership. With late contributions from Hardik Pandya and AB de Villiers, the south side got to a total of 211 at the end of their innings. 

On the other hand, the North side’s start was reminiscent of some of the northern teams in the Simulation Reality League. Just like that KL Rahul and Shubhman Gill combined for a good partnership up top, scoring at a steady pace. However, after that crazy start, they fell down like a packet of chips on a windy night. Despite late contributions from Rishabh Pant and Maxwell, all they could manage in their 20 overs was 179, failing by 32 runs. 

Turning Point

KL Rahul’s early exit definitely was the turning point of the all-star encounter, with the right-hander falling early after scoring just 18 runs off 12 deliveries. Until his exit, both the openers were going ahead of the required run-rate, sometimes even scoring at a crazy run-rate. However, after his downfall, the momentum took a similar turn as things became increasingly difficult for the away side to chase. 

Highs and Lows

South’s opening partnership definitely is what you call a ‘game-changer’ and the way it changed it was mind-blowing. Both the openers, David Warner and Rohit Sharma, batting together is a dream come true moment for all the SRL fans. Not only did they breeze through the powerplay overs but they scored at a rate that seemed highly impossible after they elected to bat. In the end, the duo scored 156 runs, which was the high point of the game and in the easy margin. 

Enough about the highs, let’s talk about Kuldeep Yadav for a moment. It was one of the worst displays from the left-arm unorthodox bowler who just could not get it right on the day, rather evening. Every delivery was getting the treatment, sometimes crossing the boundary, sometimes getting a tip-off. Being the wicket-taking option for the North side, his performance was just dismissive. Eventually, he conceded 45 runs in four overs, without managing to pick a single wicket. 

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: North 7/10 and South 9/10

Rohit Sharma at the top of the order alongside David Warner is like ‘your favourite thing one after another,’ so much so that it sometimes feels like it is a crime. The duo’s partnership was like the ‘Last Supper,’ such art, much magic. Both of them just cruised past the powerplay overs, scoring at nearly 11 runs an over. In just the powerplay, the south side scored 67, without the loss of any wicket. A trademark T20 powerplay batting display from two of the best in the World. 

Two best talents, yet the results highly disappointing, especially after such a bright start in the powerplay. KL Rahul and Shubhman Gill did attack the opening bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar - but the fun lasted just four overs. Rahul got out against the right-arm pacer, leaving them at 46/1. However, post that, their batting was not bad, eventually scoring 62 runs at the end of the powerplay for the loss of two wickets. 

Middle-overs manoeuvring: North 7/10 and South 9/10

Well, just like Mumbai Indians in the SRL, the middle overs and Rohit Sharma turned out to be the best combination. The right-hander has just excelled at his role and with David Warner, he made the world a lot easier for the others. The first wicket eventually fell in the 14th over, when Warner got out in Andre Russel’s over. Until then, the duo just scored runs for fun, taking bowlers one after another for a ride. And the duo just took over the entirety of the middle overs except for the last two deliveries. 

A near-perfect middle-overs for the North side too after that start in the All-star game. After being reduced to 62/2, the onus was on Rishabh Pant and Andre Russel to give them a good set of middle-overs before they could go for a late assault. The duo put on a show before Russel fell in the 15th over. Until then, they had scored 138 runs in the 15th over with Rashid Khan picking up the wicket. By then, they had already lost four wickets, with them still needing some lusty blows towards the end for a win. 

Death bowling: North 5/10 and South 8/10

For the South all-star team, the death overs was a tad disappointing, especially with the great start that they had early on in the innings. In the death overs, they only managed to score 42 runs in five overs, with the help of Hardik Pandya and AB de Villiers. It did help them to a total of 211 for the loss of three wickets, however. 

On the other hand, the North side had the worst end to any innings. Especially with the required rate over 12 at times, they needed someone to put their foot on the peddle, which unfortunately none could. They could only put on 41 runs in the end overs, losing four wickets in the process, eventually succumbing to a defeat. 

Match Frenzy O Meter - Entertaining

It had everything for the audience - entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment (read: sixes)! If boundaries and wickets is all T20 cricket is about, then this is the perfect template of how you could play an entertaining brand of cricket for the audience. Well, I, for one, surely was thoroughly impressed and entertained by the way the two sides played and that ended with one side massively performing over the other. 

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