Kolkata: The second week of IPL is living up to its reputation of being the Incredible Premier League.
Rajasthan Royals produced a stunning performance and breached fortress Chepauk by defeating Chennai for the first time since 2008. Sandeep Sharma kept his cool in the final over and defended 20 runs to give his team a famous win by preventing MS Dhoni- the finisher from finishing it off in style.
Apart from Sandeep's nerve of steel under pressure in the final over, RR's spin trio of Ashwin-Chahal-Zampa bowled beautifully and Jos Buttler's gritty half-century took them to a competitive total.
Hailing Jos Buttler- the Orange Cap winner of IPL 2022 for batting extremely well on a spin-friendly Chepauk track, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh termed the English opener ''the number 1 batter in the world''.
Speaking to Star Sports, Harbhajan said, "I fell short of words to praise Jos Buttler. He is a proper batter of the cricket ball. He uses the crease to perfection, possesses good technique, and he has good footwork against pace and spin. For me, he's the No. 1 batter in world cricket at the moment."
From the nail-biting thriller down South, the focus of IPL shifts to North as Punjab Kings host Gujarat Titans at home on April 13.
Hailing Punjab skipper and batting mainstay Shikhar Dhawan, former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif called him the boss of IPL.
"Punjab Kings' bowling is good. The team that has a good bowling unit has a better chance of finishing in the top four in the IPL. Shikhar Dhawan is the Khalifa of IPL. He is in form and leading his team by example. These conditions have further boosted the chances of his team going a long way this season."
Hailing Shikhar Dhawan for the way he's batting, former Australia all-rounder David Hussey termed the senior India cricketer as the best in the business.
Hussey said, "Punjab Kings' strategy looks simple in TATA IPL i.e. to bat around Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan has paced his innings brilliantly in the tournament, he's a world-class batter." (UNI)