The threat of COVID forced the BCCI to call off the IPL 2021 midway on May 04 at the end of match-29. Perfectly justified as players and member staff were under tremendous pressure to perform in gloomy condition. As the pandemic condition improved, the second edition of the IPL 2021 took off on September 19 and in the opening match, CSK defeated MI to ignite the gaming sensation.
Millions of IPL fans were disheartened when the game was stopped mid-way in May, but with the beginning of the second volume on September 19 fans are back to support their team. Although CSK is the hot favourite to win the latest IPL betting, IPL fans know the list of final four could be anything. In the next 24 matches, standings will change as some dark horses will kick hot contenders out of the game and force even the best team to bite the dust.
Who will lift the 14th IPL trophy on October 15 is tough to guess at this moment when almost half of the group-stage matches are yet to be played, but from matches played so far and trends from previous seasons it could be said that which team could qualify for the play-offs. As IPL V2 is getting momentum, fans are already picking players who could win the Orange and Purple Caps.
The data from the last six seasons suggest that the team at the bottom of the standing at the end of the 29th match never managed to find a place in the league stage. So, we could fairly say that this time the Sunrisers Hyderabad won't be able to make it to the final four. And for the rest seven teams, the tournament is wide open to climb and sink.
If you could recall the IPL 2015, the Mumbai Indians were ranked seventh at the end of 24 matches with just 2 wins. But they managed to win the next six games and lift the trophy. This time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is at seventh position in the table, and anything can happen as the tournament moves forward. MI with maximum wins is always in the game, but CSK is a hot favourite this time.
Another interesting pattern suggests that the team at the top of the chart never fails to qualify for the final four. So, the Delhi Capitals (DC) are expected to make it to the final four this time. Interestingly, it was just once in the last six seasons when top-four teams at the mid-way remained the same at the end of the league fixtures. So, all seven are equally vulnerable and the vulnerability is a little high as nobody knows how star players will perform in their current condition.
Going by the pattern, it could be said that one of CSK, MI, or RCB could drop out making room for either Rajasthan Royals or KKR.
Well, who will score maximum runs to wear the Orange Cap and scalp maximum wickets to claim the Purple Cap could be a wild guess. But going by the pattern, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Faf du Plessis are hot contenders for the Orange Cap. As of now, Harsh Patel of RCB is a hot contender for the Purple Cap, and Rahul Chahar, Rashid Khan, Chris Morris, and Avesh Khan are in the race to claim the glory.
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( With inputs from ANI )
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