Devastated for Delhi

I’m absolutely gutted for my old team Delhi. To go out in the play-offs after they qualified so convincingly at the top of the league table is crushing for them.

I think they would have had a much better chance of beating KKR if they hadn’t played in Sharjah.

The low, sticky nature of that wicket just didn’t suit Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje or Kagiso Rabada and they couldn’t get enough of a grip with the ball, despite their remarkable late attempt at a comeback.

Had they played in Abu Dhabi or Dubai I think we would be talking about a CSK v DC final, so I’m devastated for them.

CSK’s success is a fantastic story

Chennai were written off as the old boys’ club before this IPL began, but their success is a fantastic tale of loyalty and of consistency.

MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming have built a yellow army, one in which players have the comfort and satisfaction of knowing that they’ll be backed and backed.

It would have been easy for them to rip things up and start again after their 2020 campaign. That loyalty is priceless as a sportsperson at the highest level, and so it’s been great to see the likes of Ravi Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and captain Dhoni do the business.

KKR rewarded for their brave style

I’ve already written that I don’t think KKR have been one of the best two teams in this tournament, but they have been rewarded for their great brand of cricket.

They’ve always been positive, and always looked to score runs and take wickets at every opportunity. That’s how you play T20 cricket, and it’s credit to Brendon McCullum and Eoin Morgan for turning that mentality around from the first half of the campaign.

Morgan’s form with the bat is a concern, but players are not robots. You can’t score runs in every series.

His captaincy is vital to KKR and England. He keeps a cool head, makes key decisions at the right times and always encourages that attacking culture.

Throwing things forward to the World Cup, it would be wrong to consider him dropping out of England’s line-up.

England’s batting line-up is so strong that he can hide himself down the order if he needs to. What’s more important is that he is there as captain, making good decisions and maintaining the culture that has transformed England’s white-ball cricket.

And who knows? It wouldn’t surprise me if he suddenly turned things around and had a great World Cup with the bat because he’s a quality player.

Prediction

T20 cricket is so tough to call.

There are so many match-winners in these two teams. It only takes one of them to come off and whack a century off not many balls and the game is won.

It’s Captain Cool v Captain Cool, so I’m expecting the battle of the minds to be key.

At a push, I’d find it hard to bet against CSK. But let’s face it, it could go either way.

Massive for Test cricket that the Ashes goes ahead

I totally understood why England players were uncomfortable with how the Ashes tour was shaping up, but it’s brilliant news that it’s going ahead.

This series is crucial to the future of Test cricket – it always attracts a lot of attention in the media, on social media and in terms of TV viewership.

I will discuss the series in further detail in coming articles, but my first instinct on seeing England’s squad is that I can’t see how they are going to score the runs to win the series.

Joe Root is world class, but you can’t rely on him time after time. One or two others, at least, are going to have to have the series of their lives to keep England in the hunt.

Visit Betway's cricket betting page.