IPL 2021: Results, top run-scorers, wicket-takers, and complete recap of first half of season

Indian Premier League 2021 resumes in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday with all eight teams looking to start strong in order to secure a playoff berth.

The 14th edition of the T20 league was suspended in May owing to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in India at that time. Now, the season resumes in the UAE and it promises to be another action-packed month of cricket.

IPL 2021: Full updated squads, withdrawals and replacements of all 8 teams heading into UAE leg

Delhi Capitals start the second half of IPL 2021 at the top of the points table after an impressive run under Rishabh Pant’s leadership. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore remain in strong positions too, with Rohit Sharma’s defending champions Mumbai Indians occupying fourth position.

A major part of Delhi’s success in the first half of IPL 2021 was due to the solid opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. The duo set up a number of victories for DC and will look to continue the good run. Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul, CSK opener Faf du Plessis and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson will also be keen to pick up from where they left off.

Among the bowlers, RCB pacer Harshal Patel stood out in the first half of the season with his brilliant skills at the death. South Africa’s Chris Morris, for whom RR broke the bank, also impressed with the ball, while DC pacer Avesh Khan, Mumbai Indians leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and Sunrisers Hyderabad star Rashid Khan played key roles for their respective teams.

Here’s a look at how the eight teams fared in the first half of IPL 2021:

Delhi Capitals

Shreyas Iyer, who led DC to the final of IPL 2020, is back after recovering from his shoulder injury and that will further boost Ricky Ponting’s team. Rishabh Pant, though, will continue to lead the side. The franchise has never won the title and will be determined to break through this time. Delhi lost just two of their first eight games and will look to secure a playoff spot quickly once the league resumes. Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Avesh Khan were among the top performers for DC in the first half of the season.

Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni’s men had a forgettable IPL 2020 but bounced back in style in the first half of this year’s competition. The three-time IPL champions won five out of their first seven games and rolled back the years to show why they’ve been one of the most consistent sides in the tournament’s history. Faf du Plessis’s runs at the top, Sam Curran’s all-round contributions, and Deepak Chahar’s skills with the new ball have played crucial roles in CSK’s success so far this season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli, who has announced that he will give up India’s T20 captaincy after the upcoming World Cup, will be determined to lead RCB to their first IPL title. The three-rime finalists had a phenomenal start to the season and won their first four games to race ahead at the top of the table. But they slipped to the third position by the time the league was suspended after defeats in two of their last three matches. But Kohli and Co will look to start afresh and march towards the playoffs. Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers were among the top performers for RCB in the first half of the season.

Mumbai Indians

In the past, Mumbai Indians started a number of seasons slowly before picking up pace rapidly. But that wasn’t the case in the first half of IPL 2021. Rohit Sharma and Co have had an inconsistent season by their standards and struggled to build momentum. The five-time champions will take confidence from their victories in the last two games and will be conscious of the fact that DC, CSK and RCB are in good form. Rahul Chahar and Rohit had their moments in the first half of the season but MI need the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult and Kieron Pollard to come to the party.

Rajasthan Royals

After their first four games of the season, Rajasthan Royals were staring at another forgettable campaign as they had managed to notch up just one victory. But they added two more wins in their last three games and that will give them hope of making it to the playoffs. With Jos Buttler unavailable for the second half of the season, RR will need their other batters to step up and support skipper Sanju Samson. The men in pink have been found wanting in their bowling department yet again and a lot will depend on the likes of Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman and Shreyas Gopal going forward.

Punjab Kings

Captain KL Rahul has been among the runs again, as has Mayank Agarwal, but Punjab Kings have struggled to find consistent performers in the rest of the team. Mohammed Shami picked eight wickets in as many matches in the first half of the season, while Chris Gayle didn’t find his best. Punjab resume the season in sixth position and have little room for error if they want to keep their dream of reaching the playoffs alive. Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid and Aiden Markram have replaced Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith and Dawid Malan in the PBKS squad.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata started IPL 2021 with a win over SRH but from there on, they suffered the worst run by any team this season. The two-time IPL champions lost four matches in a row to push their chances of reaching the playoffs into a deep hole. In fact, they have won just one of their last six games have looked decidedly below-par. With star pacer Pat Cummins unavailable for the second half of the season, the challenge is going to be that much tougher. Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi have shown glimpses of their capabilities but KKR need captain Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell to take charge. In terms of bowling, a lot will depend on Varun Chakravarthy.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

We are set for a new beginning of the season but Sunrisers Hyderabad might struggle to look at it that way, for their chances of making it to the playoffs were all but over in the first half itself. The men in orange had just one win sandwiched between two hat-tricks of losses. And they have been dealt another big blow with Jonny Bairstow making himself unavailable for the remainder of the season. Kane Williamson was handed over the captaincy from David Warner after six games and the New Zealand star will need to work a miracle with his team. Rashid Khan will once again be counted on big time but it is the batting department where SRH will need to show huge improvements.