Cricket news round-up – 28 April: Rajasthan see off Hyderabad to secure Chennai’s playoff place

Chennai Super Kings became the first side to qualify for the IPL 2019 playoffs after Rajasthan Royals’ victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad meant four teams couldn’t mathematically finish above them.

Elsewhere, Namibia win WCL 2 in a historic first home ODI, Pakistan’s Under-19 tour of Sri Lanka is called off due to the bombings in the island nation, and Andre Russell laments KKR’s decision-making.

Rajasthan win, Chennai qualify for IPL playoffs

Rajasthan Royals kept their play-off hopes alive with a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad – a result which meant Chennai Super Kings are also officially through to the knockouts, maintaining a brilliant record of qualifying for the knockouts at every IPL event.  

Despite Manish Pandey’s 36-ball 61, Hyderabad were kept to 160/8, with their middle order crumbling and six players falling for single-digit scores. That didn’t threaten Rajasthan much, given all of Ajinkya Rahane (34-ball 39), Liam Livingstone (24-ball 44), Sanju Samson (32-ball 48*) and Steve Smith (16-ball 22) all managed to get starts. 

The chase was completed in 19.1 overs, and Rajasthan moved to No.7 on the table. 

Namibia claim WCL 2 title in first home ODI

Namibia, playing their first ever ODI at home, won the WCL 2 title after seeing off Oman in Windhoek. It was the first full ODI being in Namibia, given all of Namibia, Oman, USA and PNG had secured that status in the league phase of the tournament. 

It was an easy victory for Namibia in the end. Led by Karl Birkenstock’s 108-ball 61, Namibia posted 226/7. Jan Frylinck then returned an excellent 5/13 with his left-arm fast-medium, as Oman were bundled out for 81 in what was their first ODI. 

It meant Namibia secured the WCL 2 title at home. They will join Oman, USA and PNG in the new ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 competition.

Russell chastises KKR’s bad decisions 

Andre Russell, the star allrounder of Kolkata Knight Riders, lamented the poor decisions being made by Kolkata ahead of their must-win match against Mumbai Indians. Russell has starred for Kolkata this year, but the team has generally struggled, losing six straight matches to sit at No.7 in the table. 

Russell said, as good a team as they were, the decisions being made were questionable. “We have a good team. But having a good team and making bad decisions, that way we are always losing. And that’s what we’ve been doing.

“I could pinpoint a few games where if we’d just looked to bowl tighter, and bowl bowlers who would restrict the game – the right bowlers at the right time [the results would’ve been different].”

IPL playoffs to start half-hour early

The four playoff matches of IPL 2019 are to start at 7.30pm, instead of 8pm, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo.

The BCCI want to avoid the matches going past midnight – a persistent problem this year – and the decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Delhi yesterday. 

The exhibition Women’s T20 Challenge is also expected to start at 7.30pm. 

Pakistan’s U19 tour of Sri Lanka called off

The Under 19 matches in Sri Lanka between the home side and Pakistan have been called off owing to the recent bombings that took place in the country. Pakistan were set to leave for Colombo on April 30, but the tour has been postponed. 

The PCB had been open to the tour, but the SLC believed it was best to push it to another date. “The tour has been postponed indefinitely,” an SLC official confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “It was a decision taken by SLC, as we didn’t want to take any chances.”