The 2018 Indian Premier League – the 11th season of the prestigious T20 series – has reached a critical stage of the campaign.
The first match of Round 11 was played on Wednesday night and saw the Mumbai Indians leapfrog their vanquished opponents Kolkata Knight Riders into fourth place.
There are just 15 league phase matches remaining between now and May 20 and all eight teams still have a chance of reaching the knockout phase – even Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, who share last place with six points each.
The form team of the tournament thus far has undoubtedly been the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who top the log with 16 points after eight wins from their opening 10 matches.
The Sunrisers have yet to mathematically secure a place in the top four, though victory away to the Daredevils on Thursday evening will be enough to secure a spot in at least the Eliminator match between third and fourth.
The Hyderabad team are likely to have a tough challenge on their hands from Chennai Super Kings – who have made a strong return to the IPL following their two-year suspension – and Kings XI Punjab, who boast the tournament’s top run-scorer in KL Rahul.
The 26-year-old opener has racked up 471 runs in 10 innings, at a fine strike rate of 156.47. Yet of players with over 100 runs in the tournament, the Knight Riders’ Andre Russel has been the quickest scorer, hitting at 187.93.
On the bowling front, Hardik Pandya (Mumbai) and Andre Tye (Kings XI) are the surprise co-leading wicker takers (16 apiece from 10 matches), with the two medium-pacers upsetting the usual trend of spinners’ dominance.
Back your team now with Betway South Africa online cricket betting
Yet in terms of economy, the Sunrisers’ Sandeep Sharma – another medium-pacer – has been the standout, with his 23 overs in the tournament costing just 121 runs at 5.26.
The 2018 IPL remains up for grabs between now and the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, May 27.
For all the latest sports news follow Betway South Africa on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+