Our thoughts on Week 6 of IPL 2023

Despite taking a heavy hit in a loss against the Mumbai Indians on Friday, reigning IPL champions the Gujarat Titans retained their spot at the top of the standings in Week 6. The Titans, who were seeking a third match win in a row, couldn’t get their response to Mumbai’s big tally of 218 going, their chase falling a long way short.

This was the culmination of a good week for the Mumbai Indians, who also posted an easy win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. They had cruised to their winning total of 200 with more than three overs to spare, the charge led by Suryakumar Yadav’s 83 from 35 balls.

The Mumbai Indians have now picked up a good head of steam with back-to-back successes. This strengthened their position inside the top four in the current IPL standings, with a good platform to push on from. 

The mini-revival of the Delhi Capitals was shut down last week, with a loss against Chennai being followed by a poor batting effort in a heavy defeat against the Punjab Kings, leaving David Warner’s men rooted to the foot of the standings.

In other Week 6 action, the Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings all broke slumps with much-needed victories.

Suryakamur Yadav’s stunning century

It was a big week for the Chennai Super Kings’ batsman Suryakamur Yadav. His impressive 83 against Royal Challengers Bangalore was good, but even better was to come. Yadav carded his maiden IPL century in their big 27-run victory over table-toppers the Gujarat Titans. Yadav finished with an unbeaten 103 from 49 balls, carrying his team to success.

Jaiswal wades in

Another huge performance with the bat in Week 6 came from the Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal, who put on a one-man show against the Kolkata Knight Riders. After opening the batting with Jos Buttler, Jaiswal saw his partner get out to a duck. After being joined by captain Sanju Samson, Jaiswal threw everything at the KKR bowlers, smashing an unbeaten 98 in his partnership with Samson to surpass Rajasthan’s tally.

Rashid Khan breaks records

As a key member of the Gujarat Titans set-up, Rashid Khan set new records in his side’s defeat against the Mumbai Indians. Rashid, the Afghanistan captain, cracked off a 21-ball half-century, his unbeaten 78 the highest ever posted by a number 8 in IPL history, which also included a Gujarat record of 10 sixes. Rashid also took four wickets – he is only the fourth player ever in the IPL to take a four-fer and a half-century in one match. 

Looking ahead to Week 7 of the IPL

The Gujarat Titans will keep up their charge at the summit with matches in Week 7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and then Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have been struggling for form.

One of the fixtures of the week is on Tuesday, with the Lucknow Super Giants taking on the Mumbai Indians with big playoff points up for grabs. Will the Indians be able to keep up their hot burst of form?

The Chennai Super Kings have a bit of a quieter week having faced Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. They get a break until next weekend when they meet the Delhi Capitals. Mumbai also face Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have a tough patch of fixtures to get through in Week 7.

Another IPL match to keep an eye out for in midweek is the mid-table clash between the Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings. This could be a very important fixture in terms of the winner keeping in touch with the top four in the table.