IPL in a nutshell: Sunrisers Hyderabad snatch final play-off spot as Kolkata Knight Riders miss out

After 56 games and several memorable tussles, the IPL play-off line-up is finally decided, with some star names - and unsung heroes - making their mark...

Three more go home after final tussle for play-offs

To describe the play-off battle as keenly-contested would be an understatement - going into the final round of group matches, six teams still had three places firmly in their sights.

Six soon became five when Chennai Super Kings, having failed to reach the play-offs themselves for the first time, took on the role of party poopers, crushing Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets to end their opponents' hopes.

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That appeared to set up a straight fight between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals and, although it proved to be thoroughly one-sided, with KKR triumphing by 60 runs, ultimately both sides ended up leaving the party early.

While Rajasthan packed their bags immediately, Eoin Morgan's KKR side were forced to endure a tortuous couple of days, glued to their TV screens in the hope that other results might fall in their favour.

It was not to be. First, they were looking for a resounding win in the fight for second place between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore - and that failed to materialise.

Delhi, whose early form seemed a distant memory after four straight defeats, took a cautious approach to ensure they at least regained the winning habit, getting home by six wickets but with only six balls in hand.

That meant RCB's run-rate was not sufficiently dented to nudge them out of the top four, so KKR's play-off prospects were left hanging by the thread of a Mumbai victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

But Mumbai, already resting players ahead of the play-offs, were rarely in the game, while Sunrisers, who chased down a modest target of 150 to triumph by 10 wickets, reached the business end of the competition on the back of victories against each of their rivals.

Saha's starring role in new dawn for Sunrisers

It is hard not to feel sympathy for Jonny Bairstow, who not so long ago was smashing the ball to all parts at the top of the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Bairstow's memorable knock of 97 in Sunrisers' victory against Kings XI made it seem inconceivable that his place as David Warner's opening partner was anything other than nailed on - yet the Englishman spent their last four group matches sitting on the bench.

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But the 'Orange Army' were searching for a way to accommodate Jason Holder, who gave more balance to the side, particularly offering greater control with the ball, so another of their overseas contingent had to be sacrificed.

Enter Wriddhiman Saha. Perhaps best described as a journeyman wicketkeeper-batsman, the 36-year-old seized his opportunity with both gloves - his innings of 87 against Delhi Capitals launching the Sunrisers' late, successful charge to the play-offs.

Saha made another telling contribution with the bat in their must-win game against Mumbai, hitting an unbeaten 58 as he and Warner chased down 150 with plenty to spare.

Yet Saha also underlined his worth behind the stumps, pulling off a sharp stumping to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav, the one Mumbai batsman who had threatened to set the Sunrisers a much more testing target.

There is no question that Saha's arrival provided the Sunrisers with a shot in the arm when they needed it most and that could yet take them all the way.

Indian stars pressing for international honours

One of the best things about the IPL is seeing some of the fine Indian talents that are not in - or not yet in - the international set-up. On the evidence of this season, and for the last few in fact, it seems bizarre that Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav is not playing for his country already.

The stylish right-hander, 30, topped 500 runs in 2018 and 400 in 2019 and he already has 374 this season with at least two more games to play. His strike rate of over 150 is excellent, too, and his third fifty of the campaign, a dazzling 79 not out from 43 balls against RCB, had his name mentioned for higher honours.

Mumbai captain Kieron Pollard championed his batsman, saying: "He must be very disappointed not getting to don the blue for India but I'm sure he's very, very close. He's done some amazing things for us as a franchise.

"If he continues to be this consistent then at some point in time, you are going to get rewarded." And Suryakumar, nicknamed SKY, received a potential boost with a tweet from India head coach Ravi Shastri.

SKY's time may come then and it should also for two of the IPL's best performing youthful batsmen - RCB's Devdutt Padikkal and Suryakumar's Mumbai team-mate Ishan Kishan.

The former began the IPL with four consecutive fifties and ended the group phase as the Challengers' leading run-scorer with 472, while Kishan has also passed 400 runs for the tournament, with a healthy average of 47.55.

Gaikwad, Curran offer promise for future as CSK rebuilding job looms

The notion of Chennai Super Kings missing out on a seat at the play-off table seemed unthinkable for the three-time champions, who have featured in more IPL finals than any other franchise.

But, despite CSK's failure to qualify this time around, they did manage to finish the tournament on a high, recording three victories in a row - two of them, against RCB and Kings XI Punjab, by sizeable margins.

There are several reasons for the men in yellow to feel optimistic about mounting a renewed challenge in 2021 - not least the confirmation by their talismanic captain, MS Dhoni, that he has no intention of hanging up his gloves just yet.

Veteran Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has already announced his retirement and Dhoni admits a shake-up is needed, saying: "We need to slightly change our core group. At the start of the IPL, we made a team that served us well for 10 years.

"There comes a time where you have to shift a bit, hand it over to the next generation. We will come back strong - that's what we are known for."

It looks certain that classy young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will be part of that new-look core for CSK, having registered half-centuries in each of those final three games after missing the earlier part of the tournament following a positive Covid-19 test.

Another of the younger contingent to catch the eye during the tournament was England's Sam Curran, who finished as CSK's leading wicket-taker with 13 and also flourished with the bat after being moved up the order.

Destructive Gayle will keep causing chaos for a while yet

Kings XI looked doomed until Chris Gayle's return to the side - and then, for a while, they seemed unstoppable. Until, that is, they faltered again at the death and crashed out with successive defeats at the hands of Rajasthan and CSK.

Ironically, the 'Universe Boss' saved his biggest performance for a losing cause - a swashbuckling knock of 99 from 63 balls against Rajasthan, which also saw him pass a significant milestone.

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Gayle thrashed eight sixes in that innings, before being bowled by Jofra Archer and missing out on his ton, but it was enough to take him past 1,000 maximums in T20 cricket.

That landmark is far and away in excess of any other batsman in the world - while Pollard has struck the next highest number of sixes, he is still more than 300 behind his fellow West Indian.

So is there even more to come from the big-hitting left-hander?

Although it could be argued that, at 41, Gayle has nothing left to prove, he has yet to feature in an IPL title-winning team and observed on Friday: "I still want to do well. I'd love an IPL trophy under my belt."

With the next edition of the tournament only a matter of months away, Covid-19 permitting, it seems inconceivable that Gayle will not be back to strike fear into the hearts of IPL bowlers yet again.

Shots of the week

Catches of the week

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Watch the IPL play-offs live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals from 1.50pm on Thursday, with the winner progressing through to the final on Tuesday, November 10.