How Jadeja’s season has (not) shaped up with bat, ball and in the field, even as his team’s hopes of defending their title hang by a thread
Sampath Bandarupalli30-Apr-2022Ravindra Jadeja’s Chennai Super Kings kicked off their title defence against Shreyas Iyer’s Kolkata Knight Riders•BCCIMatch 1, vs KKR, March 26
KKR won by six wickets
In his debut match as captain, Jadeja laboured to an unbeaten 26 off 28 balls (strike rate 92.8). His lone boundary was a six off Andre Russell on the last ball of the innings. His 70-run partnership with MS Dhoni helped Chennai Super Kings to 131 from being five down for 61 in the 11th over. During his stay at the crease, the batters at the other end scored 54 off 46 (strike rate 117.4). Though Jadeja could not take a wicket, he conceded only 25 runs in the four overs he bowled.Lucknow Super Giants’ Evin Lewis and Ayush Badoni sealed Chennai Super Kings’ fate in a high-scorer•BCCIMatch 2, vs Super Giants, March 31
Super Giants won by six wickets
Scored 17 off nine balls with three fours towards the end of Super Kings’ innings, as they piled up a big total of 210. Went wicketless again, and his two overs cost 21 runs as Lucknow Super Giants chased down the target with three balls to spare.Ravindra Jadeja and Ambati Rayudu combined to send back Punjab Kings’ Liam Livingstone, but he had already done enough damage to Super Kings•BCCIMatch 3, vs Kings, April 3
Kings won by 54 runs
Got his first wicket of the season when he dismissed Liam Livingstone (via an attempted cut off a faster one that was caught at short-third man), who scored a 32-ball 60 to lead his side to 180. Bagged a 3-ball duck, chopping on off Arshdeep Singh in the sixth over, as Super Kings quickly fell out of contention in the chase.Abhishek Sharma, who drove Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chase with 75 off 50, got a life via a Jadeja drop•BCCIMatch 4, vs Sunrisers, April 9
Sunrisers won by eight wickets
Hit two fours and a six in his 15-ball 23, giving his team a strong finish – and a total of 154 to defend. Super Kings had added 37 runs in the last three overs against a quality Sunrisers death-bowling line-up. Went wicketless for the third time in four games, giving away 21 runs in the three overs bowled. Dropped Abhishek Sharma – who was on 63 off 39 at the time – off Dwayne Bravo in the 14th over when Sunrisers needed 48 off 37 balls.Maheesh Theekshana, who took a four-for to derail Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase, finally gave Jadeja and his team reasons to smile•BCCIMatch 5, vs RCB, April 12
Super Kings won by 23 runs
Was out for a first-ball duck, trying to add quick runs at the end after Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube got them past the 200-run mark. Took three wickets – including Glenn Maxwell, bowled by an arm ball that rushed him – for 39 runs, as Super Kings tasted success for the first time this season.David Miller dished out a dose of heartbreak to Jadeja and his team, timing a tricky chase to perfection•BCCIMatch 6, vs Titans, April 17
Titans won by three wickets
Scored 22 off 12 balls towards the end to lift Super Kings to 169. He struck successive sixes off Lockie Ferguson in the final over of the innings. His three overs went for 25 runs and got the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha, caught at deep square leg. Titans were in trouble in the chase, needing 83 off 42, before David Miller and Rashid Khan teed off to take them home.Ravindra Jadeja had a day to forget against Mumbai Indians, but his team came out on top•BCCIMatch 7, vs Mumbai, April 21
Super Kings won by three wickets
His four overs cost 30 runs, and he failed to pick up a wicket. Dropped two catches, both off Mitchell Santner – Dewald Brevis in the second over, and Hrithik Shokeen in the 12th. Scored three runs off eight balls and got out in the 16th over, with his side needing 50 runs off 26 balls. MS Dhoni, with help from Dwaine Pretorius, eventually got the job done.Dhoni and Jadeja could not get Super Kings over the line in a chase of 188 against Kings•BCCIMatch 8, vs Kings, April 25
Kings won by 11 runs
Bowled only two overs – for 18 runs – as Kings had two well-set left-handers in Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa batting through the middle overs. Finished unbeaten on 21 off 16 balls in the unsuccessful chase. He had scored only seven runs off his first ten balls and was 14 off 14 balls by the end of the 19th over, with the team needing 27 from the last six balls. He hit a six in the 20th over, but by then the equation was out of reach.
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The big dip in Jadeja’s batting form
Overall this season, Jadeja has scored 112 runs, averaging 22.4 at a strike rate of 121.7; in the last two IPL seasons he had scored 459 runs at an average of 57.3 and a strike rate of 157.7.Related
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In the middle overs (7-16), his strike rate this season has fallen to 63.1, from 93.2 in 2020 and 2021.At the death (17-20), too, his strike rate has come down from 204.8, but is still healthy at 172.5.His bowling numbers haven’t changed as much. In the previous two seasons he picked up 19 wickets at 34.9, and an economy rate of 7.7; this season, he has five wickets at 42.6 and an economy rate of 8.1.
