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The final four teams of Indian Premier League (IPL) –Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – will fight it out for the IPL trophy. They all have played very good cricket this season and maintained their consistency. I liked the way RCB have marched ahead despite little impediments in the beginning. They managed to defeat mighty CSK to reach the top four.

I feel sorry for Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings. They also played very good cricket but could not make it to the final. It is not easy to maintain the form for so long. Players have to travel a lot from one corner of the country to another corner to play their next match. They are human beings too, and can feel tiredness. That’s why we have seen that many teams had started on a high note but as the tournament progressed they started losing. IPL is such a long tournament that keeping up the tempo till the end is the most difficult task for most of the teams. 

Shamim Athar,

By email