IPL Schedule 2016: Updated T20 Fixtures, Start Times, Live Stream and More
The group stage of the 2016 Indian Premier League is entering the final stretch, as a number of teams are still battling for a spot in the play-offs of this year’s competition.
The likes of Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Lions seem almost locks to make the play-offs, but behind those three, three more teams still have a realistic shot at the final ticket.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore have all shown flashes of their tremendous potential over the course of the season, and all three will like their chances of grabbing the title if they survive the group stages.
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Here’s a look at the schedule for the upcoming IPL clashes:
| Sunday, May 15 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Sunday, May 15 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Mumbai Indians vs. Delhi Daredevils |
| Monday, May 16 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Tuesday, May 17 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Delhi Daredevils |
| Wednesday, May 18 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Kings XI Punjab |
| Thursday, May 19 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Friday, May 20 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Delhi Daredevils vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Saturday, May 21 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Kings XI Punjab |
| Saturday, May 21 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Mumbai Indians |
For the full schedule, visit the IPL’s official website. Watch all matches live on Sky Sports and live stream via Sky Go (UK only).
Sunrisers can move a step closer to the play-offs with a win over lowly Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, a match they’re widely expected to win after the shock defeat at the hands of Daredevils, and the day’s biggest match will undoubtedly be the clash between Mumbai and Delhi.
As things stand, the two teams are tied on 12 points, with Daredevils sitting ahead of the defending IPL champions thanks to a far better net run rate.
Balance has been the key for Delhi, and the team is in fine form, despite some minor injury concerns. Per ESPN Cricinfo, star batsman JP Duminy thinks how his team has responded has been the key to success: “Guys have been responding well, understanding the XI. Youngsters have been performing, they have been responding well in pressure moments.”
Indian actor Rahul Ravindran thinks the presence of mentor Rahul Dravid has also been a factor:
Mumbai have struggled for balance, but even in their title-winning years, that was often the case. Indians have a tendency to start slow and heat up just before the start of the play-offs, but two losses in their last three matches do not bode well.
An over-reliance on Rohit Sharma has been the main issue. When the Indian star plays well, Mumbai can hang with any opponent, but every time the 29-year-old loses his wicket early, the defending champions seem to crumble.
Quinton de Kock may have been Delhi’s star man with the bat so far, but the team has enough top-end talent to win matches without him, with the likes of Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and JP Duminy.
Add to that the bowling prowess of Amit Mishra and Chris Morris, and Delhi have to feel good about their chances of making the play-offs.
The same goes for Hyderabad, who have gotten a ton of runs out of David Warner but can also rely on the likes of Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan when their star opener doesn’t get going. Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have looked excellent with the ball, but the team doesn’t even have to bowl well to win matches against the likes of Punjab.
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