Dilshan puts an end to Deccan juggernaut

It was a fine game of cricket. There were too many things happening, too many twists, too many turns. Chargers started off poorly and looked down and out but they got back on track after the Strategy Break. However, just when it looked that they might get more than what they got, they lost a few wickets and were restrcited. When Delhi started the run chase, they lost their way and looked off track. But Dilshan and Karthik stitched a good partnership together and finished the match with a lot of comfort.

Dirk Nannes: Actually was a bit worried with the spot in the side as I have just taken one wicket before today. I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I dont really try to swing it in the 20-20 games. Probably my pace is surprising a lot of people late in the innings. Today I was pretty happy with Gilly's dismissal.

Sehwag: Pretty happy with the performance. Restricting them to under 150 is a great achievement on this wicket. Dirk Nannes is the fastest I have ever faced. Especially since he is left arm he is very hard to face. The hand is fine just the 5 stitches. The boundaries are short on one side and I am playing with 2 spinners, that is why I choose to field first. We are just telling our boys to go and play the 20 overs and if one of the batsmen stays there till the end he will finish it off.

Gilchrist: A bit frustrating today we did not post enough, we were always scrambling to defend. Most of the teams have got dynamic opening combinations. Probably 20 runs short atleast. The wicket played well all day, it played quite a few tricks later on. I have played in a couple of World cups for Australia where we went through undefeated. It does not have to happen. It has happened today and that is reality. We have got to take stock of that.
Dirk Nannes is the Man of the Match

Match Preview: Chennai Superkings vs Rajasthan Royals

Ground Reality:
Home to the Titans cricket team, The SuperSport Park, Centurion is known for having the best 'Player facilities' around the world. The ground also witnessed the test debut of Shaun Pollock in November 1995 against England. The pitch is known to assist the seamers during the initial part of the game.
Temperatures: Min - 55F Max - 79F | Humidity: 65% | Chances of Rain: Low

Team Updates:
Chennai Superkings: Although their batting has been good through out the IPL, the bowlers have not come to the party, especially during the middle overs. A frustrated MS Dhoni had mentioned that the bowlers had let the team down during the tournament. They haven't had the best of luck too, with nearly every loss being a close or fairly close one and also their game against the weakest side, the Kolkata Knight Riders, being washed out. Having won only one game so far, The Chennai team would have to bounce back with more victories if they are hoping to qualify among the top four.

Rajasthan Royals: The Rajasthan team are on a comeback trail after a bad start, all thanks to the efforts of Yusuf Pathan. With two wins and two losses so far, the team is placed fifth on the points table. Their bowling has been ranging from good to brilliant throughout, but it's their batting - particularly the top-order, that needs to be worked on. If Yusuf Pathan has a bad game, there is no go-to person for Warne to fall back on. Rajasthan would like to continue their winning streak when they take on the Chennai team.
Contests to watch:

Hayden vs. Warne: These former Australian cricketers have seen each other in close quarters. They know each other's game, their strengths and their weaknesses. An interesting contest would be in place when Hayden's blade comes face to face with the guiles of Warne.

Pathan vs. Muralitharan: One is the highest wicket taker in tests and ODIs. The other is a demolition man who has no mercy for the bowlers. The face-off between a 'Hard-hitting' Yusuf pathan and the 'Spin Maestro' Muralitharan would be a treat for the cricket fans.

Numbers Game:
0: The number of matches won by Chennai against Rajasthan.
8: The number of sixers by Yusuf Pathan during the IPL 2009.
4.90: Muralitharan's economy rate in this edition of the IPL.

Sound Bytes:
This match has turned every match before us into do-or-die affairs: MS Dhoni referring to the loss against Deccan Chargers.
It is important to have a good leader and Shane Warne is always in the thick of things: Graeme Smith referring to Warne's leadership.

Kings XI Punjab stun Mumbai Indians by 3 runs

BY: iplkarmayudh.com
Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians by 3 runs to win the 20th match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Kingsmead.

Barring Sangakkara, none of the Kings XI Punjab batsmen could make their presence felt. Sangakkara waged a grim battle with a 44-ball 45 on a day when only three of his teammates returned double digit scores.Yuvraj Singh’s decision to bat first backfired and by the first strategy break, the Punjab side crawled to 50 in 10 overs with three top order batsmen, including the skipper himself, cooling their heels in the hut.

Openers Karan Goel (12) and Ravi Bopara (6) just could not get going and the first three overs yielded only 10 runs.The subdued start would have pleased any rival captain but not Sachin Tendulkar who tossed the ball to Harbhajan Singh in the fourth over and the offie struck with his third delivery.Goel, having slog-swept the spinner for a six in the previous delivery, stepped out to court peril and return stumped after completely misreading the line.Dwayne Bravo followed in Harbhajan’s footsteps and struck in his first over, removing Bopara.

A lot was expected of Yuvraj (10) but the left-hander let down once again, leaving his team in dire straits.Tendulkar pressed Sanath Jayasuriya into service and the wily Sri Lankan responded by removing Mahela Jayawardene (7).To make it worse Irfan Pathan’s (7) was a brief stay, cut short by Zaheer Khan, and Lasith Malinga then castled Wilkin Mota and Piyush Chawla off successive balls to dash hopes of Punjab’s rearguard defiance.

Read Original Post Here

Match Preview : Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians

Ground Reality:
Having witnessed a a show of batsmanship in the last two matches played by the Deccans here, Kingsmead Durban is all set to play host to a double header for the 29th April. In a day-night affair, the Kings XI Punjab would take on the Mighty Mumbai Indians. The batsmen seem to have taken a liking for the Durban pitch. The previous two matches have seen the teams batting first, scoring in excess of 160. The pitch would have an ideal bounce assisting the bowlers and batsmen alike.
Temperatures: 74F to 80F Humidity:65% Chances of Rain: Low

Team Updates:
Kings XI Punjab: After losing two rain curtailed games, the team from Punjab have fought back and won two games in a row. While their English recruit Bopara and the Sri Lankan wicket keeper look to be in fine touch with the bat, The Punjab team's skipper, Yuvraj Singh is due for runs. The bowling has looked good for the team with Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Abdullah being amongst the wickets. The Kings XI team would for look an allround performance today in order to extend their winning streak.

Mumbai Indians: Having the best opening combination in the world is always a boon. And when both are firing all cylinders, the opposition bowlers can only pray. So was seen in the match against Kolkata when Jayasuriya and Tendulkar played the role of 'The Un-stoppables'. Mumbai would hope that the pair launches a similar performance in their match against Punjab. With Malinga and Bravo bowling well, the Mumbai team would have an upper hand going into the match.
Captains' Form Guide:

Yuvraj Singh: A poor 2009 has continued for the Punjab captain. The gifted left-hander has not been amongst the runs from a very long time. Hoping for a change of fortunes, Yuvraj Singh would look to find his feet quickly and play a captain's knock.

Sachin Tendulkar: The Mumbai team captain has looked his best coming into the IPL. With two fifties and two man-of-the-match awards in just three games, Sachin Tendulkar reminds everybody that T20 is not just a youngster's game.

Numbers Game:
38: Yuvraj Singh's highest score in the IPL 2009.
7: Yusuf Abdullah's strike rate so far in the second edition of the IPL.
6: The number of sixers by Sachin Tendulkar in the IPL 2009.
Sound Bytes:
I don't know who says that it's a young man's game. Clearly, he doesn't know much about cricket: Sachin Tendulkar on people commenting that T20 is a youngster's game.
We have got a great energy and great buzz going in the team: Kumar Sangakkara after winning the man-of-the-match award for his match winning batting display against Rajasthan.

Yusuf fireworks blow Delhi away

Delhi came back strongly with early wickets. Royals looked like they will slide to another defeat afer half the side were gone for 64. Shane Warne surprisingly kept his big hitters Yusuf and Dimitri for the later part off the innings. That strategy paid off as Yusuf the Bulldozer Pathan came in and simply bludgeoned the hapless Delhi bowlers to all parts of the ground. It was simply the Yusuf show as he blasted Vettori out of the attack. Greame Smith finally came good today as he played the sheet anchor role to perfection. It was a must win game for Royals and they came good on the day.

It was a splendid match right from the start. Delhi did not get off to a good start as they lost Gouti and Viru early. Then as usual ABD played well to help Delhi to 143. It was a par score on a wicket that was playing two paced.

Yusuf: Today was my day. I was hitting them quite well. I didn't target any bowler, I just back my strengths and that is exactly what Smith said to me all the time. Targetting the shorter boundaries was a conscious tactic. I appreciate Warne for planning things so well. A lot of credit goes to him and Smith.

Warne: We thought that Yusuf down the order would be of great help. We wanted someone at the top to stay till the end, Smith used all his experience and that helped us a lot. Yusuf strikes the ball well and he is in good touch too, I always felt that he could do it for us. The ploy worked.

Sehwag: I can't complain about that knock from Yusuf. We dropped a vital catch and when you drop catches, it hurts you a lot. Yusuf Pathan was in good form today and even one of our better bowlers Vettori was hit. We were in control but when Yusuf came in, he hit them very clean and hit them long too. On being commented by Ravi Shastri that even he hits them like this on his day, he said that "I know and that is why I am smiling."

Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match for his hurricane knock of 62 from 30 balls.

Mighty Delhi take on fragile Rajasthan

Preview by Saurabh Somani

The Conditions
For the first time, the action moves away from Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town to Centurion. The conditions, therefore, are more of an unknown quantity than for the other venues. History suggests, that the wicket should be even paced, with an equal contest between bat and ball.

Indian fans would remember this as the venue where Sachin Tendulkar composed one of his classic one-day knocks - a fierce 98 off just 75 balls against a Pakistani attack comprising Akram, Younis and Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup.
It has a seating capacity of 22,000.

The Teams
Both teams have lived up to the pre-tournament billing. Delhi has gotten off to a flyer, with a 100% win record, while Rajasthan has struggled, with some key players missing.

Delhi Daredevils: Have won all 3 matches played so far, without a major contribution from Gautam Gambhir and with just one cameo from Sehwag. With AB de Villiers and Dilshan in cracking form, Delhi has been able to afford the poor scores from its opening batsmen. However, it is just a matter of time before they fire, and when they do, Delhi will be hard to stop. The continuing mystery of the tournament has been their reluctance to play Glenn McGrath. His replacement, Dirk Nannes, has picked up a solitary wicket in 3 matches at an economy rate of 7.27 - hardly the figures that would prompt inclusion ahead of McGrath.

Rajasthan Royals: The team is under fire, and it hasn't helped that Graeme Smith has been out of sorts so far. He is the one man capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck, but his lack of form is hurting Rajasthan badly. With only Yusuf Pathan hitting some form, Rajasthan need to beef up their batting. Their bowling has looked good, but even Kamran Khan and Shane Warne cannot do much if the batsmen fail to put up a decent score.
Contests to Watch

Virender Sehwag vs Shane Warne - If Viru is there at the crease when Warne comes on to bowl, it should be a fascinating contest. Will he emulate his idol Sachin Tendulkar in dismantling Warne? Or will Warnie prove once again, that old is gold?
Kamran Khan vs the Delhi top order - The young man playing the part of Cinderella in his fairytale will face a sterner test than any he has so far, when he takes on the mighty Delhi top order. If he proves equal to the task, then it might just herald the arrival of India's search for a third seamer.

Numbers Game:
131 - the difference in the number of runs scored so far by the Dilshan and AB de Villiers and Sehwag and Gambhir, after the first 3 matches in the IPL. AB and Dilshan have scored 243 runs between them, while Viru and Gauti have just 82 so far.
3 - the number of bowlers (minimum 10 overs) who have an economy rate of less than 5.0 in this year's tournament. Kamran Khan is joint second on the list with 4.90.
Trivia:
Kamran Khan has not played in any first class match before being picked for the Rajasthan Royals. In fact, most of the matches he played were with a tennis ball.

No stopping Deccan Chargers in IPL

Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs clobbered the Chennai Super Kings attack to hand Deccan Chargers their fourth successive win in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

The Australian-South African duo hammered 67 off 34 balls in a spectacular opening stand as the Chargers surpassed Chennai's competitive 165-6 with six wickets and three balls to spare in the Twenty20 clash at the Kingsmead here.

The 37-year-old Gilchrist, leading the Deccan Chargers after retiring from international cricket last year, blazed 44 off 19 balls with five boundaries and three sixes.

Read More

Fake IPL Player Blog: Hats Off to Bhookha Naan

It's very early in the morning here. Couldn't sleep well the whole night. We are missing a few members of our family who have gone back home. It's always painful to see some of your own being culled and I am not in any mood for humour.

But, I am in a very respectful mood. I have new found respect for Bhookha Naan and his coterie of ill advisors. I mean, their insight into the game is par excellence. They can see things that us mortals just can't. To begin with they select Shakespeare and Ganji Hanger for a T20 tournament. That itself was genius. And then they sack them after just one inning each. Being the ignorant fool that I am, I thought they played just as all of us had always expected them too.
But, I think Bhookha must have seen something that we couldn't and suddenly realised that they do not fit in. I wish I could fall at their feet and pray for enlightenment. Tell me, Oh my Master, what did you see in those 2 innings that you hadn't known all along? What startling revelation was caught by only your eyes and nobody else's? Tell me, please tell me, your enlightened soul, how do I see things beyond what is obvious?

Read Original Post Here

Match Preview : Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings

Preview by Saurabh Somani
The Conditions:
With the weather holding good for the past two days, the fans at Durban can hope to get in yet another game unaffected by the rains. As the past matches have shown, the pitch has runs in it for batsmen who take their chances well, i.e. if you're going to clear your front leg and swing across the line, expect your stumps to take a walk, but if you're going to watch the length and hit cleanly and straight, watch the ball sail over the boundary.

The Teams:
Even though one team has a 100% win record, and the other has a 25% win record in the tournament, both would approach this game in a positive frame of mind, aware that if they play to potential, they both have a chance of winning this match.

Deccan Chargers: Currently sitting pretty at the top of the table, the first season blues seem to have been completely forgotten. The batting top order has clicked and how! Gilchrist is batting as if he's in an extended World Cup Final '07 mode, Gibbs has rediscovered his magic touch and Rohit Sharma is again looking like the young man everyone was sure would be India's future No.4 in all forms of the game. Their West Indian imports have also done well with Dwayne Smith and Fidel Edwards making vital contributions. They would hope that RP Singh's bowling continues its upswing, and the superb Pragyan Ojha continues to mesmerize batsmen. And though both of them haven't yet encountered the entity known as Matthew Hayden, the Chargers would be confident of their wards performing.

Chennai Super Kings: Chennai have been dealt rather harsh cards through the tournament and despite having one of the strongest teams on paper, have only 1 win from 4 matches, with one being washed out, and the other two being close losses. They've lost Flintoff, but on current form that won't be too big a blow, with both Oram and Ntini available as replacements. They would hope for a change in fortunes, since with a little luck they might easily have been sitting at 4 wins out of 4 matches right now. The bowling needs to fire more consistently, and picking Ntini over Oram might be a good move.
Contests to Watch:

RP Singh, Fidel Edwards, Pragyan Ojha against Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel - One of each troika is bound to bowl an extended spell against the other, and the result would be fascinating. Am waiting to see if Hayden can hit RP out of the attack, if Albie can negate Ojha's dip and turn by hitting him out of the park, if Dhoni can blunt Edwards' pace with those intelligent hoicks and placements...
Gony and Balaji versus Gibbs and Gilchrist - for the two India hopeful seamers, this would prove just how good or bad they are when bowling to proven international class batsmen. If they can acquit themselves well against Gibbs and Gilchrist, they would have done their cases a world of good, come selection time.

Numbers Game:
18 - Number of innings VVS Laxman went without a century after his epic 281 at the Eden Gardens.
42 - The highest score Dwayne Smith has managed after hitting 105 not out in his second test innings.

Trivia:
So far, the Chennai Super Kings have a winning percentage of only 50% across all the matches in the IPL ('08 and '09). They have played 20, won 10, lost 9 and 1 has been washed out.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings (From): Matthew Hayden, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Jacob Oram, Joginder Sharma, Laxmipathy Balaji, Manpreet Gony, Muttiah Muralitharan, Arun Karthik, George Bailey, Makhaya Ntini, Mike Hussey, Murali Vijay, Palani Amarnath, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, Sudeep Tyagi, Thilan Thushara, Viraj Kadbe

Deccan Chargers (From): Adam Gilchrist(w/c), Herschelle Gibbs, Dwayne Smith, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Fidel Edwards, Harmeet Singh, Scott Styris, Abhinav Kumar, Arjun Yadav, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna, Halhadar Das, Jaskaran Singh, Manvinder Bisla, Nuwan Zoysa, Paidikalva Vijaykumar, Ryan Harris, Sarvesh Kumar, Shoaib Ahmed, Tirumalsetti Suman

Battle of Pathan brothers, Bollywood queens

The 15th match of the DLF Indian Premier League 2009 at the Newlands, Cape Town, featuring Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had a couple of additional flavours besides offering the usual glamour and entertainment.

It brought head-t-head in the field two of the most talented all-round cricketers of the world who were brothers. Irfan Khan Pathan was playing for Kings XI Punjab while Yousuf Khan Pathan was doing duties for Rajasthan Royals.

Off the field it was a one-to-one contest between the two Bollywood queens, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, the owners of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively. The third Bollywood personality owning a team in the IPL is the legendary Shah Rukh Khan, who is right there in South Africa to support his Kolkata Knight Riders
All About Latest Sports Action: Battle of Pathan brothers, Bollywood queens

Dazzling Dilshan blows Bangalore away

Port Elizabeth was set to play host to a key match for Bangalore taking on the Daredevils from Delhi. The Challengers captain Pietersen won the toss and he chose to bat first. While Dravid was away on a paternity leave, Bangalore included Boucher, Appanna and Akhil in the team. Delhi also made two changes in the team. Mithun Manhas and Amit Mishra were included in the playing eleven.

Bangalore again got off to a shaky start after losing the openers Kallis and Uthappa in quick succession. While Kallis was out for a duck in the first over of Nannes, Uthappa was dismissed by Nehra in the second over. The Bangalore captain Pietersen was joined by Taylor and together they started the rescue work. While Taylor was taking time to settle in, Pietersen looked in good touch, hitting the balls from the middle of his bat.

Read Original Post here

Match Preview of Kings XI Punjab & Rajasthan Royals

Ground Reality and pitch:
Following a rain dominated day, Newlands plays host to another T20 day-nighter of the Indian Premier League. After the Chennai-Kolkata match was abandoned due to rain, cricket fans would hope for clear skies when The Kings XI Punjab face the mighty Rajasthan Royals.
Having rained all day on Saturday, the moisture in the pitch would provide assistance for the seamers. However, the recent games played here have also seen the batsmen scoring well, getting their teams to totals in excess of 150. A interesting contest between bat and ball is in store at the Newlands.
Team Updates:
Kings XI Punjab: Beaming with confidence after their first victory against Bangalore, the Punjab team would look to extend their good form when they face Rajasthan. A line-up without the top performer of 2008 - Shaun Marsh and the lightning fast Brett Lee, Punjab would hope for the in-form Bopara to fire again while banking on the likes of Sangakkara and Jayawardene to be amongst runs when battling Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Royals: Upbeat about their 'Super Over' performance and their ability to maintain cool in the death, Rajasthan would look at more wins in their kitty to reestablish their position as champions. Though the batsmen and bowlers of Rajasthan have not had great starts in the recent matches, The 'Spin Wizard' Warne's confidence in the team's young blood paid off when Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan pulled off a victory from the brink of defeat. More performances such as these would take Rajasthan to the top half of the points table.
Contests to watch:
Pathan vs. Pathan: The brothers from Baroda would draw swords against each other in today's match, much to the delight of the Newlands crowd. While the older Pathan, Yusuf is carrying the tag of a 'Super Over Hero' to the match, Irfan's three wicket haul against Bangalore helps him match up to his brother. The allround skills of both brothers would be put to test when they face-off at the 'Lords' of South Africa.
Yuvraj vs Warne: After a spate of failures with the bat, Yuvraj hit form at the right time. Having scored the winning runs against Bangalore, Yuvraj would hope for another successful stint with the bat. However, he has to excercise extra caution while facing the 'King of Spin'. Meanwhile, the wily Warne would have his numerous tricks up his sleeve while bowling to Yuvraj, who is known to be an average player of spin.
Numbers Game:
100: The six hit by Yuvraj against Bangalore took the IPL tally of sixers to 100.
18: The number of runs hit by Yusuf Pathan during the 'Super Over'
Sound Bytes:
The first 'Super Over' had to happen to spice up the tournament - Warne commenting on the 'Super Over'.
We decided not to lose a wicket to Kumble so it was just a question of slamming it at the end - Bopara after winning the man of the match.

Hilarious Interview with Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon"

In a world far far away.

Interviewer: Today we have an exclusive. An interview with the universe - famous coach of the Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon" and the owner of the team known simply as "The Bad Shah". Also sitting nearby is the Kite Rider's associate coach Mr. Pukanon (Junior), the Kite Rider's assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's friend), the associate assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's cousin thrice removed ) and mm...this other gentleman here whose name I didn't quite catch.

Mr. Pukanon (coach) [turns towards interviewer]: Frankly, I have no idea as to who that guy is.

The Bad Shah: [Hushed whisper] What do you mean you do not know who that guy is? I have been paying him $500,000 for the last two seasons. I always thought he was someone from your side of the baraat.

Mr. P: [Ignoring the Bad Shah]: Yes

Read Original Post Here

Match Preview of Bangalore Royal Challenger vs Delhi Daredevils'

Ryder has surprisingly been left out while Praveen Kumar who had sprained his ankle in the last game also has been dropped.

Bangalore Royal Challengers (Playing XI): Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen(c), Virat Kohli, Balachandra Akhil, Mark Boucher(w), Vinay Kumar, Pankaj Singh, KP Appanna, Anil Kumble

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag(c), Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mithun Manhas, Dinesh Karthik(w), Daniel Vettori, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes, Amit Mishra

Rahul Dravid will not be playing today. He has returned home on paternity leave as his wife is expecting their second child. Its unlikely that he should return to the tournament.

Team changes: Bangalore have made three changes. Akhil, Appanna and Mark Boucher come in to the side. While Delhi have left out Tiwary and Salvi, Mithun Manhas and Amit Mishra come in.

Bangalore Royal Challengers have won the toss and decided to bat first
Pitch: Danny Morrison and Kepler Wessels think it is one of the best surfaces in the whole tournament so far. Should be a run feast. So expect loads of entertainment.

The Conditions
Port Elizabeth has hosted only one match so far in the tournament, and that was won comprehensively by Chennai when they thrashed a hapless Bangalore.
The pitch might have some assistance for the bowlers, but only at the start. As the day progresses, expect it to ease out.
The captain who wins the toss would probably look to bat first.

Match Preview of Chennai Superkings & Kolkata Knight Riders

Preview by Gokul Gopal
After a scintillating double header on Thursday in which Delhi and Rajasthan emerged victorious, the losing sides Chennai and Kolkata would battle it out in a day-nighter at Newlands, Cape Town.
The Newlands pich seemed to have eased out after the intial assistance for the bowlers during the earlier matches. With both the teams packed with powerful batsmen, a run feast may be in store for the day.
Team Updates:
Chennai Superkings: Despite their losses, the Chennai team seem to be in good form. While their batters have been amongst the runs, their bowlers seem to have lost the edge. MS Dhoni would look at the bowlers to hit form and be amongst the wickets. After Flintoff's return home, Chennai team would bank on the bulky Matthew Hayden to fire again with the batting and hope for the Sri Lankan Maestro Muralitharan to unleash his bag of tricks with the ball.
Kolkata Knight Riders: "So close yet so far." After coming very close to a victory, the Kolkata team blew it away, by taking the game to a 'Super Over'. However, they would look to put that aside when they take on Chennai. Throughout the tournament the bowlers and batters of the Kolkata team have been good, but only in patches. With Ganguly coming to the party and Gayle looking in good form, the Kolkata team would hope for both the bowling and their batting to fire in the match against the Superkings.
Contests to watch:
Hayden vs. Ishant: Both have seen and played against each other on numerous occasions. While the fast bowler has broken through the defences of Hayden in the recent past, he also has given away runs to the explosive batsman. An interesting contest is in store when the mighty Hayden faces the tall and furious Ishant Sharma.
Gayle vs. Ntini: While Gayle seems to be in good form, he has his work cut-out when he faces the South African 'Storm' called Makhaya Ntini. Though he has not played a game in this season of IPL, Ntini is expected to feature in the match against Kolkata due to Flintoff's exit. Gayle's lightning blade against Ntini's lethal pace would be a treat for the spectators.
Numbers game:
34 - The number of runs required by Hayden to bring up his 200 in the IPL 2009.
4 - The number of catches taken by Flintoff during the second season of IPL.
9 - The number of sixers hit by Chris Gayle in the IPL 2009.
Trivia:
Suresh Raina holds the record for the most catches in IPL 2008 with 10 catches.
Albie Morkel holds the record for hitting the biggest six in the DLF Indian Premier League - 128 metres.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla was the bowler with the best strike rate in IPL 2008 when he picked 3 wickets off just 5 balls against Delhi.

Super over better than Bowl Out

To broaden the excitement in t20 cricket, the Super overs rule has been introduced. Though test and ODI match can end up in draw, super over prevents twenty20 matches from ending in draw. It has replaced the bowl out rule in which only the bowler had a part to play.

Rules of super over in 20-20 cricket:
1. Each team decides a bowler to bowl and three batsmen to bad during one over named as the super over. The same ball used in the match will be used in super over.
2. The team batting second in the match will bat first in the super over.
3. Team A will score some runs in the first over and team B needs to chase it successfully to win the match. In case, it is unable to chase, team A wins.
3. In case scores are level, the team hitting maximum sixes in the match will win. If its also same, the teams with maximum fours win the match.

It has been brought to twenty20 cricket from Standford twenty20. The first international twenty20 in which tie was ended with a super over was New Zealand vs West Indies. In IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight riders, this rule as implemented after with Rajasthan won Kolkata.

Happy Birthday to Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar turns 36 today. The master batsman has scaled every summit in the game - except for one. He has not yet been part of a World Cup winning team. But come 2011, the master blaster is all set to change that, when the World Cup is held on the subcontinent.

When asked at a recent function what his dreams were, he laughed off the question saying, "You only dream when you are asleep." But then he added, "I want to win the World Cup for India."

The captain of the Mumbai Indians got a surprise from his team when he found that they had organized a surprise birthday party at the team hotel.

Speaking to reporters, the always humble Sachin said, "It is the good wishes and blessings that count a lot. My family is joining me tomorrow, so am really looking forward to it."

Match Preview : Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab

Preview by Saurabh Somani
Ground Reality and Pitch:
After a gloomy start, Durban has at last seen the rains keep away. With the sun coming out, conditions for batting have improved, although with a night match, bowlers won't be completely out of the equation. The previous matches showed that those who have batting depth and power could post good totals, while those who didn't, struggled.
Team News:
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Their early form seems to have deserted them, with only one thing being constant - Rahul Dravid is rolling back the years, and batting like a dream. Their star signings - Pietersen, Ryder and Taylor - have not done anything of note, and unless they fire, it will be hard for Bangalore to post or chase a decent total. On paper, their bowling attack is a good one, but as Gilchrist showed, reputations on paper count for nothing, once a good batsman gets going.

King's Eleven Punjab: They have looked like the weakest team in the tournament, and with good reason. A depleted bowling attack and a batting lineup that hasn't fired, are the main problems that the Mohali team faces. Yuvraj Singh has not looked the part of a leader, seeming bereft of ideas. Although he has a seriously weakened team, the format of Twenty20 is such that 4-5 good overs can change the game, and the King's Eleven have the players with the ability to do that. Now if only the ability translates into performance!
Players to Watch:
Rahul Dravid - Has been in prime form, since the New Zealand tour. Nobody expected him to be the mainstay of the batting for Bangalore, but that's exactly what he's been. Looks determined to prove his critics wrong, and is doing a darn good job of it.
Yuvraj Singh - Has to realize that looking good while batting is not enough, and translate his form into big runs for his side. With the team in trouble, the leader has to show the way. This is as good a chance as any for Yuvraj to show the world that he has the mental toughness that everyone believes he lacks.
Read More

Yusuf steals the show in the super over

Unbelievable match. Really astounding. Incredible scenes at the end. Finally the IPL has come alive. Kolkata were well on course when Gayle was firing on all cylinders. Then enter the magician Warne, he nips out Gayle. Ganguly played an amazing innings as he silenced all his critics. Yashpal Singh opened the door for Royals with a poor stroke. Kamran Khan bowled a splendid final over. It was 2 from 2 when Ganguly edged one to the keeper. Ishant strode in and looked to have won it for KKR with a firm drive, enter Warne again with a diving stop. Kamran Khan kept his nerve to relay the ball back to the keeper to run out Ishant.

Fast forward to the super over - Gayle blasted 15 off the super over from Kamran Khan. Then a major blunder by McCullum to give the ball to Mendis when Yusuf was on strike. Yusuf goes on and seals a terrific match with a couple of massive hits. Yusuf was mobbed by his team mates as Shilpa Shetty went wild alongwith her sister.
Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match.

Too many Ifs and Buts have already come to the surface. Who's at fault? Was it Yashpal Singh who made him look stupid by doing something out of the box, even when his senior partner in the form of Ganguly warned him umpteen number of times not to do so. Ganguly will take his share of flak too, when you take your side into the final moments of the game, you're the man expected to finish it off. And then why bowl Mendis and not Gayle who is expected to be more efficient and street-smart?

Yusuf: I know it was the most important innings from me and my team. I learnt a lot of things when i got out in the first innings against Mendis. I expected him to bowl in the same areas and I was ready to play my shot.

Warne: The crowd was fantastic. In those situations, both sides would have looked back and said we would've done that. For Yusuf Pathan to just walk out there and club a few sixes like that, well done to him, it was fantastic. (On choosing Kamran Khan for the last over): I thought about Yusuf. Kamran gave 6 runs off that last over, I thought he did it well. If you can bowl such a good last over, you can bowl the super over.

McCullum: Yeah it's pretty disappointing obviously. We thought we were going to get ourselves across the line and even in the Super over we thought we had a reasonable score but the way Yusuf came out and played... He just blew us away. Sourav did incredibly well to get us back into the game. It's incredibly disappointing but we've got a game in two days time so we've got to try and rebound. (For the super over) I think Ishant was an option but in the end Mendis, he's an incredible bowler. Things could have gone differently if we had that catch taken (on the second ball) who knows how it would have unfolded.

Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Rider : Match Preview

Ground Reality and Pitch:
On a day when rain is foreseen, the 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals battle the Kolkata Knight Riders at Newlands which is also known to be the Lord's of South Africa. This is the home town of the Cape Cobras, who defeated the Rajasthan Royals in the warm-up match.
The pitch, over the past few games, has largely assisted the bowlers. Spinners like Warne, Kumble, Vettori and Ojha have played major roles in leading their teams to victories. Once again, batsmen have to play diligently and cut down the lavish strokes.
Team News:
Rajasthan Royals: After a humiliating defeat in the first match against Bangalore and the second match against Mumbai being rained out, the Royals would look for a turnaround of fortunes. Although they have been good in the bowling department, the batsmen have not come to the party when required. Shane Warne would look at Rajasthan's key batsmen like Smith, Asnodkar and Pathan to fire in the match against Kolkata.
Kolkata: The Knight Riders have been in the news for all sorts of reasons. Starting with John Buchanan's 'Multiple-Captain' theory, their loss against Hyderabad in the first match and the recent blogs by an alleged Knight Riders player, Kolkata never seemed to have things under control. However, the victory against the Punjab team would boost the confidence of the players. Banking on their big players to perform, Kolkata would look to extend their IPL victories.
Due for runs:
Sourav Ganguly: After two batting failures, the former India captain is due to showcase his batting prowess at South Africa. Although he has come good with the ball, Kolkata would expect their 'Prince' to hit form and get to watch the beautiful cover drives flow freely from his bat.
Graeme Smith: The South African captain has not been in his best during the recent times. Being a member of the Cape Cobras in the past, the conditions at Newlands would not be something new to Smith. With a South African crowd to cheer for him, this exciting left-hander would hope to be amongst the runs in the IPL.
Numbers Game:
3:2 - Ratio of IPL 2009 wins at Newlands for the teams batting first over the teams batting second.
16 - The number of wickets taken by spinners in the 5 IPL matches played at Newlands.
Sound Bytes:
Whatever they throw at us, we at Kolkata Knight Riders will be ready for them - Chris Gayle on facing Rajasthan
We were exceptional in our bowling and fielding, but our batsmen could not do well - Warne on the loss to Bangalore
Trivia:
The Kolkata Knight Riders have never won a match against the Rajasthan team.

De Villiers hits first IPL century for Delhi

A brilliant maiden century in the Indian Premier League from AB De Villiers steered the Delhi Daredevils to 189-5 after an early collapse against the Chennai Super Kings on Thursday.

The 25-year-old South African faced 54 balls in a blistering innings in which he hit five fours and six sixes. He took the attack to the Chennai bowlers, who included Sri Lankan spin ace Muttiah Muralitharan and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, easily finding runs through the covers and down field.

Read Original Post here

Pre Match Preview - RR vs KKR Newlands, Cape Town

Rajasthan Royals (RR) is back at Newlands and after a disappointing opening game at the ground RR will be looking to set things straight. Pitted against them is the in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who won their previous encounter against the Kings XI Punjab by the D/L method. The way the top order smashed the bowling all over the park in Durban should ring warning bells for the RR bowlers who will be prepared for the KKR blitzkrieg under Shane Warne’s able guidance.

Being in Newlands, RR does have an advantage over KKR. For starters, it is the home ground of South African captain, Graeme Smith. If anyone knows Newlands, it is Smith, and his experience at the ground will come in handy for the team. Says Warne “We are very lucky to have Smith by our side. He knows how to handle Newlands pitches better than anyone else and that makes him a crucial part of the team”. Tyron Henderson has a fair bit of experience at the ground as well and his experience will also come in handy for the team.

Read Original Post Here

Deccan Chargers victory against Royal Challengers

Deccan Chargers won their second match of the Indian Premier League against Bangalore Royal Challengers by 24 runs at the Newlands stadium in Cape Town on Wednesday, now they are leading the point table!! , also they gets highest total of 184 till now in IPL 2009.

Bangalore Royal Challengers could muster 160/8 in 20 overs as Deccan Chargers won their second tie to lead the points tally. Team Bangalore made a poor start in reply to Deccan Chargers’ 184 as Jesse Ryder was dismissed on the first ball of the innings by Fidel Edwards. Soon, Jacques Kallis was dismissed by RP Singh as he gave an easy catch to Rohit Sharma. At the end of 5 overs, Bangalore Royal Challengers were struggling at 25/2. Robin Uthappa was out after a stunning catch by Ravi Teja who dived to his left to take it. Uthappa made 12 runs. Kevin Pietersen too departed without any spark as he was stumped by Adam Gilchrist on Pragyan Ojha’s delivery. A late charge by Rahul Dravid lifted the Bangalore innings for a while but he too was dismissed when he was playing on 48. Virat Kohli and Praveen Kumar though fought till the end to take the Bangalore Royal Challengers close to a win. While Virat Kohli made 50 runs, Praveen Kumar added 14 runs with the help of 2 sixes.

Read Original Post here

Shah Rukh Needs to learn manners

Here is what SRK told NDTV about Sourav Ganguly :

“I want him to be the Player of the Tournament this year. Whoever feels he is not given importance in the team, let me tell you that for me, he is the greatest Knight Riders player. He and (Chris) Gayle will compete for the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award”

Whatever he meant by that , I am sure that he did not mean it .Shah Rukh is the king of bollywood and and excellent actor. He has a knack for making totally stupid statements and then following them up with insipid actions and making more stupid statements after that . Like saying that Gavaskar should go and buy his own team and eating his own words after that . Like saying that Sourav is the captain of KKR and then knocking him off captaincy and then this statement . What are you doing Shah Rukh ? Are you mad ?

Read Original Post Here

Match Preview : Deccan Charges vs Bangalore Royal Challengers

Ground Reality and Pitch:
This will be the fifth match played at Newlands, and the ground remains a delight for players and spectators alike - provided the rains don't come down. The overcast conditions that have prevailed in South Africa have helped bowlers emerge from their role in the previous IPL, which was roughly that of a mechanized bowling machine, and Newlands has been no exception.
The pitch has something in it for the bowlers, but as many batsmen have shown, with the correct application and technique (or with the outrageous skill of a Sehwag or a Gayle), runs can be made.

Team News:
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Two matches, one stunning victory followed by one thumping defeat. The Royal Challengers would be hoping the cycle stays true for the next match at least. The decision to drop Ryder in favour of Taylor in the last match was surprising, given that Ryder is handy with the ball, but he should win back his place in the side now. Bangalore have made a tactically sound decision to make Uthappa keep wickets, as this frees a place in the side. But the most heartening thing for their fans would be the performances of old war horses and hometown heroes Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who have been the best batsman and bowler for their side so far.

Deccan Chargers: After just one match in IPL 2009, the Chargers already look like they would better their sorry performance last year. The best thing they have going for them is that Herschelle Gibbs is in prime form after a lackluster IPL 2008. His electric fielding at point, and his popularity with the South African crowds ensures that there is considerable support for the Chargers. Their bowling options still look thin, although if Fidel Edwards can repeat his performance against Kolkata and Pragyan Ojha continues to impress, they'll have an adequate - if not threatening - attack. However, with at least one quality bowler short, they are looking at 4 potentially expensive overs during some part of their innings.
Players to Watch:
Jesse Ryder: Being dropped for the last match should give him extra determination to do well in this one, if he gets picked as expected. Has shown that he can belt the leather off the ball against the best of bowlers, and he would be looking to cement his reputation here.
Herschelle Gibbs: He will be the man the opposition wants to get out early - even though his opening partner is Gilchrist. Gibbs has looked the more fluent and dangerous of the two.

Read More

CSK look to maintain winning momentum against Daredevils

Chennai Super Kings had a shaky start when they lost to Mumbai Indians in the IPL opener but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men bounced back in the next match drubbing the Bangalore Royal Challengers by 92 runs.

With orange rpt orange cap wearer Australian Matthew Hayden in great touch even after his retirement, CSK have no less a batting firepower than the formidable looking batting line-up of the Daredevils and cracker of a match is on the cards tomorrow.

Hayden, the current leading scorer, smashed the second fastest fifty in IPL en route to his 35-ball 65 and in company with Parthiv Patel plundered 106 runs for the opening wicket against Bangalore.

Chennai have some fine all-rounders in England's Andrew Flintoff and South African Albie Morkel and with left-hander Suresh Raina also finding his form with a valuable 28 against Bangalore, there doesn't seem to be any major chink in their batting resources.

The Gayle Force Does It Again

On yet another overcast day in South Africa, two teams who were being written off after their first matches, squared off against each other with each hoping desperately to avoid defeat. Both teams would have been aware that this was a match they had to win to regain credibility with their supporters.

Brendom McCullum won the toss, and opted to field. For Kolkata, there was still no Mendis in the playing eleven, although they made one change - dropping Agarkar for rookie Yashpal Singh. Punjab retained the same eleven that played against Delhi.

Kolkatta started off well, with Ishant Sharma finding his rhythm and getting Karan Goel caught in the slips by Chris Gayle in his first over. That brought Irfan Pathan to the crease, who was promoted to No.3. Irfan swung his bat lustily and was looking ominous, when Sourav Ganguly turned things around for his team with a superb first over that saw him pick up two wickets and beat Yuvraj's bat a couple of times.

Read More

All About Latest Sports Action: Spinners make their mark in IPL 2

There was a time when the spinners were considered a luxury for the limited-overs games and the sides usually packed themselves with fast bowlers and medium-pacers as the emphasis was on containment.

It was the mindset of the 1960s and 1970s when the one-day matches were mostly held in England where the overcast conditions helped the seam bowlers considerably. Even the famous quartet of Indian spinners having engineered quite a few historic conquests in Test cricket were not rated highly for the one-dayers.

There was hardly a change of heart among the captains even when the version of the game was spread to other countries. They were unwilling to take the risk of tossing the ball to the slow bowlers, relying on the medium-pacers even when the surfaces they were playing on were dry and offered some purchase to the spinners.
All About Latest Sports Action: Spinners make their mark in IPL 2

Shilpa and Preity fight it out

Preity Zinta loves her team and what she can do, no one else can! Well, we are not saying this. The one-liner comes from Preity Zinta.

But what made the peppy girl and co-owner of Kings XI say this? That's because Shilpa Shetty reportedly took a dig at Preity by saying she will never run to the ground and hug her team.

Well, Shilpa we say, right now you should worry more about the team's mood than your own mood. Encourage them and give them a jaadu ki jhappi. After all that is what Preity has done in the past! She has made sure her team is in a pepped-up mood before every match. But then you don't agree with Preity at all, isn't it?

This is what Preity told a leading film magazine, "What I can do, no one else can. The way I do things is different and have always been different from everybody else. My team is like my family."

Read More

Innovative value creation - lessons from the IPL

Sitting here watching the opening Indian Premier League [IPL] games this weekend made me realise how smart those guys and girls [that developed it] actually are. They have innovated to create something that is unleashing immense value.

iplWhat have they done? Think about it for a minute - there are some excellent lessons about value here for us. Here’s what stands out to me:

Blending a mixture of old and new to innovate

The Age-old game of cricket [about 400 years old]

+ professional sports marketing [fairly established]

+ a new exciting format [20/20 games - only a few years old]

= a brand new product

Very simple in theory, but it hadn’t been done before like this. They weren’t afraid to try it.

Sharing what they’ve created

Political instability in India meant that the IPL could not be held in India this year. So what did they do - simply move it to South Africa. They were not afraid to share the benefits of what they’ve created with another country - smartly realising that they would gain more by letting go than by cancelling the IPL season because they refuse to share the financial benefits.

Read More

IPL-2 on the verge of a bubble burst (www.merinews.com)

Peripheral entertainment at core and destroying the basic fabric of the game seems to be the short-sightedness of IPL-2 commissioner Lalit Modi. If things go like this then dooms day is not far for the overvalued IPL bubble to burst..

THE SELF proclaimed messiah of world cricket, Lalit Modi, seems to have taken too many liberties with the brand ‘cricket India’; resulting in heartache for IPL broadcaster-Sony, IPL sponsors and advertisers; not to forget the most important constituent - the cricket fans of the country. This time round Modi and his coterie of franchisees felt that moneybags gave them the final say in terms of what was best for the game ridiculing cricketers, legends and the basic ethos of cricket.

The first problem arose when an arrogant Modi called his product recession proof and bullied his broadcaster to cough out an extra Rs 400 Crores, completely ignoring the market conditions. Sony took the bait of Modi’s proposed product modifications (forced mid innings break); ignoring consumer requirements as well as player considerations.

Fans, experts and cricketers (none less than Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh) have been unanimous in their protest against the marketing gimmick that has affected the sport product adversely. The coaches have no say in the timing of the break that makes it a poor cousin of the original time-out concept adopted by sporting disciplines such as basketball and volley-ball.

Read More

Tendulkar, Dravid set tone in IPL 2

As they say form is temporary and class is permanent. Not surprisingly the limelight on the opening day of the second edition of the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL) was stolen by two of the greatest batsmen the world of cricket ever has seen.

Yes it were Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid who engineered the triumphs for their respective sides. It was Twenty20 cricket but it went down to the skills and technique in conditions not ideal for batting.

Tendulkar and Dravid don’t feature in the scheme of things for India in Twenty20 Internationals, having given way to the young master blasters, but their knocks for Mumbai Indians and Bangalore Royal Challengers respectively could bring them back in contention.All About Latest Sports Action: Tendulkar, Dravid set tone in IPL 2

Royal Challengers take on Chennai Super Kings

Rampaging Bangalore Royal Challengers will look to continue their winning momentum while Chennai Super Kings, having lost the opening match, will be hoping to register their maiden points on the table when both take on each other in the fifth match of the Indian Premier League season 2 at Port Elizabeth.

With the inaugural IPL proving to be a hard nut to crack, Challengers look confident with their approach in this season after a thumping 75-run victory against the defending champions Rajasthan Royals. While, Chennai's defeat in their first match against Mumbai Indians would only pump their spirits up to come back hard at the Pietersen's gang.

With likes of Dravid, Kumble and Jesse Ryder in form, Challengers surely have a solid line-up to fire against the opposition. On the other hand, Muttiah Muralitharan and Albie Morkel's inclusion might make a difference to Kings.

Sehwag, Ghambir light up Delhi

The class opening pair in the Indian Premier League, the Delhi Daredevils' Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, showed they will be a handful against the rest of the teams when they powered their side to a convincing 10-wicket win over the Kings XI Punjab in their opening match at Newlands on Sunday.

The task was made easier when Delhi's target was amended to 54 off six overs after rain had taken players off the field with the score on 24/0 after 1.5 overs.

When the match itself started 100 minutes late due to rain, it had already been reduced to 12 overs a side. Rain during the Delhi innings made for an even shorter game, ultimately only 16.5 overs long.

Read More

Indian prisoners protest against IPL TV ban

KOLKATA: Hundreds of inmates at a prison in Kolkata have gone on hunger strike after they were not allowed to watch Indian Premier League cricket matches, according to officials.

B.D. Sharma, the inspector general of West Bengal prisons, said the protest began after guards rejected prisoners' demands to be able to watch the matches taking place in South Africa that are being broadcast on a private channel.

"They are free to watch the national channels aired by the state-run network, but we can?t allow inmates to watch private channels for security reasons. We have to go by the rules," Sharma told AFP.

Read More

Lights, action, music and upsets in IPL openers

The Indian Premier League started on foreign soil with an explosion of entertainment and two cricket upsets at Newlands Saturday.

A sell-out crowd - although there were gaps in the IPL hospitality area - saw both last year's finalists defeated at the start of the five-week tournament moved from India because of security concerns.

The Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions, crashed to a 75-run defeat against the Bangalore Royal Challengers, while the Chennai Super Kings were beaten by 19 runs by the Mumbai Indians.

For the entertainment gurus, though, that was just the prelude to a spectacular opening ceremony.

Read More

Kolkata Knight Riders finally end farcical rotating captaincy

By BL Nguyen
Finally, the Kolkata Knight Riders have ended the madness surrounding the concept of multiple captains. And not before time either.

The idea was always a recipe for disaster, and coming from anyone other than John Buchanan, would not have been entertained for a minute. However, with such a successful record in international cricket, Buchanan's theories have always carried more weight because of Australia's dominant run in the last decade, no matter how preposterous. Clearly, the pundits of the cricket world have not given enough consideration to the fact that Buchanan's arrival as coach also coincided with the arrival of Adam Gilchrist and the destruction he wrought on opposition attacks, particularly in his first 30 months, when his Test average hovered at 60, as well as the decline of the opposition bowling, while Warne and McGrath continued as strong as ever.

While some Australian football teams have had multiple captains, it is a sport in which the players all move at high speed and cannot give directions to many others at the same time. Instead, the coach orders a staff member to run onto the field while play is proceeding to instruct individual players, making the captain tactically obsolete. On the other hand, the exact opposite applies in cricket. For those who believe that the coach is more important than the captain, ask the plethora of players who have played under the leadership of Shane Warne and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Read More

Match Preview of Kings XI Punjab & Delhi Daredevils'

Preview by Saurabh Somani

Ground Reality and Pitch:
The ground will be the same as the one used for the first two matches of the IPL that took place yesterday. As picturesque as ever, it might not look too inviting for the batsmen now!

The pitch was very different from the slam bang variety one gets in the subcontinent. Runs were earned, not available for free. However, with proper application the batting team can hope to put up a decent score. The form book for the ground was turned on its head when the Mumbai Indians and the Bangalore Royal Challengers won after batting first, which indicated that it's how you bat that counts, not which innings you bat in.

Team News:
Delhi Daredevils: Last year's semifinalists look like a good bet this year too. Their only real weakness is an iffy middle order, but with the inclusion of Collingwood, Owais Shah and David Warner - one or two of whom will surely play - that looks to be taken care of. With a top order of Sehwag, Gambhir and A B de Villiers, and the miserly McGrath to open the bowling, they have a solid look overall. It helps that they have decent Indian players in both bowling and batting departments.

King's XI Punjab: They were losing semi-finalists too last year, but the contrast with Delhi couldn't be greater. Their bowling cupboard looks bare - no Lee, no Sreesanth, no Hopes and no Jerome Taylor. Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla have by default become their main bowlers. Their batting is overly dependent on the blow-hot, blow-cold Yuvraj and Sangakarra. Another blow they have faced is the unavailability of Shaun Marsh. It will need a stand-out performance from one of their players to put it across Delhi.

Players to Watch:
Yuvraj Singh: If ever Yuvraj needed a stage to show the world that he does not repeatedly crack under pressure, that he has the mental fortitude to take his career to the next level - this is it. That he has it in him to turn a match on its head single-handedly has never been in doubt. That he implodes as often as he explodes has also never been in doubt.

Virender Sehwag: The man who plays Test cricket in T20 mode, the man with the highest strike rate in last year's IPL (among batsmen who had at least 200 runs), and the man responsible for most bowlers' sleepless nights. If Viru can reign in the madness that sometimes makes him think every ball should be hit into a neighbouring country, he can have a sumptuous feast off the Punjab attack.
Read More

Spirited RCB embarrass defending champs

Pietersen: The boys played fantastic cricket, Rahul was outstanding, Jesse was fantastic. Real good team effort and the boys are happy. We just wanted to hit it hard, take wickets and see where we would end up. Praveen is a very clever bowler and Dale Steyn was bowling very fast from the other end. You cant buy Kumble's experience in any shop he is a legend, a genius and I am really happy for the boys.

Shane Warne: Look it was pretty disappointing as champions we wanted to impose ourselves,on the competition. I thought with the ball and field we were excellent. RCB bowled well, nipped it around a bit, we were not just good enough, pretty embarrassing really. We were not smart enough, the shot selection and the thinking was pretty disappointing really. We have to show some common sense and sensibility and shot selection which was missing today. we expect better from ourselves. We will work on it and promise to come back stronger.

Rahul Dravid is the Man of the Match for his fine fifty that helped Bangalore shrug off the poor start and post a decent total on the board.

Shane Warne: Look it was pretty disappointing as champions we wanted to impose ourselves,on the competition. I thought with the ball and in the field we were excellent. RCB bowled well, nipped it around a bit, we were not just good enough, pretty embarrassing really. We were not smart enough, the shot selection and the thinking was pretty disappointing really. We have to show some common sense and sensibility and shot selection which was missing today. we expect better from ourselves as champions. We will work on it and promise to come back stronger.
Rahul Dravid is the Man of the Match for his fine fifty that helped Bangalore shrug off the poor start and post a decent total on the board.

What a fine effort that was from the Bangalore Royal Challengers! They overcame a bad start with the bat thanks to a spirited effort of their ex skipper. But even then, 134 was never going to be a challenge for an explosive batting side like the Royals. However, Praveen Kumar and Steyn got off to a good start with the ball and pushed Royals on the backfoot straightaway. Then, Ryder made up for his failure with the bat with some superb bowling and Kumble joined the party big time. He ended up with the second best bowling figures in the IPL so far and finished the Rajasthan innings in a hurry. So, both the teams who started with defeats in the first season, have started this year's campaign with comfortable wins and the two finalists have been humbled.

Disciplined Mumbai Indians seal opener Mach of IPL 2009

by Saurabh Somani

The opening match of the IPL got underway after some anxious moments of gray clouds and rain - but nothing, not even the weather gods it seems - could thwart Lalit Modi's pet project, and the sun came out in the nick of the time to allow the match to proceed as scheduled.

It couldn't have been a better match up on paper. Two well-balanced teams, both fancied for the title, with two iconic leaders.

MS Dhoni won the toss and had no hesitation in putting Mumbai in, on a pitch that was expected to have something for the bowlers, especially early on.

Mumbai started off well enough, although a bit cautiously, with the experienced duo of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar having to negotiate movement and variable bounce off the pitch.

Tendulkar benefitted when Hayden dropped a sitter with the little master on 10, and Jayasuriya found the boundary with his trademark cuts and pulls.

It was Jayasuriya's Sri Lankan team-mate, Thilan Thushara, who provided the breakthrough for Chennai when he got Jayasuriya to chip one tamely to Hayden at midwicket, who didn't grass it this time.
Read More

IPL cricketers dance to SA drummers' tunes!

Shilpa Shetty, Khan and Zinta give boost to IPL

IPL Predictions

by Saurabh Somani

With IPL version 2.0 all set to dazzle its audience in the same manner that IPL 1.0 did, it's time to stick one's neck out and jump into astrologer territory and make predictions for what will unfold. There is the risk of ending up with egg on my face, but there is also the infinitely satisfying reward of having an 'I-told-you-so' smirk on my face to consider. So here goes (drumrolls reaching a crescendo) - Ladies, Gentlemen and those who merely watch the cricket to ogle at the cheerleaders - the predictions for how teams will fare.

The four semi-finalists this year are likely to be the following:

Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

Here is why:

Both Chennai and Delhi have used a smart buying strategy and built a very good core of Indian players. Bearing in mind that of the playing XI, seven have to be Indians, this is a hugely important fact.
Read More

IPL Rocked the Twitter! Dhoni-Tendulkar battle of wits will be great to watch

Two of Indian cricket's biggest draws will be lining up against one other to kickstart the excitement in DLF IPL II. Make no mistake, the world will be watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar clash..

Latest Update....IPL is now the trending topic which will continue to rock the world during the IPL 2.

Flashback: IPL 1 Opening Ceremony

Yuvraj Gears To Rock IPL

IPL Carnival Shahrukh Khan parade Cape Town South Africa

Interesting IPL Betting Profile: Deccan Chargers

Gilchrist takes over as captain of the most disappointing team in last year's competition, can he turn it around?

Performance Last Year

After some high profile signings, the Chargers proved to be the biggest disappointment of IPL 2008. They had a brief resurgence mid-tournament, but lost their first three and their last five, finishing bottom of the heap. The big name signings mostly flopped, particularly Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi. Andrew Symonds did his bit, but was only available for a short time. Compounding their problems was the lacklustre captaincy of VVS Laxman, who proved even less able than Dravid in leading a team in the Twenty20 format and the worst bowling attack in the IPL.

Captain

Adam Gilchrist

Three Key Players

Fidel Edwards is a good signing, his tireless and hostile bowling proved too much for England to handle recently and he should improve the Chargers considerably in this department. A resurgent Gibbs would be a huge boost to Deccan at the top of the order. And his opening partner Gilchrist is the most important player of all. Not perhaps a natural captain, he is at least a calming, competent influence and his batting remains as destructive as ever.
Read More

Interesting IPL Betting Profile: The top five batsmen

IPL 2008 produced a whopping 1702 fours and 622 sixes in just 59 games and we can expect the same again this time. Let's face it; spectators, TV executives and franchise owners feel they haven't got their money's worth if the white ball is not regularly disappearing into the night sky, writes Andrew Hughes.

The IPL debut of Kevin Pietersen in particular will be must-watch television and the likes of Tendulkar, Hayden and Sehwag are sure to draw big crowds. But who else should we look out for amongst the galaxy of batting talent converging on South Africa this month?

To enhance your IPL viewing pleasure, here's the Betfair guide to some of the batsmen most likely to bring the fun over the next six weeks.

Brendon McCullum

His blazing 150 in the opening game of IPL 2008 was the perfect start; a display of batting fireworks to complement the carnival atmosphere of the opening ceremony. And the good news for the Kolkata Knight Riders is that this time he is available for the whole tournament.

Read More

Interesting IPL Betting: The top five bowlers

IPL 2009 is going to be all about the batsmen, right? Wrong. Whilst the tournament will certainly showcase some stunning strokeplay, there will be plenty of opportunities for bowlers to grab the glory, writes Andrew Hughes.

Last year Sohail Tanvir wreaked havoc by making regular early breakthroughs for Rajasthan, demonstrating that there is no better way to stem the flow of runs than taking wickets. And with boundaries expected every other ball, it is a lot easier to put pressure on batsmen in Twenty20 than in the longer versions of the game. Providing you've got the necessary control and guile, it is possible to thrive in the apparently unforgiving environment of Twenty20. So here's the Betfair guide to the bowlers likely to do well in IPL 2009.

Murali Karthik

One of the most underrated bowlers in world cricket, he is something of a rarity in the Twenty20 format. He bowls orthodox left-arm spin, with a classically high action, gets plenty of revolutions on the ball and gives it a fair amount of air. Conventional wisdom says he should be just the sort of bowler to struggle at this version of the game.
Read More

Top players to miss IPL II in South Africa

The second edition of the Indian Premier League, which is being played in South Africa, will not see many of crickets top stars in action.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting and middle order batsman Michael Hussey have opted out to rest their tired limbs after a backbreaking schedule.

Having played non-stop cricket since September, both players have preferred to take a breather before a tour of England which features the World Twenty20 championships in June followed by the Ashes.

Ponting was sold for 400 000 dollars to the Kolkata Knight Riders at last year’s auction. Hussey, a prolific left-hander, was also picked up cheap by the Chennai Super Kings at 350 000 dollars.

Two other Australians, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, did not even put themselves up for auction, saying they wanted to concentrate on their international careers.

Expensive players are not guaranteed their entire riches as the England duo of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have found out. Both went for record sums of 1.55 million dollars each at this year’s auction, but England’s home series against the West Indies in May has shortened their IPL participation to the first two weeks.
Read More

Bollywood meets Cape Town in IPL parade

Bollywood glitz and cricket razzmatazz combined in a colourful, star-studded parade through Cape Town on Thursday as the 2009 Indian Premier League made its high-profile brash entrance.

Nine floats, one for each of the eight teams plus one for the IPL, made their way along one of the main streets, accompanied by energetic Indian dancers and brass bands drawn from the local community.

More than 150 cricketers were in attendance, as were Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, part-owners of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively.

Hundreds of people lined the streets to watch the parade, which launched festivities that will run until the grand final in Johannesburg on May 24.

One of the tournament's initiatives aimed at maintaining the buoyant atmosphere is the introduction of a Miss Bollywood South Africa competition with contestants drawn from fans attending matches.

Read More

IPL Parade Picture Gallery