The domestic Twenty20 winners of West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, as well as Delhi Daredevils, will also get an opportunity to participate in the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League, to be held from October 8-23 in India, just after the Champions Trophy. Lalit Modi, the tournament's chairman, said the prize money for the tournament will be US$ 6 million, and the draw will be held in London on June 23 after which the venues will be finalised.
Delhi have been included on the basis of having topped the round-robin stage of the 2009 IPL. They will be joined by Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 2009 IPL finalists.
Other 2009 domestic finalists and winners include Victoria and New South Wales (Australia), Cape Cobras and Eagles (South Africa), Otago (New Zealand), Trinidad and Tobago (West Indies) and Wayamba (Sri Lanka). England's Twenty20 Cup only begins on Monday and the finalists will only be decided on August 25.
There will be a total of 23 matches and the teams will be divided into four groups of three each to play on a league basis before the top two teams from each group move on to the second stage. The four top teams from there will play the semi-finals.
Last year's IPL finalists Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings will not be eligible. Sialkot Stallions, the winners of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 tournament, will not feature as originally scheduled because their government has restricted travel to India.
"Unfortunately, the Pakistan government won't give them clearance to come to India, and since yesterday was out cut-off date, it's not possible to have a team from Pakistan this year," said Modi. "Delhi Daredevils this year have highest points from the league. But from next year, the third team from India will be decided from a play-off between the two losing semi-finalists."
Modi also said that players from the unofficial ICL could also represent their domestic teams, provided they resign from the league before May 31. However, if their domestic sides qualify for the Champions League those players will not be allowed to play as part of a "one-year cooling period".
The tournament was initially supposed to held from December 3-11 2008 in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore but was put off after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The cancellation came as a huge blow for the teams that qualified for the 2008 edition, as they would have received at least US$250,000 as participating fees. Each team gets a minimum guarantee amount for playing in the tournament.
On the night of the IPL final in Johannesburg, Modi said on television that the fourth season of the IPL, in 2011, could feature ten teams instead of eight.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Symonds' double blow proves crucial
Labels:
Andrew Symonds,
gilchrist
The IPL final could have gone either way but Andrew Symonds' back-to-back strikes tilted the balance in favour of Deccan Chargers, according to captain Adam Gilchrist and his Bangalore counterpart Anil Kumble.
Chasing a modest 144, Bangalore looked on course for victory until Symonds struck twice in the 15th over, removing both Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with the second and third deliveries respectively. Gilchrist believed the match was evenly poised until then and congratulated Bangalore on making it a great contest. "I think for us, Pragyan Ojha did really well claiming three crucial wickets but those two wickets in two balls, that really hurts especially when a team is chasing," Gilchrist said.
Kumble agreed that over was the turning point. "On this track, chasing 144 was not a big task and we needed seven runs an over. But losing Taylor and Kohli in two balls hurt," Kumble said. "Earlier, we lost Rahul [Dravid] and that put the brakes on. We didn't have partnerships and still were one hit away from a win."
They were also plenty of positives for both captains to dwell on. Gilchrist, who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, was delighted with the performance of the youngsters in the team and he singled out Harmeet Singh, who took two wickets and a stunning catch, for special praise.
"We have a number of youngsters in the side and all of them are eager to learn and grow," Gilchrist said. "It was amazing to see Harmeet tonight, the way he bowled and then took that amazing catch."
Kumble credited his team-mates for the incredible turnaround in the tournament, having finished second from bottom last season. "Two weeks ago, after the match against Mumbai, we said it was tough to win five in a row and reach the final. I credit my teammates for doing just that and coming so far," Kumble said. "Of course it was so near and yet so far but it was a good game of cricket today."
He also pointed out that it was a deliberate ploy to open the bowling, since he wanted to get rid of the hard-hitting Gilchrist at the earliest. "If you let someone like Gilchrist get away, he would run away with the match. It was for me to put up my hand and bowl. Fortunately it worked well," Kumble said.
Life came a full circle for Gilchrist and his team following a spectacular reversal of fortunes from the previous season, when they finished at the bottom of the table. Gilchrist felt the lack of pressure had a positive effect on his side.
"I really encouraged our team to try to play everything down and fly under the radar if you like, because we were happy with that, without having any expectations on us," Gilchrist said. "This is only the cricket I play now, so given what we went through last year, this is just a really tremendous effort from the whole franchise to turn it around. It's just been a great experience.
"The first thing I said at the start of our first meeting was, 'Guys, we're all in it together'. That was my first line of our first team meeting and yeah, we're all going to enjoy this together."
He was also full of praise for the way Bangalore scripted a very similar revival against the odds. "I'm thrilled for him (Kumble) and their franchise, the way they turned it around," Gilchrist said. "They experienced a lot of the pain and disappointment that we went through last year."
Chasing a modest 144, Bangalore looked on course for victory until Symonds struck twice in the 15th over, removing both Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with the second and third deliveries respectively. Gilchrist believed the match was evenly poised until then and congratulated Bangalore on making it a great contest. "I think for us, Pragyan Ojha did really well claiming three crucial wickets but those two wickets in two balls, that really hurts especially when a team is chasing," Gilchrist said.
Kumble agreed that over was the turning point. "On this track, chasing 144 was not a big task and we needed seven runs an over. But losing Taylor and Kohli in two balls hurt," Kumble said. "Earlier, we lost Rahul [Dravid] and that put the brakes on. We didn't have partnerships and still were one hit away from a win."
They were also plenty of positives for both captains to dwell on. Gilchrist, who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, was delighted with the performance of the youngsters in the team and he singled out Harmeet Singh, who took two wickets and a stunning catch, for special praise.
"We have a number of youngsters in the side and all of them are eager to learn and grow," Gilchrist said. "It was amazing to see Harmeet tonight, the way he bowled and then took that amazing catch."
Kumble credited his team-mates for the incredible turnaround in the tournament, having finished second from bottom last season. "Two weeks ago, after the match against Mumbai, we said it was tough to win five in a row and reach the final. I credit my teammates for doing just that and coming so far," Kumble said. "Of course it was so near and yet so far but it was a good game of cricket today."
He also pointed out that it was a deliberate ploy to open the bowling, since he wanted to get rid of the hard-hitting Gilchrist at the earliest. "If you let someone like Gilchrist get away, he would run away with the match. It was for me to put up my hand and bowl. Fortunately it worked well," Kumble said.
Life came a full circle for Gilchrist and his team following a spectacular reversal of fortunes from the previous season, when they finished at the bottom of the table. Gilchrist felt the lack of pressure had a positive effect on his side.
"I really encouraged our team to try to play everything down and fly under the radar if you like, because we were happy with that, without having any expectations on us," Gilchrist said. "This is only the cricket I play now, so given what we went through last year, this is just a really tremendous effort from the whole franchise to turn it around. It's just been a great experience.
"The first thing I said at the start of our first meeting was, 'Guys, we're all in it together'. That was my first line of our first team meeting and yeah, we're all going to enjoy this together."
He was also full of praise for the way Bangalore scripted a very similar revival against the odds. "I'm thrilled for him (Kumble) and their franchise, the way they turned it around," Gilchrist said. "They experienced a lot of the pain and disappointment that we went through last year."
Gilchrist reflects on a job well done
Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist has said he would have picked team-mate Andrew Symonds in Australia's Ashes squad on the strength of his performance in the second IPL season. Symonds didn't make the Ashes cut but played a huge role in Deccan winning the tournament.
With Deccan clinching the title on Sunday following their six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in Johannesburg, Gilchrist had spoken of how Symonds played a key role in the team's success. Symonds took the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with successive balls to effectively end Bangalore's chances.
"He [Symonds] would be in my [Ashes] team," Gilchrist said. "Ever since I've played with Andrew Symonds he's been a real team man. You saw a glimpse of that last year when he only played four games - the respect he had from the Indian players and international players alike. He became an instant favourite in the squad. He's a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field who can turn matches."
Gilchrist also had words of praise for VVS Laxman, from whom he took over as captain after the team finished bottom of the league last season. "Although we made changes in the coaches and the captain, everyone in the squad bought into it, including VVS," Gilchrist said. "He went through a lot emotionally. The captaincy was taken away from him and he only played five games, then the selectors decided we didn't need him."
Laxman remained a good team man despite being dropped, Gilchrist said. "He continued to contribute around the group with his experience and his vast knowledge. He wants to learn to be a better Twenty20 player. That's a wonderful example to young players to see a player at his age wanting to evolve into a better player."
Gilchrist said Laxman even worked with the team's coaches to improve his Twenty20 skills. "It's not just the young kids who are learning all the time, it applies to all of us. VVS epitomises what this franchise is all about."
Gilchrist attributed the team's turnaround to several factors, including emphasising to the players to "make sure every ball is the most important thing in their life at that moment". He said the team's owners had also played a role by agreeing to his requests for some changes in personnel.
"The main one was [coach] Darren Lehmann, who has a wonderful cricket brain." Gilchrist also brought Australian fielding coach Mike Young and fitness trainer Steve Smith on board.
With Deccan clinching the title on Sunday following their six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in Johannesburg, Gilchrist had spoken of how Symonds played a key role in the team's success. Symonds took the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with successive balls to effectively end Bangalore's chances.
"He [Symonds] would be in my [Ashes] team," Gilchrist said. "Ever since I've played with Andrew Symonds he's been a real team man. You saw a glimpse of that last year when he only played four games - the respect he had from the Indian players and international players alike. He became an instant favourite in the squad. He's a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field who can turn matches."
Gilchrist also had words of praise for VVS Laxman, from whom he took over as captain after the team finished bottom of the league last season. "Although we made changes in the coaches and the captain, everyone in the squad bought into it, including VVS," Gilchrist said. "He went through a lot emotionally. The captaincy was taken away from him and he only played five games, then the selectors decided we didn't need him."
Laxman remained a good team man despite being dropped, Gilchrist said. "He continued to contribute around the group with his experience and his vast knowledge. He wants to learn to be a better Twenty20 player. That's a wonderful example to young players to see a player at his age wanting to evolve into a better player."
Gilchrist said Laxman even worked with the team's coaches to improve his Twenty20 skills. "It's not just the young kids who are learning all the time, it applies to all of us. VVS epitomises what this franchise is all about."
Gilchrist attributed the team's turnaround to several factors, including emphasising to the players to "make sure every ball is the most important thing in their life at that moment". He said the team's owners had also played a role by agreeing to his requests for some changes in personnel.
"The main one was [coach] Darren Lehmann, who has a wonderful cricket brain." Gilchrist also brought Australian fielding coach Mike Young and fitness trainer Steve Smith on board.
Friday, May 22, 2009
IPL Points table
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IPL Points table
IPL Points table 15 May,2009
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | +0.311 | 1978/255.2 | 1953/262.4 |
| Chennai | 14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | +0.951 | 2086/255.3 | 1855/257.1 |
| Bangalore | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | -0.191 | 1994/276.0 | 2027/273.2 |
| Deccan Chargers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +0.203 | 2111/272.4 | 2097/278.1 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -0.483 | 1787/251.2 | 1887/248.3 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 13 | -0.352 | 1688/253.1 | 1810/257.5 |
| Mumbai Indians | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | +0.297 | 1897/256.2 | 1802/253.4 |
| Kolkata | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -0.789 | 1757/248.5 | 1867/237.5 |
Sehwag finds form in easy win
Labels:
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delhi in semis,
virender sahwag
Barring a late scare by Harbhajan Singh , who took 4 for 17, the Delhi Daredevils go into the semi-final with a confidence boosting six-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians. At the toss Virender Sehwag said he wanted to field to give his side some much needed practice chasing. And a fair bit of practice they got, with Sehwag leading the power-hitting top order who stayed ahead of the fairly steep required run-rate.
Gautam Gambhir and David Warner, Delhi's openers, blitzed to 30 in the first three overs. It started from the sixth ball of the first over. Lasith Malinga found bounce and bowled over 140kph but Gambhir picked his slower bouncer and pulled it for four to square leg. Then Gambhir and Warner hit 22 off the next 12 balls. Gambhir walked out and hit Dhawal Kulkarni for a four behind square leg before lifting a fuller one down the ground for another boundary.
Rahil Shaikh began his IPL campaign with a high full toss that Warner pulled to midwicket boundary before being picked for another in the same area by Gambhir. Warner lofted Kulkarni for a six over long-on but then top-edged one and ended up losing his wicket and his bat. But Delhi couldn't afford to slow down, needing over seven an over. Not that they would slow down when Sehwag joined Gambhir at the crease. Kulkarni was the one to suffer as Sehwag scored boundaries off whatever length he bowled. He gave away 36 in three overs.
Harbhajan came on at the end of the Powerplays with Delhi at 60 for 1. He kept it tight by mixing flighted deliveries with flatter and sharper ones but it didn't help as Sehwag and Gambhir instead picked the boundaries from the other end. Gambhir played Abhishek Nayar's shorter deliveries to the fine leg and midwicket boundaries while Sehwag hit a half-volley over the bowler's head for a six. After ten overs Delhi were 93 for 1 in contrast to Mumbai, who were 72 for 3 at the same stage.
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Gambhir finally fell in the 12th over, again walking down the track but mistiming a loft to a diving Mohammad Ashraful at third man. But by then the required run-rate had come down to under seven an over, mostly owing to the wides conceded by Sanath Jayasuriya. Tillakaratne Dilshan waited only two balls before going for the big shot. He hooked a slower ball by Malinga to deep backward square leg for six. Jayasuriya further pulled down the asking rate to less than six, this time owing to Sehwag who made room to hit him for four over extra cover and a six over long-on. Dilshan stuck into Malinga in the next and overs 12 to 14 cost Mumbai a whopping 39. Sehwag got his fifty immediately after that but the two batsmen fell off successive balls to Harbhajan.
There were some tense moments for Delhi after that. Harbhajan gave away only three and JP Duminy two. Harbhajan came back to pick up AB de Villiers and Rajat Bhatia off successive balls as well. de Villiers was caught at midwicket trying to flick him for a six and Bhatia misread an offbreak and was bowled for 2. At the end of that over, Delhi needed 12 off 18, with four wickets in hand. Amit Mishra ensured they needed only three of those balls, hitting Duminy for a six and a four, and Mumbai ended their IPL campaign at No.7, after having being a semi-final contender at one point.
However their batsmen, led by Ajinkya Rahane, had given them a chance to end on a positive note. Rahane began attacking after the Powerplay overs and added 73 with Sachin Tendulkar. Bhatia, bowling his slow-medium stuff, had sent down four tight balls and a wide before Tendulkar messed up the over with two beautifully executed fours. He late-cut the first to the third-man boundary and drove the next straight past the bowler to long-on. After the strategy break, the two took advantage of Mishra's poor length and scored 15 off his third over. Even after Tendulkar fell, Rahane kept the scoreboard ticking and got to his second half-century of the season from 37 balls. Mumbai scored 56 off the last five overs but Delhi's batsmen came in to form and spoiled their farewell.
Manish Pandey century takes Bangalore to No. 3
Labels:
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In a campaign that has included matches insipid and inspiring Royal Challengers Bangalore have well and truly come to life. Maintaining the momentum of three consecutive wins, they pulled the rug from under Deccan Chargers' feet and went to No. 3 in the points table, setting up a semi-final clash with the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. Deccan will play Delhi Daredevils in Friday's semi-final.
At the end of a clinical win, Bangalore can thank Manish Pandey and RP Singh. Promoting Pandey to open in a pressure situation, Bangalore nearly lost him in the third over but RP's gross misjudgment at third man settled the nerves and then some. Either cutting solidly or swatting and slapping with efficiency rather than grace, Pandey grabbed the opportunity and notched up just the second century this season - and the first by an Indian in either season. Few in South Africa would have heard of the Under-19 batsman before today but should remember him after this amazing effort.
Teams have struggled to defend under lights at Centurion, and Bangalore were put on the backfoot as Herschelle Gibbs waded into the attack. But Anil Kumble took pace off the ball and once Gibbs and Andrew Symonds were dismissed in relative succession it all got too tough for Deccan.
RP's drop in the third over came after Jacques Kallis pulled his seventh ball to short square leg. It proved a costly error. Pandey began his innings looking out of sorts, twice inside-edging Ryan Harris on the bounce to Adam Gilchrist and top-edging safely to third man. Batting as though Bangalore needed to chase 250, Pandey clouted the ball through the leg side with abandon.
Roelof van der Merwe showed a liking for RP on the leg side, twice crashing him over through and over mid-on for boundaries, and weighed in with 23 from 18 balls. After he was well stumped off Symonds in the tenth over, Pandey weighed the situation and hung on. By this time he was 33, and on resumption after the strategic break dumped T Suman's offspin for consecutive sixes to raise his half-century. Now his timing had improved considerably and Bangalore were going at seven an over.
Very strong through the leg side, Pandey's main scoring option was the swipe across the line. RP returned to bowl the 14th over and Pandey reminded him of his reprieve, swatting and edging fours. He continued the same way after Pragyan Ojha accounted for Rahul Dravid in the next over, clearing his front leg and slogging against the turn. The caress - Pandey steered Jaskaran for four - was followed by the clubbed - next ball disappeared for six - and the fortuitous - an edge beat Gilchrist for four - as Pandey moved to 97 at the end of the 17th over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
410
The number of runs scored by Gilchrist in the tournament. He becomes the fourth batsman to go past the 400-mark
*
45
The number of runs conceded by Praveen Kumar, making it the second-most expensive spell by a Bangalore bowler this season. Kallis went for 51 off his four overs against Kings XI Punjab in their first meeting this season
*
106
The number of runs scored in the last 10 overs by Bangalore
*
3
The number of half-centuries for Gibbs in the tournament, making him the batsman with most fifty-plus scores for Deccan
Bottom Curve
The landmark came up with a single down the ground and there wasn't much fanfare. Virat Kohli took a cue and pulled six more, followed by a top edge that dropped safely between two clueless fielders, and deposited the last ball over the ropes. That last over summed up the course the two teams had run.
With Gilchrist struggling for timing, Gibbs took over the responsibility of scoring and did so in imitable fashion. He survived a shout against an Kumble topspinner when on 5 but didn't refrain from walking across his stumps, lapping and pulling the bowlers to distraction. Kallis hobbled off with a troublesome hamstring and Gibbs decided to take on Praveen Kumar. The first two balls were short-arm-flicked for sixes, the third was lapped for four, and Gilchrist put away a low full toss. Gibbs then dismissed van der Merwe for a couple of sixes upon introduction. Taking full toll of the half-volleys and stray balls that were on offer, Gibbs blasted 45 of the 68 runs added by the openers, lashing boundaries on both sides of the wicket.
He was dropped on 49 - soon after Gilchrist went for 15 - but didn't do much damage after Deccan went into the strategic break on a healthy 79 for 1. Symonds walked out in the 11th over after Kumble got Suman, and Rohit Sharma followed him in second ball of the 15th when Gibbs lost his grip and skied one to a tumbling Pandey in the deep. With 52 needed in five, Kumble called back van der Werwe and he bowled Symonds first ball. The pressure was on Rohit and Venugopal Rao but neither contributed; Rao was run out in the 18th over and in the next Rohit lofted Kumble to a very calm Kohli at long-on. The 26 needed off the final over was too much.
Bangalore showed an intensity that indicated how keen they were to erase the loss from the last time these two teams met. Pandey has said he would like to join the army, like his father, if he is unable to become a professional cricketer. If he can score hundreds like this going forward he won't need to reach for that application form.
At the end of a clinical win, Bangalore can thank Manish Pandey and RP Singh. Promoting Pandey to open in a pressure situation, Bangalore nearly lost him in the third over but RP's gross misjudgment at third man settled the nerves and then some. Either cutting solidly or swatting and slapping with efficiency rather than grace, Pandey grabbed the opportunity and notched up just the second century this season - and the first by an Indian in either season. Few in South Africa would have heard of the Under-19 batsman before today but should remember him after this amazing effort.
Teams have struggled to defend under lights at Centurion, and Bangalore were put on the backfoot as Herschelle Gibbs waded into the attack. But Anil Kumble took pace off the ball and once Gibbs and Andrew Symonds were dismissed in relative succession it all got too tough for Deccan.
RP's drop in the third over came after Jacques Kallis pulled his seventh ball to short square leg. It proved a costly error. Pandey began his innings looking out of sorts, twice inside-edging Ryan Harris on the bounce to Adam Gilchrist and top-edging safely to third man. Batting as though Bangalore needed to chase 250, Pandey clouted the ball through the leg side with abandon.
Roelof van der Merwe showed a liking for RP on the leg side, twice crashing him over through and over mid-on for boundaries, and weighed in with 23 from 18 balls. After he was well stumped off Symonds in the tenth over, Pandey weighed the situation and hung on. By this time he was 33, and on resumption after the strategic break dumped T Suman's offspin for consecutive sixes to raise his half-century. Now his timing had improved considerably and Bangalore were going at seven an over.
Very strong through the leg side, Pandey's main scoring option was the swipe across the line. RP returned to bowl the 14th over and Pandey reminded him of his reprieve, swatting and edging fours. He continued the same way after Pragyan Ojha accounted for Rahul Dravid in the next over, clearing his front leg and slogging against the turn. The caress - Pandey steered Jaskaran for four - was followed by the clubbed - next ball disappeared for six - and the fortuitous - an edge beat Gilchrist for four - as Pandey moved to 97 at the end of the 17th over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
410
The number of runs scored by Gilchrist in the tournament. He becomes the fourth batsman to go past the 400-mark
*
45
The number of runs conceded by Praveen Kumar, making it the second-most expensive spell by a Bangalore bowler this season. Kallis went for 51 off his four overs against Kings XI Punjab in their first meeting this season
*
106
The number of runs scored in the last 10 overs by Bangalore
*
3
The number of half-centuries for Gibbs in the tournament, making him the batsman with most fifty-plus scores for Deccan
Bottom Curve
The landmark came up with a single down the ground and there wasn't much fanfare. Virat Kohli took a cue and pulled six more, followed by a top edge that dropped safely between two clueless fielders, and deposited the last ball over the ropes. That last over summed up the course the two teams had run.
With Gilchrist struggling for timing, Gibbs took over the responsibility of scoring and did so in imitable fashion. He survived a shout against an Kumble topspinner when on 5 but didn't refrain from walking across his stumps, lapping and pulling the bowlers to distraction. Kallis hobbled off with a troublesome hamstring and Gibbs decided to take on Praveen Kumar. The first two balls were short-arm-flicked for sixes, the third was lapped for four, and Gilchrist put away a low full toss. Gibbs then dismissed van der Merwe for a couple of sixes upon introduction. Taking full toll of the half-volleys and stray balls that were on offer, Gibbs blasted 45 of the 68 runs added by the openers, lashing boundaries on both sides of the wicket.
He was dropped on 49 - soon after Gilchrist went for 15 - but didn't do much damage after Deccan went into the strategic break on a healthy 79 for 1. Symonds walked out in the 11th over after Kumble got Suman, and Rohit Sharma followed him in second ball of the 15th when Gibbs lost his grip and skied one to a tumbling Pandey in the deep. With 52 needed in five, Kumble called back van der Werwe and he bowled Symonds first ball. The pressure was on Rohit and Venugopal Rao but neither contributed; Rao was run out in the 18th over and in the next Rohit lofted Kumble to a very calm Kohli at long-on. The 26 needed off the final over was too much.
Bangalore showed an intensity that indicated how keen they were to erase the loss from the last time these two teams met. Pandey has said he would like to join the army, like his father, if he is unable to become a professional cricketer. If he can score hundreds like this going forward he won't need to reach for that application form.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Live ipl Matches
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Kings XI punjab vs Kolkata,
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Friday, May 15, 2009
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Match-fixing in IPL?: KKR under scanner
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KKR,
kolkata knight riders,
match fixing in ipl
Kolkata Knight Riders has been hit by the match-fixing charge, after they lost a close encounter to Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Centurion on May 12. Kolkata scored a competitive 173 for 4 but lost by 6 wickets with just 4 balls remaining.
The team management left out the side's highest run-getter Brad Hodge from the match and the Australian batsman was seen in the hospitality box rather than the team dug-out during the game.
Meanwhile, IPL Chairman Lalit Modi confirmed that he'll look into the matter and investigate why Hodge was in the hospitality area. He said, "There is an anti-corruption unit. We will look into the TV footage and investigate about Hodge's presence in the hospitality box."
The incident comes even as IPL withdrew a controversial SMS game that sports minister MS Gill said encourages betting.
The team management left out the side's highest run-getter Brad Hodge from the match and the Australian batsman was seen in the hospitality box rather than the team dug-out during the game.
Meanwhile, IPL Chairman Lalit Modi confirmed that he'll look into the matter and investigate why Hodge was in the hospitality area. He said, "There is an anti-corruption unit. We will look into the TV footage and investigate about Hodge's presence in the hospitality box."
The incident comes even as IPL withdrew a controversial SMS game that sports minister MS Gill said encourages betting.
Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab, IPL, Bloemfontein
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kings XI punjab,
Yusuf Pathan
It's a do-or-die match for Kings XI Punjab in this, the last lap of the league matches, and they could not have asked for tougher opposition. Yuvraj Singh and his men have been indifferent throughout the tournament and it will be up to the captain to rally his troops if they are to make giant strides from their current second-last position to a top four spot. But the going promises to get tougher with matches against the top tier teams still to come. The confidence from a win here could provide the fuel for the final push.
Delhi have been on song with near-flawless performances this season. They were outdone on two occasions by brilliant individual performances - succumbing to Shadab Jakati while chasing 164 versus Chennai and to Yusuf Pathan's late tornado while defending against Rajasthan. AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan have been magnificient in the middle order while the bowlers have backed them up suitably and played a big part in the team's success. Virender Sehwag's lack of runs and Gautam Gambhir's lack of authority at the top have been minor concerns for Delhi.
Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils: WWWWL
There seems to be no apparent problem - the title favourites tag gaining further credence with their remarkable win against Deccan - but Delhi would be wary of complacency. With the teams separated by a few points in the table, they would look to stay in pole position and seal their passage to the final four with a win here.
Kings XI Punjab: LWLLW
Bowling has been the biggest letdown for Kings XI Punjab. Yusuf Abdulla, Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla seem to have run out of steam after a promising start. The rest of the pack have had forgettable performances - notably Sreesanth and VRV Singh. With matchwinners aplenty in the batting department, Yuvraj would believe a collective effort which results in a big score may just be the only way to ensure maximum points.
Watch out for
Virender Sehwag: Expect some fireworks from the Delhi captain who has not had a standout innings as yet. The captain would be keen to cash in on Punjab's weak bowling and bat himself into form. Incidentally, his highest score of the tournament came against the same opposition in a rain-marred match in Cape Town.
Teams
Sreesanth has received more hurt, following his recuperation from the stress fracture to the back. With two wickets from the four matches at 69.50 at an economy rate of 10.69, he will surely make way for Abdulla, their leading wicket-taker, who has sat out the last three games. Word is also not out on Mahela Jayawardene's availability after picking up a hamstring injury. Vikramjeet Malik may be drafted in to aid Abdulla's inclusion.
Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 Sunny Sohal, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Karan Goel, 5 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 6 Wilkin Mota, 7 Brett Lee, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 VRV Singh, 10 Vikramjeet Malik, 11 Yusuf Abdulla.
Delhi have been on song throughout this season and it is unlikely that they will change the winning XI. Sehwag, though, might bat higher, up from the No. 5 he came in at in the last match.
Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 David Warner, 3 Virender Sehwag (capt), 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dirk Nannes.
Stats and trivia
# This will be the first of the two matches being played at the OUTsurance Oval in Bloemfontein. A sparingly-used pitch at the international level, the last ODI played here between South Africa and Kenya in October last year, the only game since September 2006, saw the hosts piling on 336 batting first as they stormed to a 159-run win.
# AB de Villiers currently holds the record for the most catches, with 11 from 10 matches, including three against Chennai at Johannesburg.
Head-to-head record
A rained-out affair at Newlands saw Delhi prevailing by 10 wickets via the D/L method. Punjab won both their games against Delhi last season. In the first match Punjab's fast bowlers wrecked Delhi's top-order in Mohali to help secure a four-wicket victory in the final over. The second game was marred by weather and Punjab won by six runs under the D/L method after Delhi had scored 118 for 4 in 11 overs.
Delhi have been on song with near-flawless performances this season. They were outdone on two occasions by brilliant individual performances - succumbing to Shadab Jakati while chasing 164 versus Chennai and to Yusuf Pathan's late tornado while defending against Rajasthan. AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan have been magnificient in the middle order while the bowlers have backed them up suitably and played a big part in the team's success. Virender Sehwag's lack of runs and Gautam Gambhir's lack of authority at the top have been minor concerns for Delhi.
Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils: WWWWL
There seems to be no apparent problem - the title favourites tag gaining further credence with their remarkable win against Deccan - but Delhi would be wary of complacency. With the teams separated by a few points in the table, they would look to stay in pole position and seal their passage to the final four with a win here.
Kings XI Punjab: LWLLW
Bowling has been the biggest letdown for Kings XI Punjab. Yusuf Abdulla, Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla seem to have run out of steam after a promising start. The rest of the pack have had forgettable performances - notably Sreesanth and VRV Singh. With matchwinners aplenty in the batting department, Yuvraj would believe a collective effort which results in a big score may just be the only way to ensure maximum points.
Watch out for
Virender Sehwag: Expect some fireworks from the Delhi captain who has not had a standout innings as yet. The captain would be keen to cash in on Punjab's weak bowling and bat himself into form. Incidentally, his highest score of the tournament came against the same opposition in a rain-marred match in Cape Town.
Teams
Sreesanth has received more hurt, following his recuperation from the stress fracture to the back. With two wickets from the four matches at 69.50 at an economy rate of 10.69, he will surely make way for Abdulla, their leading wicket-taker, who has sat out the last three games. Word is also not out on Mahela Jayawardene's availability after picking up a hamstring injury. Vikramjeet Malik may be drafted in to aid Abdulla's inclusion.
Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 Sunny Sohal, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Karan Goel, 5 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 6 Wilkin Mota, 7 Brett Lee, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 VRV Singh, 10 Vikramjeet Malik, 11 Yusuf Abdulla.
Delhi have been on song throughout this season and it is unlikely that they will change the winning XI. Sehwag, though, might bat higher, up from the No. 5 he came in at in the last match.
Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 David Warner, 3 Virender Sehwag (capt), 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dirk Nannes.
Stats and trivia
# This will be the first of the two matches being played at the OUTsurance Oval in Bloemfontein. A sparingly-used pitch at the international level, the last ODI played here between South Africa and Kenya in October last year, the only game since September 2006, saw the hosts piling on 336 batting first as they stormed to a 159-run win.
# AB de Villiers currently holds the record for the most catches, with 11 from 10 matches, including three against Chennai at Johannesburg.
Head-to-head record
A rained-out affair at Newlands saw Delhi prevailing by 10 wickets via the D/L method. Punjab won both their games against Delhi last season. In the first match Punjab's fast bowlers wrecked Delhi's top-order in Mohali to help secure a four-wicket victory in the final over. The second game was marred by weather and Punjab won by six runs under the D/L method after Delhi had scored 118 for 4 in 11 overs.
Warne could not resist playing Tendulkar: Barry
Durban (PTI): He was almost ruled out of rest of the IPL owing to his hamstring injury but Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne made a surprise appearance against Mumbai Indians as he did not want to miss possibly his only chance to play Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian Premier League here.
The previous match between the two teams was washed out by rains so with Tendulkar again on the opposite side yesterday there "no way to stop" Warne, who had his leg strapped up, says Rajasthan Royals Director of Coaching Darren Barry.
"We, Jermy (Snape), the physio, and I gave Shane every warning against playing today. You would have needed a semi trial to stop Shane from playing against the Mumbai Indians.With Sachin Tendulkar in their team, there was no way to stop him," Barry said.
"His leg was strapped up but he said he was playing. And when he says he is playing, it doesn't matter what we are saying," he was quoted as saying by the official IPL Website.
Acknowledging man-of-the-match Warne's role in the win, Barry also showered lavish praise on all his boys for their collective effort to pull off the win in the nerve-wrecking encounter.
"I think without a doubt all the players look up to him (Warne). He is one of the greats of all time. He enjoys an enormous amount of respect among our group. But, to be honest, it was actually a collective effort from all our players. He is a wonderful captain. Tactically, very good. The guys believe in him and that is important," Barry said.
On playing so many close matches, Barry said "Rajasthan Royals have played quite a few of those in the last couple of years. Last year we had two on the last ball and one on the penultimate ball against Deccan Chargers.
"Tonight (Thursday) I think, the most pleasing aspect from our point of view is that we came out on a winning side.It was also a great game of cricket. Both the sides really had a crack at it and it was fantastic. Warne vs Tendulkar – it doesn't get better than this," he added.
Barry also lauded the efforts of Munaf Patel and Rob Quiney in Jaipur winning the crucial match.
"Rob Quiney innings at the top was important. To come back into the team and get a half-century at the top was good.
"Full credit to Munaf Patel. The last over and four runs to defend with seven wickets down and he pulled it off. I think three wickets fell for just one run. It was all happening towards the end. When it came to the last over I am sure that most of the people would have had their money on Mumbai Indians. Munaf and Rajasthan Royals pulled off a great victory," he said.
The previous match between the two teams was washed out by rains so with Tendulkar again on the opposite side yesterday there "no way to stop" Warne, who had his leg strapped up, says Rajasthan Royals Director of Coaching Darren Barry.
"We, Jermy (Snape), the physio, and I gave Shane every warning against playing today. You would have needed a semi trial to stop Shane from playing against the Mumbai Indians.With Sachin Tendulkar in their team, there was no way to stop him," Barry said.
"His leg was strapped up but he said he was playing. And when he says he is playing, it doesn't matter what we are saying," he was quoted as saying by the official IPL Website.
Acknowledging man-of-the-match Warne's role in the win, Barry also showered lavish praise on all his boys for their collective effort to pull off the win in the nerve-wrecking encounter.
"I think without a doubt all the players look up to him (Warne). He is one of the greats of all time. He enjoys an enormous amount of respect among our group. But, to be honest, it was actually a collective effort from all our players. He is a wonderful captain. Tactically, very good. The guys believe in him and that is important," Barry said.
On playing so many close matches, Barry said "Rajasthan Royals have played quite a few of those in the last couple of years. Last year we had two on the last ball and one on the penultimate ball against Deccan Chargers.
"Tonight (Thursday) I think, the most pleasing aspect from our point of view is that we came out on a winning side.It was also a great game of cricket. Both the sides really had a crack at it and it was fantastic. Warne vs Tendulkar – it doesn't get better than this," he added.
Barry also lauded the efforts of Munaf Patel and Rob Quiney in Jaipur winning the crucial match.
"Rob Quiney innings at the top was important. To come back into the team and get a half-century at the top was good.
"Full credit to Munaf Patel. The last over and four runs to defend with seven wickets down and he pulled it off. I think three wickets fell for just one run. It was all happening towards the end. When it came to the last over I am sure that most of the people would have had their money on Mumbai Indians. Munaf and Rajasthan Royals pulled off a great victory," he said.
Bangalore sneak home in thriller
Royal Bangalore Challengers beat Chennai Super Kings with two balls and two wickets to spare to keep alive their semi-final hopes in a match that swung - rather, careened - between the sides.
Needing 130 to win, after Chennai's lower-order capitulation following Matthew Hayden's 38-ball 60, it seemed Bangalore would sail through. But by the end of the Powerplays, struggling at 33 for 3, the semi-final looked a distant dream. Ross Taylor then played a mature innings, unlike his attacking one against Kolkata Knight Riders, taking on the anchor role while Virat Kohli hunted for boundaries. The match had swung in Bangalore's favour at the end of the 19th over, largely because of a six from Praveen Kumar that left them needing just five off the last.
Taylor nearly undid his efforts by stepping out and wildly swinging at a shorter delivery from Jacob Oram only to get the top edge, which was caught by Dhoni running back halfway to the boundary. Praveen was joined by Vinay Kumar at the crease, with the equation now a run-a-ball. Praveen took a single off his first ball; Vinay Kumar flicked the next to wide of midwicket and the batsmen scrambled two. There was more drama to follow as Vinay Kumar, using a runner, cut the next ball to backward point and L Balaji misfielded after diving at the boundary. Bangalore were unsure if they had got four and the batsmen, after taking a single, pushed off for one more, before a sheepish Balaji signalled a boundary and the end of the game.
Though the climax was thrilling, Bangalore will know they made a meal of the chase after their bowlers had bowled Chennai out for an under-par total. They started badly but should have never let it get to the final over.
Albie Morkel struck in the second ball of the innings, trapping Jacques Kallis leg before for a duck though replays suggested Kallis was hit just outside the off stump. Rahul Dravid looked in good nick, driving Morkel behind square for a four and then cutting Sudeep Tyagi to third-man boundary. But when he tried to repeat the shot in the next ball, he misjudged the bounce and popped a catch to S Badrinath to backward point. Tyagi's next over went for 11 runs but Morkel, who had conceded three runs in his second, struck in his third: Robin Uthappa was trapped by one that came in and hit him on middle and leg. Morkel, like Kallis, bowled his quota on the trot, finishing with 2 for 13. He varied his length and the new batsmen - Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor - cautious after the early collapse, chose not to take any risks.
Kohli and Taylor collected the runs through singles. Kohli did cut and sweep the spinners for fours but couldn't beat the fielders when driving down the ground. The two added ten more than MS Dhoni and Hayden had managed - 30 - between the Powerplay and the strategy break.
Kohli survived a chance in the 13th over, when he hit Murali for four over mid-on and just out of reach of Hayden, who had run in to take the catch. The over turned into a tug of war between bat and ball after that; Murali followed the four with three dot balls - two of which beat Kohli - after which Kohli charged down the track and hit a six over midwicket. Another big six off Jakati in the next over pushed their run-rate over six. But just as Bangalore looked to be steadying their innings, Chennai yanked the mat from under their feet with two wickets in the space of six balls. Kohli pulled a short ball from Balaji over midwicket and Oram ran in from the boundary to take a tumbling catch. Mark Boucher then missed the doosra by Murali and edged a catch to Hayden at slip. Murali gave away only two runs in that over which also featured an un-Twenty20 field for the final two balls: a slip, short leg and leg gully were in place for the new batsman Roelof van der Merwe.
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With Taylor and van der Merwe at the crease Bangalore held the initiative. But that slipped from their grasp with an unnecessary move from van der Merwe: after Taylor pulled Balaji for a six over midwicket, the two batsmen took a single only to see an overthrow go past them. Van der Merwe was late on the second run would still have made the crease at a stretch. However, he ran in sluggishly, not grounding his bat and was run out.
Bangalore live to bat another day but they'll have to work on it in the meanwhile. As will Chennai, who just imploded towards the end of the innings. Chennai crossed 100 in the 13th over but managed only 28 more in the next seven.
However the collapse was triggered by some tight bowling by Bangalore in the middle overs. Kallis were chiefly responsible for staunching the run flow with Kallis taking a two wickets in consecutive overs, including a maiden one.
Hayden had power-hit Chennai to 52 in the Powerplay overs and then looked to consolidate the score with Dhoni. Vinay Kumar and Praveen went for 28 runs in their first two overs as Hayden messed up their lengths by stepping out and swatting them over the fielders for boundaries. The run-rate was over nine an over even after the loss of two wickets but things began to crumble with Dhoni's fall. Dhoni tried going for a big shot but van der Merwe pulled off a stunning catch off his own bowling by diving to his wrong side. The fall of wickets hadn't affected Hayden's batting - he launched van der Merwe for a six over his head one ball after Dhoni's wicket - but he fell in the next over by Kumble, when he mistimed a pull and was caught by at the boundary by Vinay Kumar. After that, the other bowlers joined in tightening that noose: van der Merwe conceded three in his final over, B Akhil two off his first, Vinay Kumar and Praveen picked up a wicket each, while Kumble ended S Badrinath's agonising nine-ball stay.
In the end a few more runs lower down the order could have meant Bangalore's exit from the tournament.
Cool Rajasthan take humdinger
Labels:
Mumbai indians,
rajastahn royals
The spectators at Kingsmead were treated to yet another humdinger as the Rajasthan Royals prevailed by two runs in a see-saw encounter with the Mumbai Indians. Rajasthan were in control of the game for 14 overs before Sachin Tendulkar and Abhishek Nayar opened out and gave Mumbai hope. It all came down to the final over when Mumbai needed four runs but a combination of some incredible death bowling by Munaf Patel and panic running resulted in three wickets, incredible scenes and a third-place spot for Rajasthan.
When Nayar made room and lofted Johan Botha over deep extra cover in the penultimate over, Mumbai - who battled required rates crossing nine an over - suddenly needed six off nine deliveries. The following delivery, Nayar played all around a yorker, lost sight of the ball and ambled out of his crease, only to be run out by the keeper. The dismissal was as untimely as Mumbai's revival, which came a little too late and resulted in a last-minute scramble for the required runs.
Munaf had leaked 14 off his previous over but Warne was brave enough to toss the ball back to him for the final over. Munaf beat Dhawal Kulkarni off the first ball and then slipped in a yorker to trap him lbw. Chetanya Nanda pushed the third, a full toss, to mid-off but perished to a direct hit. That put Harbhajan Singh back on strike but he could only squeeze a single off the next ball. Three were needed off two balls when Lasith Malinga took strike but yet another suicidal single, this time to cover, closed out the match.
It took a good 15 overs for the chase to actually come alive. Mumbai were kept on a tight leash by some excellent restrictive bowling by Rajasthan, particularly the slower bowlers. The duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar - with 20 years of experience behind them - were silenced, to the extent that they had to settle for singles and an array of dot balls when the situation demanded at least a boundary every over to keep with the rising asking rate.
Much of that had to do with the early loss of wickets. At 23 for 3, Mumbai looked to their most explosive pair to give the innings a shove but the ball somehow just didn't find the boundary. The spinners were spot on target, varied their pace and slipped in the odd yorker. The boundary drought lasted 45 balls, before Tendulkar chipped down the track and lofted Warne over extra cover.
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Jayasuriya tried to break free by slog sweeping the spinners but those heaves met thin air. When he connected, the ball ballooned off the bottom half of his pad and skied to short midwicket where Yusuf Pathan took a diving catch. JP Duminy barely had enough time to settle in before he chopped one from Siddarth Trivedi onto his stumps. It was a smart bowling change by Warne, who decided to bring in a seamer after Tendulkar charged Yusuf and carted him over long-on for a massive six. The anxiety levels in the Rajasthan camp shot up when Tendulkar slammed Ravindra Jadeja down the ground for three consecutive boundaries.
Warne let out a war cry when he trapped Tendulkar fell lbw trying to sweep him but the game was far from over, at least in Nayar's mind. With a stance as imposing Lance Klusener, he took his left leg out of the way to mow Botha for consecutive fours over the on side and the following over, he did the same to Munaf. The equation had come down close to a run-a-ball before panic set in.
There were doubts as to whether Rajasthan had made enough especially after Rob Quiney and Jadeja had given the innings the impetus with a stand of 61 in six overs. Rajasthan Royals' shoddy batting effort against Deccan Chargers demanded a few changes at the top of the order and Quiney responded positively to his recall to the side in place of the inconsistent Swapnil Asnodkar. In his earlier games, Quiney often made starts, only to throw it away. Tonight, he seemed determined to stay at the wicket and play the dominant role in the stand with Jadeja, who matched Quiney in his powerful shots over the on side.
The spinners had held the initiative with some tight bowling to pressurize the top order but the pair chose attack as the best form of defence. Between overs 12 and 15, Rajasthan managed 50 runs and the batsman who started the domination was Jadeja, who cut Harbhajan past point and slog swept over the on side. Quiney was particularly strong over the onside, slog sweeping Duminy high over deep square-leg before tonking Bravo for 19 in an over. The power behind his strokes stood out as he sent the ball sailing at least half a dozen rows back.
An excellent legstump yorker by Malinga sent back Quiney for 51 and after his departure, the runs dried up. Rajasthan managed only 22 off the last five overs and lost three wickets in the final over of the innings, bowled by Jayasuriya. Mumbai also lost three wickets in the final over of their innings but it was Rajasthan who had the last laugh.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Madan Lal applies for ICL release
Labels:
ICL,
madan lal icl
Madan Lal, the former India allrounder and coach, has applied for a release from the ICL in what is the first officially known response from the unauthorised league's players and support staff to the BCCI's recent amnesty offer. Lal, who was coach of ICL's Delhi Giants, said he expected more cricketers and some support staff to follow suit and hoped the BCCI would utilise his services appropriately.
"I have applied for a release from the ICL contract," Lal told Cricinfo. "I am thankful to the BCCI for allowing an opportunity for those with the ICL to return to the official fold. I have coached various Indian teams at different levels before and I hope the BCCI will utilise my services and experience in the best manner possible."
Lal's request followed an ICL communication to its players and support staff last week to send in their requests for a release, if needed, before May 15. The ICL will then hold a management meeting, possibly on May 18, to decide on these requests and the future course of action.
Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Sandhu and Karsan Ghavri, three former India players, and Ajit Wadekar, a former India captain, had approached the ICL for a release before the BCCI's offer because of a "lack of adequate cricket".
"Days before the BCCI decision, three of us coaches - Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Dhaka Warriors coach) and myself - had a meeting with Himanshu Mody [ICL business head] and Kiran More [ICL board member]," Ghavri told Cricinfo. "We told them about our issues including no cricket being played from November 2007 and also about the salaries not being paid after that. Keeping in the prevailing conditions, we asked them to release us. We then got a call saying we were free to leave and would get our release letter by May 20. On April 30, Ajit Wadekar and I submitted the application for a release."
Patil, who had coached ICL's Mumbai Champs, had stood down from active duty by the end of the last season due to "personal reasons". "At the meeting with the ICL, they gave the coaches the option to continue or step down," Patil told Cricinfo. "In any case I had resigned even before the BCCI decision to grant amnesty to the ICL players, coaches and backroom staff. I have no complaints and no regrets."
ICL officials, however, refused to confirm whether they had received any official requests from players or support staff for a release. "We remain confident about our future plans, especially the October programme," an official said. The ICL had cancelled its March tournament due to the deepening economic recession and the non-availability of Lahore Badshahs, the Pakistan team, due to cross-border political tensions following the Mumbai attacks.
"I have had an excellent relationship with the ICL over the last two years and I have no complaints at all about that association," Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, said. "But now I feel it's the right time to move on professionally. There are many other ICL players and support staff who think similarly." Apart from his ICL commitments, Lal runs a coaching academy in Delhi and has a media contract with a television channel.
The BCCI had announced on April 30 that ICL players and support staff who wished to return to the official fold should do so by May 31. These players would be immediately allowed to play domestic cricket, including the IPL, and will become eligible for international cricket after a 'cooling period' of one year. Significantly, the ICC's new rules for official and unofficial cricket, which aims to plug existing loopholes, will come into force from June 1.
BCCI officials were not available for comment but it's understood that the board has written to various state associations to confirm the amnesty offer and stipulate the norms that needed to be followed while readmitting such players. "We have been told that we would either have to produce an NOC from ICL or hand over a copy of the contract termination letter that has been sent by us to ICL," a senior ICL player told Cricinfo. "We might then have to sign an official undertaking with the BCCI, which would bar us from participating in leagues or tournaments not authorised by the Indian board."
"I have applied for a release from the ICL contract," Lal told Cricinfo. "I am thankful to the BCCI for allowing an opportunity for those with the ICL to return to the official fold. I have coached various Indian teams at different levels before and I hope the BCCI will utilise my services and experience in the best manner possible."
Lal's request followed an ICL communication to its players and support staff last week to send in their requests for a release, if needed, before May 15. The ICL will then hold a management meeting, possibly on May 18, to decide on these requests and the future course of action.
Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Sandhu and Karsan Ghavri, three former India players, and Ajit Wadekar, a former India captain, had approached the ICL for a release before the BCCI's offer because of a "lack of adequate cricket".
"Days before the BCCI decision, three of us coaches - Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Dhaka Warriors coach) and myself - had a meeting with Himanshu Mody [ICL business head] and Kiran More [ICL board member]," Ghavri told Cricinfo. "We told them about our issues including no cricket being played from November 2007 and also about the salaries not being paid after that. Keeping in the prevailing conditions, we asked them to release us. We then got a call saying we were free to leave and would get our release letter by May 20. On April 30, Ajit Wadekar and I submitted the application for a release."
Patil, who had coached ICL's Mumbai Champs, had stood down from active duty by the end of the last season due to "personal reasons". "At the meeting with the ICL, they gave the coaches the option to continue or step down," Patil told Cricinfo. "In any case I had resigned even before the BCCI decision to grant amnesty to the ICL players, coaches and backroom staff. I have no complaints and no regrets."
ICL officials, however, refused to confirm whether they had received any official requests from players or support staff for a release. "We remain confident about our future plans, especially the October programme," an official said. The ICL had cancelled its March tournament due to the deepening economic recession and the non-availability of Lahore Badshahs, the Pakistan team, due to cross-border political tensions following the Mumbai attacks.
"I have had an excellent relationship with the ICL over the last two years and I have no complaints at all about that association," Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, said. "But now I feel it's the right time to move on professionally. There are many other ICL players and support staff who think similarly." Apart from his ICL commitments, Lal runs a coaching academy in Delhi and has a media contract with a television channel.
The BCCI had announced on April 30 that ICL players and support staff who wished to return to the official fold should do so by May 31. These players would be immediately allowed to play domestic cricket, including the IPL, and will become eligible for international cricket after a 'cooling period' of one year. Significantly, the ICC's new rules for official and unofficial cricket, which aims to plug existing loopholes, will come into force from June 1.
BCCI officials were not available for comment but it's understood that the board has written to various state associations to confirm the amnesty offer and stipulate the norms that needed to be followed while readmitting such players. "We have been told that we would either have to produce an NOC from ICL or hand over a copy of the contract termination letter that has been sent by us to ICL," a senior ICL player told Cricinfo. "We might then have to sign an official undertaking with the BCCI, which would bar us from participating in leagues or tournaments not authorised by the Indian board."
Gayle wants to give up captaincy
Labels:
Chris Gayle,
gayle does not care for test
May 13, 2009
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Chris Gayle has said that he doesn't want to captain West Indies for much longer because of the pressure the job entailed.
Gayle also said that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket eventually gave way to the Twenty20 version and hit back at Andrew Strauss, who had criticised the West Indies captain for arriving from the IPL just two days before the start of the Lord's Test, asking the England captain to "stay out of [other] people's business".
"To be honest with you there's a possibility I might give it [captaincy] up - I will be giving it up shortly," Gayle told the Guardian. "It's definitely not something I'm looking to hang on to. I need some time for myself, to be honest with you, it's a lot of travelling. There's always something you have to go and do, you know, extra. Lunch or dinner, some other thing, there's always something for the captain. I'm not that type of person. I can't take on too much. So soon I will be handing over this captaincy. I [will] soon finish with it."
Gayle, who took over the captaincy from Ramnaresh Sarwan in 2007, said he was looking for potential successors. "We're still looking at quite a few," he said. "So we just have to wait and see when the selectors decide - or whosoever decides. Then I'm ready. The chairman pointed out to me they want me to actually be the captain for right now. We have to see how it goes. I said, 'Don't be too long, though'."
Gayle took over the captaincy in the absence of Sarwan who was injured for the ODI series against England in 2007. The West Indies board initially rejected the selectors' move to appoint Gayle before reversing its decision. Gayle revealed that he was reluctant to take over the captaincy and had to be persuaded into the role. "At the time when I was asked I didn't want to be the captain," he said. "That's when it all started. We won the series and then I said to them, whenever Sarwan is fully fit, I am ready to step down. Maybe they saw something different, something totally different, and they asked me to be captain.
"I thought hard about it. I didn't want to be captain. I wanted to have more free time. I didn't want that added pressure at that particular time, but they actually insist, insist, insist, so I said OK. So I thought, just get on with it."
Gayle was then preferred as captain over Sarwan for the 2007-08 tour of South Africa. He resigned at a West Indies directors' meeting last July following the home series against Australia due to disagreements over selection but was persuaded to stay on by WICB president Julian Hunte.
Gayle was the subject of much criticism for extending his IPL stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders and joining his West Indies team-mates only 48 hours before the first Test at Lord's, a match which they lost inside three days. Strauss had said that "we wouldn't want our players to arrive two days before" a Test. He added that it was important for Test cricket to get the attention it deserved and that it shouldn't be devalued in "any way, shape or form".
Gayle, however, responded to Strauss's comments by saying that the matter "doesn't concern him". "Focus on his team, don't worry about West Indies, don't worry about me. Tell him don't sleep with Chris on his mind, tell him get Chris off his mind," Gayle said.
While Gayle said he wouldn't be worried if the primacy of Test cricket were to be reduced, he said Strauss ought to be because the England captain may not be able to adapt to the shorter format. Strauss, who is England's Test and ODI captain, isn't part of the squad for the World Twenty20 in June.
"I wouldn't be so sad [about the demise of Test cricket]," Gayle said. "Some other players would be. Maybe Andrew Strauss would be sad. Maybe he will be sad if Test cricket dies and Twenty20 comes in. Because there is no way he can make the change. So tough luck. I like Twenty20. Who doesn't? Maybe a couple of the Englishmen wouldn't like to play Twenty20."
Responding to Gayle's criticism of his comments, Strauss told Sky Sports: "I was answering a question about the future of Test cricket. I believe very strongly Test cricket should be the ultimate form of the game, and therefore we should prepare for Test matches in a manner befitting that.
"I feel if our players turned up two days before that wouldn't give us enough time to prepare properly, but Chris' views on Test cricket and the future of that are his own opinion and I don't really get drawn into that. The last thing I want to concentrate on is what is happening with the West Indies squad, that is not of great importance to us really."
"For me personally I think Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game," said Strauss. "I think it is a true test of character, temperament and technique and I think the majority of cricketers around the world still think that. Hopefully that is the case and hopefully there are not more and more players that don't want to play Test cricket. I think that would be a very sad day for the game."
Ponting expects Vaughan,harmison to return
Labels:
harmison in ashes,
ponting,
vaughan
Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting, believes that England's Ashes veterans, Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison, will be back to face his team come the start of this summer's contest, despite the instant impact that Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions have made since they came into the side for the Lord's Test last week.
Neither Vaughan nor Harmison is in the set-up for the second Test against West Indies, starting at Chester-le-Street on Thursday, and with no more five-day cricket before Australia arrive at Cardiff on July 8, time is running out for them to prove their worth.
But Ponting, speaking to Fox Sports, said: "I've just got a bit of a feeling that they might want to get Vaughan back into the set-up and they might pick Harmison for when we get there. So I think their side might actually shape up closer to the side of 2005 or 2007 than we actually think it might."
Vaughan's No. 3 slot is currently occupied by Bopara, whose 143 in the first Test was the decisive innings of the match. "Bopara made a really good hundred against the West Indies last week, but their batting is fairly similar with Pietersen, Collingwood, Strauss, Cook, those guys.
"We've played a lot against those guys over the years, so it's not too dissimilar, both sides have probably got three or four changes from last time we met."
As for Onions, who took 5 for 38 at Lord's, Ponting remained to be convinced of his long-term role. "He's a lively bowler, and he did well in that game but I'm not sure when they get the Sidebottoms and all those guys back if he'll still be in their side, but we'll wait and see."
Asked about Vaughan's prospects of an Ashes recall, England's captain Andrew Strauss responded: "There's a chance, there's definitely a chance. "There's a lot of cricket to be played between now and the Ashes, and we all know what Vaughany brings in terms of runs and experience. But the ball is in the hands of the players who are in the side right at the moment."
IPL withdraws controversial SMS contest
Labels:
cricket ipl,
ipl sms
The IPL has withdrawn a text-messaging competition in which users predicted the outcome of each ball of an over for cash prizes. The game had come in for strong criticism from India's sports minister MS Gill over its similarity with gambling.
"There was no formal complaint about the game but the minister's views were taken into account and the organisers have withdrawn the game," Rajiv Shukla, a member of the IPL's governing council and a senior BCCI official, told PTI.
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said he was pleased with the decision. "I had written to the IPL to inquire on that particular game," Lorgat told Cricinfo. "The developers of that game had come to see us some two years back, but we didn't have enough information on how it worked, so I had written to the IPL requesting for some more information. I'm personally pleased that they have recognised that perhaps it's not the right time to introduce something like that. Simply because I didn't know the details of the game, that was the discomfort."
It's understood that the IPL and the game's promoters discontinued the game two days ago and are currently studying the legal aspects surrounding it before a final decision is taken.
Gill had last week denounced the SMS game - though he did not refer to it by name - saying it amounted to gambling. "I see the commercial use of cricket for business gains that is going on. I am concerned at knowledgeable comments from serious followers of cricket about the latest venture of encouraging viewers to make ball by ball predictions of runs scored for economic gain in the shape of cash prizes," he said in a statement. "This is viewed as 'openly encouraging gambling and betting', which official bodies do not resort to, even in countries where betting is legal."
He had reminded the BCCI of its position in the Indian sports spectrum. "The actions of the BCCI are bound to impact the thinking in other sports, some time or the other. We have already had, sometime back, a match-fixing scandal in the game. It seems the ICC had expressed concerns about such possibilities, in the IPL."
"There was no formal complaint about the game but the minister's views were taken into account and the organisers have withdrawn the game," Rajiv Shukla, a member of the IPL's governing council and a senior BCCI official, told PTI.
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said he was pleased with the decision. "I had written to the IPL to inquire on that particular game," Lorgat told Cricinfo. "The developers of that game had come to see us some two years back, but we didn't have enough information on how it worked, so I had written to the IPL requesting for some more information. I'm personally pleased that they have recognised that perhaps it's not the right time to introduce something like that. Simply because I didn't know the details of the game, that was the discomfort."
It's understood that the IPL and the game's promoters discontinued the game two days ago and are currently studying the legal aspects surrounding it before a final decision is taken.
Gill had last week denounced the SMS game - though he did not refer to it by name - saying it amounted to gambling. "I see the commercial use of cricket for business gains that is going on. I am concerned at knowledgeable comments from serious followers of cricket about the latest venture of encouraging viewers to make ball by ball predictions of runs scored for economic gain in the shape of cash prizes," he said in a statement. "This is viewed as 'openly encouraging gambling and betting', which official bodies do not resort to, even in countries where betting is legal."
He had reminded the BCCI of its position in the Indian sports spectrum. "The actions of the BCCI are bound to impact the thinking in other sports, some time or the other. We have already had, sometime back, a match-fixing scandal in the game. It seems the ICC had expressed concerns about such possibilities, in the IPL."
Injured Warne likely to miss Mumbai game
Labels:
rajastahn royals,
shane warne
Shane Warne,the captain of Rajasthan Royals, is likely to miss his team's next match, against Mumbai Indians on Thursday, due a hamstring injury he suffered during Monday's game against Deccan Chargers.
Darren Berry, the Rajasthan coach, confirmed the injury but wasn't sure how many games Warne would miss. "He slightly stretched his hamstring in the field yesterday and we are waiting for the diagnosis today," he told Cricinfo. "It is only minor. At this stage we think he may miss one match but we are hoping that's the only game he misses. That's still to be determined and when the physio treats him today we'll have a better indication.
"If he has miraculous treatment in the next three days we will have him for the Mumbai Indians game but we don't know that yet."
A statement from the team management on Tuesday said Warne was currently working with the team doctor and more information would be available in the next 24 hours.
Graeme Smith, who is the senior-most player in the side after Warne and has led South Africa for six years, is likely to replace him as captain. "The logical choice is Graeme Smith, given that he is an international captain," Berry said.
Warne has been Rajasthan's leading wicket-taker with 11 from 10 matches at 26.27. The team is currently placed fourth on the points table, having played one more game than their nearest rivals, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians, who play each other today.
Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, Berry said the batsmen would have to step up if the team is to repeat the success from last season. "The main concern is we haven't been able to find consistent form with the bat," Berry said. "Our batting has very been spasmodic apart from Smith and [Naman] Ojha's fantastic 100-run partnership which set up the win against Punjab."
"We may have to win three out of three depending on how the other results go. It is in our hands now. One thing I've recognised about this team is that we have done well in pressure matches. We can't have another game like last night's performance against Deccan Chargers. The boys were all disappointed, so we made a commitment after the game that we will focus on game by game again. We are back in Durban where we did well in our last game there. Jeremy Snape, the team psychologist, and myself are working with the boys to get their confidence back and lead them towards the semi-finals."
Berry admitted that the team had been considerably weakened by the absence of Shane Watson, who has a groin injury and has been asked to rest by Cricket Australia before the World Twenty20, and Sohail Tanvir. "We had made our plans involving Watson so it was a significant blow to those plans and team make-up. I wasn't surprised by Cricket Australia's decision as I didn't think for one minute they were going to let him come with the groin injury with the Twenty20 World Cup coming up it. But without him and Sohail Tanvir, the bowler of the IPL last year, we have actually done really well to be still there in the competition even if we have been inconsistent."
The team's problems have been further compounded by the loss of two of their fast bowlers - Kamran Khan and Amit Singh - because of suspect actions. "Actually, Kamran hurt his knee, which has put him out for six weeks," Berry said. "Yes, his action was questioned and we are seeking some assistance on the matter. He was not reported. The technical committee wanted to have a close look at his action.
"With Amit Singh it has been identified that his slower ball is under question. A professional biomechanist and former South African bowling coach Vincent Barnes are working on Amit."
Darren Berry, the Rajasthan coach, confirmed the injury but wasn't sure how many games Warne would miss. "He slightly stretched his hamstring in the field yesterday and we are waiting for the diagnosis today," he told Cricinfo. "It is only minor. At this stage we think he may miss one match but we are hoping that's the only game he misses. That's still to be determined and when the physio treats him today we'll have a better indication.
"If he has miraculous treatment in the next three days we will have him for the Mumbai Indians game but we don't know that yet."
A statement from the team management on Tuesday said Warne was currently working with the team doctor and more information would be available in the next 24 hours.
Graeme Smith, who is the senior-most player in the side after Warne and has led South Africa for six years, is likely to replace him as captain. "The logical choice is Graeme Smith, given that he is an international captain," Berry said.
Warne has been Rajasthan's leading wicket-taker with 11 from 10 matches at 26.27. The team is currently placed fourth on the points table, having played one more game than their nearest rivals, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians, who play each other today.
Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, Berry said the batsmen would have to step up if the team is to repeat the success from last season. "The main concern is we haven't been able to find consistent form with the bat," Berry said. "Our batting has very been spasmodic apart from Smith and [Naman] Ojha's fantastic 100-run partnership which set up the win against Punjab."
"We may have to win three out of three depending on how the other results go. It is in our hands now. One thing I've recognised about this team is that we have done well in pressure matches. We can't have another game like last night's performance against Deccan Chargers. The boys were all disappointed, so we made a commitment after the game that we will focus on game by game again. We are back in Durban where we did well in our last game there. Jeremy Snape, the team psychologist, and myself are working with the boys to get their confidence back and lead them towards the semi-finals."
Berry admitted that the team had been considerably weakened by the absence of Shane Watson, who has a groin injury and has been asked to rest by Cricket Australia before the World Twenty20, and Sohail Tanvir. "We had made our plans involving Watson so it was a significant blow to those plans and team make-up. I wasn't surprised by Cricket Australia's decision as I didn't think for one minute they were going to let him come with the groin injury with the Twenty20 World Cup coming up it. But without him and Sohail Tanvir, the bowler of the IPL last year, we have actually done really well to be still there in the competition even if we have been inconsistent."
The team's problems have been further compounded by the loss of two of their fast bowlers - Kamran Khan and Amit Singh - because of suspect actions. "Actually, Kamran hurt his knee, which has put him out for six weeks," Berry said. "Yes, his action was questioned and we are seeking some assistance on the matter. He was not reported. The technical committee wanted to have a close look at his action.
"With Amit Singh it has been identified that his slower ball is under question. A professional biomechanist and former South African bowling coach Vincent Barnes are working on Amit."
Taylor blasts Bangalore to victory
Royal Challengers Bangalore, buoyed by Ross Taylor's return to form, overcame a formidable target set by Kolkata Knight Riders to boost their chances of making the top four, winning by six wickets in a tense encounter in Centurion. Brendon McCullum's determined innings was in vain, as Taylor marked a timely comeback, feasting on some shoddy bowling by the seamers at the death, to inflict yet another disappointment on Kolkata, who squandered the edge they had held for most of the game.
Taylor and Jesse Ryder were Bangalore's key batsmen ahead of the season, and their failure, along with Kevin Pietersen's poor performance, had proved embarrassing. Taylor, though, redeemed himself, remaining unfazed by the loss of three quick wickets to time Bangalore's chase to perfection, carting five sixes and seven fours in a brutal assault that overshadowed Kolkata's admirable batting display.
Bangalore were on course in pursuit of 174, led by a solid opening stand of 58 between Jacques Kallis and Ryder. Neither of the two was excessively dominating, but combined their ability to punish bad balls with intermittent displays of improvisation when the situation demanded it. Kallis survived an early chance, when Ajantha Mendis ran too far in from third man, failing to snap an upper-cut, but two half-volleys from Ajit Agarkar were lofted for a six and four the very next over. Ryder looked fluent, in contrast to his terrible form in the early phase of the tournament, pulling Ishant Sharma before dispatching two full tosses over mid-off.
The difference in strategy adopted by both teams was evident before the tactical time-out in each innings, with Kolkata sticking to the tested method of shuffling the attack, using as many as six bowlers in the first eight overs - Bangalore had used three. The spin of Ajantha Mendis and David Hussey was countered well, but a stupendous piece of fielding from McCullum, who flung himself to his left to snap Kallis put an end to the threatening stand. When Ryder sliced Agarkar straight to third man in the next over, and Robin Uthappa slogged one to deep midwicket right after the time-out, Bangalore had lost three in three overs to concede the advantage.
Barring McCullum's acrobatic effort, Kolkata were, yet again, poor in the field, missing attempts to run out both Taylor and Rahul Dravid, giving one a chance to regain some much-needed form, and the other to play the supporting role with flair. The game began to slip from Kolkata's grasp when Taylor spoilt Murali Kartik's figures with two sixes in his final over. The talking point for Kolkata has been the puzzling absence of Mashrafe Mortaza and the experienced Charl Langeveldt. The travails of Angelo Matthews - who was struck for three fours in an over by Taylor - provided more fodder for criticism.
With 55 needed off 30, and seven wickets in hand, Bangalore held the cards but Dravid's scoop back to Mendis in a miserly 16th over added another twist to the see-saw game. Taylor, though, was unflustered, smacking two fours off Ajit Agarkar to reach his half-century, and combined with Mark Boucher, who pulled a no-ball for six, to take 19 off Ishant's final over.
Agarkar's reliability at the death has been questionable throughout his career and he failed his team, gifting two full-tosses to Taylor in the penultimate over, one smashed over midwicket and the other over long-on. The Bangalore batsmen were fed with full-length balls, which they promptly dealt with, proving decisive in the outcome. Mathews provided the fitting end, delivering another full toss, symbolically dismissed by Taylor for six over square leg to end the game and keep his team in the running for a semi-final berth.
Taylor's blitz spoilt an excellent innings from Kolkata's struggling captain, who fought through a patchy phase to take a backseat to the aggressive Hussey, and then changed gears following the Australian's dismissal to hand his team its most satisfying batting performance of the season. The burden of captaincy had proved too hard to bear for McCullum, and had affected his own performance adversely. He remained guarded for much of his innings, after he lost Sourav Ganguly and Arindam Ghosh early on, providing a glimpse of his more conventional side to batting, compared to the raw aggression that has typified his style. The boundaries kept coming, mostly of Hussey's bat, but the feature of the partnership, apart from the two contrasting approaches by each batsman, was the wave of singles and twos that avoided any dip in scoring despite the two early setbacks.
The roles changed once Mathews, the Sri Lankan allrounder, walked in. McCullum switched to his natural mode of play, stepping out to dispatch Kumble, and smashing Akhil for two sixes, bringing up his first fifty in ten innings. The cherry was a burst of three successive fours - two paddle-scoops and one contemptuous pull - off R Vinay Kumar which took his team to a competitive score.
Kolkata, despite being knocked out, still have a significant role to play as their remaining games could well determine who finishes in the final four. However, their tendency to lose, even from winning positions, reinforced their unfortunate status as the tournament's punching bag.
Dazzling Bravo hands Mumbai big win
Labels:
bravo,
kings XI punjab,
Mumbai indians,
mumbai win
For the second time in two meetings between these teams, Kings XI Punjab batted first and scored 119, but unlike the game in Durban, there was no redemption in the field this time as Mumbai Indians swept to an eight-wicket win to move up to 11 points and fourth in the points table. The win was set up by Mumbai's offspinners - Harbhajan Singh, JP Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane returned combined figures of 4 for 29 in nine overs to launch a stunning comeback. Dwayne Bravo ensured a hiccup-free run-chase with a magnificent unbeaten 70 in an innings full of expansive drives and pulls.
Mahela Jayawardene's absence due to a leg injury sustained during the previous game hit Punjab badly: not only did they miss his calm presence in the middle order, it also meant there were six left-handers in the top eight, since his replacement was Luke Pommersbach. That suited Sachin Tendulkar's offspin theory perfectly, and Punjab didn't help their cause with some reckless shot-making and brainless running between the wickets.
After the first five overs, though, it seemed this match would be a run-fest just like the previous one of the day, when Ross Taylor's heroics had lit up Centurion. Punjab rattled along to 50 off a mere 32 balls, with Sunny Sohal (43 off 23) plundering boundaries at will, either shuffling across his stumps to flick to leg, or giving himself room to carve sixes over point. Soon, though, Harbhajan came into the attack, beat Kumar Sangakkara with his first three deliveries, and from there Punjab had little to cheer as Tendulkar quickly latched on to the offspin theory.
Coming in to bowl in the eighth over, Harbhajan immediately settled into a magnificent rhythm. Bowling from round the stumps to the left-handers, he flighted the ball, got it to drift in, and the spin away sharply. Sangakkara was clueless off the first three deliveries, and then lost that contest comprehensively when he played all over one from Harbhajan's next over.
Duminy was soon pressed into the attack, and he responded with two strikes in his second over, first getting Wilkin Mota to hoick one to Harbhajan, who juggled repeatedly before holding on, and Yuvraj Singh, who paid the price for hitting against the turn. The twin offspin success prompted Tendulkar to try Ajinkya Rahane, and that move paid off too, as Pommersbach played a rash head-in-the-air shot that typified Punjab's approach.
In between all the spin trouble, Punjab contributed to their own downfall with some extremely sloppy running between the wickets. Mota gave it away with one such effort, making no effort to get back into his crease when Tendulkar misfielded at midwicket.
The bowlers had done much more than had been expected of them, and Bravo and Tendulkar ensured the run-chase would be a canter. Punjab nailed a couple of wickets - including that of Sanath Jayasuriya - to give them some initial hope, but Bravo, who survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Irfan Pathan early in his innings, ended the momentary high with a fearsome assault on Sreesanth which turned the momentum completely Mumbai's way.
Only 14 had come off the first four overs when Sreesanth came into the attack, and Bravo duly seized the opportunity, pulling him for four, straight-driving and flicking him over long-on for two glorious sixes, and then flicking through midwicket for another four as the over leaked 21.
Tendulkar soon joined in the fun, dropping down to No.4 and playing himself back into form after a run of low scores. The spinners caused a few problems, but Bravo trusted his footwork, going down the pitch and striking Yuvraj for a straight six. Piyush Chawla spun a few past the bat, Brett Lee bowled a fiery spell and tested the batsmen with pace and bounce - Bravo copped one on the helmet late in his innings - but with such a paltry target before them, the batsmen were never under any pressure. Tendulkar carved a few slog-sweeps through and over midwicket, Bravo finished it off with a spanking pull shot, and Mumbai ended the evening feeling much better about their semi-final chances than they had when they began the match.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Dominant Deccan thrash Rajasthan
Smart team changes by the Deccan Chargers and a spineless batting display by the Rajasthan Royals contributed to a mismatch in Kimberley. Deccan dropped two under-performing overseas players but their replacements - Dwayne Smith and Chaminda Vaas - contributed significantly in shaping a comprehensive 53-run win. Smith slammed 47 to help Deccan surge to a competitive total while Vaas took two early wickets before Rajasthan's middle order imploded.
Rajasthan were in the game for the first 15 overs. Then Smith walked in and, first, negated the effect of the spinners, who till had the batsmen on a tight leash. He smashed four sixes in his 32-ball 47 and pushed Deccan to a score that was sure to test an unpredictable opposition. The chase lacked fight and the loss cost Rajasthan their No.3 spot.
Rajasthan's slide began in the second over of their chase, when Graeme Smith was trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas. Replays showed the ball hitting Smith high above the knee roll but it evened out for both teams as Adam Gilchrist was also given out in doubtful circumstances.
While Smith had the right to blame fate for his dismissal, Lee Carseldine had only himself to blame for his departure. Distracted by an lbw appeal off Vaas, he accidentally strolled out of his crease and failed to notice that Gilchrist was in possession of the ball during the appeal to effect the stumping.
Naman Ojha hit two fours before he misjudged a single towards point. Dropping the ball towards the fielder, he set off for the run but Ravi Teja's arm was too quick for him as he threw down the stumps with a direct hit.
Swapnil Asnodkar resisted at the other end and tried to break free by making a lot of room to loft inside out. Rajasthan needed somebody to support Asnodkar and play a role similar to Smith's but their most valuable player in the middle order, Yusuf Pathan, let them down. He slapped Pragyan Ojha straight to long-off and at 74 for 4 in the 12th over, the wheels had effectively come off.
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Rohit Sharma picked up three wickets with his offspin, by which time Rajasthan had run out of resources and ideas to script a twist in the tale.
In a tournament dominated by spinners, Rajasthan's spin duo of Yusuf and Ravindra Jadeja had their share of success early on. Yusuf took 3 for 34 while his partner Jadeja took 2 for 26 by cleverly varying his pace. Jadeja struck with two wickets on either side of the strategy break to peg Deccan back. He drew Rohit forward with a flighted delivery and had him stumped and in his following over, flattened Symonds' legstump with a quicker delivery. Symonds had earlier threatened to push on to his second consecutive fifty when he took on his old IPL rival Warne, pulling the bowler over midwicket before mowing him high over long-on.
They controlled the scoring before Smith cut loose. Smith got off to a quiet start by his standards, scoring 14 off 19 balls before opening out. He lofted Jadeja over long-on, clubbed Pathan over square leg and flicked Trivedi delightfully over deep midwicket without much of a follow through. Warne gambled by bringing himself on in the 19th over and he too suffered at the hands of Smith as he swung him over long-on.
Smith departed in the final over for 47 and thanks to his big hits, Deccan managed 69 off the last six overs and negated the impact the spinners had made earlier. He came in as a replacement for the out-of-form Herschelle Gibbs and it proved to be a masterstroke.
Monday, May 11, 2009
IPL 2 most Runs
Labels:
ipl 2,
ipl 2009 most runs,
most runs in ipl
| Player | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Hayden | 9 | 9 | 0 | 426 | 89 | 47.33 | 281 | 151.60 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 17 |
| (Chennai Super Kings) | |||||||||||||
| SK Raina | 9 | 9 | 0 | 309 | 98 | 34.33 | 210 | 147.14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 15 |
| (Chennai Super Kings) | |||||||||||||
| JP Duminy | 10 | 9 | 3 | 297 | 59* | 49.50 | 260 | 114.23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 9 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| Yuvraj Singh | 11 | 11 | 2 | 296 | 58* | 32.88 | 227 | 130.39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 15 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| JH Kallis | 10 | 10 | 1 | 274 | 69* | 30.44 | 244 | 112.29 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 6 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| AB de Villiers | 9 | 7 | 3 | 271 | 105* | 67.75 | 197 | 137.56 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 8 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| SR Tendulkar | 10 | 10 | 2 | 267 | 68 | 33.37 | 218 | 122.47 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 9 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| AC Gilchrist | 10 | 10 | 0 | 265 | 71 | 26.50 | 192 | 138.02 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 16 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| TM Dilshan | 9 | 8 | 3 | 249 | 67* | 49.80 | 198 | 125.75 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| RG Sharma | 10 | 10 | 1 | 241 | 52 | 26.77 | 223 | 108.07 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 12 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| BJ Hodge | 9 | 9 | 2 | 240 | 73 | 34.28 | 217 | 110.59 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 5 |
| (Kolkata Knight Riders) | |||||||||||||
| KC Sangakkara | 11 | 10 | 1 | 226 | 60 | 25.11 | 225 | 100.44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 4 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| MS Dhoni | 9 | 8 | 3 | 221 | 58* | 44.20 | 159 | 138.99 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 8 |
| (Chennai Super Kings) | |||||||||||||
| DPMD Jayawardene | 10 | 10 | 4 | 219 | 52* | 36.50 | 165 | 132.72 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| YK Pathan | 10 | 10 | 1 | 216 | 62* | 24.00 | 149 | 144.96 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 12 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| RA Jadeja | 10 | 10 | 2 | 215 | 37 | 26.87 | 197 | 109.13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| DR Smith | 7 | 7 | 0 | 214 | 49 | 30.57 | 130 | 164.61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 15 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| DJ Bravo | 9 | 8 | 2 | 212 | 70* | 35.33 | 192 | 110.41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 8 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| HH Gibbs | 9 | 9 | 2 | 204 | 69* | 29.14 | 167 | 122.15 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 6 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| GC Smith | 10 | 10 | 1 | 193 | 77 | 21.44 | 193 | 100.00 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 1 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| G Gambhir | 9 | 9 | 2 | 177 | 71* | 25.28 | 172 | 102.90 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| ST Jayasuriya | 9 | 9 | 0 | 175 | 52 | 19.44 | 153 | 114.37 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 5 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| BB McCullum | 10 | 10 | 1 | 175 | 84* | 19.44 | 169 | 103.55 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 |
| (Kolkata Knight Riders) | |||||||||||||
| CH Gayle | 7 | 7 | 1 | 171 | 44* | 28.50 | 143 | 119.58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| (Kolkata Knight Riders) | |||||||||||||
| MN van Wyk | 5 | 5 | 2 | 167 | 74 | 55.66 | 132 | 126.51 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| (Kolkata Knight Riders) | |||||||||||||
| R Dravid | 8 | 7 | 0 | 166 | 66 | 23.71 | 132 | 125.75 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| LRPL Taylor | 6 | 6 | 1 | 164 | 81* | 32.80 | 110 | 149.09 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 8 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| V Kohli | 11 | 9 | 0 | 158 | 50 | 17.55 | 150 | 105.33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| TS Suman | 6 | 6 | 1 | 157 | 41* | 31.40 | 110 | 142.72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| SC Ganguly | 10 | 8 | 0 | 152 | 46 | 19.00 | 149 | 102.01 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| (Kolkata Knight Riders) | |||||||||||||
| RV Uthappa | 10 | 10 | 1 | 151 | 66* | 16.77 | 146 | 103.42 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 2 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| KD Karthik | 9 | 7 | 2 | 149 | 52 | 29.80 | 116 | 128.44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| S Badrinath | 9 | 7 | 1 | 148 | 59* | 24.66 | 122 | 121.31 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 3 |
| (Chennai Super Kings) | |||||||||||||
| DA Warner | 4 | 4 | 0 | 144 | 51 | 36.00 | 116 | 124.13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| IK Pathan | 11 | 9 | 1 | 144 | 39 | 18.00 | 124 | 116.12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| RS Bopara | 5 | 5 | 0 | 138 | 84 | 27.60 | 119 | 115.96 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| NV Ojha | 5 | 5 | 1 | 136 | 68 | 34.00 | 111 | 122.52 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| MV Boucher | 7 | 6 | 3 | 130 | 48* | 43.33 | 96 | 135.41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| K Goel | 9 | 9 | 1 | 124 | 38 | 15.50 | 133 | 93.23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| AM Nayar | 10 | 8 | 1 | 121 | 35 | 17.28 | 103 | 117.47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| Y Venugopal Rao | 10 | 8 | 1 | 108 | 32 | 15.42 | 92 | 117.39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| SM Katich | 6 | 6 | 0 | 106 | 50 | 17.66 | 84 | 126.19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| S Sohal | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 43 | 20.00 | 60 | 166.66 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 |
| (Kings XI Punjab) | |||||||||||||
| SA Asnodkar | 7 | 7 | 0 | 94 | 44 | 13.42 | 87 | 108.04 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| KP Pietersen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 93 | 37 | 15.50 | 85 | 109.41 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | |||||||||||||
| A Symonds | 2 | 2 | 1 | 90 | 60* | 90.00 | 55 | 163.63 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| (Deccan Chargers) | |||||||||||||
| V Sehwag | 5 | 5 | 1 | 87 | 38* | 21.75 | 52 | 167.30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| (Delhi Daredevils) | |||||||||||||
| AM Rahane | 5 | 5 | 1 | 85 | 62* | 21.25 | 75 | 113.33 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| (Mumbai Indians) | |||||||||||||
| SK Warne | 10 | 8 | 3 | 84 | 34* | 16.80 | 84 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| (Rajasthan Royals) | |||||||||||||
| LA Carseldine | 5 | 5 | 1 | 81 | 39 | 20.25 | 68 | 119.11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
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