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.
Showing posts with label kolkata knight riders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kolkata knight riders. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
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.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The lost and lonely leader-MacCullum
Labels:
Brendon Macculum,
kolkata knight riders
The saddest part of this tournament has been watching Brendon McCullum slowly go to pieces. The swaggering, tattooed hard-hitting batsman has become almost a thing of memory, replaced by a lonely figure wearing an increasingly haunted look as his team stumbles from one nightmare to another.
His trials have not been on the field alone; they have come in the press conferences, where he has attempted to explain the inexplicable. At Port Elizabeth, he snapped at a journalist who asked him whether the exodus of Sanjay Bangar and Aakash Chopra was a sign the team would crack down on poor performers. "What are you trying to get at, mate?" was the terse reply. In Durban last week, asked whether his announcement that he would quit as captain was an emotional reaction, he said, "That's your call. Captains all over the world feel the pressure and I think should be accountable."
Like any top sportsmen, McCullum is a very competitive man and though his national side, New Zealand, don't win everything, they don't lose as badly as Kolkata Knight Riders or look as pathetic. And he has never captained before. "It hurts 20 times more when you lose as a captain," he has said. Especially captain of a team that can't bat, can't bowl and can't field itself through to a win.
Worst of all, the captain has been among the chief non-performers. A man who scored 69 off 55 balls in his last Twenty20 international just over two months ago has been out first ball, has patted short wide balls to fielders, dropped sitters, demoted himself and reinstated himself.
He has tried everything but nothing has worked. That has probably hurt the most. "I have found it difficult to deliver messages to the team without having individual performances to stack up," he said. Only good captains can pull off that trick. Mark Taylor went a year without any batting performances and Sourav Ganguly has been known to get angry with his players for fielding lapses despite being the slowest on the field. It takes strong character and a sense of ownership to achieve it. McCullum's lack of captaincy experience has been shown up in this tournament. He might have made the offer to quit on grounds of accountability but it has perhaps led to an image of a weak captain and a sensitive man under duress.
And alone. Most of his visits to the press conferences have been solo; he's tried to be frank but has often meandered into an emotional ramble. At various times, he has looked like he could do with a comfortable hug.
He got one today in public view. He had just finished the post-match ceremony and was heading towards the press meet when his coach, John Buchanan, stepped from the shadows of the dug out, put a hand over his shoulder and led him all the way to the media room, all the while talking in his ear. It was like an uncle comforting a young nephew over a deeply personal grief.
Buchanan tried to deflect the tough questions to himself and butted in with words of encouragement even when the question was directed to McCullum. "It's no use focusing on the negatives; we have positives to look and something to pat ourselves on our back." Finding water on a desert must be easier than finding positives from this game or indeed this tournament.
Yet he's maintained his dignity and sense of humour. After an earlier match, when presented with an envelope at the end of the press conference, he peered into it before breaking out into a weak smile: "Does it have any ideas for me?" Today, he handled a tough question with a soft touch. "In this competition, where the points table has been a very close thing, only one thing has been constant. Knight Riders have been always at the bottom." There was a collective gasp of silence in the room following the question and all eyes turned to McCullum. His lips somehow managed a smile before he said, "That point has not been lost on us as well. But we can't dwell on that. We need to look at ways to increase our performance; if the results don't go our way it's fine. At least we know we tried."
It's that attitude, that sense of pride, that has won him compassion from even the usually cynical press pack. The talk before the conference today was whether anyone would remind McCullum about his captaincy-quitting promise. In the end, no one asked. Some lines just can't be crossed.
His trials have not been on the field alone; they have come in the press conferences, where he has attempted to explain the inexplicable. At Port Elizabeth, he snapped at a journalist who asked him whether the exodus of Sanjay Bangar and Aakash Chopra was a sign the team would crack down on poor performers. "What are you trying to get at, mate?" was the terse reply. In Durban last week, asked whether his announcement that he would quit as captain was an emotional reaction, he said, "That's your call. Captains all over the world feel the pressure and I think should be accountable."
Like any top sportsmen, McCullum is a very competitive man and though his national side, New Zealand, don't win everything, they don't lose as badly as Kolkata Knight Riders or look as pathetic. And he has never captained before. "It hurts 20 times more when you lose as a captain," he has said. Especially captain of a team that can't bat, can't bowl and can't field itself through to a win.
Worst of all, the captain has been among the chief non-performers. A man who scored 69 off 55 balls in his last Twenty20 international just over two months ago has been out first ball, has patted short wide balls to fielders, dropped sitters, demoted himself and reinstated himself.
He has tried everything but nothing has worked. That has probably hurt the most. "I have found it difficult to deliver messages to the team without having individual performances to stack up," he said. Only good captains can pull off that trick. Mark Taylor went a year without any batting performances and Sourav Ganguly has been known to get angry with his players for fielding lapses despite being the slowest on the field. It takes strong character and a sense of ownership to achieve it. McCullum's lack of captaincy experience has been shown up in this tournament. He might have made the offer to quit on grounds of accountability but it has perhaps led to an image of a weak captain and a sensitive man under duress.
And alone. Most of his visits to the press conferences have been solo; he's tried to be frank but has often meandered into an emotional ramble. At various times, he has looked like he could do with a comfortable hug.
He got one today in public view. He had just finished the post-match ceremony and was heading towards the press meet when his coach, John Buchanan, stepped from the shadows of the dug out, put a hand over his shoulder and led him all the way to the media room, all the while talking in his ear. It was like an uncle comforting a young nephew over a deeply personal grief.
Buchanan tried to deflect the tough questions to himself and butted in with words of encouragement even when the question was directed to McCullum. "It's no use focusing on the negatives; we have positives to look and something to pat ourselves on our back." Finding water on a desert must be easier than finding positives from this game or indeed this tournament.
Yet he's maintained his dignity and sense of humour. After an earlier match, when presented with an envelope at the end of the press conference, he peered into it before breaking out into a weak smile: "Does it have any ideas for me?" Today, he handled a tough question with a soft touch. "In this competition, where the points table has been a very close thing, only one thing has been constant. Knight Riders have been always at the bottom." There was a collective gasp of silence in the room following the question and all eyes turned to McCullum. His lips somehow managed a smile before he said, "That point has not been lost on us as well. But we can't dwell on that. We need to look at ways to increase our performance; if the results don't go our way it's fine. At least we know we tried."
It's that attitude, that sense of pride, that has won him compassion from even the usually cynical press pack. The talk before the conference today was whether anyone would remind McCullum about his captaincy-quitting promise. In the end, no one asked. Some lines just can't be crossed.
Gambhir back in form with fifty
It's getting hard to keep track of who's on top of the IPL table. For the third day in a row, there was a new leader, now with the Delhi Daredevils occupying first place after strolling past a luckless Kolkata Knight Riders in Durban. To make victory even sweeter, one of their key batsmen, Gautam Gambhir, was back among the runs after an indifferent start to the tournament.
After Morne van Wyk made the most of his chance at the top of the order to push Kolkata towards a middling total, they fielded like millionaires, granting the Delhi batsmen innumerable chances to simplify the chase.
Gambhir, in particular, was virtually coaxed back to form. He was grassed a couple of times, that too by two of the better fielders in the side, on 22 by Brendon McCullum and on 65 by Moises Henriques, a run-out opportunity was wasted on 35, and he was given plenty of free runs as well. Even the umpire gave him a let-off by not picking a nick to the wicketkeeper when on 45.
An early exchange with Ishant Sharma showed how Delhi were helped along to victory. The first over had Ishant exchanging wry grins with his Ranji team-mate Gambhir after tying him down to an outside-edged four. The smiles were gone after some woeful fielding in his next over: Ashok Dinda made a mess at fine-leg, Sourav Ganguly gave away a couple of extra runs after a less-than-athletic effort at mid-off the next ball, and another Dinda fumble allowed the batsmen to return for two. Ishant lost his cool, and his line in the next delivery, presenting Gambhir a leg-side gift, which was glanced for four. Seventeen came off the over, and Delhi proved hard to rein in after that.
David Warner again showed his ability to clear the boundary, a Hayden-esque down-the-pitch pull off Dinda was the stand-out stroke in his blazing cameo. A couple of lofted drives for four off consecutive deliveries emphasised his ominous form but Ajit Agarkar beat Warner for pace two balls later, and had him holing out to Moises Henriques.
There was little relief for Kolkata, though, as Tillakaratne Dilshan demonstrated his form with a couple of cracking cover drives off Agarkar. Gambhir and Dilshan settled on a recipe of risk-free singles with a sprinkling of boundaries to keep Delhi on course. The missed chances already had the Kolkata camp frustrated, and the sight of several boundaries just beating a diving fielder added to their woes. It was only towards the end that the batsmen opened out, to finish the job with an over to spare.
Such a one-sided game didn't seem on the cards after van Wyk glued the fragile Kolkata top order to take them near 150. Their opening troubles seemed set to continue when McCullum struggled to get bat on ball in the first over. But in the first delivery of the third over, McCullum's bolt-down-the-track scythe finally connected and sent the ball rocketing over deep point. A controlled on-drive for four followed next delivery, and a swat sailed past the midwicket boundary three balls later fetched 21 runs off the over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
6.68
The economy rate of Amit Mishra, the best by a Delhi bowler this season
*
58
The best opening partnership for Kolkata this season
*
49
The number of runs given away by Dirk Nannes, making it the worst in terms of economy rate by a Delhi bowler
*
5
The number of half-centurions in the Delhi team, Gautam Gambhir being the latest addition
*
8
The number of boundary hits by Brendon McCullum in the tournament
Bottom Curve
By the time McCullum clobbered Pradeep Sangwan over midwicket for a flat six, Kolkata were 48 for 0 after five overs, and the two batsmen were sharing a joke in the middle, not a common sight in Kolkata's campaign so far.
It was Sangwan who was laughing a couple of overs later, when he had McCullum slapping the ball straight to fine leg. The in-form Brad Hodge joined van Wyk, but Sangwan and Mishra kept the brakes on. Kolkata could only score in singles for the first five overs after the Powerplays, and the run-rate had flatlined to 6.45.
It was an uncharacteristic fielding error at long-on from AB de Villiers that helped release the pressure for Kolkata. The next delivery was cut away for four more by van Wyk, who caressed three more boundaries in the over that followed from Sangwan. Right through the innings, van Wyk showed his ability to finesse his way to the runs, rarely attempting one of the most favoured strokes in Twenty20: the mow over midwicket.
Just as the runs started to flow, Hodge was dismissed, slowing Kolkata down again. They were at 111 for 2 after 16, when Henriques and van Wyk opened out to lash 28 off the next two. Kolkata needed a couple more like that to finish off, but Nannes and the outstanding Ashish Nehra kept it full and straight to not let them get into fifth gear.
Kolkata finished with a total that was disappointing, with wickets still in hand, but it was nowhere as disheartening as the shoddiness in the field that was to follow.
After Morne van Wyk made the most of his chance at the top of the order to push Kolkata towards a middling total, they fielded like millionaires, granting the Delhi batsmen innumerable chances to simplify the chase.
Gambhir, in particular, was virtually coaxed back to form. He was grassed a couple of times, that too by two of the better fielders in the side, on 22 by Brendon McCullum and on 65 by Moises Henriques, a run-out opportunity was wasted on 35, and he was given plenty of free runs as well. Even the umpire gave him a let-off by not picking a nick to the wicketkeeper when on 45.
An early exchange with Ishant Sharma showed how Delhi were helped along to victory. The first over had Ishant exchanging wry grins with his Ranji team-mate Gambhir after tying him down to an outside-edged four. The smiles were gone after some woeful fielding in his next over: Ashok Dinda made a mess at fine-leg, Sourav Ganguly gave away a couple of extra runs after a less-than-athletic effort at mid-off the next ball, and another Dinda fumble allowed the batsmen to return for two. Ishant lost his cool, and his line in the next delivery, presenting Gambhir a leg-side gift, which was glanced for four. Seventeen came off the over, and Delhi proved hard to rein in after that.
David Warner again showed his ability to clear the boundary, a Hayden-esque down-the-pitch pull off Dinda was the stand-out stroke in his blazing cameo. A couple of lofted drives for four off consecutive deliveries emphasised his ominous form but Ajit Agarkar beat Warner for pace two balls later, and had him holing out to Moises Henriques.
There was little relief for Kolkata, though, as Tillakaratne Dilshan demonstrated his form with a couple of cracking cover drives off Agarkar. Gambhir and Dilshan settled on a recipe of risk-free singles with a sprinkling of boundaries to keep Delhi on course. The missed chances already had the Kolkata camp frustrated, and the sight of several boundaries just beating a diving fielder added to their woes. It was only towards the end that the batsmen opened out, to finish the job with an over to spare.
Such a one-sided game didn't seem on the cards after van Wyk glued the fragile Kolkata top order to take them near 150. Their opening troubles seemed set to continue when McCullum struggled to get bat on ball in the first over. But in the first delivery of the third over, McCullum's bolt-down-the-track scythe finally connected and sent the ball rocketing over deep point. A controlled on-drive for four followed next delivery, and a swat sailed past the midwicket boundary three balls later fetched 21 runs off the over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
6.68
The economy rate of Amit Mishra, the best by a Delhi bowler this season
*
58
The best opening partnership for Kolkata this season
*
49
The number of runs given away by Dirk Nannes, making it the worst in terms of economy rate by a Delhi bowler
*
5
The number of half-centurions in the Delhi team, Gautam Gambhir being the latest addition
*
8
The number of boundary hits by Brendon McCullum in the tournament
Bottom Curve
By the time McCullum clobbered Pradeep Sangwan over midwicket for a flat six, Kolkata were 48 for 0 after five overs, and the two batsmen were sharing a joke in the middle, not a common sight in Kolkata's campaign so far.
It was Sangwan who was laughing a couple of overs later, when he had McCullum slapping the ball straight to fine leg. The in-form Brad Hodge joined van Wyk, but Sangwan and Mishra kept the brakes on. Kolkata could only score in singles for the first five overs after the Powerplays, and the run-rate had flatlined to 6.45.
It was an uncharacteristic fielding error at long-on from AB de Villiers that helped release the pressure for Kolkata. The next delivery was cut away for four more by van Wyk, who caressed three more boundaries in the over that followed from Sangwan. Right through the innings, van Wyk showed his ability to finesse his way to the runs, rarely attempting one of the most favoured strokes in Twenty20: the mow over midwicket.
Just as the runs started to flow, Hodge was dismissed, slowing Kolkata down again. They were at 111 for 2 after 16, when Henriques and van Wyk opened out to lash 28 off the next two. Kolkata needed a couple more like that to finish off, but Nannes and the outstanding Ashish Nehra kept it full and straight to not let them get into fifth gear.
Kolkata finished with a total that was disappointing, with wickets still in hand, but it was nowhere as disheartening as the shoddiness in the field that was to follow.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Punjab steal last-ball thriller
Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL
Punjab steal last-ball thriller
The Bulletin by Nishi Narayanan
May 3, 2009
Kings XI Punjab 154 for 4 (Jayawardene 52*, Katich 34) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 3 (Hodge 70*) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Four dropped catches overturned Brad Hodge's impressive half-century and took Kings XI Punjab back into the top four of the IPL after they chased down 154 to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets. The match went down to the final ball but Punjab had clearly outperformed Kolkata through the chase. Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 41-ball 52, and Irfan Pathan, held their nerve to take Punjab through and avoid the match being decided by the Super Over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
1
The number of last-ball wins by a team batting second this season
*
30.75
Mahela Jayawardene's average after today's game - the highest for a Punjab player
*
43
The total number of ducks in the IPL till this match
*
8
The number of bowlers used by Kolkata in today's game
*
2
The number of half-centuries scored by Hodge this season. He is the only Kolkata batsmen to score a half-century in IPL 2
*
93.0
Morne van Wyk's average - the highest by a Kolkata batsman
Bottom Curve
It was Simon Katich and Sunny Sohal's frenetic partnership - 43 balls off 26 balls - that set up the chase after Punjab lost Kumar Sangakkara in the first over. Their stand, along with a slightly more sedate one between Jayawardene and Katich - 33 off 25 balls - put Punjab ahead of the eight-ball even after they lost Katich and Yuvraj Singh before the end of the 15th over. Kolkata's bowlers, like Punjab's, conceded full tosses at the death and the final tight over from Ajit Agarkar was probably needed much earlier. Kolkata used eight bowlers and may need to review the logic of bringing in left-arm spinner Murali Kartik as the final change.
Sohal was dropped twice in two balls after which he and Katich unleashed a rain for fours and sixes - top edges and mistimed shots included - as Kolkata's bowlers struggled to keep a tight line. Chris Gayle wrapped up a poor tournament by making a mess of collecting a leading edge off Katich's bat when he was on 5. Kolkata's most productive over had been their final one where Brad Hodge and Morne van Wyk took Irfan Pathan for 21 runs. Punjab overhauled that in their fourth over with Katich and Sohal hitting 22 off Ashok Dinda.
After five overs Punjab were 44 for 1, well ahead of the required run-rate. Punjab's bowling had also been ordinary but Kolkata's batsmen, except Hodge, could not hit over the top. Brendon McCullum struggled to pick the gaps and Gayle failed to build on his steady start. The run-rate did not improve significantly even as Hodge joined McCullum at the crease after Gayle's fall.
McCullum ground out his 19 runs off 31 balls before pulling short and wide delivery off Chawla straight to Vikramjeet Malik at deep backward square-leg. His dismissal brought a spurt of energy to the innings, mostly due to Hodge. At first he rotated the strike with Sourav Ganguly and converted the loose deliveries into boundaries. He pulled Yuvraj for two consecutive fours to midwicket and then hit Abdulla over his head for a six; Ganguly opened the face of his bat to guide a four to third man and then slogged a huge six off Chawla to square leg. This six clearly boost Ganguly and he tried to attack every delivery after that. It didn't work and three balls later Ganguly top-edged a sweep to Kumar Sangakkara for a 23-ball 22.
After Ganguly's dismissal, Hodge threw his bat at everything and the 21 runs off the final over would have given Kolkata the game if it hadn't been for those dropped catches.
Punjab steal last-ball thriller
The Bulletin by Nishi Narayanan
May 3, 2009
Kings XI Punjab 154 for 4 (Jayawardene 52*, Katich 34) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 3 (Hodge 70*) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Four dropped catches overturned Brad Hodge's impressive half-century and took Kings XI Punjab back into the top four of the IPL after they chased down 154 to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets. The match went down to the final ball but Punjab had clearly outperformed Kolkata through the chase. Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 41-ball 52, and Irfan Pathan, held their nerve to take Punjab through and avoid the match being decided by the Super Over.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
1
The number of last-ball wins by a team batting second this season
*
30.75
Mahela Jayawardene's average after today's game - the highest for a Punjab player
*
43
The total number of ducks in the IPL till this match
*
8
The number of bowlers used by Kolkata in today's game
*
2
The number of half-centuries scored by Hodge this season. He is the only Kolkata batsmen to score a half-century in IPL 2
*
93.0
Morne van Wyk's average - the highest by a Kolkata batsman
Bottom Curve
It was Simon Katich and Sunny Sohal's frenetic partnership - 43 balls off 26 balls - that set up the chase after Punjab lost Kumar Sangakkara in the first over. Their stand, along with a slightly more sedate one between Jayawardene and Katich - 33 off 25 balls - put Punjab ahead of the eight-ball even after they lost Katich and Yuvraj Singh before the end of the 15th over. Kolkata's bowlers, like Punjab's, conceded full tosses at the death and the final tight over from Ajit Agarkar was probably needed much earlier. Kolkata used eight bowlers and may need to review the logic of bringing in left-arm spinner Murali Kartik as the final change.
Sohal was dropped twice in two balls after which he and Katich unleashed a rain for fours and sixes - top edges and mistimed shots included - as Kolkata's bowlers struggled to keep a tight line. Chris Gayle wrapped up a poor tournament by making a mess of collecting a leading edge off Katich's bat when he was on 5. Kolkata's most productive over had been their final one where Brad Hodge and Morne van Wyk took Irfan Pathan for 21 runs. Punjab overhauled that in their fourth over with Katich and Sohal hitting 22 off Ashok Dinda.
After five overs Punjab were 44 for 1, well ahead of the required run-rate. Punjab's bowling had also been ordinary but Kolkata's batsmen, except Hodge, could not hit over the top. Brendon McCullum struggled to pick the gaps and Gayle failed to build on his steady start. The run-rate did not improve significantly even as Hodge joined McCullum at the crease after Gayle's fall.
McCullum ground out his 19 runs off 31 balls before pulling short and wide delivery off Chawla straight to Vikramjeet Malik at deep backward square-leg. His dismissal brought a spurt of energy to the innings, mostly due to Hodge. At first he rotated the strike with Sourav Ganguly and converted the loose deliveries into boundaries. He pulled Yuvraj for two consecutive fours to midwicket and then hit Abdulla over his head for a six; Ganguly opened the face of his bat to guide a four to third man and then slogged a huge six off Chawla to square leg. This six clearly boost Ganguly and he tried to attack every delivery after that. It didn't work and three balls later Ganguly top-edged a sweep to Kumar Sangakkara for a 23-ball 22.
After Ganguly's dismissal, Hodge threw his bat at everything and the 21 runs off the final over would have given Kolkata the game if it hadn't been for those dropped catches.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Duminy and Zaheer seal it for Mumbai
Labels:
jp duminy,
kolkata knight riders,
Mumbai indians,
zaheer khan
Kolkata Knight Riders made a good attempt at causing possibly the biggest surprise of the season so far but fell short despite smart bowling for most of Mumbai's innings and a first fifty for them by Brad Hodge, who kept together a chase that threatened to fall away early on.
Mumbai turned the game irreversibly in six overs: the last three of their innings and the first three of Kolkata's. The main characters in this script were JP Duminy and Zaheer Khan. Duminy's late assault helped Mumbai scored 42 in the last three overs of an otherwise limp effort and, on the other side of the break, Zaheer removed Kolkata's openers Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly in his first two overs.
Hodge's innings was, in isolation, the best individual effort of the match. Chasing 149, Kolkata were 8 for 2 in the third over. Hodge consolidated along with Morne van Wyk and, while they didn't score at a spectacular rate, their 89-run stand kept Kolkata in the hunt. Hodge made an especially slow start, scoring 3 off the first 14 balls he faced. But once he'd stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh for a four in the sixth over, he pulled out a remarkable mix of sensible batting and attacking cricketing shots.
The three sixes he hit were hit down the ground without any power at all, just a clean swing of the straight bat. Despite the run-rate climbing every over, Kolkata were always with a chance while Hodge was in. With 61 required off the last six overs, he hit Graham Napier for back-to-back fours. With 51 needed from the last five, he hit Zaheer Khan for a six over long-off, and suddenly Kolkata needed just 38 in the last four overs with seven wickets in hand.
That's when Lasith Malinga delivered two near-perfect overs of death bowling, giving away just 11 runs and shutting Kolkata out. Mumbai's last three overs were a mirror image.
Kolkata had done everything right in the first 17 overs, but they still had Duminy to take care of. When Laxmi Shukla came on to bowl the 18th over, Duminy was 22 off 26 and Mumbai had reached only 106. He pulled Shukla for two sixes in the 18th over, and suddenly all Kolkata's good work from the first 17 overs seemed wasted. Ishant Sharma bowled a superb 19th over, giving away just nine runs and taking a wicket, but Duminy still stood between Kolkata and an easy target.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
16
The most productive over number for the bowlers this season. 21 wickets have fallen in the 16th over so far. At number two is over number 11, with 17 wickets
*
5
The number of ducks by Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen this season, including Ganguly's golden duck today
*
5
Zaheer Khan's wicket tally so far this season. He more than doubled his tally by snapping up 3 today
*
73
Brad Hodge's score today was Kolkata's first fifty of the season
*
5.16
Brendon McCullum's batting average after six innings - the worst by a Kolkata batsman who has played more than two matches
Bottom Curve
Two more sixes followed in the last over, both down the ground, off length deliveries from Dinda. The latter came off the last ball, which meant he had scored 30 off the last 11 balls he faced.
It was the most critical phase of the match: only two sixes had been hit before that, both by Sachin Tendulkar, emphasising the concern that Mumbai have been overly reliant on Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. Once Jayasuriya was out for 6, there was no danger of repeating the hammering they had handed out to Kolkata earlier this week.
It was also a day when Mumbai and Kolkata experimented a lot. Kolkata made proactive and frequent bowling changes, and didn't let the batsmen settle to any kind of rhythm. After the first 12 overs of the innings, five of seven bowlers used by Kolkata had gone for less than six an over, and four of them had taken a wicket each. Mumbai sent in their hitters Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar at Nos 3 and 4. Neither move worked and Mumbai paid the price of aiming too high.
When it came to Kolkata's innings, both teams tinkered with their opening combinations. Ganguly replaced Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, and Mumbai didn't open with Malinga, saving him for the latter half of the innings. The final experiment worked for Mumbai, with Malinga bowling tight overs towards the end, and it's the final experiment that counted.
Mumbai turned the game irreversibly in six overs: the last three of their innings and the first three of Kolkata's. The main characters in this script were JP Duminy and Zaheer Khan. Duminy's late assault helped Mumbai scored 42 in the last three overs of an otherwise limp effort and, on the other side of the break, Zaheer removed Kolkata's openers Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly in his first two overs.
Hodge's innings was, in isolation, the best individual effort of the match. Chasing 149, Kolkata were 8 for 2 in the third over. Hodge consolidated along with Morne van Wyk and, while they didn't score at a spectacular rate, their 89-run stand kept Kolkata in the hunt. Hodge made an especially slow start, scoring 3 off the first 14 balls he faced. But once he'd stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh for a four in the sixth over, he pulled out a remarkable mix of sensible batting and attacking cricketing shots.
The three sixes he hit were hit down the ground without any power at all, just a clean swing of the straight bat. Despite the run-rate climbing every over, Kolkata were always with a chance while Hodge was in. With 61 required off the last six overs, he hit Graham Napier for back-to-back fours. With 51 needed from the last five, he hit Zaheer Khan for a six over long-off, and suddenly Kolkata needed just 38 in the last four overs with seven wickets in hand.
That's when Lasith Malinga delivered two near-perfect overs of death bowling, giving away just 11 runs and shutting Kolkata out. Mumbai's last three overs were a mirror image.
Kolkata had done everything right in the first 17 overs, but they still had Duminy to take care of. When Laxmi Shukla came on to bowl the 18th over, Duminy was 22 off 26 and Mumbai had reached only 106. He pulled Shukla for two sixes in the 18th over, and suddenly all Kolkata's good work from the first 17 overs seemed wasted. Ishant Sharma bowled a superb 19th over, giving away just nine runs and taking a wicket, but Duminy still stood between Kolkata and an easy target.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
16
The most productive over number for the bowlers this season. 21 wickets have fallen in the 16th over so far. At number two is over number 11, with 17 wickets
*
5
The number of ducks by Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen this season, including Ganguly's golden duck today
*
5
Zaheer Khan's wicket tally so far this season. He more than doubled his tally by snapping up 3 today
*
73
Brad Hodge's score today was Kolkata's first fifty of the season
*
5.16
Brendon McCullum's batting average after six innings - the worst by a Kolkata batsman who has played more than two matches
Bottom Curve
Two more sixes followed in the last over, both down the ground, off length deliveries from Dinda. The latter came off the last ball, which meant he had scored 30 off the last 11 balls he faced.
It was the most critical phase of the match: only two sixes had been hit before that, both by Sachin Tendulkar, emphasising the concern that Mumbai have been overly reliant on Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. Once Jayasuriya was out for 6, there was no danger of repeating the hammering they had handed out to Kolkata earlier this week.
It was also a day when Mumbai and Kolkata experimented a lot. Kolkata made proactive and frequent bowling changes, and didn't let the batsmen settle to any kind of rhythm. After the first 12 overs of the innings, five of seven bowlers used by Kolkata had gone for less than six an over, and four of them had taken a wicket each. Mumbai sent in their hitters Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar at Nos 3 and 4. Neither move worked and Mumbai paid the price of aiming too high.
When it came to Kolkata's innings, both teams tinkered with their opening combinations. Ganguly replaced Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, and Mumbai didn't open with Malinga, saving him for the latter half of the innings. The final experiment worked for Mumbai, with Malinga bowling tight overs towards the end, and it's the final experiment that counted.
Friday, May 1, 2009
SRK is not selling KKR
Labels:
KKR,
kolkata knight riders,
shahrukh khan,
srk
But Knight Riders is back in news after reports emerged that SRK is in talks with three companies to sell his team and move out of the cricketainment business.
Speculation is rife that Khan is negotiating with Nokia, the Anil Ambani group and Sahara to dispose of his entire shareholding.
Shah Rukh however has denied the development. Shah Rukhs Public Relations agency said that the actor had spoken to television channels that he had a major investment in KKR and he was still emotionally attached to it.
A website quoted sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKRs holding company, saying, Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding.
Incidentally, Anil Ambani was interested in buying the Newcastle United football team. His brother and now business rival Mukesh Ambani owns the Mumbai Indians IPL team. Sahara
Indias communications director Abhijit Sarkar was quoted as saying: We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team.
D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team. Reliance Communications however declined to comment but mentioned that there had to something concrete on the table.
Shah Rukh had given a guarantee of 300 crores to the Indian cricket board to be paid over 10 years. However , as far as merchandising and business on KKR products are concerned , the firm has done well.
It is learnt that his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.
Speculation is rife that Khan is negotiating with Nokia, the Anil Ambani group and Sahara to dispose of his entire shareholding.
Shah Rukh however has denied the development. Shah Rukhs Public Relations agency said that the actor had spoken to television channels that he had a major investment in KKR and he was still emotionally attached to it.
A website quoted sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKRs holding company, saying, Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding.
Incidentally, Anil Ambani was interested in buying the Newcastle United football team. His brother and now business rival Mukesh Ambani owns the Mumbai Indians IPL team. Sahara
Indias communications director Abhijit Sarkar was quoted as saying: We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team.
D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team. Reliance Communications however declined to comment but mentioned that there had to something concrete on the table.
Shah Rukh had given a guarantee of 300 crores to the Indian cricket board to be paid over 10 years. However , as far as merchandising and business on KKR products are concerned , the firm has done well.
It is learnt that his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Cool Boucher wins Bangalore a thriller
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, Durban
Cool Boucher wins Bangalore a thriller
The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
April 29, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore 143 for 5 (Goswami 43, Hodge 3-29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 139 for 6 (van Wyk 44*, Kumble 2-16) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Kevin Pietersen dismissed Brendon McCullum for a first-ball duck, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, 19th match, Durban, April 29, 2009
Kevin Pietersen opened the bowling and dismissed Brendon McCullum first ball to put pressure on Kolkata right from the outset © AFP
In a contest of two desperate teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore were simply more desperate, winning their second game of the season in six tries. Their desperation manifested itself positively, when they included three spinners in the side, opened the bowling with Kevin Pietersen and restricted Kolkata to a below-par total. And it showed up negatively, as they collapsed after a solid start - the first time both their openers got off the mark this season - and contrived to need 10 off the last over, having been 69 for 0 at one point.
Finally, Mark Boucher's cool head prevailed, and his 13-ball 25 saved them much embarrassment, especially when they have been the laughing stocks of the tournament.
Both teams needed inspiration from their captains, and clearly there was only one winner. Even before the toss, Pietersen showed he had read the pitch better by including the extra spinner, in Roelof van der Merwe. Kolkata, who like Bangalore are the butt of jokes, mainly because of their strategy and team decisions, dropped Ajantha Mendis for Murali Kartik. They would surely have regretted that decision when Kartik, Brad Hodge and Chris Gayle prolonged the game with tight bowling.
Pietersen, playing his last game before flying back to England, was the most desperate of all. Despite the presence of three spinners in his side, he bowled the first ball of the day, and got his counterpart Brendon McCullum out with that. Ironic, given that till now a scoreline of 0 for 1 has been an almost exclusive preserve of Pietersen's side. Two of his other spinners, Anil Kumble and KP Appanna, also struck in their first overs, both at crucial times when Kolkata seemed to have got away.
Hodge had come out blazing, taking Pankaj Singh for two fours and a six in three deliveries, and guiding Kolkata to a good start notwithstanding the first over. Till Kumble struck in the sixth over. He first beat Gayle with a bouncing delivery, then got Hodge with a slider to have Kolkata stumbling at 45 for 2.
Gayle scored at an uncharacteristic strike-rate of 108, batting with a runner, and giving up adventure for responsibility. His dismissal, too, was unusual for him - holing out to a boundary fielder off Appanna. It wasn't clear whether the restricted foot movement was the reason but it was certain that Kolkata at that point looked - despite the loss of regular wickets - primed for a second-half assault, at 70 for 3 in 11.1 overs.
That assault never came, though, and, despite Morne van Vyk's 35-ball 44, Kolkata couldn't even double that score. Kumble played a major role, dismissing the dangerous-looking Wriddhiman Saha in his first over back. The spinners bowled 15 overs for 100 runs, and took five wickets. Kumble bowled four of them for 16 runs and two wickets.
Shreevats Goswami, replacing the hopeless Robin Uthappa at the top, and Jacques Kallis got Bangalore off to a start. Goswami was especially impressive. While Kallis was slow in scoring runs, Goswami kept Bangalore ahead of the required run-rate, targeting Ajit Agarkar, the weak link in the Kolkata attack. He hit three boundaries in Agarkar's two overs and didn't allow Kartik to settle into any rhythm, stepping out and hitting two boundaries in his first over.
Kartik made a good comeback and, not for the first time this tournament, Bangalore lost their way post the strategy time-out. They were 65 for 0 at the break, but soon wickets started falling as they looked to capitalise on a good start. Hodge benefited from some reckless shots, and 69 for 0 became 77 for 2. With Ishant Sharma coming out to bowl an impressive late spell, 106 for 2 became 107 for 4 in the 16th over.
Boucher, accustomed to finishing games for South Africa, had the right mix of sensible running and big hitting. He kept his cool through a poor 19th over, when Ishant gave away just three runs and claimed van der Merwe's wicket. His boundary hits came at the right times. He hit a six with 29 required off 16, and then a four with nine required off five. In a match where it seemed, at times, neither team had the will to win, Boucher was the final difference.
Cool Boucher wins Bangalore a thriller
The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
April 29, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore 143 for 5 (Goswami 43, Hodge 3-29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 139 for 6 (van Wyk 44*, Kumble 2-16) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Kevin Pietersen dismissed Brendon McCullum for a first-ball duck, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, 19th match, Durban, April 29, 2009
Kevin Pietersen opened the bowling and dismissed Brendon McCullum first ball to put pressure on Kolkata right from the outset © AFP
In a contest of two desperate teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore were simply more desperate, winning their second game of the season in six tries. Their desperation manifested itself positively, when they included three spinners in the side, opened the bowling with Kevin Pietersen and restricted Kolkata to a below-par total. And it showed up negatively, as they collapsed after a solid start - the first time both their openers got off the mark this season - and contrived to need 10 off the last over, having been 69 for 0 at one point.
Finally, Mark Boucher's cool head prevailed, and his 13-ball 25 saved them much embarrassment, especially when they have been the laughing stocks of the tournament.
Both teams needed inspiration from their captains, and clearly there was only one winner. Even before the toss, Pietersen showed he had read the pitch better by including the extra spinner, in Roelof van der Merwe. Kolkata, who like Bangalore are the butt of jokes, mainly because of their strategy and team decisions, dropped Ajantha Mendis for Murali Kartik. They would surely have regretted that decision when Kartik, Brad Hodge and Chris Gayle prolonged the game with tight bowling.
Pietersen, playing his last game before flying back to England, was the most desperate of all. Despite the presence of three spinners in his side, he bowled the first ball of the day, and got his counterpart Brendon McCullum out with that. Ironic, given that till now a scoreline of 0 for 1 has been an almost exclusive preserve of Pietersen's side. Two of his other spinners, Anil Kumble and KP Appanna, also struck in their first overs, both at crucial times when Kolkata seemed to have got away.
Hodge had come out blazing, taking Pankaj Singh for two fours and a six in three deliveries, and guiding Kolkata to a good start notwithstanding the first over. Till Kumble struck in the sixth over. He first beat Gayle with a bouncing delivery, then got Hodge with a slider to have Kolkata stumbling at 45 for 2.
Gayle scored at an uncharacteristic strike-rate of 108, batting with a runner, and giving up adventure for responsibility. His dismissal, too, was unusual for him - holing out to a boundary fielder off Appanna. It wasn't clear whether the restricted foot movement was the reason but it was certain that Kolkata at that point looked - despite the loss of regular wickets - primed for a second-half assault, at 70 for 3 in 11.1 overs.
That assault never came, though, and, despite Morne van Vyk's 35-ball 44, Kolkata couldn't even double that score. Kumble played a major role, dismissing the dangerous-looking Wriddhiman Saha in his first over back. The spinners bowled 15 overs for 100 runs, and took five wickets. Kumble bowled four of them for 16 runs and two wickets.
Shreevats Goswami, replacing the hopeless Robin Uthappa at the top, and Jacques Kallis got Bangalore off to a start. Goswami was especially impressive. While Kallis was slow in scoring runs, Goswami kept Bangalore ahead of the required run-rate, targeting Ajit Agarkar, the weak link in the Kolkata attack. He hit three boundaries in Agarkar's two overs and didn't allow Kartik to settle into any rhythm, stepping out and hitting two boundaries in his first over.
Kartik made a good comeback and, not for the first time this tournament, Bangalore lost their way post the strategy time-out. They were 65 for 0 at the break, but soon wickets started falling as they looked to capitalise on a good start. Hodge benefited from some reckless shots, and 69 for 0 became 77 for 2. With Ishant Sharma coming out to bowl an impressive late spell, 106 for 2 became 107 for 4 in the 16th over.
Boucher, accustomed to finishing games for South Africa, had the right mix of sensible running and big hitting. He kept his cool through a poor 19th over, when Ishant gave away just three runs and claimed van der Merwe's wicket. His boundary hits came at the right times. He hit a six with 29 required off 16, and then a four with nine required off five. In a match where it seemed, at times, neither team had the will to win, Boucher was the final difference.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I'll quit if we don't make semis - McCullum
Labels:
Brendon Macculum,
kolkata knight riders
Brendon McCullum was caught down the leg side, Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, 4th game, Cape Town, April 19, 2009
Brendon McCullum: "It hurts more when you lose as a captain. Twenty times more!" © Getty Images
Brendon McCullum has reiterated his stand of resigning as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders if the team doesn't reach the semi-finals of the current IPL tournament. He also said the toughest thing he was facing as a captain was his own poor form.
"I think every captain should be accountable for the results," McCullum said, echoing his statements after Kolkata's heavy defeat to Mumbai Indians on Monday. "You just can't drift along the journey; there is no accountability behind it. My job as a captain is to inspire the team and be competitive. If I can't inspire this bunch of talented people and reach the semi-finals then, yes, I will resign."
McCullum has presided over a woeful run for Kolkata - one win and one no result yielding three points in five games - and he believes it's down to a poor performance in the first six overs with bat and ball. "We are failing to do any damage in the top six overs either way. We haven't taken wickets at the start and we haven't scored much runs at the top. We are always been behind the game. Hopefully I will start scoring and get that right."
McCullum said that his lack of runs as a batsman has been tough for him to handle as a captain. "It's tough when you are delivering messages to the team. You don't have individual performances to stack up behind those talks. But you have to put aside individual disappointments and concentrate on what the team needs to do. If I can get the runs, though, and help these individuals it would be nice."
Has the captaincy affected his batting? "Well ... I haven't gone past two overs! So I can't say that. When I go into bat, I am not thinking about captaincy. For me batting is enjoyment and fun. I don't play with that kind of responsibility when I go out."
There is a clear difference, he says, between being a player and being a captain. "It hurts more when you lose as a captain. Twenty times more! It's just incredibly disappointing; it's tough."
For all the difficulties associated with the captaincy, McCullum appreciates the mental challenge. "The best part of it is, you get an opportunity to use your ideas and strategies on the game. When you walk off the park you know you have had the opportunity or making a mark on the game, win or lose."
McCullum inherits the captaincy from Sourav Ganguly, the team's icon player, and amid some controversy over the "multiple captaincy" theory. It could have been easier had he taken over from someone with less of an emotional hold on the team and the city - a Dravid, perhaps, or a Kallis. McCullum, however, denies any additional pressue on that account. "Sourav has been fantastic. I haven't take notice of the controversy.. I am a very competitive guy, and I'm passionate about playing for this side. It's an honour to lead a side with talents like this. I am not bothered about the captaincy controversy."
Brendon McCullum: "It hurts more when you lose as a captain. Twenty times more!" © Getty Images
Brendon McCullum has reiterated his stand of resigning as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders if the team doesn't reach the semi-finals of the current IPL tournament. He also said the toughest thing he was facing as a captain was his own poor form.
"I think every captain should be accountable for the results," McCullum said, echoing his statements after Kolkata's heavy defeat to Mumbai Indians on Monday. "You just can't drift along the journey; there is no accountability behind it. My job as a captain is to inspire the team and be competitive. If I can't inspire this bunch of talented people and reach the semi-finals then, yes, I will resign."
McCullum has presided over a woeful run for Kolkata - one win and one no result yielding three points in five games - and he believes it's down to a poor performance in the first six overs with bat and ball. "We are failing to do any damage in the top six overs either way. We haven't taken wickets at the start and we haven't scored much runs at the top. We are always been behind the game. Hopefully I will start scoring and get that right."
McCullum said that his lack of runs as a batsman has been tough for him to handle as a captain. "It's tough when you are delivering messages to the team. You don't have individual performances to stack up behind those talks. But you have to put aside individual disappointments and concentrate on what the team needs to do. If I can get the runs, though, and help these individuals it would be nice."
Has the captaincy affected his batting? "Well ... I haven't gone past two overs! So I can't say that. When I go into bat, I am not thinking about captaincy. For me batting is enjoyment and fun. I don't play with that kind of responsibility when I go out."
There is a clear difference, he says, between being a player and being a captain. "It hurts more when you lose as a captain. Twenty times more! It's just incredibly disappointing; it's tough."
For all the difficulties associated with the captaincy, McCullum appreciates the mental challenge. "The best part of it is, you get an opportunity to use your ideas and strategies on the game. When you walk off the park you know you have had the opportunity or making a mark on the game, win or lose."
McCullum inherits the captaincy from Sourav Ganguly, the team's icon player, and amid some controversy over the "multiple captaincy" theory. It could have been easier had he taken over from someone with less of an emotional hold on the team and the city - a Dravid, perhaps, or a Kallis. McCullum, however, denies any additional pressue on that account. "Sourav has been fantastic. I haven't take notice of the controversy.. I am a very competitive guy, and I'm passionate about playing for this side. It's an honour to lead a side with talents like this. I am not bothered about the captaincy controversy."
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Mumbai cruise to massive victory
Many a time over the last 15 years or so fans of this great game have wondered what it would be like if Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opened together in a limited-overs game and really turned it on. Today they got a glimpse.
The two masters of the limited-overs game, with a combined age of nearly 76, treated Port Elizabeth to the cleanest, purest exhibition of batting that this season of the IPL has seen. Tendulkar paved the way with a sublime innings and Jayasuriya followed suit with an explosive hand, the veteran pair combining to raise a century stand in 52 balls that flummoxed Kolkata Knight Riders. That stunning opening assault formed the crux of Mumbai Indians' 187 and though Kolkata restricted the damage with six wickets for 48 runs after the tactical break, the damage had been done. Their only realistic chance at victory rested on their explosive openers' shoulders but once they were gone inside three overs the chase was basically kaput.
Mumbai's first five overs were busy, without being spectacular. Tendulkar was beaten a couple times by Ishant Sharma but upper-cut a six and flicked a four in Ashok Dinda's first over. That set the tone for a busy innings, taken up a level when he pulled Ishant for six from outside off stump.
While Tendulkar whisked the ball off his pads and slapped through point, Jayasuriya didn't get much strike. His first shot in anger was a chip just over extra cover's fingertips and a signature clip to fine leg followed. Mumbai were 45 for 0 in five overs. What followed was carnage.
Jayasuriya, who was on 8 as Tendulkar scurried to 30, launched Sourav Ganguly's gentle military-medium stuff for consecutive sixes; Tendulkar swept Ajantha Mendis for six; Chris Gayle went for ten in six balls; Mendis was dumped for two sixes by each batsman in his second over. Tendulkar's fourth six, a deft pick-up over midwicket off Mendis, raised his fifty from 34 balls. Jayasuriya had blasted 33 from 13 balls. The 100 was up in 8.4 overs. When the tactical break was taken Tendulkar was 60 off 39 and Jayasuriya 43 off 21, Mumbai 111 for 0.
For a man who has only played one international Twenty20, Tendulkar batted with amazing fluency. He got the wrists into play superbly, pulling and cutting hard, and used his crease to negotiate the pacers. Mendis wasn't even allowed to settle; Gayle was effortlessly reverse-swept.
There were no crude shots, no cross-batted slogs from Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. This was clinical hitting - each veteran knew the field and backed himself to pick the gaps. It was the experience of 1138 combined international games coming together in a mesmerizing mosaic of boundaries. In between clearing his front leg to lift Mendis there were clever late dabs from Tendulkar, neat tickles from Jayasuriya.
That assault was in stark contrast to the second half of Mumbai's innings, when Kolkata regrouped. The scoring slowed after the break and Tendulkar fell to Laxmi Shukla, looking to take the ball from off stump and work it to leg. Harbhajan Singh strode in, clubbed 18 from 8 balls, and sent a full toss to deep midwicket. Jayasuriya looked for width but instead chipped to cover for 52 from 32 balls. Then Abhishek Nayar was run out, Dwayne Bravo top-edged to the deep, and Shikhar Dhawan edged Ishant. Gayle bowled a decent last over and Mumbai were unable to end on with a flurry.
Kolkata needed almost 9.5 runs an over inside a stadium rumbling like a Jay Z amplifier, and the pressure of chasing a large total under lights affected the Kolkata openers early in their innings. Brendon McCullum shouldered arms to his first ball before he steered Lasith Malinga to point. Gayle thumped Bravo for the 152th six in the IPL only to edge his West Indian team-mate to slip.
Sourav Ganguly wasn't allowed to come onto the front foot and so he used his feet to loft Bravo down the ground for six and four, and with that try for some momentum. But Ganguly struggled to find the boundaries thereafter and Brad Hodge never really threatened with 24 off 22 balls. Both were to fall against the tidy seam-up bowling of Nayar in successive overs, the last nail firmly hammered into Kolkata's coffin.
Nayar, Bravo, Zaheer Khan and Malinga didn't have to do much but keep it near the stumps and wait for an urgent shot. Each struck rather easily and the rest of the batting card made for disappointing reading as Kolkata fell short by 92 runs. From 71 for 3 when Hodge fell, Kolkata folded for 95 in 15.2 overs.
A powerful batting display was followed by an efficient, shining effort in the field, aptly demonstrating that Mumbai pretty much have all the bases covered.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Shahrukh in trouble for smoking at the IPL
Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan's act of smoking during an Indian Premier League match hasn't gone down too well with the anti-smoking lobby. The National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) was upset with the broadcasters of the tournament which showed the footage of King Khan smoKing during the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab.
NOTE issued a statement that the official broadcasters should ensure that footage of smoking especially by celebrities should not be broadcast. They argued that such visuals increases the chances of youngsters picKing up the habit in trying to imitate their Heroes. NOTE has requested the even organisers to make no smoKing announcements at the venues during the matches.
NOTE added that although smoking was not banned in public places in South Africa it was lobbying with the South African National Council Against Smoking to bring a blanket ban on smoking in public places. NOTE's General Secretary Shekhar Salkar said in absence of a law they had requested Shahrukh and other celebrities to quit smoKing for their well being.
This is not the first time that King Khan is in trouble due to his smoking habit. In October 2007 he was served with a legal notice by the same NGO for smoKing during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit and an ODI match between India and Australia in Mumbai. Well Shahrukh still seems to be in no mood to Kick the butt.
NOTE issued a statement that the official broadcasters should ensure that footage of smoking especially by celebrities should not be broadcast. They argued that such visuals increases the chances of youngsters picKing up the habit in trying to imitate their Heroes. NOTE has requested the even organisers to make no smoKing announcements at the venues during the matches.
NOTE added that although smoking was not banned in public places in South Africa it was lobbying with the South African National Council Against Smoking to bring a blanket ban on smoking in public places. NOTE's General Secretary Shekhar Salkar said in absence of a law they had requested Shahrukh and other celebrities to quit smoKing for their well being.
This is not the first time that King Khan is in trouble due to his smoking habit. In October 2007 he was served with a legal notice by the same NGO for smoKing during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit and an ODI match between India and Australia in Mumbai. Well Shahrukh still seems to be in no mood to Kick the butt.
Kolkata's Chopra and Bangar sent back
Labels:
akash chopra,
kolkata knight riders,
sanjay bangar
Kolkata Knight Riders have asked the senior pair of Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar to return to India since they do not fit in the present "scheme of things". The decision was taken after discussions between coach John Buchanan and the team management and while the players were not "happy" they accepted the decision. Both Chopra and Bangar, along with a few injured players will board a flight from Cape Town on Monday.
"These [Chopra and Bangar] are two very good senior international players so John Buchanan and the team management thought that if they are not going to have the opportunity [to play] it is unfair to keep them around," Joy Bhattacharya, Kolkata CEO, said. Chopra played in Kolkata's first two matches, but got the opportunity to bat only once, managing 11 off 19 balls in first game. Bangar played in the thriller against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, but failed to make an impression, scoring just two.
"Nobody is ever happy about going back, but they took it right frame of mind," Bhattacharya, asked for the players' reactions. He also said that both players will be back next season as their contracts are for three years.
With this latest trim Kolkata have effectively brought their squad strength down to a manageable 20 from the staggering 54 originally picked. There are 11 Indians left in the team in addition to the nine foreigners. "Right now we are down to 11 Indians and seven of them need to play so we don't think we will trim it," Bhattacharya said.
Kolkata Knight Riders squad:
Anureet Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Ashok Dinda, Sourav Ganguly, Chris Gayle, Arindam Ghosh, Moises Henriques, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Murali Kartik, Charl Langeveldt, Brendon McCullum, Mashrafe Mortaza, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Wriddhiman Saha, Shoaib Shaikh, Ishant Sharma, Laxmi Shukla, Yashpal Singh.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Trouble in KKR camp: Shah Rukh avoids Ganguly in team meeting
CAPE TOWN: "Hey, you’re from the Indian media?" asked a young lady at The Newlands, wearing that black and gold Knight Riders T-shirt. Yes ma’am,
one replied. "Shah Rukh Khan!" was the yelling that followed. "You can surely help us meet Shah Rukh," she and quite a few of others along with her demanded. Sorry, can’t help you there.
Blog: Golden oldies - 11 stars aged over 35
Well, Shah Rukh Khan is a busy man. On Sunday though, he was tied up a little more than usual after Knight Riders suffered a heavy defeat against Team Hyderabad in their first match here. Not that journalists have that easy access to the superstar so as to introduce him to the ladies, but on Sunday, even the thought of going and meeting him was banished.
The moment KKR finished their game and rushed back to the hotel, Khan was already there. And by the time they finished with their dinner (reluctantly), he was already keen to meet them. He spoke to quite a few. While none agreed to disclose the contents of the conversation, it was visible that the one player who Khan didn’t talk to was Sourav Ganguly.
What’s brewing? A couple of players heading back to their rooms hardly opened their mouths. "The media should know, right?" they said.
The one issue that tore into a bagful of controversies in the Knight Riders’ camp even before the IPL began was John Buchanan’s multiple captain theory. Was that the reason again or were there old wounds that haven’t healed? Or was it just Sunday’s loss? "We just had a bad day out there. The batting didn’t click. We’ll be looking to get better in the next game," skipper Brendon McCullum said post match. He didn’t want to comment on anything related to the multiple captain issue or the Ganguly-Buchanan or Ganguly-Khan relationship.
McCullum has been going around telling the media here about how KKR captaincy hasn’t become a matter of ego. "It’s quite a healthy atmosphere in there," he’s been quoted as saying. But that didn’t allow the side to come up with an impressive performance. They were bowled out for just 101 runs in 19.4 overs.
Even if McCullum’s word is to be taken, Sunday’s defeat won’t help the rumours die. Instead, fresh ones like "Sourav may not play the next game" or "Khan has given the players a sermon" and "Players are saying Buchanan committed a blunder by sending Aakash Chopra at No. 5" were doing the rounds.
For the record, it was a loss by eight wickets, but more than that, it was salt on a wound that’s fresher than ever. The ladies wanting SRK’s autograph will have to wait.
one replied. "Shah Rukh Khan!" was the yelling that followed. "You can surely help us meet Shah Rukh," she and quite a few of others along with her demanded. Sorry, can’t help you there.
Blog: Golden oldies - 11 stars aged over 35
Well, Shah Rukh Khan is a busy man. On Sunday though, he was tied up a little more than usual after Knight Riders suffered a heavy defeat against Team Hyderabad in their first match here. Not that journalists have that easy access to the superstar so as to introduce him to the ladies, but on Sunday, even the thought of going and meeting him was banished.
The moment KKR finished their game and rushed back to the hotel, Khan was already there. And by the time they finished with their dinner (reluctantly), he was already keen to meet them. He spoke to quite a few. While none agreed to disclose the contents of the conversation, it was visible that the one player who Khan didn’t talk to was Sourav Ganguly.
What’s brewing? A couple of players heading back to their rooms hardly opened their mouths. "The media should know, right?" they said.
The one issue that tore into a bagful of controversies in the Knight Riders’ camp even before the IPL began was John Buchanan’s multiple captain theory. Was that the reason again or were there old wounds that haven’t healed? Or was it just Sunday’s loss? "We just had a bad day out there. The batting didn’t click. We’ll be looking to get better in the next game," skipper Brendon McCullum said post match. He didn’t want to comment on anything related to the multiple captain issue or the Ganguly-Buchanan or Ganguly-Khan relationship.
McCullum has been going around telling the media here about how KKR captaincy hasn’t become a matter of ego. "It’s quite a healthy atmosphere in there," he’s been quoted as saying. But that didn’t allow the side to come up with an impressive performance. They were bowled out for just 101 runs in 19.4 overs.
Even if McCullum’s word is to be taken, Sunday’s defeat won’t help the rumours die. Instead, fresh ones like "Sourav may not play the next game" or "Khan has given the players a sermon" and "Players are saying Buchanan committed a blunder by sending Aakash Chopra at No. 5" were doing the rounds.
For the record, it was a loss by eight wickets, but more than that, it was salt on a wound that’s fresher than ever. The ladies wanting SRK’s autograph will have to wait.
Friday, April 17, 2009
KKR drops Sourav Ganguly as captain
It seems the debate over the multiple captains in the Kolkata Knight Riders team is resolved for now.
Team sources at Kolkata Knight Riders have told NDTV that Brendon McCullum will be the captain for the entire second season.
He will replace former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly, who also led the KKR squad in the first season of the Indian Premier League.
Now, it means that McCullum will go out for the toss while Sourav Ganguly, who was expecting to stay on as captain, will only have a senior management role along with Chris Gayle.
McCullum was perhaps first choice for Shah Rukh Khan's team not just because of his skills at 20-20, but because he is available for the entire event.
KKR have been using different captains in each of their practice games in South Africa, but it's not yet clear whether this experiment has been junked or will carry on in some form even during the event.
Team sources at Kolkata Knight Riders have told NDTV that Brendon McCullum will be the captain for the entire second season.
He will replace former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly, who also led the KKR squad in the first season of the Indian Premier League.
Now, it means that McCullum will go out for the toss while Sourav Ganguly, who was expecting to stay on as captain, will only have a senior management role along with Chris Gayle.
McCullum was perhaps first choice for Shah Rukh Khan's team not just because of his skills at 20-20, but because he is available for the entire event.
KKR have been using different captains in each of their practice games in South Africa, but it's not yet clear whether this experiment has been junked or will carry on in some form even during the event.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Mixed day for Knight Riders; they win 1, lose 1
Labels:
Brendon Macculum,
Chris Gayle,
cricket live,
cricket ipl,
kolkata knight riders,
practice matches
Kolkata, April 15: Kolkata Knight Riders enjoyed mixed success as of the two practice games they played on Wednesday, winning one game while losing the other.
The Shah Rukh Khan owned team lost the first game against Free State by two wickets.
Defending a meagre target off 140 runs, they managed to stretch the home team to the last ball but in the end, the score just did not prove enough.
They bounced back in the second game to romp home to a 59 run victory. Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum scored 76 each as KKR set up a formidable total of 204 runs in 20 overs. In reply, Free State could muster only 145/7.
The Shah Rukh Khan owned team lost the first game against Free State by two wickets.
Defending a meagre target off 140 runs, they managed to stretch the home team to the last ball but in the end, the score just did not prove enough.
They bounced back in the second game to romp home to a 59 run victory. Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum scored 76 each as KKR set up a formidable total of 204 runs in 20 overs. In reply, Free State could muster only 145/7.
Priyanka Gandhi bats for Shahrukh
News
follows wherever Shahrukh Khan goes. He scores whether is on or off the field. When his films are not shining, he let cricket
shine. With Indian Premiere League (IPL) Season II round the corner, he is in the news again. And believe it or not, Priyanka Gandhi is going to cheer for his team Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Season II, which is starting on April 18.
Priyanka Gandhi was seen cheering for Shahrukh's Kolkata Knight Riders along with hubby Robert Vadra and brother Rahul Gandhi in one of the IPL matches last year. This year too, the charismatic Congress star campaigner, is going to support Shahrukh's team in spite of her busy schedule. Kolkata Knight Riders meet Deccan Chargers in their opening match in Cape Town on April 19.
Interestingly, Priyanka is a huge fan of Shahrukh and they are close to each other. This camaraderie has even led to rumours that Shahrukh would join politics.
Well, Shahrukh and Priyanka seem to be playing politics on the field!
follows wherever Shahrukh Khan goes. He scores whether is on or off the field. When his films are not shining, he let cricket
shine. With Indian Premiere League (IPL) Season II round the corner, he is in the news again. And believe it or not, Priyanka Gandhi is going to cheer for his team Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Season II, which is starting on April 18.
Priyanka Gandhi was seen cheering for Shahrukh's Kolkata Knight Riders along with hubby Robert Vadra and brother Rahul Gandhi in one of the IPL matches last year. This year too, the charismatic Congress star campaigner, is going to support Shahrukh's team in spite of her busy schedule. Kolkata Knight Riders meet Deccan Chargers in their opening match in Cape Town on April 19.
Interestingly, Priyanka is a huge fan of Shahrukh and they are close to each other. This camaraderie has even led to rumours that Shahrukh would join politics.
Well, Shahrukh and Priyanka seem to be playing politics on the field!
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