Down in the dumps after just two wins from eight outings, the Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore Royal Challengers face a must-win situation to keep their semifinal chances alive in the Indian Premier League when they take on the formidable Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Monday (May 12). Placed at the bottom of the points table with, it's going to be a tall order for Dravid's team, which has been let down by its batsmen who put up a very ordinary batting display throughout the competition. Skipper Dravid has not been in great form in the competition which includes two ducks, but he can take solace from the fact that his single big knock of 66 came against the Punjab team in their earlier match. The Bangalore team had been bundled out for 126 by the Yuvraj Singh-led Kings XI in that match played at Bangalore on May 5. Having lost to Punjab earlier and low on morale owing to their below par performance, the Vijay Mallya owned outfit will need to put an extra-ordinary effort to pull itself out of the dumps.
The Challengers started their campaign on a losing note when they went down to Kolkata Knight Riders by a massive 140 runs and though they won the subsequent match against Mumbai by five wickets, they again lost three matches on the trot before registering a narrow three-run win against Deccan Chargers, another lowly team in the competition.
In their last match against Riders played at Kolkata, batting again let down the Challengers despite the fact that they were asked to chase a modest target of 129 in 16 overs in the rain-affected match.
Challengers' South African import Jacques Kallis has failed to impress so far, but wicketkeeper Mark Boucher's unbeaten knock of 50 in the last match and some of his previous knocks should offer a ray of hope to Challengers.
In the absence of injured Wasif Jaffer, Dravid and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will need to take more responsibility at the top order and build partnerships so that middle-order batsmen Kallis, Virat Kohli and Cameron White can go after the opponents in the remaining overs. South African pacer Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar have the capability to trouble batsmen and should find the good bounce offered by Mohali tracks to their liking. On the other hand, Kings XI have been on a roll having won five matches at a stretch, even though they lost their last match against the Chennai Super Kings.
However, that loss should not be much of a bother for the Punjab team, which has leading wicket taker Irfan Pathan and dangerous-looking Shaun Marsh in its ranks. Twenty-four-year old Australian left-hander Marsh has so far played four games and scored of 84, 40, 39 and 58. They enjoy a formidable batting line-up which also includes Yuvraj, Mahela Jayawardene and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Irfan has played some big knocks down the order, which adds strength to their batting. Teenaged leg spinner Piyush Chawla has been among the wickets and has also proved his mettle as a lower-order batsman, which makes him an asset for his team. S Sreesanth, too, has been bowling with a lot of discipline and makes the bowling attack look complete. The Preity Zinta co-owned Punjab team can also afford to experiment by promoting young wicket-keeper Uday Kaul up the order so that he gets a chance to prove himself. Dravid: Success in T20 may not be of help in longer versions
Bangalore Royal Challengers may be struggling to find their feet in the Indian Premier League, but skipper Rahul Dravid today said the youngsters should not get disheartened as performance in Twenty20 was not an indicator of a player's ability in longer version of the game. "Success in T20 may not automatically translate into success in the four-day Ranji or Tests," Dravid, whose team will take on Kings XI Punjab, told a pre-match press conference here. He said batsmen scoring runs in T20 cannot be rated as better batsmen because they will need to prove themselves in the longer version of the game. "T20 is unique and lot of young Indian players are excelling in this format. Whether they can take this confidence to the next level is debatable. It's not going to be easy and the skills with which you achieve success in T20 may not help you give you success in Ranji and Tests," he said. Asked whether the youngster playing this format are going to be good enough to perform in the longer versions, Dravid said, "It's hard to make that call and rate what is a good performance in this format."
Asked how he felt playing and captaining in this format and if this was the same as leading and playing for one's country, Dravid said "nothing can be equated to playing for one's country." Dravid, however, said the pressure of winning while playing for the country and for a franchise was the same. "Whichever team you are a part of, you want to win and want to do well," he said.
On his team's performance which is placed at the bottom of the points table, Dravid admitted that "below par" batting had let them down. "We have not batted the way we would have liked to. It has been a bit below par, which has cost us some games. Probably, we will do better next time," he said. On criticism that the Royal Challengers were more of a Test side and not suited for the Twenty20 format, Dravid said, "Even other teams are not doing well, some of whom had been rated much higher than us. We still have got six games to go and it's a great opportunity for us to bounce back. If we don't, it will be a disappointment for us and our franchise."
"T20 is constantly changing, evolving and teams are trying different things. Everyone is learning here and even the bowlers are learning how to cope (in the batsman-oriented format)," he said.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
DADA powers Kolkata to 23-run win
Venugopal Rao's unbeaten 42-ball 71 went in vain as Deccan Chargers slumped to their seventh successive defeat, going down to Kolkata Knight Riders by 23 runs in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.Opting to bat first, the Knight Riders rode on captain Sourav Ganguly's stroke-filled 91 and David Hussey's late assault to amass 204 for the loss of four wickets in their quota of 20 overs.
In reply, the Chargers led by Rao's blitzkrieg - studded with four boundaries and a half a dozen sixes - could manage 181 for seven.
After their pathetic fielding allowed the Knight Riders to cross the 200-run mark, the Chargers lost wickets at regular intervals while trying to overhaul the massive target.
Openers Adam Gilchrist (24) and Herschelle Gibbs (5) fell to rookie pacer Ashok Dinda, while Umar Gul claimed D Ravi Teja (10).
Ganguly then dealt another blow to the host side by scalping New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris to reduce the Chargers to 63 for 4.
Rohit Sharma and Rao stabilised the innings to add 32 runs for the fifth wicket. But before the pair could take the hosts to the safety zone, Dinda struck again to effect the departure of Rohit (33 off 24 balls, 3x4s, 2x6s).
Ganguly then drew the life out of Chargers' challenge by scripting the dismissal of Sanjay Bangar (9).
However, an unperturbed Rao took the attack to the Knight Riders' camp and plundered the visiting bowlers all over the park.
But Rao ran out of partners and could only witness his side suffer another loss.
Earlier, Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first but Salman Butt's exit in the first over pegged back the visitors.
Ganguly joined hands with Aakash Chopra (24) and forged a 69-run stand to steady the ship before he and Hussey tore apart the Deccan attack en route to a 102-run stand for the third wicket.
Ganguly's 91 came off 57 balls and was studded with 11 hits to the fence besides five sixes.
Hussey remained unbeaten after a 29-ball knock that included four boundaries, besides three sixes.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla was not out on 14 off just three balls as the Knight Riders went past the 200-run mark.
Playing his second match of the tournament, Butt (4) drove Chaminda Vaas for a four but perished soon edging him behind. The hosts, however, had to wait another 10 overs before another wicket fell and it was poor judgment that saw Chopra returning to the hut after being run out.
Ganguly looked good for his maiden Twenty20 century but trying to up the ante, he went for a hook only to see RP Singh take a low catch at fine leg off P Vijaykumar.
Tatenda Taibu (9) lived dangerously and threw his bat at anything and everything before Ravi Teja took a full-blooded drive off RP Singh to cut short his stay.
The win has taken the Knight Riders' points tally to eight from eight matches, while the Deccan Chargers are way down in the table with four points from their nine matches.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Luck favouring Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings, with an unbeaten record after four matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, admitted on Tuesday that there was an element of luck that had led them to victories.
“Two of our four matches could have gone either way. Against Mumbai Indians, we squeezed through by six runs and last night, in Bangalore, the Royal Challengers looked set to win after we dropped three crucial catches. Yet, we pulled through,” conceded VB Chandrasekhar, the Super Kings team’s director for cricketing operations.
The Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by six runs and the Royal Challengers by 13 runs after being in seemingly losing positions in both the games.
Currently, the Super Kings top the league standings with a tally of eight points, ahead of Rajasthan Royals who have six, also from four outings.
“We were targeting the first four games since we knew that Australians Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey and Kiwi Jacob Oram would be returning home for national duties. So, it was imperative that we got through these four matches with maximum points. To this end, I would say, we are pretty happy overall,” said Chandrasekhar on arrival here from Bangalore this afternoon.
Also read:
Super Kings win fourth match in a row as Challengers choke Oram wants to bowl consistently
While the Aussies and Oram depart, the team has been reinforced by the arrival of South Africans, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and all-rounder Albie Morkel, the two of whom along with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would spearhead the Super Kings bowling attack.
“It was a really really tough game. The pitch was not suitable for big hitting, but thanks to Dhoni’s efforts we managed to post a challenging total,” Chandrasekhar recalled.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, later declared Player of the Match, cracked a brilliant 30-ball 65 and put on 96 runs for the fourth wicket with Hussey (47) to help Super Kings post 178.
The Challengers appeared well on way to achieving the target, but collapsed in a dramatic fashion. “We had a stroke of luck last night and pulled through,” Chandrasekhar pointed out.
Reflecting on the earlier games, Chandrasekhar opined that there was an element of luck in two of the four matches, but was happy that they achieved their primary goal of taking maximum points from the initial four outings.
“We are now looking ahead to the next set of four matches. At this moment though the players would like to take some rest after the late night yesterday and an early morning flight today. We will now have to regroup and plan for the future matches,” he said.
The Super Kings are scheduled to host Delhi Daredevils on May 2, before leaving for Jaipur to meet Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
“Two of our four matches could have gone either way. Against Mumbai Indians, we squeezed through by six runs and last night, in Bangalore, the Royal Challengers looked set to win after we dropped three crucial catches. Yet, we pulled through,” conceded VB Chandrasekhar, the Super Kings team’s director for cricketing operations.
The Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by six runs and the Royal Challengers by 13 runs after being in seemingly losing positions in both the games.
Currently, the Super Kings top the league standings with a tally of eight points, ahead of Rajasthan Royals who have six, also from four outings.
“We were targeting the first four games since we knew that Australians Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey and Kiwi Jacob Oram would be returning home for national duties. So, it was imperative that we got through these four matches with maximum points. To this end, I would say, we are pretty happy overall,” said Chandrasekhar on arrival here from Bangalore this afternoon.
Also read:
Super Kings win fourth match in a row as Challengers choke Oram wants to bowl consistently
While the Aussies and Oram depart, the team has been reinforced by the arrival of South Africans, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and all-rounder Albie Morkel, the two of whom along with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would spearhead the Super Kings bowling attack.
“It was a really really tough game. The pitch was not suitable for big hitting, but thanks to Dhoni’s efforts we managed to post a challenging total,” Chandrasekhar recalled.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, later declared Player of the Match, cracked a brilliant 30-ball 65 and put on 96 runs for the fourth wicket with Hussey (47) to help Super Kings post 178.
The Challengers appeared well on way to achieving the target, but collapsed in a dramatic fashion. “We had a stroke of luck last night and pulled through,” Chandrasekhar pointed out.
Reflecting on the earlier games, Chandrasekhar opined that there was an element of luck in two of the four matches, but was happy that they achieved their primary goal of taking maximum points from the initial four outings.
“We are now looking ahead to the next set of four matches. At this moment though the players would like to take some rest after the late night yesterday and an early morning flight today. We will now have to regroup and plan for the future matches,” he said.
The Super Kings are scheduled to host Delhi Daredevils on May 2, before leaving for Jaipur to meet Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Mumbai Indians Ease Past Royals
Mumbai Indians produced an inspired display with the ball to claim a seven-wicket victory over IPL leaders Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
The Royals collapsed from 74 for two to 103 all out - the first time they have been bowled out in the competition - as their five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt.
Ashish Nehra was the Royals' tormentor-in-chief with figures of three for 13, while Dwayne Bravo, Rohan Raje and Dhawal Kulkarni took two wickets apiece.
Mumbai sauntered to their victory target with nearly five overs to spare to continue their remarkable reversal of fortunes - this was their third straight win having lost their opening four fixtures.
Robin Uthappa top scored with 34 off 21 balls, including four fours and a six, as the Indians reached 104 for three.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Yogesh Takawale put on 41 in a solid opening partnership, the leisurely early pace given a kick-start by a six apiece over square leg.
The Sri Lankan holed out to Yusuf Pathan at deep square leg off Shane Watson for 18, while Takawale (27) fell victim to a textbook Shane Warne delivery.
The further loss of Bravo (one) gave Mumbai brief cause for concern, but Uthappa kept a cool head to guide his team to victory.
Put in to bat after Mumbai won the toss, the Royals had earlier never looked like claiming a foothold in the match as they lost their last eight wickets for 29 runs.
Pollock - the hero of Mumbai's win over Delhi Daredevils last time out - dealt the first blow to remove Graeme Smith, his former South Africa team-mate stumped by Takawale for five.
Swapnil Asnodkar looked in better nick with consecutive fours before Nehra delivered a perfect inswinger to clean bowl Yusuf Pathan (one).
The big-hitting Watson bludgeoned his way to a rapid 32 - including a monster maximum over long on - but was then removed by Bravo.
And Mohammad Kaif (four), Ravindra Jadeja (nought) and Shane Warne (seven) all fell in the quick succession as the need to up the run rate prompted an array of rash strokes.
Asnodkar finally became Raje's second victim for 39 before Nehra and Bravo cleaned up the tail, the former removing Sohail Tanvir (six) and Mahesh Rawat (one) and the West Indian sending Sidharth Trivedi (one) packing.
The Royals collapsed from 74 for two to 103 all out - the first time they have been bowled out in the competition - as their five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt.
Ashish Nehra was the Royals' tormentor-in-chief with figures of three for 13, while Dwayne Bravo, Rohan Raje and Dhawal Kulkarni took two wickets apiece.
Mumbai sauntered to their victory target with nearly five overs to spare to continue their remarkable reversal of fortunes - this was their third straight win having lost their opening four fixtures.
Robin Uthappa top scored with 34 off 21 balls, including four fours and a six, as the Indians reached 104 for three.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Yogesh Takawale put on 41 in a solid opening partnership, the leisurely early pace given a kick-start by a six apiece over square leg.
The Sri Lankan holed out to Yusuf Pathan at deep square leg off Shane Watson for 18, while Takawale (27) fell victim to a textbook Shane Warne delivery.
The further loss of Bravo (one) gave Mumbai brief cause for concern, but Uthappa kept a cool head to guide his team to victory.
Put in to bat after Mumbai won the toss, the Royals had earlier never looked like claiming a foothold in the match as they lost their last eight wickets for 29 runs.
Pollock - the hero of Mumbai's win over Delhi Daredevils last time out - dealt the first blow to remove Graeme Smith, his former South Africa team-mate stumped by Takawale for five.
Swapnil Asnodkar looked in better nick with consecutive fours before Nehra delivered a perfect inswinger to clean bowl Yusuf Pathan (one).
The big-hitting Watson bludgeoned his way to a rapid 32 - including a monster maximum over long on - but was then removed by Bravo.
And Mohammad Kaif (four), Ravindra Jadeja (nought) and Shane Warne (seven) all fell in the quick succession as the need to up the run rate prompted an array of rash strokes.
Asnodkar finally became Raje's second victim for 39 before Nehra and Bravo cleaned up the tail, the former removing Sohail Tanvir (six) and Mahesh Rawat (one) and the West Indian sending Sidharth Trivedi (one) packing.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Royals, Kings XI Punjab are favourites now : Gavaskar
Shaun Pollock has always had an impish sense of humour, and it came to the fore at the media conference on the eve of their previous game against the Delhi Daredevils. The mood was obviously lighter with the Mumbai Indians having opened their account with a thumping win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Garden a couple of days earlier. So when Pollock was asked if Sachin Tendulkar was fit to play, he deadpanned with: "we are not changing a winning combination". The media loved it because in one humorous quip their question was answered.
The Mumbai Indians went on to beat the Delhi Daredevils easily and have now moved up the ladder. They now meet the underrated, underestimated but immensely competitive Rajasthan Royals, in a game that will indicate if their progress is on or if they have hit a big stumbling block again - to stop the Daredevils who were on a roll. To stop the big hitters Sehwag, Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan was a tremendous achievement, especially when similar targets had been achieved by the Daredevils with ease.
The Rajasthan Royals along with the Kings XI Punjab are the hot teams at the moment. The manner in which the Royals are brushing aside the challenge of other teams is heartwarming, for this is a side sans superstars barring the notable exception of Shane Warne and they have shown how a great combination can work wonders. They have hardly broken into a sweat so far, and look almost certain to qualify for the semifinals. The Kings XI Punjab too have been in superb form, and this despite the skipper Yuvraj Singh not hitting the big ones, as he so spectacularly did in the ICC T20 World Cup. Sreesanth without having to resent to any gimmickry is bowling beautifully which undermines if ever there was need for it, that if one concentrates on one's strength then it is easy to be consistently successful. Zipping the lip has made his bowling sharper and better, and that lovely outswing is back in dangerous areas for the batsman again.
The Mumbai Indians went on to beat the Delhi Daredevils easily and have now moved up the ladder. They now meet the underrated, underestimated but immensely competitive Rajasthan Royals, in a game that will indicate if their progress is on or if they have hit a big stumbling block again - to stop the Daredevils who were on a roll. To stop the big hitters Sehwag, Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan was a tremendous achievement, especially when similar targets had been achieved by the Daredevils with ease.
The Rajasthan Royals along with the Kings XI Punjab are the hot teams at the moment. The manner in which the Royals are brushing aside the challenge of other teams is heartwarming, for this is a side sans superstars barring the notable exception of Shane Warne and they have shown how a great combination can work wonders. They have hardly broken into a sweat so far, and look almost certain to qualify for the semifinals. The Kings XI Punjab too have been in superb form, and this despite the skipper Yuvraj Singh not hitting the big ones, as he so spectacularly did in the ICC T20 World Cup. Sreesanth without having to resent to any gimmickry is bowling beautifully which undermines if ever there was need for it, that if one concentrates on one's strength then it is easy to be consistently successful. Zipping the lip has made his bowling sharper and better, and that lovely outswing is back in dangerous areas for the batsman again.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Yuvraj Punjab Team Kisses Victory at Last
After consecutive defeats against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab won their first league match last night. With a comprehensive win over Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab will now face the highly confident Delhi Daredevils tomorrow at their home ground, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. Yuvraj Singh, the captain of the team is motivated by the team’s performance last night. He said the team members are all excited to play against the Delhi Daredevils and are willing to perform better
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