Behave like role models: Modi to players

6:09 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Port Elizabeth: Not pleased with Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Kevin Pietersen's dissent on an umpiring decision, Indian Premier League Chairman Lalit Modi has asked players to behave like role models and uphold the spirit of cricket.
"Every incident in IPL is being closely monitored ... We have a zero-tolerance policy on player indiscipline and will take all necessary steps to ensure that the game is played in the true spirit of cricket," Modi said after Pietersen was let off with a warning for showing dissent on Australian umpire Simon Taufel's LBW decision against him in an IPL match against Chennai Super Kings.
"Cricketers need to realise that they are huge role models for an entire generation of youth and it is crucial for youngsters all over the world to learn the values of this great game and the spirit in which it should be played.
"The eyes of the world are on the DLF Indian Premier League and we want to see cricket, and the spirit of cricket, at its best," he said.
The displeasure notwithstanding, Modi said he would be hoping that both Pietersen and Chennai's Andrew Flintoff return for the knock-out stages of IPL if their franchises advance that far.
"We would like to hope they can make it back and we will try to work it out. But at the end of the day it's a decision between them and the ECB," he was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.
However, the duo's national commitment make that next to impossible as the IPL semi-finals are on May 22 and 23, with the final a day later and England play one-day internationals against West Indies on May 21 and 24.
Modi also tried to stress the improved nature of relations between English and Indian cricket authorities and even suggested that the ECB could assume a financial stake in the Twenty20 Champions League, which was until now a cash cow only for India, Australia and South Africa.
"The matter is open. Anything can change and it's not a closed subject at all. The idea is we want to build the league up. The ECB and the BCCI had a rocky start because everyone is wary at the beginning or protecting their own territory, but we have a good relationship with them now and we hope to build on it going forward."

Tactical time-out hampers team's momentum - Tendulkar

6:27 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments


Sachin Tendulkar drives powerfully, Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, IPL, 1st game, Cape Town, April 18, 2009
Sachin Tendulkar isn't a fan of the tactical time-out © Getty Images

The IPL's new 'tactical timeout' is hampering the momentum of a team in a Twenty20 match, Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has said. The seven-and-a-half-minute break in the middle of an innings has also been criticised by Mumbai offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who told NDTV he did not like it because it "breaks the rhythm".
"Yes, we have done well in our last match but I think the strategy breaks are hampering the momentum of a team," Tendulkar said. "The seven and a half minute breaks are a bit too long."
Mumbai began their IPL campaign by beating Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs in Cape Town on Saturday and Chennai's head of cricket operations, VB Chandrasekhar, was also not pleased by the scheduled break.
"The seven and a half minute break after 10 overs is quite a distraction and comes in the way of valuable momentum, but that is something all teams will have to live with this year," Chandrasekhar wrote in his blog on the team's website. "Further, we had an unscheduled break of seven to eight minutes with a magnificent black canine holding centre stage amid hilarious scenes never before witnessed."
Chandrasekhar, a former India batsman and ex-national selector, is not the only credible face in the IPL to have voiced concerns about the timeout that was introduced to show more commericials on Indian television. Tom Moody, the Kings XI Punjab coach, admitted on Sunday that the timeout had affected his team's momentum, leading to a loss against Delhi Daredevils.
"We had the momentum and we had seven and a half minutes to lose it," Moody said. "It was the perfect time for Daniel Vettori to come on and secure the momentum back in favour of Delhi. But there are going to be days in this tournament when it works in our favour too."
Meanwhile, Chandrasekhar wrote Morkel's omission was a key reason for Chennai's 19-run loss to Mumbai. "A last minute change to the side was to prove costly for us as Albie landed here sans his gear. The airline had lost it in transit from Johannesburg where he had played the last ODI game against the touring Aussies," he wrote. "Albie was very disappointed and stressed at the sad turn of events. We missed him for his all-round skills, although Thushara did bowl well in his opening spell."
The other disappointments for Chennai was the catch dropped by Mathew Hayden at slip to let off Sachin Tendulkar off Andrew Flintoff and the three sixes hit by Abhishek Nayar in another Flintoff over. "Tendulkar was dropped early and later, Abhishek Nayar got stuck into Freddie," Chandrasekhar wrote. "A little more planning was necessary for local players and that is an area to be addressed with greater care. Nayar's cameo gave them a competitive score. These factors, combined with a bad start to our chase when we lost a couple of early wickets, put us quickly in a catch up mode especially as Haydos [Hayden] couldn't dictate terms to Bhajji."
© Cricinfo
 


Shoe woes for Chennai Super Kings' Morkel

6:13 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Johannesburg: The secret of why South African Albie Morkel failed to appear on the field for Chennai Super Kings at the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Mumbai Indians in Cape Town Saturday is finally out.
Morkel, who helped his side beat Bangalore Royal Challengers in Port Elizabeth on Monday evening by trapping countryman Jacques Kallis leg before after he struck five fours around the ground for 24 off 19 balls, could not play Saturday for lack of shoes.
Morkel had to withdraw from the side on Saturday at the last minute because his baggage had disappeared without trace and he could not find shoes of the right size with any of his teammates, the Afrikaans weekly Rapport said. 
Morkel and his Super Kings teammate Makhaya Ntini had to catch a flight from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town after playing in the final one day international (ODI) that the hosts lost to visitors Australia, although they won the series 3-2.
But on arrival at Cape Town Airport, there was no sign of Morkel's bag with all his cricket equipment in it.
"It was very frustrating as I was keen to make my mark early in the tournament, especially after being satisfied with my batting in the one-day series against Australia," Morkel said.
The Morkel brothers appear jinxed with regard to shoes. Just a few days earlier, Morne Morkel had to borrow a pair from Ntini after his bag went to Cape Town instead of the Wanderers in Johannesburg, where he was playing.

Classy Chennai steamroll Bangalore

6:10 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Matthew Hayden in an unforgiving mood, Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings, IPL, 5th game, Port Elizabeth, April 20, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers never recovered from Matthew Hayden's initial blitz © AFP

Chennai Super Kings' big-name foreign players stepped up to get the campaign back on track after the opening-day reverse against Mumbai Indians. Matthew Hayden rolled back the years to crack a quick half-century, Muttiah Muralitharan put another nail in the coffin of the spinners-have-no-place-in-Twenty20 theory, and Andrew Flintoff sparkled with bat and ball to sink Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Bangalore may have revamped their side this year, but turned in a performance reminiscent of their dire showings last season. The batting has yet to fire in two games, and the bowling was clueless against the initial onslaught from Chennai's openers.
After a weekend when the bowlers mostly held sway, the Chennai openers staged a display of vintage Twenty20 batting to provide just the start MS Dhoni would have wanted after winning the toss. Hayden was at his bullying best, and the hallmarks of his batting were on view: the walk-down-the-track to club the quicks, the muscular sweeps against the spinners. There was plenty of finesse among the fireworks as well, gentle glides to third man, and some caressed drives through cover.
Jacques Kallis, surprisingly picked ahead of Jesse Ryder, bore the brunt of Hayden's hitting. His first three deliveries disappeared for boundaries, and Hayden rounded off the over with a blast over long-off for six, 20 runs in that fifth over had Chennai flying at 56 for 0.
Pietersen rang in the changes but they were to no avail. Vinay Kumar was taken for two fours in the next over, and part-timer Virat Kohli gifted a couple of fours in the seventh which had Hayden racing to his half-century.
Parthiv was not quite as fluent, always keen to throw his bat and loft towards midwicket. There were plenty of mishits while he attempted that stroke, but there was one glorious pull off Dale Steyn which sailed over the square-leg boundary. By the time the tactical time-out came around, Chennai had sprinted to 106 for 0.
Kevin Pietersen may have been paid the big bucks for his flamboyant batting and captaincy, but it was with his amiable offspinners that he made an impact. His first ball bowled Parthiv, who made a meal of a slog-sweep, and Hayden was run out by a direct hit from Rahul Dravid at point off the next delivery. Only eight runs came off the next three overs.
Suresh Raina and Dhoni played some sumptuous strokes, but there too many singles and dot balls to keep the run-rate at the stratospheric levels the openers had maintained. It was left to Flintoff to make a 13-ball 22, including a flat six over square-leg off Steyn, to push Chennai along.
The boundaries may have been brought in at St George's Park, but 180 was always going to be a tall order for Bangalore. Their experiment to open with Praveen Kumar failed when he was bowled in the first over.
Kallis started to make amends for his lacklustre bowling with some eye-catching strokes steering Bangalore to 40 for 1 after five overs. However, he perished when, after a Pietersen-esque jumps across the stumps, he missed a full ball from Morkel to be trapped lbw.The miserly Flintoff then struck, getting Ross Taylor when a wild swipe only went as far as the bowler.
Worse was to follow. Murali, bowling from round the wicket, trapped Pietersen for a duck with a straighter one, and the unconvincing Robin Uthappa was stumped after being drawn forward by a flighted delivery which dipped and turned. Bangalore had slid to 51 for 5, and the chase was shipwrecked.
With the asking-rate spiralling upwards, Bangalore set about throwing the bat around, and the inevitable indiscreet strokes had them bowled out for 87.
 
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Royal Challengers aim to maintain momentum

6:28 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Port Elizabath: Maintaining the momentum would be Bangalore Royal Challengers' aim while Chennai Super Kings would seek to shrug off the hangover of their first match defeat when the teams cross sword in the second Indian Premier League cricket tournament here on Monday.
Under their new captain Kevin Pietersen, the Bangalore outfit made a statement of sort on Saturday when they humbled defending champions Rajasthan Royals by a whopping 75 runs, announcing they are ready to shed the laggard's tag they earned last year.
Interestingly, Pietersen owes the morale-boosting win largely to the person he replaced at the top and Rahul Dravid stood testimony to the fact that a player need not be ugly and go bang-bang all along to succeed in the Twenty20 format.
Dravid's cultured 66 was the cornerstone of the Bangalore innings against Rajasthan Royals while Pietersen contributed his mite as well.
But from the team point of view, Jesse Ryder, Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor failed to make early impressions and Pietersen would hope that the trio would come all guns blazing on Monday.
Fortunately, there seems no such worry in the bowling department where Anil Kumble, like Dravid, proved that Twenty20 is not necessarily a youngster's game and experience has no alternative.
Kumble's five-for against the Rajasthan Royals proved that the seasoned leggie may have retired from international cricket but he is still good enough to make life difficult for any batsman.
Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn did an excellent job in the pace department while Jesse Ryder's military medium pace also proved effective.
In contrast, the mood is somewhat sombre in the Chennai Super Kings camp after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men went down to Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener.
Apart from Matthew Hayden and Dhoni, none of the batsmen could really do any justice to their reputation and Andrew Flintoff was largely ineffective either with the ball or with the bat.
Flintoff did get the start but could not convert it, while Jacob Oram let the side down.
Even the Indian youngsters -- Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and S Badrinath -- came a cropper and Dhoni can only hope that they would not repeat their mistake again.
Not that Chennai bowlers did any better. Apart from Joginder Sharma, even the containing job proved beyond Dhoni's bowlers.
Manpreet Gony and Thilana Thushara did an average job opening the attack while Flintoff had a rather unflattering bowling figure.

Dhoni insured for $10.5 mn, pips Tendulkar

6:21 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Cape Town: The second edition of Indian Premier League, beginning here Saturday, has been insured for USD 286 million, more than double the amount -- USD 125 million -- spent last season, owing to terror threats.
Besides, the whopping sum for overall insurance for the tournament, India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has attracted the highest individual insurance cover of USD 10.5 million.
Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh follow behind with Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya of the Mumbai Indians commanding the highest price among overseas players.
"The sum assured has been higher this time around with the tournament moving overseas," Reena Bhatnagar, deputy general manager of Oriental Insurance Corporation (OIC), the IPL's insurers, was quoted as saying by a cricket website.
"The details of the package are similar to those signed last year, and will provide covers not just due to terrorism, but take into account other factors like accidents during travel, flights etc as well," she said.
Bhatnagar said the insurance cover for individual players were decided by the franchises and ranged from USD 2.5 million to USD 10.5 million.
"That Dhoni has been placed above Tendulkar or Ganguly, is entirely their (franchises') perception. It is the IPL organisers who then decide and provide us the values," she said. The package takes into account all 120 auctioned players as well as a few non-auctioned players. The cost in premiums to the franchises is around USD 430,000 each, the report said.
The OIC deputy director said the entire package was reinsurance-driven, meaning that OIC would seek to protect itself with other insurance companies against the risk of losses during the mega event "With such a large package signed up, it was beyond the capacity of the Indian insurers. We had to travel the reinsurance route and tap the London market," she said.
The loss of baggage cover means that players will be paid the cost of their belongings, in case they lose them during the course of the tournament.
The policies will be effective from the time the players leave for the 47-day tournament, to be staged from April 18-May 24, till they return home.

Knight Riders-have no Riders!!

6:20 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Bangalore Terming John Buchanan's theories on Twenty20 cricket as 'stupid and unimaginative', former Indian captain and coach Ajit Wadekar blamed Kolkata Knight Riders' humiliating eight-wicket defeat to Deccan Chargers squarely on the former Aussie coach.
"Buchanan has taken the Knight Riders' to the dept of the ocean with his 'stupid and unimaginative' theories. I find it shocking that he has been given so much of importance by the team management despite dividing the team. The body language of the players clearly indicated that everything was not fine with the team," Wadekar told Cricketnext.com on Monday.
"Changing the captain just a day before a big tournament is unheard of in cricket and by replacing Sourav Ganguly with Brendon McCullum, Buchanan has created a record of sort," a fuming Wadekar added.
Wadekar along with two former Indian skippers -- Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar -- had criticised Buchanan's multiple captains theory after a press conference in Kolkata.
"Buchanan's observations that the seniors like Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Anil Kumble should stop playing in the Twenty20 version has been answered in a proper manner by Dravid's and Sachin Tendulkar's technically sound batting and Anil Kumble's lion hearted bowling. Also such comments only proves the man's lack of cricketing knowledge as South African wickets will never help slam-bang type of batters," the southpaw said.
"Even an attacking batsman like Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa batted cautiously yesterday proving my point once and for all," Wadekar added.
"To me Buchanan is no cricket coach he is just a good man-management guy, who can be a decent manager. And if people want to give him credit for Australian team's success under Steve Waugh and later under Ricky Ponting it is their problem.
But to me only technically sound batsmen will have a big role to play in this IPL, irrespective of their age and unlike the traditional belief, spinners will be in the forefront of actions and might snatch the limelight from the fast bowlers," Wadekar sounded the warning.
Sympathising with defending champions Rajasthan Royals' early set back to the Bangalore outfit on the first day, Wadekar said, the loss of Shane Watson and Shoail Tanvir, had crippled the team somewhat.
"Watson and Tanvir played a major role in their team's success last time around and their absence has left a big dent as the team is yet to find suitable replacements," Wadekar said.
"Though the team consists of many talented youngster, they lack experience and technique to adapt to the conditions over there. Players like Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja should try and be more consistent and not resort to big hitting all the time because they will never succeed as you just cannot hit across the line on these wickets," he added.

Chargers Charged up!!

6:18 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Could the script have been any different from last year's start for the Kolkata Knight Riders? Brendon McCullum's intoxicating 158 had taken them to an enormous victory a year ago, but they were outplayed by an efficient Deccan Chargers outfit on a juicy pitch in Cape Town. It has been a weekend to savour for bowlers, and each member of Deccan's attack did their bit to leave Kolkata scrambling to reach triple-digits. Herschelle Gibbs, coming off a triumphant series against Australia, and Rohit Sharma, back in the country where he made his name in 2007, then made sure Deccan's campaign didn't begin in the dismal way last season's had.
Kolkata had packed their batting with foreign players, but it wasn't enough to prevent a hapless batting performance. Their formidable top order was handcuffed by Deccan's new-ball bowlers. Fidel Edwards was fast and frugal - consistently around the 140kph mark, he gave away only six runs, the lowest conceded in a completed IPL spell - and RP Singh evicted the Kolkata openers early.
Everything went right for Deccan. With Kolkata on 2 for 1 after three overs, Gayle broke free with a crash past point for four and a mow over midwicket for six. Then Adam Gilchrist pushed a fielder back to long-on, where Gayle promptly holed out next ball.
Sourav Ganguly had a short-lived and uncomfortable stay, beaten several times, and was unable to find the gap through the off side when he connected. Even fans protesting his removal from the captaincy can't defend the shot that brought about his dismissal - backing away and then stabbing at a wide, full delivery, only to nick it to slip.
Despite rain and a floodlight failure causing the game to be delayed by nearly an hour-and-a-half, the organisers decided to have the seven-and-a-half-minute interval after the tenth over. Aakash Chopra and Brad Hodge had dragged Kolkata to 31 for 3 by then, but also found Pragyan Ojha's left-arm spin a handful. Both Chopra and Laxmi Shukla perished giving Ojha the charge, only to be undone by the turn.
Hodge, the leading run-getter in Twenty20s, played a sensible hand. He entered in the fifth over and knocked around the singles before opening out in the 16th. Hodge slammed a couple of boundaries before slapping Scott Styris straight to Herschelle Gibbs at point. The tailenders threw their bat around but RP took two in three balls to deny Kolkata even the modest satisfaction of playing out their 20 overs.
A target of 102 was never going to be too big a challenge, especially as Kolkata had left out Ajantha Mendis on a pitch spinners have thrived on all weekend. Adam Gilchrist hit a couple of trademark boundaries before top-edging to square leg and VVS Laxman, after bludgeoning an out-of-character pull for six, was dismissed due to an old failing - poor running between the wickets.
That brought together Rohit and Gibbs, who knuckled down to work a few singles and steady the innings. Gibbs then started playing some inventive shots, a bent-knee sweep off Ganguly for four followed by a deft dab towards third man. Any pressure that Kolkata had built up vanished, and neither batsmen was afraid of lofting the ball after that.
Rohit joined in the fun once Ajit Agarkar was introduced, a huge six over long-off and a couple of boundaries helping take 17 runs off his first over. Some more merry hitting from the pair finished off the game with nearly seven overs to spare.
Kolkata had talked of a radical multiple-captain theory before the tournament, but they need to come up with some fresh ideas if they are improve on today's dreadful show.

Vettori stars in Delhi's rain-affected win

7:56 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
So there you are! Kings XI Punjab would be feeling unlucky as they had a decent score behind them, but the rains made it easy for Delhi only because they didn't lose any wickets in their chase. But Vettori was the man for the Daredevils. His 3-15 from three overs effectively put paid to Punjab's chances. And Sehwag's 38 from 16 balls was the icing on the cake. Delhi Daredevils have beaten Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets (D/L Method) Next up is Kolkata Knight Riders up against Deccan Chargers. Will McCullum do it again for KKR?

Over 5: It could be over in this over itself. Chawla into the attack. Sehwag will go after him for sure. Fifty up for Delhi. Sehwag and Gambhir are doing it in singles. Two more and Delhi are through as Sehwag goes for SIX! Delhi Daredevils have announced themselves in the IPL with a resounding 10-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab.
Runs: 1,2,1,1,1wd,6
Over 4: Delhi now only need 13 from 18 balls. VRV into the attack and Gambhir slashes him first ball for a single. Sehwag is eyeing the offside, but top-edges it, the ball lands safely in the boundary. Yuvraj seemed to slip while going for the catch. Gambhir gets two next ball, and the chase is down to single figures. Gambhir gives the charge but only gets one. Dot ball, finally. Shoulders drop in the KXIP camp.
Runs: 1,1,2,1,0,0
Over 3: Delhi need 54 from 6 overs. Sehwag plays and misses, and Sangakkara also misses. Only one bowler can bowl a maximum of two overs. Sehwag goes for SIX! A short-arm jab goes all the way over midwicket. Effortless stuff. He nicks next, and goes over Sangakkara for FOUR!. Delhi have raced to 41-0
Runs: 1,1b,1,6,0,4
Over 2: So Sehwag on strike. And he gets the first ball over the boundary for SIX! Yusuf Abdulla bowls down the legside, and Sehwag pivots and the ball sails over the ropes. He takes the next full-toss and hits it over mid on for FOUR! Abdulla needs to calm down. Sehwag gets another FOUR! but oh dear. The rain has descended again. Delhi had raced to 24-0 in the second over, but it doesn't look good at the moment.
The covers are coming off, and we can get a game. Eight minutes from now folks. It's a 6-over game. Delhi need 30 from 25 balls.
Sehwag gets FOUR of them from the last ball, he drives straight and VRV Singh runs over the ball down the ground.
Runs: 6,4,1wd,0,0,4,4
Over 1: Now then. Delhi have Sehwag and Gambhir out in the middle. KXIP are starting with Pathan with Sangakkara standing up to the stumps. Gambhir can't give the charge now. Gambhir is away, you can't stop him like that. He makes room and hits it over the offside field for FOUR! Good improvisation. He gets it through midwicket next, another FOUR! Flicks it with disdain.
Runs: 0,1wd,0,4,0,4,0

So there we have it. KXIP started off on a bright note with Karan Goel and Ravi Bopara going great guns, but Delhi introduced Daniel Vettori at the right time. Vettori had figures of 3-0-15-3 and some good fielding efforts, particularly from Manoj Tiwary lifted them back in the game. Delhi chase 105, but it could be tricky if Punjab's spinner, Piyush Chawla, and other bowlers can hit the areas from the word go.

Over 12: Salvi to bowl the last over. Irfan is on strike. Salvi has got his line right but KXIP have reached 100, although they could have had more. Pathan has skied it, but it lands safely between the fielders. AB de Villiers pulls off a fabulous save at the ropes. Tiwary's run out is backed up by de Villiers. Pathan is gone off the final ball! KXIP have managed 104-7 from their 12 overs.
Runs: 0,2,2,2,2,0
Over 11: There's confirmation of the Yuvraj shot, 101m. He seems to have seen it, and launches Vettori into the midwicket stand for another SIX! But Mahela calls for a horrendous run and Yuvraj is RUN OUT! It was risky right from the outset, and Vettori whips off the bails. And Mahela is OUT too! He wanted to clear the ropes, but manages to hit it straight to compatriot Dilshan at long off. And Delhi have another one! Piyush Chawla is run out! What an effort from Manoj Tiwary. He dives full length and hits the stumps direct. KXIP have lost three wickets for the same score. Poor Chawla didn't even face a ball there.
Yuvraj run out (Karthik) 16 (11b)
Jayawardene c Dilshan b Vettori 6 (6b)
Chawla run out 0 (0)
Runs: 1,6,W,0,W,W
Over 10: Jayawardene is in the business with a beautiful shot! He works it down to the fine leg boundary for FOUR! What a shot. Classy Mahela is away. Punjab need some big ones here, and Yuvraj is the key. They seem to have lost the momentum with those quick wickets. McGrath on the sidelines likes what he has seen from Delhi. He says he's never been dropped from the side. Well well. Nannes, meanwhile, brings out a sharp bouncer. But Yuvraj has the last word, he smashes the next one down the ground for MAXIMUM! Whoa! Look at that one go.
Runs: 1,4,1,0,1wd,0,6
Over 9: Four more overs to go. Vettori to continue. Who said spinners didn't have a role in T20? Harbhajan, Kumble, Warne all did well last night, and Vettori is following suit. Sangakkara gets a FOUR! Sweeps fine and away from the fieldsman. He's top-edged the next one and is OUT! He tried the same shot but Dirk Nannes judges it really well. Vettori has his second wicket. Mahela replaces Sangakkara in the middle. Delhi have pulled it back here.
Sangakkara c Nannes b Vettori 8 (11b)
Runs: 1,1,4,W,1,0
Over 8: Nannes back into the attack and starts with a precious dot ball. There is swing in the air, if only they can make use of it. Yuvraj is in the middle and gets off the mark. Two runs off the last 10 balls. Delhi are doing a good job. Nannes finishes off a good over. Three from it.
Runs: 0,1,0,0,1,1
Over 7: 
Vettori gets a wicket off his first ball. He gets Bopara plumb in front. OUT! Dinesh Karthik has borrowed Peter McGlashan's radically designed face mask. Vettori has started off brilliantly just when Delhi started to panic. Wow! Dot balls on the trot. Single off the last ball, one run and a wicket! KXIP 68-2
Bopara lbw Vettori 22 (16b)
Runs: W,0,0,0,0,1
Over 6: Goel starts the sixth over with another SIX! But the rain is beginning to return. Goel charged the bowler and went straight, full swing of his arms and it's gone miles. Dot ball, and the next one is banged in short and Goel goes for it and gets another SIX! Not as big as the previous two, but six runs all the same. Goel is on fire here. KXIP may not even need the belligerence of Yuvraj today. KXIP are well on their way to their targeted score. But that's it. Goel is OUT! He goes for another one, but manages to hit it straight to Vettori at mid off. Brilliant knock from Goel.
Goel c Vettori b Yo Mahesh 38 (21b)
Runs: 6,0,6,1,1wd,1,W
Over 5: Ravi Bopara gets into the act. SIX He pulls it off the front foot here, Sangwan is under pressure. But oh dear! Bopara skies it miles into the air, and Sehwag completely makes a mess of it. Bopara has a life, and he gets another one! He drills it straight to Sangwan, and he puts it down. Delhi have been erratic. Swing and a miss to finish the over. KXIP have 52-1 in five overs.
Runs: 1,6,1,2,1,0
Over 4: Goel is going for everything now, and have a look at that one. He smashes Yo Mahesh out of the park over midwicket. SIX! That's gone 111 metres! Ravindra Jadeja hit 96m last night, this has beaten him with quite a bit. What a shot. Sehwag needs to get his spinner, Vettori, in. KXIP 41-0
Runs: 1,1,1,6,1,0
Over 3: Pradeep Sangwan, left-armer replaces left-armer. Robin Jackman is at the KXIP dug-out, trying to find out what score they're looking at. While Bopara launches Sangwan into the stands. SIX! Supreme timing, Mark Nicholas reckons. Shastri says KXIP are looking at a score above 100. Good enough I say as the batsmen steal another single. There's some bounce for Sangwan there, landing it right will do the trick for the bowlers. The rain has spiced up the wicket. Goel skies one down the leg side, but only gets two.
Runs: 1,6,0,1,0,2
Over 2: There is Aavishkar Salvi. Shastri says his action is modelled on McGrath's. The Australian would be a proud spectator in the stands. But Karan Goel thrashes him down the ground for FOUR off the first ball, and follows it up with a cracking cover drive. FOUR MORE! It's a 12-over game so expect plenty of risks from the batsmen. Bopara is off the mark. Eleven off the second over. KXIP 21-0
Runs: 4,4,1,0,1,1
Over 1: Dirk Nannes starts off with a wide, way down the off side. Karan Goel spanks one through the point region for Punjab's first FOUR of the innings. Been a mixed over this one, wayward if you like. Nine runs off the first over and Punjab are away. The umpire lost count of the balls, and Nannes finishes with seven in his over.
Runs: 1wd ,1lb,1wd,0,4,0,1,1,1
Toss and comments: Virender Sehwag of Delhi Daredevils has won the toss and put Kings XI Punjab in. He says the team is in form and we have news that Aavishkar Salvi, the former Indian player, has been included in their line-up.
Yuvraj Singh doesn't mind losing the toss. "We have Yusuf Abdulla from South Africa, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, and Ravi Bopara from England," he says.
We have a 14-over game at Newlands folks.
Here are the teams:
Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, David Warner, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ab de Villiers, Tillakeratne Dilshan, Manoj Tiwary, Avishka Salvi, Pradeep Sanwgan, Yo Mahesh, Dirk Nannes.
Kings XI Punjab: Taruvar Kohli, Karan Goel, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Yuvraj Sigh (capt), Yusuf Abdullah, Ravi Bopara, Vikramjeet Malik, Piyush Chawla, VRV Singh, Irfan Pathan.
Interesting choice from Delhi, picking Dirk Nannes ahead of McGrath, and Aavishkar Salvi, remember this bowler? He played for India in a couple of ODIs in Bangladesh a few years ago. Karthik will keep wickets, De Villiers expected to star with the bat. They have Dilshan and Warner as well. The English duo is not in, Collingwood and Shah will have to wait for their IPL debut.
Punjab, however, have included their England import, Ravi Bopara, but we have rain in the air again. Oh dear!
We have a 12-over match on our hands now and Dirk Nannes has the ball in his hands. Ravi Bopara is on strike.

DDvsPunjab!

3:45 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Match facts
April 19, 2009
Start time 12.30pm (10.30GMT)

Daniel Vettori addresses the media, Cape Town, April 17, 2009
Daniel Vettori has been outstanding in Twenty20 games, and Delhi will count on his expertise again © Associated Press

Big Picture
Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab were semi-finalists in the inaugural season of the IPL but both stumbled at the penultimate hurdle. In the lead-up to the second edition, however, Delhi have emerged pre-tournament favourites and with good reason: they possess an outstanding balance and their top overseas players are available for the entire tournament. Delhi have the best opening combination in international cricket, AB de Villiers has developed tremendously over the last year, and their bowling line-up includes the world's No. 1 Twenty20 spinner. And then there's Glenn McGrath. Delhi's strength, though, has been their top-order and they added power to it by snapping up David Warner even before the Australian opener dropped jaws by clobbering South Africa on debut at the MCG.
That top-order will severely test a Punjab bowling attack that is significantly weaker than that of 2008. They are without their best bowlers from last year, Sreesanth, who is injured, and Brett Lee, who has been out of form and is currently on Australia duty. The mantle of leading the attack will rest on Irfan Pathan, VRV Singh and legspinner Piyush Chawla though Punjab also have Burt Cockley, a 23-year-old Australian quick, in their ranks.
If their bowlers manage to rein Delhi in, Punjab have the batting talent to put it across them. Yuvraj Singh, who hit six sixes in an over during the World Twenty20 in South Africa, will play the most important role while expecting significant contributions from Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who could open with new recruit Ravi Bopara. They also have last season's highest run-scorer, Shaun Marsh, and James Hopes but they will be available only after Australia's ODI series against Pakistan.
Player form guide
Delhi: Sehwag and Gambhir were in explosive form during India's tour of New Zealand, de Villiers had a successful summer against Australia and Vettori was steady as ever for New Zealand during their season.
Punjab: Yuvraj was in hot form during the ODIs in New Zealand but struggled in the Tests; Pathan played the two Twenty20 internationals in New Zealand but got smashed for 38 in three overs and 41 in four.
In from the cold
Glenn McGrath: McGrath is into his 40th year and has spent his time with his children after the death of his wife in June 2008 while running a charity organization. He decided to play the 2009 IPL only in December but his preparations for this year's event haven't been as intensive as last year.
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara: Neither of Sri Lanka's premier batsmen has played cricket at a significant level since the terrorist attacks on their team bus in Lahore which forced the abandonment of the tour of Pakistan in March. Both players were treated for injuries after the attack.
Watch out for
David Warner: There's no middle ground with Warner. He's either hot or cold. He was sizzling on debut at the MCG whose massive boundaries he cleared repeatedly. The fans sitting in the stands behind the midwicket boundary at Newlands would do well to watch out for his pull.
Yuvraj v Vettori: Yuvraj's troubles against spin have been well documented and in Vettori, he will be up against one of the world's cleverest slow bowlers. He didn't do too badly against Vettori in New Zealand, scoring 33 runs off 38 balls with one dismissal
Friendly fire
Sehwag and Gambhir v Pathan and Yuvraj: They would have faced each other plenty of times in Indian nets sessions, and Sehwag and Gambhir will try to use that familiarity to attack Pathan's swing with the new ball. Rival captains Sehwag and Yuvraj will also be passing on inside tips to their bowlers on how to get the other out.
Team news
Delhi's first choice overseas players are likely to be Warner, de Villiers, Vettori and McGrath, which means the Englishmen - Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah - and the Sri Lankans - Tillakaratne Dilshan and Farveez Maharoof - will have to wait their turn. They also have to decide whether to split the Indian opening combination of Sehwag and Gambhir, who bat so well together, to give Warner a free rein during the Powerplays. If they do, then Gambhir is likely to bat at No. 3 with de Villiers adding solidity to the middle. The Indians in the bowling line-up are likely to be Ashish Nehra and Yo Mahesh, although little-known fast bowler Umesh Yadav is also in the reckoning.
Delhi: 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Manoj Tiwary, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Yo Mahesh/Amit Mishra,10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Glenn McGrath.
Punjab are almost certain to play Jayawardene and Sangakkara while the other two overseas spots could go to new signings Ravi Bopara and Yusuf Abdulla, who will be familiar with home conditions. The other options are Luke Pomersbach, Simon Katich and Burt Cockley.
Punjab: 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 5 Tanmay Srivastava, 7 Taruwar Kohli, 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Wilkin Mota, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 VRV Singh, 10 Yusuf Abdulla.
Head-to-head record
Punjab won both their games against Delhi last season. In the first match Punjab's fast bowlers wrecked Delhi's top-order in Mohali to help secure a four-wicket victory in the final over. Rain affected the second game and Punjab won the game by six runs under the D-L method after Delhi had scored 118 for 4 in 11 overs.

Chance for Deccan and Kolkata to make amend

2:06 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments


Herschelle Gibbs comes down the track and lofts the ball, South Africa v Australia, 5th ODI, Johannesburg, April 17, 2009
Plenty will be expected from Herschelle Gibbs, who made 253 runs in five ODIs against Australia © AFP

4th match: Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Cape Town - Apr 19, 2009
Match scheduled to begin at 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT).


Big Picture
Neither team had a campaign to remember last year, but here's an opportunity for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers to begin afresh and improve significantly on what they did in 2008.
Kolkata have hogged the limelight in the build-up to IPL 2009, while Deccan Chargers have been virtually silent. Plenty has been written and said about John Buchanan's radical multiple captain theory, but Brendon McCullum's subsequent appointment as captain put to rest all the speculation. Sourav Ganguly said he was 'okay' with that decision, but he, and the other key players in the team, will need to play significant roles if Kolkata are to finish higher than last year's sixth place. In Chris Gayle and McCullum, they have potentially one of the most explosive opening combinations in the tournament, while Ishant Sharma and Ajantha Mendis could be quite a handful with the ball. First, though, they need to keep out the extraneous factors and concentrate on the cricket.
The Deccan Chargers haven't been in the news much, but after their disastrous season last year, they've probably decided that a low-key pre-tournament approach would serve them better. In Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs, they have an opening pair to match Kolkata's but the bowling looks thin, and could well be their Achilles heel.
Player form guide
Deccan: Gibbs is coming off a spanking century and an 82 in the last two ODIs against Australia, and the fact that those runs came in similar conditions makes him the best bet for Deccan. Most of the others, though, aren't in such sparkling form: Rohit Sharma has struggled since last year's IPL, VVS Laxman isn't known for his skills in this format, while Fidel Edwards hasn't proved himself in Twenty20 cricket either.
Kolkata: McCullum was in outstanding form during the series against India, while Gayle carted it around as well in the recent series against England. Mendis wasn't so effective against India, while Ishant Sharma was below par against New Zealand.
In from the cold
Adam Gilchrist hasn't played any competitive cricket for more than a year - he retired after India's tour of Australia early last year. With him opening the batting, keeping wicket, and leading the team, much will depend on how ready he is for battle.
Sourav Ganguly played three List A games and one first-class match last season, but hasn't played top-class cricket since retiring from Tests in November last year.
Watch out for
Ishant Sharma v Gilchrist & Gibbs: Ishant was a more than handful for the Australians on their bouncy pitches last year, and in helpful conditions, he could pose plenty of questions for Deccan's openers. Equally, neither Gilchrist nor Gibbs will take a backward step, especially in this format, which could make for a spicy contest.
Friendly fire
Gayle v Edwards: If Edwards gets the new ball and finds his rhythm early, there could be some fireworks when he bowls to his West Indian captain.
Team news
With Andrew Symonds away on national duty, Deccan are without one of their biggest crowdpullers and matchwinners. In his absence, there'll be added responsibility on Rohit to repeat last year's heroics. In conditions which should help seam and swing, Chaminda Vaas could be handy and should bag the allrounder's slot.
Deccan Chargers (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt & wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Ravi Teja, 4 VVS Laxman, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 Chaminda Vaas, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 RP Singh, 10 DP Vijaykumar, 11 Fidel Edwards.
Like Deccan, Kolkata will miss an Australian too - David Hussey is readying himself for the ODIs against Pakistan, and in his absence Brad Hodge should get a chance as one of the four foreign players. Kolkata have a slight injury concern with Cheteshwar Pujara, who injured his knee during a warm-up game. If he doesn't recover, Vinit Indulkar or Sanjay Bangar might get a game. With the conditions being what they are, it's unlikely Kolkata will play two spinners, which suggests Murali Kartik will miss out.
Kolkata Knight Riders (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Sourav Ganguly, 4 Brad Hodge, 5 Cheteshwar Pujara, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Laxmi Ratan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Ashok Dinda, 11 Ajantha Mendis.
Head-to-head record
Deccan opened their campaign last year too against Kolkata, and lost on a minefield of a pitch at the Eden Gardens by five wickets. The return game was a high-scoring one, and Kolkata won that too, by 23 runs.
Quotes
"He [Ganguly] is an icon who has always had a way with younger players and it is wonderful to watch how they respond and react to him. I am sure that Sourav will be one of the chief motivators for the youngsters in the group this year as well."
Brendon McCullum, the new Kolkata captain, expects his predecessor to give him full support

Battle of gulies

2:00 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
 3rd Match: 3rd match: Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab at Cape Town - Apr 19, 2009
Match scheduled to begin at 12:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

A battle of guiles between some big hitters of the game and experienced bowlers is on the cards when Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab take on each other in their opening encounter of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.
The Daredevils, the pundits' favourite, boast off a balanced side with in-form batsmen and experienced bowlers in their ranks though the result can go either way as both the sides will be rusty in their first matches at Newlands.
The Delhi franchisee have an explosive batting line-up with the likes of captain Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and South African AB de Villiers in pink of form while Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori will lead the bowling department.
Australian Dirk Nannes, the Twenty20 specialist though is not certain whether he would play tomorrow as only four foreigners are allowed in the playing XI.
Young Umesh Yadav, who tormented the Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in the Duleep Trophy, is also likely to be thrown into the ring by Sehwag to prove his spell against the India biggies was not flash in the pan.
Kings XI Punjab are no less formidable in batting with Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawradene besides captain Yuvraj Singh.

Royals defeat Royals

1:37 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments


Anil Kumble belts out an appeal, Bangalore Royal Challenger v Rajasthan Royals IPL, 2nd game, Cape Town, April 18, 2009
Anil Kumble took five wickets for five runs to clean up Rajasthan © AFP

A charged-up Bangalore Royal Challengers produced the sort of performance for which franchise owner Vijay Mallya splashed the big bucks to bundle out Rajasthan Royals to the second-lowest total in Twenty20 history. There may be plenty of fresh faces but it was the old hands, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were the stars in Bangalore's massive victory. Dravid was the most assured batsman on display, making a polished half-century, while Kumble took the most economic five-wicket haul in Twenty20s to clean up Rajasthan.
Rajasthan lost their last five wickets for 11 runs to slide to an embarrassing defeat. Such an abject end was in stark contrast to their start: Dimitri Mascarenhas scalping two big wickets in the very first over to rock Bangalore, before Shane Warne's bag of tricks kept them to what seemed a gettable 133.
The performance from Bangalore's bowlers was unidentifiable from the limp showing against a marauding Brendon McCullum in their season-opener last year. Rajasthan had a galaxy of savage hitters but they were stifled to such an extent that the entire innings had only two sixes and a solitary four.
Praveen Kumar revelled in conditions which assisted him, dislodging the openers Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith. The shot selection from Rajasthan was cringeworthy, none more so than Asnodkar's wild swing in the first over which ended up in Virat Kohli's hands at point to start the slide. Niraj Patel struggled to find any rhythm while Tyron Henderson was shackled by the short ball from Praveen and Dale Steyn.
Rajasthan were stuttering at 26 for 3 after seven overs, but it was still an even game. The match was transformed in the next over, when Henderson and Mascarenhas were dismissed off consecutive delivers in the eighth over. Henderson was tricked by a slower ball from Jesse Ryder, and Mascarenhas was run out when he refused to take no for an answer after calling Yusuf Pathan for a single.
Half the side was gone, and the run-rate was soaring into double digits. In short, Rajasthan's chase was up in smoke. Kumble was then brought into the attack and his double-strike that lured Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja into false shots extinguished any lingering hopes.
It had been so different when Mascarenhas, getting the ball to dart around, dispatched the New Zealand pair of Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor with his first three balls. Bangalore were gasping at 17 for 3 after five overs.
Kevin Pietersen, charged by Mallya with the duty of turning around Bangalore's form, was rarely troubled during his stay and, in Dravid's company, set about reviving Bangalore. They had collected an unfussy 35 runs, aided by a lightning outfield, before Pietersen mistimed a pull to a diving Niraj at midwicket.
Dravid, in the familiar role of repairing top-order collapses, calmly picked up the singles to keep the score ticking. He needed the rest to play around him, but they were bamboozled by Warne's variations. Kohli was beaten and bowled by one that drifted and dipped, while B Akhil had no reply to a classic ripping legspinner.
Dravid remained his composed self, playing a mix of orthodox and inventive strokes, to lift Bangalore. His trademark on-drive and favoured inside-out lofted drives were on view but he also mixed in some cheeky paddle-sweeps. Dravid was dismissed in the final over, foxed by a change of pace from Munaf Patel, but his 48-ball 66 had given his side's bowlers a total to defend.
The game ended in humiliation for Rajasthan, but as Warne pointed out, they started out their previous campaign with a similarly disastrous game, before scripting the fairytale run to the title.

Opener conqured my mumbai indians!

1:36 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments


Sachin Tendulkar drives powerfully, Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, IPL, 1st game, Cape Town, April 18, 2009
Sachin Tendulkar carried the Mumbai Indians with an unbeaten 59, and how crucial it proved

In the first match of the IPL in 2008, Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 from just 73 balls to set up a crushing win for his side. A year later, as season two got underway across the Indian Ocean in different conditions and under grey skies, Sachin Tendulkar batted 20 overs for an unbeaten 59 from 49 balls. It was as valuable as McCullum's blitzkrieg, if utterly different in execution and appeal, for it came on a track not entirely conducive to batting and laid the platform for Mumbai Indians' victory.
Stumbling and bumbling, Mumbai managed to put together a competitive total after the core of their vaunted batting struggled to cope with the uneven bounce at Newlands. There were few fireworks from the big bats and the team owed plenty to the vast experience of Tendulkar, who absorbed the pressure superbly. Where Chennai's pacers were tidy in restricting runs during the middle stages of Mumbai's innings, it was the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Sanath Jayasuriya who derailed Chennai. They varied their pace and reined in the big hitters before Lasith Malinga kept the tail under control.
The pre-match drizzle in cloudy Cape Town influenced MS Dhoni's decision to field on a damp pitch, and though Mumbai's opening partnership yielded 39 in 5.4 overs, it wasn't convincing. Jayasuriya slashed and swiped and survived a run-out before he mowed fellow Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara to midwicket for 26. The ball didn't come on to the bat, as was evident in Tendulkar's frequent grimaces and constant shuffling to manoeuvre the bowling. Tendulkar attempted and connected with a few risky shots over the infield and was dropped on 10 by Matthew Hayden at first slip, off a leading edge induced by Andrew Flintoff.
Play was then held up for 12 minutes when a dog found its way onto the field. Failing to be enticed by whistles, calls, dives and even an inviting snack, the canine intruder got bored and finally trudged away. After the resumption Chennai's bowlers made swift inroads.
Shikhar Dhawan struggled for fluency and was undone by the slow bounce as he top-edged Manpreet Gony. Gony then held on to a sharp reflex catch to get JP Duminy with a clever bouncer in his next over and, taking the cue, Joginder Sharma dropped short and had Dwayne Bravo pulling to deep square leg. It was proof that the short-pitched ball can work well on such tracks. With Tendulkar keeping one end up, Abhishek Nayar walked out and played an invaluable cameo that provided a late push. Nayar larruped Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over in his 14-ball 35, while Tendulkar kept the innings alive by batting through the 20 overs. That 46-run partnership would prove decisive.
Chennai's chase was dented in the first over when Parthiv Patel steered Malinga to Tendulkar at slip. Suresh Raina caressed an impressive boundary in Zaheer Khan's first over but fell in the next, pulling Bravo to deep square leg where Rohan Raje made a difficult chance look easy. Malinga was tight, and Tendulkar showed the value of taking pace off the ball as a run-checking tactic by bringing on spinners at both ends, as Chennai's batsmen remained restless.
And as long as there is limited-overs cricket there will linger the prospect of the spinners' choking the opposition during the middle overs, especially when an Indian and a Sri Lankan are bowling. Today Harbhajan and Jayasuriya did that job. Flintoff didn't last long against Harbhajan, going for a wild swipe and popping back an easy catch.
Hayden - who bullied young medium-pacer Raje for three successive fours and drilled his old friend Harbhajan for a straight six - chased a wide one from Jayasuriya and picked out a diving Zaheer at cover. Jacob Oram then perished to an ugly slog against Jayasuriya, leaving Dhoni with plenty to do.
Dhoni swung his bat freely but the rest perished with a whimper. Malinga gave away nothing and his crafty yorkers and reverse-swinging variations netted him excellent figures of 3 for 15 from four parsimonious overs.
The crowd had filed in two hours ahead of the toss in gloomy conditions, and by the end of the first game of a double-header day they'd seen the weather clear and the ball go past the boundary several times. Mumbai celebrated the win animatedly in front of a healthy crowd - it wasn't exactly a boisterous Wankhede cauldron, but the IPL thinktank has reason to smile after the tournament opener.

Mumbai-Indians

1:31 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments

Played: 1 Won: 1 Lost: 0 Ranked: 2
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  • Team Owner(s): Reliance Industries Ltd
  • Franchise Fee: $111.9 million
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IndiaWin Sports, a group company of Reliance Industries Ltd. is the owner of the Mumbai-based franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). Led by Sachin Tendulkar, also the Icon Player, the team represents a powerful combination of experience and youthful energy. The MI team includes international stars like Sanath Jayasurya, Dilhara Fernando, JP Duminy and Kyle Mills, apart from India’s leading players like Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, among others. Mumbai Indians were the most watched team on television in the first edition of the IPL tournament (Source: IPL Report), totaling 239 million viewers.

Players

Head Coach:
Lalchand Rajput

Rajasthan-Royals

1:28 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments
Played: 1 Won: 0 Lost: 1 Ranked: 8
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  • Team Owner(s): Emerging Media Group
  • Franchise Fee: $67 million
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Last season even before a ball was bowled this side was written off as a bunch of no-hopers. But how the tables were turned was seen by the whole world. This time key all-rounder Shane Watson is unlikely with an injury and some of the other performers like Sohail Tanveer are out of the frame. But expect Shane Warne to come up with a new plan to surprise his rivals.
Latest acqusition: One of the high-profile buys for Rajasthan Royals is the thunderbolt paceman Shaun Tait. The young express bowler is fighting self-doubs and exile to come back on the big stage. Warne's backing could well prove to be decisive X factor this time.
Captain-coach combination: Well the boss of this team is one and only Shane Warne. The spin magician casts a spell around his team and manages to eke out the best out of everybody. Last year he singlehandedly inspired his side to the title. His little-known players managed to raise their performance level and take it to a new high. In the background his old friend, Darren Berry does all the research on the rivals, while Warne plots the moves.
Last year's results: Played: 14, Won: 11, Lost: 3. Champions
Fitness barometer: The presence of a plethora of young Indian cricketers presents a whole new version of the country. These bunch of youngsters are talented, athletic and above all keen to follow their captain.

Players

Head Coach:
Shane Warne

Punjab-kingsXI

1:26 AM // by Karthik // // 0 comments

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  • Team Owner(s): Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia
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Kings XI Punjab is co-promoted by Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and Karan Paul. Together, the promoters believe in their mission; to be the most successful and entertaining franchise in the league. The vision is to promote cricket within the region – at grass-root levels by providing global exposure to local talent and creating future champions for Kings XI Punjab.

Players

Head Coach:
Tom Moody