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.