Monday 29 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 41: MI vs KXIP

Mumbai Indians continued their winning form with a nerve-wracking four-run victory over Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma starred for MI with an undefeated 79 that saw David Miller's 56 go in vain.

Chasing a stiff 175, KXIP were shook early as Lasith Malinga deceived Mandeep Singh (9) with a slower delivery and had his stumps in disarray. Manan Vohra (1) followed him caught by Kieron Pollard off Mitchell Johnson. KXIP got a move on with three boundaries off Malinga in the 5th over. David Hussey went after Dhawal Kulkarni hitting him for consecutive boundaries, before launching him over the ropes.

KXIP lost their third wicket as Pollard pulled off a spectacular catch to dismiss Shaun Marsh (10) off Pragyan Ojha. Miller put Ojha over the fence before the spinner had Hussey (34) caught by Johnson. Harbhajan Singh sent back Gurkeerat Singh (2) to leave KXIP five down. At the halfway stage, KXIP were 85 for 5, still needing 90 runs.

Miller kept KXIP in the game with two massive sixes off Pollard in the 13th over. Harbhajan then struck twice for MI; he first sent back Azhar Mahmood (9) and followed it up with the dismissal of Manpreet Gony (0). Needing 57 off 30 balls, Piyush Chawla (12) deposited Malinga for maximum before perishing to Kulkarni.

Miller helped his team keep up with the required rate as he hit Kulkarni and Johnson for sixes. Johnson finally had Miller (56) caught by Sachin Tendulkar with KXIP 26 runs from the finish line. Praveen Kumar (24) slammed Malinga for a six in the penultimate over leaving 17 from the final over. Praveen Kumar did his best, but KXIP fell four runs short.

Earlier MI won the toss and chose to bat. Sachin Tendulkar got MI rolling with two gorgeous strokes off Mahmood before he dragged a Kumar delivery back onto his stumps. Dinesh Karthik smashed Kumar for a boundary before launching him for a six. Gony got Karthik (25) out as he chopped the ball onto his stump to give KXIP their second wicket. Dwayne Smith was given a lucky reprieve as Vohra dropped him on 13 off Chawla.

Smith (33) launched Chawla deep into the crowd before perishing the next delivery caught by David Miller. Pollard got off the mark with a monster six. Sharma hit Gony for a boundary before launching him for a colossal six in the 16th over. The Mumbai Indians skipper continued the assault with sixes off Mahmood and Gony to bring up his half-century. Sharma plundered 27 runs off the last over – bowled by David Hussey - to propel MI to 174 for 3.

Rohit Sharma




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 40: RR vs RCB

Rajasthan Royals maintained their unbeaten record at home with a thrilling four-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Sanju Samson played an incredible innings of 63 to lead in RR’s successful chase of RCB's 171.

Chasing a stiff 172 for victory, RR were lucky as Virat Kohli spilled Rahul Dravid off the very first ball of the run-chase. Dravid made the most of it hitting Ravi Rampaul for two boundaries. Rampaul got the first wicket as Ajinkya Rahane (2) top edged a pull to be caught at fine leg.

Sanju Samson, promoted up the order smashed Vinay Kumar for consecutive boundaries. Moises Henriques then deceived Dravid with a slower delivery and broke the stumps behind him.

Samson continued the assault with consecutive sixes off Mural Kartik in the 8th over. At the halfway stage, RR were 80 for 2, still requiring 92 runs. RR started to accelerate in the 13th over with two boundaries off RP Singh as Samson brought up his fifty.

Rampaul provided the breakthrough having Samson (63) caught by Kartik leaving RR needing 52 off 30 balls. Rampaul's 17th over was taken apart for 17 runs as Brad Hodge launched him for two sixes and helped his team inch closer to the target. Watson (41) fell to RP Singh and with RR needing six from the last over, they lost Hodge (32) and Owais Shah (1). Stuart Binny (6) hit a four to see RR through with a ball left.

Earlier RR won the toss and put RCB in. Chris Gayle got RCB off to a stunning start with three boundaries in the first over bowled by Ajit Chandila. Gayle looking in ominous touch and smashed S Sreesanth for two boundaries before launching him for a six.

Watson got the big wicket of Gayle (34) having him caught behind. RCB were 55 for one from their power play overs. RCB lost the other opener, Abhinav Mukund in the eighth over when Siddharth Trivedi breached through his defences and broke the stumps. At the halfway stage, RCB were 75 for 2.

Sreesanth sent back AB de Villiers (21) caught on the ropes by James Faulkner in the 12th over. Kohli then hit a couple of boundaries off Trivedi. Moises Henriques hit Faulkner for a six in the 16th over before the bowler got the better of Kohli (32) later in the same over.

Henriques (22) continued the assault with two boundaries off Sreesanth's 17th over before being run out by Faulkner. Though RCB lost Ravi Rampaul in the 19th over, Vinay Kumar (22*) helped finish the innings on a high, dispatching Faulkner for three sixes to help RCB to 171 for 6.

Sanju Samson




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 39: DD vs PWI

Delhi Daredevils lifted themselves off the bottom of the table through a hard earned 15-run win over Pune Warriors India at the Chhattisgarh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. David Warner did the star turn for DD with a well composed 51 that enabled them post 164, following which the bowlers did well to restrict PWI to 149.

Chasing a stiff 165, PWI started cautiously as Irfan Pathan bowled a maiden first over. After a few sedate overs, Robin Uthappa upped the tempo with two boundaries off Morne Morkel. PWI made 43 runs from their power play overs. Aaron Finch smashed three boundaries off Pathan's seventh over as PWI started to up the ante. At the halfway stage, PWI were 75 for 0, still needing 90 runs of the remaining ten.

Pathan struck a double blow in the 11th over pegging back PWI. First Uthappa (37) was caught by Unmukt Chand in the deep before Finch (37) was adjudged caught behind. Yuvraj Singh looked in dangerous mood with two imperious strikes to the boundary off Pathan.

Needing 55 from 30 deliveries, Luke Wright and Yuvraj struggled to get the boundaries. In pursuit of quick runs, Wright (19) and Yuvraj (31) fell to Umesh Yadav in a span of a few deliveries to put DD on top. Needing 28 runs off the last over, Shahbaz Nadeem gave away only 13 runs to leave PWI short.

Earlier opting to field PWI’s Ashok Dinda drew first blood when he had Mahela Jayawardene (12) caught by Wright. Virender Sehwag got a move on smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six before cutting him away for a boundary. DD were 37 for one from their power play overs. Dinda got another breakthrough when he had Sehwag (28) gloving to the wicket-keeper to leave DD 68 for 2 at the halfway stage.

Unmukt Chand (17) departed the next over caught behind off Rahul Sharma. Wickets continued to fall as Abhishek Nayar dismissed Ben Rohrer (13). Warner (51*) then started to assault the PWI bowlers, pulling Kane Richardson for a six before smashing three boundaries off Dinda's 17thover. DD took apart Richardson's 19th over for 20 runs as they hit three sixes off it. Some big hitting by Kedar Jadhav (25) helped DD reach 164 for five from their 20 overs.

David Warner




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 38: CSK vs KKR

Chennai Super Kings continued their domination defeating Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. Michael Hussey set up the match for CSK with a heroic 95 that saw CSK post a massive 200, a total that proved 14-runs too many for KKR.

Chasing 201, KKR got off to a flier scoring 18 runs off the first over bowled by Dirk Nannes. Gautam Gambhir (14) hit Chris Morris for two boundaries, before the bowler came back strong to castle his leg stump. Manvinder Bisla looked in ominous mood smashing Morris for four boundaries in the fifth over. Mohit Sharma had Brendon McCullum (6) play on to his stump to give CSK their second wicket.

Jacques Kallis was given a reprieve when he was put down on 6 by Suresh Raina off Ravichandran Ashwin. Bisla launched Ashwin for a huge six as KKR were 85 for 2 from 10 overs, still needing 116 runs.

Dwayne Bravo sent back Kallis (19) in the 13th over when the South African attempted to paddle one to fine leg, but gave the fielder stationed there a catch. Bisla continued to keep KKR in the chase with consecutive boundaries off Ashwin.

Needing 75 from 30 balls, Ashwin dropped Morgan, who then slammed Dirk Nannes for a six. Nannes' 18th over was take apart for 21 runs to keep KKR’s hopes alive. Hussey ran out Bisla (92) to leave KKR needing 19 from the final over. But Chris Morris bowled a brilliant last over – conceding only four runs.

Earlier KKR won the toss, and surprisingly chose to field – surprising because the conditions were very trying. CSK started aggressively as Hussey dismissed Lakshmipathy Balaji for three boundaries in the third over. Wriddhiman Saha joined in with two boundaries and a six off Mohammad Shami.

Hussey continued the onslaught with consecutive boundaries off Sunil Narine. CSK took apart Kallis' first over for 18 runs as they raced to 67 for 0 from their power play overs. Hussey slammed Kallis over the mid-wicket fence in the 8th over as he brought up his fourth fifty of the tournament.

Rajat Bhatia broke the century opening stand having Saha (39) caught in the deep by Eoin Morgan. Raina continued from where Saha left off, hitting Narine for a six and a boundary in the 14th over. Hussey (95) bludgeoned Yusuf Pathan for a massive six before holing out, off Narine to fall five short of a century.

MS Dhoni (18*) and Raina kept the run rate up with regular hits to the fence. Raina (44) was run out by Debabrata Das in the 19th over. MS Dhoni finished the innings in style as he dispatched the final delivery of the innings for a six. CSK eventually finished at 200 for 3.
Michael Hussey




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 37: MI vs RCB

Mumbai Indians extended their winning streak to two as they routed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs to record a magnificent victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. RCB, who haven't won a single match away from home this season, were bullied into submission first by the MI batsmen who put on 194, before their bowlers shred RCB's batting into disarray.

Chasing a steep 195, RCB started tentatively. Chris Gayle pulled Mitchell Johnson for a six in the third over before hitting two boundaries in the fifth over. Dhawal Kulkarni had a struggling Tillakaratne Dilshan (13) caught by Johnson at third man to give MI their first wicket. Harbhajan Singh then struck the body blow having Gayle (18) top-edge to Ambati Rayudu in the deep. It went downhill from there as Kulkarni had Virat Kohli (1) and AB de Villiers (2) caught behind to leave RCB reeling at 43 for 4.

Saurabh Tiwary stepped out and slammed Harbhajan for a six in the 9th over. Arun Karthik joined in hooking Kulkarni for a six and at the halfway stage RCB were 66 for 4. Arun Karthik (12) was then stumped beautifully off Harbhajan for his second wicket. Dwayne Smith then struck twice dismissing Tiwary (23) and Syed Mohammad (9) in quick succession. R Vinay Kumar (26*) and Ravi Rampaul (22*) delayed the inevitable putting on 51 run for the eighth wicket. RCB eventually fell 58 runs short.

Earlier, MI opting to bat, had Sachin Tendulkar looking in ominous mood as he smashed four boundaries in Ravi Rampaul's third over. RP Singh however provided some respite for RCB trapping Tendulkar (23) leg before. The 6th over of the innings – bowled by Vinay Kumar - was taken for 14 runs as MI raced to 52 for 1 from their power play. Smith dismissed Kumar for two sixes in the 9th over as MI plundered 19 runs from it.

Syed Mohammad got the breakthrough breaching the defense of Smith (50). A misunderstanding between Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma (10) resulted in the latter being run out. Kieron Pollard launched Syed Mohammad for two massive sixes in the 15th over before taking apart RP Singh's 17th for 17 runs. MI lost three wickets off successive deliveries in the 18th over; Karthik (43) and Rayudu (0) were run out by Kohli before Kumar had Pollard (34) caught by Rampaul. Harbhajan (16) hit three boundaries off RP Singh as MI finished at 194 for 7.

Dwayne Smith




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 36: RR vs SRH

Shane Watson delivered a second consecutive telling innings to enable Rajasthan Royals stretch their undefeated streak at home to four matches with a convincing eight wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. RR restricted SRH for 144 with James Faulkner picking up five wickets before Shane Watson starred in the chase with an undefeated 98 to see RR home.

Chasing 145, Dale Steyn bowled a fiery first spell removing Ajinkya Rahane (1) caught behind in the third over. Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson started cautiously preferring to see off the fiery Steyn. Dravid hit two boundaries off Ishant Sharma as RR made 30 from the power play overs. Watson joined in with two boundaries off Thisara Perera in the seventh over. At the halfway stage RR were 53 for 1, still requiring 92 runs.

Dravid deposited Amit Mishra for a six over long on before Watson launched him deep over the mid-wicket fence in the eleventh over. Dravid (36), attempting to up the run rate, was caught in the deep off Perera. Watson then took apart Ishant Sharma for three boundaries and a six in the 14th over scoring 20 runs from it. He also brought up his fifty in the process. Needing 36 from 30 balls, Watson pulled Perera for a six, before hitting two consecutive boundaries in the 16th over. The onslaught continued as Watson hit Karan Sharma for a six and two boundaries as RR waded home with 13 balls to spare.

Earlier SRH won the toss and elected to bat first only to witness their top order capitulate. In the first over Ajit Chandila had Akshath Reddy (2) caught by Watson. James Faulkner then struck twice, first having Kumar Sangakkara (4) caught at slip, before removing Shikhar Dhawan (0) caught by Ajinkya Rahane. It only got worse as Karan Sharma (6) then fell trying to pull Faulkner. The collapse continued as Perera (4) was caught by Kevon Cooper off Chandila to leave SRH reeling at 19 for 5.

Darren Sammy showed some fight hitting Watson for two boundaries but wickets continued to fall as Hanuma Vihari (4) was caught behind off Cooper. Sammy and Mishra helped SRH recover with a 58 run seventh wicket partnership. Mishra (21) departed caught by Cooper off Faulkner. Ashish Reddy (14) was put down twice before Stuart Binny finally got him. Sammy (60) was trapped by Faulkner in the penultimate over to complete his five wicket haul. Some big hits by Steyn (18) saw SRH finish at 144 for nine.

James Faulkner




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 35: KKR vs KXIP

Kolkata Knight Riders avenged their first leg defeat to Kings XI Punjab to stem their three-match losing streak with a six-wicket win at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After restricting KXIP for 149, KKR chased down the target with 10 balls to spare riding on the back of Manvinder Bisla's unbeaten 51.

Chasing 150, Gautam Gambhir got KKR rolling with two boundaries off Praveen Kumar's first over. Bisla (51*) was given a life when Mandeep Singh dropped him off Azhar Mamhood at the start of the second over. Mahmood however came back to rattle Gambhir's (8) stump the next delivery and had Yusuf Pathan (0) caught behind the following delivery. Bisla stepped out to swat Mahmood for a six in the fourth over. Jacques Kallis hit a six off Kumar before smashing Bhargav Bhatt for two boundaries.

Harmeet Singh broke the 66-run partnership for the third wicket when he had Kallis (37) caught behind. Eoin Morgan cleared the long off fence off Harmeet before hitting him for a boundary. The Irishman continued his assault with two massive sixes off Piyush Chawla in the 15th over.

Needing 32 off 30 balls, Bisla pulled Kumar for another six. Morgan was then put down by Bhatt on 29 adding to KXIP's woes. Morgan (42) deposited Mahmood twice into the crowd in the 17th over before departing with KKR on the brink of victory. KKR eventually reached the target with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier KXIP won the toss and elected to bat. The visitors started slowly as Sachithra Senanayake bowled a maiden second over. Mandeep got them going with two boundaries off L Balaji before taking two more off Sunil Narine. Adam Gilchrist joined in with two boundaries off Senanayake as KXIP raced to 48 for 0 from their power play overs. Kallis got the break through having Mandeep (25) caught by Morgan. Gilchrist (27) who looked in good touch holed out to deep mid-wicket off Rajat Bhatia. At the halfway stage, KXIP were 72 for 2.

Manan Vohra (31) went after Balaji hitting him for a boundary and a six before perishing caught in the deep. David Miller (10) launched Sarabjit Ladda for a six before the bower got one to sneak through to hit the stumps. Hussey (21) then departed caught by Senanayake off Kallis. The South African also ran out Mahmood (2). Gurkeerat Singh (28*) smashed two sixes in the last over to take 18 runs from it and propel KXIP to 149 for 6.

Jacques Kallis




Friday 26 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 34: CSK vs SRH

Chennai Super Kings continued their domination at home with a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. MS Dhoni's heroic unbeaten 67 saw CSK home in yet another last over thriller.

Chasing a competitive 160, Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey started positively for the hosts. Hussey hit Darren Sammy for a six and a boundary in the 4th over before he stepped down the track to launch Amit Mishra for a six in the 6th over. CSK made 58 runs in the power play with both openers still at the crease. Mishra provided the breakthrough when he beat Vijay (18) in the air and had him stumped. The leg-spinner then had the dangerous Hussey (45) caught behind attempting a sweep.

Dhoni was put down by Mishra when he was yet to open his account and he made the most of the opportunity smashing Sammy for two boundaries in the 13th over. Mishra picked his third wicket – to go level with Lasith Malinga as the leading wicket-taker in the IPL - as Suresh Raina (16) holed out in the deep. Dhoni went after Ishant Sharma hitting him for consecutive boundaries. However, Karan Sharma bowled a maiden in the 16th to bring the Sunrisers back into the game.

Needing 46 from 24, Dhoni deposited Dale Steyn for consecutive sixes, including pulling a short delivery bowled at 146 kmph over the midwicket fence. Though Ishant Sharma picked up Dwayne Bravo soon after, Dhoni continued his domination of Steyn as he hit him for a boundary before launching him deep into the crowd to bring up his half-century. Steyn dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (1) to leave CSK needing 15 from the final over. Dhoni blasted a six, and a boundary off Ashish Reddy to see his team home with 2 balls remaining.

Earlier SRH won the toss and chose to bat. Mohit Sharma struck early to send back Quinton de Kock (4) caught by a sharp Vijay. Raina then ran out Hanuma Vihari (2). Shikhar Dhawan counter-attacked, by stepping out to the bowlers and hit two boundaries off Jason Holder and Sharma before Mohit Sharma had Cameron White (2) caught behind. Mishra, promoted up the order hit Holder for consecutive boundaries in the 7th over. Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Mishra (15) to leave SRH 61 for 4.

The innings suffered a bit of setback when Dhawan retired hurt after being injured by Bravo in the 14th over. Sammy sent Jadeja over the fence the next over before Bravo dismissed Thalaivan Sargunam (10). Bravo struck again to dismiss Sammy (19) bringing Dhawan (63*) back to the middle. Dhawan immediately hit consecutive boundaries to bring up his fifty. Ashish Reddy (36*) smashed Sharma for a six as SRH scored 17 runs from the 19th over. Some lusty blows by Reddy saw SRH reach 159 for 6.

MS Dhoni




Thursday 25 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 33: KKR vs MI

Mumbai Indians got back to their winning ways, albeit, in the last over, for a five-wicket verdict over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday night. After KKR posted a competitive 159, MI batsmen, led by Dwayne Smith, chased it down with just a ball to spare.

Chasing a competitive 160, MI started quietly before Smith deposited Iqbal Abdulla for consecutive sixes in the fourth over. Sunil Narine drew first blood as he pegged back ‘birthday boy’ Sachin Tendulkar's (2) middle stump. MI made 42 runs from the power play. Smith continued to attack Abdulla blasting another six. Sachithra Senanayake was taken to the cleaners by Smith as he smashed a boundary and a six in the 8th over to bring up his fifty. Senanayake then trapped Dinesh Karthik (7) leg before.

Narine struck again getting rid of Smith (62) who was looking dangerous. Rohit Sharma effortlessly hit Senanayake for two sixes in the 13th over. Narine got the important wicket of Sharma (34) to break the 50-run partnership with Kieron Pollard. Pollard carried on with a massive six off Senanayake to reduce the equation to 18 off 12. With MI needing 10 runs to win off the last over, Rajat Bhatia dismissed Pollard (33) first ball before Harbhajan Singh hit a six and Ambati Rayudu hit a boundary to see MI home.

Earlier the start of the match was delayed by thirty minutes due to a wet outfield. KKR elected to bat, winning the toss. Yusuf Pathan started in grand style with three boundaries and a six off Harbhajan in the first over as KKR scored 26 runs from it. Mitchell Johnson then had Pathan (19) caught at slip the next over. Jacques Kallis continued the assault with two boundaries off Lasith Malinga. KKR raced to 61 for 1 from their power-play overs. Pragyan Ojha then had Gambhir (26) miscue a shot to give MI their second wicket.

Kallis was given a life on 22 when Johnson dropped him off Ojha. But Ojha finally got his man as Kallis (37) was caught by Sharma. After being bogged down by the MI bowlers, Manoj Tiwary broke the shackles with a boundary off Yuzvendra Chahal, before launching him for a six. Eoin Morgan (31) swatted Johnson for a six, before perishing a couple deliveries later. Malinga castled (33) Tiwary and Debabrata Das (6) in the final over as KKR finished at 159 for 6 from 20 overs.

Dwayne Smith




Wednesday 24 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 32: DD vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab stretched their winning streak to two games with a five-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. The KXIP bowlers put on a disciplined show restricting DD to just 120 runs before their batsmen chased it down with three overs to spare.

Chasing a meager 121, KXIP lost their captain Adam Gilchrist (6) early as he mis-hit Irfan Pathan to be caught by Johan Botha. Mandeep Singh stroked Ashish Nehra for three successive boundaries in the second over. KXIP plundered 19 runs off Pathan's second over as Mandeep and Luke Pomersbach hit a couple boundaries each. Pomersbach (18) reverse swept Roelof van der Merwe for a boundary before being bowled by the South African. Mandeep (24) was then given run out by the third umpire as David Warner effected a direct hit at the non-striker’s end.

Manan Vohra (8) was then caught and bowled as he top edged a sweep off Botha to leave KXIP four down. At the halfway stage, KXIP were 77 for 4, still requiring 44 from 60. David Miller and David Hussey played sensibly by picking up the singles and hitting the occasional boundary to put on 40 runs. Hussey (20) slammed a six straight back over Nehra in the 16th over before falling the next delivery. Miller (34*) saw KXIP home with 18 balls remaining and he had the company of Piyush Chawla (5).

Earlier KXIP won the toss and put DD in. Praveen Kumar drew first blood having Mahela Jayawardene (4) edge to David Hussey at slip. Parvinder Awana then had Roelof van der Merwe (8) caught by Mandeep Singh to leave DD two down in the fourth over. Virender Sehwag went after Harmeet Singh hitting him for a boundary and following it with a six in the fifth over. DD made 40 runs from their power play overs. Harmeet Singh then had the dangerous Sehwag (23) caught at cover to give KXIP their third wicket.

At the halfway stage, DD were 54 for 3. Piyush Chawla's 11th over was taken apart for 16 runs. Manpreet Juneja (14) fell to Harmeet, caught at fine leg by Awana. Wickets continued to fall as Harmeet then dismissed Kedar Jadhav (0) to pick up his third wicket. Botha (1) holed out in the deep off Bhargav Bhatt to leave DD tottering at 89 for 6 from 14.4 overs. Warner (41) just as he was getting a move on was bowled by Kumar. DD finally finished at 120 for 7.

Harmeet Singh




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 31: RCB vs PWI

Not since the inaugural game of the IPL in 2008 has an innings as brutal as what was depicted at the Chinnaswamy Stadium been experienced in the history of T20 and certainly not in the IPL. In that contest, six years ago, Kiwi Brendon McCullum, opening for KKR thrashed the RCB bowlers mercilessly to post 158.

But on Tuesday evening, the terms ‘brutality’ or ‘pulverising’ lost their meaning and became understatements as Chris Gayle launched into the Pune Warriors India bowlers, cracking the fastest century in the history of T20 cricket, his 100 taking just 30 deliveries, as RCB, who posted a mammoth 263, carved out a huge 130-run victory at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday. The carnage did not end there as the big West Indian was still not finished!

Runs flowed as freely as like water from a broken pipe. Gayle chose his spots to deposit the ball, the bowler or the kind of bowler mattering little. Conceit and disdain are the apt words to use for the way Gayle treated the visitors, hammering 17 sixes, the highest number by any batsman in this format, and 13 fours, his unbeaten 175 coming in all of 66 deliveries. In all his hammering, the effort of Dilshan (33) and the 8-ball 30 from AB de Villiers were pushed well behind the lights.

Chasing an improbable 264, PWI lost Robin Uthappa (0) in the very first over bowled by Murali Kartik. Finch (18) showed aggression smashing RP Singh for two boundaries before Ravi Rampaul had him caught by Kartik at mid-off. Wright (7) hit the first six for PWI dispatching Rampaul over long-off before perishing to Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat then had Yuvraj Singh (16) caught by Kohli to leave PWI reeling at 42 for 4.

Steve Smith hit a couple boundaries in the 8th over as he and Marsh waged a lone fight. Smith (41) finally fell off Rampaul when he attempted to pull but found the man at the midwicket fence. Marsh (24) hit a six off Unadkat in the 15th over before Vinay Kumar messed his stumps. Gayle picked up two in the last over as PWI eventually fell 130 runs short.

Chris Gayle




Tuesday 23 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 30: CSK vs RR

Shane Watson's century went in vain for Rajasthan Royals as they lost to Chennai Super Kings by five wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The visitors posted a mammoth 186, but CSK, led by Michael Hussey's heroics chased down the target in the final over.

Chasing a stiff 187, Hussey started aggressively smashing consecutive boundaries off Rahul Shukla's second over before stepping out to hit a six off Ajit Chandila. Murali Vijay (3) perished to Chandila couple of balls later, caught and bowled. CSK however continued to attack with three boundaries off Shukla's fourth. Kevon Cooper was deposited into the crowd by Suresh Raina in the sixth before Hussey carved him away for a boundary.

At the halfway stage CSK were 92 for 1. James Faulkner broke the 90-run second wicket partnership trapping Raina (51) leg before. Needing 47 runs from the last five overs, Hussey (88) hit three boundaries off Cooper before being run out by a direct hit from Rahul Dravid. Faulkner then rattled the stumps of Ravindra Jadeja (0).

MS Dhoni kept CSK in the chase and hit a boundary in the 18th over to bring the equation to 17 off 12. Faulkner struck again having MS Dhoni (21) caught by Binny leaving CSK to get 11 runs off the final over. Bravo (13*) hit a six off Watson and scampered a couple to see CSK home with a ball remaining.

Earlier RR won the toss and chose to bat. Watson started with a boundary off the first delivery. He hit Mohit Sharma for the first six in the third over before pulling Chris Morris over the fence in the fifth as RR plundered 55 runs from their power play overs. Watson continued his attack sweeping Jadeja for a boundary before thumping a massive six to bring up his fifty in just 29 balls. Ravichandran Ashwin got the important breakthrough as he got the ball to spin sharply and crash into Ajinkya Rahane's (16) stumps.

Ashwin struck again dismissing Dishant Yagnik (7) caught and bowled. Dravid (7) was out deceived by a Dwayne Bravo slower ball, giving CSK their third wicket. However, Watson (102) relentless in his attack launched Jadeja for two huge sixes in the 17th over. He brought up the first century of the season in the next over before being caught by Hussey off Bravo soon after. Binny (36*) continued the assault, and some hefty blows saw RR reach 186 for 4 from 20 overs.

Michael Hussey




Monday 22 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 29: KXIP vs PWI

Kings XI Punjab defeated Pune Warriors India for the second time this season with a thrilling last over finish at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. The home team chased down a stiff 186 and got past the hurdle with seven wickets in hand and a ball to spare. David Miller (80*) and Mandeep Singh (77*) powered the chase with an undefeated 128 run partnership.

KXIP's chase started poorly as they lost skipper Adam Gilchrist (4) in the first over, caught behind off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ajantha Mendis trapped Azhar Mahmood (0) leg before to have the home team reeling at 5 for 2. Mandeep Singh struck two boundaries off Mendis in the third over before scoring two more boundaries off Rahul Sharma. Mandeep and Manan Vohra counter-attacked the PWI bowlers as they put on 53 runs for the third wicket before Yuvraj Singh bowled Vohra (22).

Miller hit the first six of the innings depositing Yuvraj into the stands. At the halfway stage, KXIP were 83 for 3, still requiring 103 runs from 60 balls. Miller continued his assault stepping down and hitting Mendis for a huge six before cutting him for a boundary in the 12th over. Miller hit Luke Wright for a six and brought up his maiden IPL fifty in the 16th over.

Needing 29 off the final two overs, Miller struck consecutive boundaries off Ashok Dinda to reduce the target to 16 to be got off the last over. Miller slammed two sixes to see KXIP home with a ball remaining.

Earlier KXIP won the toss and put PWI in. Aaron Finch, the stand-in captain for this match, hit Mahmood for a six and a boundary after he was given an early reprieve as Gilchrist dropped him on 1 in the second over. Robin Uthappa and Finch put on a good foundation as PWI scored 48 runs when the field restrictions were in force. Manpreet Gony's first over was dispatched for two boundaries. Parvinder Awana provided the much needed breakthrough when he had Uthappa (37) caught behind.

Finch continued to attack smashing Gony for a huge six over mid-wicket. Yuvraj also got into the act dismissing Chawla for a six in 14th over. Gony then had the dangerous Finch (64) caught in the deep, while Yuvraj (34) picked up the mantle and hit two sixes off Gony in the 17th over before Mahmood dismissed him. Wright (34), playing his first match of the season, started straight away striking four successive boundaries before smashing two more and a six off Praveen Kumar. Wright's blistering cameo, a 10-ball 34, propelled PWI to 185 for 4 in 20 overs.

David Miller




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 28: DD vs MI

Even Sir Viv, in his advisory capacity for the Delhi Daredevils would not have expected the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene to do what they did on Sunday evening. His pep talk ensured the Delhi Daredevils destroyed all confidence Mumbai Indians built up when batting first and has helped create an aura around the team, an aura the rest of oppositions will fear henceforth. After eight consecutive defeats stretching back to last season, six this season, Delhi Daredevils finally came good as they destroyed the Mumbai Indians by nine wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

MI posted 161 on the back of half centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma but Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene made mockery of the target as they put on a century and half partnership to see DD home comfortably with 18 balls to spare. Chasing a stiff 162 for victory, Sehwag was given an early reprieve as Jasprit Bumrah dropped him on 2 off Munaf Patel. Bumrah's second over was taken apart for 17 runs as Sehwag smashed two boundaries. Sehwag and Jayawardene continued their assault with four boundaries to take 17 more runs from Munaf Patel to bring up the 50 in just the 5th over.

From then the pair were in a punishing mood as they kept the run-rate at 10-an over with Sehwag, back to his belligerent best and the runs just flowed. Jayawardene too played some sensational strokes as DD were at 102 for 0 at the halfway stage, needing just 60 of as many deliveries. Sehwag hit Harbhajan Singh for consecutive boundaries through point in the 13th over. Lasith Malinga provided some respite for MI dismissing Jayawardene (59) but not before he along with Sehwag had put on 151 runs.

DD reached the target with Sehwag undefeated on 95, the highest total by an individual this season, eclipsing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 93 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru. Earlier MI won the toss and elected to bat. They started slowly scoring just seven runs in the first three overs before Roelof van der Merwe had Dwayne Smith (7) caught at mid-off. Dinesh Karthik (2) was run out by Umesh Yadav as he got a touch to Tendulkar's straight drive which broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end. MI managed only 24 runs from their power play.

Tendulkar then deposited Agit Agarkar over the midwicket fence for the first six in the 7th over. Rohit Sharma continued his good form with massive sixes off Van der Merwe and Andre Russell to set the stadium on fire. Tendulkar was given a life on 37 when Shahbaz Nadeem did not hold on to a return catch. Sharma then hit two boundaries off Yadav's 13thover. Tendulkar and Sharma put on 96 runs for the third wicket as the MI bandwagon rolled on. Sharma bought up his 17th IPL fifty in the 15thover with a boundary off Irfan Pathan. Yadav finally had Tendulkar (54) caught by David Warner. Sharma (73) continued the assault with two sixes off Agarkar before perishing in the penultimate over. MI finished at 161 for 4 from their 20 overs.

Virender Sehwag




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 27: RCB vs RR

Royal Challengers Bangalore extended their winning streak at home with a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. RCB bowlers put on a wonderful display as RR capitulated to be bowled out for just 117. RCB chased it down as Chris Gayle anchored the run-chase and took his team past the finish line. The win took RCB to the top of the points table.

Chasing a meager 118, RCB started positively as Tillakaratne Dilshan hit S Sreesanth for consecutive boundaries in the second over. He continued his assault with another couple of boundaries off James Faulkner. RCB put on 48 runs in the power play. Shane Watson provided RR with the first breakthrough as he had Dilshan (25) caught behind. Faulkner then castled the in-form Virat Kohli (1). Watson struck again to have the dangerous AB de Villiers caught at mid-off leaving RCB at 64 for 3 in 9 overs.

Chris Gayle played an uncharacteristic cautious knock anchoring the RCB innings. Saurabh Tiwary too was cautious to begin with, but broke the shackles when he bludgeoned a six off Ajit Chandila in the 15th over. Needing 16 runs off the final four overs, Tiwary went after Siddharth Trivedi hitting him for two boundaries before Gayle finished it with a six. Gayle and Tiwary put on 59 runs to see RCB home with 13 balls to spare.

Earlier in the evening RCB won the toss and opted to field. Watson got RR running with a boundary off the first delivery. Ravi Rampaul drew first blood for the hosts sending back Watson (6) caught by Murali Kartik at mid-off. Ajinkya Rahane (14) hit a boundary and a six off Rampaul's third over, before Jaydev Unadkat had him caught at point off a slower delivery.

Bangalore boys, Rahul Dravid and Stuart Binny got on with the task of rebuilding the innings and put on 40 runs for the third wicket; Binny smashed Unadkat for a boundary and a six in the 8th over. R Vinay Kumar had Binny (33) top edge a pull to give RCB their third wicket.

Murali Kartik dismissed Dravid (35) caught at long-off to trigger a collapse. Vinay Kumar in the next over had Brad Hodge (13) caught behind before RP Singh struck twice, dismissing Faulkner (3) and Dishant Yagnik (5). The wickets continued to tumble as Sreesanth (0), Shaun Tait (1), and Trivedi (3) fell as RR were bundled out for 117 with two balls to spare.

Vinay Kumar




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 26: KKR vs CSK

The battle between last season’s finalists saw Chennai Super Kings beating Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Ravindra Jadeja starred for CSK with ball and bat as he first picked up three wickets to restrict KKR for just 119, before playing a match-winning knock of 36 off just 14 deliveries to see his team home.

Chasing a modest 120, CSK sprung a surprise opening with Ravichandran Ashwin alongside Michael Hussey. However the ploy didn't work as Ashwin (11) struggled to get going before he was caught at short mid-wicket off Sunil Narine. CSK managed only 27 runs from their power play before Murali Vijay (2) was given out leg before off Sachithra Senanayake.

Suresh Raina (7) was caught at long-on by Narine off Yusuf Pathan to give KKR their third wicket. Eoin Morgan ran out MS Dhoni (9) as KKR fought back. With KKR drying up the runs, CSK required 50 runs off the final five overs. Jacques Kallis rattled Subramanium Badrinath's (6) stump to bring Jadeja to the middle. The all-rounder started off in fantastic fashion slamming a huge six straight away. Hussey (40) then fell to Lakshmipathy Balaji caught by Pathan at deep square-leg. Jadeja smashed another six, this time off Narine, before hitting Kallis for consecutive boundaries. CSK reached the target with five balls remaining.

Earlier electing to bat skipper Gautam Gambhir got KKR's innings underway with two boundaries in the first over. Pathan, opening the innings, too started aggressively with two boundaries off the second. Gambhir (25) then slammed consecutive boundaries off Albie Morkel before a brilliant catch by Hussey cut his innings short. Jaques Kallis (0) was run out without facing a single delivery, courtesy of a brilliant throw by Badrinath. Dwayne Bravo then turned the match on its head first having Morgan (2) caught before running out Pathan (25) to leave KKR stuttering at 55 for 4 in 8 overs.

Debabrata Das (19) launched Ashwin for a six before the bowler came back to trap him leg before. Ashwin then had Manoj Tiwary (13) caught in the deep. The collapse continued as Jadeja struck twice to dismiss Rajat Bhatia (1) and Laxmi Shukla (1). Narine played a short cameo hitting two sixes before holing out to give Jadeja his third wicket. KKR eventually finished at 119 for 9 from 20 overs.

Ravindra Jadeja




Friday 19 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 25: SRH vs KXIP

Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their winning streak at home with a convincing five wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. The SRH bowlers once again put on a magnificent display, before their batsmen led by Hanuma Vihari and Thisara Perera saw them home.

Chasing 124, SRH lost Quinton de Kock (0) with nothing on board as Praveen Kumar uprooted his middle stump. Vihari and Akshath Reddy together strung a partnership and rebuilt the innings putting on 48 runs for the second wicket. Vihari hit consecutive boundaries off Piyush Chawla's first over. Manpreet Gony provided the breakthrough as Azhar Mahmood pulled off a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Akshath Reddy (19). At the halfway stage SRH were 56 for 2, still requiring 68 runs.

Vihari (46) was caught by David Hussey as he played an uppish drive off Chawla. Needing 36 runs off 30 balls, SRH lost Cameron White (16) as Gony made a mess of his stumps. Mahmood trapped Biplab Samantray (10) leg before the very next over. With 18 runs off the final two overs, Perera (23*) hit Mahmood for three huge sixes to finish the match in style. SRH reached the target with seven balls remaining.

Earlier KXIP won the toss and elected to bat first. They lost Mandeep Singh (10) early when Ishant Sharma struck. After a slow start, Adam Gilchrist got a move on smashing three boundaries off Thisara Perera's 6th over. At the end of the power play, KXIP were 36 for 1. With runs difficult to come by, Gilchrist (26) tried to break the shackles and attempted a big hit off Karan Sharma, only to be caught at deep midwicket. Paul Valthaty (6) perished soon after caught by Perera off Karan Sharma to leave KXIP at 48 for 3 in 9 overs.

Promoted up the order, Chawla launched Karan Sharma for two massive sixes in the 11th over. Hussey joined in by slamming Ishant Sharma over the mid-wicket fence. KXIP lost Chawla (23) to a run out affected by Perera to peg them onto the back-foot yet again. Gurkeerat Singh ((17) got on with the task straight away hitting Mishra for a six. Hussey (22) then fell trying to accelerate off Ishant Sharma. The KXIP lower order then capitulated as they lost four wickets in five deliveries to leave them in disarray. They eventually finished at 123 for 9 from their 20 overs.

Hanuma Vihari




Thursday 18 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 24: DD vs CSK

Delhi Daredevils' woeful run continued as they lost their sixth match of the season by a comprehensive 83 run margin to Chennai Super Kings at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Batting first, CSK put on 169 runs on the back of Michael Hussey's undefeated 65 and MS Dhoni’s cameo after which their bowlers, led by Mohit Sharma, ran through the DD batting line-up.

Chasing 170, Virender Sehwag got DD off with a flick off his pad for a six in the first over. Mohit Sharma jolted the DD innings with two wickets in his second over. First he had David Warner (1) drag one onto his stumps before trapping Manpreet Juneja (2) leg before. Mahela Jayawardene (6) pulled away Chris Morris for a boundary, before the bowler came back to trap him leg before. It only got worse for DD as they lost Sehwag the very next delivery caught in the deep off Mohit Sharma leaving them at 30 for 4 in 5.1 overs.

Jeevan Mendis (12) and Kedar Jadhav consolidated before the former was run out attempting a risky second run. Irfan Pathan (12) departed soon after caught by Dwayne Bravo off Ravindra Jadeja to leave DD six down. Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Agit Agarkar (3) and Morne Morkel (2) in quick succession and Jadhav (31) followed them back. DD eventually were bowled out for 83 falling 86 runs short.

Earlier CSK won the toss and elected to bat. The team started off briskly as Murali Vijay hit Umesh Yadav for two boundaries in the third over. Morne Morkel then struck, trapping Vijay (18) to give DD their first wicket. Suresh Raina, playing his 100th match for CSK, got off the mark with a gorgeous cover drive. The DD bowlers though held their own and did well to keep CSK down to 60 at the halfway stage.

Raina then got into the act smashing Yadav for consecutive boundaries in the 11th over. Agarkar playing his first match of the season bowled a quiet first over before Hussey (65*) hit him for a six and a boundary in the 12th. Pathan got the wicket of Raina (30) caught behind bringing MS Dhoni to the crease. Dhoni was given a reprieve on two occasions; Mahela Jayawardene dropped him when he was on 5 and Agarkar dropped him off Yadav when he was on 17. Morkel's 17th over was taken apart for 19 runs as Dhoni (44) and Hussey attacked. With a few lusty blows CSK finished at 169 for 4 from their 20 overs.

Michael Hussey




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 23: RR vs MI

Rajasthan Royals inflicted the biggest loss over Mumbai Indians and kept their fans at home happy with a superlative performance for an 87-run win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Batting first Rajasthan Royals posted 179 for 3 on the back of Ajinkya Rahane's unbeaten 68, before their bowlers put on a magnificent performance to rout the MI batting. The 87-run defeat was Mumbai Indians’ biggest defeat in IPL history!

Needing 180 to win, MI got off to a bad start as Ajit Chandila dismissed the two legends Sachin Tendulkar (1) and Ricky Ponting (4) in quick succession. Tendulkar fell top edging a sweep to short fine-leg while Ponting lobbed the ball straight back to Chandila attempting to work one to the leg side.

Siddharth Trivedi then struck removing Rohit Sharma (2) caught by Shane Watson to have MI reeling at 26 for 3 in 6.1 overs. It only got worse for MI as Kieron Pollard (1) had his stumps in disarray attempting to drive Stuart Binny without any footwork.

At the halfway stage MI were 42 for 4, still requiring 138 runs. Dinesh Karthik (30) trying to break the shackles fell caught by Brad Hodge off James Faulkner. Wickets continued to fall as Rishi Dhawan (0) was caught at short mid-wicket. Harbhajan Singh was the next man to be dismissed; he was involved in a mix-up with Ambati Raydu, with both batsmen ending up on the same end of the pitch. Mitchell Johnson (11) and Ambati Raydu (27) fell in the space of six deliveries and MI were eventually bundled out for 92 – their second lowest total in the IPL.

Earlier RR won the toss and elected to bat. Openers Watson and Rahane (68*) started off well with two boundaries off Mitchell Johnson before Watson whacked Dhawan for a six over square leg. Rahane also came down the track and hoisted Pragyan Ojha for a six in the fifth over. Watson continued his assault with three boundaries off Lasith Malinga as RR made 58 runs in the power play. Pollard got the vital breakthrough having Watson (31) caught behind.

Rahul Dravid sprang a surprise when he had Dishant Yagnik bat up the order; the wicket-keeper batsman played fearlessly hitting Pollard for a six, as RR raced to 88 for 1 at the halfway stage. Rahane and Yagnik together put on 53 run for the second wicket.

Harbhajan Singh finally got Yagnik (34) caught by Tendulkar at short fine-leg. Stuart Binny (4) departed soon after he was run out by Johnson. Brad Hodge (27*) slogged Harbhajan Singh for a six as RR got a move on in the final overs. Some hefty blows at the end including 19 runs from the last over off Malinga helped RR reach 179 for 3 in 20 overs. Rahane carried his bat to remain undefeated on 68.

Ajinkya Rahane




Wednesday 17 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 22: PWI vs SRH

One over, four wickets, including the second hat-trick of Pepsi IPL 2013, by leggie Amit Mishra enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad to manage an inspiring performance at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, in Pune. SRH superbly defended a meager 119 against hosts Pune Warriors India. Amit Mishra scripted a stunning victory, starring with both bat and ball to help bowl out PWI 11 runs short.

Chasing 120, PWI started aggressively. Robin Uthappa flicked two boundaries off Dale Steyn before driving Ishant Sharma down the ground. Aaron Finch then hit two boundaries off Steyn's second over. Thisara Perera then struck a dual blow by dismissing Uthappa (22) and Finch (16) off consecutive deliveries. Uthappa was caught at deep square leg, while Finch was done in by the extra bounce and found the man at point. Karan Sharma then had Tirumalasetti Suman out leg before to get SRH their third wicket.

With less than 6 runs needed per over, PWI were on their way home but then Steven Smith (17) top edged a pull shot and was caught at the fence by Ashish Reddy off Ishant Sharma. The wickets of Marsh (14) and Abhishek Nayar (0) brought SRH back into the game. Needing 14 off 12, Mishra bowled a brilliant over picking four wickets which included a hat trick to bundle out PWI. Mishra dismissed Angelo Mathews (20), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0), Rahul Sharma (0) and Ashok Dinda (0) to help SRH gain a welcome two points.

Earlier PWI won the toss and opted to field. PWI struck first getting rid of Quinton de Kock (2) who came in for Kumar Sangakara, caught at cover off Dinda. Bhuvneshwar Kumar who swung the ball beautifully bowled Parthiv Patel (12) and Cameron White (0) off consecutive deliveries to leave SRH reeling at 15 for 3 in 3 overs. The wickets continued to fall as Kumar then had Hanuma Vihari (1) edging to Finch at first slip to claim his third wicket. Karan Sharma (7) was trapped leg before by Rahul Sharma to have half the SRH side back in the hut.

The slide continued as Marsh then had Perera (2) caught behind. Biplab Samantray provided some resistance hitting Sharma for a boundary before launching him for a six over square leg. Sharma however had his revenge having Samantray (37) caught at long-off to reduce SRH seven down. Ashish Reddy (19*) played a few shots including hitting a six off Matthews. Along with Mishra, who scored 30 off 24 balls, the two saw SRH reach 119 for 8 from their 20 overs.

Amit Mishra




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 21: RCB vs DD

Royal Challengers Bangalore got entangled in yet another super over, but this time they came out on top ahead of the Delhi Daredevils at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Chasing DD's 153, RCB seemed to be cruising to victory before a late order collapse and a brilliant fight back by DD meant that DD tied the match. The match was decided in the super over.

In the super over, batting first, RCB managed to score 15 runs after AB de Villiers smashed sixes off the last two deliveries bowled by Umesh Yadav. Chasing 16 runs for victory, DD lost David Warner first ball, however Irfan Pathan carried on hitting a boundary and a huge six over fine leg. Needing 5 runs off the final ball, Ben Rohrer lost his off-stump bowled by Ravi Rampaul to give RCB a thrilling victory.

Chasing 153, KL Rahul (12) got RCB rolling, hitting consecutive boundaries off Ashish Nehra. The Delhi bowler who was earlier denied a leg before appeal had Rahul caught by Mahela Jayawardene. Morkel then got the important wicket of Chris Gayle (13) caught at third man after Gayle had deposited the previous delivery into the stands. AB de Villiers got off the mark with a six over point off Nehra.

De Villiers and Virat Kohli knit together 103 runs for the third wicket. RCB reached the 100 mark in just 11.4 overs. Kohli brought up his fifty with a boundary down to fine leg as RCB neared the target. De Villiers (39) was run out by Morkel in the 16th over and Andrew McDonald (0) was caught and bowled by Nadeem two balls later.

Irfan Pathan's run out to get rid of Arun Karthik (5) and the wicket of Syed Mohammad (1) brought DD back in the game. Kohli (65) was then caught by Jaywardene off Umesh Yadav as RCB started choking. Needing 12 runs off the last over, Ravi Rampaul hit a six to reduce it to 2 runs off the final ball. Rampaul and R Vinay Kumar scampered for a bye to tie the match and take it to the super over.

Earlier RCB won the toss and put DD in. The visiting openers, Virender Sehwag and David Warner, started positively. After a first over maiden they hit three boundaries off RP Singh's second over. Sehwag continued the assault as he then smashed Jaydev Unadkat for three boundaries in the fourth over. Vinay Kumar got the breakthrough taking a stunning catch off his own bowling to dismiss Warner (15). Sehwag (25) was shown the door the next over as he chipped McDonald to Kohli at short mid-wicket. At the halfway stage DD were at 67 for 2.

Unadkat then had Juneja (17) caught at long off to give RCB their third wicket. He struck again this time removing Ben Rohrer (14) caught at deep mid-wicket. Jayewardene (28) was run out in a freak fashion as the ball ricocheted off Vinay Kumar's boot onto the stumps. Kadar Jadhav (29*) hit Ravi Rampul for a boundary and a six in the 19th over. Pathan (19*) also dealt a few lusty hits in the final over taking 15 runs off it to help the team finish at 152 for 5.

Virat Kohli




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 20: KXIP vs KKR

Manpreet Gony, took his frustration of sitting on the bench for the initial games of his team against KKR, blasting a 18-ball 42 to enable Kings XI Punjab defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. Manpreet Gony playing his first match of the tournament contributed with both the bat and ball to help KXIP gain two points.

Chasing 158, KKR started poorly as Praveen Kumar sent back Manvinder Bisla (0) caught by Adam Gilchrist after the ball rebounded off Azhar Mahmood's chest. Mahmood then had Jacques Kallis (1) caught at extra cover to reduce KKR to 1 for 2. Gautam Gambhir got a move on for KKR with consecutive boundaries off Kumar and then hammered David Hussey for three successive boundaries.

Gambhir found an apt companion in Eoin Morgan and duo together put on 105 runs. Gony provided the big wicket of Gambhir (60) having him caught behind. Mahmood then got the wicket of Morgan (47), caught by Hussey to shift the balance. Parvinder Awana bowled Manoj Tiwary (1) before Mahmood got rid off Debabrata Das (1).

Needing 30 off 12 balls, Rajat Bhatia slammed two huge sixes off Awana, before he dragged one from Awana onto his stumps. With 11 runs required off the last over, Kumar dismissed Yusuf Pathan (13) and a run out of the penultimate ball meant that KKR needed 6 off the final delivery. KKR only managed one run, and fell short by four runs.

Earlier in the evening, KKR won the toss and elected to field. They struck early as Sachithra Senanayake trapped Gilchrist (7) leg before. The KKR bowlers were miserly and KXIP managed only 35 for 1 in their six power play overs. Manan Vohra (17) was caught and bowled by Lakshmipathy Balaji to give KKR their second wicket. Kallis then had Mandeep Singh (41), who till then had played beautifully, edge behind to the wicket-keeper to leave KXIP at 70 for 3 in 10.1 overs.

Sunil Narine turned the game on its head with a hat trick in the 15th over. Narine first had Hussey (12) caught behind, before dismissing Mahmood (0) caught and bowled. He completed his hat-trick – the tenth such effort in the IPL - bowling Gurkeerat Singh (0) to reduce KXIP to 99 for 6. The wickets continued to fall as David Miller (20) was caught behind off Senanayake. Gony (42) played a neat cameo with a six and a boundary off Balaji's 17th taking 15 runs before smashing two sixes and two boundaries off Narine's 19th taking 23 from it. KXIP finally finished at 157 for 9.

Manpreet Singh Gony




Tuesday 16 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 19: CSK vs PWI

Pune Warriors India put an end to Chennai Super Kings winning streak at home with a 24 run win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. Having posted 159 on the back of Aaron Finch and Steven Smith's contributions, PWI pegged back CSK's run chase with regular wickets to finish on top.

Chasing 160, CSK were jolted early as Bhuvneshwar Kumar trapped Srikkanth Anirudha (0) leg before and bowled a fantastic first over maiden. Murali Vijay was given a reprieve on 1 as Tirumalasetti Suman dropped a sitter. Suman however redeemed himself by pouching Suresh Raina (8) off Kumar. Abhishek Nayar then had Vijay (24) caught by Ross Taylor to leave CSK at 40 for 3.

Subramaniam Badrinath (34) along with Ravindra Jadeja consolidated for CSK putting on 46 runs for the fourth wicket before Mitchell Marsh had the former caught by Smith at long-off. PWI continued to chip away at the wickets as Marsh struck again dismissing Jadeja (27). With CSK needing 61 off 30 balls, Rahul Sharma got rid of Dwayne Bravo (1) to leave the hosts six wickets down in the 16th over. Ashok Dinda picked up the important wicket of MS Dhoni (10) leaving CSK needing a miracle for a win. CSK eventually finished 24 runs short.

Earlier PWI elected to bat after winning the toss and they started positively as Finch hit three boundaries in the first over off Dirk Nannes. He continued to dominate the CSK bowling smashing two boundaries off Jadeja and then two more off Nannes' 5th. PWI raced to 48 for 0 in their power play.

Jadeja provided CSK their first breakthrough having Finch (67) stumped by Dhoni after the Australian had launched him for a six the previous delivery. Chris Morris then struck, dismissing Robin Uthappa (26) caught at long off to bring CSK back into the game. Steve Smith playing his first game of the season put Bravo away for consecutive boundaries to get a move on. Morris struck again dismissing Taylor (8) and Bravo then had Marsh (2) walk back. Smith (39*) provided a late flourish with a six and a boundary off Nannes before reverse flicking Bravo for a six. PWI finished their 20th over at 159 for 5.

Steve Smith




Monday 15 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 18: RR vs KXIP

Rajasthan Royals emerged out of their two loss streak with a six wicket win over Kings XI Punjab at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. RR were led by their bowlers who bowled out KXIP for just 124, before Ajinkya Rahane and IPL debutant, Sanju Samson helped them ease past the finish line.

Chasing a small target of 125, RR started aggressively as Shane Watson smashed three successive boundaries off Ryan Harris in the 2nd over. He followed it with two more including a beautiful drive straight down the ground in the fourth over off Harris. Watson (32) continued his assault with two consecutive boundaries off Parvinder Awana before the bowler had him caught by Mandeep Singh to give KXIP their first breakthrough.

Praveen Kumar had Rahul Dravid (9) and Stuart Binny (0) caught behind in the span of four deliveries to help KXIP force their way into the match. Some tight bowling by KXIP piled on the pressure and Piyush Chawla struck the body blow trapping Brad Hodge (15) leg before. Samson was given a reprieve on 4 when Harris put him down at slip and he made the most of it. RR needed 5 runs off the final over. Samson (27*) and Rahane (34*) who put on an undefeated partnership of 47 runs saw the team home with 4 balls remaining.

Earlier, RR won the toss and elected to field. They were rewarded immediately as S Sreesanth struck twice in his first over dismissing Adam Gilchrist (0) caught at mid-off before having Mandeep Singh (2) caught down at third man. It only got worse for KXIP as they lost Manan Vohra (3) run out by James Faulkner to send KXIP reeling at 10 for 3 in 3.3 overs.

The slide continued as Gurkeerat Singh Mann (10) fell, caught behind off Siddharth Trived and Rajagopal Sathish (11), just as he started to string a partnership together with David Hussey, edged Faulkner to the wicket-keeper. Trivedi struck again dismissing Hussey (41) who held the KXIP innings together as Dravid at mid-off held onto the catch on the second attempt. Kevon Cooper then struck sending back Chawla (7) and then bowing Mahmood (23) in his next over to reduce KXIP to 104 for 8. Kumar (15) who hit a six and two boundaries was run out. KXIP were finally bowled out for 124.

James Faulkner




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 17: KKR vs SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders continued their impressive streak at home with a 48 run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR, batting first, put on 180 on the board with contributions from Gautam Gambhir (53), Jaques Kallis (41) and Eoin Morgan (47) before their bowlers put up a good show to restrict the visitors.

Chasing a mammoth 181, Parthiv Patel smashed Lakshmipathy Balaji for a six in the third over and followed it up with a boundary. But the KKR bowlers recovered to bowl tight lines, not allowing the visitors to score more than 39 runs in the power play. With the pressure mounting, Patel (27) went for a wild pull shot only to have Kallis peg back his stump. Cameron White got a move on with consecutive boundaries off Rajat Bhatia before Kallis struck again having White (34) caught brilliantly at the ropes by Yusuf Pathan.

Kumar Sangakara (2) fell soon after caught by Manoj Tiwary off Bhatia. Thisara Perera launched Sunil Narine for a huge six and followed it with a boundary. Tiwary then caught Dwaraka Ravi Teja (10) off Narine to further reduce SRH. Sachithra Senanayake picked his first IPL wicket bowling Ashish Reddy (4). SRH fell short by 48 runs.

Earlier KKR won the toss and chose to bat. Manvinder Bisla and Gambhir started positively dispatching three boundaries off Hanuma Vihari's 2nd over. Bisla continued his assault smashing consecutive boundaries off Perera. Bisla (28) finally fell caught at deep mid-wicket off Karan Sharma. Gambhir hit the first six sending Karan Sharma into the crowd in the 10th over. At the halfway stage KKR were at 76 for 1. Gambhir bought up his 18th IPL fifty in the 12th over with a boundary through third man.

Ashish Reddy got the much needed breakthrough for SRH bowling Gambhir. KKR stepped on the gas, with Morgan hitting Amit Mishra for a six and a four in the 16th over. Kallis joined the party the next over stroking Ishant Sharma for two consecutive boundaries in the off-side. Perera's 18th over was taken apart by Morgan as he plundered 22 runs from it. Morgan was run out by Dale Steyn after hitting the South African for a massive six. KKR eventually finished at 180 for 4 from their 20 overs.

Gautam Gambhir




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 16: CSK vs RCB

There could not have been anything more bizarre scripted in a T20 contest and the Pepsi IPL 2013, provided another first to history. Two needed off the last delivery, Ravindra Jadeja cut uppishly and was smartly taken at third man, the RCB dug-out and fans breaking into frenzied celebrations, only to see the wind being knocked off their lungs, in the most crudest of manner. Umpire Choudhary signaled a no ball and along with it a victory for Chennai Super Kings after the batsmen had run a single!

The effect of a nail biting finish left a bad taste for the visitors who had done well up until then. It was an unbelievable end to a contest that saw the scales tilt either way after RCB had posted 165 and had CSK trailing on run-rate for most of the chase. It was for Chennai Super Kings a four-wickets victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chasing 166, CSK were jolted early as Ravi Ramapaul sent back Murali Vijay caught behind. R Vinay Kumar struck the very next over having Michael Hussey (4) caught by Mayank Agarwal to leave CSK stuttering at 10 for 2. Subramaniam Badrinath was given a reprieve on 1 when RP Singh put down a straight forward catch. Suresh Raina got into Vinay Kumar's 6th over pumping him for three boundaries.

Syed Mohammad provided the much needed breakthrough getting rid of Raina (30). Mohammad struck again dismissing Badrinath (34) with Agarwal taking a splendid catch. MS Dhoni got CSK going with a 92 meter hit off RP Singh in the 14th over. Needing 54 off 24 balls, Dhoni hit a boundary before launching the next one 104 meters down. Needing 29 off the final two overs, Rampaul struck twice dismissing the dangerous Dhoni (33) and Dwayne Bravo (8) to change the equation to 16 from 6. Jadeja hit a boundary and a six of the first two deliveries to get CSK back into the game. With two runs needed off the final delivery, Jadeja (38*) holed out at third man only to find that RP Singh had over-stepped the line to hand CSK a joyful win.

Earlier CSK won the toss and put RCB in. Chris Morris struck early having Chris Gayle (4) caught behind. Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli got on with the task of rebuilding putting on 46 runs for the second wicket. Agarwal (25) hit Jadeja for a six before Ravichandran Ashwin, with a clever bit of bowling, had him stumped with a ball down the leg-side. Kohli was given a lucky break when the umpire failed to give an edge to Dhoni off Bravo in the 12th over.

De Villiers hit two consecutive boundaries, taking 16 runs off Dirk Nannes 15th over. Kohli was given another reprieve on 46 when Bravo dropped him off his own bowling. Morris struck twice in the 17th over first having Kohli (58) caught behind, before dismissing Daniel Christian (2). Bravo got Rampaul (0) the following over. De Villiiers (64) continued his assault dismissing Morris for 20 runs off the penultimate over. RCB eventually finishing at 165 for 6 from their 20 overs.

Ravindra Jadeja




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 15: MI vs PWI

Mumbai Indians kept the momentum going for themselves, recording a telling 41-runs victory over neighbours Pune Warriors India at the Wankhede on Saturday. While batting it was Master Sachin Tendulkar (44), the in-form Dinesh Karthik (41) and Rohit Sharma (62*) who set up the target and then Mitchelle Johnson ensured the reply from PWI was a no contest.

The win was another two points for the Mumbai Indians, who on the day, in support of the ‘Education For All’ programme, had 11,000 children inside the stadium, dedicated their victory to the under privileged kids.

Chasing 184, PWI got off to a horrible start as Aaron Finch (0) was bowled first ball by Johnson. Ross Taylor (4) was run out by Ambati Rayudu and it only got worse as Johnson swung the ball sharply to send Uthappa's (7) off-stump cart-wheeling to reduce PWI to 13 for 3. Tirumalasetti Suman (23) opened his account with two glorious boundaries through the point region. He fell trying to clear the fence caught by Kieron Pollard off Harbhajan Singh.

Yuvraj Singh (24) hit the first six of the PWI innings depositing Pollard behind square leg in the 8th over. Just as he was looking good, he was dismissed, caught beautifully by Rishi Dhawan. PWI lost their sixth wicket as Angelo Mathews (19) fell in pursuit of runs to Pragyan Ojha. Mitchell Marsh kept the fight going hitting a few sixes including a monster 99 meter hit off Johnson. Lasith Malinga dismissed Abhishek Nayar (6) and Marsh's (38) wicket off Johnson, caught brilliantly by Dhawan was the last nail in the coffin for PWI. They eventually finished at 142 for 8.

Earlier MI opted to bat and openers Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar started positively. Ponting hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two boundaries before Tendulkar went after Ashok Dinda smashing four successive boundaries. Tendulkar was put down by Yuvraj Singh off Rahul Sharma at mid-on and the Master responded by depositing the next ball over the ropes. Yuvraj Singh soon made amends dismissing Ponting (13) caught at point. Aaron Finch got PWI their second wicket having Tendulkar (44) caught by Marsh.

Dinesh Karthik stroked Yuvraj Singh for consecutive boundaries in the 12th over before pulling Angelo Mathews for a six the next over. Mitchell Marsh trapped the in-form Karthik (41) leg before to provide his team another timely wicket. Dinda's day got worse as Rohit Sharma (62*) slammed him for consecutive sixes, taking 19 runs off the 17th over. Marsh's next over went for 21 runs as Sharma and Pollard (19*) pressed their foot on the pedal. Some more lusty blows by Sharma in the last over propelled MI to 183 for 3 from their 20 overs.

Rohit Sharma




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 14: DD vs SRH

Delhi Daredevils’s woeful run in the Pepsi IPL 2013 continued with the Sunrisers Hyderabad defeating them by three wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on Friday night. The win was set up for the Sunrisers by their bowlers who restricted DD to just 114 before their batsmen huffed and puffed their way with DD putting up an inspired fight.

Chasing a meager 115, SRH lost Akshath Reddy (1) to a spectacular run out by Shahbaz Nadeem. Kumar Sangakkara and Parthiv Patel got a partnership going as the two added 44 runs before Patel (19) was dismissed caught and bowled by Nadeem to give DD their second wicket. Johan Botha then had Sangakara (28) edge to Virender Sehwag at slip before Nadeem had Cameron White (4) stumped.

Hanuma Vihari departed the next over to Morne Morkel bringing DD back into the game. Morkel then removed Ashish Reddy (16). Irfan Pathan got the much needed wicket of Thisara Perera (2) holing out in the deep to reduce SH down to their last three wickets. However Amit Mishra (16*) played sensibly to guide his team closer to the target. With SRH needing 6 runs to win off the final over, Dale Steyn ran two off the first delivery and then punched the ball straight down the ground for a boundary to take his team home with four balls remaining.

Earlier DD won the toss and chose to bat but found an intimidating Dale Steyn as he bowled a first over wicket maiden, dismissing the in-form David Warner. Mahela Jayawardene was then given a reprieve the very next delivery as Patel failed to hold onto an edge. DD were dealt a major blow when Ishant Sharma had Jayawardene (12) caught by Steyn at mid-on. He followed it up with the wicket of Sehwag (12) caught at slip the next delivery to leave DD stuttering at 26 for 3.

The slide continued as Johan Botha (9) was caught at point off Anand Rajan. At the halfway stage DD were at 46 for 4. Amit Mishra removed Manpreet Juneja (15) to further dent the DD innings. Kedar Jadhav (30*) finally got a move on for DD hitting Ishant Sharma for a four and a six in the 17th over. Perera then struck dismissing Pathan (23) and Morkel (0) in quick succession. Jadhav's innings – the lone saving grace, ensured that DD reached 114 for 8 in their 20 overs.

Amit Mishra




Friday 12 April 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 13: PWI vs RR

Suffering the ignominy of eleven straight losses, Pune Warriors India, on Thursday night decided it was time to tinker with the records at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. A collective effort from the team, that has burned at the bottom for too long, saw the home team breaking all shackles, and in telling style when they recorded their first win of the Pepsi IPL 2013 season.

With the odds stacking up against them, PWI put in their all to record a convincing seven wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals to give the franchisee owners and their home fans something to cry hoarse about.

Chasing a modest 146, PWI got back to winning ways as Aaron Finch played a magnificent innings scoring 64 off 53 balls. The victory came as a massive relief to Allan Donald and his team.

PWI started positively as openers Robin Uthappa and Finch went hard after the RR bowlers. Harmeet Singh's 2nd over was taken apart for 17 runs, before Uthappa dismantled S Sreesanth hitting him for two sixes and a boundary to bring up Pune's 50 in just 3.4 over. James Faulkner provided the much needed breakthrough as Rahul Dravid pulled off a blinder to send Uthappa (32) on his way.

Needing less than 6 runs an over thereafter, Finch and Ross Taylor pushed the ball into gaps and rotated the strike to steadily close in on the target. Finch bought up his fifty in style smashing Kevon Cooper for a six. Harmeet Singh got RR their second wicket having Ross Taylor (17) caught in the deep by Brad Hodge. Finch finally departed to give Faulkner his second wicket. Yuvraj Singh finished the match in style with a six as PWI romped home with eight balls to spare.

Earlier RR won the toss and elected to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar got his team off to a fantastic start as he dismissed Kusal Perera leg before off the very first delivery. Ajinkya Rahane and Dravid laid the foundation for RR putting on 81 runs for the second wicket. At the halfway stage RR were at 72 for 1, with Dravid and Rahane stroking the ball beautifully. Mathews pulled off a stunning catch in the covers off Rahul Sharma to send back Rahane (30) and break the partnership.

Stuart Binny (1) fell soon after caught off Yuvraj Singh. Brad Hodge was given a reprieve by Mathews when he was dropped off his own bowling on just one. Yuvraj Singh struck in the 15th over when he removed Dravid (54), courtesy of a brilliant one hand catch by Ross Taylor. Dishant Yagnik (12) fell playing an awkward shot to give Sharma his second wicket and pull the game in Pune's favor. A few lusty blows by Hodge (22*) and Faulkner (19*), in the last over enabled PWI to finish at 145 runs for 5.

Aaron Finch




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 12: RCB vs KKR

It was a Jamaican party at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Chris Gayle shattered any hopes Kolkata Knight Riders might have housed with a cracking unbeaten 85 from 50 deliveries to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore win their third match at home, chasing down 155 for a telling eight-wicket verdict.

RCB were rattled early in the chase with Ryan McLaren accounting for Mayank Agarwal (6), caught behind in the 3rd over. Jaques Kallis followed it up with a maiden over. Virat Kohli then smashed two boundaries off McLaren, before Gayle joined in, hammering two sixes to take 22 runs of the final over of the power play. The RCB duo continued their assault taking apart Pradeep Sangwan's first over for 19 runs.

Lakshmipathy Balaji provided the much needed breakthrough dismissing Kohli (35) caught by Eoin Morgan. However Gayle kept up the aggression sending the ball over the fence on a consistent basis including a monstrous 99 metre hit off Balaji. AB de Villiers (22*), who was put down on seven by Manoj Tiwary, provided good support playing a calm and composed innings.

Gayle made the most of Kallis' 16th over hitting him for two consecutive sixes before following it up with a boundary. Gayle finished the match in style with two sixes off Balaji helping RCB to reach the target with 15 balls remaining.

Earlier opting to field, RCB they were rewarded immediately as Moises Henriques had Manvinder Bisla (1) caught at point in the very first over. Gautam Gambhir who survived a run out attempt hit two boundaries off RP Singh before smashing Muttiah Muralitharan for two more. Gambhir and Kallis (16) laid the foundation for the innings putting on 51 runs for the second wicket before R Vinay Kumar struck removing the latter.

Yusuf Pathan, promoted up the order, started his account with three successive boundaries off Kumar. In the 12th over, Pathan sent Jaydev Unadkat into the crowd for the first six, but just as he was looking dangerous, he holed out in the deep to give Moises Henriques his second wicket.

In the pursuit of quick runs, Gambhir (59) fell caught and bowled by Kumar. RP Singh struck twice in the 18th over getting rid of Morgan (2) and Tiwary (23) to bring back RCB into the game. Rajat Bhatia struck consecutive boundaries off Kumar's 19th, but a couple of wickets in the last over meant that KKR finished at 154 for 8.

Chris Gayle