Aussie power keeps R Royals kicking in IPL-V

Aussie power kept Rajasthan Royals alive and kicking in IPL-V as Shane Watson and Shaun Tait drove the inaugural champions to a seven-wicket win over Pune Warriors on Tuesday.

Tait’s superlative bowling (three for 13) confined the home team to a paltry 125 after Sourav Ganguly elected to bat, and Watson’s rapid unbeaten 90 made the target appear even smaller than it was. The win, achieved with 22 balls to spare, took Royals to fourth on the points table, while for Pune their sixth consecutive loss meant that the climb back into last-four contention now borders on the impossible.

Such was Watson’s dominance that he needed little help from any other batsman - the next highest score for Royals was 18. The Australian all-rounder revved into activity in the third over of the chase, going after Murali Karthik. After clearing long-on with a brutal strike, Watson went for a repeat and was almost caught by the incredible Steven Smith at the boundary.

Smith, a genuine contender for the best fielder in the world today, caught the ball and realizing he was going to overstep the boundary, tossed the ball in, but failed to hurl it the required distance. Smith pushed the ball in again – still beyond the boundary, but with both feet off the ground – and finally caught it on his third attempt. A six was declared, but full points to Smith for attempting an implausible catch at the boundary – something he’s been doing almost every bloody match.

Watson continued with the same intensity, reaching his fifty in 27 balls, and ended with ten fours, and four sixes, to his name, twice the number scored by the entire Pune team. He was named Man of the match, but there was another contender who could have justifiably staked his claim on that honour – Tait.

Tait bowled with fire as Pune struggled after electing to bat. The home team scored just five fours and two sixes to stagger to 125 – not the most ideal platform from which to arrest a five-match losing streak. Ganguly inexplicably assumed opening duties alongside Michael Clarke.

The two struggled to find the boundary and had scored one apiece when the Pune captain fell to a Tait bouncer that had likely been fired in at the behest of Ganguly’s opposite number- Rahul Dravid.
Dravid’s familiarity with Ganguly’s mode of play resulted in the left-hander’s wicket after the former India captain had been dropped by Tait off a Watson short delivery in the previous over.

Soon after Ganguly’s exit, Clarke was trapped in front by Stuart Binny, depriving Pune of their senior-most batsmen one ball beyond the Powerplay – which contained an unpardonable 20 dot balls.
Despite the lethargy of the innings, Pune chose to promote Bengal’s Anustup Majumdar over the far more aggressive Angelo Mathews and Steven Smith. Majumdar looked to break free when he tonked two sixes off Ankeet Chavan, but soon lost his stumps to a Johan Botha yorker.

Robin Uthappa carried on for a while in the same sluggish vein of his previous IPL-V knocks and Steven Smith too failed to take off. Pune scored at less than a run-a all in the last eight overs, indicating just how fine a job Tait and Binny (3-0-12-1) had accomplished for Royals.

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Mandeep Singh and Praveen Kumar kept KXIP

Young Mandeep Singh and wily Praveen Kumar kept Kings XI Punjab in IPL-V contention as they starred in their team’s 25-run win over the lowly Deccan Chargers on Tuesday. The victory pulled Punjab up to fifth place on the points table, one spot below Rajasthan Royals - who also have 12 points but a superior Net Run Rate.

At Uppal’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Punjab were sent in to bat by Kumar Sangakkara and rode on Man of the match Mandeep’s responsible 48-ball 75 to post 170-5. The visiting side then scuppered Deccan’s chase by making frequent inroads into the batting card. 

Skipper David Hussey – Punjab’s lucky talisman – pretty much decided the game when he took out a well-set Daniel Harris and the dangerous Cameron White in the space of four deliveries of off-spin, and when Sangakkara fell in the next over to Praveen, the chase was going only one way: downhill.

Praveen had earlier foxed Shikhar Dhawan with one that shaped away from the left-hander, a few overs before Parthiv Patel was bowled by Parvinder Awana. Another implosion in the lower order – after Hussey’s double strike - arrested Deccan’s chase on 145-8, all but irremediably reserving a basement slot for the luckless team this season. Praveen finished his quota of four overs with two for 15, and Hussey’s brace of scalps cost him just two runs.

Earlier, Mandeep’s second half-century of IPL-V took Punjab to 170-5, ten runs more than the 160 that Deccan skipper Kumar Sangakkara had said was par for the venue. The most prolific scorer of the season for Punjab, Mandeep took off an incline plundering 18 off Veer Pratap Singh in the second over. Not once did the 20-year-old did not allow the run-rate to dip.

Although Dhawan provided the breakthrough Chargers were looking for when he castled Shaun Marsh, Punjab by then were already going at a comfortable eight-an-over. And despite a regular exit policy being practiced by batsmen at the other end, Mandeep stuck to his guns, dispatching Daniel Harris over cover to bring up his half-century in 33 balls, and then targeting Amit Mishra for a couple of more boundaries.

But the bowler who suffered most at Mandeep’s hands was seamer Veer Pratap Singh, who conceded 35 in 16 deliveries to the solid opener, who was finally bowled trying to slog Ashish Reddy in the 16th over. In the next over, Azhar Mahmood was run-out after a mix up with David Miller, but the South African atoned for the dangerous Pakistani’s dismissal by providing Punjab the late thrust. Miller’s 18-ball 28 was laced with three fours and a six off Reddy in the last over of the innings.

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Indian Premier League (IPL 5) Point Table

Pos	Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Net RR	For	Against	Pts	Last 5
1	KKR	12	8	3	0	1	+0.600	1561/205.1	1480/211.1	17
2	DD	11	8	3	0	0	+0.880	1579/189.5	1567/210.4	16
3	MI	11	7	4	0	0	-0.143	1546/214.5	1573/214.2	14
4	CSK	12	5	6	0	1	+0.013	1710/220.0	1623/209.1	11
5	RCB	11	5	5	0	1	-0.333	1648/198.2	1727/199.5	11
6	RR	11	5	6	0	0	+0.144	1806/219.4	1734/214.4	10
7	KXIP	11	5	6	0	0	-0.453	1626/217.0	1715/215.5	10
8	PWI	12	4	8	0	0	-0.134	1831/239.2	1819/233.4	8
9	DC	11	2	8	0	1	-0.557	1530/200.0	1599/194.5	5

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Kolkatta Knocks The Table Topers Delhi

Kolkata Knight Riders cantered to a six-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Monday, and went to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table.

Jacques Kallis' (2-20) brilliant spell of bowling helped Kolkata restrict Delhi to 153 for nine.

The visitors then egged on by Brendon McCullum's 56 off 44 balls achieved the target losing four wickets and with eight balls to spare.

Skipper Gautam Gambhir (36) and South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (30) made valuable contributions as Knight Riders registered their sixth consecutive win in the league. Kallis, who picked up two for 20, was also adjudged as Man of the Match for his all-round performance.

The Knight Riders have 17 points, having played one game more than the Daredevils, who are on 16 points from 11 matches.

Gambhir got his team to another flyer smashing five fours on his way to 36 off just 21 balls. His opening partner Brendon McCullum gave him ample support as the Knight Riders reached 60 at the end of the powerplay.

Umesh Yadav dropped Gambhir at third-man but luckily for him, Varun Aaron castled him the very next ball.

Kolkata were coasting at 128 for one at the end of 15 overs but pacer Yadav gave the hosts an inkling of hope removing Kallis (30) and McCullum of successive balls. Yusuf Pathan (7) and Debabrata Das (1) held on to their nerves taking Kolkata across the line

Earlier, Daredevils electing to bat made a good start, courtesy skipper Virender Sehwag (21) and David Warner (23). After Brett Lee bowled a maiden in the first over, the next two overs yielded 34 runs.

The joy though was short-lived as Kallis (2-20) gave Delhi a body blow, trapping Sehwag in front of the stumps. The Delhi dasher's dream run in the tournament came to an end after scoring five consecutive fifties. Though he won himself the orange cap, overtaking Rajasthan Royals' Ajinkya Rahane.

Warner, playing his first match in the fifth edition, didn't stay too long either as he fell victim to Kallis' bouncer.

Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene (30) looked in good touch and forged a 46-run stand with New Zealand's Ross Taylor. Keeper McCullum gave him a reprieve when he was on eight but Mahela failed to cash in as Gambhir ran him out.

Taylor's abysmal run in this year's tournament continued, as he scooped an easy catch to long off, giving medium-pacer Pradeep Sangwan his first scalp in the tournament. The New Zealand captain looked totally out of sorts, scoring 16 off 27 balls.

All-rounder Irfan Pathan played a cameo down the order hitting 36 off 22 balls, which included a six and four fours. Pathan's late surge propelled Delhi to a fighting total.

West Indian Sunil Narine again bowled an economical spell picking two for 23 from his four overs.

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MI vs CSK Match Review

Title contender Mumbai Indians will meet the defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a crucial encounter of the ongoing Indian Premier League. Before the tournament started it was speculated that the chances of these two teams clashing for the title once again are high, but as the competition has progressed these two teams have found it difficult.

Mumbai Indians are in a better position out of the two teams; they are one point ahead and have a match in hand. But, the team from Mumbai will know that they have played some bad cricket and have got a bit lucky in the past couple of matches.

CSK have their own problems, their batting has been inconsistent and their bowling has looked ordinary in some matches. They have not been consistent and therefore have suffered five losses. They will have to quickly get their act together if they want to maintain the good run that they had in this competition’s history.

Let’s have a look at some of the players who can create the difference.

Mumbai Indians:

James Franklin: He has been doing well in the tournament and has provided a solid foundation for his middle order. Franklin is an intelligent cricketer and plays according to the situation. He is also a decent medium pacer and has the ability to break partnerships.

Rohit Sharma: He has been one inconsistent batsman for Mumbai Indians. He has been throwing his wicket around and that would have disappointed his team. Sharma is considered to be a great prospect for Indian cricket and he has to start playing like one.

Harbhajan Singh: The captain of the Mumbai Indians bowled brilliantly against their neighbors, Pune Warriors. He hasn’t picked too many wickets in the tournament but he has been very economical. He will have his work cut out against the strong Chennai batting line-up.

Lasith Malinga: You just can’t keep this Sri Lankan sensation out of the equation. He made a comeback to the Mumbai side after missing few games because of injury and has already made a big impact to the side. He is the most trusted weapon in Mumbai’s armory.

Chennai Super Kings:

Faf du Plessis: He has been the most consistent Chennai batsman in this tournament. He has played some match winning innings and has always looked in good touch. His rate of scoring runs is also very good.

Albie Morkel: He has only played around 50 deliveries in the tournament so far and that is simply bizarre. Morkel won Chennai the match against Bangalore very early in the tournament and even that has not prompted MS Dhoni to promote him up the order. Morkel is a big hitter and the only problem is that he is not getting enough opportunity with the bat.

Ben Hilfenhaus: This Australian swing bowler has been in tremendous form off late and he replicated that in the first match that he played for CSK. He is also a very good bowler at the end of the innings.

Dwayne Bravo: Bravo has been playing a vital role in Chennai’s bowling line up. He bowls at crucial stage and does well most of the times. He changes his pace well and has got a good Yorker.

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9yrs Old Girl Opened 2012 Olympics Stadium

A nine-year-old girl has officially opened the the 2012 Olympics stadium, at a ceremony in east London.

Niamh Clarke-Willis joined Locog head Lord Coe to hit a button which launched balloons into the sky above the venue for this summer's Games.

Around 40,000 members of the public were at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford to witness the opening, which included a laser light show.

The "2,012 hours to go" event tested the park's management and security.

Lord Coe said: "It's a fantastic feeling. The seven years have just flown by. Tonight is only the start of the story.

"We want thousands of young people to be inspired to take up sport. We hope that for a few of them it will be the start of their journey.

"I'm grateful to everyone who came here tonight to celebrate this moment in history."

Spectators had to queue to enter the venue after airport-style security checks.

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Rajasthan Royals Beats Kings XI Punjab by 43 Runs

Rajasthan Royals recorded their first victory after a string of four defeats with a convincing 43-run win over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium on Saturday.

A good all-round effort by the Rajasthan batsmen propelled them to a score of 177 for six and some tight bowling helped them restrict Kings XI Punjab to 134 for eight. It was a brilliant team effort by the 2008 champions led by former India captain Rahul Dravid.

Johan Botha (2-21), Shane Watson (2-22) and Shaun Tait (2-18) took two wickets each while Siddharth Trivedi and Stuart Binny took wicket apiece. Watson, who also struck a 17-ball 36, was also adjudged Man of the Match.

The only cause for worry for the visitors was their poor fielding performance. They could have wrapped up the match much earlier but dropped three easy catches.

Kings XI Punjab chasing a big target never looked in the hunt. They were dealt early blows as their in-form batsman Mandeep Singh (7) got out playing a rash shot while Tait, playing his first game, accounted for Nitin Saini (2).

Captain David Hussey (8) too did not stay long at the crease and with Shaun Marsh (34) departing the very next over, it was all but over for the hosts. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood (24) put up a brief fight but was deceived by a slower ball from Binny.

Earlier, electing to bat, Rajasthan lost their top run getter Ajinkya Rahane (5) in the second over, caught behind off Australian Ryan Harris.

Skipper Rahul Dravid (46) and Watson (36) strung together a 69-run partnership for the second wicket to put Rajasthan in the driving seat. Dravid, who recently retired from international cricket, looked in great touch hitting eight fours in his 39-ball innings.

The Indian veteran then forged another good partnership with young Ashok Menaria (34) as Rajasthan looked well on their way to set a big start.

However, things came to a stand still as Harris, who ended with figures of four for 34, sent Dravid back to the pavilion. Brad Hodge though played a blistering innings late on, scoring 36 off 23 balls as he propelled the visitors to an imposing total.

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The Table Topper DD Again Makes a wonder by winning over RR

What can you do but watch in wonder, or despair, when an opening batsman smashes 73 in 38 balls in a chase of 142? What can you do when, despite all possible measures of control in place, runs arrive in a torrent of big hits? The kind of form and intent that Virender Sehwag is in, the opposition may as well buy passes to the viewers’ enclosure and spare themselves the ordeal of humiliation.

On Tuesday night, Sehwag rattled up his fifth successive IPL-V half-century to deliver Delhi Daredevils their eighth win from 10 matches this season, as they vanquished Rajasthan Royals by six wickets with 28 balls to spare at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here. Sehwag’s feverish striking and Man-of-the-match Pawan Negi’s four for 18 helped Delhi consolidate their position at the top of the point table, a place in the last four now a near certainty. For Royals this was their fourth consecutive defeat.

Pietersen’s season-ending 36 (the English superstar leaves the IPL hoopla in favour of Test duty against the West Indies) and the 96 he added with his devil-may-care skipper took Delhi to the brink of victory, whence the likely result was realised without a stutter – despite Sehwag holing out to Brad Hogg 11 runs short of the target. But if Sehwag played an important hand, so did young left-arm spinner Negi.

After being hoodwinked in the chase at the Feroz Shah Kotla a few days ago, Dravid chose to bat first in the return fixture, and the decision almost paid off as the captain and the in-form Ajinkya Rahane drove the home team to a strong start.

Dravid (57) and Rahane added 71 in under nine overs, before Negi added his own twist to proceedings. The left-armer - Ajit Agarkar’s replacement in the side - stalled Rajasthan when they were looking to take off from the initial platform. Negi came on when Royals were cruising on 56 for no loss at the end of the
Powerplay, and left the visiting side in tatters – on 93 for five after 13 overs.

The 19-year-old lured Rahane (42) into a reverse hit that ended with Sehwag at point. In came Shane Watson – for his first game of the season – and clouted Shahbaz Nadeem for six, before losing his off-stump to Negi. In his final over, Negi claimed two more victims - Brad Hodge and Ashok Menaria – ending with figures of four for 18.

But Royals were struggling to get a move on even before this double-wicket burst, as an implossion to the tune of five wickets for 24 runs cost them dear. All this while, Dravid held strong, bringing up his fifty in 35 balls, but finally giving his wicket away when he played Morkel on to his stumps. No matter that - the mood Sehwag was in even 30 more runs wouldn’t have brought Rajasthan their desired result.

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A Send Win For The Deccan Chargers By Hitting PWI

For the second time, and against the same opponents, everything fell in place for Deccan Chargers. The Hyderabad side bested Pune Warriors by 13 runs to gain their second win of IPL-V, indicating that a team on the verge of elimination can still throw a spanner in the works of other, relatively higher placed, outfits.

The victory was set up by a massive 157-run third-wicket partnership between skipper Kumar Sangakkara (82) and Cameron White (74), after the former elected to bat. The highest alliance of IPL-V took the designated ‘home’ team to 186-4 in 20 overs, after they had lost both openers within the Powerplay, as the last 14 overs yielded runs at almost 11-an-over.

Pune made a disastrous start to the chase, losing Manish Pandey on the first ball, but Sourav Ganguly and IPL debutant Michael Clarke (replacing Jesse Ryder in the eleven) propelled their team with intent. Ganguly, who was dropped when he had scored one, and Clarke added 90 at a moderate pace to raise visions of a thrilling finish, but both were out within six runs of each other to dissipate the momentum.

It warrants a mention here that Clarke, straight off the boat – in a manner of speaking – tore into Dale Steyn, creaming boundaries behind point, over square-leg and again wide of point, as the South African screwed up his radar big time.

Clarke was dropped, but was run out on the same ball going for a second run. Ganguly was caught at cover trying to force one through the off-side, and although Steve Smith (47 n.o.) and Robin Uthappa (26) went hell for leather, Pune still fell short of the target.

Earlier, it was a Sangakkara-White show all the way. The two got together in the fifth over and went on a unmoderated rampage until the 19th. They began with caution, picking the loose balls and keeping the scorer busy, as they took the tally to 91 in 14 overs. And then began the battering.

The next six overs brought Deccan 95 runs, a run rate of almost 16. Sangakkara, after reaching his fifty in 38 balls, moved into top gear, lashing out six fours in a nine-ball phase against Marlon Samuels and Wayne Parnell.

White too reached his half-century in 38 balls and then waded into Ganguly, sticking it in the Pune skipper in the 18th over for a deadly sequence of 6, 6, 6, 4. The last-gasp offensive hit Pune where it hurt, eventually costing them a win that would have taken them to third in the points table.

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Malinga Make Mumbai's Day Against Deccan Chargers

Dale Steyn raised hell in four overs on a greenish pitch at the Wankhede Stadium. But the odds of him helping Deccan Chargers defend their small score of 100 were miniscule. The chase wasn’t straightforward. Mumbai needed 18.1 overs to achieve this small target with the ball darting around in pace-friendly conditions here.

It was a match between the two best pacers in the competition: Steyn and Lasith Malinga. Malinga took 4-16, winning this one, having benefitted to a degree by Harbhajan Singh winning the toss and inserting Deccan.

Steyn took 2-10, beating Mumbai Indians opener Richard Levi first ball with his trademark delivery. It was angled into the right-hander at high pace, but swung past his bat just enough to smash the top of the stumps.

It was the first ball of Mumbai’s innings. Steyn celebrated the wicket with a yawn. He had put Levi through hell in their previous encounter. Through the rest of the over, he had Rohit Sharma playing and missing around the off-stump, with all the certainty of a blind man attempting to cross a road during rush hour.

Sachin Tendulkar had to walk across to Rohit to calm him down. Tendulkar asked Rohit to leave those deliveries alone. Rohit obliged, settling down to play a slow but match-winning innings of 42, the highest score of the day.

Steyn returned to dismiss Dinesh Karthi (caught behind), and should have had James Franklin whow as dropped at third-man by Amit Mishra. Rohit played a rash shot to get out to JP Duminy, but his innings had done enough to ensure a Mumbai win.

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Deccan Post Its First Win in This IPL 5 After Finishing Pune

Deccan vs Pune IPL 5 Match 35 : Deccan Won the toss and elected to bat and fix target at 178 for Pune includes Cameron white scored 78 and stars as the man of the match, Later Pune started to chase the target at 178 but the batsman is troubled by DC bowlers and went back to pavilion so later Pune scored 159/ 7 in 20 over ans lost the match by 18 runs.

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