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IPL

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Can Punjab kings continue their winning streak?

Delhi Daredevils stopped their losing streak by winning the last match against Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and will face in-form Punjab Kings Eleven at their home ground, Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Top orders of both teams are in superb form and match result will depend on their performance. Punjab Kings all-India bowling attack so far performed beyond expectations. Wicket taking ability of Punjab bowlers is their main asset and Delhi batsmen will face stern test against this quality attack. Arrival of Shaun Marsh turned the Punjab side into a good batting team. Shaun Marsh is in ominous form and will be tested by Australian Legend Glenn McGrath. Delhi bowlers should remove this man within 3-4 overs; otherwise he will take away the match from Delhi’s hands. Kumara Sangakkara is still not available for Punjab so top 3 batting slots will be occupied by Australian youngsters i.e. Shaun Marsh, Pomersnach and Hopes.

Delhi once again depends on their top order batsmen (Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan) to deliver goods. Piyush Chawla will be tested by big hitting Farveez Maharoof.

Match timings: 8 PM - 11 PM. Live on Set Max.

Crucial cricketers:

Delhi daredevils:

1. Amit Mishra: Best performance by a spinner in the last match. Hat-trick hero.
2. Gautam Gambhir: Leading run scorer and will be tested by Punjab attack.
3. Virender Sehwag: Maverick performer.
4. Glenn McGrath: There will be an interesting battle with Shaun Marsh.
5. Shikhar Dhawan: Consistency is his forte.

Punjab Kings eleven:

1. Shaun Marsh: 99.83 batting average from five matches.
2. Irfan Pathan: leading wicket taker along with Sreesanth.
3. Sreesanth: He bowled very well after “Slapgate” episode.

IPL records and statistics:

1. Amit Mishra took the second hat-trick in IPL.
2. Gautam Gambhir is the leading contender for orange cap.
3. Shaun Marsh has the best average in IPL.
4. Sreesanth and Pathan are leading wicket takers and strong contenders for purple cap.

Verdict: Punjab will try to expose Delhi’s weak links in the middle order. If Delhi bowlers can remove Shaun Marsh for low score, Delhi may surprise favourites. Sreesanth and Pathan Vs Gambhir-Sehwag contest winner will decide match result

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Left absolutism: IPL has been painted in 'leftist' colours

Left seems to be right in the Indian Premier League, what with left-handers topping almost everything that is statistically measurable. Be it the top run getters, wicket takers, best averages, most sixes and most catches, one finds a lefthander perched at the top.

Among bowlers, Zaheer Khan is leading the pack with 13 wickets (ahead of Saturday's match between Mohali and Chennai), followed closely by Irfan Pathan (12), R.P. Singh (11) and Ashish Nehra (10). The only right arm bowler squeezing himself in is Shane Warne with 11 wickets.

One again finds left-arm bowlers leading the table. The wrong-footed Sohail Tanvir recorded the best figures, picking up 6 wickets for just 14 runs. Murali Kartik (3 for 13) and Sanath Jayasuriya (3 for 14) are next on the list and it required the genius of Glenn McGrath (4 for 29) to carve a place for himself amongst the top four.

The bowling averages column too is led by the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Pathan and Tanvir. Again, Yuvraj and Sourav Ganguly have the lowest economy rates.
Gautam Gambhir (305) and Adam Gilchrist (284) are perched on top of the run getters' chart. It's not only the runs, they also have the maximum boundaries and sixes against their names. Gambhir has hit the most boundaries - 39, while Gilchrist has sent the ball over the ropes 16 times.

"Be it the top run getters, wicket takers,
best averages, most sixes and most catches,
one finds a lefthander perched at the top"


Right-handers have managed to catch up in scoring hundreds (of the four centuries, two have been scored by the right handed Brendon McCullum and Andrew Symonds, and two by Mike Hussey and Gilchrist), but are lagging behind in scoring half-centuries. Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan have four and three 50s against their names. Continuing the trend, Simon Katich (96), Mike Hussey (84) and Shaun Marsh (81.50) lead the averages column.

If that wasn't enough, left-handers have dominated fielding (in terms of catches) to make their domination absolute. Yuvraj (7), Suresh Raina (7), Dhawan (6), and Nehra (6) have held the maximum catches, leaving the right-handers with some catching up to do.

About Icon players have struggled under pressure


It is performance that matters and not names or reputations. In essence, that has been the bottom line in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament. The likes of Bangalore Royal Challengers and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, have perhaps learnt the hard way that investing on old warhorses is hardly the way to go about building teams.

The one concession we could make is that this being the inaugural year, nobody quite had a clue for just about everyone was entering an uncharted territory. It is turning out to be a case of muscle than money that is winning matches.


You might like to criticise the IPL for crass commercialisation or even trivilising cricket, but the fact is that it has thrown up local talent that otherwise might have faded unseen and unnoticed. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Subramaniam Badrinath, Siddharth Trivedi, Swapnil Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan, to name a few.

The other noticeable aspect of the IPL has been the premium put on fielding. Sadly though, barring a couple of exceptions, the Indian players have not exactly redeemed themselves. You might want to blame it on pressure or whatever, but the number of sitters put down hardly speaks well of the overall fielding standards of Indian players.

It would only mean that next season; the team owners would be as careful and fastidious in picking trainers as the players themselves. As for coaching, Shane Warne has shown that in T20, it boils down to keeping the site motivated and leading from the front. There is precious little time to plot elaborate plans much less execute them.

In the process, several captains have stood exposed, allowing events to overtake them. Iconic players such as Dravid, Sehwag, Yuvraj and, to a lesser extent, Ganguly, have all struggled to cope with decision-making under pressure. If some of them have won matches, then it is more because of individual performances rather than leadership.

"Dhoni put it aptly when he attributed T20 victories
to “one or two individuals coming good
either with the bat or ball”
"

Dhoni put it aptly when he attributed T20 victories to “one or two individuals coming good either with the bat or ball” and also performance on the day. Thus, the four semi-finalists at the end of the League would have played better cricket and consistently so. He could not have summed it up better.

Bowlers having a ball in IPL

When the IPL began, the feeling that the bowlers were in for a tough time grew. First Brendon McCullum, then Michael Hussey, and then Andrew Symonds kept on re-establishing the benchmark of attacking batsmanship.


It seemed that that there was a lot more to come. Batsmen will do magical things in T20. “200 won’t be a safe score anymore,” said Matthew Hayden. It was almost like as if the bowlers would be out of fashion.

However, 25 days and 33 matches into the championship, all those estimates have proved to be inaccurate. The barrier of 200 plus has been breached just seven times. Four centuries have been hit, and it’s been around 15 days since the last one came around.

So, are the bowlers having a ball because the likes of Hayden, Symonds, McCullum and Hussey have made their bow? And destroyers like Sachin Tendulkar and Chris Gayle haven’t played so far? What is it that the bowlers are doing right?

"Only 4 centuries have been hit, and it’s been
around 15 days since the last one came around
"

Almost all teams have reputed international coaches, and video analysts to assist them formulate the gameplan. That means the strategies to contain the batsmen are worked out to the T. For example, the Delhi Daredevils have the services of Dennis Lillee as a bowling consultant.

Thinking out-of-the-box has been the mantra that the bowlers and fielding captains have resorted to, and on various occasions, that approach has paid dividends. Baroda Ranji coach Paras Mhambrey says, “like Team Jaipur skipper Shane Warne got Dimitri Mascarenhas to bowl the first over, and the Englishman picked up a couple of wickets. That experiment worked because the other teams batsmen were not prepared for it.”

The bowlers need to send a thank you note to the fielders as well. The fielding standards of the tournament have been exceptional.

Bye Bye Deccan Chargers

Say good-bye to the Deccan Chargers! The defeat on Sunday at the hands of The Kolkata Knight Riders has ensured that the Deccan Chargers will not make it beyond the league round of the IPL. It’s really a sorry state of affairs. The Deccan Chargers, on paper, are one of the strongest sides in the IPL with the likes of Gibbs, Gilchrist, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh and Chaminda Vaas in their line-up. But individual brilliance aside, the team never really jelled well as a unit, like say the Rajasthan Royals, The Chennai Superkings or the Kings XI Punjab.

The Kolkata Knight Riders, who until last week looked to be in all sorts of trouble with four back-to-back defeats now seem to be back in the hunt for one of the 3 remaining semi-final berths (The Rajasthan Royals have already secured theirs with Sunday’s win over the Delhi Daredevils). The battle for the top 4 slots should be very interesting to watch now. The Chennai Superkings and the Kings XI Punjab should feel that their semi-final slots are more or less reserved now, but it’s anybody’s game between The Delhi Daredevils, The Kolkata Knight Riders and The Mumbai Indians.

Coming back to Sunday’s clash between the Deccan Chargers and the Kolkata Knight Riders, the visitors took the attack to the opposition right from the start with Aakash Chopra, ‘the comeback kid’ providing his side with a solid beginning. The Knight Riders were at one-point 73-1 in ten overs. But then came Saurav Ganguly, man-of-the-match in the last outing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He shone once again as he lead from the front with a brilliant 57 - ball 91. David Hussey, the only remaining Aussie star in the Kolkata side, proved once again that he is complete VFM with a blazing 29-ball 57. The duo helped their side notch up a secure total of 204.

"It’s anybody’s game between The Delhi Daredevils,
The Kolkata Knight Riders and The Mumbai Indians"

The Deccan Chargers hence had an uphill task on their hands, needing to score at 10 runs an over right from the start. The fact that Ashoke Dinda grabbed the priced scalps of Gilchrist, Gibbs and Rohit Sharma before they could do much damage did not help the Deccan Chargers. Saurav Ganguly however was not ready to rest despite scoring a brilliant 91. His dream outing continued with figures of 2-25 from his quota of 4 overs, which once again earned him the gold helmet! Though Venugopal Rao batted like a man possessed in his knock of 71 runs off just 42 balls, it was too little and too late.

Eventually the Chargers managed to score 181-7, which, as mentioned earlier, sealed their fate in the IPL. With nothing left to play for but their battered egos, The Chargers should pull up their socks. After all Rahul Dravid has already announced that The Royal Challengers are now going to play for pride!

Dravid resigned to team’s fate

Rahul Dravid seemed to have given up hope for the Royal Challengers in the IPL when he said that the team would "play for pride" in their remaining six matches. RC needs to win at least five of the games to have any chance of making the semi-finals.

‘‘We will play for pride and make it hard for the teams in the remainder of the tournament, beginning with Team Mohali on Monday,’’ said the former India captain, who is under pressure from all quarters, including the franchisee. At a press meet at the PCA stadium on the eve of the match against Team Mohali, Dravid was asked how it felt to be termed a ‘good Test team’.

‘‘We have not played good cricket, so such comments will come. It is disappointing for the team, for all who are part of it including the franchisee. But we still have six matches to go and will bounce back with a good performance,’’ he said.

"The players we picked are all quality players;
It’s only that their performances have dipped.
The big names are not doing well
"


But were the choice of players’ right as the auction? ‘‘Well, there were lot of variables at the auction. The players we picked are all quality players; it’s only that their performances have dipped. The big names are not doing well. We have not got the combination right. All this as magnified after we did not start well and lost some close matches."

And what does he plan to do differently? Dravid said: "Differently? Well, first of all we must start winning close matches. We have lost three close games."

Wish List for IPL 2009 season

I am putting a wish list that I would like to see in the Indian Premier League 2009 season.

Dedicated slot
Indian Premier League to have a dedicated slot in ICC calendar so that the world’s best cricketers are available through out the league.

Additional Franchises
There should be additional two more franchises which would take the total to 10. If all the international players are available then they need to be accommodated also.

5 International players per team
International players per team should be increased to 5 from the current limit of 4. This would give some flexibility for the teams to varied combination of batsmen and bowlers for a match. 5 International and 6 Indian players should be a good combination. Also it would enable all the international players to get a chance.

Best of three finals
Best of three finals between the top two teams of the league instead of the semi-finals and one finals.

Rest of the razzmatazz of cheerleaders, bollywood, music, fun, fireworks included in the IPL 2009 season.

Any other wish list you have? Do share…

Kapil Now Feeling Sorry For Cricket

Kapil Dev came out this week with the often-heard “oh-my-god-cricket-is-going-to-die” mantra. He seemed to be very upset with the way cricket has turned out, especially with the IPL, and went so far as to say that the BCCI has screwed it up. The article in the Hindu is worth the read, but I’ll summarize

- Cricket is now just business
- It has been reduced to Tamasha
- You will never get a player like Gavaskar or Dravid.
- blah blah blah

We could dismiss all this as sentimentalism of an old cricket, but it takes a new turn when you realize Kapil Dev is on the ICL Board!!!

"It was the ICL that created this Tamasha
that the IPL has merely taken to the next level"

A small history lesson for Kapil Dev: It was the ICL that created this Club Culture, the ICL that created the Twenty20 format tournament, and the ICL that created the Tamasha that the IPL has merely taken to the next level.

This is definitely a case of sour grapes. Without doubt, ICL wanted to be where IPL is today, but now that they’ve seen their thunder stolen by the BCCI, they’re all like “Oh…. this is just a tamasha.” What a bad looser!

Mallya blows the lid, criticises Dravid.

The internal backbiting of the Bangalore Royal Challengers is out in the open with team owner Vijay Mallya revealing that he was at loggerheads with Captain Rahul Dravid and the outfit's sacked CEO Charu Sharma over players' selection for the Indian Premier League.

Mallya made it clear that he was not happy with the squad, currently languishing at the bottom of the IPL points table, which has been ridiculed as a Test team in Twenty20 jersey.

The liquor baron said he had some players in mind but Dravid and Sharma completely ignored them and went ahead with their own plan.

"I had my own list (of players) but the fact is Dravid and Charu had their own list and at the end of the day, I decided to take the back seat," Mallya told a news channel.

"I was very tempted to bid for players whom I wanted but they held me back. Obviously things have turned out differently," he said.

"When I was questioning the performance
of the team, all I was told was that
practice facilities are bad
"

He said Sharma backed Dravid to the hilt and even in the second auction, where the captain was not present, the former CEO discouraged Mallya to buy players of his choice.

"When Rahul Dravid was not present in the second auction, I wanted to acquire some players but Charu Sharma was very tentative about them. I mean I bought Misbah-ul Haq because I was determined to do it. There were other players I was discouraged about," Mallya said.

On sacking Sharma and replacing him with former Test player Brijesh Patel, Mallya said, "Charu Sharma was appointed CEO because I thought he understood cricket and he would add value to the team and the entire Royal Challengers initiative."

Mallya said Patel's appointment was necessitated because he was tired of complaints that the team did not have good practice facilities in its base in Bangalore.

"When I was questioning the performance of the team, all I was told was that practice facilities are bad, then I was told there was no bonding in the team...so everything was blamed on a particular event or lack of infrastructure.

"I don't think Rahul Dravid enjoys being
at the bottom of the league tables,
and certainly I don't
"

"So I said to myself things can't continue like this and I brought Brijesh Patel. He is the honourable secretary of the KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) and who better a person to provide match facilities and whatever else the team needs at its base in Bangalore. He understands cricket as well," Mallya explained.

The flamboyant liquor-baron also made it clear that IPL had an unmistakable corporate face, which makes it evidently distinct from other tournaments.

"At the end of the day, people need to understand that the IPL has a corporate side to it, and a very definitive corporate side. It is not at all cricket in the traditional sense," he added.

Now that the team's semifinal hopes have gone up in smoke, Mallya expects Dravid and his teammates to win a few matches to salvage some pride.

"I want from Rahul Dravid to do the best for the team and to produce some good results for us because I don't think Rahul Dravid enjoys being at the bottom of the league tables, and certainly I don't." Mallya added.

When money talks, captains and players walk

Unlike in other sports, his task is not restricted to motivating his boys or just leading by example though: he has to continuously take tough decisions as the match goes on its roller-coaster journey, and he lives and dies with each of those gambles.

The franchises have obviously spent huge chunks of money to become owners. While they might be in it purely for commercial reasons, they don't like to see themselves at the bottom of any table. You don't become so rich or successful by being also-rans.

The cricketers, unfortunately, are not used to playing under this kind of pressure. A thousand abuses are fine, a million angry words too but they just don't know how to respond to pointed questions.
"A thousand abuses are fine, a million
angry words too but captains just don't
know how to respond to pointed questions
"

They now that only one diktat works in the corporate world: perform or perish. Clearly, one man's (the owner, that is) demands and expectations are more burdensome that a billion's.

The franchises have surely already learnt their lessons. By the next edition, they will be better prepared; by then, the stakes will go further up and, along with them, the expectations too. The first victim, then, will surely be the icon players. But the firing will not end with that.

IPL now introduces Purple Cap

After introducing the 'Orange Cap' for the highest run-getter, IPL on Monday announced a 'Purple Cap' for the highest wicket-taking bowler as well. The 'Purple Cap' will be awarded to the bowler with the most cumulative wickets to his name on each day of the season, and will be worn by that bowler in the field. At the end of the season, the holder of the 'Purple Cap' will win the honour of being called the Winner of the Purple Cap 2008 and will receive recognition on the final day.

Five knight Riders asked to leave team Hotel

In an apparent bid to cut cost, the Knight Riders team management today "politely" asked five of its players to leave the team hotel. The players are Ranadeb Bose, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sourasish Lahiri, Yashpal Singh and Hokkaido. One of the players said they were "politely given the option of either staying at the team hotel or going home". "It was clear what the the team managment wants. Apparently coach John feels that he has found his set combination and had no need for the fringe players," one of the players said.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Shaun Marsh smashed Royal challengers

Young Australians Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach steered Punjab Kings Eleven to a comfortable victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers. Mohali IPL decimated Bangalore IPL by 9 wickets at PCA stadium in Mohali. These young cricketers destroyed famed Bangalore bowling attack with 4’s and 6’s especially South African fast bowler Dale Steyn who gave 33 runs in just 2 overs. This 34th match in Indian Premier League glorified weaknesses in Bangalore test squad. What will Vijay Mallya do after this humiliating defeat? He needed a coach like Tom Moody whose faith in Marsh and Pomersbach is vindicated.

Both these young cricketers were banned from Western Australian team due to their late night drinking habits. But they wonderfully bounced back in the domestic tournament (PURA Cup). Shaun Marsh was selected as “Western Australia cricketer of the year” and was selected for 2008 West Indies tour of Australia.

Image courtesy: Wellpitched.com

IPL Statistic:

1. Shaun Marsh: 5 matches; 295 runs; Average – 98.33.
2. Rahul Dravid is the highest scorer for Bangalore in IPL 2008.

IPL T20 Score:

Bangalore Challengers: 143/8 in 20 overs.

Punjab Kings: 144/1 in 15.4 overs.

Result: Mohali won the match by 9 wickets.

Man of the match: Shaun Marsh – 74 not out.

Best Shot: Misbah’s four in Sreesanth’s bowling.

Defining moments:
1. Misbah out hit wicket when he was playing sensational shots.
2. Shaun Marsh and Pomersbach scored 21 runs in a Dale Steyn’s over.

Highlights of T20 Cricket match:

1. Sreesanth once again bowled exceptionally well in the initial overs. Sreesanth performance improved after the “Slap gate” row.
2. Misbah-Ul-Haq batted superbly in his short stint at middle and he showed glimpses of his talents. Misbah’s association with bizarre outs is continuing.
3. Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher played useful knocks but failed to score big knocks.
4. In my opinion, every team will have 6-7 Australians in their squad especially youngsters in IPL 2009. Their reserve players are playing better than our icons. Mohali is lucky to have 3 Australians (Shaun Marsh, James Hopes and Pomersbach) in the top order.

Verdict: Mohali is the most vibrant team in IPL. Young cricketers, beautiful franchisee owner and stunning displays from players – Do you want more? Punjab coach Tom Moody is doing wonderful job for Punjab. Australians are ruling Indian Premier League in all departments despite absence of main players.

Sourav Ganguly decimated Hyderabad IPL

Sourav Ganguly’s all-round performance enabled Kolkata Knight Riders to defeat patchy Hyderabad Deccan challengers at Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. Hyderabad lost all the home matches while Kolkata raised semi-final hopes with two consecutive wins. Venugopala Rao performance is the sole bright spot for Hyderabad IPL. They are sloppy in fielding and bowling. Sourav Ganguly was supported well by ever reliable David Hussey but Venugopal Rao found no support from other end.

Ganguly surprised everyone by opting to bat after winning the toss. But he was right at the end partially due to Hyderabad’s poor bowling and fielding.

IPL Cricket score:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 204/4 in 20 overs.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: 181/7 in 20 overs.

Match result: Kolkata won by 23 runs.

Man of the match: Sourav Ganguly who scored 91 runs in just 57 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixers. This is one of the best innings in the recent IPL matches. He missed well deserved century. Ganguly also took two vital wickets by giving just 24 runs in his 4 overs.

Venugopala Rao: Exceptional all-round performance.

Bowling: 4 overs; 24 runs.
Batting: 71 runs in 42 balls – four 4’s and six 6’s.

Verdict: Gregg Chappell is a brilliant talent spotter. He believed in Dhoni leadership and abilities of Suresh Raina and Venugopal Rao. He criticised “seniors” politics. Now he is in Rajasthan management team.

Highlights of the match:

Kolkata innings:

1. Sourav Ganguly played his best innings in the recent days. Except Vijay Kumar and Venugopala Rao, he destroyed all the bowlers with 4’s and 6’s.
2. I can’t understand why Kolkata picked Akash Chopra. Be innovative man. Send a batsman like Saha to utilise power play.
3. David Hussey is one of the top 3 batsmen in IPL 2008. The way he plays according to the situation and the way be built his innings is a lesson for every aspiring cricketer. He scored 57 runs in just 29 balls.
4. Vaas and RP Singh bowled without line and length. David Hussey and Sourav Ganguly exposed them. When other Indian fast bowlers bowling beautifully in this tournament, RP Singh disappointed with his worst performance in IPL. Do you that he played vital role in India’s Twenty20 world cup win? RP Singh gave 59 runs in his 4 overs in this match!!
5. Poor captaincy from Gilchrist. He once failed to utilise the full quota of his best bowler, Vijay Kumar as he did in previous matches.
6. I have not seen such a pathetic fielding in IPL T20 matches. These Hyderabad players have neither desire nor will to win the matches.
7. Congrats to Venugopala Rao for bowling superbly in this high scoring match (24 runs in 4 overs).

Hyderabad innings:

1. Except Venugopala Rao and Rohit Sharma, none of the Hyderabad batsmen showed willingness and application to chase the Kolkata total.
2. There is no place for bits and pieces players like Scott Styris in Twenty20 cricket. He is neither an ideal T20 batsman nor a good bowler. Shahid Afridi is at least a better bowler than him. But Hyderabad dropped him.
3. Venugopala Rao showed his all-round brilliance in this match.

Verdict: We should not expect wins from a team which lacks desire to win. My request to Hyderabad franchisee owners (Deccan Chronicle) is please sell your team to someone who has real passion for cricket. I am also requesting IPL authorities to conduct fitness tests before auctions especially to icons and other aged players. IPL needs a passionate team like Kolkata Knight Riders in semi-finals. I hope they will reach it.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Sourav Ganguly decimated Hyderabad IPL

Sourav Ganguly’s all-round performance enabled Kolkata Knight Riders to defeat patchy Hyderabad Deccan challengers at Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. Hyderabad lost all the home matches while Kolkata raised semi-final hopes with two consecutive wins. Venugopala Rao performance is the sole bright spot for Hyderabad IPL. They are sloppy in fielding and bowling. Sourav Ganguly was supported well by ever reliable David Hussey but Venugopal Rao found no support from other end.

Ganguly surprised everyone by opting to bat after winning the toss. But he was right at the end partially due to Hyderabad’s poor bowling and fielding.

IPL Cricket score:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 204/4 in 20 overs.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: 181/7 in 20 overs.

Match result: Kolkata won by 23 runs.

Man of the match: Sourav Ganguly who scored 91 runs in just 57 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixers. This is one of the best innings in the recent IPL matches. He missed well deserved century. Ganguly also took two vital wickets by giving just 24 runs in his 4 overs.

Venugopala Rao: Exceptional all-round performance.

Bowling: 4 overs; 24 runs.
Batting: 71 runs in 42 balls – four 4’s and six 6’s.

Verdict: Gregg Chappell is a brilliant talent spotter. He believed in Dhoni leadership and abilities of Suresh Raina and Venugopal Rao. He criticised “seniors” politics. Now he is in Rajasthan management team.

Highlights of the match:

Kolkata innings:

1. Sourav Ganguly played his best innings in the recent days. Except Vijay Kumar and Venugopala Rao, he destroyed all the bowlers with 4’s and 6’s.
2. I can’t understand why Kolkata picked Akash Chopra. Be innovative man. Send a batsman like Saha to utilise power play.
3. David Hussey is one of the top 3 batsmen in IPL 2008. The way he plays according to the situation and the way be built his innings is a lesson for every aspiring cricketer. He scored 57 runs in just 29 balls.
4. Vaas and RP Singh bowled without line and length. David Hussey and Sourav Ganguly exposed them. When other Indian fast bowlers bowling beautifully in this tournament, RP Singh disappointed with his worst performance in IPL. Do you that he played vital role in India’s Twenty20 world cup win? RP Singh gave 59 runs in his 4 overs in this match!!
5. Poor captaincy from Gilchrist. He once failed to utilise the full quota of his best bowler, Vijay Kumar as he did in previous matches.
6. I have not seen such a pathetic fielding in IPL T20 matches. These Hyderabad players have neither desire nor will to win the matches.
7. Congrats to Venugopala Rao for bowling superbly in this high scoring match (24 runs in 4 overs).

Hyderabad innings:

1. Except Venugopala Rao and Rohit Sharma, none of the Hyderabad batsmen showed willingness and application to chase the Kolkata total.
2. There is no place for bits and pieces players like Scott Styris in Twenty20 cricket. He is neither an ideal T20 batsman nor a good bowler. Shahid Afridi is at least a better bowler than him. But Hyderabad dropped him.
3. Venugopala Rao showed his all-round brilliance in this match.

Verdict: We should not expect wins from a team which lacks desire to win. My request to Hyderabad franchisee owners (Deccan Chronicle) is please sell your team to someone who has real passion for cricket. I am also requesting IPL authorities to conduct fitness tests before auctions especially to icons and other aged players. IPL needs a passionate team like Kolkata Knight Riders in semi-finals. I hope they will reach it.

Can Gilchrist save Hyderabad IPL?

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers will attack Kolkata Knight Riders in a do or die clash at Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is on the verge of elimination if it loses this IPL game. But Kolkata is on high after defeating Bangalore Royal Challengers in the last match. Hyderabad wins if Gilchrist plays well; that’s the situation. Brad Hodge departure will not have much impact on Kolkata fortunes. There are still some doubts over Shoaib Akthar whether he plays or not. VVS Laxman is unavailable for Hyderabad due to injury.
Image courtesy: Eenadu Daily.

Salman Butt should play for Kolkata as he is in immense form in the recent Pakistan series. David Hussey will once again need to play vital role as he did in the last match between the two teams which was marred due to bad pitch and flood light problems. Ishant Sharma should take the wicket of Adam Gilchrest early; otherwise Kolkata will be in trouble. Kolkata top order batting is a concern.

Why Kolkata is taking a batsman like Akash Chopra into their team? Except Rajasthan and Chennai, other teams are not doing much ground work. No team is employing surprise strategies, innovations and different plans according to the situation. I hope we will see more such things in IPL 2009.

Match timing: From 4 PM onwards at Uppal stadium in Hyderabad.

IPL Statistic:

1. Hyderabad lost all the home matches and Hyderabad is the only team that owns this dubious record.

Key players:

1. Adam Gilchrist: One man army.

2. Rohit Sharma: Consistent performer.

3. Ishant Sharma: Gilchrist needs to be more careful against him.

4. David Hussey: Unsung hero in IPL. He is like Mohinder Amaranath of Kolkata (mental strength). Unforgettable innings even in defeat along with Saha.

Why Hyderabad is losing:

1. There is no visible passion either in the team or franchisee.
2. It has worst coach in the form of Robin Singh.
3. It has captain who doesn’t spend minimum time to spot young talent and nurture him.
4. They are not practising seriously even before the match day.
5. There is no clear strategy or match planning.
6. Absence of strike bowler.
7. Captain and coach don’t know strength and weaknesses of teammate especially younger players.
8. Failure of big hitters like Gibbs and Afridi. There is no motivation or enthusiasm to win the matches.
9. Adam Gilchrist is a legendary batsman but worst captain. Unlike Warne, he failed to spot young talent and nurtures them.
10. List will go on.

Verdict: If Adam Gilchrist scores above 70 runs, Hyderabad wins otherwise it loses. If Hyderabad bats first, Kolkata win is a foregone conclusion. Opposition can chase any total against this Hyderabad attack. Hyderabad urgently needs a Shane Warne like captain.

Congrats to Preity Zinta and Sharukh Khan for really involving in the IPL Cricket unlike Hyderabad owners. When will Akshay Kumar and Amir Khan own franchisees?