Well the last the Kings XI Punjab team faced the Delhi Daredevils at Delhi, the home team made it count for them by registering a 29 run win over their neighbors. And, much to everyone's surprise this time, the Kings XI Punjab did exactly what the Delhi Daredevils did to them a month ago this time at Dharamsala by the same margin of 29 runs. Thanks to some power hitting by Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh at the top, whose contribution with the bat laid the foundation after their team put up a mammoth total of 170 on the board.
In addition, there was Dinesh Karthik who aided the duo with his handy 27. Like it has always been the case with most of the teams, their captain never seems to experiment with their bowling no matter what. This time as well, James Hopes never got into experiment by opting for just 6 bowlers, four of whom bowled their entire quota of 4 overs. One over that made the difference between a victory and a loss for the Delhi Daredevils was that of Sridharan Sriram whose lone over cost him and his team 25 runs. May be this is the reason why captains don't experiment with their bowling.
Looking at the debacle of the Delhi Daredevils, the reason for the same can be thought of due to the lack of any quality players for them. There was Gautam Gambhir, A B de Villiars and Dilshan who have been picked up by different franchisees this time. Added to that is the absence of Virender Sehwag which creates a deeper hole in the Delhi Daredevils' worries. This time, some big names that can be read in the Delhi Daredevils side would be David Warner and James Hopes. Or else, why would Hopes be captaining his side. Gambhir would have been an asset had it been last time.
There was no batsmen in the Delhi side who scored even a 30. The best score was 29 from the blades of David Warner. Likewise, five bowlers were enough for the Kings XI Punjab to restrict the Delhi batsmen to a score 29 runs less than what the Kings XI Punjab managed. Perhaps! There was no Sriram in the Punjab team to give away 25 runs. Piyush Chawla made his presence felt not only by claiming the man of the match award but also by grabbing 3 wickets at 4.00 runs an over which makes him deserve the honor more than even Valthaty.
Showing posts with label Delhi Daredevils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delhi Daredevils. Show all posts
Monday, 16 May 2011
Friday, 13 May 2011
Dhoni does a Sehwag
Well we have seen in the past in this edition of the IPL that whenever the Delhi Daredevils perform, it is mainly because of their captain Virender Sehwag. However, yesterday in the match between the Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Superkings, it was the Chennai captain - Mahendra Singh Dhoni who stood for his team when he ended the innings at 176 with his personal contribution being an unbeaten 63 runs off just 31 deliveries. Had it not been for Dhoni's feat, may be the Chennai Superkings might have just ended on the losing side whatsoever. Dhoni has just done a Sehwag.
This time for a change, the home team returned victorious which most of the time doesn't happen to be the case. The scorecard suggests that Dhoni was previousy aided by Suresh Raina, Badrinath and Murali Vijay, both of them being Indians by laying a solid foundation to their mammoth total that was four runs behind the ideal total of 180. Unfortunately, Bravo and Morkel lost out entertaining the facs with their tail end hitting. Though the target of 176 was far more than enough to register a win, the game could have been a little more entertaining. Had there been Sehwag, things would have been different.
It was yet another example of team work by the Chennai Superkings where as mentioned Raina, Dhoni, Murali Vijay and Badrinath contributed for their team's batting success. Similarly, the bowling of the Delhi Daredevils also aided the Chennai batting who didn't experiment with their bowlers. One can sense the late run giving technique of Pathan who went at 10.0 runs an over. It is mysterious that Pathan and Agarkar were allowed to bowl their complete quota of 4 overs despite going in for so many runs while James Hopes was stopped after bowling just two overs. Coming to the Delhi's run chase, they left no stone unturned.
The Delhi Daredevils did everything right to chase down the total of 176 with Naman Ojha, Venugopal Rao, David Warner and Irfan Pathan showing good confidence with the bat but lacked the temperament that Virender Sehwag would have had. The Delhi Daredevils didn't have a Sehwag for a Dhoni. A score of 158 though was not enough to win the game, was more than enough to show that the Delhi Daredevils are still in the race at least for the play offs. At the end there could have been only one winner and that happened to be the Chennai Superkings.
This time for a change, the home team returned victorious which most of the time doesn't happen to be the case. The scorecard suggests that Dhoni was previousy aided by Suresh Raina, Badrinath and Murali Vijay, both of them being Indians by laying a solid foundation to their mammoth total that was four runs behind the ideal total of 180. Unfortunately, Bravo and Morkel lost out entertaining the facs with their tail end hitting. Though the target of 176 was far more than enough to register a win, the game could have been a little more entertaining. Had there been Sehwag, things would have been different.
It was yet another example of team work by the Chennai Superkings where as mentioned Raina, Dhoni, Murali Vijay and Badrinath contributed for their team's batting success. Similarly, the bowling of the Delhi Daredevils also aided the Chennai batting who didn't experiment with their bowlers. One can sense the late run giving technique of Pathan who went at 10.0 runs an over. It is mysterious that Pathan and Agarkar were allowed to bowl their complete quota of 4 overs despite going in for so many runs while James Hopes was stopped after bowling just two overs. Coming to the Delhi's run chase, they left no stone unturned.
The Delhi Daredevils did everything right to chase down the total of 176 with Naman Ojha, Venugopal Rao, David Warner and Irfan Pathan showing good confidence with the bat but lacked the temperament that Virender Sehwag would have had. The Delhi Daredevils didn't have a Sehwag for a Dhoni. A score of 158 though was not enough to win the game, was more than enough to show that the Delhi Daredevils are still in the race at least for the play offs. At the end there could have been only one winner and that happened to be the Chennai Superkings.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
What if Sehwag doesn't score?
Well if the current edition of the Indian Premier League is considered, it is the Delhi Daredevils who are one of the teams that are at the receiving end of their opponent's ego. However, for a change yesterday it was the same Delhi Daredevils aided with the magnificent knock of Virender Sehwag who held the upper hand in their group match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Kochi. One thing that can be noted is that the Delhi Daredevils were not playing on their home soil and secondly, it was the same old Virender Sehwag who did the good work for Delhi.
Let us go through the scorecard of yesterday's game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala which suggests that out of the total score of 157 scored by Delhi, 80 was scored by Sehwag alone single handed. Sehwag scored 80 runs which constitutes more than 50% of the total of 157 that included 16 extras. If this year's edition of the Indian Premier League is given a closer look at with Delhi Daredevils taking the spotlight, the names which make it look big for the team include only Virender Sehwag and David Warner. Other smaller names include Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao.
However, keeping in mind yesterday's encounter the Delhi scorecard had no other individual score to boast about if not for Sehwag's 80 as mentioned. The next best score was 22 runs from the blades of Yogesh Nagar. The remaining scores would just be a waste of time and patience. Likewaise, the scorecard of the Kochi Tuskers' batting consisted of decent scores unlike the Delhi team's which was dominated by Sehwag alone. There was Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja and Mahela Jayawardane who returned with double figure scores though not so attractive like Virender Sehwag's 80. But, something different was expected from Brendon McCullum.
Like always, both teams who have been the bottom takers of the points table are found to take less experiment with their bowling like it happened yesterday as well when all the both captains there didn't quite experiment with the ball. First, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota and on the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each with the 5th bowler bowling just one over short of his full quota. May be this is the secret of the teams to have reached the bottom of their points table.
Let us go through the scorecard of yesterday's game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala which suggests that out of the total score of 157 scored by Delhi, 80 was scored by Sehwag alone single handed. Sehwag scored 80 runs which constitutes more than 50% of the total of 157 that included 16 extras. If this year's edition of the Indian Premier League is given a closer look at with Delhi Daredevils taking the spotlight, the names which make it look big for the team include only Virender Sehwag and David Warner. Other smaller names include Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao.
However, keeping in mind yesterday's encounter the Delhi scorecard had no other individual score to boast about if not for Sehwag's 80 as mentioned. The next best score was 22 runs from the blades of Yogesh Nagar. The remaining scores would just be a waste of time and patience. Likewaise, the scorecard of the Kochi Tuskers' batting consisted of decent scores unlike the Delhi team's which was dominated by Sehwag alone. There was Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja and Mahela Jayawardane who returned with double figure scores though not so attractive like Virender Sehwag's 80. But, something different was expected from Brendon McCullum.
Like always, both teams who have been the bottom takers of the points table are found to take less experiment with their bowling like it happened yesterday as well when all the both captains there didn't quite experiment with the ball. First, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota and on the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each with the 5th bowler bowling just one over short of his full quota. May be this is the secret of the teams to have reached the bottom of their points table.
Friday, 29 April 2011
KKR and Delhi swap places
This was yet another loss for Delhi Daredevils on home turf and one has to go through the entire results page to see where the number stands as far as the Delhi Daredevils' loss at home is considered. The present is that the Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 17 runs against the Delhi Daredivels. Just few days before, the Chennai Super Kings took all applause for defending a mere total of 142 against the Pune Warriors when the latter were restricted to just 117 at less than run a ball. This time as well, the total of 148 was not a tough task for Delhi to chase.
Looking at the scorecard, despite being on the winning side, the Kolkta Knight Riders' innings was a one man show dominated by just Manoj Tiwary who scored an unbeaten 61 runs from 47 balls. That effort of his was more than enough for because the Kolkata Knight Riders eventually won the game as stated and Manoj Tiwary was awarded the man of the match. There was neither a supporting innings nor any quickfire from any of the batsmen from the Kolkata Knight Riders' side with the second best being 22 from the blades of Shreevats Goswamy in the beginning of the innings.
Looking at the scorecard once again suggests the lack of experimenting from the Delhi Daredevils side to be responsible for their debacle when they could not chase down 149 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Delhi Daredevils captain-Virender Sehwag bought in just 4 bowlers to bowl the Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite of this, the Delhi Daredevils should be glad that the total didn't shoot past 180. Sehwag could have bought in Yogesh Nagar, Naman Ojha and himself to bowl as a part of experimenting with his bowlers. Notable scores from Kolkata include only Goswami's 22 as mentioned. But, what if that is enough to win the game?
The Kolkata Knight Riders couldn't get the Delhi Batsmen all out with one wicket still left. The approach of the Delhi Daredevils was far from satisfactory with none of the batsmen making it count for the Delhi team. I doubt whether Virender Sehwag's score of 34 which topped the charts should be considered as a captain's innings which not only was the top score of that innings but was also the only score from the Delhi team that went above 30. The Kolkata Knight Riders unlike their opponents bought in 6 bowlers to bowl the Delhi batsmen which worked in restricting them below 148.
Looking at the scorecard, despite being on the winning side, the Kolkta Knight Riders' innings was a one man show dominated by just Manoj Tiwary who scored an unbeaten 61 runs from 47 balls. That effort of his was more than enough for because the Kolkata Knight Riders eventually won the game as stated and Manoj Tiwary was awarded the man of the match. There was neither a supporting innings nor any quickfire from any of the batsmen from the Kolkata Knight Riders' side with the second best being 22 from the blades of Shreevats Goswamy in the beginning of the innings.
Looking at the scorecard once again suggests the lack of experimenting from the Delhi Daredevils side to be responsible for their debacle when they could not chase down 149 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Delhi Daredevils captain-Virender Sehwag bought in just 4 bowlers to bowl the Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite of this, the Delhi Daredevils should be glad that the total didn't shoot past 180. Sehwag could have bought in Yogesh Nagar, Naman Ojha and himself to bowl as a part of experimenting with his bowlers. Notable scores from Kolkata include only Goswami's 22 as mentioned. But, what if that is enough to win the game?
The Kolkata Knight Riders couldn't get the Delhi Batsmen all out with one wicket still left. The approach of the Delhi Daredevils was far from satisfactory with none of the batsmen making it count for the Delhi team. I doubt whether Virender Sehwag's score of 34 which topped the charts should be considered as a captain's innings which not only was the top score of that innings but was also the only score from the Delhi team that went above 30. The Kolkata Knight Riders unlike their opponents bought in 6 bowlers to bowl the Delhi batsmen which worked in restricting them below 148.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Teach them how to defend
Though the total of 160 put up by the Delhi Daredevils yesterday against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at once again Delhi is not a decent total, it should not even be considered a cake walk for any tough opponent whatsoever. Had the same total been piled up by the Delhi team in one of the previous three editions, then that total would have seen them emerge victorious towards the end of the game i most encounters. Once again, the home team is found to be at the receiving end of the opposition's egos. I wish the Delhi team should stop playing on home turf.
A couple of days back, the Chennai Superkings were found defending a mere total of 142 on the board against Pune Warriors which was a game one of its kind for all those who have been following the tournament at least in this edition. The presence of Sehwag, Warner, James Hopes etc should provide a strong platform for the batting line up of the Delhi Daredevils whatsoever. But, what is seen happening is exactly reverse of the same. It has been the batsmen who have been responsible for their debacle. The bowlers, who get little support from the batsmen can do only this much.
Starting with the scorecard of the Delhi daredevils, it was a decent job done in by the batsmen that included Virender Sehwag, James Hopes and Venugopal Rao who showed confidence with the bat. Some decent tags include a quickfire 13 and 16 from Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha respectively. Had they been out giving thus a chance to the forthcoming batsmen, that would not have added to the score in any way with Morkel and Umesh Yadav knowing their limits themselves. This was a tough match for Delhi to lose when all odds were for them. They had no reasons to lose absolutely.
However, it was one man that took the game away from the Delhi Daredevils when Virat Kohli turned the heat back at Delhi when he scored 56 runs from 38 deliveries which proved to be the backbone of their successful run chase. If not for that score, no other individual score from the Royal Challengers Bangalore seems to hit the headlines. Of course, Chris Gayle blasted a quickfire a 26 run from 14 balls at a strike rate of 185.0 which provided the platform for the run chase which eventually happened to be a close encounter. I wish Sehwag should have given one more over to Pathan which could have stopped tongues from wagging.
A couple of days back, the Chennai Superkings were found defending a mere total of 142 on the board against Pune Warriors which was a game one of its kind for all those who have been following the tournament at least in this edition. The presence of Sehwag, Warner, James Hopes etc should provide a strong platform for the batting line up of the Delhi Daredevils whatsoever. But, what is seen happening is exactly reverse of the same. It has been the batsmen who have been responsible for their debacle. The bowlers, who get little support from the batsmen can do only this much.
Starting with the scorecard of the Delhi daredevils, it was a decent job done in by the batsmen that included Virender Sehwag, James Hopes and Venugopal Rao who showed confidence with the bat. Some decent tags include a quickfire 13 and 16 from Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha respectively. Had they been out giving thus a chance to the forthcoming batsmen, that would not have added to the score in any way with Morkel and Umesh Yadav knowing their limits themselves. This was a tough match for Delhi to lose when all odds were for them. They had no reasons to lose absolutely.
However, it was one man that took the game away from the Delhi Daredevils when Virat Kohli turned the heat back at Delhi when he scored 56 runs from 38 deliveries which proved to be the backbone of their successful run chase. If not for that score, no other individual score from the Royal Challengers Bangalore seems to hit the headlines. Of course, Chris Gayle blasted a quickfire a 26 run from 14 balls at a strike rate of 185.0 which provided the platform for the run chase which eventually happened to be a close encounter. I wish Sehwag should have given one more over to Pathan which could have stopped tongues from wagging.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Not enough for Delhi
Well the scorecard of yesterday's game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kings XI Punjab would have made the fans of the Delhi Daredevils team jump in joy. But, before anyone does that, one has to think the way the Delhi team won the match despite scoring such a huge total. One has to I guess remind the Delhi captain-Virender Sehwag the way the Kings XI Punjab successfully chased down 166 against Deccan Chargers and 189 against the Chennai Super Kings. Of course, even the Delhi Daredevils had a run when they chased down 187 against Pune Warriors at Mumbai.
Compared to the score of 180 at 9.0 runs an over the score of 231 stands way apart. But, hen the other team namely the Kings XI Punjab also fell not too far behind with them ending their innings with 202 runs on the board. Had the Delhi team been that strong, then the opposition should have been all out or restricted for somewhere close to 180 giving the Delhi team a victory margin of 51 runs. There is no doubt in the way the Delhi batsmen put pressure on the Punjabi bowlers with them bringing in 7 bowlers to stop Sehwag and Warner from scoring.
The highlight of the game was that every bowler who took to the crease gave away runs at a minimum of 8.0 runs an over. Only two of those bowlers could control and keep the scoring rate to less than 9.0 runs an over which indicates the pitch's batsman friendliness needless to be said. However, the Delhi team saw only 6 bowlers taking it to the crease. But, that decision rewarded the Delhi team for, they eventually won the game needless to be said by a 29 run margin. If the extras on both sides are removed, then the margin of victory reduces to 18 runs.
The Punjab bowlers bowled 14 wides compared to the three by the Delhi Daredevils. However, the million dollar doubt would be that the man of the match was awarded to Warner when there was Virender Sehwag and Shaun Marsh, both of whom shone with the bat. If the winning team concept needs to be considered, then Sehwag scored an equal number of runs compared to Warner but took less number of deliveries, hit more number of boundaries and equal number of sixes with both of them opening the innings for Delhi. Added to that Sehwag captained the side and took three catches on the field.
Compared to the score of 180 at 9.0 runs an over the score of 231 stands way apart. But, hen the other team namely the Kings XI Punjab also fell not too far behind with them ending their innings with 202 runs on the board. Had the Delhi team been that strong, then the opposition should have been all out or restricted for somewhere close to 180 giving the Delhi team a victory margin of 51 runs. There is no doubt in the way the Delhi batsmen put pressure on the Punjabi bowlers with them bringing in 7 bowlers to stop Sehwag and Warner from scoring.
The highlight of the game was that every bowler who took to the crease gave away runs at a minimum of 8.0 runs an over. Only two of those bowlers could control and keep the scoring rate to less than 9.0 runs an over which indicates the pitch's batsman friendliness needless to be said. However, the Delhi team saw only 6 bowlers taking it to the crease. But, that decision rewarded the Delhi team for, they eventually won the game needless to be said by a 29 run margin. If the extras on both sides are removed, then the margin of victory reduces to 18 runs.
The Punjab bowlers bowled 14 wides compared to the three by the Delhi Daredevils. However, the million dollar doubt would be that the man of the match was awarded to Warner when there was Virender Sehwag and Shaun Marsh, both of whom shone with the bat. If the winning team concept needs to be considered, then Sehwag scored an equal number of runs compared to Warner but took less number of deliveries, hit more number of boundaries and equal number of sixes with both of them opening the innings for Delhi. Added to that Sehwag captained the side and took three catches on the field.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
C once again comes before D
Well if the title of this post seems to confuse you, then I wish you go through the English alphabetical order where the letter 'C' happens to come just before the alphabet 'D'. Well if once again you are confused as to in what way this has got to with the ongoing Indian Premier League,then I take the responsibility by citing yesterday's loss of the Delhi Daredevils (DD) at the hands of the Deccan Chargers (DC) where the Hyderabad team scripted a 16 run win over the Delhi team which can be claimed as Deccan 'C'hargers' victory over Delhi 'D'aredevils.
Whatever, coming to the match, it was not a right call from Sangakkara to win the toss and elect to bat first. THe pitch was a perfect batsman's paradise where even a total in excess of 200 might have been chased with no or little effort. Of course, towards the end of the game, the team batting first ended up victorious but, had the game been between a tougher and a better opposition like the Royal Challengers or the Rajasthan Royals, the result might have been exactly opposite. In this year's IPL, the Delhi team are found lacking in confidence and approach as well.
Despite their lacklusture performance this time, the Delhi team came close to reaching the target when they fell short by just 16 runs. Had 168 been chased in a tougher pitch, then coming close and that too crossing the 150 run mark by a team like the Delhi Daredevils would have just been an illusion. On the whole, the entire match was a crap with the Deccan Chargers piling up just 168 runs on the board with the pitch aiding a 200+ total and then with the second team falling short to chase the small total and losing the plot yet again.
Deccan Chargers couldn't get all the ten batsmen out from the Delhi side which speaks of their inefficiency. Likewise, neither did the Delhi bowlers get all ten wickets of Hyderabad team. But, this should not matter with the Delhi team losing the entire match let alone getting their opposition all out. If not for David Warner, no other batsman showed any sort of resistance to the Hyderabad bowling. At last, the man of the match being awarded to Sohal should come under scrutiny with Harmeet Singh playing a pivotal role with the ball scalping 2/27 on a batting pitch when Sohal's innings was not a highlight.
Whatever, coming to the match, it was not a right call from Sangakkara to win the toss and elect to bat first. THe pitch was a perfect batsman's paradise where even a total in excess of 200 might have been chased with no or little effort. Of course, towards the end of the game, the team batting first ended up victorious but, had the game been between a tougher and a better opposition like the Royal Challengers or the Rajasthan Royals, the result might have been exactly opposite. In this year's IPL, the Delhi team are found lacking in confidence and approach as well.
Despite their lacklusture performance this time, the Delhi team came close to reaching the target when they fell short by just 16 runs. Had 168 been chased in a tougher pitch, then coming close and that too crossing the 150 run mark by a team like the Delhi Daredevils would have just been an illusion. On the whole, the entire match was a crap with the Deccan Chargers piling up just 168 runs on the board with the pitch aiding a 200+ total and then with the second team falling short to chase the small total and losing the plot yet again.
Deccan Chargers couldn't get all the ten batsmen out from the Delhi side which speaks of their inefficiency. Likewise, neither did the Delhi bowlers get all ten wickets of Hyderabad team. But, this should not matter with the Delhi team losing the entire match let alone getting their opposition all out. If not for David Warner, no other batsman showed any sort of resistance to the Hyderabad bowling. At last, the man of the match being awarded to Sohal should come under scrutiny with Harmeet Singh playing a pivotal role with the ball scalping 2/27 on a batting pitch when Sohal's innings was not a highlight.
Monday, 18 April 2011
So, Delhi are there in the race!
Well it would have been a mismatch had the Delhi team lost out this time with them being the highlights of the tournament in the past three editions of the Indian Premier League. The Delhi Daredevils made it to the semi-finals of the tournament in the first two editions of the tournament and unluckily lost the plot in the semi-finals to Hyderabad in 2009. This time, the Delhi team was as though they would be the first to finish off the tournament and head back home with Virender Sehwag cursing over his misfortune. But, it looks like they are back in the game after yesterday's win over Pune.
The Delhi Daredevils scripted a miraculous turnaround with them chasing down the highest total of the tournament so far surpassing the Kings XI Punjab's victory over Chennai Super Kings where they successfully chased down 188 runs on the board at Mohali. That was the first wonder of the tournament which was done by a team which has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. And, after that feat, the Delhi Daredevils have done this yesterday at Mumbai. It was not a one man show from the Delhi Daredevils team with all the 9 batsmen contributing to the success of the team.
Of course, keeping in mind the total of the Pune Warriors, a score of 187 was a tough one to chase and the reason for that was the charging done by Yuvraj Singh and Jesse Ryder and Yuvraj Singh who played a captain's knock. Though this was not sufficient to achieve a victory, that was more than sufficient to give the Pune Warriors' captain- Yuvraj Singh the man of the match award. There was also Jesse Ryder who scored 60 runs at the rate of 222.0 for every hundred balls he faced off just 27 balls with 5 sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
But, the Pune Warriors lacked the team work that was present in the Delhi Daredevils team with at least 7 out of the nine batsmen making it count for their team. The highest individual score for the Delhi Daredevils was 46 scored by David Warner followed by Virender Sehwag's 37. But, neither David Warner nor Shahbaz Nadeem (for his bowling) was awarded the man of the match. If number of sixes scored should be considered, then the Pune Warriors win with them having 11 hits out of the ground compared to the 9 hit by the Pune Warriors. In the end, the Delhi team can be bet upon.
The Delhi Daredevils scripted a miraculous turnaround with them chasing down the highest total of the tournament so far surpassing the Kings XI Punjab's victory over Chennai Super Kings where they successfully chased down 188 runs on the board at Mohali. That was the first wonder of the tournament which was done by a team which has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. And, after that feat, the Delhi Daredevils have done this yesterday at Mumbai. It was not a one man show from the Delhi Daredevils team with all the 9 batsmen contributing to the success of the team.
Of course, keeping in mind the total of the Pune Warriors, a score of 187 was a tough one to chase and the reason for that was the charging done by Yuvraj Singh and Jesse Ryder and Yuvraj Singh who played a captain's knock. Though this was not sufficient to achieve a victory, that was more than sufficient to give the Pune Warriors' captain- Yuvraj Singh the man of the match award. There was also Jesse Ryder who scored 60 runs at the rate of 222.0 for every hundred balls he faced off just 27 balls with 5 sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
But, the Pune Warriors lacked the team work that was present in the Delhi Daredevils team with at least 7 out of the nine batsmen making it count for their team. The highest individual score for the Delhi Daredevils was 46 scored by David Warner followed by Virender Sehwag's 37. But, neither David Warner nor Shahbaz Nadeem (for his bowling) was awarded the man of the match. If number of sixes scored should be considered, then the Pune Warriors win with them having 11 hits out of the ground compared to the 9 hit by the Pune Warriors. In the end, the Delhi team can be bet upon.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Way to go Delhi
This time despite only with two games up for the Delhi Daredevils, they are now seem to be lacking luster with two defeats from the two games they have played so far. In their very first encounter with the Mumbai Indians, despite being the home team, the Delhi Daredevils lost all their wickets for just 95 runs on the board which was not something expected from a team that has made it to the semi-finals of the tournament on the previous two occasions. Agreed that the then Delhi team with Sehwag, Gambhir, Jayawardane and AB deVilliars was a totally different team.
Now, it looks like the change in the team has bought a total change in their body language itself with only one or two players having their presence felt. Last time against the Mumbai Indians, the top scorers were Sehwag and some Naman Ojha for scoring a score in excess of 20. If that was a starting trouble that can be thought of, this time the Delhi Daredevils couldn't defend a total in excess of 150. A total of 150, though not sufficient, wasn't not even that bad that it should be chased down so easily. But, the scorecard speaks otherwise.
One can see the lack of pressure on the bowlers of the Rajasthan Royal's side with only five bowlers taking the red cherry in their hands, and not opting for a fifth bowler. There wass also an over maiden by a Rajasthan bowler when Amit Singh was the lucky guy who did the wonder in a T20 game. It was a paradox to see the most experienced bowler (after Shane Warne) get belted for 40 runs at a rate of 10.0 runs an over. Coming to the Daredevils' innings, only two batsmen got to decent scores with Warner and Venugopal Rao doing the scoring.
The case was exactly opposite regarding the Rajasthan Royals with all batsmen doing the job except their opener Amit Paunikar who got out scoring 1 run. Else, a series of double digit scores eventually leading to the target of 152 with 6 wickets in hand. Despite being the underdogs in the match, the Delhi Daredvils team stuck to the stupid strategy of four bowlers, by not trying out anything new. Of course, what better can Sehwag do with their strike bowler-Irfan Pathan getting belted like never before? whatever be the case, Shane Warne's commitment even in his early 40s needs a pat on the back.
Now, it looks like the change in the team has bought a total change in their body language itself with only one or two players having their presence felt. Last time against the Mumbai Indians, the top scorers were Sehwag and some Naman Ojha for scoring a score in excess of 20. If that was a starting trouble that can be thought of, this time the Delhi Daredevils couldn't defend a total in excess of 150. A total of 150, though not sufficient, wasn't not even that bad that it should be chased down so easily. But, the scorecard speaks otherwise.
One can see the lack of pressure on the bowlers of the Rajasthan Royal's side with only five bowlers taking the red cherry in their hands, and not opting for a fifth bowler. There wass also an over maiden by a Rajasthan bowler when Amit Singh was the lucky guy who did the wonder in a T20 game. It was a paradox to see the most experienced bowler (after Shane Warne) get belted for 40 runs at a rate of 10.0 runs an over. Coming to the Daredevils' innings, only two batsmen got to decent scores with Warner and Venugopal Rao doing the scoring.
The case was exactly opposite regarding the Rajasthan Royals with all batsmen doing the job except their opener Amit Paunikar who got out scoring 1 run. Else, a series of double digit scores eventually leading to the target of 152 with 6 wickets in hand. Despite being the underdogs in the match, the Delhi Daredvils team stuck to the stupid strategy of four bowlers, by not trying out anything new. Of course, what better can Sehwag do with their strike bowler-Irfan Pathan getting belted like never before? whatever be the case, Shane Warne's commitment even in his early 40s needs a pat on the back.
Monday, 11 April 2011
This is just the beginning
As the rules of the game of cricket go, there has to be one winner and the other team has to end up on the losing side no matter what. This saying is not for matches that result in a tie or those games which get abandoned by no matter what once again. Most of you might not even accept the encounter between the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils yesterday at Delhi when the Delhi team got out for just 95 runs. Should one forgive Virender Sehwag for starting the inning so brightly that even the best batsman on earth would have got scared.
One would have thought Sehwag to hit a double century rather than the entire team not even getting to the one hundred mark. A score of 95 by a team captained by a dashing opener like Sehwag and with members like David Warner and Irfan Pathan should have atleast scored runs at a rate f 6.0 runs an over. One has to wonder about the team which speaks of no other hard hitting batsman if not for their captain. There was some Venugopal Rao who makes his appearance flt only once in a year and that would be the IPL in case that happens.
Despite the fact that the entire Delhi team got bundled out for a mere total of just 95 on board, one has to no doubt appreciate the fact that the Delhi Daredevils had hit more sixes compared to the Mumbai Indians. The Delhi Daredevils' innings saw two hits out of the ground, with one of them being from the bat of Virender Sehwag and the other one being from some Naman Ojha, the profile of whom can be viewed on cricinfo if interested. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indins had just one six from Sachin Tendulkar who fell short of a half century by 4 runs.
Though not necessary, all the batsmen from the Mumbai Indians had their strike rates below hundred which can be taken the way you wish. Would it be right to suggest that the pitch was tough for batsmen? I don't think so, keeping in mind the was the Mumbai Indians played without losing their cool. Of course, who doesn't keep his cool chasing down just 96 on board? One has to appreciate the series of 0s and 8s in the Delhi Daredevils' innings with five batsmen getting out for naught and two of them scoring 8 runs. But, there is a long way to for both teams.
One would have thought Sehwag to hit a double century rather than the entire team not even getting to the one hundred mark. A score of 95 by a team captained by a dashing opener like Sehwag and with members like David Warner and Irfan Pathan should have atleast scored runs at a rate f 6.0 runs an over. One has to wonder about the team which speaks of no other hard hitting batsman if not for their captain. There was some Venugopal Rao who makes his appearance flt only once in a year and that would be the IPL in case that happens.
Despite the fact that the entire Delhi team got bundled out for a mere total of just 95 on board, one has to no doubt appreciate the fact that the Delhi Daredevils had hit more sixes compared to the Mumbai Indians. The Delhi Daredevils' innings saw two hits out of the ground, with one of them being from the bat of Virender Sehwag and the other one being from some Naman Ojha, the profile of whom can be viewed on cricinfo if interested. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indins had just one six from Sachin Tendulkar who fell short of a half century by 4 runs.
Though not necessary, all the batsmen from the Mumbai Indians had their strike rates below hundred which can be taken the way you wish. Would it be right to suggest that the pitch was tough for batsmen? I don't think so, keeping in mind the was the Mumbai Indians played without losing their cool. Of course, who doesn't keep his cool chasing down just 96 on board? One has to appreciate the series of 0s and 8s in the Delhi Daredevils' innings with five batsmen getting out for naught and two of them scoring 8 runs. But, there is a long way to for both teams.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Delhi yet to find a platform
Delhi daredevils are the team who have the hardest hitting batsmen in Virender Sehwag, the batsman who scored the maiden century of the tournament in 2008 in David Warner and the first century scorer in the second edition of the same last year in South Africa. Sad that they are found gasping for a win even against an average team in Deccan Chargers who have to depend upon just one or a couple of their batsmen in case they have to see their team victorious. But, if yesterday's game is considered, the stats look to be reversed for both the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils as well.
Out of the 8 batsmen who took to the crease from the Deccan Chargers side, as many as five of them were worth the money what they were paid and also worth the hope their captain showed in them when they were selected in the playing eleven. All the five batsmen who came out scoring double figure scores had their strike rates above hundred. This was one of the rare occasions of the Deccan Chargers' innings not being dominated by Adam Gilchrist alone or by Andrew Symonds alone. Instead, in addition there were players like Herschelle Gibbs and Rohith Sharma as well who contributed.
Much to the surprise of everyone, all these five batsmen under discussion had a six to their credit and moreover, all the sixes hit in the Deccan Chargers' innings came from the bats of these five batsmen only with the share of the remaining batsmen beingnegligible zero. So has been the story regarding the number of boundaries hit in the Deccan Chargers' innings. And, this has to be obvious when no other batsman from the Deccan Chargers' side had their individual score go past 3 runs. And if the bowling of the same is considered, 4 out of 5 bowlers who could have bowled their full quota of 4 overs were found doing the same.
Only the remaining four overs were divided between R P Singh and Rohith Sharma. On the Delhi Daredevils side, there were just three of them who could do the job as batsmen with Sehwag surprisingly not being listed. Whenever the Delhi Daredevils' batsmen take to the crease, all eyes would be on Virender Sehwag who in the current edition is found to disappoint either as captain or as batsman. 7 of the 11 batsmen from the Delhi Daredevils side returned back to the pavilion scoring single digit scores and one batsman in Moises Henriques was quite intelligent when he didn't fall into that category of batsmen who scored less than 10 runs when he got out scoring 11 runs so that no fingers point towards him.
Out of the 8 batsmen who took to the crease from the Deccan Chargers side, as many as five of them were worth the money what they were paid and also worth the hope their captain showed in them when they were selected in the playing eleven. All the five batsmen who came out scoring double figure scores had their strike rates above hundred. This was one of the rare occasions of the Deccan Chargers' innings not being dominated by Adam Gilchrist alone or by Andrew Symonds alone. Instead, in addition there were players like Herschelle Gibbs and Rohith Sharma as well who contributed.
Much to the surprise of everyone, all these five batsmen under discussion had a six to their credit and moreover, all the sixes hit in the Deccan Chargers' innings came from the bats of these five batsmen only with the share of the remaining batsmen being
Only the remaining four overs were divided between R P Singh and Rohith Sharma. On the Delhi Daredevils side, there were just three of them who could do the job as batsmen with Sehwag surprisingly not being listed. Whenever the Delhi Daredevils' batsmen take to the crease, all eyes would be on Virender Sehwag who in the current edition is found to disappoint either as captain or as batsman. 7 of the 11 batsmen from the Delhi Daredevils side returned back to the pavilion scoring single digit scores and one batsman in Moises Henriques was quite intelligent when he didn't fall into that category of batsmen who scored less than 10 runs when he got out scoring 11 runs so that no fingers point towards him.
Friday, 19 March 2010
No total is big for Hayden
It was just a matter of time before the orange cap holder in the previous edition of the IPL - Mathew Hayden returned back to his old ways of devastating the bowlers from the opposition especially with his newly acquired mongoose bat. One has to really feel sad for Mathew Hayden for not being able to get a hundred despite having gone until the 90s. At the same time, Hayden also deserves a lot of appreciation for not wasting deliveries in a selfish attempt to get into his hundred by forgetting the remaining ten who'd be at the receiving end of the opposition.
The return of Hayden would be an added advantage to not only the Chennai Superkings but also to the entire IPL that includes millions of spectators - some watching it live on television, some watching the highlights and the remaining coming to the stadium and making their day there. Moreover, it was not against some weak opposition that Hayden kick started his IPL campaign of this year's edition. It was against the Delhi Daredevils who were unlucky to miss the plot in the previous edition at South Africa. It was against a team that had posted a mammoth total of 185 runs on the board.
Had it not been for Hayden, may be the Chennai Superkings would have had yet another loss in this tournament. If one can take trouble to go through the scorecard of the match, if not for Hayden and Raina, no other batsmen really stood upto the Delhi Daredevils' challenge. Not much could be expected from the opener Parthiv Patel who had to return after scoring 6 runs. This was in a way an improved performance form Parthiv Patel considering his scores less than 6 in earlier games he played. Though Vijay's innings suggests that he would have done a fab job after scoring a 6 ball 14, nothing can be guaranteed in the long run.
If the bowling of the CSKs are considered, Suresh Raina's inexperience as a captain could well be felt with the fact that someone like Joginder Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin were given the ball to bowl their entire quota of 4 overs despite going in for over 10 runs an over. On the other hand, experienced bowlers like Laxmipathy Balaji and Albie Morkel were made to bowl just 3 overs which saw them giving runs at the rate of 7 an over and 8 an over respectively. The Delhi Daredevils did a fab job with the entire team contributing to their total of 185. But, had it not been for Hayden, the CSK's fate would have been different.
The return of Hayden would be an added advantage to not only the Chennai Superkings but also to the entire IPL that includes millions of spectators - some watching it live on television, some watching the highlights and the remaining coming to the stadium and making their day there. Moreover, it was not against some weak opposition that Hayden kick started his IPL campaign of this year's edition. It was against the Delhi Daredevils who were unlucky to miss the plot in the previous edition at South Africa. It was against a team that had posted a mammoth total of 185 runs on the board.
Had it not been for Hayden, may be the Chennai Superkings would have had yet another loss in this tournament. If one can take trouble to go through the scorecard of the match, if not for Hayden and Raina, no other batsmen really stood upto the Delhi Daredevils' challenge. Not much could be expected from the opener Parthiv Patel who had to return after scoring 6 runs. This was in a way an improved performance form Parthiv Patel considering his scores less than 6 in earlier games he played. Though Vijay's innings suggests that he would have done a fab job after scoring a 6 ball 14, nothing can be guaranteed in the long run.
If the bowling of the CSKs are considered, Suresh Raina's inexperience as a captain could well be felt with the fact that someone like Joginder Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin were given the ball to bowl their entire quota of 4 overs despite going in for over 10 runs an over. On the other hand, experienced bowlers like Laxmipathy Balaji and Albie Morkel were made to bowl just 3 overs which saw them giving runs at the rate of 7 an over and 8 an over respectively. The Delhi Daredevils did a fab job with the entire team contributing to their total of 185. But, had it not been for Hayden, the CSK's fate would have been different.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Mumbai's day out
Well this is quite usual in the T20 format of cricket and more so when it comes to the Indian Premier League when a team that ended on a high note in the previous edition of the same is found getting belted by a team that finds no place in comparison with the other team. And this was once again the case when the Mumbai Indians beat the Delhi Daredevils by a whooping 98 runs which could be the case in test matches and one day cricket and not in a T20 game and that too in IPL. But, scorecard suggests otherwise.
No total should have seemed to trouble or even put in some pressure on the Delhi Daredevils especially on Virender Sehwag who cares to nobody when it comes to a tempting delivery. And, Sehwag did exactly that when he scored or rather hammered a 16 ball 26 with a strike rate of more than 150. And neither was Dinesh Karthik or Maharoof anyway less when it came to belting the ball which they did with a mind blowing strike but was nowhere when it came to the number of runs scored. All that they could do was to just wait and see what the batsman coming in next would do.
After the exit of Dinesh Karthik who scored a 6 ball 16 runs with a strike rate of 233, no other batsman from the Delhidaredevils really stood up to the Mumbai Indians' bowling. It was fascinating to see well known bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga going in for runs when part time bowlers like Sanath Jayasuriya and Dwayne Bravo did a fab job with the ball. There were just 2 bowlers from the Mumbai Indians' side who bowled their full quota of 4 overs viz Sanath Jayasuriya and Kieron Pollard, both of whom have less to say with the ball.
But, such unusual incidents have been part and parcel of the IPL. It was a shame for the Delhi Daredevils who not only lost the game by a large margin but also couldn't play their complete quota of 20 overs when they lost their 10th wicket with still 21 legal deliveries remaining. Only Farveez Maharoof was able to hit a couple of shots outside the boundary in the entire Delhi Daredevils' innings. Not even Sehwag could do that. And, one has to notice the presence of Maharoof who was included as a bowler but was not given the ball and was the lone six hitter in the innings. Any explanations???
No total should have seemed to trouble or even put in some pressure on the Delhi Daredevils especially on Virender Sehwag who cares to nobody when it comes to a tempting delivery. And, Sehwag did exactly that when he scored or rather hammered a 16 ball 26 with a strike rate of more than 150. And neither was Dinesh Karthik or Maharoof anyway less when it came to belting the ball which they did with a mind blowing strike but was nowhere when it came to the number of runs scored. All that they could do was to just wait and see what the batsman coming in next would do.
After the exit of Dinesh Karthik who scored a 6 ball 16 runs with a strike rate of 233, no other batsman from the Delhidaredevils really stood up to the Mumbai Indians' bowling. It was fascinating to see well known bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga going in for runs when part time bowlers like Sanath Jayasuriya and Dwayne Bravo did a fab job with the ball. There were just 2 bowlers from the Mumbai Indians' side who bowled their full quota of 4 overs viz Sanath Jayasuriya and Kieron Pollard, both of whom have less to say with the ball.
But, such unusual incidents have been part and parcel of the IPL. It was a shame for the Delhi Daredevils who not only lost the game by a large margin but also couldn't play their complete quota of 20 overs when they lost their 10th wicket with still 21 legal deliveries remaining. Only Farveez Maharoof was able to hit a couple of shots outside the boundary in the entire Delhi Daredevils' innings. Not even Sehwag could do that. And, one has to notice the presence of Maharoof who was included as a bowler but was not given the ball and was the lone six hitter in the innings. Any explanations???
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Can Kings XI change their fate as well !!!
If one goes through the scorecard of the Kings XI Punjab's batting innings, one would be surprised to see the presence of batsmen who had individual scores of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 which can hardly be the case in any other matches. There was also a batsman who scored a 0. It was the lack of the presence of a batsman who returned back to the pavilion by scoring 1 run which spoiled the party which would have otherwise seen the team consisting players who scored individual scores ranging from 0 to 6. In both the innings, there were opening batsmen, one of whom scored a half century and the other returned scoring a single digit score.
This is one way of the Kings XI team entertaining their fans by showing them different number games. Anyways, coming to the match the Kings XI Punjab team had just three players who could post individual scores above which is evident by now given their number games earlier in the post. The other number along with the one mentioned above is that there were 13 extras bowled and 15 runs were scored by Sreesanth. Then, the captain Kumara Sangakkara scored 17 runs and Irfan Pathan scored 21 runs. Had there been a batsman scoring 19 runs, a series would have happened with each number differing the preceding number by 2.
Earlier, Kumara Sangakkara was made the captain of the side which was a good move, taking into account his experience as captain of the Sri Lankan team though he has hardly been successful. Sangakkara was a better choice as captain compared to Yuvraj Singh who is yet to wear the captain's crown be it for India or for his Ranji team. But, what can one do when the fate of a team can hardly be changed? Perhaps! Yuvraj Singh was successful in taking his team to the semis of the tournament which was a result of crashing out of Mumbai Indians side owing to their last match being abandoned against KKR.
Kings XI Punjab were one of the teams to have been knocked out of the IPL by a single team on two occasions when they were outplayed by the Chennai Super Kings in both editions of the IPL. A run rate of 7.62 would have been just fine, had it been in a 50 overs game but not in a T20 game which demands atleast 9 runs an over on an average. All that the Delhi Daredevils were expected to do was to just stand for 20 overs with some effort of their own combined with the extras bowled by the Kings XI team and some loose bowling from the opposition. For a change, Sreesanth was found not only bowling his full quota of 4 overs but also turning out to the most economical bowler after Yuvraj Singh when his bowling figures read 4-0-24-2.
This is one way of the Kings XI team entertaining their fans by showing them different number games. Anyways, coming to the match the Kings XI Punjab team had just three players who could post individual scores above which is evident by now given their number games earlier in the post. The other number along with the one mentioned above is that there were 13 extras bowled and 15 runs were scored by Sreesanth. Then, the captain Kumara Sangakkara scored 17 runs and Irfan Pathan scored 21 runs. Had there been a batsman scoring 19 runs, a series would have happened with each number differing the preceding number by 2.
Earlier, Kumara Sangakkara was made the captain of the side which was a good move, taking into account his experience as captain of the Sri Lankan team though he has hardly been successful. Sangakkara was a better choice as captain compared to Yuvraj Singh who is yet to wear the captain's crown be it for India or for his Ranji team. But, what can one do when the fate of a team can hardly be changed? Perhaps! Yuvraj Singh was successful in taking his team to the semis of the tournament which was a result of crashing out of Mumbai Indians side owing to their last match being abandoned against KKR.
Kings XI Punjab were one of the teams to have been knocked out of the IPL by a single team on two occasions when they were outplayed by the Chennai Super Kings in both editions of the IPL. A run rate of 7.62 would have been just fine, had it been in a 50 overs game but not in a T20 game which demands atleast 9 runs an over on an average. All that the Delhi Daredevils were expected to do was to just stand for 20 overs with some effort of their own combined with the extras bowled by the Kings XI team and some loose bowling from the opposition. For a change, Sreesanth was found not only bowling his full quota of 4 overs but also turning out to the most economical bowler after Yuvraj Singh when his bowling figures read 4-0-24-2.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
No Jai For Viru
How many of us would have thought that a team that ended high in the points table with 10 victories in its kitty to crash out so badly in the tournament? How many of us would have thought the team that beat the Deccan Chargers on both occasions to lose out to the same Deccan Chargers so badly in the semi finals of the tournament? How many of us would have thought the return of Virender Sehwag back to form would be of no use to his team? How many of us thought the number 1 team to lose so badly to the number 4 team in the tournament? But, these were witnessed by the helpless fans out there in Centurion.
The total of 153 was neither a bad one nor a good one for that matter. And defending the same by the Delhi team or chasing the same by the Deccan Chargers would not have raised many eyebrows. But, the moment the first over of the Deccan Chargers' batting ended, the result was well in front of us. The first over went for 22 runs with Adam Gilchrist striking 5 boundaries. And how does it matter if the other opener Gibbs gets out for a second ball duck as long as there was Gilly to solve the matter? The only disappointment that Gilchrist gave was that he couldn't score a hundred. Perhaps, that I think would have been the fastest of the IPL so far-including the earlier season in 2008.
After the Delhi team's loss in the first semi finals of the Indian Premier League, I was reminded of the South African disappointing exit of the 1996 & 1999 world cup. In 1996, the Proteas won all of their 5 league matches only to lose against the West Indies in the quarter finals. There too, it was a victory of team 4 versus team 1, with the South Africa on number 1 (Group B) and West Indies being number 4 (of Group A). In 1999, the South Africans won all the matches if not for their loss against Australia in the super sixes, only to lose the semis to the Aussies by zero runs.
This was the third encounter between the Delhi team and the Hyderabad team, and after every match, the match has been found closing in on the Deccan Chargers. The first match between these 2 teams was washed off by the Delhi team, the second match though being won by the Delhi team yet again, the Chargers gave the Delhi team a tough fight and lost out only in the end after being in the match for so long. And this time in the third encounter, the Delhi team was nowhere in the picture. It was a clean sweep by the Deccan Chargers and Adam Gilchrist in particular.
So, after the first semis, the IPL which consisted of entire India has now dropped to only South India, with the East, West and the North crashing out. Now the fight is between the three South Indian states in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.
The total of 153 was neither a bad one nor a good one for that matter. And defending the same by the Delhi team or chasing the same by the Deccan Chargers would not have raised many eyebrows. But, the moment the first over of the Deccan Chargers' batting ended, the result was well in front of us. The first over went for 22 runs with Adam Gilchrist striking 5 boundaries. And how does it matter if the other opener Gibbs gets out for a second ball duck as long as there was Gilly to solve the matter? The only disappointment that Gilchrist gave was that he couldn't score a hundred. Perhaps, that I think would have been the fastest of the IPL so far-including the earlier season in 2008.
After the Delhi team's loss in the first semi finals of the Indian Premier League, I was reminded of the South African disappointing exit of the 1996 & 1999 world cup. In 1996, the Proteas won all of their 5 league matches only to lose against the West Indies in the quarter finals. There too, it was a victory of team 4 versus team 1, with the South Africa on number 1 (Group B) and West Indies being number 4 (of Group A). In 1999, the South Africans won all the matches if not for their loss against Australia in the super sixes, only to lose the semis to the Aussies by zero runs.
This was the third encounter between the Delhi team and the Hyderabad team, and after every match, the match has been found closing in on the Deccan Chargers. The first match between these 2 teams was washed off by the Delhi team, the second match though being won by the Delhi team yet again, the Chargers gave the Delhi team a tough fight and lost out only in the end after being in the match for so long. And this time in the third encounter, the Delhi team was nowhere in the picture. It was a clean sweep by the Deccan Chargers and Adam Gilchrist in particular.
So, after the first semis, the IPL which consisted of entire India has now dropped to only South India, with the East, West and the North crashing out. Now the fight is between the three South Indian states in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
A Wise Thinking From Brendon McCullum
The Kolkata Knight Riders have to consider themselves very lucky for not having to care about their future in the tournament anymore. I congratulate them on being the first team to be knocked out of the tournament. It is not clear as to which team will make it to the semi finals but, it is now confirmed that the Kolkata Knight Riders will never make it there. When they have lost the chance of making it to the semis a couple of matches back, why the hell should the KKR captain ever think of winning its further games? This is mateur thinking.
But, this move would not be welcomed by either the Royal Challengers or the Mumbai Indians, for they would have been interested in the Delhi Daredevils' loss rather then a Kolkata Knight Riders' win. A loss to the Delhi team would have made them come down in the latest rankings following which the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers would have an easier task in front of them. But, however, that was not to be at Johannesburg whatsoever. The Kolkata Knight Riders lost this match as well in the same spirit as they lost their earlier ones. This perhaps by a better margin compared to their earlier loss to the same team.
The Kolkata Knight Riders did not lose all the ten wickets and played the allotted 20 overs despite at one stage being at 88/7 at the end of the 11th over. This is one thing that the Kolkata Knight Riders can feel happy about. I think that all is not lost for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well despite they not being able to make it to the semis anymore this season. For, this is not the end of the world. They can start practicing for the next edition the the Indian Premier LEague which would probably be held in India in 2010.
Like, the Indian team had thought to have started its plans for the 2011 world cup after they lost to Bangladesh in the first round of the tournament itself, which ended their world cup dreams for 2007. IN the particular match against the Delhi Daredevils, the Kolkata Knight Riders fell into the fourth and the last category by neither baing able to post a big total and on the otherhand even losing wickets at regular intervals. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sourav Ganguly has done a fair job compared to other team mates and has all reasons to regain the lost captaincy in the next edition. And if Ganguly is not made to lead the KKR team next time, I wish one is aware of the consequences. Ha ha ha...
But, this move would not be welcomed by either the Royal Challengers or the Mumbai Indians, for they would have been interested in the Delhi Daredevils' loss rather then a Kolkata Knight Riders' win. A loss to the Delhi team would have made them come down in the latest rankings following which the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers would have an easier task in front of them. But, however, that was not to be at Johannesburg whatsoever. The Kolkata Knight Riders lost this match as well in the same spirit as they lost their earlier ones. This perhaps by a better margin compared to their earlier loss to the same team.
The Kolkata Knight Riders did not lose all the ten wickets and played the allotted 20 overs despite at one stage being at 88/7 at the end of the 11th over. This is one thing that the Kolkata Knight Riders can feel happy about. I think that all is not lost for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well despite they not being able to make it to the semis anymore this season. For, this is not the end of the world. They can start practicing for the next edition the the Indian Premier LEague which would probably be held in India in 2010.
Like, the Indian team had thought to have started its plans for the 2011 world cup after they lost to Bangladesh in the first round of the tournament itself, which ended their world cup dreams for 2007. IN the particular match against the Delhi Daredevils, the Kolkata Knight Riders fell into the fourth and the last category by neither baing able to post a big total and on the otherhand even losing wickets at regular intervals. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sourav Ganguly has done a fair job compared to other team mates and has all reasons to regain the lost captaincy in the next edition. And if Ganguly is not made to lead the KKR team next time, I wish one is aware of the consequences. Ha ha ha...
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Is This Also A Target???
Well the other day, the Mumbai Indians lost to the Deccan Chargers by giving a part time bowler in Rohith Sharma 4 wickets out of the eight wickets that fell and that too in just 2 overs that he bowled. I just imagine what would have happened had Rohith Sharma was asked to bowl a quota of 4 overs. Perhaps! All the recognized bowlers would have cursed themselves for not having got such a weak batting line up and secondly for not being able to do what a part time bowler was found doing. I still don't know what all surprises regarding the Mumbai Indians is reserved!!!
If one goes by the tournament, there have been different contests for the teams like the purple cap for the highest wicket taker in the series, the orange cap for the highest run getter, fair play award and lot many in addition to the age old man of the match and the series. Now, it would not be wrong to introduce one more award named funny play award for taking unusual decisions and ending up on the wrong side of the match. If this is introduced, I bet, the Kolkata Knight Riders would bag this for sure. For, despite having lot of wickets in hand, they often end up losing. Most of the batsmen in the KKR side end up being unused.
The second on the list would be the Mumbai Indians, who the other day couldn't chase a modest total of 119 against the Kings XI Punjab. Had the pitch been tailor made for the bowlers, that should have been understood by the lower order as wickets started falling. In the next instance, against the Deccan Chargers, regarding which nothing more needs to be said. Then in the match against the RCB, it was a one sided affair meaning the Mumbai Indians had no intention in making it to the next round. Now, after the loss against the Delhi Daredevils, the Mumbai Indians' consecutive loss is now at 4.
There was no Sanath Jayasuriya and neither was Sachin Tendulkar found opening the innings. As a result, both the openers were out for a duck. I wonder this is why the BCCI selectors never went in for Sachin Tendulkar as captain for team India for more than a decade. Sachin last captained regularly for India in 1997 for the Sahara cup in Canada. Sachin's captaincy is exactly opposite to his batting one can say. Usually, peopledrop rest their key players only when the team is in a comfortable position in the series. But, how come Sachin dropped Sanath Jayasuriya when the team had lost their earlier 3 matches? Now, I wish Sachin is one such captain who must be dropped and the reins of the MI be handed over to Jayasuriya.
If one goes by the tournament, there have been different contests for the teams like the purple cap for the highest wicket taker in the series, the orange cap for the highest run getter, fair play award and lot many in addition to the age old man of the match and the series. Now, it would not be wrong to introduce one more award named funny play award for taking unusual decisions and ending up on the wrong side of the match. If this is introduced, I bet, the Kolkata Knight Riders would bag this for sure. For, despite having lot of wickets in hand, they often end up losing. Most of the batsmen in the KKR side end up being unused.
The second on the list would be the Mumbai Indians, who the other day couldn't chase a modest total of 119 against the Kings XI Punjab. Had the pitch been tailor made for the bowlers, that should have been understood by the lower order as wickets started falling. In the next instance, against the Deccan Chargers, regarding which nothing more needs to be said. Then in the match against the RCB, it was a one sided affair meaning the Mumbai Indians had no intention in making it to the next round. Now, after the loss against the Delhi Daredevils, the Mumbai Indians' consecutive loss is now at 4.
There was no Sanath Jayasuriya and neither was Sachin Tendulkar found opening the innings. As a result, both the openers were out for a duck. I wonder this is why the BCCI selectors never went in for Sachin Tendulkar as captain for team India for more than a decade. Sachin last captained regularly for India in 1997 for the Sahara cup in Canada. Sachin's captaincy is exactly opposite to his batting one can say. Usually, people
Saturday, 9 May 2009
KKR Just Not Willing To Learn To Learn From Their Mistakes
I have cited this point a number of times in more or less every post that I write on this blog regarding the batsmen willing to take risks and in the process either throw his wicket away like Shahid Afridi usually does or else if luck is in favor put some extra runs on board that could be the difference between a win and a defeat. This could also be the difference between getting qualified to the next round and getting eliminated fro the tournament once for all and thus playing the remaining matches just for the sake of it. But, I wounder whether there is anyone out there to tell the Kolkata Knight Riders' players.
Atleast, the Kolkata Knight Riders' coach John Buchanan should have realized this point if not anybody else. In the eitire quota of their 20 overs, the Kolkata Knight Riders lost just three wickets, with the scoreboard reading 58/1 from the first 6 overs at more than 9.0 an over, and then 98/2 in the 14th over at just over 7.0 an over. The third wicket fell just 4 balls prior to winding up the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings which finished at 154. The third wicket fell when the score was 147. Due to this, the KKR could not utilize the precense of Sourav Ganguly and Ajith Agarkar-two decent hitters of the ball.
I wonder as to what made the team owner go in for Brendon McCullum as a skipper, when McCullum has hardly captained his national side? On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly had done a fabulous job as a captain for team India only to be sacked as a skipper by the KKR team owner. So far, the Kolkata Knight Riders could win just one game and that was against the Kings XI Punjab which was intervened by Duckworth Lewis and the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings lasting just 8 overs. Despite repeated failures by the Kolkata team, it is a surprise that both the team owner as well as the coach have maintained silence over the same.
This is found happening only with the Kolkata Knight Riders and no other team. And another important fact regarding the Kolkata Knight Riders when it comes to their bowling is that their main strike bowlers viz Ishanth Sharma, Murali Karthik and Henriques who bowled their full quota of 4 overs were the maximum run donors returning with bowling figures of 10.75, 4.50 and 9.0 respectively. The other bowlers might not have done a fab job but, a thorough check is needed by the team manager and coach for repeated failures whatsoever. After this match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Knight Riders, the former team has popped to the top most position and the latter has dropped to the bottom most one. What a gesture!!!!
Atleast, the Kolkata Knight Riders' coach John Buchanan should have realized this point if not anybody else. In the eitire quota of their 20 overs, the Kolkata Knight Riders lost just three wickets, with the scoreboard reading 58/1 from the first 6 overs at more than 9.0 an over, and then 98/2 in the 14th over at just over 7.0 an over. The third wicket fell just 4 balls prior to winding up the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings which finished at 154. The third wicket fell when the score was 147. Due to this, the KKR could not utilize the precense of Sourav Ganguly and Ajith Agarkar-two decent hitters of the ball.
I wonder as to what made the team owner go in for Brendon McCullum as a skipper, when McCullum has hardly captained his national side? On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly had done a fabulous job as a captain for team India only to be sacked as a skipper by the KKR team owner. So far, the Kolkata Knight Riders could win just one game and that was against the Kings XI Punjab which was intervened by Duckworth Lewis and the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings lasting just 8 overs. Despite repeated failures by the Kolkata team, it is a surprise that both the team owner as well as the coach have maintained silence over the same.
This is found happening only with the Kolkata Knight Riders and no other team. And another important fact regarding the Kolkata Knight Riders when it comes to their bowling is that their main strike bowlers viz Ishanth Sharma, Murali Karthik and Henriques who bowled their full quota of 4 overs were the maximum run donors returning with bowling figures of 10.75, 4.50 and 9.0 respectively. The other bowlers might not have done a fab job but, a thorough check is needed by the team manager and coach for repeated failures whatsoever. After this match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Knight Riders, the former team has popped to the top most position and the latter has dropped to the bottom most one. What a gesture!!!!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Give An Inch & Dhoni Will Take A Mile
This was what happened in the match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Daredevils at Johannesburg where Dhoni's men beat the Delhi Daredevils team despite a small but a decent total out there. Though the Delhi Daredevils were folding the upper hand in most part of the game, it was the Chennai Super Kings who emerged victorious at the end of the day. This might have happened a lot of times in the IPL but, very rare when it comes to teams like the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils who have been on the top since the series began.
However, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals have done it more regularly compared to other teams, though the Kings XI Punjab have done it in the last couple of matches. Despite a loss or a gain, the Chennai Super Kings have shown the class as a team that made it to the finals of the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. This was once again proved by the, when they made 180 runs while chasing a massive target of 189 in one of the games. Had it been an ordinary team, the margin of defeat would have been much higher like the one involving the Deccan Chargers or the Kolkata Knight Riders.
If there are any teams out there who are found displaying their class, it is the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings. Theses are the two teams who are fighting until their last breath whatsoever. The Delhi Daredevils were lucky to have won the toss and the Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir was also pretty intelligent to opt to field, by getting the pitch conditions right. The pitch was favoring the batsmen for most part of the game and the Delhi team did well to contain the opposition to a chasable 165 runs. Their run chase also never seemed to disappoint though A B Devilliars induced some initial pressure and the top order failed.
There was an unimaginable knock between Dinesh Karthick and David Warner, both of whom posted half centuries with much aggresion and control. This continued until the 16Th over and until then the Delhi Daredevils were just counting the runs to be scored and getting ready to rejoice yet another victory it seemed like. But, it was the wicket of Dinesh Karthik that spoiled the Delhi's party. Had Karthik been sent up in the order, there could have been a better result for the Daredevils, for after the fall of Karthik the rest like AB Devilliars and Dilshan could have finished it off. But, who would have anticipated Karthik's brilliance that was hardly found b4?
This match once again recommends the fans to keep their fingers crossed until the last ball of the IPL finals has been bowled or the last run been scored or last but not the least the last wicket fallen.
However, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals have done it more regularly compared to other teams, though the Kings XI Punjab have done it in the last couple of matches. Despite a loss or a gain, the Chennai Super Kings have shown the class as a team that made it to the finals of the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. This was once again proved by the, when they made 180 runs while chasing a massive target of 189 in one of the games. Had it been an ordinary team, the margin of defeat would have been much higher like the one involving the Deccan Chargers or the Kolkata Knight Riders.
If there are any teams out there who are found displaying their class, it is the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings. Theses are the two teams who are fighting until their last breath whatsoever. The Delhi Daredevils were lucky to have won the toss and the Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir was also pretty intelligent to opt to field, by getting the pitch conditions right. The pitch was favoring the batsmen for most part of the game and the Delhi team did well to contain the opposition to a chasable 165 runs. Their run chase also never seemed to disappoint though A B Devilliars induced some initial pressure and the top order failed.
There was an unimaginable knock between Dinesh Karthick and David Warner, both of whom posted half centuries with much aggresion and control. This continued until the 16Th over and until then the Delhi Daredevils were just counting the runs to be scored and getting ready to rejoice yet another victory it seemed like. But, it was the wicket of Dinesh Karthik that spoiled the Delhi's party. Had Karthik been sent up in the order, there could have been a better result for the Daredevils, for after the fall of Karthik the rest like AB Devilliars and Dilshan could have finished it off. But, who would have anticipated Karthik's brilliance that was hardly found b4?
This match once again recommends the fans to keep their fingers crossed until the last ball of the IPL finals has been bowled or the last run been scored or last but not the least the last wicket fallen.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
No One Is The Best
Until the match between the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils, there was atleast one team that remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and that was Deccan Chargers. But, after that particular match, even the Deccan Chargers joined the party that included the rest of the 7 teams who have lost atleast one match in the series. However, the Deccan Chargers can still continue to rejoice for, they along with the Delhi Daredevils are the only team to have at present lost just one game so far. While the Deccan Chargers lost their first game against Delhi Daredevils, the Delhi Daredevils lost a game to the Chennai Superkings.
It looks like both the Deccan Chargers as well as the Delhi Daredevils have made it to the semi finals of the IPL already. Well lets wait until the semi finals line is up officially. But for now, the match between the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils is something that matters us the most. If not for the openers who made way for early breakthroughs for the opposition team, the rest of the Deccan Chargers' batsmen showed good amount of resistance by all of them scoring in double figures. This feat might not be too satisfactory but, this happens very rarely where five consecutive batsmen score double figures in succession.
For a moment, the Deccan Chargers' batsman Dwayne Smith threstened the Delhi Daredevils team to take the game away from them but not too longer after Daniel Vettori has him in his hands in the deep off Ashish Nehra. Though a total of 148 was not too convincing and more so in this particular format of the game, there have been many instances where a modest total have been difficult to chase. But, this particular total was easily chased by the Delhi Daredevils batsmen more so by Tilekeratne Dilshan. Finally, I was delighted that atleast there was one team in the tournament to beat the Deccan Chargers.
I was really fed up by watching Australia being unbeaten unbeaten throughout the 2003 as well as the 2007 world cups, by winning all 11 matches that they played. Atleast in the match against in the 2003 world cup, the Australia were on the verge of losing but, it was Michael Beaven who spoilt the party and in the match against New Zealand where they were 84/7 ended up winning the match by 96 runs. And in the 2007 world cup, there was not even a single close encounter that the Aussies faced. From the match one against Holland until the finals where they played Sri Lanka all the matches were taken for granted by Australia. Thank God that it was not the case in this IPL as well.
It looks like both the Deccan Chargers as well as the Delhi Daredevils have made it to the semi finals of the IPL already. Well lets wait until the semi finals line is up officially. But for now, the match between the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils is something that matters us the most. If not for the openers who made way for early breakthroughs for the opposition team, the rest of the Deccan Chargers' batsmen showed good amount of resistance by all of them scoring in double figures. This feat might not be too satisfactory but, this happens very rarely where five consecutive batsmen score double figures in succession.
For a moment, the Deccan Chargers' batsman Dwayne Smith threstened the Delhi Daredevils team to take the game away from them but not too longer after Daniel Vettori has him in his hands in the deep off Ashish Nehra. Though a total of 148 was not too convincing and more so in this particular format of the game, there have been many instances where a modest total have been difficult to chase. But, this particular total was easily chased by the Delhi Daredevils batsmen more so by Tilekeratne Dilshan. Finally, I was delighted that atleast there was one team in the tournament to beat the Deccan Chargers.
I was really fed up by watching Australia being unbeaten unbeaten throughout the 2003 as well as the 2007 world cups, by winning all 11 matches that they played. Atleast in the match against in the 2003 world cup, the Australia were on the verge of losing but, it was Michael Beaven who spoilt the party and in the match against New Zealand where they were 84/7 ended up winning the match by 96 runs. And in the 2007 world cup, there was not even a single close encounter that the Aussies faced. From the match one against Holland until the finals where they played Sri Lanka all the matches were taken for granted by Australia. Thank God that it was not the case in this IPL as well.
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