Super Kings Crushes Deccan Chargers

It was expected to be a battle royal but fizzled out like a wet cracker, Chennai Super Kings storming to a 78-run victory over Deccan Chargers at the Buffalo Park here on Monday. The match bucked the trend of great contests that have gone down to the wire and left Mahendra Singh Dhoni a delighted man as his team picked up their third win on the trot and topped the league with nine points.

Winning the toss and opting to take first strike on a batting track in a small ground, Dhoni and his team piled up a massive 178 for three in 20 overs, the captain himself top-scoring with a half-century that was brilliantly paced. Dhoni’s 58 came off 37 balls (six fours and a six) and ensured that Matthew Hayden’s good work (43 off 26 balls, five fours, three sixes) was made capital of.

Dhoni promoted himself up the order to No. 3 and finally came to the party with a smart innings, first by playing himself in and then by opening out. Barely a match after he termed his own batting as pathetic, Dhoni was given the man of the match award for his crafty innings. His knock propelled Chennai Super Kings to a wonderful total.

Deccan Chargers missed the accuracy and firepower of Fidel Edwards – he has flown to England to take part in the Test series – and Australian Ryan Harris did not measure up to the task of bowling to Hayden. None of the Deccan Chargers bowlers was able to make an impact once Chennai Super Kings decided to play out Pragyan Ojha carefully.

With opener Murali Vijay (31) and Suresh Raina (32, 19 balls, one four, two sixes) contributing and being associated in partnerships with Hayden and Dhoni respectively, Chennai Super Kings had posted a challenging total, even with their record of dropping catches. It was up to Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs to pick up the gauntlet for Deccan Chargers.

Both men were back in the dug out by the second over, Gilchrist falling first ball to Albie Morkel and Gibbs fared only slightly better, falling to Sudeep Tyagi off his second delivery. VVS Laxman fell in the third over and the team had scored just one run. It was a matter of how much defiance Deccan Chargers could show after that.

Dwayne Smith’s fireworks (49, 23 balls, two fours, five sixes) and his partnership with Rohit Sharma (21) breathed some life into Deccan Chargers camp but Shadab Jakati’s left-arm spin brought about a hasty end to the innings. He claimed his second four-wicket haul in successive games to send Deccan Chargers crumbling to 100 in 14.4 overs.

Chennai Super Kings pitchforked themselves to the top with nine points from eight games while Deccan Chargers, who started off with four wins in a row but have now lost three successive matches, slipped to fourth place with eight points from seven games. Kings XI Punjab (eight points, seven matches) and Delhi Daredevils (eight points, six matches) are in second and third places ahead of Deccan Chargers.

Atlast a commanding win for Roayl Challengers

Royal Challengers Banglaore pulled the rug from under Mumbai Indians' feet to cruise home to a clinical nine-wicket victory and catapult themselves to the fourth place in the DLF Indian Premier League table at the Wanderers here on Sunday. It was Royal Challengers Bangalore's third straight win.

Robin Uthapppa made a quickfire 66 (42 balls, eight fours, two sixes) teamed up with South African paceman Dillon du Preez (three for 32) and all-rounder Jacques Kallis (69, 59 balls, five fours, two sixes) to see Royal Challengers Bangalore home and dry with 11 balls to spare against a listless Mumbai Indians squad.

On a day when Rahul Dravid returned to the side - and took a fine catch in slip to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar cheaply - du Preez rocked Mumbai Indians with a triple strike in the span of six deliveries. He induced a drive from Tendulkar and found the egde, had similar success of the next ball to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane and found the egde off in-form JP Duminy.

Sanath Jayasuriya made a battling half-century but fell to a poor shot off a short ball from Roelf van der Merwe, leaving Dwayne Bravo to make a late flourish (50 off 40 balls, one four and two sixes) and power Mumbai Indians to 149 for four in 20 overs. Even Tendulkar would admit that it was at least 25 runs below par on a good batting track.

Kallis took on Bravo and dangerman Lasith Malinga and infused energy at the start of the innings that took Mumbai Indian by surprise. He eased the pace with as the innings progressed but Uthappa took it upon himself to ensure that the match did not go into the final over with some big hitting off the slow bowlers.

Sachin Tendulkar was hampered by strike bowler Zaheer Khan's absence in the death but the fact that he did not get off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to bowl his full quota of four overs will be spoken about for some time. In the event, Tendulkar's two overs cost him 21 runs and Jayasuriya leaked 20 in his two overs.

The league table wears a very interesting look with Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore all having eight points each. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals all have seven points, Kolkata Knight Riders wallowing at the bottom with three points.

Kings XI coasts home

It rarely gets better than this, even in the thrill-a-minute DLF Indian Premier League. Tight bowling, some big hitting, spilled catches, some heated exchanges, sensible batting, a frenetic final over, leading to a last ball finish that ended in a six-wicket victory for Kings XI Punjab over a butter-fingered Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday.

Mahela Jayawardene celebrated the chance to bat higher up the order with a diligent half-century that steered the chase of 154-run target. His calm, coupled with Irfan Pathan’s creativity in the end saw the side home in an excruciatingly tight finish that could have gone either way. They shared a 45-run stand in just under six overs to help the relieved side claim the two points.

Pathan eased the pressure on the team by first guiding a low full toss from Ajit Agarkar to fine leg and by pulling Ishant Sharma to the mid-wicket fence in the penultimate over that cost Knight Riders 11 runs and left Kings XI Punjab with the task of finding seven runs in the final over bowled by Agarkar.

There was just a single for Pathan off the first ball and Agarkar beat Jayawardene’s hopeful slash with a short ball to make it more interesting. Six runs of four balls and Agarkar had his tails up. Jayawardene slashed again and the ball found the edge and screamed to third man, eluding Sourav Ganguly’s desperate dive.

Two runs needed off three balls. And Agarkar responded with an accurate low full toss that Jayawardene could only push back along the track. Two off two. Consultations dominated the landscape. Agarkar and skipper Brendon McCullum. Jayawardene and Pathan. It was clear that the Kings XI batsmen would run and at least tie the score.

Agarkar conjured another delivery of fuller length and Jaywardene squeezed it through the infield to the man at sweeper cover. The scores were level and sparked off another round of consultations. But Pathan had made up his mind to stay calm and connect the ball and run for life. Agarkar steamed in and bowled fuller length again. Pathan connected and found the gap to scamper through a single that won the team the match.

Defending 154, Kolkata Knight Riders dropped too many catches – sharp ones and sitters when Kings XI Punjab started their chase. As Pathan and Jayawardene completed that final single, it did not seem to matter that Pathan had conceded 21 runs to Brad Hodge (70 not out, 43 balls, 10 fours, one six) and Morne van Wyk in his final over during the Knight Riders’ innings.

Those runs saw Knight Riders surge past the 150-run mark that had appeared to be in the realms of fantasy at the halfway stage when they were 52 for one. That small score was a combination of some smart bowling with the new ball by Ramesh Powar and Pathan himself and by Chris Gayle’s continued failures as well as McCullum’s inability to get going.

Jakati Spins Chennai to victory

For long, Rajasthan Royals' Swapnil Asnodkar has been the face of Goan cricket in DLF Indian Premier League. Chennai Super Kings' left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati, who lives in Bangalore but plays for Goa, emerged as another impressive face from the coastal state with a gutsy display in the face of adverstity against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday.

Jakati did not let his rival batsmen's reputation or form worry him as he claimed four wickets for 24 runs. He was the mastermind of Chennai Super Kings' 18-run victory over Delhi Daredevils at the Bull Ring – as the magnificent Wanderers ground is known. From 127 for three in the 16th over, Delhi Daredevils crumbled to 145 in 20 overs.

Bowling for the first time in the tournament, he castled Tillekeratne Dilshan with an armer, had David Warner stumped when the left-handed opener was beaten in attempting a mighty heave, induced a top-edge off a Dinesh Karthik sweep to mid-wicket and pegged back Pradeep Sangwan's stumps by slipping the ball past another hopeful heave.

Warner and Karthik were pushing Delhi Daredevils ahead after Sudeep Tyagi's double strike rattled them at the start. Leading the side in place of an injured Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, was out to a brilliant catch at point by Suresh Raina and AB de Villiers was bowled by a peach of a delivery that snaked its way through a slight gap between bat and pad.

Earlier, Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina and S Badrinath got off to good starts but were unable to capitalise on them and Chennai Super Kings made 163 after being put in to bat. New ball bowlers Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra claimed three wickets each to ensure that Delhi Daredevils batsmen would be left with a smaller target than seemed possible at one stage.

The victory lifted Chennai Super Kings (seven points) to the fourth place behind Deccan Chargers (eight), Delhi Daredevils (eight) and Mumbai Indians (seven). Rajasthan Royals are the third team with seven points and are in fifth place. Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore are two sides with six points each, three points more than Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rajasthan put a break to Deccan

Rajasthan Royals prevailed in a see-saw chase which included three wickets in two overs and 51 runs in seven. Disciplined spells of bowling were followed by some nerveless batting, though misfields and dropped catches from Deccan Chargers contributed to the close finish.

Yusuf Pathan, having starred with the ball early in the piece, took Rajasthan to within 11 of victory with two overs to go. Abhishek Raut, who played an anchoring role with an unbeaten 36 off 23 balls, was joined by Shane Harwood in the middle and Dwayne Smith fumbled a run-out chance with 10 needed off 10.

Some anxious moments ensued as Deccan argued that only one of the two runs that Raut and Harwood ran during the run-out attempt could be counted since the umpire had already signalled a referral at the end of the first run. But the deduction did not amount to much after Rohit Sharma failed to collect a ball and let it go for four instead. That eased the pressure on Rajasthan, who needed only two off the final over. Fidel Edwards bowled two dot balls but messed up a possible run-out of the third. Raut and Harwood took two singles to finish the game with two balls to spare.

But it had looked like Deccan had their fifth win in the bag when Rajasthan found themselves at 3 for 3 at the end of two overs. Graeme Smith slashed a catch to third man after having nearly got run out, following which Swapnil Asnodkar, again slow to react to a call, gave up his wicket as Lee Carseldine nearly reached his crease. Naman Ojha gave RP Singh a wicket-maiden after his struggle to pick the line ended with a catch to Herschelle Gibbs at point. At the end of three overs Rajasthan were 5 for 3, as opposed to Deccan who were at 27 for no loss at that stage.

Then Ravindra Jadeja and Carseldine added 51 in seven overs - Carseldine hitting five fours in 11 balls - but the two fell within four balls of each other. Rajasthan went into the strategy break marginally ahead of Deccan at the end of 10 overs - 60 to their 58 - but had lost two wickets less in hand. Shane Warne pushed Yusuf down the order and brought himself and Raut up in a move that worked. The over immediately after the strategy break was the most effective as Warne first pulled Venugopal Rao for a six to midwicket, was dropped off the next, slogged another six off the third before Raut joined in with a four to fine leg.

They rotated the strike for the rest of the partnership and even after Warne's fall, Raut continued to patiently collect the runs, leaving the big-hitting to Yusuf. He perhaps only missed out on a Man-of-the-Match award because Yusuf not only hit a cameo innings of 24 off 14 but also bowled a crucial opening spell of 4-0-19-1.

Rajasthan began with a spin-heavy attack - three of the first 10 overs were bowled by fast bowlers - and it looked like it would take the game way after the way Gilchrist batted in the first three overs. But Yusuf and Harwood ensured Deccan went into the strategy break not feeling quite comfortable. T Suman and Rohit provided a shot in the arm to Deccan's innings with a 59-run stand but the early reining-in by Yusuf and Harwood made the eventual difference to the result.

Morale boosting win for Royal Challengers despite Yuvi's valiant effort

The succession of close contests in the DLF Indian Premier League continued with Royal Challengers Bangalore edging out Kings XI Punjab by eight runs on a sluggish Kingsmead track here on Friday.

Chasing 146 for a win, Kings XI Punjab were kept on track by Yuvraj Singh who made a half-century but lost their way in the latter half of the game. The heart reached out to Yuvraj Singh, who had claimed a hat-trick in the Royal Challengers Bangalore innings. The man of the match award was a poor consolation for the Kings XI Punjab skipper.

Anil Kumble led Royal Challengers Bangalore with panache, bringing his calm to the fore and ensuring that his troops stayed that way too under pressure. He sent down a fabulous 19th over – when he conceded but four runs and castled Kumar Sangakkara – and picked Praveen Kumar to bowl the final over against one of Kings XI Punjab’s better striker, Irfan Pathan.

Praveen started with a dot ball in the corridor outside the off-stump, leaving Kings XI Punjab needing 13 runs off five balls. Pathan responded with a rasping square drive off the next delivery to bring the equation down to nine off four balls, drawing more people of the edge of their seats. Praveen conjured a slower one and Pathan missed it completely as he swung early.

Though he held a ball that was rendered quite wet by the dew, the Royal Challengers Bangalore swing bowler saw his chance, sensing that Pathan was perhaps too worked up. He bowled a low full toss – such a smart weapon under the circumstances – and Pathan scooped it with hope and not enough power to the man at long-on.

Praveen yorked Piyush Chawla with the next ball and Kings XI Punjab resigned themselves to the truth that they had botched it up. To be sure, Yuvraj Singh had done well to lead the chase by opening the innings – he knew that someone had to get going at the start and he was willing to be the man. But his own fall in the 10th over led to doubt clouds enveloping Kings XI Punjab run.

Earlier, only a valiant 35 by Roelof van der Merwe helped Royal Challenger Bangalore post a competitive score after being 80 for five in 12 overs. Van Der Merwe made 16 of the 21 runs that his team took off left-arm paceman Yusuf Abdulla in the 18th over. The local paceman picked up the Purple Cap.

Kings XI Punjab retained their fourth place on the league table but Royal Challengers Bangalore catapulted themselves to the fifth place on the back of two successive victories.

Raina puts Super Kings back on track

The scoreboard may have misled him to believe that he had got a century but Chennai Super Kings left-hander Suresh Raina’s 98 against Rajasthan Royals was as invaluable as any hundred in the DLF Indian Premier League cricket history. It was the corner-stone on which Chennai Super Kings found their maiden victory over Rajasthan Royals in four starts.

After the Orange Cap holder Matthew Hayden was caught in a tangle by Yusuf Pathan bowling with the new ball and fell early, Raina played the lead role in dazzling fashion. He dominated the repair job with S Badrinath in a 67-run stand for the third wicket and the breezy 71-run partnership with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to help his team make 164 in 20 overs.

Raina then came back to the field to scalp Rajasthan Royals’ opener Rob Quiney’s wicket with his brand of off-spin besides take a couple of catches, including one off the dangerous Yusuf Pathan to put paid to the defending champions aspirations of scoring a fourth win over Chennai Super Kings.

Of course, Albie Morkel bowled superbly with the new ball, dismissing Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar in the second and sixth overs to push Rajasthan Royals on to the backfoot. And L Balaji also came up with sensible bowling in the latter half of the chase to finish with very impressive figures of four for 21.

Yet, it was clearly Raina’s day (and night) out at the SuperSport Park here. The aura of confidence that he wore comfortably around him was to be seen to be believed as he hammered the Rajasthan Royals attack with a forthright approach bordering on disdain. He handled pressure with practiced ease.

After three successive defeats, the victory lifted Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals to a modest fifth place. The top slots are occupied by Deccan Chargers (eight points), Delhi Daredevils (eight), Kings XI Punjab (six) and Mumbai Indians (five),