Royal Challengers Bangalore have won an ultimately lopsided match against Kings XI Punjab thanks to a Jacques Kallis classic.
RCB got to their target of 204 with seven wickets in hand and with seven balls to spare.
Kallis played a gem of an innings, one only he can play. The South African took time to settle in, but once he was in, no bowler was spared. Manish Pandey’s cameo of 38 helped Kallis immensely. Pandey and Kallis had a partnership of 74 before the Indian opener was dismissed by Piyush Chawla.
The tall South African played a chanceless innings scoring 89* off 55 balls (8x4, 5x6). It was mainly thanks to his effort that RCB achieve their target of 204 with time to spare, seven balls to be exact.
He also played a part with the bowling, taking one wicket for 39 runs.
Pandey’s fall saw Robin Uthappa come in. Bengaluru then got a brief taste of that intoxicating brew called Robin Uthappa. Nobody has ever doubted Uthappa’s talent, but he has somehow failed to live up to those expectations. But today saw a different Uthappa take the field. Sreesanth’s third over saw Uthappa at his best, laying into the fast bowler to hammer 25 runs, making it the most expensive over of IPL 2010. The over analysis looked like a pin code: 6, 2,6,6,4 and 1. He scored 51 off 21 balls.
At first, Kings XI Punjab’s decision to bat first seemed to be the right one with their openers putting up a 129-run partnership by the 15th over. Manvinder Bisla played a chancy innings, but managed to stay at the crease to score 75 off 51 balls (7x4, 4x6). The Haryana-born wicket-keeper-batsman overshadowed his more experienced partner Ravi Bopara. Bopara, though, stayed steady and scored 77 before being bowled by Praveen Kumar.
Both the captains had an ordinary outing with Sangakkara not being able to defend a big total and Anil Kumble had a bad day at the office getting hit on the wrist by a Bisla thunderbolt.
The loss will mean KXIP will go to the bottom of the points table, with RCB opening their account with two points.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sehwag powered Daredevils massacred Rajasthan Royals
Virender Sehwag’s blistering innings of 75 off just 34 balls was enough to knock the winds out of the Rajasthan Royals’ sails. The Daredevil opener absolutely shattered any hope the Royals had of defending their below par total of 141. Sehwag’s impressive hitting made sure that the Daredevils won comfortably by six wickets.
Chasing 141, the Gambhir-Sehwag opening partnership worked like a charm for 41 runs until Gambhir was dismissed by Dimitri Mascarenhas. The Englishman’s smart bowling bore more dividends as he got Tillakaratne Dilshan off the very next ball - the Sri Lankan’s second successive duck in the tournament. But that was about all the success the Royals had in the field, as Sehwag’s power batting gave the Royals no chance. The Shane Warne led side didn’t help themselves when Shaun Tait dropped Sehwag on 41. To add salt to their wounds, the former Delhi captain went on to score the fastest half-century of the competition in 21 balls. Despite getting rid of Sehwag for 75, the Royals could never pile on the pressure, as Dinesh Karthik(23*) and Mithun Manhas(11*) saw out the game with 17 balls to spare.
Earlier in the day, after being put into bat by Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir, the away side combined tight bowling and alert fielding to restrict Rajasthan Royals to a manageable 141. The Royals began with a spark, but Dirk Nannes made sure that was extinguished pretty soon. Naman Ojha’s breezy 24 off 14 balls reignited some hope amongst the Royals faithful, but that didn’t last long either, Amit Mishra coming back well to dismiss the dangerous looking Ojha. Rajasthan’s hopes of amassing a defendable total now hinged on Yusuf Pathan. Fresh from his record-breaking feat against Mumbai Indians, Royals’ expectations of him just went up a notch. And in the search for quick runs Pathan held out at mid-on off a Farveez Maharoof slower delivery. From then on it was damage control all the way for the Royals, as they struggled to reach 141 courtesy some responsible batting from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala 53*.
Two wins out of two for the Daredevils sees them top the points table on net run rate with 4 points. The Royals, on the other hand, languish at the bottom of the table after two successive losses.
Chasing 141, the Gambhir-Sehwag opening partnership worked like a charm for 41 runs until Gambhir was dismissed by Dimitri Mascarenhas. The Englishman’s smart bowling bore more dividends as he got Tillakaratne Dilshan off the very next ball - the Sri Lankan’s second successive duck in the tournament. But that was about all the success the Royals had in the field, as Sehwag’s power batting gave the Royals no chance. The Shane Warne led side didn’t help themselves when Shaun Tait dropped Sehwag on 41. To add salt to their wounds, the former Delhi captain went on to score the fastest half-century of the competition in 21 balls. Despite getting rid of Sehwag for 75, the Royals could never pile on the pressure, as Dinesh Karthik(23*) and Mithun Manhas(11*) saw out the game with 17 balls to spare.
Earlier in the day, after being put into bat by Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir, the away side combined tight bowling and alert fielding to restrict Rajasthan Royals to a manageable 141. The Royals began with a spark, but Dirk Nannes made sure that was extinguished pretty soon. Naman Ojha’s breezy 24 off 14 balls reignited some hope amongst the Royals faithful, but that didn’t last long either, Amit Mishra coming back well to dismiss the dangerous looking Ojha. Rajasthan’s hopes of amassing a defendable total now hinged on Yusuf Pathan. Fresh from his record-breaking feat against Mumbai Indians, Royals’ expectations of him just went up a notch. And in the search for quick runs Pathan held out at mid-on off a Farveez Maharoof slower delivery. From then on it was damage control all the way for the Royals, as they struggled to reach 141 courtesy some responsible batting from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala 53*.
Two wins out of two for the Daredevils sees them top the points table on net run rate with 4 points. The Royals, on the other hand, languish at the bottom of the table after two successive losses.
Gilchrist won the battle of glovesman
Deccan Chargers’ fortune in the two games has been clearly defined by a Sri Lankan. In the tournament opener it was Angelo Mathews who spoiled their party and on Sunday it was Chaminda Vaas who made sure it was Chargers’ day at the Chidambaram Stadium.
Chasing a competitive total of 190 runs, Chennai Super Kings could manage just 159-9 in 20 overs.
Chaminda Vaas ran through the Chennai Super Kings top order to leave them reeling at 31 for three.
The left-arm pacer clean bowled Murali Vijay (3) before getting the prized wicket of Suresh Raina (6). The middle-order batsman was caught behind off Vaas in the third over.
Vaas returned to hit the final blow in the form of Matthew Hayden’s wicket. The former Australian opener made 17 before being caught by RP Singh.
Crisis man MS Dhoni (42) along with Justin Kemp (22) tried to stitch a partnership but a bowling change by Gilly crashed all hopes. Andrew Symonds, who was brought into the attack, hammered the final nail when Dhoni misread the short-of-good-length ball and was clean bowled.
Earlier, Andrew Symonds smashed a half-century and Herschelle Gibbs made a quickfire 45 as Deccan Chargers scored 190-4 against MS Dhoni’s men.
Symonds hit three sixes in his 43-ball knock while Gibbs struck five fours and a six as the duo added 95 runs for the third wicket. This was after captain Adam Gilchrist got the Chargers off to a flying start after opting to bat first.
Gilchrist reached 1000 runs in IPL games in his brutal 17-ball 38.
The Deccan Chargers’ skipper chipped in before a late cameo from Rohit Sharma (19*) ensured they put up a healthy total.
Sudeep Tyagi (0/39 from 1.5 overs), who bowled the last over, conceded 21 runs off his first five balls before being replaced by Justin Kemp who bowled the last over.
Off-spinner R Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 1/26 from his four overs for the Chennai Super Kings.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Deccan Chargers were off to a flier as Gilchrist and VVS Laxman (12) added 55 runs in 28 balls for the opening wicket. Gilchrist was bowled by Ashwin after scoring a murderous 38 from just 17 balls smashing 4 fours and 3 sixes.
CSK then struck again in the very next ball as Laxman was run out by the combination of Dhoni and Suresh Raina.
Chasing a competitive total of 190 runs, Chennai Super Kings could manage just 159-9 in 20 overs.
Chaminda Vaas ran through the Chennai Super Kings top order to leave them reeling at 31 for three.
The left-arm pacer clean bowled Murali Vijay (3) before getting the prized wicket of Suresh Raina (6). The middle-order batsman was caught behind off Vaas in the third over.
Vaas returned to hit the final blow in the form of Matthew Hayden’s wicket. The former Australian opener made 17 before being caught by RP Singh.
Crisis man MS Dhoni (42) along with Justin Kemp (22) tried to stitch a partnership but a bowling change by Gilly crashed all hopes. Andrew Symonds, who was brought into the attack, hammered the final nail when Dhoni misread the short-of-good-length ball and was clean bowled.
Earlier, Andrew Symonds smashed a half-century and Herschelle Gibbs made a quickfire 45 as Deccan Chargers scored 190-4 against MS Dhoni’s men.
Symonds hit three sixes in his 43-ball knock while Gibbs struck five fours and a six as the duo added 95 runs for the third wicket. This was after captain Adam Gilchrist got the Chargers off to a flying start after opting to bat first.
Gilchrist reached 1000 runs in IPL games in his brutal 17-ball 38.
The Deccan Chargers’ skipper chipped in before a late cameo from Rohit Sharma (19*) ensured they put up a healthy total.
Sudeep Tyagi (0/39 from 1.5 overs), who bowled the last over, conceded 21 runs off his first five balls before being replaced by Justin Kemp who bowled the last over.
Off-spinner R Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 1/26 from his four overs for the Chennai Super Kings.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Deccan Chargers were off to a flier as Gilchrist and VVS Laxman (12) added 55 runs in 28 balls for the opening wicket. Gilchrist was bowled by Ashwin after scoring a murderous 38 from just 17 balls smashing 4 fours and 3 sixes.
CSK then struck again in the very next ball as Laxman was run out by the combination of Dhoni and Suresh Raina.
2009 Runners up RCB loses their opening game
In Angelo Mathews, Kolkata Knight Riders seem to have found their talismanic player. After doing a star turn with the bat in the opening encounter, the tall Sri Lankan turned his arm over and his four-for took the fight out of the RCB team.
The Kolkata Knight Riders made light of the Royal Challengers target of 136 to win the fourth encounter in IPL 2010 by seven wickets.
With a small target to chase, the Knight Riders got off to a brilliant start with both openers scoring fifties. Manoj Tiwary, who had missed out in the first match, came good with the bat. Tiwary, touted as a gifted youngster whose promising career has been hampered by injuries, came out like a man possessed. The stylist Bengal cricketer playing in the uncharacteristic position of an opener reached his fifty off just 28 balls (50, 29, 6x4, 2x6). Brad Hodge gave him good company scoring a sedate 50 (50, 45b, 7x4). Captain Ganguly looked like he would help his team cruise to the target, but his side took a while to reach this meager total, getting it only in the last over. KKR scored the last 24 runs, after losing Hodge’s wicket, in 32 balls.
Royal Challengers Bangalore had lost the plot early in the encounter losing three wickets for a mere 20 runs by the sixth over. Sreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli were all back in the dug-out without disturbing the scorer too much.
Bangalore’s much talked of young talent couldn’t do anything in this match as the Knight Riders attack kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. KKR’s new-ball bowlers, Charl Langeveldt and Ishant Sharma, never allowed the batting to settle down. At one time the scoring rate was less than four an over.
Angelo Mathews stepped in at this time and induced last season’s hero Manish Pandey to bottom-edge the ball onto his stumps. Murali Kartik, the unsung hero of KKR, then beguiled Virat Kohli to leave RCB tottering at the brink.
Mathews and Kartik continued Langeveldt and Sharma’s good work and the RCB batsmen could cross the boundary ropes only twice. One of the fours came off talented Englishman Eoin Morgan’s bat when he hit Brad Hodge over long-off. RCB was hoping their new find would prove to be the saviour like he has been for England, but Morgan got out for 10 playing a reverse-sweep.
This win earns KKR 4 points while RCB will have to hope their next encounter against KXIP will open their IPL points’ account.
The Kolkata Knight Riders made light of the Royal Challengers target of 136 to win the fourth encounter in IPL 2010 by seven wickets.
With a small target to chase, the Knight Riders got off to a brilliant start with both openers scoring fifties. Manoj Tiwary, who had missed out in the first match, came good with the bat. Tiwary, touted as a gifted youngster whose promising career has been hampered by injuries, came out like a man possessed. The stylist Bengal cricketer playing in the uncharacteristic position of an opener reached his fifty off just 28 balls (50, 29, 6x4, 2x6). Brad Hodge gave him good company scoring a sedate 50 (50, 45b, 7x4). Captain Ganguly looked like he would help his team cruise to the target, but his side took a while to reach this meager total, getting it only in the last over. KKR scored the last 24 runs, after losing Hodge’s wicket, in 32 balls.
Royal Challengers Bangalore had lost the plot early in the encounter losing three wickets for a mere 20 runs by the sixth over. Sreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli were all back in the dug-out without disturbing the scorer too much.
Bangalore’s much talked of young talent couldn’t do anything in this match as the Knight Riders attack kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. KKR’s new-ball bowlers, Charl Langeveldt and Ishant Sharma, never allowed the batting to settle down. At one time the scoring rate was less than four an over.
Angelo Mathews stepped in at this time and induced last season’s hero Manish Pandey to bottom-edge the ball onto his stumps. Murali Kartik, the unsung hero of KKR, then beguiled Virat Kohli to leave RCB tottering at the brink.
Mathews and Kartik continued Langeveldt and Sharma’s good work and the RCB batsmen could cross the boundary ropes only twice. One of the fours came off talented Englishman Eoin Morgan’s bat when he hit Brad Hodge over long-off. RCB was hoping their new find would prove to be the saviour like he has been for England, but Morgan got out for 10 playing a reverse-sweep.
This win earns KKR 4 points while RCB will have to hope their next encounter against KXIP will open their IPL points’ account.
Captain's knock by Gambhir sees daredevils through
For two first-time captains in DLF-IPL, this was probably the toughest start. But at the end of 40 overs, only one of the two, Gautam Gambhir, could walk away from the PCA Stadium in Mohali with a smile.
The other captain, Kumar Sangakkara of Kings XI Punjab, tried gamely but could not dislodge his opposite number to register a win in the opening game. Both innings of the game mirrored each other to an extent - it was Gambhir's calm approach which helped Delhi Daredevils overhaul a modest target of 143. His knock of 72 (54b, 9x4, 1x6 ) thelped Daredevils notch up a hard-fought five-wicket win.
It was Gambhir's day out as everything he tried paid off. He opted to field and the bowlers exerted enough pressure to keep the home side at bay.
With the score reading 44-4 and the top-order falling apart, the hosts appeared to have lost the plot. But Ravi Bopara (56: 48b, 7x4, 1x6) and Irfan Pathan (21: 16b, 2x4) added 60 runs to revive the home team. The lower-order contributed a bit but Kings XI Punjab could not ever recover well enough to post an imposing target.
The Delhi Daredevils attack led by the pacy Dirk Nannes (2-12) tied up the batsmen. The other bowlers fed off Nannes’ strong approach and picked a wicket each to restrict the hosts to 142-9.
When Daredevils began chasing down the modest score, they would not have bargained for a mid-innings crisis. With Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan falling cheaply, Gambhir put his head down and found an able partner in his deputy Dinesh Karthik (20: 18b, 3x4). Together the duo added 34 runs.
Gambhir picked boundaries at will and rotated the strike to keep his side in the hunt. When Karthik fell trying an expansive shot, it still seemed to be a long shot for Daredevils.
But just then Mithun Manhas showed the value of his experience and the importance of having strong Indian domestic players. Manhas began quietly, but later picked up the momentum, easing the pressure on his skipper.
Till about the 18th over in the chase, the match seemed to be headed for a tight finish, with the Daredevils still ahead. But then came the over when Manhas rode on his luck, aided by some sloppy fielding by Irfan Pathan.
Assured of a good chase, Gambhir opened up a bit more. But sadly for him he was not around to see his side win. It was the Gambhir-Manhas stand worth 61 which sealed the deal for the Daredevils, which would satisfy the skipper.
Deservingly, the final rites were completed by the unsung Manhas.
The other captain, Kumar Sangakkara of Kings XI Punjab, tried gamely but could not dislodge his opposite number to register a win in the opening game. Both innings of the game mirrored each other to an extent - it was Gambhir's calm approach which helped Delhi Daredevils overhaul a modest target of 143. His knock of 72 (54b, 9x4, 1x6 ) thelped Daredevils notch up a hard-fought five-wicket win.
It was Gambhir's day out as everything he tried paid off. He opted to field and the bowlers exerted enough pressure to keep the home side at bay.
With the score reading 44-4 and the top-order falling apart, the hosts appeared to have lost the plot. But Ravi Bopara (56: 48b, 7x4, 1x6) and Irfan Pathan (21: 16b, 2x4) added 60 runs to revive the home team. The lower-order contributed a bit but Kings XI Punjab could not ever recover well enough to post an imposing target.
The Delhi Daredevils attack led by the pacy Dirk Nannes (2-12) tied up the batsmen. The other bowlers fed off Nannes’ strong approach and picked a wicket each to restrict the hosts to 142-9.
When Daredevils began chasing down the modest score, they would not have bargained for a mid-innings crisis. With Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan falling cheaply, Gambhir put his head down and found an able partner in his deputy Dinesh Karthik (20: 18b, 3x4). Together the duo added 34 runs.
Gambhir picked boundaries at will and rotated the strike to keep his side in the hunt. When Karthik fell trying an expansive shot, it still seemed to be a long shot for Daredevils.
But just then Mithun Manhas showed the value of his experience and the importance of having strong Indian domestic players. Manhas began quietly, but later picked up the momentum, easing the pressure on his skipper.
Till about the 18th over in the chase, the match seemed to be headed for a tight finish, with the Daredevils still ahead. But then came the over when Manhas rode on his luck, aided by some sloppy fielding by Irfan Pathan.
Assured of a good chase, Gambhir opened up a bit more. But sadly for him he was not around to see his side win. It was the Gambhir-Manhas stand worth 61 which sealed the deal for the Daredevils, which would satisfy the skipper.
Deservingly, the final rites were completed by the unsung Manhas.
Mumbai held Yusuf blitzkreig to truimph
Yusuf Pathan. That was the only name on people’s lips at the Brabourne Stadium after the Rajasthan Royals batsman’s belligerent knock, which saw him score the tournament’s fastest hundred (off just 37 balls).
The day may have been sunny for most, but the Mumbai Indians team and their fans must be drenched after the Yusuf Pathan thunderstorm hit them hard. Later, a tense last over saw them sweating it out before winning by a hair’s breadth.
The match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals was all that IPL is about. Huge totals, a nail-biting finish, youngsters shining through, a belligerent batsman in the form of Yusuf Pathan and a bowler keeping his nerve to win the match for his team.
The Royals needed 12 off the last over and Malinga was handed the ball. Malinga was the hero of the day for Mumbai Indians as he managed to keep his nerve and help Mumbai Indians win by 4 runs. He affected a run-out of Dogra off the first ball and then took the wicket of Amit Uniyal. Six were needed off the last ball and a great yorker by Mascarenhas conceded just a single.
The Royals stumbled at the beginning of their innings losing wickets at regular intervals and only started to look as if they had a chance when Yusuf Pathan came to the crease. Rajasthan Royals were all but out of the game when they were 66 for 4 after 9.2 overs.
Yusuf Pathan doesn’t believe in following the script and surrendering meekly. Though his side was in trouble when he came in, he was his usual cavalier self hitting sixes and fours in a belligerent fashion. It was Yusuf all the way for a while for the Rajasthan Royals with the older Pathan hitting an unbelievable eight sixes and nine boundaries during his hundred, which came from just 37 balls.
In Paras Dogra, Shane Warne has also found an unlikely star. He mentioned the youngster during the toss and the Himachal Pradesh lad proved his captain right with a great cameo but couldn’t unfortunately carry his bat through to seal a victory for his team.
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to bat first was spot on with the Mumbai Indians putting up a huge total for Rajasthan Royals to chase. Shane Warne experimented by opening the bowling with Dmitri Mascarenhas. But Mascarenhas’ gentle medium pace allowed Sanath Jayasuriya to get off to a great start with the Sri Lankan opener smashing three fours in the very first over. Jayasuriya, along with his skipper Sachin Tendulkar, got the team off to a flier scoring 70 off just 6.3 overs.
But the team suffered a minor collapse before Ambati Rayudu (55: 33b, 6x4, 2x6) joined forces with the youngster from Jharkhand Saurabh Tiwary (53: 33b, 4x4, 2x6) to rescue Mumbai Indians. The duo took the Mumbai team to their highest total in the tournament, adding 110 runs from 63 balls. The youngsters never looked in pressure despite having lost the team’s batting stalwarts: Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar. There was some curiosity about the under-utilisation of Kamran Khan, but overall the young Mumbai Indians did a good job.
Australian paceman Shaun Tait couldn’t deliver on this day going for 46 runs from his four overs. Despite being hit in his first over, Mascarenhas had the last laugh taking the wickets of Tendulkar and Aditya Tare.
The day may have been sunny for most, but the Mumbai Indians team and their fans must be drenched after the Yusuf Pathan thunderstorm hit them hard. Later, a tense last over saw them sweating it out before winning by a hair’s breadth.
The match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals was all that IPL is about. Huge totals, a nail-biting finish, youngsters shining through, a belligerent batsman in the form of Yusuf Pathan and a bowler keeping his nerve to win the match for his team.
The Royals needed 12 off the last over and Malinga was handed the ball. Malinga was the hero of the day for Mumbai Indians as he managed to keep his nerve and help Mumbai Indians win by 4 runs. He affected a run-out of Dogra off the first ball and then took the wicket of Amit Uniyal. Six were needed off the last ball and a great yorker by Mascarenhas conceded just a single.
The Royals stumbled at the beginning of their innings losing wickets at regular intervals and only started to look as if they had a chance when Yusuf Pathan came to the crease. Rajasthan Royals were all but out of the game when they were 66 for 4 after 9.2 overs.
Yusuf Pathan doesn’t believe in following the script and surrendering meekly. Though his side was in trouble when he came in, he was his usual cavalier self hitting sixes and fours in a belligerent fashion. It was Yusuf all the way for a while for the Rajasthan Royals with the older Pathan hitting an unbelievable eight sixes and nine boundaries during his hundred, which came from just 37 balls.
In Paras Dogra, Shane Warne has also found an unlikely star. He mentioned the youngster during the toss and the Himachal Pradesh lad proved his captain right with a great cameo but couldn’t unfortunately carry his bat through to seal a victory for his team.
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to bat first was spot on with the Mumbai Indians putting up a huge total for Rajasthan Royals to chase. Shane Warne experimented by opening the bowling with Dmitri Mascarenhas. But Mascarenhas’ gentle medium pace allowed Sanath Jayasuriya to get off to a great start with the Sri Lankan opener smashing three fours in the very first over. Jayasuriya, along with his skipper Sachin Tendulkar, got the team off to a flier scoring 70 off just 6.3 overs.
But the team suffered a minor collapse before Ambati Rayudu (55: 33b, 6x4, 2x6) joined forces with the youngster from Jharkhand Saurabh Tiwary (53: 33b, 4x4, 2x6) to rescue Mumbai Indians. The duo took the Mumbai team to their highest total in the tournament, adding 110 runs from 63 balls. The youngsters never looked in pressure despite having lost the team’s batting stalwarts: Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar. There was some curiosity about the under-utilisation of Kamran Khan, but overall the young Mumbai Indians did a good job.
Australian paceman Shaun Tait couldn’t deliver on this day going for 46 runs from his four overs. Despite being hit in his first over, Mascarenhas had the last laugh taking the wickets of Tendulkar and Aditya Tare.
Knight Riders defeats Defending champs
At most times, despite his cavalier approach with the bat, Adam Gilchrist is a conservative man when it comes to taking decisions on the field. So when he opted to field first in the opening game of DLF-IPL 2010, it appeared as if Gilchrist was behaving of character in opting to chase in the tournament opener.
With a full house watching the defending champions Deccan Chargers in action at the DY Patil Stadium, the pressure would have been telling on the defending champions.
And in the end it did prove costly, as Deccan could not hold their nerve in a tense chase going down by 11 runs. The win marked Sourav Ganguly's triumphant return as skipper for his franchise.
But for much of the early part, Kolkata Knight Riders appeared to be behind the task. Comeback man Chaminda Vaas snapped up two wickets in the very first over to rattle Kolkata Knight Riders. Gilchrist was thrilled as he saw his veteran bowler strike and repay the faith posed in him in the absence of first-choice pace bowlers.
For Kolkata Knight Riders it seemed to be a continuation of where they left off in South Africa. They slipped from 0-2 to 31-3 and then 31-4 in the sixth over. At that point, Gilchrist would have been forgiven for believing that his decision was paying off.
But Gilchrist had not accounted for debutant Owais Shah and Angelo Matthews who quietly built up the momentum. From being 57-4 at the end of 10 overs to 161-4 at the end of the full quota of 20 overs, Kolkata Knight Riders staged a massive recovery.
Shah (58 *: 46b, 3x4, 3x6) and Mathews (65*: 46 b, 5x4, 4x6) revived the innings with a breathtaking 130-run unbeaten stand.
Deccan Chargers, in reply, appeared to be on course as Gilchrist led the way with 54 (45b, 3x4, 3x6) and starred in an opening stand with VVS Laxman. But the other batsmen fell to some loose shots, increasing the pressure on the middle and lower-order.
Rohit Sharma was the last hope and any thoughts of him repeating his Houdini act against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second season went up in smoke when he fell cheaply. Still 34 runs away from a win, Deccan never recovered from the Rohit blow.
And in the end Kolkata Knight Riders walked away easy winners with the bowlers, especially the pacers, keeping it tidy all the way.
With a full house watching the defending champions Deccan Chargers in action at the DY Patil Stadium, the pressure would have been telling on the defending champions.
And in the end it did prove costly, as Deccan could not hold their nerve in a tense chase going down by 11 runs. The win marked Sourav Ganguly's triumphant return as skipper for his franchise.
But for much of the early part, Kolkata Knight Riders appeared to be behind the task. Comeback man Chaminda Vaas snapped up two wickets in the very first over to rattle Kolkata Knight Riders. Gilchrist was thrilled as he saw his veteran bowler strike and repay the faith posed in him in the absence of first-choice pace bowlers.
For Kolkata Knight Riders it seemed to be a continuation of where they left off in South Africa. They slipped from 0-2 to 31-3 and then 31-4 in the sixth over. At that point, Gilchrist would have been forgiven for believing that his decision was paying off.
But Gilchrist had not accounted for debutant Owais Shah and Angelo Matthews who quietly built up the momentum. From being 57-4 at the end of 10 overs to 161-4 at the end of the full quota of 20 overs, Kolkata Knight Riders staged a massive recovery.
Shah (58 *: 46b, 3x4, 3x6) and Mathews (65*: 46 b, 5x4, 4x6) revived the innings with a breathtaking 130-run unbeaten stand.
Deccan Chargers, in reply, appeared to be on course as Gilchrist led the way with 54 (45b, 3x4, 3x6) and starred in an opening stand with VVS Laxman. But the other batsmen fell to some loose shots, increasing the pressure on the middle and lower-order.
Rohit Sharma was the last hope and any thoughts of him repeating his Houdini act against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second season went up in smoke when he fell cheaply. Still 34 runs away from a win, Deccan never recovered from the Rohit blow.
And in the end Kolkata Knight Riders walked away easy winners with the bowlers, especially the pacers, keeping it tidy all the way.
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