Snappy Report, KXIP vs RR (Match 19 – IPL 2010)

Match: Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals

When: March 24, 2010, 8pm

Where: PCA Stadium, Mohali

Who won: Rajasthan Royals

How: By 31 runs

Man of the match: Adam Voges for his 45 runs off 24 deliveries for Rajasthan

MVP of the match: Siddharth Trivedi for his intelligent spell of fast bowling

What’d he do?: Coming in first change to replace Munaf Patel, Trivedi was under some pressure with the Punjab batsmen going great guns. Trivedi kept his cool and got Yuvraj Singh off a wonderful slower ball. He did not let the dropped catch (Adam Voges dropped him two balls before) affect him and went about his job. He was the star as far as Rajasthan Royals were concerned although Shaun Tait picked up three wickets.

Turning point: Yuvraj’s wicket. Yuvi did not make the most of a dropped chance a ball earlier and was foxed by a Trivedi slower one. It started off a collapse of sorts for Punjab who at one point seemed to be cruising thanks to a great cameo by Manvinder Bisla who had set them up for a seeming victory. But Yuvraj’s fall saw Punjab’s the wickets fall like nine pins.

Longest hit: The Prince of Punjab, Yuvraj Singh, flattered to deceive but not before hammering one straight six off Shane Warne that hit the sight screen covering 84 metres. Small by IPL standards, but the longest in this match.

Innovative shot: The third ball of the 17th over saw Faiz Fazal try the ‘dilscoop’ or better described as the shot behind the wicketkeeper. It was Juan Theron who was bowling and he out-smarted the batsman bowling him a slower ball, which Fazal missed scoring off.

Dot-ball hero: Sreesanth was back in the reckoning after the thrashing he received in his last game. He did not disappoint his captain keeping the runs under control and picking up an early wicket. In the bargain, he bowled 12 dots in three overs, the most by any bowler in the entire match.

Captain vs. Captain: Kings XI Punjab captain Kumar Sangakkara at one stage was in complete control of the match and had a tight noose around the Rajasthan Royals batsmen until Adam Voges entered the scene. Sangakkara opened the innings and wanted to lead from the front but ended up playing a cameo scoring 29 off 13.
Shane Warne, captain Rajasthan Royals, did what he is best at, getting the most out of unknown cricketers and motivating them to perform at their best at this level. Faiz Fazal, Adam Voges and Yusuf Pathan were his heroes of the day. An all pumped up Warnie has made a huge difference to the side’s morale and is now getting them together to play as a unit.

Off-beat moment: Titled Pathan vs Pathan, this match failed to see the two in action. With the exception of a point where Yusuf Pathan errantly hit a ball high in the air and looped a catch that brother Irfan missed. Not a good moment for either of the siblings.

Snappy Report, DC vs DD (Match 15, IPL 2010)

Match: Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils

When: March 21, 2010, 4 pm

Where: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

Who won: Deccan Chargers

How: By 10 runs

Man-of-the-match: Andrew Symonds

MVP of the match: Andrew Symonds

What’d he do?: What would the Chargers do without him? The Aussie was at his all-round best in the match. Three wickets with the ball and 35 runs with the bat, Symonds once again proved to be the match-winner for the Chargers.

Turning point: Match clincher. Andrew Symonds did just that, plucking the ball from thin air effecting a caught and bowled to get the crucial wicket of Daredevils captain Dinesh Karthik in the 19th over of the DD innings.

Longest hit: Adam Gilchrist is no stranger to clearing the ropes, but even Gilly would be proud of this particular effort, where he went on one knee to smash the ball over the square leg boundary.

Innovative stroke: Moises Henriques didn’t deserve what he got - Rohit Sharma shuffled across his stumps and delicately lifted the ball over backward square leg for a sublime six.

Dot-ball hero: He can do no wrong at the moment - Chaminda Vaas bowled brilliantly to accumulate 11 dot balls, other than a vital wicket.

Captain vs Captain: Delhi Daredevils captain Dinesh Karthik could almost taste victory, but Symonds’ timely intervention took victory away from the away side. Karthik himself almost turned it around for his side making a quick-fire 46, but it wasn’t enough. On the other hand, Gilchrist gave the Chargers a customary blazing start. Although it didn’t last long, it was enough for the Chargers to sneak home the win.

Off-beat moment: After dropping Dinesh Karthik off the earlier ball to the disgust of bowler Andrew Symonds, RP Singh made sure he hung on to a dolly off the very next ball to dismiss Moises Henriques. The relief on Singh’s face was evident.

Moment of the day: No one knew what got into AB de Villiers as the normally refined South African tried to swipe a Rahul Sharma full toss over the boundary, only to see the ball completely miss the bat and make contact with his off stump.