“We’ve had a slow start to the tournament, but we know we have the quality to get to the semi-finals. While it’s nice to taste a win, we all know that we need to improve in all departments. We’ve played some decent cricket in patches but all departments need to gel more consistently if we are going to get into the top half of the table during the next couple of weeks,” wrote Kings XI Punjab skipper, Kumar Sangakkara in The Times of India.
“When the home team, Kings XI Punjab, take on Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings on April 18, a surprise guest the Dalai Lama will grace the ceremony at the newly-built stadium in Dharamsala. Dalai Lama’s secretary, Tenzin Takhla, said the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) had sent an invitation a few days back and His Holiness has confirmed his presence for the IPL match scheduled for April 18,” reported the Times of India.
“The IPL is a nice platform to get yourself noticed,” Saurabh Tiwary was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. “We played together once during the first domestic T20 meet but I learnt a lot from him. He reads the game very quickly. He also advises you on how to behave off-field,” he was quoted as saying
“Shaun Marsh was perhaps the biggest success story of the first season of IPL,” reported the Hindustan Times. “It was his exploits in the IPL that convinced selectors back home to fast-track him into the national squad. And the youngster is quick to credit the IPL,” it added. “Not many people knew who I was before I came here. It turned out to be a stepping stone,” the daily quoted him as saying.
Mumbai: On the eve of the Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings clash, coach Robin Singh is positive about his side doing well. He feels whatever be the CSK combination, his team have the ammunition to overpower them.
On Ambati Rayudu and his fitness
I think he will be back in a couple of day’s time. In terms of fitness, I don’t think he will play [Thursday’s game]. He won’t be fit for the next game.
On playing an out-of-form CSK
Some teams are short of international players. Some of them have a few guys coming in for them. They will get stronger as the season goes on. But I think it’s all about momentum. So it’s up to us to actually play well, continue that well to keep the momentum.
On whether CSK will play David Hussey or Matthew Hayden
Its mainly depends on the combination you play. Chennai probably used Hayden because the wicket was slightly useful for spinners.
On the team’s strategy against Hussey, should he play the game
I don’t know about Hussey. It all depends on when he comes in, what he would play and the strategies they apply. Based on that they we will change the combination of our team.
On any particular strategy being put in place to bowl at the death
We’ve been studying most of the batsman so it’s up to the bowler to figure out where he wants to bowl and where he is comfortable. I think this is quite a big ground so it is not as easy to hit a six as compared to maybe at some of the other grounds.
On Aditya Tare and how he has fared so far
I think he’s done his job, except maybe the last match where he didn’t keep well. But as far as we are concerned, he has played his role in most of the games which is very fairly acceptable.
On the selection criteria employed to select Tare
We want to use him more for his batting than his keeping - in this kind of format you know there are obviously very few overs that you really need to keep for. We concentrated more on his batting. He is quite an explosive player and this [series] is [of] almost international standards, so you ought to give him a little leeway. I think he’s done pretty well. He has done well so far in whatever role he’s been given.
On what the team combination will be
We have yet to decide the team. I can't really say anything at this point of time, but we have to decide the 11. I think we’ll take it game by game, this is not the time to decide it. If you win a game then you want to keep the same combination.
On Kieron Pollard being sent up the order the last time and failing
He has done his job - you need to give him a little time. I mean he has just hopped into the tournament so it’s just the second game he has played. It's still too early to judge him.
On keeping Sanath Jayasuriya out of the last match
I don’t think it’s a problem for us. Even when he played we got a decent start and we were happy with that. We are looking for different roles for different players. What I mean is that the real team is decided based on the combination and the opposition.
On not utilising the true potential of a player like Sanath, especially his bowling
I don’t think so. I think he bowled pretty well. I think this wicket here at Brabourne is not turning as much. I think Harbhajan [Singh] bowled exceptionally well for us in the last game. I think he has done a fabulous job - all the bowlers, in fact. [It’s impressive] to keep a team down to 150, you can’t expect more than that.
On JP Duminy being fit and available
Yes. JP is available.
Mohali: Kumar Sangakkara, captain of the Kings XI Punjab, called right at the coin toss and elected to field first at Mohali.
Sangakkara said, “The team morale is quite high. We are carrying some momentum from the last match and are looking to do well.” Talking about the international additions to his team, the KXIP skipper asserted that they had some strong players on the bench. Brett Lee and Shaun Marsh have joined the squad, but will not be playing this contest. He added, “We are looking forward to playing at home with good crowd support.”
“We would like to keep them under 150, if possible. But we have to chase whatever they set,” he said. Their squad had only one change from the previous match, with pacer Sreesanth coming in for off-spinner Ramesh Powar.
Talking about the pitch, visiting captain of the Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne said, “It looks like a good track with some grass on it. Should be tough on the spinners, but the pacers will like it.”
Playing XI
Kings XI Punjab
Kumar Sangakkara (captain and wk), Irfan Pathan, Mahela Jayawardene, Manvinder Bisla, Mohammed Kaif, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth, Ravi Bopara, Juan Theron, S Srivastava, Yuvraj Singh
Rajasthan Royals
Shane Warne (captain), Michael Lumb, Paras Dogra, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Yusuf Pathan, Naman Ojha (wk), Faiz Fazal, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Munaf Patel, Siddharth Trivedi
What
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will host Delhi Daredevils at their lucky home ground in Bengaluru
When
March 25, 2010, 4pm
Where
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. This has been a lucky hunting ground for the Royal Challengers with the team having registered a hat-trick of wins here. The venue has seen run-fests till now and this encounter promises to be no different.
Being a day match, the dew factor would not come into play and the toss shouldn’t really matter.
The Protagonists
The Royal Challengers Bangalore team is looking like an unstoppable runaway train. With all their batsmen getting some match practice and their bowlers being in great form, the team looks the most dangerous side in the contest. Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Dravid - the list of classy and in-form batsmen in the RCB line-up is endless. Add to the mix: Praveen Kumar, Anil Kumble, Vinay Kumar and their pace spearhead, Dale Steyn. A top-notch side with momentum on their side.
The Daredevils will take heart from the return of their captain Gautam Gambhir and medium-pacer Ashish Nehra. Virender Sehwag is in good nick and with Gambhir back in the line-up, it should make for a good match. The Delhi middle-order has been shaky and the team’s chances depend on these players coming through. The DD bowling attack has been over-reliant on pacer Dirk Nannes. They need to find some new tricks against the RCB side.
What next?
Momentum is a precious commodity in a short competition like the IPL and RCB would are riding high on it. The Daredevils, on the other hand, desperately need a win to get back into the tournament and higher up the points’ ladder. With Gambhir and Nehra back, the Delhi lads should be charged up and ready to take on the rampaging Challengers.
Mohali: Timely wickets from Yusuf Pathan and Siddharth Trivedi combined with a middle order collapse helped the Rajasthan Royals beat the Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs. In the process, the team notched their second win of the competition in this bottom of the table clash.
Chasing an achievable, yet dicey, target of 184, Kumar Sangakkara seemed to be in a hurry to finish off the game, smashing Tait and Co. to the boundary with immense confidence and authority.
The Aussie did get his own back when Sangakkara smashed the ball straight to Fazal at the third man boundary. If the Royals thought it was going to get easy after seeing the back of the Sri Lankan, they were in for a surprise, as Manvinder Bisla came out of nowhere and absolutely massacred the Royals’ bowlers.
Bisla’s 35 off 18 gave the Kings some breathing room before being dismissed by Warne. Yuvraj Singh 15 (13) couldn’t make the most of a second chance thanks to some smart bowling from Siddharth Trivedi.
The wheels came off the Kings’ chase from then on - leaving them with a mountain to climb. Mahela Jayawardene 23 (22) did provide some resistance, but all in vain as the Royals easily saw the game out.
After being put in to bat, the Royals began with much gusto - Michael Lumb and Naman Ojha piled up the boundaries with consummate ease. But Ojha was sent packing after he hit a Sreesanth delivery straight into mid-on’s lap. Lumb, on the other hand, continued to milk the bowling and pick up the odd boundary. The Englishman lost his concentration for a moment and that was enough for Piyush Chawla to get Lumb out stumped, thanks to some alert thinking from Sangakkara behind the wickets.
That brought the Royals talisman Yusuf Pathan on the field, and the all-rounder tried to do justice to his hard-hitting tag, smashing a boundary and a six before holing out to long-on. But the Royals were still scoring at a fair rate and Adam Voges’ inclusion only added an extra impetus to the Royals cause. The Aussie along with a determined Faiz Fazal made sure the Royals set a competitive target of 184.
After the highs in Chennai, the Kings XI once again flattered to deceive and will need to vastly improve their home form to stand any chance of qualifying for the semi-final stages.
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.
