Delhi face uphill task for survival
An upbeat Chennai will take on Delhi in what should be a decisive clash ahead of the semi-finals.
By Aditya Ramachandran
MS Dhoni’s men are undoubtedly on a roll after brushing aside Kolkata without any fuss at the Chepauk on Tuesday. Delhi, on the other hand, have had massive problems with their combination and the defeat against Mumbai has put the two-time semi-finalists in a fix.
Chennai have to live up to their pre-tournament favourites’ tag and for that to happen, the bowlers will have to maintain their good show. R Ashwin wrecked Kolkata’s batting order early in their match but the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan needs to get back into the groove.
The Sri Lankan off-spinner looked out of sorts against Kolkata and his four expensive almost threatened to spoil Ashwin’s good work in the third over of the innings.
Chennai have shored up well after early blemishes to currently occupy second place in the IPL rankings while Delhi have slipped downhill after looking certain to cruise to the semis.
The defeat against Mumbai must be weighing heavy on Gautam Gambhir’s mind- the margin also ruined Delhi’s net run-rate.
Both teams are placed at 12 points each and a win for Chennai will almost ensure them of a last-four spot. Delhi on their part, will have to win by a handsome margin to avoid any further hiccups.
The toss will play a crucial role at the Chepauk and reading the pitch correctly will almost be half the battle won. Another factor that Dhoni should be able to exploit is the fanatic home support- the crowd has been right behind the Yellows and visiting teams, including table-toppers Mumbai, have found it difficult to negate the huge support.
Though Delhi have the most destructive batting line-up in the third edition of the IPL- with Virender Sehwag, Gambhir and David Warner at the top- no one has been consistent so far.
Chennai have most of their batsmen in reasonably good touch with Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina leading the charge for the southern giants.
It should be a sizzling evening in the Chennai heat and if the visitors hit the right chord as well, the 50th match of IPL-3 should be a cracker.
Head to Head
Played: 5
Won by Chennai: 3 (winning % 60.00)
Won by Delhi: 2 (winning % 40.00)
Approaching Milestones:
- Virender Sehwag (948) needs 52 runs more to complete 1000 runs in the IPL. He would be the second batsman for Delhi to accomplish the feat. Gautam Gambhir (1036) is the only one to do so for Delhi.
- Dinesh Karthik (35) needs two dismissals to overtake Adam Gilchrist's tally of 36 dismissals in the IPL.
- Murali Vijay (387) requires 13 runs to complete 400 runs in the IPL-3. He would be the fourth to do so after Sachin Tendulkar (542), Jacques Kallis (528) and Suresh Raina (400).
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
SHAH RUKH SAY SORRY TO KKR FANS
Shah Rukh Khan: Blame it on me
Kolkata team owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan apologised to the team's fans saying that his team could not perform to their expectations.
Sourav Ganguly led Kolkata team were knocked out from the race to semifinals of the Indian Premier League for the third consecutive year. The team lost to Chennai by nine wickets on Tuesday.
"I completely take the blame for not putting up a good show. The team was outbatted, outbowled and outclassed," Khan wrote on his Twitter page.
"Thanks to the Kolkata audience...you make us proud..couldn't do the same..and can't make any promises for future either,"
The superstar thanked the players for trying their best but said that sometimes his side's best was not enough.
"I will call and thank them for trying, even if it wasn't good enough," he wrote.
Shah Rukh said he would find a way to deal with the dejection.
"I am off now to deal with disappointments in the way I know best. You find your poison. Unconditional apologies to all," he wrote.
Khan had left the tournament in South Africa mid-way last year after the Kolkata team were sure to languish at the bottom.
"I am not sad. Just feel awful for Kolkata and all of this..my kids gave me a hug for the first time in 3 years when we lost. They have overcome the sadness of defeat better than me. It is time to learn."
Kolkata team owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan apologised to the team's fans saying that his team could not perform to their expectations.
Sourav Ganguly led Kolkata team were knocked out from the race to semifinals of the Indian Premier League for the third consecutive year. The team lost to Chennai by nine wickets on Tuesday.
"I completely take the blame for not putting up a good show. The team was outbatted, outbowled and outclassed," Khan wrote on his Twitter page.
"Thanks to the Kolkata audience...you make us proud..couldn't do the same..and can't make any promises for future either,"
The superstar thanked the players for trying their best but said that sometimes his side's best was not enough.
"I will call and thank them for trying, even if it wasn't good enough," he wrote.
Shah Rukh said he would find a way to deal with the dejection.
"I am off now to deal with disappointments in the way I know best. You find your poison. Unconditional apologies to all," he wrote.
Khan had left the tournament in South Africa mid-way last year after the Kolkata team were sure to languish at the bottom.
"I am not sad. Just feel awful for Kolkata and all of this..my kids gave me a hug for the first time in 3 years when we lost. They have overcome the sadness of defeat better than me. It is time to learn."
SHAH RUKH SAY SORRY TO KKR FANS
Shah Rukh Khan: Blame it on me
Kolkata team owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan apologised to the team's fans saying that his team could not perform to their expectations.
Sourav Ganguly led Kolkata team were knocked out from the race to semifinals of the Indian Premier League for the third consecutive year. The team lost to Chennai by nine wickets on Tuesday.
"I completely take the blame for not putting up a good show. The team was outbatted, outbowled and outclassed," Khan wrote on his Twitter page.
"Thanks to the Kolkata audience...you make us proud..couldn't do the same..and can't make any promises for future either,"
The superstar thanked the players for trying their best but said that sometimes his side's best was not enough.
"I will call and thank them for trying, even if it wasn't good enough," he wrote.
Shah Rukh said he would find a way to deal with the dejection.
"I am off now to deal with disappointments in the way I know best. You find your poison. Unconditional apologies to all," he wrote.
Khan had left the tournament in South Africa mid-way last year after the Kolkata team were sure to languish at the bottom.
"I am not sad. Just feel awful for Kolkata and all of this..my kids gave me a hug for the first time in 3 years when we lost. They have overcome the sadness of defeat better than me. It is time to learn."
Kolkata team owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan apologised to the team's fans saying that his team could not perform to their expectations.
Sourav Ganguly led Kolkata team were knocked out from the race to semifinals of the Indian Premier League for the third consecutive year. The team lost to Chennai by nine wickets on Tuesday.
"I completely take the blame for not putting up a good show. The team was outbatted, outbowled and outclassed," Khan wrote on his Twitter page.
"Thanks to the Kolkata audience...you make us proud..couldn't do the same..and can't make any promises for future either,"
The superstar thanked the players for trying their best but said that sometimes his side's best was not enough.
"I will call and thank them for trying, even if it wasn't good enough," he wrote.
Shah Rukh said he would find a way to deal with the dejection.
"I am off now to deal with disappointments in the way I know best. You find your poison. Unconditional apologies to all," he wrote.
Khan had left the tournament in South Africa mid-way last year after the Kolkata team were sure to languish at the bottom.
"I am not sad. Just feel awful for Kolkata and all of this..my kids gave me a hug for the first time in 3 years when we lost. They have overcome the sadness of defeat better than me. It is time to learn."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Kolkata, Chennai
Both Kolkata and Chennai are in a do-or-die situation and hence both would be desperate to win when they clash with each other in the IPL match on Tuesday.
Chennai are paying the penalty for not doing well in the first phase of the tournament, while Kolkata also are in a must-win situation because of their inconsistent performance, so far.
With Mumbai having made the next grade and Delhi, Bangalore and Jaipur better placed on the points table, Chennai and Kolkata would not just look for a win but a comprehensively victory.
Going by the aggressive mood of Sourav Ganguly, who slammed his players for losing the last match despite getting a good start, Kolkata are not likely to spare an inch and upset Chennai.
However, cricket being a game of uncertainties, particularly in T20 format, the performance of both batsmen and bowlers in the rival ranks on a given day would result in either of them tasting success.
And while Chennai have better batting options, Kolkata have a better bowling attack.
Ahead of the Tuesday's match, Chennai captain MS Dhoni is a happy captain with the return of two South Africans - Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp, who have proved match fit.
The team would also be banking on Matthew Hayden, who has accumulated 315 runs from 11 matches, middle order batsman Michael Hussey, Morkel and Doug Bollinger. Dhoni, meanwhile, is yet to get in to his groove and has struggled for most part of the tournament.
On the other hand, Ganguly would be hoping for some quick fireworks from Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Manoj Tiwary. Of course, he himself, who is placed third in the order of top run-getters with 366 in IPL III, is also expected to chip in with some valuable runs.
And unlike Chennai, Ganguly has better options as far as the bowling department is concerned with Kiwi fast bowler Shane Bond expected to be a thorn in Chennai's scheme of things.
Chennai vs Kolkata
Played: 4
Won by Chennai: 3 (winning % 75.00)
Won by Kolkata: 1 (winning % 25.00)
Approaching milestones
- Suresh Raina (1177) requires just six runs to overtake Gilchrist's tally of 1182 in the IPL.
- Sourav Ganguly (366) needs 34 runs to complete his 400 runs in the IPL-3
- Murali Vijay (21) requires four sixes to overtake the tallies of Uthappa (24) and Yusuf Pathan (24).
Both Kolkata and Chennai are in a do-or-die situation and hence both would be desperate to win when they clash with each other in the IPL match on Tuesday.
Chennai are paying the penalty for not doing well in the first phase of the tournament, while Kolkata also are in a must-win situation because of their inconsistent performance, so far.
With Mumbai having made the next grade and Delhi, Bangalore and Jaipur better placed on the points table, Chennai and Kolkata would not just look for a win but a comprehensively victory.
Going by the aggressive mood of Sourav Ganguly, who slammed his players for losing the last match despite getting a good start, Kolkata are not likely to spare an inch and upset Chennai.
However, cricket being a game of uncertainties, particularly in T20 format, the performance of both batsmen and bowlers in the rival ranks on a given day would result in either of them tasting success.
And while Chennai have better batting options, Kolkata have a better bowling attack.
Ahead of the Tuesday's match, Chennai captain MS Dhoni is a happy captain with the return of two South Africans - Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp, who have proved match fit.
The team would also be banking on Matthew Hayden, who has accumulated 315 runs from 11 matches, middle order batsman Michael Hussey, Morkel and Doug Bollinger. Dhoni, meanwhile, is yet to get in to his groove and has struggled for most part of the tournament.
On the other hand, Ganguly would be hoping for some quick fireworks from Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Manoj Tiwary. Of course, he himself, who is placed third in the order of top run-getters with 366 in IPL III, is also expected to chip in with some valuable runs.
And unlike Chennai, Ganguly has better options as far as the bowling department is concerned with Kiwi fast bowler Shane Bond expected to be a thorn in Chennai's scheme of things.
Chennai vs Kolkata
Played: 4
Won by Chennai: 3 (winning % 75.00)
Won by Kolkata: 1 (winning % 25.00)
Approaching milestones
- Suresh Raina (1177) requires just six runs to overtake Gilchrist's tally of 1182 in the IPL.
- Sourav Ganguly (366) needs 34 runs to complete his 400 runs in the IPL-3
- Murali Vijay (21) requires four sixes to overtake the tallies of Uthappa (24) and Yusuf Pathan (24).
Monday, April 12, 2010
GAMBHIR ON CONTROVERSIAL KOTLA PITCH AND PREFERS FOR AWAY GAME
Gambhir prefers to play away games
Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir says it is difficult to go for big shots at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.
"I would definitely like to play away matches. The wickets are better at other venues like Kolkata and Bangalore. They have value for shots. At Kotla, is it difficult to go for big shots, one has to focus on accumulating runs. And IPL is all about hitting sixes and going for big shots," Gambhir told journalists.
Gautam's comments come after Bangalore captain Anil Kumble termed the wicket "not ideal" for Twenty20 cricket.
Delhi lost to Mohali by seven wickets on Sunday.
The Delhi team now need to win two out of their remaining three league matches.
"We should have scored 160-170 as we have made this total before. With nine batsmen in the side, it is just not acceptable that we have made 111. This is one of the days when we did not play as a team. We now need to pull up our socks," he said.
"I would not blame the bowling as we never put up a defendable score. We should have made at least 40 runs more. We would now like to win the next two matches as we would not like to be in a last-minute must-win situation."
"We have lost two matches in a row and we need to get our momentum back. I think this has been the trend in IPL that the teams are losing momentum after winning matches," he said.
Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir says it is difficult to go for big shots at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.
"I would definitely like to play away matches. The wickets are better at other venues like Kolkata and Bangalore. They have value for shots. At Kotla, is it difficult to go for big shots, one has to focus on accumulating runs. And IPL is all about hitting sixes and going for big shots," Gambhir told journalists.
Gautam's comments come after Bangalore captain Anil Kumble termed the wicket "not ideal" for Twenty20 cricket.
Delhi lost to Mohali by seven wickets on Sunday.
The Delhi team now need to win two out of their remaining three league matches.
"We should have scored 160-170 as we have made this total before. With nine batsmen in the side, it is just not acceptable that we have made 111. This is one of the days when we did not play as a team. We now need to pull up our socks," he said.
"I would not blame the bowling as we never put up a defendable score. We should have made at least 40 runs more. We would now like to win the next two matches as we would not like to be in a last-minute must-win situation."
"We have lost two matches in a row and we need to get our momentum back. I think this has been the trend in IPL that the teams are losing momentum after winning matches," he said.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Sourav Ganguly may not be fit to play against Bangalore on Saturday. Who will lead the side in his absence?
Brendon McCullum!
The Kiwi had just played his first match against Delhi in this edition.
Sources said there was a suggestion that the Kiwi opener might be dropped when it was found that he would not be able to play the first nine matches. But he was in the good books of the team management, mainly because of his much-discussed 158 runs at the inaugural match in 2008, which is still considered as one of the the best innings of the IPL.
Moreover, that innings was played in Bangalore, where Kolkata will be playing against the same opponent on Saturday. So, if Ganguly is not fit enough to play the match, McCullum will be preferred to lead the Kolkata outfit since he was the captain of the team in the second edition in South Africa.
Murali Karthik is unofficially the vice captain of the side. But the spinner is injured. He could not play against Delhi due to back problems. Although he had travelled to Bangalore with the team, it is not sure whether he would be fit to play the game.
Chris Gayle, another international captain (West Indies) is there, too. He is playing well, is in good form with the bat and his occasional off-spinners are helping the team.
But McCullum is ahead in the captaincy race.
Sourav needed a wheel chair to carry him from the car to the lift at his home, while returning from the Eden Gardens after the Delhi match. He was not able to walk even since the pain was unbearable. Immediately, the team physio Andrew Leipus was informed. And Sourav spent the entire Thursday, applying ice on the injury.
The right ankle was damaged during the match where he was adjudged man of the match for his fifty-plus knock, a wonderful catch and a run out of Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi captain.
However, Ganguly could not feel it during the match. Later, when he came back to the dressing room and had his shoes off, the pain began to worry him.
But is there any chance that he would not travel to Bangalore?
Sourav said, "How can I stay away from the team? I have to be there. The tournament is still an open affair and we have a good chance to be in the last four. It's an important match." He is all set to leave for Bangalore on Friday.
It is an important match since both the teams have five wins from 10 games and a win against Anil Kumble's team can be decisive for Sourav Ganguly's men.
However, he is yet to rule himself out, although his comment on the chance of playing the 20-20 match against Bangalore is, "fifty-fifty" only!
Brendon McCullum!
The Kiwi had just played his first match against Delhi in this edition.
Sources said there was a suggestion that the Kiwi opener might be dropped when it was found that he would not be able to play the first nine matches. But he was in the good books of the team management, mainly because of his much-discussed 158 runs at the inaugural match in 2008, which is still considered as one of the the best innings of the IPL.
Moreover, that innings was played in Bangalore, where Kolkata will be playing against the same opponent on Saturday. So, if Ganguly is not fit enough to play the match, McCullum will be preferred to lead the Kolkata outfit since he was the captain of the team in the second edition in South Africa.
Murali Karthik is unofficially the vice captain of the side. But the spinner is injured. He could not play against Delhi due to back problems. Although he had travelled to Bangalore with the team, it is not sure whether he would be fit to play the game.
Chris Gayle, another international captain (West Indies) is there, too. He is playing well, is in good form with the bat and his occasional off-spinners are helping the team.
But McCullum is ahead in the captaincy race.
Sourav needed a wheel chair to carry him from the car to the lift at his home, while returning from the Eden Gardens after the Delhi match. He was not able to walk even since the pain was unbearable. Immediately, the team physio Andrew Leipus was informed. And Sourav spent the entire Thursday, applying ice on the injury.
The right ankle was damaged during the match where he was adjudged man of the match for his fifty-plus knock, a wonderful catch and a run out of Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi captain.
However, Ganguly could not feel it during the match. Later, when he came back to the dressing room and had his shoes off, the pain began to worry him.
But is there any chance that he would not travel to Bangalore?
Sourav said, "How can I stay away from the team? I have to be there. The tournament is still an open affair and we have a good chance to be in the last four. It's an important match." He is all set to leave for Bangalore on Friday.
It is an important match since both the teams have five wins from 10 games and a win against Anil Kumble's team can be decisive for Sourav Ganguly's men.
However, he is yet to rule himself out, although his comment on the chance of playing the 20-20 match against Bangalore is, "fifty-fifty" only!
KINGS MAKES UPSET AGAINST MUMBAI INDIANS
Mohali skipper Kumar Sangakkara hailed his side's six-wicket victory over table-toppers the Mumbai in their Indian Premier League clash.
Mohali's captain hit a commanding half-century under pressure to chase Mumbai's total of 154. Mahela Jayawardene (31 off 18 balls) and Adrian Barath (33 off 27 balls) also chipped in as the basement side stunned Mumbai.
Sangakkara, who was named man of the match for his 56 off 42 balls, said: "Finally we won at home and we are very happy. The boys stuck to the basics and won the game for us. We knew 154 was a gettable total."
He was full of praise for his bowlers, who managed to restrict Mumbai to an average total. Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan claimed three wickets apiece while Love Ablish snared two.
Sangakkara added: "The bowlers did not give extra runs, which is very important in the Twenty20 format. Pathan and Ablish bowled well. Chawla did well to claim Sachin Tendulkar's wicket."
Mumbai skipper Tendulkar lamented his side's inability to put enough runs on the board to win the match.
"There were no partnerships and that is where we lacked," he said.
"We were about 20 to 30 runs short, 170-180 would have been a good total as the ball was not coming on to the bat."
But the Mumbai skipper is confident of going back to winning ways after being humbled by Punjab.
He said: "We have a long way to go and we need to play to our potential. We have good players and they will do well."
Mohali's captain hit a commanding half-century under pressure to chase Mumbai's total of 154. Mahela Jayawardene (31 off 18 balls) and Adrian Barath (33 off 27 balls) also chipped in as the basement side stunned Mumbai.
Sangakkara, who was named man of the match for his 56 off 42 balls, said: "Finally we won at home and we are very happy. The boys stuck to the basics and won the game for us. We knew 154 was a gettable total."
He was full of praise for his bowlers, who managed to restrict Mumbai to an average total. Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan claimed three wickets apiece while Love Ablish snared two.
Sangakkara added: "The bowlers did not give extra runs, which is very important in the Twenty20 format. Pathan and Ablish bowled well. Chawla did well to claim Sachin Tendulkar's wicket."
Mumbai skipper Tendulkar lamented his side's inability to put enough runs on the board to win the match.
"There were no partnerships and that is where we lacked," he said.
"We were about 20 to 30 runs short, 170-180 would have been a good total as the ball was not coming on to the bat."
But the Mumbai skipper is confident of going back to winning ways after being humbled by Punjab.
He said: "We have a long way to go and we need to play to our potential. We have good players and they will do well."
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