Cricket Dawn

Deccan Chargers ruined Rajasthan Royals

Zia Rana — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:29:07 +0000

Deccan Chargers 128-5 (Akshath Reddy 42, Shikhar Dhawan 26, Siddharth Trivedi 2-20) beat Rajasthan Royals 126-8 (Rahul Dravid 39, Owais Shah 28, Dale Steyn 2-16) by 5 wickets.

Dale Steyn - 'Player of the match' for his accurate bowling

Rajasthan Royals suffered a blow as their position in the top four teams jeopardized by losing the crucial match of the IPL vs. The bottom liner Deccan Chargers.

Rajasthan Royals scored 126 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the measured 20 overs and Deccan Chargers achieved the target by smashing 128 with five wickets in hand in 18.4 hours.

Dale Steyn (Deccan Chargers) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his economical bowling spell of 2-16 in four overs.

The 68^th encounter of the Indian Premier League 2012 was held at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad, on Friday, May 18, 2012.

Earlier, the captain of Rajasthan Royals, Rahul Dravid, won the toss, preferred to bat and the decision bounced back as they lost their first wicket for eight runs. Shane Watson joined in with Dravid, they enhance the scoring and got a boundary in almost each over. The fifth over produced 12 runs with one six and a four followed by a couple of fours by Dravid in the next over.

The score was taken to 41 as Watson was clean bowled by Amit Mishra for 13 and Stuart Binny faced the same fate 13 runs later. Owais Shah took guards in the centre next and added 19 runs for the fourth wicket when Dravid was caught by Chris Lynn off Manpreet Gony for 39 from 36 deliveries with 5 fours.

Ashok Maneria and Shah exhibited some resistance by accumulating 35 runs together as Menaria lost his wicket for 20. The lower order batsmen surrendered against the calculated bowling of Deccan Chargers and Shah became the eighth casualty once he was run out on the last ball of the innings for 28. Rajasthan Royal batsmen were unable to impress and managed 126 runs when the last ball of the scheduled overs was bowled.

Dale Steyn, Pratap Singh and Amit Mishra were the most successful bowlers with two wickets each as Manpreet Gony claimed one.

Akshath Reddy and Shikhar Dhawan provided an excellent start to Deccan Chargers as the latter earned 10 runs in the first over with one six and a four. The score board kept on flowing as Reddy hit 13 runs in the sixth over which comprised one six and a four. The solid association between the openers resulted in 58 runs at the end of the sixth over and they were capitalising well when the first wicket was lost at 63 in 8.3 overs. Dhawan was the first batsman who went back to the pavilion for 26 off 24 balls with 2 sixes and even fours as Jean-Paul-Duminy walked in the centre.

The duo added 20 runs in the total when Akshath Reddy was caught by Owais Shah off Siddharth Trivedi for 42 off 35 balls with 1 six and 4 fours. Duminy took command from thereon with a little contribution from the other end as the wickets kept on sliding. He became the fifth victim at 118 runs after his personal contribution of 24 as Parthiv Patel and Ashish Reddy saw their team through to the target. Deccan Chargers thrashed 128 runs for the loss of five wickets with eight balls to spare as both remained unbeaten on 10 runs.

Siddharth Trivedi was the top wicket taker with two whereas Aajit Chandila, Johan Botha and Stuart Binny held one wicket each.

Rajasthan Royals lost the important game and almost lost the place in the top four teams of the tournament.

Points achieved by both teams at the end of the 68^th match of the IPL 2012:

Rajasthan Royals – 14 from 15 games at a net run rate of +0.272.

Deccan Chargers – 7 form 15 games at a net run rate of -0.582.

Adam Gilchrist proved his worth by scratching Chennai Super Kings

Zia Rana — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:20:32 +0000

Kings XI Punjab 123-4 (Adam Gilchrist 64*, Mandeep Singh 24, Dwayne Bravo 2-18) beat Chennai Super Kings 120-7 (Dwayne Bravo 48, Suresh Raina 17, Parvinder Awana 2-12) by six wickets.

Adam Gilchrist - Led from the front by his unbeaten knock of unbeaten 64 runs

Adam Gilchrist led from the front with a defiant knock after skipping few games as Kings XI Punjab humiliated Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2012.

Chennai Super Kings managed 120 mere runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allocated 20 overs and Kings XI Punjab achieved the target by thrashing 123 runs in 16.3 overs with six wickets in hand.

Adam Gilchrist (Kings XI Punjab) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his appealing unbeaten knock of 64 off 46 deliveries.

The 66^th match of the Indian Premier League was played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on Thursday, May 17, 2012.

Earlier, the skipper of Kings XI Punjab, Adam Gilchrist, won the toss and offered the batting to Chennai Super Kings. They had a horrible start by losing their first two wickets for just 20 runs in 4.3 overs, the wickets included Murali Vijay and the experienced Michael Hussey. Suresh Raina and the captain, MS Dhoni tried to establish the innings as the first got a life when dropped by Piyush Chawla off Praveen Kumar at two runs on the first ball of the seventh over.

Raina hit a couple of consecutive sixes in the eighth over off Azhar Mahmood but was caught behind by the wicket keeper, Adam Gilchrist for 17 on the fourth ball. Dhoni lost his wicket at 46 in 10.2 overs at his personal score of six runs as Dwayne Bravo put his head down and crafted the innings with few little partnerships. He gathered 11 runs in the 14^th over with one six, a four and dispatched a couple of sixes in the 17^th over off David Hussey.

Dwayne Bravo was the seventh batsman who was dismissed for 48 off 43 balls with 3 sixes and 2 fours as Chennai Super Kings managed 120 mere runs in the metered 20 overs.

Praveen Kumar, Azhar Mahmood and Parvinder Awana shared a couple of wickets each as Ryan Harris picked one.

Kings XI Punjab initiated the innings with Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Sigh as the latter scored two fours in the first over bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus. Gilchrist followed him with the same result in the next over and dispatched two more fours in the sixth over off Ravichandran Aashwin. Mandeep Singh punished Albie Morkel for two consecutive fours in the seventh over but the bowler took revenge on the fifth ball by uprooting his stumps.

The first wicket produced 51 runs off 6.5 overs as Mandeep Singh scored 24 off 21 balls with 5 fours when Gilchrist took command of the situation with a little assistance from the incoming batsmen. The wickets were crumbling at one end as Gilchrist dispatched 21 runs in the 15^th over off Yo Mahesh with two huge sixes and even fours and completed his fifty in the process as well. He remained unbeaten for 64 off 46 balls with 2 lofty sixes and 9 sweetly timed fours as Azhar Mahmood hit the winning four on the third ball of the 17^th over.

Kings XI Punjab smashed 123 with 21 balls to spare after losing just four wickets and won the match comprehensively by six wickets.

Points secured by both teams at the end of the 66^th match of the IPL 2012:

Chennai Super Kings – 17 from 16 games at a net run rate of +0.100.

King XI Punjab – 16 from 15 games at a net run rate of -0.172.

Chris Gayle’s ton Sunk Delhi Daredevils

Zia Rana — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:17:41 +0000

Royal Challengers Bangalore 215-1 (Chris Gayle 128*, Virat Kohli 73*, Varun Aaron 1-38) beat Delhi Daredevils 194-9 (Ross Taylor 55, Venugopal Rao 36, Prasanth Prameswaran 3-30) by 21 runs.

Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli - A match winning unbroken partnership of 204 runs

Chris Gayle plundered unbeaten ton as the skipper Virat Kohli sparkled timely and they set a challenging target for Delhi Daredevils who were unable to grasp that.

Royal Challengers Bangalore piled up 215 runs for the loss of just one wicket in the programmed 20 overs as Delhi Daredevils were restricted to 194 with only one wicket in hand.

Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore) was undoubtedly declared ‘Player of the match’ for his thrilling knock of unbeaten 128 off just 62 balls.

The 67^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012 was played on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

Earlier, the stand in captain of Delhi Daredevils, Mahela Jayawardene, won the toss and opted to field first. Royal Chalengers Bangalore lost their first wicket for 11 runs when the skipper, Virat Kohli joined in with Chris Gayle who scored back to back boundaries in the third over. Kohli decided to attack as well, posted two fours each in the third and fourth overs and the first fifty of the innings was scored in the seventh over.

The bowlers of Delhi Daredevils were punished at will by both batsmen frequently, especially Gayle was unstoppable and achieved his fifty in the 13^th over. He punished Irfan Pathan for three sixes in the next over and carried on his thundering form by dispatching another three sixes in the 16^th over off Pawan Negi. Gayle smashed his third century of the IPL 2012 on the first ball of the 17^th over and Kohli also accomplished his fifty in the same over.

The duo showered boundaries at will and the bowlers remained at their mercy until the end of the 20^th over. Chris Gayle was at the crease with 128 off 62 mere balls with 13 glorious sixes and 7 fours as Virat Kohli was at the other end for 73 off 53 deliveries comprising 1 six and 9 fours as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed 215 runs with 9 wickets in hand.

Mahela Jayawardene utilised six bowlers but the only wicket was taken by Varun Aaron.

Delhi Daredevils lost the important wicket of the hard hitting David Warner at 17 when Venugopal Rao associated with Unmukt Chand in the centre. They accepted the challenge and collected 15 runs in the fourth over with 4 fours and Chand started off with a six on the first ball of the fifth over but lost his wicket on the very next delivery for 18. The second wicket fell at 45 and Jayawardene was gone after the addition of 24 runs in the total at his individual contribution of 9 runs as Ross Taylor took guards in the centre and joined with Venugopal Rao.

They accumulated 13 runs in the 9^th over with a couple of fours and Taylor hit two fours and a six in the next two overs as the first hundred of the innings appeared on the board. The total was enhanced to 107 runs when Venugopal Rao became the next victim for 36 off 24 balls with 1 six and 4 fours.

Taylor took over from there, attained his fifty in the 14^th over and became the sixth batsman to go back to the pavilion for 55 off 26 deliveries with 2 sixes and 7 fours. Andre Russell scored 31 quick fired runs in the late order as Delhi daredevils managed 194 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs and lost the match by 21 runs.

Zaheer Khan and Prasanth Prameswaran were the most successful bowlers with three wickets each, Vinay Kumar held two as Muttiah Muralitharan claimed one wicket.

Points scored by both teams at the end of the 67^th match of the IPL 2012:

Delhi Daredevils - 20 from 15 games at a net run rate of +0.559.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 17 from 15 games at a net run rate of +0.010.

Sunil Narine swallowed Mumbai Indians

Zia Rana — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:20:13 +0000

Kolkata Knight Riders 140-7 (Manoj Tiwary 41, Gautam Gambhir 27, RP Singh 2-33) beat Mumbai Indians 108 all out (Sachin Tendulkar 27, Dinesh Karthik 21, Sunil Narine 4-15) by 32 runs.

Sunil Narine - 'Player of the match' for his masterly spell of 4-15 runs.

Sunil Narine warned the rest of the batsmen in the IPL 2012 by his deadly bowling vs. Mumbai Indians while tearing apart their formidable batting line up.

Kolkata Knight Riders scored 140 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs and Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 108 with five balls to spare.

Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his lethal bowling spell, by grabbing four wickets for just 15 runs in 3.1 overs.

The 65^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012 was played on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Earlier, Harbhajan Singh, the captain of Mumbai Indians won the toss and preferred to give a chance to his bowlers at their home wicket. The decision paid off as Kolkata Knight Riders lost two quick wickets of their superior batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Jacques Kallis. RP Singh struck twice on the consecutive balls of the second over of the innings and the visitors were in trouble at 6-2 in 1.3 overs.

Manoj Tiwary joined in with the skipper Gautam Gambhir and tried to stabilise the innings as the first got a life on the fourth ball of the fourth over when dropped by Sachin Tendulkar at third man boundary off RP Singh. The runs were hard to find and they collected 44 runs in the first eight overs. Gambhir was clean bowled by Kieron Pollard in the next over for 27 off 23 balls with one six and three fours as Shakib Al Hasan provided some resistance by securing one end. Tiwary opted for the attack, got two back to back fours in the 11^th over and cleared the boundary for a six in the next over. The duo contributed 45 runs for the fourth wicket as Shakib was bowled by Dwayne Smith for 13.

The fourth wicket fell at 89 and two runs later Manoj Tiwary went back to the pavilion for 41 off 43 deliveries with two sixes and even fours. Yusuf Pathan held one end while accumulating useful runs as the wickets kept on sliding from the other side. He remained unbeaten for 21 as Kolkata Knight Riders scored 140 runs with three wickets in hand at the end of the 20^th over.

RP Singh was the main striker with two wickets whereas Munaf Patel, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith claimed one wicket each.

Mumbai Indians lost their first wicket at 26 as Dinesh Karthik associated in the centre with the little master, Sachin Tendulkar. Karthik opened his arms with a couple of fours in the seventh over as Tendulkar dispatched 12 runs in the 9^th over with one six and a four. They kept the score board moving and gathered 34 runs for the second wicket when Sunil Narine uprooted the stumps of Tendulkar for 27 off 24 balls with one six and three fours.

Karthhik departed six runs later for 21 off 26 deliveries with 3 fours as Rohit Sharma in association with Ambati Rayudu tried to consolidate the innings and managed to add 17 runs together. Rayudu was stumped by the wicketkeeper, Brendon McCullum for 12 and Mumbai Indians were reeling at 83-4 in 15.3 overs.

The bowlers of Kolkata Knight Riders took over and the batsmen of the home side especially found it hard to tackle with the spin of Sunil Narine. Rohit Sharma scored 12 runs off 14 balls as the six incoming batsmen of Mumbai Indians were unable to touch the double figures. Their innings was folded back for 108 mere runs in 19.1 overs and they surrendered the match by 32 runs.

Sunil Narine was the star performer with four wickets, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Jacques Kallis held two wickets each as Shakib Al Hasan and Iqbal Aabdulla chipped in with one wicket each.

Points secured by both teams at the end of the 65^th match of the IPL 2012:

Kolkata Knight Riders – 19 from 15 games at a net run rate of +0.478.

Mumbai Indians – 18 from 15 games at a net run rate of -0.160.

Delhi Daredevils proved their supremacy against Kings XI Punjab

Zia Rana — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:30:25 +0000

Delhi Daredevils 140-5 (Mahela Jayawardene 56*, Naman Ojha 34, Parvinder Awana 3-22) beat Kings XI Punjab 136-8 (David Hussey 40*, Mandeep Singh 21, Umesh Yadav 3-21) by 5 wickets.

Umesh Yadav - 'Player of the match' for his splendid bowling

Umesh Yadav bowled magnificently and Mahela Jayawardene completed the task for Delhi Daredevils as Kings XI Punjab surrendered in the 64^th match of the IPL 2012.

Kings XI Punjab managed 136 runs after losing 8 wickets in their allotted quota of 20 overs. Delhi Daredevils overpowered them by thrashing 140 runs with five wickets in hand and 6 balls to spare.

Umesh Yadav (Delhi Daredevils) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his destructive bowling while grasping three important wickets.

The 64^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012 was played on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

Earlier, the captain of Kings XI Punjab, David Hussey won the toss and opted to bat keeping in mind the nature of the home surface. The innings was opened in style by Mandeep Singh and Shaun Marsh as the latter posted 3 fours in the second over off Venugopal Rao. They collected 24 runs in the first three overs as Marsh was smartly caught behind by the wicketkeeper Naman Ojha off Varun Aaron for 13.

Nitin Saini joined in next as Mandeep Singh dispatched three fours in the fifth over of Morne Morkel but lost his wicket on the third ball of the sixth over for 21 off 12 balls with 5 fours. David Hussey came in next and secured one end with the little assistance from the incoming batsmen. The bowlers of Delhi Daredevils took over as the wickets started tumbling and they were reeling at 80-5 in 11.5 overs. Gurkeerat Singh gathered a couple of fours in the 13^th over and became the sixth victim with the addition of eight runs in the total.

Hussy kept on cruising with few odd boundaries as Piyush Chawla gave him some assistance by contributing 10 runs. The skipper remained unbeaten for 40 off 35 deliveries comprising 1 six and 5 fours as Kings XI Punjab could reach at 136 runs with two wickets remaining.

Umesh Yadav was the main striker with three wickets, Varun Aaron held two as Pawan Negi claimed one wicket.

Delhi Draedevils had a horrible beginning as they lost their four top order batsmen for 37 runs in 5.4 overs especially against the lethal bowling of Parvinder Awana. The batsmen who went back to the pavilion included the hard hitting David Warner, the skipper Virender Sehwag, Venugopal Rao and the smart batman Ross Taylor.

Mahela Jayawardene and Naman Ojha steadied the ship and added 11 runs in the 9^th over as the latter took over the game. Ojha punished Piyush Chawla for a couple of huge sixes in the 11^th over followed by two fours in the next over off Harmeet Singh. He got a life when dropped by Piyush Chawla off Azhar Mahmood at long on for 32 runs.

The fifth wicket partnership brought the required stability in the innings and enhanced the score to 95. Naman Ojha was caught by Mandeep Singh at deep mid wicket off Chawla for 34 off 29 balls with 2 grand sixes and 3 fours as Irfan Pathan associated in the centre with the smooth going Jayawardene. Delhi Daredevils required 42 runs to win from 36 balls with five wickets in hand as the batting duo did not panic and carried on their calculated march towards the destination.

Irfan Pathan made life easy for the home side by accumulating 14 runs in the 18^th over with three speedy fours. Mahela Jayawardene smashed his much needed fifty with a couple of fours in the 19^th over and achieved the target with another four on the last ball of the same over. Delhi Daredevils took over the score of Kings XI Punjab by amassing 140 runs with one over to spare and won the match by five wickets while maintaining their top position in the tournament.

Parvinder Aawana grabbed three wickets whereas Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla shared one wicket each.

Points secured by both teams at the end of the 64^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012:

Delhi Daredevils - 20 from 14 games at a net run rate of +0.715.

Kings XI Punjab – 14 from 14 games at a net run rate of -0.293.

Chennai Super Kings snatched the match on the last ball from Kolkata Knight Riders

Zia Rana — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:19:07 +0000

Chennai Super Kings 160-5 (Michael Hussey 56, Murali Vijay 36, Sunil Narine 2-14) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 158-6 (Gautam Gambhir 62, Brendon McCullum 37, Shadab Jakati 2-26) by five wickets.

Michael Hussey - 'Player of the match' for his intelligent batting

A solid opening stand of 97 runs between Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay let down Kolkata Knight Riders as Chennai Super Kings clinched the match on the last ball.

Kolkata Knight Riders scored 158 for the loss of six wickets in the assigned 20 overs and Chennai Super Kings achieved the target by plundering 160 runs with five wickets in hand.

Michael Hussey (Chennai Super Kings) was declared ‘Player of the match for his intelligent knock of 56 off 39 balls while opening the innings.

The 63^rd match of the Indian Premier League was played on Monday, May 14, 2012 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Earlier, MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, won the toss and opted to chase the target. Kolkata Knight started off well as their openers, the skipper Gautam Gambhir and the hard hitting Brendon McCullum provided them a rising start. The first three overs produced 21 runs as Gambhir opened up in the fourth over with a six and McCullum assisted him with a four. Gambhir accumulated 17 runs in the next two overs with a couple of fours and a six.

They carried on with the attack as the boundaries flourished very often and Gautam Gambhir scored his fifty on the first ball of the 9^th over with a single. The first wicket partnership lasted until they put on board 99 runs in 11.3 overs as Brendon McCullum was unluckily run out for 37 off 29 with one six and four fours. Gambhir was bowled by Shadab Jakati after the addition of just one run in the total at his individual score of 62 off 43 deliveries with 3 lofty sixes and 6 fours.

The wickets kept on sliding at regular intervals after that as Debabrata Das gave some resistance by contributing unbeaten 19 runs off 10 balls with one six and two fours. Kolkata Knight Riders managed 158 runs with four wickets in hand at the end of the 20^th over.

Shadab Jakati was the top wicket taker with two whereas Ben Hilfenhaus, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja claimed one wicket each.

Chennai Super Kings initiated the innings with the seasoned Michael Hussey and the talented Murali Vijay. They sparkled in the second over off Lakshmipathy Balaji by dispatching 25 runs which comprised a couple of sixes and three fours. The first five overs produced 51 runs and both batsmen were enjoying in the centre with their timely stroke play. Gambhir applied six bowlers to dislodge the partnership but remained unsuccessful until the score was enhanced to 97 in 10.2 overs.

Hussy became the first victim when he was caught by Rajat Bhatia off Sunil Narine for 56 off 39 balls with 4 huge sixes and even fours. Murali Vijay followed him two balls later without any addition in the total for 36 off 25 deliveries with 1 six and 5 fours. The bowlers of Kolkata Knight Riders struck back after that and put the Chennai Super Kings in the corner at 127-4 with the consumption of 17.1 overs.

Chennai Super Kings required 27 runs to win the match in 12 balls with six wickets in hand as MS Dhoni blasted 17 runs in the 19^th over with one six and two fours. The target was minimised to 9 in the last over which was bowled by Bhatia as Dwayne Bravo got a single on the first ball. Dhoni was clean bowled on the next ball for 28 off 21 deliveries with one six and three fours.

Ravindra Jadeja scored two runs on the third ball and a single on the next when Bhatia bowled the fifth ball as a dot. Chennai Super Kings needed five runs on the final ball which was dispatched for a six over long on and the match was grasped by five wickets on the last ball of the innings after a thrilling encounter.

Sunil Narine and Rajat Bhatia were the only successful bowlers with two wickets each as no other bowler was able to impress.

Points achieved by both teams after the end of the 63^rd match of the IPL 2012:

Kolkata Knight Riders – 17 from 14 games at a net run rate of +0.390.

Chennai Super Kings – 17 from 15 games at a net run rate of +0.214.

Ambai Rayudu and Kieron Pollard destroyed Royal Challengers Bangalore

Zia Rana — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:31:28 +0000

Mumbai Indians 173-5 (Ambati Rayudu 81*, Kieron Pollard 52*, Muttiah Muralitharan 1-16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 171-6 (Mayank Agarwal 64*, Tillakaratne Dilshan 47, Kieron Pollard 1-20) by 5 wickets.

Ambai Rayudu - 'Player of the match' for his outstanding unbeaten knock of 81 off 54 balls

Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard sunk the boat of Royal Challengers Bangalore by their thunderous batting as Mumbai Indians triumphed in the IPL 2012.

Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 171 runs with four wickets in hand at the end of the metered 20 overs and Mumbai Indians blasted 173 runs for the loss of five wickets with two balls to spare.

Ambati Rayudu (Mumbai Indians) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his herculean unbeaten innings of 81 off 54 balls.

The 62^nd match of the Indian Premier League was played on Monday, May 14, 2012 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

Earlier, the captain of Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh, won the toss and offered the batting to the rival tem. Royal Challengers Bangalore faced an early loss at just 8 runs when their in form dashing opener, Chris Gayle was bowled by Munaf Patel for six runs. Their miseries were added as their skipper, Virat Kohli was unluckily run out with the addition of three runs in the total.

Saurabh Tiwary associated with the opener, Tillakaratne Dilshan and they collected 21 runs in the fifth over off Patel that included one six and two fours. Tiwary got a life when he was dropped by RP Singh at mid-off on the bowling of Lasith Malinga for 12. He was unable to capitalize the chance and lost his wicket for 21off 16 balls with one six and two fours as the score board displayed 47 runs.

AB de Villiers joined in next as Dilshan became more prominent by adding 13 runs in the 11^th over with one six and a four. The first lost his wicket for 14 after gathering 40 runs for the fourth wicket as Mayank Agarwal appeared on the scene and took guards in the centre. The run rate was picked up by the duo as Agarwal was the most aggressive of the two and the score was enhanced to 133 in 17.3 overs as Tillakaratne Dilshan was clean bowled by RP Singh at that stage for 47 off 50 deliveries with one four and 4 sixes.

Agarwal took over from there and the boundaries kept on flowing from his bat in the final overs of the innings. He punished Patel for 24 runs in the 20^th over with two huge sixes and even fours and compiled his fifty as well. Mayank Agarwal remained unbeaten for 64 off 30 mere deliveries with the assistance of 4 hefty sixes and 6 fours as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed 171 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

Munaf Patel, RP Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Kieron Pollard were the only successful bowlers with one wicket each.

Mumbai Indians had a disastrous start when they lost their three top order batsmen for just 19 runs in 3.4 overs. The batsmen who went back to the pavilion included Herschelle Gibbs, the little master Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu provided some resistance to the dangerous looking bowling attack of Royal Challengers Bangalore. They crafted the innings with care and enhanced the score to 44 in 7.5 overs when Karthik was caught by Harshal Patel at long leg off Muttiah Muralitharan for 16.

Rayudu kept on securing his end with a little contribution from the other end as Steven Smith became the fifth victim and Mumbai Indians were reeling at 51-5 in 8.5 overs. Kieron Pollard joined Ambati Rayudu in trying situation as they preferred to attack while dispatching 19 runs with a couple of sixes from the first and a four from the latter. Rayudu secured 12 runs in the 13^th over with one six, a four and achieved his fifty in the 15^th over with two fours.

Mumbai Indians required 41 runs off the last 18 balls as Rayudu punished Vinay Kumar for 17 runs in the 18^th over with two smart sixes and a four and the target was reduced to 14 from the last six deliveries.

Chris Gayle was handed over the ball by Virat Kohli as Rayudu stole a single off the first ball and Pollard lifted the ball out of the mid wicket boundary for a six. The third ball was sent reeling out of the short third man fence for a four by Pollard and he directed the fourth ball out of the deep mid wicket fence and the target was achieved after thrashing 173 runs. Ambati Rayudu was at the crease for 81 off 54 balls with 4 towering sixes and 6 fours as Pollard secured the other end at 52 which comprised 3 well timed sixes and 5 fours.

Points attained by two teams at the end of the 62^nd match of the Indian Premier League 2012:

Mumbai Indians - 18 from 14 games at a net run rate of -0.056.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 15 from 14 games at a net run rate of -0.072.

Kings XI Punjab pulled up a fantastic victory vs. Deccan Chargers

Zia Rana — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:46:39 +0000

Kings XI Punjab 194-6 (David Hussey 65*, Azhar Mahmood 31, Dale Steyn 2-26) beat Deccan Chargers 190-4 (Shikhar Dhawan 71, Cameron White 67*, Azhar Mahmood 2-39) by 4 wickets.

David Hussey and Gurkeerat Singh - amazing batting

David Hussey demonstrated a captain’s knock well supported by Gurkeerat Singh who made the win possible for the home side vs. Deccan Chargers in the IPL 2012.

Deccan Chargers amassed 190 runs for the loss of just four wickets in the measured 20 overs and Kings XI Punjab piled up 194 in the required quota of overs with four wickets in hand.

David Hussey (Kings XI Punjab) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his masterly unbeaten knock of 65 off just 35 balls.

The 61^st match of the Indian Premier League was played on Sunday, May 13, 2012 at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara, the captain of Deccan Chargers won the toss and preferred to bat first. The innings was opened by Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel while they opted for attack as 15 runs were accumulated in the second over. The first wicket produced 47 quick fired runs in the first six overs when Patel was gone for 18 and two runs later Sangakkara lost his wicket for just one run.

Cameron White joined in next with Dhawan and they did not compromised with the pace of scoring as the boundaries were flowing from the willows of both batsmen. Dhawan scored his fifty on the fourth ball of the 12^th over and the hundred of the innings was also posted on board. They added 96 runs for the third wicket in 10 overs when Dhawan was caught by Parvinder Awana off Praveen Kumar for 71 off just 50 balls with 3 lofty sixes and 4 fours.

Daniel Christian took guards in the centre as White achieved his half century in the 18^th over with a six and one four. Christian followed him in the next over by hitting a couple of sixes but lost his wicket on the fifth ball of the last over for 24 off 10 deliveries with 2 sixes and 1 four. Cameron White remained unbeaten for 67 off 41 balls with 1 six and 8 fours as Deccan Chargers piled up 190 runs with six wickets in hand.

Azhar Mahmood was the top wicket taker with two as Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Aawana claimed one wicket each.

Kings XI Punjab lost a couple of early wickets for 26 runs in 4.4 overs as Daniel Christian struck twice. Azhar Mahmood associated with Mandeep Singh as they opted to play aggressive cricket and gathered 16 runs in the sixth over with one sixe and two fours. The first fifty of the innings was completed in the seventh over as Mandeep Singh lost his wicket for 28 off 20 balls with 5 fours.

The skipper of Kings XI Punjab, David Hussey, came in next under the critical situation and instantly started toying with the bowlers by dispatching boundaries frequently and the hundred of the innings was attained in the 11^th over. The duo scored 16 runs in the 12^th over with one six and a four when Azhar Mahmood was stumped by the wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel off Amit Mishra for 31 off 20 balls with one six and two fours.

David Hussey kept the hopes alive and punished Mishra for 20 runs in the 15^th over with two sixes and one four as a couple of wickets went down from the other end. Kings XI Punjab required 42 runs from last 20 balls when the young gun Gurkeerat Singh joined with his smooth going captain. The target was reduced to 16 from the last 6 balls and the final over of the innings was bowled by Manpreet Gony. Hussy managed three runs in the first two balls when Gurkeerat Singh accepted the challenge and sent the third ball flying over the deep midwicket for a six.

Kings XI Punjab needed seven runs from the last three balls as Gurkeerat Singh hit a four on the fourth ball, added a couple on the fifth. He dispatched the final ball for another four over the fine leg and achieved an unbelievable victory. David Hussey was at the crease for 65 off 35 deliveries with 5 huge sixes and 4 fours, Gurkeerat Singh butchered the bowlers and secured the other end with 29 of just 12 balls with 1 six and 4 fours as the home side scored 194 runs for the loss of six wickets.

Dale Steyn and Daniel Christian were the main strikers with two wickets each whereas Manpreet Gony and Amit Mishra held one wicket each.

Points secured by both teams at the end of the 61^st match of the Indian Premier League 2012:

Kings XI Punjab – 14 from 13 games at a net run rate of -0.270.

Deccan Chargers - 5 from 14 games at a net run rate of -0.680.

Ajit Chandila mashed Pune Warriors with the maiden hat-trick of the IPL 2012

Zia Rana — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:42:59 +0000

Rajasthan Royals 170-4 (Ajinkya Rahane 61, Shane Watson 58, Ashish Nehra 3-23) beat Pune Warriors 125-9 (Steven Smith 37, Angelo Mathews 23, Ajit Chandila 4-13) by 45 runs.

Ajit Chandila - The heart breaker of Pune Warriors with a wicket haul of 4-13.

Ajit Chandila crushed the top order batting of Pune Warriors with a maiden hat-trick of IPL 2012 as Rajasthan Royals pushed them to a humiliating debacle.

Rajasthan Royals piled up 170 runs with six wickets in hand at the end of the scheduled 20 overs and Pune Warriors were crushed to 125 for the loss of nine wickets.

Ajit Chandila (Rajasthan Royals) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his lethal bowling spell of 4-13 runs.

The 60^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012 was played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Sunday, May 13, 2012.

Earlier, the captain of Rajasthan Royals, Rahul Dravid won the toss and opted to bat at the familiar home strip while opening the innings with Ajinkya Rahane. The bowling was initiated by the left arm spinner Murali Kartik and Ashish Nehra from the other end. The batsmen started off in a fluent way and accumulated 29 runs in the first four overs but Dravid was caught on the third ball of the fifth over off Nehra for 21 off 20 balls with 4 fours.

Shane Watson came in next, joined with Rahane and the run rate picked up immediately as 11 runs were picked up in the sixth over moreover the first fifty of the innings was posted on board in the following over. Watson opened up later and dispatched 24 runs in the 10^th and 11^th overs with the assistance of a couple of sixes and even fours. He continued with the blast and added 14 runs in the 13^th over with two fours and a six while completing his fifty and the hundred of the innings also appeared on board.

The second wicket partnership contributed 94 runs in 10 overs as Shane Watson was clean bowled by Ashish Nehra for 58 off just 31 deliveries with 4 lofty sixes and 6 fours. Rahane carried on the attack and became the fourth victim not before scoring 61 off 47 with 7 fours as Rajasthan Royals plundered 170 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

Ashish Nehra was the supreme bowler with three wickets and Angelo Mathews chipped in with one wicket.

Pune Warriors had the worst start when the off spinner, Ajit Chandila ripped through their top order batting and they were reeling at 26-4 in 4.5 overs. The batting power house which included their skipper, Sourav Ganguly, the hard hitting Jesse Ryder, Robin Uthappa and Anustup Majumdar was sent back to the pavilion by the unplayable Chandila.

Ajit Chandila achieved the hat-trick by removing Ryder on the fifth ball of the first over, Ganguly was gone on the next ball and Uthappa became the third victim on the first ball of his next over.

Callum Ferguson and Steven Smith provided some resistance and the bowling offence was handled with patience but the runs were hard to come. The first fifty of the innings was attained in the ninth over and they enhanced the total to 60 runs after consuming 10.1 overs. Ferguson was declared leg before wicket off Johan Botha for 23 as Angelo Mathews appeared on the scene and Smith carried on consolidating with few boundaries at the other end. They added 29 runs for the sixth wicket when Smith was caught near long on by Brad Hodge off Botha for 37 off 31 balls with 5 fours.

The wickets started crumbling after that as the bowlers of Rajasthan Royals were unplayable and Mathews was the eighth victim for 23 as Pune Warriors managed just 125 runs with one wicket in hand when the last ball of the scheduled over was bowled.

Ajit Chandila was the star performer with four wickets, Shane Watson and Johan Botha shared a couple of wickets each as Shaun Tait held one wicket.

Rajasthan Royals grasped the match comfortably by 45 runs and two more points in their account.

Points achieved by the two teams at the end of the 60^th match of the Indian Premier League 2012:

Rajasthan Royals – 14 from 14 games at a net run rate of +0.335.

Pune Warriors - 8 from 15 games at a net run rate of -0.477.

Ben Hilfenhaus wrecked Delhi Daredevils batting

Zia Rana — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:07:29 +0000

Chennai Super Kings 115-1 (Murali Vijay 48*, Michael Hussey 38, Irfan Pathan 1-15) beat Delhi Daredevils 114-5 (Yogesh Nagar 43*, Venugopal Rao 27, Ben Hilfenhaus 3-27) by 9 wickets.

Ben Hilfenhaus - Destroyed the top order batting

Ben Hilfenhaus ripped through the top order batting of Delhi Daredevils who were unable to recover as Chennai Super Kings crushed them in the IPL 2012.

Delhi Daredevils scored 114 runs for the loss of five wickets in the scheduled 20 overs and Chennai Super Kings overpowered them by blasting 115 runs in 15.2 overs with nine wickets in hand.

Ben Hilfenhaus (Chennai Super Kings) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his deadly bowling spell.

The 59^th match of the Indian Premier League was played on Saturday, May 12^th, 2012 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai, which is the home of Chennai Super Kings and the local crowd was excited to witness their team won the encounter.

Earlier, MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, won the toss and elected to field first while preferring to chase on the home ground. Delhi Daredevils surrendered against the lethal bowling attack of the rivals and especially Ben Hilfenhaus, who removed the top three batsmen as Albie Morkel made another dent by removing the fourth. They were reeling at 24-4 in 5.2 overs and the batsmen who went back to the pavilion included the big guns, David Warner, the skipper Virender Sehwag, Naman Ojha and the seasoned Mahela Jayawardene.

Venugopal Rao and Yogesh Nagar put their heads down and tried to stabilise the innings while creeping. The boundaries were difficult to earn and the first fifty of the innings was achieved in the 10^th over. Venugopal Rao got a couple of sixes by the end of the 13^th over and Nagar gathered 17 runs off 23 balls. They enhanced the score to 72 in 13.2 overs when Venugopal Rao was caught excellently by Morkel at short cover off Ravichandran Aashwin for 27 off 24 balls with a couple of sixes.

Irfan Pathan joined in next with Nagar and they guided the score to 94 at the end of the 18^th over as Naman Nagar added 11 runs in the 19^th over with one six and a four. Nagar remained unbeaten for 43 off 47 deliveries with one six and a four as Irfan Pathan managed 13 when Delhi Daredevils posted 114 runs on board with five wickets in hand at the end of the 20^th over.

Ben Hilfenhaus broke the back of the Delhi Daredevils batting by grabbing three wickets whereas Albie Morkel and Ashwin claimed one wicket each.

Chennai Super Kings initiated the innings with the experienced Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay as the duo started off well by accumulating 25 runs in the first four overs. They dispatched 13 runs in the fifth over with two boundaries each from both batsmen and Vijay added a couple of more in the seventh over which brought the fifty of the innings as well. Vijay got a life when he was dropped on the fourth ball of the 10^th over by the wicketkeeper Naman Ojha off Reolof van der Merve for 32 runs.

The openers gave a solid stand of 75 runs in 10.1 overs when Michael Hussey was caught by Mahela Jayawardene at point off Irfan Pathan for 38 off 32 balls with 1six and 5 fours. Suresh Raina replaced Hussey and hit a six on the last ball of the 11^th over and Murali Vijay followed him in the 14^th over and hundred of the innings appeared on the score board.

The target was attained on the second ball of the 16^th over when Raina took three runs and Chennai Super Kings thrashed 115 runs for the loss of just one wicket with 28 balls to spare. Murali Vijay was at the crease with 48 off 40 balls with one six and five fours as Suresh Raina was unbeaten for 28 off 20 deliveries comprising two sixes and one four.

Points secured by both teams after the close of the 59^th match of the IPL 2012:

Delhi Daredevils – 18 from 13 games at a net run rate of +0.729.

Chennai Super Kings – 15 from 14 games at a net run rate of +0.223.