Sunrisers Hyderabad 5-132 (Parthiv Patel 47, Shikhar Dhawan 42, Iqbal Abdulla 3-29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 7-130 (Yusuf Pathan 49, Jacques Kallis 24, Dale Steyn 2-24) by five wickets.

The debutants in IPL 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad, won an important game vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, got into the playoffs and eliminated Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kolkata Knight Riders scored 130 for the loss of seven wickets in the stipulated 20 overs and Sunrisers Hyderabad powered 132 with five wickets intact and seven balls remaining.

Parthiv Patel (Sunrisers Hyderabad) was announced ‘Player of the match’ for his brave knock of 47 while opening the innings.

The 72^nd match of the Indian Premier League was played on Sunday, May 19, 2013, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir, the skipper of KKR, won the toss and opted for batting first. He came in along with Manvinder Bisla who hit 3 fours in the first five overs but lost his wicket for 15 and was replaced by Jacques Kallis. Gambhir was dropped at 1 on the fifth ball of the next over as Kallis hit 2 successive fours in the seventh one. Gambhir was run out at 42 after scoring 10 runs and Eoin Morgan was declared leg before wicket off Karan Sharma for 9.

Yusuf Pathan and Kallis tried to put a few important runs on board and the first hit 3 fours in the following overs. They took the score to 89 in 15.1 overs as Kallis was caught by Shikhar Dhawan off Dale Steyn for 24. The incoming batsmen were unable to perform well and it was left to Pathan who swung his bat thrice while sending the ball flying over the fence. Yusuf Pathan remained unbeaten for 49 off just 29 balls with 3 spicy sixes and even fours as Kolkata Knight Riders reached 130 with three wickets in hand in 20 overs.

Dale Steyn was the top wicket taker with three whereas Anand Rajan, Thisara Perera, Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma claimed one wicket each.

Parthiv Patel – ‘Player of the match’

Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan got off to a reasonable chase as the first dispatched 4 fours in the initial five overs. Patel hit 2 consecutive fours in the next over and Dhawan got 1 six in the same over. The latter added another six and 3 fours in the coming overs and the pair gave a solid opening stand of 89 runs in 11.3 overs. Shikhar Dhwan was held lbw off Iqbal Abdulla for 42 off 35 with 2 lofty sixes and 3 fours and Parthiv Patel followed his partner in an identical manner 11 runs later after smashing 47 from 37 deliveries comprising 7 fours.

Kolkata Knight Riders came back in the game by grabbing three quick wickets and the hosts were reeling at 5-112 in 17.5 overs. Darren Sammy and Biplab Samantray joined together and kept the chase on as the latter hit a four on the last ball of the 18^th over. The target was reduced to 15 from 12 deliveries as Sammy lashed 2 back to back sixes in the next over off Iqbal Abdulla and won the match for his side. Darren Sammy and Biplab Samantray occupied their end for 17 and 5 runs respectively as Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed 5-132 after 18.5 overs.

Iqbal Abdulla was the top wicket taker with three and Shami Ahmed ended up with one wicket.

Sunrisers Hyderabad clinchéd the important game of the tournament by a huge margin of five wickets and secured their place in the top four while overtaking Royal Challengers Bangalore who have 18 points from 16 matches.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 20 points from 16 games – 4^th position.

Kolkata Knight Riders – 12 points from 16 games – 7^th position.

Pune Warriors 5-172 (Aaron Finch 52, Luke Wright 44, Siddarth Kaul 2-27) beat Delhi Daredevils 9-134 (Muralidharen Gautam 30, Irfan Pathan 24, Ali Murtaza 3-15) by 38 runs.

The hopeless performance of Delhi Daredevils continued in the IPL 2013, when Pune Warriors clinched the game and went one step ahead of them on the table.

Pune Warriors amassed 172 runs with half of their side back in the dressing room in the allotted 20 overs and Delhi Daredevils scored 134 for the loss of 9 wickets.

Luke Wright (Pune Warriors) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his sizzling knock of 44 off 23.

The 71^st game of the Indian Premier League was played on Sunday, May 19, 2013, at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune.

Earlier, Aaron Finch, the captain of Pune Warriors, won the toss and walked in to bat along with Robin Uthappa. They flew off well by scoring 37 runs in the first five overs with 1 six and 4 fours. Uthappa was caught by David Warner at point off Umesh Yadav for 24 off 20 with 3 fours. Manish Pandey took guards next and hit the second six of the innings in the seventh over and Finch dispatched 2 sixes and 1 four two overs later. The second wicket fell at 74 when Pandey was gone for 10 and Aaron Finch smashed his fifty in the 12^th over. The latter was caught by Virender Sehwag at square leg off Siddarth Kaul for 52 from 34 with 4 towering sixes and 3 fours.

Luke Wright – A breezy innings of 44 runs

Yuvraj Singh became the next victim after scoring three runs as Angelo Mathews and Luke Wright got together in the park. The run rate was picked up by the two batsmen with the assistance of regular boundaries. Wright hit 2 back to back fours in the 18^th over and hit another six and a couple of fours in the next one. Mathews got a six in the same over but was dropped on the last ball at 27. Luke Wright lost his wicket for 44 off just 23 deliveries with 1 six and 7 fours on the fourth ball of the final over. Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten for 30 off 22 with 2 sixes as Pune Warriors hammered 172 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.

Siddarth Kaul was the top wicket taker with two whereas Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem picked up one wicket each.

Delhi Daredevils lost their first wicket at 17 when Bharat Chipli joined in with his skipper Mahela Jayawardene. They gathered 16 runs in the third over with 1 six and 1 four but Jayawardene was caught by Wright off Ali Murtaza for 14. Virender Sehwag dropped in next, hit 2 fours in the coming overs but managed just 11 runs and Chipli followed him next after scoring 16 runs. The visitors were struggling at 5-64 in 9.4 overs when Irfan Pathan and Muralidharen Gautam associated in the center.

The duo kept the score board moving and the hundred of the innings was displayed on board in the 14^th over. They took the score to 118 in 16.4 overs as Gautam was caught by Raiphi Gomez for 30 off 23 with 1 six and 2 fours. Irfan Pathan was the 8^th batsman who went back to the pavilion for 24 off 28 with 2 fours as Delhi Daredevils reached 134 with one wicket left in the required quota of overs.

Ali Murtaza and Angelo Mathews were the main wicket takers with three wickets each, Ashok Dinda held two whereas Wayne Parnell got one wicket.

Pune Warriors won the encounter with a reasonable margin of 38 runs and recovered from the bottom position.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Pune Warriors – 8 points from 16 games – 8^th position.

Delhi Daredevils – 6 points from 16 games – 9^th position.

England 232 (Jonny Bairstow 41, Joe Root 40, Tim Southee 4-58) and 213 (Joe Root 71, Jonathan Trott 56, Tim Southee 6-50) beat New Zealand 207 (Ross Taylor 66, Kane Williamson 60, James Anderson 5-47) and 68 (Neil Wagner 17, BJ Watling 13, Stuart Broad 7-44, James Anderson 2-23) by 170 runs.

A furious spell of fast bowling from Stuart Broad bulldozed the batting line up of the visiting New Zealand who ended up losing a low scoring game badly.

England posted 232 runs in the first innings followed by 213 in the second. New Zealand was bowled out for 207 in their first innings and managed 68 mere runs in the second.

Stuart Broad (England) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his career’s best bowling spell of 7-44 in an innings

The first Test came to an end on Sunday, May 19, 2013, which was the fourth day of the encounter at Lord’s, London.

Earlier, the hosts went into bat at 6-180 after 59 overs whereas Steven Finn and Ian Bell were at the crease for 6 and 0 runs respectively. Tim Southee removed Finn in the first over at 6 and was replaced by Stuart Broad who started off with a four. Bell was unable to impress and became the next victim at 200 after scoring just six runs as Broad took over at his end and did most of the scoring. Stuart Broad remained unbeaten for 26 off 25 balls with 4 fours as England scored 213 in the second innings after 68.3 overs.

Tim Southee was the highest wicket taker with six, Kane Williamson held two whereas Trent Boult and Neil Wagner shared one wicket each.

Stuart Broad – Career’s best bowling figures of 7-44 in an innings

The Black Caps lost their first wicket for just one run when Hamish Rutherford and Kane Williamson tried to defend. The first hit a couple of fours in the fourth over but became the next victim of Broad for 9 on the first delivery of the sixth over. The lethal bowling spell of Broad continued when he got rid of Ross Taylor for a duck two balls later. Kane Williamson was the next batsman who went back to the dressing room for six when he was caught by Steven Finn at cover off Broad.

The wickets of the Kiwis kept on crumbling and they were reeling at 6-29 in 11.4 overs. BJ Watling and Tim Southee provided some resistance by adding 12 runs to the total but the partnership was broken once again by Broad when the later was gone at seven. Watling and Neil Wagner shared the longest partnership of the innings by accumulating 13 runs in 18 balls but the rival bowlers once again put the visitors back to their shells. The Entire New Zealand team was sent back to the pavilion for just 68 runs after utilizing 22.3 overs.

The English captain, Alastair Cook used just two bowlers who penetrated through the batting line up of the Black Caps. Stuart Broad was the star performer with seven wickets and James Anderson got two.

England won the first Test with a hefty margin of 170 runs and leads the two match series 1-0. The second and final Test will commence on Tuesday, May 24, 2013, at Headingley, Leeds.

Royal Challengers Bangalore 2-106 (Virat Kohli 56*, Chris Gayle 28, Mohit Sharma 1-14) beat Chennai Super Kings 6-82 (Murali Vijay 32, MS Dhoni 24, Zaheer Khan 4-17) by 24 runs.

Virat Kohli led Chennai Super Kings from the front by blasting unbeaten fifty as Chris Gayle assisted him well while Chennai Super Kings lost the encounter.

The game was restricted to 8 overs per side due to rain interruption and Royal Challengers Bangalore plundered 106 for the loss of just two wickets and Chennai Super Kings scored 6-82.

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) was announced ‘Player of the match’ for his brisk knock of 56 off 29 mere balls.

The 70^th game of the Indian Premier League was held on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at M Chinnaswammy Stadium, Bangalore.

MS Dhoni won the toss for Chennai Super Kings and invited the hosts to bat first on a rain hit park. The skipper of RCB, Virat Kohli came into bat along with Chris Gayle and the first started off with a four. Gayle took off with a six in the second over and Kohli added 15 runs with 1 six and 2 fours in the next one. Kohli continued with his blast by gathering 12 runs in the fourth over with 1 six and 1 four whereas Gayle dispatched 3 back to back sixes in the fifth.

Virat Kohli – Blasted 56 off 29 mere deliveries

Virat Kohli was dropped at 34 on the first ball of the sixth over and Gayle was caught by Michael Hussey at extra cover off Dwayne Bravo for 28 off 13 with 4 mighty sixes. AB de Villiers managed just five runs as the next batsman Moises Henriques hit three consecutive fours in the seventh over. Virat Kohli blasted his fifty in the final over comprising 2 sixes and 1 four and remained unbeaten for 56 off 29 with 4 lofty sixes and 6 fours. Henriques held his end for 12 as Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed 106 with 8 wickets in hand at the end of the 8^th over.

Chennai Super Kings had an awkward beginning by losing their two top order batsmen in the second over of Zaheer Khan. Dwayne Bravo associated with Murali Vijay who hit his first four in the third over. Bravo got one six in the next over but was caught by Manoj Tiwary off Vinay Kumar for 11 as Dhoni walked in the center. The batsmen accumulated 19 runs in the sixth over with a couple of sixes and one four as the visitors required another 52 runs to win from 18 deliveries.

Murali Vijay was finally gone for 32 off 19 balls with 2 lofty sixes and even fours as MS Dhoni hit another 2 sixes and 1 four before he was removed for 24 off 10 with 2 sixes and 2 fours. Ravindra Jadeja was caught and bowled by Zaheer Khan for seven as Chennai Super Kings were restricted to 82 for the loss of six wickets in the required quota of overs.

Zaheer Khan was the star performer with four wickets whereas Ravi Rampaul and Vinay Kumar held one wicket each.

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the important game by a good margin of 24 runs and they were benefitted by two points.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Chennai Super Kings – 22 points from 16 games – 1^st position.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 18 points from 16 games – 4^th position.

England 232 and  6-180 (Joe Root 71, Jonathan Trott 56, Tim Southee 3-34) lead New Zealand 207 (Ross Taylor 66, Kane Williamson 60, James Anderson 5-47) by 205 runs.

The star quick bowler of New Zealand, Tim Southee, bowled excellently in the second innings by picking three important wickets as England looks for survival.

England scored 232 runs in their first innings followed by 6-180 in the second. New Zealand managed 207 runs before they were bowled out in their first innings.

The third day’s play concluded on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at Lord’s London.

Earlier, the Black Caps commenced the day at 4-153 in 49.4 overs whereas Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum were unbeaten on 44 and 1 respectively. England got an early wicket when McCullum was caught behind by Matt Prior off Stuart Broad for just two runs and was replaced by BJ Watling. The batsmen found it difficult to score freely and Kane Williamson crept to his 8^th Test fifty in the 57^th over. Watling was dropped at six by Jonathan Trott at second slip off Broad two overs later but Kane Williamson was caught behind by Prior off Anderson for 60 off 167 balls with 6 fours.

The incoming batsmen were unable to cope with the deadly home bowling and the entire team was sent back to the dressing room for 207 in 69 overs.

James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers with five wickets, Steven Finn held four whereas Stuart Broad claimed one wicket.

Tim Southee – Excellent bowling continued in the 2nd innings

England went into their second innings with a lead of 25 runs as their skipper Alastair Cook and Nick Compton started off as the first survived a review on the second ball. Cook opened his account with a four and Compton followed him in the second over. Alastair Cook became the first victim at 36 after he was caught superbly by Dean Brownlie at third slip off Trent Boult for 21 runs. Nick Compton departed at the same score for 15 and the hosts were in some sort of trouble at 2-36 in 9.5 overs.

Jonathan Trott and Joe Root responded positively by hitting 2 fours each in the coming overs and the first hit another two boundaries in the 16^th over. The runs were flowing from the willows of the two batsmen and they took the score to 91 after 26 overs at the tea interval. The hundred of the innings was posted on board in the 32^nd over and Joe Root achieved his second Test fifty with a four. Trott kept on enhancing from the other end as the ball crossed the rope at regular intervals.  The third wicket association was broken at 159 when Tim Southee uprooted the stumps of Joe Root for 71 off 120 deliveries with 8 fours.

Tim Southee brought the Kiwis back in the game by grasping two quick wickets after removing Jonny Bairstow and Matt Prior for 5 and 0 and the home side lost their fifth wicket at 171. The miseries were multiplied when the well settled batsman, Jonathan Trott was dismissed by Kane Williamson without any addition to the total for 56 off 137 with 6 fours. Steven Finn was batting at 6 and Ian Bell has yet to score when the play was called off as England scored 180 with four wickets in hand after 59 overs.

Tim Southee was once again the chief wicket taker with three whereas Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kane Williamson shared one wicket each.

England has taken an overall lead of 205 runs and the match is evenly poised at the moment and an addition of another 60-75 runs to the score by the hosts will put them on top against New Zealand. Looking at the condition of the pitch, the match may well end on the fourth day but it is still wide open.

Kings XI Punjab 8-183 (Azhar Mahmood 80, Shaun Marsh 63, Lasith Malinga 3-39) beat Mumbai Indians 133 (Ambati Rayudu 26, Rohit Sharma 25, Piyush Chawla 2-20, Azhar Mahmood 2-24) by 50 runs.

Azhar Mahmood delivered a knockout punch to Mumbai Indians with his all round performance ably assisted by Shaun Marsh as Kings XI Punjab triumphed convincingly.

Kings XI Punjab piled up 183 after losing 8 wickets at the end of the scheduled 20^th over and Mumbai Indians surrendered for 133 with five balls to spare.

Azhar Mahmood (Kings XI Punjab) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his majestic knock of 80 off 44 mere balls and he also grabbed two important wickets.

The 69^th match of the Indian Premier League was played on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai Indians, won the toss and offered the batting to his rival team. The decision looked fruitful since Kings XI Punjab lost their in-form skipper Adam Gilchrist, and the other opener for just six runs in three overs. Azhar Mahmood and Shaun Marsh took the responsibility of scoring and the latter got 3 fours in the coming overs. Marsh added 13 runs in the 6^th over with 3 fours and Azhar Mahmood punished Lasith Malinga for 19 two overs later with 1 six and 3 fours. Shaun Marsh attained his fifty on the 39^th ball whereas Azhar Mahmood blasted his half century on just 27 balls in the 13^th over with 2 back to back sixes and 1 four.

Azhar Mahmood – A superb all-round performance

Azhar Mahmood was dropped on 50 by Coulter Nile at short fine leg off Rishi Dhawan on the first ball of the next over and Harbhajan Singh let off Marsh five balls later. Azhar Mahmood was severe on the bowlers and dispatched 1 six and 3 fours in the following overs. The third wicket partnership flourished to 154 in 16.4 overs when Shaun Marsh was gone for 63 off 47 balls with 11 fours. Azhar Mahmood left the scene two runs later for 80 from just 44 deliveries comprising 4 towering sixes and 8 fours. Manan Vohra played a hurried unbeaten innings of 20 from 8 with 1 six and 3 fours as Kings XI Punjab mounted 183 with two wickets still in hand in 20 overs.

Lasith Maliga was the top wicket taker with three whereas Coulter-Nile, Rishi Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh and Kieron Pollard shared one wicket each.

Mumbai Indians lost their first wicket on a duck as Ambati Rayudu got together with Aditya Tare who took off well by hitting 2 sixes and even fours until the fourth ball of the fourth over. Tare was clean bowled by Sandeep Sharma on the next delivery for 22 and was replaced by Rohit Sharma. The batsmen kept on scoring briskly and gathered 24 runs in the 5^th and next over with 4 fours but slowed down a bit after that. Rayudu was caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off Parvinder Awana at 62 in 8.4 overs for 26 off 22 with 3 fours and Dinesh Karthik was caught and bowled by Piyush Chawla without scoring any run.

Kieron Pollard joined in next with Rohit Sharma who became the next victim at 78 after scoring 25 off 25 deliveries with 1 six and 2 fours. Rishi Dhawan and Pollard tried to consolidate the innings with regular boundaries and they accumulated 16 runs in the 15^th over with 1 six and 1 four. The sixth wicket fell at 117 in 15.6 overs as Kieron Pollard left the field for 22. The bowlers of Kings XI Punjab took over from there and penetrated through the lower order batting of Mumbai Indians. Dhawan scored 14 as the entire Mumbai Indians team went back to the pavilion for 133 after 19.1 overs.

Azhar Mahmood, Sandeep Sharma and Piyush Chawla shared the honour of the day with two wickets each whereas Praveen Kumar, Parvinder Awana and Adam Gilchrist claimed one wicket each.

Kings XI Punjab won the one sided game with a big margin of 50 runs and climbed two points up in the event.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Mumbai Indians – 22 points from 16 games – 2^nd position.

Kings XI Punjab – 16 points from 16 games – 6^th position.

New Zealand 4-153 (Ross Taylor 66, Kane Williamson 44*, James Anderson 3-32) trail England 232 (Jonny Bairstow 41, Joe Root 40, Tim Southee 4-58, Neil Wagner 3-70) by 79 runs.

The efforts of Tim Southee and Neil Wagner were let down by the openers of New Zealand as James Anderson put England back into the Test on the second day.

England was bowled out for 232 runs after 112.2 overs and New Zealand reached 4-153 in 49.4 overs.

The second day’s play came to an end on Friday, May 17, 2013, at Lord’s, London.

Earlier, the hosts started the day at 4-160 after 80 overs whereas Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were at the crease with 25 and 3 runs respectively. Root hit the first four of the day in the 81^st over and the batsmen added just eight runs in the next six overs as Bairstow tasted his first boundary in the next over. The home side crept to 192 when Joe Root was caught behind by BJ Watling off Tim Southee for 40 off 114 with 4 fours. Neil Wagner and Southee put the Black Caps back in the game when they removed Matt Prior and Stuart Broad without scoring. Graeme Swann was declared leg before wicket off Wagner for five as Bairstow kept on securing his end.

James Anderson – grabbed three important wickets

The hosts were reeling at 8-201 in 98.1 overs as Steven Finn gave some support to Bairstow. They added another 20 runs to the total when Finn became the next victim off Southee for seven runs. Jonny Bairstow was the last batsman to be dismissed for 41 as the innings of England was rolled back for 232 at a run rate of 2.06 in 112.2 overs.

Tim Southee was the supreme bowler with four wickets, Neil Wagner held three, Trent Boult got two whereas Bruce Martin chipped in with one wicket.

James Anderson struck twice early while sending back both openers of the Kiwis at just seven runs. Hamish Rutherford was caught by Alastair Cook at first slip for 4 and Peter Fulton was caught by Graeme Swann at second slip for just two runs. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor joined in next and started their business while keeping the score board moving with occasional boundaries. Taylor was the most aggressive of the two, he was sending the ball out of the fence regularly and the score touched 2-52 after 19 overs when the tea break was taken.

Ross Taylor continued from where he left before the interval and accumulated 12 runs in the 22^nd over with 3 fours. He compiled his 18^th Test half century in the 25^th over as Williamson was adding useful runs at his end. Taylor added another 3 fours in the coming overs but was finally held lbw off Anderson for 66 off 72 deliveries with 13 fours. The third wicket fell at 100 in 31.2 over and Dean Brownlie was the next batsman in who opened his account with a four. Kane Williamson was dropped at 23 by Matt Prior behind the wickets off Anderson in the 36^th over as Brownlie kept on cruising at his side.

The fourth wicket association added 47 runs to the score when Dean Brownlie was adjudged lbw off Steven Finn on review for 23. The tourists scored 153 in 49.4 overs, Kane Williamson secured his end for 44 and the skipper of the Black Caps, Brendon McCullum was at the other side for 1 when the play was called off for the day.

James Anderson was the prime bowler with three wickets whereas Steven Finn added one wicket to his tally.

New Zealand is still 79 runs behind the first innings score of England and will try to take a lead of 75-100 runs whereas the hosts will anticipate folding the innings of the visitors within limits.

Sunrisers Hyderabad 9-136 (Biplab Samantray 55, Darren Sammy 23, James Faulkner 5-16) beat Rajasthan Royals 9-113 (Kevon Cooper 26, Rahul Dravid 25, Amit Mishra 2-8, Dale Steyn 2-17) by 23 runs.

Biplab Samantray strengthened Sunrisers Hyderabad with his prominent fifty, Amit Mishra bowled well as Rajasthan Royals were unable to chase an average target.

Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 9-136 in the allocated 20 overs and Rajasthan Royals managed 9-113 in the same overs.

Amit Mishra (Sunrisers Hyderabad) was announced ‘Player of the match’ for his economical bowling spell of 4-0-8-2.

The 68^th game of the Indian Premier League was played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.

Cameron White, the skipper of the home side won the toss and elected to bat first. They had a dismal start by losing their three front line batsmen at just 5 runs in 2.4 overs. Parthiv Patel, Shikhar Dhawan and White were gone for 2, 1, and 0 runs respectively. Hanuma Vihari and Biplab Samantray stopped the invasion of the rival bowling and the first four of the innings was recorded in the fifth over. Samantray got his second boundary two overs later as Vihari kept on crawling at his end. Hanuma Vihari handed over his wicket next at 49 after scoring 19 runs and was replaced by Darren Sammy.

Biplab Samantray – A polished innings of 55 runs

The run rate was speeded up a bit by the two batsmen as they added 14 runs in the 14^th over with 1 six and 1 four and repeated that in the 16^th one as well. Sammy was caught by Brad Hodge off James Faulkner for 23 as the total touched 105 in 16.2 overs. Biplab Samantray achieved his fifty in the 18^th over and was caught at long on by Kevon Cooper off Faulkner for 55 from 46 with 1 six and 6 fours. Thisara Perera saved his wicket for 17 as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 136 runs on board with one wicket left in 20 overs.

James Faulkner was the star performer with five wickets whereas Shane Watson and Siddharth Trivedi claimed one wicket each.

Rajasthan Royals opened the innings with their captain, Rahul Dravid along with Ajinkya Rahane positively as the first hit 11 runs in the second over with 1 six and 1 four. The proceedings slowed down after that until the fifth over when the pair gathered 13 runs with another six and one four. Dravid was run out at 39 after contributing 25 runs and Rahane followed him one run later for 12. Shane Watson and Sanju Samson had no answer against the lethal bowling of the hosts and they enhanced the score to 51. Samson was caught by Dale Steyn off Amit Mishra for 5 and Shane Watson became the next victim for 11.

The middle order batting of the visitors flopped badly and the wickets kept on crumbling one after another. Kevon Cooper scored 26 off 12 balls with 1 six and 3 fours as Rajasthan Royals reached 113 for the loss of 9 wickets in the required overs.

Amit Mishra, Dale Stey, Karan Sharma and Thisara Perera were the most impressive bowlers with two wickets each.

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the encounter by a margin of 23 runs and clinched another game in the ongoing tournament.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Rajasthan Royals – 20 points from 16 games – 3^rd position.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 18 points from 15 games – 4^th position.

Pakistan 7-231 (Misbah-ul-Haq 83*, Imran Farhat 49, Majid Haq 3-39) beat Scotland 135 (Kyle Coetzer 32, Josh Davey 20, Junaid Khan 3-19, Saeed Ajmal 3-25) by 96 runs.

Misbah-ul-Haq led his team from the front by plundering unbeaten 83 runs while Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal ripped through the batting of the hosts, Scotland.

Pakistan smashed 231 runs with three wickets intact at the end of the scheduled 50^th over and Scotland was bowled out for 135 mere runs with 10.2 overs still remaining.

The first One Day International of the two match series was held on Friday, May 17, 2013, at Grange Cricket club, Raeburn Place, Edinburah.

Earlier, the captain of Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq, won the toss and opted to bat first. Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed started off on a positive note while scoring 44 runs in the initial 10 overs. The first hit 5 fours and Nasir Jamshed got two but was gone in the next over for 20. Mohammad Hafeez tried to spend the time at the crease and Imran Farhat also slowed down a bit in the following overs. The second wicket fell at 80 in 20 overs when Mohammad Hafeez departed after scoring 18 runs as the middle order batsmen were unable to stay at the wicket. Imran Farhat became the fourth victim at 100 and Umar Amin surrendered for just three runs.

Misbah-ul-Haq – Led from the front with unbeaten 83 runs

Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal tried to stabilise the innings and crept to 144 as the latter was declared leg before wicket off Neil Carter for 12. Saeed Ajmal walked in next and hit 3 fours in the following overs as Misbah-ul-Haq attained his 23^rd ODI fifty in the 45^th over. The seventh wicket partnership took the score to 195 as Saeed Ajmal was clean bowled by Iain Wardlaw for 28 runs. Misbah-ul-Haq changed his gears after that and added 19 runs in the last two overs with 2 grand sixes and 1 four. He remained unbeaten for 83 off just 80 balls with 2 sixes and 3 fours as the Green Shirts piled up 231 for the loss of seven wickets in 50 overs.

The off spinner, Majid Haq, was the top wicket taker with three whereas Neil Carter, Iain Wardlaw, Rob Taylor and Matt Machan shared one wicket each.

Scotland lost their first wicket for a duck as Josh Davey joined in with his skipper, Kyle Coetzer. The batsmen kept on marching towards the target by scoring 41 runs at the end of the 10^th over with 2 fours from each of them. They reached 52 in 12.2 overs when Davey went back to the dressing room for 20. Kyle Coetzer followed him 15 runs later for 32 off 60 balls with 3 fours. The green Shirts bowlers tore apart the middle order batting of the home side and their fifth wicket went down at 88 in 27.5 overs.

Preston Mommsen and Richie Berrington got together and tried to force the pace but remained unimpressive and lost their wickets for 15 and 10 runs respectively. Rob Taylor was the only batsman who tasted the double figures by scoring 13 runs as the innings of Scotland was rolled back for 135 in 39.4 overs.

Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal were the chief wicket takers with three wickets each whereas Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil and Mohammad Hafeez claimed one wicket each.

Pakistan won the first One Day International by a huge margin of 96 runs and leads the two match series 1-0.

Kings XI Punjab 4-171 (Shaun Marsh 45, David Miller 44*, Adam Gilchrist 44, Ashish Nehra 2-38) beat Delhi Daredevils 7-164 (Ben Rohrer 49, Mahela Jayawardene 39, Sandeep Sharma 3-23) by seven runs.

A combined teamwork by Kings XI Punjab injected another defeat to the low profiled Delhi Daredevils who kept on sliding towards the bottom in the IPL 2013.

Kings XI Punjab amassed 171 runs after losing just four wickets and Delhi Daredevils managed 164 with three wickets intact at the close of the required overs.

David Miller (Kings XI Punjab) was announced ‘Player of the match’ for his aggressive unbeaten knock of 44 off 24 deliveries.

The 67^th match of the Indian Premier League was played on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala.

Mahela Jayawardene won the toss for Delhi Daredevils and sent the opposition into bat first. The captain of Kings XI Punjab, Adam Gilchrist, along with Shaun Marsh took off smartly by scoring 34 runs in the first four overs with 4 boundaries from each batsman. Gilchrist added 17 runs in the sixth over with 2 lofty sixes and 1 four and the duo flew to 60 in 7.3 while scoring at will. Adam Gilchrist was caught and bowled by Irfan Pathan for 42 off 26 with 2 sixes and 5 fours and was replaced by Azhar Mahmood. The second wicket took the score to 86 in 11.3 overs as Azhar Mahmood was caught brilliantly by Siddarth Kaul off Ashish Nehra for 9.

David Miller – ‘Player of the match’

David Miller came in next and continued enhancing the score with Marsh as the score crossed the hundred runs mark in the 15^th over. They accumulated 16 runs in the next over with 1 six and 2 fours when Shaun Marsh was caught by Irfan Pathan at long-on at the bowling of Morne Morkel for 45 off 44 with 7 fours. Rajagopal Sathish took guards next and hit a six on the third ball he faced as Miller punished Kaul for 2 sixes and 1 four in the 18^th over. The 19^th over resulted in 17 runs and Sathish was caught by Ben Rohrer off Nehra for 22. David Miller remained unbeaten for 44 from just 24 balls with 4 towering sixes and 3 fours as Kings XI Punjab punched 171 with six wickets remaining in 20 overs.

Delhi Daredevils had an awful start while losing their three top order batsmen for 12 mere runs in four overs. Unmukt Chand, Irfan Pathan and David Warner were sent back to the dressing room for 7, 1, and 0 runs respectively. The experienced Virender Sehwag joined in with his skipper, Mahela Jayawardene, they tried to stabilise the innings and the first hit 3 fours in the coming overs. Sehwag gathered another 9 runs with a couple of fours in the 10^th over but was gone for 30 off 22 with 6 fours at 61 in 10.4 overs.

Ben Rohrer got together with Jayawardene who hit 1 six and 3 fours in the following overs whereas Rohrer picked three boundaries as well. They reached 111 in 16.1 overs as Mahela Jayawardene became the next victim for 39 off 42 deliveries with 1 six and 3 fours. The game was still on as Muralidharen Gautam reached the center while Rohrer was doing fine at his end. The pair hit 1 six and 2 fours until the 18^th over as Rohrer dispatched 2 consecutive sixes and 1 four in the 19^th over while they required 22 runs to win from the last six balls. Ben Rohrer was clean bowled by Piyush Chawla for 49 off just 29 with 3 mighty sixes and 4 fours on the first ball of the final over. Morne Morkel lost his wicket after hitting 2 sixes and Gautam scored 12 as Delhi Daredevils reached 7-164 after consuming 20 overs.

Sandeep Sharma was the star performer with three wickets, Piyush Chawla held two whereas Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana shared one wicket each.

Kings XI Punjab won the interesting battle with a small margin of seven runs but strengthened their overall position on the chart.

The present standing of the two teams in the tournament is as follows:

Kings XI Punjab – 12 points from 15 games – 6^th position.

Delhi Daredevils – 6 points from 15 games – 8^th position.