IPL stories

Sachin practises for 90 minutes, raises MI hopes

2012-04-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Raising hopes about his availability for the rest of IPL season 5 after a lengthy absence from the event due of a finger injury sustained a fortnight ago, Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday practised for about one-and-a-half hours at the nets ahead of Mumbai Indians' next game against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.

Tendulkar faced regular bowlers in the MI ranks like Pragyan Ojha in a serious net session and did not appear to be in any difficulty while playing a number of lofted shots at the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra Kurla Complex Ground.

After hurting his index finger in the IPL opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on April 4, Tendulkar had missed MI's subsequent four games that had affected the team's balance at the top of the order.

He missed the games against Pune Warriors, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils and the result was MI could not get off to the start they were looking for and slumped to defeats in two out of the four ties.

Tendulkar started practising against throw-downs on April 14 prior to the home tie against the Daredevils but did not feel comfortable enough to take the field on April 16 at the Wankhede Stadium.

The Mumbai Indians were shot out for a paltry 92, their second-lowest ever IPL score and the lowest by any team this season, which the Daredevils easily overhauled.

"Of course, it will be nice to have Sachin Tendulkar back. I'm sure he will be back by the next game if nothing goes wrong by the net session. If he is batting with any of the foreigners it makes it easier for them to score runs. He can take a lot of pressure from the other partner," team captain Harbhajan Singh had said after the humiliating defeat against the Daredevils.

While things looked bright for MI as far as Tendulkar's availability is concerned for the next game at home, uncertainty still looms large over another key player - pace spearhead Lasith Malinga's participation.

The Sri Lankan speedster did not practise on Thursday with his other MI teammates after missing the game against the Daredevils because of a slight pain in his back.

"He's OK, but his back is not the same as it was in the last game, so we wanted to give him a break for this game as it's a long tournament. We don't want him to get hurt in playing all these games. Hopefully, he will be fine for the next game," said Harbhajan about Malinga's in the game against the Daredevils.

"He is resting today. Like Harbhajan said the other day he's having slight pain," a team source said on Thursday.

Though Malinga appeared in doubt for the game against Kings XI, there was some heartening news for MI as left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson would be joining the team in the next couple of days.

"Johnson is expected to join the team (after flying in from Australia) in one or two days," said the source.

The 30-year-old Queenslander, who is also a handy lower order batsman capable of big hitting, was bought at his base price of $300,000 by MI at the February auction.

Johnson, who has grabbed 190 wickets in 47 Tests and 168 wickets in 107 ODIs, is yet to play any game in the cash-rich T20 league which is in its fifth edition.

DLF IPL STANDINGS 2012

2012-04-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

- DELHI DAREDEVILS
- 5
- 4
- 1
- 0
- 0
- 8
- +1.018
- 2
- RAJASTHAN ROYALS
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 0
- 0
- 8
- +0.646
- 3
- KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
- 6
- 3
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 6
- +0.438
- 4
- PUNE WARRIORS INDIA
- 6
- 3
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 6
- +0.174
- 5
- CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
- 6
- 3
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 6
- +0.024
- 6
- MUMBAI INDIANS
- 5
- 3
- 2
- 0
- 0
- 6
- -0.088
- 7
- KINGS XI PUNJAB
- 5
- 2
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 4
- -0.633
- 8
- ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
- 5
- 2
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 4
- -0.800
- 9
- DECCAN CHARGERS
- 4
- 0
- 4
- 0
- 0
- 0
- -1.178

It was a special innings: Pietersen

2012-04-20T05:11:00.003-07:00

NEW DELHI: Kevin Pietersen on Thursday described his swashbuckling unbeaten century as one of his favourite innings, which helped Delhi Daredevils register a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League.

"It is amazing, a special feeling to score a century in T20 cricket. This is my first in this format, so it has to be my favourite," Pietersen told reporters after smashing an unbeaten 64-ball 103, his first in Twenty20 cricket, to help Daredevils register their fourth victory in IPL 5.

"It is good to get a century in T20 cricket. It was a good wicket to bat on and also good for the pacers who bent their back, not much for the spinners. In Twenty20 you need entertaining wicket," he added.

The former England skipper, who was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his whirlwind ton, said he tried to play according to the situation.

"I played as per the situation. Once you get yourself in there, you can get the boundaries. I was in good form against Sri Lanka and it is all about backing yourself in the field," Pietersen said.

"When you lose wicket, you slow down and Ross's (Taylor) wicket put pressure on me. They (Deccan) played good cricket," he added.

The 31-year-old English batsman also heaped praise on young spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who returned with figures of three for 16 from his four overs.

"He bowled a good spell in the last match taking three for nine against Mumbai. He was fantastic today as well. He changes his angle and is a clever bowler. There were talks of who could be the spinner of IPL 5 and he is turning out to be a superstar," Pietersen said.

Asked about Deccan Chargers, Pietersen said, "I feel sorry for Deccan. They played good cricket, they are a good team and could have won in Mumbai but I think it is still a long way to go and nothing is lost for them."

Deccan coach Darren Lehmann blamed his butterfingered fielders for the loss and said the three dropped catches of Pietersen proved costly for his team.

"Our fielding is not good enough. You can't drop Kevin. It was one of the best innings that we have seen and when you drop someone like him, it costs you the game," he said.

"We bowled well early on but Kevin took the game away from us. In the 12th-13th over we lost our way because of some poor decisions," he added.

The Australian said his team was 20 runs short in the end.

"We were probably 20 runs short with the bat. We are playing 90 per cent but we need to put another 10 per cent. But I am not disheartened yet. We are playing good cricket. It is a young side but we are not finishing well," he said.

I just stick to basics: Christian

2012-04-18T23:00:00.002-07:00

Daniel Christian’s livewire fielding, ability to wield the willow and bowl a few useful overs make him a valuable member of any team, especially in limited overs cricket. On the back of his performances for his state team the South Australia Redbacks, he earned himself a place in the Deccan Chargers squad in the IPL.

The all-rounder is pegged as a Twenty20 specialist based on his ability to hit the ball hard and chip in with a few overs besides saving a few runs in the field. These qualities of this middle-order bat were on full display against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur yesterday. When asked about it, Christian says, “Probably I have been pegged little bit as a Twenty20 player; something I don’t mind I suppose [but] I do like five-day cricket and one-day cricket as well. [...] If I had the opportunity I would much rather play Test cricket. But we will have to wait and see if I get the opportunity.”

Speaking about the key to success in the shortest format of the game, the 28-year-old explains, “Just try and keep things as basic as possible. At the end of the day, you still have to bowl the ball and hit the ball. If I ever complicate things, it generally gets me into trouble, so I focus and try to keep things simple. I just think about bowling the ball where I want to bowl that ball or think about watching the ball and hitting it. The same philosophy applies to a team’s success in Twenty20. The teams that do the basics right over a long period of time generally win the game. And I suppose that’s true for any format of the game and cricket in general.”

Speaking about DC’s loss against RR, he said, “In the match last night [against RR] we batted brilliantly but our bowling and fielding wasn’t up to the mark, and that’s why we lost the game. Rajasthan [Royals] obviously did it better than us. They just did their basics better, they fielded better and they batted well till the end; so it’s about the basics.”

Speaking about the IPL experience, the Australian struggles to find the words to describe the overwhelming nature of it. “It is brilliant! Playing with the best players in the world and in front of huge crowds is a wonderful experience and I am enjoying it. It is just full-on I think; the music is so loud and the crowd so loud. The matches are all so competitive and fast. It is just a great experience.”

It’s not just the IPL that he enjoys but also being in India, “I love the culture and hospitality” he adds.

Growing up Christian admired the Waugh brothers – Steve and Mark – and Glenn McGrath, and now he looks up to Jacques Kallis. “He [Kallis] is going to go down in history as one of the best, if not the best ever. The amount of runs he has scored and wickets he has taken [is amazing],” he remarked.

Only the second indigenous man to play Test cricket for Australia after Jason Gillespie, Christian, the son of a rugby player played that sport before choosing cricket. What made him opt for cricket? The man who likes to keep it simple answers, “I was better at cricket, simple as that. I was okay in rugby and I really enjoyed it, but it was always going to be cricket for me. I was probably better at cricket and probably enjoyed it as well.” However, he doesn’t indulge in it anymore because, “there are too many chances of getting injured,” he explains.

An Aboriginal from the Wiradjuri tribe in New South Wales, Christian is also looked upon as a role model. He says, “There are a lot of sportsmen that are coming out of Aboriginal communities around Australia [...] there is not much that we can do other than lead a good life and be role models for young kids growing up.”

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2012-04-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

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When Gayle felt sorry for hitting a six!

2012-04-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

The adulation that comes with playing sport at the highest level also brings the responsibility of reaching out to people - fans or friends cultivated in the game. And Chris Gayle and Albie Morkel have shown how to reach out.

On Tuesday, the way Gayle bludgeoned the ball, it was

understandable if the bowlers and fielders had to scramble for their helmets! But now that the Jamaican blaster has struck form, the fans may also have to carry protective head gear to the grounds when he goes on the rampage.

But Gayle is not just the brute force on view when he carted Pune Warriors' spinner Rahul Sharma for five sixes in one over while hammering a 48-ball 81. One of them sailed deep into the stands and struck an 11-year-old girl, who was left with a broken nose.

Warm personality
However, once he discards his bat, Gayle is warmth personified. After visiting his young fan to check the damage he had caused, he was all praise for the brave girl.

"Thanks! Really amazing game-that's IPL. Visit Tia who got hit by 1 of my 6s, broken nose :( her first word to me is to Chill, She's fine!" he tweeted.

Former Test batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, however, issued a health warning. "Have decided, my kids will not go to the ground where chris gayle is playing… it's just too dangerous…," he tweeted.

Chennai Super Kings' South Africa pacer, Morkel, also decided there is more to life than a game of cricket.

He rushed home on Wednesday morning on hearing that his close friend, Louis Vorster (45), a South African and Namibian domestic cricketer and coach, had been shot dead by armed robbers on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

It is not clear when Morkel will return.

We were 30 to 40 runs short: Valthaty Kings XI Punjab batsman admits there was nothing wrong with Mohali wicket

2012-04-18T20:49:00.001-07:00

Having beaten the Kolkata Knight Riders on a difficult Eden Gardens wicket three days ago,Kings XI Punjab were supposed to pull off back-to-back wins playing in front of their home crowd. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for the Punjab franchise as they lost by eight wickets to KKR in what will surely be considered a lopsided result.

Paul Valthaty, who once again disappointed with the bat today, spoke of his team’s abject surrender to the Knight Riders in an exclusive interview with iplt20.com

What was the problem with the wicket?

We were short by at least 30-40 runs. It was a pretty good wicket to bat on, but unfortunately, our top three batsmen didn’t get stuck in. Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] was unfortunate that the injury came at the wrong time for him. So, we never really got going according to the wicket.

Was Gilchrist’s injury the turning point in your innings?

In T20, it hardly needs two or three batsmen to get a good score. Today, I thought Gilly and Shaun Marsh, would do that. But when the tempo was building for Gilchrist, he had that freak injury and after that the innings never really got going.

What did you think of Gautam Gambhir’s match-winning 66 not out?

It just shows what a class player he is; a true professional. Although it was a small target, he got stuck in and didn’t try anything fancy. He got the target done [all] by himself.

In such a lopsided game, were there any positives for Kings XI Punjab?

I think the batting of Adam Gilchrist [was a positive]. Unfortunately, even he hasn’t got going in the tournament yet. He sort of got his act going today. So that was a plus point. And the fielding – you saw David Hussey going for that catch in the last over – we never really gave in. But, all said and done, winning matters and let’s hope we are good for the run.

Are you putting yourself under extra pressure to match last year’s form, which explains your own slow start in the tournament?

I don’t think [I’m putting] extra pressure [on myself]. The nature of T20 is such. I had a first-ball dismissal, in one game I sacrificed my wicket for Adam Gilchrist and today I was getting in and then I got a good delivery from Brett Lee. I’m definitely short of runs, but it’s up to me to pull up my socks and do well for the team.

We just haven’t finished well: Lehmann

2012-04-18T20:46:00.001-07:00

Although they have lost all the three games that they have played so far, the Deccan Chargerscan derive consolation from the fact that two of those games were cliffhangers. Coach Darren Lehmann stressed on this fact while speaking to the media yesterday and today. He believes that it will help motivate his team to go the distance in the next match against the Delhi Daredevils.

While speaking to the media at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Lehmann lauded the team’s commitment and work ethic. He also hopes that the fielding lapses against the Rajasthan Royals were merely due to an off day at office, and that it wouldn’t happen again.

Excerpts from Lehmann’s pre-match press conference:

On DC’s bowling being a concern

Yes, at this point we were close in two games. We should have won the one against Mumbai [Indians] in Vizag when they needed about 25 runs in the last couple of overs and then again last night [against the Rajasthan Royals] we were close there [to winning]. The [bowling in the] last two three overs cost us two wins. But the boys are training hard [...] probably [not being able to] execute [the plan in] the last few deliveries probably cost us [the matches].

On their bowling against RR

Someone is going to be the winner and someone is going to be the loser. [...] it is hard as a bowler, we know that and it’s hard for batsmen as well. It is just the nature of Twenty20 cricket. What we have seen is close games and a pretty entertaining IPL so far.

On the break before their game against RR

We had a break between our second and third game and we have worked hard in between, so that [the loss against RR] was disappointing. We didn’t field well enough and we know that as a team. The guys worked hard last week and it was just one of those things, hopefully. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.

On the team’s schedule

We are fine with the schedule. [...] the players are professional enough to get ready for each and every game. We have to rotate probably a bit more than the other sides, because we have 10 games in about 22-23 days. But it gives enough opportunities to do well, so we are not too worried about the schedule. It is part and parcel of the IPL.

On Delhi Daredevils’ strong batting line-up that includes players like Virender Shwag, Kevin Pietersen and Mahela Jayawardene
They are good players. They are world-class players. Twenty20 is one of those [formats] where anything can happen on any given day as we saw [in the Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians match]. Mumbai [Indians] was bowled out for not many [runs] the other day. We should take our chances early and bowl well. [...] we will [have to] bowl a lot better than we have in the last couple of games.

On motivating the players after losing all the three games they have played so far

We should have been two wins and one loss really, and that’s the way we look at it. We just didn’t close those two games. Even though we haven’t registered a win, I am happy the way we are playing [...] so that’s a good thing. We have probably [one of the] younger squads in the IPL, which is good as well. I have been pretty impressed with the way they have worked and all you can ask for is good work ethic and we are doing that, and hopefully, the results turnaround for us soon.

On Kevin Pietersen’s transfer to DD

Losing KP was a decision that franchises make between each other. We would love to have him. We haven’t got him, so you can’t worry about it, can you? You can’t do anything about that. [...].

Dale, the secret angel

2012-04-18T20:35:00.001-07:00

Dale Steyn, Deccan Chargers’ and South African speedster and any batsman’s nightmare is practising in the city. In a candid chat, he spoke to us about his idea of giving away two VIP tickets for every Deccan Chargers match to anonymous followers on Twitter.
“Yes, it’s something that I’ve started. In each city that we play, I will leave two tickets in an envelope with no name on it and my signature. I will then tweet with hints about the location of the tickets. My Twitter followers can figure out the place, and the first to reach the spot can claim the tickets,” informs the fast bowler.
“Well, I get two tickets for every match and I do not know anyone here to take along with me or give them to. So I’d rather give the tickets to those who are eager to watch matches,” he adds.
Dale will soon have company of girlfriend Jeanne Keitzmann, who will be joining him at the matches. So, does she give him any bowling tips? “No, she is a cool girl. She’s nice and good companion. She understands me more than she does cricket and that’s all matters,” he smiles.
The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) accounts for the second season that Dale’s playing with the Chargers.
Pointing out that the team this time is a young and energetic one, he says, “We have some new players so there is new energy. It will be great once we start winning matches.” Dale sees promise in young bowler Anand Rajan.

2012-04-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Teams	P	W	L	Pts	R.R
RR	6	4	2	8	+0.646
DD	4	3	1	6	+1.099
KKR	6	3	3	6	+0.438
PWI	5	3	2	6	+0.343
MI	5	3	2	6	-0.088
CSK	5	2	3	4	-0.108
KXIP	5	2	3	4	-0.633
RCB	5	2	3	4	-0.800
DC	3	0	3	0	-1.366

Chennai Super Kings Pune Warriors

2012-04-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

Match scheduled to begin at 20:00 local time (14:30 GMT)

	Chennai Super Kings squad
MS Dhoni*†, S Anirudha, R Ashwin, S Badrinath, GJ Bailey, DE Bollinger, DJ Bravo, F du Plessis, BW Hilfenhaus, MEK Hussey, RA Jadeja, SB Jakati, Joginder Sharma, S Randiv, KMDN Kulasekara, VY Mahesh, JA Morkel, A Mukund, SK Raina, WP Saha†, SB Styris, S Tyagi, K Vasudevadas, G Vignesh, M Vijay

	Pune Warriors squad
SC Ganguly*, ER Dwivedi, MJ Clarke, AB Dinda, CJ Ferguson, RV Gomez, Harpreet Singh, DS Jadhav, Kamran Khan, M Kartik, HH Khadiwale, B Kumar, NL McCullum, AP Majumdar, M Manhas, AD Mathews, MD Mishra, AG Murtaza, A Nehra, MK Pandey, WD Parnell, S Rana, JD Ryder, MN Samuels, R Sharma, GC Smith, SPD Smith, Tamim Iqbal, AC Thomas, K Upadhyay, RV Uthappa, SB Wagh, LJ Wright

Current time: 08:53 local, 03:23 GMT | Match begins in: 11:07

Delhi Daredevils VS Deccan Chargers

2012-04-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

	Delhi Daredevils squad
V Sehwag*, MC Juneja, VR Aaron, AB Agarkar, P Bisht, R Bist, GH Bodi, DAJ Bracewell, U Chand, AJ Finch, DPMD Jayawardene, GJ Maxwell, M Morkel, S Nadeem, Y Nagar, PT Naik, P Negi, NV Ojha†, IK Pathan, KP Pietersen, KC Raval, AD Russell, AM Salvi, LRPL Taylor, RE van der Merwe, Y Venugopal Rao, Vikas Mishra, DA Warner, TP Yadav, UT Yadav, Zafir Patel

Deccan Chargers squad

KC Sangakkara*†, A Ashish Reddy, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, T Atchuta Rao, AA Bhandari, DM Bravo, B Chipli, DT Christian, KH Devdhar, S Dhawan, JP Duminy, MS Gony, DJ Harris, IR Jaggi, AA Jhunjhunwala, CA Lynn, A Mishra, T Mishra, PA Patel†, V Pratap Singh, SA Quadri, DB Ravi Teja, PA Reddy, BB Samantray, C Sneha Kishore, S Sohal, TM Srivastava, DW Steyn, TP Sudhindra, J Theron, CL White, AS Yadav

We fielded like an Under-14s side' - Lehmann

2012-04-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

A visibly annoyed Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann has come down heavily on his side after their five-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. Lehmann said the Chargers "bowled poorly and fielded diabolically" while defending 196 in a final-over defeat.

"We fielded like an Under-14s side," Lehmann said. "They are professional cricketers they should be able to catch. They should be able to stop the ball going through their legs."

The Chargers dropped three catches in the field, with Anand Rajan grassing Royals opener and the tournament's highest run-getter Ajinkya Rahane in the fifth over, then Dale Steyn dropping Owais Shah in the 15thover, and Bharat Chipli spilling Johan Botha in the 18th over.

The Chargers are yet to register a win in the IPL this season, and their coach said, that the team has to work hard if they want to succeed in the tournament. "For us it's a disappointing start, considering we played really well against Mumbai [Indians] and should have won that game, so we have a bit of work to do," Lehmann said. "Our [team] meetings are a waste of time at the moment because the players aren't listening."

Deccan's fielding compounded their problems against the Royals, but their bowlers too were expensive. Dale Steyn, Daniel Christian and Anand Rajan all went for over ten runs an over. "It should have been 2-1, we should have beaten Mumbai [on April 9] and Rajasthan today, but we bowled really badly with the new ball. Steyn also did not bowl well," Lehmann said. "When you get nearly 200 in a Twenty20 game, you shouldn't lose a game."

Deccan Chargers will play Delhi Daredevils in their next match on April 19.