Kochi Tuskers

Jadeja routs Deccan Chargers

2012-04-07T22:08:00.001-07:00

Chennai Super Kings 193 for 6 (Jadeja 48, Bravo 43*) beat Deccan Chargers 119 (Jadeja 5-16) by 74 runs

Faf du Plessis provided Chennai Super Kings a boost at the start © AFP

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He was persisted with for all of India's eight games in the CB series in Australia, for an average of 16.83 with the bat and 109.00 with the ball. He had an indifferent Asia Cup. Back in the IPL, this time with Chennai Super Kings, this year's most expensive signing, Ravindra Jadeja, excelled right away in the tournament that had catapulted him into the limelight in 2008. A five-wicket haul followed an innings of 48 off 29 deliveries as Super Kings recovered in style from a patchy display in their opening game against Mumbai Indians.

While Jadeja's name was all over the scorecard, it was Dwayne Bravo's late blast with the bat that took the game away from Chargers. Bravo blasted five sixes in the last two overs to propel Super Kings to a tall score, which was aided by loose bowling from the Indian component of the Chargers attack. Faf du Plessis provided the boost at the start, Jadeja built on it in the middle and Bravo took Chargers apart at the death.

Forty runs came in overs 19 and 20 bowled by TP Sudhindra and Manpreet Gony. A leading edge off Sudhindra carried all the way over the straight boundary for the first six. Bravo wound up and deposited the next delivery, a length ball, over long-on. Gony was wayward in the final over, and Bravo clattered three sixes off an assortment of full tosses and short deliveries.

Bravo ended on 43 off 18, with Super Kings taking 72 in the last five overs. Du Plessis had set the tone earlier, hitting Gony for three consecutive boundaries in the fifth over. Gony became too predictable with his shortish length, and du Plessis stayed back to steer for four to third man and pull for six over deep midwicket. Gony became predictable again when he went full with the last ball of the over, and du Plessis lofted him over long-off.

Sudhindra had du Plessis holing out to long-on with his first ball, but was to go for 46 in four overs. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath looked in fine touch till Daniel Christian got them. Christian and Dale Steyn were difficult to get away, but Chargers had plenty of weak links in the attack.

Jadeja went after fellow left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma, slog-sweeping and lofting him for three boundaries. Christian was taken for consecutive fours. Jadeja even tried to distract Steyn by moving around in his crease but was dismissed hit-wicket when he trod onto his stumps as he tried to nudge a short of a length Steyn delivery. Things weren't looking as bad for Chargers at that point with the score on 147 in the 18th over, but Bravo's innings turned a stiff chase into an improbable one.

It did not help Chargers that the longest any of their batsmen managed to last was 18 deliveries and the most any of them made was 23. Super Kings' spin battery smothered Chargers completely. R Ashwin gave 12 runs in his three overs at the start, Shadab Jakati got the important wickets of Cameron White and Christian, and Jadeja did the rest. He is an unspectacular bowler, but is generally accurate.

By the time he was brought on in the 11th over, the asking-rate had already crossed 12. Chargers had no option but to go after the bowling. But this was Jadeja's night, and there was to be no hitting him.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	Powerplay (0-6)	16-20 overs	NB/Wides

Chennai Super Kings	48	10	12	44-2	60-1	1/7
Deccan Chargers	47	11	4	45-1	2-2 (17.1)	0/3

Somerset v India, Taunton- india england series 2011. photos

2011-07-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bresnan recalled as Broad keeps place - England v India, 1st Test, Lord's

2011-07-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Tim Bresnan is back in England's Test squad after injury ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series © Getty Images

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Sehwag, Gambhir back in full-strength Test squad

2011-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Virender Sehwag, who is yet to fully recover after undergoing surgery on his shoulder, has made it to 17-man India squad for the Test series in England, but will miss the first two weeks of the tour to give him time to recuperate further.
Yuvraj Singh is back in the Test side after his headlining World Cup performance

Sachin Tendulkar returned to the squad after skipping the West Indies tour to rest, while Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth made comebacks from injury breaks. Yuvraj Singh, who missed the West Indies tour with a chest infection, also forced his way back into the Test plans following his excellent performance in the World Cup. M Vijay and Virat Kohli, who have so far failed to impress in the West Indies Tests, were dropped, while Suresh Raina's strong show in the same series helped him retain his place.

Abhinav Mukund, who made a dogged 48 in Barbados on Friday, will travel to England as the reserve opener. Wriddhiman Saha was included as the back-up wicketkeeper, edging out Parthiv Patel. Cheteshwar Pujara is yet to recover from the knee injury he picked up in the IPL, and misses out once again.

Munaf Patel made the squad despite missing the first two West Indies Tests with fitness issues. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, who have been among the wickets in the Caribbean, round off the pace attack, while Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra make up the spin department.

The tour begins with a three-day warm-up match on July 15, with the first Test starting on July 21 at Lord's.

The squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Gautam Gambhir (vice-capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Abhinav Mukund, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar

Pakistan players joined in Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) - Afridi to lead a team

2011-05-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi says he has accepted an offer to lead one of the provinces in the inaugural edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) later this year.

"It's a good opportunity and I will try to make the most of it," Afridi, 31, told Pakistani daily the News. "There is a comfortable window for us [Pakistan's cricketers] to feature in the league in Sri Lanka. We have a sufficient break from international cricket this summer."

The SLPL comes as a shot in the arm for Pakistan's cricketers who have been ignored by the lucrative IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008. Afridi said that he has signed a three-year contract, worth US$35,000 for the first season of the SLPL, with the amount doubling in 2012. He is expected to be joined in the tournament by Pakistan team-mates Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul and Umar Akmal.

The SLPL will be a seven-team inter-provincial tournament played over approximately 18 days in July-August. The teams will play each other once, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. All the games will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the winner of the tournament will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20.

Among the other international players who will be taking part are Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Daniel Vettori, Daniel Christian, Herschelle Gibbs and Kevin O'Brien.

Guys (in the IPL) treat us like meat: S African cheerleader

2011-05-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, May 10 (PTI): "The guys (in the IPL) treat us like meat", says a South African dancer who was summarily sent home after exposing the antics of some of the players on a blog.

Gabriella Pasqualotto, 22, told the Afrikaans daily Beeld that she was put on the first flight home after being a cheerleader for the Mumbai Indians since last month, following complaints to league officials about her blogging.

Picking up her comments on Twitter, the website www.alternativecricket.com asked Pasqualotto to write a regular blog.

After just two entries, a fellow cheerleader tipped off an unnamed player, who in turn informed the organisers.

In the blog, which has since been removed, Pasqualotto wrote: "Old Graeme Smith will make eyes at anything - while his girlfriend is walking behind him."

Another entry read: "The Aussies are naughty. These cricketers are the most loose (men) I have ever encountered."

"I've still got to stay here a long time, so I have to keep by my list of hints: Beware of cricketers!" she said.

Crying foul from her parents' home in Pietermaritzburg today, Pasqualotto said the organisers would not even allow her to cash traveller's cheques or buy a phone card before bundling her onto a plane home.

Pasqualotto claimed that a number of other girls in the IPL had been "intimate" with cricketers and sponsors.

"It's a joke. We can't go anywhere without being surrounded by huge crowds. And some of the girls did not behave themselves," Pasqualotto said, adding that this was despite warnings from IPL organisers about behaviour on their arrival in India.

These instructions included not visiting players.

Craig Livingstone, spokesman for former South African captain Smith, told Beeld there was no reason to comment, while Cricket South Africa media spokesman Michael Owen-Smith said it was a matter for the IPL only

Sreesanth throws bottle with angry after dropped him for the match against Royal Challengers.

2011-05-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

S Sreesanth has shed tears on the field before - when Harbhajan Singh slapped him in the inaugural season of the IPL.
But this time was different. When Kochi Tuskers skipper Mahela Jayawardene dropped him for the match against Royal Challengers, he was in no mood to take it lying down. the

e Kerala pacer was seen fuming when the team was announced. On a slow pitch, Jayawardene decided to go in with off-spinner Ramesh Powar, a decision that didn't go down well with the volatile speedster. TV cameras caught Sreesanth in a foul mood. He had a heated discussion with Aussie team coach Geoff Lawson first. There was some finger-pointing. A few minutes later, Muttiah Muralitharan was seen trying to calm the bowler who was shouting.

Sreesanth, who is based in Bangalore, was obviously desperate to play in the game his team lost. Skipper Jayawardene played down the incident. "I request you guys not to over-hype this issue," he told mediapersons.

Photos, Pics of Kolkata Knight Riders v Kochi Tuskers Kerala match

2011-05-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Scorecard - Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Kolkata Knight Riders at Kochi

2011-05-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 156/5 (20/20 ov)

Kolkata Knight Riders 139/7 (20.0/20 ov)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala won by 17 runs

Indian Premier League - 45th match
Twenty20 match | 2011 season
Played at Nehru Stadium, Kochi
5 May 2011 - day/night (20-over match)


Kochi Tuskers Kerala innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
BB McCullum	c Kallis b Unadkat	1	8	0	0	12.50
M Klinger	c Iqbal Abdulla b Pathan	29	26	3	0	111.53
PA Patel†	c Bhatia b Unadkat	21	16	4	0	131.25
DPMD Jayawardene*	run out (Ladda/Kallis)	55	41	2	2	134.14
RA Jadeja	c Pathan b Bhatia	8	11	1	0	72.72
BJ Hodge	not out	35	19	3	2	184.21
RV Gomez	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	(lb 1, w 3, nb 2)	6

Total	(5 wickets; 20 overs)	156	(7.80 runs per over)

Did not bat R Vinay Kumar, RP Singh, S Sreesanth, P Parameswaran

Fall of wickets1-6 (McCullum, 1.4 ov), 2-30 (Patel, 5.2 ov), 3-81 (Klinger, 11.5 ov), 4-96 (Jadeja, 14.4 ov), 5-134 (Jayawardene, 18.6 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
B Lee	4	1	42	0	10.50	(1nb)
JD Unadkat	4	0	25	2	6.25	(1w)
Iqbal Abdulla	2	0	16	0	8.00
JH Kallis	3	0	21	0	7.00	(1w)
S Ladda	1	0	13	0	13.00	(1nb)
R Bhatia	3	0	22	1	7.33
YK Pathan	3	0	16	1	5.33	(1w)


Kolkata Knight Riders innings (target: 157 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
JH Kallis	b Gomez	45	41	5	0	109.75
EJG Morgan	run out (†Patel/Vinay Kumar)	66	51	8	2	129.41
G Gambhir*	c Jayawardene b Gomez	0	1	0	0	0.00
MK Tiwary	c McCullum b Vinay Kumar	1	7	0	0	14.28
YK Pathan	c Jayawardene b Vinay Kumar	17	13	2	0	130.76
MV Boucher†	b Singh	5	4	0	0	125.00
B Lee	run out (Jadeja/†Patel)	1	2	0	0	50.00
R Bhatia	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	(lb 1, w 2)	3

Total	(7 wickets; 20 overs)	139	(6.95 runs per over)

Did not bat Iqbal Abdulla, S Ladda, JD Unadkat

Fall of wickets1-69 (Kallis, 10.2 ov), 2-69 (Gambhir, 10.3 ov), 3-97 (Tiwary, 13.6 ov), 4-132 (Morgan, 18.4 ov), 5-132 (Pathan, 18.5 ov), 6-138 (Lee, 19.4 ov), 7-139 (Boucher, 19.6 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
RP Singh	4	0	44	1	11.00	(1w)
S Sreesanth	3	0	24	0	8.00	(1w)
R Vinay Kumar	4	0	28	2	7.00
P Parameswaran	4	0	21	0	5.25
RV Gomez	4	1	14	2	3.50
RA Jadeja	1	0	7	0	7.00

Match details

Toss Kolkata Knight Riders, who chose to field
Points Kochi Tuskers Kerala 2, Kolkata Knight Riders 0

Player of the match BJ Hodge (Kochi Tuskers Kerala)

Umpires S Ravi and RJ Tucker (Australia)
TV umpire SK Tarapore
Match referee D Govindjee (South Africa)
Reserve umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan

Gomez and Hodge star as Kochi Tuskers win by 17 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders

2011-05-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 156 for 5 (Jayawardene 55, Unadkat 2-25) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 139 for 7 (Morgan 66, Gomez 2-14 by 17 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Eoin Morgan opened up late, but Kochi's bowlers held their nerve to finish on the winning side © AFP

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In-form Kolkata v giant-killers Kochi

2011-05-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

Match facts

Wednesday, May 5, Kochi
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Sreesanth has the one of the best economy rates this IPL © AFP

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Big Picture

If you are a Kochi fan, be worried. Be very worried. Kochi are playing at home. They have just won one game at home, cribbed silently about the pitches, and seem a happy unit away from home. Even their senior players, Mahela Jayawardene and Brad Hodge, expressed their relief and happiness at playing away from home on a "good pitch" in their last game against Delhi. The way they performed would have given them heart. They went in with a four-pronged seam attack and it worked for them. Another thing that would give them hope is their record against the big teams; they have beaten Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.

Even Gautam Gambhir has stopped mentioning trying to bring "joy to the city of joy". It's now accepted that Kolkata Knight Riders are a team to reckon with. Victory is no longer a pleasant surprise; it's expected now. There were murmurs that Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan didn't do much in the first half of the tournament. So what does Gambhir do? He pushed Morgan to open and promoted Yusuf ahead in the last game. Morgan has got some starts and Yusuf exploded in the last match against Deccan. Nearly all their batsmen are in form and with Iqbal Abdulla and Rajat Bhatia coming good with the ball against Deccan, their attack looks more rounded.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata: WWWLL (second on points table)
Kochi: WLLLW (sixth on points table)

Team talk

It will come down to the pitch. If it has pace and bounce, or even lack of it, Kochi might reprise their four-seam attack. Kolkata are unlikely to change the winning combination. Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Jacques Kallis has been one of the key factors in Kolkata's revival. He has ensured the team doesn't lose wickets against the new ball and has set up a good platform for the middle and end overs. It's a pattern with the teams at the top: Sachin Tendulkar and Mike Hussey have done similar jobs for their teams. Kallis has always been synonymous with solidity and he has not disappointed his fans thus far.

Brad Hodge is someone like Kallis: solid, experienced, assured and someone who is extremely self-aware of his game. However, he has had a quiet tournament so far, just tallying 157 runs from nine games. His form was perfectly captured in the game against Deccan Chargers when he played a rather loose, ambitious drive way outside the line of a delivery from Ishant Sharma. He made a brisk unbeaten 24 in his last game and said it was good to get out there and play some shots. Will that little knock be the signpost of his turnaround this season?

Prime numbers

Sreesanth has the fourth lowest economy rate (5.83) for any bowler who has bowled 18 overs or more in the tournament. Yusuf Pathan has the lowest economy rate (5.96) for Kolkata
Manoj Tiwary and Ravindra Jadeja have hit 12 sixes, the third highest number by any batsman. Yuvraj Singh stands at the top with 15 sixes.

The chatter

"I am making an effort not to go for too many unconventional strokes. I am not comfortable with them and if cricketing shots can get me the desired runs I don't need to resort to reverse sweeps … I have worked very hard in the gym over the last few months. I was at home during the World Cup and utilised that time by improving on my upper-body strength which is important in international cricket."
Ravindra Jadeja on the factors behind his success in this IPL

"I always believed that there were never great captains and there will be no great captain. There are only great teams. No captain can win you the game. It is the team that wins the game. So far, I am enjoying my captaincy … You end up taking responsibility, you end up learning a lot, you feel happy when you end up winning."
Gautam Gambhir indulges in some straight talk

Prasanth Parameswaran - kochi tuskers kerala player

2011-05-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Prasanth Parameswaran

India

Full name Prasanth Parameswaran

Born May 30, 1985, Thanner Mukham

Current age 25 years 337 days

Major teams Kerala, Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Left-arm medium

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	4s	Ct
First-class	6	8	3	14	6*	2.80	70	20.00	2	0
List A	18	12	6	34	11*	5.66	72	47.22	4	2
Twenty20	8	3	3	1	1*	-	6	16.66	0	1

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w
First-class	6	8	1219	472	18	4/22	7/47	26.22	2.32	67.7	2	0
List A	18	18	942	753	29	6/35	6/35	25.96	4.79	32.4	1	1
Twenty20	8	8	173	219	11	3/34	3/34	19.90	7.59	15.7	0	0

Career statistics

First-class debut	Haryana v Kerala at Rohtak, Dec 8-10, 2009 scorecard
Last First-class	Andhra v Kerala at Anantapur, Dec 8-11, 2010 scorecard
List A debut	Kerala v Tamil Nadu at Secunderabad, Feb 16, 2007 scorecard
Last List A	Karnataka v Kerala at Palakkad, Feb 18, 2011 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	Karnataka v Kerala at Visakhapatnam, Apr 3, 2007 scorecard
Last Twenty20	Haryana v Kerala at Hyderabad (Deccan), Mar 14, 2011 scorecard

Scorecard Delhi Daredevils v Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Delhi, May 2, 2011

2011-05-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Delhi Daredevils 140/6 (20/20 ov)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 141/3 (15.0/20 ov)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala won by 7 wickets (with 30 balls remaining)

Indian Premier League - 41st match
Twenty20 match | 2011 season
Played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
2 May 2011 - day/night (20-over match)


Delhi Daredevils innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
DA Warner	c Vinay Kumar b Sreesanth	13	15	2	0	86.66
V Sehwag*	c †Patel b Parameswaran	15	9	2	1	166.66
NV Ojha†	c †Patel b Singh	13	14	1	1	92.85
Y Nagar	c Singh b Vinay Kumar	18	23	1	0	78.26
Y Venugopal Rao	c Singh b Parameswaran	40	36	5	0	111.11
TR Birt	c †Patel b Vinay Kumar	27	15	5	0	180.00
IK Pathan	not out	5	6	0	0	83.33
RE van der Merwe	not out	2	3	0	0	66.66
Extras	(lb 2, w 4, nb 1)	7

Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs)	140	(7.00 runs per over)

Did not bat M Morkel, AB Agarkar, U Yadav

Fall of wickets1-21 (Sehwag, 2.3 ov), 2-42 (Warner, 5.5 ov), 3-43 (Ojha, 6.2 ov), 4-97 (Nagar, 14.5 ov), 5-116 (Venugopal Rao, 17.1 ov), 6-135 (Birt, 18.6 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
RP Singh	4	0	28	1	7.00	(1w)
S Sreesanth	4	0	24	1	6.00	(1nb)
P Parameswaran	4	0	29	2	7.25
R Vinay Kumar	4	0	25	2	6.25	(1w)
RV Gomez	2	0	16	0	8.00
RA Jadeja	2	0	16	0	8.00	(2w)


Kochi Tuskers Kerala innings (target: 141 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
M Klinger	lbw b van der Merwe	18	20	3	0	90.00
BB McCullum	c Yadav b Morkel	37	19	5	2	194.73
PA Patel†	not out	37	31	5	0	119.35
DPMD Jayawardene*	run out (Nagar)	7	10	1	0	70.00
BJ Hodge	not out	24	13	3	1	184.61
Extras	(lb 3, w 12, nb 3)	18

Total	(3 wickets; 15 overs)	141	(9.40 runs per over)

Did not bat RA Jadeja, RV Gomez, R Vinay Kumar, RP Singh, S Sreesanth, P Parameswaran

Fall of wickets1-61 (McCullum, 5.1 ov), 2-71 (Klinger, 7.1 ov), 3-89 (Jayawardene, 9.6 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
IK Pathan	4	0	38	0	9.50	(3w)
M Morkel	3	0	29	1	9.66	(1nb, 2w)
U Yadav	1	0	23	0	23.00	(1nb, 1w)
AB Agarkar	3	0	18	0	6.00
RE van der Merwe	3	0	15	1	5.00	(2w)
Y Nagar	1	0	15	0	15.00	(1nb)

Match details

Toss Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who chose to field
Points Kochi Tuskers Kerala 2, Delhi Daredevils 0

Player of the match P Parameswaran (Kochi Tuskers Kerala)

Kochi Tuskers pummel Delhi Daredevils

2011-05-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 141 for 3 (Parthiv 37*, McCullum 37) beat Delhi Daredevils 140 for 6 (Venugopal 40) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Five defeats at home have meant the Feroz Shah Kotla faithful have had little to cheer this season, and today was the bleakest day since Delhi Daredevils were routed by Mumbai Indians in their opening game. Two days after a Virender Sehwag special handed Kochi Tuskers Kerala a hiding, it was the turn of Mahela Jayawardene's men to outclass Delhi, snapping a three-game losing streak by cruising to victory with five overs to go.

Full report to follow

20 overs Delhi Daredevils 140 for 6 (Venugopal 40) v Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Things would have been worse for Delhi if not for Venugopal Rao © AFP

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The Feroz Shah Kotla was neither the square turner it was in the Kolkata Knight Riders match nor was it the batting beauty that it was in the Kings XI Punjab match. Even though there wasn't too much to interest the bowlers, Delhi's batsmen struggled to force the pace in their crucial match against fellow stragglers Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Only three overs in the innings went for ten or more as Delhi settled for a middling score of 140. Things could have been worse for them if not for the steadying influence of Venugopal Rao in the middle order.

Delhi's batting is hugely reliant on their two lethal hitters at the top of the order, Virender Sehwag and David Warner, and their early exit derailed the home side's innings. Sehwag swatted a couple of fours in the first over, and greeted the debutant Prasanth Parameswaran with a brutal hit for six in the third over. Three balls later, though, Parameswaran had a moment to remember, getting Sehwag caught behind. And when Warner pulled Sreesanth to long-on, Delhi were down to 42 for 2.

It wasn't exactly vintage Twenty20 batting after that as Rao and Yogesh Nagar put on the biggest stand of the innings at just over a-run-a-ball. There was a surprise bouncer down the leg side from the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, and a ball that bounced twice from Vinay Kumar and was swiped for four, but otherwise it was mostly sedate stuff.

The arrival of Travis Birt spiced up things as he chipped in with a series of innovative strokes, scoring virtually all his runs behind the wicket. The highlight of the innings was his angled glide for four through third man, after he went down on a knee and initially looked to paddle the ball. Despite his efforts though, the total will be tough to defend for Delhi, and will make their chances of making the semi-final even more remote.

Battle for come back..... Kochi Tuskers vs Delhi Daredevils

2011-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Delhi Daredevils finds itself at the bottom of the points table and as the battle for playoff berths gets hotter, its captain Virender Sehwag realises that the task of getting into the top four may be a very difficult one.

“None of our plans are working,” said Sehwag, after the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi on Thursday night. A couple of days before that, he slammed the pitch at his home ground after a loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore saying his repeated pleas for a green-top track had been ignored.

As Daredevils gets ready for Saturday evening's game against Kochi Tuskers Kerala here, Sehwag will perhaps find some company to share his thoughts with in the home captain Mahela Jayawardene too.

Two days ago, Jayawardene also held the pitch partly responsible for the Tuskers' loss to Deccan Chargers. And against an inspired Ishant Sharma he found none of his plans working too.

The Kochi wicket, however, is likely to be an even pitch, which will favour both batsmen and bowlers.

The late-night games and early-morning flights mean that the players are often a weary lot. The Delhi boys are a classic case. After a near-midnight finish, they had to catch an early morning flight to Kochi on Friday.

“They had just about three hours sleep in Delhi before catching their flight. They are all asleep. They will not go for nets,” said a team source. .

In that sense, Tuskers will be a much fresher lot with its stars enjoying a two-day rest.

The team's batting, hugely dependent on Brendon McCullum and Jayawardene, has been a worry in the last couple of games but the captain is not likely to tinker with the combination much.

But the bowling looks a lot stronger than Delhi's.

Delhi has had problems both with its batting and bowling and, as one saw on Thursday night, the team tends to lose its steel under pressure at the finish

.Kochi Tuskers' Brendon McCullum recieves treatment on his right shoulder as coach Geoff Lawson looks on

Kochi Corporation strikes peace with Tuskers

2011-04-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

KOCHI: Moving towards an amicable resolution to the standoff between the Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) management and the Kochi Corporation, the civic body on Friday granted permission to have a hospitality block for the IPL matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here.The Corporation's decision comes in the wake of the KTK management seeking permission to have the block to enable a select group to enjoy the match, Mayor Tony Chammany told Express. Those having the privilege to enter the block may not be considered spectators, they submitted.The privileged class includes the representatives of the team management, sponsors, the BCCI and the KCA and their guests.The application seeking such a sector was submitted after the Corporation took objection to the organisers printing a portion of tickets of face value of Rs 15,000 at Rs 49 to be given as complimentary tickets.Subsequently, the Grand Stand at the venue, which functioned as the hospitality box earlier, was closed for the last match held on April 27. According to the new understanding, special boxes will be demarcated as IPL Stand, Owners Stand and KCA box within the area of the Grand Stand, sources said.Also, special invitations will be issued to the dignitaries instead of tickets.The situation had taken an ugly turn on Wednesday, after the Corporation officials made an attempt to visit the stadium to conduct an inspection. As they were not allowed to enter the stadium, the Corporation had threatened to take legal recourse

Duncan Fletcher appointed India's Cricketing coach

2011-04-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Profile and pics of Duncan Fletcher click here

Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach and Zimbabwe captain, has been appointed India's coach, ending weeks of speculation over who will succeed Gary Kirsten. The BCCI announced the decision to give Fletcher a two-year contract after a Working Committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Eric Simons' tenure as the team's bowling coach was also extended.

Fletcher, though, is unlikely to join India for the tour of the West Indies in June. "The contract with Fletcher is for two years," N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said. "He may not join the team in West Indies as he has some prior commitments.

"After a lot of thought and consultation, the BCCI president and BCCI secretary placed Fletcher's name before the Working Committee, which the Committee ratified," Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said, adding that the terms and conditions of Fletcher's appointment would be the same as that of Kirsten's.

It has been reliably learnt that Kirsten played an important hand in recommending Fletcher for the job. Also the board consulted some of the senior India players, including captain MS Dhoni, before finalising Fletcher's appointment.

Fletcher, 62, was in charge of England when they beat Australia in 2005 to regain the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87, and was credited with turning around England's fortunes in Tests during his eight-year stint, first with Nasser Hussain and then with Michael Vaughan.

He was England's first foreign coach and took over in 1999. He oversaw Test series wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, though Australia thrashed England 4-1 in the Ashes in 2001. Later, with Vaughan, he helped England win their first Test series in South Africa post apartheid and the pair played a critical role in moulding a team that was to win the Ashes in 2005.

England won 42 and lost 30 Tests with Fletcher in charge but their ODI form wasn't as good - winning 75 and losing 82. His tenure reached its lowest ebb during a 0-5 Ashes drubbing in Australia in 2006-07 and a disappointing World Cup campaign, after which he stepped down. One of Fletcher's problems during his England reign was a tetchy relationship with the media, something which Vaughan felt could be a hindrance in his India job as well. "Duncan will work well with all the talent," Vaughan said on Twitter. "His biggest challenge will come from the media ... he has never really understood how it works."

After giving up the England job, Fletcher took up several short-term international assignments. He joined South Africa as a batting consultant in 2008, a role he returned to for the 2011 World Cup, and was in a similar position with New Zealand on their tour of India last year.

England were officially ranked the worst Test team when he took over as their coach, and he will now take charge of a team that won the World Cup earlier this month and is currently top of the Test rankings.

One of the first coaching jobs Fletcher took up was at the University of Cape Town, where Kirsten was part of the team. The pair once again were together at Western Province.

In 1994, Fletcher applied for his first high-profile job - the head coach of South Africa. He was one of the three candidates interviewed. His competitors were Eddie Barlow and Bob Woolmer. Eventually the three-man panel comprising Peter Pollock, Raymond White and Ali Bacher agreed on Woolmer, who stayed in the job till 1999. Fletcher, meanwhile, operated as South Africa A coach for a while before taking up the England assignment.

According to Bacher, Fletcher's style of coaching draws a lot from his playing days."Hardworking, disciplined, very professionally driven and played to his utmost potential even if he was not blessed with extraordinary talent," Bacher said. "He brings the same characteristics to his coaching."

Fletcher has also been known to work on an individual basis with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.

Duncan Fletcher profile - Indian Cricket Team Coach

2011-04-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Duncan Fletcher

Zimbabwe

Full name Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher

Born September 27, 1948, Salisbury (now Harare)

Current age 62 years 212 days

Major teams Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Western Province

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Other Coach

Relation Brother -

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct
ODIs	6	6	2	191	71*	47.75	289	66.08	0	2	14	0	0
First-class	111	198	25	4095	93	23.67			0	20			75
List A	53	45	6	1119	108	28.69			1	7			20

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
ODIs	6	6	301	221	7	4/42	4/42	31.57	4.40	43.0	1	0	0
First-class	111		12352	6027	215	6/31		28.03	2.92	57.4		5	1
List A	53		2422	1652	70	4/41	4/41	23.60	4.09	34.6	3	0	0

Indian Premier League 2011 - Points table

2011-04-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Mumbai Indians	6	5	1	0	10	+0.707	884/115.2	828/119.0
Rajasthan Royals	7	3	3	1	7	-0.357	791/111.3	837/112.2
Kolkata Knight Riders	6	3	3	0	6	+0.393	856/112.2	854/118.1
Kings XI Punjab	5	3	2	0	6	-0.095	868/96.5	844/93.1
Kochi Tuskers Kerala	6	3	3	0	6	-0.347	869/114.0	866/108.4
Royal Challengers Bangalore	6	2	3	1	5	-0.391	781/96.5	833/98.3
Pune Warriors	4	2	2	0	4	+0.667	569/72.0	574/79.2
Chennai Super Kings	5	2	3	0	4	-0.157	814/97.0	805/94.1
Delhi Daredevils	5	2	3	0	4	-0.231	819/99.2	808/95.2
Deccan Chargers	6	2	4	0	4	-0.251	934/120.0	936/116.3

Photos of Rajasthan Royals v Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Jaipur - IPL photos

2011-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

A Speed Braker for the Kochi Tuskers Kerala by Rajasthan Royals

2011-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Rajasthan Royals 111 for 2 (Watson 49, Dravid 44) beat Kochi Tuskers Kerala 109 (Parthiv 32, Warne 3-16, Trivedi 3-19) by eight wickets

Cosmetic surgery? Moisturiser? Who cares? Shane Warne is still ripping them legbreaks. He is still getting vicious dip and drift. He is still producing key wickets - tonight those of Brad Hodge and the top-scorers Parthiv Patel and Ravindra Jadeja - to keep Rajasthan Royals alive in the tournament. On a pitch where the bounce varied from shoulder to shin-high off similar lengths, Kochi Tuskers Kerala threatened to convert their ordinary start into a decent total, but Warne came back to remove both Parthiv and Jadeja off successive deliveries to end the 48-run fourth-wicket partnership. The resultant target was sub-par even on the slightly two-paced pitch, and Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson ensured there were no hiccups in the chase, with a 71-run opening stand.

Rajasthan were right at home in conditions that their two spinners and predominantly slower-ball bowlers enjoy. They also had the injured Johan Botha back, who removed Mahela Jayawardene with the first ball he bowled. It all started inauspiciously for Kochi, with Brendon McCullum missing out because of a bad shoulder. His replacement, VVS Laxman, ran himself out. Botha came on and turned one across Jayawardene, and with some help from the protruding thigh pad, the ball found a way into the stumps. Warne did Brad Hodge in with one that kept low. As a consequence of those big wickets, once Kochi's run-rate fell below six in the fifth over, it never crossed that mark.

Rajasthan's international bowlers - Warne, Botha and Watson - went for 58 in 12 overs between them. Warne even found time to settle a personal score. He welcomed Ravindra Jadeja, who had tried to move away from his franchise last year and was banned in the process, with a bouncer at 110kph. Jadeja and Parthiv, though, kept their heads and put Kochi on their way to what could have been a defendable target. They picked their battles wisely, taking risks against the domestic bowlers, running hard, not looking for ambitious shots.

At 88 for 3 after 15 overs, though, they decided they needed to push for more runs, especially considering it was the expected dew that had made Rajasthan field first on this pitch. Jadeja came down to Warne, who bowled the straighter one and got a thick edge along the ground. Two balls later Jadeja tried the slog sweep, but this one bounced at him, taking the top edge. Back-pedalling, Warne completed the catch around mid-on. Parthiv lost his head next ball, trying the reverse-sweep, and was stumped off a slider.

After that Kochi lost their way with new batsman struggling to time the ball on the slow track. In all, seven wickets fell for 21 runs. The momentum continued into the second innings as Watson smashed the first ball to the cover boundary. Dravid took over from there, playing proper cricketing shots to counter the tricky pitch. He also hit the first six of the match shortly before running himself out, going for an ambitious second run. At 71 for 1, only formalities remained, but Watson pushed the rate up, ensuring the target was achieved with 5.5 overs to spare, giving Rajasthan's net run-rate a boost.

Kochi Tuskars cheer girls photo,Kochi tuskers cheerleaders in IPL,IPL Cheer Girls,IPL Cheerleaders.IPL 2011

2011-04-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Sourav Ganguly may play for Kochi IPL team or coach for Bangladesh?

2011-04-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

Every cricketer is in news after the win in ICC World Cup 2011 and with the start of IPL4 cricket is the hot topic this season. Hot news coming from the cricket grounds is that Sourav Ganguly the former Indian skipper is in demand now-a-days. Sourav Ganguly is expected to be a top choice as a batting coach for Bangladesh cricket team as well as the former Indian skipper can replace Jayewardene captain of Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL 4.

Heartbroken Bangladesh team after not even entering in quarter finals of World Cup 2011 is planning to change their coach. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has few options on their list for the replacement of their current Australian coach and the top names include Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly. BCB has not made an official offer to Ganguly but is expected to be among their first priority.

After the announcement that Sri Lankan Cricket Board has made a point to call back all Sri Lankan players from IPL 4 for practicing for the upcoming tour with England.

IPL Ticket Prices for Kochi matches to be reduced

2011-04-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Due to poor ticket sales and turneout of spectators, sources learnt that ticket prices for forthcoming KTK matches at Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium will be reduced at elast 25%. Rs.400 and Rs.600 ticket tiers will merged to one tier and will be sold at Rs.300 and other tiers will see an average 25% discount.

KTK management requests all fans to purchase tickets and be present there at the stadium to support Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Riya Sen the Brand Ambassador for IPL's Kochi Tuskers

2011-04-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

Bengali actress Riya Sen, who is the brand ambassador for IPL's Kochi Tuskers, was in dilemma about which team to cheer for last evening when Kochi Tuskers were up against Kolkata Knight Riders.

'Today's match being between my heart and soul ...a much anticipated one...gotta lose some to gain some,' she tweeted. She posted a picture of herself with Shah Rukh Khan, the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (left), and also one with her sister Raima.

Raima, meanwhile, did not have to face any such dilemma, and openly supported KKR.

Sushmita Sen, on the other hand, cheered for both teams. 'Now this is an EXCITING match!!! :) GO KKR..GO KOCHI!!!! Fun fun fun!!!! :)))) What's a 20 over game without a nail biting finish!!!;) see d fun of having no favorites..I enjoy both sides n cheer ANY good player!!luv it What a fantastic match!!! Congratulations KOCHI!!! Well played!' she updated.