Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Can Kochi Tuskers Kerala win IPL 4?

2011-04-21T20:38:00.001+05:30

New Delhi: From being absolute no-hopers to giant-killers, the journey of the Kochi Tuskers Kerala has riveted the small but fanatical cricket loving public in Kerala.

Many of us shook our heads in despair when, from a seemingly unassailable position, the Tuskers contrived to lose their first match against RCB at home. There was a sense of inevitability that Mahela was fighting a losing battle when they stumbled against co-debutants Pune Warriors at the DY Patil stadium at Navi Mumbai.

So when the Orange-and-Purple went out to play the mighty Blue Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, people wondered if the Tuskers were about be hunted to extinction by a team playing at home and in flawless form. Would the elephant soon be another pelt on the belt of the likes of Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, Malinga and Pollard?

It didn't help Kochi's cause much when Sachin blasted his maiden ton in the T20 format that day. At the end of the first innings, a decidedly big-looking 182 stared Kochi in the face. All looked lost and some of us watched the match only hoping to see Malinga fling his toe crushers at the hapless Kochi batsmen.

What transpired next was pure magic? Brendon McCullum, playing fearless cricket in the company of his captain and batsman-extraordinaire Mahela Jayewardene, made mockery of the stiff target that the Mumbai Indians had put up.

Brad Hodge and Ravindra Jadeja knocked off the balance in style. Flash in the pan, was my first thought.

Come Monday, April 18 and another battle at home loomed. Chennai Super Kings, the reigning IPL and ICC champions in this format of the game, were visiting. The memory of the first home match loss against RCB was yet to fade.

In a rain-curtailed match, Mahela's team polished off a below par score of CSK with an over to spare and 7 wickets standing. There was some whirlwind hitting by Brendon, Jadeja and Hodge again and a silken though short innings of substance by Mahela at the top.

Suddenly, Kochi, the team and the town, was buzzing with excitement. Fans exuded cautious optimism of being part of a winning team.

This cautious optimism turned into a sense of disbelief and then downright joy when defending a modest 130-odd runs, Kochi upstaged a red-hot Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. Eden was silent when Vinay Kumar trundled up from a short run up to bowl and close off the match. Laxmipathy Balaji played the ball to long off for two runs and KTK had beaten KKR by 6 runs!

Amid all the euphoria and excitement of winning the third match in a row, Mahela sounded a word of caution when he said that Kochi had a long way to go and needed to be more consistent. This actually set me thinking about the main players in the Kochi cast and it did make some interesting reading.

Brendon McCullum holds the record for the highest score in IPL history.
Mahela, the Captain with the Midas touch.
Brad Hodge is the highest run-getter in T20 history.
Ravindra Jadeja is all beefed up and is biffing the cricket ball farther and higher than ever before.
RP Singh is the highest wicket taker in IPL history.
Murali is the highest wicket taker in any form of cricket
The Very Very Special Laxman, ah well.

And as I am writing this it is rumored that Souravda one of my favourite cricketers is all ready and signed up to join KTK if archaic rules would permit.

I appreciate and understand that translating figures on paper to form on the field will take character, perseverance and a whole lot of luck. But the turn of events over the past two weeks I daresay augurs well for the Tuskers. I have a sneaky feeling that consistent, KTK will be.

Mahela is scheduled to prematurely leave the Tuskers to don national colours for the Sri Lankan tour of England and will surely be missed by them. His calm and composed demeanor, form with the bat and his amazing luck with the toss will have to be replicated by the captain who takes over from him.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of India's finest captains will fill his boots and continue to take us, the fans, on the back of the powerful yet graceful animal that is the Tusker, to savor many more moments of happiness and delight that Team Kochi is capable of giving us. Any wagers on Kochi doing the distance?

Sourav Ganguly will be replaced if Jayawardena leaves

2011-04-21T20:36:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: Indian Premier League (IPL) debutants Kochi Tuskers Kerala indicated on Wednesday they could opt for former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who remained unsold in the players' auction, if their skipper Mahela Jayardena has to return home to prepare for Sri Lanka's tour of England.

Kochi Tuskers director Mukesh Patel said that they are yet to make any request to the Indian cricket board for Jayawardena's replacement but if the situation arises, Ganguly could be one of their options.

"We haven't asked for Jayawardena's replacement because we don't know the status on the availability of Sri Lankan players. But if there is a need, we may opt for Ganguly," Patel told IANS.

As for Ganguly, he dropped a hint Wednesday that he may after all play in the IPL's fourth season.

During an interview to a Bengali channel, when asked whether he will play in the league, Ganguly said: "...Dekhte paabe (you will see). I am keeping my fingers crossed."

Ganguly has always been linked with Kochi Tuskers, who earlier wanted the southpaw from out of auction but their request was turned down by the Indian board.

Both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Sri Lanka (SLC) have failed to find a solution on the availability of Sri Lankan cricketers for the rest of the IPL season.

Kochi Tuskers had also asked for Ganguly as a replacement for injured Australian recruit Steve Smith. But IPL rules did not permit this as Smith's base price of $200,000 was lower than that of Ganguly's $400,000.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Kolkata Knight Riders

2011-04-21T20:23:00.002+05:30

KTK vs KKR, 22nd match

Indian Premier League 2011: April 20, 2011

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Result: KTK won by 6 runs

Toss:

KKR won the toss and elected to bowl

Kochi Tuskers Kerala:

132/7 (20.0 Ovs)

Batsmen

B McCullum	c E Morgan b S Hasan	23	19	2	1	121.05
M Jayawardene (c)	lbw b Y Pathan	25	27	5	0	92.59
P Patel (wk)	lbw b Y Pathan	9	11	1	0	81.82
B Hodge	b Y Pathan	2	8	0	0	25.00
R Jadeja	c Y Pathan b B Lee	29	18	1	3	161.11
K Jadhav	b S Hasan	12	11	1	0	109.09
R Gomez	not out	10	10	0	1	100.00
V Kumar	b S Hasan	11	10	1	0	110.00
R Powar	not out	3	6	0	0	50.00
RP Singh
M Muralitharan
Extras	( b 1,w 3,nb 0,lb 4)	8
Total	(132 for 7 in 20 overs)	132

F.O.W: 1/49 (B McCullum, 6.6 ov.), 2/51 (M Jayawardene, 7.6 ov.), 3/55 (B Hodge, 9.5 ov.), 4/65 (P Patel, 11.5 ov.), 5/100 (K Jadhav, 14.6 ov.), 6/105 (R Jadeja, 15.4 ov.), 7/127 (V Kumar, 18.4 ov.)

Kolkata Knight Riders - Bowling	O	M	R	W	Nb	Wd	ER
B Lee	4	0	33	1	0	1	8.2
L Balaji	4	0	23	0	0	2	5.8
I Abdulla	4	0	23	0	0	0	5.8
S Hasan	4	0	28	3	0	0	7.0
Y Pathan	4	1	20	3	0	0	5.0

Kolkata Knight Riders: 126/9 (20.0 Ovs)

Batsmen

M Bisla (wk)	b R Jadeja	16	14	2	0	114.29
J Kallis	c K Jadhav b V Kumar	6	9	0	0	66.67
G Gambhir (c)	b RP Singh	3	5	0	0	60.00
M Tiwary	st P Patel b R Jadeja	46	51	2	2	90.20
E Morgan	run out (M Jayawardene)	14	12	2	0	116.67
S Hasan	b RP Singh	2	5	0	0	40.00
Y Pathan	c M Muralitharan b R Powar	8	3	0	1	266.67
R Bhatia	run out (R Jadeja/P Patel)	10	8	1	0	125.00
B Lee	c K Jadhav b M Muralitharan	1	3	0	0	33.33
I Abdulla	not out	12	9	1	0	133.33
L Balaji	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	( b 0,w 3,nb 0,lb 4)	7
Total	(126 for 9 in 20 overs)	126

F.O.W: 1/24 (J Kallis, 3.3 ov.), 2/27 (G Gambhir, 4.2 ov.), 3/37 (M Bisla, 5.6 ov.), 4/73 (E Morgan, 12.2 ov.), 5/86 (S Hasan, 14.6 ov.), 6/97 (Y Pathan, 15.5 ov.), 7/101 (M Tiwary, 16.5 ov.), 8/105 (B Lee, 17.3 ov.), 9/125 (R Bhatia, 19.5 ov.)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Bowling	O	M	R	W	Nb	Wd	ER
RP Singh	4	0	25	2	0	0	6.2
V Kumar	4	0	21	1	0	0	5.2
R Jadeja	4	0	25	2	0	1	6.2
R Powar	4	0	29	1	0	0	7.2
M Muralitharan	4	0	22	1	0	1	5.5

Result: KTK won by 6 runs

Kochi Tuskers Kerala Vs Kolkata Knight Riders

2011-04-21T20:12:00.001+05:30

Kochi beat Kolkata by six runs in an IPL match that went down to the wire at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday

Kochi beat Kolkata by six runs in an IPL match that went down to the wire at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

More than the batsmen it was a day the bowlers thrived on with 19 wickets falling in the match. But, it was Kochi captain Mahela Jayawardene, who won the Man of the Match award.

Earlier in the Kolkata innings, Jacques Kallis attempted to play a big one off R Vinay Kumar in the fourth over, but ended up getting caught in the deep by Kedar Jadhav on 24/1. In came Kochi paceman RP Singh and out went Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir with a fine yorker uprooting his middle stump on 3 and Kolkata were 27/2.

The other opener, Manvinder Bisla, too did not stay for long and was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja on 16 even as Kolkata were three wickets down for 37.

Finally, Manoj Tiwary and Eoin Morgan forged a partnership and just when the two were beginning to settle down, Morgan got run out ruining their plans. Morgan fell for 10 and Kolkata were at 73/4 in 12.2 overs.

Another wicket, this time of Shakib Al Hasan and Kochi came back into the game, which at one point looked drifting away from them. This was RP Singh's second wicket in the match and it too was a clean bowled. Kolkata were 86/5 at the stage.

Then it was time for Ranji Trophy veteran Ramesh Powar to show his skills with the ball. His off-break left Yusuf Pathan guessing even as he ended up giving a catch to Kochi's Sri Lankan import Muttiah Muralitharan near the mid-wicket boundary for 8. And Kolkata were down to 97/6.

Lone ranger Manoj Tiwary, who was battling the odds, too fell as Kochi tightened the noose. He scored a dogged 46 before falling to Jadeja in the 17th over when the team total was 101/7.

In the 18th over Brett Lee, an accomplished bowler, but not an accomplished batsman became Muttiah Muralitharan's first victim when the Kolkata score was 105.

In the last over, Kolkata needed nine runs off two balls and Vinay Kumar was the bowler, and their last recognised batsman Rajat Bhatia went for a double but ended up getting a run and Kolkata needed eight runs off the last ball. New man L Balaji scored one run off the last ball as Kochi won the match by six runs.

Kochi pacer RP Singh finished with impressive figures of 4-0-25-2.

Kochi innings

Kolkata bowlers Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan took three wickets each to restrict Kochi to 132/7 in this 22nd IPL match at the Eden Gardens

After being put to bat by opposition skipper Gautam Gambhir, who won the toss, Kochi were batting with ease with openers Brendon McCullum and captain Mahela Jayawardene at the crease. The two have been in good nick and were looking set for a big score, but Kolkata's Bangladeshi import Shakib Al Hasan struck on the last ball of the seven over to break their 49-run stand.

A tame shot off McCullum saw him give an easy catch to Eoin Morgan at backward point when he was batting on 23. The partnership broken, Jayawardene too did not last long and was sent back by Yusuf Pathan on 25 who had him leg before wicket. Kochi were 52/2 at the stage.

In the 10th over, Yusuf Pathan struck and clean bowled Brad Hodge cheaply to reduce Kochi to 55/3. An inside edge of Hodge's bat shattered his stumps when he was batting on 2. It wasn't over for Pathan, who then removed Parthiv Patel leg before in his next over and Kochi were down to 65/4.

Shakib came around to do some more damage in the 15th over. He scalped Kedar Jadhav on the lastball of the over and the Kochi scoreboard read 100/5.

But Ravindra Jadeja was still at the crease and when he gets going, he makes the bowlers pay, no matter how illustrious they may be. But, that phenomenon didn't come to pass as Kolkata's Aussie import Brett Lee thought otherwise. Jadeja went for a big one off him and ended up giving a catch to Yusuf Pathan near the boundary. He fell on 29 and Kochi were 105/6.

Kolkata bowlers were keeping a tight line, giving no room to the oppostion batsmen to score. For as soon as a Kochi batsman tried to get loose he would find himself walking back to the dugout. Then next in line was R Vinay Kumar, bowled Shakib on 11 and Kochi were down to 127/7.

Kochi managed to add five runs more and finish the innings on 132/7.

Kochi Tuskers beat Super Kings by seven wickets

2011-04-21T20:04:00.002+05:30

In a rain-affected match, that saw it being curtailed to a 17-over per side affair, Super Kings made 131 for four and then Brendan McCullum struck a blistering 47 as Kochi Tuskers raced away to make 135 for three with two overs to spare at the Nehru Stadium.

McCullum and skipper Mahela Jayawardene set the tone of the chase with their 39-run opening stand. Both the batsmen were dismissed by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

McCullum and Parthiv Patel (34) then took away the match from Super King's grasp with their 51-run stand for the second wicket.

Man of the Match McCullum smashed four fours and three sixes in his 33-ball stay while Patel hit four fours and a six in his 26-ball knock.

A late flourish from Brad Hodge (19 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (16 not out) took the Kochi Tuskers to home safely. Jadeja hit two sixes in his six-ball stay.

Earlier in the day, put in to bat Super Kings managed to get to 131 for four in 17 overs, thanks to a 40-ball 50 from Suresh Raina and a quick-fire 28 by opener Murali Vijay.

Pacer Rudra Paratap Singh struck early in the third over to get rid of Mike Hussey (8), caught behind by Parthiv Patel.

Raina and Vijay then added some quick 40-runs for the second wicket to get the defending champions back on track.

Kochi Tuskers bring down Mumbai Indians

2011-04-21T20:03:00.002+05:30

Mumbai: Two weeks ago, the crowd at the Wankhede was delirious though a fervently hoped-for Sachin Tendulkar century didn't materialise. On Friday, the crowd at the Wankhede was dejected despite Tendulkar crafting a century as Kochi Kerala Tuskers busted their party with one of the most memorable chases in IPL history.

Two of the world's finest Twenty20 batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Mahela Jayawardene, constructed chalk-and-cheese half-centuries to power Kochi's pursuit of 183 against the might of the Mumbai Indians. Both perished to Lasith Malinga's deadly deliveries but Kochi, who had stumbled in the final stretch of their first two games, didn't slip up this time as Ravindra Jadeja and Brad Hodge muscled boundaries to finish the game with an over to spare.

Once Sachin Tendulkar checked off another item on his ever-shrinking to-do list with his first century in Twenty20s and Mumbai ran up a tall total without even needing the awesome hitting-ability of Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds and Kieron Pollard, it was assumed that Malinga & Co would make the rest of the game a formality.

McCullum firmly put that assumption to rest by muscling three boundaries between mid-off and cover in Malinga's second over. The next big jump came in the sixth over by Kieron Pollard as McCullum swatted a four past midwicket and Jayawardene eased boundaries behind square on either side of the wicket.

McCullum kept skating out of the crease and lashing the ball through the off side right through his innings while Jayawardene was content shuffling across and using the bowler's pace, rarely powering the ball. The difference between the two batsmen's innings was highlighted in the ninth over as McCullum smashed the first ball over long-on, and Jayawardene reverse-paddled the fifth ball off the back of the bat for four.

With dew making it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball, both batsmen kept picking off the boundaries. Kochi were in command by the 14th over as they moved to 128 for 0 when Jayawardene deftly poked a Malinga delivery past the keeper to a delighted Kochi dug-out. Next ball, Malinga removed Jayawardene with a yorker which prompted a surprise promotion for Jadeja. McCullum, though, kept Kochi on top with a couple of scythed boundaries in the 17th over which worsened Pollard's poor day.

With 27 needed off three overs, and nine wickets in hand, Mumbai's gambled by bringing on Malinga for his final over. He delivered by bowling McCullum first ball, but Brad Hodge eased Kochi's anxieties with two walloped boundaries in rest of the over. Jadeja, who has received plenty of criticism over the past two years, then justified his promotion with a couple of swiped sixes off Murtaza Ali to finish off Mumbai with an over to go.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala Vs Pune Warriors India

2011-04-13T08:52:00.000+05:30

Kochi Tuskers lost out on a golden opportunity to beat Royal ChallengersBangalore in their IPL opener at home. Pune Warriors bowlers capitalized on some over-adventurous top-order batting from Kings XI Punjab to start their campaign on a winning note.

As Pune and Kochi cross swords in their second match at DY Patil stadium here on Wednesday, neutral fans would hope to find the true strengths of these teams.

Are medium pacers Shrikant Wagh and Alfonso Thomas that good? Can Kochi openers Brendon McCullum and VVS Laxman hit a purple patch against them, like they did against RCB the other day?

With Pune winning while chasing and Kochi losing out while batting first, there will be a temptation to put the opposition in after winning the toss. The experts keep saying that the wicket at this venue is not one of those belters and pacemen can expect help from it.

India paceman Sreesanth could be someone who will enjoy that help, but he needs to restrain himself. But if he gets things in order, he can be an asset on this track. Graeme Smith, who recently got engaged, will do well to tie the knot with restraint himself while facing the Kerala bowler. The duo clashed in the second Test of the Test series in South Africa in Durban and Sreesanth managed to get under the skin of Smith and the South African perished soon, resulting in a collapse.

The South African captain has been guilty of needless aggression in the limited-overs format of the game frequently. Being the captain of the team, he got away with it. If he continues to flirt with danger, his place in the team could come under scrutiny what with only four foreigners allowed in the playing XI.

It's not that every side is struggling to pick the best four foreigners. KKR picked only two in the opener against Chennai. And almost pulled it off against the defending champions.

Pune vs Kochi in some way will also be a battle between captains Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jaywardene. They are contrasting characters in vastly different stages of their careers. The Sri Lankan must strive to use the legendary offie and compatriot Muttiah Muralithan effectively. Even if it means giving him a bowl during powerplay. Mahela's decision to give the ball to Gomez proved too costly against RCB. He doesn't need any more errors of judgment.

Tuskers hungry for success, says skipper Jayawardene

2011-04-13T08:41:00.000+05:30

Kochi Tuskers Kerala skipper Mahela Jayawardene is looking for consistency as the debutant shapes up for an away game in IPL-IV.

“Everyone identifying his role is great for the team. We have enthusiastic international players, as well as keen young Indians. Most of them are keen on getting into the national team and work very hard. Hopefully we can play some consistent cricket.” Jayawardene was addressing the media at the team hotel on Tuesday.

STEPPING STONE

He talked about treating the IPL as a stepping stone to international cricket. “If they (Indian players) perform well, it gives them an opportunity to get back into the Indian team. A lot of these boys have done well over the last three IPL tournaments. I think Ravindra Jadeja had a very good game, R.P. (Singh) bowled well, so did Sreesanth. These guys are hungry for success, good for us.”

The Sri Lankan is of the opinion that the Kerala speedster, with a knack of landing in controversies, deserves careful handling. “I think you need to identify the individual. Sreesanth performs well in that manner. He is a very aggressive bowler, I have noticed he has toned down last one year, the reason he got to be a part of the Indian World Cup squad.”

The Kochi captain wants his main strike bowler to take the battle to the opposition. “We want him to be aggressive, that is what he is all about. I really don't want him to go away from that. You need characters in cricket. You had worse characters in international cricket in the past 20 years.”

Sreesanth's body language had got him into trouble in the past. Jayawardene's viewpoint is different. “I don't think he is that harmful to the game, If he can control himself, we can have for ourselves a good bowler, for Kochi as well for India. Sreesanth is heading in the right direction as long as he is doing that.”

The captain is happy to have mavericks like him to liven up the dressing room. “Brilliant to have Sreesanth around, he just needs to reduce the volume in his I-Pod as well as the speakers. The boys have given him new songs to play, we have some mixture going. With him and Murali around, nothing can go wrong for us.”

APPROACH TO SELECTION

Pune Warriors left-arm spinner Murali Kartik explained the team management's approach to selection. “We are looking at nine who can bat and bowl, apart from a batting line-up stretching to number 11.”

South African Alfonso Thomas is Murali's teammate at Somerset. “Thomas is very skilful all-rounder and knows what he's doing.”

He describes Wednesday's game as a “match between newcomers and old ones who have played the IPL for three years.”

Keywords: Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Jayawardene, Kochi Tuskers

Kochi Tuskers Kerala making a comeback in IPL - Mahela Jayawardene

2011-04-11T23:35:00.000+05:30

Following a loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening match of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament, Kochi Tuskers Kerala skipper Mahela Jayawardene has said that he is confident of his side making a comeback in the tournament

"I think the camp has been training for about a couple of weeks, few of the boys like Sri Lankan boys, we just joined couple of days ago, so did the New Zealand guys. We are trying to accustom to what we need to do and work on our areas and I think we can improve on all three departments," Jayawardene told reporters at the post-match conference.

"I think each game we will analyse it and see how we can improve ourselves and that is the challenge we have got. We have got quite good young players and at the same time some experienced guys who will put everything together and see what the best formula it is going to be," he added.

Meanwhile, expressing happiness over last night's win, Royal Challengers Bangalore wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers said that cricket is all about confidence and momentum.

"Yes it is always nice to start a tournament of this kind in a good way, always going to start with the win. This game of cricket is about confidence, momentum and we got little bit of that today," said de Villiers.

"We started with bit scratchy, I do not think that we played the best cricket out there but still it is important to pull through a win. I thought we got good experience to pull it over across the line with the few youngsters around to keep the ball," he added.

Royal Challengers Bangalore beat debutantes Kochi Tuskers Kerala by six wickets in a thrilling match at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.

Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

Kochi Tuskers Kerala Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

2011-04-11T22:38:00.002+05:30

Brendon McCullum plays a shot during the IPL Twenty20 match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore at The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi

VVS Laxman (R) is watched by AB de Villiers as he plays a shot during the IPL Twenty20 match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore at The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.

Mahela Jayawardene (R) is watched by AB de Villiers as he plays a shot during the IPL Twenty20 match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore at The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.

Santhakumaran Sreesanth (C) celebrates the wicket of Tilakaratne Dilshan during the IPL Twenty20 match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore at The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.

Jayawardene confident of Kochi Tuskers making a comeback in IPL

2011-04-11T22:23:00.001+05:30

The incorrigible Mr. Sreesanth

2011-04-11T22:17:00.000+05:30

As Santhakumaran Sreesanth walked back after a training session on the eve of Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s opener, a bunch of fans screamed out to catch his attention. With one of them flaunting a hairstyle very similar that of the local hero, Sreesanth’s smile was broader and the ‘wave back’ exaggerated.

Sreesanth’s hairstyle isn’t as popular here, as say Lasith Malinga’s in Galle, but his mass following in the state cannot be debated. But interestingly, Kerala enjoys a bit of a blow-hot, blow-cold relationship with only the second cricketer from the state to have played Tests. They like him, but it’s safe to say that Sreesanth isn’t hero-worshipped in these parts. In a format where fan-base numbers are important to the balance sheet of the franchise, Sreesanth is very important for IPL 4’s new entrants. And like his team, the fast bowler too would want to connect with his home fans, who hardly ever get to watch him otherwise.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala Roster

2011-04-11T22:11:00.001+05:30

Kochi Tuskers Kerala Roster

Batsmen

27 Mahela Jayawardene (captain)
02 VVS Laxman
03 Michael Klinger
11 Deepak Chougule
14 Y Gnaneswara Rao
29 Brad Hodge
45 Kedar Jadhav
-- Owais Shah
-- Tanmay Srivastava

Wicket Keepers

06 Chandan Madan
07 Brendon McCullum
42 Parthiv Patel
-- Sushant Marathe

All Rounders

01 Thissara Perera
12 Ravindra Jadeja
22 Yashpal Singh
28 Balachandra Akhil
41 John Hastings
49 Steven Smith
52 Raiphi Vincent Gomez
72 Stephen O'Keefe
-- Prashant Padmanabahan

Bowlers

Support Staff

Coach: Geoff Lawson
Assistant Coach: Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Assistant Coach: Sanjay Bangar
Batting Coach: VVS Laxman
Bowling Coach: Venkatesh Prasad
Physical Trainer: Craig Ranson
Conditioning and Strength Trainer : Mario Villavarayan
Sports Mechanics Consultant : Gurumoorthy Venkatesh
Captain: Mahela Jayawardene

Little cheer for Kochi Tuskers

2011-04-08T20:00:00.000+05:30

Oh boy! The home team has decided to field only players and not cheerleaders.

Instead, KTK will have music bands playing their tune while the oppositions will field their cheerful girls.The visiting cheerleaders have special rooms and easy access to the venue.

At least 18 locations have been slotted inside the venue for the dancing divas to stand and perform the drill.Meanwhile, KTK has erected a grand podium for its music bands to perform and keep the crowd on their heels.

DJ Savio will be running the show and guess what? A tweety bird has said that a special tune that resembles the trumpeting of elephants will be played whenever the ball clears the rope. So, be surprised when you walk in for the extravaganza and enjoy the game, tapping your foot.

Sree’s good company!

2011-04-08T19:59:00.000+05:30

He takes the opposition by surprise, either with his deliveries or by boogeying on the field. He even breaks into a jig like a break-dance champ.

You may remember Shantha-Kumaran Sreesanth as the aggressive and exuberant bowler. Call him what you may, but this man had the honour of being part of the WC-winning Indian cricket team. Says Sreesanth, “It feels really great. God’s been extremely kind.”

After the WC high, Sree’s all geared up for IPL-4 and this time, it’s going to be really special as he will be part of his home team, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala. “I still haven’t met my teammates. I’m really excited. I thank Gary Kirsten, who said that it would be a waste of talent if I’m not consistent in ODIs. I will make him proud at the end of the IPL,” says Sree, who isn’t nervous about playing for his home team. “The last time I felt any such pressure was in 10th standard!”

Sree was seen walking the ramp too. What’s his style statement? “It’s simple — be stylish. For me, anything comfortable will work. If you can afford to buy good stuff, then you should. There should be no kanjoosi (stinginess) when it comes to clothes, food, family and girl friends!” Just then, a guy next to him cracks up and Sree tells him, “You should never disrespect a girl.”

The Kerala boy’s got a nickname for Sachin Tendulkar. “I call him Jedi — the master of the universe. By dedicating this cup to Sachin paaji, we’ve motivated ourselves for the 2015 World Cup, which will be won by India,” he says.

Ask him how he unwinds and he says, “What I do off field is always in the news! But people who know me know that I’m not that aggressive. I get aggressive only when people tease girls, and cricket is like my girl friend! When I play for the country, the passion in me comes out. I don’t want to lose. I’m 28 right now, but I could say that I’m 18 till I die!”

Sree did his schooling at Florence Public School and this makes him love B’luru even more. “Abida ma’m is my favourite teacher and has a special place in my heart,” he reminisces.

As for Guru Gary, Sree says, “I’m truly going to miss him. This too shall pass and hopefully, we will use whatever he has taught us in the future.”

Sree’s now set to battle it out against RCB on April 9. “I met Virat Kohli in the hotel and told him, ‘see you on the field!” he says, adding, “We will win.”

KTK gear up for IPL debut

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The Tuskers make their IPL debut on April 9 and a couple of domestic players in the squad conceded they will have to do a bit of friendly infighting to ensure a permanent place in the playing XI.

Wicket-keeper batsman Sushant Marathe, who was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in IPL-3 is up against some quality domestic talent within KTK.

“To be frank, all of us have to work real hard for our place in the probable list. The domestic players are really good,” said the hard-hitting southpaw who needs to hone his batting skills as there are three other wicket-keeper batsmen, including Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel and Chandan Madan.

All-rounder Balachandra Akhil who was hand-picked from the Royal Challengers Bangalore has tough competition from Kerala captain Raiphi Vincent Gomez, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashpal Singh.

“The strength of RCB was its domestic players, including Vinay Kumar and Manish Pandey. If KTK works out a similar strategy, we can be successful,” said Akhil.

Vinay Kumar, who had a successful IPL-3 with RCB finds the new team a more enterprising league of cricketers. “I am here as a bowler but, I will be looking forward to improve as an all-rounder” said Vinay.

There are three Indian medium pacers in KTK — Vinay, Sreesanth and R.P. Singh.

Services player Yashpal Singh said the team is patching up real good. “We have a handful of hard-hitters in the squad and the experience of Aussies Hodge and Klinger is going to help the team,” said Yashpal.

When the Tuskers enter the gridiron for their maiden IPL endeavour with RCB, watch out for Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chougule, Kerala spinner P. Prashanth, Tanmay Srivastava, Gnaneswara Rao and of course Ramesh Powar.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL Official promotional video and Theme song

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Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL Official promotional video and Theme song

Schedule for the upcoming IPL4- T 20 2011 Matches and Fixtures

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Schedule for the upcoming IPL4- T 20 2011 Matches and Fixtures

IPL 4 T20 Cricket 2011

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IPL season four will not only have 2 new teams but a completely new format as well. The 10 teams will play 74 matches over a period of 51 days.