Tuesday 28 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Final Match: CSK vs MI

Mumbai Indians clinched their first IPL Trophy as they defeated Chennai Super Kings by a convincing 23-run margin in the Pepsi IPL 2013 final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday night. Batting first, MI posted 148 after opting to bat first before their bowlers restricted CSK to 125.

Chasing 149, Lasith Malinga drew first blood in the very first over as he uprooted Michael Hussey’s (1) leg-stump with a toe-crushing Yorker before having Suresh Raina (0) caught by Dwayne Smith at backward square-leg. Mitchell Johnson had Subramaniam Badrinath caught behind to leave CSK reeling at 3 for 3 in the second over.

Murali Vijay smashed two boundaries off Johnson as CSK started to rebuild. Vijay was given a chance as Dinesh Karthik dropped him on 14, before Dwayne Bravo (15) perished, caught by Johnson off Pragyan Ojha. Ravindra Jadeja (0) was caught in the deep by Kieron Pollard off Harbhajan Singh as CSK lost half their side for 36.

The collapse continued as Vijay (18) miscued a pull shot off Johnson to be caught by Rohit Sharma. Albie Morkel launched Harbhajan for a six in the ninth over. CSK at the halfway stage were 54 for 6, still requiring 95 more. Ojha, introduced into the attack in the eleventh over, bowled Morkel (10) with his sixth ball before Harbhajan had Chris Morris (0) edge one to the keeper to leave CSK eight down in the twelfth over.

MS Dhoni slapped Ojha for a six in the 13th over before launching another one in the 15th. Needing 66 from 30 balls, Dhoni smashed Pollard for a six. Ravichandran Ashwin (9) fell in the 18th over, caught off Pollard to all but knockout CSK’s hopes. Dhoni hit a couple of sixes in the final over but CSK eventually fell 23 runs short.

Earlier, MI won the toss and elected to bat. MI were rocked early as Mohit Sharma struck in the first over trapping Smith (4) leg before. Aditya Tare (0) followed him with Morkel landing a toe-crusher to break his leg stump. It only got worse as Rohit Sharma was caught and bowled by Morkel to leave MI reeling at 16 for 3 in the fourth over.

Karthik was given a reprieve on 13 when Bravo put him down off Mohit Sharma. Ambati Rayudu showed some fight hitting two boundaries off Morkel in the sixth over. Karthik (21) dragged a Chris Morris delivery back onto his leg-stump to leave MI four down at the half-way stage.

Pollard smashed Ashwin for a six in the twelfth over before hitting two boundaries off Jadeja in the 15th. Bravo then knocked over Rayudu’s (37) stump. Harbhajan Singh hit three boundaries off Bravo before holing out to Hussey. Rishi Dhawan (3) was then run out in the 19th over. Bravo had Johnson (1) and Malinga (0) caught behind before Pollard (60*) smoked a couple of sixes in the last over to help MI reach 148 for 9.

Pepsi IPL 2013 Champions




Monday 27 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Qualifier - 2: RR vs MI

Mumbai Indians made it to their second IPL final with a four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. MI will now face CSK in the Final of Pepsi IPL 2013 on Sunday. Chasing 166, Aditya Tare hooked James Faulkner for a six to get MI rolling.

Tare then hit consecutive boundaries off Shane Watson in the fourth over. Runs continued to flow as Tare and Dwayne Smith picked up a boundary each off Faulkner in the sixth over. Smith went after Vikramjeet Malik smashing two boundaries in the 8th over.

Tare (35) stepped down the track and punched Siddharth Trivedi over the ropes before chipping Kevon Cooper straight to Sanju Viswanath stationed at long-on. At the halfway stage, MI were 73 for one, still requiring 93 runs. Dinesh Karthik smashed consecutive boundaries off Cooper as MI plundered 16 runs from the 12th over.

Smith brought up his fourth fifty of the Pepsi IPL 2013 with a six off Faulkner in the 13th over. Smith continued his assault launching Watson into the stands in the following over. Karthik (22) slashed Cooper straight to Ajinkya Rahane at point to give RR their second wicket in the 15th over.

Needing 40 from 30 balls, Trivedi bowled Rohit Sharma (2) in the 16th over. Smith (62) was then caught by Viswanath off Binny before Kieron Pollard hit a six in the seventeenth over. Needing 26 from the last three overs, Pollard (11) holed out off Faulkner.

Ambati Rayudu slammed a six before Brad Hodge dropped him, leaving MI to score 8 off the last over. Watson bowled Rayudu (17) but MI reached the target with a ball remaining thanks to boundaries from Rishi Dhawan (4*) and Harbhajan Singh (6*). Earlier the start of the match was delayed by an hour due to wet outfield.

RR won the toss and elected to bat. Rahul Dravid dismissed Mitchell Johnson for consecutive boundaries in the third over. Rahane joined in with two boundaries off Johnson before Dravid smashed consecutive balls to the fence off Pragyan Ojha. Harbhajan Singh got the breakthrough bowling Rahane (21) in the seventh over.

Harbhajan struck again having Watson (6) caught, top edging a sweep in his next over. Viswanath (0) departed soon after caught by Harbhajan off Lasith Malinga in the tenth over. Stuart Binny stepped down the track and launched Ojha for a six before hitting a boundary. Dravid (43) chipped Harbhajan to Sharma at short mid-wicket to leave RR four down at the start of the 13th over.

Pollard then struck twice having Binny (27) caught by Harbhajan before Cooper (4) was caught by Smith. Dishant Yagnik smashed two boundaries off Ojha in the 18th over before Malinga lost his direction and conceded 18 runs in the last over – courtesy a few lusty blows from Yagnik (31*) and wide deliveries. RR finished their 20 overs at a competitive 165 for six.

Harbhajan Singh




PEPSI IPL 2013 Eliminator Match: RR vs SRH

Rajasthan Royals progressed to the second Qualifier after they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets in the eliminator at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Chasing 133, Rahul Dravid got RR rolling with two gorgeous strokes through mid-wicket off Dale Steyn.

Ishant Sharma got SRH the first breakthrough as Dravid (12) was caught by Karan Sharma of a leading edge. Shane Watson hit two boundaries off Ishant Sharma in the fourth over and then Ajinkya Rahane hit a six off Ishant Sharma before Watson smashed two boundaries. RR made 44 from their Power Play.

Watson (24) was sent back by Karan Sharma as Darren Sammy pulled off a stunning catch at the mid-wicket boundary. Sammy then knocked back Dishant Yagnik's (0) off-stump. The collapse continued as Rahane (18) was deceived in flight, reached out and chipped one straight back to Amit Mishra.

Stuart Binny (2) was bowled by Sammy in the tenth over. At the halfway stage, RR were 57 for five, still requiring 76 runs. Brad Hodge plundered 18 runs off Karan Sharma in the 14th over as he hit two sixes and a boundary. Needing 34 needed from 30 balls, Steyn trapped Sanju Viswanadh (10) leg before.

Faulkner (11*) struck a couple boundaries to reduce the equation to 15 from the last two overs. Thisara Perera bowled a tight 19th over, conceding only five runs, to leave RR to score 10 off the last over. Hodge (54*) sealed the match with two massive sixes as RR reached the target with four balls remaining.

Earlier, SRH won the toss and elected to bat. RR struck first blood as Parthiv Patel (1) miscued Vikramjeet Malik to Viswanadh in the very first over. Malik struck again as Hanuma Vihari (1) hit one straight to Kevon Cooper at mid-on to leave SRH two down in the third over. Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White consolidated, adding 52 runs.

White (31) slammed a boundary off Siddharth Trivedi before perishing the next ball caught by Cooper. After a few quiet overs, Sammy got a move on as he slammed a six off Watson. Dhawan (33) trying to improvise, only managed to scoop Faulkner to Trivedi at short fine-leg.

In the 17th over, Sammy launched Cooper for a six, before Perera followed suit and put him into the crowd. Sammy (29) then pulled Watson for a six before he was run out, courtesy a brilliant throw from the deep. Perera (11) then departed edging one off Watson to the wicket-keeper. SRH eventually finished at 132 for seven.

Brad Hodge




Wednesday 22 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Qualifier - 1: CSK vs MI

Chennai Super Kings booked their berth in the Pepsi IPL Final for the fourth consecutive season with a convincing 48-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Batting first CSK posted a mammoth 192 riding on a record-breaking partnership between Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina, before their bowlers bowled out MI for 144.

Chasing 193, CSK drew first blood through Albie Morkel as Aditya Tare (7) hit one straight to Murali Vijay at mid-on in the second over. MI came back hard straight away as Dwayne Smith slammed consecutive sixes off Mohit Sharma. Smith then smashed three consecutive boundaries of Albie Morkel as MI made 56 from their Power Play.

Smith launched two monstrous sixes off Chris Morris as he brought up his fifty in just 21 balls – the third fastest effort in IPL history. Smith (68) deposited Ravichandran Ashwin over the ropes before miscuing Ravindra Jadeja to Suresh Raina at point. At the halfway stage, MI were 92 for two, still requiring 101 runs.

Jadeja struck again, trapping Dinesh Karthik (11) leg before, attempting a slog sweep only to miss the ball altogether. Wickets continued to fall as Rohit Sharma (8) holed out to Dwayne Bravo off Morris. Kieron Pollard (24) smashed two sixes off Jadeja before Michael Hussey pulled off a beautiful catch at backward square-leg.

Needing 66 from 30 balls, Bravo dismissed Harbhajan Singh (0) caught on the fence by Vijay. Mitchell Johnson (6) perished as Suresh Raina pulled of a stunning catch off Bravo in the 18th over. Lasith Malinga (0) and Ambati Rayudu (15) followed suit as MI were bundled out for 144 with eight balls remaining. MI eventually finished 48 runs short.

Earlier CSK won the toss and elected to bat. Hussey got CSK rolling with a boundary off the first delivery. Vijay opened his account with consecutive boundaries off Munaf Patel in the second over. Hussey followed it with two more boundaries off Malinga as CSK made 47 from their Power Play.

Pollard got the breakthrough as Vijay (23) was caught in the deep. Suresh Raina stepped down the track and hit Pragyan Ojha for a six before depositing Harbhajan over the cover ropes. Raina lofted Johnson for a maximum in the twelfth over before Hussey followed suit, pulling Pollard for yet another six.

Raina and Hussey added 140 for the second wicket. The onslaught continued as Raina put Pollard over the ropes again to bring up his fifty. He was put down on 57 a couple balls later by Smith. Malinga's last over went for 19 runs as Hussey (86*) and Raina (82*) slammed a six each to help CSK finish at 192 for one.

Michael Hussey




Monday 20 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 72: SRH vs KKR

Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their spot in Pepsi IPL 2013 Playoffs, knocking out Royal Challengers Bangalore out of the race, courtesy, their five wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday night. Batting first SRH restricted KKR to just 130 before their batsmen chased down the target in 18.5 overs.

Chasing a modest 131, Parthiv Patel got SRH rolling with consecutive boundaries off Pradeep Sangwan in the second over. Patel, playing the role of the aggressor, went after Yusuf Pathan striking consecutive boundaries, before Shikhar Dhawan joined in with a slog-swept six. SRH made 45 from their Power Play.

Dhawan upper cut Jacques Kallis for a six before smashing a boundary in the eighth over. He continued the attack with two more boundaries off Mohammad Shami. At the halfway stage, SRH were 77 for no loss, still requiring 54 runs. Iqbal Abdulla got KKR their first breakthrough, trapping Dhawan (42) leg before as he attempted the reverse sweep.

Abdulla struck again dismissing Patel (47) leg before wicket in the 14th over. Cameron White (2) setting off on a suicide run and was run out by Eoin Morgan in the 15th over. Needing 25 from 30 balls, Hanuma Vihari (6) top edged a sweep off Abdulla causing some tension in the SRH camp. Sunil Narine bowled a maiden over in the 17th as the required run rate took a climb.

Shami then bowled Thisara Perera (4) with a stunning Yorker in the 18th over. Needing 15 from two overs, Darren Sammy smashed consecutive sixes to see SRH home with seven balls remaining. Earlier KKR won the toss and elected to bat. Openers Gautam Gambhir and Manvinder Bisla started slowly. Bisla (15) struck a boundary off Thisara Perera, before he perished the next ball caught by White at cover.

Gambhir was given a life when White put him down at cover off Anand Rajan on 8. KKR made 33 from their powerplay. Gambhir (10) was run out by Samantray courtesy of a horrible misunderstanding in the eighth over. Karan Sharma trapped Morgan (9) leg before to leave KKR three down in the 11th over. After a few quiet overs, Dale Steyn got his fellow countryman, Kallis (24) caught at the boundary in the 16th over.

Ryan ten Doeschate (1) was completely deceived by an Amit Mishra wrong 'un as he was adjudged leg before wicket. Pathan then launched Perera for a six in the 19th. Paras Dogra (5) holed out to Perera off Steyn before Pathan pulled him for a six. Narine (1) fell in the final over before Pathan hit six off the last ball to help KKR finished at 130 for seven.

Parhiv Patel




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 71: PWI vs DD

In the battle to decide who takes the wooden spoon, Pune Warriors India triumphed over the Delhi Daredevils by 38 runs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune. Batting first PWI, riding on their skipper Aaron Finch’s half-century, posted 172 before their bowlers restricted DD to 134.

Chasing 173, David Warner was given a life as early on as he was dropped by Finch off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first delivery. Wayne Parnell however got Warner (2) the next over caught by wicket-keeper Robin Uthappa. Bharath Chipli, playing his first match of the season, pulled Parnell for a six and was put down by Angelo Mathews at slip a few deliveries later.

Mahela Jayawardene (14) who survived a stumping chance perished the next delivery as he reached out to a wide delivery from Ali Murtaza only to scoop it to Luke Wright at point. Murtaza struck twice in the 8th over having Virender Sehwag (11) caught out in the deep before trapping Chipli (16) leg before to leave DD four down in the eighth over.

Ben Rohrer (7) then dragged Ashoke Dinda as DD at the halfway stage were 65 for five, needing 108 runs more to win. CM Gautam hit a six off Kumar in the 12th over and Irfan Pathan survived a run out attempt as Robin Uthappa failed to collect the ball when whipping off the bails. Needing 69 from 30 balls, DD lost Gautam (30) caught by the boundary off Angelo Mathews.

Morne Morkel (0) followed him a couple balls later, caught by Parnell. Pathan (24) then perished caught by Manish Pandey off Mathews in the 19th over. DD eventually finished 38 runs short. Earlier PWI won the toss and elected to bat. PWI started positively as Finch slammed a six off Siddarth Kaul in the second over.

Umesh Yadav got the initial breakthrough as Uthappa (24) sliced him to Warner at point. Yadav was then taken for 17 runs as Finch launched him for two sixes and smashed a boundary. Shahbaz Nadeem got one through to bowl Pandey (10). Finch continued attacking with a six and a boundary off Pathan. The PWI skipper brought up his half-century in the 12th over but departed soon after as he chipped one off Kaul to Sehwag at mid-wicket.

Yuvraj Singh (3) miscued Irfan Pathan and was caught by Sehwag to leave PWI four down in the 14th over. Angelo Mathews top edged Morkel for a six in the 16th over. Wright hit consecutive boundaries off Morkel in the 18th over before he and Mathews (30*) combined to add 24 runs of the 19th over bowled by Umesh Yadav. Wright (44) fell in the last over as PWI finished at 172 for five.

Luke Wright




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 70: RCB vs CSK

Royal Challengers Bangalore kept themselves alive in the Pepsi IPL 2013 and avenged their first leg defeat to Chennai Super Kings with a 24-run victory in a rain affected match at the MA Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Asked to bat first, RCB posted 106 on the back off a spectacular innings by their skipper Virat Kohli, before their bowlers restricted CSK to just 82.

The match was delayed for two and half hours due to rain. The match eventually commenced at 11:00 pm IST as an eight-overs a side contest. Kohli punched Ravichandran Ashwin through cover for a boundary in the first over to get RCB rolling. Chris Gayle hit a six off Chris Morris in the second over.

Ashwin's second over went for 16 runs as Kolhi smashed two gorgeous boundaries before launching him for a six. The RCB skipper continued his brutal assault with a boundary and a six off Morris’ the next over. Gayle joined the carnage with three successive sixes off Jason Holder in the fifth over. Kohli was given a reprieve as MS Dhoni dropped him on 34 off Dwayne Bravo.

But the bowler came back strongly as he had Gayle (28) caught by Michael Hussey at cover the very next delivery. AB de Villiers (5) opened his account with a crisp drive for four, before he was deceived by Mohit Sharma’s slower delivery and holed out to Ravindra Jadeja at long off.

Moises Henriques (12*) got off the mark smashing Sharma for three boundaries through the off-side. Kohli (56*) hit two sixes to bring up his fifty in style as RCB finished their allotted eight overs at 106 for 2. Chasing 107, Hussey pulled the first ball for a boundary. He was extremely lucky as the second ball kissed the leg-stump, but the bail remained intact.

Zaheer Khan struck twice in the second over; first Hussey (6) edged one to the wicket-keeper, before Suresh Raina (0) skied one and was caught by Vinay Kumar. Murali Vijay pulled Jaydev Unadkat for a boundary. Bravo pulled Kumar for a maximum before perishing the next ball caught down at third man off an edge. CSK were 29 for three after four overs, still requiring 78 runs.

RP Singh was dismissed for 19 runs as Vijay struck two sixes leaving CSK needing 51 runs from the last two overs. Rampaul struck having Vijay (32) caught by Gayle. Dhoni slammed a monstrous six off Rampaul. Dhoni (24) struck a few lusty blows before he holed out as CSK fell 24 runs short.

Virat Kohli




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 69: KXIP vs MI

Kings XI Punjab gave a wonderful farewell to their captain Adam Gilchrist, playing his last IPL match, as they defeated Mumbai Indians by 50 runs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

Chasing 184, MI lost Glenn Maxwell (0) to the third delivery of the run-chase as he was caught by Manan Vohra at third man edging Praveen Kumar. Aditya Tare pulled Azhar Mahmood for a six before cutting him away for a boundary. Tare then lofted Sandeep Sharma over the ropes before the bowler got one through the gap between bat and ball to castle him.

Ambati Rayudu then hit consecutive boundaries off Sandeep Sharma as MI reached 51 for two at the end of the Power Play overs. Rayudu (26), trying to hook, gloved Parvinder Awana to the wicket-keeper in the ninth over. Rohit Sharma launched Piyush Chawla deep into the stands before Dinesh Karthik (0) chipped one straight back to the bowler a couple of balls later.

At the halfway stage, MI were 69 for four still needing 114 runs. Rohit Sharma (25) was dropped by Shaun Marsh off Chawla, but the Mumbai Indians captain failed to make the most of it as he was bowled a few deliveries later. Kieron Pollard (22) was given a lucky break when he was caught off a no-ball but Sandeep Sharma had him caught by David Miller a little later.

Rishi Dhawan (14) was adjudged leg before off Mahmood in the 17th over. Mahmood then bowled IPL debutant, Nathan Coulter-Nile (9) in the 19th over. Gilchrist dropped the gloves and came on to bowl the final over of the innings. With his very first deliver, he had Harbhajan Singh (5) holing out to Gurkeerat Singh at the midwicket fence as MI fell 51 runs short.

Earlier in the evening, MI won the toss and elected to bat. KXIP were shaken early as they lost Mandeep Singh (1) in the second over caught by Pollard off Dhawan. Coulter-Nile uprooted Gilchrist's (5) off-stump to leave KXIP two down. Shaun Marsh looked in ominous mood as he smashed three boundaries off Dhawal Kulkarni in the 6th over.

Lasith Malinga's 8th over went for 20 runs as Mahmood hit a six and three successive boundaries. Mahmood continued his assault slamming consecutive sixes off Glenn Maxwell in the 13th over. Mahmood and Marsh who added 148 runs for the third wicket were each given a chance in Dhawan's 14th over as the MI fielders put them down.

Mahmood deposited Harbhajan over the ropes, before the bowler came back to bowl Marsh (63). Malinga trapped Mahmood (80) leg before wicket. Vohra (20*) hit a couple of boundaries before Pollard had Miller (6) caught in the deep. With three wickets falling in the last over, KXIP finished with 183 for eight.

Azhar Mahmood




Saturday 18 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 68: SRH vs RR

Sunrisers Hyderabad took a step closer to securing their Playoff seat with a convincing 23-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday night. Batting first, SRH posted 136 on the back of Biplab Samantray's maiden half-century, before their bowlers restricted RR to just 113.

Chasing 137, RR started positively as Rahul Dravid pulled Ishant Sharma for a six and whipped one through midwicket in the second over. Ajinkya Rahane joined in slog-sweeping Karan Sharma for a six. RR made 33 from their Power Play overs with both openers playing conservative cricket. Rahul Dravid (25) was run out by Cameron White as he tried to run off a mis-field.

Karan Sharma then had Rahane (12) caught by Shikhar Dhawan in the ninth over. At the halfway stage, RR were 44 for two, still requiring 93 runs. Sanju Viswanadh (5) holed out in the deep to Steyn off Amit Mishra to leave RR three down in the 12th over. Thisara Perera dealt two major blows in the 14th over as he had Shane Watson (11) caught in the deep by Darren Sammy before bowling Stuart Binny's (8).

Mishra then had Sachin Baby (3) trapped leg before to leave RR six down. The RR capitulation continued as James Faulkner (6) departed after smashing Karan Sharma for a six. Steyn uprooted Brad Hodge's (8) off-stump to deliver the knock-out punch. Kevon Cooper (26) smashed a six off Perera before falling to Steyn in the final over. RR finished 23 runs short.

Earlier SRH won the toss and elected to bat. SRH were shook early as Faulkner struck twice in the second over. First Parthiv Patel (2) was bowled off an inside edge before Dhawan (1) hit one straight to Rahane at point. Watson had White (0) caught in the deep by Siddharth Trivedi to leave SRH reeling at 5 for three. SRH managed only 21 from their Power Play.

Samantray was lucky early on as the RR fielders failed to appeal despite the stumps being broken by a direct hit with the batsman being out of his ground. Trivedi had Vihari (19) miscue to be caught by Baby in the 11th over. Samantray hit Cooper for a boundary and a six in the 14th over.

Sammy (23) deposited Watson into the stands before Faulkner had him caught by Hodge. Samantray (55) who brought up his maiden IPL half-century in the 18th over, perished to Faulkner as he tried to up the ante. Steyn (0) was then bowled by Faulkner as he picked up his second five-wicket haul in the IPL. SRH eventually made 136 for 9.

Amit Mishra




Friday 17 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 67: KXIP vs DD

Kings XI Punjab kept alive their hopes in the Pepsi IPL 2013 with a seven-run win over the Delhi Daredevils at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday. Batting first, KXIP posted 171 and their bowlers did well to defend DD to 164.

Chasing 172, DD got off to a lucky start as Azhar Mahmood dropped Mahela Jayawardene at slip off Praveen Kumar in the first over. Unmukt Chand (7) creamed Kumar for a six through cover before he had his stumps rattled a couple of balls later. Sandeep Sharma then struck twice, having Irfan Pathan (1) and David Warner (0) caught at slip off consecutive deliveries to leave DD reeling at 12 for three.

Virender Sehwag smashed two boundaries off Piyush Chawla, introduced into the attack in the tenth over, as DD moved to 57 for three, still requiring 115 runs. Sehwag (30) edged Parwinder Awana to wicket-keeper to leave DD four down in the eleventh over. Jayawardene was once again dropped, this time Mandeep Singh off Chawla. Jayawardene made the most of the lapse and hit Chawla for a six and a four in the 14th over.

Needing 72 from 30 balls, DD lost Jayawardene (39) at the start of the 17th over after he mistimed Sharma to be caught by Manan Vohra at deep square-leg. Ben Rohrer however kept going as he hit a six off Sharma. He continued his hard-hitting, smashing two sixes off Mahmood to leave his team to score 22 off the last over. Rohrer (49) was bowled by Chawla with the first delivery of the final over. Despite a couple of sixes by Morne Morkel, DD finished seven runs short.

Earlier, DD won the toss and elected to field. Shaun Marsh got KXIP to a brisk start with consecutive boundaries off Irfan Pathan in the first over. Adam Gilchrist was given a reprieve when he was put down by Umesh Yadav (off Morne Morkel) on eight. Gilchrist then took apart Ashish Nehra’s second over – the sixth of the innings - for 17 runs as he slammed two sixes and a boundary.

Gilchrist (42) smashed Pathan for a boundary through midwicket before he miscued one and was dismissed caught and bowled in the eighth over. Mahmood (9) was sent back by Nehra as Siddarth Kaul pulled off a spectacular catch by the boundary in the 12th over. Marsh went after Yadav in the 16th over hitting him for two boundaries before David Miller followed it with a six.

Morkel had Marsh (45) caught in the deep by Pathan before Rajagopal Sathish put him over the fence in the 17th over. Miller (44*) went on an assault in the following over, hitting two sixes and a boundary off Kaul. He then hit another six off Yadav in the 19th over. Satish (22) fell in the last over as KXIP posted 171 for four.

David Miller




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 66: MI vs RR

The Mumbai Indians kept their winning streak at home intact with a 14-run win over the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday night. MI posted a competitive 166 on the back of Aditya Tare's 59 before their bowlers blew open the RR top-order, eventually restricting them to 152.

Chasing 167, RR lost Rahul Dravid (4) as he was adjudged caught behind off a Mitchell Johnson bouncer. The decision to promote James Faulkner (12) up the order failed as he was caught by Glenn Maxwell top-edging Dhawal Kulkarni in the fourth over. Sanju Viswanadh (4) found Maxwell as he miscued Johnson attempting a pull.

The collapse continued as Ajinkya Rahane (4) fell in the sixth over, caught by Lasith Malinga off Kulkarni to leave RR reeling at 28 for four. Shane Watson slammed consecutive sixes off Malinga in the 8th over in an attempt to get the run-chase back on track. Watson (19) however departed soon after, caught by Kieron Pollard off Pragyan Ojha in the tenth over.

At the halfway stage RR were 60 for five, still needing 107 runs. Stuart Binny (37*) played a lone hand as he smashed a six and a boundary off Ojha. However wickets fell around him as Dishant Yagnik (10) was bowled by Harbhajan Singh. Needing 61 from 30 balls, Brad Hodge – who was put down by Ambati Rayudu - smashed Ojha for four boundaries in the 16th over.

Needing 23 at the start of the final over, Malinga trapped Hodge (39) leg before Cooper smashed a six. However RR finished 14 runs short. Earlier, RR won the toss and put MI in. The hosts started in grand style as Glenn Maxwell smashed a six off Faulkner in the second over. He followed it with two more off Ankeet Chavan.

Watson provided the breakthrough as he trapped Maxwell (23) leg before wicket. Tare, playing his first game of the season, got going hitting consecutive boundaries off Chavan before launching Watson into the crowd. MI made 49 from the Power Play. Tare was put down on 24 by Dravid off Binny.

Tare smashed consecutive boundaries off Faulkner as he brought up his maiden IPL fifty. Dinesh Karthik (21) was caught in the deep off Pravin Tambe. Tare (59) followed him in the next over as he miscued Cooper to be caught by Watson. Pollard slammed Pravin Tambe for a six in the 14th over and Rohit Sharma (14) top-edged Faulkner to Watson in the 16th over.

RR pulled the run-rate back as they kept picking up wickets towards the fag end. Cooper ran out Pollard (17) before Ambati Rayudu (7) holed out off Watson. Harbhajan hit Cooper for a six in the 19th over as MI eventually posted 166 for eight, losing Johnson and Malinga in the final over.

Aditya Tare




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 65: KKR vs PWI

Pune Warriors India defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs to end their dreams of progressing to the Pepsi IPL 2013 Playoffs. After posting 170 on the back of Manish Pandey's 66, PWI restricted KKR to 163.

Chasing 171, KKR lost Manvinder Bisla (1) early as Wayne Parnell trapped him leg before wicket with one that jagged back in. Parnell got a second wicket in his next over, making a mess of Jacques Kallis' (1) stumps. The top order collapse continued as Gautam Gambhir (12) was caught by Yuvraj Singh miscuing Ishwar Pandey to leave KKR reeling at 21 for 3. KKR made 33 from their Power Play with their top three back in the dressing room.

Yusuf Pathan smashed two boundaries off Ishwar Pandey as KKR started to get a move on in the seventh over. Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate controlled the required rate scoring 21 runs of the next two overs.  Ryan ten Doeschate then launched Ali Murtaza for a maximum as KKR reached 74 for three at the half-way stage.

Pathan sent Luke Wright back into the stands as KKR looked to up the ante. ten Doeschate and Pathan added 98 for the fourth wicket partnership. Needing 49 from 30 balls, ten Doeschate (42) was run out by Murtaza in the 16th over to bring PWI back into the game.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck another blow when Manoj Tiwary (0) was caught by Manish Pandey in the deep. Pathan went after Parnell hitting him for two boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the most dramatic fashion - Obstructing the Field - as he tapped the ball away while attempting to sneak a single. The hard-hitting batsman made 72 – his first half-century in KKR colours. Needing 18 from the final over, KKR fell seven runs short.

Earlier, KKR won the toss and elected to field. PWI got off to a positive start as Robin Uthappa slammed two sixes off Lakshmipathy Balaji in the third over. Uthappa (25) dragged Sachithra Senanayake onto his stumps to give KKR their first breakthrough. PWI made 42 from their Power Play. After a few quiet overs, Aaron Finch smashed Kallis for consecutive sixes in the tenth over to get the momentum back in favour of his team.

The twelfth over too saw two sixes; Finch hit Rajat Bhatia for a maximum before Pandey followed suit depositing Bhatia over the ropes. Balaji struck in the 13th over sending Finch's off-stump cart-wheeling to give KKR their second wicket. Pandey hit three successive boundaries off Kallis in the 15th over. Yuvraj Singh then slog-swept Sunil Narine for a six in the 17th over as PWI stepped on the accelerator.

The 18th over bowled by Balaji was taken apart for 18 runs as Pandey smashed two boundaries, before Yuvraj deposited one into the crowd. Pandey (66) fell in the final over, run out after smashing two consecutive boundaries. Yuvraj Singh (30) launched Kallis for a six before perishing of the final delivery of the innings. PWI finished their 20 overs at 170 for four.

Manish Pandey




Wednesday 15 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 64: CSK vs DD

Chennai Super Kings topped the table with a comfortable 33-run win over Delhi Daredevils at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. CSK, led by captain MS Dhoni posted a massive 168, before their bowlers restricted DD to 135 for nine.

Chasing 169, DD lost Virender Sehwag (0) in the very first over of the run-chase as he edged Mohit Sharma to Dhoni behind the stumps. Johan Botha smashed a six and a boundary off Jason Holder in the fourth over. Unmukt Chand (16) then launched Mohit Sharma over the ropes before top-edging an attempted slog-sweep only to find Holder.

Botha (23) was then caught by Holder off Ravichandran Ashwin in the seventh over. The wickets continued to tumble as Kedar Jadhav (2) was caught behind off Albie Morkel in the eighth over. DD were left reeling with half their side gone as Ben Rohrer (4) flicked Morkel to Ashwin at square-leg. At the halfway stage, DD were 65 for five, requiring 104 runs.

David Warner played a lone hand, hitting Morkel for a maximum in the 12th over. Roelof van der Merwe (14) perished trying to up the run rate as he was caught by Suresh Raina at long-on. Needing 59 from 24 balls, Warner (44) was seventh out, caught by Murali Vijay at the boundary off Morkel.

Dwayne Bravo then struck twice – to get the Purple Cap; he first got past the defenses of Irfan Pathan (4) before having Ashish Nehra (0) caught behind. DD eventually fell short by 33 runs. Earlier CSK won the toss and elected to bat first. Vijay was given a lucky break as Kedar Jadhav put him down on two off the bowling of Nehra. Michael Hussey then smashed consecutive boundaries off Irfan Pathan in the fourth over.

Hussey and Vijay went after Botha hitting him for two boundaries and a six as CSK made 47 from their Power Play. Vijay (31) was the first batsman to be dismissed after Ben Rohrer threw down the stumps directly. Hussey (26) top edged a pull off Umesh Yadav and was caught by Sehwag. Raina (7) followed him caught by Warner off van der Merwe.

Dhoni walked in to bat in the 11th over and launched Pathan over the ropes in the 12th over. He was given a reprieve on 14 when Siddarth Kaul dropped a return catch. Dhoni then smashed Nehra for a massive six before following it up with a boundary. Yadav bowled Ravindra Jadeja (24) to leave CSK four down in the 17th over. Dhoni however continued attacking, hitting two sixes and two boundaries in the 18th and 19th over. CSK finished with 168 for four.

MS Dhoni




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 63: RCB vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab ended Royal Challengers Bangalore's undefeated streak at home with a seven- wicket win in Bangalore. After RCB posted a competitive 174, KXIP, led by their captain Adam Gilchrist who scored an undefeated 85, chased it down in 18.1 overs.

Chasing 175, Shaun Marsh and Gilchrist hit a couple of fluent boundaries. Zaheer Khan, playing his first match of the tournament, after being hit for a boundary by Marsh (8) came back to send the batsman’s off-stump cart-wheeling. Azhar Mahmood, promoted up the order, dismissed Moises Henriques for three successive boundaries as KXIP made 46 from their Power Play.

Gilchrist smashed consecutive boundaries off Jaydev Unadkat in the 9th over. At the halfway stage KXIP were 79 for one, still requiring 96 runs. Gilchrist and Mahmood rotated the strike well and the pair added 118 for the second wicket. Gilchrist brought up his first half-century of the season in style as he hit Zaheer Khan for a six.

Mahmood then launched Muttiah Muralitharan over the ropes to bring up his half-century. Needing 36 from 30, Mahmood (61) fell as he holed out to AB de Villiers in the deep. However Gilchrist (85*) continued attacking, hitting consecutive sixes off Muralitharan. David Miller (2) was bowled by Muralitharan, but the wicket came a little too late for RCB.

Rajagopal Sathish (12*) pulled Vinay Kumar for a maximum as KXIP reached the target with 11 balls remaining. Earlier KXIP won the toss and put RCB in. RCB started slowly before losing Cheteshwar Pujara (19) in the fifth over caught by David Miller off Parvinder Awana. RCB made only 31 from their Power Play overs.

Chris Gayle, struggling to find his touch was lucky to survive a LBW appeal off Awana in the seventh over. RCB started to accelerate in the twelfth over as Virat Kohli stepped out and launched Piyush Chawla for a six. Gony was taken apart for 22 runs in the 15th over as Gayle slammed three successive sixes. Kohli then hit a six and a boundary off Awana in the next over.

The duo added 137 runs for the second wicket. Kohli was caught off Mahmood off a no-ball in the 17th over. Sandeep Sharma’s fourth over – 18th of the innings - was plundered for 20 overs, as Gayle hit yet another six. Gayle (77) smashed Awana for a six, before the bowler shattered the off-stump. de Villiers (6) then was bowled after he too smashed a six. Kohli (58) fell in the final over as RCB posted 174 for five.

Adam Gilchrist



Tuesday 14 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 62: MI vs SRH

Mumbai Indians continued their unbeaten streak at home with a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday night. After SRH had posted a competitive 178 and held the reins of the Mumbai Indians’ run-chase, Kieron Pollard went absolutely berserk - in the final leg of the innings - to score an undefeated 66 of just 27 balls to see his team home.

Chasing 179, Dwayne Smith hit a couple of streaky boundaries off Dale Steyn in third over. Ishant Sharma drew first blood for SRH in the fourth over uprooting Smith's (21) middle stump. MI made 39 from the Power Play as Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar went about consolidating the innings.

At the halfway stage, MI were 73 for one, still requiring 106 runs. Tendulkar (38*) stepped out and smashed Karan Sharma for a boundary and a six in the 12th over before he left the field retired hurt. Dinesh Karthik (30) was sent back the next ball caught by Cameron White off Karan Sharma. The leg-spinner then had Ambati Rayudu (2) stumped to leave MI three down in the 14th over.

Rohit Sharma hit Ishant Sharma into the crowd before Kieron Pollard smashed a boundary to leave MI needing 66 from 30 balls. In the 17th over, Thisara Perera was taken apart for 29 runs as Rohit Sharma (20*) slammed a six before Pollard hit a boundary and three successive sixes.

The carnage continued as Pollard deposited Amit Mishra for three massive sixes to bring up his fifty in just 20 deliveries – the third fastest effort in the IPL to get to the 50-run mark. With seven runs needed from the last over, Pollard smashed two sixes to see MI home with three balls remaining.

Earlier SRH won the toss and elected to bat. SRH got off to a rollicking start with Parthiv Patel smashing four boundaries off Mitchell Johnson’s first over. Shikhar Dhawan continued the assault with a six off Dhawal Kulkarni. Patel (26) who was dropped by Kulkarni on 25 was pouched in the deep a few balls later.

Dhawan slammed consecutive boundaries off Malinga to bring up his fifty. Johnson had Dhawan (59) caught behind in the 13th over to give MI their second wicket. Captain White hit consecutive boundaries off Kulkarni in the 14th, before smashing Pragyan Ojha for a six the next over.

White, put down by Rayudu on 27, deposited Johnson into the crowd as SRH piled on the runs. Hanuma Vihari (41) was caught by Johnson off Malinga. White (43*) smashed the final delivery off Kulkarni for a six as SRH posted 178 for three.

Kieron Pollard




Monday 13 May 2013

PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 61: RR vs CSK

Rajasthan Royals kept their 'fortress' intact with a comfortable five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. After restricting CSK to a modest 142, Rajasthan Royals cruised past the finish line, courtesy Shane Watson’s blazing 70.

Chasing a moderate 142, RR started slowly before Jason Holder struck in the fourth over getting two wickets. First he had Ajinkya Rahane (9) caught by Murali Vijay at mid-on, before knocking out James Faulkner's (1) off-stump. Sanju Vishvanadh (0) promoted up the order then departed caught behind off Mohit Sharma to leave RR reeling at 19 for three.

Chris Morris got CSK their fourth wicket having Rahul Dravid (28) caught behind. At the halfway stage, RR were 49 for four, still needing 93 runs. Binny set the ball rolling for RR, hitting Ravichandran Ashwin for a six in his very first over. Watson joined in smashing two sixes as Ashwin's first over was taken apart for 23 runs.

Binny followed that up with two boundaries off Morris before Watson followed it with a six off Holder in the 13th over. Dwayne Bravo was taken apart for 22 runs in the 14th as Watson and Binny put him over the fence thrice. Watson continued the assault with four more boundaries off Morris's 15th to bring up his half-century.

Watson and Binny (41*) added 93 runs in just 45 balls. Watson (70) fell, bowled by Bravo with RR on the doorstep of victory, needing just four more runs. RR reached the target with 17 balls remaining. Earlier RR won the toss and opted to field first on a pitch that had a scattering of grass on it.

CSK started cautiously scoring just seven runs off the first two overs before Vijay and Michael Hussey hit a boundary each off Vikramjeet Malik in the third over. Vijay then smashed consecutive boundaries off Watson in the sixth over. Rahane put down a difficult chance of Vijay when on 26. At the halfway stage, CSK were 75 for no loss. Binny gave RR their first breakthrough uprooting Hussey's (40) leg-stump and sending it cart-wheeling.

Kevon Cooper then struck twice in the 13th over, first having Suresh Raina (1) caught by Vishwanadh in the deep before having MS Dhoni (2) edging to Watson at slip. The bowlers brought RR back into the game strangling the flow of runs. Vijay (55), trying to run off a bye, was run out by Dishant Yagnik. Bravo (23*) slammed three consecutive boundaries off Cooper in the penultimate over. CSK eventually scampered to 141 for four from their 20 overs.

Shane Watson




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 60: KKR vs RCB

The first IPL match at Ranchi turned out to be a low scoring affair on a slow pitch as the ‘home team’, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets. KKR, after restricting RCB to just 115, chased down the total with four balls remaining.

Chasing a meager 116, KKR lost Manvinder Bisla (0) caught by Moises Henriques off Ravi Rampaul on the second ball of the run chase. Jacques Kallis was given a chance on three as Abhimanyu Mithun misjudged the catch by the boundary. Gautam Gambhir got stuck into Mithun smashing three successive boundaries off him in the fourth over.

R Vinay Kumar struck in the sixth over when he had Gambhir (14) edge to Chris Gayle at slip. Yusuf Pathan slammed a six off Murali Kartik in the eighth over. At the halfway stage, KKR were 61 for two, still requiring 55 more runs. Kartik got the dangerous Pathan (18) out LBW. Kallis (41) smashed consecutive boundaries off Mithun before the bowler came back to have him caught by Henriques.

Needing 14 off the last three overs, Vinay Kumar had Manoj Tiwary (24) caught by Virat Kohli at cover to cause a brief moment of worry in the KKR dressing room. Ryan ten Doeschate hit a boundary in the 19th leaving his team to score five off the final over. Doeschate (11*) hit Vinay Kumar straight down the ground to finish the match in style as KKR crossed the line.

Earlier, KKR won the toss and opted to field. After a slow start, KKR struck through Sachithra Senanayake when he had Cheteshwar Pujara (5) caught by Lakshmipathy Balaji at cover. RCB managed only 22 from the Power Play – the lowest score posted in the Power Play overs in this season of IPL. RCB got a move on as Gayle launched Ryan ten Doeschate for a six. Jacques Kallis got KKR their second wicket as Kohli (17) dragged one onto the stumps. At the halfway stage, RCB were 54 for two.

Gayle (33), who was looking out of sorts, was put out of misery when he was beaten by Narine and Manvinder Bisla pulled off a sharp stumping. The KKR bowlers bowled tight lines to strangle the flow of runs. AB de Villiers (28) slammed Balaji for a six, before the bowler came back to have him caught behind, attempting a reverse sweep.

Narine then trapped local lad Saurabh Tiwary (1) leg before wicket to leave RCB five down. Henriques (11) perished in the 18th over caught in the deep off Kallis. Rampaul (0) and Mithun (2) departed off Narine to give him his fourth wicket and with it the Purple Cap. RCB eventually crawled to 115 for nine.

Jacques Kallis




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 59: KXIP vs SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad took a step closer to making the Pepsi IPL Play-Offs with a 30-run win over Kings XI Punjab at Mohali. SRH, after posting 150 on the back of Parthiv Patel's 61, bowled brilliantly to restrict KXIP to 120.

Chasing 151, KXIP lost Mandeep Singh (0) early as Dale Steyn had him caught by Cameron White off a leading edge. Shaun Marsh got KXIP rolling with two boundaries off Steyn in the third over. Adam Gilchrist then slammed two boundaries off Ishant Sharma as KXIP made 41 from the Power-Play.

Gilchrist was given a chance as Parthiv Patel missed a stumping opportunity off Vihari in the seventh over. Darren Sammy, introduced into the attack in the eighth over, struck with two wickets in two balls as he had Marsh (18) caught in the deep by Thisara Perera before Gilchrist (26) dragged him onto the stumps. Sammy then had David Miller (6) caught by White at cover.

At the halfway stage, KXIP were 54 for four, requiring 97 more runs. Amit Mishra was taken apart for 18 runs in the 14th over as Rajagopal Sathish whacked two sixes and a boundary. Needing 58 from 30 balls, Luke Pomersbach was put down by Karan Sharma off Perera. Sathish (25), who was striking the ball well, was then run out by Perera, triggering a collapse.

Piyush Chawla (0) departed soon after off Perera, before Steyn bowled Praveen Kumar (1). Harmeet Singh (3) and Parvinder Awana (0) fell in the final over as KXIP finished 30 runs short. Earlier KXIP won the toss and put SRH in. Parthiv Patel was given a chance on 2 when Praveen Kumar couldn’t latch on to a touch opportunity on the line and tipped the ball over the boundary.

Harmeet Singh got KXIP their first breakthrough as he caught Shikhar Dhawan (15) off his own bowling. Sandeep Sharma making his IPL debut then had Hanuma Vihari (5) caught at point. The debutant jolted SRH getting two wickets in the eighth over; he first trapped White (10) leg before, before bowling Biplab Samantray (0). Sammy (0) was given out LBW off Piyush Chawla to leave SRH reeling at 52 for 5 in the ninth over.

Patel was lucky again as Gilchrist put him down on 36 off Chawla. Karan Sharma (22) slammed a six and a boundary off Harmeet before falling the next over, top edging a pull off Parvinder Awana. Perera (32*) who was dropped by Mandeep Singh when he had a solitary run against his name, smashed a six off Awana and another off Kumar. Patel (61) joined in with a six off Harmeet before being run out in the 19th over. SRH made 150 for seven.

Parthiv Patel




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 58: PWI vs MI

It was the same old story for Pune Warriors India at Pune, suffering yet another loss, this time to the Mumbai Indians by five wickets. MI bowlers put up an impressive show to restrict PWI to just 112, before their batsmen saw them home with seven balls remaining.

Chasing a meager 113, MI lost Dwayne Smith (0) off the very first ball of the run-chase as Ashoke Dinda sent his off-stump cart-wheeling. Sachin Tendulkar smashed Dinda for two boundaries in the third over. However, Ajantha Mendis cut short his stay at the crease as he had him caught by Manish Pandey at long-on.

Dinesh Karthik continued with a six and a boundary off Kane Richardson as MI made 37 from their Power-Play. Yuvraj Singh then struck having Karthik (17) caught by Pandey to leave MI three down in the eighth over. At the halfway stage, MI were 50 for three, still requiring 63 more runs.

Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma steadied the innings adding 54 runs for fourth wicket. Rayudu launched Yuvraj over the ropes in the 15th over, leaving MI needing 30 off the last five overs. Dinda was hit for consecutive boundaries by Sharma, but the bowler came back well to have Rayudu (26) caught in the deep by Angelo Mathews.

MI’s Million-dollar man Glenn Maxwell (13*) then got stuck into Dinda as he hit the bowler for a boundary and six in the 18th over. Richardson dismissed Sharma (37) but Harbhajan Singh (4*) saw MI reach the target with seven deliveries remaining.

Earlier PWI won the toss and elected to bat. Aaron Finch got PWI going with two boundaries off Abu Nechim in the second over. Mitchell Johnson got the initial breakthrough for MI having Finch (10) caught by Smith at short cover. Lasith Malinga then struck trapping Robin Uthappa (11) leg before wicket as PWI made 36 from the Power-Play.

Yuvraj went after Ojha depositing the left-arm spinner over the mid-wicket fence off consecutive deliveries. Manish Pandey (29) was caught in the deep by Rayudu off Malinga in the 13th over. PWI then lost Mathews (2) run out off a direct hit by Tendulkar.

Yuvraj (33) was given out LBW off Harbhajan a couple balls later to leave PWI five down in the 14th over. PWI struggled to find the boundary and Richardson (8) perished trying to clear Johnson over the fence. PWI lost Abhishek Nayar (11) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2) in the final over as they eventually made 112 for eight.

Mitchell Johnson




PEPSI IPL 2013 Match - 57: DD vs RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore got back to winning ways and a step closer to a place in the Pepsi IPL 2013 Play-Offs with a thrilling four run victory over the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. RCB were led by their captain, Virat Kohli who scored a brilliant 99, before Jaydev Unadkat's five wicket haul sealed the match for the visitors.

Chasing 184, Mahela Jayawardene hit consecutive boundaries off Moises Henriques in the second over, before he hit two more off Ravi Rampaul in the second over. Jaydev Unadkat got the initial breakthrough as Jayawardene (19) dragged him back onto his stumps. Virender Sehwag dispatched R Vinay Kumar for three successive boundaries before Unadkat deceived him with a slower delivery and had him caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at mid on.

Unmukt Chand pulled Henriques for a six before David Warner (4) smashed him for a boundary. However the bowler came back strongly to breach through Warner’s defense to castle him. Syed Mohammad's first over went for 20 runs as Chand and Ben Rohrer picked up four boundaries. At the halfway stage, DD were 88 for three, still needing 96 runs.

Vinay Kumar sent back Rohrer (32) bowled off an inside edge leaving DD four down in the 15th over. Needing 61 from 30 balls, Unadkat struck twice to have Chand (41) and Kedar Jadhav (8) caught in the deep. Delhi Daredevils came back strongly as Vinay Kumar's 18thover went for 17 runs as Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel picked up three boundaries from it.

Pathan then hit two sixes off Rampaul leaving DD needing 19 from 6 balls. Despite a couple of blows from Morne Morkel (19) and Irfan Pathan, DD fell four runs short. Earlier, DD won the toss and elected to field. DD struck early as Pathan had the dangerous Chris Gayle (4) play one onto his stumps. Morkel then had Kohli caught behind but much to his dismay it was off a no-ball.

Siddarth Kaul was hit for two boundaries, before he struck timber to send back Pujara (17). Kohli was given another chance when he was dropped on 14 by Sehwag off Kaul. Shahbaz Nadeem got DD their third wicket as he caught Henriques (26) off his own bowling. AB de Villiers launched Morkel into the crowd before Kohli smashed two boundaries in the 17th over.

RCB then took apart Umesh Yadav for 24 runs, with three massive sixes. de Villiers (32*) at his improvising best swept Kaul for two boundaries before Kohli (99) slammed a couple of sixes and boundaries, taking 23 from the last over. The RCB skipper unfortunately was run out off the final delivery to become the first man to be run out on 99. RCB finished their 20 overs at 183 for four.

Jaydev Unadkat