Pune looked a shadow of their former self, as Mumbai made sure that wickets came thick and fast to keep the Pune Warriors on the backfoot in the IPL-4 match here on Wednesday.
In an all-Maharashtra derby, Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors India took on each other here in match 21 of the Indian Premier League. Pune skipper Yuvraj Singh won the toss and asked the Sachin Tendulkar-led side to field first at the Wankhede Stadium.
With both teams studded with present and future international stars, the match is set to throw up some scintillating performances from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Graeme Smith and the like.
However, both the teams are coming from a defeat in their last league matches and will look to get back the winning momentum.
Both the teams made some changes but the big setback for Mumbai was that Harbhajan Singh had to sit out due to a slight niggle.
The hosts rested Davey Jacobs and replaced him with James Franklin, while Abu Nechim came in place of Harbhajan. Pune brought in Murali Kartik.
IPL 2011: IPL rule book rules out Ganguly for Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Former India and Kolkata Kinght Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly may have lost a realistic chance of playing in this year's Indian Premier League, according to the IPL rule book.
It was learnt on Friday that the Kochi Tuskers Kerala had made an attempt to rope in Ganguly as a replacement player for Steve Smith. Having been ignored at the IPL-4 auction in January in Bangalore, the only way Ganguly could have come into the IPL was as a replacement player.
With Smith pulling out of injury, Kochi wanted Ganguly as his replacement but the rule book states that, a player can be replaced at the same or lesser price than the player to be replaced. Smith was purchased by Kochi for $200,000 while Ganguly's base price was $400,000.
Surprisingly, Ganguly's base price, initially, was $200,000. But former Indian skipper, along with a few other players, including Rahul Dravid, had increased it to $400,000.
If he had not done that, Ganguly could easily have walked into the Kochi team and fulfilled his dream of playing in the IPL-4.
IPL 4 14th Match Score: Channai Set Target 184 to RCB
Michael Hussey held his bat through the innings and provided the much-needed leverage that Chennai needed to post a commanding total of 183-5 in the IPL-4 match here on Saturday. The Aussie southpaw remained unbeaten after scoring a busy 56-ball 83.
Earlier, Free-flowing Super Kings were held back when in-form Raina was dismissed after threatening to cause further damage. The southpaw scored 29 runs off 16 balls in the IPL-4 match here on Saturday.
Michael Hussey's calm temperament influenced the Super Kings' start. After gauging the conditions, a string of boundaries have been hit in the IPL-4 match here on Saturday.
Amidst partly cloudy skies in Chennai,Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first on Saturday at the Chidambram Stadium.
Michael Hussey will feature in place of Kiwi Scott Styris for Chennai while Doug Bollinger is still not ready to face the heat of the battle.
RCB who started their campaign with convincing victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala have somewhat lost the plot with back-to-back defeats against Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers respectively. Both teams will be desperate to get back on winning track in the match that will be played at the Chepauk.
While batting isn't concern for CSK as most of the top-order batsmen barring Suresh Raina have had one decent knock in the last two games, it's the bowling that will be a concern for the defending champions.
Skipper Dhoni will surely find it as a relief that Australian seamer Doug Bollinger who was nursing an ankle injury is back in the competitive circuit and is available for selection.
Bollinger's left-arm seamers have been one of the primary reason for CSK's success in the IPL. The fact that Dhoni missed a potent weapon at the death during the KXIP match makes Bollinger's case even stronger.
The addition of Michael Hussey who has joined the team after a successful ODI series in Bangladesh will be a bog boost for the 'Men in Yellow'.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mayank Agarwal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers(w), Asad Pathan, Saurabh Tiwary, Cheteshwar Pujara, Johan van der Wath, Daniel Vettori(c), Zaheer Khan, Ryan Ninan
Chennai Super Kings: Murali Vijay, Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, MS Dhoni(w/c), Albie Morkel, Srikkanth Anirudha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suraj Randiv, Shadab Jakati, Tim Southee
IPL 4/2011; The tale of Paul Valthaty
“Remember the name, Paul Valthaty”, screamed Harsha Bhogle as the Mumbai based batsman, who plays for the Kings XI Punjab, eased his way to an outstanding hundred against the Chennai Super Kings. The match winning knock involved some of the cleanest hits seen on a cricket field and the lusty blows off some quality bowlers showed his talent. The pitch was easy to bat on, but that kind of clean hitting is hard to maintain even in the shortest format in the game.
In contrast to the knock, the journey of Valthaty has not been as smooth. Another talented youngster to come out of Mumbai, he showed plenty of promise in the early stages of career. Some big scores in the age level tournaments showcased his talent to the selectors and he was selected to play for the Indian u-19 team that went to the World Cup in Bangladesh in 2002. And that is where things started going wrong for Valthaty.
An eye injury cut short his stay with the Indian team and it took him almost three years to get back to the level he was playing. A promising start seemed to be in ruins. He never played for Mumbai as he had aspired. However, that did not deter him and he joined Air India, a corporate with rich cricket history and an experienced captain in, Hrishikesh Kanitkar. Valthaty grew in confidence during that stint and was even entrusted the captaincy in Kanitkar’s absence.
The Mumbai call did come, but in a single one day game against Baroda. However, Valthaty was not to be disheartened. He wanted to remain in cricket despite all the disappointments and that got him a contract with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. That also earned him a call up to the Mumbai T-20 side. However, the stint with the Royals did not go as planned andhe played just one game for them.
A change of season, a change in team and finally change in fortunes for Valthaty. He was recommended to the Kings XI team by his good friend and fellow Mumbaiker, Abhishek Nayar. It was with Nayar, that Valthaty seemed to share his success with real joy, after that excellent hundred.
The knock is also a great thing for his team, Kings XI Punjab. The side has lost many of its stars and looked as if its fortunes depended on Adam Gilchrist. This knock, however, shows that there is talent in the side apart from the Australian. Valthaty did not seem over the top after the knock. He looked a humble man, who had seen all the ups and downs in life and will take it on his stride.
IPL 4: Kochi Tuskers to sign Sourav Ganguly back in 4th season
Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly may make a sensational comeback in the fourth season of the Indian Premier League. Sources reveal that Kochi Tuskers Kerala is keen on signing Ganguly for the fourth season.
With leg-spinner-batsman Steven Smith ruled out, the Kochi franchise wants to sign Ganguly as a replacement player.
With already a week gone since the fourth season kicked off in Chennai, if Kochi signs Ganguly, the southpaw may make his debut against his former club Kolkata Knight Riders on April 20.
It would be a catch-22 situation for the Kolkata fans when their favourite son sits in the opposition dug-out.
Ganguly, Wasim Jaffer and VRV Singh were the only three Indians to remain unsold at the end of the two-day auction that took place in January in Bangalore.
CSK, RCB keen to get back to winning ways
Chennai, April 15 (PTI): Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will like to shrug off their disappointing loss against the Kings XI Punjab as they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their third IPL match in Chennai on Saturday.
After winning a thriller against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening encounter of IPL by two runs, CSK were in for a rude shock after having scored 188 when little known KXIP opener Paul Valthaty single-handedly guided his team to a six-wicket in Mohali on Wednesday.
Even their opponents RCB who started their campaign with convincing victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala have somewhat lost the plot with back-to-back defeats against Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers respectively. Both teams will be desperate to get back on winning track in the match that will be played at the Chepauk on Saturday.
While batting isn't a concern for CSK as most of the top-order batsmen barring Suresh Raina have had one decent knock in the last two games, it's the bowling that will be a concern for the defending champions.
Skipper Dhoni will surely find it as a relief that Australian seamer Doug Bollinger who was nursing an ankle injury is back in the competitive circuit and is available for selection. Bollinger's left-arm seamers have been one of the primary reasons for CSK's success in the IPL. The fact that Dhoni missed a potent weapon at the death during the KXIP match makes Bollinger's case even stronger.
The addition of Michael Hussey who has joined the team after a successful ODI series in Bangladesh will be a bog boost for the 'Men in Yellow'.
Ravichandran Ashwin, inarguably CSK's best bowler in the shortest format was punished during the initial overs. The CSK team had a gruelling three-hour session at the Chepauk on Friday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, have some catching upto do in both departments of the game. Against Mumbai Indians, there batsmen failed to up the ante even in the slog overs while against Chargers, their bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Bharath Chipli. Skipper Daniel Vettori will have to think seriously about their batting combination.
Their decision to promote Zaheer Khan up the order backfired badly against the Chargers and one would expect that the RCB team management doesn't take any frivolous decision against a formidable side like CSK.
However it is Zaheer's bowling that has been a concern for the RCB during the first three matches as India's highest wicket-taker in the World Cup looks tired. Also the rhythm bowler that he is, Zaheer has been punished a bit by the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Davy Jacobs.
India's pace spearhead will certainly be itching to get back with bang. It is still not clear whether Australian speedster Dirk Nannes, who missed the last match due to injury, will be making a comeback for this tie.
RCB's biggest problem has been two of their star players in this format, Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers haven't yet fired as they are expected to.
Virat Kohli's form however has been reassuring as the youngster scored 71 in the last match against Chargers.
Gambhir-Kallis blitz blows Rajasthan away
Against Chennai, Gautam Gambhir held himself back, coming in late at No. 6 and making one run. The Kolkata Knight Riders captain showed greater sense today in coming one-down, hammering 75 (44b) to set up a nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.
It was the most brutal Gambhir innings in recent times. Coming in at the quick fall of Manvinder Bisla, the Kolkata captain launched an all-out attack on Rajasthan. He stepped out to loft Nayan Doshi for a six to get the innings going before taking four fours in an Amit Singh over. A 28-ball fifty was completed. At the other end, Jacques Kallis calmly collected 80 (65), his third fifty in a row in the tournament, to win back the Orange Cap.
Royals captain Shane Warne had no answer to this powerful build-up. Gambhir and Kallis added 152 unbeaten runs to finish off the chase. The nervousness that marked Kolkata's approach in previous games seems gone. Their dug-out seemed a happy place. With their second win, they've jumped into the top-four.
Earlier in the day, Kolkata elected to field here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rahul Dravid and Ashok Menaria built up Rajasthan nicely with a steady 52-run stand. Rajasthan had Ross Taylor and Shane Watson to follow. Yusuf Pathan bowled one over in which he dismissed Dravid and Menaria both.
Taylor (35 off 22b) and Watson (22 off 13b) brought out the big hits, but this was a flat wicket and 159-4 seemed under-par.
And here's a snippet from the match that stood out as a reminder that there's place for old school trickery in a game where spinners are prone to dart the ball into batsmen's pads.
In the 17th over by Shakib Al Hasan, Watson slog-swept a six. It was the second time Watson had sent Shakib over the ropes today. Shakib by now must have been sick of Watson. In the recently concluded ODI series between Australia and Bangladesh, Watson hit 20 sixes in three matches.
The Bangladesh captain's response to that six was another delivery in the same hitting area. It was a little flat but not quick through the air. Watson set himself up for another slog-sweep. But this time, the ball dipped, turned nicely past Watson's bat, and crashed into the stumps.
Shakib celebrated knowing exactly what he had pulled off. He could have fired in a fast ball and perhaps restricted Watson to a single. But he invited the big hit and took the wicket. It probably saved Kolkata about 20 runs. In the end, maybe this is why they won.
Super Kings have edge: Fleming
Chennai, April 15 (IANS) The arrival of two Australian stars, batsman Michael Hussey and fast bowler Doug Bollinger has considerably strengthened the Chennai Super Kings squad that holds a definite edge over Royal Challengers Bangalore whom they play here Saturday in the Indian Premier League.
Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming, in the course of the pre-match media conference here Friday gave enough indications that Hussey, might play although it meant a reshuffling of the line-up.
'Hussey has a pretty good chance of playing. He has always been a key member for us when he has been available to play. We generally choose all-rounders because Albie (Morkel) is our star player.
'Usually we go in with three overseas bowling options because the quality of our Indian batting gives us the option of doing that,' he said.
Despite suffering a shock defeat in their previous game after scoring 188 against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali, Fleming said the Super Kings can yet beat RCB Saturday provided they up their game.
'I said from the start that we have a small advantage because we have players from the previous editions but that advantage is slowly running out.
'I know Daniel Vettori (RCB captain) will be working very hard to get team spirit and to get the team going.
'We still have an edge because are playing at home, but we still have to be on top of our game. We have got to be sharp and very accurate in what we do,' said Fleming.
Looking at the positives in the Mohali game, Fleming said the 180-plus total augured well for his team although ultimately, the target proved insufficient following a brilliant 63-ball 120 not out by Paul Valthaty.
'We were disappointed to lose the last game, but you have to give credit where it is due. It was an innings full of flair. The first six overs of the match produced five an over, the remaining 34 went for 10 an over.
'It was that kind of a wicket, 175-180 was a par score. We asked them to play well and they did so. We have got to keep the standards high and be accurate under pressure.
'We have a very good bowling attack, as we saw in the first match here when we defended 150 (against Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match).
'We will take 188 every day. When you make 180-190 consistently, you usually win more matches than you lose.
'Hussey and Bollinger are great additions to our squad. It is good to have them back. It's nice to have options, now we have the headache of selecting the right team,' Fleming said.
India to pocket USD 175,000 for ending year as Test No 1
Dubai, April 15 (PTI): India will be handed USD 175,000 for finishing as the number one Test side while also pocketing another USD 75,000 for finishing as second-ranked ODI team this season, the ICC said.
Indian team (128 points) has been sitting on top of the Test Championship table since December 2009. South Africa (127 points) will pocket USD 75,000 for ending in second position in the Test Championship table at the cut-off date of April 1.
Australia have earned USD 175,000 for finishing on top of the ODI table with 128 points at the cut-off date. The team has been occupying the number-one position on the ODI Championship table since leapfrogging South Africa and India in September 2009.
In the latest ODI rankings issued, Australia have 129 points, eight points more than India's (121 points).
Among batsmen, Virat Kohli lost two places to slip to eighth while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar lost one spot each to be at ninth and 10th respectively.
South African Hashim Amla maintained his top spot in the batting charts while New Zealand's Daniel Vettori continued at the top of bowling list.
No Indian is in the top 10 in bowling chart with Zaheer Khan at 14th.
Australia's Shane Watson became the top-ranked ODI all-rounder and also achieved a career-best ranking in batting, jumping nine places to fourth after his record innings against Bangladesh.
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