Sehwag & Co finish Kochi

Sehwag hit 5 sixes in a magnificent display of batting as he amassed 80 against a hapless Kochi. 157/7 is not a bad score and Delhi achieved this with Sehwag's brilliance.

Sreeshant bowled with fire and struck twice and when V Rao, another hitter in from, was out, Delhi was tottering at 35/3. Then a good partnership between Sehwag and Yogesh Nagar helped Delhi to amass 157.

Sehwag began sedately and was on 31 runs off 32 balls ! Then he broke loose, slamming Jadeja for two consecutive sixes. The shots he is capable of came to the surface and his innings was a treat to watch. Hooks, cuts and pulls of a high calibre ruled over a hapless Kochi attack. Vinay Kumar was hit for 15 in the 15th over and Akhil for 18 in the next. Then Sehwag lofted Pawar for six and out to V Kumar, trying to repeat the shot. His belligerence lifted Delhi to 157, after being at one stage 62/3 off 13 overs !

On that treacherous wicket, Kochi's only hope was to fire with their top order. Which never came off. M Klinger, making his debut in the IPL, was out cheap to Morne Morkel Then Irfan Pathan shattered the middle stump of impact player, Brendon McCullum and Kochi never recovered after that ! P Patel was bowled by Irfan Pathan ( who is now back in ominous form ). Kochi were 28/3 and Mahela and Hodge tried to do the repair work.

Mahela holed out to Agarkar. Hodge was dropped by Pathan when on 15 but then he could not capitalise on that chance as he was out to Morne Morkel. Jadeja did indulge in some huge hits but then that could not pull off a win for Kochi.

Incidentally, Yuvraj hit his 300th six in the 34th IPL match !

Kolkotta crush Punjab

Kolkotta produced a professional display of bowling and batting and scored over the out of form Punjab. With ths win, they jumped to the top of the IPL Points Table.

Incidentally, 119 seems to be a magic figure. Pujab could only muster 119, setting an easy target for Gambhir's men. In the other match, wanting 158 for victory, Kochi could only make 119 ! Both Kochi and Punjab will have to do their homework right, in order to rise to the top !

119/6 Punjab scored. Tight bowling and fielding is not an excuse for Punjab, even though Kolkotta did precisely that. Abdullah rose to the occasion with 2/19

An unconquered 85 run partnership off 75 balls between Gambhir ( 45 off 44 balls ) and M Tiwari ( 34 off 41 balls ) saw Kolkotta home, as the small target was inadequate for Punjabi bowlers to defend. Tiwari and Gambhir both continued their superb form. Tiwari's average is a wonderful 109!

There were some scares for the home team, Kolkotta, as they lost two wickets for just 35 runs. Both Gambhir and Tiwari proved to be good players on a turning Eden Gardens pitch. KKR jumped to the top with ten points, sharing the same with MI.

Both Kallis and Morgan were removed early and the asking rate never rose above five, as the KKR batsmen got boundaries in almost all overs. Both were removed by the left arm spinner, Bhargav Bhat.

Earlier Punjab went off to a blazing start, but could not capitalise later and Kolkotta restricted them to 119/6. They were inserted into bat by Kolkotta under damp conditions, following showers, with Gilchrist smashing Brett Lee. He hit Lee for a six and a four and took 13 runs off that demon fast bowler. After 3 overs, they were 22 for no loss but then the slow bowlers intervened and put brakes to the onslaught. I Abdullah and Y Pathan restricted them with some accurate spin bolwing and Punjab could only make 119 ! Dinesh Karthik was the only batsmen who impressed with 42. But he ran himself out, trying to improve the run rate !

Y Pathan extracted good bounce and turn and got rid of the dangerous Valthaty. Marsh was run out unfortunately and Abdullah bowled Gilchrist around his legs ! A Nayan ran himself out and Punajb were 53/4. These loss of early wickets hurt Punjab and Karthik and David Hussey tried to do the repair work. In five overs they could only score 15 and the scoring rate slumped. But the duo added 31 off 34 balls before Hussey fell to Abdullah.

Bangalore outclass Pune

Kohli continued to be in sublime form, as Bangalore sank Pune by 26 runs ! He is now the wearer of the Orange Cap, having surpassed Sachin as the highest scorer in IPL 2011, with 294 runs. Sachin is ranked second with 276 runs.

Pune won the toss and fielded and Bangalore played some fanatastic cricket.

Gayle and Dilshan started very well, putting on 57 for the first wicket. Gayle charmed the Bangalore crowd with some lusty hitting, four fours and four sixes. When he left at 74, Kohli took over. Kohli's 67 was full of exquisite shots, as he also blasted four sixes and four sixes.

Bram Villiers scored a sweet 26 off 20 and S Tiwari hit 14 off 8. A mammoth 181 was piled up by the in form Kohli, Gayle and Villiers !

Kamran Khan was hit off his length and his 3 overs yielded 47 runs. Rahul Sharma, was the pick of the bowlers and it was he who got rid of Gayle and Dilshan. Thomas took two wickets !

Pune started slowly and never seemed to be catching up with Bangalore. Their main impact players, Uthappa and Yuvraj, could not rise to the occasion. Even though Yuvraj dazzled with some delectable shots, with a superb 41 with three mighty sixes, he couldnt pull it off. Uthappa was not out 23.

Jesse Ryder showed glimpses of his class but then he holed out to Syed for 51. A set batsman should never get out like this. M Pandey, another blaster, was out for 19 and all Pune could get from the allotted 20 was 155 and fell short by 26 runs.

This is Pune's fifth loss and it seems like an anticlimax to a team which started with two straight wins !

Rajastan strangle Mumbai !

Can you believe it ? The formidable Mumbai strangled for 94/8 by the wiles and guiles of Warne & Co ?

MI is a team fancied by many experts to win the IPL Trophy ! They were strangled by some superb spin bowling by Menaria who got 2/20 and Botha 3/6. The pacer Amit bowled well for 2/14 and Mumbai could not even cross 100.

Amit bowled Jacobs with a beauty and Sachin danced down the wicket to young Menaria and was stumped. A Rayudu, who was in great form, was caught and bowled by Menaria and Mumbai were 46/3! Then Rohit Sharma was out to Warne and Pollard was trapped lbw by Botha. Symonds was bowled by Botha for 17 and Mumbai were in dire straits at 81/6. Satish holed out to Botha, Malinga was bowled by Amit. The only consolation for Mumbai was the six hit by Bajji off the last ball and Mumbai finished at an abysmal 94/8 !

When Rajastan batted Dravid was caught by Sachin off Munaf and Shane Watson fell to Malinga. Those are the only two wickets which fell and now Botha is playing well with 34 not out and Ross Taylor on 11. Rajastan are now 78/2, needing 15 more to win !

When Munaf finally got Botha, it was too late. Now RR needs only one run to win. Ross Taylor top edges and is dropped by Pollard. Rajastan win !

Bangalore takes on the might of Pune at 0800 PM IST and you can watch it live on Cricket Astro.

Kolkotta win by 17 runs

Both Warner and Sehwag were out and now DD are 71/3 off 12.3 overs. 78 runs off 45 balls and the match is wide open!

At the moment it seems to be Advantage Kolkotta. Will it regress to the mean ? Time alone can tell.

Since cricket is a game of grand vicissitudes, it is difficult to tell. Some sixes will bring the pressure on the KKR bowlers and some wickets can put pressure on the DD batsmen ! Now the Required Rate is more than ten runs per over, a difficult task ! Travis Birt tries to loft Y Pathan and holes out. DDD 75/4 !

V Rao was the last batsman who showed some resistance but when he perished that was more or less the end of the Delhi challenge.

Sehwag 34 off 23 was the only batsman who impressed.

For Kolkotta, Tiwari continued to be the unsung hero as he played a character innings of 61 not out and enabled KKR to reach 148.

Iqbal Abdullah shone for Kolkotta as he scalped three wickets for 25 off his allotted 4 overs. Special mention must be made of Balaji who clean bowled the dangerous Warner for 2 and removed Y Nagar who was in an aggressive mood, hitting two sixes. Brett Lee bowled economically in the death overs and it was Unadkat who got rid of the dangerous Sehwag. On the whole a great bowling performance by Kolkotta !

Sehwag blamed his batsmen for his 17 run loss. It was surprising that Delhi could only muster 131/9.

After the match Sehwag was candid about the lack of responsibility of batsmen. "We had enough batsmen, but no one took the responsibility to finish the job for the team. I said 150-160 is easily chasable, but KKR bowled well."

On the contrary, Gambhir was enthused. "The guys showed a lot of desperation, we all wanted to win desperately...I never expected so much spin on such a grassy wicket. Everyone contributed in his own way, and if you manage to defend a score of 148 it gives the team a lot of confidence" said the Michael Bevan like batsman.

"Our bowlers showed what they are made of. My heart and soul is with KKR, I am not a Delhi boy anymore."

Manoj Tiwari, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his magnificent 61 off 47 balls, said he wanted to play the entire 20 overs, a vow taken by Sehwag in the World Cup.

"I tried to stay till the end, and the others played around me, things worked well for me today. Hope to continue my contributions".

Kolkotta score a sedate 148

KKR are 108/5! Except for Manoj Tiwari who is on 45 not out, none of the Kolkotta batsmen impressed.

Umesh Yadav bowling above 140 kph struck twice removing Y Pathan ( who was caught by his younger brother ) and Eoin Morgan.

Kallis was bowled by Irfan and Goswami was caught Ojha bowled Agarkar. Only Tiwari ( still going strong on 46 ) impressed. Yousuf was out for 5 and Tendo has just come in.

Gambhir was out for 18 off Hopes and suddenly Kolkotta found themselves too deep in the mulligatawny soup ! They were going strong at 80/2 and suddenly lost three priceless wickets, that of Gambhir, Yousuf and Morgan !

Kolkotta has been restricted to 148 by the Delhi seamers, Irfan, Yadav, Morket, Agarkar and Hopes. Now DDD want 149 to win.

Top order weakest link : Geoff Marsh

The Pune coach, Geoff Marsh continues to be concerned about their top order and said that it is their weakest link. Pune is waiting for the return of G Smith and Paine.

"The top order is our weakest link. Our bowlers are not getting enough runs to bowl at. You want to score runs and you have to be smart at it. You cant hit the ball to the fielders all the time".

"We lost a lot of wickets early. With a poor start like this, you put a lot of pressure on the middle order" he said.

Meanwhile, Bollinger has said that CSK is confident of S F spot. KKR is also confident of SF spot, says Dave Whatmore, the KKR coach.

Today KKR is pitted against DD and the odds are DD 1/1 and KKR 4/5.

Handling fame at 17 has been very hard, says India's wonder kid, Virat Kohli " I could not handle it at all, honestly. Suddenly you are in the limelight, with tags like blue eyed boys. It does have an impact". Kohli admitted that he learnt from mistakes and when he realised that he cannot play for India like the way he did when at 17, he became a professional.

Meanwhile, in the WI, the Pak spinners devastated WI batting with the result Holding, the fast bowling legend questioning the legitimacy of the Doosra. Doosra is illegal and should be banned, says the demon fast bowling legend.

Duncan Fletcher, the new Indian coach, is a professional. Said Eric Simmons, India's bowling coach " I enjoyed working with Gary and I am looking forward to working with Duncan". John Buchanan, the ex Aussie coach said "He is the right man to guide India in the phase they are about to enter".

Fletcher steered England to Ashes victory Down Under, for the first time since 1986-87. The 62 year old is also credited with turning England's fortunes around in Tests, during his 8 year stint. He is said to be task master and Indian cricket may be graced by his presence.

Meanwhile, PCB reprimanded Wahab RIaz and Asad Shafiq for tweeting. "Wahab Riaz had posted some pictures of the Pak team bus on the social networking site, which have now been removed " said a PCB source.

Ishant bowls out Kochi for 74

DC would have been 14/3, if the superb delivery of Sreeshant which bowled Sanga was not called a no ball.

R P Singh bowled superbly, swinging the ball both ways. He got Sunny Sohal lbw for one and then induced Dhawan to loft one into the hands of Raiphy and DC were 2/6.

Chipli was taken by Vinay Kumar and DC were 20/3. Cameroon White joined Sanga and now there is a retreiving partnership and DC are 82/3.

Ishant Sharma is making a great comeback nowadays.He is bowling at 150 kph and has lateral movement.

In a fine display of blistering pace and swing, he bowled DC to victory, skittling out the Tuskers for a paltry 74! His incredible figures of 5/12 is the third best in the IPL.

We have to understand that Ishant is facing immense competition from Varun Aaron, who clocked 153 kph. Umesh Yadav bowled at 150 kph. So his aim to bowl faster is paying rich dividends. Gavaskar says he has rediscovered himself and will lead the Indian pace attack in the years to come. Let us not forget his great bowling stints at Perth. It was true that he was off form, because he tried to bowl faster and lost his swing. Now he has rediscovered his swing and has succeeded in bowling faster. May he lead the Indian pace attack, as prophesied by Gavaskar !

It was not a good pitch for batsmen, as Mahela won the toss and fielded.

The ball from Steyn swerved away from McCullum. Once Brendon was out, Ishant took over. Patel jabbed at an away swerver, Gomez was taken out first ball by a superb in cutter and Hodge was bowled by a beauty and Kochi were 2/4 !

Ishant was modest and gave the credit to Zaheer for improvement in his bowling. Ishant was adjudged Man of the Match for his fiery bowling.

Said he "I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told me to keep working hard on my fitness. Working with him is really tremendous for me. It's not about inspiration. When we were sitting in the dressing room, we thought 130 is a good total. When RP's first ball hit the gloves (of Sunny Sohal), we thought we won't mind bowling first on this track."

Sanga said that 129 was enough. "Once we started batting, we thought 130-140 is a competitive score. Both Steyn and Ishant were magnificent in the first six overs," he said. He appreciated Lehman, the coach, who instilled confidence in the DC side.

"He has a lot of common sense when it comes to cricket, nothing flash, just go out there and hit your lengths. We need to keep playing good cricket," he said.

Mahela said Kochi had to confront fire while batting and that both Steyn and Ishant bowled superbly.

"I thought it was a good effort by the bowlers. We knew they had quality bowlers upfront and we had to get through that spell. Ishant bowled very well upfront. The pitch had a bit more movement than we expected," he said.

"It is difficult to come back when you are six for five." said the great Sri Lankan.

I was seeing this match, live streaming cricket at my own site, Cricket Astro

Badrinath lofts Chennai to victory !

A great partnership between Badrinath and Raina saw Chennai catapult to second spot.

Badri remained not out with 63 and Raina with 34 as Chennai amassed 145/2, in response to 141/6 of Pune.

For Pune, Yuvraj remained not out with 61, with four blistering sixes. Pune never really got going, being 4/41 at one stage. Then Uthappa scored 31 and when he got out, Pune were 83/5. Then Yuvraj took over and then Pune reached a respectable 141.

Few have appreciated Badri. He continues to be in superb form and his 63 not out steered Chennai to victory. Ably partnered by Raina, he steered Chennai to a resounding win over a tired Yuvraj's team.

Chasing 142 was easy and it was proved by Badri and Raina, as Chennai coasted to a 8 wicket victory.

The Chennai seamers bowled well to restrict the Warriors. For Pune, Yuvraj shone with the bat and was 62 not out. None of the other batsmen impressed. Doug Bollinger bounced out the openers and was adjudged Man of the Match for his superb 3/21.

Badri is not a pinch hitter but his upright stance and backlift are all suited well for Test cricket. But he can adapt to any form of the game. In the last two innings, he has scored 71 not out and 63 not out and he has played a large part in Chennai batting. Excellent shots flowed from his bat, not wild slogging.

Chennai began sedately, and 14 dot balls were concede in the first 4 overs. Hussey lofted Kartik into the hands of midwicket and Badri came in lieu of the out of form Raina. The swap helped both.

Live Webcast of all IPL matches can be seen at Cricket Astro

Warriors coach, Geoff Marsh, criticise his batsmen for the abysmal performance.

"I'm terribly disappointed with our batting on a good wicket. Our batsmen are not putting up enough total for our bowlers to defend. We were 20-30 runs short on a wicket where 160-170 was the par score," said the ex Aussie opener.

"We are not getting the starts. We have got injuries to some key players but at the end of the day we have enough good players to do well' said he, when asked about the injured Smith and Nehra.

"We lost four wickets in the last three games within the first six overs. It's an area we need to improve on. We have to address that," he conceded.

"We lost a lot of wickets early. With four to six [batsmen] down, the least we can't afford to do is to lose more wickets. You don't want to be bowled out. With a poor start like this, you put a lot of pressure on the middle order," he said.

"We need to focus on the next game, get back to winning ways and keep the momentum on," he said.

"Monish Mishra has opened in the past and he wants to open," he said.

About Uthappa's suicidal tendencies when he scores 30, he said "He's that sort of a player. When you are 80 for 2 with the last 10 overs remaining, that's the time he plays really well."

Marsh hailed the appointment of Duncan Fletcher "He has got a good track record. He coaches very much like Gary (Kirsten) and has done well in the past."

Bangalore win thriller

Dilshan tried to hit Dinda and was out caught behind for nought !

Virat Kohli hit Dinda for two fours and in the next over of Irfan, hit him for four fours ! Magnificent batting by the Indian No 4! He is now 25 not out off just 10 balls.

Gayle hits Morkel for four and then lofts him for six and RCB on their way. They are now 62/1.

Gayle pulls Hopes for four and then in trying to repeat the shot holes out to V Rao and RCB are 85/2.

Virat Kohli drives for a couple, Dave Warner throws down the stumps with a direct hit and Villiers is run out for 5. Now S Tiwari has joined the in form Kohli, who has hit six fours and two sixes.

Kohli is now clean bowled by Morkel. What a turn around. RCB were sailing smoothly. Now Gayle, Kohli and Villiers are all gone ! 65 runs required from 65 balls and RCB are 96/4.

Pujara lofts the spinner Nagar into the hands of Warner and RCB are 107/5.

The way the game changed was incredible. Gayle and Kohli were going great guns when Gayle was dismissed. Then Villiers was run out by an incredible throw from the deep from Warner which hit the stumps ! Kohli, who was poetry in motion, was clean bowled by Morkel and Pujara was consumed by Warner !

Now it is Advantage Delhi !

No, not more, as Vettori lofts Pathan for six and Tiwari lofts Morkel for six. Now RCB wants only 22 off 21.

Morkel gets Tiwari, as he flashed outside the off stump to be caught behind !

Now 22 off 20 needed, with four wickets in hand. Mithun lofts one into the hands of Yadhav and RCB are 136/7.

Vettori is joined by Syed and Vettori glided them to victory by 3 wickets. RCB 161/7.

161 runs to win for RCB

The dangerous Warner was beaten and bowled by Zaheer and Delhi are 34/1.

Sehwag is still there with 22, even though he is troubled by Arvind. Hopes have come in at No 3. DDD is a feared team now, as they amassed 231 against Punjab !

The fielding standards of the local indian players have improved considerably, as they work under international coaches. Their entire skill set is improving, as they come in contact with world class cricketers. IPL therefore has done a lot of good to Indian cricket.

Not only Indian players but all players are immensely benefited by IPL. Sanjay Manjrekar, ex Indian batsman, says " Thank God for IPL " !

Not only is IPL good for players, it is also good for commentators, for the hospitality industry, for airlines and for tourism in general. It is win, win for all !
An incredible thing has happened now. Sehwag is run out and Kotla is quiet!

Wade and joined Hopes. Hopefully, Hopes will play a good innings and DDD are 67/2.

Abhimanyu Mithun was ecstatic as he shattered the stumps of Wade and DDD are 67/3.

Rao has just lofted MIthun for a mighty six and DDD are recovering with Hopes on 43 and Rao on 22. They are now 111/3 !

Hopes slashed Mithun and is caught by the Sri Lankan skipper, Dilshan ! It is ruled as a no ball and a free hit to Hopes !

The Strategic time out becomes DDD's nemesis, as Vettori clean bowls V Rao first ball and DDD are 115/4.

Naman Ojha lofts Vettori for six and DDD are 121/4 off 16 overs !

Irfan hit two mighty sixes, Hopes was out to Mithun and Arvind got Ojha out. 160/6 off 20 overs and Bangalore has to make 161 to win !

Delhi takes on Bangalore in home match

Delhi's players were seen practising at Delhi Stadium on Monday.

Delhi takes on mighty Bangalore today at 0800 PM. If this match was earlier, it would have been a Clash of the Dwarfs ! Now Gayle has lit IPL with his presence. His 102 not out pulled Bangalore out of slumberland and shook the West Indian Board to the core. The WI selectors did not know what hit them. This is a man who scored a hundred at the first match of the first T20 WC ! No wonder he did it again for IPL.

"He wont be the only man in form" said Greg Shippard, the coach of the DDD. " You cannot do much if he gets going, just hope he mis-hits or skies it....They are almost half the Delhi team, aren't they? It is like playing Old Delhi and New Delhi. They will also be on familiar ground. Hopefully we are beginning to develop some momentum after our last win".

On the contrary, Vettori was exuberant that Bangalore has got Gayle. Said the wily NZ all rounder " Gayle's inclusion is a confidence builder to the team. He bowls and fields well and gives us a lot of balance. With the likes of Kohli, De Villiers, Dilshan, Pujara, Tiwary, we have enough X factor in the team."

"Bowlers need to be on top. Particularly when bowling to the Delhi bomber ( Sehwag ). I have played a lot against Sehwag in international cricket. We have made strategies against him in the past but they have not always worked. We need to be on top of our bowling".

The great all rounder said the Zaheer will be spearheading Bangalore attack and RCB will be targeting the best opening pair in the IPL, Warner and Sehwag ( They put on 146 runs for the first wicket, off 11.4 overs ).

"On the day, you need one of your bowlers to step up. It is important that Zaheer and myself start well because we are the key bowlers".

Ray Jennings, the RCB coach, said he is not disturbed by the lack of form of Zaheer, who will bounce back to form !

"Zaheer is the kind of player who will take 4/5 wickets. He is a match winner and his form is the biggest motivation for his comeback", said the formidable coach.

"If we win on Tuesday, it will brighten our chances in IPL. The table is tight and if we can win this game, we move to the top four" said Vettori.

Similarly it is time DDD's bowlers delivered. The pace trio of Morkel, Pathan and Aaron is a formidable trio indeed and they have to deliver, if DDD is to move to the top four !

It will be very interesting that today's match will be on a green top and DDD had performed well against Punjab on this turf, scoring 231 !

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Chennai crush Pune in the Battle of the Cities

Hussey scored a scintillating 61, as Chennai scored 140/5. We dont know what happened to CSK batting, but there it is at just 7 per over.

We are not saying 150 is a bad score, but then scores over 200 have been recorded.

Dhoni was out for 26, dancing down the wicket and getting stumped. Now Badrinath and Aniruddh are playing and they are 142/6 at the end. The last over by J Taylor was superb and he claimed the wicket of Aniruddh. He took 3/30 and Thomas took two wickets !

Pune need 143 to win. It is gettable, but then cricket is a game of grand vicissitudes.

Disciplined bowling by Chennai saw Pune tottering. They defended 142 runs well with a superb fielding and bowling performance. Dhoni's team has batted first and won many matches and this quality makes Chennai a cut above the rest !

Cometh the hour and cometh the man and it was the hour of Albie Morkel. He was sadly out of form and was dropped from the SA squad. But today he came back to form with a magnificent performance.

It was Bollinger and Albie Morkel who started the counter offensive. The Pune openers got a barrage of short pitched deliveries and 142 runs looked formidable.

Ashwin bowled Ryder with an arm ball, as Ryder played for an off break. Monish Mishra tried to steer a ball, but only succeeded in edging it onto his stumps. Manish Pandey also was out like M Mishra, edging one onto his stumps, undone by the slowness of the pitch. Ashwin then bowled Uthappa round his legs and Pune had lost four wickets in just six overs !

Yuvraj crossed 1000 IPL runs. Chennai applied pressure and Raina and Ranadiv bowled well. Manhas mishit Ranadiv for six, but edged Bollinger to Dhoni.

Inspired by some quality fielding by Raina, CSK ers flung their bodies in the field, saving lots of boundaries. Yuvraj holed out to Jakati and the match was over.

Pune continued to be the most economical side in IPL so far and restricted Chennai to 142 earlier. Pune ended up at 117/9. Chennai moved to sixth place and Pune to 8th in the IPL Points Table.

Yuvraj looked sadly out of form and touch seemed to have deserted the WC hero. He scratched around for his 34 off 43 balls. It was the situation which nerved him. Pune had lost six wickets for 100 and he was up against the inevitable. His agony was ended when Jakati took a catch.
Pune was 40/4 and then it was almost over. He could not battle it alone and it was not his fault, but the situation !

Dhoni hit Yuvraj for a mighty six but was dealing with singles after that. He scored 26. Hussey was out when he tried to loft Taylor and was held at long on by Manish Pande !

A great match, in which Chennai proved that they have the bowling and the fielding to defend 142 ! Other teams beware !

A royal win, crafted by Royals !

Rajastan crushed Kochi by 8 wickets with a superb display of bowling. Kochi could only score 109 and Rajastan won with 8 wickets to spare.

The royal brain of Warne, one should admit, was behind this success. He led from the front with a three wicket haul and Tuskers could not get out of his royal grip.

His decision to field first was was validated as Kochi was shot out for 109.

Mahela admitted that Kochi didnt bat well.

"It was going to be a tough task with the dew, we needed another 20-30 runs more, we didn't bat well and they bowled well up front," the Sri Lankan said after the match.

"We needed to take wickets and not give them momentum. Rahul and Watson showed their experience and played really well. We tried our best. We didn't had a good day in the office. Hopefully we will come back.

"After the start we had, I thought 120-130 was a good score, but we couldn't execute, but plenty to learn from this. We have to adapt to good conditions. It is a close table this time around, everything is beating each other, we need to keep focus and we can be top of the table again" said the formidable Sri Lankan.

Warne, on the contrary, was enthused about his team's performance.

"Our intensity was very good from ball one, the boys showed a lot of character today, we had a good record at home and it was a satisfying win" .

"They worked pretty hard, back room staff also were always working with them. We had a few hiccups in the last few games but we bounced back in emphatic style today" said the spin legend.

The Royals catapulted to the second spot after trampling the Tuskers and hoped that his team will keep the momentum going. ( One wonders whether momentum is so important, with cricket being a game of chance. One day this team, next day another team ! ).

Watson (49) and Dravid (44) starred for the Royals.

Mumbai crush Deccan

Mumbai got off to a fantastic start, when Sachin and Jacobs put on 47 for the first wicket off 5 overs. Then Jacobs top edged Ishant into the hands of Ojha and MI were 47/1 !

Then Tendulkar hit two superb fours off Ishant and Sachin is now 23 off 15 balls!

The strategic timeout proved to be Mumbai's nemesis. Sachin tried to loft one and it ended in the hands of Steyn, Rayudu lofted one into the hands of Dhawan off Mishra. And Kieron Pollard glided one into the hands of Sanga off Ojha. From 70/1 to 70/4 !

Now there is a fifty partnership between the in form Sharma and Symonds and they have taken the score to 132/4, with some glorious shots off 18 overs !

Symonds pulls on for four and lofts another for six, off Steyn. Symonds takes a couple and MI are 144/4! Next ball is smashed by Symonds for four and MI are 148/4!

Sharma lofts Christian for six and takes a single and now MI are 155/4. Sharma lofts Christian for two sixes and reaches his fifty ! Sharma hits Christian again and MI finish at 172/4 ! The fifth wicket partnership is the highest this season- 102 runs.

Rohit Sharma was unconquered on 56 and Symonds 44 !

DC started disastrously, losing Sunny Sohal run out. Then Dhawan and Sanga took the score to 41, when Slinga Malinga uprooted Dhawan's off stump. Now Cameroon White has joined Sanga and DC are 42/2.

A superb direct hit from Malinga and White is run out. Fielders win matches!

Chipli tries to smash Pollard and is out caught ! DC 72/4.

Sanga is still there and hope springs eternal in the human breast !

Sanga's stumps were shattered by Malinga and that was more or less curtains for Deccan. Deccan could only muster 135 and Sanga 34. Only Christian with 21, Dhawan with 25 and Amit Mishra with 25 could reach double figures.

It was Malinga who was the champion bowler and ended with the figures of 3/9.

Sachin Mania reached a crescendo at the stadium when Sachin opted to play. People were confused whether he will play or not, as the news of his beloved Guru moving to the heavenly abode reached him.

Sehwag and Warner pull Delhi to victory !

146 run partnership for the opening wicket is the highest in the IPL in this season.

Warner and Sehwag cracked blistering half centuries as Delhi piled up a mammoth 231.

Both hit four sixes each and their attacking role was later on taken by V Rao, who finished 28 not out !

It was glorious batting. Sehwag has asked for a green top and got it and then proved his class. Delhi had a menacing pace attack in Morkel, Aaron ( the fastest in India, who clocked 153 kph ), Irfan and Agarkar. Agarkar took two wickets, while the others took one wicket each.

231/4 happens to be the highest this season. 146 runs were scored off 11.4 overs, when Sehwag fell. Warner fell at 179 and Delhi was on their way to a mighty total.

Like Marius amidst the ruins of Carthage, Shaun Marsh braved the might of Delhi pace bowling, with a scintillating display of batting. He hit 6 sixes in a great innings of 95. But that couldnt save Punjab, who went down by 26 runs !

Punjab could not match the blistering tempo set up by the Delhi bombers and they fell 26 runs short. Varun Aaron, the fastest bowler in India, got rid of Gilchris, but only after Gilly had scored 42. Except for Shaun Marsh, none of the other batsmen impressed. Dinesh Karthik was out cheap for six and A Nayar was not out 17. Paul Valthaty was out for 14 and David Hussey could only score and the match was over,with Punjab at 202/6.

Sachin's decision should be respected : Sanga

Sanga said that Sachin's decision should be respected. Sachin may not play today due to the worsening health situation of Satya Sai Baba, the yogi of Puttaparthi.

"If Sachin does not play on Sunday because he is worried about Sathya Sai Baba, his decision should be respected. You should always show a support towards personal decisions."

"There are many followers of Sai Baba in Sri Lanka too and they are also anxious. So I think it's a personal decision and should be respected."

Sachin joined thousands of devotees praying for the speedy recovery of the ailing Guru.
Tendulkar tweeted "I m praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health."

Sachin turns 38 on Sunday and a very happy birthday was wished by Sanga.

"I wish him a very happy birthday" said the formidable Sri Lankan.

Bishoo spins out Pak !

Great spin bowling by Devendra Bishoo was responsible for Pak defeat at the hands of WI.

He took 4/17 and Pak crashed to their first defeat in the T20 series. Pak was beaten by seven runs in their inaugural one day match.

Umar Akmal, the all round genius, scored 41 and Asad Shefiq chipped in with 25, as the Pakis were restricted to 143/9 by some excellent spin bowling by Bishoo.

Shahid Afridi said " I think the pitch was good for batsmen and I dont know why we missed this opportunity. We are not building any partnerships. This is what has been missing for us for a few months. Bishoo bowled really well, and all of their bowlers delivered in the right areas."

Bishoo was chosen Man of the Match, after his great haul of 4/17 off his allotted four overs, changed the game in WI's favour !

IPL beats serials in TV Rating Points !

The TV serials were destroying societal life when IPL zoomed on the horizon. The Audience's fascination with IPL is adversely affecting the TRPs ( Television Rating Points ) of TV serials.

After India's WC triumph, many speculated that interest in IPL will wane. ( But we, in our columns, predicted that IPL will be a huge success ! ). But such fears seemed to be unfounded, as IPL has now more TRPs than TV serials ! Initial numbers for 15 matches indicate that IPL has started on a firm footing. With an average of 5.16 rating for the first three matche played on Ap 8 and 9, IPL recorded higher ratings, than the WC, which stood at around 3.5.

The second week average for 12 IPL matches played from Apr 10 to Ap 16 stands at 4.2.

Says N P singh, COO< Multi Screen Mddia which owns Max, the IPL's official broadcaster.

"The average rating for last season was 4.7. This season the first match was sampled by 55.8 million viewers as compared to 42.6 million last year. Hence going by the initial response there is hardly any doubt that IPL has gathered furthur momentum and the ratings this year will be as strong as the last season if not more".

This momentum is expected to continue. S Tiwari, the head of programming, Imagine, says "As years are passing, IPL is becoming a stronger brand".

The WC triumph has only increased interest in IPL, rather than dent it. Says Singh " After India's victory in the final, viewers wait to see their favourite heroes and international stars on a different platform pitted against each other".

Incidentally, with around 40% female audience, female viewers, who are loyal viewers of soap operas, continue to view IPL matches. Cricketainment, ( a blend of entertainment, cricket, upsets and thrillers, stars, glamours and pundits ), another name for IPL, has sent entertainment channels on the defensive. While most channels launched new shows during the World Cup, the channels are now refraining from launching new shows, as it is IPL season. Admits Tiwary "It is not a good move to launch new shows"!

Dhoni elects to field, loses !

MI are 103/3 and Rohit Sharma has just scored his fifty with a magnificent six !

Sachin was out to Bollinger for 5 and Satish was out to Morkel for a duck! MI were 13/2.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man and the man proved to be Rohit Sharma. He has played a scintillating knock of 53 not out !

Class will tell. Rohit Sharma and Badrinath shone for MI and CSK ! Sharma's 87 was a superb innings while Badrinath's was simply magnificent. But then it was Bajji's 5/18 which turned the tide in favour of Mumbai. He clean bowled Albie Morkel, had Ashwin caught at long on and made Joginder Sharma top edge him.

Bajji struck thrice in one over. The Mumbai Indians fought hard against the character innings played by Badrinath ( 71 not out ). Badrinath played responsibly and saw that he was running out of partners ! Chennai finished at 156/9 !

Badrinath looked like a forlorn figure, as his team mates surrendered meekly to Bajji & Co. He off drove Munaf for a four and his late cuts were simply dazzling. He lofted Bajji for four in the seventh over and then glided R Sharma to the fence. He lofted Sharma for a mighty six. He then went into his shell after the loss of Hussey and Dhoni !

If Badri was Poetry in Motion, Rohit Sharma was elegance personified. R Sharma hit three fours in the first four deliveries he faced and then powered Mumbai to a competitive 164.

When Sachin perished at 13/2, Chennai had a great chance to pull it off. But Sharma's brilliance vetoed such a move. Sharma was simply brilliant and with Rayudu put on 61 run partnership and 87 runs with Symonds off just 8.1 overs !

It seems IPL is proving for discards as Gayle, Badrinath and Sharma proved yesterday. Not only for discards, but also for young stars, as we find Valthaty, Sunny Sohail, Rayudu, Menaria and Chipli showcasing their talents before one billion plus viewers.

For others, it was a boon that Sachin got out. Now they had time to play some 18 overs and R Sharma exploited that situation. Suddenly the Chennai attack, which had looked menacing, began to lose its venom. And Rohit capitalised on this opportunity and dazzled the crowd with some lusty hitting.

He took the MI score past 100 and his fifty by lofting Ranadiv for a huge six. He smashed Raina for 17 runs and looked menacing to the hapless Chennai bowlers. When he fell in the final over, Mumbai had reached respectability.

He was also responsible for Chennai's fall, as he dived and took a catch off Dhoni. The day belonged to him !

Gayle lofts KKR to victory !

Gayle has just lofted Shakib for two mighty sixes and he has announced his arrival thus.

Now RCB are 74/0 ! Dilshan is giving him fantastic support and if KKR do not get a break, they are in for big trouble ! Such is the impact of impact players !

Gayle is now 43 off 24 balls and is going great guns. Gayle deflects one magnificently and it goes for four. He moves up to 47. He smashes another six and crosses 50.

Many feel that Gayle will turn around RCB's fortunes !

Dilshan is out and Kohli has just hit an exquisite four. The next ball Kohli lofts for six !

It is said that the presence of impact players like Gayle, Pollard, Pathan etc affect the confidence of the bowlers !

Gayle is on 92 off 47 balls, with seven sixes and eight fours. Dilshan was out for 32.

Has Gayle changed IPL ! He smashes the next ball for four and is now 96 ! Gayle takes a single and is now 97 no.

This sounds like great revenge. In the 2008 IPL first match, Brendon McCullum smashed 115, thus routing Bangalore. Now Bangalore through Gayle is taking revenge on KKR !

Three more runs separate Gayle from his hundred. Kohli is 20 not out. Kohli drives for four and moves on to 24. 8 runs needed to win and Gayle takes a single and moves on to 98. Kohli takes a single and gives the strike to Gayle. Bangalore are now 166/1.

Will he get 2 more runs ? K smashes the next ball for four.

Now only one run is needed. Gayle is facing and he need two runs for a hundred ! Gayle smashes the next ball for four, gets his hundred and Bangalore win handsomely ! He hit ten fours and seven sixes. A warning to WI selectors !

Gayle said his job is to entertain. So the WI Board dropped him. No problem, he said, and legged it to India. And he proved his genius by blasting a century on arrival ! That is the stuff pinch hitters or impact batsmen are made of. They move in a mysterious way their wonders to perform.

About Gayle, the Magnificent, Gibbsy said " Finally somebody lighting up the IPL. Chris 'cramps' Gayle u beauty ! Rub in their faces for not buying u ! "

It is said that the former WI skipper treated the KKR bowlers with disdain, as each of the towering sixes was a reply to the indifference shown to him during the auction back in January.

KKR was sorrowful in the sense, they let go of this formidable West Indian. If they had retained Gayle, they wouldnt have faced such carnage ! In fact, last year, the destructive opener blasted 88 off 42 balls against Punjab for KKR. But now he is a Royal Challenger and will he be the turnaround RCB is looking for ? Anyway Mallya is beaming. Also Anil Kumble !

KKR finish at 171/5

KKR are batting well and now are 114/2. Pathan has just hit a six and the crowds are going bersek.

Gambhir is proving to be Michael Bevan like batsman and is now 40 not out. Pathan has lofted another six and KKR are 128/2.

Bangalore won the toss and put KKR in to bat off 16 overs. Gayle was included for van der Warth while KKR brought in Haddin and Unadkat for Bisla and Lee.

Kallis scored 40 and was superbly caught by Gayle, a diving superb catch off Vettori. Haddin was out for 18 and Gambhir was joined by the hard hitting Yousuf Pathan. Both are now there, the left handed solid bat and the right handed Baroda Bomber. 4 more overs to go and we can expect a massive score. !

Gambhir tries to hit Aravind and holes out to Dilshan and KKR are 139/3.

Pathan blasts Aravind for four and then clobbers his over long off for six and the next ball, a full toss, he hits past point for four. KKR now 154/3.

Pathan turns Zaheer for four and now KKR are 160/3. Pathan was eventually out to Aravind for 46 and KKR end the innings at 171/5, setting a target of 172 to Bangalore, which is gettable!

46 off 24 balls is a great innings indeed !

IPL Trivia

RCB's Gayle said " Back in Kolkota, looking to make my debut for RCB and yes against KKR, what a world, lol ! Interesting but I am so Royal ! Now sweet azz India !

Rohit Sharma of MI became the became the sixth player to complete 1200 runs in the IPL. The right hander has scored 1217 at an average of 32.02 in 49 matches.

The Sri Lankan Board had allowed their players to play in IPL till May 18th.

There was a brother sister combine at the IPL, as Punjab's Aussie recruit, Nathan Rimmington, and his reporting sister Ricki-Lee were conspicous by their presence. Said Nathan " Rikki sort of followed in my footsteps. She would bowl to me when we were playing cricket in the backyard of our house as kids. And like any other young sibling, who looks upto my older sibling, she followed me into the game". The brother and sister represent Queensland. While the brother has not yet tasted high level cricket, Rikki has played for Australia U19 team. " As kids I used to double whatever runs she got just to be fair to her" says Nathan " But she won more games than I did. she is quite competitive".

The Heavens favour Sachin !

Jup Sun MarMer Moo			Ket
Ven	RASI
Rah LA			Sat

Jupiter will move over to Aries on May 8th, and in Sachin's horoscope, he will move to the favourable 5th. ( LA means the Lunar Ascendant or the Moon Sign, as Sachin's birth star is Poorvashada or Pooradam ).

Now Sachin has added more trophies. A century in IPL , in T20 and being a member of the WC winning team !

Now he is eyeing another laurel, the IPL Trophy. Can MI, the no 1 favourites, pull it off ?

He has an average of 236 ! He was only out once, for 35 in the last match. His other scores are 46 no, 55 no, and 100 no !

The Heavens favour Sachin and may he go on creating records !

Wi board ignored me : Gayle

Gayle said he joined the IPL because WI board ignored him.

He was forced to accept an offer by RC Bangalore, as he was not sure about a place in WI team. He was injured during the World Cup. He paid for all medical treatment in Britain, before returning home to Jamaica, where he started a rehabilitation programme with his personal trainer.

"Some players were selected for a training camp in Barbados, but I never got a call" said the dashing West Indian southpaw, who is capable of winning a T20 match singlehandedly. "Nobody spoke to me, so I decided to leave it alone"

Valthaty and Marsh destroy Royals !

Punjab posted the highest score in IPL 2011, 195/7.

Valthaty and Shaun Marsh hit 3 sixes each and Valthaty became the wearer of the orange cap, overtaking Sachin. He has now scored 247 runs against Sachin's 236 !

In 15 overs, Punjab were 169/2, but then Rajastan came back into the game. In the first five overs, Punjab blasted 71/1 !

Praveen Kumar shot out Watson for 24 and Asnodkar for 9. Dravid was bowled by Harris for 8.

Gilchrist was bowled by a no ball from Siddharth Trivedi and Valthaty was caught in the slips off a no ball from Tait ! These two reprieves cost the Royals dear as both Gilchrist and Valthaty exploded and punished their bowlers to all parts of the field.

Valthaty blasted Trivedi for three fours and two mighty sixes. In that over, Trivedi yielded 25 runs and suddenly Punjab had posted 50 on the board in fastish time. When Gilchrist fell, Valthaty slowed down but Shaun Marsh, in superb form , continued to make the scoreboard moving at a fantastic pace.

Warne thought when he commenced the 14th over that he could bring the Roylas back into the game, but Marsh smote him for three magnificent sixes. In the 16th over, Punjab was 175 and Pretty, pretty, Preity was beaming. But then Royals came back into the game with some restrictive bowling and Punjab could only score 20 runs more in the last four overs !

Warne managed to dismiss Valthaty, but not before the 28 year old had run bersek, smashing 46 off 31 balls. Shane Warne, who conceded 50 runs off 4 overs, did lose his cool. He sledged Shaun Marsh ( who hit him for three consecutive sixes ) and then gave a bit of his mind to D Karthik, who refused to walk, after being given out. Warne's girlfriend Liz Hurley was watching the match and her presence could not cool the genius Aussie leggie !

RR could only muster 147/7, against some good bowling by Praveen Kumar and Bhatt. Rahul Dravid, after hitting two excellent fours, was yorked by Ryan Harris ( Astrologically, his 8th & 3rd lord's period is troubling him and as such he should be excused). Praveen Kumar nailed Asnodkar with a full toss. Watson hit 4 elegant fours, but then Praveen Kumar induced him to top edge a pull. Then Chawla struck with a superb beauty to trap Ross Taylor and the match was almost over !

Shaun Marsh was exuberant that his side had defeated Warne's team. "It's nice feeling. We had a great win. All the boys played well, and good feeling at the moment. First time I have got a few off him (Warne), usually he gets me out pretty early," said the elegant left hander. "I do enjoy playing here, great place to play cricket. Having a lot of fun at the moment."

Gilchrist was enthused that his side, Punjab had scored its third consecutive win and jumped to third place in the IPL Points Table.

"Three in a row after a poor start. Been a bit of a stop-start tournament, seems like the tournament is just beginning. Fine line, but 2 for 5 is a fair distance from being 0 for 40. Paul backed himself, and Shaun was brilliant," said the flashy Aussie. "Not too bad [his own form]. It's all helter skelter, don''t know much about form in this form of the game.

Warne said that if his bowlers had not bowled the no balls, it would have been a totally different story.

"Not the ideal start. Two no-balls could have been two wickets. After that we lost our way. Gilchrist and Valthaty played really well. We pulled them back a bit, but we got off to an ordinary start ourselves," Warne said.

He said he lost his cool when both Trivedi and Tait bowled no balls. "I was trying to stay calm [when the no-balls happened], but it's not easy. Something you can't do in Twenty20 cricket."
"We got outplayed, we didn't do a lot of basic stuff well." said the formidable Aussie leggie !

Tuskers trample down Knights !

Kochi Tuskers won both matches when they chased.

But today they are batting first and Mahela said he is confident that his team will put up a decent score.

Let us see what will happen.

Tuskers could only get 132, as the Kolkotta spinners, Pathan and Shakib restricted them to a low total. Pathan reduced Kochi from 45/0 to 65/4, taking six Kochi wickets for 48 runs. But Kochi's spinners struck back - Powar, Murali and Jadeja - and restricted them to 126/9 !

Kochi won by 6 runs and moved to No 3 position of the IPL Table.

The Kochi formidable opening pair scored 26 in the first three overs. In comparison, Kolkota was unimpressive, scoring only 20 runs in the first four overs and losing Kallis and Gambhir in the process. Kallis fell for the hook for the second consecutive time and Gambhir played inside the line and had his stumps uprooted by R P Singh.

In the next over, Jadeja removed the off stump of Bisla. Tiwari and Morgan found the going tough against some accurate spin bowling by Kochi. Murali varied his angle and flight superbly, Jadeja fired the ball in and Powar flighted the ball well to stife Kolkotta !

The climibing asking rate saw Morgan charging down for a single which was not there and Mahela, with a direct hit, threw down the stumps. Tiwary blasted RP for back to back boundaries, but Shakib, while trying to hit a full toss, was bowled comprehensively.

47 runs were removed off five overs and then Mahela, like Dhoni, took a risky decision. He brought in Pawar, the offspinner. Pathan hit him to wide long on for four, but got a top edge to a well flighted ball from Pawar. It was brave on the part of Pawar to flight, but fortune favoured him this time.

All eyes were riveted on Tiwari. He had batted intelligently for 45, but Jadeja had him stumped with a superb ball. Bhatia and Abdullah refused to give up, blasting 12 runs off an RP Singh over, the 19 th over. 14 runs were needed off the ultimate over, but Vinay Kumar stifled them with slow deliveries and game the match to Kochi.

Despite the hype of Kolkotta's formidable batting line up, none of the other batsmen, apart from Tiwari, shone.

Sachin gets out ultimately !

Look at Sachin's scores. He was 46 not out, 55 no and 100 no in all the three matches he played. So one thought that he will be undefeated today. That was not to be as he got out at 35.

Now Mumbai needs only 7 runs to win off 8 balls !

Rayudu played a swashbuckling innings of 37. One run was needed and Rohit Sharma smashed one into the crowds and MI won !

Symonds, out of touch with cricket for seven months, smashed some fours and came back into form.

It was a mediocre performance from Pune against highly rated favourites, Mumbai.

The Pune batsmen were foxed by the spin of Murtaza. With Murtaza at one end and Nechim on the other, J Ryder fell. M Patel returned with the superb figures of 3/8 and MI's performance delighted Shaun Pollock, the bowling coach.

Nechim gets some skid off the surface and this trapped Ryder, whose pull ended in the hands of Sachin.

Pune bat first in the all Maharashtra war !

Pune is batting rirst.

Jesse Ryder is now facing Murtaza. There is now a confident appeal against Ryder, but then his feet was in.

Yuvraj opted for batting, even though almost all captains are taking fielding first, to know the target.

Shastri opined that 194/9 is a far better score than 164/3 ! He is advising both Maharashtra sides to go in for 200, rather than solidly for 160 odd !

Jessie Ryder lofts one into the hands of Sachin and Pune are 16/1. Next ball Manhas flashes and is caught behind and Nechim strikes two tremendous blows !

Munaf Patel started the next over and clean bowls T Paine and Pune ( who made Punjab 9/4 and Kochi 13/3 ) are 17/3 ! The Pune captain is out next ball and Pune are 17/4 !

That is why most of the captains take fielding, with the possible exception of Dhoni. But then Dhoni is an intellectual captain who knows how to rotate the bowlers and win by bowling and fielding.

Uthappa, not deterred by the situation, lofts one for four. But he is another pinch hitter and let us see whether he will save Pune !

Monish Mishra lofted one for six and then perished trying to repeat the shot, caught in the deep by Rohit Sharma and Pune are 57/5 !

Jonty Rhodes, the Mumbai coach, said that he is satisfied by the performance of the Mumbaikars !

Murali Karthik, playing well so far, lofts Malinga into the hands of Symonds and Pune are 88/6, off 14 overs !

Wayne Parnell is bowled by Franklin for 11 and Pune are 111/8 !

Pune are all out for 118 and Mumbai needs 119 runs to win. Mumbai pulled off some fantastic catches. No wonder as Jonty Rhodes is their coach.

Knights take on giant killers, the Kerala Tuskers today

KKR is a new resurgent team, under an innovative captain, Gambhir. Kolkotta is now respected, after some great wins. The Kolkotta crowd may be back at the Eden Gardens. Now they face a team which is reputed for creating upsets and are giant killers at the Eden today.

Three great wins have brought momentum to KKR and they are looking for their fourth win. Both KKR and KTK started the competition with losses and were struggling in the bottom of the IPL Table. Both have turned around magnificently. The Knights have not committed mistakes in the last three matches. Also the Tuskers, who have beaten both Mumbai and Chennai. Both have momentum on their favour and this makes today's match thrilling to the core.

Both depend on batting. The bowling of both cannot be compared to the bowling of Mumbai or Chennai. Both seem to be equal with strengths and weaknesses.

Meanwhile, Mahela said that the DL system should be reviewed. " To my limited knowledge, they take the average scores and work it backwards., which I believe is not good enough in the shorter version of the game. Perhaps they should introduce a new system in such cases".

He is thrilled at the way the games are going for the IPL debutants. "It is tough to get things right after two losses. We are still not there but we are definitely heading in the right direction". said the great SL batsman, implying that there was still space for improvement in all the three departments of the game. Wiinning the toss is crucial and his partnership with Brendon was the turning point of the last game.

"I guess we are just helping the middle order as much as we can and Brendon is working really hard. He is consistent in his performance' said the professional batsman about his explosive opening partner. "We bowled well under the given conditions but we can still improve especially when the fielding side is put under pressure. We have to make sure we are not complacent and keep going".

Incidentally, Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach, lambasted the D/L method in T20. He said that it is not an excuse for the CSK defeat to Kochi. "No place for D/L in T20 matches" said the former Kiwi skipper.

"There is no no place for D/L in this format. How can one explain an addition of only three runs to the target? We had three full overs in hand and more importantly had six wickets in hand' said the formdidable coach after CSK' s seven wicket defeat at the hands of the giant killers, Kochi. The Kochi pitch offered good bounce and in spite of playing three quality seamers, runs flowed. A matter for alarm and despondency, but Fleming said " We bowled well. If you look at the stats, they scored about five sixes and played out nearly 25 dot balls in the first six overs. They swung at everything and a few came off".

Pune take on mighty Mumbai today

Geoff Marsh, the Pune coach, feels that a total of 150 plus is OK on the
Wankhede track.

"It looks like a very good wicket. We have to score at least 150 plus. But
we will have to see how it plays in the first six overs and then reassess
the target." said the former Aussie btasmen, whose son Stuart Marsh is
playing for Punjab.

Though Mumbai is a great side, hailed as the No 1 favourites to win IPL
2011, they are not unbeatable.

"In their last four games, counting last year's final, they have won two and
lost two. They are a very good side and have the advantage of retaining four
players. But they showed they could be beaten in the last game." the formidable
Aussie said.

He said he is ready to take on the redoubtable Sachin on his home ground.
"Every cricketer in the world wants to play against him.

"It would be a sad day when he's not playing. It would be good to remind
ourselves when he's not playing."

The former opener said that following Pune' loss to DDD in their previous outing,
Pune's aim was to not to commit small mistakes. "We had a chat after the game
and yesterday. While we scored 180 we could have rotated the strike and scored
210. We definitely have to get better all the time," he said.

Murali Karthik, the left arm spinner, who bowls occasional chinamans, said
"The typical Wankhede wicket had a slope. This one is flat. The bounce on
practice pitches is not the same as that of a typical Wankhede wicket. We'll
have to see how it plays,"he said. Karthik had done well at the Wankhede in
Tests.

Said the left armer, who also appears as a commentator on TVs. "It was a
different day, different game. That day was surreal. This Wankhede looks
like an amphitheater. I have done well here in Tests, ODIs and first-class
cricket. But this is T20 cricket and I have to bowl four overs and put each
ball on the spot."

The new entrants, Kochi and Pune had made IPL more interesting, triggering
off intense competition and fuelling more interest.

"We have got two new teams. Two new teams coming into fray has made it more
competitive. People have done their homework and managed to put up a good side.
The quality of international players as well as domestic we have is very good."

Geoff Marsh echoed the same sentiment. "Definitely, the way the point structure is
at the moment, all teams are equal. The auction has balanced things out."

It is worthwhile to see Valthaty bat : Shaun Marsh

Shaun Marsh opined that Paul Valthaty' aggressive batting is something worth going miles to see.

Marsh may have lost the opening slot to him, but he is an admirer of Paul and is not complaining.

"Paul is batting really well in this season and he is a fantastic player. He has done well for the Punjab team in the last two games which helped us secure two subsequent wins. He put us in a winning position in the last two games. I am looking forward towards watching him bat again." said the classic Australian.

Marsh was the wearer of the Orange Cap in IPL 2008.

He said he is happy with his batting slot and wants to be in the Aussie side. . "I had a great first IPL and had a lot of fun. I had few injuries which somewhat made my ride a little bumpy one. I am confident that I can find the same rhythm and body right this time.

"I am feeling pretty good at the moment. It was a bit frustating (getting injured) but you can't do much with the injury situation. Obviously, if I perform well in the IPL, then it will help me win back my place in the Australian team. If I score few runs, then I will be in their scheme of things." said the southpaw, whose aim is to play for Australia in Tests.

It's my dream to play Test cricket for Australia. Wearing the baggy green is an ultimate for any Australian cricketer. My aim is to keep working hard and keep scoring runs and I am sure I will make it to the Test squad." Hailing Michael Clarke as a great leader, Shaun said he will transform Australia.

"Michael Clarke is a great player and a great leader. He is going to be a fantastic captain for Australia for a long period of time. I am sure he is going to re-build the side." he said.

Rain stops play in Bangalore

In the Bangalore match, between RCB and RR, the rain gods stopped play and incessant rain made both teams take each points.

Both RCB and RR are struggling and is trying to come out to the top of the IPL Table. Now KKR, Mumbai, Pune, DC and Kochi are on top of the list with some stellar performances.

Delhi cannot stop the charge of the Deccans

Helped by a blisteing 62 by Sunny Sohail, a sedate 49 by Sanga and a hard hitting 31 not out by Cameroon White, DC posted a good 168 batting first.

DDD will have to chase and get 169 for victory. Everything depends on Sehwag and Warner, even though there are others who can redeem Delhi.

DC uplifted themselves to the fourth position of the IPL with some disciplined bowling and fielding. DDD went back to their old form, as they lost Sehwag for 12.

Dave Warner continued his good form and scored a brilliant 51. None of the other batsmen impressed.

It was Harmeet Singh who struck some lethal blows, removing the dangerous Sehwag and Aaron Finch. V Rao could not repeat his magic and was out for 21. The bowling of Ojha, MIshtra, Steyn, Christian and Harmeet did create problems for DDD.

For his brilliant 62, Sunny Sohail was adjudged Man of the Match.

The Man of the Match said " I thought I had to play through the full T20 overs, I have played here before, but could not score much, so I decided I have to score today. Our captain tells us to go out and have fun in the middle so that makes my job a lot easier".

Said an enthused Sanga, after the match. "I feel a lot better now that we have won. Everyone chipped in today. Delhi came back us especially in the last five overs and we were lucky to get Viru. I have been batting OK for a few months now - that is my job here, keep well and bat well. I think youngsters like Sohal have to enjoy themselves when they go out to the middle, at the same time they have to keep learning. "

The DC think tank of Lehman and Sanga clearly read the conditions of the Kotla better than Viru's Devils ! While DDD packed their side with pacers, DC went the other way.

Ishant, Gony and Duminy were rested and Ojha, Cameroon White and Harmeet Singh came in.

Meanwhile, IPL ex commissioner, Lalit Modi said " Yes, the 3rc Anniversary for IPL today. I am glad we made it to here. Thanks for all your messages. Best wishes". It was unfortunate that such an efficient man had to exit from IPL !

Delhiites had turned in large numbers to cheer their heroes, after their win against Pune. The two massive stands were full and Delhi Police did show a polite face !

Kochi triumphs over World Champions Chennai !

The IPL cannot be called a revolution, but must be credited for creating great content for the masses, something which football or hockey in India cannot provide. The Kochi stadium refurbished can compare with any other in India and the crores which went in for the renovation does indeed display splendour. Sony did show the beautiful boat rides on the magnificent Vembanad Lake. The beautiful islands of Kochi does display a splendour which can enchant all. Many Kochiites are happy that big time cricket is here to stay, but there are concerns that corporation tax levied is a bit high and Ahmedabad may be the alternative venue planned for IPL V. But rain tainted yesterday's play and the match was reduced to 17 overs.

It was a good toss to win and Mahela elected to bowl. This has become a fashion for the captains to take fielding, as you can know the target in advance. Since all teams have excellent Test batsmen playing in their sides, a target of 180 or above will not pose much of a problem and we are seeing the majority of sides batting second winning. The dew factor ? The Dew Factor did come to India's assistance in the final, an opinion seconded by Imran, Murali and Dhoni.

So Kochi got their target, well 132 to win and it was imperative for Kochi to win, to grab the attention of the world, that they are no pushovers. The other debutant, Pune started well winning the first two matches, but lost their way in the third.

This is Kochi's second consecutive win. KTK has just defeated mighty Chennai !

At the moment, CSK are 109/3, with Raina just crossing his 50.MSD has just come in.

Earlier RP Singh got rid of the dangerous Mike Hussey for 8.

Heavy rains lashed Kochi and the match was reduced to 17 overs by the D/L method. Chennai scored 131/4, with Raina top scoring with 50. Raina was run out by Thissara Pereira for 50. Gomez trapped Badrinath lbw for 19. Dhoni was not out 14 when the 17th over finished, leaving Kochi to score 132 for victory.

The great duo of Mahela and Brendon started their glorious campaign and put on 39 for the first wicket. Mahela was out for 16, having hit a six and two fours. Parthiv Patel seems to be in good nick and he and Brendon took the score to 90. McCullum was out for 47 off Ashwin. He had blasted 4 fours and three sixes. Patel was out when the score was 110. Then again the Saviours of the Kochi last game, Jadeja and Hogde stroked Kochi to victory, as they did in the last match against Mumbai. Like in the last match, Jadeja blasted two sixes in this magnificent 16 not out !

Kochi got good star support as actresses Riya Sen and Lakshmi Rai were seen hanging around. The actor Mohan Lal and Film Director Priyadarshan were conspicous by their presence. The Kochi fanbase will improve, as Kochi has already grabbed the attention of the world by beating strong teams like Chennai and Mumbai, the top favourites to win this IPL trophy. If Chennai is the

No 1 favourite, Mumbai is the second favourite to win this 10 cr INR Trophy !

CSK captain Dhoni said the rain interruption took away crucial three overs against Kochi, which proved to be crucial in the end.

Kerala takes on mighty Chennai today

Chennai looks the most balanced side in the IPL. Hussey and Vijay are in great form. So is Dhoni. Add Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel and Badrinath. Amongst bowlers Ranadiv is now back in form. Ashwin, Jakati, Albie and Southee are effective bowlers. Chennai has scored more than 180 runs in the last two matches. And minnows Kochi is taking on such a formidable side.


Still the Tuskers are trumpeting against the roar of the Super Kings at their home venue, the Kochi Stadium.

But the Tuskers are not a side to be dismissed lightly. Did they not defeat the formidable MI? Now they have momentum and their fanbase is increasing. You must have seen the great reception they got at the Kochi Airport after defeating Mumbai !

John Hastings, the giant all rounder, is ready to don the garb for Kochi. McCullum and Mahela are in great nick. Also Jadeja and Hodge. But then their bowling gives scope for alarm and despondency.

Murali, Sreeshant, V Kumar, RP - these bowlers have not been at their best. Only Jadeja with his spinners have been restrictive. Also Powar, the offspinner, has been off target.

So a great match is in the offing and a cracker of a game is expected.

Batting wiht Gilchrist inspirational : Valthaty

He pole vaulted into stardom. His 120 off 63 balls left the experts gasping for breath. The opposition looked devastated. And when he shone with the ball in taking 4/29, the IPL fans were stunned. He scored 75 in the same match, powering Punjab to victory. Paul Chandrasekhar Valthaty.

Adam Gilchrist, the Punjab captain said that batting with the new sensation is great fun. " He worked hard in our camp and pre-tournament practice matches. I was trying to hang in with Paul. It was nice to get that partnership. The way Paul was going the total wasnt enough. He has had a very busy couple of days with messages and all, but he has dealt with it very well. We complemented each other very well through phases. I was giving him the strike early on, but later he did the same. It was a tough chase. If you play as well as Paul did, you end up winning easier. They had a very experienced bowling line-up, very pleasing for our batsmen to come through".

Meanwhile, Valthaty said he was inspired by Gilchrist. " Batting with Gilly is obviously inspirational as he is one of my heroes when I started my cricket. Gilly always tells me to watch the ball hard and bat to your strengths. In T20 cricket, it is obviously important to have a clear mind". said the new star who has zoomed to the IPL firmament.

Valthaty said that his friends and family had advised him to be cool and not to succumb to match pressure.

Yuvraj's all round excellence in vain !

Yuvraj continued his brilliant all round form with a blistering 66 not out, with five sixes and took four Delhi wickets, but his all round excellence went in vain,as Delhi coasted to their maiden win.

Jesse Ryder, another impact player, was also at his best as he blasted 60 with five sixes and Pune piled up a mammoth 187/5!

Delhi wanted 188 to win and it seemed that Sehwag alone would do it. But then Sehwag fell, clean bowled by Ryder for 37. David Warner scored a brilliant 46 with two sixes. And then Delhi was in dire straits at 120/5, when Venugopal Rao took over the reins.

Venugopal Rao blasted 3 sixes and one four in a scintillating innings of 31. Finch scored 25 and Delhi won by 3 wickets.

"We did not bowl well in the death overs", said Yuvraj.

"You have to give it to Delhi. They played really well under pressure. We did not take wickets in the first six and did not bowl well in the end overs. I was thinking of spinners in the death overs but in the end your main bowlers have to bowl well. You have to give them confidence," a disappointed Yuvraj said after the match.

Yuvraj,Man of the Match because of his all round performance, said that Pune was in the game when he got rid of Aaron Finch in the 19th over, with Delhi still needing 21 off 11 balls.

"We were there in the game when Finch got out but Venugopal and Hopes batted really well. After Sehwag and David Warner gave Delhi a good start, their middle-order came out good."

It was Delhi's shrewdness which paid off. DDD reserved a couple of their big hitters back and V Rao and A Finch blasted the Pune bowlers to all parts of the field, in the death overs, to register their first IPL victory.

In the 39th over, Yuvraj had Finche caught and bowled with his first ball and removed V Rao with his last, sending shivers in the Delhi camp. Then Delhi only wanted 8 runs off six balls. Then James Hopes, hit the third ball of Ryder's over for six and then hit the next one through backward point to send DDD fans into ecstasy.

"Our batsmen played responsibly and we won a thriller" said Sehwag.

"Our batting didn't click in the first two games in which we batted first. I thought with a target to chase the batsmen would take some responsibility. It was a fine victory and was a team effort by the Delhi Daredevils," said the swashbuckling opener after his team defeated the home side by three wickets in a high-scoring game.

He said DDD has resigned to defeat when they needed 41 off the last three overs.

"When we needed 41 off three overs we thought we would lose the game. But twenty runs came off the 18th over. I think that was the turning point," said the formidable swashbuckling opener, who scored 37 in 23 balls , sharing an opening stand of 75 with Dave Warner.

"The wicket was good. The kind of batting line-up we have, we knew if we could get a good start we could do it. But we were confident of chasing 160-170. But Yuvraj Singh played a fantastic knock. We lost quick wickets, but Venu (gopal Rao) and Aaron (Finch) played splendidly." the Delhi bomber said.

"He was the only bowler who gave (only) 26 runs in four overs. He later hit a four and a six to win the game and has made it difficult for us whom to select for the next match."

Sehwag said it is difficult to build a team and make it jell.

"It's difficult to build a new team with only one man in it originally. We are coming there, getting better as a unit. We are practicing hard, sharing information and experience. We need a couple of more weeks.
"Greg Shipperd, the coach, has done a fantastic job. We had a camp from March 30. He has helped me with his knowledge about the players."

He paid glowing tributes to the all round magnificence of Yuvraj Singh, who excelled with both bat and ball.

"It happens even in One-dayers. Yuvraj Singh batted well and bowled well but ended on the losing side. I am happy with that. It was a great effort by our team. We had bowled really well before the last over, by Ashok Dinda." he said. Dinda was hit by Yuvra for three towering sixes and gave away 26 runs in the final over.

Sehwag said Morkel missed yesterday's match because of a digestive tract disorder. "Morkel had an upset stomach. I don't know what he ate, but hopefully he will be fit for the next game."

Rajastan bowled out for 81 !

Rajastan Royals were bowled out by Kolkotta for 81. It was the ex Indian pacer Balaji's day, as he grabbed 3/15 !

Dravid did not play and Shane Watson opened the innings. He was bowled by Balaji and the first wicket fell at 24. Paunikar was stumped by Bisla off Iqbal Abdulla for 15. Two run outs saw RR plunge to 43/4 !

Ross Taylor fell to Pathan, stumped again by Bisla and RR were in dire straits at 67/5. Balaji shattered the stumps of Rahane. While Shane Warne remained unconquered, Shakil Al Hasan shattered the stumps of Amit Singh and Shaun Tait. And Lee uprooted the stumps of Siddharth Trivedi and RR were all out for 81 ! Kolkotta crowd back to their feet and cheering !

Kolkotta won comfortably with Gambhir on 35 not out and M Tiwari on 30 not out.

Balaji took 3/15 and became Man of the Match. He produced a super delivery to clean bowl Shane Watson, the formidable all rounder in his first over and then he cleaned up the lower order later. It was great bowling on the part of the KKRs and no wonder the Kolkotta crowd will be back in droves, after this resounding win ! The delivery which sent back Watson was a dream ball. It pitched on the middle, swerved away and hit the off stump. This is the best ball bowled in the IPL so far.

Valthaty lofts Punjab again to victory

Gilchrist won the toss and took fielding and restricted DC to 165. We have seen chase of 183 yesterday, a successful chase, by Kochi. So 166 is not a great score by any means.

Now Punjab are 96/0, with Valthaty going strong and Gilchrist giving him admirable support. Vlathaty is 45 not out and Gilchrist is 44 not out.

Earlier Paul Valthaty took 4/29, bowling military medium stuff. So he may get Man of the Match Award.

Gilchrist smashes a six to bring up his fifty and Punjab's score crosses 100. They are now 103/0.

The Punjab coach,Michael Bevan said that there is tremendous talent in India. He was commenting on Paul Valthaty's performance.

This is the second time he had done it ! Paul Valthaty, powered Punjab to yet another win with a superb all round performance. He took 4/29 and then scored 75 blistering runs and powered Punjab to victory.

The Deccans, with the best bowling combination in the tournament - Steyn, Sharma, Gony & Mishra, if not Ojha - could do nothing against the onslaught of Valthaty and Gilchrist, who put on 136 runs for the first wicket, when Gilchrist got out for 61. When Valthaty was out, it was 151/2 and the match was more or less over.

For the Deccans, Dhawan scored 45 and Sanga 35. Christian scored 30 off 14 balls, but then 165 proved to be not a defendable score. Not against the in form Valthaty.

The formidable bowling of the Deccans was blunted by the Gilchrist Valthaty duo, whose century partnership, the highest in IPL 2011, brought joy to pretty, pretty Preity !

Punjab has reasons to be proud. Valthaty is a great find and let him prove himself in the matches to come. We hope he plays for India !

Earlier, Christian threatened to take the game away from Punjab, when he clubbed Valthaty for a mighty six, but then Valthaty had his revenge when he clean bowled Christian.

Valthaty, in the same over, sent back Mishra, the leg spinner and took the dream figures of 4/29. He was adjudged the Man of the Match !

Mike Hussey strokes Chennai to victory !

Hussey began his 1PL 2011 career with a superb, scintilling knock, like the blistering innings he played against Pak in the T20 2010.

Hussey was responsible for powering Chennai to 183, setting a target of 184 to Bangalore. Bangalore cracked under pressure !

Bangalore's fielding was below par and Hussey was let off when he was on 8. He went to score 83 not out. The support bowlers of Bangalore gave 101 runs off nine overs !

When Chennai started, except for Kohli and Bram Villiers, no batsmen impressed. Their muddled thinking and bungling cost them the match !

When Bangalore batted, Morkel removed the dangerous Dilshan. AUK Pathan was bowled by Southee for 14 and M Agarwal was removed by Ashwin when the score was 31. Bangalore was faced with 13/14 runs per over as the required rate and lost the match by 21 runs !


The Australian Effect is here in IPL. The Kangaroos are back from the BD
tour and are active in the fourth edition of the IPL.

It is a paradox the Dilshan, the highest scorer in the WC 2011, 500 runs, is
all at sea in IPL Last match he was scratching here and here, even though
he scored a fifty and yesterday he was out to Morkel for a duck ! What a
great game cricket is ! A man who scores a century goes out for a blog and
the man who goes out for a duck scores a hundred in the next match. Cricket
is indeed a funny game !

Bangalore's decision to send a pinch hitter, Asad Pathan, failed, as Pathan,
who hit two fours and a six off Albie Morkel, perished attempting a scoop
off Southee ! It seems all Pathans are pinch hitters !

Experts point out that the best batsmen should be in the top order. What we
saw yesterday was that Bangalore were 31/3 and then it was too late for
Kohli and Bram Villiers to lift them to victory. Rightly did Mahela open the
innings for Kochi. The best should come up in the order. Villiers opening
and Kohli at No 3 or 4 should be ideal. Remember, Kohli was India's No 3 !

Pathan and Agarwal can come down in the order. Anyway it is upto the
Bangalore think tank to decide.

If we look at the latest matches, Kallis and Gambhir powering KKR to
victory, or Valthaty and Gilchrist powering Punjab to victory, the top order
has delivered. Even in the WC, the SL top order was it form and that is why
they became finalists !

S Tiwari and Pujara should come up the order and Agarwal and Pathan can come
lower down. Pujara has immense talent and this talent can be utilised if he
comes up the order.

Anyway Dhoni's tactics seemed to bring home the bacon. Batting first and
winning only Dhoni can. He proved it today with ease.

Kohli played well but he could not pick up singles, Pujara cracked under
pressure and Tiwary could not hit boundaries due to scoreboard pressure.
When Villiers hit Southee for 15 off the 18th over, it was too late.

Fielding cost us the match, said Vettori after the match. Three catches were
dropped and catches win matches.

Vettori said, 'I think it's an attitude thing. It's all about energy. A
couple of things went wrong today, big crowd, lot of noise, lot of pressure,
(but) it's still about attitude.' Saying that Villiers and Kohli should be
supported by others, he added 'They're big-time players, everyone knows how
good they are, but they need people to help them out too, we can't rely on
them every game.'

Asked about the poor form of Dilshan, he said 'I think you always expect a
lot from your key player. We expect a lot from ourselves in the IPL'.

RCB lost the game due to a little bit of fielding and little bit of bowling"
and not due to batting, he averred.

One of the greatest catches was seen when M Vijay, ran like a hare and took a superb catch. It can be called the catch of the Tournament.

Kerala beats Mumbai ! A Vishu gift to Keralites !

Vishu is a glorious Agri Festival for Keralites, as the Sun enters the Vernal or Spring Equinox, the First Second of Aries. So also it proved on the cricket field, as minnows Kochi beat Sachin's impregnable Mumbai side !

The Tuskers are 116/0, a great response to the 183 target set by formidable Mumbai.

Sachin was 100 not out in a score of 182/2. McCullum is on 57 and Mahela is 52 not out.

Even Slinga Malinga faltered before his ex skipper and the grand hitter, McCullum.

Keralites are celebrating the Sun's entry into the Vernal Equinox, known as Vishu. Will this be a Vishu gift for the Keralites?

McCullum smashes the Slinga for a four and KTK are 123/0!

Today seems the day of the batsmen, Gambhir scoring 75 no, Kallis 80 no, Sachin 100 no and now the Kerala Tuskers 127/0!

Malinga shatters the stumps of Mahela and KTK are 128/1 !

McCullum lofts Pollard for four and KTK move on to 155/1! KTK need 28 off 19 balls ! Jadeja is giving him excellent support and McCullum is on 81 !

MI get a vital breakthrough as the formidable Slinga clean bowls McCullum ! Now 27 runs are needed off 18 balls !

Jadeja lofts Murtaza for two sixes and KTK beat formidable Mumbai by 8 wickets !

The Slinga returned with the figures of 2/42! As the Tuskers won, the Mumbai crowd were silenced.

The Kochi win was possible by the great batting of McCullum (81), Mahela (56), Jadeja (25 ) and Brad Hodge ( 11).

This was the best first wicket partnership in the IPL, 128 for the first wicket. McCullum and Mahela blasted the hapless Mumbai bowlers to all parts of the field. And when Jadeja and Hodge took over, the formidable Mumbai bowlers could do nothing ! Bradman was right ! " The bowlers can only bowl as the batsmen allow them to "

Slinga Malinga may say " Bowlers win matches" but yesterday he could do nothing. He did take two wickets but that was not enough, as Jadeja otudid Dhoni and blasted two consecutive sixes to take his side to victory !

In his brilliant 81, McCullum blasted 2 sixes and ten fours. Mahela's was more or less a sedate knock, embellished with nine fours and his 56 came off 36 balls. Jadeja's 25 not out was sweet and scintillating and contained two fours and two sixes. Brad Hodge was brilliant as he hit 11 off 7 balls with two fours !

Mahela said later they had plans to destroy the Mumbai attack. McCullum hit the formidable Slinga for three fours and that halted the bullishness of Malinga ! McCullum took the attack to the bowlers and committed mayhem on the hapless Mumbai bowlers, who were considered formidable so far ! He was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match. His 81 made Sachin's hundred go in vain ! Even me scoring fifty brought happiness to Keralites. What was disappointing was the ball of Malinga which bowled me. We had plans to combat the formidable Slinger. His variation of pace did me in. I was worried we may be defeated again. But fortunately Jadeja and Hodge played with mental toughness and brought home the bacon !

In other words, this victory came as a shot in the arm to the fanbase of Kochi and the players. It is not easy to defeat the formidable Mumbai team, led by mighty Sachin. Now we are preparing to take another powerful team, Dhoni's Chennai. We are preparing hard. It is a home match and the crowd expect a lot from us.

This is the result of hard work, as we have been preparing hard. This win will bring the crowd back to Kochi.

Mahela wins toss and fields !

Mumbai are 14/0 in the first two overs at Mumbai.

The odds favour Mumbai, undoubtedly. Sidhu said on the satellite channel that Mumbai are favourites. !

Sachin was out twice lbw, but the umpire did not give him lbw ! Now MI are 46/0

Rayudu hits 4 sixes in a blistering innings of 53. Tendulkar remained not out on 100 ! All Mumbai went bersek as Sachin completed a briliiant hundred.

Many believe in a jinx that if Sachin scores a hundred, his team will lose. Against SA, he scored a hundred and India lost. Against Eng in the WC, Sachin smashed a hundred and one billion Indians were disgruntled that India could not win ! Now the same jinx has been proved true. Sachin was 100 not out and Mumbai lost !

KKR win !

Kallis score third consecutive fifty and KKR are 122/1 and they are on their way to victory.

Gambhir is on a superb 71 not out. KKR lost Bisla for 1 and that was the only success which RR got. The Indian No 3 and the South African No 3 are taking them to victory.

Kallis lofts one for six and now they want only 20 runs off 24 balls !

The first wicket fell at 8 ( Bisla ) and then this unconquered partnership is now 142, as the score is 150/1. Just 10 runs needed for victory and Kallis lofts Waren for four.

Gambhir proved why he is India's No 3 and Kallis why he is SA's No 3.

KKR win by 9 wickets. Kallis 80 not out and Gambhir 75 not out ! Their unbroken partnership 152 off 102 balls !

Gambhir wins toss and bowls first !

Shakib proved why he is ranked best all rounder in the world by picking up a wicket in the second ball of the IPL match against RR.

Now RR are 36/1, with Dravid on 14. Ashok Menaria, who was in such ominous form last match, has just hit Shakib past point for four. RR 45/1.

Menaria lofts Abudlla into the stands and RR are 69/1.

Dravid tries to swing Pathan and is clean bowled and then Menaria, after a good innings of 27, lobbs one back to Pathan and suddenly Pathan has picked two wickets with his off breaks and RR are 79/3. Shane Watson and Ross Taylor are batting now.

Watson starts his six hitting and lofts Shakib for six and now RR are 101/3. ( Shakib must be having the scene of Watson hitting 15 sixes in his mind, but he did not flinch ! ).

Ross Taylor swings Balaji for two sixes and RR are 116/3. He started magnanimously ( first ball hit for six ) and ended the over magnanimously ( the last ball hit for six ).

Watson swings Shakib again for six and RR are 124/3. Then he swings again, misses and is clean bowled by Shakib. This is top class cricket !. RR 124/4, off 16.4 overs.

RR have set a target of 160 to win for KKR. Ross Taylor remained unconquered with 35.

Can Kolkotta checkmate Rajastan Royals?

RR will be strengthened by the presence of the numero uno all rounder in the world, Shane Watson ! Shaun Tait was grinning like a Chershire cat. He said " He looks like he is in good form, doesn't he ? "

So also will be Kolkotta, as Brett Lee joins them. Shakib al hasan also joined KKR. Also Brad Haddin.

Today Kolkotta take on Rajastan in Fortress Rajastan ! Not an easy task.

The strength of the RR is their coach and captain, Shane Warne. Now he is in superb form and eveyone acknowledges him as the best spinner in IPL.

RR is strong in bowling and KKR is strong in batting and let us see which principle is more apt.

"Bowlers win matches"

"Bowlers can only bowl as the batsmen allow them to "

Shaun Tait opined that they will have to remove Y Pathan early in order to win !

Individual battles will be Lee vs Tait, Kallis vs Dravid, Warne vs Gambhir etc.