Gayle and Vettori sink Mumbai Indians

First, the explosive Chris Gayle delivered the big hits. Then, the crafty Daniel Vettori operated with control and guile to provide Royal Challengers Bangalore an emphatic 43-run win over Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier of the Indian Premier League IV at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday night.

Sachin Tendulkar's decision to field boomeranged. There was greater spin for the bowlers in the second half of the contest.

Pursuing a daunting 186, Mumbai Indians finished at a tame 142 for eight. The chasing side was outplayed.

RCB will meet holder Chennai Super Kings in the summit clash on Saturday. The face-off has immense possibilities.

Predatory

Vettori's men were predatory on the field against the side from Mumbai. RCB combined as a mean pack, created the pressure and seized the opportunities.

And the side struck early when aggressive left-hander Aiden Blizzard was held at long-on off efficient left-arm paceman S. Aravind. Pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh too was prised out by Aravind soon after.

Sachin Tendulkar, though, was stroking with grace and timing. The gaps were found with precision.

In a game and format where one can expect the unexpected, unsung left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad got a quicker delivery to turn sharply past Tendulkar and ‘keeper Abraham de Villiers whipped off the bails. The maestro had been stumped.

Mumbai Indians lost ground rapidly with RCB skipper Vettori operating in a manner that was classical. The accomplished left-arm spinner deceived and consumed Rohit Sharma with his flight and loop. In the same over, Vettori got one to fatally drift into Ambatti Rayudu.

And when the big-hitting Kieron Pollard was spectacularly held by Abhimanyu Mithun at long-off — the fielder did extremely well to retain balance so close to the ropes — off Vettori, the game was going to end only one way.

RCB closed out the match in clinical fashion.

High-octane

Earlier, Man-of-the-Match Gayle was high on octane and low on sympathy for the bowlers. The left-hander is making all the right moves these days.

The ease with which he wades into the bowling is stunning. He picks the length early, creates room with subtle footwork and simply strikes through the line.

Gayle imparts so much power that even in the event of the ball not being timed to his liking, it still soars over the fence for the maximum.

Importantly, Gayle's batting is bereft of exaggerated movements. The feature of his rousing 47-ball 89 (9x4, 5x6) was the manner in which he essayed booming inside-out strokes on the off-side.

His easy, natural back-swing too is a thing of beauty and Gayle's sixes over the sight-screen took one's breath away. While he sought to get on to the front-foot, the manner in which he shifted his weight to the back-leg for those destructive pull shots reflected his flexibility.

Lasith Malinga fired in a yorker and Gayle swatted him to the fence. In the face-off between two game-changers, the West Indian found the right answers.

Mayank Agarwal (41 off 31 balls) played his role well in an imposing 113-run opening partnership in 10.4 overs.

Gayle and Agarwal also combined cleverly as a pair. It was Agarwal who took strike during much of Harbhajan's first two overs with the new ball —the Mumbai Indians wanted the off-spinner to operate more to the left-handed Gayle.

Agarwal whipped out a few vibrant strokes himself; none more than a straight six off Harbhajan after he danced down the track to convert the length.

Ordinary

The Mumbai Indians' catching was ordinary and Agarwal was put down twice; the first miss by Malinga at deep square-leg when the batsman was on 19 proved costly. Harbhajan was the bowler to suffer.

Gayle eventually fell to Munaf Patel —he was picked up at long on. But by then, the West Indian had inflicted considerable damage.

The side from Mumbai fought back. The young Abu Nechim — the paceman went for 27 runs in the opening over of the match — took out Virat Kohli on the pull.

But then, the nimble-footed Abraham de Villiers conjured a cameo in the end overs and Mumbai Indians had a mountain to climb.

And the side slipped.

Scorecard

Royal Challengers Bangalore: M. Agarwal c Rohit b Pollard 41 (31b, 4x4, 2x6), C. Gayle c Franklin b Patel 89 (47b, 9x4, 5x6), V. Kohli b Nechim 8 (12b), A.B. de Villiers (not out) 21, (15b, 1x6), L. Pomersbach c Malinga b Patel 4 (4b), S. Tiwary (not out) 8 (12b), Extras (w-13, nb-1): 14; Total (for four wkts. In 20 overs): 185.

Fall of wickets: 1-113, 2-148, 3-151, 4-157.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Abu Nechim 4-0-56-1, Harbhajan 4-0-40-0, Malinga 4-0-24-0, Munaf 4-0-27-2, Rohit 1-0-14-0, Pollard 3-0-24-1.

Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard c Agarwal b Aravind 10 (11b, 2x4), S. Tendulkar st. de Villiers b Syed Mohammed 40 (24b, 7x4), Harbhajan Singh c Pomersbach b Aravind 13 (7b, 1x4, 1x6), Rohit Sharma c Pomersbach b Vettori 13 (15b, 1x4), J. Franklin b Khan 16 (17b, 1x6), A. Rayudu lbw b Vettori 0 (1b), K. Pollard c Mithun b Vettori 3 (6b), R. Sathish (not out) 18 (21b, 1x4), L. Malinga c Pomersbach b Syed Mohammed 7 (5b, 1x6), Abu Nechim (not out) 18 (13b, 1x4, 1x6), Extras (lb-2, w-2): 4; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 142.

Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-41, 3-68, 4-82, 5-83, 6-89, 7-99, 8-110.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Khan 4-0-32-1, Aravind 3-0-27-2, Gayle 3-0-11-0, Mithun 2-0-26-0, Vettori 4-0-19-3, Syed Mohammed 4-0-25-2.

Man-of-the-match: Chris Gayle

Mumbai Indians ends Knight Riders' run in IPL-IV

endulkar's men will now take on Royal Challengers Bangalore for a spot in the final against Chennai Super Kings

Aiden Blizzard, the chunky left-hander from Victoria, opened the innings with Sachin Tendulkar, and provided a blistering 81-run platform for Mumbai Indians to eliminate Kolkata Knight Riders from IPL-IV at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday. Set a target of 148, MI wobbled after crossing the half-way mark, but in the end managed to eke out a four-wicket victory and stay in contention for the title match.

Blizzard's knock (51, 30b, 7x4, 2x6) lit up the second half of the match after KKR, straddling on Ryan ten Doeschate's superb unbeaten 70 (49b, 6x4, 3x6) gave itself a chance of forcing a contest.

During the chase, the departure of Blizzard, Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma proved to be a setback for the home team, leaving James Franklin the task of playing a cautious innings and taking his team to a hard-earned win for the second time in as many matches.

Harbhajan Singh hit the winning shot — a six over mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan.

MI now plays Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chennai on Friday for a spot in the final.

After KKR was put in to bat, Gautam Gambhir, opening with Jacques Kallis, seemed determined to take up the challenge.

However, he made the error of employing the horizontal bat against Harbhajan Singh and paid the price. This was the first sign of MI taking control of the proceedings. Gambhir's dismissal in the third over was the beginning of a phase that marked KKR's swift decline.

Tendulkar showed fine judgment at mid-off to hold on to a dipping catch that had come off an uppish drive from Jacques Kallis against Munaf Patel, who was returning to the bowling line-up after being benched in the last league match at the Eden Gardens.

When Dhawal Kulkarni won an appeal from umpire Simon Taufel against Manoj Tiwary, Tendulkar's decision to bowl first seemed to be vindicated.

It was the advent of ten Doeschate, a high value pick at the auction, that initially provided a glimmer of hope for KKR to post a total on the board the home team would look at with some anxiety.

From a grim 20 for four, Yusuf Pathan curbed his attacking instincts as his partner made heavy connection with ball and found runs in fours and sixes.

The Pathan-ten Doeschate combination staged a smart recovery adding 60 runs off 45 balls, before Kieron Pollard, fleet of foot, covered a 20-yard distance to his left from long-on and plucked a catch to terminate a potentially explosive undertaking from Pathan.

After that, Al Hasan — promoted ahead of Rajat Bhatia — hit firmly and sliced a few to bring up the second-highest stand of the KKR innings.

Playing in only his sixth match and on his third visit to the crease, ten Doeschate played authentic cricketing shots, extracted heavy penalty of the loose balls, converted some of the good ones and scored almost half of Kolkata Knight Riders's 147.

He may have survived at 38 when Rayudu fumbled with a leg-side stumping, but one can hardly fault the part-time wicketkeeper.

Scoreboard

Kolkata Knight Riders: G. Gambhir b Harbhajan 4 (8b, 1 x 4), J. Kallis c Tendulkar b Patel 7 (7b, 1 x 4), S. Goswami c Rayudu b Patel 0 (3b), M. Tiwary lbw b Kulkarni 4 (7b), Yusuf Pathan c Pollard b Patel 26 (24b, 3 x 4), R. ten Doeschate (not out) 70 (49b, 6 x 4, 3 x 6), Shakib Al Hasan b Malinga 26 (16b, 4 x 4), R. Bhatia (run out) 2 (3b), B. Lee (not out) 2 (3b); Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-4): 6; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 147.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-13, 3-15, 4-20, 5-80, 6-121, 7-131.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Kulkarni 4-0-32-1, Patel 4-0-27-3, Harbhajan 4-0-26-1, Malinga 4-0-19-1, Franklin 1-0-10-0, Pollard 3-0-31-0.

Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard c Abdulla b Lee 51 (30b, 7 x 4, 2 x 6), S. Tendulkar c Tiwary b Kallis 36 (28b, 6 x 4), Rohit Sharma (run out) 0 (0b), A. Rayudu c Goswami b Kallis 12 (16b, 2 x 4), J. Franklin (not out) 29 (25b, 2 x 4), K. Pollard lbw b Hasan 3 (5b), T. Suman c Tiwary b Hasan 2 (7b), Harbhajan Singh (not out) 11 (5b, 1 x 4, 1 x 6); Extras (lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (for six wkts. in 19.2 overs): 148.

Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-82, 3-92, 4-103, 5-123, 6-133.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Lee 4-0-37-1, Abdulla 3-0-23-0, Pathan 2-0-18-0, Shakib 3.2-0-24-2, Bhatia 1-0-9-0, Kallis 4-0-18-2, Balaji 2-0-16-0.

Man-of-the-match: Munaf Patel.

Mumbai Indians will be under pressure

Black Caps all-rounder James Franklin leads the Mumbai Indians batting averages after playing remarkable game-changing roles in the last league fixture of IPL-IV against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.

Off and on, Franklin has been on the team sheet , prompting wisecracks in the press box on the utility of the Kiwi bought at a mere $100,000.

Match-winner

Apart from practising hitting sixes at nets sessions at the Wankhede stadium, Franklin has hardly managed to catch the attention. But in his sixth match, Franklin became MIs' match-winner against KKR, after exhibiting nimble work with ball that removed key KKR batsmen Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan and then hitting hefty shots that sent L. Balaji to the far corners of the Eden four times before Ambati Rayudu clinched victory with a six.

It's on the back of this magnificent show with the bat and ball by Franklin (two for 35) that MI will take on KKR in the IPL eliminator.

MI is disappointed at the fact that it did not sustain its form to be placed among the top two in the league; a string of defeats against Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals saw it slip from the top of the table to fourth before the cliff-hanger against KKR.

Rough ride

It has been a rough and tumble ride for MI after Lasith Malinga and its top order worked like a well-oiled machine in the opening matches against Delhi Daredevils at the Kotla and RCB at the Chinnaswamy stadium. The erratic story thus far would bring it under pressure.

The winner of this MI-KKR match will proceed to the qualifier 2 match in Chennai and play the loser of the match between RCB and Chennai Super Kings.

For the first time in four seasons, KKR has entered the last four, a feat its owner Shah Rukh Khan would be happy about.

Gautam Gambhir has every right to lavish praise on his colleagues, the way they lifted the game after going down to CSK in the opening match of the competition at Chepauk by two runs.

After the victory against Pune Warriors, Gambhir rejected a view that his team's performance has been very inconsistent.

“I do not agree with that at all. We have played excellent cricket on different kinds of surfaces. We are a team that would be most difficult to beat,” he said.

On Sunday he went out of the way to defend Balaji who sent down the final over of the match and was battered for 23 runs. Balaji is the third highest wicket-taker for KKR after Iqbal Abdulla (16) and Yusuf Pathan (13).

It's not often that he has been thumped so as to be the cause of defeat. Rightly Gambhir has defended one of his strike bowlers.

“He is an experienced bowler, he is not a bad bowler because of one over. In this format such things can happen. It was one of those bad days for us.

“He gave away 23 runs in that over. Nine times out of ten he would have emerged winner,” said Gambhir.

KKR has the bowling resources to subdue an unpredictable MI. It has adequate strength to post a formidable total too.

MI will have its supporters rooting for it, but Tendulkar's team will take the field with the stark reminder that it could not make 136 while chasing against Chargers and post only 133 against Rajasthan Royals after which Watson cut loose and made the home team wilt.

The teams

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (C), Manoj Tiwary, L Balaji, Manvinder Bisla, Rajat Bhatia, Shreevats Goswami, Iqbal Abdulla, Yusuf Pathan, Sarabjit Ladda, Shakib Al Hasan, Pradeep Sangwan, Laxmi Rathan Shukla, Jaidev Unadkat, Ryan Doeschate, Brett Lee, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, James Pattinson.

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (C), Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, T Suman, Munaf Patel, Aiden Blizzard, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Symonds, Davy Jacobs, James Franklin, Dilhara Fernando, Ray Price, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Aditya Tare, Ali Murtaza, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pawan Suyal, R Satish, Sarul Kanwar, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuzvendra Singh Chahai.

Sensational win for Super Kings

Suresh Raina eased Chennai Super Kings' way into a third final in four IPL tournaments, swinging his way to a match-winning 73 not out (50b, 4x4, 6x6) as the defending champion won by six wickets in the DLF-IPL-IV first qualifier at the Wankhede here on Tuesday.

Royal Challengers Bangalore found the early stranglehold exerted by bowlers slipping away as Albie Morkel joined in the fun, leaping in delight after hitting the winning runs. CSK chased down 175 with just two balls to spare on a night of big hitting.

Man-of-the-match Raina teamed up with Badrinath in a 63-run stand for the third wicket to infuse life into the CSK chase after Zaheer Khan had claimed openers Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay. The left-hander crumbled to the turf with cramps, then got up and went about smashing the bowlers all over the field. Kohli's smile turned into a scowl after conceding 16 runs in his second over and Mithun looked on helplessly as 23 runs were stolen off his third over.

Consistent Badrinath

Badrinath enhanced his reputation as a run-machine, rattling up 34 off 32 balls faced with a slew of fluent drives and audacious shots. Dhoni entered the battle at 70 for three in the 11th over and kept finding spaces for forceful drives.

Though Vettori and Gayle came on to check the run flow, Raina and Dhoni went on firing away, putting away anything in range to take the score within striking range. Even when Vettori turned to Zaheer for damage control, the CSK duo kept firing away without missing a beat to steal 20 runs off the India strike bowler's fourth over.

The CSK left-hander lashed four boundaries and four sixes to cross the half-century mark off 44 balls as the pair put on 61 runs off 35 balls before the captain departed during the no-holds barred assault.

Morkel took up the baton, with 45 runs needed, to heave two sixes off Aravind and Raina swatted a huge six in the 19th over as the play-off headed for a thrilling climax.

With 12 runs required off six balls, Vettori brought himself on. Morkel smashed one boundary past mid-wicket, ran singles hard and pulled CSK past the tape with a six off the fourth ball.

Earlier, Ashwin was held back till the fourth over by Dhoni. Gayle, who could not contain his patience after blocking the off-spinner's first ball, swatted the second over mid-wicket. But he fell for the bait immediately.

The breakthrough delivery, pitched on leg-stump, skidded after pitching to hit Gayle's front pad below the knee roll after the West Indian failed in his attempt to sweep. The off-spinner roared in joy when umpire Simon Taufel upheld the appeal.

Meanwhile, young opener Mayank Agarwal flexed his muscles against the pace bowlers. He quickly got into position and hit on the rise against Morkel and Bollinger. He stepped out to clear long-off twice effortlessly, showcasing power in his arms for 34 off 33 balls (5x4).

Bravo preyed on the young opener's anxiety to cash in by stepping out and shortened the length. Bollinger on the fence did his part coolly as the ball soared high towards the floodlights. Murali Vijay then kept his nerve on the ropes at long-on to pouch a heave from A.B. de Villiers.

At the other end, Virat Kohli, who took charge in the fourth over, kept his focus on rotating strike and punished the bowlers.

Pomersbach stepped in to strike lusty blows, displaying his value as a hard-hitter (29, 18b, 2x4, 2x6). The left-handed Aussie used the bounce off the track for back-to-back shots against Bravo. A delicate cut past Dhoni to third man and then a brutal pull left the fielders keeping track of the ball flying over their heads. However, Bollinger's persistence paid off when Pomersbach swung and missed.

Then Ashwin was escorted off the field, somewhat disoriented, after a shot from Saurabh Tiwary caught the off-spinner on the head.

Kohli matched Tiwary's assault with forceful strokes down the straight in a 42-run stand. Two sixes off Morkel in the penultimate over showcased his form in an unbeaten knock of 70, laced with five fours and three sixes. RCB's top-scorer walked off with head held high, proving once again that the team's high expectations from him were not misplaced.

Scoreboard

RCB:

M Agarwal c Bollinger b Bravo 34 (33b, 5x4)

C Gayle lbw b Ashwin 8 (9b, 1x6)

V Kohli (not out) 70 (44b, 5x4, 3x6)

A B de Villiers c Vijay b Jakati 11 (10b, 1x6)

L Pomersbach b Bollinger 29 (18b, 2x4, 1x6)

S Tiwary (not out) 9 (6b, 1x6)

Extras (b2, lb7, w5) 14. Total (four wkts, 20 overs) 175

Fall of wkts: 1-30, 2-65, 3-85, 4-133

CSK bowling

A Morkel 4-0-40-0

D Bollinger 4-0-20-1

R Ashwin 4-0-33-1

D Bravo 3-0-28-1

S Jakati 4-0-37-1

S Raina 1-0-8-0

CSK:

M Hussey lbw b Zaheer 0 (4b)

M Vijay lbw b Aravind 5 (5, 1x4)

S Raina (no) 73 (50 balls, 4x4, 6x6)

S Badrinath c Aravind b Mithun 34 (32b, 5x4)

M Dhoni c Mithun b Zaheer 29 (19b, 3x4, 1x6)

A Morkel (no) 28 (10b, 1x4, 3x6)

Extras (b1, lb1, nb2, w4) 8. Total (four wkts, 19.4 overs) 177

Fall of wkts: 1-3, 2-7, 3-70, 4-131

RCB bowling

Z Khan 4-0-31-2

S Aravind 3-0-31-1

A Mithun 3-0-32-1

V Kohli 2-0-19-0

D Vettori 3.4-0-42-0

C Gayle 4-0-19-0

Bangalore leapfrogs Chennai into first place

Sunday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Gayle-effect helped Royal Challengers Bangalore defeat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in the IPL-IV match here while awe-struck fans scrawled slogans like ‘Weather report: Gayle-storm' and ‘fielders can stand outside the stadium'.

The opener's unbeaten 75 (50b, 4x4, 6x6) may not have been a furious fusillade but it had enough power to keep RCB in the hunt while chasing CSK's 128 for eight.

RCB finished with 129 for two in 18 overs to top the league at 19 points and along with CSK (18) will head to Mumbai for the play-offs commencing on Tuesday.

Brief stumble

RCB stumbled briefly when A.B. de Villiers missed the line against R. Ashwin and Dhoni whipped the bails.

The replays were inconclusive but the ‘out' verdict was flashed and at zero for one, RCB found quick relief through Gayle and Virat Kohli.

In a bid for quick wickets, CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni opted for attacking fields, cramming the off-side but Kohli executed his cuts with precision and Gayle stayed watchful against Ashwin.

The belligerent opener was not averse to display a dour bat initially but he never missed a chance to etch his signature across the skies.

Gayle found three men patrolling the point area while Doug Bollinger steamed in and pitched short, hoping for the miscued slash. Instead Gayle took a stride forward, swivelled and deposited the ball into the stands overlooking mid-wicket.

Raw power

Gayle and Kohli added 80 runs for the second wicket off 56 deliveries. Kohli fell to Morkel, who had suffered the raw power of a Gayle biff when the ball rocketed into his legs.

Gayle carried on and with a surprisingly docile Saurabh Tiwary for company, whittled down the winning runs.

Earlier, Dhoni (70 n.o., 40b, 3x4, 6x6) held the CSK innings together after Daniel Vettori opted to field and found immediate vindication as RCB dominated the Power Play to restrict the visitor to 23 for four in six overs.

Michael Hussey picked up a single off the first ball and M. Vijay dug out a yorker while Zaheer Khan worked up a nice rhythm.

In the third over, Hussey expansively drove at one that darted back and edged the ball onto his stumps while Zaheer indulged in his trademark arms-spread exultation.

Vijay flicked S. Aravind but fatally hung his bat to the next delivery.

Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath then batted with excess haste and the top-order's crumble meant that Dhoni was in very early but the eager crowd greeted India's World Cup winning captain with a rousing roar.

Useful partnership

Dhoni strung a 42-run fifth-wicket partnership with Wriddhiman Saha and as the innings inched towards the 20-over mark, the CSK skipper was on auto-pilot as the gears clicked in effortlessly and the ball soared. The RCB bowlers largely found their radars but Dhoni found a way, starting with the rapier cut against Vettori.

Gayle was muscled twice over the ropes, Abhimanyu Mithun was edged but the mighty heave rippled over third-man and Aravind was swatted over mid-wicket.

The tail stayed limp but Dhoni flourished and clattered the last over bowled by Mithun for 17 runs but the top-order's surprising ineptitude came back to haunt CSK as the runs were not enough.

Scorecard

Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey b Zaheer 4 (7b), M. Vijay c de Villiers b Aravind 6 (9b, 1x4), S. Raina c Kohli b Zaheer 4 (6b, 1x4), S. Badrinath c Mithun b Vettori 0 (10b), W. Saha c Pomersbach b Kohli 22 (30b, 1x4, 1x6), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 70 (40b, 3x4, 6x6), D. Bravo lbw b Vettori 5 (5b, 1x4), A. Morkel c Zaheer b Mithun 5 (9b), R. Ashwin c Mithun b Aravind 2 (4b), S. Jakati (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (w-6, lb-4): 10; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 128.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-16, 3-17, 4-22, 5-64, 6-79, 7-100, 8-110.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Zaheer 4-1-19-2, Aravind 4-0-20-2, Vettori 4-0-15-2, Mithun 4-0-35-1, Gayle 3-0-27-0, Kohli 1-0-8-1.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: A.B. de Villiers st. Dhoni b Ashwin 0 (2b), C. Gayle (not out) 75 (50b, 4x4, 6x6), V. Kohli c Ashwin b Morkel 31 (29b, 5x4), S. Tiwary (not out) 13 (26b, 1x4); Extras (lb-2, w-8): 10. Total (for two wkts. in 18 overs): 129.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-80.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Ashwin 4-0-18-1, Bollinger 4-0-34-0, Bravo 4-0-21-0, Raina 4-0-38-0, Morkel 2-0-16-1.

Man-of-the-Match: Chris Gayle.

Incredible win for Mumbai Indians

PTI Mumbai Indians' Ambati Rayadu is ecstatic after he hit a six off the last ball to guide him team to an improbable victory against over KKR at Eden Garden in Kolkata. Photo: PTI

KKR.

Franklin was adjudged the Man of the Match.

The Mumbai outfit made two great moves, sending in Harbhajan Singh (30, 29b) as a pinch hitter and held back Rayudu to come and finish off the game. Sachin Tendulkar held together the top order with a 38 (27b) 38.

Put in, KKR began disastrously, losing its first wicket — that of pint-sized Shreevats Goswami — cheaply to a bad mix up.

A bigger shock awaited the home side when its captain Guatam Gambhir departed.

Manoj Tiwary joined Jacques Kallis and the two played sensibly. The two added 45 runs for the third wicket in 5.3 overs. Yusuf Pathan, coming in next, took over the scoring.

A late order charge by Ryan ten Doeschate (18) and Rajat Bhatia (11) made sure KKR ended at a healthy score.

Scorecard

Kolkata Knight Riders: J. Kallis c Suman b Franklin 59 (42b, 4x4, 3x6), S. Goswami (run out) 1 (3b), G. Gambhir b Ahmed 8 (7b, 1x6), M. Tiwary (run out) 35 (22b, 5x4, 1x6), Yusuf Pathan c Ahmed b Franklin 36 (27b, 4x4, 1x6), R. ten Doeschate lbw b Ahmed 18 (12b, 1x4, 1x6), R. Bhatia (run out) 11 (6b, 2x4), S. Al Hasan (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-3): 6; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 175.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-22, 3-67, 4-124, 5-149, 6-166, 7-175.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Ahmed 4-0-32-2, Malinga 4-0-23-0, Harbhajan 3-0-26-0, Price 3-0-33-0, Pollard 2-0-23-0, Franklin 4-0-35-2.

Mumbai Indians: T. Suman c Pathan b Abdulla 4 (4b, 1x4), S. Tendulkar c Gambhir b Bhatia 38 (27b, 6x4), Harbhajan Singh c Tiwary b Bhatia 30 (29b, 5x4), Rohit Sharma c Goswami b Bhatia 10 (9b, 1x4), K. Pollard b Balaji 18 (22b, 2x4), J. Franklin (not out) 45 (23b, 5x4, 1x6), A. Rayudu (not out) 17 (6b, 2x6); Extras (lb-9, w-7): 16; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 178.

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-70, 3-85, 4-96, 5-137.

Knight Riders bowling: Lee 4-0-37-0, Abdulla 4-0-26-1, Shakib 4-0-26-0, Balaji 3-0-51-1, Pathan 1-0-7-0, Bhatia 4-0-22-3.

Man-of-the-match: James Franklin.

KKR will press for play-off spot

Kolkata Knight Riders' best IPL showing has coincided with the franchise's decision to look beyond Sourav Ganguly when building its team for the DLF-IPL-IV.

As his former side takes on Pune Warriors India at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Thursday, Ganguly will find himself among the ranks of the newcomer, now ninth in the league and out of contention for the play-offs.

KKR, the IPL-IV version, has built its team around Gautam Gambhir, and the investment in a dynamic captain is paying off — the side has a slot in the play-offs in its sights as the league moves into its concluding phase.

While Gambhir arrives into this match in the search for points and polished performances the host, under Yuvraj Singh is grappling with indifferent form, and have more problems than solutions.

Clicking as a team

The focus is on whether the visitors from Kolkata can continue to execute their game-plan and dictate the flow in a must-win situation.

Kolkata Knight Riders, under Gambhir, has created a set-up where players are pulling in the same direction.

Seven victories in 12 league games so far without having any of its players among the top five run-getters or wicket-takers in IPL-IV is indicative of teamwork.

Confidence in Abdulla

Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla has enjoyed the skipper's confidence and made a mark in his four-over spells.

The DYP stadium is home ground for Abdulla — he represents the DYP Sports Academy in local tournaments.

The wicket has turn and bounce, so Abdulla — who is also a useful lower-order bat — can be a handful in familiar surroundings and helpful conditions.

Domestic talent

Manoj Tiwary is another domestic player in the KKR ranks who has risen to the challenge in the IPL. Injuries and bad form affected his confidence earlier, but now nightmares of the past have been forgotten by this dasher.

The presence of Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan in the batting order permits him more space to give vent to his attacking instincts.

Yusuf Pathan due

Yusuf Pathan is due for a big knock. Inclusion in the Indian squad for the West Indies may infuse confidence in him.

Knight Riders values his utility as an off-spinner too and may be tempted to open the bowling with him in case left-hander Jesse Ryder takes first strike for Pune Warriors.

Rahul Sharma (16 wickets from 12 matches) has proved to be a good pick for Pune.

The low-key, lanky leg-spinner can use the remaining games to carry on questioning batsmen in his own way, as his team finds its way up the table in the future.

Perhaps the newcomers can learn a thing or two from KKR, which seems to have metamorphosed from a controversial bunch in the first three years into a formidable force in IPL-IV, and is in contention for the play-offs.

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M.S. Dhoni's Class of 2011 sealed a first ever all-win record at home in the IPL, as Chennai Super Kings defeated Kochi Tuskers Kerala by 11 runs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

The result, which assured CSK of a play-off spot, sent the side to the top of the table and snuffed out any chance that KTK might have had of making it past the league stage.

With Tuskers appearing flat for large stretches of the contest, the home side was hardly required to resort to the extraordinary — none of its batsmen crossed fifty and no bowler picked up more than the solitary wicket.

Dhoni elected to bat, setting in motion a series of by now predictable events, which have resulted in six of CSK's seven wins at Chepauk.

The side stitched together a competitive total — 152 for five — which its spinners, despite some late hitting by Brad Hodge (who was dropped when he was 19 by an alarmingly nonchalant M. Vijay in the deep), defended without alarm.

R. Ashwin's (4-0-16-1) three Power Play overs went for nine runs and he also picked up a wicket.

Despite Brendon McCullum (33, 37b, 3x4) and Hodge (51 n.o., 42b, 3x4, 2x6) spending significant time at the crease, KTK could not reach the target.

In what was a reflection of CSK's all-round bowling strength, the defending champion made light of its pacemen's off-day. Albie Morkel did not bowl a single over.

And Doug Bollinger and Dwayne Bravo went for plenty. Still, Ashwin, Suresh Raina and Shadab Jakati did what was asked of them, starving the visitor's chase of momentum.

The hitherto unused Wriddhiman Saha turned out to be CSK's batting hero, playing a knock that was cast from the same die as that of the entire innings.

The reserve wicketkeeper struggled early on, making 9 off 14 balls at one stage, and was reprieved when Parthiv Patel missed a stumping chance but came up with the big hits at the death, to take the home side to a fighting score.

Michael Hussey (32, 37b, 2x4) dropped anchor, managing to get a shot off to the boundary after 28 balls of struggle and was perhaps forced into circumspection with the steady fall of wickets. Vijay, Raina and S. Badrinath all fell at the end of a productive series of balls during which they had managed to clear the fence at least once.

Parthiv did not enjoy a good return to the ground where he plied his trade for three previous seasons, missing as many as three chances and when he did pouch Hussey, Rudi Koetzen turned the legitimate appeal down. Dhoni departed not long after Hussey was dismissed holing out, but CSK's batting depth — Bravo comes in at no. 8 — allowed for such sputter and choke, as Saha and Albie Morkel added 36 runs in three overs and a bit at the death.

Scoreboard

Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey c Gnaneswara Rao b Jadeja 32 (37b, 2x4), M. Vijay b R.P. Singh 16 (11b, 3x4), S. Raina c R.P. Singh b Sreesanth 19 (13b, 1x4, 2x6), S. Badrinath c R.P. Singh b Hodge 13 (10b, 1x6), W. Saha (not out) 46 (33b, 1x4, 3x6), M.S. Dhoni c Parthiv b Jadeja 9 (6b, 1x4), A. Morkel (not out) 13 (10b, 2x4); Extras (lb-2, w-2): 4; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 152.

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-40, 3-60, 4-97, 5-116.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala bowling: R.P. Singh 4-0-34-1, Sreesanth 3-0-23-1, Muralitharan 4-0-26-0, Hodge 3-0-24-1, Vinay Kumar 2-0-17-0, Jadeja 4-0-26-2.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: Parthiv c A. Morkel b Ashwin 6 (7b), B. McCullum b Jakati 33 (37b, 3x4), Y. Gnaneswara Rao c & b Bravo 19 (17b, 3x4), B. Hodge (not out) 51 (42b, 3x4, 2x6), R. Jadeja c Raina b Bollinger 19 (13b, 1x4, 1x6); O. Shah (run out) 3 (3b), K. Jadhav (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-2, w-7): 9; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 141.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-45, 3-83, 4-115, 5-137.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Ashwin 4-0-16-1, Bollinger 4-0-38-1, Jakati 4-0-23-1, Bravo 4-0-36-1, Raina 4-0-26-0.

Man-of-the-Match: W. Saha.

RCB can spike Kings' aspirations

Gayle's savage attack upfront could well dictate the course of the match

: With the all-play-all phase of the Indian Premier League-IV entering its last week, Kings XI Punjab finds itself in a tricky situation.

Unlike the five teams below it on the points table, Kings is in contention for a place in the playoffs. But like the four teams placed ahead, it is not sure of making the playoffs solely on the strength of a victory or victories in the remaining matches.

Permutations

For Kings to secure a place in the top-four teams, it not only has to win against an already-qualified Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday and Deccan Chargers on May 21 but also wish that fourth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders loses to Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians.

Currently, Kings has 12 points, two points behind KKR that enjoys a far superior net run-rate.

At best, Kings can reach 16 points. In case of a tie at 16 points, Kings' low net-run rate will come in the way of securing a place in the playoffs. For the moment, Adam Gilchrist and his men can do only what they can — try and win.

RCB, obviously keen for a top-two finish in the league, will not be taking Kings lightly although it had posted a crushing 85-run win in their previous meeting.

The arrival of Chris Gayle has dramatically changed the fortunes of RCB.

Upfront, Gayle's savage attack on the new-ball bowlers has settled many contests much before the last ball was bowled. Even before Gayle arrived on the scene, RCB was already among the more balanced teams in the fray.

And even after skipper Daniel Vettori and Tillakratne Dilshan are not available for different reasons, the team has plenty in the reserve to go all the way.

Vettori has gone home to attend to a knee injury and Dilshan joins Sri Lanka for the tour to England.

On the other hand, Kings has taken time to make its presence felt in the competition.

The batting line-up now has a settled look with Gilchrist, Paul Valthaty, Shaun Marsh and Dinesh Karthik giving the opposition something to think about.

David Hussey is yet to play to his potential while Mandeep Singh is looking increasingly confident.

The bowlers, including Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris, Shalabh Srivastava, Bhargav Bhatt, Piyush Chawla lacks the power to intimidate the batsmen.

But they have done reasonable well so far.

Chargers end Warriors play-off hopes with six-wicket win

Kumar Sangakkara enjoyed a high on his last night out in DLF IPL4, his team Deccan Chargers chased down Pune Warriors modest 136 in a methodical, no-frills manner for a six-wicket win with four balls to spare, scoring 138-4 in 19.2 overs. The Sri Lankan, whose calmness stands out in batting and keeping, amidst the hustle and bustle of T20 cricket, avenged a six-wicket loss against the same side in a home game.

Two back-to-back away wins (DC pulled the plug on Mumbai Indians earlier) allows the captain the satisfaction of knowing that his players have collectively begun to take responsibility for performances justifying the talent in the squad. Before leaving to join the Lankan squad in England, Sangakkara left his mark on the game by walking after an attempt cut off Rahul Sharma resulted in a snick behind. Uttappa appealed, the umpire deliberated, the captain walked back, the bowler saluted.

Chasing 137 on a slow turner, the visitors negotiated the first six overs with cautious batting. Shikhar Dhawan was pushed up to regular opener slot, Sunny Sohal punished bowlers with audacious hitting against pace. DC had raced to 57 for no loss in six overs, inclusive of 10 from one over of Rahul Sharma’s leg-spin. Yuvraj stepped up to effect a turnaround, starting with a ball slanted wide on seeing Dhawan eagerness to step out. Uttappa whipped off the bails in style.

PW sensed a comeback when Sharma’s shout for leg-before was upheld after the ball sneaked through to strike Sohal on the backfoot. Sangakkara, leading DC for the last time before joining Sri Lanka in

England, was content with placements and taps into vacant areas for sharp singles. Duminy escaped a run-out at the non-striker end. Shrill whistles from Pune supporters mocked at the visitors tactics, 78-2 in 10 overs without fireworks expected by T20 fans eager for a dose of thrills and spills.

Earlier, brute force by Mitchell Marsh in the death overs helped Pune Warriors wipe off some of the batting embarrassment higher up the order. The Aussie stepped out against the slow bowlers for huge straight sixes, using his bat like a battering ram. He top-scored with 37 off 28 balls, an exception in a side where strokeplayers came and went through the revolving door. Ganguly fell to frustration, while Pandey, Uttappa carried the deathwish. Yuvraj stuck around for 17 balls then left without the blast from his blade.

The damage was done by slow bowlers. Medium-pacer Dan Christian underlined his utility value with Ganguly’s scalp (2-13). Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-35) set off a chain reaction when opener Pandey chopped a ball onto his stumps. Amit Mishra’s double blow in his first over (2-26) almost knocked over the home team, disrupting plans the way he had done to Mumbai Indians two days ago. Duminy claimed a wicket each, reducing PW to 92-7 by the 15th over, then Marsh took charge.

Ravi Teja’s anticipation and reflexes created the first breakthrough for DC, holding on to a fierce Jesse Ryder slash at cover. Ganguly got a roaring welcome from PW fans when walked out to join Pandey. Dan Christian came into the attack replacing nippy Dale Steyn. Denied the pace to work the ball, the left-hander scratched around for four balls then scooped the ball to long-on. Pandey followed him, another self-inflicted blow as the opener created space to cut against left-arm spinner Ojha but could not clear off-stump.

Mishra, confident of troubling batsmen with his bag of tricks, bounded in to claim two critical wickets in his first over (1-1-0-2). Robin Uttappa tapped back a ball pitched on leg-stump back to the bowler. The leg-spinner bounced in joy as teammates joined in celebration. Next ball to Mithun Manhas was a googly, Mishra raised his arms in glee as the batsman fell for the bait, shaping for a late cut through slips and getting an inside edge onto the stumps. The home team lost half the side for 45 in eight overs.

Sangakkara stuck to spin even with Yuvraj flexing arms at the crease. Duminy twisted the knife in further, following Mishra’s double blow earlier, by preying on Ferguson’s anxiety to speed up scoring. PW’s resilience to last 20 overs appeared doubtful at this stage, runs had dried up and big hits were not coming off. Mitchell Marsh offered a glimmer of hope with a fierce pull high into midwicket off Christian. The medium-pacer struck a huge blow, forcing Yuvraj to swish at a delivery pitched short for a snick behind.

Scoreboard

Pune Warriors: J Ryder c Teja b Steyn 18 (14b, 1x4, 1x6); M Pandey b Ojha 23 (20b, 3x4, 1x6); S Ganguly c Ojha b Christian 0 (5b); R Uttappa c & b Mishra 4 (5b, 1x4); Y Singh c Sangakkara b Christian 23 (17b, 3x4, 1x6); M Manhas b Mishra 0 (1b); C Ferguson c & b Duminy 11 (14b, 1x4); M Marsh b Ojha 37 (28b, 1x4, 3x6); W Parnell run out 16 (6b, 1x6); B Kumar (no) 1 (1b);

Extras (lb1, w2) 3. Total (nine wkts, 20 overs) 136

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-35, 3-45, 4-45, 5-45, 6-73, 7-92, 8-127

Deccan Chargers bowling: J Duminy 2-0-19-1; D Steyn 4-0-23-1; I Sharma 3-0-19-0; D Christian 3-0-13-2; P Ojha 4-0-35-2; A Mishra 4-1-26-2

Deccan Chargers: S Dhawan st Uttappa b Yuvraj 28 (25b,4x4); S Sohal lbw b Sharma 34 (28b, 2x4, 2x6); K Sangakkara c Uttappa b Sharma 25 (21b, 2x4, 1x6); J Duminy b Parnell 23 (26b, 1x6); D Christian (not out) 14 (12b, 1x4); B Chipli (not out) 5 (4b); Total 138 for 4.

Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-73, 3-108, 4-126

Pune Warriors bowling: B Kumar 2-0-10-0; W Parnell 3.2-0-27-1; R Sharma 4-0-25-2; M Marsh 3-0-30-0; Y Singh 4-0-27-1; M Manhas 2-0-19-0

Generous Daredevils keeps Kings XI in the hunt

Kings XI Punjab added to the agony of an already well-beaten Delhi Daredevils and kept alive its slender hopes of making the playoff with its sixth victory -- third in succession -- in the Indian Premier League.

Kings coasted to a 29-run victory but not without the help of its rivals. Daredevils' ordinary fielding and poor catching played its part in Kings reaching 170 for six after being put into bat.

Thereafter, when a racy start was needed, Daredevils top-order came up with a tardy display, wickets fell in a heap and it ended up crashing to its ninth defeat in 13 outings.

With Ryan Harris creating the early pressure, Daredevils openers David Warner and Naman Ojha decided to go after the friendly medium pace of Shalabh Srivastav and ended up offering catches to wicket-keeper captain Adam Gilchrist.

Under mounting pressure, the Daredevils middle-order chose to attack Man-of-the-Match Piyush Chawla and ended up giving the leg-spinner three wickets, and with it, plenty of confidence. Later, the use of long handle by the tailenders only brought down the margin of defeat.

Kings's sixth victory kept it on course for a possible place in the playoff. It now needs to beat table-topper Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday, a less-formidable Deccan Chargers on May 21 to reach 16 points while hoping for some favourable results from some of the other matches.

Riding his luck, opener Paul Valthaty smashed his second half-century of the competition and replaced Chris Gayle as the new holder of the ‘Orange Cap'. Valthaty's 62 raised his aggregate to 438 runs from 12 innings and pushed Gayle (436 from seven innings) to the second spot.

Valthaty and Shaun Marsh raised 102 for the second wicket to set the foundation for a formidable total but fell off successive deliveries to Irfan Pathan. These dismissals proved instrumental in keeping the Kings' tally down but on this day, the host was not to be denied.

If Valthaty should thank Daredevils for his fortuitous existence in the middle, Marsh had no such obligation. His clean hitting particularly in one over from S. Sriram that fetched 25 runs including three sixes and a boundary stood out during the 28-ball knock.

Later, Dinesh Karthik made the most of a dropped catch by wicket-keeper Naman Ojha. He contributed 27 runs at a time when Daredevils was threatening to claw back into the match. Eventually, Kings made it without being threatened.

The scores:

Kings XI Punjab: P. Valthaty b Pathan 62 (50b, 6x4, 3x6), A. Gilchrist c Warner b Morkel 9 (9b, 2x4), S. Marsh c Morkel b Pathan 46 (28b, 5x4, 3x6), D. Karthik c Hopes b Salvi 27 (19b, 4x4), D. Hussey c Hopes b Salvi 3 (4b), Mandeep Singh b Pathan 11 (7b, 2x4), R. Harris (not out) 2 (2b), P. Chawla (not out) 1 (1b), Extras (lb-2, w-7) 9, Total (for six wickets in 20 overs) 170

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-123, 3-123, 4-138, 5-156, 6-168.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: I. Pathan 4-0-28-3, M. Morkel 4-0-23-1, V. Aaron 4-0-26-0, A. Salvi 4-0-40-2, J. Hopes 3-0-27-0, S. Sriram 1-0-25-0.

Delhi Daredevils: N. Ojha c Gilchrist b Srivastav 28 (28b, 2x4, 2x6), D. Warren c Gilchrist b Srivastav 29 (29b, 4x4, 1x6) 29, Venugopal Rao c Harris b Chawla 16 (13b, 1x4, 1x6), S. Sriram c Karthik b Chawla 4 (7b), I. Pathan c Mandeep b Valthaty 3 (7b), J. Hopes c Gilchrist b Chawla 7 (7b, 1x4), T. Birt c Harris b Kumar 16 (11b, 2x4, 1x6), Y. Nagar lbw b Harris 10 (7b, 2x4), M. Morkel (not out) 16 (6b, 1x4, 1x6), V. Aaron (not out) 0 (5b), Extras (lb-4, w-8) 12, Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 141.

Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-67, 3-72, 4-90, 5-92, 6-97, 7-116, 8-128.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: P. Kumar 4-1-32-1, R. Harris 4-0-16-1, S. Srivastav 4-0-39-2, P. Chawla 4-0-16-3, P. Valthaty 4-0-34-1.

Vettori to miss match

Riding a wave of victories that have shimmered bright thanks to Chris Gayle's exploits, Royal Challengers Bangalore will square up against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

Destruction and solidity are words far removed from each other but Gayle has blended both and gifted a high to RCB. His blistering knocks have helped RCB cast an imposing shadow on opponents as evident in six victories on the trot.

The host will, however, miss Daniel Vettori. Plagued by a knee injury, the skipper has returned to New Zealand for a short break.

Good outing

Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli had a good outing against Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur and along with Gayle, has bolstered RCB's batting.

Interestingly when the teams clash, two gentlemen might briefly look at rival dugouts with nostalgia.

Gayle, played for KKR in the past and Kallis, former RCB stabiliser, is now busy as the Knight Riders' pivot. Interestingly, Gayle, who scored 463 runs from 16 matches for KKR, has amassed 398 for RCB with an average of 99.50 backed by a whopping strike-rate of 195.09.

Changes are afoot in the RCB stable after Tillakaratne Dilshan left for London.

Last week, Vettori said that Saurabh Tiwary might be fielded as an opener though Kohli remained guarded in the pre-match press conference and mentioned that a few combinations are being considered.

Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan and S. Aravind have held their nerve while Vettori's run-choking ways will be missed.

Gritty persona

Gautam Gambhir's gritty persona that is immensely bigger than his small frame, has surely rubbed onto KKR. Gambhir (305 runs) has found support from Manoj Tiwary (277) and Kallis (341).

Brett Lee's pace and L. Balaji's craftiness are part of the KKR mix but the two bowlers are yet to impose themselves.

Both teams will peer at the skies on Saturday after thunder showers forced the cancellation of the practice sessions on Friday.

Kings XI Punjab remains in contention

Kings XI Punjab remained in contention for a play-off berth after an aggressive run chase led by Dinesh Karthik and Shaun Marsh saw it defeat Kochi Tuskers Kerala in their IPL-IV clash at the Holkar Stadium here on Friday.

The pair added 111 for the third wicket in 9.3 overs, as Punjab, needing 179 for victory, sailed home with seven balls and six wickets to spare.

Karthik and Marsh took full advantage of a relatively small ground and some uninspired bowling, scoring 12 fours and seven sixes between them. R.P. Singh threatened to trample all over their good work when he dismissed both in the 15th over, but the damage had already been done.

Kochi, aided in no small part by 23 extras, rode on the back of Mahela Jayawardene's half-century to get to 178 in its 20 overs. The skipper, supported by Brendon Mc Cullum and Owais Shah, made 76 before he was run out off the last ball.

Punjab's wobbly start did not promise great things for later but Marsh and Karthik went after the bowling with a fury Kochi did not perhaps anticipate. Marsh began the brighter of the two, hitting Sreesanth for three fours in the sixth over.

Boundary-clearing spree

Karthik commenced his boundary-clearing spree in the ninth over, clobbering Vinay Kumar over deep-midwicket. He and Marsh took both Parameswaran and Gomez for 12 runs in their opening overs.

Punjab was now motoring along swiftly, adding 19 runs in the 12th over and 16 in the next. Karthik got to his fifty (24 balls) in that over, smiting Jadeja over ‘cow corner'. He fell for 69 attempting to hit R.P. Singh over the infield, before Marsh followed him.

Punjab needed 34 off 30 balls from that point. David Hussey and Mandeep Singh calmly took the side home.

Earlier, inserted in to bat Kochi flew out of the blocks as Jayawardene and McCullum made the most of some wayward bowling. The former, opening again after Michael Klinger was benched in favour of Owais Shah, began with greater aggression, striking Ryan Harris for successive fours in the opening over.

Punjab fielded three spinners in Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, and Piyush Chawla but Jayawardene had little trouble facing any of them.

McCullum, until that point uncharacteristically sedate, opened his shoulders in the seventh over, carting Harris for two consecutive sixes. The Kiwi fell two overs later after the pair had plundered 93 runs off the opening 52 balls.

Pleasant six

Jayawardene carried on, bringing his 30-ball-half-century up with a pleasant six off Chawla, carving the ball over extra-cover. Jadeja's promotion up the order didn't end well, Chawla trapping him leg before in the 14th over for 17.

Brad Hodge departed soon after, bringing Shah, making his IPL-4 debut, to the wicket. His arrival signalled the end of a lean period for Kochi, the side having managed only 36 runs in the 6.1 overs that had elapsed since McCullum's dismissal.

Shah used the long handle to good effect, contributing 23 off 12 balls before a silly run-out cost him his wicket. Kochi managed to add only 13 runs thereafter, when it, as it turned out, needed many more.

Scoreboard

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: B. McCullum lbw b Bipul 32 (27b, 2x4, 2x6), M. Jayawardene (run out) 76 (52b, 8x4, 2x6), R. Jadeja lbw b Chawla 17 (18b, 1x4, 1x6), B. Hodge c Marsh b Bipul 4 (6b), O. Shah (run out) 23 (12b, 1x4, 2x6), P. Patel c Karthik b Srivastava 0 (1b), R. Gomez lbw b Harris 2 (3b), Vinay Kumar (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-4, w-19): 23; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 178.

Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-122, 3-129, 4-165, 5-165, 6-177, 7-178.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Harris 4-0-42-1, Bhatt 4-0-36-0, Bipul 4-0-32-2, Srivastava 4-0-34-1, Chawla 4-0-30-1.

Kings XI Punjab: A. Gilchrist c Parthiv b R.P. Singh 9 (15b, 1x4), P. Valthaty b R.P. Singh 17 (10b, 1x4, 2x6), S. Marsh c & b R.P. Singh 42 (30b, 5x4, 2x6), D. Karthik c Jayawardene b R.P. Singh 69 (33b, 7x4, 5x6), D. Hussey (not out) 21 (15b, 2x4, 1x6), Mandeep (not out) 15 (10b, 1x4); Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8; Total (for four wkts. in 18.5 overs): 181.

Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-31, 3-142, 4-145.

Kochi Tuskers bowling: R.P. Singh 4-0-25-4, Sreesanth 3.5-0-38-0, Vinay Kumar 3-0-28-0, Hodge 2-0-26-0, Parameswaran 2-0-23-0, Gomez 1-0-12-0, Jadeja 3-0-27-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Dinesh Karthik.

It's advantage Chennai Super Kings

Delhi Daredevils, the last visiting team to nick a win at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium and that too in the previous edition, will take on Chennai Super Kings on May 12 in a contest that holds a very divergent set of promises for the two teams.

A win for Super Kings (14 points from 11 matches) in its homestead will stretch its unbeaten streak here to six matches, and more importantly, consolidate its place in the top four.

Daredevils (eight points from 11 matches and third from bottom) has just a ‘mathematical' possibility of making the cut-off, a polite way of saying the side would do well to avoid the wooden spoon from here on.

Even in a format that thrives on unpredictability, Super Kings has shown that assembling a unit whose skills dovetail with the demands of the surface and conditions will tilt the odds in its favour.

Ravichandran Ashwin (12 wickets), Doug Bollinger and Albie Morkel (13 wickets each) all figure in the top 10 wicket-takers' list this edition and have helped defend several smallish totals at home.

Happy worry

The only worry as far as the bowling goes, and a happy one at that for M.S. Dhoni, would be in fitting all-rounder Dwayne Bravo into the attack while still retaining a favourable spinner-to-fast bowler ratio.

Super Kings' batting form has picked up over the course of the tournament.

Recent contributions from Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina and Dhoni should take some of the pressure off Michael Hussey (388 runs, average 55.32) and Subramaniam Badrinath (294 runs at 98), who did the bulk of the scoring in the initial stages.

Two of Delhi's four wins this season were set up by savage knocks by Virender Sehwag, and his absence will further tilt the scales against the visitors. Delhi's current top run makers — David Warner and Venugopala Rao — will have to lead the batting and the team should avoid losing too many early wickets, a failing that has characterised Daredevils' batting implosions this year.

Hopes takes over

James Hopes, taking over the reins from Sehwag, will also look to his spin options in Roelof van der Merwe and Shahbaz Nadeem to play a bigger role than they have so far, in conditions that will aid turn.

Super Kings will enjoy a bit of a breather after the match against Delhi (playing its next match at home against Kochi Tuskers on May 18), and will not want to spend the time looking over its shoulders at the rest of the pack.

A win, on the other hand, will open up possibilities of finishing in the top two, allowing Super Kings the luxury of having two shots at the final in the play-off stage.

RCB cruises to its sixth win in-a-row

The farewell for Shane Warne at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium was not the desired one. Chris Gayle expectedly spoilt it.

Rajasthan Royals was beaten by Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Indian Premier League engagements at this venue came to an end with the home team unsure of a place in the play-offs.

Led by Virat Kohli in place of an injured Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers with this nine-wicket win has almost sealed a play-offs slot with 15 points and three matches in hand. RR has 11 from 12 matches.

Gayle dominated the contest as he is known to. He needed no footwork as he mauled the bowlers from his stance position. A few times he danced down to meet the ball with disdain and landed it among the spectators.

One of those shots came against Warne and one against Ashok Menaria. It was a mis-match, thanks to Gayle. The West Indian just toyed with the bowlers.

Warne made the first dent in the RCB innings but let go Gayle's offering at mid-off. It was to prove a costly lapse.

Gayle made merry with some astonishing hitting, straight and square. One of his sweeps travelled with lightning speed. With Gayle in such a mood, there was little that RR could do except admire his amazing range of strokes.

His distinctive manner of batting was too hot for RR to handle on a pitch that played true. Gayle too played true to his reputation and RCB prospered on the strength of his presence at the crease.

The last match for Warne at his ‘home' venue saw the team make an earnest effort at producing a fitting gift for the coach-cum-player-cum-mentor.

The focus remained on Rajasthan Royals, which also needed to win to stay in contention for a spot in the play-offs. It was a tough match given the challenges it brought.

Shane Watson lit the course early and Rahul Dravid joined in with a lot of spirit. The RR innings was cruising, the bowlers wore a confused look, and the exaggerated celebrations on the field at the fall of every wicket only drove home the significance attached to the contest by RCB.

Early assault

The early assault by Watson and Dravid threatened to aggravate RCB's woes but then two strikes in the same over by left-arm medium pacer S. Aravind, who was later adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his efforts, put a halt to RR's ambitions of posting a huge target.

Watson clubbed the ball with his customary ease and style. He was shaping up well when he swatted an innocuous ball that travelled straight to A.B. de Villiers.

Dravid matched the burly Aussie with some delightful shots. A few lofted ones suggested a change in approach by Dravid before a drive along the carpet confirmed his love for correct batting.

Ironically, he perished to an uncharacteristic attempt to whip the ball. Watson and Dravid fell within the space of three balls and RR suffered.

Even though there was not a batsman who could dominate the RCB attack, the home team managed to put up a total it could fight with, provided it snared Gayle or Dilshan early.

Sadly, to the chagrin of the home spectators, it did not happen. RCB cruised quite comfortably to make it six wins in a row.

Scores:

Rajasthan Royals: S. Watson c de Villiers b Arvind 34 (29b, 3x4, 2x6), R. Dravid c and b Arvind 37 (31b, 6x4), A. Rahane (run out) 17 (10b, 1x4, 1x6), J. Botha c A. Karthik b Arvind 19 (20b, 1x4), R. Taylor c Kaif b Langeveldt 13 (13b), A. Menaria c Kaif b Gayle 8 (6b, 1x4), A. Raut (not out) 5 (8b), D. Yagnik (not out) 2 (5b); Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb-2, w-7): 11; Total (for six wkts in 20 overs): 146.

Fall of wickets: 1-73, 2-73, 3-102, 4-122, 5-124, 6-133.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Zaheer 4-0-23-0, Arvind 4-0-34-3, Langeveldt 4-0-26-1, Gayle 3-0-23-1, Kohli 3-0-17-0, Kazi 2-0-21-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: C. Gayle (not out) 70 (44b, 6x4, 4x6), T. Dilshan c Taylor b Warne 38 (24b, 8x4), V. Kohli (not out) 39 (34b, 3x4, 1x6); Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-2): 4; Total (for one wkt in 17 overs): 151.

Fall of wicket: 1-68.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Watson 2-0-19-0, Botha 4-0-42-0, Pankaj 2-0-23-0, Trivedi 2-0-12-0, Warne 4-0-26-1, Taylor 1-0-11-0, Menaria 2-0-16-0.

Man-of-the-Match: S. Aravind.

Watson shows interest in Rajasthan captaincy

Rajasthan Royals’ Australian all-rounder Shane Watson says he is ready to take over the IPL franchise’s captaincy after his compatriot and spin wizard Shane Warne retires at the end of this edition of the Twenty20 event.

Watson said there is competition for the role of captain though he did not take names.

“Yes, I would love to lead the side in Shane Warne’s absence but there are few others in contention,” Watson said after his side was outclassed by nine wickets in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore last night.

Rajasthan have very little hopes of making the play-offs and Watson said the team would do everything to win the remaining two matches to make it a memorable ending for Warne.

“We are out. We will play the remaining matches for pride and will try to give good performance to give a perfect send off to Warne,” he said.

Watson had done extremely well in the inaugural edition of the league and was adjudged man-of-the-tournament in 2008 but has failed to repeat his performance in the following editions.

In the ongoing tournament also, he has scored just 221 runs in nine innings without a half-century. In bowling too he has been unimpressive having taken just three wickets.

Asked abut his form, he said, “I can’t say. Twenty20 can be a fickle game. I had prepared in same manner and was excited for IPL but things did not come off.”

Watson also ruled out major overhauling in the side in the wake of another dismal show, saying the team was playing as a unit.

Young Bangalore paceman Sreenath Aravind, who helped his side restrict Rajasthan to a modest total by scalping three key wickets, credited his performance to the guidance of India’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.

“He is a World Cup winner and helped me a lot. He taught me not to bowl to batsman’s strength and how to bowl in death overs by reading the mindset of batsmen. He and Venkatesh Prasad have both been great help for youngsters,” Aravind said.

Aravind feared that skipper Daniel Vettori, who missed the match due to a knee injury, could be out of the next match as well.

“Yes, he was carrying a niggle in his knee which has aggravated a little and that is why he did not take field today. He is not sure to play even in the next match,” he added.

Selectors have a tough job on hand

The Hindu Sachin Tendulkar will probably be given the option of joining the test squad in the upcoming series with West Indies. File photo

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan may be given the option to join the team for the Tests so that they get ample rest.

The national selectors have a tough job on hand when they sit on Friday to pick the Indian squad for the West Indies tour. Since there is no official word from the BCCI on the withdrawal of players, we presume all are available.

After the gruelling and relentless games for past six months including IPL, some players may need rest and they deserve it.

India goes to the West Indies for five ODIs, one T20 followed by three Tests and then proceeds to England. Immediately after that India plays England — there are five ODIs against England in India.

Then in November West Indies will tour India for Tests and ODIs.

Tough programme

In the New Year India tours Australia. A very hectic and tough programme.

The Indians have been playing IPL T20 matches for a month with two weeks to go and the players are expected to adapt to ODI first and later a five-day Test match immediately after IPL. There is a lot of difference between these formats and not many internationals have succeeded in adopting the mindset required for different formats.

The selectors will have to opt for two sets of squads, one for the ODIs and T20 and second, for the Tests. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan may be given the option to join the team for the Tests so that they get ample rest.

Though the performances in IPL can't be the parameter for the ODIs selection, there is enough talent on view in IPL and it's the job of the selectors to follow their gut feeling and push the deserving talent.

Most batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Paul Valthaty, S. Badrinath have maintained a healthy strike rate which means they are striking the ball consistently. This proves they are easily getting rid of dot balls which is so very essential in ODIs.

During one IPL match a team managed 52 dot balls, wasting 8 crucial overs and that was a champion team.

Good strike rate

The selectors are not naïve to overlook the importance of having a good strike rate. And maintaining a strike rate is not as easy as one thinks. The bowlers have learnt to mix variety of slower balls on sluggish surfaces and it requires timing to find gaps in the field or hit it in the stands.

That's possibly the reason Valthaty's unbeaten knock of 120 off 63 balls against Chennai Super Kings is still being talked about by former internationals.

Badrinath is another player who knows what he is doing because obviously he has practised those shots. It's only when you are mentally prepared to play those smart shots, that the ball finds the middle of the bat frequently.

The slots which will be very difficult to plug will be those of bowlers though lanky leggie Rahul Sharma getting the top spinner to bounce may be the find of the IPL. He has stuck to the basics of line and length, mixed varieties subtly especially against strong Mumbai Indians.

Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel seem to be safe bets but choosing rest of the bowlers will be a trial for the selectors.

This is the last quarter of the selection committee which by and large did excellent job. With the methodical Duncan Fletcher attending the selection committee meeting, one can expect some policy changes because he would be keen that India does well against his old team England and for that to happen a tour of the West Indies is very crucial.

Ganguly shines on comeback as Pune beat Deccan by six wickets

Veteran Sourav Ganguly silenced his critics by marking his belated return to the Indian Premier League with a gutsy batting display as Pune Warriors notched up a comfortable six—wicket victory over Deccan Chargers here today.

The 38—year—old Ganguly remained unbeaten on 32 off as many balls as Pune, after being asked to bowl first, achieved the target with 10 balls to spare.

After Mitchell Marsh helped Warriors restrict the hosts to 136 for eight with impressive figures of four for 25, Manish Pandey was unlucky to miss a well—deserved half century by a run but did enough to pave the way for his team’s victory.

Equally impressive was Pandey’s opening partner Jesse Ryder, who made a hurricane 35 of 20 deliveries.

But it was Ganguly who stole the limelight with a fluent unbeaten knock which contained three boundaries and a six.

In a match that generated interest as well as anticipation for the former India skipper’s return to the highly popular tournament, Ganguly strode to the crease at the fall of opener Ryder’s wicket.

Veteran Sourav Ganguly silenced his critics by

In the company of Pandey who was just two years old when Ganguly made his international debut way back in the Australian summer of 1991, the experienced left—hander proved a point or two to all those who ignored him during the IPL auction in January.

A run—a—ball innings after a long lay—off was par for the course.

That he made those runs with the help of three boundaries and a massive six off Mishra over deep square—leg, only goes on to show that he still has it in him to play in the league.

Chasing a modest 137 for their fourth victory in the tournament, Pune rode on Ryder’s enterprise and Pandey’s controlled aggression to race to fifty in just six overs.

Slow left—arm spinner Pragyan Ojha broke the opening partnership by having Ryder bowled, but not before the burly New Zealander smashed five boundaries and two sixes.

Even as all eyes were on Ganguly, Pandey managed to play an innings which was as important as the one played by Ryder.

Boundaries came in thick and fast and there was no stopping the duo till Ryder went for that wild heave.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa didn’t last long enough as they were snared by Daniel Christian, but that hardly mattered.

Earlier, Marsh bowled with purpose after Deccan skipper Kumar Sangakkara elected to bat.

The Warriors did not get off to a good start as Chargers openers Shikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja raised a half—century stand in six overs to set the tone for a competitive total.

But clever bowling coupled with some mindless batting helped the Warriors fight back into the match.

Besides Marsh, Yuvraj picked up two wickets including that of Dhawan, the team’s first breakthrough.

Marsh and the other bowlers’ efforts ensured that Dhawan and Ravi Teja’s brisk start is wasted.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tight first over conceding just four runs but, in the following over, Ravi Teja cut and drove Shrikant Wagh for two successive boundaries to make it run—a—ball.

Always on the lookout for opportunities, Ravi Teja then smashed Kumar for a four, before Dhawan got into the act with a powerful cut over point against Wayne Parnell.

Parnell was finding it difficult in the middle as Ravi Teja drove him on the up between mid—off and extra cover, to help the hosts inch towards the 50—run mark.

At the other end, Dhawan cleared the ropes at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium twice to boost the scoring.

The Delhi boy danced down the track to loft Kumar over his head and then pulled Parnell’s short delivery over deep square leg for another six.

The 50 was up by the seventh but Yuvraj Singh didn’t let the partnership to flourish further, by removing Dhawan, who miscued a shot to give Jesse Ryder a simple catch at extra cover.

Ravi Teja, too, followed suit as he dragged one from Marsh onto his stumps.

Skipper Sangakkara didn’t last long, falling prey to the guile of Rahul Sharma.

The leg—spinner has been very impressive in this edition of the league, and getting a quality player like Sangakkara only re—affirmed the belief that he is one for the future.

Daniel Christian was snapped up by Yuvraj, while Marsh came back to take the important wicket of Jean—Paul Duminy, who made 30 off 30 balls.

Bharat Chipli tried his bit, scoring a couple of boundaries, but that was not enough to take Chargers towards the 150 mark.

Kings XI steamrollers Mumbai Indians

Given a choice, Sachin Tendulkar would have loved to lose the toss for the ninth time this season, if that meant a ninth victory for Mumbai Indians. For a change, he called right but thereafter, Kings XI Punjab did not put a foot wrong.

Kings XI, needing to win all its five remaining matches, scored a huge confidence-boosting 76-run victory to end its five-match losing streak. Going by the form of the teams involved, this should also rank as the biggest upset of the season — the lowest placed crushing the one at the top.

With its place in the play-off firmly sealed, Mumbai could, afford a few losses in its remaining games without really feeling the pain.

But what proved most embarrassing for Mumbai was to be bowled out for just 87 runs in only 12.5 overs — its lowest ever and a second sub-100 tally in the Indian Premier League.

Neither complacency nor the urge to experiment resulted in a third defeat for Mumbai Indians. An unchanged combination paid for the collective failure of its top-order batsmen to get going. The not-so-tested middle-order had an opportunity to stand up to the challenge and be counted but Kings XI allowed no such liberties.

Praveen Kumar packed off openers Sachin Tendulkar and Aiden Blizzard to push the team back. With the stumping of Rohit Sharma and a shocking run-out of off-form Andrew Symonds adding to Mumbai's tale of horror, and Rayudu and Suman having off days, there was little doubt that it was Kings XI's night.

Bhatt revels

The sudden finish came about when Man-of-the-Match, left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt wiped out the last four wickets, including that of the dangerous Kieron Pollard, who was dropped twice in the space of three deliveries.

In fact, Bhatt struck thrice in four deliveries as Kings XI landed the knockout punch in a hurry. However, buried under the debris of defeat was Munaf Patel's five-wicket haul for which he should give Pollard almost equal credit for holding two spectacular catches.

Aiden Blizzard held three to complete Munaf's dream haul, but in a losing cause.

Kings XI had reason to be pleased with the total of 163. It crossed the 150-run mark for the first time in five games and the bowlers obviously had something to bowl at.

The top-order proved effective without looking devastating. After Paul Valthaty fell for a run-a-ball 14, Gilchrist and fellow Aussie Shaun Marsh raised 70 runs to give plenty of confidence to those in the dug-out.

Given his poor run, Gilchrist must have felt better after scoring a run-a-ball 28, during which he was hit on the back of the helmet by a Malinga delivery. Marsh was once again the pick, dominating the bowling with some clean strikes. Dinesh Karthik came good with a strokeful knock before the rest of the batting contributed in bits and pieces.

In fact, Mumbai ended up conceding a record number of 22 extras, the highest ever in Kings XI's innings.

Eventually, it all added up to give the Kings XI triumph a stamp of authority.

Scores:

Kings XI Punjab: P. Valthaty c Blizzard b Munaf 14 (14b, 3x4), A. Gilchrist c Rayudu c Malinga 28 (28b, 2x4, 1x6), S. Marsh c Pollard b Munaf 43 (34b, 5x4), D. Karthik c Blizzard b Munaf 31 (24, 4x4, 1x6), D. Hussey c Blizzard b Munaf 0 (3b), Mandeep Singh (run out) 8 (5b, 1x6), B. Sharma (not out) 6 (4b), R. Harris c Pollard b Munaf 6 (4b, 1x4), Praveen Kumar b Malinga 2 (2b), S. Srivastava (not out) 3 (2b); Extras (b-2, lb-13, w-7): 22; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs) 163.

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-92, 3-128, 4-129, 5-145, 6-148, 7-155, 8-157.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Harbhajan 3-0-20-0, Malinga 4-0-24-2, Munaf 4-0-21-5, Kulkarni 2-0-25-0, R. Sharma 2-0-24-0, Suman 3-0-23-0, Pollard 2-0-11-0.

Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard c Gilchrist b Kumar 15 (10b, 3x4), S. Tendulkar c Marsh b Kumar 6 (9b, 1x4), R. Sharma st. Gilchrist b Bipul 5 (5b, 1x4), A. Symonds (run out) 8 (6b, 1x4), A. Rayudu c Bipul b Srivastav 13 (19b, 2x4), T. Suman c Kumar b Harris 4 (5b), K. Pollard c Marsh b Bhatt 17 (11b, 1x6, 1x4), Harbhajan Singh b Bhatt 12 (7b, 1x4, 1x6) 12, D. Kulkarni c and b Bhatt 2 (4b), S. Malinga (not out) 0 (0b), M. Patel lbw b Bhatt 0 (1b); Extras (b-1, w-4): 5; Total (in 12.5 overs): 87.

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-27, 3-27, 4-44, 5-54, 6-55, 7-69, 8-87, 9-87.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Kumar 4-0-19-2, Bhatt 2.5-0-22-4, Sharma 2-0-15-1, Harris 2-0-13-1, Srivastav 2-0-17-1.

Man of the Match: Bhargav Bhatt.

Pune Warriors ends losing streak

ON THE OFFENSIVE:Yuvraj Singh struck a few lusty blows to seal victory for Pune Warriors.
MOHALI: With a determined display, Pune Warriors took the first step towards salvaging some pride in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A dominating five-wicket victory ended Pune's embarrassing seven-defeat streak and extended Kings XI Punjab's sequence of losses to five.
Making first use of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium pitch which turned out to be two-paced, Kings' stroke-makers struggled and eventually the host managed 119 for eight — its lowest at home.
If Pune covered the distance with 17 deliveries to spare, it was mainly because its batsmen learnt from the follies of the host and displayed better stroke selection.
Another factor that contributed to the result was that the discipline of some of the Pune bowlers could not be matched by their counterparts from the Kings.
Important win
For Yuvraj, the victory carried more meaning. After losing the captaincy of Kings XI to Kumar Sangakkara, he was returning to his home venue looking to end Pune's disappointing run. On Sunday, he took two catches and made up for his disappointing bowling by emerging as the match's highest scorer.
In fact, Yuvraj hastened the end by smashing two sixes and as many boundaries in a 22-run over from left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt. But Yuvraj and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala gifted away their wickets to Shalabh Srivastava in the 16th over in their bid to hit the winning stroke.
Although Robin Uthappa, promoted in the order, and Manish Pandey failed to make the most of the pressure-less situation, it did not matter.
The five changes effected by Kings after its humiliating loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday did not alter its fate. In fact, Siddharth Chitnis, David Hussey, Shalabh Srivastava, Mandeep Singh and Bhatt could hardly make their presence felt.
If Kings managed a sub-120 score, it was mainly due to the fact that three of its batsmen — Paul Valthaty, Shaun Marsh and Dinesh Karthik — did not make their wicket count after having spent some time in the middle and scored over run-a-ball.
None of the other batsmen on view could reach double-digits. Only three overs produced more than 10 runs.
Rahul Sharma once again caught the eye and walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award. The local leg-spinner not only got rid of the dangerous openers Adam Gilchrist and Valthaty, but also showed that it was possible to remain economical.
Once the rich creamy layer was off, Bhuveneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Marsh and Wayne Parnell also collected two each, with the last named proving to be most stingy on this day.
A couple of dropped catches did not prove costly as the Kings batsmen kept trading wickets in search for quick runs.
The runs did not come as briskly, but the regular loss of wickets ensured a low target for Pune.

Kings XI Punjab: A. Gilchrist c Jhunjhunwala b Rahul 3 ( 8b), P. Valthaty c Kumar b Rahul 23 ( 22b, 4x4), S. Marsh b Kumar 32 ( 28b, 3x4, 1x6), D. Karthik c Jhunjhunwala b Marsh 30 ( 27b, 3x4), D. Hussey c Uthappa b Kumar 4 ( 5b), Mandeep Singh c Yuvraj b Parnell 6 ( 11b), S. Chitnis c Jhunjhunwala b Parnell 9 ( 9b, 1x4), R. Harris c Yuvraj b Marsh 4 ( 4b, 1x4), P. Kumar (not out) 3 ( 5b), S. Srivastava (not out) 1 ( 1b); Extras (b-1, lb-3): 4, Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs): 119.
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-50, 3-80, 4-95, 5-100, 6-110, 7-114, 8-116.
Pune Warriors bowling: B. Kumar 3-0-14-2, Wagh 2-0-18-0, Parnell 4-0-12-2, Rahul 4-0-17-2, Yuvraj 2-0-17-0, M. Marsh 4-0-26-2, Jhunjhunwala 1-0-11-0.
Pune Warriors: J. Ryder c Hussey b Bhatt 15 ( 18b, 3x4), M. Pandey b Kumar 28 ( 30b, 3x4), R. Uthappa c Srivastava b Harris 22 ( 18b, 3x4), Yuvraj Singh c and b Srivastava 35 ( 15b, 5x4, 2x6), C. Ferguson (not out) 6 ( 14b), A. Jhunjhunwala c Gilchrist b Srivastava 0 ( 3b), M. Marsh (not out) 2 ( 6b), Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-1, w-6): 12; Total (for five wickets in 17.1 overs): 120.
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-69, 3-84, 4-116, 5-117.
Kings XI Punjab bowling: P. Kumar 4-1-17-1, Harris 4-0-26-1, Srivastava 3-0-20-2, Bhatt 4-0-35-1, Valthaty 2.1-0-17-0.
Man-of-the-Match: Rahul Sharma .

Mumbai Indians keen to maintain the winning momentum

TOUGH TIMES:Adam Gilchrist will be hoping Kings XI turns the tide and starts winning.
MOHALI: Nursing fresh wounds and fast-diminishing hopes of a place in the play-offs, Kings XI Punjab deserved some respite but there seems to be none. Having been pushed to the bottom of the table by no-hopers Pune Warriors on Sunday, Kings XI takes on leader Mumbai Indians, in a must-win game on Tuesday.
Kings XI's last home game at the PCA before moving on to three ‘home' games at Dharamsala, holds much significance. After five straight losses, Kings XI cannot afford to lose another game.
Highly improbable
In spite of just three wins, it is the only team which has five matches in hand. Mathematically, a team with eight victories looks, more or less, sure of a place in the next stage. But going by form and body language of the Kings XI players, it looks highly improbable.
Adam Gilchrist's men, who humbled defending champion Chennai Super Kings here last month, have lost their last five matches. In three of the last four matches, it failed to cross 120. In fact, the after-effects of the thrashing at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore — centurion Chris Gayle to be precise — could be seen when Kings XI faced Warriors.
As a result, the side is low on confidence and spirit. The desperate five changes that the team management effected against Warriors proved of no help. The team depends heavily on the top-order comprising Gilchrist, Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh to fire. And in the last few games, the top-guns have not exactly blazed.
Fairly effective
Kings XI's bowling resources are fairly effective but have not performed to potential. And given Mumbai Indians' batting line-up, it is difficult to imagine an unexpected outcome on Tuesday.
Assured of a place in the play-offs, Mumbai is looking to extend its three-win sequence that began with a 23-run victory over Kings XI in Mumbai. Knowing Sachin Tendulkar and his keenness to “maintain the momentum,” it is unlikely the skipper will choose to test the bench strength beyond a point.
Given the position the team is in, nothing will lift the team's sagging morale more than victory over the current leader. How the Kings XI's top-order deals with the feared Mumbai attack, on a two-paced pitch here, remains to be seen.
When the teams met last, Valthaty and Marsh had raised a 72-run second-wicket stand to provide the brightest phase of the innings. Even on that occasion, Lasith Malinga, the highest wicket-taker so far in the competition, could not be sorted out by the Kings XI line-up.
In fact, Mumbai carries far too many guns to be in serious trouble against most of the teams in the competition. WTendulkar, along with Rayudu and Rohit Sharma, not taking into account Pollard and Andrew Symonds, forms a devastating trio.

Clinical show by Chennai Super Kings

SUPER KNOCK: Chennai Super Kings' opener M. Vijay came good with an aggressive half-century against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Monday.
JAIPUR: Change of pitch. Change of attitude. Change of fortunes too. Rajasthan Royals got into a situation completely unchartered, at least this season. The man in charge was clueless and watched the destruction helplessly. He tried arresting the rot but got whipped as just another bowler. For Shane Warne, the reality was staring harshly a day after he had announced his decision to quit playing in the Indian Premier League at the end of this edition.
It was indeed time for Rajasthan Royals, as a team, to take stock of things as Chennai Super Kings recorded a 63–run victory to not only climb to the second place in the table but also strengthen its chances for qualifying. Rajasthan Royals stayed at fifth slot after suffering its second defeat in six matches at home.
Chennai Super Kings did nothing wrong. Rajasthan Royals did nothing right, apart from Warne winning the toss. The first-bat invite to Chennai evoked a strong response. Midwicket-heaves and reverse-sweeps came into play from the very first over and there was a torrent of runs, mostly from the aggressive blade of Mike Hussey.
His partner, M. Vijay, was not averse to playing the role of a silent admirer. When Hussey left, Vijay took over. When Vijay departed, M. S. Dhoni arrived to torment Rajasthan. In between, there was a cameo from Suresh Raina. There were hundreds of empty seats in the stadium and the noise of those present too was lost amidst the fireworks that Chennai lit tonight.
A tweet by Warne hours before the match reflected on his mindset. “1st time in 4yrs we got told what wicket to play on — strange ? Average score in Jaipur is 154 groundmen has / does a great job,” tweeted the master of spin. He was standing up for Taposh Chatterjee, the affable curator at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. Warne was livid at the match being played on the extreme part of the square. It hardly mattered though. The batsmen revelled in all directions.
Rajasthan bowling lacked teeth, direction, will to fight. In sharp contrast, Chennai was geared up. The tactic was to charge and Hussey displayed sparkling form.
He put his bat to the ball in the most profitable fashion; his shots flew in a wider range and Rajasthan's woes multiplied from some poor fielding. Vijay was dropped by Ajinkya Rahane and the sloppy work in the field only pushed the home team into a tight corner.
Hussey was a delight, as he always is, hardly hustled or hassled. Vijay continues to shine in whatever role he is assigned. Some of his straight hits with a very straight bat belonged to another league.
But they were entertaining here too. Raina, starting with a copybook forward defence, swiftly got into his act of cross-batted hits.
Eventually he lost his wicket to one crass heave too many.
But it all works in this form of cricket where a mishit is a thrill and an edged-boundary worthy of applause.
Formidable total
Chennai reached a formidable total with Dhoni performing his customary role, a few robust shots, and a few well-executed ones keeping the Rajasthan bowlers in a state of turmoil. This had turned out to be a docile response from the local team to a situation that demanded an improved show. The pitch factor was at the back of mind possibly and harmed the team to a large extent.
The chase by Rajasthan was flattering. Rahul Dravid smashed the ball around but not for too long.
Shane Watson and Ross Taylor, promoted in the order, failed to deliver, their expansive shots not reaching the intended destinations.
There was some contrived entertainment for the audience from Rahane but it was too late and too good to last.
Chennai had already wrapped up the contest in style.
Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey b Botha 46 ( 30b, 8x4), M. Vijay (run out) 53 ( 40b, 2x4, 3x6), Suresh Raina b Amit Singh 43 ( 27b, 6x4), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 41 ( 19b, 3x4, 3x6), J. Morkel (not out) 5 ( 4b); Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8; Total (for three wkts. in 20 overs): 196.
Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-135, 3-179.
Rajasthan Royals bowling: Menaria 2-0-17-0, Amit 4-0-40-1, Watson 4-0-47-0, Botha 4-0-23-1, Warne 4-0-34-0, Trivedi 2-0-33-0.
Rajasthan Royals: S. Watson c Jakati b Ashwin 11 ( 10b, 1x4), R. Dravid c Dhoni b Bollinger 20 ( 16b, 2x4), A. Rahane c Raina b Bravo 52 ( 36b, 7x4), R. Taylor c Saha b Morkel 6 ( 8b), A. Menaria c Dhoni b Ashwin 2 ( 5b), J. Botha c & b Bollinger 14 ( 17b), A. Raut (run out) 19 ( 14b, 1x4, 1x6), D. Yagnik b Bollinger 3 ( 7b), Amit Singh c & b Raina 1 ( 2b), S. Trivedi (not out) 0 ( 0b), S. Warne c Bravo b Raina 0 ( 2b); Extras (w-5): 5; Total (in 19.3 overs): 133.
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-48, 3-63, 4-70, 5-105, 6-129, 7-132, 8-133, 9-133.
Chennai Super Kings bowling: Morkel 3-0-21-1, Bollinger 4-0-22-3, Bravo 4-0-36-1, Ashwin 4-0-24-2, Jakati 4-0-30-0, Raina 0.3-0-0-2.
Man of the Match: M. Vijay .