Un-freakin-believable !

I left the Kolkata-Punjab match midway through as I believed it was a match of no-consequence and expected Punjab to romp home ! I hadn't reckoned on the old man turning the clock back again TWICE in the same tournament !

Wow ! What an innings that must have been ! So pissed to have missed it ! Will catch on the highlights soon, though any of you guys who have seen it are welcome to describe it too !

And sends out a strong message to one fat baby elephant who has been shooting off his mouth and making a mess in the field lately. First Dravid has come up with some consistent performances, now Ganguly with two smashing innings ! I think it is time failures like Utthappa and Yuvraj get worried about their limited over spots, let alone think of usurping the ones in test cricket.

Special mention for Man of the Match Gul and a fine effort by Sangakkara.

Revenge Battle Results
Marsh v Dinda - Draw
Marsh v Hussey - Marsh ! Revenge !
Sangakara v Gul - Gul has the last laugh - AGAIN
Jayawardene v Gul - Draw
Ganguly v Sreesanth - Draw
Das v Sreesanth - Sreesanth AGAIN
Shukla v VRV - VRV AGAIN
Saha v Chawla - Revenge for Chawla

A Meaningless Match ?

The last time these two teams met both had all to play for - Kolkata wanted to arrest a run of 3 consecutive defeats, while King's X1 were only just beginning their ascent. As Buchanan has said, their goal today is to make sure the King's X1 have some worries going into the semifinals and that says it all.

Teams
Punjab - Sangakarra was back with a bang in the last game and would want to continue, Yuvraj's form is still a worry and I'd like to see Tanmay being given a chance.

Kolkata - Will Shoaib play this meaningless game ? Will Taibu finally get his chance ? I guess it doesn't matter in any which way.

Revenge Battles
Marsh v Dinda (Marsh)
Marsh v Hussey (Hussey)
Hopes v Agarkar (Hopes)
Sangakkara v Gul (Sanga thrashed Gul but Gul got him out)
Yuvraj v Hafeez (Tie)
Jayawardene v Gul (Gul)
Chawla v Ishant (Chawla)
Hafeez v Irfan (Irfan)
Ganguly v Sreesanth (Sreesanth)
Das v Sreesanth (Sreesanth)
Hussey v Gagandeep (Hussey)
Hussey v Hopes (Hussey)
Shukla v VRV (VRV)
Saha v Gagandeep, Hopes, Chawla (Saha)

A Damp Squib

Match abandoned without a ball being bowled. Kolkata out. Delhi stay in the hunt. The equation for them still remains the same. Beat Mumbai to stay in with a chance. In fact, it got slightly tougher. Now, even if they beat Mumbai they will reach only 15 points. This means that one more win will see Chennai cruise ahead of them. If Delhi had been able to get to 16, they could have put the extra pressure on Chennai on account of superior run-rate. Another interesting issue is that if the Delhi-Mumbai game also gets washed out, they will be level with Chennai on 14, which means Chennai will still have to play around with their run-rates to be safe.

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders - Preview

Do or Die
Definitely for the Knight Riders. Very crucial game for the Daredevils too but the defeats of Mumbai and Chennai today may have just given them some breathing space and a chance to advance even if they lose tomorrow. However if the last game was any indication Kolkata looked like a totally dispirited and exhausted team, not to mention highly insufficient in the batting department, so it is highly questionable if they can stand up to be counted in this crunch encounter.

Personally I shall be supporting Kolkata, for not only does it help Chennai, it keeps the tournament open for longer.

Teams
The Daredevils will be looking to go in with the same combination except that Mishra might make his way back.

The Knight Riders desperately need Shoaib back. And for God's sake get back Taibu and kick out that good-for-nothing Hafeez !

Revenge Battles
Butt v all bowlers - Butt managed 48, but this was a painstakig innings and never got away, ultimately he was top scorer !
Ganguly v Yomahesh
Hussey v Maharoof
Shukla v Maharoof
Akhtar v Gambhir
Akhtar v Sehwag
Akhtar v Devilliers
Akhtar v Tiwari
Dinda v Dhawan
Mishra v Shukla

To The Script

The demise of the Knight Riders has turned out exactly as I had foreseen. Do not play Taibu, open with a pathetic batsman like Hafeez, fill your top order with average to past-their-best players, deprive your talented youngsters of time in the middle by pushing them low down and you will get exactly what the Knight Riders did - a far less than adequate total.

Well one might reasonably argue that they still had a fair chance when they got the Royals down to 70/4 but that was when Pathan took the game away and it is precisely the player of the category of Pathan that Ganguly's team missed - or rather their lopsided batting didn't allow the likes of Shukla, Saha and Das to blossom.

The most interesting moment of the day, for me, came when a piece of paper fell out of Ganguly's pocket while running and Warne picked it up and had a good look at it before returning it to Dada ! Ganguly, was, to put it precisely, not amused. At the end of another long night, he looked jaded, tired and in need of some support.

Kolkata's campaign is all but over - another one bites the dust. The Royals bandwagon meanwhile continues to roll on - who can stop them ? Well they do have arguably their toughest games coming up - against Mumbai, Chennai and Punjab. Should be exciting viewing.

Revenge Battle Results
Ganguly v Warne - Ganguly might have struck Warne for a six, but ended up the losing captain, so Warne wins it again
Smith v Sharma - Smith got Sharma away for a couple of boundaries, so got a bit back there
Asnodkar v Sharma - REVENGE for Sharma !
Asnodkar v Gul - No show
Kaif v Agarkar - Draw
Pathan v Agarkar, Hussey, Shukla - No show !
Watson v Gul - Draw
Jadeja v Gul, Hussey - no show
Jadeja v Shukla - No show
Tanvir v Butt - Draw
Ganguly v Trivedi - Trivedi WINS AGAIN !
Agarkar v Watson - Draw
Agarkar v Tanvir - No show
Hussey v Trivedi - Hussey gets partial revenge
Hussey v Warne - Warne completely tied Hussey down - partial revenge !
Das v Tanvir - Tanvir WINS

Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals - Preview

Must-win for The Riders
Just as today was a must-win for Delhi, so also is tomorrow for Kolkata. The only difference being that Delhi had to do it (and did) against bottom-placed Bangalore, while Kolkata have to do it against the mighty Rajasthan. Additionally Delhi's win puts the pressure on Kolkata all the more. Under normal circumstances I would have given Kolkata a fair chance, mainly because playing at home, is a big advantage for them. But with the batting as poor as it is, I don't think even the most lethal combination of Shoaib Akhtar and the Eden factor will be able to bail them out.

Rajasthan Away From Home ?
Warnie's team boast a splendid 8-2 record but when you split it it reads 6-0 at home, and 2-2 away. Tomorrow should be a tester for bigger away battles to come - against Chennai and Punjab as well as the home game against Mumbai.

Teams
For Kolkata I don't see how they can get the batting in order - the only hope I see is if Taibu plays and plays a major role. The injury scare to Shoaib will weaken the bowling as well. Will be interesting to see if they draft in the mysterious Mendis straight away.

For Rajasthan, they are spoilt for choices really. I would like to see Kaif bat high up and play an important role.

Revenge Battles
Warne v Ganguly - how can we forget the controversial incidents in the last game ?
Smith v Sharma - Sharma got him early last time
Asnodkar v Sharma, Agarkar - Asnodkar devastated these
Asnodkar v Gul - Gul was the one who got Asnodkar in the end
Kaif v Agarkar - Kaif was one of the few failures in that game, caught and bowled Aggie
Pathan v Agarkar, Hussey, Shukla - Pathan followed up Asnodkar in smashing them around
Watson v Gul - first ball duck for Watson albeit with some help from the umpire
Jadeja v Gul, Hussey - Another one who made merry
Jadeja v Shukla - Shukla was the one who got him
Tanvir v Butt - All Paki battle - Tanvir got the better of his teammate last time
Ganguly v Trivedi, Munaf - Ganguly did well against the young pacers
Agarkar v Watson - Watson was the one who got him
Agarkar v Tanvir - smashed him for a 4 and a 6
Hussey v Trivedi - The youngster got Hussey
Hussey v Warne - All Aussie battle, Hussey did manage to get Warne away
Das v Tanvir
Saha v Trivedi

A Crucial Win

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans

Rain and Duckworth and Lewis combined together to make our task much easier today, but it would be fair to say we fully deserved this win the way we played. We must note that we have never lost a game bowling first and that should say something. Of course Kolkata was a weak batting team as I mentioned in my preview but we had to bowl well nevetherless. What was even more impressive was the way our openers batted before the rain. It is conceivable that they knew about the impending weather - and played the perfect game i.e. to keep wickets in hand and not go for too much, because the Duckworth Lewis system can create havoc with the target with every wicket you lose. In the end the 3 run defeat margin did not really reflect the true nature of the contest.

It was an inspired choice to play Ntini - one which I myself wasn't convinced about, but a lot of our readers were and well done to them ! It was even more astonishing to see that no one noticed his hat-trick including himself for a long time ! And this hat-trick constituted three top order players, each breakthrough turning out to be crucial in the context of the game. Well as Ntini bowled, I do think there is more improvement that can be shown on the bowling front by other bowlers - I thought we should have restricted Kolkata to abut 130 today.

With this win, we shall be breathing much easier and would be "quite safe" with regards to making it to the semifinals.

Problem Areas

1) Bowling - With the exception of Ntini, the rest of the bowling still looked toothless, even surprisingly, Gony. Murali is a major worry now, earlier though he was not picking wickets he was economical. Today he was really taken to task.

2) Fielding - The fielding was less than impressive with Vidyut in particular not looking too flash.

Kudos

1) Ntini - For his splendid performance, but even more so, for the decision to play him
2) Fleming - Finally he is looking like the Fleming we know, the one who can strike the ball crisply and score big at a brisk rate.

Now hopefully an easy win at home against minnows Bangalore, shoud virtually seal the deal for us.

Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match Preview

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

This is going to be a big game for both teams. While the winner won't necessarily be a certainty (esp. if it is Kolkata) for the semifinals, and the loser won't necessarily be out of contention (esp, if it is Chennai), the fact is that the balance will shift by a big margin depending on the outcome.

The biggest thing that Kolkata have going for them is the Eden Gardens factor. I think along with Shoaib it was the single most important reason for their win the other night against Delhi. The weakest link for them is their pathetic batting lineup and Chennai need to exploit this like Mumbai did yesterday.

Teams
For Kolkata Ganguly is the only hope as far as batting is concerned, maybe the odd innings by Hussey. I think it will be prudent to include a technically sound player like Taibu and bench the completely unimpressive Hafeez. The bowling however looks very good - maybe Agarkar will miss out again, and the spinner will get a chance given the nature of the Kolkata wicket.

So what can Chennai do ? Fleming's form continues to remain a worry. Should he be persisted with now that there are only 4 more games in the league to go ? Should he be allowed to come in at 3 or 4 ? Should Kapugedara be pushed up to open ? Will Raina finally play a defining knock ? Will Badri and Dhoni be able to continue their good run. The so-called strong batting is the main worry, though the bowling, as widely known, is thin. Is it worth it to bring back Ntini and sacrifise a batsman like Kapugedara ? All very interesting questions.

Revenge Battles
Ganguly v Joginder - Joginder dismissed Ganguly last time for a low score
Saha v Gony - Gony was hit but got Saha in the end
Saha v Amarnath - (if Amarnath plays), Saha got stuck into him last time
Hussey v Amarnath - Amarnath got him first ball last time
Hafeez v Amarnath - Another player that Amarnath got the better of
Shukla v Joginder
Agarkar v Patel
Shukla, Kartik v Dhoni

They said ...

.... it was a young man's game !

.... it was a batsman's game !

Clearly they had not reckoned about these great old warriors - a Lankan and a Protean now playing as "Indians" and producing performances like this and this.

Put in a slightly assisting wicket, and fill the opposition team with batsmen full of suspect technique and that is a classic recipe for Shaun Pollock to create havoc.

It is hard to believe that their respective countries have found these aged warriors redundant !

Seriously speaking, Kolkata's batting lineup is VERY weak. In the last few games the reason they have done so well is their bowling and fielding. In my opinion, Ganguly is easily the best player in the side and that's not saying much. I can't understand why Tatenda Taibu was benched - Mohammad Hafeez has hardly done anything of note at all.

As for the Mumbai Indians, well now they are a serious force to be reckoned with. The only question is how long will Jayasuriya's dream run last ? And will there be another one come semifinals time ?

Revenge Battle Results

Pollock v Ganguly - No show/Draw

Jayasuriya v Hussey - No show

Bravo v Shukla - No show

Jayasuriya v Ishant - Jayasuriya gets the revenge !

Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders - Match Preview

Both teams that are on a roll after being down in the dump for a bit ! Mumbai have won their last 4 games after losing the 4 before, Kolkata have won their last 3 after losing the 4 before ! While Kolkata are slightly ahead on the table, Mumbai have a game in hand and can make it all level with a win tomorrow ! In fact that would put three teams - Mumbai Delhi and Kolkata jointly at 10 points bang in the middle of the table ! With no team yet guaranteed of a semis slot, tomorrow's match could make the plot all the more interesting. Plus these are the two teams with arguably the most passionate fan support so expect a high-intensity all out clash at the Wankhede !

Team News

Mumbai have been banking on their team effort so far until Jayasuriya changed it all in the last game. Expect the core set of players - Uthappa, Bravo, Pollock, Kulkarni, Nayyar, Raje, Takawle, Nehra to put in another good effort. If the openers fire, then that will be like the icing on the cake. Maybe tomorrow it will be Tendulkar's turn to hog the limelight. He looked out of sorts yesterday more particularly so because of what was happening at the other end. Kulkarni continues to impress with the ball.

For Kolkata now, the strength is definitely the bowling - the pace bowling, at that. But their record away from home has not been very good. However looking at the passion with which the team is playing Mumbai would do well to be wary.

Revenge Battles

Pollock v Ganguly - Polly got Dada very early last time to set up the win

Jayasuriya v Hussey - Jayasuriya (the bowler !) was the wrecker in chief last time, will he bowl though ?

Bravo v Shukla - Shukla (the batsman) thrashed Bravo (the bowler) for a bit

Jayasuriya v Ishant - who can forget Ishant sending the stumps cartwheeling ?

Prediction: I give the edge to the home team in this contest, but only just.

Sitaron Ki Mehfil !!!

Whew ! What a fool I was to say that I was "not much interested" in this game ! This was truly one memorable game, nay a party, nay a celebration ! Yes ! A celebration is the right word ! When the three Ss - the Super Super Stars - Sourav, Shoaib and Shahrukh descended on Planet Eden !

What a spell of fast bowling ! I always believe there is no greater sight in cricket than a genuine fast bowler running in at full tilt. Nothing can be more exciting, more exhilirating, nothing from the batting side that is. This will always remain a bowler's game and so it should. So far I'm glad to say bowlers have held their own in this format that was touted as one that was going to kill bowlers, but Shoaib yesterday entirely changed how people will think about bowling in T20 cricket ! This coming from a man who has surely gone through a harrowing time in life in recent times ! What a way to make a return !

The other two Ss had their share of the spotlight also. Shahrukh admittedly appeared a bit of a weirdo, dancing all by himself out on the boundary attracting all cameras and cheering on the fielders - but his passion and enthusiasm was amazing ! The ultimate showman - that he is ! It must be a great feeling for the team when your owner celebrates with you in that manner - unlike a certain other in this tournament. But he did take it all over the top when he literally, and I'm in no way exaggerating mounted himself atop Shoaib Akhtar at the prize distribution.

Finally, a word for Dada - he flopped with the bat today - but what a contribution that was in the field both as captain and fielder. And he didn't forget to send a tongue in cheek reminder to the national selectors too.

Eden Gardens was the place where the Gods chose to be last night - it's truly time to say "Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re !"

Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Preview

Sad that I have to say this but little over halfway into the tournament, I'm losing interest in some of the games, especially those that do not involve my favorite teams.

In today's game I am only keen to see how Sehwag fares up against Ishant and if he plays, Shoaib Akhtar. Pardon me for saying this, but I am really no fan of the rest of the Delhi batting. I have never liked Gambhir as a batsman, Dhawan also looks only okay-ish and poor Tiwari is not even getting a chance.

For Kolkata, it's all about Dada now.

Any of you Daredevils or Knight Riders have different thoughts and wish to have a go at me are most welcome to comment.

By the way, isn't it funny that this is the first time that these two teams are meeting in the league ?

Chargers v Riders, Daredevils v Royals

Two matches coming up today, and I'm not particularly interested in either. So just doing a brief preview. Chargers have got to win this to stay in with a mathematical chance. Unfortunately even with Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma firing they haven't been able to win anything. If the Riders can win this and the Daredevils lose, then the Riders can put themselves right in contention for the semis.

It will be interesting to see Gilchrist take on Ishant and if he plays, Shoaib. In the other game, it's Warne vs Sehwag. No other contest particularly piques me, so will only keep a brief tab on these games.

Two Great Games, One Damp Squib

Been busy with work and other stuff for the past day or so. So didn't get much time to post here.

What a game between Delhi and Chennai ! The Dhoni magic is at work again ! Yo ! We are right back in it and a couple of wins would all but ensure our path to the semifinals.

The other game was also fantastic ! A closely fought bowler dominated game is exactly what I like ! What a spell by Dada ! Nice to see the smile on his face again. Heart goes out to Dravid. I think the fielding in the last two overs of the first innings is where the tide turned and cost Royal Challengers the game.

Today's game was a complete waste of time. A Gilchrist 50 was of no use to the Chargers as that bloke Afridi continues to let his team down. He is a total misfit at No. 5 where he has ample opportunity to betray his team. He should either open where it gives the team a chance to repair if he flops or bat low at 7.

Hope to be back in regular action from tomorrow. Adios.

Bangalore v Kolkata - Preview

Back to where it all started about twenty days ago. These two teams shall do battle again. For both it is crucial to get these points, a defeat would surely mean the end at least for BRC.

Bangalore are literally at their worst low. With off-field events unfolding the way they are, it is difficult to see them going anywhere but up from here. Knight Riders have been in torpor but the game is at Eden and the cheering of a hundred thousand fans and one movie star might just provide the tonic for the turnaround.

Watch Out For
Sourav Ganguly - will be looking to make his mark on this tournament

Revenge Battles
Ganguly v Zaheer - Zaheer got the better of his former captain last time around.
Dravid v Ishant - similar to above
Dravid v Ganguly - surely a 140 run thrashing would rankle ?

Kings X1 v Knight Riders

A valiant effort by David Hussey and the hugely impressive Saha was not enough to see the Knight Riders through. Ishant's last over could have been the difference as could have been the terrible top order batting.

But the opening bowling from Sreesanth and Irfan was most impressive. It was soothing to see Sreesanth run in smoothly and a bowl a lovely spell while Irfan was just too good. That perfectly pitched inswinger to Brad Hogg ? Ah ! It was back to the good times of 2 years ago.

With this win Punjab have 8 points along with Delhi, Chennai and Rajasthan. Knight Riders were not really outplayed but this defeat is going to make their task very tough as I said earlier. They need to get rid of Hafeez and bring in Butt or Chopra. Or some local youngster - Bengali youngsters have been a revelation in this tournament - be it Dinda or Das or most importantly Saha. Ganguly would do well to trust his young boys than rely on the foreign recruits.

Make or Break

I do think this is a make or break clash for the Kolkata Knight Riders. If they manage to put it past the King's X1 Punjab today, they may as yet be able to salvage their floundering campaign, but if not, it will be mighty difficult to lift themselves up from the despondency that is bound to set in.

Punjab on the other hand are going from strength to strength and should fancy their chances for an easy win at home.

Teams
KKR are likely to go in unchanged unless they can spring up another surprise in the form of a talented young Bengal player. They will hope that the newcomers Hodge and Butt will fire. KXP might welcome back Hopes in place of Sarwan who looks out of sorts. Almost everyone else is looking fine and playing his role.

Watch Out For
For KKR - Laxmi Ratan Shukla. The one player who has continued to come up with the goods while the rest have come crashing down.
For KXP - Yuvraj Singh. He has been playing crucial inns in all games but is yet to come up with that one defining innings. He is a class player in this format and look out for some heroics ala the T20 World Cup last year.

Battles Within The Battle
Sreesanth v Ganguly
Chawla v Hussey
Sangakkara v Ishant
Preity v Shahrukh !!!