Indian Cricket Team Updates |
- IPL2013: playoff spots are still up for grabs
- Nehra foresees great future for Umesh Yadav
- Could not stop Pollard: Hanuma Vihari #MIvsSRH
- Pollard's Magic! #MIvsSRH
- MI vs SRH - M62 Report & Stats: IPL 2013
| IPL2013: playoff spots are still up for grabs Posted: 14 May 2013 01:39 AM PDT  Less than a week left in the league stage of the Pepsi IPL 2013, three teams have 18 or more points. In 2012, the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs - Chennai Super Kings - did so with just 17 points. Yet, things are so competitive in the top half of the table in 2013 that even the top two teams on the table at present aren't guaranteed a passage through to the last four. Chennai are sitting at the top with 20 points and a Net Run-Rate that is ahead of Rajasthan Royals by the wafer thin margin of 0.045. While it's not possible for any combination of four other teams to beat Chennai and Rajasthan on points alone, NRR could end up playing a crucial role in qualification. Technically, the two table-toppers are still not assured of a playoff spot. In fact, the only thing that's guaranteed at this point is that neither Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors India are in the qualification race. Even Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab could technically still qualify, though they need a lot of stars to align for that to happen. If, for example, Sunrisers Hyderabad or Royal Challengers Bangalore win even one of their remaining games, Punjab and Kolkata will both be out even if both win every game they have from here on. Here's how the top seven teams stack up: Chennai Super Kings: Current Situation: They have 20 points with two games in hand and a positive Net Run Rate of 0.551. If circumstances so arrange themselves, though, they could end up not qualifying - which would certainly be classed as the shock of the tournament. If Chennai lose their remaining games against Delhi and Bangalore by big margins, they will stay on 20 points and have a considerably reduced NRR. It is then possible for Mumbai Indians and Bangalore to catch them up on 20 points, while Hyderabad and Rajasthan could move up to 22 points. That will create an NRR shootout between Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. What they need to do: Chennai will be guaranteed a spot in the final four if they win at least one of their two remaining matches. If they win both, they'll qualify as one of the top two teams. They could go through even if they lose, but they will then have to depend on other results going their way to some extent and limit the margin of defeats. Upcoming matches: Against Delhi on May 14 in Chennai; against Bangalore on May 18 in Bangalore. Rajasthan Royals: Current Situation: Like Chennai, Rajasthan also have 20 points with two games in hand, and their NRR is a positive 0.506. They have two matches, both tough away assignments against fellow playoff contenders Mumbai and Hyderabad. Lose both and they'll be in a situation similar to Chennai, hoping that other results don't go against them. What they need to do: Rajasthan face the same equation as Chennai - win one match and a spot is guaranteed, win both and a top-two finish is theirs. The difference is, Chennai have a match at home in hand against the relatively weaker Delhi outfit, while Rajasthan face tougher tests. Upcoming matches: Against Mumbai on May 15 in Mumbai; against Hyderabad on May 17 in Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians: Current Situation: They have 18 points with three matches in hand and the best NRR of all teams - a positive 0.648. They also have the luxury of two matches at home, where they've won six out of six so far. Mumbai could be in some trouble if they win only one match and lose the other two by big margins. What they need to do: Mumbai will be safe if they win two of the remaining three matches. They could possibly make it even if they lose all three, but if they are targeting a top-two finish, as they will be, they'll need to win at least two more matches. Upcoming matches: Against Hyderabad on May 13 in Mumbai; against Rajasthan on May 15 in Mumbai; against Punjab on May 18 in Dharamsala. Royal Challengers Bangalore: Current Situation: They have 16 points with two matches in hand - both at home - and a positive run-rate of 0.475. What Bangalore must guard against is their tendency to bottle it in crunch situations. They are one of the teams with a so-far spotless home record with six wins from six, but one of their home matches is against Chennai, who've had the better of them in nearly every crunch game in IPL history. What they need to do: The equation is simple for Bangalore: they must win both remaining matches and do it as handsomely as they can. Bangalore aren't guaranteed a spot even if they win both matches as of now and might face an NRR shootout, hence the need to win big. Upcoming matches: Against Punjab on May 14 in Bangalore; against Chennai on May 18 in Bangalore. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Current Situation: They have 16 points with three matches in hand but of the top five, theirs is the only NRR in the negative with -0.092. Losing more than one match of their remaining three could prove disastrous, unless Bangalore lose both. What they need to do: Hyderabad must aim at winning all three matches to feel safe. Upcoming matches: Against Mumbai on May 13 in Mumbai; against Rajasthan on May 17 in Hyderabad; against Kolkata on May 19 in Hyderabad. Kolkata have two matches and Punjab have three with none against each other. If both sides win all matches, they'll still end up on 16 points each. That will only be enough if Hyderabad and Bangalore lose all matches, leaving all four teams locked on 16 points. The equation for Kolkata and Punjab is very simple: aim to win by as big a margin as possible, and pray that Bangalore and Hyderabad continue to lose. source: ndtv.com | ||||||||
| Nehra foresees great future for Umesh Yadav Posted: 13 May 2013 10:15 PM PDT  Topping the points table last year, the Delhi Daredevils have come a cropper in IPL 2013, languishing in the bottom two. With three games to go in this tournament and no chance to qualify for the Playoffs, the team aims to finish the tournament on a high, according to Ashish Nehra, on the eve of their big game against the Chennai Super Kings. "This has not been a good season for us but we have three games left now and we will look to finish well and try to win all those games," Nehra said. "It's difficult to maintain consistency season after season in the IPL. Only Chennai Super Kings have been able to do that because they have had more or less the same team since the first season. We have a very good team this season but were held back with too many injuries. It has been a difficult season but in the T20 format you have to take it in your stride," Nehra said, citing the absence of Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder as big blows. "We had many injuries up front this year and missed people like Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder. Virender Sehwag came back from injury and so did Umesh Yadav, myself and Irfan Pathan. It was tough and we lost our first six games in a row. After that we won three. If we had won a couple of games early on, we would have stood a chance," he said The Daredevils bought Nehra from Pune Warriors India in exchange of Ross Taylor ahead of the current IPL season. While nine wickets from eight matches at the rate of 8.6 runs per over would say otherwise, Nehra believes he has bowled well in the tournament so far. "I won't say I am unhappy with my performance. I generally bowl in the first six and the last four overs of the innings. In the first few games I was a bit rusty coming back from a knee surgery but day by day I did improve. In India all the focus is on stats but personally I am very happy with the way I am bowling. Hopefully I can get better in the last three games," he said. As the senior-most Indian pacer in the Daredevils squad, Nehra had particularly high words of praise for Umesh Yadav. "If you ask me, Umesh Yadav is the most talented bowler in India. If he does well, I'm sure India will do well in Test cricket for the next few years," he said. Pleased with Irfan Pathan's selection in India's squad for the Champions Trophy, Nehra said he still had time to improve on his bowling and batting until the tournament begins. "In the Champions Trophy in England, his batting can come in handy and that's what I think the selectors have taken into account. He has been doing well in both batting and bowling but I still feel he can get better in the three-four weeks that we still have for the Champions Trophy to start," he said. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||
| Could not stop Pollard: Hanuma Vihari #MIvsSRH Posted: 13 May 2013 10:07 PM PDT  A Kieron Pollard blitzkrieg snatched victory from the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday evening. The visiting team's batters posted their highest total on the board and their bowlers followed up with a good performance to tie down the Mumbai Indians to 117 for three from 16 overs. Then Pollard unleashed himself on SRH and helped claim 29 runs in the 17th over to tilt the match in the home team's favour. From thence there was no looking back for the hosts as they coasted to a comfortable win in the end. Young Hanuma Vihari who made a 37-ball 41 and was involved in a 73-run stand with Shikhar Dhawan, followed by a 55-run partnership with Cameron White, to help set-up the match spoke to IPLT20.com after the loss. While he looked back on the game, the batsman also reflected on his stint in the Pepsi Indian Premier League so far. Excerpts from the interview: A hard fought game In the first 16 overs of their batting we were well in the game. Nearly 80 percent of it was in our favour but Kieron Pollard changed the game in three overs. It was such a brilliant innings, we could not stop him. What was it like batting with Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White? It was a good experience. We needed to score big runs on this wicket because it was a good wicket and we knew it was a high scoring game. I needed to bat till the end and that was my role which I did till the 19th over and I am happy. What have you learnt being a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team? It is a big experience for me, my first IPL and we did well. We won eight games and we lost some close games. It has been a good IPL for me so far and if we can qualify it would be good. What has been the learning for you as a batsman? Looking at others bat and it being the first IPL for me there are so many things I have learnt. I will keep learning and during the off season I hope to improve as a better cricketer for next year. What do you find different playing at the under-19 level, the domestic circuit and the IPL? I think in the IPL one needs to be consistent and be able to hit the good balls too. In the IPL you don't get easy balls to hit and as a batsman you need to capitalise on the loose balls. How did you prepare to face the likes of Lasith Malinga Mitchell Johnson, Harbhajan Singh and others? What was going through your mind in the middle? It was important for me not be overawed by the bowlers because, they are great bowlers and I had that at the back of my mind. It was important to watch the ball and play according to the merit. In my mind, I felt if I saw the bowler I would be overawed. I just thought of playing according to the merit of the ball. Have you faced Dale Steyn and Waqar Younis in the nets? Steyn is a world class bowler. He is the No. 1 bowler in the world. So I am very lucky to face him. If you can face Dale Steyn with success you can face any fast bowler in the world because he can swing the ball and swing it at such a pace which is deadly. How do you place the praise and appreciation from senior cricketers? I take it as a compliment because it should not be add pressure on me. With that in mind I try to improve. How did it feel to play at the Wankhede Stadium? It was a great experience. India won the (ICC) World Cup here and playing for the first time at the Wankhede is a special feeling. If we could have won the match, it would have been great. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 May 2013 10:04 PM PDT  'Magic!' was the word coach John Wright used to describe the improbable win that Kieron Pollard helped pull off through his blistering knock to take the Mumbai Indians to the top of the points table. Chasing 179 the hosts were in a precarious position with Sachin Tendulkar retiring hurt and losing Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu in quick succession. But, fireworks from Pollard and Rohit Sharma holding up one end helped the home team turn the match on its head against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium. Wright was full of praise for the brilliant innings by the West Indies cricketer as MI registered their seventh straight victory on their home turf. The coach also showered appreciation on Sharma and his leadership ability while speaking to IPLT20.com after the win. Excerpts from the interview: On Pollard and the victory What an amazing feat of hitting. I have never seen anything like that before. It was amazing and people all over the world watched that. On whether they were anxious when Sachin Tendulkar retired hurt and Dinesh Karthik got out We were always up against it in a run chase. And they got those wickets immediately after Sachin retired so we didn't look like we were going to be winning the game but then that's what a player like Pollard can do. That's special. In this league you see some amazing cricket and that was an amazing innings. On Rohit Sharma's innings in the game He has done it with the bat right through this tournament. He has stepped into the captaincy role and he looks the part. It is very early days yet but I think he is going to be a very good leader. On the decision of making Rohit Sharma the captain We wanted to play two fast bowlers, they were to be overseas, so obviously (Mitchell) Johnson and (Lasith) Malinga. It was a tough decision and we got to Kolkata where we talked through with Ricky (Ponting) and he was part of that decision making process and he has done a fantastic job with his leadership off the field. He is of like our club captain. We all contribute in our various ways but Rohit has of taken to the job. He seems to be suited and the responsibility sits well with him and that shows through his performances with the bat and some of the decision making on the field. It is one of those things, in IPL things change very quickly. Flexibility is important. On choosing Rohit Sharma to lead It was a joint decision but I think still waters run deep and he lives in Mumbai. It is an obvious advantage to have a home captain, someone who lives in the city. I think the fans identify with it and that is important and so we have someone from Mumbai leading Mumbai Indians which I think is pretty appropriate. On winning all seven games at home so far It has been our bowling. We have won a lot of tosses, batted first, put pressure on the opposition and been aggressive with the ball. Monday was bit different and it took a piece of magic really to win chasing but hopefully we will learn from today's game and be stronger in couple of day's time. That is a big game for us because if we are interested in finishing at No. 1 or 2 we know that, that is an important match. On Dale Steyn's penultimate over Our batters had the situation under control. I thought we played that pretty well. They got five runs off that over which left it down to the last over. Unbelievably we got to the last two overs with the need of a run-a-ball. We wanted to be looking at getting just six or seven runs in the last over and without a new batter having to go out there and the situation was handled beautifully. On Dale Steyn's bowling in the game He is a beautiful bowler to watch. His lines are good. He has got good pace. He is a big factor for South Africa and No. 1 in the Test standings. He is a good combination with the other two bowlers in SA. He is world class. On the next match against Rajasthan Royals and what would be the plans knowing Rahul Dravid as closely as he does I think Rahul is very well researched and very well organised along with Paddy Upton and their group. They have been playing really intelligent cricket. I don't think it is any accident that they are where they are. I think they have shown great flexibility during this tournament and the way they have picked their team and made various changes to their batting order, they play smart cricket. They beat us fair and square the last time we were in Rajasthan and we would like to turn the table but we know it will be a tough match. We have got a lot of respect for them. On three teams with 20 points each, with only the run rate separating them Run-rate is important and I think it was always going to be a factor in this tournament. It was going to come to this situation at some stage. We will try and keep it as healthy as possible. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||
| MI vs SRH - M62 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 Posted: 13 May 2013 09:50 PM PDT Match Report: Mumbai Indians continued their unbeaten streak at home with a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday night. After SRH had posted a competitive 178 and held the reins of the Mumbai Indians' run-chase, Kieron Pollard went absolutely berserk - in the final leg of the innings - to score an undefeated 66 of just 27 balls to see his team home.
Chasing 179, Dwayne Smith hit a couple of streaky boundaries off Dale Steyn in third over. Ishant Sharma drew first blood for SRH in the fourth over uprooting Smith's (21) middle stump. MI made 39 from the Power Play as Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar went about consolidating the innings. At the halfway stage, MI were 73 for one, still requiring 106 runs. Tendulkar (38*) stepped out and smashed Karan Sharma for a boundary and a six in the 12th over before he left the field retired hurt. Dinesh Karthik (30) was sent back the next ball caught by Cameron White off Karan Sharma. The leg-spinner then had Ambati Rayudu (2) stumped to leave MI three down in the 14th over. Rohit Sharma hit Ishant Sharma into the crowd before Kieron Pollard smashed a boundary to leave MI needing 66 from 30 balls. In the 17th over, Thisara Perera was taken apart for 29 runs as Rohit Sharma (20*) slammed a six before Pollard hit a boundary and three successive sixes. The carnage continued as Pollard deposited Amit Mishra for three massive sixes to bring up his fifty in just 20 deliveries – the third fastest effort in the IPL to get to the 50-run mark. With seven runs needed from the last over, Pollard smashed two sixes to see MI home with three balls remaining. Earlier SRH won the toss and elected to bat. SRH got off to a rollicking start with Parthiv Patel smashing four boundaries off Mitchell Johnson's first over. Shikhar Dhawan continued the assault with a six off Dhawal Kulkarni. Patel (26) who was dropped by Kulkarni on 25 was pouched in the deep a few balls later. Dhawan slammed consecutive boundaries off Malinga to bring up his fifty. Johnson had Dhawan (59) caught behind in the 13th over to give MI their second wicket. Captain White hit consecutive boundaries off Kulkarni in the 14th, before smashing Pragyan Ojha for a six the next over. White, put down by Rayudu on 27, deposited Johnson into the crowd as SRH piled on the runs. Hanuma Vihari (41) was caught by Johnson off Malinga. White (43*) smashed the final delivery off Kulkarni for a six as SRH posted 178 for three.
Man-of-the-Match: Kieron Pollard Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 178 for 3 (Shikhar Dhawan 59, Lasith Malinga 2-26) lost to Mumbai Indians 184 for 3 in 19.3 overs (Kieron Pollard 66*, Karan Sharma 2-22) by 7 wickets.
Stats Highlights: 485.71 Kieron Pollard's strike-rate against Thisara Perera – 34 runs off 7 balls. 29: Runs scored off Thisara Perera's one over. This equaled the most expensive over in IPL2013. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle had also hit 29 runs off one single over against Pune Warriors India at Bengaluru. 21: Number of sixes hit by Kieron Pollard in IPL2013. He has hit only 17 fours! 20: Number of balls taken by Kieron Pollard to race to his fifty- the fastest fifty for Mumbai Indians in IPL. Sachin Tendulkar held the previous record with 23 ball fifty against Delhi Daredevils at Delhi in 2010. 8: Number of sixes hit by Kieron Pollard in the match – six of them came in a span of seven balls! 6: Number of sixes conceded by Thisara Perera in the match. He became only the fifth bowler in IPL history to concede six sixes in a match. The record is of seven sixes, held by Pune Warriors' Mitchell Marsh against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Bengaluru on April 23. 2: Number of times Sachin Tendulkar has been retired hurt in an IPL match – first batsman to do so. He had suffered the similar fate against Chennai Super Kings at Chennai in 2012 edition.
Presentation Cameron White: "For once, we posted a very good score. We were in the driver's seat and Kieron turned it on is head. Kieron saw Steyn off and took on the other bowlers, he's not an easy person to bowl to. Malinga bowled well at the death. It's a beautiful batting surface, we didn't take enough wickets up front. We need to win two from two to put some pressure on RCB." Rohit Sharma: "It was an important game for us, hats off to Pollard. You don't need to tell him anything, he plays his natural game. Wankhede wicket has been brilliant throughout. We know the table is very tight, we pulled through. We don't want be complacent. We have to check what's happening with Tendulkar [his arm], I didn't get a chance to talk to him." Pollard is Man of the Match: "I didn't have any breakfast today, I woke up 1am. It was an important game for us, I backed myself, it's just a matter of chasing the right bowler, Perera was the unlucky one. I haven't fired only in the last couple of games. Dwayne Bravo is one of my best friends, he is always backing me. My fingers have been battered, I have to tape all of them but the right hand is my bowling hand, so I can't do that. I am a power hitter but I love to bat as well. You have to take the good times, and the bad times." source: iplt20.com |
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