Indian Cricket Team Updates |
- Team with more cool heads will win: Stephen Fleming #CSKvsMI
- Eden Gardens ready for clash of titans: #CSKvsMI
- Hope to be calm like Dravid: Dishant Yagnik
- Kumble’s advice to bowl for wickets worked: Harbhajan Singh
- RR vs MI - Qualifier 2 Report & Stats: IPL 2013
| Team with more cool heads will win: Stephen Fleming #CSKvsMI Posted: 25 May 2013 09:11 PM PDT  When Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians take the field at the Eden Gardens on Sunday evening, memories will go back to 2010, at the DY Patil Stadium. That was the last time the two teams met in an IPL final, both eyeing a maiden title. CSK lifted the trophy then and for the next two years while the MI are still searching for their first IPL silverware. On the eve of the IPL 2013 finale, as Stephen Fleming addressed the media, with Michael Hussey and MI coach John Wright, he hoped that CSK's experience of playing four IPL finals out of five gives them an edge in the 'big' game. The Super Kings coach said having players who can keep their cool in pressure situations will hold the team in good stead. "Right from having Mike (Hussey) at the top, going down, we have some players who are capable of remaining calm under any situation and it is when the leadership quality comes to the fore," Fleming said. "Your senior players' experience counts for a lot in such tournaments. They get nervous too but their ability to soak in the pressure and respond is what takes the team home. Our captain (MS Dhoni) took the game by the scruff of its neck in the 2011 World Cup final and won it for India. He has snatched some key games for us too. Those are the players you turn to and the more of those you have in your side, better the chance you have," he said. Fleming credited CSK's consistency across all seasons of IPL to the team's policy of having the same core group of players since 2008. "We formed a strategy from the outset that we will remain loyal to players," Fleming said. "In the second auction we retained 95 per cent of our side and over the years we have built some strong relationships. You can come in and build the team environment in a year but it will be only so much deep. When strong camaraderie develops between players, they not only know each other's game but can also know each other off the field. That helps the team during tough times," he said. While the Chennai team made the final last year as well, Fleming was more pleased with their performance this season. "From the coaching point of view this has been one of the better seasons for us. The last year we just made it to the top four and came home in a hurry. This year we've been one of the better sides and very consistent. I'm delighted the way this season has gone cricket wise and hopefully we can end it perfectly too," the coach said. Given the consistency of CSK and MI in IPL 2013, finishing first and second on the points table respectively, both Fleming and Michael Hussey believed that worthy teams have made it to the final this year. "We have got enormous respect for the Mumbai team. We've had some tough battles with them not only this year but over the course of six years," Hussey said. "This final is a big game and we will focus on our performances and hopefully our spirit can take us over the line. I'm sure it's going to be an extremely tough match and there might be a difference of only one amazing catch or a run-out. When two good teams meet, it's the little things that matter the most." source: iplt20.com RELATED LINKS: | ||||||||||||
| Eden Gardens ready for clash of titans: #CSKvsMI Posted: 25 May 2013 08:58 PM PDT  Two of the best teams in IPL 2013 will fittingly battle it out for the ultimate prize in franchise cricket at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Top-ranked Chennai Super Kings take on second-ranked Mumbai Indians for the fourth time this season, for what will be the ultimate prize. Despite having lost to MI twice this year, CSK opener and Orange Cap holder, Michael Hussey insisted that league and Playoffs results will not impact his team's confidence. "From a players' point of view, we are just trying to focus on the game," said Hussey. "If we can do that, it will give us a good chance to win." Both CSK and MI sport talented squads and have a wealth of options to choose from. Right from their leaders and seasoned campaigners to young impact players, the two sides have had standout performers throughout their ranks this season. "It is going to be a fantastic match. Mumbai are a brilliant team and CSK has been a really good team over the course of the season as well. So, I think it is a fitting finale for a great tournament," Hussey said. What will add value to the contest is the historic backdrop of the Eden Gardens. With a packed house expected on the day of the final, the battle of nerves will be the most challenging one for 22 talented players to overcome. That is why MI coach, John Wright, spoke highly of the support of even the non-playing squad members in a big game like this. So, be sure to watch the IPL 2013 final starting 8:00 pm on Sunday, May 26, 2013. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||||
| Hope to be calm like Dravid: Dishant Yagnik Posted: 24 May 2013 10:59 PM PDT  However, in Qualifier 2, the Jaipur franchise was unable to trump the mighty Mumbai Indians. While RR's season may have effectively ended at the Eden Gardens; for local players like Dishant Yagnik, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rahul Dravid was an 'achievement in itself'. Yagnik, who kept wickets and even chipped in with valuable runs in the middle order, was all praises for his skipper. The Rajasthan native also lauded the team management for bringing the entire side together like a family and then leading them to a top three finish in IPL 2013. Here are excerpts from Yagnik's exclusive post-game chat with IPLT20.com: Tough luck! But all things considered, this has been a good season? It is all part of the game – winning and losing. But the way we played throughout this tournament was outstanding. The way Rahul Bhai took the team towards this position was really outstanding. All the team players, management, etc, we are more like a family. You played a brisk knock versus MI that gave RR a competitive total. Tell us about your knock. It was like a do-or-die situation. This was the right time when I had to deliver, and by God's grace I was able to execute all the shots. I knew that the wicket was playing out well because I played for a decent amount of time. What took the game away from RR? One thing is that if you keep taking wickets, you continue to be in the contest. However, Mumbai Indians' first-wicket partnership of 70-odd runs was really good. Then, (Dinesh) Karthik and (Dwayne) Smith played well in the middle overs. Then, suddenly we started getting breakthroughs. But they needed something like 40 off the last four overs and got a couple of big hits, and that changed the tone of the match. Who knows, had we got wickets at that point, we would have been on the winning side. How was your experience with RR this season? As I said before, we stick together like a family – more than a family. It never felt like we were under any kind of pressure. Our only philosophy was 'express yourself' – just go on the ground and execute your skills without pressure or tension. As a result, there have been many standout performers for us. Look at Sanju! He is just 18, then there is Stuart Binny. I have played a couple of good innings too. Rahul Bhai has constantly backed all of us young players. Even Paddy Upton, the support staff and the management backed us a lot. And they never let us feel like we were playing a big match, and made us feel like every match was a regular game. They just encouraged us to express ourselves and told us that the results will follow. What is the one thing that you will take away from your skipper, Rahul Dravid? The biggest thing one can learn from Rahul Dravid is his calmness, no matter what the situation on hand is like. Even his supreme work ethic is unlike any other cricketer in the world. Plus, he is so down-to-earth that he treats us juniors with respect too. From day one he never made me feel like I am from a small town like Banswara. He has always treated me like a younger brother. So, to share the dressing room and the field with him is an achievement in itself. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||||
| Kumble’s advice to bowl for wickets worked: Harbhajan Singh Posted: 24 May 2013 10:52 PM PDT  In and out of the national team, the veteran spinner needed a little push from the back and a few words from a trusted ally. Enter Anil Kumble. Mumbai Indians' new team mentor helped his former India spin-twin regain his mojo. All he did was reminded Harbhajan of a quality that made him one of the most successful Indian spinners – bowl for a higher number in the wickets column, not a low number in the runs column. Harbhajan did that and reaped the result. After accepting his Man-of-the-Match award for 4-0-23-3 in Qualifier 2, against Rajasthan Royals, the MI offie spoke to IPLT20.com., and apart from his bowling, he also spoke about how the new leadership group in the team comprising John Wright (head coach), Kumble (team mentor) and Ricky Ponting (captain) led the team to the IPL final. This will be the second IPL final for Mumbai Indians after 2010. Big moment? It's a big stage for us. The final is just a day after the Qualifier and everything is moving so quickly. This is where we wanted to be as a team because we knew that we had the team to reach the final. Just one more good game and we will get what we have wanted for so long. What is the biggest reason behind MI's incredible consistency this season? I think the big difference is that we have scored lot of runs this year. Most of our batsmen have been in really good form. People like Rohit (Sharma) and Dinesh (Karthik) have been consistent, (Kieron) Pollard has played some brilliant innings and (Dwayne) Smith has been great for us at the top of the order. The bowlers have done alright to back the good batting line-up. Your bowling has been a seen vast improvement this IPL season. What role as Anil Kumble played in that? Anil bhai keeps telling me to back myself in whatever situation I bowl and always look to take wickets, even if you go for runs. If you bowl defensively thinking, 'okay, let me just get away by bowling a six-run over', it won't work because the batsman will make up for it in the next over. The key is to always try and make the batsman play differently; make him play the way you want him to. That's how Anil bhai has made a difference, by always telling us spinners to bowl with intent to pick wickets. How is it being reunited with your former India coach, John Wright? It brings back a lot of good, old happy memories. John has been fantastic with MI, as he was with India. He remains a man who doesn't come out in the limelight and says much, but does his job quietly and nicely. The leadership group that MI have, it cannot be bettered, can it? Anil bhai has been brilliant with the team. Ricky has been really good with the youngsters and also when it comes to talking to the team and motivating the team. Add to that list guys like Sachin Tendulkar, Jonty Rhodes and John – what else do you want in a dressing room? Having such an amount of experience in the dressing room makes things easier on the field for us. What kind of a captain do you think Rohit Sharma is? He's done well , he's only young and still learning the trade. The great sign is that he is learning very quickly. He has taken the responsibility of captaincy on his shoulders and has started to bat really well. I want him to continue in the same vein and if he does so, we might see him lead India one day. These are the guys that should step up and be counted because they will take Team India forward in the future. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||||
| RR vs MI - Qualifier 2 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 Posted: 24 May 2013 10:39 PM PDT Match Report: Mumbai Indians made it to their second IPL final with a four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. MI will now face CSK in the Final of Pepsi IPL 2013 on Sunday.
Chasing 166, Aditya Tare hooked James Faulkner for a six to get MI rolling. Tare then hit consecutive boundaries off Shane Watson in the fourth over. Runs continued to flow as Tare and Dwayne Smith picked up a boundary each off Faulkner in the sixth over. Smith went after Vikramjeet Malik smashing two boundaries in the 8th over. Tare (35) stepped down the track and punched Siddharth Trivedi over the ropes before chipping Kevon Cooper straight to Sanju Viswanath stationed at long-on. At the halfway stage, MI were 73 for one, still requiring 93 runs.
Dinesh Karthik smashed consecutive boundaries off Cooper as MI plundered 16 runs from the 12th over. Smith brought up his fourth fifty of the Pepsi IPL 2013 with a six off Faulkner in the 13th over. Smith continued his assault launching Watson into the stands in the following over. Karthik (22) slashed Cooper straight to Ajinkya Rahane at point to give RR their second wicket in the 15th over. Needing 40 from 30 balls, Trivedi bowled Rohit Sharma (2) in the 16th over. Smith (62) was then caught by Viswanath off Binny before Kieron Pollard hit a six in the seventeenth over. Needing 26 from the last three overs, Pollard (11) holed out off Faulkner. Ambati Rayudu slammed a six before Brad Hodge dropped him, leaving MI to score 8 off the last over. Watson bowled Rayudu (17) but MI reached the target with a ball remaining thanks to boundaries from Rishi Dhawan (4*) and Harbhajan Singh (6*).
Earlier the start of the match was delayed by an hour due to wet outfield. RR won the toss and elected to bat. Rahul Dravid dismissed Mitchell Johnson for consecutive boundaries in the third over. Rahane joined in with two boundaries off Johnson before Dravid smashed consecutive balls to the fence off Pragyan Ojha. Harbhajan Singh got the breakthrough bowling Rahane (21) in the seventh over. Harbhajan struck again having Watson (6) caught, top edging a sweep in his next over. Viswanath (0) departed soon after caught by Harbhajan off Lasith Malinga in the tenth over. Stuart Binny stepped down the track and launched Ojha for a six before hitting a boundary. Dravid (43) chipped Harbhajan to Sharma at short mid-wicket to leave RR four down at the start of the 13th over. Pollard then struck twice having Binny (27) caught by Harbhajan before Cooper (4) was caught by Smith. Dishant Yagnik smashed two boundaries off Ojha in the 18th over before Malinga lost his direction and conceded 18 runs in the last over – courtesy a few lusty blows from Yagnik (31*) and wide deliveries. RR finished their 20 overs at a competitive 165 for six.
Man-of-the-Match: Harbhajan Singh Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 165 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahul Dravid 43, Harbhajan Singh 3-23) lost to Mumbai Indians 169 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Dwayne Smith 62, Kevoon Cooper 2-33) by four wickets.
Stats Highlights: 2: Number of times Mumbai Indians have reached the IPL final. The earlier such instance was in 2010. 5: Harbhajan Singh was involved in first five dismissals in Rajasthan Royals' innings – three as a bowler and two as a fielder. 7.27: Lasith Malinga's economy in IPL 2013 – his worst in a single edition of IPL. His bowling average of 24.77 is also his worst in an IPL tournament. 28: Number of wickets taken by James Faulkner in IPL 2013. He equaled the record of most wickets in a single edition of IPL held by Lasith Malinga (in 2011) and Dwayne Bravo (in 2013) 70: Runs added by Dwayne Smith and Aditya Tare for the first wicket – highest first wicket partnership for Mumbai Indians in a match in which Tendulkar was not playing. The previous best such stand was 46 between Yogesh Takawale and Sanath Jayasuriya against Delhi Daredevils in 2008. 114: Number of sixes hit by Mumbai Indians batsmen in IPL 2013 – most by any side in a single edition of IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen had hit 109 sixes in 2012 edition.
Presentation Rahul Dravid: We needed to field better, ground fielding on a greasy outfield needed to be better. But credit to the boys, the way we have fought the whole tournament. Much faster this wicket than what we have seen this IPL. Positives for me, are the way the team fought and the spirit they showed throughout. We try and bring the youngsters in the Royals and its great to see that. Rohit Sharma: Some tense moments but we have shown character throughout the tournament. We should have finished the game by the 19th over probably. I have really enjoyed captaining since day 1. At the end of day the seniors I am the captain but I try to keep it simple. Harbhajan Singh, man of the match: It was one of those days when everything clicked. Wicket in the first ball gave me a lot of confidence. This is my favourite ground to play cricket and it's the best ground in the world. We are there to support Rohit Sharma, chip in with our bit and hopefully we can all assist him in lifting the trophy source: iplt20.com |
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