Friday, 19 April 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
CRAZY FANS IN IPL
A boy pulls a leaf out Sourav Ganguly's book as Kings XI Punjab wins the match against Kolkata Knight Riders played at PCA stadium in Mohali on April 16. 
Royal Challengers Bangalore fans of cheer their team in 'Kathakali' costumes during the during match against the Delhi Daredevils at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 16.
Sari mania - Women fans of Chennai Super Kings fans cheer for their team in traditional outfits at a match against Pune Warriors in Chennai on April 15. 
Its not only the cricketers or celebs who are grabbing all the eyeballs at the ongoing IPL 6 matches. But the true stars are these fans who make the stadium come alive with their crazy love for the game of cricket. In the next few slides, take a look at some of the craziest fans supporting their respective IPl teams.
Only for Virat Kohli - A female fan shows the poster of Royal Challengers Bangalore captain during the IPL-6 match against Chennai Supper Kings at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. (PTI)
Monday, 15 April 2013
Friday, 12 April 2013
ipl current standings
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india's tour to southafrica kept to three tests and seven odi's
India will tour South Africa for three Tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s beginning in December this year and extending to early 2014. This will be the teams' first meeting since two seasons ago when they battled for the No.1 ranking which India held onto under Gary Kirsten. Now, South Africa are mace holders with Kirsten in their camp.
There was talk of a fourth Test being built into the schedule but that has not materialised. Mike Gajjar, CSA's manager cricket operations, said it was only ever a "possibility" to have an additional Test and the two boards stuck to what was "entrenched in the FTP."
But there is some good news for fans of the longest format. ESPNcricinfo understands the traditional Boxing Day Test will return to Durban after it was cancelled previous season because CSA opted to play three festive T20s instead. Although the other venues have not been confirmed, it is a given that Cape Town will host the New Year's Test and either Johannesburg or Centurion should get the third fixture.
Both teams will be short on Test cricket before the meeting. South Africa last played the format in February and will only meet Pakistan for two matches in the UAE before hosting India while their opposition will not play a single Test between now and then. India whitewashed Australia at home in March but have only fifty-over engagements until they fly to South Africa.
That includes seven ODIs against Australia after the Champions Trophy which adds to the glut of matches in the format. South Africa do not usually host ODI series of longer than five matches so India's scheduled seven is unusual. It should present an opportunity for some of the less visited grounds in the country, such as the Maritzburg Oval, the chance to host international cricket.
India's tour forms part of a bumper summer for South Africa. They also host Australia for three Tests in February-March 2014. Both series are among the more lucrative incoming tours with only England being the other team to bring in sizeable profits from television rights.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Wisden chides 'arrogant' Pietersen
Wisden has turned on Kevin Pietersen, terming him arrogant,
self-pitying and isolated, for his part in the furore which destabilised
English cricket last summer.
There have been more trenchant Notes by the Editor than those which grace the 150th edition
of the Almanack, published today, but Lawrence Booth reserves his
sternest criticism for Pietersen's behaviour during England's Test
series defeat against South Africa.
The wisdom of Wisden |
"Cricket, some suspected, existed only as an extension of Pietersen's
whims (and unlike team, cricket definitely has an "I" in it). Emboldened
by a lucrative new Indian Premier League deal, he was arrogant,
attempting to bulldoze over the terms of his central contract. He was
self-pitying, claiming he had never been looked after. And he was a man
apart, sending silly texts to the South Africans," Booth writes.
Those texts were regarded in much of the media last summer as a national scandal. Perhaps in the use of the term "silly" Wisden has stumbled upon a greater truth.
Wisden, condemning the rift as a "mishmash in many genres", does
not spare ECB officials from criticism, concluding: "Only the dressing
room knew just how troublesome Pietersen had become; for outsiders to
lecture Andy Flower on man-management was plain ludicrous. But as his
exile dragged on, the ECB began to look petty, if they showed their
faces at all.
"Pietersen's pursuit of Twenty20's riches at the expense of the Test
side - the format which had made his name - was unattractive, although
those attitudes can filter down from the top. If there was a
have-cake-and-eat-it feel to his simultaneous grouse about excessive
cricket and his yearning for IPL, it was hard to ignore a wider truth: a
bloated schedule has asked the players to make unfair choices.
"The dilemma is not going away, however much English cricket wishes it would."
Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year - an award specific to the English
season and winnable only once - are Hashim Amla, Nick Compton, Jacques
Kallis, Marlon Samuels and Dale Steyn. The Leading Cricketer in the
World award goes to the Australian captain, Michael Clarke.
SIXER KING - MS DHONI
What a brave man to hit a SIX for that huge distance.
Man of Success and Patience
" CAPTAIN COOL MS DHONI"
punjab ready for home against csk
Mohali: Kings XI Punjab, fresh off a commanding win over Pune Warriors India, host the two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings at the PCA Stadium here on Wednesday.
After losing their opening encounter against Mumbai Indians by nine runs, CSK will hope to kick-start their season against Punjab. Traditionally slow starters, MS Dhoni's team knows how to peak, which is exactly what they will aim against Adam Gilchrist's team.
A CSK top order comprising Murali Vijay, Mike Hussey and Suresh Raina has to get its act together as the batsmen threw their wickets away cheaply in the opening match against Mumbai. Dhoni looks in fine form as he almost took his side home with a brisk half-century until a magnificent catch by Kieron Pollard in the deep ended his knock. Dhoni will expect some support from the middle order which includes the likes of allrounder Dwayne Bravo and S Badrinath.
Though their batting came a cropper against Mumbai, CSK can certainly take heart from the discipline their bowlers showed. With conditions expected to be cloudy on Wednesday, things might work in favour of Dirk Nannes and talented domestic medium-pacer Ankit Rajpoot. Nannes bowled at good pace and was right on the money in the opening encounter. Rajpoot hit the deck hard in his IPL debut and can trouble the Punjab top order. Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja will share the responsibility of putting the brakes in the middle overs. Chennai's spin department will be led again by R Aswhin, who remains Dhoni's trump card.
Punjab, on the other hand, are coming into the match on the back of a comprehensive win over Pune in their first match where they comfortably chased down the paltry target of 100. Gilchrist looked to be hitting the ball crisply in his short stay and is always a threat for the opposition even at the age of 40.
Punjab are blessed to have young talents like Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra in their ranks. Vohra played a solid innings against Pune, though it remains to be seen how he responds when put under pressure. Allrounders Azhar Mahmood and David Hussey are two other match-winners in the Punjab line-up that otherwise lacks big names.
Punjab bowlers barely put a foot wrong against Pune in the opener. With Mahmood being a prized asset with both bat and ball, pacer Ryan Harris and Praveen Kumar can wreck the opposition top order with their pace and swing early in the innings. Parvinder Awana was a revelation for Punjab last season and will hope to show come consistency in IPL 6, along with another Indian bowler, legspinner Piyush Chawla.
On current form, Punjab look good but will surely be tested by the former champions, who will look to get their first points of IPL 6.
Probable XIs:
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Mike Hussey, 2 Murali Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 S Badrinath, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Chris Morris/Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ankit Rajpoot, 11 Dirk Nannes
Kings XI Punjab: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 Mandeep Singh, 3 Manan Vohra, 4 Azhar Mahmood, 5 David Hussey, 6 Gurkeerat Singh, 7 R Sathish, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Parvinder Awana
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
saqlain appointed bowling coach for bangladesh
Saqlain Mushtaq
will rejoin Bangladesh as their spin bowling consultant for the side's
tour of Zimbabwe. He will join the squad in Dubai on Wednesday from
where the team will travel to Harare.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has a deal with the former Pakistan
offspinner for 100 days of work this year, after his previous contract
ended last December. This will be Saqlain's first assignment with
Bangladesh in 2013. He wasn't with the team on their tour of Sri Lanka.
"We will only call Saqlain when the need arises," BCB's cricket
operations chairman Enayet Hossain Siraj said. "We will not ask him to
stay with us for a prolonged period. He will work for 100 days in a
year, and this will start with the series against Zimbabwe."
Saqlain was appointed in July
last year when Richard Pybus was head coach. He was with the team
during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the subsequent home series
against West Indies.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh have had to cancel their official training session
scheduled for Tuesday due to the countrywide general strike. The team
will get five days of training in Harare ahead of the first Test that
begins on April 17.
team clash again after super over thriller
With two wins in two games, including the remarkable Super Over victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, Sunrisers Hyderabad have begun IPL 2013 well. Their consistency will be tested once again in a rematch of that thrilling game, this time in Bangalore.
For one, they will have to adjust quickly to a pitch that's different from the sluggish surface in Hyderabad. The Chinnaswamy track is far more conducive to pace and movement, and while that could give Sunrisers an advantage - with their attack of Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma and Thisara Perera - it could also expose the weaknesses in their batting early on. Perera's and Hanuma Vihari's innings aside, the Sunrisers have had no other contributions of note in their matches so far.
Royal Challengers have similar problems. Like in their first match, their total in Hyderabad was built around two batsmen, as the others were dismissed in single digits. Tillakaratne Dilshan's form is a worry for Royal Challengers and it remains to be seen if they will persevere with him.
AB de Villiers, who missed Royal Challengers' first two matches due to his cricket commitments in South Africa will arrive tomorrow. According to a franchise spokesperson, de Villiers "will be available for selection". While his presence will boost a struggling batting side, it will mean a new combination of overseas players.
Both teams have a settled bowling line-up. For Royal Challengers, Vinay Kumar has excelled in the death overs, though he slipped up in the Super Over on Sunday. Henriques and Jaydev Unadkat have been promising at the start. For Sunrisers, Amit Mishra and Dale Steyn have impressed, while Perera has bowled important spells, curbing the flow of runs.
Players to watch
Cameron White hasn't had the most memorable season. He lost Australia's Twenty20 captaincy to George Bailey after a run of poor performances in the Big Bash League. However, the two sixes in the Super Over might be the impetus he needs to score big for Sunrisers.
Jaydev Unadkat has bowled well with the new ball and the pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium should help him extract bounce and some movement. He bowled a good ball to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara at a crucial stage of the match and would look to continue in the same vein against Sunrisers on Tuesday.
Stats and trivia
- Moises Henriques went past 1000 Twenty20 runs during the previous match and needs one wicket to get to 50 wickets.
- His run-out in the last match put Amit Mishra on top of the list of batsmen with the most ducks in the IPL. Mishra has eight, as does Manish Pandey, who was out for a duck in the game against Kings XI Punjab.
Quotes
"From a batting point of view, myself definitely included, we have to make the bowlers' job a bit easier and bat better." Cameron White on Sunrisers' weaknesses
parnell gets bail
Wayne Parnell, the South Africa and Pune Warriors bowler, has been granted bail by a Mumbai court after surrendering before it on charges of testing positive for recreational drugs, following a police raid on a party in the city last year. Legspinner Rahul Sharma, who also tested positive in that case, played for Warriors on Sunday against Kings XI Punjab.
A Warriors spokesman said Parnell went to the authorities with his lawyer. "He still hasn't joined the squad," the spokesman said. "He cannot do so until he gets bail and BCCI clearance." However, it is understood that securing bail will make it much easier for him to secure the BCCI clearance - Sharma has already obtained it.
Tony Irish, CEO of the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), said the issue was being dealt with as an individual matter with Parnell and his agent. "He [Parnell] knew this was going to happen and he appointed Indian lawyers to deal with it," Irish said to ESPNcricinfo. "He is going through the process and we don't believe there is any substance to the charges. The next step is for the prosecution to see if there is sufficient evidence to have a trial or if they will dismiss the charges."
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, Parnell had confirmed he would play in the IPL and claimed innocence on the drug charge. "As far as I am concerned, everything is fine," he said. "I've received a mail from Pune saying I have to come. I've got nothing to hide. The full story will come out once I get over there. They tested everyone that was at the party. I need to find my sample, because if they tested me they must have my sample and we need to match that up.
"I've been subjected to drug testing in my last five years as a professional cricketer, and I haven't tested positive once. So I've got nothing to worry about. As far as I am aware, they didn't give any specific samples and put them to names. They just said that a certain number of people tested positive. The individual samples need to be shown now."
Parnell and Sharma were among 90 people detained following the party at a hotel in the Juhu suburb of Mumbai on May 20 last year, a day after Pune Warriors' IPL 2012 campaign ended. According to reports, drugs including cocaine, MDMA and cannabis were consumed at the party.
Of the 90 people, 86 apparently tested positive - including 35 foreign nationals, who have been "shown as wanted" according to a police official. These 86 people had a 1200-page charge sheet drawn up against them last month, according to PTI.
rajasthan beats defending champs
A brace of double-wicket overs from fast bowlers, Rahul Shukla and Siddharth Trivedi, was the decisive blow that secured a second consecutive victory for Rajasthan Royals this season. They did not pick a spinner on a fast and bouncy pitch in their first home game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and the strategy worked; all five quicks took wickets and were able to prevent a dogged Eoin Morgan from single-handedly dragging Kolkata Knight Riders to the target.
Knight Riders had also read the pitch right, replacing the slower seamer L Balaji with Shami Ahmed, and Sunil Narine was their sole spinner. Narine, however, went for 18 in his third over - his most expensive in the IPL - as Royals managed to accumulate 144, because of a steady innings from Brad Hodge and a cameo from Dishant Yagnik. Their fast bowlers then vindicated their selections, dismissing Knight Riders in 19 overs.
Sreesanth opened the Royals' defence with a 14-run over but that did not set the tone. Shaun Tait hustled batsmen with speeds that touched 150 kph, and the less-heralded seamers did the damage. Shukla bustled in, bowling in the early 140 kph-range, and had immediate impact, demolishing Manvinder Bisla's stumps and drawing an edge from Jacques Kallis off successive deliveries in the third over.
In the seventh over Rahul Dravid brought on his fifth seamer, Trivedi, who trapped Manoj Tiwary lbw with his first ball, and then had Gautam Gambhir caught behind with his fifth. Knight Riders were floundering at 43 for 4. When Kevon Cooper drew another edge, this time from the potentially dangerous Yusuf Pathan, only Morgan remained in Royals' way.
Morgan was in the way for a while, transforming his innings that began scratchily into a threatening one with precise shots through the infield and over the boundary. His pick-up loft over long leg against Tait was the highlight and he kept the asking-rate under control. What he couldn't control, however, was the tendency of his partners to play rash shots - like Brett Lee did. At the start of the penultimate over, Knight Riders needed 23 off 12 but only had two wickets left. Morgan was bowled by Cooper first ball, and that was that.
The Royals innings had also suffered from the fall of regular wickets but they had Ajinkya Rahane anchoring the start and Brad Hodge staying until the finish to provide them with a competitive total. They recovered from the failure of Shane Watson, who was playing his first game of the season, and the fall of Dravid and Stuart Binny, who had played valuable innings in the victory against Delhi Daredevils.
Narine then derailed the innings in the 16th over, having Rahane caught behind and Cooper stumped. At 114 for 5 at the start of the 19th over, Royals needed something special and Hodge and Yagnik provided it. They attacked Narine for 18 runs, and then Hodge ensured 12 more came off the final over, as he finished on 46 to give his fast bowlers enough to defend.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
akram request bcci to allow pak players in ipl
Karachi: Former Pakistan captain and pace legend Wasim Akram has requested the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to allow Pakistani players to participate in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Akram said that Pakistani players would only help add color to the Twenty20 tournament.
"I have always been a great believer that sports and politics should be kept apart and if our players take part in the IPL it will only raise the bar of the event," said Akram, who was the bowling consultant of current IP champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pakistani cricketers have not been allowed to take part in the lucrative IPL after the first edition due to varied reasons but mainly because of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Although Pakistani umpires, commentators and coaches will feature in the ongoing sixth edition of the IPL but no cricketer has been invited for the event.
"I am happy that now I will be able to play some role in Pakistan cricket because I want to give back what Pakistan cricket has given me. I want young bowlers to take advantage of my expertise and experience," Akram said.
Akram feels that since Pakistani bowlers are better than India's, it will only benefit the IPL. Although Pakistan team toured India for a short ODI series in December last year but the BCCI still didn't clear the way for the players from the neighbouring country to participate in the IPL. Last year the BCCI, however, for the first time allowed a Pakistani team to take part in the Champions League Twenty20 held in South Africa.
Akram also confirmed that he had signed an agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board and as per the contract he would help in producing more pace bowlers for the country. Akram has also entered into a partnership with a leading cellular company, Ufone to hold trials and search for raw pacers throughout the country. But he said he will be holding a 10-day specialised camp for the Pakistan team pacers and upcoming youngsters performing in domestic cricket in Karachi later this month.
Friday, 5 April 2013
NEW franchise sunrisers after spirted win over pune
Hyderabad: A new-look Sunrisers Hyderabad made an inspired
start to their IPL 6 campaign by defending a total of 126 with venom,
beating a timid Pune Warriors by 22 runs to make it three wins in a row
at their home ground of Uppal. The previous two came at the end of the
2012 season when the Hyderabad-based franchise was known as Deccan
Chargers, but on Thursday, with a new name, new captain and new players,
the home team gave their fans plenty to cheer about.
Pune simply choked on a gettable target, losing wickets in two decisive clusters - 4 for 15 after a 36-run opening stand and 6 for 21 after a 33-run stand between Abhishek Nayar and Ross Taylor. Pune's first fell behind the Powerplay, which produced just 27 runs, and just when it looked like Robin Uthappa (24) was starting to find his rhythm with a six and two fours, he steered a harmless delivery from Thisara Perera to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps.
Moments later Perera had his second wicket when Marlon Samuels played straight to Cameron White at slip. Then it was Amit Mishra's turn to hit Pune harder, with Yuvraj Singh stumped for 2 off a lovely delivery and Manish Pandey caught at point for a 28-ball 15. Mishra pocketed a third with his penultimate delivery, as Nayar (19) spooned a catch to extra cover to leave Pune needing 43 from the last four overs.
shish Reddy returned and bowled Taylor (17) with a full and swinging delivery and then Mitchell Marsh was run out after a firm blow from Angelo Mathews deflected off Perera's fingers onto the nonstriker's stumps. Defending 24 off 12 balls, Dale Steyn came back and cleaned up Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rahul Sharma in consecutive deliveries and then Dinda caught by White to spark celebrations from the Hyderabad fans. Steyn finished with excellent figures of 3 for 11 in 3.5 overs, having played a big role in not allowing Pune to get off to a flier at the start.
Hyderabad's performance in the field was needed after they struggled with the bat - they managed just 12 fours and a six, with no batsman able to cross 30 after Mathews opted to field. Just five boundaries peppered the Powerplay as Parthiv and Akshath Reddy played more deliveries to fielders than to the ropes. Dinda struck the first blow in the sixth over by bowling Parthiv (19) and Hyderabad didn't really cash in on the Powerplay, which produced just 38.
At this stage Reddy was on 12 off 14 balls, and 23 deliveries later, when Kumar Sangakkara advanced to Rahul Sharma and was bowled for 15, the 22-year-old had crawled to 23 off 25. Reddy's misery was put to an end when he too swung across the line and missed to give Yuvraj a wicket in his IPL comeback match, and with White falling to Samuels for 10 the hone team slumped to 87 for 4 in 15 overs. Perera slugged Samuels for four and six in the 17th over to raise Hyderabad's 100 but got as far as 30 before top-edging a full toss from Dinda to long-on. Dinda then held a smart catch at short fine leg to get rid of Hanuma Vihari, and then gave nine in the final over to finish with 2 for 29.
Pune simply choked on a gettable target, losing wickets in two decisive clusters - 4 for 15 after a 36-run opening stand and 6 for 21 after a 33-run stand between Abhishek Nayar and Ross Taylor. Pune's first fell behind the Powerplay, which produced just 27 runs, and just when it looked like Robin Uthappa (24) was starting to find his rhythm with a six and two fours, he steered a harmless delivery from Thisara Perera to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps.
Moments later Perera had his second wicket when Marlon Samuels played straight to Cameron White at slip. Then it was Amit Mishra's turn to hit Pune harder, with Yuvraj Singh stumped for 2 off a lovely delivery and Manish Pandey caught at point for a 28-ball 15. Mishra pocketed a third with his penultimate delivery, as Nayar (19) spooned a catch to extra cover to leave Pune needing 43 from the last four overs.
shish Reddy returned and bowled Taylor (17) with a full and swinging delivery and then Mitchell Marsh was run out after a firm blow from Angelo Mathews deflected off Perera's fingers onto the nonstriker's stumps. Defending 24 off 12 balls, Dale Steyn came back and cleaned up Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rahul Sharma in consecutive deliveries and then Dinda caught by White to spark celebrations from the Hyderabad fans. Steyn finished with excellent figures of 3 for 11 in 3.5 overs, having played a big role in not allowing Pune to get off to a flier at the start.
Hyderabad's performance in the field was needed after they struggled with the bat - they managed just 12 fours and a six, with no batsman able to cross 30 after Mathews opted to field. Just five boundaries peppered the Powerplay as Parthiv and Akshath Reddy played more deliveries to fielders than to the ropes. Dinda struck the first blow in the sixth over by bowling Parthiv (19) and Hyderabad didn't really cash in on the Powerplay, which produced just 38.
At this stage Reddy was on 12 off 14 balls, and 23 deliveries later, when Kumar Sangakkara advanced to Rahul Sharma and was bowled for 15, the 22-year-old had crawled to 23 off 25. Reddy's misery was put to an end when he too swung across the line and missed to give Yuvraj a wicket in his IPL comeback match, and with White falling to Samuels for 10 the hone team slumped to 87 for 4 in 15 overs. Perera slugged Samuels for four and six in the 17th over to raise Hyderabad's 100 but got as far as 30 before top-edging a full toss from Dinda to long-on. Dinda then held a smart catch at short fine leg to get rid of Hanuma Vihari, and then gave nine in the final over to finish with 2 for 29.
RAJASTHAN aims for winning start against delhi
New Delhi: After getting off with a loss in the season-opener,
Delhi Daredevils would like to put up a better show when they take on an
inexperienced Rajasthan Royals here on Saturday.
Already marred with injuries in the form of Kevin Pietersen, abd Jesse Ryder , Delhi's middle order has been weakened and this was exposed in the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. But the continued absence of Virender Sehwag, who missed the last match due to back spasms, will deprive Delhi of a major batsman.
At the Eden Gardens, it was Delhi's middle order that flopped and failed to cash on the start provided by Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner after opting to bat first. Moreover, the experiment of playing Manprit Juneja in place of the experienced Venugopal Rao didn't work out and Delhi should think of undoing that in this match.
Already marred with injuries in the form of Kevin Pietersen, abd Jesse Ryder , Delhi's middle order has been weakened and this was exposed in the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. But the continued absence of Virender Sehwag, who missed the last match due to back spasms, will deprive Delhi of a major batsman.
At the Eden Gardens, it was Delhi's middle order that flopped and failed to cash on the start provided by Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner after opting to bat first. Moreover, the experiment of playing Manprit Juneja in place of the experienced Venugopal Rao didn't work out and Delhi should think of undoing that in this match.
TOP STORIES
- IPL 6: Rajasthan aim for winning start against Delhi
- Injured Sehwag to miss Rajasthan Royals tie
- IPL 6: Mumbai Indians face up to all-round CSK's might
- IPL 6: New dawn for Sunrisers after spirited win over Pune Warriors
- PCB ropes in psychologist to regain Shahid Afridi's bowling form
- Rahul Dravid receives Padma Bhushan
- PCB plans to rope in Moin as cricket manager
- Pakistan need to work on swing bowling, advises Akram
- Dravid and Warne are different as captains, says Rahane
- Jasprit Bumrah: Unorthodox but effective find for Mumbai Indians
TOP PHOTOS
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IPL 6: Rajasthan aim for winning start against Delhi
cricketnext, Updated Apr 05, 2013 at 09:25pm IST
IPL 6 Live on YouTube
Live Matches, Highlights, Scores & More. Catch It All on YouTube. youtube.com/IPL
Live Matches, Highlights, Scores & More. Catch It All on YouTube. youtube.com/IPL
New Delhi: After getting off with a
loss in the season-opener, Delhi Daredevils would like to put up a
better show when they take on an inexperienced Rajasthan Royals here on
Saturday.
Already marred with injuries in the form of Kevin Pietersen, abd Jesse Ryder , Delhi's middle order has been weakened and this was exposed in the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. But the continued absence of Virender Sehwag, who missed the last match due to back spasms, will deprive Delhi of a major batsman.
At the Eden Gardens, it was Delhi's middle order that flopped and failed to cash on the start provided by Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner after opting to bat first. Moreover, the experiment of playing Manprit Juneja in place of the experienced Venugopal Rao didn't work out and Delhi should think of undoing that in this match.
Rajasthan, after a dream start in the 2008 season, haven't made any significant impression in the later editions and finished bottom of the table. This time around they need to build momentum.
Under Rahul Dravid, the youngsters would be fired to do better for the bidding veteran and the team. The presence of Shane Watson in the camp can do wonders, but the opener will be joining the team from the second match. Rajasthan would be expecting a lot from Ajinkya Rahane who in the last season amassed 560 runs which also included a century from 16 matches.
Most likely, Dravid will again open with Rahane and the responsibility of the middle order will be shouldered by T20 veterans Brad Hodge and Owais Shah. Rajasthan have a decent bunch of Indian domestic players like Ashok Menaria, Stuart Binny and Dishant Yagnik and their role will matter a lot.
But on the bowling front, the signing of Fidel Edwards gives Rajasthan an alternative in place of Shaun Tait and a fit-again Sreesanth and Sidharth Trivedi can boost the attack. It would be interesting to see, if Rajasthan decide to blood young spinner Harmeet Singh early in the tournament and if not then they have Sunil Badree, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandela.
Going into the match, Delhi have the upper hand against Rajasthan with six wins and four losses out of 10 matches played against each other.
Probable XIs:
Delhi Daredevils: 1 Unmukt Chand, 2 David Warner, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Venugopal Rao, 5 Naman Ojha (wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Ashish Nehra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Shahbaz Nadeem
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Brad Hodge, 4 James Faulkner, 5 Owais Shah, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Sreevats Goswami (wk), 8 S Sreesanth, 9 Siddharth Trivedi, 10 Harmeet Singh, 11 Brad Hogg/Fidel Edwards
Already marred with injuries in the form of Kevin Pietersen, abd Jesse Ryder , Delhi's middle order has been weakened and this was exposed in the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. But the continued absence of Virender Sehwag, who missed the last match due to back spasms, will deprive Delhi of a major batsman.
At the Eden Gardens, it was Delhi's middle order that flopped and failed to cash on the start provided by Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner after opting to bat first. Moreover, the experiment of playing Manprit Juneja in place of the experienced Venugopal Rao didn't work out and Delhi should think of undoing that in this match.
- Video
Photo
- Gallery
Rahul Dravid will lead Rajasthan Royals for second year in a row.
Delhi's
bowling in absence of Morne Morkel looks balanced with a three-pronged
pace attack of Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan and Umesh Yadav. The spin
department will be taken care of by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and
Johan Botha.
Rajasthan, after a dream start in the 2008 season, haven't made any significant impression in the later editions and finished bottom of the table. This time around they need to build momentum.
Under Rahul Dravid, the youngsters would be fired to do better for the bidding veteran and the team. The presence of Shane Watson in the camp can do wonders, but the opener will be joining the team from the second match. Rajasthan would be expecting a lot from Ajinkya Rahane who in the last season amassed 560 runs which also included a century from 16 matches.
Most likely, Dravid will again open with Rahane and the responsibility of the middle order will be shouldered by T20 veterans Brad Hodge and Owais Shah. Rajasthan have a decent bunch of Indian domestic players like Ashok Menaria, Stuart Binny and Dishant Yagnik and their role will matter a lot.
But on the bowling front, the signing of Fidel Edwards gives Rajasthan an alternative in place of Shaun Tait and a fit-again Sreesanth and Sidharth Trivedi can boost the attack. It would be interesting to see, if Rajasthan decide to blood young spinner Harmeet Singh early in the tournament and if not then they have Sunil Badree, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandela.
Going into the match, Delhi have the upper hand against Rajasthan with six wins and four losses out of 10 matches played against each other.
Probable XIs:
Delhi Daredevils: 1 Unmukt Chand, 2 David Warner, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Venugopal Rao, 5 Naman Ojha (wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Ashish Nehra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Shahbaz Nadeem
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Brad Hodge, 4 James Faulkner, 5 Owais Shah, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Sreevats Goswami (wk), 8 S Sreesanth, 9 Siddharth Trivedi, 10 Harmeet Singh, 11 Brad Hogg/Fidel Edwards
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