News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • Sanju Samson Heaps Praise on Krishnappa Gowtham

    “Gowtham was amazing. It is a life time experience for him and also for us,” Samson said at the post-match press conference.

    Rajasthan Royals’ West Indian Jofra Archer was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his impressive bowling show of 3/22 which helped his side restrict Mumbai Indians to 167/7. Samson refused to comment on Archer being declared as man-of-the-match.

    “I also feel K Gowtham was man of the match but every one’s contribution is important. Archer too had contributed by taking three wickets and also hitting a few boundaries. I cannot comment on selection of man of the match,” he said.

    Samson regretted at not being able to finish off the match by himself as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed him and Jos Buttler in successive balls in the 17th over. Asked if the match was stretched too long, Samson said, “It was not delayed but I knew when we chase, bowling team is always under pressure. So I just wanted to take it to last overs but unfortunately I got out.

    “I think I should have finished it off. They also bowled well but these matches are finished like that only and it was Gowtham who did it for us.” Talking about the opening slots which still looked unsettled, Sanju said it was a matter of concern.

    “Yes, good opening partnerships have not been there but we are trying different combinations as the tournament progresses. As far as fielding is concerned we need to pull up our socks and improve in that area.”

    There were a few misfieldings, half-hearted efforts and a couple of dropped catches too in the match. Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan also praised Gowtham for his unbeaten cameo.

    “He (Gowtham) really batted well. He waited for the ball before going for his strokes,” said Kishan.

    He was, however, unfazed by the defeat and said his side will bounce back.

    “We have been in such conditions in the past also but Mumbai Indians are known to bounce back. So we are not going to lose hope. We would be bouncing back playing our best cricket,” said Kishan who also played a solid innings of 58.

    Asked if his team was heading towards a big total at one point of time and whether poor batting cost them the match, Ishant said his side were 15 runs short. “I think we were 15 runs short but this happens in any T20 match. They (RR) bowled well and the wicket was also not easy to bat later on,” he said.

    On Jofra Archer’s spell of 3 for 22, Kishan said, “He bowled well but still we could have scored more when he was bowling. He gave a few loose deliveries like full tosses and we could have scored more.

  • Mumbai Indians Star Ishan Kishan Learnt Tricks of the Trade From MS Dhoni

    Ishan Kishan has been a revelation for Mumbai Indians in this edition of the Indian Premier League with the defending champions looking to use the diminutive Jharkhand batsman not just as the first down batsman, but his wicket-keeping skills has also ensured that the MI management has been able to play an extra batsman or bowler according to the situation.

    But more than the performance, it is the fitness that the youngster has shown batting at No.3 and also keeping wickets which is what has impressed all. He has amassed 151 runs in the 5 games so far at an average of 30.20, but a strike rate of 145.19 with a fifty against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Along with that, he has also picked 3 catches and effected 2 stumpings.

    And while he has made an impact this season for Mumbai Indians, the journey started back in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season for Jharkhand when he rubbed shoulders with none other than former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ishan amassed 799 runs in 10 games that season at an average of 57.07. And speaking to CricketNext, the former India U-19 skipper had said that it was Dhoni who made him work on his attitude at the crease.

    “Dhoni bhai saw me at the nets and walked up to me and said that I needed to curtail my attacking instincts to begin with. He believed that to play a long innings I needed to be a little more compact and I did just that. He asked me to change my stance as well and when it comes from someone like Dhoni bhai, you know you can trust his observation.

    “I got time to rework my stance and train with my new stance during the camp ahead of the season and I realised that I was feeling a lot better at the crease. I have maintained that stance since and I have seen that it has enhanced my batting,” he said.

  • Gambhir and Boys Look to Stop Gayle Storm

    Bruised and battered after a string of defeats, Delhi Daredevils find themselves in an ‘oh-so-familiar’ situation as they seek home comfort against a Chris Gayle-inspired Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League on Monday. Without an iota of doubt, the Daredevils have been the least impressive of all teams in the past few seasons of the cash-rich extravaganza, only managing to finish at the bottom half of the pecking order.

    In the last two seasons, the Daredevils ended their campaign at sixth position, were a place down in 2015 and finished last the year before, in 2014. The story has been similar in the ongoing edition as they struggle with fours reverses from five outings to occupy the last place.

    They were done in by the versatile AB de Villiers’ smashing knock last night and up next at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Daredevils will be up against the destructive Gayle, who has made a statement with two fifties and century, scoring those runs in his trademark style.

    Thanks to Gayle’s belligerence, Kings XI Punjab are firmly placed at the top of the order with four victories and a solitary defeat. Given the form they have shown in the previous encounters, Kings XI Punjab will fancy their chances to continue the momentum against an embattled Delhi Daredevils outfit. Royal Challengers Bangalore chasing down a target of 175 with two overs to spare, is more of a reflection of Deredevils’ poor team selection rather than helplessness.

  • Kapil Dev Backs Ravichandran Ashwin’s Leg-Spin Bowling

    Ravichandran Ashwin, the off-spinner, has been bowling more of leg-spins these days and it is quite evident in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2018. Some have criticised his more-than-usual variations but India legend Kapil Dev has backed his leg-breaks. Everybody has a different bowling attack, depending on which pitch they are playing. But what we have come to know from the first or second IPL (till) now, is that the most successful bowler to come out is the leg-spinner,” Kapil Dev said. “Every team has their leg-spinner. Even a bowler like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, he likes to bowl more leg-spin than off spin. That shows the leg-spinners are more successful than anybody else,” he added.

    Ashwin is leading Kings XI Punjab this season, after having turned out for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant in the past editions.

    In the current edition of the T20 league, leg-spinners have been largely successful with Mumbai Indians’ rookie Mayank Markande shining in the first three games for his franchise.

    SunRisers Hyderabad, too, have a good leg-spinner in Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, while his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman is also a wrist spinner who plays under Ashwin.

    Even the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore possess a successful leggie in Yuzvendra Chahal.

    The 59-year-old former cricketer pointed out how a leggie like Karn Sharma had edged out experienced offie Harbhajan Singh for CSK vs Rajasthan Royals match on Friday.

    “Karn is playing, not Harbhajan (Singh), so Chennai is playing with two leg-spinners (the other being Imran Tahir).So, everybody is there with an extra leg-spinner. I think that is where in spinners you don’t see so many off-spinners, you don’t see left-arm spinners so much, but you see leg spinners definitely,” Kapil added.

     

  • SRH seek to bounce back in clash against CSK

    Their unbeaten run in the tournament snapped by the ‘Gayle Storm’, Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to bounce back when they take on Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Hyderabad on Sunday.

    Both the Sunrisers and the Super Kings have six points each from four matches, having lost just one game so far, and a win by either side at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal will take them to the top of the table.

    The Sunrisers began their IPL campaign with three wins on the trot before they were stopped on their tracks by West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle, who played a special innings of 104 not out off 64 balls at Mohali on Thursday.

    The Kane Willamson-led side will have to forget the battering of his bowlers by Gayle and quickly regroup against the Super Kings who, despite having to shift their home venue to Pune due to the Cauvery water dispute, have been doing very well.

    After winning their first two matches, the Super Kings slumped to a defeat against Kings XI Punjab before bouncing back with a 64-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Friday on the back of smashing century (106 from 57 balls) from veteran Australian Shane Watson.

    Watson has been in fine touch with both the bat and ball, thereby proving his utility as a top-class all-rounder. He is currently the top scorer and top wicket-taker for CSK but on Sunday he will be up against one of the most balanced sides in this IPL.

    All the front line bowlers of the Sunrisers — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Billy Stanlake and Shakib-al-Hasan — have been among the top wicket-takers so far this season though young Afghan spinner Rashid Khan is struggling a bit with just three wickets from four matches. He was taken to the cleaners by Gayle in their last match, conceding 55 runs for one wicket.

    Kaul has six wickets while Kumar, Stanlake and Shakib have taken five wickets each.

    For CSK, Watson is the top bowler with six wickets to his name. Man to man, the Sunrisers have been a better side in the bowling department. In fact, they are touted as the most balanced bowling unit of this IPL.

    In the batting department, the Super Kings have a lot of depth. They have batsmen who can play shots well up to the number seven spot. Watson has been leading the charge but Ambati Rayudu and captain and stalwart Mahendra Singh Dhoni are also doing a decent job with the bat.

    But Englishman Sam Billings and West Indian Dwayne Bravo have not done much after hitting a half century each, and both would be looking to do better, going ahead.

    For the Sunrisers, Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan are the main batsmen in their side. They have been playing that role very well so far though Dhawan had to retire hurt in their last match against Kings XI Punjab after being hit by the ball on his elbow.

    SQUADS

    Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sandeep Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake, Siddharth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Shreevats Goswami, Basil Thampi, T. Natarajan, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, Sachin Baby, Tanmay Agarwal.

    Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, K M Asif, Kanishk Seth, Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan.

  • Legspinners have stolen thunder in IPL: Kapil Dev

    Wrist spinners have become the toast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so much so that a successful off-spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin, too, has been keen to try bowling leg breaks, feels cricket legend Kapil Dev.

    “Everybody has a different bowling attack, depending on which pitch they are playing. But what we have come to know from the first or second IPL (till) now, is that the most successful bowler to come out is the leg-spinner,” Kapil Dev told PTI in Mumbai.

    The 1983 World Cup-winning captain spoke on the sidelines of a live cricket comedy show, which is co-produced by Greymatter Entertainment.

    “Every team has their leg-spinner. Even a bowler like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, he likes to bowl more leg-spin than off spin. That shows the leg-spinners are more successful than anybody else,” Kapil said to buttress his point.

    Ashwin is leading Kings XI Punjab this IPL season, after having turned out for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants in past editions.

    In the current edition of the T20 league, leg-spinners have been largely successful with Mumbai Indians’ rookie Mayank Markande shining in the first three games for his franchise.

    Sunrisers Hyderabad, too, have a good leg-spinner in Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, while his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman is also a wrist spinner who plays under Ashwin.

    Even the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore possess a successful leggie in Yuzvendra Chahal.

    Quizzed why leg spinners are more successful, Kapil quipped, “Can’t really put a reason, but that is a wicket-taking bowler. It is difficult and not easy (to read them) and every team loves to have a leg-spinner.”

    The 59-year-old former cricket pointed out how a leggie like Karn Sharma had edged out experienced offie Harbhajan Singh for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.

    “Karn is playing, not Harbhajan (Singh), so Chennai is playing with two leg-spinners (the other being Imran Tahir).

    So everybody is there with an extra leg-spinner.

    “I think that is where in spinners you don’t see so many off-spinners, you don’t see left-arm spinners so much, but you see leg spinners definitely,” Kapil added.

    He also praised Markande, who had bamboozled Chennai Super Kings in the league opening game at the Wankhede Stadium.

    “He (Markande) is good and if you are a good leg spinner, it always adds on to the team,” Kapil said.

    The great all-rounder also hailed India pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar as a mature bowler.

    “He (Bhuvaneshwar) had been excellent in the last three years, why only this one (IPL), he is fabulous, more mature and sensible,” said the former India pace spearhead, who ended his career with 434 Test wickets.

    Asked whether the IPL is more of a batsman“s game, Kapil said, “From 100 years, it’s (cricket) a batsman’s game, it’s never been a bowler’s game even though in the last 10 years (of the IPL), so many good things have come out from the bowlers — knuckle-balls and slow bouncers.

    “T20 is (not only) for batsmen (but) is there for everybody and you need to improve your skill.”

  • Watson Ton Helps CSK Register Comprehensive Win Over Rajasthan

    Shane Watson starred with the bat, scoring a ton before bowlers completed the job as Chennai Super Kings registered a clinical 64-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals in Pune – the new home of CSK – on Friday.

    Put into bat, Chennai Super Kings openers Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson put up 50 runs for the first wicket, with Watson being particularly aggressive. He was dropped in the first over as Rahul Tripathi dropped a sitter at first slip, something the Royals were made to pay for.

      After Rayudu’s departure, Suresh Raina – who was returning after an injury – scored a blistering 46 off just 29 deliveries, with 9 boundaries as he put on a 81-run stand for the second wicket with Watson going big at the other end.

    Royals did manage to fight back as leg spinner Shreyas Gopal got Raina, MS Dhoni and Sam Billings in quick succession. He was the standout bowler, picking 3/20 in his 4 overs.

    But Royals didn’t have an answer to their former player, who was particularly brutal and was clearing boundaries at will. He hit six sixes and nine boundaries in his innings, and scored 104 off just 57 balls, at strike rate of 186.

    Binny, Gowtham, Stokes and Unadkat all felt Watson’s force as CSK ended at 204/5.

    For Royals to have any sort of a chance, they needed a bright start but CSK bowlers ensured that there weren’t any easy runs on offer.

    Thakur removed Klaasen and Chahar picked up Rahane & in-form Sanju Samson as Royals were reduced to 32/3.

    Buttler and Stokes did get together, to put up 45-runs for the fourth wicket to spark some sort of a contest but then Bravo got Buttler off a slower ball to extinguish all hopes.

    CSK used 7 bowlers and almost all of them were among wickets with Chahar, Thakur, Bravo and Sharma picking two each while Tahir and Watson getting one each.

    It was a comprehensive performance by CSK in what is to be their home ground for the remainder of the season

  • Streak Hints at KKR’s Plans to Get Gayle Out Early

    After Chris Gayle blasted a 63-ball 104 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Heath Streak on Friday hinted that they will look to get the dynamic West Indies batter back in the hut early when they take on Kings XI Punjab here.

    Gayle’s whirlwind hundred, his sixth in the Indian Premier League (IPL), helped Punjab ease past Hyderabad by 15 runs at Mohali on Thursday night.

    Gayle hit 11 sixes and took the best T20 bowler in the world, Rashid Khan, to the cleaners smashing the Afghanistan spinner for four consecutive sixes.

    “Lot of people always ask us, the bowling coaches ‘what’s the plan’. It is very difficult for us to say because then he’ll find out. So we can’t really tell you the exact plan. He is a dangerous player,” Streak told reporters when asked about plans to contain Gayle on the eve of their Punjab game at the Eden Gardens here.

    “How you start to him is very important early on. If you allow someone like Chris to get into his innings and rhythm and confidence, he is a very dangerous player. He is so powerful and backs his ability when the ball is in his zone to clear the boundary,” said the former Zimbabwe captain.

    “Last night was one of many examples we have seen not just in IPL but in his career. We will be planning well for him as well as the other players,” Streak added.

    Gayle was not picked in the IPL auctions initially before Punjab decided to take T20 cricket’s most successful batsman for his base price of Rs.2 crore.

    Dropped for the first two games, Gayle helped Punjab beat Chennai Super Kings by notching up a 33-ball 63 before the hundred.

    Streak was asked about the West Indians having a gala time in the IPL. Led by Gayle, KKR’s Andre Russell and Mumbai Indians’ Evin Lewis are in the top-10 highest run-getters so far this IPL while all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine have also done well for Chennai and KKR respectively.

    “They (West Indians) get bored by playing the long format of the game,” Streak said.

    “A lot of them are playing all the leagues around the world, if you look at guys like Andre and Sunil (Narine) from our team and others in the tournament like (Keiron) Pollard. They play in PSL, CPL, BBL, IPL. They are becoming highly specialised in this format of the game, whereas some of the others play all the three formats of the game,” Streak said.

    Coming to KKR, the hosts will also go into the game high on confidence after registering a convincing seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

    This was their second win in a row after succumbing to two back-to-back defeats.

    Asked about new captain Dinesh Karthik and whether he is getting into the groove after taking over the mantle from Gautam Gambhir, KKR’s most successful captain, Streak said, ” Although he is new at IPL level and hasn’t had much experience, his leadership qualities are really good.

    “He is a highly detailed person, his attention to small things is good and he has shown that even when you watch him bat. He brings that composure and reads the situation well.”

    Streak lauded his under-fire pace battery for doing well in the last two games, saying as the tournament wears on they will get much better.

    “If we just look at barring Sunrisers (Hyderabad), it has been tough for seamers in IPL on really good wickets.

    “In the last couple of games, our seamers have been outstanding and I have been very impressed especially with young (Shivam) Mavi. He has been outstanding. Our seamers will get better and better. It’s difficult to replace someone of the calibre of Mitchell Starc but I think the guys we do have, have got the attributes.”

  • CSK Fan Breaches Security to Touch Dhoni’s Feet During Rajasthan Tie

    New Delhi: If there is one team who has the biggest fan-following in the Indian Premier League, it has to be Chennai Super Kings. Returning to the league after a gap of two years, the support has not diminished one bit for the team.

    For the fans skipper MS Dhoni is a demigod, and is certainly their favourite player. Such is his influence that MSD never ceases to hog the limelight. On Friday, in the match against Rajasthan Royals, that CSK won by 64 runs, when Dhoni walked out to bat after the fall of Suresh Raina’s wicket, a fan ran breached the security to touch his feet. A video of the same has surfaced online.

    Even the team management acknowledges this support from the fans, and does it bit for them. Recently, after CSK home matches were shifted to Pune because of Cauvery water issue, a special train was arranged for 1,000 fans to Pune, to watch the match against Rajasthan.

  • Lynn Looks to End Struggle With Bat Against KXIP

    Australian batsman Chris Lynn is known for his hitting prowess, and has proven credentials as a destructive batsman. In the 107 T20 games he has played so far in his career, he has scored 2,997 run at a strike-rate of 147.12. The right-hand batsman can change the game in a matter of few overs, and for this very same hitting ability, he was bought by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders for 9.60 Cr.

    But till now in this edition of the tournament, his bat has been quiet, and in 5 matches has scored 107 runs. Lynn, who had brilliant IPL season for KKR in 2017 where he scored 295 runs in 7 matches hasn’t had great time in 2018.

    In 2017, he scored two of the top-5 fastest fifties for KKR— 21 balls vs RCB and 19 balls vs GL. Not only that, his 93* in the first match against GL in 2017 was the highest individual score for KKR last year. Let’s compare Lynn’s first five IPL innings in 2017 against 2018.

    lynn
    Come Saturday, Lynn would be hoping to turnaround his fortunes, and get some runs under his belt. Till now his highest score in this edition of the games is 49 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Lynn has struggled against spin and was seen playing with a horizontal bat in only the second ball of his innings to K. Gowtham who castled him in the last match against Rajasthan.