Twenty Twenty Cricket - News and Results

DLF IPL pledges to play hard and play fair

2009-04-18T08:04:00.000+05:30

After a successful collaboration with the inaugural DLF Indian Premier League, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the DLF IPL have announced a renewal of their partnership to support the MCC Spirit of Cricket campaign.

The highly anticipated Season 2009 of the DLF IPL to be played this year across eight cities in South Africa, will see each of the eight Indian franchises – through their captains - sign an MCC Spirit of Cricket Declaration at the opening ceremony to demonstrate their commitment to upholding the spirit of the game.

The partnership between MCC and the DLF Indian Premier League is wide-ranging: the captain’s declaration to “play hard, play fair” will be bolstered by the broadcasting of the MCC Spirit of Cricket adverts on TV around the world and at each venue.

MCC’s Secretary & Chief Executive Keith Bradshaw said “With the growing popularity of the game worldwide, cricket has a responsibility to safeguard its core virtues. We are delighted with the continued support of the DLF Indian Premier League as it provides further evidence that MCC Spirit of Cricket has been embraced by cricketers at the very top of the game. What the sport needs now is to ensure that players at grassroots level embrace it in the same way. Our hope is that the MCC Spirit of Cricket message will become embedded in every player, both young and old, right around the world. In a tournament that has captured the imagination of cricket enthusiasts everywhere, our partnership with the DLF Indian Premier League will play a big part in helping us to achieve our goal.”

DLF Indian Premier League Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said “I am pleased that the DLF Indian Premier League will once again adopt MCC’s doctrine on the Spirit of Cricket. The media spotlight on cricket is now greater than ever before and every example of good and bad practice is illuminated and magnified for children to copy. To respect the umpires, opponents, captain and the game itself is essential to the way cricket is played. With the eyes of the world once again upon the DLF Indian Premier League, we have a great opportunity to spread the MCC Spirit of Cricket message to many thousands of children and encourage fair play at all levels of the game. We look forward to seeing cricket, and the Spirit of Cricket, at its best."

Uthappa ready to stand in as keeper for RCB

2009-04-18T07:03:00.000+05:30

Through the first season of DLF Indian Premier League, the only talk surrounding Royal Challengers Bangalore was how it was a Test team and how uni-dimensional the squad was. Captain Rahul Dravid was panned and the team strategies were scoffed at right through.

But this season, the Royal Challengers are promising a whole new outlook and a fresh approach to the DLF IPL II. And it showed on Friday a day before they were to play their first game of the tournament against Rajasthan Royals. The men who are heralding the change are the duo of coach Ray Jennings and skipper Kevin Pietersen.

The two have more than just a point to prove to the world. And their aggressive approach seems to be rubbing off on the side. “We are not the Test team that we were last season. There are a few dynamic players at the top and newer bowlers. As a group we have dimensions about us,” Pietersen said.

The effect KP – as the captain is known – and Jennings have had on the team was quite visible as the training session began at the Bellville Cricket Club. The training seemed to have some purpose, some direction and a lot of sweat.

From the young Virat Kohli to the veteran Anil Kumble, they were more than just keen to be part of the training session. Some players even joked that they hadn’t trained this hard even while with the national team.

The man responsible for all the hard work was obviously coach Jennings. He is known to be a hard taskmaster and the oldtimers from the last season in the Royal Challengers squad are clearly seeing the big difference in approach.

He has different ideas and an approach different from the others. He stationed himself on the main square watching all the batsmen go long and hard at the bowling on offer.

It was interesting to see the two battle-scarred veterans Kumble and Rahul Dravid mould themselves to the changing patterns of the game. For quite a few, this would have been an eye-opener seeing Dravid play quite a few ‘agricultural’ shots. The battle between Dravid and Kumble was engrossing. Kumble even tried bowling a few left-arm chinaman deliveries for which he changed action at the last minute. Dravid was quick to spot the change and the two champions had a hearty laugh.

All through, KP and new recruit from New Zealand Jesse Ryder were the cynosure as they tried newer shots. KP's switch-hit was something everybody waited for and was finally spotted. But the surprise of the day was obviously reserved for the last.

Robin Uthappa, who had just this season moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore, was getting ready for his new role both literally and figuratively speaking. He requested Kumble to bowl six deliveries to him and it seemed that it was one last session with the bat for Uthappa.

But no, it was Uthappa the wicket-keeper who was getting ready for his new role. With Mark Boucher yet to join the team, Jennings is obviously keeping all options open. Uthappa kept on the main square as Kumble bowled to Dravid for about 15 minutes. Uthappa used to be a ‘keeper in age-group cricket, but gave it up to concentrate on his batting.

Now, the demands of the shorter formats had ensured that he had to recalibrate himself. He then even did a few keeping drills, to get used to the new role. He was donning the gloves after five years and was clearly yet to warm to the idea.

Jennings has made one thing clear he would be requiring more than just one aspect of the play from his stars. So expect everyone to bowl or some like Uthappa to keep the wickets. Clearly Royal Challengers Bangalore are not to be lightly taken this time around.

Ganguly, SRK ensure positivity prevails over Knight Riders captaincy

2009-04-18T06:01:00.000+05:30

It was a scene straight out a Bollywood potboiler.

There was everything from drama and action to some much needed emotion as well. But at the end of it all it was clear as to who the boss was – Shah Rukh Khan.

The co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders clearly knows how to deal with pressing issues and deftly at that. On Friday, a day before the DLF-IPL2 is due to kick-start, Shah Rukh used all his expertise to diffuse a tricky situation.

Knight Riders had just announced a change of captaincy and New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum was anointed the new skipper for the season by Director of Cricket John Buchanan. It was a brave decision considering the backlash expected back home over the easing out of Sourav Ganguly from the top job.

Trust Shahrukh to tide over the situation.

Soon after the decision was made public, Shah Rukh was around at the team nets at Bellville Cricket Club around 40-minutes away from the city centre. Accompanied by co-owner Jai Mehta, Shah Rukh watched the session. The superstar even had his son Aryan take part in the training session with the team.

Finally, after about an hour and half, Shah Rukh took Ganguly aside and had a long chat with him right behind the nets. It was animated at times, some smiles were exchanged and then Jai Mehta joined in.

After about 45 minutes, Ganguly headed back to the nets this time with Shah Rukh in tow. It later emerged that Shahrukh had claimed that he could get Dada out. The duo then proceeded to see if the new challenge could be won or lost.

Shah Rukh bowled a few seam-up deliveries keeping his left shoulder stationary. He has recently been operated on his shoulder. Ganguly kept requesting him to be careful. “Dekh lo, aapke left shoulder pe zor na pade,” said Ganguly but Shahrukh wanted to bowl a few deliveries and sweat a bit.

Even Aryan bowled a few deliveries and was prepared to be hit by Dada. Andy Bichel, the Knight Riders bowling coach, was observing the proceedings. Ganguly kept encouraging the Khans and was even beaten once by Shahrukh. “It bounced and seamed away, not bad,” said Ganguly as he played out some 20 deliveries from Shah Rukh, his son and a couple of other support staff members.

As the sun began to set, Ganguly had finished nearly three hours of practice on a day when some may have felt that he had been treated unfairly.

At the end of it all, Shah Rukh and Ganguly had clearly managed to bulldoze the negativity that had been generated from the change in captaincy. Shah Rukh himself tried to play down the whole issue. “The cricketing staff, including Dada himself, made the decision. I just feel this decision will ensure that he will be under less pressure than before. He can just play freely and without any tension,” said Shah Rukh.

Pressed to comment further on the possible signal being sent out to Ganguly, Shah Rukh just put it in a way everybody understood. “I used to at one point of time do films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, now I do films like Chak De! India. So the times are changing, with Dada it is something similar. He understands what we are thinking. He is still our man and will be the man we all turn to at all times for advice. McCullum will lean on him for support.”

Shah Rukh's day under the searing sun ensured that all the misconception of the new things being tried out by his team would not get diluted. Just to spice up things further, Shah Rukh even offered to play next season when the DLF IPL heads back to India.

Knight Riders name McCullum new captain

2009-04-18T05:00:00.000+05:30

New Zealand' wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum has replaced the team’s iconic player, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the second edition of DLF Indian Premier League starting here on Saturday.

Ganguly has taken the decision in his stride and will contribute to the team's cause, supporting McCullum on the field along with senior cricketers like Chris Gayle.

The Knight Riders's captaincy has been a topic of much speculation after its Australian coach-cum-director John Buchanan came up with the idea of having multiple skippers. Ganguly himself was critical of the idea and he has had many supporters.

Team owner Shah Rukh Khan also supported Buchanan’s idea of trying out something new.

They also serve who stand and coach

2009-04-18T04:59:00.000+05:30

Kolkata Knight Riders Director of Cricket John Buchanan has given cricket fans around the country – and beyond – something to talk about with his multiple-captain theory; Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Ray Jennings dismisses talk that he would not share a good relationship with his captain Kevin Pietersen.

Indeed, coaches of the DLF-Indian Premier League teams have come to be in the limelight.

On the contrary, there are coaches who are critical cogs in the wheel, spotting and nurturing players. Encouraging their trainees to pursue their dreams and living their own dreams through these lads. And, while they may not be discussed with as much passion and enthusiasm as a Buchanan or a Jennings is, they know they are important, too.

Naushad Khan is a case in point. He goaded Kamran Khan to leave his home in Azamgarh and dream of playing ‘big’ cricket. Today, Kamran Khan has the eye of a Shane Warne and a IP contract with Rajasthan Royals worth Rs 12 lakh. Naushad has another of his proteges, Rahil Sheikh, expected to make waves in the DLF Indian Premier League.

All such coaches seek is a combination of raw talent and commitment from their wards. Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag may be a household name today but many years ago he convinced his coach AN Sharma that he was destined for laurels. “The light was fading and I told my trainees to pack up. Viru was batting at the school nets and told me ‘No sir. I can see the ball, let us carry on until I perfect the drive’,” recalled Sharma.

“Get your basics right, before you try to improvise,” says the seasoned coach Arun Bharadwaj. “There is a natural tendency among youngsters to imitate heroes – and they believe a hero can’t do anything wrong – but it must be remembered that only the very talented can improvise. So, I will always advocate trainees to get the basics right before they try playing the risky shots.”

It is a clarion call that you can hear around India. Out in Hyderabad, home of the Deccan Chargers which has some amazingly creative batsmen, former Ranji Trophy player Vijay Paul tells his wards to eschew risks. “Today’s youngsters are very observant; they watch TV and try some of these innovative strokes at the nets,” he says.

“We are constantly telling the lads to remember that strokes like the paddle sweep, the switch hit, the reverse sweep and the scoop over the wicket-keeper’s head all entail huge risks that they cannot afford to take in the longer version of the game. And that is what these lads play much of the time,” says Paul. “But we don’t curb their urge to add new strokes to their repertoire.”

Most coaches use an unconventional approach to make a good player better. And Sewhag’s mentor AN Sharma used two. In a candid chat, Sharma revealed the secret of Sehwag’s strong forearms that belt the ball away with the kind of power that most batsmen only dream of. “We used to have bat covers made of fabric. I filled a bag with sand and slung it on Sehwag’s back and asked him to bat. I knew it would help him develop power and hit the ball more fiercely.”

Sharma also recollects that Sehwag used to drag his backfoot constantly when at the nets. “Viru, you can’t give your wicket away so easily to the opposition. Let it earn your wicket.” Sharma then anchored Sewhag’s backfoot by tying one end of a rope to his right leg and the other end to a pole behind the nets. That did not let him drag his rear foot across the crease.

Interestingly, Sehwag has only been stumped out five times in his international career. And it is a good guess that he has been stumped not because he has dragged his foot across the crease but because he has been beaten after dancing down the track as Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendia managed in the Asia Cup final in Karachi last year.

Ninety per cent match tickets sold: Modi

2009-04-18T03:58:00.000+05:30

Cape Town: DLF Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has said 90 per cent of the tickets for the Twenty20 mega event starting on Saturday have been sold at the eight venues.

"The ticket prices had been aimed at filling the stadiums," said Modi, ahead of the event which will start with Chennai Super Kings taking on Mumbai Indians in the first match of the day on Saturday. Modi said. “Although the IPL would be returning to India next year, the long-term vision is to turn it into a global brand, much the same way as the English Football Premier League.”

"Spectators will see world's best players playing competitive cricket and it is made more compelling because of the competitive instincts of the players," he added. The IPL chief said an important aspect of the marketing of the competition was advertising and Rand 120 million ($ 10 million) have been earmarked to attract spectators to the games.

IPL merchandise doing brisk sales

2009-04-18T02:57:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: From T-shirts to caps, key chains to pens, lassi glasses to chewing gum, owners of teams in the DLF Indian Premier League have rolled out an array of merchandise to mark the second season of the Twenty20 tournament.

Estimates from three executives in three different IPL franchisees, indicated that the teams are looking at selling merchandise worth a combined Rs 35 to 40 crore this year. The teams’ own share of this amount is likely to be around Rs 6 to 8 crore, the rest of the money going to merchandise partners and licensees.

Chennai Super Kings has tied up in merchandising deals with retailer Future Group, chewing-gum maker Wrigley, pen-maker Camlin Ltd and Pepsi.

“This season, we expect around eight to 10 per cent of our revenues other than that from central pool to come from merchandise,” said India Cements Marketing Head Rakesh Singh. “Even our existing partners, sportswear retailer Reebok India and men’s apparel maker, Peter England are working on an affordable range of apparel.”

Mohali-based Kings XI Punjab, co-owned by Preity Zinta, is looking at selling items such as lassi (butter milk) glasses, mugs, badges and special autographed items at points of ticket sales. The team also has a tie-up for merchandise with textile manufacturer Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

The company that makes steel products for King’s XI Punjab is targeting sales of up to Rs 12 crore in five years. And it has an online partner as well in e-Bay. “We are delighted to partner with Hot Muggs to power the sale of these exquisite IPL merchandise to cater to the wide interests of its online shoppers. We are sure true cricket fans will be thrilled to buy and own merchandise at great prices," said e-Bay India Senior Manager Ms. Deepa Thomas.

Kolkata Knight Riders, the team co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, is also expanding its portfolio of products. The big players like Reebok, adidas, BDM and Kookaburra are all in the game. "Never before have replica jerseys been so popular with the cricket crazy nation until SRK stood tall in his 12th-man jersey in the last season of the mega event," says Reebok India’s SS Prem.

Delhi Daredevils, owned by GMR Holdings Ltd, tied up with sportswear maker adidas India last year. It has also tied up with Delhi-based garment maker Genesis India. “Genesis will not only make items such as cheering signs, posters and key chains for us, but also non-branded T-shirts at lower price points,” said Delhi Daredevil marketing manager Vidur Naik. “This time, the Adidas merchandise will be available at 71 stores, up from 45 stores last year.”

One of the primary reasons for the stress on affordable prices is to check sales of fake products that are available at much cheaper prices. “Counterfeiting is a big problem here (in India). Last time, I saw a lot of fans wearing fake T-shirts. Availability of more affordable original products will help plug this hole,” said Deccan Chargers vice-president Darshan M.

Even as efforts to build the merchandise portfolio gain ground, most franchisees say it will take the segment some time to generate substantial sales. While sports merchandising contributes 30 to 35 per cent of total revenue of most sports bodies in evolved markets, it is still a nascent concept in India. The biggest chunk of revenue for the eight franchisees comes from the central pool, which includes media rights and sponsorship.

IPL to impose fines for slow over-rates

2009-04-18T01:55:00.000+05:30

Cape Town: In an attempt to deliberately minimise match-time delays, the DLF Indian Premier League has decided to levy heavy fines on teams which resort to slow over rates.

A fine of USD 20,000 will be levied on the captain for a first offence and USD 220,000 on the entire team for the second. The third offence will result in a team fine of USD 360,000 and a one-match ban for the captain.

“Last year we found that 59 out of 59 games went overtime by as high as 45 to 50 minutes or an hour, “said the Commissioner and Chairman of IPL, Lalit Modi. “Each game was being dragged further and further. The reasons were that players were going back and forth with messages and there was a lot of tactics being decided from time to time. So we decided that we’re going to tighten those as far as overs are concerned, time of overs is concerned and time of play is concerned.” he added

ICL India beat ICL Pakistani by 4 wickets

2008-11-25T13:36:00.000+05:30

The 2nd match of the ICL 20s World Series featured the big battle between traditional rivals & defending champions ICL India & the star studded ICL Pakistani. R Sathish won the toss and put the ICL Pakistani in to bat.
The usually explosive opening duo of the two Imrans (Farhat & Nazir) could not get off to their usual start, with ICL India debutant Jesuraj scalping Farhat in the first over, without troubling the scorers. Jesuraj struck again in the 3rd over, cutting short the promising innings of Imran Nazir (16) to leave the Pakistani dugout in a bit of a concern at 23/2. The five over mark had the Pakistani scorecard reading 44/2.

The inform Rana Naved in company of the promising Shahid Yousuf got into the repair act right away taking the score to 73 in the 8thover till Vignesh picked up Yousuf with 13 runs against his name. Sathish introduced his premier spinner for a second spell in the crucial 10th over who struck immediately with his first ball, getting the big wicket of Rana Naved out for a 44 off 31 balls, laced with 7 fours and one six. The half way mark of the Pakistani innings had the game at “Evens-Stevens”, with the scorecard reading 83/4. The middle overs had Inzamam & Razzaq working up a wonderful partnership looking good in the middle till the prodigal Murtaza picked his second scalp in form of the legendary Inzamam for a well made 24. Razzaq too perished to an irresponsible shot in the 15th over to give ICL India the upper hand at the Pakistani score of 118/6 at that stage of the innings. Loss of wickets at regular intervals compounded by some smart bowling in the death overs by the young Indian side; restricted the Pakistani total at 165/9 in their allotted 20 overs. For the ICL India side it was the wily Murtaza & debutant Jesuraj who emerged the most successful bowlers picking 3 wickets a piece.

The Indian chase got off to an indifferent start with Vignesh run out early at the Indian score of 13 in only the 2nd over of the innings. The five over mark had the Indians in a steady position placed at 40/1 & the young Hyderabadi duo of Rayudu & Khaleel battling it out in the middle. Both batsmen were playing sensible cricket with some percentage shots brining their fifty run partnership off 37 balls in the 7th over. Just when the partnership was taking a dangerous turn Khaleel, was scalped by the experienced Arshad Khan in the 9th over, for a well made 36, ending the 67 run partnership for the 2nd wicket. The half way mark of the Indian innings had the score card reading 85/2, needing another 81 runs off 60 balls.

Just when it seemed easy sailing for the Indians, cheap dismissals of Binny & Sathish brought the Pakistanis right backing the match in the crucial middle overs. Rayudu was however playing the sheath anchor role to perfection brining his 4th ICL fifty off 37 balls laced with 6 fours and 1 six. With five overs to go the Indians needed just 38 runs to win off 30 balls with the prodigal Rayudu looking in solid touch in the middle. The Pakistanis were not going to go down without a fight and Razzaq brought back the Pakistanis with the big wicket of Rayudu in the 16th over out for a 65. A wicket off the last ball of the 18th Sami over in form of Abbas Ali had the high pressure game wide open at the penultimate over stage at the Indian score of 153/6, needing 13 runs off 12 balls. Badani was playing a crucial knock for the Indians brining in al his international experience in play in the high pressure situation. In the end it was the crucial knock of 32 off 22 balls by the experienced Badani that sealed a brilliant victory of the young Indian side.

ICL World beat ICL Bangladesh by 12 runs

2008-11-23T13:41:00.000+05:30

The Inaugural match of the ICL 20s World Series featured the spirited ICL – Bangladesh take on the formidable ICL- World at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad. In the end it was a disciplined effort from the ICL –World compounded by a batting failure from the usually strong Bangladesh batting that saw the World side win the tournament opener by a comprehensive margin of 12 runs. Lance Klusener was declared man of the match for all round performance that included an anchoring half century followed by three wickets in the crucial middle overs.

Start of the play saw Habib Ul Bashar won the toss and elected to field wanting to take first advantage of the freshly laid pitch. The World side opened with the formidable combination of Harvey & Goodwin who got off to a quick start racing off to 21 in the second over, till Harvey played a cut shot straight in the hands Kapali, at point off Baisya. Bashar introduced his experienced spinner Mohammad Rafique as early as the third over who struck immediately, castling the dangerous Martyn, to leave the world side in a bit of a bother at 22/2. Rafique struck again in the 5th over, getting the big wicket of Murray Goodwin for a well made 27 off 16 balls that included six hits to the boundary. The five over mark had the ICL-World side placed at 41/3.

Boje & Klusener got into the repair act right away playing some percentage strokes; working up a strong partnership worth over 50 runs at that stage of the match, to take the score to 91/3 at the half way mark of the ICL-World innings. The 55 run partnership for the 4th wicket came to an end in the11th over, with a failed reverse sweep attempt by Boje, resulted in his stumping off Mosharraf. Boje’s innings was worth 34 runs off 23 balls; laced with 5 fours.

Lance Klusener was anchoring the ICL-World innings against a committed & disciplined effort in the field by the Bangladeshi side. Mosharraf Hossain was the pick of the bowlers in the middle overs picking up the crucial wickets of Boje & Nixon for only 30 runs in his allotted 4 overs. Klusener got about his 5th ICL fifty in the 19th over, coming off only 43 balls studded with 4 fours & 1 six. The world innings finally folded at a healthy 167/6 in their allotted 20 overs, foreseeing a interesting 2nd session. For the Bangladesh side it was their left arm spinners who were the highlight in the field, with Rafique & Hossain picking three & two wickets respectively.

The Bangladesh chase got off to a brisk start with the dangerous Nazimuddin hitting two sixes off the third over from Gillespie to race of to 20 runs off only 10 balls. However a shot too many brought his promising innings to an end in the 4th over off Andre Adams, ending the 28 run partnership for the first wicket. The five over mark had the Bangladesh side well placed, right in hunt of the challenging target at 50/1. Aftab Ahmed was looking good in the middle playing some brilliant shots all across the ground, helped by a difficult dropped chance & missed stumping to power the score to 75 in the 7thover , till he was foxed by the experienced Boje to be stumped by Nixon for a well made 29. Harris brought on Klusener in the 10th over who struck immediately with the big wicket of Alok Kapali, cheaply for 1, to bring back ICL World right backing the game. The halfway mark of the Bangladesh innings had the scorecard read 77/3; needing 91 runs off 60 balls.

A middle order collapse where the Bangladesh side lost 3 wickets in four balls had the game do a sudden U-turn, with the scorecard reading a sorry picture at 89/6 in the 13th over. It was complete hara-kiri by the Bangladesh middle order loosing 6 wickets for 16 runs in the crucial middle overs. The Bangladesh side could not quite recover from the batting fiasco, needing a nearly impossible task of needing 40 runs off the last 2 overs. A late onslaught by Rafique, Baisya and especially Mosharraf Hossain (28 runs off 21 balls) was too little too late and saw Bangladesh fall short of the target by 12runs.

Tendulkar breaks Lara's record

2008-10-17T17:39:00.000+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar went past Brian Lara's tally of 11,953 Test runs.

Sachin Tendulkar steered Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara's record for most Test runs. The record stood for nearly two years after Lara played his final Test and it was inevitable that Tendulkar would eventually break it. As the day progressed Tendulkar scored his 50th half-century and became the first player to cross the 12,000-run mark.

The disappointingly small crowd, built largely of school kids, immediately got on its feet to salute the feat, and fireworks, which continued for three minutes, went off at the PCA Stadium. Tendulkar raised his bat in the air, took his helmet off, and looked up at the sky, as is his routine when he gets to a hundred. The Australian fielders rushed immediately towards him to congratulate him. Ricky Ponting, the man most likely to challenge his status of being the top run-getter, was the first man to shake his hand.

This also brought an end to the soap-opera-type frenzied anticipation for the record. Tendulkar was expected to overtake Lara in Sri Lanka recently, but he endured a poor series with the bat, scoring just 95 runs in three Tests. Then in the series-opener in Bangalore, during a fine match-saving effort in the second innings, it seemed he would get to the record, but he gifted his wicket when 15 short.

Even today the anxiety around was palpable. During the time he got to 15, India lost two wickets in moving from 146 to 179 in 10.2 overs. While he scored at a fair rate, he didn't get nearly as much strike during the period as he would have wanted. While he played 23 balls, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly faced 19 each. It was fitting, in a way, that he achieved the record against Australia, a team he has tormented several times in the past.

Coincidentally, Lara too achieved the world record against Australia, when he went past Allan Border's tally of 11,174 runs during the Adelaide Test in 2005. They remain the only three players to cross the 11,000-run mark in Tests. Though it is uncertain how long Tendulkar will prolong his Test career - which has lasted 19 years - the two players who stand the best chance of beating his eventual tally are Rahul Dravid (10,302) and Ponting (10,239).

Supreme Superstars make it two in row

2008-10-14T10:33:00.001+05:30

The sixth match of the ICL20s Indian Championship featured the resurgent Ahmedabad Challenge the supremacy of the formidable Chennai Superstars at the LB stadium Hyderabad. The engrossing battle that delivered a very high standard of cricket from both sides saw the Chennai Superstars emerge winners by 35 runs. With this win Chennai Superstars made it two in a row making them one of the favorites for the title. Russel Arnold was declared man of the match for his stability personified 46 runs.
Earlier in the evening Damien Martyn, won the toss for the Rockets and elected to field. The Superstars got off to a disastrous start, with some sloppy running between the wickets seeing Harvey and Hariesh back in the dugout in the first couple of overs, leaving the Superstars reeling 5/2 in the second over. Eighteen runs off the fourth over from debutant Kunal Lal had the Superstars right back on track. Vignesh was at his swashbuckling best taking the score to 65 in the 7th over, ably supported by the experienced Arnold on the other end. Vignesh's cameo of 38 runs finally came to an end in the 8th over by Sodhi and included 2 fours and 3 sixes. A brilliant piece of fielding at gully from Murray Goodwin saw the end of Jesuraj to leave the Superstars in a bit of a bother at 82/4 in the 10th over. The loss of wickets had no effect of the Superstars' batting Juggernaut and the legendary Michael Bevan "role play definition" for his side was on full view with Sathish & Arnold playing according to the situation taking the score to 130 at the 15th over mark. At the 16th over stage the Superstars were placed at 135 /5 when a minor power failure had the VJD rule implemented, curtailing the Superstars' innings at that stage & setting the Rockets a target of 143 in 16 overs.

The Rockets reply was off to a shaky start with Rockets' performer of their previous encounter Aziz, snapped in the very first over by Shabbir Ahmed. The cheap dismissal of Ryan Campbell for 5 in the 4th over was not helping the Rockets cause and had the side in serious trouble at 15/2 at the end of the 4th over. The resurgent Reetinder Sodhi got into the repair act in company of Martyn taking the score to 44/2 at the 7th over mark. An eventful 8th over had some vintage Martyn strokes taking 15 runs off the pacy Hayward. At the half way stage of their innings the Rockets were placed at 59/2 needing another 84 runs off 48 balls and eight wickets in hand, making it a fascinating high pressure encounter. The Classy Martyn was playing a top of the drawer innings brining his well deserved fifty in the 11th over. The dangerous71 run partnership between Sodhi & Martyn for the third wicket was ended with a smart piece of fielding from Hayward, finding Sodhi short of his ground for a well made 22 in the 12th over. The quick dismissal of the Rocket's' skipper in the same over got the upper hand back to the formidable Superstars. With four overs to go the top standard match had the Rockets' needing an uphill task of 55 runs from 24 balls.

Lions hunt down Champs in low scoring thriller

2008-10-13T10:33:00.000+05:30

The 5th match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship featured the inform Chandigarh Lions take on the revamped Mumbai Champs at the sparkling ICL facility, LB Stadium Hyderabad. Pat Symcox in his pitch report read a sporting track on offer with good carry, making it conducive to stroke-play. The classic low scoring encounter that went right down to the wire saw the Lions scamper home by two wickets. Sarabjit Singh was declared Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 41.

Earlier in the evening, Lions' Skipper Cairns won the toss and elected to field, wanting to take first advantage of the fresh pitch. Some tight bowling in the first couple of overs from the Lions, saw the experienced Tuffey do what he has done all his career, getting a wicket in his first over by scalping the Champs skipper Astle, leaving the Champs in a bit of a bother at 7/1 in the second over. Tuffey struck again sending back the dangerous Raviraj Patil to the Champs dugout without troubling the scorers.

A middle order collapse in form of wickets of the batting mainstay Hasan Raza for 8 and Taufeeq Umar 17, left the Mumbai innings in absolute tatters at 36/4 in the eight over. A twenty eight run partnership between Powar and Morris looked promising till the experienced Mongia trapped Morris in the 12th over, leaving Mumbai struggling to get over the Lions strangle at 64/5. The gritty south-paw Kiran Powar, was holding one end and a fighting innings of 45 off 42 balls including five fours and one six, saw the Champs fold their innings at 135/6 in their allotted 20 overs. For the Lions, Tuffey was the most successful bowler ending with figures of 2/25.

The Champs bowlers came out firing all cylinders and some controlled seam bowling saw the sub continent specialist Kasprowicz strike early sending back the dashing Vincent for only 1, with the Lions score on three. Kasper struck again trapping the Lions anchor-man TP Singh in the fourth over to bring the match back wide open. Astle brought himself on in the 7th over and it was just the tonic the Champs needed; scalping three wickets, including the wicket of the dangerous Elliott who had got off to a flier with 38 runs off 32 balls; leaving the Lions in deep trouble at 55/5 in the 10th over. Astle was bowling in the zone scalping skipper Cairns, as his fourth victim to give the Champs the upper for the first time in the match.

Astle ended his four over spell with magical figures of 4/19. With five overs to go, the Lions were placed at 85/6 needing another 51 runs off 30 balls leaving the low scoring encounter wide open. A spirited seventh wicket partnership of 56 runs between Sarabjit Paul & Andrew Hall got the Lions backing the game. The last over saw the match placed preciously with the Lions, needing eight runs off 6 balls and two wickets in hand.

In the end the nail bitter saw the brilliant Sarabjit power the Lions home with a mighty six off the fourth ball of the last over. His unbeaten match winning innings of 41 runs off 22 balls included three fours & sixes.

Royal Bengal Tigers draw first blood, toppling Lahore Badshahs in season-2 opener

2008-10-12T17:56:00.000+05:30

The 4th match part of the weekend double bonanza from the ICL stable, featured the revamped Royal Bengal Tigers take on the might of the formidable Lahore Badshahs at the LB stadium Hyderabad.

Pat Symcox in his pitch report predicted a sporting track conducive to stroke play along with some fair assistance for both pacers as well as spinners. In the end it was the Tigers all the way who converted their legendary spirit into a comprehensive performance beating the Lahore Badshahs by a big margin of 8 wickets. Hamish Marshall was declared Man of the Match.

Inzamam won the toss and elected to bat. The Badshahs opened with their formidable combination of the two Imrans', Farhat & Nazir who got off to a steady start; placed at 22 for no loss at the end of the first three overs. Some tight bowling, assisted by some sharp bowling resulted in a mix-up in the middle, resulting in Nazir falling short of his crease to give the Tigers the first breakthrough in the 5th over at the Badshahs score of 28.

Marshaled by the combative McMillan, the Tigers in their new smart outfit were lighting up the field with some tight bowling and sharp fielding keeping a tight leash on the Badshahs at 44/1 at the end of the 8th over.

The 11th over saw a bowing change in the form of the experienced leggie Upul Chandana, who got the second breakthrough packing back debutant Mughal cheaply for eight. This set the stage for skipper Inzamam, looking in a dangerous mood scoring nineteen off just eleven balls before the wily old fox Chandana struck a blow, getting him to nick one to Deep Dasgupta who took a sharp catch to see the back of the great man in the crucial 14th phase.

Chandana was working up a great spell sending back Farhat & Azhar Mahmood in quick succession to end with brilliant figures of 4/21 in his allotted four overs. The spirited Tigers were all over the field not allowing any space to the formidable Badshahs batting. McMillan also showcased his sides bowling prowess using six frontline bowlers; restricting the mighty Badshahs to a partly 139/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Tigers chase opened in the form of new recruit Hamish Marshall accompanying the experienced Deep Dasgupta. They got the Tigers off to a good start and at the end of the third over, the Tigers were right on target at 25 for no loss. Both batsmen made most of the second chances given by some lackluster Badshahs fielding, playing some sensible strokes to take the score to 42 at the five over mark.

The Tigers fifty came about in the sixth over with some flawless batting from both the openers. It finally took the wily Saqlain to break the 52run partnership with the wicket of Dasgupta in the 7th over. Jhunjhunwala looked all at sea against the legendary Saqlian and turned out to be his second victim leaving the Tigers in a bit of a bother at 55/2 at the end of the 7th over. This brought skipper McMillan to the middle, who got into the act right away steadying the ship with the in form Marshall powering a match winning 85 run partnership for the third wicket.

In the end The Tigers romped home to a big win by 8 wickets and over two overs to spare. Marshall came up with a top class 76 runs off 56 balls that included nine fours & 2 sixes, which was the highest individual score at ICL season-2.

Giants win 'Pendulum-swinging' encounter against Ahmedabad Rockets

2008-10-12T17:54:00.000+05:30

Delhi Giants won the match by 13 runs

Paul Nixon was declared Man of the Match

The 3rd match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship featured the resurgent Ahmedabad Rockets take on the Marvan Atapattu led Delhi Giants, representing the capital territory region, at LB stadium Hyderabad. In the end, the highly engrossing encounter that swung both ways throughout the duration of the match, saw the Giants scamper home by 13 runs. Paul Nixon was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant knock of 43.

Earlier in the day, Damien Martyn won the toss and elected to field looking to chase a target with his new beefed up batting line-up strengthened by the induction of their new dashing recruit Ryan Campbell. The Giants got off their season two campaigns with their left right opening combination of Gunawardene & Dale Benkenstein. A maiden over from the legendary Gillespie was the right message sent by Rockets on their seriousness, as one the big sides at ICL Season-2. Some high class seam bowling from Gillespie, ably supported by Rakesh Patel at the other hand had the Giants on the back foot at 8 for no loss at the end of the first three overs.

The tight bowling was rewarded with the first breakthrough in form of Benkenstein's wicket in the 7th over off Heath Streak, at the Rockets score of 38. At the half way mark of their innings, Giants were still under the shackles of the Rockets bowling power placed at a modest 53/2. The Giants were depending on their dashing south-paw & batting anchor Abbas Ali who took up the repair job taking the Giants score to 87/2 in the 12th over. Just when Abbas was taking charge, Martyn introduced the experienced Sriram into the attack, who cut short his promising innings of 25 runs, trapping him in front of the stumps.

That set the stage for the brilliant Paul Nixon who got about the task right away in the company of Bali who played a crucial knock of 35 off 20 balls including one four and three mighty sixes, before holding out to an attempted six off Gillespie in the 17th over. Nixon's stroke filled innings of 43 that included four mighty sixes, followed by a late onslaught from Bond (12 runs off 4 balls); powered Delhi to a competitive 167/7 in their allotted 20 overs. For the Rockets Heath Streak was the most successful bowler returning with creditable figures of 3/23 in his allotted 4 overs.

The Rockets got off to a shaky start with the highly rated Campbell, sent back to the dugout by the impressive Giant's pacer Shalabh Srivastava, without troubling the scorers in the first over. The Rockets were soon in further trouble with Captain Martyn departing cheaply for four runs off eleven balls, with the scorecard reading 17/2 in the 4th over. The stage was set for Rockets' south paw Parviz Aziz, setting about a fight-back for his side in company of the highly rated Murray Goodwin. However, superstar Shane Bond got the Giants the upper hand, scalping Goodwin ending the promising 40 run partnership for the third wicket in the ninth over.

With 10 overs to go, the Rockets faced a stiff task needing another 106 runs off 60 balls at a humongous required run rate of 10.60. The Rockets chase received another major jolt when JP Yadav castled the dangerous Aziz for a well made 48 off 36 balls including seven fours and one six. A dropped chance by Benkenstein off Yadav, in the 14th over was all the luck that Sriram needed. This was followed by two mighty sixes by Sodhi off the bowling of the express Shane Bond & had the match wide open with Rockets needing 57 off the last five overs & six wickets in hand. In the end despite, a courageous fight back from the talented Sodhi, whose fighting knock of 51 that included two consecutive sixes off the last two balls saw the Rockets, fall short of the target by 13 runs!

Chennai Superstars' score comprehensive win getting Season-2 campaign off to a great start

2008-10-12T17:53:00.000+05:30

Chennai Superstars win by 6 wickets

Syed Mohammed declared Man of the Match

Hyderabad: The second match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship, featured debutants Dhaka Warriors, take on the top ranked ICL side Chennai Superstars at the LB stadium Hyderabad. In the end, the Chennai Superstars with an all round disciplined & tactical performance proved their top five world rankings with a comprehensive 6 wicket victory. The match also proved the strong bench strength of the Chennai Superstars arsenal with them missing a lot of key players due to injury. J Syed Mohammed was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant spell of spin bowling.

Earlier in the evening Warriors' skipper Habib Ul Bashar won the toss and elected to bat, wanting to take advantage of the sporting wicket. The Warriors set about their campaign with the left–right formidable opening combination of Shahriar Nafees & Mohammad Nazimuddin. Three sparkling off side boundaries of the bat of the attacking Nafees had the Warriors placed at 16 for no loss at the end of the first 2 overs. Going for a shot too many had Nafees, sky a mistimed shot to Syed off the bowling of Jesuraj, for a quick fire 18 off 13 balls, including four hits to the boundary.

The extravagant stroke-play from the top order Warriors saw them off to a flier, placed at 54/1 in the first 5 overs; including seven boundaries & two sixes. Aftab Ahmed was living up to his coach's prophecy, dealing in big boundaries & scoring at a strike rate of two hundred percent. Some tight bowling from Superstars' premiere spinner Syed & medium pacer Vignesh put some breaks on the Warrior's batting juggernaut. At the half way mark of their innings the Warriors' were handsomely placed at 80/2.

Aftab's cameo came to an end due to the unsuccessful execution of the reverse sweep that saw him castled by the impressive Syed for a well made thirty. Just when the Warriors were taking charge of the match, the Superstars came back with a bang destroying the Warriors' middle order, reducing the Warriors to 89/5 in the 12th over, showing why they are today ranked amongst the top T20 sides of the world. Syed was working up a great spell of spin bowling, ending with an impressive figure of 1/12 in his allotted four overs. The Warriors never quite recovered from the middle order collapse & a fighting 21 from the young wicket keeper batsman Dhiman Ghosh saw the Warriors restricted to 142/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Superstars chase got off to a great start with the potent opening combination of Harvey & Vignesh getting off to an explosive start scoring 36 runs off the first two overs. The Superstars fifty came in only the third over off only seventeen balls, creating a record for the fastest fifty in the T20 format of the game; the dashing Vignesh going hammer & tongs after the left arm pacer Manjural Islam Rana.

It finally took an arm ball from the experienced Rafique to end to explosive partnership with Vignesh's wicket for a well made 25 off only 10 balls. A twin spin attack in form of Rafique & Mosharraf Hossain got the warriors back in the game with two quick wickets of Harvey and Jesuraj. At the half way mark of their innings, the Superstars were well placed towards reaching their target at 94/3. The Warriors never quite recovered from the deadly opening onslaught of Vignesh & Harvey. A composed 54 run partnership between the experienced Arnold & Hemanth Kumar saw the Superstars score a comprehensive 6 wicket victory, with two overs to spare.

Robust Rayudu powers Heroes to win over Badshahs in power interrupted match

2008-10-12T17:52:00.000+05:30

Hyderabad Heroes defeat Lahore Badshahs by 18 runs (VJD method)

Ambati Rayudu declared Man of the Match for sparkling half century

Hyderabad: The first match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship, Season-2 featured the big match of defending champion Hyderabad Heroes take on the formidable Lahore Badshahs at the glittering ICL facility LB stadium, preceded by a high octane opening ceremony. The spectacular opening ceremony was graced by Shri.K R Suresh Reddy, Assembly Speaker, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Chief Minister-Andhra Pradesh, Shri Subhash Chandra-Chairman Zee & Essel Group and Kapil Dev-Chairman, Executive Board, Indian Cricket League (ICL).

In the end, in an anti climax resulting due to a massive power failure in Hyderabad resulted in the match being awarded to the Hyderabad Heroes, who won the match by 18 runs (VJD method). Local lad Ambati Rayudu won the Man of the Match for his sparkling half century.

Badshahs captain Inzamam, won the toss for the Badshahs & elected to field, wanting to take first advantage of the fresh pitch. The Badshahs struck early getting the dangerous Abdul Razzaq early in the second over, cheaply for 13 (7 balls) in the second over.

The experienced South paw Jimmy Maher took over the mantel of the innings and at the end of the 5th over took the Heroes' score to 40 /1. The prodigal Rayudu also got into the act showing his class with some breathtaking strokes.
Ambati Rayudu

Maher & Rayudu looked in great touch doing the basics right, of running hard between the wickets & percentage stroke-play, working up a good partnership for the Heroes. At the half way mark of their innings Heroes, were placed comfortable at 75 /1. Two big sixes of Saqlain's consecutive deliveries in the 12th over, from Hyderabad's favorite son Rayudu, saw the young quality-act get the first fifty of ICL season-2.

Rayudu was batting in the zone belting the experienced Badshahs bowlers all over the park. Inzamam brought on his premier pacer MD Sami in the 14th over who got the important breakthrough cutting short a brilliant Rayudu' innings of 58 runs off forty two balls ,including five sixes and one four. Quick wickets of Maher & the dangerous Kemp took some steam off the Heroes' innings in the 17th over. The half way mark of the match saw the Heroes set the Badshahs a competitive target of 160 runs.

The Badshahs reply got a setback before a start with a late- bowling penalty of six runs, revising their target to 166 runs. The Heroes struck early with Razzaq sending the explosive Farhat back in the Badshahs dug out in the first over without troubling the scorers. ICL debutant Shahid Yousuf, too had a disastrous start, packed back to the Badshahs' dugout on naught; off the bowling of the ever improving Stuart Binny.

Some tight bowling assisted by some sharp bowling saw the Heroes restrict the Badshahs at 20/2 at the end of 5 overs. An unfortunate power failure cast its shadow on the exciting encounter, resulting in a calculation of the interruption rule (VJD method), resulting in the match being awarded to the Badshahs.

Diwali dawns early in Hyderabad!

2008-10-10T17:50:00.000+05:30

The ICL 'Opening Ceremony' was a sight to behold and an unforgettable experience which will surely be talked about for a long time to come. 'Diwali' is the Indian 'festival of lights and sound' which is celebrated by Indians across the country.

Although this vibrant and vivacious festival is a few weeks away, watching the 'Opening Ceremony' that announced the arrival of the second edition of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) gave one a feeling that Diwali had dawned early in Hyderabad. Gracing the opening ceremony were Shri.K R Suresh Reddy, Assembly Speaker, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Chief Minister-Andhra Pradesh, Shri Subhash Chandra-Chairman Zee & Essel Group and Kapil Dev-Chairman, Executive Board, Indian Cricket League (ICL). Actor Rohit Roy was the anchor for the ceremony.

With the first match to be played between ICL's popular teams, Hyderabad Heroes v/s Lahore Badshahs today, the atmosphere in the stadium was pulsating with energy. Over 1000 performers displayed their skills in what was an enthralling event encompassing acrobatics, aerial artistry, Shaolin kung-fu , trampoline daredevilry upon a heliosphere, and our very own brand of dancers and drummers.

The music was vibrant and every beat was perfectly synchronized by trained international and national artists in a choreographed extravaganza which was an amalgamation of lights, sound and a visual spectacle that was nothing short of sheer bliss to the senses.

Trampoline artists were roped in from Ukraine doing somersaults in such perfect harmony that it looked like they were puppets being controlled by unseen strings from above.

Aerialists from the United Stated climbed up to the roof of the stadium using nothing but a thin piece of cloth. These fragile and gifted women displayed the sensuousness of ice-skaters; only they were 20 feet from the ground with nothing but their many years of practice saving them from a deadly, if not fatal fall. Yet gracefully they enthralled as they always do.

Shaolin Monks from monasteries in China brought their brand of kung-fu to India reminiscing the era of Bruce Lee. Their physical endurance and apathy to pain was a sight to behold as they performed a choreographed set with props like swords, sticks and their very own bodies.

'Phoenix Productions', a group trained in 'playing with fire' took their art and craft and converted it into a scary yet visually aesthetic act that sure set the fireworks at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, quite literally.

With all these acts simultaneously vying for camera-time and a chance to enthrall our senses, a trampoline artist set off on a heliosphere which hovered around the stadium. The gifted female artist did flips, somersaults and acrobatics taking the ICL to a 'different height'.

And let's not forget our very own Indian performing artists from the Shiamak Davar Institute of the Performing Arts (SDIPA) – (aged 5 to 21) danced to the beat of Bollywood tunes and not one of them missed a step, count or footing. So professional were they that they single-handedly kept the audiences glued to the TV screens.

The drummers from the south of the country played violently and made the entire stadium come alive with the beat of their drums, announcing the ICL's arrival with fanfare and oomph. Over 100 of them beat their dholaks in an effort to breathe life into the ICL yet again and it was their pulsating rhythm that announced to the entire world that the ICL is here.

In this way, like Diwali, the whole world participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Indian Cricket League with performances and acts that will linger in the recesses of the mind for a long time to come with such and awe and splendor that's both unrivalled and unmatched, just like the brand of cricket it unveiled.

Starting today, October 10th to November 16th, the ICL 20s Indian Championship in Season 2 will see a total of 41 pulsating matches being played at four international standard stadiums in - Hyderabad, Panchkula, Gurgaon & Ahmedabad. A prize money corpus of Rs.13.72crore for 'ICL 20s Indian Championship' was announced recently.

ICL promises to make this Season 2 an unforgettable experience for TV viewers, spectators & cricket lovers across the globe. The 9 teams comprising of the newly added Dhaka Warriors will play against each other once in every city. In India, Zee Sports will telecast all matches live in Hindi, while Ten Sports will do the same in English.

ICL announces prize money corpus of Rs. 13.72crores for ‘ICL 20s Indian Championship’ Season-2

2008-10-09T17:49:00.000+05:30

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) today announced the prize money corpus of Rs.13.72crore for its October 2008 edition of ‘ICL 20s Indian Championship’ at a press conference held in Hyderabad. The Winners of this tournament stand to gain Rs. 2crore; while the Runner-up will cash in Rs.1crore. The incentive for individual performance during the 41 match tournament will be an impressive Rs. 2 lakh for Man of the Match and a humongous Rs.40Lakh for the Man of the Series. Per match winning in the league stage will be Rs. 25lakh and the loosing semi-finalists will stand to win Rs. 50 Lakh.

Announcing the prize money, Kiran More, Executive Board Member, Indian Cricket League (ICL) said, “Monetary considerations are important for any professional cricketer and we are pleased to announce a prize money package right up there on par with international cricket. I am sure this will work as a major incentive for all our players & motivate them to give cent percent to their team and the viewing public every time they take the field.”

Bharat Reddy, Indian Cricket League (ICL) said, “As former professional Cricketers, we at the ICL executive board understand the financial prerequisites of our professional players. Along with our endeavor to provide our players with the best of facilities, support staff and training systems we have also consistently delivered a top of the drawer financial incentive scheme, right since the inception, making the Indian Cricket League as the most vibrant & lucrative platform for a professional cricketer.”

Starting October 10th to November 16th, the ICL Season 2 begins with a high octane Opening Ceremony on October 10, 2008 in Hyderabad at 7.00pm. The ICL 20s Indian Championship in Season 2 will see a total of 41 pulsating matches being played at four international standard stadiums in - Hyderabad, Panchkula, Gurgaon & Ahmedabad. ICL promises to make this Season 2 an unforgettable experience for TV viewers, spectators & cricket lovers across the globe. The 9 teams comprising of the newly added Dhaka Warriors will play against each other once in every city.

In India, Zee Sports will telecast all matches live in Hindi, while Ten Sports will do the same in English. Along with Zee Sports & Ten Sports, BTV & ATN Bangla will telecast matches in Bangladesh, Gateway in North Africa, Telkom-Malysia & Astro in Malaysia, Fox Sports in Australia, Zee Music in UK, Zee TV in Africa, Zee Sports in USA, Ten Sports in Pakistan & Middle East and Caribbean Media Corporation in West Indies and Caribbean Islands

Tigers hunt down Champs to score a four wicket victory

2008-09-29T18:16:00.000+05:30

The penultimate round- robin match of the ICL 20-20 domestic tournament featured the resurgent Mumbai Champs take on the spirited Royal Bengal Tigers at the Lahari Resorts ground Hyderabad. In a match dominated by the bowlers, saw that Tigers scamper home to a four wicket victory, helped by a fighting lower middle order knock of 28 runs from the bat of Ali Hamid Zaidi. Zaidi’s knock won him the man of the match award.

Earlier in the day Jadhav won the toss and elected to bat. Quick dismissals of the in form Jadhav & Morris at the top of the innings saw the Champs in a bother at 2/30 in the 6th over. With the exception of Narsinha, none of the Champs batters contributed to the batting cause resulting in the Champs fold their innings at a paltry 116/6 in their allotted 20 overs. For the Tigers Tarafdar, Ahmid & Shibsagar scalped two wickets each.

The Tiger’s reply to the modest target started on a disastrous note, with pacer Burkul sending the experienced Deep Dasgupta back to the Tigers dug out in the 2nd over. Quick dismissal of Gavaskar, followed by the scalping of Jhunjhunwala & SG Das by prodigal Champs’ leggie Sridhar Iyer, had the Tigers in deep trouble at 5/63 in the 13th over.

However a fighting 27 run partnership between Zaidi & Mihir Diwakar paved way for the Tigers to scamper home on the penultimate ball of the match by four wickets.

Mumbai Champs, triumphant in "trans -metro" battle against Delhi Giants.

2008-09-28T18:45:00.000+05:30

The nineteenth match in the ICL 20 -20 domestic tournament featured the highly anticipated trans- metro battle between the Mumbai Champs & the Delhi Giants. In the end it was the resurgent Mumbai side, marshaled by new skipper Dheeraj Jadhav that came out tops by a comprehensive margin of 32 runs. It was the tall 6foot 3 inch Champs' leg spinner Sridhar Iyer, engineering the victory with his sparkling 18 run ( off only 5 balls) & three wicket spell.

Earlier in the day Giants skipper JP Yadav won the toss and invited the Champs to take first strike. Champs lost their inform opener Morris early in the first over leaving the Mumbai side in a bit of a bother at 1/3 in the first over. However a sparkling knock of 54 runs from the talented Dheeraj Jadhav; coming into the tournament from a successful stint in the English domestic tournament saw the Champs come back right into the match.

Solid middle order contributions from Narsinha ( 20 runs ) & Khirid ( 28 runs ); followed by a late onslaught from Sridhar Iyer whose five ball innings delivered 18 runs including two fours & one six, helped the Champs set the Giants a competitive target of 158 runs.

In reply both the Giants openers (Bali 34 runs & Mishra 26runs) came up with solid contributions putting the Giants on target for the chase. However the quick dismissals of the Giants batting backbone, Abbas Ali & skipper JP Yadav created a lethal blow for the Giants chase. A quick polishing act by the towering leg spinner Iyer followed his brilliant batting cameo with a match winning spell of 3/5. This solid display helped Champs register their second straight win of the tournament by a comprehensive margin of 32 runs.

Lions maul Rockets by 5 wickets to move towards final spot

2008-09-27T18:44:00.000+05:30

The Eighteenth match of the ICL 20 -20 domestic tournament featured the formidable Chandigarh Lions take on Ahmedabad Rockets at the Lahari resorts ground Hyderabad. In the end it was the Lions from Punjab who came out tops with a 5 wicket victory, keeping their chances of a berth in the finals alive. The star for the Lions was south paw TP Singh who scored a match winning fifty runs, including six boundaries & one six.

Earlier in the day Sriram won the toss and elected to bat on a good bating surface. A solid 59 run, opening wicket partnership between Dholpure & Sriram put the Rockets in the drivers’ seat. The successive fall of both the openers in the eight over; especially the run out of skipper Sriram put the Lions right back in contention.

The Rockets middle order saw both Sodhi (21 runs) & Jain (17 runs) get off to a start but their wickets in the 14th & 15ht over prevented the Rockets’ from taking advantage of a solid start. In the end the Rockets folded their innings at 133/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Lions chase was powered by a cracking half century from TP Singh who built a solid 44 run partnership for the second wicket in company of Gaurav Gupta. A solid skipper’s unbeaten knock of 34 runs by Dinesh Mongia, saw the Lions romp home to a five wicket victory, taking them to their fourth win of the tournament and frontrunners for a berth in the final.

Chennai Superstars Vs Hyderabad Heroes

2008-09-26T18:43:00.000+05:30

The seventeenth match of the ICL 20 -20 domestic tournament featured favorites Chennai Superstars take on their arch rivals & hosts Hyderabad Heroes at the Lahari resorts ground Hyderabad. The much anticipated match between the two champion teams saw the Heroes emerge victorious by a comprehensive margin of 7 wickets, largely helped by a fine seam bowling performance from K Sahabuddin & PK Reddy.

Earlier in the day Sathish won the toss and elected to bat with a new opening combination of Hariesh & himself. It proved to be a fatal move with the impressive Sahabuddin picking up both the openers cheaply in his first spell. Reddy proved to be an able bowling partner following up the wickets of Badani & Sarvanan to leave the Superstars in serious trouble at 4/9 in the fourth over.

Quick wickets of Syed Mohammed, Naidu & Vasudevan had the Superstars all but buried and out at 7/41 in the 10th over.

A late repair act by Hemanth Kumar & Vignesh who came up with a 34 run partnership for the 8th wicket brought some respectability to the Chennai total. A fighting 22 from the bat of Kumaran; involved in a crucial 23 run partnership with Jesuraj for the last wicket saw the Superstars fold their innings at a dismal 123 for nine in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply the Heroes lost their in form opener Vinay Kumar early leaving the Heroes in a bit of a bother at 1/6 in the 2nd over.

A cracking half century from the bat of the prodigal Rayudu ably supported by Nag in a 44 run partnership for the second wicket put the Heroes in a commanding position. In the end a solid 22 from captain Binny, saw the Heroes romp home to a seven wicket victory, in turn causing the biggest upset of the tournament.

Mumbai Champs Vs Ahmedabad Rockets

2008-09-25T18:42:00.000+05:30

The sixteenth match of the ICL 20- 20 domestic tournament featured the Ahmedabad Rockets take on the Mumbai Champs at the Lahari resorts ground Hyderabad. Champs led by opener Dheeraj Jadhav registered their first win of the tournament, beating the Rockets by 13 runs.

Earlier in the day S.Sriram won the toss and elected to field. For the Champs their inform openers Paul & Morris got off to a good start scoring 43 runs for the first wicket. Morris who has emerged as the most successful batsman for the Champs in this tournament fired a match winning 69 off 62 balls including five fours & three mighty sixes, justifiably winning the man of the match award.

A solid 20, late in the innings from south-paw captain Dheeraj Jadhav saw the Champs set the Rockets a competitive target of 141 runs. The most successful bowler for the Rockets was rookie Kunal Lal who finished his spell at 2/27 in his allotted four overs.

The Rockets’ chase saw opener Sachin Dholpure get off to a good start scoring 28 off 20 balls , however the fall of his wicket in the fifth over gave the Champs the upper hand. With cheap dismissals of the other recognized Rockets batsmen, saw them in deep trouble at 88/6 in the 14th over. The chief architect of the Champs bowling performance was left arm spinner Avinash Yadav, picking up three important wickets in his allotted four overs.

The only other significant batting contribution from the Rockets’ line up came in the form of Pallav Vora’s fighting 20 off 15 balls.

In the end the Rockets feel short of the target by 13 runs helping the Champs register their first win of the tournament.

Hyderabad Heroes register first win of the tournament.

2008-09-24T18:41:00.000+05:30

The Fourteenth match of the ICL 20-20 domestic Indian championship featured the Mumbai Champs take on hosts Hyderabad Heroes at the Lahari resorts ground Hyderabad. Both teams came into this match deprived of any wins in the tournament, preceding this match. In the end it was the Heroes who registered a comprehensive six wicket victory marshaled by a cracking half century from opener D. Vinay Kumar. Kumar was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant batting display. Kumar scored a quick-fire 66 off just 45 deliveries in a knock that included 6 boundaries and 2 hits over the fence.

Earlier in the day, Stuart Binny won the toss and put the Champs in to bat first. They got off to a rollicking start with their openers Morris(60) & Subhojit Paul (52), scoring the tournament’s first century partnership for the first wicket. However the departure of the openers’ post the fifteenth over saw the quick wickets of Powar & Khirid, putting breaks on the Champs’ batting juggernaut. A late onslaught from dashing south paw Dheeraj Jadhav (21 runs off 15 balls) saw the Champs set the Heroes a competitive target of 157.

In reply the Heroes got off to a good start with Vinay Kumar & P Shashank Nag taking the attack to the Champs’ bowling with a solid 75-run partnership for the opening wicket. Rock-hard, useful contributions from Captain Stuart Binny & prodigious Ambati Rayudu saw the Heroes emerge victorious by a comprehensive six wicket margin. The highlight of the Heroes win was the crackling half century from D. Vinay Kumar.