Vijay Action hundred Super Kings to meet Knight Riders in final match

CHENNAI: Murali Vijay's withering century set-up a massive 86-run win for Chennai Super Kings over Delhi Daredevils in the 2nd qualifier on Friday.

Chennai’s rousing triumph, their 2nd in succession after the shellacking of Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, places them in their 3rd consecutive, and 4th overall, last, which they will contest against Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue on Sunday evening for a tilt at the most unachievable of records – a hat-trick of IPL titles.

Once Chennai had posted the season’s highest total – 222 – it would have been wishful thinking to expect Delhi to make a first of it on what is generally careful to be a treacherous track. As it happened, Delhi, opening with Jayawardene and Warner, were never in the chase after the early dismissals of Warner and captain Sehwag disallowed them to gain any sort of momentum.

Daredevils kept up a run-rate in the vicinity of nine runs-per over for the most part, thanks to Jayawardene’s classy 55, but behind the tempo - at least through the duration of a super-200 chase - was nigh impossible. The pursuit was ruined by tumbling wickets, as batsmen attempt in vain to meet the spiraling obligation, only to be arrested with finality in the 17th over when Dhoni ran out final man Varun Aaron.

The double defensive champions appear to be on an upswing, and on Friday it wasn’t just good cricketing that took them to victory. Daredevils – strictly the ‘home’ side by virtue of last at the top in the league stage – were on the back foot even previous to the game began. They chose to ‘rest’ the most winning bowler in IPL-V, Morne Morkel, and replaced him with debutant off-spinner Sunny Gupta, who was murder for 47 runs in 3 overs. It did not help that the pacy, supposedly promising Varun went for 63 in his 4 overs.

When Sehwag selected to field in a crunch game at a venue where pursuer are in need by the progressive slowness of the surface, Delhi appear to be hell-bent on making things tough for them. If that wasn’t bad enough, Vijay initiate the mayhem by nailing boundaries off the 1st 2 balls of Chennai’s innings, and from there the run-rate only went North, and beyond.

It would be futile to delve into person hits, which were too many to recount. Let it be put on record still that it was Dhoni’s faith in Vijay that paid off. Out of sorts with a niggle in the wrist for the most of the season, Vijay began by hammering boundaries off Sunny and in the company of Michael Hussey took Super Kings to 68 in seven overs.

Hussey was quickly out, and Vijay got moving when Sehwag introduce himself in the 11th over – first a six over midwicket caught by Ross Taylor who overstepped the boundary then a slash over backward point for four, and then one more 4 and 6 to long-on and over cow corner respectively.

Daredevils made things worse with their butter fingers. Slowcoach Sehwag at cover was late on a mishit by Raina, and even the regularly reliable Warner fluffed Dhoni at long-on. It was persistent hitting all the way as Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo joined the revels with brutal cameos of their own, as if they were just ongoing the riot act from their earlier game against Mumbai Indians.

Vijay reach his hundred in 51 balls and was run-out on the final ball of the 1st innings. It was a remorseless show through and through – a display befitting the most dominate team across the short history of the match – and reminiscent of the destruction Vijay had caused in the 2011 IPL final. Can he do it again on Sunday against KKR? Or will Sunil Narine derail the Chennai juggernaut and prevent a hat-trick of titles? We shall know quickly.

Man of the match

  Murali Vijay

Tomorrow Match

Chennai Super Kings Vs kolkata Knight Riders.

Final, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 27 May 2012 08:00 Pm

Delhi Daredevils' was big win

HYDERABAD: What happens when the possible champions meet the laggards? What else, but total annihilation! David Warner short-lived 54-ball 109 helped Delhi Daredevils inflict upon Deccan Chargers a massive 9-wicket succeeds that take them again to the top of the points table.

Having batted 1st and posted 187-4, thanks to Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White, Deccan would have careful half the job done. They could even be excused for assume that it was all over once captain Virender Sehwag departed in the 1st over of the chase. But the home team had taken the field with no a single overseas bowler and paid heavily for that, as Daredevils gunned down the target with 20 balls to spare.

It didn’t help that Warner was in a mainly vicious mood. As a result, whatever Chargers had ended in their innings, Delhi did one better. The pint-sized Aussie gather his runs at a frenetic pace, starting with fours off Dhawan and success a pinnacle of demolition against Ashish Reddy, as the seamer accepted 20 in the 6th over. Warner joint with Naman Ojha (64, 46b) for 189 runs in 16.2 overs in an unbroken 2nd-wicket partnership.

He biffed sixes off most of Deccan’s attack and reached his 2nd IPL and 5th Twenty20 century in style, pulling another maximum off Ankit Sharma. The Warner-Ojha alliance totally overshadowed the 126-run connection between Dhawan and White, and brought Delhi back to the top of the table, where they replaced Kolkata Knight Riders. Deccan had earlier posted 187-4, thanks to their most consistent batsmen this season – Dhawan and White. The pair added runs at almost eleven per over as the home side shrugged off a normal start to go faster menacingly in the final 10overs.

After Kumar Sangakkara selected to bat, Chargers were 64 for the loss of opener Daniel Harris and captain Sangakkara. Dhawan opened the sluice-gates by cracking successive sixes off Shahbaz Nadeem and then wading into Irfan Pathan for 16 runs in the 13th over.Andre Russel, making his IPL debut, wasn’t spared either. The West Indian approved a hat-trick of fours to end with a wicket-less 39 from 4 overs. Morne Morkel came back after the Strategic timeout, and he too was taken to the cleaners – a 4 to fine-leg, another during point and a deadly 6 carted over mid-wicket.

Dhawan was run-out by a straight throw from fine-leg in the 18th over, and White full in by launching into Pathan again for maximum gain. The last 10overs yielded Chargers 123 runs, as Delhi bowlers insist on erring on the fuller side. And yet the whole failed to challenge Warner in the outline of mind he was in.

Man of the match:

David Warner

Delhi Daredevils Super Win

NEW DELHI: Virender Sehwag completes well his 1st encounter against a Rajya Sabha nominee as Delhi Daredevils wallop Mumbai Indians by 37-runs at the on Friday night.

The win took Delhi, by far the form horse of the season, to the top of the table with 12 points from 8 fixtures, a place in the last four now appear well within the realm of possibility.

Sehwag had said before the match how it would be a novel occasion playing against a likely member of the upper house – Sachin Tendulkar - and once his 39-ball 73, and Kevin Pietersen’s mind-blowing 50 runs took Delhi to 207 batting 1st the moment was made all the more memorable, as Mumbai gave up the ghost 37 runs short of the target.

The visitors, however, got it all wrong right from the start. Harbhajan Singh win the toss and selected to field, only to find the decision backfire as Sehwag, Mahela Jayewardene (55) and Pietersen (50 not out, 26b) all flaming half-centuries to hit Mumbai where it hurt – the 208 target an impossible mountain whichever way one look at it.

And when Mumbai lost Tendulkar, Aiden snowstorm and Rohit Sharma within the 1st 4 overs of the chase – with just 19 on the board – the match was likely to finish only one way. Although Ambati Rayudu 62 and Dinesh Karthik -40strove to make a first of it ask proved too much in the end, and all Delhi’s bowlers had to do was put it in the fit and wait for the batsmen to hole out.

Earlier, Delhi looked no gift horses in the mouth as Harbhajan sent them in, and directly went hell for leather. The home side posted 50 in under 6overs, 100 in 8 overs and 150 in 15 overs, not once allowing the scoring rate to dip, as 1st Sehwag and Jayewardene, and later Pietersen struck the large blows against almost the total of Mumbai’s bowling attack. But really, the writing was on the wall when Sehwag and Jayawardene joint for 135 runs in just 13.1 overs for the opening wicket.

Dinesh Karthik missed a stumping of Sehwag, off Robin Peterson; when the batsman was on 40, and the slip cost Mumbai over 30 expensive runs as the Delhi skipper went on to steal the attack with disdain.

Delhi Daredevils beat Pune Warriors

PUNE: Just four wickets fell, equitably divided across the 2 innings, and in the end Delhi Daredevils paid Pune Warriors back in the same coin, avenge a recent home beating to the same team with an 8-wicket away win at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.

Virender Sehwag, speedy approaches top form – if not there already – made mincemeat of the 147 target, with a strutting unbeaten 87, as none of Sourav Ganguly’s tricks and ploys appears to work. Delhi overhauls the target with four overs to spare when the skipper swung Rahul Sharma for his 3rd six of the match.

Not once was Delhi tested, except possibly for a stray few moments when Sehwag left Mahela Jayewardene in the lurch, because the Sri Lankan’s run out early in the chase. But the Delhi skipper more than made up for the lapse with a display of aggressive batting after that, single-handedly takes his team across the line with ten boundaries and 3 sixes.

Earlier, Pune Warriors elected to bat and reached a reputable total – thorugh an unbeaten 145-run stand in 18.4 overs for the 3rd wicket- despite losing Jesse Ryder and Ganguly within the 1st2 overs of their innings. Manish Pandey (80) and Robin Uthappa (60) stepped up to be count; yanking Pune out from their hole and bringing them back to the brink of competitiveness.

They had to counter tight bowling from Delhi’s 2 left-arm spinners – Shahbaz Nadeem and Pawan Negi – who bowled their 8 overs for just 44 runs. But once the 2 were bowled out, Pune’s batsmen looked to up the tempo. Pandey struck 3 sixes, but was dropped at least 2 times (on 20 and 44) during his knock, before bring up his half-century in 40 balls. Uthappa was quite more watchful. He reaches his 50 in 52 balls, allowing his more frenetic partner to get the fast runs.

The last 4 overs of Pune Warriors innings yielded 47 runs, as the home team sough to break the shackles of their slow start. Pandey clouted a six off Irfan Pathan and following boundaries off Umesh Yadav. Uthappa too selected up steam, punch fours off Morne Morkel, who, in anticipation of then, had bowled inexpensively.

Pune’s last gasp hard work heaved them to 146-2, a totality that was no match for Sehwag in his present state of mind.

Player of the match

Virender Sehwag

Today Match

Kings XI v Mum Indians at Mohali 

Apr 25, 2012 (16:00 local | 10:30 GMT)

RCB v Super Kings at Bangalore

Apr 25, 2012 (20:00 local | 14:30 GMT)

Kevin Petersen century helped Daredevils win the match

DELHI: Delhi Daredevils rode on Kevin Petersen’s chance century to emerge 5-wicket winners over Deccan Chargers at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, on Thursday.

The win was Delhi’s 4th in 5 games season, while for Chargers the result was their 4th successive loss. The England superstar Kevin Petersen 9 sixes in his 64-ball 103 – as Delhi chased down the 158 target with 5 balls to spare – but was dropped 3 times (on 6, 68 and 94) in the course of his tempestuous knock.

Delhi buckled under the must early in their chase. They were 23-3 in the 5th over, with Naman Ojha, Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayewardene back in the pavilion, as Dale Steyn (4-0-19-2) came up with another brilliant spell. But Pietersen soon take charge, taking Amit Mishra to the cleaners and then going on a six-hitting spree against J.P. Duminy in the 13th over. Three huge sixes later, Duminy had the chance to get his man, but spilled a return catch that was coming to him at a rate of knot.

Soon, the necessary rate was pulled down to convenient proportions, and one more drop of Pietersen, this time by Sangakkara, permitted Delhi to reach the target without more ado. Earlier, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (4-0-16-3) kept up his excellent work and, in tandem with South Africa paceman Morne Morkel (4-0-23-3) limited Deccan Chargers to 157-8 after they had selected to bat.

Chargers made a rapid start during Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, who added 71 in 41 balls for the 2nd wicket, and had reached 101 in 11 overs before it all started to fall apart. A big score look on the cards, but Nadeem drag the visitors each it looked to pull away. The left-armer picked up a wicket in each of his 1st 3 overs as no other batsmen spent sufficient time in the center to make an impact.

Dhawan worthless a glorious starts when he was missed in front going for a repeal sweep against Nadeem. Parthiv kept going at the other end, and reached his insistent peak in the 11th over – bowled by Umesh Yadav – biff a six and slashing straight to 3rd-man to be caught. Parthiv benefit from a stay of execution as the release was called a no-ball for height, and received another life when Pietersen dropped him at fine-leg in the next over.

The little keeper-batsman was lastly caught by Jayewardene at deep square leg. Bharat Chipli throws his bat roughly for a precious 25, massacring Ajit Agarwal for boundaries to take the score past 150, before Morne Morkel return to clean up the tail. The South Africa fast had Abhhishek Jhunjhunwala caught after, while Dale Steyn hit his countryman directly to Sehwag at cover.

The sub-160 total may just have tested Delhi, especially after the early loss of 3 wickets, but Petersen’s blazing, albeit chancy, hundred ensured that the home team romped home with 5 balls to spare.

Man of the match:

Kevin Pietersen

All-round Daredevils easy win the match.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils overwhelmed caring champions Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, on Tuesday, as Kevin Pietersen commence his agreement with the home team with a match-winning cameo.

England’s batsman struck a breezy 43 to help Delhi chase down the 111-run target with 40 balls to spare, after Virender Sehwag selected to field. Chennai had stagger to the paltry total after having endured 4 run-outs in their innings, and the result was never in doubt once Naman Ojha began Delhi Daredevils pursuit with three successive 4 off Albie Morkel.

When Sehwag return briefly to his blistering best for a 21-ball 33 – inclusive of a ripper off Morkel over extra-cover – the hosts were before now halfway across the line. The captain was wedged trying to hit R. Ashwin – who was introduced in the 4th over – out of the park. But the pair that follows kept up the scoring rate, even as Dhoni threw the ball to his trusty tweakers to stem the flow of runs.

It was then the turn of Delhi’s overseas reinforcement – Pietersen and Mahela Jayewardene – to substantiate their fat pay cheques. Pietersen did it in style; step out to butcher Ravindra Jadeja into the 2nd tier and staying back in the crease to slap the same bowler during cover. At the other end, Jayewardene was his usual classy self, as the duo added 61 in 44 balls to deliver a complete win to their team.

Earlier, Chennai started with a run-out and suffer from three more brain-freezes as their innings failed to take off. A top-score of 22, by Dwayne Bravo, ‘featured’ in the caring champion’s sorry batting performance on a humid ground and on what appear to be a midly 2-paced track – this after the match was late by about half-hour due to technical issues about the lights behind the sight-screen.

The yellow team was in trouble right away. Non-striker M. Vijay responded 1st ball to a FAF du Plessis call and was left stuck at the wrong end when the South African backed out of the single. Du Plessis struck a few blows next to Irfan Pathan, but was caught attempt to clear cover off Morne Morkel – later affirmed man-of-the-match for figures of 4-0-19-2. Suresh Raina was good for 2 sixes – including a shocking pull from outside off to over mid-wicket against Pathan – before he become the innings’ 2nd run-out, when Nagar shot in a fast return from point.

More wickets followed. S.Badrinath (15) was – you guess it - run-out and Jadeja (13) fell to a stunning catch by Ojha last the wicket. Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo set about a course alteration as the left-arm rotating pair of Roelof van der Merwe and Shahbaz Nadeem cut off the runs, bowling 7overs between them for just 24 runs.

Chennai crawl to 80-5 at the end of the 15th over. Dhoni was out trying to power the pace and the only event of note that occur in the last stages was the 4th run-out – that of Ashwin, as Chennai shut shop at 110 - a total devoid of any danger, as Delhi proved when they took strike.

Today Matches

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals 

Match 12, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00 PM IST

I am Ready To IBL.Said Sehwag

New Delhi: Virender Sehwag is not unduly perturbed by India's way out from the Asia Cup. The opener, who will lead Delhi Daredevils in the 4th Indian Premier League, said on Wednesday that win and defeat were part of any sport.

I was not in Dhaka...So I would not like to commentary on what really happen over there. Overall, I think that India did well to beat two big teams — Sri Lanka and Pakistan — expansively.

We lost only one match to Bangladesh...And the match, at last, cost us dearly. But Bangladesh are in excellent form and are perfectly talented of beating any team in the world right now, he said.

Sehwag, who was talking during the opening of the Delhi Daredevils' official website in Hindi, said one should not see too much into India's defeat in England and Australia. The Daredevils skipper said he would have been happy to be current in the Indian dressing room when Sachin Tendulkar slams his 100th international century against Bangladesh.

Being part of that dressing room itself is a great honour. To be current during Sachin's getting would have been an added incentive, said the opener, who is improving from a shoulder injury.

Asked to commentary on his own health, Sehwag said: The rest period optional by the doctor is over. Now, I am working on my health and I should be there to play the 1st match of the IPL.