Thursday 29 May 2014

Chennai seek their sixth final, Punjab their first


Punjab was the one team Chennai failed to outclass in both attempts in the league stages.

Match facts
Friday, May 30, 2014
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)
All-or-nothing for both teams. (IANS)Big Picture
Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab have contrasting IPL histories. While Super Kings have made it past the group stage in all seven seasons - and five finals - Kings XI are yet to make a final. Their best showing was reaching the semis in 2008. The difference is stark though Kings XI, with their revamped squad, look formidable.
Kings XI was the one team Super Kings failed to outclass in both attempts in the league stages. They have one more chance to rectify that - in the second playoff. Super Kings' weak link - the bowling - was highlighted in both games as Kings XI posted 200-plus scores. The teams had contrasting fortunes on Wednesday, with Super Kings riding on momentum after brushing aside Mumbai Indians comfortably.
Super Kings could have been chasing in excess of 190, had it not been for the control shown by their bowlers, stifling the batsmen with variations in pace, and careless batting by Mumbai towards the end of their innings. MS Dhoni blamed poor catching as one of the reasons for their sudden three-match blip ahead of the playoffs. They had managed to set that right in their last two games and approach their second knockout game feeling more positive. Batting was never going to be Super Kings' worry. If their bowling can hold it together, Super Kings are likely to be in their sixth final in seven seasons.
Having exhausted a lifeline, Kings XI have their second shot at the final. A listless performance with the bat against Kolkata Knight Riders might have indicated they were running out of steam, but if they weren't compelled to keep an eye on Duckworth-Lewis, the script could have been different. The batsmen were flustered by the threat of a washout and the need to keep up with the par score and yet preserve wickets, but with every passing over, Knight Riders' superior bowling pinned them down. Consistency has been the hallmark of Kings XI's campaign and they have not lost two games in a row. Having come this far, they cannot afford another bad day for it will thwart their first final appearance.
Form guide
Chennai Super Kings WWLLL
Kings XI Punjab LWWLW
League meetings
In the first meeting, in Abu Dhabi, sixties by Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum powered Super Kings to 205 but the target was cut down to size in spectacular fashion by Kings XI's Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell's switch hits and reverse sweeps stunned Super Kings as he smashed 95 off 43 balls, David Miller made a clinical 54 as Kings XI coasted with an over to spare. It wasn't the last Super Kings saw of Maxwell.
In Cuttack, a "home" game for Kings XI, Maxwell carried on from where he finished, pounding 90 off 38 balls to lift Kings XI to the season highest 231. Super Kings never threatened the target but still managed 187.
Watch out for...
Sixty-four runs off 24 balls at a strike-rate of 266.67 - that's Maxwell v Ashwin in IPL 2014. R Ashwin is yet to dismiss him and as those figures suggest, it has been one-way traffic. Ashwin has compulsively bowled round the wicket to the right-handers and bowling on the pads to create an awkward angle but Maxwell so far has made a mockery of it. But after Super Kings' win over Mumbai on Wednesday, Ashwin had a message for Maxwell on camera. Though the interview had finished, Ashwin alerted the interviewer for a postscript. He said he would bowl over the wicket to Maxwell, as if throwing open a challenge.
Parvinder Awana has had a stop-start IPL campaign and in his five games, has taken a wicket in each except the first qualifier. However, Kings XI's Sandeep Sharma is still among the top five wicket-takers for the season but has been benched in the last few games. With the game in Mumbai, swing could be a factor. Mumbai Indians' Praveen Kumar troubled Dwayne Smith at the Wankhede earlier this month with his swing. That could encourage Sandeep's inclusion, for he is a bowler in the Praveen mould.
Stats and trivia
  • Kings XI and Super Kings have the most successful bowling attacks in this IPL (in terms of wickets taken). Super Kings have taken 85 wickets while Kings XI's have taken 93 wickets. All other teams have taken less than 80 wickets
  • Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith have scored 513 runs while batting together in 12 innings in this IPL (average 42.75) - more than any other pair. David Miller and Glenn Maxwell have only batted together in half the number of innings (6), but have scored 385 runs (average 64.16) - the third highest for any pair.
Quotes
"We have handled pressure well in the last seven years of the IPL. When you have a skipper like MS Dhoni at the helm and Stephen Fleming as your coach, we learn to handle pressure well."
Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina hopes his team can continue to do so in the remaining games
"We did not bat the way we're capable of and not many of our batsman got a score of 40, I think that led to our downfall."
Kings XI coach Sanjay Bangar on what went wrong against Knight Riders
ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Wednesday 28 May 2014

Kolkata through to final after Punjab unravel


A target of 164 was complicated by rain and Kolkata’s attack exploited a suddenly anxious Punjab batting line-up to canter into the Indian T20 League final.



Robin Uthappa got yet another 40-plus score. (BCCI Photo)


Robin Uthappa prolonged a stellar season and took the record for the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an IPL season. Gautam Gambhir, though scratchy with the bat, had helmed an impressive turnaround by Kolkata Knight Riders. The satisfaction of an eighth successive victory was sweetened all the more when both players returned into national reckoning. Knight Riders eased into the IPL final, Uthappa found a place for the ODI tour of Bangladesh and Gambhir could contemplate a Test comeback in England.

Rain tends to favour chasing teams, if it's impact is expected. On Wednesday, sunny skies welcomed Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders but as the evening waned, the weather soured. Kings XI would not have been flustered by a target of 164, but the advent of a non-stop drizzle in the third over meant they had to tackle one of the wilier bowling attacks with the prospect of the match being curtailed at any given moment. Having fallen behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation, one of the most assured batting line-ups suddenly looked out of their depth, but they have another crack on Friday when they meet the winner of the eliminator.

The jitters began when Manan Vohra, empowered by a few solid hits, miscued to long-on. His 26 off 19 had originally put Kings XI ahead on the rain rule but now they were four runs behind par. Glenn Maxwell's attempts to dance around the crease to upset the bowler's rhythm backfired when he was found plumb in front. Kings XI were 11 behind and the downward spiral steepened.

Umesh Yadav was not among those bound for England in July. His chosen way to vent was an opening spell of 2 for 12 in three overs. As rain persisted, the batsmen were uncertain regarding the length of the match and the approach they should employ. If they took undue risks and the game ended up lasting the 20 overs, they could end up without enough batsmen. If they didn't press on, Knight Riders would clinch the game with ease.Umesh Yadav had a good outing with the ball. (BCCI Photo)

Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller flailed at the crease, attempting to hit on the up and hack across the line, and by the time their struggle came to an end their side was more than 20 runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation.

With the umpires doing their best to ensure a full game - at one point they waved the invading groundsmen off the field to ensure five overs of the chase were completed - the Knight Riders spinners continued the strangle. Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla grabbed a wicket, while conceding only 11 runs in three overs, as Kings XI meandered to 97 for 6 in after 16 overs. George Bailey attempted a counterattack, but Sunil Narine kept the penultimate over to four runs to all but seal the result.

Spin had played a prominent part in the first innings as well. Akshar Patel snared the in-form Robin Uthappa and a struggling Manish Pandey in the same over. Karanveer Singh furthered his stocks with three wickets. However, in between their strikes Knight Riders had benefited from important cameos to secure a formidable total.

Uthappa was at his fluent best again, depositing Mitchell Johnson and Parvinder Awana into the crowd with authoritative pulls. Having showcased his skills off the back foot, he drilled some eye-catching drives both through and over the off side field to fuel his 10th 40-plus score on the trot. His exit however seemed to drain Knight Riders' momentum until Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan contributed 41 off 33 balls in the push towards the death overs.

Both batsmen fell just before a 20-minute break for rain, but Chawla, Suryakumar Yadav and Ryan ten Doeschate managed 49 runs in the final four overs to provide more than enough cushion for their bowling attack.


© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Chennai scupper Mumbai's title defence


MR. RELIABLE: Suresh Raina has been the most consistent batsman across IPL seasons.

MUMBAI: Trust Chennai Super Kings to turn it on when they have to. Faced with elimination in the, well, ‘Eliminator’, MS Dhoni’s team cruised past defending champions Mumbai Indians without so much as a rivulet of sweat staining their yellow jerseys. Well not quite, as is to be expected in humid Mumbai, but Chennai drew on their reputation of a big-match team on Wednesday night to romp into 'Qualifier 2', in which they will play Kings XI Punjab for the right to meet Kolkata Knight Riders in the June 1 final of IPL-7.

After restricting Mumbai to a below-par 173 at Brabourne Stadium, Chennai looked to the one who has played in every single match for the franchise to mastermind the chase. Suresh Raina, named captain of India for the ODI tour of Bangladesh, celebrated the new role by hammering yet another IPL fifty, a 33-ball 54. It was a knock that minded a tricky chase that could have gone wrong at any point in the first ten overs, especially during a critical phase during which spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha threatened to rip through on a pitch offering assistance. 

Dhoni’s choice to field did not seem to be a wise one after Mumbai openers Michael Hussey and Lendl Simmons had put on 54 in the Powerplay. Not that Chennai batting first would have ensured victory – far from it – but still the value of runs on the board in a knock out game cannot be overstated. Mumbai’s total (173) was a reasonable one - KKR had comfortably defended ten fewer at Eden Gardens against a marauding Kings XI in the afternoon – and although Chennai bore the reputation of being supreme finishers, it was not going to be an easy chase.

MISSED CHANCES
Faf du Plessis (35) and Dwayne Smith (24) made the most of their chances to lay a foundation and took Super Kings to 60 without loss in 6 overs. An umpiring howler denied Praveen Kumar’s gorgeous in-swinger the wicket of Smith. Harbhajan and Ambati Rayudu then made an absolute mess of a du Plessis top-edge over square leg. But if the off-spinner was half responsible for the gaffe he can claim full responsibility for redeeming the situation. Immediately after the Powerplay, Bhajji removed both the openers.

Brendon McCullum, just returned from paternal duties in New Zealand, was dropped at long-on only to be stumped off Ojha's next delivery. David Hussey struggled to counter the spinners. He scratched around for five off ten balls, but when medium pace was reintroduced in the form of Bumrah, Hussey cut authoritatively for his first boundary. A spate of sixes in Ojha's last over followed and Hussey finished with a 29-ball 40, having featured in a game-changing partnership of 89 in 9.1 overs with Raina. The end came when Raina, fittingly, flicked the fourth ball of the 18th over to the fence for the winning runs.
REINED IN AT THE DEATH

Mumbai were 143/2 in the 17th over with Simmons (67) having hit top-gear soon after reaching a half-century, but gathered just 30 from the remaining 20 balls amid a torrent of wickets. Their chain of heavy hitters - Corey Anderson, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Aditya Tare - were all out forcing the pace. But none of them wasted time as they contributed a total of 56 in 38 balls. The final push however never arrived and the innings rode almost entirely on the momentum of the 76-run opening stand between Michael Hussey and Simmons.

Sent in by MSD, the vengeful Michael took on his former franchise, which now included his brother David, by wading into seamer Mohit Sharma and slapping offie R Ashwin for six. An equally belligerent Simmons was not to be outdone. The West Indian punished Ishwar Pandey’s frequent errors and omissions in length and stunned Mohit with a searing six over square-leg.  On a day on which both medium pacers made the India squads to England and Bangladesh, Mohit and Pandey had little else to celebrate. 

ALSO SEE: MATCH PICTURES
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BATTING STATISTICS


BOWLING STATISTICS

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2014 STANDINGS

2014 STANDINGS

PosTeamMatWonLostTiedN/RNet RRForAgainstPtsLast 5
Q
KXIP		1411300+0.9682427/268.32229/276.122
Q
KKR		149500+0.4182125/264.02110/276.318
Q
CSK		149500+0.3852272/272.02178/273.218
Q
MI		147700+0.0952180/271.32170/273.314
5
RR		147700+0.0602155/269.52164/273.014
6
SRH		146800-0.3992102/263.42136/255.112
7
RCB		145900-0.4282093/273.52163/268.010
8
DD		1421200-1.1821980/263.22184/251.04
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