First IPL qualifier postponed due to rain

Incessant rain in Kolkata has caused the authorities to postpone Qualifier 1 to 4 pm on Wednesday.

STORM ALERT: What's worse is that there is a storm forecast for Kolkata on Wednesday.

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab IPL qualifier at Eden Gardens has been postponed to Wednesday due to torrential rain in Kolkata. The match will be played at 4 pm, while the eliminator in Mumbai, between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, will be played at 8 pm as scheduled.

If the weather or ground conditions do not permit a full game in Kolkata on Wednesday as well, overs will be reduced till it is a five-over-a-side affair. If even that is not possible, as per the playing conditions, the winner will be decided via a Super Over. The latest the Super Over can begin is 9.10 pm.

If that, too, is ruled out, then the side which finished the league stage with more wins - that is, Kings XI - will go through to the final. Thundershowers "in spots" are forecast for Kolkata for Wednesday.

The ground had been fully under covers and the outfield was under ankle-deep water in places due to torrential rain lashing the city, PTI reported. At 5.15 pm, umpires Nigel Llong and S Ravi inspected the ground with curator Prabir Mukherjee and decided that it was impossible for it to be made match-fit in time for even a five-overs-a-side game today, prompting the early postponement.

"Ticket-holders who purchased tickets for the original match day will be able to enter the stadium on Wednesday on presentation of their original ticket (with the bar code intact) at the turnstiles. Gates will open at 2.00 pm," PTI quoted the IPL's media advisory as saying. "Refunds will only be made to ticket purchasers if the match is cancelled without a ball being bowled."

AFTER GROUND INSPECTION
“Match referee Roshan Mahanama has announced the cancellation of the match because of rain. He made the decision after inspecting the ground along with the umpires. The match will now be played Wednesday,” Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Subir Ganguly said.

The match has now been scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday. The organisers have also announced that tickets for the original match day (Tuesday) will be valid for Wednesday. Refunds will only be made to ticket purchasers if the match is cancelled without a ball being bowled.

Both the teams had to cancel their match-eve practice Monday after the Eden Gardens was lashed with rain. The scenario remained the same Tuesday with the ground getting soaked following frequent spells of rain.

If it is not possible to complete the Qualifier 1, Kings XI, having finished on top of the league, will advance through to the final to be played in Bangalore June 1 while Knight Riders will play the Qualifier 2 May 30 against the winner of the Eliminator.

Magnificent Mumbai storm into play-offs

Mumbai Indians' campaign, which had begun so disastrously in the UAE, culminated in the most fairy-tale of finishes at the Wankhede.

COREY ANDERSON showed Mumbai fans what all that hype was all about.

MUMBAI: The scenes at the Wankhede Stadium were scarcely believable as Mumbai Indians' turnaround of a campaign that had begun so disastrously culminated in the most fairy-tale of finishes. As Aditya Tare swung his first ball - James Faulkner's leg-stump full toss - over long leg to give Mumbai the boundary they needed to claw into the playoffs, Rahul Dravid rose from the dugout and flung his Rajasthan Royals cap to the ground as the team he was mentoring completed the most spectacular of meltdowns to lose an un-loseable game.

The shambles that caused Dravid to lose his temper would have broken less-composed men much sooner. Despite the mad-scientist experiments in their last few matches, Royals had gone into this game with a hand full of aces. Mumbai Indians, having decided to chase, needed to achieve whatever target they were set in 14.3 overs to get ahead on net run rate. Royals set them 190.

Corey Anderson, whom Mumbai picked in place of fast bowler Marchant de Lange, played the attack-shredding innings he had been bought to play but had failed to produce so far in the tournament. However, when Mumbai needed nine off three deliveries to win in 14.3 overs and qualify for the playoffs, Anderson could manage only a single off Faulkner's first to move to 95 off 44 balls and take his place at the non-striker's end.

Faulkner had eight runs to defend off two balls, but that equation lurched heavily in favour of Mumbai when he delivered a leg-stump full toss that Ambati Rayudu smacked over the long-leg boundary. Rayudu then mis-timed what should have been the decisive ball of the match into the covers and would have been run out had Shane Watson hit at the bowler's end. But the throw was inaccurate and Rayudu was eventually run out attempting the overthrow that would have given Mumbai all they needed.

WATSON'S HORRENDOUS MATCH

That moment in the field capped a horrendous match for the Royals captain. Watson's timing had been incredibly poor during his struggle for 8 off 18 balls after opening the innings, and then he conceded 33 off two wicketless overs. As Mumbai began building the momentum of a runaway train, Watson looked listless and frazzled, and at times Brad Hodge was seen marshalling fielders to their positions.

As Rayudu sank to his knees after his dismissal, gutted because he thought Mumbai had fallen so agonisingly short, chaos broke out around him. Calculators went to work off the field, the batsmen and fielders crowded the umpires for clarification, and play halted for several minutes.

Some Royals players had begun to celebrate - 14.3 overs had been bowled and the scores were only tied, Mumbai had not won - but substitutes ran out with the message that it was not done yet. If Mumbai hit a boundary off the next ball, they would make it. And then Faulkner bowled an staggeringly loose full toss, Tare hit it for six, got in Watson's face, tugged his jersey over her head and celebrated like a footballer. Beyond the boundary, Dravid threw down his cap.

HERO OF THE NIGHT

The hero on the night was the man striding off the field, chest puffed, and wearing a smile as broad as his shoulders. Anderson had played only because Mumbai were in desperate need of men who could hit a long ball. His team-mates - Lendl Simmons, Michael Hussey, Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma - came out swinging but soon ran out of steam. Anderson's guns never stopped firing.

 Coming in at 19 for 1, he hammered his first ball - from Watson - to the cover boundary and pulled his second into the crowd beyond deep midwicket. Anderson then watched Kevon Cooper york Hussey and pocket Pollard with a slower ball. Cooper conceded only four runs in the seventh over, leaving Mumbai needing 115 off 45 balls to qualify. They scored more than 14 in all but two of the remaining overs, and never less than 11.

Anderson slog-swept Tambe's legbreaks and googlies to and over the deep-midwicket boundary and repeatedly pummeled the seamers between long on and long off. Only 11 of his 95 runs came behind the wicket. In Rayudu, Anderson found an equally aggressive partner and they put on 81 in 5.1 overs. When Mumbai needed 51 off 21, Rayudu hit three fours and Anderson a fourth in a Watson over to turn the game. Cooper, Tambe and Faulkner were entrusted with the remaining overs to delay Mumbai beyond 14.3, but a battered Royals outfit had no self-belief. Mumbai had it all.

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Punjab seal top spot, Rajasthan bungle qualification chance

IPL7, GAME 52—Royals miss chance to close the race to the playoffs in 16-run defeat.

Dhawan's wickets, including Watson first ball, swung the game decisively.

Kings XI Punjab ensured they would finish top of the table with their tenth win of the season, handing a comprehensive defeat to Rajasthan Royals. The result kept the final playoff spot open, with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad's hopes alive, along with Royals', going into the final round of matches.

All of the Kings XI top six, without the rested Glenn Maxwell, contributed to push them to 179 for 4 after they were asked to bat. Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra provided the initial boost, Shaun Marsh and Wriddhiman Saha kept them going in the middle stages, and David Miller and George Bailey powered away to a big finish.

Barring a shortlived starting surge from Karun Nair, Royals were never allowed to get ahead in the chase. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson were tied down, before Rishi Dhawan broke through with the wickets of Rahane and Shane Watson off successive deliveries. Legspinner Karanveer Singh, on IPL debut, struck twice in successive overs as Royals slid to 83 for 5 at the start of the 14th over, a position from which there was no coming back.

Kings XI pulled ahead early when Sehwag started with three successive boundaries in the first over off seamer Vikramjeet Malik, who was playing his first match of the season. Sehwag fell soon for 18 off 8, and Manan Vohra took over. Vohra was in superb touch again, a smooth pick-up off Watson ending up way over the deep midwicket boundary. But Vohra ran himself out in careless fashion after Kings XI had built a solid base of 53 for 1 in six overs.

There was little let-up in the scoring though as Wriddhiman Saha pulled and paddled Pravin Tambe for consecutive fours. Saha and Marsh kept finding at least a boundary an over against the legspinners Tambe and Tewatia. Even as Kings XI motored past 100, Marsh fell against the run of play, lofting Malik to long-on, before there was a short delay due to a drizzle.

Only 20 runs came in four overs after the break, and Kings XI also lost Saha to a well-judged take on the straight boundary from Rahane off Tewatia. At 133 for 4 after 17 overs, Kings XI were still in need of a final assault, and Miller and Bailey provided it. James Faulkner was taken for 23 in the penultimate over as 46 came off the last three.

Rahane struggled to score freely and though Samson began with a couple of boundaries, the partnership was always facing a climbing asking-rate. Dhawan's double-strike in the ninth over hurt Royals, and Karanveer slowed them down further with aggressive, accurate legspin.

Again, Brad Hodge and Faulkner came in with too much to do and too little time available. They tried their best, hitting frenetic thirties. It was credit to them that they brought down the margin of defeat significantly when 77 were needed off the last four. Faulkner kept slamming sixes till the very end, and it was a pity he could face only 13 deliveries.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd. (CYCIPL)

Warner, Dhawan smash Chennai, keep Hyderabad alive

IPL-7 GAME 50—Hyderabad move to 12 points after convincing win chasing 186.

Warner made 90 in 45 balls as Hyderabad chased a steep target.

Sunrisers Hyderabad needed to win this game in Ranchi to avoid elimination and David Warner's punishing innings secured the two points that took his team to fifth place in the league. Chennai Super Kings' third successive defeat weakened their hold on second place, and narrowed the gap between them and the other contenders Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

While Super Kings relied on three batsmen to achieve a formidable total, Sunrisers needed only one to gun it down. By the time Warner was done, the game was all but won, and Shikhar Dhawan saw Sunrisers through to the finish with an unbeaten half-century that was the ideal foil to his aggressive opening partner.

Everything seemed to fall in place for Sunrisers at the start of the chase. Warner, who had scored 59 in his previous innings, began in high gear and received generous helpings of loose deliveries from Mohit Sharma and R Ashwin. He got the lion's share of the strike too, with Dhawan playing only 11 balls in the Powerplay, and powered Sunrisers to 64 in six overs.

With the pitch offering no movement for the seamers, Mohit gave Warner several opportunities to free his arms and paid the price by watching the ball disappear between point and cover. Unlike the previous game in Ranchi, there was no turn tonight either, and Warner was able to hit Ashwin down the ground without risk. The serious acceleration came in the sixth over, from John Hastings on season debut, when Warner collected five boundaries in the Vs behind and in front of the wicket to pass fifty off 25 deliveries.

The other Super Kings spinners - Ravindra Jadeja and Pawan Negi - were also punished by Warner and by the time he dragged Hastings on for 90 off 45 balls, Sunrisers needed only 70 off 52 balls.

Having contributed only 22 to the opening stand of 116, Dhawan now took over, finding the leg side boundary with regularity against the spinners to get to 50 off 40 balls. Though Sunrisers lost three wickets in 12 balls towards the end, the asking rate was entirely under control, and Dhawan ensured the job was done.

Given how rough the game was on the bowlers, the period between the seventh and 14th overs in the Super Kings innings was an understated yet defining period of play. Dwayne Smith had set off at cracking speed and Super Kings had scored 60 in the Powerplay, but the next eight overs yielded only 40 runs for two wickets, as MS Dhoni and David Hussey bided their time. Hussey was on 15 off 19 balls and Dhoni on 11 from 19, when they decided to accelerate, but perhaps they could have done more with the time they took to consolidate a powerful start.

Once they flicked the switch, though, Hussey and Dhoni were unstoppable. They targeted the gentle seam of Irfan Pathan and Darren Sammy, and the speed of Dale Steyn, alike. Five of the last six overs went for more than ten, and Dhoni saved his best for the end. He was striking at less than a run a ball at the start of the 20th over, but deposited Steyn's first ball over the midwicket boundary. Another six and a brace of fours followed as Dhoni took 24 off the final over - no batsman has scored more in a Steyn over in Twenty20 cricket.

However, while the Super Kings may have left their surge too late on a placid surface, Warner wasted no time at all and won the game.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd. (CYCIPL)

Simmons' magnificent ton helps Mumbai do the double over Punjab

Lendl Simmons' unbeaten century saw Mumbai easily overhaul the 157-run target and jump to fifth on the table.

Lendl Simmons: The first three-figure score of the ongoing season of the Indian T20 League. (BCCI Photo)

Scorecard | Action in Images | ‘Calm’ Sehwag has helped: Vohra | Five teams, two spots | Full Coverage

Lendl Simmons walked in with a strike-rate of 115 this season. It would have been adequate considering Mumbai Indians' target was a relatively unchallenging 157. But he had other responsibilities to fulfill: Mumbai's chances at a playoff spot not only depended on wins in every match they play, they would also need to drub their oppositions. He responded with the first century of the season, lifting Mumbai to as high as fifth in the table.

Mumbai wavered from their course as the need to gain points on run-rate took a backseat to Simmons' landmark. His own nervousness contributed to a lull in scoring and sympathetic team-mates, including the big-hitting Kieron Pollard - blocked for him. The chase was well under their control and victory could have been theirs well earlier but they waited for Simmons. Once the necessary single was taken calmly through square leg, Pollard immediately slammed the final ball of the 18th over into the crowd beyond long-on.

Simmons drew impressive power from swift hands and a steady base. The cut was a frequent source of boundaries as he accounted for 55 of the opening partnership's 68. Kings XI Punjab were unable to keep to one side of the wicket which allowed Simmons to unleash an array of slog-sweeps and lashes down the ground to maintain a run-rate of nearly 10 for the majority of their innings, well north of the requisite 7.85. In the midst of a indifferent season, Mumbai have beaten the most dominant team of the season twice and that confidence will be vital as they still need to win their two remaining games by a considerable margin to stay alive.

The target seemed set to be far steeper in the wake of Virender Sehwag employing his see-ball-hit-ball-forget-about-feet method with telling effect. He had taken Kings XI to 23 after two overs, but a freak run-out left Sehwag ruing another start not capitalised on.

Manan Vohra and Shaun Marsh, playing his first game of the season in place of the rested David Miller, weathered a brief spell of swing with the new ball. Their prudence was rewarded when spin was introduced. There were cracks on the Mohali pitch, but initial waywardness from Shreyas Gopal and Pragyan Ojha cost 51 in four overs. With their most potent weapon, Glenn Maxwell, still in the shed, Kings XI were primed for another assault.

But as had happened in the previous encounter between the two sides, the middle order was stymied and then sent back. Krishmar Santokie broke the 64-run stand for the second wicket as Marsh holed out. Gopal's legspin was persisted with and the gamble proved dividends as Vohra and Maxwell were pried out.

A slow pitch and a sudden dearth of big-hitters pushed Kings XI into a prolonged state of caution. Noticeable acceleration took as late as the 18th over and George Bailey strove towards a score that might offer some justice to their start. The eventual 156 did not, nor was it good enough.


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Power-packed Punjab cruise into play-offs

MATCH 45: Manan Vohra's fireworks were enough for Punjab to seal a last-over win at the Kotla.

Manan Vohra's momentum saw Punjab through.

Kings XI Punjab became the first team to confirm their seat in the playoffs with a four-wicket win over bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils, but what should have been a comfortable chase turned into a scramble for the finish line. Against the best chasing team in the competition, Daredevils had to come up with their best batting effort but they frittered away a strong platform in the last four overs to post 164. Kings XI also suffered a few hiccups after a typically blistering start and despite experimenting with their batting order, got home in the final over with two balls to spare.

An impetuous shot by George Bailey - caught in the deep in the penultimate over - gave Daredevils a sniff and it came down to nine needed off the last over. Akshar Patel, the unlikely hero with the bat for Kings XI, was well set on 41 off 34 balls when Rishi Dhawan joined him. The pair ensured there were no dot balls in the final over from Wayne Parnell to pile on the pressure, and with four needed off three Dhawan pulled to the deep midwicket boundary to seal the win.

Kings XI's openers, Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra blazed 67 off 6.2 overs with Vohra the more dominant partner. Vohra's sixes down the ground stood out, particularly the back foot punch off Mohammad Shami that sailed over deep cover. But in trying to clear Imran Tahir, he found M Vijay at long-off and went for 42 off 19 balls.

It was another of those days in which Glenn Maxwell and David Miller failed. Both fell trying to attack the spinners - Maxwell off Tahir and Miller off JP Duminy. Kings XI were comfortably placed at 95 for 4 off ten overs but they yet again had a contingency in the event of a Miller-Maxwell no-show. Interestingly, Bailey promoted Akshar over himself and it wasn't a bad ploy.

NOT BOGGED DOWN

Akshar ensured he never got bogged down, looking for singles and keeping the required rate within manageable levels. Having moved to 18 off 19 balls, he had a productive over off Parnell, fetching three boundaries, though he was lucky when an inswinging yorker deflected off his pad to third man. It was adjacent to the stump and yet, given as runs. A six off Jaydev Unadkat brought it down to 11 off 12 but there was still room for drama and the capacity crowd at the Kotla had to see the home team slump to its seventh straight defeat.

After being put in, Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Karthik were commanding in their stand of 71 for the second wicket. Karthik was not afraid to play audacious shots off the seamers, such as his sweep off Sandeep Sharma that went flat over square leg. Pietersen took 18 off an over from Beuran Hendricks and by the end of ten overs Daredevils were at a comfortable 84 for 1.

Just when a maiden tournament fifty was there for the taking, Pietersen fell to his old nemesis - the left-arm spinner. Batting on 49, he faced Akshar and played down the wrong line off one that turned and beat the bat. Karthik meanwhile was dominant against the spinners, lofting exquisitely down the ground.

Daredevils took 30 off overs 15 and 16 but it started going downhill with a spurt of wickets. Their best finishers, Duminy and Kedar Jadhav failed and the responsibility fell on Karthik for late acceleration. When Karthik departed for 69 caught at deep square leg, his was the fourth wicket to go down in the space of nine balls. Daredevils managed only 20 off the last three overs and in the end, fell short by at least another 15. [CYCIPL]

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Steady Kolkata shut out Sunrisers

GAME 43: Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate hold their nerve to pull off a testing 143-run chase.

THAT WINNING FEELING (SPORTZPICS)

UPPAL: Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerve on Sunday night to bring Sunrisers Hyderabad to the brink of elimination from IPL-7. The win also boosted Kolkata's own chances of slipping into the business end of the competition as the fourth-best team. After restricting Hyderabad to an under-inspiring 142/8 on a shimmering batting track at Uppal, Knight Riders maintained their focus against a world-class bowling line up to wrap up the chase with two balls to spare.

While Robin Uthappa’s colourful 40 and Manish Pandey’s somewhat disengaged 35 provided a solid platform to a moderate pursuit, it was Yusuf Pathan's and Ryan ten Doeshate’s 42-run stand for the fourth wicket that sealed the deal for a seven-wicket win. Pathan struck an impressive 28-ball 39 and ten Doeschate a timely 15-ball 25 as Kolkata boosted their chances of making the cut for the final four. Sunrisers now need to win their three remaining matches to have any hope of qualifying.

BOWLERS SET IT UP

Kolkata’s bowlers had earlier controlled the first innings like a dominatrix, giving just enough leeway to the batting side to allow the reeling in to be fun. Umesh Yadav, 3/26 and Man of the Match, was unrelentingly fast, Sunil Narine regulation puzzling while Piyush Chawla used the googly to good effect. Hyderabad relieved Dhawan of captaincy to let him focus solely on batting. Sammy thus returned, as captain. The move appeared to be an astute one – at least to start with.

Dhawan cracked four boundaries in his 19, but top-edged Narine to the deep attempting a heave-ho sweep - having just been beaten on the same shot – in the last over of the Powerplay. Hyderabad were 41/2 at the end of six overs. 

Uthappa's association with misses began in the first essay. He fluffed a stumping of Naman Ojha that allowed the batsman to get away for a couple of sixes. But it was really a fast-paced 34-run stand between David Warner and Lokesh Rahul that kept Sunrisers in the hunt for a decent total. The Aussie was stunning in his 18-ball 34, which included sixes off Morne Morkel and Shakib. Warner looked good for more when he struck Umesh brutally and straight into the hands of the mid-wicket fielder.

Hyderabad were on 104 then, In the remaining 40 deliveries, they scored just 38. The big responsibility then was on Sammy, but  it was curtains once the captain slogged out to a Shakib full-toss. Irfan Pathan ploughed a lone furrow as Umesh returned to bowl a brilliant last over, stamping the innings close with a swirling yorker into Steyn’s stumps.

GAMBHIR GOES FUMING
Kolkata’s chase began equally dramatically. Given caught behind after he flayed and apparently missed at a Steyn out-swinger in the second over of the chase, Gautam Gambhir stormed off in a huff of obscenity, leaving Uthappa in charge of on-field entertainment. 

Uthappa did not disappoint. He was dropped by Dhawan in the cover region off Steyn and responded by flicking the fast bowler casually for six. Then Mishra almost bowled him with a googly. Again, Uthappa replied by pulverizing the leg-spinner through the off-side. His knock ended on 40 when he dropped his bat trying to backtrack after an aborted single. Pandey’s wayward 35 too was interrupted with Kolkata some 40 adrift of victory. But Pathan and ten Doeschate ascertained that their team did not revert to ways of old with a nerveless partnership.

An IPL of two halves

IPL 2014 has been played in two parts: the first was in bowler-friendly conditions in the UAE, when batsmen struggled to post big scores and bowlers enjoyed the upper hand in what's usually a batsman-dominated game; since the tournament returned to India, though, regular service has resumed, with teams posting bigger totals, and the ball disappearing for sixes far more often. The bowlers probably aren't enjoying the Indian leg so much, but the batsmen - and the crowds - aren't complaining.

The stats for the two legs of the tournament show the difference quite clearly. In the UAE, the average run rate in 20 matches was 7.55; there were two totals of more than 200, but both of them came in the same game - the third of the tournament, between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. However, in 40 innings, there were only 12 totals of 160 or more, as bowlers - especially the faster ones - enjoyed the conditions there. There were 173 sixes in 20 games, at an average of one every 27 balls, while batsmen were dismissed without scoring 26 times.

Since May 2, though, the numbers have turned quite dramatically in favour of batsmen. The average run rate has increased by almost a run, and much of that has been because of the big hits: the rate of hitting sixes has gone up from one every 27 balls to one every 18, an increase of 33%. The number of zeroes, meanwhile, has almost halved. In 42 innings, there have been 23 totals of 160 or more, including four 200-plus scores. The dot-ball percentage has barely changed - it was 39% in the UAE, and 38% in India - but what's caused the run rates to increase is the number of boundaries the batsmen have managed off the other deliveries. In fact, the Indian leg of the tournament has seen a run rate of 8.43 after 21 games, which is the highest of any IPL tournament; the next-best is 8.30, in the inaugural edition, in 2008.

An IPL of two halves
	Matches	Average	Run rate	50s	0s	4s/ 6s	Balls per 4/6
In the UAE	20	24.69	7.55	29	26	464/ 173	9.97/ 26.75
In India	21	29.55	8.43	34	15	568/ 275	8.55/ 17.66

The team stats show that most sides have scored more runs, at a faster rate, in India, but those who've managed better results are the ones who've controlled the runs they've conceded. The team whose fortunes have changed the most is Mumbai Indians: the batting average has gone up from 18.33 runs per wicket to 33.95, while the run rate has increased from 6.60 to 8.33; at the same time, their bowlers have kept the runs in check, relatively - the economy rate has only gone up from 7.54 to 8.09. The result has been three wins in five games in India, after they had lost all five in the UAE.

Mumbai's batsmen have also found the Indian grounds much more favourable for six-hitting: they've smacked 35 in five games, 20 more than they had in five matches in the UAE. Even that difference doesn't compare with the corresponding stats for Royal Challengers Bangalore, though: in the UAE most of their batsmen were struggling for form, which resulted in only 16 sixes from five games; in India, though, Yuvraj Singh has finally found form, and AB de Villiers has been outstanding too. The result has been 52 sixes in five matches in India. That hasn't helped Royal Challengers win more matches, though, because their bowlers have also been that much more profligate in India, going at 9.11 per over, compared to 6.62 in the UAE.

Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent side over the two legs so far, with an identical 4-1 record. Their bowlers have been more expensive in India too - the economy rate has gone up from 7.51 in the UAE to 8.53 in India - but the batting run rate has increased too. Apart from Mumbai, Kolkata Knight Riders are the other side whose batting average has increased significantly, from 21.14 to 33.04, thanks to Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa regaining form.

Teams in the two legs of IPL 2014
	In the UAE				In India
Team	W/ L	Bat ave/ RR	50s/ 6s	Bowl ave/ ER	W/ L	Bat ave/ RR	50s/ 6s	Bowl ave/ ER
Chennai Super Kings	4/ 1	32.40/ 8.22	6/ 33	20.25/ 7.51	4/ 1	37.50/ 8.60	4/ 31	25.87/ 8.53
Kings XI Punjab	5/ 0	31.51/ 8.83	5/ 32	20.27/ 7.67	3/ 2	33.00/ 9.69	5/ 40	33.76/ 9.03
Rajasthan Royals	3/ 2	22.73/ 7.38	4/ 20	20.84/ 7.34	4/ 2	23.96/ 7.89	4/ 41	23.69/ 7.72
Kolkata Knight Riders	2/ 3	21.14/ 7.52	3/ 16	22.53/ 7.24	3/ 2	33.04/ 7.90	5/ 17	28.44/ 7.91
Sunrisers Hyderabad	2/ 3	27.96/ 7.60	3/ 23	28.96/ 8.19	2/ 3	27.80/ 8.24	4/ 25	25.80/ 7.97
Royal Challengers Bangalore	2/ 3	21.57/ 6.77	2/ 16	20.96/ 6.62	2/ 3	27.12/ 8.69	5/ 52	29.06/ 9.11
Mumbai Indians	0/ 5	18.33/ 6.60	2/ 15	35.95/ 7.54	3/ 2	33.95/ 8.33	5/ 35	30.57/ 8.09
Delhi Daredevils	2/ 3	26.00/ 7.46	4/ 18	38.00/ 8.25	0/ 6	24.78/ 7.85	2/ 34	48.89/ 9.21

Among the individual batsmen, there have been quite a few who struggled for runs in the UAE, but have suddenly found their best form once the bandwagon has returned to India. Among them are Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Uthappa. Wriddhiman Saha managed only 18 runs from three innings in the UAE, but in India he has carved out 145 in four innings at a strike rate of 146, including an incredible 26-ball 54 as Kings XI chased down 206 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Karun Nair didn't get too many chances in the UAE, but has flourished at the top of the order in India, scoring 212 in six innings at a strike rate of 134.

Yuvraj's UAE numbers look respectable, but they were boosted by just one innings - an unbeaten 52 off 29 balls against Daredevils; apart from that he scored 69 from 75 balls in four innings. In India, though, he has been a transformed player, scoring 174 runs at a strike rate of 167. He alone has struck 17 sixes in India, which is one more than what his entire team managed in five matches in the UAE.

Some of the non-Indian batsmen who had struggled in the UAE seem to have settled in nicely in India too. de Villiers has scored at a strike rate of 197 here, and has struck 19 sixes in 123 balls; in the UAE he managed a strike rate of 96, and struck one six in 76 balls.

Comparing batsmen stats in the UAE but have flourished in India
	In the UAE				In India
Batsman	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike rate	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike rate
Karun Nair	2	9	4.50	52.94	6	212	42.40	134.17
Wriddhiman Saha	3	18	6.00	94.73	4	145	48.33	146.46
Yusuf Pathan	4	18	6.00	94.73	3	61	30.50	141.86
Gautam Gambhir	5	46	9.20	74.19	5	206	51.50	129.55
Faf du Plessis	4	51	12.75	98.07	3	121	40.33	137.50
Corey Anderson	5	73	14.60	91.25	4	77	25.67	163.82
AB de Villiers	4	73	24.33	96.05	5	242	60.50	196.74
Rohit Sharma	5	84	16.80	110.52	5	182	60.67	130.93
Shikhar Dhawan	5	85	17.00	114.86	5	130	26.00	116.07
Dinesh Karthik	5	94	18.80	117.50	6	142	23.67	124.56
Robin Uthappa	5	97	19.40	108.98	5	285	57.00	139.70
Suresh Raina	5	99	19.80	119.27	5	134	33.50	144.08
Yuvraj Singh	5	121	30.25	116.34	5	174	43.50	167.30
Ambati Rayudu	5	133	26.60	104.72	5	177	35.40	136.15

Among the bowlers, the numbers for the spinners hasn't changed much, but the fast bowlers did much better in the UAE than they have done in India so far. In India they've gone at more than eight-and-a-half an over, while in the UAE their economy rate was 7.35.

Pace stats, in the UAE and in India
	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Strike rate
In the UAE	156	23.32	7.35	19.0
In India	132	33.10	8.59	23.1

Spin stats, in the UAE and in India
	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Strike rate
In the UAE	63	32.17	7.42	26.0
In India	76	29.61	7.60	23.3

Several fast bowlers - both Indian and overseas ones - put in superb performances in the UAE, when the conditions offered them bounce and seam movement, but have been pretty ordinary in India. Sandeep Sharma, the former India Under-19 bowler currently with Kings XI, took seen wickets at 8.85 and an economy rate of 5.63 in the UAE, but has gone at almost ten an over in India; Varun Aaron has bowled exactly 14.5 overs in the UAE and in India, but his UAE bowling figures were 8 for 84; in India he has figures of 4 for 150. Ashok Dinda had an economy rate of 6.94 in the UAE, but it's ballooned to 11.40 in India. The one notable exception among Indian bowlers has been Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been terrific in both countries: he took eight wickets at 15 and an economy rate of 6.15 in the UAE, and 10 wickets at 11.20 and an economy rate of 5.69 in India. Jasprit Bumrah played only one game in the UAE, but has been terrific in India, achieving an economy rate of 6.68 from 19 overs.

Bowlers much more skilled and experienced than Dinda and Aaron have struggled in Indian conditions this season. Dale Steyn took six wickets at an average of 21.33 and an economy rate of 6.40 in the UAE, but in India his average has doubled and his economy rate increased to 8.50. Similarly, Mitchell Johnson has leaked 8.31 per over, and Kane Richardson 9.16. Lasith Malinga has been an exception, achieving an economy rate of 6.10 in the UAE and 6.81 in India. He's off to England, though, for the ODI series, which means Mumbai's already wafer-thin chances will take a further beating.

Apart from a handful of pace bowlers, the rest have all struggled in India. They can at least thank the timing of the national elections, though, for ensuring that the entire tournament wasn't played in India this season.

Comparing bowler stats in the UAE and in India
	in the UAE				in India
Bowler	Overs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Overs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate
Sandeep Sharma	11.0	7	8.85	5.63	19.1	7	26.85	9.80
Varun Aaron	14.5	8	10.50	5.66	14.5	4	37.50	10.11
Ishwar Pandey	15.0	3	29.33	5.86	16.0	1	139.00	8.68
Rishi Dhawan	13.2	4	20.50	6.15	14.0	5	24.00	8.57
Kane Richardson	15.0	6	16.00	6.40	12.0	3	36.67	9.16
Dale Steyn	20.0	6	21.33	6.40	20.0	4	42.50	8.50
Mitchell Starc	20.0	7	18.71	6.55	19.0	6	25.33	8.00
Mohit Sharma	15.5	8	13.25	6.69	19.0	10	16.80	8.84
Ashok Dinda	17.0	2	59.00	6.94	10.0	2	57.00	11.40
Mitchell Johnson	19.2	7	20.42	7.39	19.0	3	52.67	8.31
R Vinay Kumar	14.0	4	26.50	7.57	10.0	2	49.50	9.90