Too Much Cricket Risks Player Burnout

Modi deals are still giving BCCI nightmares cricket.yahoo.com: By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi The ghost of Lalit Modi continues to haunt the Indian cricket board. Thanks to what it calls "unauthorised" contracts and deals struck by the sacked chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board is strugg. Read more news on cricket from India and around the world from Yahoo! cricket

So MS Dhoni thinks India need a rotation policy for players in the national team. He is right, of course, for either you play less cricket or have more cricketers. It is not that difficult to follow. And since it is unlikely that India will play less cricket - nobody does these days - you need to rest players occasionally to ensure they are fit for the biggest contests.


But at the heart of a rotation policy lies trust. A player will never agree to be rested if he is insecure; if he worries that his absence would give someone else the opportunity that could ultimately unseat him, he will never take a break. And for that trust to be established, while there must be complete honesty and openness in selection, there must also be a plan for each cricketer.


The two players who need rest more than anyone else are Dhoni himself and Suresh Raina. At least Dhoni asks for rest, and he knows his place is secure, but Raina is like one of those Energizer bunnies...just going on and on and on. But cricketers are not like batteries, you can't just discard them when they run out of steam and so they must be recharged.


The popular perception seems to be that must happen in the IPL. And the reason so many think that way is because the IPL is inevitably sandwiched between national commitments; the club versus country horse is then an easy one to flog. But just shoving the IPL in between is like forcing another pair of shoes into a case that is already full. If the staging of the IPL is critical, and there is nothing wrong in thinking that way, then something else has to give.


Assume you plan to play for nine months of the year. Then you add in the IPL, which means you are effectively playing 11 months since it does not come with a corresponding drop in cricket in the original nine months. My argument is that if you have to play two months of the IPL, that interval must be part of the original nine-month plan.


But as things stand, the only players getting a break are those not playing the Champions League. For those that are, and for those that play all forms of the game, the next real break is sometime in June!


Harsha Bhogle, is writing in his role as a Castrol Index spokesperson.

India vs England 3rd ODI: MS Dhoni seeks miracle

After trailing the five-match ODI series 0-1, the injury-ridden Team India has been seeking miracle to taste the first victory on England soil in this tour.

India’s England tour 2011 has not been proved fruitful for the World Champions as they were toppled from the No.1 Test team following 0-4 defeat and also faced humiliating defeat in the one-off T20 by six wickets.

Now trailing from 0-1, it is now prestige issue for skipper MS Dhoni and his inexperienced young team.

India is still looking to open account of victory and injury and poor form of few players have added more woes with the visitors.

The toothless Indian bowling attack is real area of concern for Dhoni and team management. Through this attack, English team can chase down any total. After the 2nd ODI at Rose Bowl, skipper Dhoni looked worry about the bowling attack. Dhoni said that it would be a real area of concern if Indian bowlers failed to get swing. “Our pacers can just produce a speed of 120-130 kph. And in such condition if they won’t be able to swing, they can’t stop English batsmen.”

Dhoni already confessed that Praveen Kumar is not a good choice for death overs. The absence of fifth bowler is also an area of worry for Dhoni.

On the other hand, ‘The Oval’ pitch is known for its bounce and pace. It is unlikely that Indian bowlers can manage to produce swing from it. The Oval ground is always suits English pacers, who rely on bounce and pace. It is definitely going to be a real taster for Indian batsmen because English pacers will continue with their strategy of short delivery.

It is expected that Ravindra Jadeja will get chance in Friday’s match. Jadeja is good all-rounder and he may be proved lucky charm for Team India.

The match will start at 17.30 pm.

lost again

India who already lost test series by 4-0 and now after losing the 2nd ODI they have plenty to do to get back to winning ways to at least salvage their pride on the ongoing England tour.

The main concerned for them is there bowling department which looked one dimensional during 2nd ODI with same pace and variation amongst all the bowlers. India must change some of there bowlers for the 3rd ODI at ovals, which is considered as high scoring venue.

M.S.Dhoni also looked flat with his captaincy during 2nd ODI where he has made few bad decisions first with team selection and then defending the par total of 188 runs. India must play with Varun Aaron and R.P.Singh as well as they needs to bring Amit Mishra for 3rd ODI because bowlers like R. Vinay Kumar and R. Ashwin failed to trouble the England batsmen so far.

There is nothing right going for them on this tour and there is no harm in trying few different options regardless of the outcome of this match or series. Indian batting so far looked more promising with Ajinkye Rahane and Parthiv Patel doing great job as an opener in both ODI’s. Middle order also responding well with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina.

However since they are World Champions they know how to tackle the situation. Indians got some new faces and this is the time to prove to the world that even without the service of star players they can beat formidable English team. It’s good opportunity for Ajinkya Rehane, Parthiv Patel, Manoj Tiwary to prove them at international level.


The problem India has is with the ball. Praveen Kumar, despite an off-colour showing at the Rose Bowl, is reliable, as is Munaf Patel, but beyond that the ranks are thin. Varun Aaron was flown in to give India the pace they have lacked all summer but has so far served the drinks. The emphasis of this one-day series should now be a view to the future so it's a pity Aaron can't get a game.

Likely Playing XI for both teams (Match is schedule to begin at 18:30 PM India Time)




England is likely to bring J.Trott back into the playing XI in place of Shamit Patel after he sit out because of rain reduced 23 overs game. Rest teams are likely to be same as played during 2nd ODI.

On the other hand India is likely to bring Amit Mishra and Varun Aaron in place of R.Ashwin and Vinay Kumar.





India Squad: Parthiv Patel (WK), Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, M.S.Dhoni (Captain & WK), A.Mishra, Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel.

England Squad: Craig Kieswetter (WK), Alastair Cook (Captain), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jade Dernbach.

ZEE NEWS INDIA FUTURE

Why India lost the third Test and the No. 1 status

Zeecric Bureau


After a stint of 21 months on the top of the Test rankings, India are dethroned by a better English side after inflicting a huge defeat of by an innings and 242 runs over the visitors.

Indications are that, India would lose the series 4-0, which means they will further go down to third in the rankings table.

Dhoni and Co. is facing the heat from the lovers of the game for the humiliating series loss in England. Lot has been said and discussed about the possible cause for the failure. Zeecric.combrings you some of the reasons for India’s failure in the third Test:

Missed opportunity

When sent into bat after losing the toss, India failed to seize the opportunity on the first day and was bundled out for 224 on a comparatively slow pitch. But then England went on to make 710 for the loss of 7wickets before declaring. Evidently, as Tim Bresnan had put it, there were no demons in the Edgbaston pitch, yet the Indian batters just could not hang around enough.

Cook factor

Alastair Cook spent 772 minutes on the crease and put together a mammoth 294 to his credit. He scored the most part of England’s innings and played a crucial role in India’s humiliating loss. More importantly it was the manner in which he scored the runs. He gave himself time to settle in, he was not impatient when he was bogged down.

He allowed the ball to come to him rather than going for the ball as the Indian had done. He restrained from poking his bat away from his body and relied on his concentration and focus to do the job. He must have single handedly spent more time in the middle batting than the entire Indian team.

De-spirited show and poor fielding

For the most part of the match, we saw a dispirited Indians on the field, which even drew comments from the England all-rounder Tim Bresnan. It was the drooping shoulders, hands in the pockets and the perplexed looks that were on display from the Indian fielders.

Bresnan even asked the Indians to show some interest in the game and ‘take off their hands from their pockets’. India’s Rahul Dravid dropped two catches, while master blaster managed to drop one.

No variety in bowling

Bowling was not definitely India’s strong point but no one expected it be as worse as was on display. The bowling attack, sans Zaheer Khan, was directionless to say the least. Ishant Sharma failed to display the talent and potential he had shown in West Indies.

Praveen kumar did a commendable job but lacked the pace to compliment his banana swing, which James Anderson did with perfection. The spin department of India was virtually non-existent as it would be safe to say that Suresh Raina has so far emerged as the best Indian spinner.

RP Singh was flown in hurriedly and with the kind of form or the lack of it Sreesanth was enjoying, RP should have been the part of the squad for the third Test. He could have been the perfect replacement for Zak for the simple fact that he is a left arm pacer. With the English line-up full of lefties, RP could have made a better impact than Sreesanth.

INDIA LOST :(

Reaction as England beat India to move top of the cricket rankings

layers and pundits give their reaction after England thrash India in the third Test to ensure a series victory and top spot in the world Test rankings.

Having been bottom of the rankings in 1999, the team are now unbeaten in series since 2009.

ENGLAND CAPTAIN ANDREW STRAUSS

"There's been a lot of hard work and I feel very proud and honoured. We should really enjoy the fact we've achieved one of our goals, it's a reward for consistency over a long period of time.

"We've had to earn the right to get on top. We've got more confident and they've [India] got less confident as the series has gone on We've done some amazing things and hopefully there are more to come."

JAMES ANDERSON, WHO TOOK THE FIRST FOUR WICKETS IN INDIA'S SECOND INNINGSJames Anderson (left) has taken 18 wickets in the series

"We set our stall out this morning and said it was going to be a long day, that we would have to toil and build some pressure, but we got some quick wickets. It just did enough and kept us interested in that first hour.

"Straussy is in a good position he's got four bowlers he can call on at any time he knows what he's going to get from those four bowlers and there is no weak link.

"We've worked so hard to get here and hopefully we can keep improving, we want to be one of the best England teams there ever has been."

ENGLAND BATSMAN KEVIN PIETERSEN

RANKINGS AS THEY STAND

Continue reading the main story

• England 124
• India 119
• South Africa 118
• Sri Lanka 108
• Australia 100
• Pakistan 93
• West Indies 89
• New Zealand 78
• Bangladesh 9

"It's nice, it's definitely a time to celebrate something special for England but also not to rest on our laurels, we made that mistake in 2005 [after winning the Ashes].

"When you get to the top you are right for a very good slamming - it's a scary place to be in this country - but we have to concentrate on getting better.

"Our bowlers are absolutely phenomenal, we attack on flat wickets, all our batsmen are averaging 50 and we have an opening batsman averaging 150. You could say India haven't performed to certain levels - we haven't let them perform."

ALASTAIR COOK - WHO SCORED 294 IN ENGLAND'S INNINGS

"It's a very proud moment and to be world number one is very satisfying. Getting to number one is a huge moment and we'll enjoy it tonight. We can do something very special but for now we'll enjoy the moment."

SPINNER GRAEME SWANN

"We set out to be number one two-and-a-half years ago and it looked ridiculous, to beat Australia home and away but this team works very hard. Coach Andy Flower pushes us to the hilt and I know him, he will keep doing so."

ECB MANAGING DIRECTOR HUGH MORRIS

"We are very proud to have won the series and become number one. To win the World Twenty20 in West Indies, to win in Australia for the first time in 25 years and then this, beating India to become number one, was the latest target.

"Andy Flower made sure the players kept their feet on the ground, and now we are plotting how to stay number one with a tough winter ahead of us."

FORMER CAPTAIN MICHAEL VAUGHAN

"It started years and years ago in 1999 or 2000 with central contracts. The ECB invested lots of money bringing players through all the age groups from age 15 upwards. Many people have done good things.

"There has been lots of great work but the key thing has been a change in mentality."

INDIA CAPTAIN MS DHONI

"This team will come back. It hurts to lose each and every game - every time we lose a game, irrespective of whether it loses a series, it hurts.

"You can only be number one by playing consistent cricket, and England have done really well."

FORMER AUSTRALIA TEST CRICKETER SHANE WARNE

"The current England side is very impressive - bring Trott in for Bopara and there is no weak link. There is variety in the bowling and all the batters are in form."

ICC CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAROON LORGAT

ENGLAND SINCE MAY 2009

Continue reading the main story

• Beat West Indies 2-0 (home)
• Beat Australia 2-1 (home)
• Drew 1-1 with S Africa (away)
• Beat Bangladesh 2-0 (away)
• Beat Bangladesh 2-0 (home)
• Beat Pakistan 3-1 (home)
• Beat Australia 3-1 (away)
• Beat Sri Lanka 1-0 (home)
• Lead India 3-0 (home)

"They were clearly the most consistent side in the world over the past few years as evidenced by their 19 out of 30 Test wins and only four loses.

"This achievement is just reward for the hard work from all the players and team management, and they no doubt will celebrate being on top of the world."

"On behalf of the ICC, I would like to congratulate Andrew Strauss, [coach] Andy Flower and the whole team for becoming the number-one ranked Test team in the world."

TEST MATCH SPECIAL PUNDIT VIC MARKS

"Strauss has done a terrific job as captain, they respect him so much, he's got no ego at all.

"This group could go on for quite a long time, could this be a real golden period for England cricket? They have to beat South Africa and sides in the sub-continent to achieve that."

International Scores

International Scores: "Get the latest scores of all the international cricket matches from Cricinfo. Add the Cricinfo International Scores widget now!"

Cricinfo Latest Photos

Cricinfo Latest Photos: "Get the most recent cricket photos from Cricinfo. Add the Cricinfo Latest Photos widget now!"

IPL Statistics | Latest player statistics for the IPL 2011 - most economical bowler, best batsman, highest centuries..

IPL Statistics | Latest player statistics for the IPL 2011 - most economical bowler, best batsman, highest centuries..

Ganguly guides Pune to victory over Deccan

Hyderabad: Veteran Sourav Ganguly silenced his critics by marking his belated return to the Indian Premier League with a gutsy batting display as Pune Warriors notched up a comfortable six-wicket victory over Deccan Chargers here on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old Ganguly remained unbeaten on 32 off as many balls as Pune, after being asked to bowl first, achieved the target with 10 balls to spare.

After Mitchell Marsh helped Warriors restrict the hosts to 136 for eight with impressive figures of four for 25, Manish Pandey was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved half century by a run but did enough to pave the way for his team's victory.
Equally impressive was Pandey's opening partner Jesse Ryder, who made a hurricane 35 of 20 deliveries.
But it was Ganguly who stole the limelight with a fluent unbeaten knock which contained three boundaries and a six.
In a match that generated interest as well as anticipation for the former India skipper's return to the highly popular tournament, Ganguly strode to the crease at the fall of opener Ryder's wicket.
In the company of Pandey who was just two years old when Ganguly made his international debut way back in the Australian summer of 1991, the experienced left-hander proved a point or two to all those who ignored him during the IPL auction in January. A run-a-ball innings after a long lay-off was par for the course.
That he made those runs with the help of three boundaries and a massive six off Mishra over deep square-leg, only goes on to show that he still has it in him to play in the league.
Chasing a modest 137 for their fourth victory in the tournament, Pune rode on Ryder's enterprise and Pandey's controlled aggression to race to fifty in just six overs.
Slow left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha broke the opening partnership by having Ryder bowled, but not before the burly New Zealander smashed five boundaries and two sixes.
Even as all eyes were on Ganguly, Pandey managed to play an innings which was as important as the one played by Ryder.
Boundaries came in thick and fast and there was no stopping the duo till Ryder went for a wild heave.
Skipper Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa didn't last long enough as they were snared by Daniel Christian, but that hardly mattered.
Earlier, Mitchell Marsh produced a clinical performance with the ball to help Pune Warriors restrict Deccan Chargers to 136 for eight in their Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.
Marsh finished with impressive figures of four for 25 after Deccan skipper Kumar Sangakkara elected to bat in a match, which generated much anticipation for former India skipper Sourav Ganguly's return to the popular tournament.
The Warriors didn't get off to a good start as Chargers openers Shikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja raised a half-century stand in six overs to set the tone for a competitive total.
But clever bowling coupled with some mindless batting helped the Warriors fight back into the match.
Besides Marsh, Yuvraj picked up two wickets including that of Dhawan, the team's first breakthrough. Marsh and the other bowlers' efforts ensured that Dhawan and Ravi Teja's brisk start were not wasted.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tight first over conceding just four runs but, in the following over, Ravi Teja cut and drove Shrikant Wagh for two successive boundaries to make it a run-a-ball.
Always on the lookout for opportunities, Ravi Teja then smashed Kumar for a four, before Dhawan got into the act with a powerful cut over point against Wayne Parnell.
Parnell was finding it difficult in the middle as Ravi Teja drove him on the up between mid-off and extra cover, to help the hosts inch towards the 50-run mark.
At the other end, Dhawan cleared the ropes at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium twice to boost the scoring.
The Delhi boy danced down the track to loft Kumar over his head and then pulled Parnell's short delivery over deep square leg for another six.
The 50 was up by the seventh over but Yuvraj Singh didn't let the partnership to flourish further, by removing Dhawan, who miscued a shot to give Jesse Ryder a simple catch at extra cover.
Ravi Teja, too, followed suit as he dragged one from Marsh onto his stumps.
Skipper Sangakkara didn't last long, falling prey to the guile of Rahul Sharma. The leg-spinner has been very impressive in this edition of the league, and getting a quality player like Sangakkara only re-affirmed the belief that he is one for the future.
Daniel Christian was snapped up by Yuvraj, while Marsh came back to take the important wicket of Jean-Paul Duminy, who made 30 off 30 balls.
Bharat Chipli tried his bit, scoring a couple of boundaries, but that was not enough to take the Chargers towards the 150 mark.

ANOTHER 100 N TEAM lost match

Brendon McCullum and Kochi Tuskers captain Mahela Jayawardene upstaged Sachin Tendulkar's maiden Indian Premier League century as Mumbai Indians' bowlers failed to defend a score of 182 for 2.




McCullum and Jayawardene, who opened the innings instead of VVS Laxman as the elegant Indian batsman was ruled out of the match because of an injury shortly before the toss got the run chase of 183 to an outstanding start as the duo added 128 runs for the first wicket inside 14 overs. This opening stand gave Kochi the perfect launch pad to carve out one of the biggest upsets of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

While McCullum was at his aggressive best and took the attack to the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack starting with their spearhead Lasith Malinga, while Jayawardene kept the scoreboard ticking over by playing some exquisite and copybook cricketing shots to prove that big shots aren't always needed in Twenty20 cricket. Malinga was surprisingly off- colour and his second over cost 17 runs with McCullum hitting three of the four boundaries in that over. McCullum and Jayawardene were also helped by some shoddy fielding by Rohit Sharma and Ali Murtaza respectively. While McCullum was dropped by Sharma at first slip off Malinga in the first ball of Kochi Tuskers' innings; Murtaza put down Jayawardene at backward point in the sixth over.

These two lives apart, McCullum and Jaywardene were on top of the Mumbai Indians' attack for the majority of their innings. McCullum was the first of the two to reach his half-century when he took two runs off R Sathish to reach the landmark in the 41st ball he faced before Jayawardene reached his half-century shortly afterwards. And, just when it looked as though McCullum and Jayawardene (56 in 36 balls) would take the Kochi Tuskers home, Malinga pulled out one of his dipping incoming yorkers to clean bowl his Sri Lankan teammate. Malinga then came back to clean bowl McCullum for a well-made 81 in 60 balls (10x4, 2x6) to give Mumbai Indians an outside chance of winning the match, but Ravindra Jadeja, who was promoted to No. 3, ensured Kochi Tuskers would win their first IPL match as he hit consecutive sixes off Murtaza to help KTK upset Mumbai Indians. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 25 (11 balls) as Kochi Tuskers chased down the target of 183 with eight wickets to spare in the penultimate over.

Munaf Patel (3-0-15-0) was the pick of Mumbai Indians' bowlers; but Malinga (2-42) and Pollard (3-0-43-0) had a nightmare outing with the ball. Harbhajan Singh too failed to take any wickets and this only exposed the over-reliace Mumbai Indians have on Malinga to dismiss the opposition batsmen.

Earlier, Tendulkar survived a couple of LBW shouts very early in his innings and was fortunate on both occasions that umpire Paul Reiffel turned down Vinay Kumar's vociferous appeals. Replays showed though the ball would have clipped the leg stump on the first appeal and taken out the off stump in the first ball of the fourth over when the second appeal was made. These scares apart, Tendulkar never looked in trouble and wasn't put under any pressure by Kochi Tuskers' bowlers, and he even pulled out a helicopter shot ala MS Dhoni towards the end of Mumbai Indians' innings.

Tendulkar was well supported by the impressive Ambati Rayudu as the pair added 116 runs for the second wicket in just over 11 overs. Rayudu, who joined Tendulkar in the middle after Davy Jacobs (12 in 21 balls) was clean bowled by Raiphi Gomez in the ninth over with Mumbai Indians' score on 61; looked in imperious touch and treated most of the KTK bowlers with disdain. He hit three boundaries and four sixes, including two consecutive massive hits off Gomez in the 11th over of the match which cost 18 runs. Rayudu made 53 runs in 33 balls before he was run out in the last over of Mumbai Indians' innings.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar was going strong at the other end as he hit boundaries at regular intervals and rotated the strike. He reached his half-century in the first ball of the 14th over; the 43rd of his innings and had seven hits to the fence. Tendulkar then moved gears with alarming ease as he took 20 runs of the 16th over bowled by Vinay Kumar as he hit two sixes and a four in that over. Tendulkar reached his century off the last ball of Mumbai Indians' innings to remain unbeaten on 100 (66 balls, 12x4, 3x6). Tendulkar, who has now scored 201 runs in IPL-4 without being dismissed once also wrested away the Orange Cap from Kolkata Knight Riders' Jacques Kallis (187 runs).

RP Singh was by far the best of the KTK bowlers and conceded only 15 runs in his four overs. Vinay Kumar (0-48), Thisara Perera (0-38) and Gomez (1-29) all had a day to forget; and Ramesh Powar, who replaced Muttiah Muralitharan, bowled a solitary over for 12 runs.
SOURCE-yahoo cricket

Delhi Daredevil's (DD) vs Mumbai Indians

DD vs MI: Malinga's 'fiver' helps Mumbai rout Delhi by eight wickets



NEW DELHI: Lasith Malinga bowled yorkers at will as his deadly five-wicket burst helped Mumbai Indians crush Delhi Daredevils by eight wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Sunday.
The match was supposed to be a fight between Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag but it was the Sri Lankan slinger who emerged as the hero in the end. 

Malinga's figures read a stunning 3.4-1-13-5 with four of them being cleaned up unplayable yorkers. It is the third best figure in the IPL after Sohail Tanveer (6/14 for Rajasthan Royals) and Anil Kumble's (5/5) efforts. Malinga's effort was all the more laudable as Kotla track is considered to be not so conducive for pacers. After Kemar Roach's hostile spell against the Netherlands in the World Cup, Malinga again showed that raw pace can be intimidating for the lesser known players. 
               Barring Sehwag, this Delhi Daredevils team doesn't have good enough players to survive the rigours of top flight Twenty20 and it was proved in the manner they faced the Mumbai Indians bowling. 

kochi lost against banglore

Kochi Tuskers Kerala were given a tough initiation to the IPL, as Royal Challengers Bangalore chased down 161 without a lot of trouble at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi. AB de Villiers smashed five sixes in a 40-ball 54, steering the chase home with a comfortable eight balls remaining.

Kochi have had multiple management problems coming into this tournament. A happy debut seemed on cards with Brendon McCullum and VVS Laxman putting on 80 in nine overs after they elected to bat. Mahela Jayawardene called 160 as the score he wanted and they finished at 161. Local hero S Sreesanth then dismissed Bangalore opener Tillakaratne Dilshan in his first over.

Jayawardene controlled Bangalore's chase till the 18th over. But the game fell in Bangalore's lap with the introduction of the little-known Kerala all-rounder Raiphi Gomez. Bangalore still needed 33 when de Villiers scored three sixes off the seamer's over that went for 20. Asad Pathan then smashed three fours of the penultimate over from Vinay Kumar to settle matters.

Ravindra Jadeja has been riled by cricket followers in India for his all-round ineffectiveness while playing for the national team. Last year, he got into trouble with the IPL authorities for trying to negotiate his own price with Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. He was banned for a year, but Kochi bought him for an eye-popping $950,000 at the player auctions in January.

His first game back to the IPL, Jadeja scored a quick 23 off 16 including a straight six off Zaheer Khan. He then bowled four relatively tight overs, taking the wicket of Mayank Agarwal who had batted confidently for 33, and had greeted Muttiah Muralitharan to the crease with a slog-sweep for six.

Earlier, Laxman matched McCullum stroke for stroke in scoring a delectable 36. He slogged Tillakaratne Dilshan for six over midwicket, then forehanded Abhimanyu Mithun down the ground for another six.

McCullum seemed like he was in the same mental space as he was during his record-breaking 158 that kicked off the inaugural IPL against the same team. The New Zealander charged Zaheer Khan in the first over, forcing him through cover for four to get the innings going.

Dirk Nannes' first three balls were greeted with similar hostility. The first, a full delivery on the stumps was smashed clean through extra cover. The second was under-cut to third-man for four. The third, a retaliatory short ball, was spotted early and clubbed to midwicket for six.

Having raced to 61 in the first six overs, 180 could have achieved. But both openers were dismissed in quick succession. Laxman slogged Dilshan to deep midwicket's hands while McCullum was caught at short third-man trying to scoop Nannes over the wicketkeeper. One reason why Kochi couldn't get 180 was Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori.

The Kiwi spinner bowled four overs for 17, dismissing Mahela Jayawardene. Since the introduction of T20 cricket, Vettori has consistently been among the most economical bowlers of the format.

With Vettori controlling the middle overs the way he does, tough challenges await Bangalore's opponents this year.

2nd IPL T20

Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, 2nd IPL T20

April9,2011

IPL Statistical Highlights:

§   

Hyderabad

# Deccan Chargers (137/8) have registered their lowest total against Rajasthan Royals, surpassing the 140 for eight at Jaipur in 2008. 

# Siddharth Trivedi (3/15) has recorded his best bowling performance for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

# Trivedi has got his first MOM award in the IPL.   

# Botha (67 not out) has recorded his first fifty at the IPL.

# Amit Singh has bagged three wickets for 35 runs, taking his wickets' tally to 15 at an average of 12.73 in nine matches.

# Shane Warne has taken his wickets' tally to 48 at an average of 25.95 in 46 games.  He now needs two wickets to complete 50 wickets in Twenty20.

# Kumar Sangakkara has posted his third duck in the IPL - his sixth in Twenty20.

# Deccan Chargers have lost by eight wickets - their third defeat by such a margin to Rajasthan Royals.  

# Rajasthan's aforesaid triumph is their sixth in seven games against Deccan Chargers in the IPL.

# Deccan Chargers have maintained thier record, losing all ten games at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.

END OF THE DISCUSSION

REASON WHY GANGULY IS OUT OF THE 

LEAGUE

The IPL has decided that Sourav Ganguly will not be allowed to play in the IPL after there were rumours that one of the teams wanted to purchase him from outside of the auctions. However the governing council has said that the IPL dream for Ganguly was over given that there were three teams who had opposed the move and hence there was no way that Ganguly could be brought in.

This makes sense. The rules clearly specify that no player can be bought from outside the auction if his name has already made the auctions. Why would the rules be bent for a particular player, whether he is a Ganguly or a Tendulkar is beyond me.

There is a growing debate on whether or not we are insulting a legend like Ganguly by keeping him out. Time to do a reality check – this is the 21st century and what matters is results and what the corporate feels. If there is a sense that a particular employee is not good enough to be a team-man, he is given the pink slip even in the biggest of organisation.

End of matter.

IPL FEVER

0

OPENING OF IPL MATCHES:

 Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Night Riders:

While the nation is still on a high and recovering from the amazing World Cup triumph by india, the IPL begins on 8April 29011.Yet remains to be seen whether the World Cup triumph by India works for or against this edition of the IPL. General opinion would say that it should only make the IPL more popular and increases its brand value but there is another way of looking at it, where you think we have just had a whole month of absorbing cricket and the viewers have probably had enough and that the IPL would be a overdoze of a kind. Well I suppose time will tell which theory holds true.

 The opening game, Chennai vs Kolkata
Chennai have been the most consistent team in all editions of the IPL and with a leader who is a World Cup winning captain, its only going to rub off on the players.Dhoni and company are definately going to be a force to reckon with in this edition of the IPL.The notable additions in the side would be Faf du plessis, Nuwan Kulasekara.,Tim Southee,Suraj Randiv and Scott Styris.With Mike hussey and Doug bollinger being away and Dwayne bravo being unfit,would be intresting to see what type of a combination Dhoni goes for.They are a balanced side and with the middle order consisting of  Dhoni, Raina, Morkel and Badrinath they bat deep and the bowling seems well balanced too.Chennai would definately go a long way.

Kolkata Night Riders under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir who himself is been in some exemplary form with a World Cup winning knock  of 97 in the final,they got the likes of  Kallis, Morgan, Haddin, Brett Lee and Shakib among their foreign players.Gautam Gambhir definately has some tough choices to make as to which 4 of the foreign players is he going to play,add to that the explosive Yusuf Pathan the reliable Manoj Tiwary and some young talent in Manwinder Bisla and Jaidev Undakant who recently made his debut in test cricket.This side is just full of super stars.

What a mouth watering prospect we have in store,2 of the best indian
players as skippers, both instrumental in winnings us the World Cup
and some of the best players in the international game on display.Its hard to pick in a game like this,but if I had to pick a winner I think Kolkata would upsetChennai and make a statement at the very begining of the tournmanet that they are not here to fill the numbers and in no form are pushovers but genuine title contenders, let the action begin.

 Indian Premier League Schedule 2011

Date	IST	Match Details	Venue
8-Apr-11	20:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 1st IPL T20	Chennai
9-Apr-11	16:00	Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, 2nd IPL T20	Hyderabad
9-Apr-11	20:00	Team Kochi vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3rd IPL T20	Kochi
10-Apr-11	16:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, 4th IPL T20	Delhi
10-Apr-11	20:00	Pune Warriors vs Kings XI Punjab, 5th IPL T20	Navi Mumbai
11-Apr-11	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers, 6th IPL T20	Kolkata
12-Apr-11	16:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils, 7th IPL T20	Jaipur
12-Apr-11	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, 8th IPL T20	Bangalore
13-Apr-11	16:00	Pune Warriors vs Team Kochi, 9th IPL T20	Navi Mumbai
13-Apr-11	20:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, 10th IPL T20	Mohali
14-Apr-11	20:00	Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 11th IPL T20	Hyderabad
15-Apr-11	16:00	Mumbai Indians vs Team Kochi, 12th IPL T20	Mumbai
15-Apr-11	20:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 13th IPL T20	Delhi
16-Apr-11	16:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 14th IPL T20	Chennai
16-Apr-11	20:00	Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, 15th IPL T20	Hyderabad
17-Apr-11	16:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 16th IPL T20	Jaipur
17-Apr-11	20:00	Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils, 17th IPL T20	Navi Mumbai
18-Apr-11	20:00	Team Kochi vs Chennai Super Kings, 18th IPL T20	Kochi
19-Apr-11	16:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers, 19th IPL T20	Delhi
19-Apr-11	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, 20th IPL T20	Bangalore
20-Apr-11	16:00	Mumbai Indians vs Pune Warriors, 21st IPL T20	Mumbai
20-Apr-11	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Team Kochi, 22nd IPL T20	Kolkata
21-Apr-11	20:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, 23rd IPL T20	Mohali
22-Apr-11	20:00	Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, 24th IPL T20	Mumbai
23-Apr-11	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 25th IPL T20	Kolkata
23-Apr-11	20:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, 26th IPL T20	Delhi
24-Apr-11	16:00	Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, 27th IPL T20	Hyderabad
24-Apr-11	20:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Team Kochi, 28th IPL T20	Jaipur
25-Apr-11	20:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Pune Warriors, 29th IPL T20	Chennai
26-Apr-11	20:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 30th IPL T20	Delhi
27-Apr-11	16:00	Pune Warriors vs Chennai Super Kings, 31st IPL T20	Navi Mumbai
27-Apr-11	20:00	Team Kochi vs Deccan Chargers, 32nd IPL T20	Kochi
28-Apr-11	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, 33rd IPL T20	Kolkata
28-Apr-11	20:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 34th IPL T20	Jaipur
29-Apr-11	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors, 35th IPL T20	Bangalore
30-Apr-11	16:00	Team Kochi vs Delhi Daredevils, 36th IPL T20	Kochi
30-Apr-11	20:00	Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, 37th IPL T20	Mumbai
1-May-11	16:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors, 38th IPL T20	Jaipur
1-May-11	20:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers, 39th IPL T20	Chennai
2-May-11	20:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Team Kochi, 40th IPL T20	Delhi
3-May-11	20:00	Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 41st IPL T20	Hyderabad
4-May-11	16:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 42nd IPL T20	Chennai
4-May-11	20:00	Pune Warriors vs Mumbai Indians, 43rd IPL T20	Navi Mumbai
5-May-11	16:00	Team Kochi vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 44th IPL T20	Kochi
5-May-11	20:00	Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, 45th IPL T20	Hyderabad
6-May-11	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab, 46th IPL T20	Bangalore
7-May-11	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, 47th IPL T20	Kolkata
7-May-11	20:00	Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, 48th IPL T20	Mumbai
8-May-11	16:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Team Kochi, 49th IPL T20	Bangalore
8-May-11	20:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Pune Warriors, 50th IPL T20	Mohali
9-May-11	20:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 51st IPL T20	Jaipur
10-May-11	16:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 52nd IPL T20	Mohali
10-May-11	20:00	Deccan Chargers vs Pune Warriors, 53rd IPL T20	Hyderabad
11-May-11	20:00	Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 54th IPL T20	Jaipur
12-May-11	20:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, 55th IPL T20	Chennai
13-May-11	20:00	Team Kochi vs Kings XI Punjab, 56th IPL T20	Indore
14-May-11	16:00	Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers, 57th IPL T20	Mumbai
14-May-11	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 58th IPL T20	Bangalore
15-May-11	16:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, 59th IPL T20	Dharamshala
15-May-11	20:00	Team Kochi vs Rajasthan Royals, 60th IPL T20	Indore
16-May-11	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, 61st IPL T20	Kolkata
17-May-11	20:00	Pune Warriors vs Deccan Chargers, 62nd IPL T20	Pune
18-May-11	16:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 63rd IPL T20	Dharamshala
18-May-11	20:00	Chennai Super Kings vs Team Kochi, 64th IPL T20	Chennai
19-May-11	20:00	Pune Warriors vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 65th IPL T20	Pune
20-May-11	20:00	Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, 66th IPL T20	Mumbai
21-May-11	16:00	Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers, 67th IPL T20	Dharamshala
21-May-11	20:00	Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors, 68th IPL T20	Delhi
22-May-11	16:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, 69th IPL T20	Bangalore
22-May-11	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 70th IPL T20	Kolkata
24-May-11	20:00	TBC vs TBC, Qualifier 1 IPL T20	Mumbai
25-May-11	20:00	TBC vs TBC, Eliminator IPL T20	Mumbai
27-May-11	20:00	TBC vs TBC, Qualifier 2 IPL T20	Chennai
28-May-11	20:00	TBC vs TBC, Final IPL T20	Chennai