IPL: Gayle, Steyn, Shakib take pole position

An analysis of individual batting, bowling and all-rounder performances in IPL 2012.

Top batsmen in IPL 2012 (min 300 runs)

Batsman	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike rate	Points
Chris Gayle	15	733	61.08	160.74	27.85
Gautam Gambhir	17	590	36.87	143.55	20.99
Kevin Pietersen	8	305	61.00	147.34	20.23
Cameron White	13	479	43.54	149.68	20.08
Shikhar Dhawan	15	569	40.64	129.61	19.10
Virender Sehwag	16	495	33.00	161.23	17.70
Faf du Plessis	13	398	33.16	130.92	17.10
Ajinkya Rahane	16	560	40.00	129.33	16.93
AB de Villiers	16	319	39.87	161.11	16.58
Steven Smith	15	362	40.22	135.58	14.88

Top bowlers in IPL 2012 (min 35 overs)

Bowler	Matches	Wickets	Average	Economy rate	Points
Dale Steyn	12	18	15.83	6.10	29.12
Sunil Narine	15	24	13.50	5.47	28.02
Muttiah Muralitharan	10	15	17.33	6.50	27.67
Lasith Malinga	14	22	15.90	6.30	25.76
Morne Morkel	16	25	18.12	7.19	24.75
Parvinder Awana	12	17	21.88	7.91	23.60
Brad Hogg	9	10	25.30	7.02	22.49
Azhar Mahmood	11	14	23.50	7.71	22.00
Zaheer Khan	16	17	26.64	7.55	20.86
Munaf Patel	12	15	24.46	7.86	20.80

Top allrounders in IPL 2012 (min 75 runs and 10 wickets)

Player	Batting points	Bowling points	Total points
Shakib-Al-Hasan	6.53	24.52	31.05
Kieron Pollard	11.17	19.48	30.65
Azhar Mahmood	8.52	22.00	30.52
Dwayne Bravo	13.27	16.82	30.09
Jacques Kallis	10.68	17.06	27.74
Piyush Chawla	2.21	19.78	21.99
Albie Morkel	3.18	16.93	20.11
Ravindra Jadeja	6.56	10.72	17.28

Kolkata stop Chennai for first IPL title

Bisla's rampage shatters defending champions' hat-trick dream.

Shahrukh Khan performed cartwheels and went on an embracing rampage. Wasim Akram likened the win to Pakistan’s World Cup triumph. Gautam Gambhir shed his stoicism momentarily and allowed his face to crease into a wide grin – and rightly so!

After all, the most maligned of IPL sides had finally lifted the biggest prize. Following season after season of humiliation, Kolkata Knight Riders rode on Manvinder Bisla’s swashbuckling 48-ball 89 and held their nerve to carve out a five-wicket win over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL-V on Sunday night. The result stopped Chennai well short in their tracks as they attempted an unlikely hat-trick of IPL titles.

Chasing Chennai’s imposing 190, Kolkata were served well by Bisla, who slammed five sixes to vindicate his replacement of Brendon McCullum in the eleven and partnered Jacques Kallis for 136 runs in just 82 balls to power Kolkata ahead, after the visiting team had lost skipper Gautam Gambhir in the first over of the pursuit. This was the highest successful chase in an IPL final.

Bisla’s dismissal to an Albie Morkel slower ball when 52 were needed to win in a shade over five overs put Super Kings back in the match. And M.S. Dhoni’s team looked to have attained supremacy when Laxmi Shukla and Yusuf Pathan were out soon after.

KKR needed 20 off the last two overs as Ben Hilfenhaus, until then the pick of Chennai’s bowling, returned to bowl. He lured Kallis into a slice off a full-toss, and on the next ball – another full-toss – appeared to have nailed Shakib Al Hasan. But that delivery was called a no-ball – not only was Shakib not out, he had also scampered a couple as Murali Vijay was busy celebrating the void catch.

The Bangladeshi scooped the last ball of Hilfenhaus’ over for four, leaving KKR with just nine to get off Dwayne Bravo’s last over of the innings. Consecutive boundaries from Manoj Tiwary took Shahrukh Khan’s franchise home with two balls to spare.

Earlier, M.S. Dhoni finally won a toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat in what was Chennai’s third consecutive IPL final. Once again the defending champions were aided by an off-color batsman who chose the most opportune time – the summit clash – to come good.

Hussey (54, 43b) and M.  Vijay (42, 32b) added 87 for the opening wicket in just 62 balls, and then Suresh Raina roared back into form with a 38-ball 73. The southpaw smashed five massive sixes on his way to partnering Hussey for 73 runs in a shade less than seven overs, as Chennai posted 190, thwarting whatever advantage Kolkata had hoped ‘mystery’ spinner Sunil Narine would gain them.

It was surprising that Gambhir, who had harped on his spin advantage all through the build up, gave Iqbal Abdullah just one over, and did not allow Shakib his full quota either. Narine, the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL-V, went for a scalp-less 37 in his quota of four as Raina waded into him. Suspect against the short ball, he acquitted himself well against that delivery on Sunday night.

Raina pulled Jacques Kallis for maximum over mid-wicket and reserved similar treatment for Brett Lee - L. Balaji’s replacement - biffing him over his head for a morale-crushing blow. Lee finished with 42 runs taken from his four overs. Chennai had begun quietly, taking just six from the first two overs, but as Lee ran in for the third, the carnage started. Hussey lofted the Aussie speedster for four right behind him and then Vijay creamed another one through mid-wicket.

When Lee returned for the sixth over of the innings, the tempo shifted. Vijay and Hussey struck a six apiece, taking the toll from Lee’s over to 19. Vijay was out to a sensational catch by by Shakib in the deep, giving way for Raina to bat. The left-hander ensured a more than competitive total for his side, and Chennai would have considered the match over and done with at the halfway stage. Little did they know that Bisla and Kallis had something entirely different in mind.

IPL: Our spirit is solid: SRK

Finally, Shah Rukh Khan's five-year-long wait has ended. His Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Kolkata Knight Riders, has entered the finals - after defeating Delhi Daredevils - for the first time in five years.
No wonder he celebrated deliriously - with somersaults and a victory lap - at the Subroto Roy Stadium in Pune on Tuesday even in the face of Rajasthan court summons and Wankhede ban. "The spirit and combination of our team is looking solid," says SRK, reinforcing the fact that no controversy will stop him from supporting the team on field. "Gautam (Gambhir; captain) has rallied the forces very well.
In a team game, the entire unit needs to come together. Like all the spheres in life, sometimes a leader puts them all together while at times the combination of 11 people hits the right note." Also, SRK feels over the years, some of the younger players like Manoj Tiwary, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Debabrata Das have matured. "We've sustained with them for years. For instance, Debabrata - like a few other young ones - has been with us for five years now. Also, we have made the size of our team much smaller this time around. So everyone knows that they have a chance to play," says the actor, who said he found it hard to believe that his team has reached the finals.
Beside Indian players, SRK admits that his "foreign players are so wonderfully talented" that management doesn't know who to bring in (the team). The actor says that Gautam is a huge force along with biggies like Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum and Shakib Al Hasan.
"Also, I feel the inclusion of Sunil Narine - whom Gautam suggested - has made KKR a very balanced team. Now, we have very good batsmen instead of, say, just three strong batters. Our batting order is till Brett Lee comes in," he says.

BCCI invites PCB chief for IPL final in Chennai

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf for the Indian Premier League (IPL) final in Chennai.

Ashraf, who is currently in London, will travel to Chennai on a two-day visit.
"This is a good gesture," Ashraf told The Express Tribune.
"I will also bring up the bilateral series issue and hopefully we can resume matches between the two teams soon," he added.
The development comes after the BCCI gave a positive response to Pakistan's participation in the Champions League Twenty20.

Bangalore shocked, Chennai pleasantly surprised

Dale Steyn slams door shut on Challengers, allows Super Kings to sneak in.

Whistle podu! Make sure you suck in a lung full of air and let it all out in one shrill burst. Although Chennai Super Kings had no active part to play in this match, they were unequivocally the biggest beneficiaries as Deccan Chargers pulled the rug from under the feet of Royal Challengers Bangalore for a nine-run win.

Bangalore’s loss meant they finished in fifth place on 17 points from 16 fixtures, on equal points with Chennai but with a poorer run-rate. Fourth-placed Chennai will now take on third-placed Mumbai Indians in the eliminator (a virtual quarterfinal), while Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders will face off in the ‘Qualifier 1’.

The winners of ‘Qualifier 1’ will progress to the final, while the losers will get another chance of making the title clash when they play the winners of the Chennai-Mumbai eliminator in what is virtually a semifinal. Chargers too gained something from their Saturday win. They ensured that they vacated their basement residence to Pune Warriors, who will finish at the bottom of the pile in IPL-V.

Chennai should take a moment to thank, with all their heart, Dale Steyn, who bowled superlatively for figures of 4-0-8-3 to stall Bangalore in what was ostensibly an empty match for the home team. Bangalore needed to win to assure themselves a berth in the last four, and when they restricted Chargers to 132 after electing to field, half the job appeared to have been done.

The win looked a formality when Chris Gayle galloped to a 10-ball 27 to begin the chase, but Steyn had other plans. He softened the West Indian with a deadly bouncer and then swung in a searing fuller delivery that Gayle bottom-edged on to the stumps, giving the paceman the first of his three wickets. In his next over Steyn brought another dizzyingly fast delivery to thwack into Tillakaratne Dilshan’s pads – to maximum effect.

Although skipper Virat Kohli (42) and Saurabh Tiwary (30) guided Bangalore back into contention with a 46-run partnership, the game swung back Chargers’ way when the firebrand hit Ashish Reddy straight to long-on. And when Steyn returned for his last over, conceding just one and firing in another yorker into Zaheer Khan’s furniture, Bangalore knew in their hearts that their IPL-V dreams – despite boasting the mammoth Gayle in their line-up – were over.

Challengers did everything right in the first innings. They elected to field and strangulated Chargers to an average total, which attained respectability only through J.P. Duminy (74), who hammered five sixes to offset the early sedateness of his colleagues.

Chargers struggled for the most part of the innings, losing their season top-scorer Shikhar Dhawan to Zaheer in the first over. Akshath Reddy was caught behind off Vinay Kumar and the dangerous Cameron White was deceived by left-arm paceman Prasanth Parameshwaran, leaving Chargers three down after the Powerplay with just 23 runs on the board.

Wickets kept tumbling before Parthiv Patel partnered Duminy for 71 in 7.4 overs in a stand dominated comprehensively by the South African. Duminy emerged from his stupor in the 16th over, carting Vinay for six over long-on. He then went after Muttiah Muralitharan, clobbering three maximums in an over that yielded 20. The South African holed out to long-on in the 19th over, but his effort - and countryman Steyn's later - worked to Bangalore's detriment, and Chennai's gain.

PCB to confirm Australia series venue next week

 Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are among the countries Pakistan are considering as options to host their limited-overs series against Australia in August. The series was set to be held in Sri Lanka, but SLC pulled out last week due to a clash in the series schedule with the first season of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). The PCB said that a final decision on the venue will be taken within a week.

"It was indeed a setback to our plans when Sri Lanka pulled out," Intikhab Alam, PCB director international cricket, told reporters in Lahore. "But they have their own reasons and we have no problem with it however and have been searching for alternatives. Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the options we have marked. A decision will be taken within next one week."

In March this year, the SLC had agreed in principle to host the series. At that time, there had been no decision on the SLPL. The proposed first season of the league had been cancelled last year and it was only earlier this month that a new deal was signed by the Sri Lanka board to hold the SLPL this August.

Pakistan and Australia are due to play five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals against each other. The original plan was to play just one Twenty20, but with the World T20 immediately after the series, the countries' boards have agreed to play two extra matches.

Pakistan have had to play their home series in neutral venues since the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. While the United Arab Emirates has been Pakistan's usual "home" venue since then, the venue was ruled out due to the extreme heat and the month of Ramzan.

Pakistan's last home series against Australia was played in England, in the summer of 2010, after which they have hosted all their home series, including one against Sri Lanka and England, in the UAE.

Malaysia last hosted an international series in 2006, when India, Australia and West Indies played a tri-series in Kuala Lumpur. 

The biggest hits and flops in IPL history

To use the obscene parameters by which modern-day life is judged, we look at the 5 years of IPL so far and see who justified the money they got with their performances.

By combining the impact a player made that IPL year with the public pay packet he got, we determine who delivered the most value, and the least. Sometimes, the sheer magnitude of the pay packet makes certain performances, which would be deemed adequate otherwise, seem like not such a good value, so to prevent such performances/names from getting into the list (like Andrew Flintoff in 2009, who had a more-than-reasonable IMPACT of 2.29 in 3 matches which still did not justify a pay-packet of $1,550,000), we limit the flops to players who did not even register an IMPACT of 1 per match.

NOTE: All IMPACT numbers on a scale of 0 to 5.

IPL 2008 -

Biggest hit – Shane Watson
(Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2008 IMPACT 4.20, 15 matches, was bought for $ 125,000 at the second round of IPL auctions in 2008)

Shane Watson was the highest impact player in 2008 (he is also the highest impact player in IPL history, as it happens). Besides his remarkable consistency, he delivered big match performances in both the semi-final and final for Rajasthan Royals, which also transformed into a tournament-defining performance (as RR won that season). He had a failure rate (the inability to register an IMPACT of even 1 in a match) of just 7% that IPL season. A true international star was born that year.

Other hits in 2008:

• Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals, 2.78, 11 matches, $ 100,000)
• Luke Pomersbach (Kings XI Punjab, 2.67, 5 matches, $ 50,000)
• Salman Butt (Kolkata Knight Riders, 2.40, 7 matches, $ 100,000)
• Farveez Maharoof (Delhi Daredevils, 3.58, 10 matches, $ 225,000)
  

Biggest flop - Shivnarine Chanderpaul
(Royal Challengers Bangalore, 0.37, 3 matches, $ 200,000)
Other flops in 2008:

• Ricky Ponting (Kolkata Knight Riders, 0.87, 4 matches, $ 400,000)
• Manoj Tiwary (Delhi Daredevils, 0.99, 9 matches, $ 675,000)
• Shoaib Malik (Delhi Daredevils, 0.97, 7 matches, $ 500,000)
• Brett Geeves (Delhi Daredevils, 0.43, 2 matches, $ 50,000)

IPL 2009 -

Biggest hit – Pradeep Sangwan
(Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2009 IMPACT 1.67, 13 matches, was bought for $ 50,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

His wicket-taking ability, coupled with good economy, and the ability to break partnerships, brought Sangwan good dividends in South Africa. A memorable performance against eventual winners Deccan Chargers (3 for 18 in 4 overs) was his highest impact performance that IPL season.

Other hits in 2009:

• Ross Taylor (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2.20, 11 matches, $ 100,000 at the 2008 IPL 2008 auction)
• Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, 2.85, 8 matches, $ 100,000)
• Tillakaratne Dilshan (Delhi Daredevils, 2.97, 14 matches, $ 250,000 at the 2008 IPL 2008 auction)
• AB de Villiers (Delhi Daredevils, 2.60, 15 matches, $ 300,000 at the 2008 IPL 2008 auction)

Biggest flop - Manoj Tiwary (Delhi Daredevils, 0.13, 2 matches, $ 650,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

Other flops in 2009:

• VVS Laxman (Deccan Chargers, 0.17, 5 matches, $ 375,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• Theron Henderson (Rajasthan Royals, 0.82, 2 matches, $ 650,000)
• Wasim Jaffer (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 0.47, 2 matches, $ 150,000)
• Joginder Sharma (Chennai Super Kings, 0.97, 4 matches, $ 225,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

IPL 2010 -

Biggest hit – Adam Voges
(Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2010 IMPACT 1.73, 9 matches, was bought for $ 50,000 at the 2010 IPL auction)

He may not have been amongst the highest impact players in the tournament but Voges delivered consistent support for Rajasthan Royals in the middle-order batting. A high Runs Tally IMPACT (proportion of runs in the match) and Pressure IMPACT (absorbing the pressure of falling wickets) characterised his performances. For $ 50,000, he was a great value-for-money player as compared to many high-priced players in the tournament.

Other hits in 2010:

• Dale Steyn (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2.28, 15 matches, $ 325,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• Chaminda Vass (Deccan Chargers, 2.97, 6 matches, $ 200,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings, 3.28, 16 matches, $ 650,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• Yusuf Pathan (Rajasthan Royals, 2.55, 14 matches, $ 475,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

Biggest flop - Brett Lee(Kings XI Punjab, 0.14, 4 matches, $ 900,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

Other flops in 2010:

• Kemar Roach (Deccan Chargers, 0.36, 2 matches, $ 720,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• George Bailey (Chennai Super Kings, 0.06, 1 match, $ 50,000 at the 2009 IPL auction)
• Cameron White (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 0.65, 7 matches, $ 500,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)
• S Sreesanth (Kings XI Punjab, 0.95, 6 matches, $ 625,000 at the 2008 IPL auction)

IPL 2011 -

Biggest hit – Aiden Blizzard
(Mumbai Indians, IPL 2011 IMPACT 1.89, 6 matches, was bought for $ 20,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)

Blizzard was good in all aspects of batting except absorbing pressure. He even provided a big match performance in the first eliminator against KKR to set up a successful chase.

Other hits in 2011:

• Jesse Ryder (Pune Warriors, 2.39, 13 matches, $ 150,000)
• RE van der Merwe (Delhi Daredevils, 2.35, 4 matches, $ 50,000)
• Alfonso Thomas (Pune Warriors, 1.49, 10 matches, $ 100,000)
• Amit Mishra (Deccan Chargers, 2.52, 14 matches, $ 300,000)

Biggest flop - Michael Lumb
(Deccan Chargers, 0.06, 1 matches, $ 80,000)

Other flops in 2011:

• Colin Ingram (Delhi Daredevils, 0.04, 2 matches, $ 100,000)
• Muttiah Muralitharan (Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 0.61, 5 matches, $ 1,100,000)
• Matthew Wade (Delhi Daredevils, 0.15, 2 matches, $ 100,000)
• Tim Paine (Pune Warriors, 0.49, 2 matches, $ 270,000)

IPL 2012 so far -

Biggest hit – Kevon Cooper
(Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2012 IMPACT so far 2.65, 6 matches, was bought for $ 50,000 at the 2012 IPL auction)

A wicket-taker who is stingy with runs and even tends to build pressure with quick wickets. His high point came earlier in the tournament (4-26 in 4 overs and 11 in 3 balls) and it is a pity he has been injured ever since (and back home).

Other hits in 2012 so far:

• F du Plessis (Chennai Super Kings, 2.56, 12 matches, $ 120,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• James Franklin (Mumbai Indians, 2.27, 10 matches, $ 100,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• Steven Smith (Pune Warriors, 2.29, 15 matches, $ 200,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings, 2.42, 14 matches, $ 200,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)

Biggest flop -  Andre Russell
(Delhi Daredevils, 0.13, 1 match, $ 450,000)

Other flops in 2012:

• Clint McKay (Mumbai Indians, 0.24, 2 matches, $ 110,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• Davy Jacobs (Mumbai Indians, 0.25, 1 matches, $ 190,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• Cheteshwar Pujara (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 0.39, 3 matches, $ 700,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)
• Abhishek Nayar (Kings XI Punjab, 0.47, 4 matches, $ 800,000 at the 2011 IPL auction)

On a team level, just on the basis of the list above, we get an interesting picture. It emerges from this that Rajasthan Royals (despite the financial disaster on Henderson in 2009) have the best record of getting the most effective players for less. Delhi Daredevils have a history of getting hits and flops in equal measure and tend to take more risks than others.  As do Royal Challengers Bangalore somewhat but their flops are more pronounced than their hits. On this list, Pune Warriors has a good record of 3 hits and 1 flop but overall (and especially in 2012), their buying has been shaky. However, that’s another story for another time.

IPL: Gayle and Kohli show keeps Bangalore's title hunt alive

Bangalore beat Delhi by 21 runs; Gayle smashes 13 sixes in his unbeaten 128.

Chris Gayle is a man in desperate need of a challenge. Bowlers in T20 competitions around the world have failed to provide him one. Back home in the Caribbean, on the bouncy wickets of Australia or the flat ones in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and most of all in the IPL, the big Jamaican has butchered one attack after another. It’s hard to fathom what bowlers have been doing wrong.

His run-scoring has been formulaic: settle down, see off the new ball, let the weaker bowlers come on, turn off Bruce Banner, turn on Hulk, go smash. That’s exactly what happened today.

Briefly, Umesh Yadav seemed to have found the magic mantra to keep Gayle quiet. Yadav bowled short of length around off-stump, swinging away from the left-hander. The unthinkable happened: Gayle played a maiden over. It has got to be one of the bowling moments of the tournament.

Gayle took his time. He moved to 10 off 17 balls. He hit a couple of sixes over long-on, reached 38 in 34. Still slow by his standards. Delhi had done a pretty good holding job till then with their off-stump line. But their wheels soon came off. Gayle took 62 off his next 19 balls for the hundred, and 90 in all off his 28. 

In those 19 balls, Parvindar Negi was hit into the stands four times and Irfan Pathan thrice in an over. These were all hit in the arc between square leg and long-off. Mahela Jayawardene, standing in for the ill Virender Sehwag, brought back Yadav, who went back to his off-stump line. This time it didn’t work. Gayle smashed him for sixes over extra-cover and point.

The best of Gayle’s IPL record-equalling 13 sixes today was his last of the innings. Varun Aaron bowled him a fast yorker outside off-stump, but erred by giving him the slightest width. Gayle dug it out and guided it over the point boundary. There was nowhere you could bowl to him today. The second highest score in the game today was Virat Kohli’s 73. Gayle scored more in sixes alone. Their second-wicket stand of 204 is a T20 record.

What sets Gayle apart from most big hitters of the game is his fuss-free approach to hitting sixes. There’s no fancy footwork, no attempt to hoodwink the bowlers by changing his grip or stance. There’s little or no premeditation. As he said after the game, the decision to go for six is left for the last moment. His reach is big, his arms strong, his bat as big and heavy as William Wallace’s sword, and the boundaries nearly not big enough. If the ball lands in his swinging zone, it will be punished. And he needn’t even go full throttle at it.

Batsmen these days are only too keen to express delight after hitting a six. They break into a laugh, brag to their partner about how they did it, and generally looked pleased. Kohli at the other end certainly did. Gayle on the other hand remains in his character: you can’t tell from his stone-faced visage if he’s just got out or just hit the bowler for five sixes in an over.

Gayle has 706 runs in 13 innings in IPL5, with 57 sixes. The next man is 160 runs behind. In all T20 cricket, Gayle has 3943 runs in 106 games. He has the most hundreds (8) and the highest average for anyone with over 1,000 runs (43.81).

He has the most sixes (279 — 81 more than the next guy, Kieron Pollard), and averages a six every nine balls. No other T20 batsman with an average above 40 has a strike rate above 150. If Gayle is not the Bradman of the shortest format, he certainly is its Hammond.

But these impressive numbers would count for little if Bangalore fail to win their last league game. Luckily, they will play it in Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers’ bogey venue. Winning there may help them scrape through to the play-offs with 19 points. Afterwards, Gayle needs to do what nobody has for the Royal Challengers: win them an IPL final. 

Narine fells Mumbai, spins Kolkata into play-offs

'Mystery' spinner picks up four wickets in 32-run win.

Kolkata Knight Riders entrapped Mumbai Indians in a web of deceit as ‘mystery’ spinner Sunil Narine weaved for them a 32-run win at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

Kolkata were sent in to bat and struggled to 140-7 in their allocated quota, after which they scuppered Mumbai’s chase with regular wickets. The star performer for Shahrukh Khan’s franchise was young Narine, who proved impossible to read even for the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, and ended with match figures of four for 15. He was supported admirably, for once, by Lakshmipathy Balaji, who took two for 11 from four tight overs.

The win lifted KKR to the second spot on the table with 19 points - one behind league leaders Delhi Daredevils, a place in the play-offs now written in stone. For this most pleasing result, KKR should thank their bowlers.

Chasing an apparently innocuous 141, Mumbai lost Herschelle Gibbs early – leg-before to Iqbal Abdullah - and were stupefied when Narine got a searing off-break to clatter into Tendulkar’s stumps. Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu, victims of frank indiscretion, followed soon after, and when Kieron Pollard was caught behind off a short Jacques Kallis delivery, Mumbai were in freefall.

They lost their last six wickets for 12 runs, as Narine lured Harbhajan Singh with a delivery that spun away, and Rohit Sharma with one that straightened. Nobody displayed the stomach to hang around, and KKR romped home when R.P. Singh hoicked Narine to deep mid-wicket, where he was caught by Abdullah, as Mumbai folded for 108 in the 20th over.

Kolkata, however, had begun the match disastrously. They were jolted by an abominable leg-before decision and an R.P. Singh ripper as they lost two key batsmen in the second over of the first innings, after Mumbai elected to field.

On a wicket not quite conducive to shot-making, the visitors were pegged back by the early double blow, and although Manoj Tiwary attempted a restructuring of the innings, Kolkata had to satisfy themselves with a total – their lowest of the season - that seemed insufficient against the might of Mumbai’s batting.

R.P. Singh made early inroads and his first success was more fortuitous that anything else. Opener Brendon McCullum charged down the pitch and was struck on the pads. The ball had pitched outside leg, the batsman too was a mile out of the crease, yet umpire Subroto Das raised his finger for a horrendous decision, sending the disappointed New Zealander on his way.

On the next ball, R.P. knocked back Kallis' off stump, putting Kolkata in a right spot with two wickets down in the second over. Gautam Gambhir, the man in form, also struggled for runs. He was handed two reprieves - by the wicketkeeper and by Tendulkar - and was finally bowled by Kieron Pollard on 27.

Manoj Tiwary hung around, interspersing a rash of singles with a couple of fours and sixes, and was out after scoring 41. Yusuf Pathan did precious little to salvage his poor season. The burly hitter was handed a quasi ‘life’ when he was caught off an R.P. Singh no-ball, but could not build on it, finishing with a laborious unbeaten 21.

Knight Riders are desperate to return to winning ways

Two back to back defeats on their home turf have pushed the Kolkata Knight Riders down to the third place.

After an unbeaten run of seven matches midway through the IPL-V, things have suddenly gone wrong for Kolkata Knight Riders in the last couple of matches.

Two back to back defeats on their home turf at the Eden Gardens including a last-ball loss against Chennai Super Kings, on Monday, have pushed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) down to the third place, one point behind Mumbai Indians (18).

Gautam Gambhir’s men have dominated most part of the tournament and victories in the remaining two matches can still put them among the top two teams in the points table.

The first two teams in the league would be in an advantageous position in the play-offs as they will get an extra chance to qualify for the final. Hence, Wednesday’s tie between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, at the Wankhede Stadium, is of immense significance.

History definitely favours the Mumbai Indians as they have won eight of the nine matches they have played against the Knights. But the way things have gone this season, it will better to not to go by statistics.

While Harbhajan Singh’s men will do their best to hang on to the second place in the table, Knight Riders would certainly go all out to topple their rivals.

Despite two defeats, Gambhir has remained confident after KKR’s defeat to CSK, at the Eden Gardens. “We played some very good cricket in the last two games. It’s not that we were beaten convincingly. We can take a lot of positives out of it. With the kind of cricket we are playing, hopefully we can turn it around pretty soon,” the skipper said.

Anderson voted Player of the Year

James Anderson has been named England Cricketer of the Year for 2011/12. Anderson, the 29-year-old swing bowler, has taken 46 wickets in 11 Tests from the start of the 2011 English season and has risen to No. 3 in the ICC Test bowling rankings. He also played a key role in England's defeat of India - a result that confirmed England as the No. 1 rated Test side - and proved his worth in all conditions with excellent performances in the UAE and Sri Lanka.

Anderson, who claimed his 250th Test wicket and rose to fifth on the list of England's all-time Test wicket-takers during the period, beat off competition from fellow nominees Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook to win the award which is decided by votes from members of the cricket media. Charlotte Edwards was named England Women's Cricketer of the Year, while Daniel Bell-Drummond won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year and Callum Rigby won the England Disability Cricketer of the Year award.

Pakistan's hunt for bowling coach continues

Pakistan will travel to Sri Lanka for their tour in June and July without a bowling coach because all applications received for the vacancy left by Aaqib Javed have been deemed unsuitable.

"We aren't able to find a suitable coach so far," Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman told Express News. "We have to reopen the process for more applicants."

The Pakistan board received applications from Ian Pont from England, the Maldives coach Bazeegh Zaka, and former Pakistan players Jalal-ud-Din, Mohsin Kamal, Sabih Azhar and Mohammad Akram. The applicants, although qualified, lacked international exposure. One of the job requirements was to have at least five years of experience in a similar role with elite cricketers and none of the applicants fulfilled that. England's part-time spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed was also in contention but nothing was finalised because Pakistan were looking for more than a spin-bowling coach.

Intikhab Alam, the head of the committee looking for the bowling coach, said the process would continue once Ashraf returned to Pakistan next week. The PCB recently appointed Dav Whatmore and Julian Fountain as head coach and fielding coach. The vacancy for bowling coach arose because Javed accepted the position of UAE's head coach.

IPL council suspends five players

The IPL governing council has suspended five players named by a sting operation alleging corruption until an inquiry into the accusations is conducted. TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Shalabh Srivastava (Kings XI Punjab), Amit Yadav (Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali were suspended, according to IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla.

"The above players would not be entitled to participate in any cricket match played under the aegis of the BCCI while under suspension," N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said in a statement.

Shukla said Ravi Sawani, the former head of the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), will conduct the inquiry. "The conversation [in the sting] is about other matches also, which are not IPL, or in previous IPLs," Shukla said after the meeting on Tuesday. "After due consideration, the BCCI president has decided to have an inquiry for which a commissioner has been appointed, Mr Ravi Sawani. He will be conducting the preliminary inquiry. His report will be sent to the disciplinary committee."

Srivastava, one of the players accused by the sting, said he was not guilty. "I fail to understand whatever is being said about spot-fixing. Also if they [a TV channel) are showing all the video clips, why aren't they showing the clip where I allegedly am demanding Rs. 10 lakh?" he told NDTV. "The voice in that telephonic conversation is not mine. It is very easy to frame anyone with a doctored audio clip."

India TV, a television channel, showed footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match and played a recording of a phone conversation that it said was of a current IPL player negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball. It also had at least three players on camera allegedly seeking more lucrative deals - including extra money that would have violated their IPL contracts - with other league franchises through an undercover reporter posing as a sports agent.

Srivastava has not played a match for Kings XI this IPL season, though he was a fairly regular starter in 2011 and has played 14 matches in all. Mohnish Mishra played the solitary match for Warriors in 2012, when he replaced Sourav Ganguly against Royal Challengers Bangalore and was dismissed for 4. Sudhindra played three games for Chargers, conceding 136 runs and taking only one wicket, while Yadav has not got a game for Kings XI. Bali, an allrounder from Delhi, is not part of the IPL but has played first-class and limited-overs cricket for Himachal Pradesh.

England wary of Chanderpaul, Windies pace

LONDON (Reuters) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul's limpet-like batting and the express pace of Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards will make West Indies dangerous opponents for strong favourites Englandin the three-test series starting on Thursday.

England top the world rankings, six places above their opponents, and have not lost a home test series since 2008, while West Indies have won only one of their last 18 tests on English soil and just one of their last 10 series.

With conditions also likely to favour England's potent bowling attack, Darren Sammy's touring side face a daunting task going into the first test at Lord's.

"They've got Ottis Gibson as a coach who worked within the England set-up for three years, they've got two bowlers who can bowl very quick, they've got Chanderpaul who's a world-class batsman who's toured England on numerous occasions, so they're certainly a team we have to be very careful of," England fast bowler Stuart Broad told Sky Sports.

"We have to perform the way we can perform and should perform," he added.

"We won't look too far ahead in the series. We'll look to that first hour in the first test match like we always do, try and set the tone and try and hit them hard."

England lost 3-0 to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates this year, a series in which their top-order batsmen struggled badly for runs, and although they fought back to draw 1-1 in Sri Lanka there are still grounds for concern.

Captain Andrew Strauss scored the last of his 19 test centuries 18 months ago and the 35-year-old opener will be fully tested by the hostility of Roach and Edwards. Roach suffered a twisted foot and as a precaution did not bowl on the last day of their warm-up match on Sunday but is set to play on Thursday.

Kevin Pietersen did return to form with a fine century in the second test win over Sri Lanka and the highly promising Jonny Bairstow is likely to make his test debut batting at number six.

If the batsmen can provide a solid platform, England certainly have the bowling attack to expose the inexperienced Windies top order.

Broad is likely to open with James Anderson, supported by Steve Finn, Graham Onions or Tim Bresnan, and Graeme Swann will be the lone spinner.

"We'd love to make early inroads," Anderson said. "That's my job and Stuart's job. But from watching West Indies against Australia recently, they showed glimpses of a talented side.

"We can't just expect them to roll over. They're going to put up a fight. It's going to be a challenge for us."

LIMPET-LIKE

Leading the West Indies resistance will be the obdurate Chanderpaul, the world's top-ranked test batsman who has toured England six times with an average of 64.66.

The gritty left-hander has the technique and concentration to bat for long periods but he will need support from his team mates to repel the street-wise England bowlers.

West Indies showed signs of improvement in their recent home series loss to Australia, nearly upsetting the touring side in Barbados, and Sammy believes his young team are heading in the right direction after years in the doldrums.

"The only thing that has not been happening is the victories," Sammy said. "We've been playing good, competitive cricket against strong sides like India and Australia and all our tests have been going five days and down to the wire.

"Not many teams go to India and give India a run for their money, but we did that.

"Coming from where we are right now, we are not going to start winning straight away. We are taking baby steps to the ultimate goal.

Sammy said the biggest problem was losing key moments in big matches.

"One bad session keeps costing us," he said. "Champion teams seize the moment but we keep having a bad session where we might lose five wickets in an hour. We just need to cut that out. Once we eliminate those bad sessions then we'll make progress."