IPL 5: Marauding Delhi up against scratchy Mumbai

The recent form of Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians suggests that the clash between the two IPL heavyweights on Friday will be more than just another round-robin tie. While the former has emerged as a formidable unit in this edition of the tournament, the latter has just about managed to scrape through so far. Delhi are sitting top of the table and are coming into this match after a resounding eight-wicket win over Pune Warriors India. Their...

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Kumar Sangakkara relieved after Deccan Chargers' first win

Pune: Deccan Chargers’ captain Kumar Sangakkara expressed his satisfaction after his side registered its first win of this year’s IPL when they beat Pune Warriors India by 18 runs on Thursday. Deccan suffered five consecutive losses before opening their account with one point from the wash out match against Kolkata Knight Riders a few days ago. But despite a victory against Pune, and gaining two points from the match, Deccan are still at the bottom...

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IPL 5: Gayle wants to be an allrounder for RCB

Mumbai: Having smashed the bowlers around with impunity in the Indian Premier League (IPL), West Indian batting powerhouse Chris Gayle is ready to roll his arm over as well and chip in for Royal Challengers Bangalore. "I want to play my part with both bat and bowl. I am ready for the chance whenever the captain asks me," he told PTI. While Gayle has amassed 250 runs, the highest for the Bangalore franchise, in seven games, he has bowled only a...

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Kevin Pietersen terms Sachin Tendulkar the greatest ever

Noida: England and Delhi Daredevils’ batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that Sachin Tendulkar is the "greatest ever" to have played the game of cricket. "Sachin is a magnificent player. He is the greatest player ever played [the game], he said on the sidelines of an event. Pietersen, along with Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, has added stability to Delhi’s batting and has been in a good form ever since he joined the team after playing a series with...

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IPL 5: Yuvraj Singh visits Pune dug-out

Pune: Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from a rare germ cell cancer between his lungs, Thursday met his Pune Warriors India team-mates and was seen in good spirits, enjoying his side's IPL match against Deccan Chargers here. Yuvraj, who returned to the country earlier this month after treatment in the United States for more than two months, was seen waving to the crowd at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium and talking to his team-mates. He hugged Robin...

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IPL 5: Bhajji's wicket drought does not worry Pollock

New Delhi: Mumbai Indians bowling coach and mentor Shaun Pollock on Thursday said that there is nothing to worry about captain Harbhajan Singh's extended lean patch with the ball. The Mumbai skipper has so far got only one wicket from seven Indian Premier League games, but Pollock feels it's just a matter of time before the senior offspinner strikes form. "Harbhajan sets very high standards for himself and his performance hasn't been that bad....

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IPL 5: Nadeem nervy ahead of contest with Sachin

New Delhi: It's not everyday that a domestic cricketer gets an opportunity to bowl to a legend like Sachin Tendulkar in a competitive match and talented Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem is the first one to admit that there is a lot of pressure on him. Nadeem, who has been a surprise package for the Delhi Daredevils having bowled at an economy rate of less than six runs per over in the seven matches, "I have bowled against Sachin paaji...

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IPL 5: Delhi aware of Tendulkar threat, says Simmons

New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils coach Eric Simmons Thursday said his team was aware of the threat posed by the return of Sachin Tendulkar from injury as they get ready to host Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday. "Sachin [Tendulkar] is back, that makes a difference. They [Mumbai] are coming off a good win," Simmons told reporters here. Tendulkar missed action after getting hit on his finger in the opening game on April 4...

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IPL 5: Harbhajan Singh falling apart as Mumbai Indians skipper

Mumbai Indians have been playing far below their potential in this IPL season. Apply cricketing logic to it, and you will get reasons aplenty for their indifferent show. But the change they made just before the commencement of their IPL 5 campaign could have a lot to do with Mumbai's topsy-turvy ride. Sachin Tendulkar handed over the Mumbai Indians captaincy to Harbhajan Singh before the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings. And it won't...

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IPL 5 is Immigrant Premier League

New Delhi: Almost half of the cash-rich Indian Premier League's fifth season has passed, and until now, other than Ajinkya Rahane and Shahbaz Nadeem, no other Indian player has hit the consistency curve. No doubt, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel and Sourav Ganguly have done some brilliant job with the wood and leather, but none of them have been consistent. This season, teams have been seen to be relying more on their four foreign players rather than...

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Pune eager to bounce back against Hyderabad

PUNE: Team Hyderabad finally opened their points tally after a rained-out tie over Team Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Team Pune too enjoyed a first. Their first major partnership when Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey batted 18.4 overs together for 145 runs. When both teams face off at the Subrata Roy Sahara stadium here on Thursday night, they may not be able to take heart from the above positives. Hyderabad arrived in the city late...

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IPL 5: CSK, RCB share points after wash-out

Bangalore: The return leg match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings was called off without a single ball being bowled. The two on-field umpires Sudhir Asnani and Billy Doctrove abandoned the match at 11 pm as persistent downpour played a spoilsport. Both CSK and RCB got a point each from the game and have nine points from eight matches. With points split, CSK moved up to the third spot, while Bangalore are placed fourth...

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Peterson, Rayudu pickpocket Kings XI Punjab

Robin Peterson and Ambati Rayudu proved to be the unlikely heroes for Mumbai Indians as they pulled off a four-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab that had looked highly improbable until the penultimate over of this IPL 5 game. 32 runs were required off 12 balls when Piyush Chawla came on to bowl, the equation was down to 5 off 6 by the time he was done. And despite the best efforts of the excellent Azhar Mahmood, Rayudu smacked a four to finish...

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I've never practised switch hit: Peterson

MOHALI: It takes courage to play a reverse sweep and then follow it up with a switch hit of the first two balls one faces in a tournament. Robin Peterson did exactly the same to help Mumbai take the game away from Punjab on Wednesday. His blitz saw the southpaw score 15 runs off his first four balls to bring his team back into the game. Though he may not be Kevin, he is still a Peterson, by his own right. But the 32-year-old said that unlike...

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IPL 5: Tendulkar credits youngsters for beating KXIP

Mohali: Sachin Tendulkar acknowledged the brilliant batting effort by the young batsmen of Mumbai Indians as they recorded a stunning four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match on Wednesday. Tendulkar, who skippered the IPL side in the previous four seasons, praised the trio of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Peterson for not throwing in the towel under pressure. Tendulkar, though, felt he and James Franklin could have done better...

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IPL 5: Gilchrist defends expensive Chawla

Mohali: He is out with an injury but Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist played the role of a mentor to perfection when he lavished praise on Piyush Chawla, who leaked 27 runs in the 19th over to pave the way for Mumbai Indians' win. Instead of blaming Chawla, Gilchrist decided to praise Robin Peterson whose innovative switch hits got MI back into the game. "I think we should celebrate the positive cricket played by Peterson," Gilchrist, who...

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It's exciting to be part of a hungry group: Irfan Pathan

NEW DELHI: Irfan Pathan is enjoying a second wind in his career, post a debilitating back injury. If he continues to show quality with consistency, he may well become the pace-bowling all-rounder the Indian team is looking for desperately, especially in ODIs. Irfan has been bowling well for Team Delhi too in the IPL besides striking the ball well with the bat. Irfan, during a chat with the TOI on Wednesday, said, "I am thankful to God for what...

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Knew spinners wouldn't bowl full to me: Sehwag

PUNE: When your team is outclassed and you are not captain of the ship, follow the simple rule: say the opposition played really well. Robin Uthappa displayed this wisdom after Pune's crushing eight-wicket defeat to Delhi on Tuesday. When asked if they batted too slowly in the first 10 overs, Uthappa said: "I was asking the same question to myself when Sehwag was batting. He made batting look so easy." Uthappa added that it was not an easy wicket...

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Guys like Sachin can't play forever: Rhodes

Johannesburg: Stating that players of Sachin Tendulkar's potential would not be playing forever, former South Africa cricketer and Mumbai Indians' fielding coach Jonty Rhodes said that it is important that the youngsters who emerge from tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) are good all-round cricketers. "Guys like Sachin can't play forever and it's important that the young Indian players who come through the IPL are all-round players,...

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IPL 5: I am now focusing on my batting, says Shakib

Kolkata: No one can fault his effort as far as his bowling in this IPL is concerned, but star allrounder Shakib Al Hasan feels that it's about time that he started contributing with the willow. He has taken six wickets at an average of less than 11 run per wicket but according to Shakib that's only half the job done. "From the three matches I played, I was Man of the Match once. I've done well as a bowler. I'm now focusing on my batting. By the...

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Darren Bravo may not play in IPL this season

Kolkata: Left-handed West Indies strokemaker Darren Bravo may not play in the current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) even after the current Australia series ends in the Caribbean. The 23-year-old signed for the Deccan Chargers earlier this year, but opted to play the full Australia series which ends this week. With the West Indies set to leave for the tour of England next week, Deccan Chargers team manager Paul Skinner said, Bravo's...

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IPL 5: Back-in-form RCB, CSK lock horns in Bangalore

An intense battle is on the cards as the two finalists of IPL 4 - runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and defending champions Chennai Super Kings - face off once again on Thursday in the league's fifth season at the M Chinnaswmay Stadium in Bangalore. The battle - which will mark the midway of the round-robin stage - assumes even greater significance as nothing but run-rate separates the two teams, with both on 8 points from 7 matches. It was...

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IPL 5: Mumbai itching to settle scores with Punjab

Mumbai Indians travel to Mohali, the backyard of Kings XI Punjab, on Wednesday for the return leg of IPL 5 between the two teams and will hope to turn the tables on their north Indian rivals to avenge their defeat at home last weekend. The last meeting between the two teams ended with Punjab prevailing in a last-over finish by chasing down a target of 164 in a match that saw Munaf Patel being slapped with a fine after losing his temper and going...

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IPL 5: Sehwag shines in Delhi's big win over Pune

Pune: A captain’s knock of 87 not out by Virender Sehwag proved decisive as Delhi Daredevils cruised to an eight-wicket win over Pune Warriors India and maintained their top spot in the IPL 5 points table. Sehwag made 87 off 48 as Delhi overhauled Pune’s 146 with four overs to spare to register their fifth win in seven matches. Mahela Jayawardene (18 off 14) and Kevin Pietersen (27 off 21) were the two batsmen who got out, while Ross Taylor remained...

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Kolkata-Hyderabad match called off after squall hits Eden

KOLKATA: The Venue Operations Centre, a temporary structure which accommodates some police personnel on match days, collapsed as squall hit the Eden Gardens half-an-hour before Tuesday's IPL 5 match between Team Kolkata and Team Hyderabad. Several spectators were injured with three rushed to hospital. "All three have been discharged after a thorough medical examination," a statement from the Cricket Association of Bengal said later in the night. The...

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IPL 5: Storm creates havoc at Kolkata's Eden Gardens

Kolkata: Thunderstorm and rain lashed the Eden Gardens - venue of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers - here on Tuesday, causing the roof of a makeshift venue operating centre to collapse, which injured some of the spectators. The temporary operating centre was enacted to seat policemen and IMG officials but heavy wind followed by rain caused the roof of the structure to come off. The storm also...

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Why blame the selectors for Yusuf's IPL failure?

NEW DELHI: Wasim Akram's assertion that Yusuf Pathan's poor run in IPL 5 has been caused by his axing from the Indian team post 2011 World Cup is interesting but logic-defying. The Pakistani legend, who is the bowling coach of Team Kolkata for which Yusuf plays in the IPL, feels that the sack led to the player losing confidence which consequently caused his horror run in the IPL this season. Akram went on to tell the media on Monday, "Why he...

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Appanna was the real Man of the Match: De Villiers

Jaipur: His blistering 23-ball 59 formed the cornerstone of Royal Challengers Bangalore's easy win, but AB de Villiers, in a nice gesture, shared his Man-of-the-Match award with KP Appanna, who turned in an impressive performance with the ball on Monday. Appanna picked up four wickets after de Villiers' heroics as RCB defeated Rajasthan Royals by 46 runs in their Indian Premier League match in Jaipur. "I had a good game, I enjoyed my batting. I'd...

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Sachin celebrates birthday with wife, MI team

Chandigarh: The world may have feted him for becoming the only man to hit a century of centuries, but when it came to celebrating his 39th birthday, Sachin Tendulkar preferred to be with his wife and a few friends. At a private party hosted by industrialist Rajiv Bali here on Sunday night at his residence here, Sachin was almost looking shy as he cut the cake to ring in his birthday. He wore a deep brown T-shirt with colourful butterfly motifs....

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Bowling at the death a worry, admits Dravid

Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid feels that his team's bowling at the death is a cause of concern. Rajasthan were comprehensively beaten by 46-runs by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL 5 on Monday, where the home team bowlers got a bit of stick in the last few overs. "We had the game in control till the 13-14th over, but in the last seven overs, things slipped out of our hands. It has happened before also, the bowling in death...

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IPL 5: Adam Gilchrist wary of Mumbai's prowess

Mohali: Despite winning their last game against them, Kings XI Punjab's captain and coach Adam Gilchrist feels that Mumbai Indians are a dangerous side. "Mumbai is a dangerous side. They are an all-round side with quality players and star-studded line-up," Gilchrist said on the eve of his team's return-leg clash against the Harbhajan Singh-led side. Punjab, which is being led by stand-in captain David Hussey in the absence of Gilchrist, defeated...

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IPL 5: Bichel expects high-scoring contest vs RCB

Bangalore: Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel says he expects their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday to be a high-scoring one. The previous match between these teams was also high-scoring with Chennai coming out top in a 200 plus chase. "Since RCB's batting looks heavy at top of the order fully packed with overseas players, I think it will come down to a nail-biting over and hope we can win this [type of a game]...

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IPL 5: Sehwag credits bowlers for Delhi's top spot

Pune: Even as Delhi Daredevils maintained their domination at the top, skipper Virender Sehwag on Tuesday credited his bowlers for the team's eight-wicket win over Pune Warriors India here. "Good to be [on] top of the table; all because of my bowlers as they did a fantastic job," Sehwag said after scoring an unbeaten 48-ball 87 in his team's convincing win. "They [Pune] recovered well after losing a couple of wickets early on but they couldn't...

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Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 39th birthday in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: A palatial house nestled on a leafy boulevard of the French architect Corbusier-designed Chandigarh, away from the din of Mumbai became the birthday address of the cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar celebrating his 39th birthday, the first after the living legend reached the milestone a century of centuries this year. Party in pics The batsman, treated like a God in the country, arrived in a Honda Accord from the team hotel along with...

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IPL 5: Hurt Delhi take on Pune in revenge match

Pune Warriors India would very much like to repeat the performance of their last match against Delhi Daredevils when they face their North Indian rivals in the return league match of IPL 5 at home on Tuesday. Delhi are the table-toppers going into this battle and would appreciate if it stays that way, but after getting beaten by the Sourav Ganguly-led Pune at the Kotla, Virender Sehwag's men would have realised that everyday is not a Sunday. Delhi...

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IPL 5: Kolkata eye keeping Deccan on the mat

Kolkata Knight Riders will eye extending their winning streak to three matches and keep the winless Deccan Chargers on the mat when they host the team from Hyderabad in the IPL 5 match at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Despite a two-match winning run, Kolkata have looked scratchy and need to address the chinks in their armour before it's too late. In their last match against Deccan in Cuttack on Sunday, they were not convincing in their chase of...

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Tendulkar's 39th birthday to be low-key

Chandigarh: Sachin Tendulkar turns 39 on Tuesday but no big celebrations have been planned so far by the batting icon or his Mumbai Indians' team-mates, though his die-hard fans have made elaborate plans to observe the day in a big way. Tendulkar and his wife Anjali arrived here by an afternoon flight from Mumbai without their two children. The batting maestro's IPL team Mumbai Indians' team-mates also arrived here with him. Mumbai are set to clash...

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