With the match between Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders being washed out due to rain,I feel it is a wrong statement to cite rain as a factor for shattering the dreams of the Kolkata Knight Riders' of entering the semi finals of the Indian Premier League.Even if there were no rains,a Kolkata win was just an illusion I feel.All that they could do was to start with a bang in the first encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and continue with a series of losses to all the major teams.
Had the match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders been played,all eyes would have been on Delhi Daredevils team that was charging forward compared to the Kolkata Knight Riders.Well,amazingly,rain has favoured the perfect team.And the Delhi Dare Devils seem to be the team that has the capacity to make it to the last four.But,still my vote would go in the favour of the Mumbai Indians-for they seem to be playing better cricket compared to someone like Chennai Super Kings.
Of the four so called icon players,two of them have given up the hopes of making into the big stage.Only two others in Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians are proving something worth.It would be worth noting the soft target provided for the Kolkata knight Riders by Royal Challengers Bangalore,which saw Brendon McCullum making most of them.But,when it comes to the really mattering stage in Delhi Daredevils and the Kings XI Punjab or even the Rajasthan Royals,sorry to say this.The Kolkata Knight Riders are no where near the mark of victory.
And what much difference would have it made,had the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils been played.Another loss for the Kolkata Knight Riders and a disappointment for Kolkata Knight Riders' fans.Alas!the fans have something to take home though if not the memories of the match.Guess what?Exactly!The cheerleaders.Ha ha ha..
Showing posts with label Delhi Daredevils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delhi Daredevils. Show all posts
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Royal Challengers......?
Hmm..when the name Royal Challengers come to someone's mind one thing is for sure..either they are considered to be talentless,unlucky,not hard working..etc...But, if one could watch the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Daredevils,one difference that could be seen is that the Delhi Daredevils were found to make a tough going when the going got to be tougher and tougher.This was what the Royal Challengers Bangalore were found lacking.Throughout the tournament,all that the Royal Challengers could manage was a shuffle in their batting order and nothing else.Also some selfishness in the bowling department wherein there was a leading bowler in Zaheer Khan who emerged as one of the leading wicket takers though not helping his team win or even save some face for his team.
And this time in the match against Delhi Daredevils,Oh!what a fantastic position they were in when they had a 24 run last over courtesy:Misbah-Ul-Haq.Though not a decent total posted by the Royal Challengers Bangalore,there's no rule that it shouldn't have been defended.Likewise,the best example being the Kolkata Knight Riders who rattled the stumps of the same Delhi Daredevils when the total they were defending was a handy 134.What's something special in Shoaib is that his hand bends legally and that shouldn't have been a major threat-because the same bowler was shown the gallows by Sanath Jayasuriya against Mumbai Indians.
Now,I guess the debate of the hour is the lack of a batsman of the caliber of Jayasuriya?Why are the likes of Jacques Kallis and Misbah (who nearly pulled off a win in the finals of the T20 finals) there for?
And coming to the latter part of the same,a complete control after Sehwag left should have made much use of.For,the Delhi Daredevils were struggling at 123/4 (3 wickets for 33 runs).But...?
All eyes on how to make Anil Kumble a scape goat now have to look out for someone else as the team had him ending up with figures of 2/18 off his allotted 4 overs.A test like stats.Wow!And at last,it is too much late for Goswamy.And Virender Sehwag is really worth the praise for he led the Delhi Daredevils courtesy:19 ball 47.Yet once again missing out on scoring the fastest IPL fifty.So Sad!!!
And this time in the match against Delhi Daredevils,Oh!what a fantastic position they were in when they had a 24 run last over courtesy:Misbah-Ul-Haq.Though not a decent total posted by the Royal Challengers Bangalore,there's no rule that it shouldn't have been defended.Likewise,the best example being the Kolkata Knight Riders who rattled the stumps of the same Delhi Daredevils when the total they were defending was a handy 134.What's something special in Shoaib is that his hand bends legally and that shouldn't have been a major threat-because the same bowler was shown the gallows by Sanath Jayasuriya against Mumbai Indians.
Now,I guess the debate of the hour is the lack of a batsman of the caliber of Jayasuriya?Why are the likes of Jacques Kallis and Misbah (who nearly pulled off a win in the finals of the T20 finals) there for?
And coming to the latter part of the same,a complete control after Sehwag left should have made much use of.For,the Delhi Daredevils were struggling at 123/4 (3 wickets for 33 runs).But...?
All eyes on how to make Anil Kumble a scape goat now have to look out for someone else as the team had him ending up with figures of 2/18 off his allotted 4 overs.A test like stats.Wow!And at last,it is too much late for Goswamy.And Virender Sehwag is really worth the praise for he led the Delhi Daredevils courtesy:19 ball 47.Yet once again missing out on scoring the fastest IPL fifty.So Sad!!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Captain Sets Up A Debacle for His Team
Well it would have been better had Virender Sehwag not got into such an act.This I mean is the decision of the Delhi Daredevils captain-Virender Sehwag who took the initiative by taking the ball in his hands,after some good work with the bat.As a result,this suicidal decision proved to be very costly for the Delhi Daredevils team as the over bowled by Virender Sehwag was belted for a costly 22 runs in the match which fate awarded it to the Kings XI Punjab after rain interrupted and the match had to be stopped after the Kings XI Punjab had batted for just 8 overs.Bad funda indeed!!And a last ball six from the blades of Mahela Jayawardane locked the doors for the Delhi Daredevils.Oh!What a bad luck!Here comes the role of the unseen player in the form of fate which happened in this case to be the drizzles.Added to this,Virender Sehwag's score card read 47 runs from 19 balls and in the end 51 runs from 26 balls.Meaning just four runs from 7 balls towards the end of the innings.God knows as to why Sehwag decided to take the ball in his hands?
All batsmen belonging to the Delhi Daredevils team failed but for Sehwag and Gambhir.What better result can one expect with such a horrible thinking?With bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Maharoof,and with the showers pouring in,the unexpected could have been predicted.Don't know as to why Sehwag did this!It was something like the Proteas in the crucial league tie against Sri Lanka in the 2003 world cup which ended South Africa's world cup dreams for one more time.And one more such instance that I can give is the super eight match between Sri Lankaand Pakistan in which Mahela Jayawardane handed over the ball to Jayasuriya who got belted for 64 runs off his four overs,following which the same Jayasuriya scored a duck.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Slowly Turning The Other Way?
Well as soon as the talk is about the T20 game,the first thing that comes to people's mind is about not batting but about belting the ball ruthlessly.But,in the ongoing Indian Premier League,in addition to merciless belting of the cricket ball,there are at time when teams end up putting a low total,and in case of Royal Challengers Bangalore,it is something a common gesture I can say.But,the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Dare Devils found the Kolkata Knight Riders not only end up scoring a low total but also defend it successfully.Coutesy:Shoaib Akthar's 4/11 off 3 overs.
And in the recent match between the Chennai Super Kings versus Rajasthan Royals, the match witnessed not only a hat-trick but also a second 5-wicket haul.The first one being Sohail Tanvir's 6/14.I doubt weather he has taken better figures than this one even in tests?And more recently,that is in yesterday's match,there was one more hat-trick by Amith Mishra who was also making a comeback after a very long time. Not sure as to when he last played his international game in any format.
Well another coincidence has arisen which even I came to know while writing this particular post.That is all the aforementioned bowling efforts have been by bowlers who have made a comeback after a long time.
It was nice to see some big hitter like Shahid Afridi play his natural game of slogging the ball randomly.Though not lasting too long,there was some satisfaction compared to his previous knocks.And the innings played by Goutam Gambhir is outstanding not to mention.Congrats Goutam on reaching the 400 run aggregate mark.Lets hope that he gets atleast one man of the match award.No doubt that he still stands one of the best (may be the only one) to be awarded the man of the series award.I've already awarded him it!!!
And in the recent match between the Chennai Super Kings versus Rajasthan Royals, the match witnessed not only a hat-trick but also a second 5-wicket haul.The first one being Sohail Tanvir's 6/14.I doubt weather he has taken better figures than this one even in tests?And more recently,that is in yesterday's match,there was one more hat-trick by Amith Mishra who was also making a comeback after a very long time. Not sure as to when he last played his international game in any format.
Well another coincidence has arisen which even I came to know while writing this particular post.That is all the aforementioned bowling efforts have been by bowlers who have made a comeback after a long time.
It was nice to see some big hitter like Shahid Afridi play his natural game of slogging the ball randomly.Though not lasting too long,there was some satisfaction compared to his previous knocks.And the innings played by Goutam Gambhir is outstanding not to mention.Congrats Goutam on reaching the 400 run aggregate mark.Lets hope that he gets atleast one man of the match award.No doubt that he still stands one of the best (may be the only one) to be awarded the man of the series award.I've already awarded him it!!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Return With A Bang!!
Well in the game between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings there was Laxmipathy Balaji who was found to make a grand comeback,the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils saw the man whom people love to hate make a terrific comeback when he sent four batsmen back to the pevilion every time he came out to bowl out there.
The man was found to make news for all the bad reasons had something good in his very first Indian Premier League match.But,once again he's a man whom people love to hate.And once again he's made atleast Shahrukh do this.For his services were not available for most part of the IPL would have annoyed atleast me if not everyone.As far as the match goes,both the teams out there had to face humiliation when it came to batting.The first being the Kolkata Knight Riders who were bowled out for a mere total of 133 that was assumed to be chased down in a wick with the likes of Goutam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.But,the Shoaib factor was not taken into account I guess.
And the funny thing the I like to highlight is the falling of three wickets in Laxmi Ratan Shukla's first five deliveries.So is it Shoaib Akthar who rattled the Daredevils' batsmen or the Delhi batsmen themselves got into self destruct mode.Well it is left for you people to judge it out.And the most successful bowler of the match being given just 3 out of four overs that could have bowled.
Well..I have a suggestion to Shoaib that the boundary in the T20 games is a bit less when compared to ODIs.Else,it would not be too far when one can see Shoaib Akthar starting his run-up from out of the boundary line.
The man was found to make news for all the bad reasons had something good in his very first Indian Premier League match.But,once again he's a man whom people love to hate.And once again he's made atleast Shahrukh do this.For his services were not available for most part of the IPL would have annoyed atleast me if not everyone.As far as the match goes,both the teams out there had to face humiliation when it came to batting.The first being the Kolkata Knight Riders who were bowled out for a mere total of 133 that was assumed to be chased down in a wick with the likes of Goutam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.But,the Shoaib factor was not taken into account I guess.
And the funny thing the I like to highlight is the falling of three wickets in Laxmi Ratan Shukla's first five deliveries.So is it Shoaib Akthar who rattled the Daredevils' batsmen or the Delhi batsmen themselves got into self destruct mode.Well it is left for you people to judge it out.And the most successful bowler of the match being given just 3 out of four overs that could have bowled.
Well..I have a suggestion to Shoaib that the boundary in the T20 games is a bit less when compared to ODIs.Else,it would not be too far when one can see Shoaib Akthar starting his run-up from out of the boundary line.
If Not For Shane Watson
Well the scorecard at the end of the match between the Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan read "Rajasthan Royals won the match by 3 wickets".It would be nice if one could consider the effort put up by both teams out there which could tell us as to who the real winner was.Well according to my opinion I would cast my vote in the favour of neither Rajasthan Royals nor Delhi Dare Devils.But,my choice would be the man of the match "Shane Watson".
If not for this gentleman from Australia,the match would have never been juicy as it proved out to be.However there has to be one winner after the end of each and every match played out there.And every match has only a couple of match winners.But, support for the match winner on that particular day-be it a bowler (who expects support from his other end partner and the fielders),or a batsman (who seeks the support of the non striker).
But,in case of the Rajasthan Royals,it was frustrating to see that there was hardly anyone in the batting who could support Shane Watson who led a lone battle to see his team through.Three run outs in the Rajasthan Royals' team exposed the weak running and understanding between the batsmen.Only two of them including Shane Watson could get into double figures.With Shane Watson's score of 74 sidelined,the Rajasthan Royals' score would have been 85 for the loss of 6 wickets needing 74 runs from 40 balls at 11.5 runs an over.
But,for the Delhi Daredevils,there is always a Gautam Gambir who is so far been in the best of his form with the bat.I guess he is the best bargains of the Indian Premier League.So,are the Delhi Dare Devils lucky to have a match winner in Goutham Gambhir?
If not for this gentleman from Australia,the match would have never been juicy as it proved out to be.However there has to be one winner after the end of each and every match played out there.And every match has only a couple of match winners.But, support for the match winner on that particular day-be it a bowler (who expects support from his other end partner and the fielders),or a batsman (who seeks the support of the non striker).
But,in case of the Rajasthan Royals,it was frustrating to see that there was hardly anyone in the batting who could support Shane Watson who led a lone battle to see his team through.Three run outs in the Rajasthan Royals' team exposed the weak running and understanding between the batsmen.Only two of them including Shane Watson could get into double figures.With Shane Watson's score of 74 sidelined,the Rajasthan Royals' score would have been 85 for the loss of 6 wickets needing 74 runs from 40 balls at 11.5 runs an over.
But,for the Delhi Daredevils,there is always a Gautam Gambir who is so far been in the best of his form with the bat.I guess he is the best bargains of the Indian Premier League.So,are the Delhi Dare Devils lucky to have a match winner in Goutham Gambhir?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Perfect Revange For The Chennai Super Kings
Well after a series of three defeats by the Chennai Super Kings,it looked as though the Chennai Super Kings were found to learn their lessons.And also after a series of boring one-sided matches ever since the inaugural edition of the IPL started,there was some enthusiasm in the crowd I guess after the match between Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Dare Devils-which resulted in a last ball win for Dhoni's men.
It is true that "Time and Tide wait for none".Since the first round robin of the IPL got over and the second round has already begun.When the same two teams met in the first round robin,the Delhi Dare Devils demolishes the Chennai Super kings by handing them their first ever defeat in the tournament.Since then th Chennai Super Kings have never been able to win a single match.And what better can it get by starting their winning streak once again by winning against a team which handed them the first ever defeat in the tournament?
The only positives in the Delhi Daredevils team being the knock of Gautam Gambhir who kept on fighting a losing battle,keeping the hopes of a Daredevils' win very much alive to a greater pert of the innings.But,no enough support for him at the other end (but for Shikar Dhawan) made things worse for the Delhi Dare Devils.
And one more thing that keeps on confusing/wondering me is the fact that Dhoni was awarded the man of the match award,with Stephen Fleming and Vidyut doing the scoring part for most part of the innings and also with a better strike rate of 170+ compared to Dhoni's run-a-ball 30.How?
It is true that "Time and Tide wait for none".Since the first round robin of the IPL got over and the second round has already begun.When the same two teams met in the first round robin,the Delhi Dare Devils demolishes the Chennai Super kings by handing them their first ever defeat in the tournament.Since then th Chennai Super Kings have never been able to win a single match.And what better can it get by starting their winning streak once again by winning against a team which handed them the first ever defeat in the tournament?
The only positives in the Delhi Daredevils team being the knock of Gautam Gambhir who kept on fighting a losing battle,keeping the hopes of a Daredevils' win very much alive to a greater pert of the innings.But,no enough support for him at the other end (but for Shikar Dhawan) made things worse for the Delhi Dare Devils.
And one more thing that keeps on confusing/wondering me is the fact that Dhoni was awarded the man of the match award,with Stephen Fleming and Vidyut doing the scoring part for most part of the innings and also with a better strike rate of 170+ compared to Dhoni's run-a-ball 30.How?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mumbai Indians: From Rags To Riches
The icon player of the tournament is a gone case I guess.With Sachin Tendulkar postponing his debut in the Indian Premier League every match,it is high time that the fans give their hopes of watching the magic of this Mumbai lad in this form of the game too.But,the Mumbai Indians don't seem to put it in front of them like it was apparent from the way they started their T20 League.It was some relief for the Mumbai Indians' fans for they were found to beat the in form Delhi Daredevils who have had a great start.
And even this time there was a little bit of disappointment for Jayasuriya fans out there because,though he got onto a great start as he always does,he could not get the momentum going.He was found to blast the bowlers all over the fence,but the innings life didn't last too long.The batsman scored 34 runs off 16 balls which included 6 hits to the fence followed up by one six.It is really disappointing to see the batsman who has held the record for the maximum sixes in one day internationals,is finding it hard to even pound one or a couple of them over the fence.
But,Shaun Pollock was delightful to watch as he had put up an all round performance by picking up 2 important wickets and also blasting a 15 ball 33 to see his side through.Well the funny aspect of the match being that Virender Sehwag was unable to get the strike.The man was found face just seven deliveries from the first six overs.For the last two matches,the Mumbai Indians have been able to find one or the other inform player.If it was Sanath Jayasuriya in the last game,it was Pollock in the match against Delhi Daredevils.
And even this time there was a little bit of disappointment for Jayasuriya fans out there because,though he got onto a great start as he always does,he could not get the momentum going.He was found to blast the bowlers all over the fence,but the innings life didn't last too long.The batsman scored 34 runs off 16 balls which included 6 hits to the fence followed up by one six.It is really disappointing to see the batsman who has held the record for the maximum sixes in one day internationals,is finding it hard to even pound one or a couple of them over the fence.
But,Shaun Pollock was delightful to watch as he had put up an all round performance by picking up 2 important wickets and also blasting a 15 ball 33 to see his side through.Well the funny aspect of the match being that Virender Sehwag was unable to get the strike.The man was found face just seven deliveries from the first six overs.For the last two matches,the Mumbai Indians have been able to find one or the other inform player.If it was Sanath Jayasuriya in the last game,it was Pollock in the match against Delhi Daredevils.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Sehwag:The Only One Icon Player?
Well the definition of icon player seemed to be redefined by Virender Sehwag for,he is the only one so called icon player to have proved to be worth his status.Unlike other so called icon players like Sachin Tendulkar-who is yet to make a mark in the tournament,Rahul Dravid-who can just defend the ball rather than see it clear the ropes,Sourav Ganguly who is only a step agead of Rahul Dravid when it comes to big hitting and last but not the least we have Anil Kumble,whose name has hardly been heard by the fans over.Guess this is why a thinking player like V V S Laxman chaose not to be one of those icon players citing the team's budget as the reasons to opt not to be one.Some intelligence to be observed.Ha ha ha..The man for the second time was found to fire with the bat.The first against Deccan Chargers-wherein he scored a quickfire 91 off just 42 deliveries and this time against the Chennal Super Kings-who have until now been unbeaten.But,Sehwag took the initiative to see to that this dominance continues no more.There was nothing to complain from the side of M S Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings if not for Virender Sehwag.And also not to forget his wicket of Parthiv Patel to give initial breakthrough to his team.
Well Dhoni had set each and everything right for his team by putting on 169 runs which was rather the most a decent total.But,Sehwag had different plans.And that too without the likes of Matthew Hayden,Mike Hussey and Jacob Oram,who have been the right hand in posting three consecutive wins for their side.It looks like after this game against the Delhi Daredevils,the life span of the Chennai Super Kings has been numbered.Really??
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Glenn McGrath-The Old War Horse
Well..it is a real waste of time,money and energy for people to once again think about Royal Challengers who are bound to disappoint almost every now and then.So,let us cast our eyes on the Delhi Daredevils who had a wonderful night out there at the Firoz Shah Kotla stadium.The first praise from me would go to Gautam Gambir,who scored a blasting 86 off 54 balls to provide Glenn McGrath the momentum to cut the heads off the Royal Challengers royally.The knock was worth the praise as the rest of the batsmen if not for Shikar Dhawan were found struggling even against a cheap bowling attack of Sunil Joshi and co..Even Zaheer Khan-one of the leading bowlers in the tournament is not able to handle pressure and lead his side to victory.But,lets forget that.And as my last post quoted regarding the breaking of the fastest hundreds in the tournament,the same happened even in case of the best bowling performance.Sanath Jayasuriya's last night's feat of 3/14 against Kolkata Knight Riders was overtaken in just one match by Glenn McGrath who took figures of 4/29 from his alloted four overs.
The lanky Australian pacer can never be taken for granted in any form of the game I guess.And some positives for Dravid that he was somewhere close to playing a one day match where until last game was found to play a test game(even worse than that by scoring two golden ducks).But,that's a gone case altogether.An accurate bowling(even without swing,bounce and pace) can do wonders be it a test or a T20. And thats what Glenn McGrath once again proved that in the match against Royal Challengers.Kudos to U!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)