Legends of Sports

Thousand of fans gave a grand reception to newly-crowned IPL champions Kolkata Knight Rider’s players as they celebrate the triumph parade moving towards the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. More than 50,000 people lined up both sides of the road as the players, led by Gautam Gambhir, waved on them on an open bus-top during the 5-km journey. The players were also seen clicking photographs of the frantic scenes in front of them.

Earlier last night, around one thousand harried supporters gathered and danced well past midnight as the players and team owners arrived from Chennai in two batches at the NSC Bose International Airport. Skipper Gautam Gambhir's three Bengali words "ami Kolkatar chhele" (I am son of the city) won the hearts of fans meet to welcome 'home' the Knight Riders who beat two-time defending champions Chennai Super Kings to win their maiden title in five appearances.

"Thank you very much for your support," Gambhir added as the crowd danced to the drum beats when the team members arrived around 10.30pm last night. Venky Mysore, the CEO of the Knight Riders, and coach Trevor Bayliss were among those on the crowded temporary dais just outside the VIP Gate number five. Team owners Shah Rukh Khan, Jay Mehta and Juhi Chawla arrived around 11.45 pm as they were excited at the crowd response late into the night.

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Change is a constant, and unavoidability just goes along if Chennai Super Kings’ winning ways was the certainty, the change had to come, and it came in the form of Kolkata Knight Riders. The Knight Riders dethroned the Super Kings to win their maiden IPL title by 5 wickets chasing down 192 in 19.4 overs . Gambhir the captain outwitted Dhoni the captain at the MA Chidambaram stadium in the IPL 2012 final. Again, it was not Gambhir or Sunil Narine who anchored KKR to glory, but the change here again was Manvinder Singh Bisla.

 

The wicket keeper-batsman, playing his 7th game of the season, took the game by the scruff of its neck with a counter attacking 89 runs off just 48 balls. Manvinder Singh Bisla’s surprising counter attack took Chennai Super Kings by surprise. He clobbered Albie Morkel for four boundaries in the 4th over milking 20 runs off it. Bisla sustained his charge with two sixes off Ashwin two overs later and in just 27 balls reached his 50.

He went on with his rampage only to be dismissed in the 15th over that later proved to be a match winning knock. But all along, the best all rounder of the world Jacques Kallis played the second fiddle to perfection with a valiant 69 runs off 49 balls. By the time team KKR’s anchor got out, the equation read 15 runs off 8 balls. Shakib hit the last ball of the penultimate over for four and with 9 needed of 6 balls, Manoj Tiwary hit two successive fours to seal the deal as the Knights led by Gautam Gambhir took the crown from the Dhoni’s Super Kings.

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Virender Sehwag and Delhi Daredevils are in a familiar position. Like this year, they had completely dominated the 2009 season, before their mighty batting line-up faltered in the semi-final, much like their flop against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday. This time though, with the changed format, they get a second chance.


One of Daredevils' puzzling decisions in the game against Knight Riders was to send in Ross Taylor as low as No. 7, below even Pawan Negi, who is in the side mainly as a left-arm spinner and isn't known for his batting exploits. TA Sekar, Daredevils' team mentor, said the team had reassessed its batting order the game; so Taylor can expect to bat at a more usual position on Friday.

Chennai Super Kings are also in a known position. Once again, they seem to be at their best in the final stages of the tournament. After several days of anxiously watching other teams' results go their way, Super Kings looked inexorable when they took apart Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

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Chennai Super Kings

It has been a mixed season for CSK and they have struggled to get momentum with a winning streak, which they used to do in the previous seasons. Victories and losses have come otherwise and have often been marginal, which has made their battle even tougher. The batting has failed to click as a unit and although some of them have made the odd good innings, they have struggled to put up big scores consistently. The bowling has done a better job compared to the batsmen and relies heavily on the likes of Hilfenhaus and Ashwin.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians is another side which has qualified but hasn't conquered other teams in the league stages. However, they got the much needed form in their last league game against Rajasthan Royals where the openers Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith led them to a 10 wicket victory. Mumbai have depth in their batting but their main problem seems to be at the top; they have used many opening pairs and it remains to be seen if they will stick to Smith-Sachin grouping in the knock-out stages. The bowling, as always depends a lot on Malinga, and as always, he has delivered.

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Clash of the Titans

 

It's a tie between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier of IPL 5 at Pune. In a season which has been marred by unsavoury incidents off the field, the IPL's climax guarantee to be quite a pleasure with heavyweights making into the last four. No better than Delhi and KKR to kick off the business end of the event as the two teams have without doubt been the most constant performers in this IPL.

Both the teams boast of explosive batting line-ups. When the two teams came face to face in the league stage, the honours were shared with Delhi triumph in Kolkata and KKR returning the favour when they visited the capital and it promises to be a battle of equals. Delhi has the brutality of Captain Virender Sehwag and David Warner, Kolkata have the Brendon McCullum.

If Mahela Jayawardene lends steadiness to Delhi's batting order, Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir has been equally inspirational for his team. In fact, both the teams have equally potent all-rounders in the line-up with Irfan Pathan rediscovering his old form for Delhi and Shakib Al Hasan doing the job for Kolkata. On the bowling front, Delhi have a pace ace in South African Morne Morkel. But with the likes of mystery spinner Sunil Narine, Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib.
 

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Mumbai Indians tried out their eighth different opening combination for the season and it clicked - Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar, with the help of a large dose of luck, put on the highest stand for the first wicket in the tournament to crush Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. At the halfway stage of this unimportant match, the omens were good for Royals. Since Shane Watson's arrival, Royals' form has intimately mirrored his batting form.

Each time Watson has fired Royals have won, and every failure with the bat has led to defeat. He top scored with 45, lifting the Royals to 162. They have never lost a home game when they have scored more than 160.All that was brushed aside, as Smith and Tendulkar set up only the fifth ten-wicket victory in IPL history. It looked like a totally one-sided encounter but the opening pair had plenty of close calls.

Smith was beaten plenty of times early on and his swipes frequently landed in non-man's land. There were several clear-cut chances as well - Ajit Chandila shelled a caught-and-bowled chance, Dishant Yagnik couldn't collect cleanly after Smith was beaten by a Brad Hogg wrong 'un, Siddharth Trivdedi caught him off a no-ball, and Tait couldn't even get his hands on a top-edge skier.

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Match 1: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi daredevils

Kings XI Punjab's sternest test has been left for last. They came into their final two games need to win both, first against the defending champions and then this year's form team, to have any chance of moving ahead to the playoffs. They duly trampled Chennai Super Kings in Dharamsala to remain in contention, and will need to repeat the performance against Delhi Daredevils on today. Even if they do, they will have to hope for a couple of other results to go their way, to secure their place in the final four.

Match 2: Pune Warriors vs Kolkata Knight Riders

 

Kolkata Knight Riders are enjoying their best IPL season, and are looking for a victory that will grant them a chance of concluding at the head of the table, or at least secure them a place in the top two and guarantee them two shots at making the final. Pune Warriors, on the other hand, are striving to end one of the longest losing streaks in IPL history. Eight defeats in a row have flattened their chances of making the playoffs, and another reverse will leave them open to the option of finishing last, if Deccan Chargers win their final game.

Rajasthan Royals are favourites to win against Deccan Chargers. Should they win, they will need to beat Mumbai Indians in Jaipur to get to 18 points and remain in conflict of a playoff spot. However, one bad day and Royals' campaign will be over. Royals' team composition is not very different from Chargers, but they have worked well within their limits to keep their chances alive. On the other hand, Chargers weak bowling and poor fielding has kept them suffer at the bottom of the table.

Royals have been the perennial underdogs. They started the season by surprising other teams with strong batting performances. Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Owais Shah, Brad Hodge - all contributed in Royals' early wins. The team bears a different skin now because of two impact players - Shane Watson and Shaun Tait. Watson scored an unbeaten 90 in a total of 126 after Tait broken Pune Warriors with his three wickets. Royals need another big performance from the two and watch out for the in-form trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Cameron White and Dale Steyn.

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As the end stage of IPL 5 draws closer, every team is jostling for a place in the playoffs. And just like the last few games, the contest between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday holds special significance. The hopes of both teams to reach the knock-out stage hang by a thread, as both need a win to enter the last four.

With 17 points from 15 matches, Chennai have to win their last match so that they remain ahead of Rajasthan Royals, conjecture the latter will win their last two remaining matches. Punjab have just 14 points from 14 games, and only wins in their last two encounters can give them a chance to progress ahead.


There is a lot in common between Team Delhi and Bangalore this season. For one, both sides are led by Delhi batsmen - Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli respectively. Then, the two outfits have heavily-loaded top orders. It's going to be quite a sight when the two teams face off in Ferozeshah Kotla's last IPL 5 match of the season on Thursday.

The sides, though, have vastly unlike interests on their mind. The hosts, who completed at the bottom of the table last year, have had an extraordinary season so far and became the first side to book a playoff berth when they beat Punjab on Tuesday.

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Mahela Jayawardene hit an unbeaten half-century as the Delhi Daredevils reached for the Indian Premier League play-offs with a five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. The Sri Lankan hit 56 not out and shared in a sixth-wicket partnership of 58 with Irfan Pathan (19) as the home side overcomes their play-off rivals.

Jayawardene hit eight fours in his 49-ball innings and was well supported by Naman Ojha (34) and Pathan as the Daredevils scored 140 for five with one over to spare. Parvinder Awana was the pick of the Kings XI bowlers with three wickets for 22 runs. Unbeaten 40 from David Hussey had earlier helped the Kings XI to post 136 for eight from their full share of overs as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat the visitors started well as opener Shaun Marsh (13) went on the attack. But only Mandeep Singh (21), Nitin Saini (15) and Piyush Chawla (10) also got to double figures as Umesh Yadav (three for 21) and Varun Aaron (two for 19) did the damage. Kings XI can still make the play-offs but face two more games, one of them against Delhi.

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Kings XI Punjab has no other option but to beat table-toppers Delhi Daredevils to stay in the hunt. Delhi is sitting pretty with 18 points whereas Punjab has 14 from the 13 games. The good news from the visitors’ point of view is that Delhi’s victory has been halted by Chennai Super Kings in the last outing. Punjab outfit will be eager that speedster Parvinder Awana proves to be their trump card again in his otherwise home ground if he could get a few early breakthroughs.

Awana has been the second-highest wicket taker in the country in domestic cricket last season and has troubled almost every batsman on the same Kotla wicket. Delhi, on the other hand, has again been reliant on their foreign players David Warner, Mahela Jayawardene and Morne Morkel to stay at the top of the table. Morkel, in fact, has displayed a different class even on this slow Kotla track and has been making life hard for his opponents along with other Indian speedsters like Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.

Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag is definitely looking to get spin sensation Shahbaz Nadeem back in the playing XI. The only confusion for the hosts is whether to go back to Ross Taylor or give Roloef van der Merwe another chance. There are no such problems for the Punjab side as David Hussey has been leading the team from the front in the absence of regular skipper Adam Gilchrist, who has not returned to the playing eleven ever since he got injured.

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Gayle-storm a few days back at home, Mumbai fear another one - this time in the Garden City - when they run into high-flying Bangalore in an interesting IPL clash on Monday. Coming into the match with three straight victories, Bangalore will hope to keep their winning run going on Sunday and, more highly, bolster their hopes of making the playoffs, the race for which is still wide open. Mumbai, following their shock victory over formidable Kolkata on Saturday, too come into the match full of confidence.

Bangalore, under new captain Virat Kohli, have not put a foot wrong after original skipper Daniel Vettori opted out to make way for legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. The bowlers had been below par in the first half of the tournament and it was left to their batsmen to shoulder the responsibility. However, the crisis seems to have resolved in the last week or so and the Bangalore bowlers have been spot on.

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has regained his rhythm with fine figures against Mumbai and Pune, while R Vinay Kumar has come back well after a poor start. Coming off a fine win over Kolkata, Mumbai will look to continue their run of away wins. Mumbai have won five of their six away ties this season. However, with the summer showers lashing the city in the last week or so, this significant tie can also be disturbed by the weather gods.

 

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David Warner scored a dazzling ton and was involved in a record second wicket stand for Delhi Daredevils (189 off 100) to smash the Deccan Chargers all over the park as Delhi chased down Deccan's total in 16.4 overs. Naman Ojha also found his form back as he cracked the first half-century of the season.

Chasing 188-run target, Delhi got off to a worst possible start as they lost Virender Sehwag in the very first over with just four on the board. Warner and Ojha then took the attack to the opposition. Warner powered Delhi past 100 in just nine overs to set the tone. Warner, who damaged seven fours and three sixes in his quick-fire fifty, added unbeaten 100 runs stand with Naman Ojha in just 55 balls to put Delhi on top.

The duo then went on to add a record 189 runs for the second wicket. Warner lathered as many as seven sixes and ten boundaries to remain unbeaten on 109, which came from just 54 balls. Ojha, who had varied success with the bat this IPL season, chipped in with a fluent 64 off 46 balls, which included five sixes and two boundaries.

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Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils

The Hyderabad squad, on a freefall to disaster, seemed resigned to its fate of dredging the dregs in the big cup of woe that IPL-V has turned out to be. With the play-offs now no more than a fantasy, the host can at best frustrate Delhi Daredevils' bid to regain main position when they lock horns at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium here on Thursday. Whether the host has the guts for such a fight remains to be seen.

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings

Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings face each other at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Thursday, and would be looking to snatch two crucial points to surge ahead of the other in the points table. Chennai were the winners when the two teams last met, though the Royals were in the match right till the last ball was bowled.

 

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Kings XI Punjab kept their Indian Premier League play-off hopes going with a 25-run win over thrashing Deccan Chargers. Mandeep Singh 75 in 48 balls at the top of the Kings XI order, considering them to a total of 170 for five. Deccan replied with 145 for eight, with opener Daniel Harris' 30 their top score. Apart from Singh's innings, which contained eight fours and three sixes, there were four other double-figure contributions in Punjab's score - with David Miller's 28 not out the highest.

Praveen Kumar sent down a superb four overs to ensure Deccan's response did not get going, removing Shikhar Dhawan with his fifth ball and closing with figures of two for 15.David Hussey then ended any hopes of a late surge, bowling his only over for two runs and got the key wickets of Harris and Cameron White.

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New Zealand batsman Brendan McCullum scored a half-century on Monday as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Daredevils by six wickets to take top spot in the IPL. McCullum hit seven fours in scoring 56 off 44 balls and leading the Knight Riders to 4-154 in 18.4 overs after they had controlled the Daredevils to 9-153.The Knight Riders have 17 points from 12 matches with eight victories, while the Daredevils are second with 16 points from 11 games.

The Daredevils missed England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who's returned home to play the Test series against West Indies. Captain Virender Sehwag (23) and Australian opener David Warner (21) gave the home team a thrilling start of 40 off 21 balls before Jacques Kallis dismissed them in successive overs. Irfan Pathan top-scored with 36 off 22 balls but was stumped by McCullum in the last over of the innings as he attempted to hit quick runs.

McCullum and Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir (36) laid a solid platform of 68 off 42 balls, while Kallis scored 27 to keep the Knight Riders ahead in the game. Umesh Yadav dismissed McCullum and Kallis in successive deliveries but not before the pair had added 60 for the second wicket.

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Delhi, from being an underdog, has since emerged as the best team in the competition so far. Kolkata - who were in the last four of the previous edition - too are delivering the goods. But when the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchisee takes on Delhi at Ferozshah Kotla on Monday evening, they will face a big test against the dangerous hosts who are virtually in the play-offs. If Virender Sehwag and his men can tame Kolkata - like the way they did at the Eden Gardens at the start of IPL 5 - Delhi will be first team to ensure a place in the play-offs.

Delhi is not leaving any stone unturned. On Sunday afternoon, the team went all out as it honed its skills. To begin with, emphasis was given on fielding before the players got into other areas of the game. There was an air of enthusiasm as the players went about the drills. It was clear they were a confident lot, enjoying their success and feeling endangered by no one.

For a league like IPL which is played over a long period of almost two months, supporting and playing constant cricket is not easy. However, if a team has all-round strength and depth, it surely has an advantage over the others. Delhi's batting department is one of the best even after England's Kevin Pietersen left to attend to national duty. The only missing was the lack of quality spinners. But the performances of Delhi's left-arm bowlers - Shahbaz Nadeem and Pawan Negi - have been pleasant surprises.

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One of the most awaited matches in the Indian Premier League is just some hours away. Eden Gardens is all set to host an epic match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sourav Ganguly’s Pune Warriors. What makes this match so attractive is the fact that Ganguly for the first time will lead a team against a team and a city which has always been his. All his life Ganguly has played in this ground and it is probable that more Kolkata’s will cheer for him than the team that claims to be there.  

KKR will go into the match as clear favorites. They have been playing some good cricket and are No.2 in the points table. Their participation in the playoffs looks a confidence. Warriors on the other hand have some real problems, they have lost their four previous matches and they can’t afford a bad game here. Ganguly will be looking to prove a point to the team that neglected and dropped him. The match is expected to be a tough one for both teams as there are some class players in either side, let’s have a look at some of them.

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Team Chennai might have defeated Hyderabad on the back of Ravindra Jadeja's heroics in the first leg, but things won't be that easy this time around. Kumar Sangakkara's men have shown signs of recovery, defeating Pune twice; while Chennai, after a series of home losses, find themselves in a spot. In their losses against Punjab and Kolkata, Chennai's middle-order woes came to the fore and it's time MS Dhoni & Company gets their house in order. "The boundaries didn't exactly come and that's why we were 15-20 runs short. We need to tighten up very soon," Coach Stephen Fleming said, after their loss to Kolkata.

A couple of rigorous practice sessions followed since then and it's to be seen how the likes of Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel and Ravindra Jadeja turn it around. Chennai, though, have been get better by Mike Hussey's arrival. Faf du Plessis is in fine form, and Hussey, along with Du Plessis, can form a frightening combination at the top of the order. The defeats have shaken them up, but Chennai bowling Coach Andy Bichel said that they are in no mood to throw in the towel as yet.

However, there's a concern for Hyderabad in the form of JP Duminy's injury. The hard-hitting South African southpaw was left out against Pune in Cuttack and Sangakkara didn't commit whether he will play on Friday. "JP is doing fine but I can't say anything on his accessibility. We'll have to take a call on the final eleven tomorrow and if he is not match-fit, we have the players to replace him," Sangakkara said.

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West Indies all rounder Dwayne Smith has signed up with Mumbai Indians as a replacement for Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson and would be joining the IPL team on Thursday. Smith, who had played for Mumbai Indians during the opening edition of IPL and represented Deccan Chargers in the next two editions, was roped in after Johnson failed to recover from a toe injury and was ruled out of IPL 5.

"Mumbai Indians have signed West Indies all rounder Dwayne Smith as replacement for Mitchell Johnson. The Australian fast bowler was ruled out to play IPL by Cricket Australia due to injury," a Mumbai Indians statement said. "Dwayne Smith is likely to join Mumbai Indians team on Thursday, 3rd May 2012," it added. Johnson, who represented Australia in 47 Tests, 107 ODIs and 28 T20 internationals, had undergone a surgery in his left foot recently.

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