IPL – 4 Records

The action is over and Chennai’s made it twice in a row. Here are the moments that stayed in our minds with us :

BATTING

Orange Cap
Chris Gayle, Bangalore, Scored 608 runs in 12 matches. Notched up2 tons, 3 50s with 107 being his highest score.

Highest Score
Paul Valthaty (Punjab) 120* off 62 balls against Chennai. Innings had 19 4s – most by any player in aninnings – and 2 sixes

Most Sixes
Gayle, 44 sixes in 12 matches, MS Dhoni was second with 23 sixes in 16 matches

Counting the Centuries
6 in all by 5 batsmen – 2 by Gayle, one each by Valthaty, Sehwag, Gilchrist and Sachin

Most Ducks
Mithun Manhas (Pune) 4 ducks in 10 games

Highest Team Total
Kings XI Punjab 232/2, beat Bangalore by 111 runs

Highest Partnership
206 runs by Adam Gilchrist and Shawn Marsh (Punjab)

BOWLING

Purple Cap
Latosj Malinga (Mumbai) 28 wickets in 16 matches, economy rate 5.95. Hadone 5-wicket haul, best figures 5 for 13

Best Bowling
Ishant Sharma (Deccan) 5 for 12 in 3 overs against Kochi
5-wicket hauls
4 in all by bowlers- Ishant Sharma, Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel

FIELDING

Most Catches
Keleron Pollard (Mumbai) 10 catches in 16 matches

Most Catches in an innings
Jacques Kallis (Kolkata) 4 catches against Deccan Chargers

Most Dismissals by a wicketkeeper
Kumar Sangakkara (Deccan) 19 dismissals in 13 matches

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings – IPL 4 – Final Match

May 28th, 2011 : Today was a Final match between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings in the IPL Cricket Season 4 2011. The match was played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai. Team Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat. The Chennai Super Kingswrapped up a successful title defence with victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers in Chepauk in Saturday’s Indian Premier League final.

Chennai did have to break a lot of sweat in their retaining of the IPL, but that only because of the superb running between the wickets and the fielding display exhibited by then. Otherwise, it was a cakewalk for the defending champions, winning the final by 58 runs and in turn holding the trophy for the second time in a row

.The Royal Challengers Bangalore never looked like they were in hunt and fizzled out for 147 for eight in their chase of 206 for a win at the M Chidamabaram in Chennai and relegated them to their second runner-up title.

Match Notes
Toss – Chennai Super Kings elected to bat
Result – Chennai crowned as IPL champions for the second time in a row

Not that 206 was ever going to be very easy to chase in a pressure-final like this. However, the fear of an early Chris Gayle-dismissal leading to a capitulation came true. Chris Gayle failed to trouble the score-keepers, getting a thin edge through to the wicket-keeper in the very first over of the chase and with him went the side’s chances.

Mayank Agarwal smacked a couple of boundaries but his attempt to cut the carom-ball from Ashwin had his stumps dislodged. There was a quick 32-run stand for the third wicket between AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli that seemed to raise the fans’ hopes but once Shadab Jakati had had the better of the South African, Bangalore were staring at an asking rate of almost 12.

Jakati produced a chinaman to surprise Luke Pomersbach and after being hit for a six off his first ball, Suresh Raina trapped Kohli, albeit rather fortunately, lbw. The ball was shown to be pitching outside the leg-stump.

Daniel Vettori’s sojourn at the crease lasted a single ball and after slamming a couple to the fence, Abhimanyu Mithun was the seventh man returning to the pavilion with Bangalore at 92.

In an inconsequential passage of play, Saurabh Tiwary and Zaheer Khan added 38 for the eighth wicket but by then, the Super Kings had both their hands on the trophy. Tiwary remained not-out on 42 but by then, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had been killed from the contest.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have had issues with their bowling in the past in this IPL, but chose the most inopportune time to almost not turn up. The Indian fans would have been probably reminded ofthe final of the 2003 World Cup when the bowlers were taken apart by a superlative Ricky Ponting and Australia piled on 359.

In this game, it was Vijay who ran and slammed his way to 52-ball 95 and in partnership with Michael Hussey added the best ever for the first wicket. The pair added 159 in less than 15 overs and laid the foundation for a sterling 205 for five in the 20 overs.

Vijay had gone into the game riding on some poor form, but it hardly seemed that way tonight. Inpartnership with Hussey, he ran like a hare and each time he got an opportunity, he slammed the ball into the stands. While it would have been exciting to watch the flow of sixes, it was the running between the wickets that stood out conspicuously. The pair ran the opposition ragged with this facet of their game.

Chennai scored 56 without loss in their first six overs, got to 94 after ten and had their run-rate touching 10 at the end of the 12th.

Vijay’s half century came from 29 balls while Hussey took 40 for his and at 159 for no loss, the duo was sitting on the highest ever partnership for the first wicket in IPL history.

Hussey’s 63 was ended by Syed Mohammad but by then, the Super Kings had enough of a base to get to more than 200. Vijay had a chance to get to his second IPL ton and attempted to get there with a six. However, by then, the fatigue had set in and he only managed to spoon it to the fielder at the boundary.

On a pressure final-day like this one, 205 was never going to be easy to chase down but with Gayle in their line-up, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had hope. Sadly, he missed out and Bangalore went hurtling down to another runner-up trophy.

Gambhir, Yuvraj out; Tendulkar rested for Windies tour

Chennai: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh were left out of India's entire tour of the West Indies as the national selectors announced the 16-member squad for the Test series next month.

Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund was the lone new face in the squad announced by the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a marathon meeting of the selection committee.

The young Suresh Raina was named captain of the ODI series after original choice Gambhir was ruled out for the entire tour because of a shoulder injury. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh would be Raina's deputy.

Yuvraj was also unavailable for the entire trip as he is suffering from an upper respiratory infection with a small patch of pneumonitis in the left lung.

"Gautam Gambhir will be unavailable for the full tour of the West Indies, on account of his shoulder injury. Yuvraj Singh will also be unavailable for the full tour. He is suffering from an upper respiratory infection, with a small patch of pneumonitis in the left lung," the BCCI said in a statement.

Tendulkar, who was not part of the ODI team, requested that he be allowed to spend time with his family.

"He will therefore not play the Test series. However, he will be available for the full tour of England, that follows," the BCCI said.

Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary have been named as the replacements for Gambhir and Yuvraj, for the Twenty20 and ODI series starting June 4.

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain), VVS Laxman (vice-captain), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan. 

Super Kings are hungry for another kill

Chennai: Having tasted blood in their own den, the Chennai Super Kings, with a Lion as their motif, are hungry for another kill in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that concludes here Saturday when the grand finale between the host team and the winner of Friday's qualifier-2 between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians will be played.

Fortified by the fact that they have won all the seven home games this season, the Super Kings have already made it known that they are not unduly concerned whom they play Saturday as they have the team to deliver the spoils.


Mumbai eying encore of 2010 final with win over RCB

IPL's most consistent team after reaching the semi-finals all four seasons, thrice finalists (including 2011) and winners last year, the Super Kings have the pedigree of a Derby winner with Mahendra Singh Dhoni firmly in the saddle, guiding the thoroughbred with the sure touch of a champion jockey.

Should Dhoni opt for an unchanged eleven for the sixth consecutive game Saturday, then eight players who figured in the 2010 IPL final are likely to be in the Super Kings team with Michael Hussey and newcomers to the side, Wriddhiman Saha and Dwayne Bravo, completing the combination,

In fact, stability through continuity besides enviable balance has been the major contributing factor to the Super Kings' consistency and success in the IPL with Dhoni keeping faith in his frontline players despite failures. It is a luxury other captains do not have as the Super Kings story has been about team rather than individual effort.

Even the loss of Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv (away in England for the Test series) earlier this month, has not greatly affected the team with West Indian all-rounder Bravo proving an adequate replacement.

Thus, the Super Kings are brimming with confidence, big-match experience, class and more importantly character that has seen them come through difficult moments during the season, notably Tuesday last when they recovered from seven for two to chase down a target of 176, against the Royal Challengers.

At this stage in the competition, it matters little that the away record of the Super Kings, with three wins in eight matches, pales in comparison with their strong showing at home where they have been invincible.

"We were smart enough to pick up a side that will play well at home. There will surely be some advantage because we are conditioned to play at home," said coach Stephen Fleming while asserting that his team had no preferences about whom they meet in the final.

"We were up against both RCB and Mumbai, and both have match winners in their sides. There is no preference because both are tough opponents. It is very even and close call," said Fleming on the eve of the final.

The extreme heat and humidity of peak summer here can test the fittest of teams and the seven that had visited Chepauk over the past six weeks, fell prey as much to the Super Kings' superiority as the conditions.

Further, the scheduling of the IPL this year has been such that it has been a mad dash at the finish and both Mumbai and Bangalore are bound to feel the strain, especially since there is not even a day's break between Qualifier-2 and the final.

Srikkanth confident of India winning series in West Indies

Thus, going into Saturday's summit match, the Super Kings will be the fresher of the two teams, courtesy a three-day break between Qualifier-1 and the final.

Although both Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers have beaten the Super Kings, of late neither team has been successful in a knock-out environment. Last year, Mumbai went down in the final by 22 runs and earlier this week, the Royal Challengers lost in the qualifier.

Besides the weather, the sea of yellow at the MA Chidambaram Stadium that will be filled to capacity with vociferous Super Kings fans can be quite intimidating for a visiting team but uplifting for the home side.

By the looks of it, the Super Kings appear all primed to continue their reign in the IPL.

Federer lurking with intent after easy win

Paris: Roger Federer was on and off court in a flash on Friday in his latest attempt to sneak up on the French Open field and catch them unawares with his almost forgotten brilliance.

Serbian 29th seed Janko Tipsarevic was the victim, ripped apart 6-1 6-4 6-3 in the third round in exactly 90 minutes as a near flawless Federer again showed he cannot be discounted for the title despite his patchy record on clay.

Much of the focus in Paris has been on stuttering champion Rafael Nadal and red-hot second seed Novak Djokovic but 2009 winner Federer is lurking in the Roland Garros shadows and ready to pounce.

Nadal still not happy after smoother victory

His choice of a red shirt this week almost makes him merge in with the red clay of the court but the third seed cannot go through the draw unnoticed any longer given he looks in better form than anyone except Djokovic.

"Expectations are sky high for Novak and Rafa as defending champion. That leaves me out of a pressure situation and that's no bad thing for me," a very relaxed Federer told a news conference.

"Overall it was a really good match for me and I'm happy to have another early finish."

The record 16-times grand slam champion was especially impressive at the net, winning five out of five exchanges in the first set when he came forward.

The only break point offered in the second set was quickly gobbled up by Federer, who waited patiently for his chance in the third as he looks increasingly comfortable on his least favoured surface.

"I think my game is good enough to win here, sure, otherwise I wouldn't be here," he said.

Sania, Bopanna advance to third round of French Open

Paris: It turned out to be a good day for Indians in the French Open tennis Friday with both Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna advancing to the third round of women's and men's doubles.

Seventh-seeded pair of Sania and Elena Vesnina of Russia defeated Kristina Barrois of Germany and Johanna Larsson of Sweden 7-6(4), 6-3. They now await the winner of the match between two Spanish pairs, 11th-seeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Anabel Medina Garrigues, and Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Laura Pous-Tio.

In the men's doubles, Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, seeded fifth fought back from a set down for a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 win over Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina and Japan's Kei Nishikori.

They next play Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan and Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.