IPL 2016 GL v/s DD :- Chris Morris efforts go in vain as Gujarat win by 1 run. Top Moments, IPL Stats.

The match between GL v/s DD was yet another thrilling contest in this year’s IPL as the Gujarat Lions beat the Delhi Daredevils by 1 run at Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi. At the toss Zaheer won the toss and elected to bowl. Put in to bat Gujarat Lions had a blistering start with Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum smacking the ball all round the park. Gujarat Lions got off to a flyer thanks to a fifties from Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith. But once the pair departed, the innings faltered and in the end, they had to be content with 172/6, when it looked as though they would be on course for a total in excess of 200. But Delhi came back in the match on both occasions. First with the ball restricting Gujarat under 200. In replay, Daredevils got off to the worst possible start as they crawled their way to 22/3 at the end of the power play. JP Duminy and Chris Morris kept DD alive and when Duminy fell, it looked as though the jig was up but Morris kept them alive but a fantastic final over from Bravo meant it was the Lions who got the win.

 

Here are the top moments from this game:- 

 
1)      McCullum and Smith’s opening stand: - As they both have been doing it for CSK previously they continued this in this year’s IPL for Gujarat Lions. Smith took the initiative from the start as McCullum joined him as the pair smashed the Delhi bowlers at will. The duo brought up 50 on the scoreboard in just 3.5 overs – the fastest in this edition of the IPL.They kept up the scoring even after the power play overs as the 100 came up in just 9 overs.

 
2)      Chris Morris doing it both with bat and ball: - It was Chris Morris who turned the game on its head both with the bat and ball. Morris bowled a brilliant 12^th over of this game taking 2 wickets of McCullum and Suresh Raina which was crucial in restricting Gujarat under 200. With the bat as well Morris smacked the Gujarat bowlers to keep Delhi alive and almost winning the game. He smacked 32 ball 82 including 8 sixes.

 

3)      Dhawal Kulkarni’s New ball Magic: - Though he might not be considered as dangerous fast bowler but he can surely swing the ball and cause problems to the batsmen. Kulkarni picked up three early wickets to wrestle the momentum away from Delhi. Two of those scalps were Karun Nair and Sanju Samson – two of his former teammates at Rajasthan Royals while the dangerous Quinton de Kock also fell to the medium pacer.



4) Brilliant death bowling by Gujarat Bowlers: - Though everyone is talking about the excellent last over by Dwayne Bravo but the 19^th over bowled by Praveen Kumar went for just four runs, thus putting the pressure back on the opposition. Bravo complimented Kumar really well and should have had Morris dismissed of the first ball only for James Faulkner to let an easy catch through his hands.

Equally bad efforts by Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik meant Morris faced the final delivery with four runs required, but Bravo remained focused and bowled another peach of a delivery to win the match for Gujarat.

 

Here are the IPL Stats from this game:-

1)      Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum became the fourth opening pair to record 1000+ runs in the IPL.

2)      Chris Morris got to his fifty off just 17 balls. That was the joint-third fastest fifty in the history of the IPL and fastest for DD. Only Yusuf Pathan (15) and Suresh Raina (16) are the only two batsmen to have to get to their fifty faster than Morris.

3)      Zaheer Khan conceded 18 runs in his first over, which is the most by a bowler in the opening over of an innings in this year’s IPL.

4)      Gujarat Lions got to their fifty off just 23 balls, which is the fastest team 50 in this IPL.

5)      Brendon McCullum became only the third batsman to score 300 T20 sixes.

[ STATS Courtesy www.Sportskeeda.com]

IPL 2016 MI v/s KXIP: Parthiv and Rayudu Partnership helps Mumbai Win an all important contest. Top Moments IPL stats.

Both the teams were eager to win this game and get back to winning track. Mumbai though had an upper hand in this crucial contest. David Miller won the toss and elected to bowl first. Put in to bat Mumbai had a terrible start with Rohit Sharma getting out on a duck of the 2nd ball of the innings. After Rohit's wicket Rayudu and Parthiv held the innings together with a massive 135 runs partnership. Rayudu made 65 of 37 and Parthiv with his career best score of 81 of 58. For Punjab the two Indian pacers Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma bolwed well at the death to restrict Mumbai to a total less than 200. They finished with 1 for 20 and 3 for 38 respectively. In the 2nd innings Kings XI Punjab never had upper hand in the chase. Maxwell and Marsh had a good partnership for the 3rd wicket but it was not enough to take Punjab home. McClanaghan, Jasprit Bumrah and Tim Southee continued there good form with the ball. They finished with 2 for 32, 3 for 26 and 2 for 28.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

 1) Rayudu finds the perfect track: - His brilliance in batting has been restricted to IPL itself as he could not replicate his talent at the international level. Parthiv provided the start for him to pick up and take the teams total to 189.  He smacked his way to 65 in just 37 balls.

2) Parthiv proves himself: - As the in-form Rohit Sharma got out for a duck, he took it upon himself to score as he piled up 81 runs in 58 balls to give his team the start they needed. His innings, which won him the man of the match award, didn’t go in vain as Mumbai won the match by 25 runs.

3) Bowling firing for Mumbai: - Combination of playing three frontline fast bowlers seems to work well for Mumbai. Kiwi duo of Southee and McClanaghan as well as Bumrah are continuing to perform well. In this match too they played a very crucial role in defending the target of 189. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 26.

 4) Sharma duo's late damage: - Mohit Sharma took his first steps towards a comeback with a brilliant last over that almost made people forget the 34 runs he gave in his first 3 overs.2 2 0 0 W W was how his last over read—stopping Mumbai to override the 200 runs margin with his brilliant last 6 balls. Sandeep Sharma too bowled extremely well taking big wicket of Rohit Sharma early in his spell and then bowling some good overs at the death.

5) Maxwell finding some form: - Punjab were struggling with the early loss of their openers, but stabilized thanks to two Aussies Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.  Today was one of those days when Maxwell was in the mood of smacking them all over. He faced only 39 balls, but scored 56 runs from them. He might as well have won them the game if would have been there till the end.

 Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) This was Maxwell's 2nd IPL fifty on Indian soil. He has total of 5 fifties in IPL cricket.

2) Rayudu crossed the 3000-barrier in his T20 career when he drove Axar Patel through the cover boundary. He became the 15th Indian batsman to reach the landmark.

3) It has been 6 times that Kings XI Punjab has successfully chased targets of 190 plus. It is the most by any team in the league followed by Rajasthan Royals with three such chases.

4) 4 Consecutive matches lost by Kings XI against the Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Their overall record against Mumbai is also pretty dire with only three wins as against seven losses at the venue.

 [Statistics Courtesy;-www.Sportskeeda.com]

IPL 2016 MI vs DD:- DD clinch victory from Mumbai's Hands. Top moments IPL Stats.

The Delhi Daredevils notched up their third win on the trot defeating Mumbai Indians by 10 runs to make their way up to the second spot in the 2016 IPL. Put in to bat by Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson and JP Duminy helped Delhi register 164 runs in their 20 overs before a disciplined bowling effort saw the hosts condemn Mumbai to their fourth defeat in six matches. Coming in for a chase Mumbai Indians had a horrible start with Parthiv Patel running himself out. Rohit, Ambati Rayudu and Krunal Pandya gave the visitors a breezy start in their run-chase, but the Delhi bowlers came back strongly to swing the match back in favour of the hosts and ultimately win the match by a margin of 10 runs.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Samson steps up to the task:- The dismissals of Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair meant Samson had to keep his scoring instincts in check and steady the ship along with the experienced Duminy. The wicketkeeper-batsman did just that bringing up a well deserved half century along the way and was dismissed was 60 as he looked to go after the big shots towards the end.

2) Duminy's late flury:-   JP Duminy has been struggling to make an impact in the IPL so far, but he certainly put a foot in the right direction with his unbeaten knock of 49 today.While Sanju Samson provided the stability that the Delhi Daredevils needed following three early wickets, it was Duminy who helped the side cross the par score on the Kotla pitch with some meaty blows towards the end.Duminy's knock included three boundaries and two sixes.

3) Zaheer Khan and Chris Morrisdeath bowling :- Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris bowled exceptionally well at the death to win the game for Delhi. Both bowled great line to keep Pollard and Rohit from scoring runs.

4) Leg spin duo doing it once again:- Eyebrows were raised when Delhi Daredevils decide to drop the hard-hitting Carlos Brathwaite in favour of South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir making their overseas line-up an all-Proteas affair.
Though he failed to pick up any wicket, Tahir conceded only 29 runs off his four overs despite feeling the heat of Krunal Pandya's bat, thus playing a crucial role in curtailing the Mumbai Indians' run-rate. The night, however, belonged to his less-fancied leg-spin companion Amit Mishra who troubled the opposition batsmen all-day long. He outfoxed Ambati Rayudu first and then more crucially Jos Buttler, with googlies, to give his side two crucial breakthroughs.

5) Krunal Pandya continues to impress:- Krunal bowled four economical overs before taking the match away from Delhi with a number of mighty blows after being sent in to bat at No 4. He overshadowed his skipper who was going at a brisk rate himself striking at a rate of more than 200. He could have done more damage, but was unfortunately run out for 36 off 17 balls.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Delhi Daredevils are now the second team in the IPL, after Royal Challengers Bangalore, to win a match after batting first.

2) Rohit Sharma has scored a fifty in each of the three innings he has batted second in the IPL so far.

3) Delhi Daredevils have made the most dismissals through run-outs by any team in the IPL.

4) Harbhajan Singh has now been dismissed for the most times for a golden duck in the IPL.

5) Shreyas Iyer's knock of 19 runs was his first score that reached double figures in this IPL. His previous three scores were 0, 3 and 0.

IPL 2016 SRH v/s GL:- Warner and Shikhar unbeaten stand gives 2nd consecutive win to Sunrisers. Top moments, IPL stats.

Warner's blistering innings and Shikhar's patient knock grant Sunrisers a 10 wicket victory over the Gujarat Lions. They both put up an unbeaten 133 run partnership. Earlier at the toss Warner called it right and put the Gujarat Lions to bat. Suresh Raina was the only positive for the Gujarat Lions. Suresh Raina cracked 75 but Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to restrict Gujarat Lions to 135 for eight in 20 overs. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar being the pick of the bowlers with figures 4 for 29.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Suresh Raina 'the lone man standing':-  Suresh Raina was the only positive from this game for Gujarat Lions. He has been struggling with his form since the Asia cup. Even in the T20 World Cup he was not able to contribute. In this match he cracked 75 but the Gujarat Lions could only manage 138 for 8.

2) Warner ' The Boss':- Everything has been going well for Warner in the last two games both with the bat and as a captain. In this game his captaincy was quite impressive. He was precise with his bowling changes. With the he played a captains innings once again. He scored a quick fire 78 of 48 balls which allowed Shikhar Dhawan to take time and pace his innings.

3) Dhawan fine some form:- Its been a while since Shikhar Dhawan has scored a half century in T20 cricket. His last big innings came against Australia in Australia. His innings of 53 of 41 against Gujarat would certainly make him feel confident the next time he will come out to bat.

4) Bhuvaneshwar Kumar's 4 for 29:-  The first ball Bhuvaneshwar bowled was an unplayable ball which even got over the inform Aron Finch. His last over also was tremendous taking 3 wickets by giving just 6 runs. This bowling figures were his career best bowling figures in IPL cricket.

5) Mustafizur Rehman continues to impress:- Ever since Mustafizur  started playing international cricket he has been in the news for his bowling talent. He impressed once again with his change of pace. Though he got only one wicket of Jadeja he bowled exceptionally well against Brendon McCullum . He finished with figures of 1 for 19.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) 3 Consecutive fifties scored by David Warner in T20s while chasing targets. This was his fourth such performance in 2016.

2)  4 – Number of century partnerships between Warner and Dhawan in the IPL.

3) 75 – Runs scored by Raina which is the second most without a single six in all IPL matches.

4) 30 – Number of innings between Raina’s previous half-century and this one.

5) 4 – Wickets taken by Mustafizur Rahman during the end overs in this IPL.

IPL 2016 MI v/s RCB:- Rohit's brilliance and Pollards destruction helps Mumbai to win there second game in IPL. Top Moments, IPL stats.

In the previous encounter between this two side in  the 2015 IPL edition at Wankhede Royal Challengers Bangalore piled up a mamoth target with Virat and AB putting up an unbeaten 200+ stand. This time around the match didn't went in RCB's favour. Put in to bat first RCB could only manage 170 on the board.  Krunal Pandya and Jaspreet Bumrah impressed once again taking 2 for 27 and 3 for 31 repectively to restrict RCB to 170.
In reply Rohit Sharma played a match winning innings of 62 and at the end a destructive innings by Pollard sealed an easy win for Mumbai. Iqbal Abdulla was the pick of the bowlers for RCB picking up 3 for 40 in his spell.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) HITMAN show at Wankhede:-  Rohit Sharma has been one of the most important players for Mumbai Indians. When he is in form the team looks different. He is considered to be one of the most exciting talent of cricket. He surely proved it in this match. Rohit Sharma made 62 of 44 balls to help Mumbai chase down 170.

2) Pollard 'The Big Man' is back :-  Pollard has looked scratchy in the first few games as he was making a comeback after injury. He came up with a quick-fire knock, smashing four boundaries and three sixes to steer his team to second victory in the IPL-9. He made 40 of 19 balls.

3) Youngsters stepping up to the task for Mumbai:- Two young bowlers bowled exceptionally well to restrict the Dangerous RCB batting lineup to a score below 200. Krunal Pandya and Jaspreet Bumrah impressed once again taking 2 for 27 and 3 for 31 repectively to restrict RCB to 170.

4) Iqbal Abdulla the pick of the bowlers for RCB:- Iqbal Abdulla was the pick of the bowlers for RCB picking up 3 for 40 in his spell. He was not afraid to toss the ball up. He took three very crucial and big wickets of Ambati Rayudu, Jos Butler and Rohit Sharma to keep RCB in the hunt.

5) Travis Head shows his talent:- Though he may appear to be small in height but this guy really packs a punch with his bat. The six he hit to Hardik Pandya went like a tracer bullet. He scored 37 of 24 balls to help RCB post a respectable total on the  board.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Rohit Sharma crossed the landmark of hitting 150 sixes in the IPL.

2) Harbhajan Singh played his 200th T20 match.

3) Rohit Sharma is now the highest run-scorer for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

4) Rohit Sharma has now been named man-of-the-match most times in the IPL.

5) Only Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh are the two players to have featured for the same team in all nine seasons of the IPL.

6) This was the first time in the last five T20 innings that Virat Kohli has missed out on scoring a half-century.

IPL 2016 KKR v/s KXIP:- Uthappa and Gambhir cease easy win for Kolkata. Top moments and IPL stats.

Kings XI Punjab had an another bad outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they lost their third match of the season as the Kolkata Knight Riders won by six wickets at Mohali. The win took the Knight Riders top of the table. After having been put into bat, the Kings kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to post a competitive total. Only Shaun Marsh was able to score a decent knock to help his side reach a score of 138.In reply, the KKR openers continued their brilliant form as they set the perfect foundation for a successful and comfortable chase. Robin Uthappa's quickfire fifty set the right tone and the made the job of reaching the target with relative ease.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Uthappa 'Mr Dependable' :- Robin Uthappa has been one of the most consistent players this IPL and it is his form which has helped KKR win three in four.Against Kings XI Punjab, too, the wicket-keeper batsman was on fire as he smacked 53 off just 28 balls striking at almost 200.

2) Captain Gambhir leading from the front :- Playing an innings of 34 runs in 34 balls, he kept the scoreboard ticking, while he surprised Punjab by giving 7 bowlers the chance to bowl. Even dangerman, Andre Russell was given the ball only in the last over. It worked wonders though as the opposition could only manage 138.

3) Punjab's new hope Sahu :-
Pardeep Sahu did no harm to their reputation despite his team’s massive loss. The spiner was a constantly attacked the KKR batting line-up, ensuring that he didn’t let the visitors finish the match off within 15 overs. Sahu, however, broke the strong opening partnership and got both the openers out. He returned with figures reading 2/18 in 4 overs.Sahu  performed admirably on a pitch where the likes of Kyle Abbott, Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma failed to get anything from.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir have been involved in eight 50-plus stands while chasing in the IPL.

2) Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir have been involved in 10 fifty-plus stands in the IPL.

3) Gautam Gambhir played his 200th T20 match. This is the fifth-highest for any Indian player.

4) Gautam Gambhir has already scored 200 runs in this IPL so far. He is the first player to reach the milestone.

IPL 2016 MI v/s SRH:- Warner's Fabulous Knock seals the 1st win for SRH. Top moments, IPL stats.

Leading from the front, skipper David Warner smashed an unbeaten 90 to single-handedly steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.
Batting first, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 142/6 in 20 overs. Ambati Rayudu (54) was the top scorer for the visitors.In reply, Warner struck seven boundaries and four sixes, as the home side comfortably chased down the total, posting 145/3 in 17.3 overs.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) David Warner's Captains knock:-David Warner carried his bat through the innings to help his side defeat the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at Hyderabad.David Warner smashed an unbeaten 90 to single-handedly steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians.

2) Sran's spell:- Barinder Singh Sran bowled well in the match against the Mumbai Indians. He took 3 for 28 including the wicket of Jos Butller breaking the backbone of Mumbai's innings.

3) Rayudu finally gets a chance to bat up the order:-
Ambati Rayudu in the first three game seas literally wasted by the Mumbai Indians by playing him down the order. In the match against Sunrisers Rayudu was promoted to no 3 and it payed off. He made a very good 50 to help Mumbai Indians reach 142 in there innings.

4) Krunal Pandya's important innings:-  This time it was the turn of Krunal Pandya to show his batting skills. He played a fabulous knock of 49 not out to help Mumbai reach a total above 140. His innings included 3 massive sixes.

5) Southee's swing web:- We do not quite often see bowlers swinging the ball to take wickets in T20 cricket. Tim Southee in the match against SRH took 3 wickets with the help of pure swing bowling. He got rid of Shikhar Dhawan with a ripper of a delivery knocking his middle stump with help of in swinging yorker. Southee finished with 3 for 24.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) It was the first time that two brothers – Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya – batted in the same IPL innings.

2) Ambati Rayudu became only the second player in the IPL to have scored a fifty in his 100th match.

3) Rohit Sharma has the most number of run-outs in the IPL, with 26 to his name.

4) David Warner's unbeaten knock was the highest ever individual score in a match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

5) Bipul Sharma conceded 26 runs in his fourth over of the innings. This was the second most expensive over in the IPL 2016.

IPL 2016 RCB v/s DD:- Quinton de Kock still the show at Chinnaswamy. Top moments IPL stats.

Quinton de Kock’s maiden IPL century and third in T20s, overshadowed fifties from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and helped Delhi Daredevils beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets in Bengaluru.Kohli and AB were involved in a century partnership for the second wicket and added their second fifty of the current edition of IPL to help Royal Challengers Bangalore post 191.In reply, Quinton de Kock smoked the maiden century of this year’s IPL and he was ably supported by a fifty from Karun Nair and it was the pair who helped their side make it two wins out of three in this year’s competition.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Quinton de Kock's ton:-
Young Quinton de Kock played the innings of his life as he silenced the home crowd and carried Delhi over the finishing line.With a mammoth 15 fours and 3 sixes in a knock that lasted 51 balls, de Kock hammered the first century of the ninth season of the IPL. The 23-year-old batted at a strike rate of over 200 and departed only after the result was secure.

2) Karun's all important innings:-  Though Quinton de Kock's innings was important for Delhi's win the innings of Karun Nair was equally important.The young Indian paced his innings splendidly as he rotated the strike well, ran hard to convert 1s into 2s while hitting the ball beyond the boundary on regular occasions. Playing a knock of 54 off 42 balls, Karun gave de Kock the freedom and the platform to play his range of shots.

3) Virat / ABD's unstoppable partnership:- Once again, Chris Gayle departed the scene early. Once again it was left to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to steady the ship.A 107-run partnership was stitched in just 65 balls as Kohli and de Villiers made the Daredevils hope they had not got Gayle out. They proved that they are two of the very best batsmen in the world currently as the South African's 55 came from just 33 balls while Kohli stayed longer in the crease and put up 79 off 48 balls.

4) Watson's and Weise's team work:-
The name on the scorecard would read David Wiese's, but the catch was a joint effort from both Shane Watson and Wiese. The Australian ran back about 30 yards before catching the ball, but he was going off balance and the boundary was nearing in.Realising that he will step outside, he threw the ball in the air and ran outside the boundary. The South African Wiese was there to support him and dived right beside the ropes to complete the catch that dismissed Iyer for a duck. It was a catch that will certainly not fade away from our memories.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) At 23 years and 122 days, Quinton de Kock became the second-youngest IPL centurion after Manish Pandey.

2) AB de Villiers became the third RCB batsman, after Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to hit 100 sixes for the side in T20s.

3) This is Daredevils' first win over RCB since April 2010.

4) This is the highest successful run chase for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. Their previous highest chase was the 188 they managed against Deccan Chargers in 2012.

IPL 2016 RPS v/s KXIP:- Faf's innings not enough to win the game once again. Top moment, IPL stats

Hosts Kings XI Punjab beat Rising Pune Supergiants by 6 wickets, and registered their first victory of the tournament.After winning the toss, Rising Pune Supergiants elected to bat on a hot and sweltering day in Mohali, and in spite of a battling innings by opener Faf du Plessis, Pune never found the desired momentum and the innings just meandered along, and they eventually ended with 152 runs.
For Kings XI, Mohit Sharma was the pick of the bowlers as he varied his pace and lengths beautifully and sanpped up 3 wickets in his 4 overs giving away only 23 runs. Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra started off like a train and put up quite a show. Both Vijay and Vohra matched each other with their array of strokes.Murugan Ashwin then took 3 wickets and brought Pune back into the match, but it proved to be a too little too late

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Faf's innings goes in vain :- Faf Du Plessis continued his good form with the bat. Giving the RPSG a great start, he himself scored 67 of 53 balls to lead the surge and give the middle order players a platform to launch.His innings, however, went in vain as the Supergiants lost the game.

2) Mohit Sharma's excellence at the death:-Being team-mates with the likes of Dhoni and Faf du Plessis meant that he knew their weak spots and bowled accordingly. In the 4 overs that he bowled, a he churned up excellent figures of 23/3. His spell stopped RPSG from making a big score that once seemed like a possibility when du Plessis was batting.

3) Murugan Ashwin continues his dream form:- Though the senior Ashwin is looking a touch out of form the junior Ashwin continues to impress one and all.Murugan Ashwin then took 3 wickets and brought Pune back into the match, but it proved to be a too little too late.

4) Maxwell furious batting:- It has been a while since we saw the best of Maxwell.However, today was one of those days where his fury was unstoppable as he turned his attack towards the opposition.In just 14 balls, he scored a venomous 32 runs. And the way he scored them was just breathtaking.He hit 3 fours and 2 sixes to finish the game off before it even reaching the last over.

5) Openers fire once again:-The Punjab openers, however, amalgamated the two approach to walk the middle path and chase down the total with grace.Manan Vohra took the aggressive route while Murali Vijay anchored the innings with steadfastness. Both of these players reached their 50s as Vijay ended up with 53 in 49 balls and Vohra smashed his way to 51 in just 33 balls.This partnership virtually took the game away from the RPSG as it put up a score of 97 in just 12.2 overs.

Here ate the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Only 2 players, Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith had a strike rate in excess of 100 for the Rising Pune Supergiants.

2) Thisara Perera became the 3rd player to play for 6 franchises. He has previously played for CSK, KTK, MI, SRH, KXIP and now for the RPS.

3) This is the highest score of Glenn Maxwell in 7 IPL innings in Mohali.

4) Kevin Pietersen became the 50th player to score 1000 IPL runs. He reached the milestone in 35 matches.

5) Steven Smith became the 51st player to score 1000 runs. He got to this milestone in 49 matches.

IPL 2016 SRH v/s KKR :- Gautam Gambhir continues his dream run.

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets and registered their second win in three wins.After choosing to bat first, Sunrisers were never in a position to put on a big total on the board as they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Eoin Morgan and Naman Ojha tried to pull things back with a 67 run partnership for the fifth wicket, but the Madhya Pradesh wicket-keeper lost his wicket against the run of play. Umesh Yadav picked three wickets for the visitors while Morgan scored a fifty for the Sunrisers and helped them put up a decent total of 142 on the board.Chasing 143 to win, Kolkata were off to a great start courtesy Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir as the duo put on yet another 50+ partnership before Uthappa perished. Gambhir reached his fifty and made sure he stayed till the end and took his team home.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) This is the first time two Bangladeshi players are playing in the same IPL match.

2) This is the first fifty for Eoin Morgan in 10 T20s in 2016.

3) Ninth 50+ stand between Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa for the opening while chasing in T20s, equals the record of Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.

4) Gautam Gambhir becomes the fourth Indian to score 5000 T20 runs.

5) Number of runs Gautam Gambhir has scored in this year’s IPL, the most by any batsman.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Gambhir's dream run with the bat:-  Gautam Gambhir continues his dream run in this years IPL. His completed his third 50 on the trought. He currently holds the orange cap for most runs in this IPL.

2) Unbreakable Opening partnership:- Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir both are in great form. And it looks as if its really difficult for any bowling attack to break this opening stand. This was there ninth 50+ stand between Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa for the opening while chasing in T20s.

IPL 2016 MI v/s GL:- Aron Finch outplays Mumbai Indians. Top moments, IPL stats.

Gujarat Lions outplayed Mumbai Indians to win by three wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday to keep their winning run intact in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).Batting first, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 143/8 in 20 overs. Parthiv Patel (34) was the top scorer for the hosts.In reply, in-form Finch showed his class yet again as he struck seven boundaries and one six in his 54-ball innings as Lions chased down the target comfortably posting 147/7 in 20 overs to register their third straight win of the season.  Mitchell McClenaghan (4-20) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai.

Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Aron Finch outplays Mumbai bowlers:- Aron Finch continues his tremendous form in this years IPL scoring an unbeaten 67 of 54 balls. His match winnings innings proves his capacity to dominate a match.

2) MacClanaghan tremendous spell:- MacClanaghan bowled a great spell to keep Mumbai Indians in the game. Mitchell McClenaghan (4-20) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai. He bowled a cracking 19th over conceding 2 runs and taking 2 wickets.

3) Mumbai Indians tail fires:- Wickets kept on falling at regular intervals as Mumbai were looking to get bundled out for around 120. But a late blitz from Krunal Pandya and Tim Southee made sure they reached 146 in their 20 overs.

4) Pravin Tambe impresses one and all:- Tambe continues to impress with his perfornance. He got both Keiron Polard and Parthiv Patel very early in his spell. Which were key in restricting the Mumbai Indians to a easy total to chase.

5) Akshdeep Nath's tremendous save of the last ball:- One of the game changing moment in the game was the last ball six saved by Akshdeep Nath. He jumped over the boundary and nearly pulled an absolute blinder. At the end of the game it came down to that tremendous save by Nath.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) This was the first time when two brothers played together for the same team in IPL.

2) Mumbai Indians have lost their first two matches at home. They also lost their first two matches in IPL 2015 and went on to win the IPL.

3) This is the first time a new team has won their first three matches in IPL.

4) Aaron Finch has won three consecutive Man of the Match awards.

5) This was Mitchell McClenaghan's first 4-wicket haul in IPL.

IPL 2016 DD v/s KXIP :- Amit Mishra's magic with the ball does it for DD. Top Moments, IPL stats.

Another one sided game concluded at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi. Both the team had lost there opening matches and were eager to open there account. Delhi Daredevils prevailed as the winners as they absolutely devastated Preity Zinta’s team.In what was a one-side affair, the Delhi bowlers did a terrific job to restrict a strong Punjab line up to a meagre 111. In reply, a De Kock inspired team easily chased down the total.
Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Zaheer Khan's spell:- When Zaheer Khan was named as the captain of Delhi Daredevils, it surprised quite a few people. Looking at this game he has shown that he is one heck of a leader. One of the reasons why Punjab couldn’t muster up a respectable score was Zaheer Khan’s economical spell. In the four overs that he bowled, he took a wicket while giving only 14 runs. The wickets column might not have a big number, but the batsmen found it incredibly hard to score runs off his bowling.

2) Mishra's Mighty spell:-  It was in the IPL where he made a name for himself. And it is in this tournament that he continues to impress with superb displays of leg-spin bowling. He made his 100th IPL game a memorable one by picking up 4 wickets while giving away just 11 runs. And all this in the space of just 18 balls.
He took full advantage of the pressure that Zaheer Khan built on the Punjab batsmen and halted them at 111 runs.

3) Quinton de kock's innings:-  He went all-guns blazing and played a fantastic unbeaten innings of 59 off just 42 balls. He made sure he left the pitch with the win in the bag and was the mastermind behind Delhi’s 8 wicket win with 6.3 overs remaining and did the net-run-rate a world of good with the margin of win.

4) Great Fielding by Daredevils:- The Daredevils were like a live wire in the field. Two incredible runouts and some really good catches helped them to restrict the Kings under 120. Runout from Karen Nair to get rid of Vijay, run out from JP Duminy to get Saha and catch from Brathwaite to get rid of Maxwell were highlights of there fielding performance.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Murali Vijay has been run out 12 times in all editions of the IPL. He overtook Gautam Gambhir and Venugopal Rao to take the ignominious record.

2) Mishra became the latest player to complete 100 matches in the tournament. Apart from the Daredevils, he had also played for Sun Risers Hyderabad and the now defunct Deccan Chargers.

3) 116 – The most number of wickets taken by a spinner across all seasons of the IPL. Mishra went past his erstwhile teammates Harbhajan Singh and Chawla with a four-wicket haul.

IPL 2016 RPS v/s GL :- Lions beat the Supergiants by 7 wickets. Top moments, IPL Stats.

The two old CSK lads faced off against each other for the first time ever in IPL history as their respective sides, Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiants met at Rajkot. A brilliant start from the opening pair of Ajinkya Rahane and Faf du Plessis helped the Supergiants set a strong foundation. However, the Lions fought back to restrict Pune to a score of 163, thanks to some late onslaught from captain, MS Dhoni. In reply, the opening pair of the Lions, Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum got their team off to a blazing start and set up an easy chase for the Lions.
Here are the top 5 moments from this game:-

1) Faf's  fantastic show with the bat:- This South African when at his peak is just incredible. This is why Dhoni rates him so highly as when he has a good start, the whole team benefits from it. So when he took the attack against the Gujarat Lions, they were left reeling.In 43 balls, he scored 69 runs to give his team a quick start.

2) Dhoni's late onslaught :- As the team was collapsing and it looked like they would be bundled out for under 150, Dhoni made sure Du Plessis’ effort didn't go in vain. He came and scored 22 runs in just 10 balls, which included 2 fours and a six to make sure that Pune put up a challenging score. Just as he has been doing it for India for so many years.

3) Jadeja strikes once again:- It is not often that Ravindra Jadeja becomes the talk of the day for his bowling, but when he does, his balls become almost impossible to read and hence play. And, unfortunately for Pune, he was in that mood today. He bowled one of the best spells he has ever bowled. In 4 overs, he took 2 wickets and gave away only 18 runs—a spell that saved 20 runs for his team.

4) Finch and MacCullum's furious batting:- In 36 balls, Finch  completed a half century. With 7 fours and 2 sixes, he scored 80% of his runs in boundaries.On the other end, Brendon MacCullum was on a roll himself as he fell short of scoring a 50 by just a single run. Bazz was the quicker of the two as he scored his 49 in just 31 balls—and hit 3 sixes and four each to get there and win the game for Gujarat with that blazing start itself.

5) Tambe's crucial strikes :- The 41 year old leg spinner Pravin Tambe bowled exceptionally well in the power play and then in the middle overs. He took two crucial wickets. He got Ajinkya Rahane LBW on 21 and then Faf Duo Plessis stumped on 69. This crucial wickets were very important in restricting the Supergiants under 170.

Here are IPL stats from this game:-

1) There have been five 50-plus run partnerships for the second wicket in the IPL so far.

2) Rajkot has now become the 33rd venue that has hosted an IPL match.

3) Aaron Finch reached a milestone of scoring 1000 runs in the IPL.

4) MS Dhoni reached a milestone of reaching 3000 runs in the IPL in his knock of 22 in this match. Dhoni became the 7th player to reach the milestone.

5) Ajinkya Rahane became the seventh person to reach a milestone of 2000-plus runs in the IPL while opening the batting.

IPL 2016 KKR v/s MI :- Rohit continues his dream run at Eden Garden , IPL stats, Top Moments.

Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets to register their first win of the season.
After put into bat by Rohit Sharma, Kolkata lost Robin Uthappa early, but fifties from Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey put Kolkata on the brink of scoring a huge total. Andre Russell walked out and smashed a quick-fire 36 and got out in the 18th over. Mumbai Indians bowlers in the last three overs pulled things back as they restricted the hosts for just 187-5 after 20 overs.
Chasing 188 is a difficult task at the Eden Gardens, but Mumbai managed to win with 5 balls to spare. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Parthiv Patel put on 50+ for the opening wicket. Rohit continued his good run at Eden Gardens as he anchored the innings for his team. Mitchell McClenaghan walked in at number 4 as a pinch-hitter and smashed 20 off just 8 balls.
After his wicket fell, Jos Buttler came in and took on the bowlers from the word go as he smacked Brad Hogg and Andre Russell for fours and sixes. In the meantime, Rohit reached his fifty and stepped on the accelerator. He remained unbeaten on 84 and took his team home safely.
Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) HITMAN's good run at Eden Gardens:- Ever since his double hundred against Sri Lanka and his debut hundred in tests Eden Gardens has been a hunting ground for Rohit Sharma. His match winning performance against KKR in chasing a stiff target of 188 proves it once again. He smashed an unbeaten 84 to power Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders.

2) Surprise promotion for Mitchell MacClanaghan:- After the wicket of Hardik Pandya no one would have ever thought of sending a pinch hitter like Mitchell MacClanaghan to bat except for the Mumbai Indians dough out. It turned out to be a master stroke. He scored a quick fire 20 of just 8 balls to give  momentum to  Mumbai's innings. MacClanaghan's spell with the ball was also very crucial to restrict KKR to 187. He finished with figures of 2/25.

3) Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey's set up a platform for a big total:- Fifties from Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey put Kolkata on the brink of scoring a huge total. Gambhir scored a 52-ball 64 and was ably supported by Pandey's 52. This duo put up a 100 run partnership for the 2nd wicket.

4) Jos Butlers stunning innings :- The Englishman came out to bat after MacClanaghan's wicket. Buttler came in and took on the bowlers from the word go as he smacked Brad Hogg and Andre Russell for fours and sixes. Jos Buttler with a quickfire 22-ball 41 was the other major contributor in Mumbai's victory.

5) Poor fielding performance from MI :- Though the defending Champions won the game there were a few elements that they have to improve. There fielding was below par in this match. Lot of boundaries were conceded which should have been stopped. There were few drop catches as well. Gambhir was dropped twice at 30 by Rohit Sharma and then by Bumrah on 55.

Here are the IPL stats from this game:-

1) Gautam Gambhir scored his 27th IPL fifty, the most by any batsman in IPL.

2) Parthiv Patel crossed 3000 T20 runs in his career.

3) This match was Yusuf Pathan’s 200th T20 match.

4) This is Mumbai Indians’ fifth win against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, the most by any team.

5) Rohit Sharma’s last three IPL innings at Eden Gardens: 98*, 50, 84*.

IPL 2016 :- RCB v/s SRH:- Massive win for the Hosts . Top Moments, IPL stats.

Royal  Challengers Bangalore beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 45 runs. After put into bat, the hosts lost the wicket of Chris Gayle early on in their innings, but skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers pulled things back with a 157 run partnership for the second wicket. Kohli got out for 75 and De Villiers followed him soon after for 82. India’s under 19 star Sarfaraz Khan scored 35 off 10 balls and took his team for a formidable total of 227 in 20 overs. Chasing a record 228, Sunrisers were never in the hunt as they lost Shikhar Dhawan early in their innings. Skipper David Warner scored 58 off 25 balls and when he got out, Sunrisers’ hopes of chasing the total was dashed. Yuzvendra Chahal and Watson picked two wickets apiece. Here are the Top moments from this game:-

1) Virat and AB duos stupendous show:- When Gayle departed early, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli took it upon themselves to give the crowd what they wanted.In a partnership that last 13.3 overs, they scored an insane 157 runs combined—82 in 42 for ABD and 75 in 51 for Virat—making it a living nightmare for the SRH bowlers.

2) Mustafizur impresses once again:- Mustafizur is not someone who can bang the ball in short at lightning pace. His main strength is his change of pace with an odd bouncer or yorker. In a game where all of his partners weren’t spared, he ended up with figures of 26 for 2 and got the wickets of AB De Villiers and Shane Watson in the process. A debut to remember for the young Bangladeshi paceman for sure.

3) Sarfaraz goes all guns blazing:- When Mustafizur Rahman got the wickets of AB de Villiers and Shane Watson, the home team would have taken anything around 200. However, Sarfaraz Khan had other ideas. The 18-year-old took Bhuvaneshwar Kumar to the cleaners with his unorthodox shots as the former conceded 28 runs in the second last over of the game. He finished with 35 off 10 ball to take RCB to a total of 227 in 20 overs.

4) Warners resistance to keep SRH in the hunt:-
The score set by RCB for the visitors to chase was a near impossible task. However, they had one man who could have achieved the impossible. And David Warner began in a fashion that had the home fans biting their nails.
He was smacking the Royal Challengers’ bowlers like there was no tomorrow, scoring 58 off just 25 balls with 46 of those runs coming in boundaries.

5) Ashish Reddy's cameo at the end:- By the time he came to bat, the match was already lost as Hyderabad needed 126 runs in just 51 balls. However, that didn’t stop him from trying. 32 off just 18 balls—making sure that the match didn’t turn into a rather one sided contest.

Here are some of the Stats from this game:-

1) Ninth instance of Royal Challengers Bangalore scoring over 200.

2) Royal Challengers Bangalore's 227 is now the 8th highest total in IPL.

3) The 157-run stand between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is the 4th best for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.

4) Number of sixes scored in this match, 2 more than the combined total of 21 in the first three matches in this year’s IPL.

5) AB de Villiers crosses 1000 IPL runs in Bengaluru.

IPL 2016, Gujarat Lions defeated Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets , Stats, Top Moments.

Gurjarat Lions got off to a perfect start in the Indian Premiere League (IPL). Aron Finch and Dwayne Bravo hand  Lions easy win  by 5 wickets over the Kings. The Kings who have  had a terrible start to the innings by there openers in the last IPL  had an especially good opening stand between Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra.
However, Dwayne Bravo showed why he is considered one of the best bowlers in T20. He picked up four wickets to help his side restrict  the Kings to 161 for 6 in there 20 overs.
Here are the top moments from this game:-

1) Flying start by Vijay and Vohra:-  In the last season, Punjab did not have a single partnership of 50-plus for the first wicket. The opening pair was bit of a concern for the Kings XI considering there performance in the last IPL. But they backed this opening pair and it paid off. This partnership of 78 would surely make them feel good and give confidence to continue this in their upcoming matches.

2) CHAMPION DJ Bravo's double strike:- Dwayne Bravo showed that why is CHAMPION in any team he is playing. Bravo's spell was the turning point in this entire match. He struck twice in one over that too Miller and Maxwell shattering the Punjab's bating attack. He finished with 4 for 22 in 4 overs.

3) Sir Jadeja giving those crucial breakthrough's at the start:-  Ravindra Jadeja was good with the ball  giving the much important breakthrough for the Lions by breaking the opening partnership of 78. He got Manan Vohra on 38 caught by Kartikh and Vijay bowled on 42.

4) Brendon MacCullum gets a Golden Duck :- He is considered as one of the most destructive and consistent t20 batsmen. But in the match against Punjab he was stumped of the 2nd ball he faced. This was the first time that Brendon McCullum was dismissed for a duck in the last 42 IPL innings.

5) Aron Finch proves himself :- Aaron Finch proved why he is a valuable asset at the top of the order as he scored a well-orchestrated fifty to help set the foundation for an easy chase for the Lions. He scored 74 of 47 balls with 12 fours.

Here are the major stats from this game:-

1) Aaron Finch became the second player to have featured for six teams in the IPL after Parthiv Patel.

2) All three matches of the IPL so far were won by the team chasing.

3) Dwayne Bravo became the first bowler to reach the milestone of picking up 300 wickets in T20 cricket.

4) This was the 133rd IPL match that Suresh Raina has played. He never missed a single match in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings and now Gujarat Lions.

5) This was the best bowling figures for Dwayne Bravo in the IPL. His previous best was 4/42 for CSK against MI in 2013.

Kings XI Punjab v/s Gujarat Lions :- 5 players to watch out for.

Kings XI Punjab v/s Gujarat Lions match to be played at PCA stadium Mohali today. Here are the top 5 players to watch out for in this match:-

1) David Miller:- David Miller also called Killer Miller is one of the superstars of IPL. This year with an additional responsibility of captaining the side it will be interesting to see how things go for him. Punjab will be really hoping Miller to fire and lead them to there first ever IPL trophy this year.

2) Glen Maxwell:- Maxwell's consistency in the recently concluded T20 WC would hold Punjab in good stead. The entertainment he provides to the crowd with his big six,  reverse sweeps is phenomenal. Also the value he adds in the squad with his off spiners would also come handy for Punjab.

3) James Faulkner:- Faulkner will be one of the key players for the Gujarat Lions. His form in the recently concluded World T20 has been good and he will try to take that form in the IPL as well. His ability to finish the matches batting down the order and bowling at the death makes him a crucial asset for the Gujarat Franchise.

4) Brendon MacCullum:- After his sudden retirement from international cricket MacCullum is back in this years IPL. Everyone will be eager to see Bazz bat after his retirement. A blasting opener along with it a stunning fielder makes him a player that every team would love to have. Gujarat lions will depend on his batting for posting huge targets or chasing the targets.

5) Suresh Raina:- The 5th player to watch out for could easily have been Shaun Marsh or Aron Finch but Suresh Raina is one player who can turn the course of the match on its own. Raina captaining the Gujarat Lions will be new role for him in this years IPL. His poor form in recent matches is worry but he is a player who can get going even during his tough times.

In short both the teams are full of superstars and everyone will be hoping for a cracker of a contest between these two teams.

KKR beat DD by 9 wickets :- 5 talking points.

Delhi Daredevils were completely outplayed by Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday at the Eden Garden stadium in Kolkata. Here are the five talking points of this match:-

1) Old is Gold:- The inclusion of 45 year old Brad Hogg in the team turned out to be great decision. Shakib al Hasan was supposed to be the first choice left-arm spinner. However, Gambhir went with Brad Hogg and it paid off. In his 4 overs, he gave away only 16 runs and took 3 wickets and showed that age is only just a number.

2) Andre Russell the real star:- Andre Russell gave away 13 runs of his very 1st over.
In the next over, however, he more than made up for .With the second ball of his second over, he took the important wicket of De Kock before finishing the over with the scalp of Shreyas Iyer. In his 3rd over he bowled in the game and he made sure he got another victim before finishing the game with 24/3 after 3—and all his victims were the top 3 batsmen.

3) Failure of Zaheer Khan:-  Everyone had a lot of expectation from the veteran Indian pacer Zaheer Khan. But he did not live up to the expectations. Zaheer who led the bowling attack of the Delhi Daredevils was expensive with the ball giving away 24 of his 2.1 overs. He leaked too many runs when the team was to defend a low target of 99.  

4) Gambhir and Uthappa duo shine once again:-
Both Gambhir and Uthappa played a very sensible innings and gave Delhi no chance of making a comeback.Sometimes, the lowest of totals could sometimes become tricky to chase, but Uthappa and Gambhir’s partnership of 69 runs took the game away from the Daredevils.

5) John Hastings showcasing his talent:-  He was not regular part of the Chennai Super Kings. but in this match he made his mark and showed that he is not here to be that kind of a player anymore—rather, he is here to be the main man.
With figures of 6 runs and 2 wickets in just 2.1 overs he surely cemented his position for the next few games.

KKR cruise towards a comprehensive win over DD.

In second match of Indian Premier League 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders squared off against Delhi Daredevils at Eden Gardens. KKR was looking to get off to a wining start playing at home.
On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils have been lagging at the bottom of the table year after year and was hoping for productive season. Former Indian fast bowler, Zaheer Khan was  captaining  the side and Rahul Dravid as their mentor. A combination Delhi Daredevils will be banking on to get them the coveted trophy.
The pitch had a fair amount of grass on it. The wicket had something on offer to the fast bowlers in the first 6 overs. Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bowl first.

PLAYING XI

Kolkata Knight Riders:-
Gautam Gambhir (C), Robin Uthappa (W), Manish Pandey, Colin Munro, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, John Hastings, Brad Hogg, Umesh Yadav.
Delhi Daredevils:-
Quinton de Kock (W), Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Carlos Brathwaite, Pawan Negi, Chris Morris, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan (C), Nathan Coulter-Nile.

The openers of Delhi were on fire scoring 23 of the first two overs. Quinton de Kock was looking good along with Mayank Agarwal. But the double strike from the West Indian all rounder Andre Russell set the Delhi batsmen on the backfoot. Thereafter the wickets kept on falling with no real batting performance to talk about. The Delhi Daredevils were all out on 98 which was there 7th total below 100. The top score  by Quinton de Kock of 17 of 10 balls. The KKR bowlers bowled well. There were hardly any loose deliveries bowled by there bowlers. They were very precise with there line and length. Andre Russell and Brad Hogg were  the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 24 and 3 for 19 respectively of there four overs. Piyush Chawla and John Hastings shared 2 wickets each.
In the run chase KKR had no real trouble in chasing the target of 99. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa gave a solid start to the KKR innings with yet another partnership of above 50. Robin Uthappa scoring 35 of 33 balls Gautam Gambhir scored 38 of 41 balls and small little cameo from Manish Pandey of 15 of 12 balls. The Daredevils bowling led by the India's  veteren fast bowler Zaheer Khan looked out of colour. Zaheer Khan who was playing after a long time looked scratchy as he was expensive with the ball.
It's a new season, but the same old story for Delhi. Really hope, like Zaheer put it, that it's their first and last bad game. From Kolkata's perspective though, a thoroughly comprehensive win. This should get them warmed up nicely for the competition. Also it will be interesting to see how Delhi approaches their combination. There are plenty of excellent young players and Dravid's mentorship will be the key, going into the tournament.

Supergiant's make a giant start in IPL

Match no 1 of the Indian Premiere League 2016 which was expected to be a great contest between the Mumbai Indians and the Rising Pune Supergiant's in fact turned out to be a one sided contest. The defending champions were up against the new franchise Rising Pune Supergiant's lead by MS Dhoni.
At the toss Rohit Sharma called it right and elected to bat 1st which was a bit surprising considering the grass on the pitch. The line up of both sides for this match was:
Mumbai playing XI – Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh

Pune playing XI – Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen, MS Dhoni (wk & c), Steve Smith, Rajat Bhatia, Mitchell Marsh, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, M Ashwin, RP Singh

Both sides looked balance on the sheets at the start of the game. Batting first Mumbai  could only manage 121 for 8 in there full quota of 20 overs thanks to Harbhajan Singh's fighting knock of 45 to post something on the board for the bowlers to bowl at. Other than Ambati Rayudu and Vinay Kumar no other batsmen even reached the double figures. On the other side everything was going well for the Rising Pune Supergiant's as there bowlers stood up for the task. Ishant Sharma was on fire when he got Rohit Sharma LBW on the very first ball of his spell and then  knocked out Lendil Simmons. Ishant Sharma and Mitchell Marsh both got 2 wickets were as other bowler shared 1 wicket a peice . all the bowlers bowled so well that R Ashwin could only get one over in the entire innings.
In the second innings  Mumbai really missed Lasith Malinga in the bowling department. There was no impact from the Mumbai bowlers on the Pune batsmens. They looked completely off color. Batting second the Pune batsmen had no hesitation in chasing the target. Mumbaikar Ajinkya Rahane scored a quick fire 62 to take his team home. Faf Du plesis and Kevin Peterson scored 34 and 21 respectively to lead there team to a comprehensive win over the defending champions by 9 wickets. Ajinkya Rahane won the man of the match for his quick fire 66 of 42 balls.
In all it was a really good day at the office for the new franchise team Rising Pine Supergiant's and a great start to there season. Mumbai Indians on the other hand will have to look for a good batting and bowling combination for them to get on the winning track as soon as possible.