The broken nose saga continues

duck and be hit on the helmet or perhaps he has misjudged the length and the speed of the ball and is struck. In the pre-helmet days batsmen had to be extra careful in negotiating the faster deliveries for obviously he could not afford to be hit on the head. These days it is not an uncommon sight to see a batsmen being hit on the helmet for he is aware that even if he makes a misjudgment he is protected. But as we have seen this is not guaranteed. The recent mishap to Stuart Broad in the Old Trafford Test against India is a case in point. The tall left handed England all rounder hooked Varun Aaron for successive sixes – a grand way to open his account. Heady with success he went for another maximum off the very next ball. But having just come in perhaps he had not got his eye fully in for this delivery – another short one – was a shade quicker timed at 141 kmph and rose probably more than Broad expected. He was late on the stroke and the ball struck him flush on the grille of the helmet where it lodged itself. Some of the newer helmets have an extra grille on the visor but it appeared that Broad’s helmet didn’t. The ball went in between the grille and the peak of the helmet and it was quickly obvious that it was a nasty blow with the bridge of the nose taking the maximum impact. He was bleeding and the physio rushed out to render first aid. Broad was led off holding a cloth to the bloody nose. Not unexpectedly he did not take any further part in the match even as England made light of his absence as a bowler and won in three days by an innings and 54 runs.
Taken to hospital Broad required stitches for a fractured nose but he made a fast recovery and included in the team for the final Test at the Oval he played with a nose splint to disguise the temporary damage. Broad’s case is not the first such incident. There have been a few players over the years who have suffered grievous injuries in a similar manner with the helmet unable to save them. The most famous – or infamous depending on one’s point of view – is the one involving Mike Gatting and Malcolm Marshall. It happened on the 1985-86 England tour of the West Indies. Gatting the vice captain had been one of the few batsmen to be among the runs during the early phase of the tour but in the first ODI at Kingston he suffered a blow which had long term consequences both in playing terms and psychologically. England batted first and Gatting came in when the score was ten for two with both Tim Robinson and skipper David Gower falling for ducks to Patrick Patterson. The fearsome West Indian speed quartet was at full strength for besides Patterson, there were Marshall, Courtney Walsh and Joel Garner. Gatting had scored ten when he missed an attempted hook off Marshall and was struck flush on the nose. To add insult to injury the ball cannoned off his face to the stumps. Gatting was predictably donning protective gear but some of the early helmets did not have the visors that came in later. Gatting flew home to get his nose fixed and after convalescing for some time rejoined the team four weeks later. As misfortune would have it he broke his thumb within 20 hours of his return in the game against Barbados. In the first innings he batted bravely showing no after effects of his facial injury but after making 36 in 85 minutes he had no counter to a fast medium delivery from Vibert Greene which as bad luck would again have it lifted steeply to his bottom hand whence it looped to second slip where Carlisle Best completed the catch. Gatting did not bat in the second innings and took no further part in the tour. How much impact Gatting’s initial injury had on the team as a whole could be debated but the fact remains that England suffered a 5-0 “blackwash’’ in the Test series besides losing the ODI series 3-1.
One recalls Manoj Prabhakar meeting with the same fate at the hands of Walsh on the 1994-95 West Indian tour of India. As an opening batsman Prabhakar was courageous personified and this quality saw him face up to the fastest of bowlers despite limitations in his technique. In the third and final Test at Mohali he had scored a brave 120 in the first innings – incidentally the only Test century in his 39-match career – batting for 405 minutes and handling the pace of Walsh, Kenny Benjamin, Cameron Cuffy and Andy Cummins admirably. In the second innings when India were set a victory target of 357 Prabhakar again opened but before he could open his account he had his nose broken by Walsh in the very first over. He tried to pull the ball but it went through his helmet grille causing considerable damage. Prabhakar was led off bleeding and not unexpectedly could not come back to bat even as India went down to defeat by 243 runs. While on the subject I also recall Kris Srikkanth being hit on the face by a ball from Wasim Akram despite wearing a helmet in an ODI between India and Pakistan at Hyderabad in 1987. He had scored just two and the injury kept him out of the three remaining matches in the series. Without their most explosive batsman
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/

Captaincy not up to standard

Former England captain Mike Brearley has stated that MS Dhoni’s captaincy and wicketkeeping is not up to Test standard. Brearley, writing in his column for The Times, said India have been a disappointment in the Test series even though their bowling has throughout been energetic and often skillful. “In three of the past four Tests, including the one at Lord’s won by India, the pitches have been designed to suit England, and to test India’s batsmen, but much of the rest of their play, including slip fielding, has been, for the last three matches, poor,” the former England skipper said. “Mahendra Singh Dhoni has batted with skill and courage, standing out above the rest. He seems able in his batting and in his captaincy to put much of the past behind him, and to avoid touchy or petulant reactions,” Brearley said. “But his wicketkeeping is not up to Test standard. Nor, I think is his captaincy,” he said.
Windies beat Bangladesh
All-rounder Kieron Pollard hit 89 and Denesh Ramdin chipped in with 74 as the West Indies overcame a disastrous start to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in their opening one-day international at the National Stadium. With five fours and six sixes off 70 balls, Pollard added a critical 145 off 132 deliveries with fellow Trinidadian Ramdin after the hosts had slumped to 34-5. The West Indies eventually got home at 219-7 off 39.4 overs after Bangladesh reached 217-9 from its 50 overs. Al-Amin Hossain took 4-51 from 8.4 overs for Bangladesh, whose 21-year-old opener Anamul Haque hammered 109 off 138 balls after being sent in by the hosts. In only his 20th match, Anamul hit 11 fours and one six in his third century at this level. He shared an opening stand of 41 with Tamim Iqbal, who contributed 26, and a sixth wicket partnership of 53 with Nasir Hossain, who also supported with 26. However, the Bangladesh innings never got the momentum needed and the final total was well short of par. Captain Dwayne Bravo took 4-32 with his medium pace for the West Indies. The hosts’ reply stuttered badly early on as Al-Amin, with support from fellow seamer Mashrafe Mortaza and off-spinner Mahmudullah, reduced them to 34-5 after 13.1 overs. Chris Gayle (3) sliced to third man off Mortaza while Al-Amin picked up Darren Bravo (7) and Lendl Simmons (0) from outside edges to the wicketkeeper. In between, Kirk Edwards was bowled by Mahmudullah as he missed a sweep.
When Dwayne Bravo clipped to deep square leg for Al-Amin’s third scalp, Bangladesh looked to have taken control of the match — only for Ramdin and Pollard to share a record sixth wicket stand. Ramdin was busy throughout while Pollard used his straight hitting to good effect. Their association of was the best sixth wicket partnership for the West Indies against Bangladesh and the best for the wicket at this venue. Bangladesh sensed a way back when Pollard and Ramdin were dismissed shortly after a rain delay of half an hour. Ramdin bottom-edged Shag Gazi onto his stumps while Pollard holed out off Al-Amin with Mahmudullah holding a fantastic running catch. But Jason Holder hit 22 not out off 15 balls to see his side home.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com

Dark days disappear for England

Drenched in champagne and surrounded by jubilant teammates, England captain Alastair Cook held his arms aloft and savored the feeling of winning a test series again. It had been a while. Following the humiliation of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia and the dejection of a last-gasp home series loss to Sri Lanka, England found itself 1-0 behind to India after two tests of a five-match series against India. And Cook, whose own form with the bat was wretched, faced calls to resign. “I’m quite stubborn, I believe in my ability and I’m a resilient guy — that was when I needed it most,” Cook said. Some straight talking from his wife also helped Cook get through his darkest days as captain. “You can bear your soul to Alice,” Cook said, “and she’s very good at getting you back on the straight and narrow.” It clearly worked. Cook’s form returned, senior teammates like Ian Bell, James Anderson and Stuart Broad also stepped up and England won three straight test victories to beat the Indians 3-1. After a stunning transformation, England can suddenly look forward to the visit of arch-rival Australia for the 2015 Ashes with renewed optimism. “England, with so many players coming through, are a team to invest in,” former England captain Nasser Hussain said in his column in The Daily Mail. “They are on an upward curve. Australia, meanwhile, have got some older players who might be going in the other direction. Let us see.” One of cricket’s oldest adages is “catches win matches.” In Cook’s case, one particular catch could have ended his time as captain.
In England’s first innings in the crucial third test, Cook was dropped in the slips by Ravindra Jadeja when on 15. Cook went on to make 95 — one of the most important knocks of his career — and England and its captain never looked back. For most pundits, it was a turning point in the series. England’s joy will be tempered by the knowledge that the Indians put up weak opposition. Away test series are never their forte but even by their standards, not scoring above 178 in their last five innings of the series is a poor effort. There is also concern over some departments in England’s lineup. There are still doubts about Sam Robson as Cook’s opening partner, and worries about the dependence on Broad and Anderson and whether Moeen Ali can keep up his surprisingly good form as the team’s part-time spinner. But Cook will point to the resurgence of middle-order batsman Joe Root, who scored 518 runs an average of 103.50 this series, the seamless introduction to the team of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and the blossoming of Chris Jordan as the third fast bowler. The India series also showed that in typically English conditions, England’s bowling attack can be unstoppable with their tails up. The Ashes series should at least be competitive now England has some confidence back. Something many neutrals likely feared would not be the case when Cook’s men were at rock bottom a month ago. “I’m glad I stuck through the tough times,” Cook said. Before the Ashes, however, England will put the whites away and slip into one-day mode for the next eight months in preparation for the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/

Bowling variations: A lost cause

Bowlers are treated like Aliens as far as rules and regulations in cricket are concerned. The playing field has been molded in favor of the batters in such a way that bowlers are being taken for plenty. Apart from this, the common notion with the bowlers is try to use as many variations as they can to limit the flow of runs. However, this is wrong. I still remembered one of the matches in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, which was held in Bangladesh. Australia was up against the formidable West Indies side with latter needing 12 runs of the last over. The Caribbean captain Darren Sammy had the task of seeing his side through against James Faulkner. The Aussie bowler was exceptional in his previous three overs and a lot was expected out of him. He bowled the first ball full on leg stump and Sammy was surprised by it. The second one was a Yorker, which again resulted in a dot ball. However, the idea of trying too many variations proved fatal for the bowler.
Sammy was able to launch the next ball, which was a full toss, into the stands. Faulkner once again went for something different and bowled too full which was once again carved for a six. He conceded no runs on the first two balls but things turned bad when Faulkner tried to vary things. This is just one of the examples where an idea of variations backfired in a big way. With the evolution in the game, variations have become a fashion for the bowlers. It has become mandatory for a bowler to atleast try four different deliveries every over. The slower ones, leg cutters, slow Yorkers and few more have become the need of the hour for the bowlers. However, the example which I quoted above is enough to show that using numerous variations in bowling is not a great idea these days. The modern day batsmen have mastered the art of handling variations and they know what would be bowled to them on the next one. It’s time for the bowlers especially pacers to rethink on their strategy when it comes to variations.
The different type of deliveries came into existence to surprise the batsman in the shorter formats of the game but extensive use has defused their effectiveness. The surprise element that came from variations is now non-existence for the batters. Dale Steyn was hammered by AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League and it had all to do with his habit of bowling different deliveries to the rivals. It was a shock for his fans who have seen him rattling batsman confidence with his good line and length. I am pretty sure that he would have kept them quite if he had stuck to his strengths rather than going for something which has become predictable these days. Spinners have the tendency to bowl the same ball even if they have been hit for a four or a six on the previous one. This surprises the batsman who is expecting some kind of a different treatment from a bowler. Karan Sharma, Akshar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal are young and new to the game but bowled well in the last season of the cash rich league.
They were among the wicket takers on consistent basis and foxed the batsman with their smart bowling. The above mentioned budding bowlers kept challenging the batsmen with the flighted deliveries, which could have been easily hit for sixes. Let me make one thing very clear over here that I am not against variations in the shorter formats of the game but as a bowler one should have the knowledge of using them at a proper or required time. Moreover, a bowler should develop supreme control over one or two variations first before unleashing them at the batsman. It is next to impossible to bowl different balls one after the other with perfection. Are most of the bowlers capable of landing deliveries at the right place? Can bowlers maintain the effectiveness of the variations in pressure situation? The answer is big no as a judgment in error could cause the game for the side. We have seen this happening on many occasions in the recent times and the bowlers should be held accountable for this. The best thing is to focus on one or two balls and getting them right in the course of a game. The role of a bowling coach has become preciously important for the bowlers in modern times. A fast bowler like Wasim Akram has enough experience under his belt to teach his disciples about do’s and don’ts of the bowling. It was his magic which guided Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL trophy. Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar, the Indian pacers had a good tournament as they sticked to Yorker or full length in their bowling. They didn’t try too many things, which not only fetched them wickets but were able to contain the batsman from going for big shots. It was Akram’s magic all the way. Life has become hard for the seam bowlers in international cricket so bowling according to a planned way is the mantra of success.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

South Africa creep up on Zimbabwe

Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar made half-centuries as top-ranked South Africa slowly chased down Zimbabwe in the one-off test at Harare Sports Club. Du Plessis was 69 not out and opener Elgar earlier made 61 to take South Africa to 201-4 by stumps on the second day, 55 behind Zimbabwe’s first-innings score of 256. South Africa had to work hard against the lowly-ranked Zimbabweans on a dry, slow pitch where batsmen found it hard to score freely through the opening two days. Du Plessis ground out his 69 off 192 balls with eight fours and South Africa scored at less than 2 ½ runs per over in its first innings. Off-spinner John Nyumbu made the most of a helpful surface for slow bowlers to collect 2-71 for Zimbabwe on his test debut. Nyumbu removed opener Alviro Petersen (32) and then the dangerous AB de Villiers for seven to have Zimbabwe’s neighbor 157-4 midway through the day and in a little trouble. Du Plessis combined for an unbroken 44-run stand with wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock to take South Africa past 200 and within sight of Zimbabwe. South Africa needs to win to retain the No. 1 ranking it won back from Australia with a series victory in Sri Lanka last month. The test in Harare is the first between the African neighbors in a decade. South Africa’s only slip before lunch on day two had been the loss of opener Petersen when he tried to sweep Nyumbu and was dismissed by a superb catch by wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, who reacted instantly after an edge hit him to dive to his right and hold the chance. Du Plessis and Elgar appeared to put the visitors firmly in charge with a 75-run partnership for the second wicket but Elgar, new captain Hashim Amla and De Villiers all fell within 25 runs as South Africa stuttered. Seamer Donald Tiripano, Zimbabwe’s second debutant in the test, took his first wicket when Elgar nicked behind and Mutumbami dived for another impressive take.

De Villiers and Amla, the No. 2 and No. 3 batsmen in the world respectively, both failed to reach double figures. But having just survived a run out chance when he was on only 1, Du Plessis fought to give South Africa back control with a typically gritty innings and found support in De Kock, who was 27 not out. At the start of the day, South African fast bowler Dale Steyn needed less than two overs to end Zimbabwe’s first innings when he had Nyumbu caught down the leg-side, giving the world’s top-ranked bowler 5-46 and his 24th career five-wicket haul. Spinner Dane Piedt finished with 4-90 for South Africa on debut after an impressive start to his international career. Skipper Brendan Taylor top-scored for Zimbabwe with his 93 on the first day.

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Lanka thwarts rain, beat Pak

Rangana Herath grabbed 6-48 as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by seven wickets on a remarkable last day of the first test. The left-arm spinner turned the game on its head when Pakistan, which trailed by 82 after the first innings, was bowled out for 180. Sri Lanka then needed 99 runs in a minimum 21 overs with dark clouds hovering over Galle International Stadium. Captain Angelo Mathews (25 not out) showed urgency by hitting two sixes and two fours as Sri Lanka reached 99-3 in 16.2 overs — just in time before the rain arrived. Mahela Jayawardene, playing in his penultimate test, set the tempo with a quick 26 as an opener before Mathews took charge under bad light. Kumar Sangakkara’s 10th double century (221) helped Sri Lanka respond solidly by declaring at 533-9 after Younis Khan hit a brilliant 177 in Pakistan’s first innings total of 451. But Pakistan’s batsmen paid a heavy price of protecting their wickets instead of scoring runs after resuming the day at 4-1 as Herath got rid of the top order before mopping up the tail just after tea. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed top scored with an unbeaten 52 before he ran out of partners.

Herath ravaged Pakistan’s innings by removing Azhar Ali (41), Younis Khan (13) and Asad Shafiq (8) while offspinner Dilruwan Perera got rid of dangerman Misbah (28) and Ahmed Shehzad (16). Pakistan showed no urgency and looked for a draw as it lost three wickets in the morning session while adding 62 runs. Misbah and Ali defied Sri Lanka briefly with a 56-run stand but not before the Pakistan captain twice survived lbw appeals. He was ruled out leg before wicket off Perera on 8 but successfully overturned umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision as the ball had brushed his gloves off a mistimed sweep. Misbah wiped out the deficit by hoisting the off-spinner to midwicket for a six before reverse sweeping the off-spinner for another boundary. He was on 26 when Eranga went for the DRS but his high full toss hit Misbah’s pads outside the line of leg stump. However, both batsmen departed within three deliveries when Herath found Ali’s outside edge and Misbah was trapped lbw off the backfoot. Herath trapped Shafiq lbw off an arm ball before Eranga picked up his 50th test wicket when he had Abdul Rehman caught behind to reduce Pakistan to 153-8 at tea. Earlier, Pakistan scored only four boundaries in the morning session after nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal (4) was caught behind off Dhammika Prasad in the eighth over of the day. Shehzad could have overturned English umpire Ian Gould’s lbw decision against him off Perera, but didn’t use the DRS and walked off after scoring a painstaking 16 off 74 balls.

Source-http://www.crictoday.com

Young guns who set the stage on fire

Apart from the famous players, there were few Indians who set the stage on fire in the Indian Premier League. The batsmen made sure that their performances were noted while the upcoming bowlers didn’t hesitate in going for a kill in the event.

Akshar Patel, Kings XI Punjab
The 20 year old was the find of the tournament with consistent performances under his belt. He got the Emerging Player of the Tournament award for his brilliant bowling. The tall lad was difficult to play and he took the wickets of well established international stars. He took 17 wickets in 17 matches at a strike rate of 6.13 which is phenomenal for any bowler. The best thing about him was his habit of learning from his mistakes. If he was hit for a four or a six, he made sure that same thing is not repeated on the next delivery. It was his exceptional show with the ball which led to his selection for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Apart from his bowling, he is a handy batsman and he proved this on few occasions in the just conclude cash rich league. Even his fielding was of top class in the IPL.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Royal Challengers Bangalore
He was warming the benches with Mumbai Indians till last year but boy he showed his caliber this time round for his new IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. Still only 23, he played every game for his team, picking up 12 wickets in 14 games. His economy rate was 7.01, which cannot be termed bad by any means. The batsmen tried their best against him but with little success. He didn’t stop himself from going for flight to take wickets. Instead his flighting deliveries proved too much for the opposite batsmen.

Sandeep Sharma, Kings XI Punjab
He didn’t play the last few matches including the all important finale against Kolkata Knight Riders but he was one of the most impressive bowlers in the seventh edition of the IPL. He has controlled over his swing while his habit of taking early wickets, helped his team immensely. His success against the likes of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli sums up everything. The right arm fast bowler took 18 wickets from 11 matches. The economy rate (8.81) was slightly on the higher side but keeping in mind about the nature of the shortest format, it is ok.

Karun Nair, Rajasthan Royals
Let’s thank to Rahul Dravid for unearthing another jewel through Indian Premier League. The 22-year old batsman made his presence felt with some eye-catching knocks in his debut season. He was one of the reasons behind Royals several win in the seventh edition.  He finished the tournament with 330-run at a strike rate of 142.24. He was brilliant on the front foot while his back foot shots had class written all over it.

Manan Vohra, Kings XI Punjab
There was lot of debate when he retained by the Kings XI Punjab as everyone thought that Punjab based franchise has made a big mistake. He was kept out of the team for nine games but once he was included in the playing XI, Vohra never looked back.  The right hand batsman scored 324-run from just 8 games at a strike rate of more than 139. He hit 27 fours and 16 sixes in the league which set the tone for his team.

Biggest foreign disappointments of the Indian Premier League

T20 format of the game is the most unpredictable one and the Indian Premier League is no different. We were sure of certain players and their success in this edition but they failed big time. Let’s take a look at the biggest foreign disappointments of this year’s IPL.

Steyn gun was quite The number one bowler in the world was at the receiving end in this year’s IPL. He was first taken apart from AB de Villiers and then MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan went after him. His Yorkers were hit for boundaries while his length deliveries got brutal treatment. This was the first time when he proved ineffective in the cash rich league. He took just 11 wickets from 14 games and had an economy rate above 7 which is rear with him. He couldn’t help his team with regular breakthroughs, which was one of the prime reasons behind Sunrisers Hyderabad lowly finish in the points table.

Kallis lost his magical touch The veteran all-rounder from South Africa was not able to set stage on fire in the seventh edition of the cash rich league. It seemed that age was getting better of this classy player. He was dropped from the team after playing 8 games. The tally of 151 runs and 4 wickets is hardly what Kolkata needed from their star player. I know comebacks are possible but he is too old to think of this. His IPL career is looking over and it would be great if he is used as a mentor.

Kevin Pietersen failed big time He was bought by Delhi Daredevils to anchor their ship with his batting and captaincy skills but his tenure ended in a failure. He accumulated 294 runs from the eleven games while his side managed just 2 wins in the entire tournament. This is what happens when one stop playing international cricket but in Pietersen’s case, his career was cut short because of his temperament problems.

Chris Gayle never arrived The left-hand batsman was never in touch during his stay at the crease in the seventh edition. He missed few games because of injury but couldn’t deliver after making the return. His trademark shot were missing while his mode of dismissals was almost identical match after match. The big fellow was tied down even by some unknown bowlers. His low scores meant that RCB was never in the reckoning for the playoffs.

IPL 2014 Preview: Kings XI Punjab v. Royal Challengers

The Kings are playing like real Royals while the Royals are performing like school kids. Kings XI Punjab have got one of the most dangerous batting units in the competition, which has dismantled bowling arsenal of other teams in a span of few overs. On the other hand, RCB has failed to leave a mark in this year’s event. Will we see another clinical performance from them or will it be RCB’s day?
KXIP
Maxwell has been their star so far. The tall Australian has made life hell for the bowlers with his brutal hitting. He is the leading scorer in the tournament while has also hit maximum sixes.  Apart from him, David Miller, George Bailey and Virender Sehwag has batted sensibly. The best part is this team has performed in almost all the games. Their bowlers too have contributed in the winning cause. Sandeep Sharma is their star performer while the likes of Mitchell Johnson has bowled magnificently well.  These two haven’t let their team down in the previous games.
RCB
This team is lacking big time in all the departments of the game. Is there any inform batsmen? The answer is no. Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have found life difficult that too even against  less recognized bowlers. Yuvarj Singh deserves special mention because of his pathetic display with the bat. He was bought for more than Rs. 14 crore but has failed to justify his price tag. Either he has played to make RCB loose or else he has thrown away his wicket. Should he be axed from the team? The answer is big yes and with immediate effect.  RCB’s bowling was looking good in the first few matches but that has also gone for a toss after landing in India. Verdict
My money is on KXIP because their player are playing superb cricket.

Teams
KXIP GJ Bailey*, Anureet Singh, P Awana, L Balaji, R Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh, BE Hendricks, MG Johnson, Karanveer Singh, M Kartik, Mandeep Singh, SE Marsh, GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, AR Patel, NLTC Perera, CA Pujara, WP Saha, Sandeep Sharma, V Sehwag, Shivam Sharma, SN Thakur, M Vohra

RCB V Kohli*, VR Aaron, AN Ahmed, YS Chahal, AB de Villiers, AB Dinda, CH Gayle, SB Jakati, T Mishra, JA Morkel, M Muralitharan, HV Patel, PA Patel, R Rampaul, S Rana, RR Rossouw, S Sandeep Warrier, MA Starc, YV Takawale, Yuvraj Singh, VH Zol

IPL 2014 Preview: Rajasthan Royals vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rajasthan Royals have peaked at the right time while Hyderabad based franchise is still finding hard to get into the groove. Royals have played as a competitive unit which has helped them in tough situations. The Sunrisers need to play their brand of cricket rather waiting for the things to happen.

RR
Shane Watson is leading from the front and his players have responded to his calls. Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Steve Smith and the captain himself has held the batting together. The likes of Stuart Binny and Rajat Bhatia have been phenomenal in their all-round roles. James Faulkner, Pravin Tambe, Kane Richardson and Tim Southee have bowled impressively. I am pretty happy with the way they have conducted their performances. They don’t have big Indian names but have managed to upset big teams. Credit should be given to the upcoming players and Rahul Dravid, who has inserted a self belief in the squad.
SRH
AB de Villiers took the game away from them that too in a span of few overs. The match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was in their pocket before AB’s explosive batting. This team has abundance of talent but have failed to register regular wins. One of the main reasons is Shikhar Dhawan and his style of captaincy. Let’s accept the fact that he is not a good captain. It’s high time if Darren Sammy is told to lead the side. David Warner and Aaron Finch can break any team’s resistance while the likes of Dhawan, Sammy , Pathan and Naman Ojha are big T20 players. Their bowling is also well equipped with Dale Steyn leading the charge. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Karan Sharma have bowled beautifully so far.
Verdict
I will go with Royals as they got everything with them to register another comfortable victory in this year’s IPL.
Teams
RR
SR Watson*, Amit Mishra, Ankit Sharma, AK Bains, R Bhatia, STR Binny, UBT Chand, KK Cooper, BCJ Cutting, JP Faulkner, BJ Hodge, DJ Hooda, Iqbal Abdulla, DS Kulkarni, VS Malik, KK Nair, AM Nayar, AM Rahane, KW Richardson, SV Samson, SPD Smith, TG Southee, PV Tambe, R Tewatia, DH Yagnik
SRH
S Dhawan*, S Anirudha, A Ashish Reddy, RK Bhui, AJ Finch, MC Henriques, JO Holder, MC Juneja, B Kumar, CV Milind, A Mishra, NV Ojha†, P Parameswaran, Parvez Rasool, IK Pathan, AG Paunikar, KL Rahul, DJG Sammy, I Sharma, KV Sharma, DW Steyn, BRM Taylor, Y Venugopal Rao, DA Warner

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IPL 2014 Preview: Delhi Daredevils Vs. Kolkata Knight Riders

These teams have struggled a lot in this year's IPL despite having exceptional talent in their ranks. Delhi Daredevils are unable to solve their ever rising problems while Knight Riders are losing matches from winning situations.
Delhi Daredevils
The problem with them is the lack of consistency from the whole team. If batsmen are scoring runs, then there is some problem with the bowlers and vice versa. They need collective effort in order to register regular victories. The batsmen played their part in the last match against Chennai Super Kings but bowlers will have to take today's match seriously. Skipper Kevin Pietersen will have to lead from the front. Mohammad Shami has bowled wide and short which has caused team a lot. He needs guidance and the same could be said about others as well.

Kolkata Knight Riders
They should first axe Yusuf Pathan who has become a big time burden on his team. He is simply not clicking in the tournament and it's high time that he is shown the door. Apart from his, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Shakib-al-Hasan and Andre Russell will have to take their batting seriously. Sunil Narine is bowling well and so is Vinay Kumar. They should include Morne Morkel in the playing XI.

Verdict
I will go with KKR because of their talent in all the departments of the game.

Teams

KKR
G Gambhir*, MS BislaâEUR , PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV UthappaâEUR , R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav

DD
KP Pietersen*, MA Agarwal, Q de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, KM Jadhav, KD KarthikâEUR , S Kaul, Milind Kumar, Mohammed Shami, S Nadeem, JDS Neesham, WD Parnell, HS Sharath, R Sharma, LR Shukla, R Shukla, LRPL Taylor, MK Tiwary, SS Tiwary, JD Unadkat, M Vijay, J Yadav

These teams have struggled a lot in this year's IPL despite having exceptional talent in their ranks. Delhi Daredevils are unable to solve their ever rising problems while Knight Riders are losing matches from winning situations.

The problem with them is the lack of consistency from the whole team. If batsmen are scoring runs, then there is some problem with the bowlers and vice versa. They need collective effort in order to register regular victories. The batsmen played their part in the last match against Chennai Super Kings but bowlers will have to take today's match seriously.
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IPL 2014 Preview: Delhi Daredevils vs. Kolkata Knight Riders

These teams have struggled a lot in this year’s IPL despite having exceptional talent in their ranks. Delhi Daredevils are unable to solve their ever rising problems while Knight Riders are losing matches from winning situations.
Delhi Daredevils
The problem with them is the lack of consistency from the whole team. If batsmen are scoring runs, then there is some problem with the bowlers and vice versa. They need collective effort in order to register regular victories. The batsmen played their part in the last match against Chennai Super Kings but bowlers will have to take today’s match seriously. Skipper Kevin Pietersen will have to lead from the front. Mohammad Shami has bowled wide and short which has caused team a lot. He needs guidance and the same could be said about others as well
Kolkata Knight Riders
They should first axe Yusuf Pathan who has become a big time burden on his team. He is simply not clicking in the tournament and it’s high time that he is shown the door. Apart from his, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Shakib-al-Hasan and Andre Russell will have to take their batting seriously. Sunil Narine is bowling well and so is Vinay Kumar. They should include Morne Morkel in the playing XI.
Verdict
I will go with KKR because of their talent in all the departments of the game.
Teams KKR
G Gambhir*, MS Bisla†, PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV Uthappa†, R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav

DD
KP Pietersen*, MA Agarwal, Q de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, KM Jadhav, KD Karthik†, S Kaul, Milind Kumar, Mohammed Shami, S Nadeem, JDS Neesham, WD Parnell, HS Sharath, R Sharma, LR Shukla, R Shukla, LRPL Taylor, MK Tiwary, SS Tiwary, JD Unadkat, M Vijay, J Yadav

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IPL 2014 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore

India has always been happy hunting ground for the big teams in the Indian Premier League. Mumbai Indians couldn't win even a single game in UAE but registered a comfortable victory in their first match at Wankhede. The same could be said about Royal Challengers Bangalore, who ended their three-match losing streak recently that too at their home ground.  Both teams will play against each other in today's match. Is it going to be two in two for Mumbai at home or are we going to see RCB's dominance.

Mumbai Indians
Their batsmen finally came to the party in the last match against Kings XI Punjab. They had to chase a big score and lost some early wickets but this didn't hampered their confidence as they cruise to their first win of the season. C Gautam, Rohit Sharma, Corey Anderson, Kieron Pollard and Aditya Tare played their part with mere perfection. It was a brilliant effort from the Indians batters, who played quite a few good looking shots. From start to finish, they looked like the winning team. The latest result is enough to boost their confidence for the remaining matches, which could make things difficult for the rivals. Fast bowlers are bowling beautifully but Harbhajan Singh needs to pull up his socks in the spin department.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
AB de Villiers was the only reason behind their dramatic win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The team had almost lost before AB played one of the best innings in the history of the IPL. The problem for Challengers have been their poor display in the batting department. We haven't seen even a single batsman who has scored on a consistent basis. Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Chris Gayle and even AB de Villiers have failed to score runs in every game. I know AB was fabulous in the last game but his team need more runs from him rather one or two big effort. Bowling has been their strong point with some exceptional performances. Mitchell Starc has bowled well and spinning sensation Chahal has been a revelation for them so far.

Verdict
Its 50-50 for both teams as they are struggling to play consistent and smart cricket.

Teams

MI
RG Sharma*, CJ Anderson, JJ Bumrah, M de Lange, BR Dunk, CM Gautam†, S Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, JR Hazlewood, MEK Hussey, Z Khan, SL Malinga, SH Marathe, PP Ojha, KA Pollard, AT Rayudu†, K Santokie, LMP Simmons, P Suyal, AP Tare†, AV Wankhade

RCB
V Kohli*, VR Aaron, AN Ahmed, YS Chahal, AB de Villiers, AB Dinda, CH Gayle, SB Jakati, T Mishra, JA Morkel, M Muralitharan, HV Patel, PA Patel, R Rampaul, S Rana, RR Rossouw, S Sandeep Warrier, MA Starc, YV Takawale, Yuvraj Singh, VH Zol

Chennai Super Kings Juggernaut to Battle It Out With Delhi Daredevils

The yellow brigade has been the real flavor of the Indian Premier League because of their consistent performances over the years so how could it be different in 2014. This team is in superb form at the moment with great back to back results. The batsmen are scoring runs while the bowlers are making regular inroads. On the other side, it has been poor season for Delhi Daredevils so far. They were easily beaten in their last match that too on their home turf. Will we see another comfortable win for CSK or will Devils rise to the occasion.

Chennai Super Kings
Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith have played exceptionally well as openers. They are playing for the first time in CSK colors but this has not dented their individual heroics. Both of them have blasted bowlers to all corners of the stadiums. Apart from their big shots, they have run quite well between the wickets. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have also contributed. The biggest asset has been Ravindra Jadeja who has batted and bowled well till now. R Ashwin has done his job in the spin department while the pace trio have been amazing. Ben Hilfenhaus, Mohit Sharma and Ishwar Pandey have taken lot of wickets in the previous games.

Delhi Daredevils
They have struggled in all the departments of the game despite having some big players in their ranks. Their batting has not come through while bowlers have conceded too many runs. Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Kevin Pietersen are unable to score runs which have put their team under lot of pressure. Let's hope they get something out of this game which will be played on their home turf.

Teams

CSK
MS Dhoni*� , B Aparajith, R Ashwin, S Badree, DJ Bravo, F du Plessis, JW Hastings, MJ Henry, BW Hilfenhaus, RA Jadeja, BB McCullum, M Manhas, RG More, P Negi, A Nehra, IC Pandey, SK Raina, V Shankar, MM Sharma, DR Smith

DD
KP Pietersen*, MA Agarwal, NM Coulter-Nile, Q de Kock, JP Duminy, KM Jadhav, KD Karthik� , S Kaul, Milind Kumar, Mohammed Shami, S Nadeem, JDS Neesham, WD Parnell, HS Sharath, R Sharma, LR Shukla, R Shukla, LRPL Taylor, MK Tiwary, SS Tiwary, JD Unadkat, M Vijay, J Yadav
The yellow brigade has been the real flavor of the Indian Premier League because of their consistent performances over the years so how could it be different in 2014. This team is in superb form at the moment with great back to back results. The batsmen are scoring runs while the bowlers are making regular inroads. On the other side, it has been poor season for Delhi Daredevils so far.

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IPL 2014 Preview: Rajasthan Royals vs. Kolkata Knight Riders

The blue brigade of the Indian Premier League has played competitive cricket in the last few games. Their players are finally justifying their talent on the right stage. Batting and bowling has contributed while fielders have also chipped in with satisfying results. Their opponents are struggling for consistency and have lost quite a few games. Is this going to be another feast for Royals or will KKR be able to stamp their authority?

Rajasthan Royals
I have said many a times that this side is full of talented players. They are lucky to have players like Sanju Samson and Karun Nair in their side. The batsmen are in top form with Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Shane Watson and Steven Smith making useful contribution while the performance of Stuart Binny and Rajat Bhatia has been impressive. The bowling department has also fared well. James Faulkner, Kane Richardson and Pravin Tambe have taken regular wickets, which has held their bowling well.

Kolkata Knight Riders
Their biggest problem is their skipper Gautam Gambhir, who has forgotten how to lead a side. He is unable to control his emotions and is often seen scolding his players. He has been poor with the bat while the same could be said about other batters as well. Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan and Jacques Kallis have thrown their wickets while Shakib-al-Hasan needs consistency in his performance. Bowling has also looked ordinary with Sunil Narine, the only bright spot.

Verdict
This match is clearly heading Rajasthan way as they got amazing set of players.

Teams

RR
SR Watson*, Amit Mishra, Ankit Sharma, AK Bains, R Bhatia, STR Binny, UBT Chand, KK Cooper, BCJ Cutting, JP Faulkner, BJ Hodge, DJ Hooda, Iqbal Abdulla, DS Kulkarni, VS Malik, KK Nair, AM Nayar, AM Rahane, KW Richardson, SV Samson, SPD Smith, TG Southee, PV Tambe, R Tewatia, DH Yagnik

KKR
G Gambhir*, MS Bisla†, PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV Uthappa†, R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav

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IPL 2014 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs. Kings XI Punjab

Something has gone wrong with the defending champions as they have lost their five consecutive matches. The batting is not coming through while the bowlers are unable to contain rivals. The team is in total disarray at the moment. On the other hand Kings XI Punjab is enjoying superb run in this year’s Indian Premier League. They are undefeated in the tournament so far and will look to carry on with the winning momentum in India as well. Are we going to see yet another win for them or will it be Mumbai Indians day?

Kings XI Punjab
If their bowlers have leaked runs, their batsmen have done the recovery job while if their batting unit has flattered, the bowlers have come to the party. This has been their success mantra. Virender Sehwag is batting with responsibility while Cheteshwar Pujara has played his part with mere perfection. Glenn Maxwell has been their star batsman while David Miller has scored lot of runs in the crunch situations. Their captain George Bailey is tailor made for T20 and is due for a big score. Mitchell Johnson has led the bowling department pretty well with L Balaji, who has performed exceptionally well. The performance of Sandeep Sharma has surprised everyone as this guy has taken wickets in every match. Rishi Dhawan and Akshar Patel have bowled effectively.

Mumbai Indians
They need some miracle to turnaround their IPL season which has been pathetic. This team is playing some school level cricket with failures after failures. They don’t have even a single positive point in their batting department. Nobody has contributed on a consistent basis. Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard have played with the trust of their fans with regular below par scores. If we leave Malinga and Zaheer out, the rest of the bowling unit have leaked runs that too in every game. Harbhajan Singh has bowled economically but has taken just 2 wickets from 5 games, which is ordinary in every sense. The blue brigade will have to do something extraordinary in order to savage their pride. They are out of the top four race.

Verdict
It is the easiest thing to do when u got Mumbai Indians as one of the teams. The match will surely go Kings XI Punjab’s way as their players are in good form.

Teams
KXIP
GJ Bailey*, Anureet Singh, P Awana, L Balaji, R Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh, BE Hendricks, MG Johnson, Karanveer Singh, M Kartik, Mandeep Singh, SE Marsh, GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, AR Patel, NLTC Perera, CA Pujara, WP Saha, Sandeep Sharma, V Sehwag, Shivam Sharma, SN Thakur, M Vohra
MI
RG Sharma*, CJ Anderson, JJ Bumrah, M de Lange, BR Dunk, CM Gautam†, S Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, JR Hazlewood, MEK Hussey, Z Khan, SL Malinga, SH Marathe, PP Ojha, KA Pollard, AT Rayudu†, K Santokie, LMP Simmons, P Suyal, AP Tare†, AV Wankhade

IPL 2014 Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Chennai Super Kings

The yellow brigade is in top form with four consecutive wins under their belt. MS Dhoni has marshaled his troops well and the same is expected from him in today’s match. However, Kolkata Knight Riders are still looking for some momentum. Will it be CSK’s day or will KKR register much required win?
Chennai Super Kings
Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith have played brilliantly as openers. They have easily dismantle rival bowling by their attacking shots from the first ball. It is going to be very difficult to stop them. Apart from them, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni are capable of winning matches in a span of few overs and have displayed this quality in the previous games. R Ashwin is bowling superbly and is getting support from the end as well. Ishwar Pandey, Mohit Sharma and Ben Hilfenhaus have formed a deadly partnership in the pace department.

Kolkata Knight Riders
This team has failed because of their batsmen. If Gautam Gambhir is scoring than others tend to lose their grip and vice versa. Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey are other offenders from this team. Shakib-al-Hasan and Suryakumar Yadav have batted with responsibility but they need others to click as well. Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla has bowled smartly and intelligently in the tournament so far.

Verdict
I will go with CSK because they got a team, which can easily beat their rivals.
Teams CSK

MS Dhoni*âEUR, B Aparajith, R Ashwin, S Badree, DJ Bravo, F du Plessis, JW Hastings, MJ Henry, BW Hilfenhaus, RA Jadeja, BB McCullum, M Manhas, RG More, P Negi, A Nehra, IC Pandey, SK Raina, V Shankar, MM Sharma, DR Smith

KKR

G Gambhir*, MS BislaâEUR, PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV UthappaâEUR, R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav The yellow brigade is in top form with four consecutive wins under their belt. MS Dhoni has marshaled his troops well and the same is expected from him in today’s match. However, Kolkata Knight Riders are still looking for some momentum. Will it be CSK’s day or will KKR register much required win? Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith have played brilliantly as openers. They have easily dismantle rival bowling by their attacking shots from the first ball.

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Why Mumbai Indians are losing?

he defending champions have failed to perform in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League. They have lost five consecutive matches and are almost out of the top four finish. Mumbai Indians are playing with the same set of players, which played an important part in their success in 2013. However, things haven’t gone as per plans in 2014. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons behind their failures.

Poor form of players
Their batsmen have not played well in the first leg of the Indian Premier League. Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard have not scored runs on consistent basis. The real problem has been their habit of throwing away wickets that too cheaply. Rohit Sharma should have batted with more responsibility but so called talented batsman has disappointed once again. The same could be said about Pollard and Rayudu, who were at their best in 2013. In the bowling department, Harbhajan Singh has struggled to take wickets. Cricket is a team game where contribution should come from every individual.

Wrong retention and auction policy
Legends like Anil Kumble and John Wright has made blunders while assisting their team’s management in the retention and the auction process. They should have retained last year’s hero Dwayne Smith and Mitchell Johnson but chose to let them go. The duo has performed superbly so far for their respective teams. Maxwell was with them in the last edition and they had the option of landing him once again but was not considered important. He is the leading run scorer in their year’s event. Instead they choose, Mike Hussey and Corey Anderson, who have proved big time failures. Mike Hussey is getting worse day by day and Corey Anderson has not done anything big after scoring fastest ODI century. I am particularly baffled by their choice of buying Anderson. A batsman needs few good knocks under his belt to be called good and Anderson has not set the international arena on fire after scoring fastest ton in the ODIs.

Big Staff
Anil Kumble, John Wright, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Robin Singh are with Mumbai Indians in some roles which is another problematic area. Players get confuse if they are offered advices from everywhere. It is good to guide players but the advice should come from one or two sources. I know Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting are the two legends of the game but these two have proved burden so far. We haven’t seen any improvement in the performance of the players which is enough to suggest that the above mentioned duo has been ineffective. cricket today magazine is a Expert Writer Of Cricket Match, crictoday india and also write Present Running series india versus new zealand series future match in t20 Wc banladesh and more about cricket new,update,records etc. Follow me On Social Plugging- Google Plus, IPl Live score t20

IPL 2014 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad

This match will see two struggling outfits against each other. Mumbai Indians are desperate for their maiden win in the competition while Sunrisers are looking for more points. Can Mumbai bounce back or will it be Sunrisers day?
Mumbai Indians
Sitting at the bottom of the table, the defending champions must win this one in order to stay in the competition. Their batting has failed with big names managing just few runs in the tournament. Mike Hussey should be kept out from the rest of the matches while the likes of Rohit Sharma, Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard need runs. Ambati Rayadu has accumulated runs but he has not got support from the other end. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh will have to bowl with responsibility in order to turn this match in their favor. Malinga has been superb but he needs others to fire as well.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Aaron Finch and David Warner have scored runs for the team but the same can't be said about their skipper Shikhar Dhawan. The likes of Rahul, Y Venugopal Rao and Darren Sammy are their key batsmen in the middle order, who will have to put runs on the board. The bowlers have bowled well with Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being consistent while leg-spinners Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma have restricted their rivals. They need their batsmen to put runs on the board so that they can win matches.
Verdict
Hyderabad based franchise has a better chance because of their strong batting and bowling unit.
Teams
MI
Rohit Sharma (c), Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Michael Hussey, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazlewood, CM Gautam, Aditya Tare, Apoorv Wankhade, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie, Ben Dunk, Pawan Suyal, Sushant Marathe, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Jalaj Saxena.
SRH
Shikhar Dhawan (c), Dale Steyn, David Warner, Darren Sammy, Amit Mishra, Aaron Finch, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Brendan Taylor, Moises Henriques, Venugopala Rao, Jason Holder, S Aniruddha, Manprit Juneja, KL Rahul, Amit Paunikar, Naman Ojha, Ricky Bhui, Ashish Reddy, Chama Milind, Parveez Rasool, Prashanth Parameshwaran, Karn Sharma.

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Indian Premier League Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals are in a confident mood after thrashing RCB in their last match while Kolkata Knight Riders are unable to solve their problems. Will it be another win for Royals or will KKR register much needed win?
Rajasthan Royals
They got everything to deliver consecutive wins but have not gelled as a unit. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson are quality batsmen while Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Steven Smith and Kane Richardson are genuine match winners.  Their skipper Watson will have to make sure that his troops starts contributing as another loss could dent their title hopes. Rajat Bhatia has played well and the same could be said about Pravin Tambe, who is bowling superbly at the moment. Stuart Binny is another player who can win matches single handedly but he has failed to deliver this time.
Kolkata Knight Riders
They are in a mess because their leader has gone in a sleeping mode. After registering three consecutive ducks, he scored just 1 run in the last match. Isn’t pathetic?  Gautam Gambhir has failed miserably in the ongoing edition of the IPLT20 7TH. Other important players have not performed on the expected lines. The most disappointing has been Yusuf Pathan, who is unable to score runs season after season but still retains his place in the playing eleven. Sunil Narine has been their star performer so far but he needs support from his batsmen.
Verdict
Rajasthan Royals have a better chance because of their team formation.
Teams
KKR G Gambhir*, MS Bisla†, PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV Uthappa†, R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav
RCB
SR Watson*, Amit Mishra, Ankit Sharma, AK Bains, R Bhatia, STR Binny, UBT Chand, KK Cooper, BCJ Cutting, JP Faulkner, BJ Hodge, DJ Hooda, Iqbal Abdulla, DS Kulkarni, VS Malik, KK Nair, AM Nayar, AM Rahane, KW Richardson, SV Samson, SPD Smith, TG Southee, PV Tambe, R Tewatia, DH Yagnik cricket today magazine is a Expert Writer Of Cricket Match, crictoday india and also write Present Running series india versus new zealand series future match in t20 Wc banladesh and more about cricket new,update,records etc. Follow me On Social Plugging- Google Plus , IPl Live score t20

IPL 2014 Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils
After losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Devils have a tough task against inform Kolkata Knight Riders. All eyes will be on Kevin Pietersen's availability and if he is able to play in this match, it will be a big boost for Delhi Daredevils. Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Manoj Tiwary has performed exceptionally well in the past seasons of the Indian Premier League but their performance in the first match was disappointing. The team management should promote JP Duminy and Ross Taylor up the order as these played well and took their team to a respectable total. The Delhi based franchise had problems in the bowling department as well. Mohammad Shami was the sole performer from the side while rest of the lot just filled numbers. They need massive turn around in today's match.
Kolkata Knight Riders

1. The Knight Riders batted with a plan. After losing Gautam Gambhir early, the veteran Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey played smartly. They built their innings and then went on rampage, which took Mumbai Indians bowlers by a surprise. Robin Uthappa and Shakib-al-Hasan couldn't score but it was due to the less availability of balls. Yusuf Pathan is not in the team for this match as he has gone to be with his wife, who has given birth to their baby boy. However, there are enough players in the team who can fill in his position. The Gambhir led team was clinical in the bowling department, restricting Mumbai batters easily. Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla are the bowlers who could cause problems for the Devils batsmen.

Verdict
The match is looking in favor of the Knight Riders because of better resources and an experience captain.

Teams
Delhi Daredevils: Kevin Pietersen (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), JP Duminy, Ross Taylor, Mayank Agarwal, Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary, Milind Kumar, Jimmy Neesham, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Shukla, Wayne Parnell, HS Sharath, Laxi Ratan Shukla, Kedar Jadhav, Siddharth Kaul, Rahul Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Pragyan Ojha, Aditya Tare, Jasprit Bumrah, Jalaj Saxena, Pawan Suyal, Sushant Marathe, C.M. Gautam, Apoorv Wankhade, Shreyas Gopal, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Michael Hussey, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazelwood, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie, Ben Dunk.
After losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Devils have a tough task against inform Kolkata Knight Riders. All eyes will be on Kevin Pietersen's availability and if he is able to play in this match, it will be a big boost for Delhi Daredevils.
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