Summary of the Caribbean Premier League 2019
The 7th season of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) ended on a high note, which saw Barbados Tridents outplaying undefeated Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Final on October 12, 2019.
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| #CPL19: As it happened |
Showing posts with label Analysis. Show all posts
The 7th season of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) ended on a high note, which saw Barbados Tridents outplaying undefeated Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Final on October 12, 2019.
Statistical analysis of Virat Kohli's 20,000-plus runs in a decade
In the ongoing series between West Indies and India, #TeamIndia's captain Virat Kohli achieved a rare feat - became the first player to score 20,000-plus runs in a decade.
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| Virat Kohli's 20k-plus runs in a decade, decoded! |
Summary of the Cricket World Cup 2019
The 12th edition of Men's ODI World Cup has come to an end. 45 days of top quality cricket contest kept everyone interested, and ended with an epic final.
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| #CWC19: As it happened |
#CWC19: India-Pakistan rivalry in the World Cups
The arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in a mega Sunday cricket World Cup match at the Old Trafford, Manchester.
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| ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Indo-Pak rivalry, decoded! |
#CWC19: Meet the Captains
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the international championship of ODI cricket. It is organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council, every four years.
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| ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Meet the Captains of the participating teams |
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Team Introductions
The 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales Cricket Board. The marquee tournament is set to kick off on May 30 onwards.
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| #CWC19: An introduction to participating teams |
Summary of the Indian Premier League 2019
Another season of IPL concluded on a high note. 45 days of non-stop Cricket action kept everyone glued to their TV sets.
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| #IPL2019: As it happened |
Review: My 5 memorable moments of the 2014 ICC World T20
Like the format of the game, T20 World Cup – in its 7 year history – has witnessed five different nations emerged as the champion with only five teams managed to get into the final showdown; out of which three belongs to sub-continent.
In the meantime, not only the T20 format is widely acknowledged by the masses, but also the induction of innovative technology garnered pretty eyeballs. Those LED stumps, Spider Cams, Cheerleaders, etc. have ensured wide possibilities in the future of T20 cricket itself! Leave alone its collective impact on Tests and One-dayers for a while.
Right from the start – back in the year 2007 – in South Africa to the Bangladesh in 2014, there have been a lot of moments for cricketing minds to cherish for long. Be it Yuvraj Singh’s 6-sixes in an over or that final over by Joginder Sharma in the 2007 T20 WC, Pakistan’s characteristic victory against Sri Lanka in the 2009 Finals, England’s historic trophy celebrations in the following year v Australia, or the West Indies’ calypso rhyme in the year 2012: one can find his/her own favorite to relate with.
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| Review: Five best moments of the ICC World T20 Bangladesh 2014 |
5. England v New Zealand, Chittagong: NZ started their campaign in a style.
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| Stuart Broad was unhappy with the umpires with lightning in the area |
Ask Stuart Broad and he would describe as being deceived, but to no extent. On the other hand, Kiwis were seen as happy as they have been from a while now.
After sensing the possibility of rain due to huge crack of lightening, Brendon McCullum hit those important but unfair sixes which obviously gave them a go-ahead in a fairly poised match. In some way, the match set the tone for both sides with New Zealand as a more competent side to watch out for compared to the less-confident English side.
4. New Zealand v South Africa, Chittagong: Kiwis nailed by Steyn in the final over.
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| Dale Steyn effects the winning run-out |
The same happened during a group match in Chittagong where South Africa not only managed to win the match by just 2 runs, but also kept their chances to remain alive in the tournament.
Chasing a modest total of 171, the way New Zealand lost the match is rather more disheartening. Their in-form batsman Ross Taylor was on-strike till the last ball, yet Steyn made sure “it will not be a cakewalk either”!
And rest one could assume the consequences followed. Ross Taylor was made run-out by the bowler himself and oh! How pretty that celebration was to watch for. Steyn’s no-one-is-allowed-to-score approach in the final overs executed well, once again. Thus, complemented the quality of bowling he possesses.
And rest one could assume the consequences followed. Ross Taylor was made run-out by the bowler himself and oh! How pretty that celebration was to watch for. Steyn’s no-one-is-allowed-to-score approach in the final overs executed well, once again. Thus, complemented the quality of bowling he possesses.
3. West Indies v Australia, Dhaka: Sammy humbled Faulkner off two sixes in an over.
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| James Faulkner reacts after Darren Sammy finishes the match with a six |
Darren Sammy’ heroics off James Faulkner probably muttered the same. The two back-to-back sixes certainly echoed much of the ‘talk’ back right into the face of babbling Australian all-rounder.
Later, pictures confirmed the intensity of the match with the way Chris Gayle danced; Sammy rejoiced the Windies win followed by Dwayne Bravo’ presser, said: “Respect game and fellow cricketers”.
Just like putting mirrors in front of an ugly face won’t change its fate anyway. Apparently, the boomerang returned with severe injuries; resulted in opening the send-off doors for the Australians. Lost an almost in-controlled match due to poor bowling, Australian team was left bamboozled the way opposition finished it.
2. Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Chittagong: Herath produced spell of the tournament.
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| Rangana Herath had figures of 5 for 3 |
Before the match, both Sri Lanka and New Zealand had the equal opportunity to make the cut for SFs. While at the end, Sri Lanka stepped up confidently in a one-sided match: thanks to the phenomenal bowling by Rangana Herath, who took 5 wickets in 3.3 overs with two-maidens and conceded just three-runs.
New Zealand, earlier, did bowl neatly and set the target to 120 on board for themselves. For which only Kane Williamson stood strong as a lone fighter among all his teammates. He was not supported well and left alone in the middle to watch the other end fails as wickets fell continuously at regular intervals.
1. India v Sri Lanka, Dhaka: Sangakkara takes SL home in the final.
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| Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka hits the ball past MS Dhoni of India |
Restricted India to 130/4 after winning the toss – the final over by the Lankan captain redefined the definition of slog-overs in a big match like this.
In reply, India did manage to get an early breakthrough but it was probably not their day.
Kumar Sangakkara, who remained off-colour for most of the tournament, then, found it the best opportunity to get some runs underneath him. And in such a way he scored a flashy half-century that comfortably drove Sri Lanka for a much awaited luxurious victory!
Kumar Sangakkara, who remained off-colour for most of the tournament, then, found it the best opportunity to get some runs underneath him. And in such a way he scored a flashy half-century that comfortably drove Sri Lanka for a much awaited luxurious victory!
Infographic: ICC World T20 2014 - An analysis of spin vs pace bowling
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| Rangana Herath bowled the spell of the tournament against New Zealand |
Though the pitch of Dhaka suited spinners as compared to the one at Chittagong, seamers managed to scalp 67 batsmen there against the 73 wickets taken by spin bowling.
Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka bowled the tournament’s best spell in an innings: his 5 for 3 in 3.3 overs against New Zealand opened the semi-final doors for the Lankan team. Whereas Mashrafe Mortaza of Bangladesh conceded 63 runs against Pakistan in a group match – most by any bowler in an innings.
In hindsight, although spinners affected a major part of the tournament, seamers dominated equally well. Not only did they manage to grab more wickets (153 overall) but were also more efficient in the 1st innings (82 wickets).
For more detailed analysis on spin vs pace bowling at the World T20, look into the infographic below:
ICC World T20: Good days are coming back for Team India
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| Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli celebrate India’s win against Pakistan at Mirpur |
Talk about the problems India have had during those dubious results: resilience of batting harmed more rather than our ‘famous’ bowling. On the contrary, almost on all those occasions – including the away series in England and Australia – it was more of an individual opponent who paved the way for the respective team performances that ensued. Rewind back and ponder thoughts over Ian Bell, Michael Clarke, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum.
On the other hand, the ones who gritted for India amidst those not-so-familiar circumstances were not supported by any of the other team members. Remember the heroics of Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. Apparently, all those four away tours reflect the same verdict, but when you have a closer look, slight improvements can be observed.
And it was not just the case of Test matches alone. Be it T20s or the One-dayers, India found it hard to settle the dirt on most away tours. Though, amidst all these, came the Champions Trophy moments, much to the relief of desolated Indian fans. Of course, the conditions weren’t typical English conditions, yet it was a complete performance where every department complemented each other to perfection. That’s how we fans tasted the luxury of an away-made pie, true delicacy to a sour mouth!
It seems that the Indian team, through to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, is all set to do an encore of the Champions Trophy triumph last year in England. There have been lots of similarities to consider between these tour tournaments: while Ravindra Jadeja was instrumental in England, here, at Bangladesh, Amit Mishra has been producing the same magic.
At times, nowhere-to-be-seen, Mishra set the tone during the Zimbabwe tour last year. Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, he made history by picking up 18 wickets: equaling the world record for most wickets in a bilateral ODI series, previously made by Javagal Srinath in 2002-03 vs. New Zealand.
More than the quality that Mishra brings to the table, it has been his selection that has kept him in the headlines. Though it’s evident that he has delivered whenever he has been given the opportunity.
Suresh Raina’s second coming has added to the team’s strength, as well. Adding to that the strike-bowling pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami have not let the team down, too. Bhuvneshwar has rediscovered his ability to swing the new ball, which was feared to be long gone after an extended stretch of poor results following his sensational first few months. It has made it even more easy for the spinners to keep the run-rate under check and stifle the opposition, restricting oppositions to scores of under 140 in all their four matches, so far.
Regardless of three successful run-chases, Shikhar Dhawan’s form continues to remain an area of concern. With respect to death bowling, Dhoni’s experiments with Jadeja turned out to be a disaster against the West Indies, where Lendl Simmons carted him all around the park. So the Indian captain might go according to the demands of the situation and form of the bowlers on that particular day.
With Yuvraj coming good against Australia, it will ease the pressure on Kohli. So, all and all, India, with their mind-blowing performances, have made sure fans remain unfazed; specifically when a lot has been happening around the BCCI in relation to IPL spot-fixing allegations.
Hopefully, Indian team would be able to keep the good run intact, and fans will once again be on roads to celebrate like we did on April 2, 2011.
ICC World T20: India v Pakistan – 5 lessons to learn from Pakistan’s defeat
Like it’s a tradition since the inception of ICC World Cups – be it the 50-over format or the Twenty20 – India tend to clinch the competition against Pakistan. And it doesn’t really matter how differently they do it as long as it’s comes the same way around: in form of a victory!
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| India’s Amit Mishra celebrating wicket of Ahmed Shehzad as Pakistan lost the match by 7 wickets |
How would this defeat hamper Pakistan’s chances only time will tell. Before that, let’s look at the mistakes that may save former champions’ campaign in the remaining Group matches:
1. Work on your weaknesses. Consistently.
Pakistan is famous for their unpredictability. They can win you matches from nowhere and are equally capable of losing a match after some dominant performances. No matter what, batting has never been Pakistan’ forte as a unit. Except the fact that their bowlers have the ability to hit lofty strokes at-par or above boundary line. Though, that is not the case either.
What happened yesterday was, though, another easy batting collapse. Pakistan was never in the game right after the Kamran Akmal’s unnecessary run-out in the 2nd over. Whilst Ahmed Shehzad’ classic leg-spin dismissal off Amit Mishra did the remaining harm; leaving Pakistan 50/3 after 10 overs that extended to 130 from 20-legitimate overs.
Wasim Akram had made a point in saying: “Even a club cricketer knows how to make calls (for singles) between wickets.” Clearly, there were basic mistakes made during batting. And, further, practice sessions have a way-to-go for!
2. Don’t always rely on your strength.
Pakistan has world-class bowling attack features Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul as main weapons in the bowling department. And saying so, it, automatically, demands a decent score to defend on when you are bowling second. Moreover, situation becomes tragic when it comes to T20s since each bowler holds a quota of 4-overs.
Therefore, opposition batsman has more choices to target upon like Suresh Raina mentioned after the match: “Kohli and I discussed to target seamers as ball was coming nicely on bat. We decided to rotate strikes for Ajmal and not even to target Hafeez as he was getting good turn from the wicket.”
Enough said. Your key players will not win matches for you every now and then. There must be contributions from other departments as well. In order to fetch opposition' wickets early on, there must have been competitive-total to target for.
3. There is nothing like ‘being involved’ in the game.
Anticipation is important in team games. And even more in T20s given the nature of the game where every ball, every run counts to a great extent.
Look at these examples to prove it better:
In first scene, Mohd Hafeez (33) was dropped by Yuvraj Singh on the first ball of 6th over which later cost Shami with 2-fours off Hafeez – producing 12 runs in the over – boasting the RR to 5.66 RPO: their most conceding Powerplay over of the match. Had this been a wicket Pakistan would be in massive trouble since Hafeez was then playing on the score of 5. One can assume the tainted Pak scoreboard after deducting his further contribution from team total.
On contrary, as it happened in the 2nd inning, Suresh Raina (35*) survived from his then individual score of 7 when Afridi dropped him in the first slip off Hafeez. Pakistan would have added some pressure there had that catch been taken as India was, then, playing on 80/3. Although, Dhoni and Jadeja were left to bat and chances were meagre. Still a chance is a chance worth having! Period!
4. Keeping ‘Plan B’ can fancy your chances.
Cricket is a funny game. More than playing conditions and the format, toss, at times, adjudges match result precisely! Keeping in mind, a team has to have backup plan or alternative strategies if they were to face the flip side.
And guess what, same was the case with Pakistan in the yesterday’ match.
After losing the toss, they were invited to bat first. Further, facing the early setback in name of Kamran Akmal there seemed no strategy as to who will keep the one-end tight to anchor the inning.
In turn, Pakistani players kept marching towards pavilion on regular intervals, missed to capitalize some gifted fielding mistakes of Indian players and completely gave-up to stand a bit long. Be it a hole in team strategy or the mounting pressure to keep the scoreboard going: either ways Pakistan lost the match with both hands.
5. Let it ‘Cricket’s Enthusiasm’ and not the ‘Indo-Pak match pressure’ to play with.
Traditional rivalry – either it is of historic or dominating reasons – has its own share even in sports. Players have to deal with it. Somehow, anyhow. In these circumstances, captain and coach play an important role. Nevertheless, an individual’s own ability sums it better at last.
Both India and Pakistan are quite matured teams and thus, understand ‘the term’ equally. And often it is said “the one who hold the nerves better, would win this contest” about Indo-Pak matches. But Wasim Akram concluded this defeat with Pak’ inability to cope with match-pressure. Though, I believe ‘Under-pressure’ would be an understatement here. Simply because it clicked for one and a better team won on a match-day.
Infographic: Statistical analysis of ICC U19 World Cup 2014
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| South Africa U19s team poses for a group photo after winning the final v Pakistan in Dubai |
South Africa U19s dominated the tournament in every department of the game.
Clyde Fortuin, the wicket-keeper, made 20 dismissals with the gloves: an absolute impossible figure to match for his counterparts in this edition.
On the other hand, pacer Kagiso Rabada's 6-wicket haul vs. Australia in the semis brought up tournament's best bowling figure in an innings. He remained the second highest wicket-taker this year, whilst captain Aiden Markram was adjudged as the player of the tournament.
For more stats and analysis, look out the infographic below:
Review: Top 5 moments of the 2014 U19 World Cup
The 10th edition of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup yesterday concluded with a new champion – South Africa. The 48 match long tournament where 240 players from 16 different teams participated, UAE gave us the opportunity to watch cricket’s future stars.
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| The South Africa players celebrate after winning the Under-19 World Cup in Dubai |
From title triumphs to big upsets and close finish to that hat-trick – let’s check out this season’s top five moments:
#1 South Africa – the final frontier
Often remarked as the ‘chokers’, South African U19s Captain Aiden Markram would always be remembered for his team’s heroics in the finals yesterday.
South Africa managed an easy victory to lift its first ever ICC Trophy by defeating Pakistan by 6 wickets in a low scoring match. It was the youngest side of this tournament that haven’t had any player with previous World Cup experience.
#2 The gusty Afghanistan U19s
Since the 2010 ICC Twenty20 World Cup, Afghanistan has been a familiar name in international cricket circuit.
Their constant improvement and ability to excel has become a norm by now. Afghanistan’s league match against Australia where they registered a 36-run victory – by wrapping up the Australian innings in 48 overs – speaks the volume of talent this team possess. They became the second only non-Test playing nation after Nepal to make it to the QFs.
#3 Kuldeep Yadav – India’s hat-trick boy
It just takes an over to become Yuvraj Singh – the big hitter. And a complete opposite playing-role to become Kuldeep Yadav – the hat-trick boy!
Hailing from UP and an admirer of Shane Warne, the 19-year-old became an overnight hero after his three wickets from three-successive deliveries against Scotland in a group match. Although, he was consistent with the ball even in the warm-up matches and has been in the headlines courtesy his left arm spin action aka the rare Chinaman breed of bowlers.
He scalped 14 wickets in the tournament and remained joint-second with South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada.
#4 Pakistan – the same ‘unpredictable side’
And why is it so, proved yet again.
Pakistan’s batting has been their major problem, just like it’s a tradition with them. Apart from their first league match against India, they did win all the matches, including the warm-ups. Still, the runners-up of 2014. How intriguing, isn’t it?!
Their shaky character in big matches often produces close results. Like what happened in the semi-final where they defeated England in the last over but lost the finals to South Africa after four days!
#5 The Showstoppers – the hosts UAE
What it meant to host a mega event like World Cup, especially when you are not among the top-teams, ask to the UAE cricket administration. Being the newest host of an ICC event, UAE is better known as a second home to Pakistan and Afghanistan national cricket teams.
Although, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has its own reputation including Sachin’s ‘Desert Storm’ against Australia in 1997-98; it has staged 215 ODIs – the most by any ground till date.
It took South Africa to a prominent stage for hosting mega sports event after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And, who knows, maybe the UAE is the next-in-line for the IPL.
Infographic: Brendon McCullum and the tale of the 300
In the 84-year-old Test cricketing history, this was the defining moment for New Zealand cricket as the whole nation witnessed its first triple-century from skipper Brendon McCullum. Martin Crowe had to wait 23 years for someone to break his record of 299 runs; scored against Sri Lanka in February 1991. And such is the coincidence it happened on the same ground - Basin Reserve of Wellington.
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| Total 24 players have scored a triple-century in Tests |
McCullum, on his account, felt a little bit embarrassed to go past Crowe, saying: "I will remember this triple ton for the rest of my life. I feel a little bit embarrassed because I'm not anywhere near the calibre of players like him in particular."
Check a detailed analysis of Brendon McCullum's (and New Zealand's) first triple hundred in Tests from the infographic below:
ICC U19 World Cup: A list of hat-tricks
The 10th edition of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which is under way in the UAE, has entered in its second-half stage; where England, Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand have already qualified for Super League QFs from Group C and Group D.
The other two Quarter-finalists would be decided by today’s Group League matches from Group A and Group B.
As the tournament is ideally famous for pioneering young cricketers, and history books have recorded many examples of it, let’s dig out the hat-tricks of the U19 World Cup so far.
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| Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian to take a hat-trick in the history of the Under-19 World Cup. |
1. Kuldeep Yadav (India):
Belongs to a rare breed of cricketers – Left arm spin or Chinaman, this 19-year-old has been a hot topic of discussion everywhere for a while. In a group match against Scotland U19, he grabbed three wickets from three consecutive deliveries; thus, acclaimed the title of first indian to have a hat-trick in Under-19 WC history.
The UP born dismissed Nick Farrar, Kyle Stirling and Alex Baum to achieve this feat; his bowling card reads: 4/28 with an economy of 2.80.
2. Harry Conway (Australia):
Coming from the Brett Lee’ hometown – Sydney, Australia – Harry Conway did an absolute blunder for Nepal U19 in the 2012 World Cup. The 6.5 feet tall was well supported by fellow-bowlers to ensure a commendable win of Australia by 212 runs - restricting Nepal below 25 overs.
The then 19-year-old bagged wickets of Pradeep Airee, Naresh Budayair and Prithu Baskota by shattering their off-stump in quick successions. He finished with 3/15 from six overs.
3. Kamran Islam Rabbi (Bangladesh):
An admirer of Dale Steyn and Wasim Akram, Kamran Islam Rabbi of Bangladesh played a pivotal role, alongside his team-mate Alauddin Babu, in the Plate final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2010 against Ireland. Defending a marginal total of 307 runs, Tigers wrapped Irish innings in the 39th over, won by 195 runs.
A frontline pacer of his side, Kamran took only 4.5 overs to complete his hat-trick – wrapping the tail of Irish-innings, dismissing Shane Getkate, Eddie Richardson and Craig Young. Kamran wishes to become a forest officer, if he can’t excel as a professional cricketer.
Note: List compelled from the match data available on the net.
ICC U19 Cricket World Cup UAE 2014: 5 things you need to know
The 10th edition of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which begins on February 14, 2014, at the United Arab Emirates, is all set to stage the future stars of world cricket, just like all its previous versions did, starting from 1988. The 48-match long tournament features 16 teams in four groups.
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1. Qualification criteria:
The qualifications for the Affiliates and Associates countries took place through regional tournaments. Unlike the previous editions, the champion teams from the regional tournaments got direct entries to qualify for the World Cup. By the rule, Namibia, Scotland, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Canada secured their place from Africa, Europe, Asia, East-Asia Pacific and Americas region respectively.
2. Players of unique numbers:
UAE’s Mohammad Hamid, aged 20.307 years, becomes the senior-most player of this tournament, whereas Afghanistan’s Shahidullah becomes this edition’s youngest player at an age of 15.6 years.
3. Captain of caliber:
Among the 8 of the 16 captains playing in the tournament who have prior world cup experience, Canada’s Nitish Kumar stands ahead of all with the status of an ODI cricketer. Apart from him, Sami Aslam (Pakistan), Vijay Zol (India), Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka), Will Rhodes (England) and Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia) have all made waves. Bangladesh’ Mehedy Hasan (16.110 years) and UAE’ Rohit Singh (20.113 years) are the youngest and oldest captains in the tournament respectively.
4. Team that matters:
Australia and India are the most successful teams in the history of the U-19 world cup with 3-titles each. The team with the lowest average age is Bangladesh (17.411 years). Playing their ninth World cup this year, the Tigers holds the repute of being the quarter-finalists in 2012. Canada, making its fourth world cup appearance, sits at the other end of the equation, with an average age of 19.237 to be the oldest team of this edition.
5. The debutant:
UAE got a direct entry in the 2014 U19 World Cup to complete the Group D which previously had NewZealand, England and Sri Lanka. It’s the first major ICC event for the United Arab Emirates as host. UAE happens to be the 7th different venue for an Under-19 world cup.
Saying that, it would be interesting to see how the debutant UAE would utilize this one-of-a-kind opportunity both at the administrative and grass-root level.
IPL and the young Indian sensation
Ever since the start of the IPL, there have been numerous youngsters who hit headlines through it. From International stars to the Indian domestic cricketers, the lucrative T20 leagues still might be a topic of long debate; yet the exposure to unknown cricketers has been a boon!
Here are the find-of-the-season amid domestic stars who shined in an IPL season:
1. Ravindra Jadeja (Rajasthan Royals), IPL 2008 :
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| Ravindra Jadeja |
Before the debutant IPL season, he acknowledged self as a part of victorious Indian U-19 cricket team - led by Virat Kohli in Malaysia, 2008 - followed by a dominated domestic season with 739 runs and 42 wickets in 2008-09.
He might be regarded as a lucky prone who has given weight-age ahead of another deservedly candidates, but the three triple centuries with his name in the domestic circuit surely does make him talent of a kind.
2. Manish Pandey (Royal Challengers Bangalore), IPL 2009 :
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| Manish Pandey |
Coming from the Under-19 world cup winning squad - Manish is an unknown entity to limelights until he bagged 'First Indian Centurion of the IPL' in Johannesburg, SA where he amassed brave 144 against the then champion Deccan Chargers.
A consistent top-order performer for the Karnataka Cricket team, he has been a reckoned name amid Ranji scorers. Nevertheless, vividly enchanted (yet) for his IPL heroics.
3. Saurabh Tiwary (Mumbai Indians), IPL 2010 :
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| Saurabh Tiwary |
Another addition from the U-19 WC team, Saurabh put his power packed hitting on front whilst playing for Mumbai Indians in IPL season 3. Top scorer after Sachin, he has 419 runs off 16 games with 18 sixes alongside his name speaks the volume of his talent.
A southpaw version of Dhoni, Saurabh has got natural ability to hit runs. Though, he is yet to make a mark beside his 2010 find-of-season.
4. Rahul Sharma (Pune Warriors India), IPL 2011 :
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| Rahul Sharma |
Back then in IPL 2011, he not only finished as the joint 7th highest wicket-taker but also stand ahead of the likes of Malinga, Vettori and Warne in terms of economy rate.
Soon after, his IPL stat brought national call for the limited overs; where he debuted 3/43 against the West Indies at Indore in December 2011: the same match when Sehwag hit 219.
5. Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals), IPL 2012 :
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| Ajinkya Rahane |
A composed and determined lad from the cricket producing land - Mumbai, he has emerged as a potent batsman who scores beautifully. In IPL 2012, while playing for Rajasthan Royals, he remained leading run-getter for the side with 560 runs with an average of 40.
A regular feature in Mumbai domestic cricket team, Rahane has got sound temperament and good technique, which, in turn, has brought him to the international circuit lately.
6. Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), IPL 2013 :
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| Sanju Samson |
Being the youngest cricketer to have secured an IPL contract, Sanju is basically from the state of Kerala.
A promising striker of the ball, who has played instrumental role for Royals this season - Samson' shot selection highly lauded by cricket pundits and cricketers around the corner of IPL. Thus far, he has accumulated 206 runs off 10 matches; where his 41-ball-63 vs RCB made everyone a fan of this teen sensation.
Centuries in IPL 6
Here are the cricketers who amassed century in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League:
1. Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
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| Shane Watson |
2. Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
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| Chris Gayle |
3. Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings)
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| Suresh Raina |
4. David Miller (Kings XI Punjab)
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| David Miller |
IPL 6: Most impressive 'uncapped' cricketers
Here are some of the 'uncapped' cricketers who have impressed everyone with their performances so far in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League.
1. Mandeep Singh (Kings XI Punjab)
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| Mandeep Singh |
2. Manprit Juneja (Delhi Daredevils)
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| Manprit Juneja |
3. Kevon Cooper (Rajasthan Royals)
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| Kevon Cooper |
4. Mohit Sharma (Chennai Super Kings)
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| Mohit Sharma |
5. Ashish Reddy (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
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| Ashish Reddy |
IPL 6: An analysis of opening combinations of teams
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| Mumbai Indians' practice session |
1. Mumbai Indians :
Even as they have journeyed from the famous Ponting vs. Tendulkar debates during India-Australia clashes to 'Pondulkar', the two batting maestros of cricket failed to create a similar magic for the Mumbai Indians. With only 109-runs between them, Ricky Ponting must either promote Rohit Sharma or Ambati Rayudu ahead of him.
2. Delhi Daredevils :
If the backbone fractured Delhi Daredevils were underwhelming with David Warner-Unmukt Chand as the openers, the the arrival of Virender Sehwag hasn't assuaged their concern. Though, skipper Mahela Jayawardene has been among runs, Delhi yet to find the perfect combination.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore :
With Chris Gayle being their key player, RCB has tried Tilakaratne Dilshan, Mayank Agarwal and Lokesh Rahul in the opening slot and yet to figure out the best. An all-guns-blazing Bangalore have competitive players in them, but none to partner Gayle at top.
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad :
The newbie in the house, SunRisers comprises T20 specialist batsmen but lacks local talents. With four-overseas players rule, they need local talent to post a bug score on the board.
5. Kolkata Knight Riders :
The defending champions, KKR, could open with either Jacques Kallis or Eoin Morgan as opener since Bisla is consistently falling short with runs. With Gautam Gambhir doing well at top, Manoj Tiwary should be promoted to the No.3 slot. Nevertheless, they have been one of the most balanced sides of IPL.
6. Pune Warriors India :
Pune Warriors is one side which is replete with all-rounders. They should persist with Robin Uthappa-Aaron Finch as an opening pair. Middle-order batting is a cause to worry though as the too fragile to convert starts though problem lies in the shaky middle-order which is leaking wickets rather scoring runs.
7. Rajasthan Royals :
The Rahul Dravid-led Royals where the batting revolves around Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Dravid at no. 3 has been delivering consistently. Rahane has continued from where he left last year, amassing runs. Brad Hodge has been a reliable finisher for them.
8. Kings XI Punjab :
Kings XI has not been given good starts by Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh. The middle order has been quite consistent but need the openers to fire to exert dominance on the opposition.
9. Chennai Super Kings :
They have always been slow-starters but have also been the most consistent side. With Vijay showing some form, Michael Hussey would be the best man to join him at the top. The middle-order’s over dependence on Dhoni is a worry though.
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