Centurion, May 1 (IANS) A cracking 98 from Suresh Raina paved the way for Chennai Super Kings' 38-run victory over defending champions Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Centurion Park here Thursday.
The breezy 55-ball knock from Man of the Match Raina guided Super Kings to a challenging 164 for five in 20 overs in what appeared to be the repeat of 2008 IPL final. But this time, Super Kings avenged their loss as they restricted Rajasthan Royals to 126 runs in 19.3 overs with some good performances from bowlers Lakhsmipathy Balaji (4-21), Albie Morkel (2-21) and Jacob Oram (2-27).
The win was Super Kings' first in the IPL against Rajasthan Royals after having lost both their matches last year. The win was also Super Kings' first after three matches.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne's decision to field initially proved spot on. The maverick Warne introduced spin in the second over with Yusuf Pathan (2-17), who removed openers Matthew Hayden (1) and Parthiv Patel (3) in quick successions to leave Super Kings in trouble.
Raina and Badrinath (29) then got Super Kings back on track with their 67-run stand for the third wicket. Raina was in no mood to waste time and he set the tone of his innings by hitting Dimitry Mascarenhas for a six and four.
At the other end, Badrinath relieved the pressure off Raina and the duo picked Pathan for some special treatment. While Badrinath rotated the strike, Raina kept up his powerplay and hit 10 fours and five sixes during his stay.
Warne's 'wild thing' Kamran Khan was not in his element as Raina hit the youngster for one six and his captain Mahendra Dhoni (22 not out) hit two more in the same over.
Raina fell short of a deserving century while trying to hit Munaf Patel but scooped the ball to Graeme Smith.
Chasing 165, Rajasthan Royals faltered from the start and failed to get a good partnership. Ravindra Jadeja (37) played a lone hand but that was not good enough to take his team closer to a win.
Super Kings' bowlers were disciplined in their performance and Morkel got some good swing with the new ball. He picked up Graeme Smith (2) and Swapnil Asnodkar (10) while Balaji wrecked the middle-order.
Raina powers Super Kings past Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals pip Knight Riders via 'Super Over'
Newlands Stadium witnessed intense drama as Rajasthan Royals pipped Kolkata Knight Riders via 'Super Over' in an edge-of-the-seat thriller in the Indian Premier League here today.
Put into bat, Rajasthan Royals had earlier managed 150 for six, a total they owed largely to Yusuf Pathan (42) even though it was Abhishek Raut (21 not out) who provided the late charge for them.
Chasing a victory target of 151, Chris Gayle (41) sizzled at the top while Sourav Ganguly (47) too shone as the Knight Riders managed exactly 150 for eight in their allotted 20 overs.
In the 'Super Over', Knight Riders managed 15 runs off Kamran Khan's over with Chris Gayle scoring 13 off it before being dismissed in the final ball.
In reply, Rajasthan Royals scored 18 off Ajantha Mendis' first four balls with Yusuf Pathan hitting 6,2,6 and 4 to seal the win.
Rain may force abandonment of Cape Town match
CAPE TOWN:It has been raining all day in this lovely city and it looks likely that the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders would become the second game to be abandoned in the DLF Indian Premier League here.
The players from both Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders preferred to not make the trip to the ground at the scheduled hour. The covers have been on the pitch all day and there were huge puddles, making the chances of play very bleak.
Last week, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals shared the two points from a rained-off match in Durban.
The crowds will soon develop their own favourites
The IPL Season I was always going to be a tough act to follow, and it seems just the other day when the best cricketers in the world assembled in India to play six weeks of pulsating cricket. When I look back at the inaugural season, what I remember is the absolutely spectacular opening ceremony, which actually got dwarfed by the intensity of the match between us and the Kolkata Knight Riders. We were second best on the night, but the intensity with which the game was played proved to the world that while IPL was trumped up as an incredible marriage of Bollywood with cricket, it was in essence about tough, combative cricket at the highest level.
Even as a South African, I would have to admit that the my immediate reaction to the news that the Indian Premier League was being shifted out of India, to South Africa, was one of disappointment. The tournament is obviously Indian in essence, and I still feel that we will miss the frenzy and excitement that is part of cricket in India. That said, it was also a bit of good news on the personal front, and the families of all the South African cricketers were delighted when they heard that we would not be traveling out again.
It might interest readers in India to know that the IPL Season I was keenly followed on television all over South Africa, and most cricket lovers here are really clued in on the various teams in the fray. No wonder then, that there is a tremendous buzz around the tournament, and don't be surprised if you see large, vociferous crowds at the games. Cricket has received a tremendous shot in the arm in South Africa after the national team's recent successes, and the IPL will benefit from the enthusiastic support that the sport has been enjoying here. Apart from that, South Africans are present in almost all the teams, so the crowds will soon develop their own favourites. In fact, as a team with more than its share of South Africans, we are counting on being well-supported wherever we go.
The Royal Challengers, Bangalore, will be a keenly watched team this time round, and that is not only because of the large number of local boys aka South Africans in the team. The team was one of the most keenly watched ones last year, and I would be the first to admit that we did not live up to the expectations of our supporters.
To be fair, a lot of the hype ahead of the inaugural IPL was media created and the team itself had nothing to do with it. We also happened to have a very well-known owner in Dr Vijay Mallya, who quite naturally, expected a lot of his team. If cricket is a cruel game, the T20 version is really brutal. If you get a couple of unlucky breaks in your first few games, it's hard to turn the tide. This is why I feel that the one thing we need to do this time is start well.
Momentum is a huge factor in a tournament like the IPL and we need to get going early. The Rajasthan Royals demonstrated how a team is hard to stop once they get on a hot streak. If you have the momentum to win enough games to make the last four, the rest depends on how good you are on the given evening. Of the final four, only Kings XI Punjab rallied from behind – the rest made it comfortably because they began well.
For Bangalore, the biggest change is the entry of Kevin Pietersen as captain of the side for the games that he is available. He is part of the team for the first half of the league stage before national duty reclaims him. I remember Kevin Pietersen as a youngster playing in South Africa. Since I was already in the national side when Kevin was playing his first-class cricket for Natal, I did not know him personally. However, I did play against him on a couple of occasions. Even though it was early in his career, Kevin was earmarked as a player to watch out for as much for his shrewd cricketing brain as for his incredibly destructive batting. Speed is of essence in T20 cricket, particularly as far as decision-making is concerned. Kevin is young and familiar with this format, and he has the confidence to back his instincts.
Captaining at the IPL is in some ways more demanding than at any other level because each team has a few players who have captained national sides. Today, Kevin is one of the most prominent cricketers in the world. He has always relished a challenge and loves to lead by example, qualities that will be required of him in the coming weeks. It will certainly help that he is quite familiar with the conditions in South Africa, and while I have not yet spoken to him about strategy, it will be interesting to share the dressing room with him.
The other interesting entrant in our unit would have to be Jesse Ryder, who had an exceptional series against India. He is also a player who can change the course of a game, and I think he has the game that will suit South African conditions. This edition has plenty of new players like Ryder and Jean Paul Duminy who can play decisive roles in their team. Last year proved that the IPL was as good a platform as any for a young player to announce himself on the international scene, and ambition is going to spur many youngsters, from India and elsewhere, to put up special performances this time as well.
As a team, it is important that we learn from the last season without really dwelling too much on our final standing. If the inaugural season was a batsman’s tournament, this one could well be one in which a few of the quick bowlers will dominate. I will not be surprised to see some of them emerging as the top performers this time round. Even if that does not really happen, I feel that conditions in South Africa, particularly the pace and the bounce will ensure a more balanced contest. T20 will remain skewed in favour of the batsmen, but it really becomes an interesting contest when the bowlers are at least able to make the batsmen sweat for their boundaries.
The beautiful people from India have already arrived in South Africa and more are expected through this week. Shah Rukh, Preity, Shilpa and of course Lalit Modi are all in South Africa and they have ensured that the glitz and glamour that propelled the IPL into prominence remains untouched even outside India. However, for us cricketers, the main challenge is to keep the eye on the ball and as professionals it's all about playing with pride for our teams. It's important to be focused from the start because, as I said earlier, in tournaments like this a good beginning is extremely important.
South Africa has responded amazingly to the challenge of getting this tournament started with such little notice. However, the excitement of the fans and the steady influx from India of team owners, sponsors and spectators has been helping creating a tremendous sense of anticipation for the tournament. The stage is now set for Season II and it's upto us to ensure that the magic of Season One continues, this time with a South African twist. (Gameplan)
Hayden hits second fastest half-century in IPL
Port Elizabeth, April 21 (IANS) Mathew Hayden's match winning 65 off 35 balls for Chennai Super Kings against Bangalore Royal Challengers here was the second fastest half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Hayden got his 50 in just 22 balls Monday night here at the St. George's Park. His half-century is next to Yusuf Pathan's 21-ball fifty for Rajasthan Royals against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad last year.
Hayden has aggregated 298 in six innings at an average of 59.60, including three fifties.
The following are the statistical highlights of the Twenty20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Bangalore Royal Challengers:
Chennai Super Kings (179 for five) registered the highest total in the second edition of the IPL so far, surpassing the 165 for 7 by Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings at Cape Town Saturday.
The score is Chennai's highest against Bangalore, eclipsing the 178 for five at Bangalore last year.
Chennai Super Kings with their comprehensive win over Bangalore Royal Challengers, have now won ten games out of 18 in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals have won the most matches (13) and Kings XI Punjab 10.
Chennai Super Kings' 92-run victory is their highest by runs margin in the IPL, surpassing their 33-run win over Kings XI Punjab at Mohali, April 19, 2008. The victory is Chennai's second in three games over Bangalore.
Muttiah Muralitharan (3/11) has for the first time claimed three wickets in an IPL innings, eclipsing the 2 for 39 against Rajasthan at Mumbai on June 1,2008.
Muralitharan received his first MOM award in the IPL.
Parthiv Patel and Hayden recorded the first century stand for the opening wicket for their side.
Bangalore Royal Challengers (87) posted their second lowest score in the IPL, their lowest is 82 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Bangalore last year.
Chennai Super Kings' 92-run victory is the third biggest in terms of runs in the IPL - the top two being by 140 runs by Kolkata over Bangalore at Bangalore and by 105 runs by Rajasthan over Delhi Daredevils in the first edition of the IPL.
