Punjab in need of inspirational turnaround

Match facts

Sunday, May 8, Mohali
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

There's not much breathing space left for Kings XI Punjab, and given the way their previous four games have panned out, each ending in a defeat, they don't seem too far from heading the Pune Warriors way. With seven defeats in a row, Pune are out, but have nothing to lose now. They still have five games to go, and can wreck a dream or two before they finish their quota.

Punjab could be one of the teams at the receiving end of Pune's promised latent aggression if they don't get their act together. They've had trouble containing the opposition this tournament, and the latest in a series of such instances was Chris Gayle's murderous assault in Bangalore which left them utterly shell-shocked. A quick recovery's the only way forward for them; with several other teams much better-placed to fight it out for a place in the play-offs, Punjab need an inspirational turnaround to match them.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kings XI Punjab: LLLLW (ninth in points table)
Pune Warriors: LLLLL (tenth in points table)

Team talk

"He'll have to train before he can play," Yuvraj Singh said about Pune's newest recruit, Sourav Ganguly, during the team's previous game. He would have had around three days to do that. Enough to give him a go? Callum Ferguson is yet to play, while some Indian players sitting on the bench could also be tested out.

The bowling's been a worry for Punjab, and the figures grew worse in the wake of Gayle's onslaught in Bangalore. Piyush Chawla has picked up wickets but has been expensive. Punjab left out Bipul Sharma and Bhargav Bhatt from their previous game, and they could be tempted to bring them back as left-arm spinning options.

In the spotlight

Yuvraj Singh has presided over a disappointing campaign for Pune in their debut season, though his own performances have been fairly consistent. He's moved places within the middle order on quite a few occasions, and should come higher up to get more time to bat, and that too on a ground he knows best.

Abhishek Nayar, an allrounder, has had little impact with the bat. He's made 0, 14 and 1 in his previous three innings, his latest knock coming at No.3. He's been an important part of the Mumbai domestic team, but needs to step up in this IPL.

Prime numbers

• Rahul Sharma, who had figures of two for seven in four overs in his previous game, has the second-best overall economy rate this IPL - 5.27 in nine games, behind Bipul Sharma's 5.16 in two matches
• Adam Gilchrist and Robin Uthappa are tied third in the list of most matches played in the IPL overall - 54

The chatter

"Hopefully, he will get us a win. It's good to have him back. I just feel someone who has been captain of Indian team for a long time can always help the youngsters."

Can Kochi stop Gayle and Bangalore?

Match facts

Sunday, May 8, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

	Chris Gayle has had Bangalore dancing to his tune

Big Picture

Chris Gayle has shown Royal Challengers Bangalore many new ways to celebrate. He has his own special routines with different players. He has also given Bangalore many reasons to celebrate. When he landed in India, Bangalore were well and truly a struggling side. Two match-winning centuries and two other wins later, they are the team to beat.

Bangalore are the team you want to avoid. Especially when you are Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who with 10 points from 10 games, are not too far from a stage where they might need wins in every remaining game. Kochi, though, seem to have found momentum with two successive wins after three straight losses threatened to end their campaign. Bangalore will take some beating, but there is nothing to suggest Kochi cannot be that team to stop the four-match winning streak.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWWL (fourth in points table)
Kochi Tuskers Kerala: WWLLL (sixth in points table)

Team talk

In their last game, Bangalore brought in Asad Pathan ahead of J Syed Mohammad. That place, and Mohammad Kaif's, are the only ones they might fiddle around with.

Michael Klinger and Prasanth Parameswaran have proved to be good inclusions for Kochi, who will not look to shuffle too much.

In the spotlight

Tillakaratne Dilshan has managed only 136 in eight innings, and this is his last game before he trades red and gold for white, a walk-on part with Bangalore for a leadership role with Sri Lanka. Before he goes, though, Dilshan will want to leave a lasting imprint.

Along with Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene is approaching the end of his involvement with the IPL, although he will stay for longer in India than Dilshan. He will want to make sure Kochi make it to the play-offs.

Prime numbers

• In just four innings, Chris Gayle has looted 284 runs, and is already the 12th-highest run-getter this season
• Gayle is also the only man to have scored two IPL centuries. In all Twenty20 cricket, Gayle's three centuries are joint-highest along with his opponent tomorrow, Brendon McCullum, and Ian Harvey

The chatter

"The big thing for us was our fielding. If we do that [well], everything falls in place. Aravind has been a really good find for us."
Daniel Vettori points out positives other than Gayle

"The local players are doing well for us and that is a good sign. Prasanth Parameswaran held his nerve in big matches. We all know that Raiphi Gomez has the talent and he has done well. Vinay [Kumar] brings in lots of experience of having played here [in Bangalore]. He can give us insights about the pitch."
Mahela Jayawardene credits the domestic players

Rayudu, bowlers lead Mumbai to dominant win

 

Mumbai Indians played like the dominant side they have been this IPL, and Delhi Daredevils like the middling one they have been. Consequently Mumbai took another step towards qualification for the next round, Delhi towards elimination.

Except for a period of four overs where Mumbai lost two wickets for 17 runs, they bossed the whole game. Aiden Blizzard teased headline writers with seven boundaries off Morne Morkel's first two overs, and then Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma absorbed the shock of two quick wickets to follow it up with an assault that got Mumbai 67 off the last six overs.

On a flat and quick pitch, with short boundaries, 178 was still not beyond Virender Sehwag and David Warner. Not against Mumbai, though, whose big three with the ball - Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel - killed the game in three overs. Harbhajan got Warner with a straighter one, Colin Ingram had no clue about a Malinga yorker, and Munaf got a top edge from Sehwag first ball. It left Delhi too steep a climb, although an 87-run stand between half-centurion James Hopes and Venugopal Rao meant sure all time-outs were utilised.

Match Meter

• MIDD
• Blizzard cuts Morkel to pieces Aiden Blizzard takes seven boundaries off Morne Morkel's first two overs, and takes Mumbai to50 in five overs.

• MIDD
• Left-armers bring Delhi back Irfan Pathan and Shahbaz Nadeem remove the openers, and only 17 come in the next four overs.

• 
  MI
• Rayudu and Rohit run away with the game Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma add87 for the third wicket to thwart Delhi's comeback.

• 
  MI
• Mumbai's big three strike Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga and Munaf Patel reduce Delhi to 7 for 4 in three overs.

 Advantage Honours even

The first innings had got off to a similarly emphatic start for Mumbai. Blizzard took to the pace and the regulation length from Morkel, who has troubled a few Indian batsmen with pace and bounce. To Blizzard, though the faster they came, the faster they went. One of the seven boundaries was a cut from in front of leg stump. A defeated Morkel found time for a bemused smile even as the total reached 50 in five overs.

Irfan Pathan, though, found swing, and with a wicket-maiden brought Delhi back. Shahbaz Nadeem added to Sachin Tendulkar's wicket when he removed Blizzard with one that skidded on. This was a time when things could have easily gone wrong for Mumbai, but Rayudu and Rohit batted sensibly. It was Rayudu who took lead in both rebuilding and in attacking once he was in.

Rayudu began pushing Delhi out of the contest in the 10th over when he targeted James Hopes. He moved across the stumps, and waited with a high back lift. He got a length ball from Hopes, and pulled it over short fine leg. It didn't make for pleasant viewing, but Rayudu immediately balanced it aesthetically with a proper drive through extra cover next over. Two overs later, Ajit Agarkar served him a leg-stump half-volley, which Rayudu flicked out of Agarkar's home ground.

Rayudu's hitting rubbed onto Rohit, who lofted Morkel and Hopes for lovely straight sixes. Morkel found a semblance of redemption with Rohit's wicket in the 17th over, Agarkar with a last over to Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds that went for just five. In between, though, Rayudu punished Delhi some more. He didn't go hell for leather, instead he placed his shots well and hit Nadeem and Hopes for a six and three fours. From 30 off 26 he had gone to 59 off 39. Malinga, Harbhajan and Munaf soon told him he had done enough.

KKR declared winners in rain-interrupted match

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders snapped Chennai Super Kings' four-match winning streak with a 10-run victory via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-interrupted Indian Premier League clash at Eden Gardens, here on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 115, the hosts were marching towards the target comfortably despite losing two early wickets -- Eoin Morgan (5) and Gautam Gambhir (16).

Jacques Kallis remained cool, displaying some of his trademark drives as he ensured that his side was ahead by 10 runs when the rain stopped play at 61/2 after 10 overs.
Kallis remained unbeaten on 21 from 23 balls while Manoj Tiwary was 15 not out from 12 balls. With his win, Kolkata have moved to second position in the points table while Chennai now occupy third spot.
Rain had affected the start of the play in the afternoon as the match was delayed by an hour, even as the umpires did not reduce the number of overs.
Brett Lee (4-0-8-0) and Iqbal Abdulla (4-0-15-1) utilised the slow nature of the wicket exceptionally well to restrict Chennai to 114 for four after opting to bat.
Dropped twice, Subramaniam Badrinath top-scored for the Chennai with 54 from 41 balls before he ran himself out in the last ball of the innings.
Albie Morkel hit a-run-a-ball 30 and stitched 65 from 54 balls with Badrinath for the fourth wicket.
The visitors did not have it easy against the Knight Riders as pace spearhead Lee and left-arm spinner Abdulla ensured a slow start for the visitors.
Lee was spot on giving away just five runs from his first spell for three overs while Abdulla provided the first breakthrough in the form of Murali Vijay (5).
The surface was quite slow and the conditions were overcast, as Lee and Abdulla bowled in the right areas to tie down the Super Kings batsmen, who failed to apply themselves.
Michael Hussey (15), Murali Vijay (5) and Suresh Raina (4) batted themselves out in very odd fashions, while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not get to bat.
After Abdulla gave the first breakthrough, Yusuf Pathan via took the prized-scalp of Raina.
Only 12 runs came from their first five overs, while it took them 59 balls to get the first boundary.
It was in the form of a six and in fact the hit by Badrinath could turned into a dismissal but Jaidev Unadkat misjudged the catch to let it go over boundary.
Badrinath was on nine with the team score being 33/2 at that time.
Under the sluggish conditions, Badrinath held on as he stitched a 34-run partnership from 32 balls along with Michael Hussey (15 from 26 balls).
Unadkat again dropped Badrinath this time the Chennai batsman was on 29.
There was light drizzle around the scheduled toss time -- 3.30pm -- while the surrounding areas of the city experienced some showers as the ground was put under thick covers under the cloudy conditions.

Saha in, Chennai bat after rain delay

A persistent drizzle delayed the toss by an hour and 15 minutes at Eden Gardens but the skies have since cleared. There is been no reduction in the number of overs to be played.

MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat, saying that he doesn't expect any more rain today. Chennai have made one change to the starting XI and have brought in the local boy Wriddhiman Saha for S Anirudha.

Both teams are in second place on the points table and victory will go some way to helping them break clear of the chasing pack. Chennai have won their last four matches while Kolkata have lost their last game, but were victors in the previous three.

Kolkata: 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Eoin Morgan, 3 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Mark Boucher, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Jaidev Unadkat, 9 Brett lee, 10 L Balaji, 11 Iqbal Abdulla
Chennai: 1 Michael Hussey, 2 M Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt), 6 Wriddhiman Saha, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Shadab Jakati, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 R Aswhin, 11 Doug Bollinger