Sehwag blitz lifts Delhi
Opener smashes 80 on uneven pitch to seal his side’s win over Kochi in IPL.
KOCHI:
Indian opener and Delhi Daredevils’ captain Virender Sehwag blasted 80 off just 47 balls on an uneven pitch to register his side’s 38-run win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League.
The tricky Nehru Stadium surface, forcing a number of deliveries to stay alarmingly low, held Sehwag back initially but the batsman exploded in the second half of the innings to lift the Daredevils to 157. Delhi have not had the best of campaigns so far but this win, in tough conditions and on a pitch that the ball often stayed ankle-height, will breathe some life into their campaign.
Sehwag smashed 49 off his last 15 balls to set the foundation of the win as Delhi, high on confidence after the Sehwag blitz, ensured Kochi lost wickets at regular intervals to seal maximum points.
Kolkata win to go top
Gautam Gambhir guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing eight-wicket win over King’s XI Punjab and go top of the IPL.
Three run-outs in the Punjab innings ensured they failed to set a competitive target and despite the wicket of Jaques Kallis in the second over of the innings, the Knight Riders rode on decent contributions from Eoin Morgan, Gambhir and Manoj Tiwari to seal maximum points.
Bangalore thrash Pune
On Friday, Virat Kohli smashed a 42-ball 67 with the help of four sixes and West Indies opener Chris Gayle a brisk 49 off 26 balls to set up Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 26-run victory over Pune Warriors.
Bangalore rode on a 57-run opening partnership in under seven overs to amass 181 for five off their quota. Kohli, after a brief stint with Gayle, put on 66 runs for the third wicket with AB de Villiers to take his side to the formidable total.
In reply, Pune finished on 155 for five chasing a 182-run target to suffer their fifth defeat in seven matches.
New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder top-scored with a 34-ball 51 for Pune and captain Yuvraj Singh cracked 41 off 23 balls with the help of three sixes.
“I’m very happy, three wins in a row,” said Gayle after the win. “There’s going to be a big celebration tonight, I’m looking forward to that as well.”
Meanwhile, Kohli was pleased to take the orange cap, for the leading run-scorer in the tournament.
“First time in four years that I’m getting the orange cap,” he said. “It’s a huge honour for me. I’ve always wanted to bat at number three and I have got the opportunity this time. Gayle is a big asset, a big plus for the team as he strikes at around 150.
“I think as a cricketer you have to take pressure, if the franchise retained me they have shown faith in me. The first two matches I didn’t score well, but the next few it got better. Obviously we’re very happy winning three in a row.”
Boucher to replace
Haddin for KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher as the injured Brad Haddin’s replacement.
Boucher, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier, will be available for Kolkata ahead of their clash against Deccan on Tuesday.
“We’re fortunate to have someone like Boucher as Brad’s replacement. He comes with a lot of experience and a terrific track record in all forms of the game,” said KKR’s CEO and MD Venky Mysore.
Haddin’s IPL campaign ended when he fractured his finger, an x-ray revealing an aggravation of an earlier injury.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2011.
Indian opener and Delhi Daredevils’ captain Virender Sehwag blasted 80 off just 47 balls on an uneven pitch to register his side’s 38-run win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League.
The tricky Nehru Stadium surface, forcing a number of deliveries to stay alarmingly low, held Sehwag back initially but the batsman exploded in the second half of the innings to lift the Daredevils to 157. Delhi have not had the best of campaigns so far but this win, in tough conditions and on a pitch that the ball often stayed ankle-height, will breathe some life into their campaign.
Sehwag smashed 49 off his last 15 balls to set the foundation of the win as Delhi, high on confidence after the Sehwag blitz, ensured Kochi lost wickets at regular intervals to seal maximum points.
Kolkata win to go top
Gautam Gambhir guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing eight-wicket win over King’s XI Punjab and go top of the IPL.
Three run-outs in the Punjab innings ensured they failed to set a competitive target and despite the wicket of Jaques Kallis in the second over of the innings, the Knight Riders rode on decent contributions from Eoin Morgan, Gambhir and Manoj Tiwari to seal maximum points.
Bangalore thrash Pune
On Friday, Virat Kohli smashed a 42-ball 67 with the help of four sixes and West Indies opener Chris Gayle a brisk 49 off 26 balls to set up Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 26-run victory over Pune Warriors.
Bangalore rode on a 57-run opening partnership in under seven overs to amass 181 for five off their quota. Kohli, after a brief stint with Gayle, put on 66 runs for the third wicket with AB de Villiers to take his side to the formidable total.
In reply, Pune finished on 155 for five chasing a 182-run target to suffer their fifth defeat in seven matches.
New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder top-scored with a 34-ball 51 for Pune and captain Yuvraj Singh cracked 41 off 23 balls with the help of three sixes.
“I’m very happy, three wins in a row,” said Gayle after the win. “There’s going to be a big celebration tonight, I’m looking forward to that as well.”
Meanwhile, Kohli was pleased to take the orange cap, for the leading run-scorer in the tournament.
“First time in four years that I’m getting the orange cap,” he said. “It’s a huge honour for me. I’ve always wanted to bat at number three and I have got the opportunity this time. Gayle is a big asset, a big plus for the team as he strikes at around 150.
“I think as a cricketer you have to take pressure, if the franchise retained me they have shown faith in me. The first two matches I didn’t score well, but the next few it got better. Obviously we’re very happy winning three in a row.”
Boucher to replace
Haddin for KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher as the injured Brad Haddin’s replacement.
Boucher, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier, will be available for Kolkata ahead of their clash against Deccan on Tuesday.
“We’re fortunate to have someone like Boucher as Brad’s replacement. He comes with a lot of experience and a terrific track record in all forms of the game,” said KKR’s CEO and MD Venky Mysore.
Haddin’s IPL campaign ended when he fractured his finger, an x-ray revealing an aggravation of an earlier injury.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2011.