Shah Rukh has sent a SMS to his team saying that he would boycott the remaining matches of the IPL till the League clarified the code of conduct and cricketing authorities.
King Khan cannot digest the fact that ICC anti-corruption department has objected his proximity to his own players. He said that he finds it really ridiculous that he would pay his players to loose when he have already paid so heavily for building a team for winning ! His main objection is to the fact that this action somewhat labels him as a bookie.
He also pointed out to the fact that while other owners are being allowed to mix freely with their team members - he has been singled out just due to his celebrity status. Earlier he had also expressed his unhappiness about the entertainment tax levied on his team by the West Bengal Government which is not applicable in any other states.
Meanwhile IPL governing body went out of its way to bend rules and issue special red passes to team owners allowing then fifteen minutes access to dressing rooms and dugout.
Perhaps what everyone is missing out the fact which probably raised concern among the icc anti-corruption is King Khans visit to the opponents teams (Chennai Superkings) dug out during the Kolkata match. This may not have been taken well by the ICC authorities and rightly so - Cricket does not follow the rules of Bollywood where everything can be scripted conveniently.
Also, the dismal performance of Kolkata Knight Riders must be adding fuel to King Khans frustration - but rules are rules - Cricket is a game of discipline and performance - emotions do not have much place here.
True we will loose out on the cheering performance of King Khan in the semis and the finals - but Virender Shewag, Gambhir, Sachin, Shaun Marsh, Yuvraj, MS Dhoni, Jayasiriya are no less real-life entertainers.
Shaun Marsh continued his batting blitzkrieg with his forth Man of the Match - award in the Indian Premier League, hitting 60 in the Kings XI Punjab’s win over Deccan Chargers.
Marsh scored his fifth half-century in a totoal of eight games with three fours and three sixes before getting caught with a half-hearted hit off Herschelle Gibbs at long-on.
Kings XI Punjab made 4-178 with three balls to spare chasing Deccan’s impressive total of 4-175 at the Punjab’s Mohali ground.
This is do or die match for Delhi. A win doesn’t gaurantee them a place in the semis but a defeat definitely puts them out of contention. Mubai will like to win this one otherwise they will need to win both of their last two matches, one of them being against Rajasthan Royals.
Men at the Helm
Sehwag has been operating smoothly throughout the competition while Sachin looked out of sorts in the last match against Mohali where he probably mismanaged the distribution of overs amongst the bowlers. Well, thats just one issue but Sachin has done pretty well otherwise and seems to be learning the nuances of this game quickly.
We have the bat
Both are very good batting line ups but Mumbai have a slight advantage over Delhi. Delhi rely heavily on Sehwag, Gambhir and Dhawan and need at least two of them to play well. Mumbai on the other hand have had contributions from Sachin, Sanath, Uthappa, Nayar and Pollock. They will definitely miss Dwayne Bravo as they did in the last match against Punjab.
We have the ball
Again Dwayne Bravo will be sorely missed by this department as well. Daredevils Mc Grath and Maharoof and Pollock and Nehra for Indians have been bowling well. Both the teams are likely to have problems with overs of the fourth and fifth bowlers and batsmen must wait to pounce on these.
Patrolling Party
Delhi are an excellent fielding unit and Mumbai’s fielding although good but will have to go few notches still higher to compete with Delhi.
High on betting meter
Mumbai are slightly higher on most betting meters while both are on level on others.
Who gets the tick?
Mumbai will look to win this one but will a blazing inning fron Sehwag or Gambhir pull this Delhi’s way?
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals at Chennai
Chennai lost to Bangalore and made things difficult for themselves. But rain gods came to their rescue by washing out Delhi’s last match. Now they need to win atleast one of their two tough matches against Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers or hope that Mumbai beat Delhi. Rajasthan on the other hand are looking to give few of their stars some rest because if they reach the final to be played on 1st of June, they will be playing five matches within nine days.
Men at the Helm
Tired of listening and saying again and again but both of these, Warny and MSD have been the best captains in this league. Warne didn’t have the star power in the team and Dhoni’s team started as a weak bowling side and after the departure of Hayden and Hussey, batting has become very lean and still both these leaders have blossomed.
We have the bat
Rajasthan have looked a very strong batting side but they will miss Smith and Watson who are likely to be rested. Still, Pathan, Younis Khan, Kaif and Asnoskar will be holding fort. Chennai dearly need their batsmen to fire. They depend heavily on Dhoni and Morkel to score fast. If both of them fail, it would be pretty difficult to score big for Chennai.
We have the ball
Rajasthan have been the best team bowling wise in the league. The bowlers have followed Warne’s instructions and bowled some immaculate line and length. For Chennai Gony has been very good, Murali has been consistently econo0mical but needs to get amongst wickets and Ntini seems to be coming into rhythm but there is always soem chance that he will go for big runs.
Patrolling Party
Both the teams have been fielding pretty well throughout the league. They haven’t been out of the world but have shown consistency and commitment levels have been pretty high.
High on betting meter
Rajasthan are slightly higher on the betting meter with gains around 90 percent while Chennai give around 110 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Rajasthan start as strong favorites and a win for them would keep the league round alive and interesting till the last day.
Punjab have sealed a place in the semis with rain washing out the match between Delhi and Kolkata. They will like to keep the winning form going running in to the knock out stages. The pre tournament favorites Deccan are out of contention but will like to prove a point and finish on a high note to give their fans something to look out for in the next season.
Men at the Helm
Yuvi and Gilly both have led their sides very well but the difference has been that while Yuvi’s boys have been excellent, Gilly’s men have simply been dismal.
We have the bat
Punjab batters are in superb form. The only concern for Punjab is the relative lack of form for Yuvraj Singh. Deccan meanwhile have been improving. The big stars didn’t fire in the last few matches but others took the centre. Actually its been the bowlers who have let them down in the last few matches.
We have the ball
In the bowling department Punjab look one up with Pathan being consistent through out the league and Sreesanth running into some serious form. Charger RP Singh might be amongst the leading wicket takers but his tally is very misleading because he has given too many runs for those wickets and very few of them are top order batsmen.
Patrolling Party
Punjab dropped a few catches in their last match against Mumbai but effected some pretty good run outs. They have had some off days but have generally fielded well. Deccan on the other hand have at the most been patchy. They need to field well today to pep up their bowlers.
High on betting meter
Punjab are sitting high on most betting meters with offerings of 4 on 7 while Deccan give 11 on 8.
Who gets the tick?
Punjab start as favorites for this match but one can never count out a team like Deccan. They have players who can make a day their own.
