Yes, it was that time in the series when the trophy was claimed by one of the two finalists – either the Deccan Chargers (DC), or the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). We all know who it was in the end, but to know just how they did it, read on!
The RCB won the toss and decided to field first. Skipper Adam Gilchrist (Gilly) and Herschelle Gibbs opened batting, while – keeping in mind Gilly’s performance in the semis – skipper of the RCB, Anil Kumble, decided to lead by example and took it upon himself to dismiss Gilly. And what do you know – he did! Thus, skipper dismissed skipper; that too without Gilly’s having made even a single run! Tirumalasetti Suman came in at one down, but was sent back to the bench by R. Vinay Kumar (catch Manish Pandey) after making 10 runs off 11 balls.
Andrew Symonds came in after Suman. Rahul Dravid, who is a fantastic catcher of the ball, dropped Symonds when he was batting at five! Symonds eventually did get out, but it was after he had made 33 runs off 21 balls. The man responsible for the dismissal was Kumble once again, who bowled him out. Rohit Sharma came in next. At the end of 10 overs, the DC were at 62-3. Sharma played a good innings, but got out after making 24 runs off 23 balls – the bowler, once again, being Kumble (catch Pandey).
Venugopal Rao came in next, but he was dismissed on a duck by Kumble again – the fielder this time being Ross Taylor. Azhar Bilakhia came in next, but was LBWed by V. Kumar after making only six runs. This wicket fell in the 20th over, and Ryan Harris came in for the last few balls. Thus, the DC ended at a very ‘gettable’ score of 143-6, with Gibbs at 53/48 (his fourth IPL 50) not out, and Harris at 9/5 not out.
Jacques Kallis and Pandey opened batting for the RCB, while Harris bowled the first over, in which he conceded only one run to the opposition. The next two overs were uneventful, but in the fourth over, R. P. Singh bowled out Kallis after the latter had made 15 runs off 17 balls. Roelof van de Merwe came in at one down. The second wicket – that of Pandey – fell in the seventh over, after he had made four runs off eight balls. Pandey was caught behind the wicket on a ball by Pragyan Ojha. Rahul Dravid was the next batsman in.
The third wicket which fell was that of Merwe, who was stumped out by Gilly on a ball by Ojha. Merwe had made 32 runs off 21 balls by then. Ross Taylor came in after Merwe’s dismissal, which took place in the ninth over. Funnily enough, after nine overs, both the teams were at the same score – 59-3. After 10 overs, though, while the DC had been at 62-3, the RCB ended at 69-3. The fourth wicket, and probably one of the biggest blows dealt to the RCB, was that of Dravid, who was bowled out by Harmeet Singh after making nine runs off 13 balls. Virat Kohli came in next.
Taylor, on whom a lot of hopes were pinned, got out on a ball by Symonds (catch Rao) when he was batting at 27 runs. Mark Boucher came in next at the non-striker’s end. At the striker’s end was Kohli, who was also dismissed by Symonds (stumping Gilly). Thus, Robin Uthappa came in and faced Symonds’ hat trick ball! However, he didn’t get out. By now, the RCB were six down. The seventh wicket fell, claiming Boucher, who got out on a ball by Harmeet (catch Gibbs) after he’d made five runs off six balls.
V. kumar came in next. After making eight runs off eight balls, he was sent packing by Harris (beautiful catch by Harmeet!). Skipper Kumble came in next, looking desolate, because he knew what was going to happen. The second last over was bowled by Harris, and Uthappa hit him for a couple of big boundaries; for a moment it looked as if the RCB would make it. But the last over was bowled by none other than the holder of the purple cap, R. P., and he delivered a fantastic few dot balls, as a result of which, the RCB lost the match by a mere six runs!
It was a great match, truly worthy of being called a ‘final’, where either team could have won. After the game, and after an ecstatic Gilly and team departed to the dressing room, a fantastic show – which included performances by Katrina Kaif, Eddy Grant, Akon, a fabulous fire and drum show, and dance performances by Shiamak Davar’s troupe – was held to mark the official close of IPL season 2. After the fabulous show, during which the ‘Miss IPL’ was also declared (a certain Dune Kozzats), the prizes for the match (and the entire series) were given out. The DLF Maximum award for the match was given to Merwe, while the Man of the Match was given to Anil Kumble – in spite of being from the losing side – for his unbelievable four wickets in four overs.
Other prizes that were given were:
Under 23 Success of the League – Rohit Sharma
Leading Run Scorer (Orange cap) – Mathew Hayden
Leading Wicket Taker (Purple cap) – R. P. Singh
Fair Play award – King’s XI Punjab (KXIP), and
Golden Player of the League – Adam Gilchrist
After all the awards were given out, the victorious DC team posed for photographs with the prestigious IPL trophy, leaving us, the audience, waiting eagerly for the next season, which will , we hope, be held where it truly belongs – in India!
Yes, this was the prelude – the first one – to the final showdown. I’m talking about the first semi-final between the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and the Deccan Chargers (DC).
Morales on both sides were high as the DC won the toss and decided to field first. Gautam Gambhir and David Warner opened batting for the DD, while Ryan Harris bowled the first over – and what an over it was! The first four balls of the over were dot balls, while the fifth and sixth ones saw the fall of a wicket each, that of Gambhir (catch R. P. Singh) – who got out on a duck –and Warner (catch Herschelle Gibbs) – who also got out on zero. The DD now stood at 0-2!
At the crease now were skipper Virender Sehwag (Viru) and T. N. Dilshan. After losing two wickets so quickly, one would’ve expected the DD to take it slow and steady, but not these two. Soon after stepping onto the field, they started hitting fours and sixes, and soon gained momentum. The two saw to it that the score steadily climbed higher and higher, until the Strategic Time Out, when the DD stood at 83-2. Immediately after the break, in the 11th over, however, the third wicket fell, thereby putting an end to a terrific partnership. The man to be dismissed was Viru, who got LBWed by Andrew Symonds after he’d made 39 runs off 31 balls.
AB de Villiers came in after Viru. He and Dilshan took up from where Viru left off, and Villiers soon started hitting boundaries too. However, he was dismissed by R. P. (catch Rob Quiney) after he made 26 runs off 21 balls. Dinesh Karthik came in next, but was bowled by Harris after making only nine runs. Rajat Bhatia was the next man in, but he, too, was dismissed by R. P. after making only four runs (catch Venugopal Rao). Next batsman in was Amit Mishra.
Dilshan, who had stayed on in the field till the end, was dropped twice – once when he was batting at 30, and the second time at 58 runs. However, he could not remain not out till the end, as, in the last over, he was run out by skipper of the DC, Adam Gilchrist (Gilly), when he was at 61 runs, which he had made off only 51 balls. Pradeep Sangwan came in next, but lost his wicket on the last ball. Thus, the DD ended at 153-8.
Gilly and Gibbs opened batting for the DC, while Dirk Nannes bowled the first over. While the DD had made no runs and lost two wickets in their very first over, the DC, on the other hand, faced a wide ball on the first delivery, followed by five fours in a row, all hit by Gilly. Thus, at the end of the first over, the DC stood at 21 runs! What’s more, thanks to all the big hits by Gilly, Gibbs never even got on strike in the first over!
The second over was bowled by Ashish Nehra, whose first ball was a wide, but the third claimed a wicket, that of Gibbs, whom he bowled out. Gibbs had not made even a single run. Azhar Bilakhia came in at one down. Pradeep Sangwan bowled the next over, which saw Gilly hit two fours and one six in it! Thereafter, Nehra took the ball, and delivered a No Ball, thus giving Gilly a Free Hit; like he even needed it! But Gilly said, “Thank you very much,” and hit a six off it anyway! As a result of these big hits, Gilly completed his sixth IPL 50 in just 17 balls! It was the fastest 50 in both seasons of the IPL, and the fifth fastest in all T20 forms.
Another time when Gilly got a Free Hit, was when Viru was bowling, and he delivered a No Ball on the ball which Gilly hit for a four. Thus, Gilly got four runs, plus six off the Free Hit, and then another six after that! In the meantime, Bilakhia got out after making 10 runs off 20 balls (ball Mishra, stumping Karthik). The seemingly unstoppable Gilly did get out, but not before he had caused irreparable damage by scoring a massive 85 runs of only 35 balls! He got out on the last ball of the 10th over on a ball by Mishra (catch Nannes).
Andrew Symonds came in next, and played well, until he too got out on a ball by Mishra (catch Warner) after he made 24 runs off 15 balls. Rohit Sharma came in next, and stayed on till the end and completed the match for the DC. Thus, the DC achieved the target of 154 and ended up as one of the two finalists of the IPL – season 2! The Man of the Match award, as well as the DLF Maximum award went to – like there’s any doubt! – Adam Gilchrist for his unearthly, but stupendous, performance with the bat!
Well, it sure did look like the match between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the King’s XI Punjab (KXIP) would be a repeat of the time when the two teams faced each other earlier. How? Read on to find out!
The KXIP won the toss, and elected to bat first. Their openers were Sunny Sohal and Simon Katich, while the opening bowler was Lasith Malinga. As has become routine in this year’s IPL, the first wicket fell soon (in the second over). The player to be dismissed was Katich, who went out after he was caught by Harbhajan Singh (Bhajji) on a ball by Dhawal Kulkarni. Katich went out for a duck.
Irfan Pathan came in at one down, many places up the order than his usual spot. But this change did no wonders for the KXIP, and Pathan got out on a run out (ball and run out by Dwayne Bravo). He, too, had made no runs.
Kumar Sangakarra (Sanga) came in next. Sohal, who had earlier been dropped by Sanath Jayasurya when he was batting on 42, got out after he had made only one more run, i.e., he got out on 43 after he was run out by Sachin Tendulkar.
When skipper Yuvraj Singh (Yuvi) walked in, everyone thought that he and Sanga would build a good partnership. But alas, Sanga was bowled out in the 10th over by Bhajji. Wilkin Mota came in next. The score of the KXIP – 70-4.
Mota, who had come in near the time of the Strategic Time Out, didn’t stay much longer after it, as he got out on a ball by J. P. Duminy and was caught by Bhajji after making only eight runs.
While Luke Pomersbach walked in after Sanga, Yuvi went out after making only 12 runs. He was dismissed, once again, by Duminy. Karan Goel came in next, but was soon bowled out by Ajinkya Rahane. Brett Lee and Piyush Chawla, too, came and went very quickly. Thus, the KXIP were nine down, and last man in was S. Sreesanth. The score at this point was 112-9.
After the ninth wicket fell in the 18th over, it was expected that the 10th wicket would also be taken, thus leading to an ‘all out’ situation, (the first in the series), but the KXIP hung on till the end. And at the end of 20 overs, with Goel and Sreesanth stretching out the innings, the KXIP ended at 119-9.
The MI had to make 120 in 20 overs, at exactly six runs an over. Sounds familiar? Yes, this was the exact same situation in the first match between the two teams!
Just as the batting order of the KXIP had changed, so had that of the MI. Bravo and Jayasurya opened the innings. Brett Lee bowled the first over, the first ball of which was a wide.
The third over, which was also bowled by Lee, saw the fall of the first wicket, (catch Mota), that of Jayasurya, who got out after making four runs off seven balls.
Ajinkya Rahane came in at one down, but was dismissed by Chawla (LBW) after making only one run. Tendulkar came in next. The bowlers of the KXIP had been very restrictive, and the runs were coming very slowly for the MI. However, after Tendulkar’s entry, he and Bravo, who had been playing a fabulous innings, started hitting the ball with all their might. Mostly Bravo did the hitting, while the skipper stayed to give support. Thus, after 16.2 overs, the MI were a very happy team, as they had achieved the target, and that too with balls remaining! At the end of the innings, Bravo had made 70 / 59, not out! Tendulkar, too, had made a very good 41 / 29.
While the bowlers of the MI did a great job in taking wickets, they gave away 18 extras! But, they had won, and that was all that mattered. The DLF Maximum award was given jointly to Bravo and Goel, while the Man of the Match was given to Bhajji, for taking 2 important catches and one wicket at a fantastic economy rate! All in all, it was one great victory for the MI, one which propelled them to the fourth spot on the rank table, from down below on the seventh!
The first thirteen players select themselves. Irfan Pathan was the one with the sword hanging over him before the start of the IPL, but he has shown sufficient promise with the bat as well as the ball to be in the squad. The only thing left to be seen in the first thirteen is that how serious is the injury that Zaheer picked up yesterday in the match against Bangalore.
If Dhoni isn’t a hundred percent, Dinesh Karthik will get a nod for one of the remaining two spots. If the selectors are looking for another all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja may get a spot. But Jadeja’s spinning exploits won’t be of much use as conditions in England will aid swing and Viru, Yuvraj, Yusuf and Raina can all bowl spin. And Uthappa’s better technique may have an advantage keeping in mind the conditions. Still, if selectors really push for an all-rounder, Abhishek Nayar with his slow-medium may fit in the frame.
Munaf’s consistency and ability to pitch in yorkers at the death make him a certainty. Praveen has been more reliable than RP lately but RP’s performance on the last England tour might force the selectors to think twice. The one to be left out is going to be on back up for Zaheer.
The second edition of IPL 2009 will start from April 18 with the first match being played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. The final will be held at none other than Wanderers in Johannesburg on May 24as per the new schedule released by IPL. The semi-finals have been scheduled to be held on May 22nd and 23rd at Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively.
There will be two games on the first day, last year’s IPL winners Rajasthan Royal will take on the Malaya’s Bangalore Royal Challengers, while the Mumbai Indians would clash with the last years runners-up Chennai Super Kings at Cape Town.
In all, the 59 matches will be held in eight cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberly, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth. With many south asians staying at Kingsmead in Durban, it has been alloted a majority share of 16 matches while the Centurion Park in Pretoria, which also serves as a home to many Indians will host 12 ties.
The daily timings for the matches are at 4 pm Indian Time - (12.30 pm local SA time) and 8 pm Indian Time - (4.30pm local SA time) A total of ten double headers which is two matches at the same venue will be played during the tournament. The Indian Tv Channel Sony will telecast the matches in three languages - English, Hindi and Bengali.
IPL 2009 Schedule: All times are Indian Standard Time (IST)
Team Codes:
Rajasthan Royals = RR
Royal Challengers Bangalore = RCB
Mumbai Indians = MI
Chennai Super Kings = CSK
Kolkata Knight Riders = KKR
Deccan Chargers = DC
Delhi Daredevils= DD
Kings XI Punjab= KXIP
April 18: RR v RCB - 4 pm & MI Vs CSK - 8 pm at Cape Town
April 19: KKR v DC - 4 pm & DD v KXIP - 8 pm at Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK - 4 pm at Port Elizabeth
April 21: RR v MI - 4 pm at Durban & KKR v KXIP - 8 pm at Durban
April 22: DD v CSK - 4 pm at Durban & RCB v DC - 8 pm at Cape Town
April 23: KKR v RR - 4 pm at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB - 4 pm at Johannesburg
April 25: KKR v CSK - 4 pm at Cape Town & DC v MI - 8 pm at Durban
April 26: RR v KXIP - 4 pm at Cape Town & RCB v DD - 8 pm Port Elizabeth
April 27: KKR v MI - 4 pm at Cape Town & CSK v DC - 8 pm at Durban
April 28: DD v RR - 4 pm at Pretoria
April 29: MI v KXIP - 4 pm at Durban & KKR v RCB - 8 pm at Durban
April 30: DD v DC - 4 pm at Pretoria & RR v CSK - 8 pm at Pretoria
May 1: RCB v KXIP - 4 pm at East London & MI v KKR - 8 pm at Durban
May 2: RR v DC - 4 pm at Johannesburg & CSK v DD - 8 pm at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MI v RCB - 4 pm at Durban & KXIP v KKR - 8 pm at East London
May 4: DC v CSK - 4 pm at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DD v KKR - 4 pm at Durban & KXIP v RR - 8 pm at Durban
May 6: MI v DC - 4 pm at Pretoria
May 7: KXIP v CSK - 4 pm at Pretoria & RCB v RR - 8 pm at Pretoria
May 8: DD v MI - 4 pm at East London
May 9: DC v KXIP - 4 pm at Bloemfontein & CSK v RR - 8 pm at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KKR v DD - 4 pm at East London & RCB v MI - 8 pm at Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR - 4 pm at Bloemfontein
May 12: RCB v KKR - 4 pm at Pretoria & KXIP v MI - 8 pm at Pretoria
May 13: DC v DD - 4 pm at Durban
May 14: MI v RR - 4 pm at Durban & CSK v RCB - 8 pm at Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD - 4 pm at Kimberley
May 16: CSK v MI - 4 pm at Johannesburg & DC v KKR - 8 pm at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RR v DD - 4 pm at Kimberley & KXIP v DC - 8 pm at Johannesburg
May 18: CSK v KKR - 4 pm at Pretoria
May 19: DD v RCB - 4 pm at Johannesburg
May 20: CSK v KXIP - 4 pm at Durban & RR v KKR - 8 pm at Durban
May 21: DC v RCB - 4 pm at Pretoria & MI v DD - 8 pm at Pretoria
