Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab are all locked at 14 points each. The winner of the RCB-DC match on Thursday will go to 16 points and the loser will remain on 14 with Punjab. But in all likeliness, Punjab will lose out on the semifinal berth owing to their poor net run rate. Currently Deccan has the best run rate at +0.265, while RCB are at -0.253 and Punjab at -0.483.
So if there is any chance of Punjab making it to the semis it will have to be a thrashing for Bangalore at the hands of Chargers. But chances are very remote and let us see why. To qualify, Bangalore need to have a net run rate higher than -0.483 after tomorrow’s match. So, let us check some possibilities.
The calculations done here are rough and may not be accurate to decimals.
Case Scenario 1 – Chargers bat first
Chargers’ Score
For Punjab to qualify, Bangalore must score less than
100
32
120
52
140
72
160
92
180
112
Case Scenario 2 – Bangalore bat first
Bangalore’s Score
For Punjab to qualify, Chargers need to win in
100
11.0 overs or less
120
11.1 overs or less
140
11.2 overs or less
160
10.0 overs or less
180
10.1 overs or less
What do you think are Punjab’s chances of qualifying?
They say that in cricket, the game isn’t over until it’s over. This holds so true for the match between the Deccan Chargers (DC) and the King’s XI Punjab (KXIP)!
The DC won the toss and elected to field first. Sunny Sohal and Simon Katich were the openers for the KXIP as usual, while Ryan Harris bowled the first over which consisted of two wides and one six. Nine runs were made off the first over. The first wicket fell in the second over, when Sohal was caught by Rohit Sharma on a ball by R. P. Singh after making only nine runs off 12 balls. The score was now 12-1. Luke Pomersbach came in after Sohal, but got out after making merely one run. Yuvraj Singh (Yuvi) came in next. While Sohal’s wicket fell in the third over, that of Katich fell in the fifth over when he was batting at 11 runs (ball Andrew Symonds, catch Pragyan Ojha). Kumar Sangakarra (Sanga) came in after Katich.
A partnership between Yuvi and Sanga would’ve been damaging, and the DC knew this, so they made sure to dismiss Yuvi before he could pose any potential threat. Wilkin Mota followed, and, at the end of 10 overs, the KXIP were 55-4. After the strategic break, Mota’s wicket fell, thanks to Tirumalasetti Suman’s bowling and Harris’s catch. Mota had made 12 runs off 19 balls. Irfan Pathan was the next batsman in.
Sanga had been the only batsman so far who had made a score of any significance, but after completing his sixth IPL 50, he got out at the score of 56 (43 balls) on a ball by R. P. and was caught by Harris. Brett Lee came in at six down. In the 20th over, which was bowled by R. P., eight runs were made and one wicket was taken, that of Irfan Pathan, who was caught by Herschelle Gibbs after he made 17 runs off 11 balls. Piyush Chawla was the next and last man in. Thus, the KXIP made 134 runs at the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.
Adam Gilchrist (Gilly) and Gibbs opened the batting for the DC, while Lee opened the bowling attack. The first four overs were uneventful, but in the fifth over, Gilly fell victim to Ramesh Powar’s bowling (caught behind wicket) after making 23 runs off 13 balls. Suman came in after Gilly, but the very first ball he faced proved fatal for him, as he was bowled out by Powar! Thus, Powar was on a hat trick, but he didn’t manage to complete it as Symonds, who came in next, refused to oblige.
At the end of 10 overs, the DC were at 65-2. The third, and one of the biggest blows, fell on the DC when Gibbs got out after making 26 runs off 37 balls on a ball by Yuvi (catch Chawla). Rohit Sharma came in next. Symonds, on whom a lot of hopes were pinned, didn’t come through and got out after making only 25 runs off 25 balls (strike rate – 100) on a ball by Yuvi (stumping Sanga). Next man in was Venugopal Rao, who got out on the very next ball, and returned to the pavilion without scoring any runs.
After Rao’s dismissal, Dwaraka Ravi Teja came in, but was run out by Lee after making only 10 runs off 15 balls. Harris came in thereafter. It now looked like the match was lost for the DC, but in the 19th over, bowled by Lee, Sharma hit one six, one four, and also got a Free Hit – courtesy a No Ball by Lee – off which he got one run. Suddenly, the DC, who had lost hope, sat up as they realised they still had a chance. Then, in the last over, Sharma was bowled out by Pathan after he had made 42 runs off only 26 balls.
After Sharma’s dismissal, R. P. came in, but he got out without making any runs. Then Jaskaran Singh came in. In the end, four runs were required off three balls, but that proved too much for the two batsmen on the field, and the DC ended at 133-8. Yes, they fell just two short of victory! Even worse, the KXIP won by only 1 run! It must have been agony for the DC, but the result couldn’t be helped. The DLF Maximum award was given to Rohit Sharma, while the Man of the Match was Yuvraj Singh.
Yuraj Singh was said to have picked up a hat trick, but that was a mistake, because he had taken only two wickets – that of Symonds and Rao – in succession, while the one before Symonds – Gibbs’ wicket – had been taken by Yuvraj, but not just before he took Symonds’ wicket. Thus, Yuvraj did take three wickets, but not on a hat trick. One wonders that while the management did not realise it, did Yuvraj also not realise that he had not got a hat trick?
Yes, the match was won by the ‘kings’, and in a style befitting them, too! Match number 46 was played between the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and the King’s XI Punjab (KXIP).
The KXIP won the toss and elected to field first. There was a slight change in the team as Mahela Jayawardena was not playing; besides that, the teams on both sides remained the same. The terrific duo of skipper Virender Sehwag (Viru) and Gautam Gambhir opened the batting, while on the bowling attack was Brett Lee. The first over started well for the DD, as seven runs were scored off it, including one boundary (four). However, the third over was not as good, as the first blow came the way of the DD with the dismissal of Viru on a ball by Lee, which was caught behind the wicket. Viru had made nine runs off eight balls by then. T. N. Dilshan came in after that.
Just one run had been scored after Viru’s wicket, and the match was already in the fourth over, when the second opener, Gambhir, was dismissed by Wilkin Mota on a run out after the former had made eight runs off 11 balls. After Gambhir came AB de Villiers, who also didn’t stay too long and was sent back to the pavilion after he had made 11 runs off 11 balls (strike rate – 100). The bowler was Sreesanth, while the fielder was skipper Yuvraj Singh (Yuvi). Mithun Manhas came in thereafter.
The fourth wicket looked like it was a replay of the third, except that the batsman was different; this time, it was Dilshan who got out, the bowler and fielder being the same as that during the time of the second wicket. Dilshan had made 10 runs off 19 balls, and was dismissed in the 10th over. Dinesh Karthik came in at four down.
The fifth wicket was that of Manhas, who was caught by Piyush Chawla. Farveez Maharoof came in at five down, but was bowled out in the 17th over by Lee after making only three runs. It was a fantastic over for Lee, as he not only got a wicket in it, but also delivered a maiden over! Daniel Vettori came and left quickly after that, as did Rajat Bhatia, who left without scoring any runs, on the very next ball. Thus, Brett Lee was on a hat trick, but he was unable to take it as Pradeep Sangwan, who was the new man in, did not succumb to his superb bowling.
The ninth and final wicket was that of Karthik, and it fell in the 20th over. Thus, the DD ended at a very ‘gettable’ total of 121-9. To win, the KXIP required just over six runs per over, which basically meant they needed a run a ball. And with their batting line up, it looked like a piece of cake. But the DD were not at the top for nothing, and gave the Punjab team a run for their money.
The openers for the KXIP were Sunny Sohal and Simon Katich, while Ashish Nehra bowled the first over, off which only two runs were scored. The second over was a different story altogether, as the KXIP got a four, not due to their own efforts, but courtesy an overthrow by Dilshan! The first wicket of the KXIP fell on a ball by Maharoof, when Katich was caught behind the wicket after he had made 26 runs off 10 balls. Luke Pomersbach was the next man in.
The second wicket was that of the other opener, Sohal, who was bowled out after he had made merely three runs off 12 balls, thus proving to be quite expensive. Sanga came in at two down. The third big break for the DD came in the form of a wicket of Pomersbach, who got out after making only nine runs. He was followed by Yuvi, and at the end of 10 overs, with Sanga and Yuvi on the field, the KXIP were at 51-3.
However, the two, who can wreak havoc on the opposition, couldn’t build a partnership as Yuvi got out on a ball by Sangwan (catch Viru) after having made 18 runs off 31 balls, once again proving to be expensive.
Irfan Pathan was the next and last man to walk on to the field. All this while there had been a difference of at least seven to eight balls (more runs, less balls), but Pathan brought it down to a mere two-ball difference, and the KXIP needed 12 runs to win off 10 balls. In such a situation, while the bowlers were trying their best to give dot balls, Pathan hit a six, thus leading to the equation being reversed – now, the number of balls was more, and the runs required, less.
Then, when the KXIP needed two runs to win from six balls, Viru was seen giving instructions to the fielders, but to no avail – the first ball of the 20th over was hit for a four, and the KXIP not only managed to get the target, but also got it in style, thus winning the match by six wickets!
The DLF Maximum award was given to Irfan Pathan for hitting two sixes, while Brett Lee was declared the Man of the Match for his fantastic bowling.
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 match between the King’s XI Punjab (KXIP) and the Deccan Chargers (DC) was a first, in that, it was the first match of the season for some of the players.
Some of the Australian cricketers, who had thus far been playing Pakistan in Dubai, have returned from the tour and are back in action in the IPL. Match number 36 saw Brett Lee (he wasn’t on the Pakistan tour, but this was his first match of the season) in action for the KXIP, and Andrew Symonds for the DC.
With the Australians back in the game, all eyes were on them. The KXIP won the toss and elected to field first. Brett Lee opened the bowling attack to fellow countryman Adam Gilchrist. In the sixth over, Lee delivered a No Ball and the DC got a Free Hit, but Lee recovered by bowling a fantastic slow bouncer on the Free Hit, so no runs were scored.
The first wicket of the DC fell when they were at the score of 31 runs, and Gilly (Gilchrist) departed after making 20 runs off 16 balls, on a ball by Sreesanth (catch Ramesh Powar).
While Suman came in at one down, Hershelle Gibbs, the other opener, was the second person to return to the pavilion. Piyush Chawla was the bowler, and Mahela Jayawardena was the fielder who caught the ball after Gibbs made 13 runs off 13 balls, batting at the strike rate of a perfect 100.
Rohit Sharma came in next, and before long, his partnership with Suman was destroyed as the latter got out on a ball by Mota, fielder being Jayawardena once again. Symonds, whose unbeatable batting the viewers were waiting for impatiently, came in next.
At the end of 10 overs, Symonds and Sharma were on the crease and the scoreboard of the DC stood at 72-3. In the 11th over, after the Strategic Break, Sharma got out on a ball by Lee, this being his first wicket in the series (catch, Kumara Sangakarra, wicketkeeper). Next man in was Venugopal Rao, and Symonds and Rao stayed till the end, but on the last ball, Rao got out, and thus, at the end of 20 overs, the DC score was 168 runs at the loss of five wickets.
The openers for the KXIP were Sunny Sohal and Simon Katich, while the opening bowler for the DC was Harris.
The KXIP were going at a steady pace when the first blow fell in the form of Sohal’s wicket, taken by Rohit Sharma. Sharma was on a roll, because, after a gap of one ball, he struck again, this time, bringing down Katich.
At the crease now were skipper Yuvraj Singh, and Sangakarra. Just as Sharma took two wickets, so did Shoaib Maqsusi, who brought down both the amazing batsmen, first, Sangakarra, by bowling him out after he had made 25 runs off 18 balls, and then, Yuvi (Yuvraj), who had managed to make only 18 runs off 13 balls (catch Gilly).
The batsmen on the field were now Jayawardena and Irfan Pathan. But the latter couldn’t last long, and got out soon enough, his place being taken by Wilkin Mota, who himself didn’t stay too long, rapidly making way for Brett Lee.
The biggest blow came when Jayawardena was dismissed (stumping, Gilly). Chawla came in next. Brett Lee, along with being a fabulous bowler, is also a batsman when needed, and this was proved in this match. He stayed till the end, and played an intelligent innings, hitting a few fours and sixes when required, thus keeping the run rate on par with the required rate.
As a result, the KXIP managed to get the total of 169 runs at the loss of seven wickets, and won the match. Thus, the return of the Australians provided a good impetus to the viewing of the match, and, at the end of the day, the fans were not disappointed.
