According to a report in a London newspaper, one of India’s wealthiest families, also franchisee owners of an IPL team, wants Kevin Pietersen to sign “at any price”. As such possibilities are strong that Pietersen will be seen in action in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
Rumors are running high in Mumbai that the Mumbai Indians have offered him a contract in excess of a $4 million for three years and the England and Welsh Cricket Board has all but finalised his release. Other than Mumbai, Bangalore Royal Challengers are also keen to rope in the Englishmen.
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils at Bangalore
Bangalore and Deccan are out of the race for the throne but they could be the King makers now. Apart from Deccan, Bangalore also have matches left with Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai and they could well catch the leg of one of these teams to kill their semi final dreams.
Men at the Helm
Rahul Dravid hasn’t been able to do much because his batters have disappointed consistently. Sehwag has shown confidence in his boys but the incidents like arguing with umpires at Jaipur, the break in play at Delhi breaking Venu Gopal’s flow and delaying covering of pitch when rain set in against Punjab have left a sour taste in mouth. But as far as his team goes, he has led them well and been aggressive, instinctive and innovative.
We have the bat
On paper the Bangalore batting might be even a little higher than Delhi but apart from Dravid each and everyone has failed. They would like to salvage some pride. Delhi on the other hand would need one of, Sehwag and Gambhir to fire otherwise they might not have enough runs on the board.
We have the ball
Both are pretty good bowling units but Bangalore missed Steyn badly in the last match. His pace prevents oppositions to take the attack in the early overs. Batters on both sides will find it difficult to play with the same flow as they could have against other oppositions.
Patrolling Party
Delhi are the best fielding unit in the competition and they have proved it time and again. In the last match the fielders took some sensational catches and one could have gone just to watch the Daredevils field. Bangalore on the other hand have been patchy. While they have had some sensational catches been taken by Dravid, Kohli, Jaffer and Steyn, they have conceded many free runs in some matches.
High on betting meter
On most betting meters they are placed at the same level. Kolkata are marginally lower on a few owing to their vulnerable batting.
Who gets the tick?
Delhi have the upper hand but a good spell from Zaheer or Steyn up front could knock two or three and expose Delhi’s vulnerable middle order. Bangalore would like to give their home crowd something to cheer about and look forward to, for the next season.
Rajasthan Royal boys arriving fresh from a short vacation at Goa, became the first IPL team to ensure its berth in the semifinals of the DLF IPL league. Also Shane Warne – Rajasthan Royals Captain has moved to the top of the Indian Premier League wicket-taking charts, claiming three scalps to guide the Rajasthan Royals to a 65-run win over Bangalore in Jaipur yesterday.
The Match started with a brief moment of silence in memory of the recent blast victims and a donation by the IPL and Camera crew for the victims to the Chief Ministers relief fund.
The legendary Australian legspinner’s 3-23 off four overs took his tally to 14 wickets in 10 matches, while helping restrict Bangalore to 9-132 off 20 overs chasing Rajasthan’s handy 1-197.
Both the teams started very badly but Mumbai have picked up since then while Deccan have slumped further and further. Deccan will be out to prove that they are a much better team then what the points table says.
Men at the Helm
Gilchrist has been leading the side pretty well but the batters have disappointed. We haven’t seen much of Sachin as yet but he seems to have adapted pretty well and is likely to be hugely assisted by the presence of Pollock and Jayasuriya around.
We have the bat
Deccan have Gilchrist and Gibbs to match for Jayasuriya and Tendulkar in Mumbai but Gibbs hasn’t been firing and Gilchrist also hasn’t done well often enough. Deccan will need one of Gilchrist, Gibbs and Rohit and Mumbai will need one of Jayasuriya, Tendulkar and Uthappa to play an extraordinary innings to the teams nose ahead.
We have the ball
Mumbai are a very good bowling unit. Pollock, Nehra and Kulkarni have bowled pretty well. For Deccan RP Singh has bowled well only in patches. Styris and Ojha too haven’t been consistent. But young lad Vijay Kumar has been quite encouraging.
Patrolling Party
Mumbai have continuously improved their fielding as the tournament has progressed while Deccan have been very disappointing. They dearly need to aid their bowlers.
High on betting meter
Mumbai are High on betting meter with returns of around 60 percent while Deccan give returns of around 125 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Mumbai is the team that seems to be peaking at the right moment in the league. They would like to clinch this one to firmly march towards a semi final berth. Deccan on the other hand are a very good side and can’t keep loosing for long. They are surely going to spoil the party of one of the four teams besides Rajasthan and Punjab in contention for semi finals.
Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings at Kolkata
Both the teams have had similar runs in the tournament. They won on trot, then lost continuously, then won, then lost. Both have had a few very high scores and very low scores. Both have had tight finishes and both have lost badly at some point.
Men at the Helm
Ganguly and Dhoni both are exceptional leaders. Both are very aggressive. While Ganguly is vocal, Dhoni is a silent operator. Both can assess the situation at a quick pace and find a way out more often than not. It would be an extremely gripping clash.
We have the bat
Both teams have similar sort of line ups where they heavily depend on a couple of players. If Knight Riders’ batting has been weakened by the departure of Ponting and Mc Cullum, Super Kings have been hit badly with Hayden, Hussey and Oram leaving.
We have the ball
Kolkata have an edge in this department with Ishant, Shoaib and Dinda bowling really well. Chennai badly need Murali to come to the party. The opponents have tried to negotiate him with safety. In the process, he has been economical but hasn’t picked up wickets. They need Ntini to fire as well getting into the business zone of the league.
Patrolling Party
Chennai are a better over all fielding side but Kolkata in the last few matches have shown tremendous commitment and zeal. Murali has been inspiring in the field. Who says it’s a youngsters’ game?
High on betting meter
On most betting meters they are placed at the same level. Kolkata are marginally lower on a few owing to their vulnerable batting.
Who gets the tick?
This match has the makings of an intriguing battle. Its almost impossible to choose a winner but Kolkata have a slight edge owing to their bowling strength. Chennai need Raina, Dhoni and Murali to come good
