Indian Premier League and Cricket News by IPL Cricket Forum

Editorial 

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.

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Mumbai Indians (162/8 in 20 ovs)
Delhi Daredevils (133/10 in 18.5 ovs)

Mumbai Indians won by 29 runs

The great question about Delhi Daredevils performance in the absence or an early loss of Captain Virender Shewag and Gautam Gambhir seems to be partially answrered today. Also - that prior performance is no benchmark for prediction or forecast of any result in the Indian premier League was addressed.

Mumbai Indians who just got their first win defetating Knight Riders earlier continued their winning streak with a major blow to Delhi Daredevils who could not chase a moderate score of even 162 runs.

With loss of Virender Shewag and Gautam Gambhir the whole team crumbled and could only add up a toatl of just 133 runs.

Mumbai Indians Captain Shaun Pollock bowled well but his batting was impressive as he added the much needed 33 runs of just 15 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes. He also got two wickets and bagged the man of the match award.

However - The Orange Cap - given for the highest scorer in the tournament passed on to Virender Sehwag toady from Rohit Sharma. Also to be mentioned is the overall fine fielding of Mumbai Indians with Uthappa taking three catches in the match.

The million Dollar question is apart from boosting the morale of this team will Sachin’s presence or absence make any noticeable difference…

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The target for Bangalore Royal Challengers could have been even steeper but thankfully it wasn’t or else Bangalore would have ended too far away. The start was terrible for the Royal Challengers as they lost too many wickets at the top. Kallis and Dravid did a brilliant job with that superb partnership in the middle but they always needed that one big over which could turn the tables. That never happened and the ask was too daunting in the end.

This match looked tight but it was always a comprehensive win if you look at the comparisons at crucial stages. Well then, with this win, Delhi move up to the second spot in the points tally, Bangalore plunge to deeper depths as they fail to impress yet again. By the way, tomorrow is no weekend but we have a double header on the cards.

Glenn McGrath is the Man of the Match for his spectacular bowling figures of 4 for 29 from his complete quota of 4 overs.

Once agin it goes with our view that 20Twenty Cricket requires a different mindset rather a mind free approach with less thinking and more action. Perhaps the Franchisee should keep a proper Cricket Consultant to develop strategies before every match and not depend on Captains with Test Match and ODI hangovers.

Delhi Daredevils: 191/5 (20.0 Ovs)
Bangalore Royal Challengers: 181/5 (20.0 Ovs)

Delhi Daredevils won by 10 Wickets/

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Mumbai - Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar signed on as the brand ambassador for Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Delhi Daredevils team here on Monday.

Akshay said that he belongs to Delhi and this my team. He also mentioned that he always liked cricket and that he is a firm believer in sportsman spirit - adds Economic Times.

With Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag hitting tons in the recnet test with South Africa - the team will sure go Mast Mast. Players Gautam Gambhir, Mohammed Asif and Shoaib Malik were present at the glittering ceremony.