Second blow given by England to India`

Indians were whitewashed in the test series that was played against England few days ago. England have come back strongly stating that even they can dominate cricket in all the aspects. England won all the four test matches played against India and became the #1 test team in the world. India dropped to 3rd position from 1st.

Indian being a strong team in both T20 cricket and ODI cricket, played a T20 match against England yesterday at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. The toss was won by the Indian skipper and elected to bat first. India gave an marvelous start and were almost scoring 10 runs per over. At one point of time, they were 104/2 in just 11.4 overs. Rahul Dravid was beautiful with his bat as he scored 3 sixes but not even a single four, just imagine 3 sixes that too by Rahul Dravid. It was something like unbelievable thing. The newest entry Ajinkya Rahane played magnificently and put up a very good partnership with the Wall and he scored 61 runs. Later on Suresh Raina came in to bat and he also played nicely and scored 33 runs in just 19 deliveries which included 2 fours and 3 sixes. After this fall, rest of the team collapsed and ended up scoring only 165 runs loosing all 10 wickets with 2 deliveries to spare (IND - 165/10, 19.4 over). Everything ended up with a mess. Jade Dernbach from England took 4 wickets.

In reply to this England opened its batting innings but soon lost its first wicket in the very second delivery of the innings. England was in trouble as it lost its first wicket without opening the run account itself. But after this, things changed as the batsmen started to attack Indians bowlers. They played very wisely and kept on momentum going. This helped them a lot to build up some useful partnerships. England in 19.3 over, chased 165 runs successfully and became victorious. England scored 169 runs in 19.3 over loosing only 4 wickets (ENG - 169/4, 19.3 over). Eoin Morgan was the highest scorer for England who scored 49 runs in just 27 deliveries that inlcuded 7 fours and a six.

England won the match by 6 wickets. Man of the match was Jade Dernbach. By winning this match, England has sent a strong message to rest of the teams in the world stating that; apart from test cricket, they have become a strong contender in T20 cricket as well.

Australians were trapped in Ajantha Mendis Jinx

Yesterday, Srilanka and Australia played their second Twenty20 match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka. The toss was won by the Srilankans and they chose to bat first.

Mahela Jayawardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the batting innings for Srilanka. Tillakaratne Dilshan was unsuccessful again as he got out after scoring 4 runs only. Mahela Jayawardena batted well till 19.2 over and got out scoring 86 runs in 63 deliveries that included 12 fours and 1 six. Rest other players did not make it big, they just contributed few runs here and there. Finally Srilanka managed to put up a total score of 157 runs on board in 20 overs loosing 9 wickets (SL - 157/9, 20 over). Brett Lee and John Hastings took 3 wickets each.

Australia needed 158 runs to win the match and start the innings with the openers Shane Watson and David Warner. Both of the started pretty well and the start given by Shane Watson was outstanding. For the first 6 overs, Shane Watson belted the bowlers hitting the ball in all the corners of the ground. He scored 57 runs in just 24 deliveries that included 6 fours and 5 sixes. He got out in Ajantha Mendis delivery by giving a straight catch to Thisara Perera. After the fall of Shane Watson, Australians lost 3 more wickets in just 3 runs. After this, Australian skipper Cameron White took the charge along with Steven Smith and were back on track. Srilankans started to struggle a lot in getting a wicket. Finally Ajantha Mendis struck back with his 4th wicket and broke the partnership. After this, they were back on track and managed to keep pressure on the Australians till the end of the innings. Australia could put up a total of 149 runs only with the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs (AUS - 149/9, 20 over). Ajantha Mendis was the highest wicket taker in the match. He also created the world record in T20 history by taking 6 wickets and the first Srilankan to get 5 wickets in a match.

Srilanka won the match by 8 runs. Man of the match was Ajantha Mendis for taking 6 wickets and creating a new T20 world record.

One of the worst day of my life :-(

Today was one the most disappointed day of my life. IGate Patni conducted cricket fest 2011 and i was playing for "Pirates" team and we had already won 2 matches. Today, it was our 3rd match and with this victory we were supposed to enter quarter finals. But things went in vain, Similar to Chennai 600028 movie, even our team played so badly. First wicket fell in the very first ball itself and i was also duck out in the very 3rd delivery of the innings. In 6 overs we could only manage to score a total of 31 which was the lowest total of the season. The opponents "On the Rocks" had to score only 32 runs to win the match and it was very easy. First over was bowled by our skipper and he went for 15 runs in which 9 runs was extras. Second over also went for 15 runs in which 5 runs was from extras. in just 2 overs they scored 30 runs and 2 runs needed to win the match with 10 wickets on hand and 4 overs to go. I got the 3rd over to bowl, there was nothing left to defend as they required only 2 runs to win, but i wanted to take 1 wicket at least so that we can restrict them from telling that they won with no loss. First ball was an slip catch for keeper, but he failed to take it. Getting disappointed i bowled a wide and finished the match for them. On the Rocks won the match by 10 wickets. It was the most frustrating loss for me. For this loss: i spoiled my weekend sleep, skipped my breakfast and was out in sun :-(

Apart from this, my home teams Royal Challengers Bangalore failed to lift the cup in IPL 2011 finals. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings batted first and belted every bowler and made a total of 205 runs. In reply to this, Royal Challengers Bangalore could not even reach at least 150 runs. They lost the match very badly. This was my another disappointment of the day.

RCB are back again.... now into IPL finals

It was an joyful day for me as RCB took their revenge on MI by winning the match. In the first playoff match, CSK and RCB faced each other. CSK won the match and marked their place in the IPL4 finals.

I was not disappointed at all, because i had confidence that RCB will definitely outplay MI and so i was cool. I considered it as an opportunity for the RCB to take their revenge on MI as they had been defeated by them in the league match. Things went well today for RCB as the big man Chris Gayle alone belted all the bowlers of MI. He just played magnificently and took the pressure off for the rest of the batsmen. He scored 89 runs in just 47 deliveries that included 9 fours and 5 sixes. RCB in their first innings scored a total of 185 and lost 4 wickets. I was not sure at that time the RCB will reach finals that easily.

But things went on Royal Challengers Bangalore way, All most all the bowlers bowled well. RCB skipper Daniel Vettori was very economical and took 3 major wickets. Mumbai Indians were struggling to score runs till the end of the innings. They could only manage to score a total of 142 runs with the loss of 8 wickets. Thereby Royal Challengers Bangalore won the match by 43 runs. Mumbai Indians dream of lifting up the IPL trophy again comes to an end.

Now RCB has better chance to lift the cup as they have one more revenge pending in their account. In this IPL, CSK won against RCB in the playoff. Thank god for the playoff system, due to this my team RCB is back on track again. The best part is that it is the time for RCB to have their revenge and lift the IPL trophy for the first time.

It's Dhoni's day again

Today, First IPL finals qualifier match was played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings at Wankhade stadium, Mumbai. The toss was won by MS Dhoni and he chose to field first.

Royal Challengers Bangalore was looking more destructive when Chris Gayle was on the crease, but today was not the day for the big man. He departed after hitting a six leaving RCB in jeopardy. Later on Virat Kohli added some magnificent runs and made RCB to put up a total of 175 runs on board.


This total was not a great one as the pitch was well known for hitting biggies. CSK in 19.4 overs, chased their target successfully. The man behind the win was Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel. In the 19th over, 3 sixes was the sole reason for RCB's loss. CSK won the match by 6 wickets and 2 balls to spare.

Now CSK are into the IPL 2011 finals. This is their 3rd entry to the IPL finals. RCB have lost the qualifier match, so now they have to face the winners of MI vs KKR match. If RCB wins, then RCB will face CSK in finals else, the winners from MI vs. KKR match will be facing CSK in finals.

RCB are on top...... :-)

Yesterday's IPL match was very crucial for the top 4 four teams. The top four teams before the match were,
1. Chennai Super Kings
2. Royal Challengers Bangalore
3. Mumbai Indians
4. Kolkata Knight Riders

Before their 14th IPL match, it was already known that these 4 teams are into playoffs. Now the fight was to get into first 2 positions to gain advantage. If they could not, atleast they should get into first 3 positions to get an entry to Champions League. It was already known that RCB and CSK are into Champions League even if they loose the match. There were so many combinations possible like, if CSK wins, RCB will end up 3rd. if CSK looses, RCB comes first and CSK ends up 2nd only if their net run rate is better than MI. On the other hand, If KKR wins against MI, they have chances to get into 2nd or 3rd position depending upon how CSK looses against RCB. If MI wins, KKR ends up 4th position there by missing Champions League this time.

Yesterday first match was played between RCB and CSK. CSK put up a total of 128 runs only as they could not face RCB's bowling attack. It was skipper MS Dhoni who helped to put up this total. He quick fired to score 70 runs in just 40 deliveries that included 3 fours and 6 sixes. For RCB this total was not that challenging. Chris Gayle who is at top form scored a magnificent 75 runs in just 50 deliveries that included 4 fours and 6 sixes. He was unbeaten till the end of the innings. RCB scored 129 runs in 18 overs and won the match by 8 wickets. After this win there was a swap in the ranking RCB were back on top and CSK on 2nd.

In the second match, KKR played well a put up a total of 175 runs on board. All the batsmen contributed runs which helped in building in this total. In reply to this, MI also played equally good and chased the target successfully in the last delivery of the innings. There was one over from Lakshmipathy Balaji where he conceded 21 runs in just 6 deliveries which turned the match in favor of MI. MI won the match by 5 wickets. After the second match, the rankings table remained same with RCB topping the table.

Another Gayle's show

Royal Challengers Bangalore were in a bad position as they lost 3 matches continuously and one match got tied. After the arrival of Chris Gayle things changed, RCB have won 5 matches continuously. The best part was, in almost all the games Chris Gayle was mainly responsible for the victory. He has won 3 man of the match awards in this 5 matches.

Today, Royal Challengers Bangalore played against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. The toss was won by Virat Kohli who is the acting captain for Daniel Vettori in his stead and he chose to field first.

Shane Watson and Rahul Dravid opened the batting innings for RR. The start pretty good and they were playing aggressively. Shane Watson got out when RR's total was 73 runs which was a solid foundation for them. Rahul Dravid also got out in the same over. After this things went little slow and the run rate dropped down little bit. But as the overs were passing the pressure was on the RR as they were really struggling to find a boundary. In the end, Rajasthan Royals some how managed to put up a total score of 146 runs on board for the loss of 6 wickets (RR - 146/6, 20 over). But this score was not enough as the big man Chris Gayle who is in form can easily chase it down.

RCB gave a flying start with openers Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Both started off well and were belting the RR bowlers in every angle possible. In 6.3 overs, RCB scored 68 runs just before Tillakaratne Dilshan who scored 38 runs in just 24 deliveries got out by giving a catch to Ross Taylor. After the fall of first wicket, RCB slowed down their scoring rate and played magnificently to chase down the target. RCB in 17 overs, scored 151 runs and lost only 1 wicket (RCB - 151/1, 17 over). The man in form Chris Gayle was unbeaten scoring 70 runs in just 44 balls that included 7 fours and 4 sixes. Skipper Virat Kohli was also unbeaten scoring 39 runs 34 deliveries that included 3 fours and 1 six.

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the match by 9 wickets with 3 overs to go. Man of the match was Sreenath Aravind for taking 3 important wickets. Chris Gayle has moved to 2nd position in leading runs scorer list 2011. The best part is that he has played only 6 matches so far. On the other hand Virat Kohli also moved up to 4th position in the list. As of now, RCB are in second position with 7 victories and a tie.

Latest update on IPL 2011

As the league matches are getting closer to its end, there has been many twists happening in and around the IPL. The Chris Gayle's entry to the Royal Challengers Bangalore has boosted their confidence, they have not lost a single match after the Gayle's entry. It's been almost one man show for the RCB as he is easing of the pressure by hitting biggies very easily and confidently. RCB has a good chance of entering into top 4 position in the ranking table at the end of league matches.

Mumbai Indians who have been spectacular throughout their IPL 2011. Now started to taste some worst defeats. They previously lost to Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals in a bad way. Today, Kings XI Punjab managed to remove all the wickets of MI in just 12.5 overs. MI were all out for 87 runs which was a bad and lowest total put by them (MI - 87/10, 12.5 over). Now KXP have started to feel the pressure and also gaining their momentum.

The skipper of Delhi Daredevils, Virender Sehwag is out of IPL 4 as he is suffering from injury. He was the only man who was winning the matches. Now it is almost impossible for the DD to enter into top 4 position. They have won only 4 matches out of 11 matches.

Pune Warriors India are having a tough time as they have won only 4 matches out of 11 matches. They are just like Delhi Daredevils. Sourav Ganguly's return to IPL has added some confidence to the PWI team. Ganguly played well and won the previous match for PWI.

Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers Kerala are fighting to get into top 4. They are currently at 5th and 6th position. They have got better chance of getting into top 4. On the other hand, Deccan Chargers are already out of IPL4 playoff as they have won only 3 matches so far.

Rajasthan Royals outplay Mumbai Indians

On Friday, Rajasthan Royals played their home match against Mumbai Indians at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. The toss was won by Shane Warne and he chose to bowl first.

Davy Jacobs and Sachin Tendulkar opened the batting innings for the MI. The start was pretty good, but they likewise the wickets were also started to fall. Not even a single batsman showed his performance in this match. Everyone failed to play their trademark shots as well. Even Kieron Pollard, Andrew Symonds who love to hunt the ball failed in this match. Mumbai Indians could not resist the bowling attack done by Rajasthan Royals and they finally ended  scoring a total of just 94 runs on board in 20 overs with the loss of 8 wickets (MI - 94/8, 20over). Johan Botha was the most economical bowler whose economy rate was just 3 runs per over and took 3 wickets. Apart from him, other bowlers also bowled well.

Rajasthan Royals in reply, chased their target of 95 runs in 18.1 overs with the loss of 3 wickets (RR - 95/3, 18.1over). Shane Watson scored 26 runs and Johan Botha who bowled an awesome spell, batted magnificently  as well. He scored 45 runs in 39 balls that included 2 fours and a six. Ali Murtaza was economical from MI side but failed to take a wicket.

Rajasthan Royals won the match by 7 wickets. Man of the match was Johan Botha for hitting 45 runs, taking 3 wickets and a catch.

Another bad day for Delhi Daredevils

Today, Delhi Daredevils lost one more match and the worst thing was it was an home match. They played against Kolkata Knight Riders ( the most hated team by me at the moment) at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. The toss was also favoring to Delhi Daredevils. But they made a wrong decision: they took fielding first. Still Delhi Daredevils are at the bottom of the ranking table.

Kolkata Knight Riders opened their batting innings with their openers Jacques Kallis and Shreevats Goswami. There was no aggressive start given by them, it was just a stable opening with ball to ball run rate. The wickets were falling in quick intervals. Gautam Gambhir also could not make it big today. It was Manoj Tiwary's day as he helped the team to put up a decent total on board. In the end there was some contribution given by Ryan ten Doeschate. In 20 overs, KKR scored a total of 148 runs and lost 7 wickets (KKR - 148/7, 20 over). Manoj Tiwary was unbeaten till the end scoring 61 runs on board. Irfan Pathan was the most economical bowler with a economy rate of just 4 runs per over and took 1 wicket.

This target did not look challenging for the Delhi Daredevils as it was chase-able total and the advantage was that it was their home ground. Opener David Warner did not play well today and the skipper Virender Sehwag took the charge and scored some beautiful knocks. After the departure of Sehwag, Delhi middle order got collapsed and lost wicket very quickly. At one point of time they had lost 6 wickets and scored only 85 runs. The lower order batsmen could not outplay the bowling attack of KKR and they tried very hard to chase the total. In the end, they failed to chase the target and ended up scoring a total of 131 runs loosing 9 wickets in 20 overs (DD - 131/9, 20 over). Iqbal Abdulla took 3 wickets.

Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 17 runs. Man of the match was Manoj Tiwary.

Todays action

Ahhhhh!!! today was one of the day that had lot of actions. First thing is, it is Saturday. I slept at around 3:15 A.M. and woke up around 11:05 A.M.

After readying myself, i went straight away to my office and had my breakfast cum Lunch at 12:00 P.M. After this next place i visited was Employee Care Center (ECC). I was there till 6:00 P.M. where i played pool from 12:25 P.M. till 4:30 P.M. I enjoyed myself there, sometimes played very good shoots and sometimes worst shots. Victory and defeat as well. After coming out from pool table, i landed at GYM where i did workout for my back for 45 minutes with little bit exercises for my abs. Once i was done with my workout, straight away went to dormitory removed my gym clothes and wore my swimming costume and went for swimming. Did swimming for 15 min and was back to dormitory where i took bath.  Then i dressed up went to canteen and had some juices just to energize myself as i was fully exhausted.

Then i went to my ODC and rested for 25 min at my desk. During this time i unlocked my PC and started checking for mails and blogs. At 6:45 P.M. i left office, took my bike and left to home. After coming home, i spent some time on Facebook. Meanwhile, the IPL match started which was between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab. The match so interesting that i spent almost all the time watching the match itself. In entire 40 overs, there were 433 runs scored in total by both the teams. Plenty of sixes and fours and full excitement and masti. Finally had my dinner at Andhra Mess and came back home and watched the remaining match. Delhi Daredevils won the match. Now i am lying on my bed and writing this article to publish it to everyone.

I hate SRK and his team KKR

Now a days i have started to hate Kolkata Knight Riders team itself. The reason behind this is that SRK. Yes it is because of Sharukh Khan after his statement where he told that "KKR has to win the cup dedicated to Sourav Ganguly". This was the statement that put me into rage on SRK.

If he wanted to win this IPL then why the hell he did not even care to bid the legend???? Once the things are passed away then never and ever should turn back. He left DADA and now he wants him to come and watch the match to support KKR. This is full of bullshit and everything is business in here.

In reality what i feel is, Eden Garden made a record of lowest audience presence in history and hence less collection of money. SRK does not want like this to happen again and hence now he is playing this new trick just to improvise his business. But we people (fans of DADA) always want to see him play and he is a legend whom not to be forgotten at all. No DADA, no support to KKR.

IPL 2011: CSK vs KTK

Yesterday, a match was played between Chennai Super Kings and Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Nehru Stadium, Kochi. The match was delayed due to rain and later it was restricted to 17 overs. KTK won the toss and they chose to field first.

Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay opened the batting innings for CSK. Hussey did not play for long time as he departed after scoring only 8 runs. Suresh Raina came in and batted well to score a half-century. There were some good contribution from the middle order batsmen as well. In 17 overs, CSK put up a total score of 131 runs and lost 4 wickets (CSK - 131/4, 17 over). Vinay Kumar was economical bowler but did not pick up a any wickets.

KTK needed 134 runs to win by D/L method. Brendon McCullum and Mahela Jayawardena started the batting for KTK. The run rate at the start was pretty good. After the departure of the openers, Parthiv Patel, Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja played magnificently and the eased the pressure off. In just 15 overs, they managed to score a total of 135 runs with the loss of 3 wickets (KTK - 135/3, 15 over). Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 2 wickets.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala won the match by 7 wickets. Man of the match was Brendon McCullum for giving a magnificent start which eased off the pressure to other batsmen.

This is KTK's second vistory in the IPL. Earlier they stunned Mumbai Indians by winning against them and now CSK. Chennai Super Kings got their second blow and in the earlier one, Paul Valthaty destroyed CSK's bowling attack by chasing one of the biggest total of the tournament.

Delhi won their first IPL match of the season

Today, Delhi Daredevils took over Pune Warriors India at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. Toss was won by Virender Sehwag and they chose to field first.

Jesse Ryder and Graeme Smith opened the batting innings for the PWI. The start good but not an aggressive one though. The big man Graeme Smith in the last delivery of the fourth over. Jesse Ryder played an magnificent and so did the skipper Yuvaraj Singh. Jesse Ryder departed scoring 60 runs in just 27 deliveries that included 5 fours and 5 sixes. In the 20th over, Yuvaraj Singh did the real damage for the Delhi Daredevils. He scored 3 consecutive sixes in the last 3 deliveries. He remained unbeaten scoring 66 runs from 33 balls that included 4 fours and 5 sixes. In 20 overs, PWI managed to put up a total score of 187 runs loosing 5 wickets (PWI - 187/5, 20 over).

So far DD have not won a single match in this season and this score was a pretty big total for them as well. David Warner and Virender Sehwag started the innings off. They both played well and were belting the bowlers in every angle they could. First wicket partnership was worth 75 runs in just 7 overs. David Warner was the first wicket to fall and soon skipper Sehwag followed him. After this fall, another 3 more wickets fell very quickly and the hopes kept on fading out as the wicket started to fall. Venugopal Rao and Aaron Finch played well and eased the pressure off by hitting 3 sixes and 2 sixes respectively. But they both did not stay till the end. It was James Hopes in which the hopes for the Delhi Daredevils was back. He just utilized the opportunity and scored a magnificent runs in just 4 balls and won the match for Delhi Daredevils with 4 deliveries to spare. Delhi Daredevils scored 190 runs in 19.2 overs and lost 7 wickets (DD - 190/7, 19.2 over). Yuvaraj Singh took 4 important wickets for PWI.

Delhi Daredevils won the match by 3 wickets. Man of the match was Yuvaraj Singh for his magnificent performance with bat and ball.

IPL 2011: KXIP vs CSK

Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab played their second IPL match of the season at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, India. Adam Gilchrist won the toss and he chose to field first.

Aniruda Srikkanth and Murali Vijay opened the batting innings for CSK. In the very first delivery from Praveen Kumar, Aniruda Srikkanth got lbw out and returned to pavilion. Suresh Raina came in, but even this went into vain. In the very second ball of the innings even Raina got out giving a catch to Paul Valthaty. At this point of time, CSK were 0/2 in 0.2 over. This was the worst opening given by CSK team in any IPL. Soon Murali Vijay and Subramaniam Badrinath joined together and started to attack the bowlers in every angle. Murali Vijay scored 74 runs from 43 deliveries and Subramaniam Badrinath scored 66 runs from 56 deliveries. After the departure of Murali Vijay, skipper MS Dhoni came in and just quick fired to score a magnificent 43 runs in just 20 balls. CSK put up a total score of 188 runs with the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs (CSK - 188/4, 20 over).

Paul Valthaty and Adam Gilchrist opened the batting innings for KXIP. I was eagerly waiting for Gilly to play some magnificent shots but his partner Valthaty did not let him as he himself was firing each and every delivery. Gilly did not play big even today and he departed scoring only 19 runs and i was in full disappointed. It was Paul Valthaty's day as he kept on his momentum going, his partners gave him enough support but the partnerships were not building that much though. At one point of time, it look almost impossible for the KXIP to win the match, but Valthaty made the difference. He just played awesome right from the beginning of the innings till the end. He scored his IPL maiden century and remained unbeaten scoring 120 runs in just 63 deliveries that included 19 fours and 2 sixes. In 19.1 over KXIP successfully chased the target scoring 193 runs with the loss of 4 wickets (KXIP - 193/4, 19.1 over).

Kings XI Punjab won the match by 6 wickets. Man of the match was Paul Valthaty who was solely responsible for winning the match.

This was highest total score scored by any team in this IPL season and the highest chase as well.

IPL 2011: MI vs RCB

On 12th April, Mumbai Indians played against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The toss was won by Mumbai Indians and they chose to field first.

Mayank Agarwal and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the batting innings for RCB. In the very first ball of the innings, Lasith Malinga bowled and yorker length delivery to Mayank Agarwal and bowled him. He departed getting a duck and the batting team became quite upset with Malinga's bowling attack. Virat Kohli came in and did not survive for a long time. He only scored 12 runs from 19 deliveries. AB de Villiers and Dilshan put up some good partnership that helped RCB to come out of the critical situation. AB de villiers scored 38 runs before getting caught and bowled by Kieron Pollard. Dilshan managed to put up a half-century and remained unbeaten scoring 59 runs in 52 deliveries that included 4 fours and 2 sixes. In 20 overs, RCB managed to put up a total score of 140 runs for the loss of 4 wickets (RCB - 140/4, 20 over). 


The total was not a big or challenging one for the Mumbai Indians as they have a pretty aggressive batting line-up. Right from the start of the innings, MI batsmen started to play some big shots. Davy Jacobs scored 22 runs and departed. Dirk Nannes picked up his wicket and gave 0 runs in his first over. Dirk Nannes after this over did not bowl as he got injured. Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu put up a unbeaten partnership of 110 runs. Sachin Tendulkar remained unbeaten scoring 55 runs and Ambati Rayudu remained unbeaten scoring 63 runs. In 18.3 overs, Mumbai Indians managed to chase the target successfully scoring a total of 143 runs for the loss of 1 wicket (MI - 143/1, 18.3 over).

Mumbai Indians won the match by 9 wickets. Man of the match for Sachin Tendulkar. This victory has made Mumbai Indians to move to the first place of the ranking table. I am really disappointed with my home teams performance. They have lost a match, that too at their home ground.

IPL 2011: KKR vs DC

On 11th of April, Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers faced each other at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The toss was won by KKR and they elected to bat first.

Jacques Kallis and Manvinder Bisla opened the batting innings. The start was pretty good and they scored runs very smoothly. Manvinder Bisla got out when their team total was 51. Jacques Kallis managed to put up his second half-century of the tournament. Later on, skipper Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan played some good knocks and guided the team to put up a very good total. They managed to scored a total of 163 runs with the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs (KKR - 163/4, 20 over). This score was the highest total scored by any team in this IPL season 4.

Now the real pressure was on Deccan Chargers as they had to score 164 runs to win the match. This was pretty tough as they have to give a brilliant opening with a big partnership. But they failed to make it happen, they lost 2 quick wickets in a span of 3.2 over. They were in real trouble at this point of time. Bharat Chipli, Daniel Christian and Amit Mishra played some brilliant strokes that helped the Deccan Chargers to get closer. But DC failed to chase the target and ended up scoring a total of 146 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets (DC - 146/8, 20 over). Iqbal Abdulla took 3 wickets.

Kolkata Knight Riders won match by 9 runs. Man of the match was Jacques Kallis for his brilliant performance with bat and in field. He scored a half-century and took 4 catches.

Twenty20 Cricket: Zimbabwe vs South Africa

A twenty-20 cricket match was played yesterday between South Africa and Zimbabwe at OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein, South Africa. The toss went into the favor of Zimbabwe team and they decided to bat first.

Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor were the openers for the Zimbabwe and started the batting innings for the team. Brendan Taylor was back to the pavilion without scoring a single run by getting lbw in Wayne Parnell's delivery. Chamu Chibhabha teamed up with Hamilton Masakadza and put up a partnership of 76 runs. Chamu Chibhabha departed after scoring 52 runs from 32 deliveries that included 6 fours and 2 sixes. Hamilton Masakadza got out as the fourth wicket fell for Zimbabwe. He scored 72 runs from 63 deliveries that included 6 fours and 2 sixes. Finally Zimbabwe landed up scoring 168 runs from 20 overs with the loss of just 4 wickets.


South Africa needed 169 runs to win the match. Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman opened the batting innings for SA. They both started of very well till the break of their partnership, team's run rate was above 12 runs per over. Loots Bosman was the first wicket to fall and soon Graeme Smith followed him. By 15.5 overs, South Africa managed to reach the target. South Africa scored 169 runs with the loss of 3 wickets. Graeme Smith was the highest score in the team. He scored 58 runs from just 29 deliveries that included 9 fours and 2 sixes.  South Africa won the match by 7 wickets.