Amit Mishra, Quinton de Kock earn DD first win of the season

Mishra spins a web

Just two deliveries are required to describe the kind of dominance the Delhi Daredevils managed to exert on the Kings XI Punjab. The first was a classical leg-break — slow and loopy — tossed above Shaun Marsh’s eye-line. It tempted him to come down the track, but Marsh gets beaten in flight.
The ball pitches and deviates, and Quinton de Kock did a pretty competent job behind the stumps. Marsh was dismissed for 13 immediately after Powerplay.

The second was a googly, one which fizzed off the turf to trap David Miller plumb in front. In the end, these two vastly contrasting deliveries from Amit Mishra - fetching him wickets in the first delivery of the opening two overs - was enough to derail what looked like a formidable batting line-up of Kings XI Punjab.

Mishra proved to his captain Zaheer Khan’s trump card. More than anything it was the sense of occasion — the 33-year-old was featuring in his 100th IPL game. He was also aided by the manner in which his captain used him as a wicket-taking option up front. Brought into the attack in the 7th over, Punjab were sitting pretty at 1/37. Instead of going on the defensive, Zaheer went for the kill, keeping a slip straightaway. Buoyed by his captain’s confidence, Mishra hit his straps immediately. He bowled tidy lines, rarely erred in length and cleverly mixed his pace. Punjab, who were banking heavily on their two foreign superstars — Miller and Glenn Maxwell — were clueless to the guiles of Mishra. By the time, Maxwell was dismissed, Punjab’s were meandering into oblivion. Mishra was supported by offie Jayant Yadav, who scalped Axar Patel. Punjab would eventually end their essay at 111/9, but surprisingly, Mishra, the star of the evening, would not finish his quota of four overs. His three-over burst yielded him four wickets, enough to walk away with the Player-of-the-Match award. Mishra’s record in IPL is enviable. In 100 games, he has picked 116 wickets, putting him second to only Lasith Malinga (143) in the list of the highest wicket-takers in this format. For a bowler of such amazing consistency, it’s baffling that he has featured in only seven T20 internationals. What’s even more surprising is that six of those games were played at the World T20 in Bangladesh two years ago, where he finished with a haul of 10 wickets.

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Pacesetters Gujarat Lions show up for Mumbai sprint

Two years ago, they lost their first five matches and last year they lost their three first games. This year, Mumbai Indians have managed to win their second game away after a listless first match at home. They had chosen to bat in their first game against Rising Pune Supergiants — a strange decision considering the pitch was perhaps best tuned to chase. They made amends in the second game in Kolkata, and though they conceded 187, they managed to canter in the chase courtesy Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler.

Gujarat Lions have made a sparkling start, winning both their games, with Aaron Finch bagging the man of the match awards on both occasions. At their home base in Rajkot, Suresh Raina, their captain, seemed more than happy to trust the spinners with three of them playing. Their real strength, though, is in that beefy top order. Apart from Finch, they have Brendon McCullum, Raina and Dwayne Bravo — it’s a kind of line-up that would fancy hunting down or setting up targets with confidence.

With his clever slower deliveries that dip tantalisingly late Bravo the bowler continues to win rave reviews, as he should. But Bravo the batsman has been slipping under the radar. The World T20 was almost a non-show, even turning in a match threatening slow knock in the final. In the second game, here, against Ishant Sharma, he showed what he is capable of with three consecutive fours. For the first, he jumped almost to the wide line outside leg stump and when Ishant followed him up with a length delivery, Bravo stood still to unfurl a peachy inside-out over covers. He shimmed again next ball — though not as much as the first — and again brought in his high left-elbow into play to send the ball over extra cover again. For the third he stood at his stance to wallop a full delivery over the offside. On his day, he can not only be attacking but also be stylish.

Mitch McClenaghan marked the return of pinch hitters in T20 with a breezy 8-ball 20 in the chase against Kolkata. The chase was under control but he ensured it didn’t slack off. He teed off three sixes to put any doubt about the chase to rest. Rohit Sharma, who had a poor world T20 tournament, came back to form in IPL with a 54-ball 84 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Pune take on Gujarat Lions in clash of IPL debutants

After impressive debuts in their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions will face-off at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Pune outclassed defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the season opener while Gujarat defeated Kings XI Punjab by five wickets on Monday.

The two new franchises were added to the IPL family after the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

CSK teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will for the first time face-off in IPL after playing together for eight editions in the cash-rich tournament.


Dhoni-led Pune thrashed Mumbai in all departments of the game and will hope to register their second win. In-form Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith and Dhoni make a strong batting unit and the top order showed their class against Mumbai.

In their bowling department, the experience of Ishant Sharma and R.P. Singh will come in useful to strike early against Gujarat like they did in the campaign opener.

Experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who got to bowl only one over against Mumbai will lead the spin bowling department alongside youngster Murugan Ashwin.

On the other hand, Gujarat also have a formidable top order batting line-up with the likes of in-form Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Raina, Dinesh Karthik and all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner to follow.

Praveen Kumar, Bravo, Faulkner, Pradeep Sangwan and left-arm off-spinner Ravindra Jadeja will form a considerable bowling line-up.

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Court moves IPL out of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur in May

All IPL 2016 matches scheduled in Maharashtra after April 30 must be moved out of the state, the Bombay High Court has ruled. The ruling came after a Public Interest Litigation questioned the hosting of matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur due to a severe drought in Maharashtra.

The ruling affects 13 matches, including the final which was to be held in Mumbai on May 29. Pune will miss out on six matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, while no games will be held in Nagpur. The state was earlier scheduled to host 20 matches.

Last week, the court had sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations on why water should be "wasted" on hosting the games when the state faced one of its worst ever droughts. The court later allowed the opening match to be held as scheduled in Mumbai on April 9, and asked the Maharashtra state government and Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, to respond on plans to tackle the issue of water shortage. On Tuesday, the court orally asked the BCCI if matches could be shifted out of Pune.

In its defence, the BCCI had stated that less water was used to prepare the ground for an IPL game when compared to an international fixture. The board also stated that it intended to use treated sewage water for ground preparation in Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants, the franchises based in Mumbai and Pune, had proposed to contribute INR 5 crore to the Maharashtra chief minister's drought relief fund and supply 40 lakh litres of water to drought-hit areas at their own cost.

While the BCCI is mulling its next move, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has admitted that moving games out of Maharashtra is a logistical problem for the board. He also pointed out that no objections of this kind were raised when Mumbai and Nagpur hosted World T20 matches last month.

"Organising the IPL is a gigantic work. It's not easy. All preparations had been done, completed," Shukla said. "Now shifting the matches will be a problem. So far, we have not got the written order, after we get that, we will study the order and work out an alternative plan. We always respect the court. We need to talk to other franchises. We will have to work it out.

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KKR vs MI: Mumbai Indians stroll in Rohit Sharma’s garden of Eden

Kolkata put an imposing 187/5 on the board, thanks to Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey’s 100-run partnership. But Mumbai Indians banked on Rohit Sharma's waltz and a McClenaghan cameo to run down the target with five balls to spare.

The Rohit waltz

Midway into the Mumbai Indians' innings, Rohit Sharma became the buzz at Eden Gardens. About 35,000 fans, most of them Kolkata Knight Riders faithful, had been standing and applauding. They had been entertained with one of the best batting displays of the summer. It had to be the case anyway. From his Test century on debut to world record 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka, this venue has seldom returned Rohit empty-handed. This is the place where he has lifted the IPL title twice as well. The love affair continued.

Against a victory target of 188, the visitors' chances largely depended on their captain. And what an innings he played. Third ball into the chase, and Rohit flicked Russell over deep square leg for a six. John Hastings, miserly in the first game against Delhi Daredevils, came for the second over, and Rohit unleashed a gorgeous on drive to the long-on fence. Kolkata captain Gambhir sensed the danger and brought on Brad Hogg. But Rohit is a master of picking the length early and his pull to the square leg boundary had authority. After a fallow World T20 — 88 runs in five matches — the opener was once again in his element. He saved the best for last though, when Russell returned for his final spell. Three fours in a row; the last of which was swept from wide outside off to the mid-wicket fence. An unbeaten 84 off 54 deliveries had made the choice for the Man of the Match award a formality.

McClenaghan cameo

Mumbai got stuck a bit after power-plays. Parthiv Patel's silly run out and Hardik Pandya's stutter being the reasons. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav had been bowling. Mumbai promoted left-hander Mitchell McClenaghan ahead of Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard. The pinch-hitter slammed back-to-back sixes off Chawla, clobbered another one off Yadav, scored 20 in eight balls and took the wind out of Kolkata's sails. Brilliant thinking. Horses for courses. Then, Buttler came, played an excellent cameo and slammed the door shut on the hosts.

The 100-run partnership

Manish Pandey has grown pretty well as a limited-overs batsman. The match-winning hundred for India in the final ODI against Australia at the SCG in January attested his progress. He is comfortably Kolkata's most assured hand and tonight he played a rollicking knock.

The hosts might have liked to chase a total on an excellent T20 pitch. But Rohit won the toss and Kolkata had been sent in. It's always difficult to set a par score with the pitch playing so beautifully. But 200 was up for grabs. Pandey's 29-ball 52 and his 100-run second wicket partnership with Gambhir set the base. A big partnership was the need of the hour after Kolkata had lost Robin Uthappa early - done in by the extra bounce from McClenaghan. Pandey and Gambhir wrested initiative.

Calmness is Pandey's forte. He is never hurried and waits for the loose balls. His ability to rotate the strike was the key to his 179-plus strike-rate. When Pandya missed his length, Pandey eased him over long-on for a six. When Harbhajan Singh over-pitched, the young batsman lifted him over the mid-wicket fence. And as left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith - in for Vinay Kumar - enticed him with flight, he danced down the track and hit him straight for a maximum.

It needed a special delivery to get him out, after he had reached his half-ton. And Harbhajan produced one, holding back his top-spinner a little and grabbing a comfortable return catch. But by then, Kolkata had been set up nicely.

Gambhir played his part with a 52-ball 64. He timed the ball well for his four fours and a six. But the left-hander had been lucky to survive on 30 and 55 with Rohit and Jasprit Bumrah flooring simple chances. Andre Russell came early with a clear brief to throw the kitchen sink and the big Jamaican laid into Tim Southee, hitting him for two sixes and then, turning his attention towards Harbhajan with another six and a four. He had raced to 36 off 16 balls, when McClenaghan breached his defence and it proved to be a turning point with Kolkata scoring only 23 runs in their last 2.4 overs. After Russell's charge, 200 looked to be very gettable.

Injured Simmons out of IPL 2016

Mumbai Indians opener Lendl Simmons has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2016 due to an injury to his lower back. New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has been named as Simmons' replacement.

Simmons' injury is similar to the one that forced him to withdraw from the first stage of the World T20 last month. He later joined the West Indies team for the tournament, in place of the injured Andre Fletcher, and scored a crucial 51-ball 82 not out in the semi-final against India in Mumbai.

Simmons was the best batsman for Mumbai Indians during their title run in IPL 2015, scoring 540 runs in 13 matches at a strike-rate of 122.41 with six half-centuries. Overall, he has scored 942 runs in 22 matches for Mumbai Indians since 2014. He was out for 8 in Mumbai's opening game against Rising Pune Supergiants last week.

Guptill was unsold during the player auction in February, despite being listed as one of the marquee players at a base price of INR 50 lakh. The opening batsman was the highest run-getter in the 2015 World Cup, scoring 547 runs in nine matches, including a knock of 237 against West Indies in the quarter-final. Guptill's overall T20 record stands at 4684 runs from 155 matches with two centuries, including one against South Africa in December 2012. Guptill has also played in the Caribbean Premier League for Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, apart from stints with Derbyshire and Sydney Thunder.

Wankhede to get RWITC water for IPL matches

Even as Board of Control for Cricket in India and Mumbai Cricket Association wait nervously for the Bombay High Court's decision on Tuesday (April 12) regarding the shifting of Indian Premier League matches from Maharashtra due to severe water crisis in the state, Sharad Pawar has played a masterstroke, which might just see at least the Wankhede Stadium hosting its share of eight IPL games.

Sensing that there was growing unrest among NGOs, politicians and the general public over plans to provide 40 lakh litres of water to Wankhede to help it host IPL matches this season even as the state reels under the effect of a severe drought, the MCA president requested the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) to help provide water to the iconic stadium from its Sewage Treatment Plant at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With the racing season about to end, the RWITC, which uses this water to maintain its racetrack, much to the relief of the MCA and local IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, has agreed to Pawar's plea.

In a letter to Pawar (a copy of which is with the TOI) on Monday (April 11), the RWITC secretary BA Engineer wrote, "Our club has received a request to provide seven-eight tankers of our sewage treated water on a daily basis up to the end of May 2016, to water the MCA's Wankhede Stadium. We can supply this water so that acute water crisis can be overcome to enable you to conduct your cricket matches. The charges will be decided at a later date."

"I am thankful to the RWITC for agreeing to help us out in this time of crisis," Pawar told TOI from New Delhi. This ecofriendly mode of supplying water to the Wankhede Stadium's pitch and rest of the ground may just convince the Bombay High Court to allow the IPL show to go on at the Wankhede. If that does happen, it will be another feather in the cap for the seasoned politician in his successful innings as a cricket administrator.

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Bravo's over turned the game on its head, feels Finch

Aaron Finch, Gujarat Lions' opener, felt Dwayne Bravo's second over of the spell - where the all-rounder accounted for the wickets of Kings XI Punjab's destructive batsman Glenn Maxwell and captain David Miller - tipped the scales in his team's favour during their tournament opener against the hosts in the Indian Premier League 2016 on Monday (April 11).

"It was the turning point in their batting innings, I think," Finch said in the post-match conference, after Lions scripted a five-wicket win on their IPL debut.

"When you've got two guys like Maxwell and Miller, with the firepower they have got and the six-hitting capability, I suppose, to get them both in the same over, to be able to have two new batters in to dry up (the runs) for a small period there was absolutely crucial."

Kings XI were cruising at 78 for no loss in the ninth over when Ravindra Jadeja got rid of both the set openers - Manan Vohra and Murali Vijay - in his successive overs. It was, however, Bravo's twin strikes in his second over to send Maxwell and Miller back in the hut in the space of three deliveries soon after, that strangled the hosts' innings. The West Indies all-rounder returned in the final over to add two more wickets to his credit and finish with career-best figures of 4 for 22.

"He's been absolutely brilliant for every team that he has played for. For the West Indies, here at Gujarat, even at Chennai (Super Kings) he was fantastic. He's someone who just keeps getting better and better with age and he's not slowing down. He brings so much to the table with bat, ball and field. Very happy that he is on our side," Finch gushed.

For a team that has been put together from scratch, it was a commendable start to the season. Except for probably the first over of their chase, when Brendon McCullum departed for a duck, Lions hardly put a foot wrong. If the bowlers leaked too many runs in the powerplay, Jadeja and Bravo's timely strikes more than made up for it in the middle overs to restrict Punjab to a sub-par 161. 

Finch, however, also credited the other bowlers - Praveen Kumar and James Faulkner in particular - for pulling the things back after the team had conceded 52 in the first six overs.

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Bombay High Court questions hosting IPL matches in drought-hit state

The Bombay High Court has sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations in Maharashtra on why water should be "wasted" on hosting IPL 2016 matches when the state is facing one of its worst-ever droughts. After making a series of stinging remarks questioning the BCCI's priorities, the board's counsel sought time to prepare a contingency plan and the case was adjourned till April 7.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Loksatta Movement, a Mumbai-based NGO, which wanted the IPL matches, scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, relocated following a severe state-wide drought in recent months.

The court has asked the BCCI and the concerned state associations - the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association - to give "a detailed account" of the amount of water that will be needed for the tournament. However, no orders have yet been passed by the court.

The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik observed "that this entire thing (of the utilisation of water for IPL matches) needs to be thought over". The court also reportedly asked the BCCI counsel whether "cricket matches were more important than people or preserving water".

Overall Maharashtra is scheduled to host 20 matches in the ninth edition of the IPL. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host eight matches, including the tournament opener on April 9 and the final on May 29. Nine matches have been allotted to the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, including the Eliminator on May 25 and Qualifier 2 on May 27, while three matches will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, designated as home games for Kings XI Punjab.

Arshil Shah, the advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner, said: "We argued that there is absolutely no water available in areas like Latur and Parbhani [districts]. People are fighting over water. It is a severe law-and-order situation. In such times, the court observed it would be a criminal waste of water for cricket matches to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur." According to Shah, the BCCI and the IPL "have the means and resources" to shift matches out of Maharashtra.

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IPL 9: With Dhoni in the team, Rising Pune Supergiants hope to fly high

Rising Pune Supergiants on papers have one of the most well-balanced squad out of the eight One of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees. Led by captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Supergiants will be coached by Stephen Fleming. The Dhoni-Fleming duo made Chennai Super Kings the team to beat in the previous editions and will be hoping to do the same with Supergiants.

Pune Supergiants are one of the two teams that will make its debut this year. They will be replacing Chennai Super Kings who have been suspended for a period of two years due after the spot-fixing scandal along with Rajasthan Royals.

Though Dhoni is now the skipper of a new team, most of his teammates will be same who played with him at CSK. Under Dhoni, CSK had won two IPL titles and as many Champions League T20 trophies.

Apart from Dhoni, the other CSK players in the team are offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis and Indian pacer Ishwar Pandey. They also have with them England’s swashbuckling batsman Kevin Pietersen, Ajinkya Rahane and Aussie skipper Steven Smith.

Dhoni has already said that he is happy with the balance of the squad. He is also upbeat about the quality of allrounders in the team and is hopeful that the franchisee can make its presence felt in the first year itself.

“I feel that more the allrounders, better the team. I consider my team is perfect as it has a good combination of players. With the inclusion of Saurabh Tiwary and Albie Morkel, it is a balanced side. It’s really great to have Stephen Fleming back as coach. He is an outstanding thinker. It is also good to have Kevin Pietersen. He is a solid batsman and I think his presence is going to bolster our side," Dhoni had said.

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Mumbai Indians to face Pune in IPL 2016 opener

The 2016 edition of the IPL will begin on April 9, when defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on new entrants Rising Pune Supergiants at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The final, too, will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on May 29.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will host the home games of new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants, while the Saurashtra Cricket 

Association Stadium in Rajkot will be the home stadium of Gujarat Lions. This year's edition will not see any afternoon games (1600 IST start) on weekdays.

Apart from the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur will host two home games of Delhi Daredevils. The VCA Stadium in Nagpur will host three home games for Kings XI Punjab, apart from their usual home ground in Mohali.

Zaheer Khan to captain Daredevils in IPL 2016

Zaheer Khan has been appointed as captain of the Delhi Daredevils for the 2016 IPL season.

Zaheer joined Daredevils in 2015; he played seven of the team's 14 matches, taking seven wickets at an average of 22.28 and an economy-rate of 6.45. He described his appointment as a "huge honour".

"It is a huge honour to captain Delhi Daredevils," Zaheer said. "To get this responsibility is a way for me to give back to the game. I firmly believe that with the players currently involved we have the makings of a very good side, a young side that can surprise people. The potential of this group of players is immense and it is now up to us as players to turn that potential into consistent performances."

Daredevils' team mentor Rahul Dravid was full of praise for Zaheer, and expressed high hopes for the bowler's forthcoming stint as captain.

"Zaheer has been a leader for a very long time. Anyone who has followed Indian cricket will know the impact Zak has had," Dravid said. "Zak has a big personality, but it is the steel, focus and drive behind the outward confidence which I think he will bring to the captaincy and that I am sure will inspire the rest of the team. He has the respect of the dressing room and the franchise is proud to have him as our captain."

Zaheer had retired from international cricket last October, but he had last played for India in February 2014.