Saturday, April 18, 2009
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Chennai beat Punjab, enter final
MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings thumped Kings XI Punjab by 9 wickets in the second semi-final of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing 113 runs to enter the final, Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina guide Chennai to victory against Kings XI Punjab in the 15th over.
Chennai Super Kings will play favourite, Rajathan Royals at DY Patil stadium on Sunday in the final on the inaugural Indian Premier League.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings' pace attack ripped apart the strong Punjab Kings XI top-order batting and restricted them to a paltry 112 for 8 in the second semi-final of Indian Premier League..
Everything went wrong for Kings XI Punjab after captain Yuvraj Singh opted to bat first on winning the toss and half their side was back in the dug-out with only 40 on the board on a seaming track.
Poor batting coupled with some good seam bowling undid the Punjab side.
Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Singh Gony rocked the high-flying Kings XI Punjab side with a double strike each which reduced Yuvraj Singh-led team to a pathetic 34 for four in the sixth over.
Ntini started the domination of the ball over the bat when he had James Hopes caught behind chasing an outswinger for two in the second over.
Then Gony dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in similar fashion, caught by wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to leave Punjab at a shaky 2 for 11.
Things became grimmer when Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh pulled Gony, who bowled an excellent four-over spell for figures of 2 for 14, straight to Muttiah Muralitharan at wide mid-on to leave them gasping at 28 for three.
But the biggest blow was when South African pacer Ntini dismissed Punjab batting mainstay Marsh in his third over.
At 45 for six there was a possibility of Punjab doing worse than what Kolkata Knight Riders had done (67 all out; the lowest score of IPL) against Mumbai Indians at the same venue on May 16.
This was averted with Wilkin Mota (25 off 26 balls) and Ramesh Powar (28 off 22 balls; 1X6; 4X4) leading the way by adding 35 runs for the eighth wicket.
Powar helped boost the tally by creaming Balaji for three fours in the last over from which 14 runs were scored.
Ntini got 2 for 23 in his four overs bowled on the trot, Morkel ended up with 2 for 27 while Muralitharan, who bowled the first over of the innings, finished with 1 for 19.
Chasing 113 runs to enter the final, Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina guide Chennai to victory against Kings XI Punjab in the 15th over.
Chennai Super Kings will play favourite, Rajathan Royals at DY Patil stadium on Sunday in the final on the inaugural Indian Premier League.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings' pace attack ripped apart the strong Punjab Kings XI top-order batting and restricted them to a paltry 112 for 8 in the second semi-final of Indian Premier League..
Everything went wrong for Kings XI Punjab after captain Yuvraj Singh opted to bat first on winning the toss and half their side was back in the dug-out with only 40 on the board on a seaming track.
Poor batting coupled with some good seam bowling undid the Punjab side.
Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Singh Gony rocked the high-flying Kings XI Punjab side with a double strike each which reduced Yuvraj Singh-led team to a pathetic 34 for four in the sixth over.
Ntini started the domination of the ball over the bat when he had James Hopes caught behind chasing an outswinger for two in the second over.
Then Gony dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in similar fashion, caught by wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to leave Punjab at a shaky 2 for 11.
Things became grimmer when Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh pulled Gony, who bowled an excellent four-over spell for figures of 2 for 14, straight to Muttiah Muralitharan at wide mid-on to leave them gasping at 28 for three.
But the biggest blow was when South African pacer Ntini dismissed Punjab batting mainstay Marsh in his third over.
At 45 for six there was a possibility of Punjab doing worse than what Kolkata Knight Riders had done (67 all out; the lowest score of IPL) against Mumbai Indians at the same venue on May 16.
This was averted with Wilkin Mota (25 off 26 balls) and Ramesh Powar (28 off 22 balls; 1X6; 4X4) leading the way by adding 35 runs for the eighth wicket.
Powar helped boost the tally by creaming Balaji for three fours in the last over from which 14 runs were scored.
Ntini got 2 for 23 in his four overs bowled on the trot, Morkel ended up with 2 for 27 while Muralitharan, who bowled the first over of the innings, finished with 1 for 19.
Clinical Chennai send Punjab packing
An inspired Chennai Super Kings shrugged off the underdogs' tag with a thoroughly comprehensive display to thrash Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets and join Rajasthan Royals in the IPL final. Punjab's batting had been in superb form through most of the tournament, but they came completely unstuck in the face of some accurate and relentless seam bowling by Chennai's three fast bowlers, folding for a paltry 112. Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina then ensured that the run-chase was a canter, putting together 102 for the second wicket - both ended on unbeaten half-centuries as Chennai sailed home with 31 deliveries to spare.
Punjab's two previous losses to Chennai, in the league games, had both come when they'd chased, and Yuvraj Singh did the team a huge favour by winning the toss and choosing to bat on a pitch which was expected to assist the spinners later in the evening. That, though, was the only thing that went right for Punjab, as Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony struck twice each in their first spells, reduced Punjab to 40 for 5, and never released the pressure thereafter, as the Wankhede Stadium played host to the second one-sided semi-final in two days.
On a pitch offering generous bounce to the fast bowlers, Chennai's pace attack of Ntini, Gony and Albie Morkel bowled in the perfect channel, denying the Punjab batsmen any room to execute strokes through the off side. Learning from Shane Watson's spell on Friday, Ntini pitched it slightly short of a length, hit the bat hard, and hurried the batsmen in their shots, while Gony bowled a fuller length, and with the sort of control which would have made Glenn McGrath proud. Chennai were also superb in the field - Muttiah Muralitharan pulled off a splendid catch over his head to intercept a Yuvraj pull, Suresh Raina was equally spectacular in pulling off a diving catch to dismiss Wilkin Mota, while the ground fielding was without blemish.
There was little sign of such a dramatic collapse when Shaun Marsh stroked the first ball of the match - from Muralitharan, surprisingly - through the covers for four. Seven came off that over, but the wheels started coming off in the next over, when James Hopes slashed at a wide one from Ntini and edged to Parthiv.
That dismissal sparked off a procession of wickets, as three more fell in the next four overs. Kumar Sangakkara's was the most bizarre, as he seemed to miss a drive off Gony, but walked off even though Parthiv didn't appeal at all. Yuvraj was restless after playing out three successive dot balls and pulled to Murali at short midwicket, but the biggest blow was delivered in the next over, when Ntini hit back to dismiss Marsh immediately after being creamed for a perfect straight drive. Marsh had top-edged a pull for six earlier in the innings, but wasn't as lucky in the sixth over, as the inside edge crashed into his stumps.
Clearly rattled by the early wickets, Punjab lost the plot with some terrible running between the wickets, which cost Irfan Pathan his wicket. Mahela Jayawardene stroked the ball to third man, ran two, started for the third and then changed his mind, leaving Pathan with too little time to gain his ground. When Jayawardene himself fell next over, steering to the wicketkeeper, Punjab had slumped to 45 for 6.
From there, it was only an exercise in damage control: Mota and Ramesh Powar - the two local Mumbai players - put together 35, easily the most productive partnership of the innings. Mota managed a useful 26-ball 25, while Powar smeared Morkel for a huge six over midwicket and then punished a listless L Balaji for three fours in the last over, but a target of 113 was hardly enough to test Chennai.
S Vidyut fell early, but Raina and Parthiv gave Punjab no further opportunity. Raina was in especially sublime touch - he started off with two delectable fours, adjusting to Powar's turn and gliding a four to third man, and then cutting the next ball through point. As he grew in confidence, the ferocity of the strokes increased, and the high point was an incredible pull off Hopes - on a pitch where most batsmen struggled to ride the bounce and execute the stroke - which sailed onto the roof of the stadium. Pathan was similarly dismissed over square leg, while Chawla was slog-swept for six and then driven through extra cover in the last over as Raina brought up his fifty off a mere 32 balls.
Parthiv was slightly more subdued, but the paltry target gave him plenty of time to work with. He started slowly, but then a couple of superb straight hits off the fast bowlers, and powerful sweeps off the spinners. Pathan's early swing with the new ball offered Punjab some hope, but once Chennai got past that threat, there was little the slower bowlers could do. Chennai lost both their league games against Rajasthan, but after such an emphatic win, that'll hardly bother them.
Punjab's two previous losses to Chennai, in the league games, had both come when they'd chased, and Yuvraj Singh did the team a huge favour by winning the toss and choosing to bat on a pitch which was expected to assist the spinners later in the evening. That, though, was the only thing that went right for Punjab, as Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony struck twice each in their first spells, reduced Punjab to 40 for 5, and never released the pressure thereafter, as the Wankhede Stadium played host to the second one-sided semi-final in two days.
On a pitch offering generous bounce to the fast bowlers, Chennai's pace attack of Ntini, Gony and Albie Morkel bowled in the perfect channel, denying the Punjab batsmen any room to execute strokes through the off side. Learning from Shane Watson's spell on Friday, Ntini pitched it slightly short of a length, hit the bat hard, and hurried the batsmen in their shots, while Gony bowled a fuller length, and with the sort of control which would have made Glenn McGrath proud. Chennai were also superb in the field - Muttiah Muralitharan pulled off a splendid catch over his head to intercept a Yuvraj pull, Suresh Raina was equally spectacular in pulling off a diving catch to dismiss Wilkin Mota, while the ground fielding was without blemish.
There was little sign of such a dramatic collapse when Shaun Marsh stroked the first ball of the match - from Muralitharan, surprisingly - through the covers for four. Seven came off that over, but the wheels started coming off in the next over, when James Hopes slashed at a wide one from Ntini and edged to Parthiv.
That dismissal sparked off a procession of wickets, as three more fell in the next four overs. Kumar Sangakkara's was the most bizarre, as he seemed to miss a drive off Gony, but walked off even though Parthiv didn't appeal at all. Yuvraj was restless after playing out three successive dot balls and pulled to Murali at short midwicket, but the biggest blow was delivered in the next over, when Ntini hit back to dismiss Marsh immediately after being creamed for a perfect straight drive. Marsh had top-edged a pull for six earlier in the innings, but wasn't as lucky in the sixth over, as the inside edge crashed into his stumps.
Clearly rattled by the early wickets, Punjab lost the plot with some terrible running between the wickets, which cost Irfan Pathan his wicket. Mahela Jayawardene stroked the ball to third man, ran two, started for the third and then changed his mind, leaving Pathan with too little time to gain his ground. When Jayawardene himself fell next over, steering to the wicketkeeper, Punjab had slumped to 45 for 6.
From there, it was only an exercise in damage control: Mota and Ramesh Powar - the two local Mumbai players - put together 35, easily the most productive partnership of the innings. Mota managed a useful 26-ball 25, while Powar smeared Morkel for a huge six over midwicket and then punished a listless L Balaji for three fours in the last over, but a target of 113 was hardly enough to test Chennai.
S Vidyut fell early, but Raina and Parthiv gave Punjab no further opportunity. Raina was in especially sublime touch - he started off with two delectable fours, adjusting to Powar's turn and gliding a four to third man, and then cutting the next ball through point. As he grew in confidence, the ferocity of the strokes increased, and the high point was an incredible pull off Hopes - on a pitch where most batsmen struggled to ride the bounce and execute the stroke - which sailed onto the roof of the stadium. Pathan was similarly dismissed over square leg, while Chawla was slog-swept for six and then driven through extra cover in the last over as Raina brought up his fifty off a mere 32 balls.
Parthiv was slightly more subdued, but the paltry target gave him plenty of time to work with. He started slowly, but then a couple of superb straight hits off the fast bowlers, and powerful sweeps off the spinners. Pathan's early swing with the new ball offered Punjab some hope, but once Chennai got past that threat, there was little the slower bowlers could do. Chennai lost both their league games against Rajasthan, but after such an emphatic win, that'll hardly bother them.
Chennai Super Kings set up a Royals date
Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings' pace attack ripped apart the strong Kings XI Punjab top-order batting and restricted them to a paltry 112-8 in the second semi-final of Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday night.
Everything went wrong for Kings XI Punjab after skipper Yuvraj Singh opted to bat first on winning the toss and half their side was back in the dug-out with only 40 on the board on a seaming track.
Poor batting coupled with some good seam bowling undid the Punjab side.
Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Singh Gony rocked the high-flying Kings XI Punjab side with a double strike each which reduced Yuvraj Singh-led team to a pathetic 34-4 in the sixth over.
Ntini started the domination of the ball over the bat when he had James Hopes caught behind chasing an outswinger for two in the second over.
Then Gony dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in similar fashion, caught by wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to leave Punjab at a shaky 2 for 11.
Things became grimmer when Yuvraj pulled Gony, who bowled an excellent four-over spell for figures of 2 for 14, straight to Muttiah Muralitharan at wide mid-on to leave them gasping at 28-3.
But the biggest blow was when South African pacer Ntini dismissed Punjab batting mainstay Marsh in his third over.
The left-handed opener from Western Australia attempted to pull a ball from wide of his stumps but only managed to get an under-edge that crashed on to the stumps to the absolute delight of the Chennai Super Kings players.
Down in the dumps, Punjab lost Irfan Pathan in a horrible mix-up with Mahela Jayawardene who refused to respond to the former's call for a third run. The long throw from Ntini, who dived to stop a boundary, came handy for running out Irfan when he was stranded at mid-pitch.
Punjab, tottering at 40-5 at Pathan's dismissal, lost their sixth wicket when Jayawardene, with his poise upset at Pathan's run-out and open show of anger while walking back, tried to glide Albie Morkel and top-edged to Patel who grabbed his third catch.
At 45-6 there was a possibility of Punjab doing worse than what Kolkata Knight Riders had done (67 all out; the lowest score of IPL) against Mumbai Indians at the same venue on May 16.
This was averted with Wilkin Mota (25 off 26 balls) and Ramesh Powar (28 off 22 balls; 1X6; 4X4) leading the way by adding 35 runs for the eighth wicket.
The duo took advantage of some below-par performance by the Chennai team in the field to take the score close to 100 before Mota was out.
Powar helped boost the tally by creaming Balaji for three fours in the last over from which 14 runs were scored.
Ntini got 2 for 23 in his four overs bowled on the trot, Morkel ended up with 2 for 27 while Muralitharan, who bowled the first over, finished with 1 for 19.
Teams:
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Parthiv Patel, Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath, C Kapugedera, L Balaji, Manpreet Gony, Muthiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini.
Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Piyush Chawla, Wilkin Mota, Irfan Pathan, Romesh Powar, VRV Singh, S Sreesanth.
Everything went wrong for Kings XI Punjab after skipper Yuvraj Singh opted to bat first on winning the toss and half their side was back in the dug-out with only 40 on the board on a seaming track.
Poor batting coupled with some good seam bowling undid the Punjab side.
Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Singh Gony rocked the high-flying Kings XI Punjab side with a double strike each which reduced Yuvraj Singh-led team to a pathetic 34-4 in the sixth over.
Ntini started the domination of the ball over the bat when he had James Hopes caught behind chasing an outswinger for two in the second over.
Then Gony dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in similar fashion, caught by wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to leave Punjab at a shaky 2 for 11.
Things became grimmer when Yuvraj pulled Gony, who bowled an excellent four-over spell for figures of 2 for 14, straight to Muttiah Muralitharan at wide mid-on to leave them gasping at 28-3.
But the biggest blow was when South African pacer Ntini dismissed Punjab batting mainstay Marsh in his third over.
The left-handed opener from Western Australia attempted to pull a ball from wide of his stumps but only managed to get an under-edge that crashed on to the stumps to the absolute delight of the Chennai Super Kings players.
Down in the dumps, Punjab lost Irfan Pathan in a horrible mix-up with Mahela Jayawardene who refused to respond to the former's call for a third run. The long throw from Ntini, who dived to stop a boundary, came handy for running out Irfan when he was stranded at mid-pitch.
Punjab, tottering at 40-5 at Pathan's dismissal, lost their sixth wicket when Jayawardene, with his poise upset at Pathan's run-out and open show of anger while walking back, tried to glide Albie Morkel and top-edged to Patel who grabbed his third catch.
At 45-6 there was a possibility of Punjab doing worse than what Kolkata Knight Riders had done (67 all out; the lowest score of IPL) against Mumbai Indians at the same venue on May 16.
This was averted with Wilkin Mota (25 off 26 balls) and Ramesh Powar (28 off 22 balls; 1X6; 4X4) leading the way by adding 35 runs for the eighth wicket.
The duo took advantage of some below-par performance by the Chennai team in the field to take the score close to 100 before Mota was out.
Powar helped boost the tally by creaming Balaji for three fours in the last over from which 14 runs were scored.
Ntini got 2 for 23 in his four overs bowled on the trot, Morkel ended up with 2 for 27 while Muralitharan, who bowled the first over, finished with 1 for 19.
Teams:
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Parthiv Patel, Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath, C Kapugedera, L Balaji, Manpreet Gony, Muthiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini.
Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Piyush Chawla, Wilkin Mota, Irfan Pathan, Romesh Powar, VRV Singh, S Sreesanth.
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