Regular readers will know that the IPL and me are not natural bedfellows. I don't sit in front of BBC4 every afternoon in May yawning through the timeouts and ad breaks while the pitches gleam like coloured glass, the boundary ropes creep ever closer to the stumps, the cheerleaders shake their....pom-poms and that blasted trumpet trill punctuates seemingly every over.
Nevertheless, the IPL is part of the world cricket scene and I can't ignore it. Many players in the UAE and India have smashed or twirled their way into my Team of the Week and it's always interesting to see how many globetrotting T20 mercenaries fail while internationally unknown locals find themselves thrust into the spotlight, if only for a few months. I don't necessarily see it as a training ground for proper cricket, Test cricket, but it does produce some entertainment and excitement, the vital ingredient for any sport.
IPL 2014 definitely benefited from its truncated length. Maybe more franchises should go bust and keep the competition even more concise and less drawn out. Another positive from this year is the way the two best sides reached the final and produced a classic of big hitting, albeit not from the big names.
For once, Chris Gayle was useless, accumulating fewer than 200 runs at barely a run a ball. The Bangalore opener was presumaby unfit but an essential part of the IPL nonetheless, at least in the eyes of sponsors and the casual spectator. Kevin Pietersen fared a little better as Delhi skipper, yet a single 50 in 11 innings at a scoring rate of 126 was not a good return. Dare I suggest he was - er - distracted?!
Of the Aussie recruits, only Glenn Maxwell and David Warner did the business with the bat, while Watson, Bailey, Finch and Mike Hussey disappointed on the whole. The English counties will surely hope from more from their Antipodean investments this summer. South Africans Miller, AB and Duminy were their consistent selves, unlike De Kock and the once reliable Jacques Kallis. With no international cricket in his schedule, the Saffer legend produced only one score of note, a 72 in the very first game for KKR. At least he was part of the victorious squad.
With the ball, Sunil Narine took another 21 wickets at a typically miserly 6.35 an over, Mitch Johnson had some memorable days but Dale Steyn proved human, at times being clouted around the grounds he once ruled as a dangerous death bowler. Meanwhile Lasith Malinga restored faith in his ability to bowl fast and full to frustrate the big hitters when it matters.
Overall, numerous Indian players caught the eye. Sehwag, Raina and Yusuf Pathan might be remembered for their brutal landmark innings but they were not the outstanding performers of the tournament. Robin Uthappa demonstrated the consistency of a great Test opener rather than a Powerplay power merchant. He struck a sensational ten consecutive scores of 40 or more in a total of 660. Only 18 sixes yet a laudable scoring rate of 138 made him a deserving winner of whatever colourful trophy goes to the top run-getter.
Mohit Sharma took more wickets than anyone else (23), albeit conceding more than eight an over. Another seamer Bhuvi Kumar wasn't far behind, but his economy rate for the Sunrisers was a more impressive 6.65. The experienced Harbhajan Singh, Ravi Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin bowled creditably, but for me the star names were probably 20 year-old Akshar Patel and a man more than twice his age, Pravin Tambe. Slow left-armer Patel's 17 wickets at only 6.13 an over proved vital for Kings XI's progress to their first final. Meanwhile leg-spinner Tambe, whose age in years easily outnumbers the number of senior matches under his belt, usually proved hard to hit for the Royals. Tambe's time for a Test career has probably past him by - by about twenty years - but Patel is a promising prospect. He'll command big money at IPL 2015 and how he copes with that may determine his opportunities for international cricket, whatever the format.
Showing posts with label Kolkata Knight Riders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kolkata Knight Riders. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Monday, 28 May 2012
KKR beat CSK to the IPL
After the interminable group stages, IPL 2012 livened up for an entertaining climax in Chennai between the home side and Kolkata Knight Riders. Even an avowed T20-sceptic like me couldn't help be gripped by the final ten overs of the match, with the outcome swaying like a pendulum every few balls.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, MS Dhoni opted to bat first and it looked the right decision. Whilst the pitch had seen plenty of runs early on, Chennai Super Kings looked in command from the start. Birthday boy Mike Hussey and a resurgent Murali Vijay flayed poor Brett Lee but it was the Indian opener who fell first, mistiming a slog to a diving Shakib. In came Suresh Raina to up the scoring rate still further. Hussey was tiring visibly and was relieved to see the runs coming in boundaries, because it was too energy-sapping running singles, let alone twos. Having been happy to watch Raina's innings from the other end, the Aussie eventually missed a straight one from Jacques Kallis, on 54. Dhoni struck two fours from his nine balls and his partner perished to a last ball swish to deep mid-wicket having made 73 from 38 deliveries. Good bowlers like Kallis, Lee, Pathan, Shakib and Sunil Narine had each bowled some good balls but had also been thumped around the ground.
Facing a target of 191 under the lights, surely CSK had it in the bag. When KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir missed Ben Hilfenhaus' slower ball in the first over, the yellow-clad fans must have been supremely confident. However, 'keeper Manvinder Bisla, preferred in place of Brendan McCullum, had other ideas. Supported by the peerless Kallis, he played the innings of his career. They shared a partnership of 136 and, more importantly, kept themselves ahead of the asking rate, before Bisla mistimed a slow short ball from Albie Morkel.
Kallis then assumed control, striking some impressive boundaries. At the other end, Shukla and Pathan fell cheaply, but Kallis was clearly wilting in the heat. A quick run left him suffering from cramp and unsurprisingly he didn't last very long after that, slicing a full toss to cover for an excellent 69. His departure left KKR needing 16 from seven balls and the home fans were preparing for victory. Nevertheless, Shakib and Tiwary are useful men to bat at six and seven.
Excitement rose to fever pitch the next ball when Vijay caught Shakib only to be recalled for the most marginal of 'high' no-balls. They had run two and then from the extra delivery, Shakib scooped to the fine leg boundary. Fortune had swung back in KKR's favour, and they needed just nine from the last over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo, who had taken vital wickets for CSK, but at a price.
With their lengthy consultations about field placings, Dhoni and Bravo seemed intent on boring the batsmen into submission. Don't know why they bothered because Bravo's third and fourth balls were gifts for Tiwary who smacked each for leg-side boundaries, sealing the victory and the first IPL trophy for KKR. Now it was the fans in purple doing the cheering, and deservedly so.
I don't think many could begrudge Gambhir the title. He always looks so grim and deserved the chance to smile for once! Similarly few - apart maybe from Chris Gayle - could complain about the Player of the Tournament award to Sunil Narine. Morne Morkel may have taken more wickets, but the young undemonstrative Trinidadian showed that his Champions League economic performances were no flash in the pan. He was good value for his huge IPL auction fee and how I would like to see him ply his trade in first-class cricket. With his high, Kumble-like delivery arm, there's no reason why he couldn't become a valuable member of the West Indies Test side. Sammy needs him at least as much as Gayle right now.
It wasn't a great IPL for Tendulkar, Dravid or Ganguly, whose time has surely come to retire for good. However, the evergreen Hussey and Kallis proved that class is permanent, and Dale Steyn's pace and guile are more than a match for any opponent in any format. Malinga became less effective as the competition wore on. Maybe it's not just the twenty-four balls he has to bowl every few days; I guess it's hot work fielding out there in India, too. The IPL organisers must be relieved that the tournament has been a success in the full grounds, with KKR breaking their duck, too.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, MS Dhoni opted to bat first and it looked the right decision. Whilst the pitch had seen plenty of runs early on, Chennai Super Kings looked in command from the start. Birthday boy Mike Hussey and a resurgent Murali Vijay flayed poor Brett Lee but it was the Indian opener who fell first, mistiming a slog to a diving Shakib. In came Suresh Raina to up the scoring rate still further. Hussey was tiring visibly and was relieved to see the runs coming in boundaries, because it was too energy-sapping running singles, let alone twos. Having been happy to watch Raina's innings from the other end, the Aussie eventually missed a straight one from Jacques Kallis, on 54. Dhoni struck two fours from his nine balls and his partner perished to a last ball swish to deep mid-wicket having made 73 from 38 deliveries. Good bowlers like Kallis, Lee, Pathan, Shakib and Sunil Narine had each bowled some good balls but had also been thumped around the ground.
Facing a target of 191 under the lights, surely CSK had it in the bag. When KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir missed Ben Hilfenhaus' slower ball in the first over, the yellow-clad fans must have been supremely confident. However, 'keeper Manvinder Bisla, preferred in place of Brendan McCullum, had other ideas. Supported by the peerless Kallis, he played the innings of his career. They shared a partnership of 136 and, more importantly, kept themselves ahead of the asking rate, before Bisla mistimed a slow short ball from Albie Morkel.
Kallis then assumed control, striking some impressive boundaries. At the other end, Shukla and Pathan fell cheaply, but Kallis was clearly wilting in the heat. A quick run left him suffering from cramp and unsurprisingly he didn't last very long after that, slicing a full toss to cover for an excellent 69. His departure left KKR needing 16 from seven balls and the home fans were preparing for victory. Nevertheless, Shakib and Tiwary are useful men to bat at six and seven.
Excitement rose to fever pitch the next ball when Vijay caught Shakib only to be recalled for the most marginal of 'high' no-balls. They had run two and then from the extra delivery, Shakib scooped to the fine leg boundary. Fortune had swung back in KKR's favour, and they needed just nine from the last over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo, who had taken vital wickets for CSK, but at a price.
With their lengthy consultations about field placings, Dhoni and Bravo seemed intent on boring the batsmen into submission. Don't know why they bothered because Bravo's third and fourth balls were gifts for Tiwary who smacked each for leg-side boundaries, sealing the victory and the first IPL trophy for KKR. Now it was the fans in purple doing the cheering, and deservedly so.
I don't think many could begrudge Gambhir the title. He always looks so grim and deserved the chance to smile for once! Similarly few - apart maybe from Chris Gayle - could complain about the Player of the Tournament award to Sunil Narine. Morne Morkel may have taken more wickets, but the young undemonstrative Trinidadian showed that his Champions League economic performances were no flash in the pan. He was good value for his huge IPL auction fee and how I would like to see him ply his trade in first-class cricket. With his high, Kumble-like delivery arm, there's no reason why he couldn't become a valuable member of the West Indies Test side. Sammy needs him at least as much as Gayle right now.
It wasn't a great IPL for Tendulkar, Dravid or Ganguly, whose time has surely come to retire for good. However, the evergreen Hussey and Kallis proved that class is permanent, and Dale Steyn's pace and guile are more than a match for any opponent in any format. Malinga became less effective as the competition wore on. Maybe it's not just the twenty-four balls he has to bowl every few days; I guess it's hot work fielding out there in India, too. The IPL organisers must be relieved that the tournament has been a success in the full grounds, with KKR breaking their duck, too.
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