Rajkot: Rishabh Pant (69) and Quinton de Kock (46) produced a match-winning opening stand to guide Delhi Daredevils to a convincing eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Tuesday.

Batting first, Gujarat posted 149/7 in 20 overs, thanks to a much-needed half-century by Dinesh Karthik (53).

In reply, riding on an impressive 115-run opening partnership by Pant and de Kock, Daredevils chased down the total comfortably posting 150/2 with 16 balls to spare.

Chasing a target of 150, Delhi got off to a rollicking start, courtesy openers Pant and de Kock.

The duo helped the team score 61 runs without losing a wicket after the completion of powerplay.

Both the left-handed batsmen, even after the fielding restrictions were over, kept on playing positively to bring up the 100-run partnership for the first wicket in the 12th over itself.

But as the duo was looking comfortable to get the team over the line without losing any wickets, the home side struck in successive overs, in the 13th and the 14th, to remove both of them.

Pant in his 40-ball innings struck nine fours and two sixes while de Kock hit four boundaries and one six.

But incoming batsmen Sanju Samson (19 not out) and J.P. Duminy (13 not out) played sensibly to ensure the team got past the victory line with ease.

For Gujarat, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivil Kaushik picked one wicket each.

Earlier, asked to bat by the visitors, Gujarat were off to a poor start, losing their top order within the first four overs.

Gujarat openers Brendon McCullum (1) and Dwayne Smith (15), who have built up an extremely successful combination, did not click for once.

Zaheer set things rolling when he dismissed McCullum after the in-form Kiwi veteran misjudged a delivery that moved in after pitching. Nadeem then claimed two wickets in the next over to hand Delhi the early advantage.

The left-armer sent back Smith with the first ball of the over when the West Indies all-rounder smashed one into the hands of Chris Morris at long-on.

The fit again Aaron Finch (5) lasted all of five balls before a poorly executed shot saw him offer an easy top edge to Rishabh Pant at short fine leg.

With the hosts struggling at 24/3, Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina (24) and Karthik set about bringing the innings back on track with a 51-run partnership.

Raina seemed to be in good touch during his 20-ball 24, even lifting Mohamed Shami over the third man boundary for a six. But he fell when stepped out to attempt another big hit off Mishra, only to miss complete as Quinton de Kock whipped off the bails.

Ravindra Jadeja (36 not out) joined Karthik in the middle and the duo kept up the good work by adding 52 runs between them off 33 deliveries. Shami brought the partnership to an end with a straight delivery when Karthik mistimed his shot as the ball clipped the top of off-stump.

James Faulkner (7) virtually gifted his wicket to Morris with some extremely poor shot selection before Jadeja and Ishan Kishan (2) added 10 runs in the last over to take the total close to the 150-run mark.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was the most successful among the Delhi bowlers with figures of 2/23 in three overs.

Brief scores: Gujarat Lions 149/7 (Dinesh Karthik 53, Ravindra Jadeja 36; Shahbaz Nadeem 2/23) vs Delhi Daredevils 150/2 in 17.3 overs (Rishabh Pant 69; Ravindra Jadeja 1-21)

(IANS)

Bengaluru: Batting knights Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell won the match for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), scoring 189/5 with five balls to spare at Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday in the 30th match of IPL Season Nine.

Pathan (60) and Russell (39) started hitting regular boundaries for KKR halfway after the match to bring down the asking rate from 9.3 runs an over at the beginning of the chase to 47 runs in 24 balls and 21 runs in 16 balls finally after the dismissal of Russell to one run in five balls in the 20th over.

Russell blasted four sixes and a four in 24 balls to reach 39 while Pathan remained unbeaten on 60 with half a dozen fours and a three sixes.

Pathan destroyed Watson in the 17th over, he smashed two sixes, three fours and a double to heap 24 runs.

Russell and Pathan logged a 96 runs partnership in 45 balls for the sixth wicket. Pathan reached his half century in 27 balls in the 19th over.

Except for captain Gautam Gambhir (37) in the top order, other batsmen including Robin Uthappa (1), Chris Lynn (15) and Manish Pandey (8) got out cheaply.

Yuzvendra Chahal 2/27 emerged the most successful bowler for RCB, he claimed danger man Russell in the 18th over, caught near the boundary line by Stuart Binny while attempting a big six.

Shane Watson leaked 38 runs in three overs claiming just a wicket.

Earlier, RCB set a target of 186 runs for KKR, scoring 185/7 in 20 overs.

Lokesh Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli hit 52 each to propel RCB to a respectable total after swashbuckling hitter Chris Gayle (7) failed yet again.

Starting off slowly, RCB managed just two runs in the first over off Andre Russell.

Gayle launched a six off Morne Morkel in the second ball of the second over, only to get out on the next ball with a reckless shot, giving a simple catch to keeper Robin Uthappa.

With the latest dismissal, Gayle’s “unit-score innings” streak continues in the IPL from the World Twenty20.

Opening the innings for RCB, Rahul’s 32-ball-52 witnessed six fours and two sixes while Kohli managed four fours in his 44-ball-52.

AB De Villiers (4) was the other trump card which failed to make a mark for the home team.

Australian all rounder Shane Watson (34) kept the runs flowing in the last overs with five fours and a six in the company of local boy Stuart Binny (16), who cracked two sixes and a four when it mattered the most.

KKR bowlers Russell (24/1) and Morne Morkel (28/2) produced economical spells while Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav and Piyush Chawla were expensive, though the last also claimed two wickets.

Excellent performance with bat and the ball earned the man of the match award to Russell, he hit the highest number of sixes in the match.

With the latest win, KKR claimed the second spot among all teams in IPL Season Nine with 10 points, five victories and three losses in eight matches while RCB plummeted to the seventh position with just four points, two wins and five losses in seven matches.

Brief Scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 189/5 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 60, Adnre Russell 39; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/27, Sreenath Aravind 1/16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 185/7 in 20 overs (Lokesh Rahul 52, Virat Kohli 52; Morne Morkel 2/28, Piysh Chawla 2/32).

(IANS)

Pune: Leading from the front, skipper Rohit Sharma smashed a match-winning unbeaten 85 off just 60 balls to guide defending champions Mumbai Indians to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in the Maharashtra derby of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.

Batting first, Pune posted 159/5 in 20 overs, thanks to opener Saurabh Tiwary’s much-needed 57 off 45 balls.

In reply, Rohit came up with another impressive knock which included eight boundaries and three sixes, as Mumbai chased down the total posting 161/2 with nine balls to spare.

After win, Mumbai climb to second position in the points table with 10 points from nine games, having won five and lost four.

Chasing a challenging target of 160, in-form openers Rohit and Parthiv Patel got Mumbai off to a good start scoring 24 without losing any wicket in the first three overs.

But the fourth over witnessed a see-saw battle as Parthiv after striking Ashok Dinda for three consecutive boundaries eventually got a thick edge off a wide off stump delivery which was collectively well by a diving wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leaving Mumbai at 39/1.

Despite the wicket, Rohit and incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (22) played positively to take their team to a comfortable position.

The duo brought up 50-run partnership for the second wicket to take the team past 75-run mark in the 10th over and stay on course for a good run chase.

But as Rayudu was looking set for a big innings, the right handed-batsman gave his wicket away cheaply in the 12th over to put Pune back into the game.

But skipper Rohit played sensibly as he continued his good form in the ongoing tournament also bringing up yet another half-century in just 38 balls.

He was well supported in the other end by Jos Buttler (27 not out).

The duo batted through to ensure the visitors went past the victory line at ease.

Ashok Dinda and Ravichandran Ashwin picked one wicket each for Pune.

Earlier put into bat, Pune got off to a poor start losing opener batsman Ajinkya Rahane (4) in the second over itself with just eight runs on the board.

From there on, his opening partner Tiwary and incoming in-form batsman Steve Smith (45 off 23) held on without losing any more wickets to score at a good pace and help team reach 54/1 after completion of the powerplay.

Smith, who scored his maiden IPL ton in his last match, showed his class with the willow yet again as he used his experience to best effect to close his on another half-century.

But as he was looking set after striking four boundaries and three sixes, seamer Jasprit Bumrah bowled cleverly as the Australian edged one past him to carry it safely to wicket-keeper Patel, bringing a 84-run partnership for the second wicket to an end in the 10th over.

The home side suffered their third blow in the 13th over when Peter Handscomb (6) trying to sweep Harbhajan Singh was caught by Buttler at deep square leg, to have Pune reduced to 105/3.

Despite wickets falling at the other end, Tiwary made the most of the time spent at the crease to bring up his half-century in just 39 balls.

Following the wickets of Handscomb and Tiwary in the 18th over, skipper Dhoni (24) and Thisara Perera (12 not out) helped their team cross the 150-run mark.

Bumrah (3-29) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai while Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan claimed one wicket each.

Brief Scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 159/5 in 20 overs (Saurabh Tiwary 57; Jasprit Bumrah 3-29) vs Mumbai Indians 161/2 in 18.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 85 not out; R Ashwin 1-21)

(IANS)

Pune: Gujarat Lions rode on a collective batting effort by Dwayne Smith (63 off 37) and Brendon McCullum (43 off 22) which helped them edge past Rising Pune Supergiants by three wickets in a nail-biting Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Friday.

Batting first, Steve Smith (101 off 54) struck up his maiden IPL ton as Pune posted an impressive 195/3 in 20 overs. He was well supported by Ajinkya Rahane (53).

In reply, openers Smith and McCullum set the perfect platform as middle order batsmen delivered in bits and pieces as the visitors chased down the total posting 196/7 in 20 overs.

Chasing a challenging target of 196, hard-hitting Smith and McCullum got Gujarat off to a rollicking start scoring 72 runs without losing any wicket after completion of powerplay.

The duo put on a 93-run stand for the first wicket, before McCullum gave his wicket away trying to step up the scoring rate.

Despite losing his opening partner, Smith played his natural game by scoring runs at good pace to take his team to the 100-run mark in the ninth over itself.

As he was looking set after striking nine boundaries and one six to take the game away from the home side, Perera stuck in the 11th over to send Smith packing and have Gujarat reduced to 115/2.

Dinesh Karthik (33) too departed in the 17th over after giving good support to skipper Suresh Raina (34).

But there after wickets fell one after the other but in the end, James Faulkner (9 not out) and Praveen Kumar (0 not out) remained unbeaten to take team to victory off the last ball.

Ashok Dinda (2-40) and Thisara Perera (2-41) were the pick of the bowers for Pune.

Earlier put into bat, Pune got off to a disappointing start losing opener Saurabh Tiwary (1) in the third over itself, with Raina coming in steaming with a diving effort to run the left-hander short of the crease.

But his opening partner Rahane and incoming batsman Smith held on to not lose anymore wickets to post 48/1 after completion of powerplay.

The talented duo used their experience to best effect to sneak in with ones and twos followed by a couple of boundaries and big hits to bring up their 100-run partnership for the second wicket in the 13th over itself and help their team reach 118/1.

But the 14th over saw a twist in the game as Dwayne Bravo ran Rahane out to break the partnership and have the home side reduced to 124/2.

Smith kept on playing his natural game as he stayed on course for a superb ton in IPL.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (30 not out off 18) did what he is known for, as the right-handed batsman played a cameo in the end to power his side to a competitive total.

Bravo (1-40) was the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat.

Brief Scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 195/3 in 20 overs (Steve Smith 101, Ajinkya Rahane 53; Dwayne Bravo 1-40) vs Gujarat Lions 196/7 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 63; Ashok Dinda 2-40, Thisera Perera 2-41)

(IANS)

New Delhi: Gujarat Lions edged out a spirited Delhi Daredevils by one run in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) clash that went right down to the last ball at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chris Morris produced a superb all-round performance for Delhi and almost snatched victory for the hosts before falling short in an exciting last over.

Chasing a competitive target of 173 runs, Delhi seemed to be in trouble after losing early wickets before Morris and his South Africa teammate J.P. Duminy produced a superb comeback.

Morris smashed an unbeaten 82 runs off just 32 balls, entertaining the home crowd with four hits to the ropes and eight towering sixes. The South African all-rounder was effective with the ball as well, returning fairly economical figures of 2/35.

Duminy played a patient knock of 48 runs off 43 balls, hitting three boundaries and a six along the way. He was unlucky to miss out on a half-century and was caught and bowled by Dwayne Bravo after offering an uncharacteristacally poor shot.

Wednesday’s victory took the lions to the top of the IPL table with 10 points. The IPL debutants have five wins from the six matches they have played so far. The Daredevils, who suffered their second defeat in five matches, are at the third spot with six points.

Delhi had a rocky start as Dhawal Kulkarni struck the crucial early blows, removing the top three Delhi batsmen in his first two overs. The Mumbai-born pacer eventually finished with figures of 3/19 in his four overs. James Faulkner (1/23) and Dwayne Bravo (1/40) were the other wicket-takers for the Lions.

Delhi opener Sanju Samson made a hash of what should have been an easy flick off his pads to a poor delivery on his legstump by Dhawal Kulkarni. What he did manage was to offer the leading egde to Faulkner at mid-on.

Kulkarni then removed Quinton de Kock and Karun Nair in his next over to leave the Daredevils struggling at 3/16 after four overs.

Duminy and Morris then came together to smash the Delhi bowlers all around the ground. But Duminy’s dismissal was the turning point. The young Pawan Negi — the most expensive Indian player at the IPL auction — was unable to provide the necessary support to Morris with the hosts needing 29 runs off 17 balls when he came in to bat. But an undaunted Morris continued to produce the big hits.

With the Daredevils needing four runs off the last ball, Bravo came up with an accurate delivery into Morris’ blockhole. Morris’ swing only carried the ball to Ravindra Jadeja at long-on and the batsmen could only complete two runs much to the disappointment of the home crowd.

Earlier, put into bat by Delhi, Gujarat Lions rode on quick-fire half-centuries from Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith to post 172/6 in their 20 overs.

McCullum plundered 60 runs off a mere 36 balls while Smith raced to 53 off 30 as the duo put together an opening partnership of 112 runs off just 63 deliveries to give the Lions’ innings a flying start.

At one stage, the Lions seemed to be heading for a total of around 200 runs. But a remarkable batting collapse that saw Gujarat lose six wickets in the space of just 30 runs broke the scoring momentum.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir played a crucial role in the Delhi bowlers’ fightback with excellent figures of 3/24 in his four overs. South Africa pacer Chris Morris returned a fairly economical 2/35 while his compatriot Jean-Paul Duminy (1/4) bagged a wicket in the only over he bowled.

Smith was finally dismissed when he was trapped leg before by Imran Tahir with one that kept straight after pitching. The West Indies batsman played for the turn, only to see the ball hit him on the pads right on middle and leg.

McCullum followed his opening partner back to the pavilion in the very next over thanks to some strange shot selection. Faced with a slowish full toss from Chris Morris that kept slightly high, the Kiwi veteran attempted a wild cross-batted swing that was neither accurate nor well timed only to lose his stumps.

Morris struck another crucial blow off the last ball of the same over when he got Gujarat captain Suresh Raina with a well directed short pitched delivery. Ravindra Jadeja then fell to Duminy when he misjudged the bounce of one that was slightly wide of off-stump.

Tahir then dismissed Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik off successive deliveries to plunge Gujarat into further trouble. James Faulkner attempted a late fight back with a 13-ball 22 to help the visitors to a competitive total.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Lions 172/6 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 60, Dwayne Smith 53; Imran Tahir 3/24, Chris Morris 2/35) vs Delhi Daredevils 171/5 in 20 overs (Chris Morris 82 n.o., J.P. Duminy 48; Dhawal Kulkarni 19/3).

(IANS)

Hyderabad: Rising Pune Supergiants ended their four-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a 34-run win via D/L method over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Tuesday.

The foundation of the big win for Pune in the rain-marred contest was set up by medium pacers Ashok Dinda (3/23) and Mitchell Marsh (2/14) as Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 118/8 in 20 overs.

In a match marred by delayed start, half of the Hyderabad team was back in the dug-out by the ninth over with only 32 runs on the board. But a 47-run stand between Shikhar Dhawan (56 not out) and Naman Ojha (18) came to Hyderabad’s rescue as it ensured that the team crossed the 100-run mark.

Dhawan was the only bright spot for Hyderbad as the left-hander scored his second consecutive fifty. With the help of two fours and a six, he made 56 off 53 deliveries.

At the fag end, Bhuvneshawar Kumar’s brisk cameo of eight-ball 21 lifted them to 118/8.

In reply, Steve Smith (46 not out) and Faf du Plessis (30 off 21 deliveries) put Pune in strong position to overhaul the target. Pune lost Ajnikya Rahane (0) early – dismissed by Bhuvneshwar. But South African du Plessis and Australian Smith forged an 80-run stand for the second wicket to put the chase in commanding position.

They were cruising at 94/3 in 11 overs when rain halted play, forcing the umpires to decide the match Duckworth/Lewis method through which Pune were declared triumphant by 34 runs.

This was Pune’s second win – having won the opening match, while Hyderabad suffered a loss after hat-trick of wins and overall, third defeat in six outings.

Earlier, put into bat by Pune captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hyderabad batsmen were undone by reckless batting and poor shot selection. It started with the very first over when in-form David Warner hit a wide ball from right-armer Dinda straight to Ajnikya Rahane at backward point in the first over. The wicket of the Australian left-hander, who had scored four fifties in five games before Tuesday, for a duck gave a big relief to Pune.

Dinda removed Aditya Tare (8) when the right-hander top-edged a wide delivery to Thisara Perera at cover as Hyderabad lost their second wicket at 26 runs in five overs.

Medium pacer Mitchell Marsh reduced Hyderabad to 27/3 in the next over as England left-hander Eoin Morgan’s drive found an edge to wicket-keeper Dhoni.

After a quiet seventh over bowled by Perera, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave further joy to Pune camp as he dismissed Deepak Hooda (0), who edged it to Dhoni.

Marsh continued the flow of wickets as he got rid of compatriot all-rounder Moises Henriques (1), who managed to find an edge to a ball outside the leg stump to Dhoni.

At this stage, Hyderabad were reeling at 32/5 in 8.1 overs and were in desperate need of a partnership. Dhawan found support from Ojha as the duo tried to resurrect the innings, with ones and twos.

The gentle medium pace bowling from Rajat Bhatia also allowed them to score occasional boundaries as they stitched a 47-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Dinda broke the stand when he rattled Ojha’s stumps as the right-hander batsman missed the line.

Later, Hyderabad were propped up by Bhuveshwar’s three hits to the fence and one over it to recover a bit from ignominy.

Brief scores: Hyderabad: 118/8 (Shikhar Dhawan not out 56; Ashok Dinda 3/23, Mitchell Marsh 2/14). Pune: 94/3 in 11 overs (Steve Smith 46 not out; bhuvneshawar Kumar 1/17). Pune won by 34 runs via D/L method.

(IANS)

Mumbai Indians players celebrates the wicket of Kings XI Punjab player Murli Vijay during their IPL match at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Monday. PTI Photo.

Mohali: Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by 25 runs to bag their third victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Monday.

Mumbai rode on strong batting performances by Parthiv Patel (81) and Ambati Rayudu (65) to post 189/6 in 20 overs. The duo added 136 runs between them for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a big total.

In reply, Punjab were lifted by an 89-run third wicket stand between Shaun Marsh (48) and Glenn Maxwell (56). But at the end, the combined brilliance of Mumbai pace trio — Jasprit Bumrah (3/26), Mitchell McClanaghan (3/32) and Tim Southee (2/28) — ensured that Punjab fall short by 25 runs, scoring 164/7.

It was Mumbai’s second win in last five matches that takes them to the fifth spot in the points table, while Punjab succumbed to their hat-trick of losses and remained at the bottom.

In a match between two struggling sides, Punjab captain David Miller won the toss and asked Mumbai to bat. Mumbai had a shaky start as skipper Rohit Sharma lasted all of two balls before edging a Sandeep Sharma inswinger to the wicketkeeper.

That was the only piece of celebration the Punjab players and their home crowd could indulge in for a considerable period of time as Patel and Rayudu proceeded to hit the bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Opening the batting along with skipper Rohit, Parthiv batted almost till the end of the innings. The discarded India wicketkeeper showcased some superb batting form to plunder 81 runs off just 58 deliveries.

He smashed 10 boundaries and a couple of sixes to notch up his highest ever IPL score before falling to a well directed bouncer from veteran Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

Parhiv’s entertaining strokeplay was well-matched by Rayudu at the other end. The 30-year-old right-hander slammed 65 runs off 37 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

Rayudu finally fell to some poor shot selection as an attempted sweep off Axar Patel travelled straight to Manan Vohra at deep midwicket.

Jos Buttler (24) walked in to play a fast paced innings full of innovative shots, hitting three boundaries and a massive six over long-on off Pardeep Sahu in his 12-ball stint. He was bowled by a slowish, incoming delivery from Mohit Sharma while attempting another big hit.

That triggered a flurry of late wickets as the Punjab bowlers staged a late comeback. But by the time Johnson finally managed to send Parthiv back to the pavilion, Mumbai were well on their way to a big total.

Mohit Sharma was the most successful among the Punjab bowlers. The medium-pacer was a bit expensive in a wicketless first spell, but did better in his second spell to return figures of 3/38. Sandeep Sharma (1/20), Axar patel (1/41) and Johnson (1/43) claimed a wicket each.

And in reply, Punjab didn’t start well, losing opening batsmen Vohra (7) and Murali Vijay (19) inside the first five overs. While Vijay offered a catch to Jos Buttler at point off New Zealander Southee, Vohra gave a simple catch to the same fielder at cover points off Bumrah.

The hosts needed a big partnership and Marsh and Maxwell rose up to the task. Maxwell, having scored a meager 39 runs in the previous matches, came good finally, hitting five fours and a six.

They shared an 89-run stand for the third wicket before Southee returned to dismiss left-hander Marsh, who scored 45 runs in 34 balls.

After his wicket in the final ball of the 15th over, the hosts needed 69 runs with seven wickets in hand. Bumrah almost sealed the match in Mumbai’s over in the 18th over as the right-armer removed the dangerous Maxwell and Nikhil Nayak (1).

With 49 required of two overs, it was always going to be a difficult task and it proved so. Another Kiwi pacer, McClanaghan ended Punjab’s hopes by scalping the wicket of Axar Patel (1) and Mitchell Johnson (0) in the penultimate over that yielded only 10 runs. Captain Miller scored a brisk 17-ball 30 but it was not enough.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 189/6 in 20 overs (Parthiv Patel 81, Ambati Rayudu 65; Mohit Sharma 3/38). Kings XI Punjab: 164/4 (Glenn Maxwell 56, Shaun Marsh 48; Jasprit Bumrah 3/26, Mitchell McClanaghan 3/32, Tim Southee 2/28).

(IANS)

Pune: Star batsmen A.B. de Villiers and Virat Kohli smashed quick-fire half-centuries followed by a disciplined bowling effort which guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to a comfortable 13-run victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest here on Friday.

De Villiers (83 off 46 balls) and Virat Kohli (80 off 63 balls) helped Bangalore post a competitive total of 185/3 in 20 overs. In reply, despite opener Ajinkya Rahane’s 60, the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 172/8 in 20 overs.

Kane Richardson (3-13) and Shane Watson (2-31) were the pick of the bowlers for Bangalore, while Harshal Patel and Tabraiz Shamsi claimed one wicket each.

Chasing a challenging target of 186, Pune got off to a disappointing start, losing opener Faf du Plessis (2) and Kevin Pietersen (0 retired hurt) inside two overs.

The hosts received yet another blow as the side lost Steve Smith (4), after Virat Kohli ran him out to put Pune in a spot of bother at 18/2 in 2.3 overs.

But opener Rahane along with new batsman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41) used their experience to best effect to hold on to the wicket and sneaking in with runs to help team post 36/2 after completion of powerplay.

Rahane showed his class yet again with the bat to bring up his half-century in just 37 balls and help team stay in hunt for the run chase.

Dhoni-Rahane combined to post 73/2 in 10 overs.

As Rahane was looking set after striking eight boundaries, debutant left-arm chinaman bowler Shamsi fooled the right-handed batsmen to get him stumped and put Bangalore back into the game.

But as Dhoni was aiming to take on the bowlers, he was dismissed in the 16th over to have the team in trouble.

Thisara Perera hit Patel for 25 runs in the 18th over to put Pune back into the run chase. But the 19th over saw Watson dismissing Perera to have match turned on in favour of the visitors.

Earlier put into bat, Bangalore got off a slow start, losing opener K.L. Rahul (7) in the fourth over to put a breaks on the scoring.

But his opening partner Kohli and de Villiers kept the scoreboard ticking, sneaking in with ones, twos to take the score to 48/1 after completion of the powerplay.

But soon after the powerplay, the in-form duo unleashed their pyrotechnics to smash boundaries and sixes at regular intervals without losing any wickets to take team to 97/1 in 11 overs that set up the stage for yet another big score.

Kohli and de Villiers made it look simple as the Indian and South African pair brought up their 100-run partnership for the second wicket in just 69 balls and helped their team reach 128/1 in 15 overs.

Kohli got a life in the 16th over while batting on 49. Trying to hit off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin out of the park, he eventually got a top edge which was put down by Ankit Sharma at mid-off.

The duo put on 155-run partnership for the second wicket to take team to a competitive total, before Kohli and De Villiers were dismissed in successive balls in 20th over.

Perera (3-34) was the pick of the bowlers for Pune.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 185/3 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 83, Virat Kohli 80; Thisara Perera 3-34) vs Rising Pune Supergiants 172/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 60; Kane Richardson 3-13, Shane Watson 2-31).

(IANS)

Rajkot: Sunrisers Hyderabad ended Gujarat Lions’ three-match winning streak with a 10-wicket thumping win in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Sunrisers rode on a blistering opening wicket partnership from captain David Warner (74 not out in 48 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (53 not out in 41 deliveries) to overhaul the small target of 135 for eight in 20 overs with 5.1 overs to spare.

The visitors raced to 63 in six overs to set it up, thanks to early asssault from Warner, who hit three fours in the fourth over bowled by Praveen Kumar to launch the charge. The Australian hit nine fours in total.

His side also got the good news of Dhawan’s returning to form as the left-hander took time to settle down before hitting some trademark shots towards the end as the visitors registered an easy win — their second on the trot.

Rival captain Suresh Raina utilised as many as seven bowlers, even using Dale Steyn and the returning Ravindra Jadeja — but none of them managed to break the opening stand.

However, the foundation of the big win was laid by bowlers, especially Man-of-the-Match Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/29) and Mustafizur Rahman (1/19). Raina cracked 75 but others struggled against the impressive bowling performance from Hyderabad.

After Warner won the toss and elected to bowl against, Gujarat got off to a strong start despite losing Australian opening batsman Aaron Finch early.

Finch, who had scores of 74, 50 and 67 not out respectively in the first three matches, lost his wicket for a duck. The right-hander missed the line as an incoming delivery from Bhuvneshawar disturbed his stumps.

Raina dominated the 56-run second-wicket stand with Brendon McCullum (18). Raina looked in ominous touch from the first ball he faced as his powerful front-foot push sent the ball towards the cover boundary in a flash in the first over. It was followed by a gentle straight drive which also had the same result.

Left-arm medium pacer Barinder Sran struggled with his line, asking for punishment by bowling outside the leg stump and Raina and New Zealander McCullum were in a punishing mood.

Later, against the spinners, the left-hander Raina used his feet to nice effect — welcoming Deepak Hooda with a slap towards the cover boundary and later a hoick to the mid-wicket ropes.

Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma ended the partnership when McCullum was holed out at mid-wicket by Hooda, as Gujarat reached 56/2 in 7.2 overs.

Gujarat then lost Dinesh Karthik (8) and Dwayne Bravo (8) fell cheaply. Karthik offered a catch to Bipul at deep square leg off a full toss from off-spinner Hooda, while Bravo failed to negotiate a slower ball from Sran only to be caught by Bhuvneshwar at deep square leg. Following Bravo’s departure, Gujarat were 91 for four in 13.1 overs.

Meanwhile Raina completed his fifty in 34 deliveries as the run rate dropped due to the quick wickets.

All-rounder Jadeja, who returned to the team after missing a game due to his marriage, shared a 26-run stand with Raina until Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur dismissed the former (14).

Mustafizur continued to be impressive with his death-overs bowling as he conceded only 19 runs in his four overs.

In the final over, Bhuvneshwar conceded only six runs while picking three wickets as the hosts struggled to score 135/8.

Brief scores: Gujarat Lions: 135/8 (Suresh Raina 75; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/29). Sunrisers Hyderabad: 137/0 in 14.5 overs (David Warner 74 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 53 not out).

(IANS)

Mumbai: Leading from the front, skipper Rohit Sharma smashed 62 off just 44 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Batting first, Bangalore managed 170/7 in 20 overs. Travis Head (37) was the top scorer for the side.

In reply, riding on Rohit’s innings and Kieron Pollard’s quick-fire unbeaten 19-ball 39, defending champions Mumbai chased down the total easily as they posted 171/4 in 18 overs to bag their second win of the season.

Iqbal Abdulla (3-40) was the pick of the bowlers for Bangalore.

Chasing a challenging target of 171, Mumbai got off to a poor start, losing opener Parthiv Patel (5) in the second over itself.

But his opening partner Rohit Sharma and incoming Ambati Rayudu (31) held on to score at a good pace without losing any further wickets to score 51/1 after the completion of the powerplay.

As Rayudu was looking set after striking five boundaries, off-spinner Iqbal Abdulla scripted the much-needed breakthrough for the visitors, removing the right-handed batsman to put Mumbai at 82/2 in the 11th over.

The duo struck a 76-run partnership for the second wicket.

Despite the fall of wicket at the other end, skipper Rohit used his experience to best effect to bring up his half century in 38 balls and keep the hosts on course towards the run chase.

But Abdulla struck for the second time to dismiss Rohit in the 13th over to put Bangalore back into the game. Mumbai were 109/3 at his point of the game.

New batsmen Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler (13) held on for a couple of overs before the latter gave his wicket away in the 16th over.

But Pollard, who failed to impress in earlier matches, came up with a quick-fire knock, smashing four boundaries and three sixes to steer his team to second victory in the IPL-9.

Earlier put into bat, the visitors got off to a flying start, scoring 49 for the loss of one wicket after the completion of powerplay.

K.L. Rahul took the initiative at the start, smashing two fours and two sixes for his 14-ball 23, but the right-handed batsman fell in the fourth over to the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan to give Mumbai their first breakthrough.

But the wicket did not stop incoming batsman AB de Villiers (29) and opener Virat Kohli (33) from playing their natural game.

The duo, who in the previous season smashed an unbeaten 215-run partnership at this venue against the same opposition, made batting look simple, piling on boundaries and sneaking in with twos at regular intervals to bring up a 50-run partnership for the second wicket in just 35 balls and help the team post 89/1 in 10 overs.

But the 11th over of the Bangalore innings saw a big twist in the game as off-spinner Krunal Pandya dismissed in-form Kohli (caught at long-off) followed by De Villiers (stumped) to bring Mumbai back into the game.

Bangalore, after the two quick blows, were reduced to 93/3.

Incoming batsman Shane Watson (5) too didn’t last long. Trying to guide an outside off stump delivery to third man, he eventually got a thin edge which was grabbed well by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

Young Sarfaraz Khan (28) and Head held on to guide the team to 112/4 after the completion of 15 overs.

The right- and left-handed batting duo played sensibly to put up a much needed 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket in just 30 balls.

Jasprit Bumrah (3-31) and Krunal Pandya (2-27) were the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai.

(IANS)