Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) once again put up a disciplined bowling show as they restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 142/7 in an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium here on Saturday.

Eoin Morgan top-scored for Sunrisers with a 43-ball 51 and was well supported by Naman Ojha who smashed 37 off 28 balls. Pacer Umesh Yadav bagged figures of 3/28 for the visitors.

The hosts were jolted upfront as KKR picked up two early wickets. First to head back was the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan (6) who managed to slash one through to the wicket-keeper Robin Uthappa of a Morne Morkel delivery in the third over.

Next, Umesh foxed captain David Warner (13) with a cutter and the powerful left-hander only managed to scoop it till short-cover.

In the last over of the powerplay, Umesh struck again as he trapped Moses Henriques (6) in front of the stumps with the score reading 36/3.

Morgan and Deepak Hooda (6) tried to resurrect the wobbly innings with a 14-run partnership but the latter threw his wicket away.

Sunrisers finally got some momentum in the 13th over as Morgan hit spinner Sunil Narine for two consecutive boundaries, much to the delight of the crowd. The next over from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla also helped the hosts as it yielded 13 runs.

The hundred came up in the 16th over for Hyderabad as Ojha, who was providing strong support to Morgan, smashed a six off Morkel.

It took a brilliant catch to break the 67-run partnership as Ojha was holed out. Andre Russell held onto the ball first but seeing that he would cross the boundary line he threw it back to Chawla who grabbed it on the second attempt.

Thereafter Morgan also fell trying to heave one to the leg side and with it went Sunrisers’ hope of getting to the par 160 mark.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s 4/11 proved crucial as Delhi Daredevils thrashed Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Friday.

After Delhi won the toss and opted to field, Mishra, coming in to bowl in the seventh over, rocked Punjab’s boat. When he started his spell, they were 37 for one in six overs, and at the end of his three-over haul, the visiting side was 59 for five in 11 overs. His victims included Shaun Marsh (13), David Miller (9), Glenn Maxwell (0) and Manan Vohra (32).

Punjab batsmen showed lack of intent and discipline and fell one after another. Opening batsman Vohra was the only one who showed the will for a fight even as his team was restricted to 111/9 in 20 overs.

In pursuit of the low total, Delhi were led by South African opener Quinton de Kock (59 not out), who shared a 91-run stand for the second wicket with Sanju Samson (33) in 10.4 overs, as the hosts overhauled the target with 6.3 overs and eight wickets to spare. De Kock milked nine fours and a six of the 42 deliveries he faced.

It was Delhi’s first win in two matches, while Punjab suffered their second loss on the trot.

In the match between the teams who have lost their first matches, Punjab failed to gather any momentum right from the start. In the second over bowled by left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, Zaheer Khan dropped Vohra’s catch at the point and as the ball neared towards the boundary, the openers decided to take three runs.

But Murali Vijay was found to be short of the crease as the relay throw between Zaheer and Karun Nair reached wicketkeeper de Kock in time for the stumps to be dislodged, leaving the team at eight for one in 1.3 overs.

Even though Zaheer seemed to be lethargic while dropping the catch, the veteran left-arm seamer maintained a tight line and length. The captain conceded only 14 runs in his four overs, taking a wicket.

After the powerplay overs, which yielded 37 runs, Zaheer brought in Mishra and the leg-spiner struck in his first delivery. Left-handed batsman Marsh danced down the track, only to miss the line before being stumped by de Kock.

Mishra dealt a double blow in his second over, removing skipper Miller (9) and Maxwell (0). While left-hander Miller was trapped in front of the wickets in the first ball of the ninth over, Maxwell was holed out by Carlos Brathwaite at long-off.

Mishra’s next victim was right-hander Vohra, who moved back at the crease while fending off a sharp googly.

Following this, the tail-enders tried their best but the damage was already done. Spinner Jayant Yadav and fast bowler Chris Morris chipped in with a wicket each.

During the chase too, Delhi were in control, thanks to de Kock. At the start, he went through some anxious moments. He not only lost his partner Shreyas Iyer (3) early but also survived following a dropped catch at square leg by Vijay when the left-hander was at seven in the fifth over bowled by left-arm spinner Axar Patel.

De Kock tried to forge a partnership with Samson and they were successful in doing so. They scored at a decent pace and took their total to 28 for one in six overs.

Growing in confidence, the duo put out their attacking shots and reaped a lot of runs – highlighted by three fours hit off Patel in the eighth over.

Samson took confidence from his partner and hit leg-spinner Pradeep Sahu for a maximum, before thrashing Maxell with two consecutive fours. By this time, Delhi were 79/1 in 11 overs.

Knowing, they are very much in control, de Kock turned the heat on Punjab’s pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson, who went for two fours and a huge six, which completed the South African’s fifty in 38 deliveries.

Later, Samson was bowled by Patel but it was a matter of just 12 runs and de Kock and Negi made it with ease.

Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab: 111/9 (Manan Vohra 32; Amit Mishra 4/11, Zaheer Khan 1/14). Delhi Daredevils: 113/2 in 13.3 overs (Quinton de Kock not out 59, Sanju Samson 33; Sandeep Sharma 1/6).

(IANS)

Rajkot: Gujarat Lions’ Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo with Rising Pune Supergiants captain MS Dhoni after winning the IPL match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on April 14, 2016. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Rajkot: Gujarat Lions produced an impressive all-round performance to outclass Rising Pune Supergiants by seven wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Batting first, Pune posted 163/5 in 20 overs, thanks to Faf du Plessis’ 43-ball 69.

In reply, riding on Aaron Finch’s 50 and Brendon McCullum’s 49, Gujarat chased down the total comfortably scoring 164/3 in 18 overs.

Chasing a challenging target of 164, openers Finch and McCullum got Gujarat off to a flying start scoring 62 runs in the powerplay.

Finch took the initiative from the word go to hit seven boundaries and two sixes in his 36-ball innings to put his team in a comfortable position. He was well supported in the other end by McCullum, who hit three boundaries and three sixes in his 31-ball innings.

But young leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin brought the much needed breakthrough removing in-form batsman Finch in the ninth over to put Pune back into the game.

McCullum, as he was looking good to reach yet another T20 fifty, was removed by Ishant Sharma in the 14th over to have Gujarat at 120/2.

But despite the openers getting out, the duo has done their job to help team stay on track for their second win of the tournament.

New batsman Suresh Raina (24) and Dwayne Bravo (22 not out) held on scoring runs at a good pace to take team close to victory line.

But after the dismissal of Raina in the 17th over, Bravo along with Ravindra Jadeja (4 not out) took team over the line with ease.

Earlier, electing to bat first on winning the toss, Pune skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni saw his decision justified as openers Faf du Plesis and Ajinkya Rahane (21) gave the team a good Astart.

With du Plesis going after the Gujarat bowlers, Rahane played a steady innings at the other end, with four well-timed hits to the fence. Pravin Tambe handed the hosts the breakthrough when Rahane missed the line of a delivery that kept straight after pitching, only to see the ball hit him on the backfoot.

Rahane’s dismissal did not bring any respite for the Gujarat bowlers as Kevin Pietersen (37) joined du Plesis in the middle and the duo proceeded to lay the foundation for a competitive total.

Bravo finally got rid of Pietersen with an in-swinging slower delivery. He was completely fooled by the clever change of pace as the ball crashed into the stumps.

Tambe struck another crucial blow for the Lions soon after by sending du Plesis back to the pavilion. The South African right-hander had smashed a four and six off the previous two deliveries. He went for a third consecutive bit shot, dancing down the track in an effort to hit the ball over the long on fence. But he miscued his shot as Gujarat wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik pulled of a smart stumping.

Jadeja then sent back Steven Smith (5) early in the next over to put the brakes on Pune’s once soaring run rate. However, Dhoni (22 not out) produced a trademark strong finish, plundering 22 runs off 10 balls help Pune finish on a strong note.

Ravindra Jadeja (2/18), Pravin Tambe (2/33) were the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat.

Brief scores:

Rising Pune Supergiants 163/5 in 20 overs (Faf du Plesis 69, Kevin Pietersen 37; Ravindra Jadeja 2/18, Pravin Tambe 2/33) vs Gujarat Lions 164/3 in 18 overs (Aaron Finch 50, Brendon McCullum 49; Murugan Ashwin 2-31)

(IANS)

Mohali: Debutants Gujarat Lions began their Indian Premier League (IPL) journey with an impressive five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab at the Punjab Cricket Association’s I.S. Bindra Stadium here on Monday.

Set a 162-run target, Lions reached the mark with 14 balls to spare with Australian opener Aaron Finch (74) scoring the majority of the runs. Dinesh Karthik (41 not out) was also a chief contributor.

Their run chase stuttered early on when former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum departed for a second ball duck, advancing down the track to be smartly stumped by Wriddhiman Saha off the bowling of Sandeep Sharma in the first over.

But Lions recovered from the loss, spearheaded by skipper Suresh Raina (20) and Finch.

Raina guided the team past the 50-run mark in the sixth over with a big six over midwicket. But then he fell off the very next ball, foxed by a Marcus Stoinis slower delivery to offer a simple catch to mid on.

Finch remained unperturbed by Raina’s dismissal and used all his experience to lead his team’s chase, bringing up his 50 in the eight over.

He forged another 50-run partnership with Karthik to bring up the 100 in the 11th over.

Lions were costing at that point but Finch’s sudden stumping in the 12th over, leaving them 117/3, gave Punjab hopes of a turnaround. Lions still needed 41 runs from 42 balls. Ravindra Jadeja’s (8) run out made the game more interesting.

But Karthik ensured they crossed the line without any more hiccups.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab posted 161 for six after Gujarat captain Suresh Raina won the toss and opted to field, opening batsmen Murali Vijay (42 off 34) and Manan Vohra (38 in 23) provided a 78-run stand in 8.2 overs.

Then Dwayne Bravo (4/22) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/30) led Gujarat’s fightback as the hosts lost four wickets for 102 runs in 12 overs.

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (33 in 22 balls) and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha (20) did the repair work and took the total to 161/6.

It seemed that Punjab will end up getting 180, thanks to their sound start. Right-handers Vijay and Vohra scored 53 runs without any loss till the powerplay overs (6).

Vijay hit three fours and a six off left-arm medium pacer Pradeep Sangwan, while Vohra also made merry, hitting James Faulkner for three fours in the fifth over.

The Punjab right-hander was dropped at his personal score of eight by Bravo, who ran from the deep midwicket in the fifth over.

Captain Raina’s third bowler, leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda also went for 21 runs in his two overs.

Then the captain turned to Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who broke the partnership in his second over by trapping Vohra in front of the stumps. Then the hosts’ score reached 78 in 8.2 overs.

Jadeja later also cleaned up Vijay as the right-hander opened up to create some room. He missed the ball and Punjab were 91/2 in 10.4 overs.

In the following over, medium pacer Bravo dealt a double blow, dismantling the stumps of Glenn Maxwell (two) and captain David Miller (15) — which left the home side at 102/4.

Later, Stoinis and Saha were on a damage control mode before the former picked up four boundaries to keep his team in hunt for a competitive total.

Brief scores: KXIP: (161/6, Murali Vijay 42, Manan Vohra 38, Marcus Stoinis 33; Dwayne Bravo 4/22, Ravindra Jadeja 2/30) vs Gujarat Lions (162/5, Aaron Finch 74, Dinesh Karthik 41 not out, Sandeep Sharma 1/21).

(IANS)

Kolkata: A stupendous bowling effort backed up by steady batting helped two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) overwhelm Delhi Daredevils by 9 wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 99, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir remained unconquered with a 41-ball 38 alongside Manish Pandey who scored 15 off 12 balls, while Robin Uthappa contributed 35 runs.

Earlier after electing to field, Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg (3/19) and West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell (3/24) helped to skittle out Delhi for 98 on a strip that had some purchase for the bowlers.

(IANS)