Pune Warrior vs Royal Challenger Bangalore

Pune Warriors have just pride to play for while Royal Challengers Bangalore would do a world of good to their play-off chances if they win Indian Premier League clash between the two sides on Friday.

After their crushing nine-wicket win over Mumbai Indians, Bangalore are placed fourth in the table while Warriors are languishing at number eight.
It will be a big challenge for Warriors to arrest their slide as they are coming into the clash with six straight defeats.
They have failed to fire as a unit as their batting has flopped and bowlers too have not made the desired impact.

Nothing has worked for the hosts. Neither the inclusion of Australian skipper Michael Clarke nor the change in batting order. All their efforts have been fruitless as the league has progressed.
Bangalore too have their own problems, but they have in their ranks a game-changer in Chris Gayle, who has made a significant contribution in keeping his side in play-off contention.

His whirlwind batting shifts the momentum in his side's favour at any given point of time. Then they have AB de Villiers, who on his day is a match-winner and stand-in captain Virat Kohli, who is gradually getting into the groove.
It is not known if regular skipper Daniel Vettori would return for Friday's clash. And if he does so, the team will have a headache to exclude one foreign recruit.
Tillakaratne Dilshan did well on Wednesday along with Gayle and Muttiah Muralitharan too has done well after being inducted into the side again. But if either of the two will have to make the way for the captain if he returns.

Their bowling looks too good for Warriors with Zaheer Khan and R Vinay Kumar in good form. Vinay Kumar after his lively first spell against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, has raised the expectations level.

The pace duo is expected to do well against struggling Warriors batsmen. Of all of them, only two -- Jesse Ryder and Manish Pandey -- have managed to score a half-century.

Injury to in-form Kiwi batsman Ryder has just compounded their problems. They need batting to fire in unison if they are to upstage formidable Bangalore.
Skipper Sourav Ganguly too has to lead from the front, although he is not the same batsman as he used to be even a couple of years back.
© PTI

Man behind Dare devils

Sport is often termed as a great leveler. A term that portrays how an individual or a team can be a hero one day and wake up the next, feeling like an absolute nobody. It is this roller coaster of emotions that defines sport and makes it such a desirable commodity. Cricket is no exception to this phenomenon, and that point has already been proved in this season of the Indian Premier League, which has showcased several peaks and troughs.
A recent pop classic that sent the record charts booming was Gotye's "Somebody that I used to Know", and that was exactly how the fans of the Delhi Daredevils would have felt about their franchise after the previous edition of the Indian Premier League, that saw the side slump to the bottom of the table. That feeling, however, has already been shed away with quite quickly this year, as Delhi have romped to the top half of the table and have executed a turnaround as good as any that sport or at least cricket, has seen. Just as any turnaround though, this one too involved some shrewd planning, restructuring and most importantly off loading.
The one man who pulled the strings and was brave enough to risk losing a few friends was Mr. T.A. Sekar, the mentor of the Delhi Daredevils. He decided that it was time for the side to undergo a complete overhaul and it had to start right from the root. As T.A Sekar put it, it was time for a new leader, "the general consensus was to bring in a new coach. Sehwag and the rest of us felt that we needed a new set of thoughts and ideas. Unless a team is doing really well, my opinion is that the coach shouldn't be the same for more than three to four years."
Out went Greg Shipperd and in came Eric Simmons, former assistant coach of the same franchise. A man who had been with the Daredevils through all the ups and downs and had moulded the players into what they are. That solitary change though, was definitely not going to cut it for Delhi, and T.A. Sekar was wise enough to know that. His plan ran deeper than just changing the coach. In the previous season, apart from the skipper Sehwag and Warner at the top, Delhi had shown a clear lack of resources in the batting department. There was a void, a gaping hole that needed to be plugged and Sekar decided to do just that, with a few shrewd purchases. Purchases that were made with some meticulous planning and application of pure cricketing logic.
"During the trading window when Deccan were willing to trade KP, Sehwag said that he would like to include him in the team. I knew Warner was going to play for Australia and that was why we bought KP. So basically KP's exit and Warner's entry was actually very well planned." That statement by Sekar was just a glimpse of the strategic buys that he was on road to making. If the top order was being fortified then there was a need to back it up with a strong middle order as well. That was exactly what DD's mentor did by cashing in on the misfortune of another franchise, "when the Kochi team was disbanded, we thought we needed an experienced cricketer who can anchor the innings and be a good support on the field. That is why we marked Mahela Jayawardene, he is one of the best cricketing brains going around in the world now."
Delhi already had a sound top three and after capturing Ross Taylor in the following trading window, the men behind the scenes could plan out a clear cut strategy. As the former India pacer put it, "we thought of going in with a combination of foreign batsmen and Indian bowlers and hence bought Taylor at the last day of the trade." There was an exception to this strategy though, an exception that went a long way in influencing Delhi's success in the tournament, Morne Morkel. For a bowler who comes in and hits the deck hard at around 140 km/h, the subcontinent wickets might not prove to be the ideal playground, however, Sekar was of a different opinion. "You will see that bowlers who bowl at speeds of 140 are always successful. When a batsmen is trying to hit and you bowl at 140 plus, then it becomes very difficult to hit through long-on and long-off. Morne Morkel is a tall bowler and because of the height, when he pitches the ball he gets a lot of bounce, which makes it very difficult for the batsmen to hit."
Quite clearly the bowling coach had performed a startling make over, one that filled all the gaps and transformed Delhi into a well rounded unit. The most important thing though was that the transformation was done keeping in mind the long term goals and was not performed as a quick fix solution. As the former Tamil Nadu player says, "we built this team for the present, as well as the future." That is a statement of intent, a statement that well and truly shows that Delhi mean business and plan to do it consistently over the years to come.

Morkel does it againnnnnnnnn

Chennai Super Kings kept alive their chances of qualifying for the play-offs by eking out a four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in a crucial Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
After restricting Rajasthan to 126 for six, CSK rode on Albie Morkel and Srikkanth Anirudha's late bursts to romp home with 11 balls to spare.
However, CSK's run chase was off to a bad start as they lost wickets at regular intervals to totter at 84 for six at one stage.
Chasing a modest total, CSK were dealt an early blow when Shane Watson went through the defence of a struggling Murali Vijay in the first over.
New man in Suresh Raina (23 off 17) played a cameo before he was brilliantly caught by Ajinkya Rahane off Pankaj Singh.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to promote Dwayne Bravo up the order failed to yield the desired result after the West Indian was caught at deep square-leg by Stuart Binny off Siddharth Trivedi in the 12th over.
To make matters worse for CSK, Michael Hussey fell victim to an unnecessary mix up with Dhoni in the next over.
Needing 30 off the last three overs, Morkel and Anirudha scored identical knocks of 18 off six and stitched an undefeated 43 runs for the seventh wicket to guide CSK to the vital win.
Morkel and Anirudha tore apart the Australian duo of Watson and Shaun Tait to notch up the required runs in 18.1 overs.
By virtue of this win, CSK moved up to the fourth position in the standings with 13 points from as many games, while Rajasthan have slipped to the sixth spot with 12 points from 13 games.

CSK into top 4

Chennai Super Kings 127 for 6 (Raina 23, Morkel 18*, Anirudha 18*) beat Rajasthan Royals 126 for 6 (Hodge 33, Hilfenhaus 2-8) by four wickets

You can't rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again in Jaipur, when it seemed their playoff prospects were in peril. The teams, at a crucial juncture in the season, could ill-afford a slip-up, and Super Kings huffed and puffed in a low-scoring chase but made it thanks to a late onslaught from Albie Morkel and S Anirudha. They completely altered the flow of a game heading for a close finish and, with 13 points in the bag, Super Kings broke into the top four.

Royals were favourites when they had Super Kings at 84 for 6 in the 17th over, the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, caught in the deep, prompting a roar of relief from a usually calm Rahul Dravid. But Super Kings were always in the game with Morkel around, and Anirudha matched him shot for shot as the Royals bowlers buckled under pressure. That surge, which produced 43 off 13 balls, left the home crowd deflated and Royals stunned by the sudden transformation it wrought.

As has often been the case this IPL, the seamers erred at the death, with attempts at bowling yorkers failing miserably to end up as length deliveries. With 41 needed off 21, Morkel launched Pankaj Singh just over the long-off boundary, a mistimed hit carrying all the way. A top-edged four and a single later, the equation was down to 30 required off three overs.

Not even the experienced Shane Watson could maintain Royals' hold. A length ball was smashed over long-on, and Anirudha, having a go himself instead of giving his senior partner the strike, pulled over the midwicket fence before steering a full toss past point for a boundary. Shaun Tait was brought back with 12 needed off 12, but another pitched up delivery was swung towards cow corner. Tait then bowled Anirudha with a perfect yorker, only to find out he'd overstepped, just marginally, before doling out five wides down the leg side to hasten the finish.

Morkel and Anirudha undid an impressive performance from the Royals bowlers for the bulk of the innings; they had given the hosts hope of defending their lowest score this season. Suresh Raina had looked threatening, finding boundaries with effortless ease but his attempt to go over extra cover failed against Pankaj. Michael Hussey and Dwayne Bravo tried to consolidate but the ball was not coming on well enough on a slow track, and the Royals bowlers, especially Siddharth Trivedi, kept the pressure on with their accuracy. Bravo holed out, Hussey was run out, MS Dhoni slashed one to point and Jadeja soon followed. That was until Morkel and Anirudha got together.

Royals' below-par score owed partly to the frustration of having their innings interrupted three times by rain, but largely to some disciplined bowling by the Super Kings seamers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus, that kept the batsmen in check. Hilfenhaus beat the bat often, getting the ball to nip away past the outside edge, and maintained a tight line in the channel outside off. His victims were Dravid and Watson, both caught while trying to accelerate during a troubling spell; Watson was brilliantly taken by R Ashwin, diving forward at third man.

While Hilfenhaus finished with figures of 2 for 8 in four overs, Yo Mahesh backed him up with the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny, out after a brief counterattack. Though Brad Hodge targeted the spinners for a couple of boundaries, and an erratic Bravo was taken for runs, the good work done at the start of the game by Super Kings' bowlers was to serve their middle order well in the end

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Match preview

Neither team is certain yet of a place in the playoffs, but the team under greater pressure is Chennai Super Kings. The two-time champions have 11 points, with six defeats and five wins. They could so easily have had 13 points, had it not been for the freakish last over against Mumbai Indians when Dwayne Smith hammered 14 from the last three balls. Perhaps most daunting for Super Kings is that their four remaining games include two against the current table leaders Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils. A defeat against the Royals could jeopardise their chances of qualifying.

Their batting looked over-dependent on Faf du Plessis but against Mumbai there were encouraging signs as the others chipped in. Du Plessis, though, has been down with a virus and remains doubtful for this game. But Super Kings have shown in previous editions that they are most dangerous when the pressure piles up. In 2010, their bowling was in shambles until Doug Bollinger arrived jet-lagged and transformed their fortunes, coincidentally, against Royals. Bollinger, who missed the last game, is reportedly fit and available for selection. However, du Plessis isn't so sure of being. He tweeted about being down with a virus, which he hopes will disappear soon.

Royals have also played 12 games and are just a point ahead of Super Kings. However, two of their remaining games are against the bottom-placed Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors, and three of them are at home in Jaipur, where they have a sound record. On paper, Royals have a better chance of qualifying. They are also bolstered by the arrival of Shane Watson, who plundered the Warriors with an unbeaten 90.

Form guide (most recent first, completed games)

Rajasthan Royals: WWLLL

Chennai Super Kings: LWLLW

Players to watch

M Vijay had been in woeful form, scoring only 45 runs in 59 balls until the game against Mumbai Indians, when he smashed 41 off 29 balls. That innings included three sixes and showed signs of his form from the previous season. He has struggled this time and that has contributed to Super Kings' wobble this year. Vijay doesn't have too much time to turn things around but at least he's made a start.

As significant as Watson's 90 was the three-wicket haul by Shaun Tait against Warriors. The unpredictable Australian fast bowler silenced Sourav Ganguly and Michael Clarke with accuracy, pace and swing. The pitch was slow but Tait extracted life out of it.

Stats and trivia

Royals are clearly ahead on the batting front with nine fifty-plus scores to just four for Super Kings.

Super Kings have a 6-4 win-loss record against Royals.

Super Kings dropped just five games in total in 2011. This season, they have already lost six.

Quotes

"If you look at a team like the Delhi Daredevils, you will find guys like Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen finishing off matches for them. We need someone to finish the games off." Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel on what the team lacks, though not convinced by the likes of 'finishers' like MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo.

"With a couple of teams in contention it looks like 18 points will be needed (to make the playoffs) but we must not worry about what is needed but just play good cricket." Rahul Dravid, Royals' captain

Bichel rues lack of a finisher for CSK

Former Australian speedster and Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel feels that their team is missing a "good finisher" during matches that go down to the wire in this edition of the IPL.
"If you look at a team like the Delhi Daredevils, you will find guys like Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen finishing off matches for them. We need someone to finish the games off.
Our batting group and bowling group is fine, but we need to show character to bounce back. We need to show consistency," Bichel stated on the eve of his team's away match against Rajasthan Royals.
Talking to the media on the eve of their crucial match against Rajasthan Royals, Bichel said that CSK are all set to string a comeback after blowing hot and cold in the first half.
"There is still a chance for us. We are addressing our problems, and trying to bounce back and carry on with that form the rest of the season."
Bichel feels that Mike Hussey's absence during the first part of the tournament certainly had an effect.
"We missed Michael Hussey and players like him and Shane Watson, who give huge inputs to their teams. Watson is a class player and has been doing well for his country and also for the Rajasthan Royals. Others like Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah also have done well so far.
We can't have any specific strategy for the likes of Watson, but have to bowl a good length. It might work or it may not," he said.
Praising Shaun Tait for his good spells in previous two matches, Bichel said that his team's left--arm seamer Doug Bollinger is fit and available for selection.
"Doug is well now. He would be on the selection list but the team would be finalized on basis of conditions out there," he said
Former Australian speedster and Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel feels that their team is missing a "good finisher" during matches that go down to the wire in this edition of the IPL.
"If you look at a team like the Delhi Daredevils, you will find guys like Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen finishing off matches for them. We need someone to finish the games off.
Our batting group and bowling group is fine, but we need to show character to bounce back. We need to show consistency," Bichel stated on the eve of his team's away match against Rajasthan Royals.
Talking to the media on the eve of their crucial match against Rajasthan Royals, Bichel said that CSK are all set to string a comeback after blowing hot and cold in the first half.
"There is still a chance for us. We are addressing our problems, and trying to bounce back and carry on with that form the rest of the season."
Bichel feels that Mike Hussey's absence during the first part of the tournament certainly had an effect.
"We missed Michael Hussey and players like him and Shane Watson, who give huge inputs to their teams. Watson is a class player and has been doing well for his country and also for the Rajasthan Royals. Others like Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah also have done well so far.
We can't have any specific strategy for the likes of Watson, but have to bowl a good length. It might work or it may not," he said.
Praising Shaun Tait for his good spells in previous two matches, Bichel said that his team's left--arm seamer Doug Bollinger is fit and available for selection.
"Doug is well now. He would be on the selection list but the team would be finalized on basis of conditions out there," he said

CSK vs RR

Upbeat after their two consecutive victories, Rajasthan Royals would aim for a hat-trick of wins and inch closer to a playoffs spot when they take on an insipid Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match on Thursday.

Rajasthan have the winning momentum with them and have emerged from the shock of four consecutive defeats by posting two impressive wins over Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors.

The match will be a keenly-fought contest because a defeat in the match might just spoil the chances of either team to make it to playoffs.

The team composition for the previous two matches has been remarkable for Rajasthan Royals. With Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and pacer Shaun Tait in the side, they have proved that they are better as a team than their more fancied rivals.

Shane Watson has been in fine form both with the bat and ball while Tait has proved that he is more than a handful in conditions that suit him.

The batting of the hosts revolves round the opening partnership of skipper Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane who has surrendered his orange cap to Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag.

Shane Watson, at number three, has added strength by smashing the bowlers while Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah have played their role to perfection.

The bowling has been consistent and Shaun Tait, who had to wait for a couple of games to get a chance, has been lethal in the past two matches. The reliable Sidhartha Trivedi and Watson give a settled look to bowling.

On the other hand, champions for the past two years, Chennai Super Kings have not been in prime form this season and are languishing at sixth with five victories and six defeats.

They have not been able to finish off close games and have lacked consistency.

But Chennai have enjoyed a three-day break which might have provided them with enough time to regroup and plan for their remaining four games. The fact that they are the most successful IPL team, having played in three finals and have been victorious twice, should also give them confidence.

Besides, Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads a team that boasts of several international stars who have the ability to turn games.

Their batting has a solid look on paper with Faf du Plessis and Murali Vijay at the top and the likes of Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Dhoni and S Badrinath coming down the order.

All-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja, Albie Morkel and R Ashwin add depth to the line-up. The bowling appears strong with Ben Hilfenhaus, Morkel, Bravo, Jadeja and Ashwin.

The fact that Chennai beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at home should also give the visitors some confidence.

The slight drizzle last night has increased the humidity which might also help the visitors.
Teams:
Chennai Super Kings (From): MS Dhoni(w/c), Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, George Bailey, Srikkanth Anirudha, Faf du Plessis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Joginder Sharma, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh, Abhinav Mukund, Wriddhiman Saha, Scott Styris, Sudeep Tyagi, K Vasudevadas, Ganapathi Vignesh, Doug Bollinger
Rajasthan Royals (From): Rahul Dravid(c), Stuart Binny, Johan Botha, Deepak Chahar, Dinesh Chandimal, Ankeet Chavan, Aakash Chopra, Paul Collingwood, Kevon Cooper, Aditya Dole, Samad Fallah, Faiz Fazal, Shreevats Goswami(w), Brad Hodge, Ashok Menaria, Sumit Narwal, Pankaj Singh, Amit Paunikar, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Raut, Owais Shah, Pinal Shah, Amit Singh, S Sreesanth, Shaun Tait, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Dishant Yagnik, Brad Hogg, Ajit Chandila

Ganguly for pune:

The Pune Warriors management in all likelihood will have a brainstorming team meeting on the eve of their 14th round IPL clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in order to decide Sourav Ganguly's fate during the remainder of the tournament.
The bone of contention will be whether Ganguly, who has gone through a torrid time both as a batsman as well as a skipper, will sit out of last three encounters of Warriors. Team sources said the management wants the former India captain to take a call on his future in the remaining three matches.
"If Ganguly himself offers to step down from captaincy and decides to sit out for the remaining three games, the owners will certainly be only too happy to accomodate. The general feeling is that, they have lost with Ganguly at helm and with new players, it can't get worse," a senior IPL official in the know of things told PTI today.
In case Ganguly doesn't play, there is a possibility that Aussie Michael Clarke or find-of-the-season Steve Smith will lead the side.
Having lost nine out of their 13 matches under his captaincy, which has come under scanner for some debatable team selections, Ganguly's own batting form has also deserted him in this edition.
With 261 runs from 13 games at a strike-rate of shade over 100 and fielding which is atleast a few notches below the standard set in a competition like IPL, the soon-to-be 40 Ganguly has struggled to fit himself to demands of the shortest version.
"The Warriors management may be resorting to a "wait and watch" policy as their officials are finding it difficult to go up and confront Ganguly over his team selections," the official added.
Some of the decisions made by Ganguly which have come under scanner include Bangladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal not getting a single game despite being the top-scorer during Asia Cup with four back-to-back half centuries. Also T20 specialist Alphonso Thomas being repeatedly ignored in favour of West Indian Marlon Samuels who did precious little with the bat or ball after first three games.
India international Rahul Sharma got dumped after being clobbered for five consecutive sixes but the feeling among the doemstic players is how and why likes of Rahul and Manish Pandey are getting repeatedly ignored to favour likes of Mithun Manhas who is not known to finish off games.
Last but not the least is Ganguly's own form. Whether at the top or in the middle-order, one of India's finest captain looked totally out of sorts having played lot of dot balls in all the matches.
It all depends on whether an honourable exit route could be worked out for this ageing stalwart who in his prime has given a lot to Indian cricket

Teaching in aussie Way

Is it possible to teach cricket to Indian children in a way which blends the 'Australian style of coaching' and the 'Indian way'? That is exactly the idea with which Cricket India Academy, a network of coaching academies in the country, was started in 2009. The Cricket India Academy is directly authorised by the governing body for cricket in Australia - Cricket Australia, who are responsible for drafting the Cricket Education Program (CEP). According to Cricket Australia, the CEP has been formulated in a way to provide a streamlined and sequential approach to coaching children in a curriculum based training program. The CEP has been implemented across training centres in Mumbai and Jaipur, and the latest centre - called Inside Edge Sportainment - has been started in Chennai. An academy started by 4 youngsters, Inside Edge has received the Certificate of Partnership from Cricket Australia and has started coaching camps for the coming season.
Talking to cricbuzz.com, one of the founders of Inside Edge, Sudarshan Rangan, spoke in detail about the academy and how it started.
"The Australians thought that everyone in India knew about cricket, but they wanted a more streamlined approach to training. That's how they entered cricket in India. We were on the same page as well. We failed to make it big in cricket personally, and when we were introspecting on what went wrong, we realised the need for a more streamlined approach to coaching. In a way, this is a classroom based education; it's almost like an incorporation of sport (cricket) in daily education"
The training program, says Sudarshan, is different from a normal coaching camp at various levels. The CEP provides sequential training where the children will know what's next in their cricketing development, much like in a classroom based model.
How did Inside Edge, being an inexperienced academy, convince a body as big as Cricket Australia? Sudarshan says it was not about convincing anyone. "We didn't have to convince CA as such, we just told them the ideas - that we wanted grass-root training to be professionally done. We met Martin Gleeson and told him that there were many schools which showed interest but didn't have the facilities. If we could bring in the facilities and their expertise together, we could develop a successful model."
One of the challenges in developing such an idea could be the relative inexperience of the founding members. Srinivasan, one of the co-founders of the academy, acknowledges that, but says that it did, in a way, work in their favour as well.
"Every single day was a learning experience for us. We are absolute amateurs in this field, compared to other coaches who have played for the state or at a higher level. That way we didn't have an identity, the only identity we had was Cricket Australia. We had to spend 7-8 months on just understanding the model, because we didn't want to create "just another product". We're not even breaking even this year, but we're ready to face the initial losses. "
"There were a lot of practical problems as well. We finalised the deal towards the end of February and we wanted to kick start the summer program this year. That left us with only 1 month to market our product, and that collided with the board exams. These were some of the challenges we faced, but somehow, the Cricket Australia brand worked."
Hussey shares his philosophies
The role models for the CEP - Brett Lee and Michael Hussey - could not have been chosen better, for both are widely respected cricketers in India. Michael Hussey was present at the event conducted by the academy on Thursday, May 3rd in Chennai where he interacted with young aspirants. Hussey interacted with the kids in a jovial manner despite travelling half the globe from West Indies to Chennai for his IPL duties. He shared a few coaching tips with the kids and later patiently answered some of their queries regarding his career. When one of the aspirants asked Hussey about the sobriquet 'Mr. Cricket', he recalled the incident in England where Andrew Flintoff gave him the tag. "It started in England when I was playing a County match. It was a cold, wet and miserable day and nobody wanted to be there, except for me. I was loving it and I wanted to bat every ball. That's when Flintoff said "this guy loves cricket more than anyone, he must be Mr. Cricket". That's how it started."
Even while answering the questions, Hussey, known to be a complete team-man, made sure that he passed on his philosophies about the game and stressed on the importance of team before individual. When asked about his ability to bat at various positions, he replied "it's just whatever is the best for the team. You've got to adapt for the team. The team is the most important thing and you should always play for the team" Hussey even cited Subramaniam Badrinath as an example, something that the kids from Chennai could easily relate to. "...someone like Badrinath for example, sometimes he opens the batting, sometimes he's number 3 and in other times he is number 8.
The interdependence among different boards is increasing rapidly with time, and the Cricket India Academy is an example of how the interactions have reached the grass-root level. Hussey summed up the intentions of the academy, saying it's important to develop a strong cricketing culture.
"Australia is very proud of their cricketing culture. We know that people in India, especially kids, love cricket more than in any other place in the world. If we could help these kids and see them grow into better people and better players, it would give the people from Australia a lot of happiness. It's very important to have a strong cricketing culture around the world. We have started this program in India, and we hope to take it around the world and make cricket a well loved sport

Is it possible to teach cricket to Indian children in a way which blends the 'Australian style of coaching' and the 'Indian way'? That is exactly the idea with which Cricket India Academy, a network of coaching academies in the country, was started in 2009. The Cricket India Academy is directly authorised by the governing body for cricket in Australia - Cricket Australia, who are responsible for drafting the Cricket Education Program (CEP). According to Cricket Australia, the CEP has been formulated in a way to provide a streamlined and sequential approach to coaching children in a curriculum based training program. The CEP has been implemented across training centres in Mumbai and Jaipur, and the latest centre - called Inside Edge Sportainment - has been started in Chennai. An academy started by 4 youngsters, Inside Edge has received the Certificate of Partnership from Cricket Australia and has started coaching camps for the coming season.
Talking to cricbuzz.com, one of the founders of Inside Edge, Sudarshan Rangan, spoke in detail about the academy and how it started.
"The Australians thought that everyone in India knew about cricket, but they wanted a more streamlined approach to training. That's how they entered cricket in India. We were on the same page as well. We failed to make it big in cricket personally, and when we were introspecting on what went wrong, we realised the need for a more streamlined approach to coaching. In a way, this is a classroom based education; it's almost like an incorporation of sport (cricket) in daily education"
The training program, says Sudarshan, is different from a normal coaching camp at various levels. The CEP provides sequential training where the children will know what's next in their cricketing development, much like in a classroom based model.
How did Inside Edge, being an inexperienced academy, convince a body as big as Cricket Australia? Sudarshan says it was not about convincing anyone. "We didn't have to convince CA as such, we just told them the ideas - that we wanted grass-root training to be professionally done. We met Martin Gleeson and told him that there were many schools which showed interest but didn't have the facilities. If we could bring in the facilities and their expertise together, we could develop a successful model."
One of the challenges in developing such an idea could be the relative inexperience of the founding members. Srinivasan, one of the co-founders of the academy, acknowledges that, but says that it did, in a way, work in their favour as well.
"Every single day was a learning experience for us. We are absolute amateurs in this field, compared to other coaches who have played for the state or at a higher level. That way we didn't have an identity, the only identity we had was Cricket Australia. We had to spend 7-8 months on just understanding the model, because we didn't want to create "just another product". We're not even breaking even this year, but we're ready to face the initial losses. "
"There were a lot of practical problems as well. We finalised the deal towards the end of February and we wanted to kick start the summer program this year. That left us with only 1 month to market our product, and that collided with the board exams. These were some of the challenges we faced, but somehow, the Cricket Australia brand worked."
Hussey shares his philosophies
The role models for the CEP - Brett Lee and Michael Hussey - could not have been chosen better, for both are widely respected cricketers in India. Michael Hussey was present at the event conducted by the academy on Thursday, May 3rd in Chennai where he interacted with young aspirants. Hussey interacted with the kids in a jovial manner despite travelling half the globe from West Indies to Chennai for his IPL duties. He shared a few coaching tips with the kids and later patiently answered some of their queries regarding his career. When one of the aspirants asked Hussey about the sobriquet 'Mr. Cricket', he recalled the incident in England where Andrew Flintoff gave him the tag. "It started in England when I was playing a County match. It was a cold, wet and miserable day and nobody wanted to be there, except for me. I was loving it and I wanted to bat every ball. That's when Flintoff said "this guy loves cricket more than anyone, he must be Mr. Cricket". That's how it started."
Even while answering the questions, Hussey, known to be a complete team-man, made sure that he passed on his philosophies about the game and stressed on the importance of team before individual. When asked about his ability to bat at various positions, he replied "it's just whatever is the best for the team. You've got to adapt for the team. The team is the most important thing and you should always play for the team" Hussey even cited Subramaniam Badrinath as an example, something that the kids from Chennai could easily relate to. "...someone like Badrinath for example, sometimes he opens the batting, sometimes he's number 3 and in other times he is number 8.
The interdependence among different boards is increasing rapidly with time, and the Cricket India Academy is an example of how the interactions have reached the grass-root level. Hussey summed up the intentions of the academy, saying it's important to develop a strong cricketing culture.
"Australia is very proud of their cricketing culture. We know that people in India, especially kids, love cricket more than in any other place in the world. If we could help these kids and see them grow into better people and better players, it would give the people from Australia a lot of happiness. It's very important to have a strong cricketing culture around the world. We have started this program in India, and we hope to take it around the world and make cricket a well loved sport

Gayle pilots RCB to the fourth spot :

Gayle pilots RCB to the fourth spot

Chris Gayle has been the man for Bangalore. Without him, I wonder where they would be in the points table and he did it again for them today against Mumbai. A defeat today would surely have dented their chances of reaching the play-offs and he ensured that they faced no alarms with a trademark innings of 82 coming in just 59 balls. This is a different Gayle that we are seeing this year - he is prepared to wait, bide his time, watch out for the deadly bowlers, play safely against them and then unleash himself when well set. That's what happened today again - it all started with a full toss from Ojha which was dispatched with ease and then he just tore into the left-arm spinner as he clouted him for another couple of sixes.

That's when the game turned and eventually Bangalore cantered home on the back of clean ball striking from the Jamaican. This was Gayle's sixth fifty of the season and it shows how much they are dependent on the big man. After the game Gayle was in a jovial mood and said: 'It is in the process of being built' (when asked whether he needs a new house in Jamaica to keep his Man of the Match trophies). For his powerful innings, Gayle is the top performer of the day.

Comments

Chris Gayle has been the man for Bangalore. Without him, I wonder where they would be in the points table and he did it again for them today against Mumbai. A defeat today would surely have dented their chances of reaching the play-offs and he ensured that they faced no alarms with a trademark innings of 82 coming in just 59 balls. This is a different Gayle that we are seeing this year - he is prepared to wait, bide his time, watch out for the deadly bowlers, play safely against them and then unleash himself when well set. That's what happened today again - it all started with a full toss from Ojha which was dispatched with ease and then he just tore into the left-arm spinner as he clouted him for another couple of sixes.

That's when the game turned and eventually Bangalore cantered home on the back of clean ball striking from the Jamaican. This was Gayle's sixth fifty of the season and it shows how much they are dependent on the big man. After the game Gayle was in a jovial mood and said: 'It is in the process of being built' (when asked whether he needs a new house in Jamaica to keep his Man of the Match trophies). For his powerful innings, Gayle is the top performer of the day.

IPL 5 response

The nine franchises will earn unprecedented revenue through gate collections in this edition of the IPL which has seen a remarkable transition from pass culture to ticket culture among fans, says the league's boss Rajiv Shukla.
Shukla said that he has been surprised by the league's "roaring success" and has promised to bring in more value additions to the subsequent editions to make it more attractive.
"I never expected such kind of a response. We were very apprehensive before the event started because the Indian team was not doing too well, it lost two successive series (in England and Australia)," Shukla said on Wednesday.
"So, obviously everybody was apprehensive but it has gone off very well. Everybody is appreciating the success. For the first time, all the franchises have made huge money through gate money. For all future matches, most of the tickets have been sold out well in advance.
"Tickets are selling like hot cakes, that's the good thing about IPL. People have started purchasing tickets. There has been a pass culture in India, but now we are witnessing a transition from pass culture to ticket culture which is a good thing," he said.
Shukla said despite the absence of Pakistani players in the event, IPL has managed to grab eyeballs across the border as well.
"...we are getting huge response from the internet. It's a huge chunk of internet viewership throughout the world. Overseas viewing also has got a very good response. In a country like Pakistan, you know Pakistani players are not playing, despite that people there are watching IPL," Shukla said.
"Even in Caribbean islands, IPL is being telecast. So, in every nook and corner of the world, the IPL is being shown. The matches have also turned out to be nail-biting. That people are liking, matches are ending in the last over, last ball. The people are liking that. The spirit of cricket is being displayed in this IPL," Shukla added.
Asked if anything new is being planned for the coming IPLs, Shukla said, "We will go for value addition. This time also we went for a new concept such as the owner's league which is also being shown on TV."
"Owners are playing against each other. The Super Six is also going on. These two are the new elements and in future, we will be adding more features," he added.
Shukla, however, dismissed suggestions that the sellout crowds at the IPL are an indicator of the dwindling interest in the ODI and Test formats of the game.
"It's not about the format of the game that people are coming to IPL. It's the way the tournament is organised, efforts of the BCCI and franchises.
"The best players of the world are participating, the performance, fighting spirit. The rules are being followed. The way the show is put up, people are liking it. Moreover, there is total transparency in everything," he explained.
"...whatever complaints people had have been removed. Cricket is now sacrosanct. Off the ground whatever is necessary from the entertainment point of view that is being done. The franchises are happy, BCCI is happy and the spectators are happy. Its a win-win situation for all."
On the policy of players' retention for the next IPL, Shukla said the matter would be deliberated upon in the next Governing Council meeting.
"That has not been decided as yet. Right now, I can't say anything on it. We will take a decision at the Governing Council meeting," he said.
Shukla said the franchises are equal partners in the league and would be taken into confidence before any big move.
"I see the franchises as partners in this show. We have to give them full respect. We have to understand their issues and try to resolve their problems. That is why we have started meetings with owners.
"The franchises now feel that their voice is being heard. We are not tinkering with the rules, the rules are there and followed by everybody. Rules are being maintained, transparency is being maintained and it is a level playing field for everybody," he said.
Despite the full houses, the TAM ratings for IPL have been low but Shukla is not too concerned.
"The only thing I can say about TAM rating is that the paradigm has shifted. Now TAM has gone to towns which have more than a lakh people also. Earlier TV serials which used to get more than 8 ratings were considered to be good, now if the serials get 2 to 3 ratings, they are considered to be successful.
"Keeping that yardstick in mind, IPL is a huge success. We need to find out that when the stadiums have full houses, matches are ending in the last over, and there is a huge rise in internet viewership, how come the TAM ratings have gone down a little bit. We are analysing the matter," he said. On whether the IPL will remain a nine-team affair, Shukla said, "That is an issue which has to be deliberated upon in the Governing Council meeting."
Shukla, who took over from the flamboyant Lalit Modi, said he has tried to his best in managing the league.
"Whatever job has been given to me, I have tried to deliver to the best of my ability. It is for the BCCI members to judge me," he said.

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Dravid the power

Shane Watson was expected to breathe life into a side that has had a slight slump in fortunes when he joined the Rajasthan Royals in the business end of IPL 2012. Having just finished his national duty, the Australian has taken this responsibility head on.

Although he had a forgettable first game, he was instrumental in RR returning to their winning ways with a victory over Kings XI Punjab. He set the pace against KXIP with a quick fire 36 and later took two wickets. The all-rounder is, now, raring to go and believes that his team has the talent to make it to the final four.

In a chat with iplt20.com, Watson spoke about his team and adapting to different conditions and formats.

Excerpts from his interview:

Can you tell us about your match-winning performance against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali?

It was nice to get out in the middle. I was just very disappointed with my first performance in Jaipur, so it was nice to be able to get out here in the middle [and score runs and take wickets]. It was a very beautiful wicket out there. It reminded me of home actually [with] a bit of pace and bounce [which] helped my bowling a little bit and [got] little bit swing as well. So it was good fun.

Given that RR has had a slump after an initial high, do you feel the pressure to perform coming into the side at a crucial juncture in the tournament?

There is always pressure when you come into a side and play; there is no doubt about that. I expect to be able to perform consistently. And the team is also in need of performances from everyone, not just me, to be able to push for a place in the final four. So you always feel the pressure.

Whether it’s playing for Rajasthan or playing for Australia, you have to perform consistently. No doubt, we are in a position where we have to win most of our games, so there is pressure to perform on everyone, not just me.

Do you consider yourself a naturally attacking batsman? What is the difference between playing the longest and the shortest format of cricket?

You do have to adapt a little. But I suppose the way my natural game is, to always try and attack and put the pressure on the bowler, no matter what. You do have to adapt a little bit for Twenty20 cricket. You have to take a few more risks in Twenty20 as compared to Test cricket, for example. But my intent is to do the same; I will try and be an aggressive batsman.

You have come into the side after playing Test cricket. How do you adapt?

It can take one or two games to be able [to switch] and a little bit of practice to get going from Test cricket to Twenty20. To get your Twenty20 attacking strokes in the groove, more than anything [you need a bit of time]. While going from Twenty20 to Test cricket you just have to pull your risk [factor] back a little bit more. So it just takes a little bit of time. It normally just takes a couple of training sessions to be able to get your head around exactly what your plans are [for the format] and also making sure that the strokes that you are going to be using majority of the time; you have got them ready to go.

What kinds of adjustments are required while switching formats?

It’s mainly a mental adjustment that one has to make, but also a slightly technical one. In Twenty20 cricket, for example, you need to have attacking shots [in your repertoire], the boundary shots that you need to go to with if team needs a boundary. Whereas in Test cricket you just wait, wait until you get a loose ball. So you do have to practice a few of those shots. It normally takes a few training sessions to get on the roll.

Rajasthan Royals is a side with fewer international stars than most teams. But it has lifted the IPL trophy once. Is there a possibility of pulling it off again?

There is a possibility. We certainly have got the talent to be able to do it. It is just about bringing it all together. In the first year that we won, we won most of the matches that we got played. Unfortunately, this year, so far we have lost a few really close matches. Hopefully, we can really get on a roll now, but there is no doubt that we have the talent; we just have to bring it all together.

What is Rajasthan Royals' USP?

We were always the underdogs, so we certainly always play above ourselves [...].

What are your thoughts on your skipper, Rahul Dravid?

He is probably the nicest guy I have ever met in cricket. He is unbelievably down-to-earth. He is an extremely lovely man and just loves cricket so much that he if he could, he would play with until the day he dies. I think, he is just been a really brilliant influence on me to just to talk to him about cricket and just the way he has lived his life. He has been a great influence on me just to remain calm through every situation.

Your teammate Ajinkya Rahane, who is having a good season so far, is not a big-hitter like most. What are your thoughts on him?

He does have a lot of the powerful shots. He has got a broader range of shots and he can hit the ball all around the ground. He is an extremely talented young batsman. I saw him a couple of years ago in a tour match that we played here in Chandigarh and from then on I knew that he was always going to play for India because he is such a talented batsman as he has shown so far in the IPL and also when he played for India. He batted nicely through that period as well. He is certainly the star that is ready to go into the Indian team.

You have had rough patches and have overcome injuries. How do you motivate yourself to keep going in tough times and what is your advice to others?

I don’t have to motivate myself because I always love to play cricket and when I am not playing because I am injured or something, then I miss it. The reason why you play is for the enjoyment and love of the game. You never want to lose that passion and love of the game, because that’s the reason that you started playing; you don’t want to lose that.

Advise: Just think back to reason why you first started playing cricket and which is because of the pure enjoyment and love of playing. And that’s why when you get a little in front of yourself you can forget the reason why you started playing. So [just remind yourself of that]. I certainly haven’t forgotten, because I know how quickly it can be taken away from you.

Match 54 preview::

IPL 5 Match 54 is going to be played between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Royal Challengers Bangalore won 5 Matches and Mumbai Indians won 7 in IPL 5. So, Mumbai Indians playing at home venue, would tried to registered 8th win, while Royal Challengers Bangalore tries to defeat RCB at their home ground and registered 6th win in Points Tally of IPL 5 Points Table. Look out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians.

Watch Live On : Set Max (India)

Date: 9th May, 2012

Time: 8:00 PM Onwards

Venue : Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Head to Head: Both Played 9 Matches in IPL. RCB Won 4 and MI won 5.

Teams (Squad):

Mumbai Indians
Harbhajan Singh(c), Sachin Tendulkar, Abu Nechim, Aiden Blizzard, Yuzvendra Chahal, James Franklin, Herschelle Gibbs, Davy Jacobs, Mitchell Johnson, Dinesh Karthik(w), Dhawal Kulkarni, Richard Levi, Clint McKay, Lasith Malinga, Sushant Marathe, Pragyan Ojha, Munaf Patel, Thissara Perera, Robin Peterson, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Jaydev Shah, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Tirumalsetti Suman, Pawan Suyal, Aditya Tare, Suryakumar Yadav, Amitoze Singh, Sujit Nayak, Rahul Shukla, Apoorv Wankhade.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Daniel Vettori(c), Mayank Agarwal, KP Appanna, Sreenath Aravind, Arun Karthik(w), Raju Bhatkal, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Muralidharen Gautam, Chris Gayle, Mohammad Kaif, Abrar Kazi, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Charl Langeveldt, Andrew McDonald, Abhimanyu Mithun, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dirk Nannes, Ryan Ninan, Harshal Vikram Patel, Asad Pathan, Luke Pomersbach, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rilee Rossouw, Syed Mohammad Jamaluddin, Saurabh Tiwary, Vinay Kumar

Final is driftingggg

New Delhi: Surprising reports emerged on Tuesday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was planning to shift the second qualifier and the Indian Premier League (IPL) final out of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.The matches, scheduled to take place on May 25 and 27 respectively, are reportedly under threat owing to the fact that three of the stands at the iconic stadium are sealed, and the broadcaster, SET Max, considers it an eyesore in a league that otherwise has seen full houses at almost every venue.The G, H and I stands have a combined capacity of 12,000 spectators, and the loss in revenue is estimated to be in the range of 2 crore per match.However, sources told Mail Today that the move is just a way to arm-twist the authorities into unsealing the stands. The trouble began after last year's IPL when the Chennai Corporation sealed all the blocks on the western side of the stadium on Bells Road, adjacent to the 160-year-old Madras Cricket Club.Since then, the stands have remained deserted for matches in the Champions League Twenty20 and the India-West Indies One-Day International last December, as well as through the IPL.The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) started paying 60 per annum from February 1966 for over 18 acres of land in the precinct of the stadium, and now pays a sum of 8 lakh per year to the government as rent.The existing lease was extended in 2001 for expires on April 19, 2015.Government records show that due permission was not obtained by the TNCA for demolishing the stands in the stadium before reconstructing them ahead of last year's World Cup. The TNCA is alleged to have disregarded and violated the norms set by the government, which could even affect the lease of the land itself.Clause 8 of the lease deed says the "grantee shall not use the land except for the purpose of the construction of cricket stadium and shall not erect buildings, fences or structures of a permanent or temporary character on the land without the previous sanction of the collector."But the TNCA had built a club, rooms and a state of the art bar in 2002-03.R Ravichandran, tehsildar of Mylapore-Triplicane, under which territory the stadium is situated had, in his letter dated September 16, 2009, to the TNCA president, raised objections for the association having violated the terms and conditions of the lease grant.Ravichandran has also stated that "Under RSO No: 24-A, you have to follow the terms and conditions of the lease grant and you have violated the conditions in Clause 15 and 16 of the lease deed.""Now you are reconstructing the structure of the stadium without getting proper permission even though prior warnings issued through Revenue Inspector. The construction activity in the cognizant pavilion of eastern side gate may kindly be stopped," the tehsildar has said in his letter.Under these circumstances, the fact that the TNCA has approached the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority for permission to use the stands makes things more interesting, especially with question marks over whether the government agency is empowered to provide this.Secondly, under the regime of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, action has been taken against 'land grabbers', and in this climate, it seems virtually impossible that the required permission will be granted, even if the reason given for the request is the public's interest.Three sealed stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium have become a bone of contention between TN govt and TNCA.

Ipl reactions

IPL - Indian Premier League
IPL 2012 Match 51 DD v KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan react during match 51 of the the Indian Premier League ( IPL) 2012 between The Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders held at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on the 7th May 2012

Ipl team will earn

Franchises will earn unprecedented revenue through gate collections in this edition of the IPL which has seen a remarkable transition from pass culture to ticket culture among fans, says the league's boss Rajiv Shukla.

Shukla said that he has been surprised by the league's "roaring success" and has promised to bring in more value additions to the subsequent editions to make it more attractive.

"I never expected such kind of a response. We were very apprehensive before the event started because the Indian team was not doing too well, it lost two successive series (in England and Australia)," Shukla told PTI in an interview here on Wedbesday.

"So, obviously everybody was apprehensive but it has gone off very well. Everybody is appreciating the success. For the first time, all the franchises have made huge money through gate money. All future matches, most of the tickets have been sold out well in advance.

"Tickets are selling like hot cakes, that's the good thing about IPL. People have started purchasing tickets. Pass culture in India was too much, so now we are witnessing a transition from pass culture to ticket culture and it is a good thing," he said.

Shukla said despite the absence of Pakistani players in the event, IPL has managed to grab eyeballs across the border as well.

"...we are getting huge response from the internet. It's a huge chunk of internet viewership throughout the world. Overseas viewing also has got a very good response. In a country like Pakistan, you know Pakistani players are not playing, despite that people there are watching IPL," Shukla said.

"Even in Caribbean islands, IPL has been shown. So, in every nook and corner of the world, the IPL is been shown. The matches have also turned out to be nail-biting. That people are liking, matches are ending in the last over, last ball. The people are liking that. The spirit of cricket is being displayed in this IPL," Shukla added.

Asked if anything new is being planned for the coming IPLs, Shukla said, "We will go for value addition. This time also we went for a new concept such as the owner's league which is also being shown on TV."

"Owners are playing against each other. The Super Six is also going on. These two are the new elements and in future, we will be adding more features," he added.

Shukla, however, dismissed suggestions that the sellout crowds at the IPL are an indicator of the dwindling interest in the ODI and Test formats of the game.

"It's not about the format of the game that people are coming to IPL. It's the way the tournament is organised, efforts of the BCCI and franchises.

"The best players of the world are participating, the performance, fighting spirit. The rules are being followed. The way the show is put up, people are liking it. Moreover, there is total transparency in everything," he explained.

"...whatever complaints people had have been removed. Cricket is now sacrosanct. Off the ground whatever is necessary from the entertainment point of view that is being done. The franchises are happy, BCCI is happy and the spectators are happy. Its a win-win situation for all."

On the policy of players' retention for the next IPL, Shukla said the matter would be deliberated upon in the next Governing Council meeting.

"That has not been decided as yet. Right now, I can't say anything on it. We will take a decision at the Governing Council meeting," he said. Visit www.facebook.com/iplking

Dlf ipl

Who will win the ipl champhions league?????????????!!