Pollard power too much for Rajasthan

Mumbai Indians 197 for 6 (Pollard 64, Rayudu 47*) beat Rajasthan Royals 170 (Shah 76, Rahane 40, Munaf 4-28)

The scoreboard might not tell you that but Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals gave IPL 2012 its first close high-scoring game as Wankhede Stadium cheered. The 27-run margin did not do justice to Rajasthan Royals for the way they went after an asking-rate of nearly ten an over against a quality bowling attack. This after Kieron Pollard had muscled his way to his highest IPL score and propelled Mumbai Indians to the highest total of this IPL season so far. 

Pollard's all-round performance, 64 off 33 deliveries and 4 for 44, left in the shade a dazzling innings of 76 off 42 from Owais Shah, which had rudely threatened to gatecrash what had shaped up to be Pollard's night. Till the end of the 14th over, as Shah kept peppering the on-side rope with boundaries, Royals had an almost even chance. But in a game where no bowler apart from him went for less than seven an over, Lasith Malinga uprooted Shah's off stump with a yorker off the first ball of the 15th. 

While Munaf Patel and Pollard ended with four wickets each, it was Malinga's over that turned the game in Mumbai Indians' favour. While Malinga stood out with figures of 4-0-13-2 in a match where 367 runs were scored, it was Pollard who towered above everyone with his all-round performance.

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Delhi crush lethargic Chennai

Delhi Daredevils 111 for 2 (Pietersen 43*, Sehwag 33) beat Chennai Super Kings 110 for 8 (M Morkel 2-19) by eight wickets

Chennai Super Kings were disappointing with the bat for the second time in three games and their confused running allowed Delhi Daredevils to restrict them to their second-lowest total in the IPL for a comprehensive win. Three of the first four Super Kings batsmen ran themselves out as neither Daredevils' bowlers nor their fielders let up on the pressure.

Off the first ball of the game, M Vijay responded too eagerly to a call for a single from Faf du Plessis only for the latter to stop after taking a few steps. Vijay was almost at the other end and had no chance of making it back. Such chaos was to be a feature of the innings. Suresh Raina went too far down the pitch in search of a tight single but could not make it back in time; S Badrinath was to meet a similar fate a couple of overs later.

It did not help Super Kings that after hitting three boundaries and looking in fine touch, du Plessis found extra cover off Morne Morkel with another drive. It allowed Daredevils to come back from Irfan Pathan's second over, the third of the innings, which went for 14. Raina slogged a couple of sixes over the on side before contriving to dismiss himself. The last thing Super Kings wanted was for Daredevils wicketkeeper Naman Ojha to pull off a stunning diving catch off Ravindra Jadeja's outside edge.

With Super Kings struggling on 66 for 5, Daredevils were able to exert even more pressure through their left-arm spinners Roelof van der Merwe and Shahbaz Nadeem. The duo conceded just 24 runs off seven overs between them. Super Kings' final hope was the pair of Dwayne Bravo and MS Dhoni but they failed to push on after adding 23 in 41 balls. Super Kings' crawl was summed up by Bravo playing out seven consecutive dot balls against the spinners.

After plodding along to 11 off 18, Dhoni could not clear long-on off Morne Morkel as he tried to break free in the 18th over. Bravo followed in the 19th, and Super Kings signed off their innings with one more run-out in the last over.
the visitors slumped to their biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining.

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IPL 5: DC-MI tie witnesses drama after umpiring error

Controversy erupted in the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians here Monday with the latter team's captain Harbhajan Singh having a heated and prolonged argument with the field umpires who committed a mistake in not giving a home side batsman out. The incident happened in the 13th over of Deccan Chargers' innings after they opted to bat first. Their captain Kumar Sangakkara was clearly out off the bowling of Munaf Patel though the field umpires thought it otherwise initially before referring the decision to the third umpire.

The third ball of Munaf Patel's third over and 13th of Deccan Chargers' innings saw Sangakkara dragging the ball onto the off-stump with the bails dislodged and the ball hit the wickets for the second time after ricocheting from Mumbai wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. Field Umpires AK Chowdhury of India and JD Cloete of South Africa consulted each other but thought that the ball came off Karthik's pads and ruled Sangakkara not out. That led to the drama with an angry-looking Harbhajan rushing towards the umpires and apparently asking Cloete why he did not go upstairs for a third umpire decision. 

A heated argument followed between Harbhajan and the field umpires with Munaf joining in and play stopped for more than five minutes. Deccan captain Sangakkara also had a word with the umpires who finally referred the decision to the third umpire. The third umpire gave Sangakkara out as was expected and play resumed.

 

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	Powerplay (0-6)	16-20 overs	NB/Wides
Deccan Chargers	39	6	8	45-2	29-5	0/4
Mumbai Indians	44	8	8	29-2	48-2	0/0

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IPL 5: Nerveless Rohit steers MI to last-ball win

Mumbai Indians 142 for 5 (Rohit 73*, Steyn 3-12) beat Deccan Chargers 138 for 9 (Dhawan 41, Christian 39, Munaf 4-20) by five wickets

The fifth edition of the IPL, which began in tepid fashion, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a thrilling finish for Mumbai Indians against Deccan Chargers, who fought tooth and nail while defending 139. Daniel Christian, not the wisest choice for the final over, as very recent history tells us, dished out two full tosses to Rohit. One of them was off the final ball, which was dispatched over long-on to spark wild celebrations.

The Chargers were still favourites with 18 to defend off the last over. Kumar Sangakkara had bowled out his best bowler, Dale Steyn, leaving the final task with Christian. The first ball was smashed by James Franklin past long-off for four; the second down the same region; the batsmen sneaked a bye off the third; the fourth was a high full toss slammed by Rohit Sharma over deep backward point. With five needed off two, the penultimate ball was forced to long-off and Rohit Sharma timed his dive just in time to survive a run-out appeal. Christian couldn't come up with anything special, gifting Rohit Sharma the most hittable delivery of the over, breaking the hearts of the home fans who saw their side slip to a second straight defeat.

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Dravid lauds Rahane after easy win over Kings XI

Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid on Friday lauded young Ajinkya Rahane for his brilliant 98-run knock that set the platform for his side`s comfortable win over Kings XI Punjab in their opening match of the Indian Premier League season five here.

Rahane scored a blistering 98 off just 66 balls with the help of 16 fours and a lone six to power Rajasthan to 191 for four after sent into bat.

In reply, Kings XI could only manage 160 for the loss of nine wickets, thereby losing the encounter by 31 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here.

"It is a fantastic night for us. Great to start with a win. It was nice to see the youngsters doing well. We executed our plans well," Dravid said after the match.

"Rahane was brilliant. He has worked really hard after being out of the Indian team," he added.

Kings XI skipper Adam Gilchrist also praised Rahane for his fantastic innings and said Rajasthan completely outplayed his side today.

"We were outplayed. Probably, I got the toss wrong. Rahane played a beautiful innings," he said.

"We gave away 20-30 runs more than what I thought we should have conceded. We now have plenty to work. We need to work hard for our victories and execute our plans well," Gilchrist added.

Man-of-the-Match Rahane was full of praise for the pitch offered at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

"I was batting well even in practice games so wanted to continue. I believe in myself and if you are a good batsman, you will play well irrespective of the format. The wicket was good and the ball was coming on well," he said.

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Steven Smith all praise for Dinda

Australian Steven Smith praised Ashok Dinda for providing Pune Warriors the early breakthroughs in their IPL match against Mumbai Indians on Friday.

"I had not seen much of him, to be honest. He bowled very well early on, swung the ball and took a few early wickets and really gave us a chance to get into their middle-order," said Smith.

Dinda scalped four wickets as Pune Warriors successfully defended their total of 129 to register a 28-run win over Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring match at the Wankhede Stadium. Pune restricted Mumbai to 101 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. Dinda grabbed 4 for 18 in two spells of four overs, including two wickets in his first over.

"Tonight, it was just about going out there and getting our skills to do the work. We got the better of Mumbai tonight," said Smith, who put on 44 runs in 48 balls for the fifth wicket with Robin Uthappa (36) to rally the Warriors' innings from 47 for 4.

Keeping the slow nature of the wicket in mind, the Australian all-rounder said he and Uthappa were of the opinion that a total of 140 would be a fighting score. "The wicket was a bit slow and there was also some turn. It was quite tough to start on but we knew, Robin and I, in the middle there if we could get a partnership going and get to 140, we would be right in the game," he said.

"I would have loved to bowl on this wicket, but the others did the job and I was not needed," he added.

Smith said it would be difficult to cement his place in the playing eleven with so many overseas players around. "It's obviously tough to keep my place with plenty of overseas players coming in later. But as long as we play well as a group that's what matters to me the most."

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Hussey not reluctant to Big Bash rule changes

Michael Hussey has given a vigilant thumbs-up to some of the planned new rules for next season's Big Bash League. The eight-team competition might comprise features such as a super-over in which the batting team has its runs double, and the opportunity that spectators could keep balls hit into the crowd.

Cricket Australia asked fans to voice their opinion on the ideas via an online survey last week, seven months before the event is expected to kick off. Hussey has just arrived back in Perth after playing a key role in the IPL final victory for Chennai Super Kings, and he said the concept of the super-over "sounds all right".

"Who calls which over it is? The captain? I'd like it if I was batting, I'd call the super over as soon as I got out there," Hussey said. "I haven't reflection about it too much but the concept sounds all right, particularly if there was a Chris Gayle at the crease. He had a couple of overs in the IPL where he went for 27 and 34 runs off overs. It could approximately be game over if he had one of those overs."

Hussey said the idea of fans being able to keep balls hit into the crowd had some merit. However, he said it was important the batsman was not deprived for having cleared the fence.

"It depends how green the wicket is," he said. "If it gets to the 15th over and the wicket is still green, I don't want a new ball coming out, that's for sure. But I think it's a good idea, a bit like baseball, maybe a souvenir for a kid out there. They are going to need a lot of back-up balls of the same over range. I don't think it's the worst idea."

"It won't be of the same magnitude because of the quantity of money they spend on their tournament compare with what we could use on ours," Hussey said. "But I think in terms of the excellence of cricket we can definitely compete, attract some overseas players.

"I guess we are a little limited in that we can't draw all countries because when they play nationally clashes with our summer. But we can attract some real quality international players and we know that our first class system and our core players are very, very good."

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IPL: A glorious mix of spice and steel

After recording a drop in percentage of television viewers for the better part of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, the TRP rating for impressive finish between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore was more compare to the rating of last year's final.

According to aMap, a TV viewership measurement agency, the IPL--IV final between CSK and RCB scored a rating of 5.8, better than 5.6 which were rating for last year's final. The top clash in Chennai was also the uppermost rated match this season.

"It's a jump of 1.23 percent on the standard ratings of all matches of IPL--IV which is 2.6. With Net Reach of 19.12 percent it is a jump of 36 percent more than the standard Net Reach which is 14 per cent," a let go by aMap said.

"With 55 minutes of time spent per watcher in the finale, it is 40 percent higher than the average time spent of 33 minutes per viewer in IPL--IV. With 30 per cent market share in the ending, it's a jump of 52 per cent over the average market share of 19 per cent," it stated.

In this edition, 10 teams played 74 games over 50 days and CSK retain the title by thrashing Bangalore by 58 runs in the final.

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IPL Final Preview: Chennai vs Bangalore

Chennai are living up to their team name with an undefeated home run in IPL and it would Bangalore take quite an effort to breach their fortress in the finale today

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings (From): MS Dhoni(w/c), Srikkanth Anirudha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramaniam Badrinath, George Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hussey, Shadab Jakati, Joginder Sharma, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh, Albie Morkel, Abhinav Mukund, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Sudeep Tyagi, Ganapathi Vignesh, Murali Vijay, Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas

Royal Challengers Bangalore (From): Daniel Vettori(c), Mayank Agarwal, Sreenath Aravind, Arun Karthik, BN Bharath, Raju Bhatkal, AB de Villiers(w), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Nuwan Pradeep, Muralidharen Gautam, Mohammad Kaif, Abrar Kazi, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Charl Langeveldt, Abhimanyu Mithun, Dirk Nannes, Ryan Ninan, Asad Pathan, Luke Pomersbach, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rilee Rossouw, Saurabh Tiwary, Johan van der Wath, Jonathan Vandiar, Chris Gayle, Syed Mohammad Jamaluddin

Head to Head
Played :	10
Chennai :	5 Won
Bangalore :	5 Won

Best bowling in an innings
Chennai:	4/32	Albie Morkel
Bangalore:	4/40	Vinay Kumar

Highest individual innings
Chennai:	83*	Michael Hussey
Bangalore:	75*	Chris Gayle

Leading wicket-takers
Chennai:	13 in 10 matches	Albie Morkel
Bangalore:	10 in 6 matches	Vinay Kumar

Leading run-getters
Chennai:	266 in 9 matches	Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Bangalore:	289 in 10 matches	Virat Kohli

Highest Partnerships
Chennai:	106 (1st wkt.)	Parthiv Patel & Matthew Hayden	at Port Elizabeth on 20.4.2009
Bangalore:	89 (2nd wkt.)	Wasim Jaffer & Ross Taylor	at Banalore on 28.4.2008

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Bangalore hardback IPL final spot

Royal Challengers Bangalore set up an all southern final against the Chennai Super Kings after a 43-run IPL play-off win over Mumbai Indians.

Chris Gayle was the star yet again, smash 89 off 46 balls in a 113-run opening stand with Mayank Agarwal (41) to lead Bangalore to 185 for four.

In reply, Mumbai unsuccessful to get going in spite of a valiant 40 from skipper Sachin Tendulkar, as his complement Daniel Vettori picked up figures of three for 19.

Sreenath Aravind and Jamaluddin Mohammad chip in with two wickets each as Mumbai ended well short on 142 for eight, sending Bangalore to their second IPL final.

Bangalore was put into bat and it was Gayle's show for most of the first innings, which he started by defeat 20 off the first over before Agarwal joined in.

The West Indian reach 52 in 27 balls, but Agarwal could not make the most of a drop chance, caught by Rohit Sharma off Kieron Pollard.

Gayle carried on in spite of and was only rob of a century by James Franklin's superb running catch as Mumbai fight back with two more wickets to trash hopes of a 200-plus score.

Still, AB de Villiers (21) and Saurabh Tiwary (eight) managed 28 jointly inside the last four overs to make bigger Bangalore's total.

And they put Mumbai under early force in the chase, Aravind dismiss opener Aiden Blizzard (10) and pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh (13).

Tendulkar had reserved his nerve so far and built 40 off 24 balls but was left stumped off Jamaluddin and Bangalore took additional control as Vettori got his treble in successive overs approximately the halfway mark.

Franklin failed to build on his start and was bowled by Zaheer Khan before Malinga's departure to Jamaluddin, with the 68 necessary off 18 deliveries proving impossible in the end.

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'Mumbai players have be fully fit'

Mumbai Indians players have not played throughout injury in the IPL, Coach Robin Singh said on Thursday.

"As far as I know, in our team, no one has completed that. I can't actually answer that question," Singh said.

Despite moving injury, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gambhir played the eliminator next to Mumbai Indians on Wednesday and the move has now snowball into a major argument, sparking a discuss on whether players are more keen to play in cash-rich events like IPL rather than the country.

Singh said the result of Friday's must-win second qualifier match against Royal Challengers Bangalore will depend on how his boys execute the plans.

"Obviously, we have consideration about how we want to go about things. We have our own plans ready for what we would like to do. The significant thing is to be able to carry out those plans."

"It's clearly a knockout game. We have done attractive well against RCB. The few outings we have had in the past, we have compressed them. This is a fresh game. We have to start from scratch. We have to change and regroup," Singh told reporters on Thursday.

The former India left-hander is also conscious of the threat Chris Gayle poses. "You can't ignore the fact that Gayle is in terrific form, and likewise with most of our bowlers, we have been bowling very well. You have to back yourself to bowl well against anyone."

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Fleming: complicated to say 'No' to IPL

Chennai coach Stephen Fleming doesn't sense that it is up to the cricket boards to make a decision whether there should be a requirement on the number of matches each player should play.

"It is upto the person boards to decide about bring conditions on the number of matches. I don't think there should be club vs. country here. If the boards are not happy with the quantity of cricket being played they should put circumstances on it," Fleming told journalists when asked about players like Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag infuriating their injuries before an important international series.
The former New Zealand skipper admitted that it is hard for players to say "No" to IPL.

"It is hard for the players to say no. Each game is significant. As a expert cricketer, it is one's responsibility to play. IPL has value for the BCCI as it is not a rivalry that is played in off-shore. It is a real cricket event and it is important to the Indian landscape," he stated.

Fleming praise CSK's top Indian stars like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina who always want to be in the thick of things.

"I see real fervor for the Indian players wanting to play in this event. My skipper (Dhoni) and Raina are good examples of that. They want to keep playing cricket even after the ICC World Cup final. It is very tough to stop players from playing. I do not think that they play for financial rewards. I think it is their desire to competing and keep doing well," he concluded.

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Mumbai Indians Won by 4 wickets

Mumbai Indians 148 for 6 (Blizzard 51, Tendulkar 36, Kallis 2-18, Shakib 2-24) strike Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 7 (ten Doeschate 70*, Munaf 3-27) by four wickets

Harbhajan Singh broken a last-over six as Mumbai Indians post a four-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

Mumbai required seven runs in the final over to attain a 148-run goal, but New Zealander James Franklin take a single of the first ball off Bangladesh spinner Shakib Al Hasan previous to Harbhajan shattered the next for a six.

Franklin made a winning 29 off 25 balls; while Harbhajan contribute a five-ball 11 not out. Mumbai will now conflict with Royal challenger Bangalore on Friday, the winners of their match conference Chennai Super Kings in the final. Kolkata curved out of the Twenty20 event.

Mumbai were strongly placed following an 81-run place for the opening wicket between Australian Aiden Blizzards (51) and captain Sachin Tendulkar (36) before losing their way.

Blizzard, who strike two sixes and seven fours in his 30-ball knock, reach his half-century with a six off Australian pace man Brett Lee previous to being fixed in the deep while attempting another big shot off the next delivery.

Munaf Patel previous played a key role in restrict Kolkata despite an imposing 70 not out by Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate as he took two wickets in his opening two overs, including that of South African Jacques Kallis.

Kolkata were stressed at 20-4 in the opening six overs after organism put in to bat before ten Doeschate led the revival with a 60-run stand for the fifth wicket with Yusuf Pathan (26).


Ten Doeschate, who split three sixes and six fours in his 49-ball knock, then added 41 for the sixth wicket with Shakib (26) to help his team post a spirited total.

Paceman Patel strike with his fourth release when he had Kallis (seven) caught by Tendulkar, who took a superb low catch at mid-off. He got another wicket in his next over when he detached Shreevats Goswani.

Harbhajan got a big wicket when he bowled Captain Gautam Gambhir (four) before seamer Dhawal Kulkarni attentive Manoj Tiwary lbw to put Kolkata under pressure.

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Chasing win Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets

Chennai Super Kings 177 for 4 (Raina 73*) strike Royal Challengers Bangalore 175 (Kohli 70*, Bollinger 1-20) by six wickets

 Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni said he had the certainty that his team might win the IPL play-off match next to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

 "It was a hard target, but we have been in comparable situations, and we have the conviction that we can win these games. We kept believe that we could do it, but you can say I was not 100% certain," Dhoni said after his side's dramatic six-wicket win in the last over.

"We know as a team we have the armaments to chase anything. This was a good situation where the set batsmen kept back on going, and the others chip around him. When you believe in the aptitude that you have, you can more often pass off," he said.

Rival captain Daniel Vettori believed that Suresh Raina's sweltering knock made the difference. "You do get these guys. You say this is a great game of cricket. That innings from Suresh took it away. But we expect to bowl a little bit improved than we did." 

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IPL Preview: Bangalore vs. Chennai

Shielding champions Chennai Super Kings get on Royal Challengers Bangalore in what assure to be an absorbing first IPL playoff match in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Chennai vs. Bangalore

IPL Overall

Chennai Super Kings contain won 35 and lost 24 out of 60 played - success % 59.16 (Tied 1).

Bangalore has won 30 and lost 29 out of 59 contests - success % 50.84.

IPL - Chennai vs. Bangalore - Head to Head

Bangalore has won 5 and lost 4 out of nine played next to Chennai - success % 55.55.

IPL 2011

Bangalore, with 19 points (Played: 14, Won: 9 and Lost: 4 Abandoned: 1) are at the top in the Points Table.

Chennai, with eighteen points (Played: 14, Won: 9 and Lost: 5) are placed second in the Points Table.

Approaching milestones

- Abraham de Villiers (933) requires 67 runs to complete his 1,000 runs in the IPL.

- Mahendra Singh Dhoni (1374) needs 26 runs to complete 1400 runs in the IPL.

- Chris Gayle (974) requires 26 runs to complete 1000 runs in the IPL.

- Suresh Raina (1732) requires 68 runs to complete 1800 runs in the IPL.

- Albie Morkel (56) needs four wickets to complete his 60 wickets in the IPL.

- Gayle (38) requires just two sixes to become the first batsman to register 40 sixes in the IPL.

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‘Topping IPL table show our quality’

Royal Challengers Bangalore franchisee director Siddharth Mallya on Monday said the information that the team top the points table after creature written off, shows its character.

"After our first win, we unluckily lost our three next games. The comments team wrote us off, the reporters wrote us off, the critic wrote us off. They said we had chosen a incorrect team. Where is (Rahul) Dravid? Where is (Robin) Uthappa? They asked," he told reporters during a promotional event.

"To rebound back from there, it shows the nature of the team. We have twisted a new IPL record of winning seven games in a row and were victorious in eight successive games if we contain the one wash away by rain. We are here on our value. However, we still have a long way to go," he added.

The junior Mallya was also all admire for the orange cap owner Chris Gayle, who has score 511 runs in nine innings to alone direct the Royal Challengers' revival. "For Chris Gayle to have the orange cap is extraordinary. He has scored over 500 runs in nine innings. It is not amazing that we normally hear in our lifetime," he said.

Mallya said IPL without Lalit Modi was like a "sugarfree candyfloss" and his being there was being missed. "Lalit Modi had a vision. He was a prophet. None of this would have been probable with no his vision. IPL 4 without Modi is like a sugarless candyfloss. It looks the same, taste the similar but you know something is missing."

"It is not that much has distorted. But yes we miss him," he said.

Mallya said although the IPL ratings had taken a hit this year, the fans were enjoying it nevertheless.

"After the ICC World Cup, there was a fear that people would be unwell of cricket. I don't see that to be a big subject. Personally, in Bangalore, most of the matches have been sell out. The ICC World Cup win has been a big help."

"The official ratings have been short but we have to take the World Cup into explanation as well," said Mallya.

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Mumbai edging past Kolkata in last-ball end

Mumbai Indians 178 for 5 (Franklin 45*, Tendulkar 38, Bhatia 3-22) hit Kolkata Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Kallis 59, Yusuf 36, Tiwary 35) by five wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders had their Champions League first appearance all but book when they begin the last over with 21 to protect. Three edge boundaries off L Balaji and two miss yorkers later, James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu had see Mumbai Indians to a highly improbable win, breach their three-match losing streak. The win set up a replicate clash between the two teams in the eliminator, an equal of a quarter-final.

In all the disorder of the last over, which astonished the full house at Eden Gardens, Chennai Super Kings emerge the biggest gainers. Had Kolkata won the game, which they should have in spite of all those edges, Chennai would have ended third, and would have had to win two games in order to make the final? Now they need win only one of the two.

Mumbai gained too: they wanted to end the chase off in 5.1 overs to make it to the top two, but by thrashing Kolkata they could have ensure a psychological benefit in their eliminator. For the best part of their 19 overs of batting, Mumbai scarcely look like a team that could do so. Iqbal Abdulla uninvolved T Suman in the second over, the pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh manage 30 off 29, and Rajat Bhatia's leg-rollers broke the batting order's back with three wickets in three overs.

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Bangalore come to an ending on top of table

Royal Challengers Bangalore 129 for 2 (Gayle 75*) strike Chennai Super Kings 128 for 8 (Dhoni 70*, Vettori 2-15) by eight wickets

Chris Gayle indulges himself after his bowlers controlled Chennai Super Kings to a below-par 128 to ensure Royal Challengers Bangalore will completed top of the points table. The result also protected their berth in this year's Champions League.

Chennai were always opposite inevitable beat once their top order crumbles six over into the game. Tottering at 22 for 4, MS Dhoni consolidate at first before looting quick runs in the end, but 128 wasn't leaving to test Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Particularly with Gayle unleash hell.

Gayle left his blot on the chase and it was violent. A six flew over third man; another vanished over cow corner, a third, off Suresh Raina, landed in the upper tier of the long-on stands and a fierce directly drive rammed into Albie Morkel's shin. A limp Morkel constant bowling after getting some action but Gayle punctually dispatched a short delivery over the deep midwicket boundary. But while Gayle delighted the home mass, it was the bowlers who won the game for Bangalore.

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Oram: I feel disengaged with IPL

New Zealand player Jacob Oram says he felt detached with the IPL as the "after-match parties, Bollywood stars and manner parades" seem far detached from actuality.

"Being at this point for six weeks, not playing much, preparation firm but not in fact getting on the ground has been kind of strange. In a way I feel like I haven't in fact got concerned in the event," Oram, who play for Rajasthan Royals as an injury replacement for Paul Collingwood, tell the Dominion Post.

"I haven't watched it on TV and I couldn't tell you the standings, partly because I know our sides out of it. I feel a bit detached from the tournament," he added. Speaking about his knowledge in the league, the impressive 32-year-old said it was strange at times.

"After almost every game there's an after-party, there's Bollywood stars there and way parades; the drinks are free and the cheerleaders are around. It's a dissimilar world.

"Sometimes you speculate if you're here for cricket or not. Ultimately you are. It is good fun, but at the same time I don't think its realism," Oram said. Oram also recall his connections with Rajasthan captain Shane Warne's performer girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley.

"She (Hurley) was here for a week, halfway throughout the event. She's a very nice lady and has an organic farm herself, so with my wife's family being organic farmers there was an exchange starter there.

"She brings her kids across and Shane had his three kids there, and nannies and a bit of safety so there was a massive associates for a while," Oram said. One of the pleasant experiences of the IPL, according to Oram, was sharing the bandage room with Warne and veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid.

"He (Warne) is a nice guy, actually simple to talk to. He's about to give up work and that knowledge will last forever. I'm glad I had that opportunity. I played alongside Rahul Dravid; there's some attractive cool things I've knowledgeable," he said.

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Modi says Srinivasan serving Chennai

Sacked Indian Premier League officer Lalit Modi has once yet again accuse the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan of departing out of his way to favor his franchise Chennai.

Modi said the Chennai Super Kings are such a good side that they can succeed the IPL without Srinivasan prop them up.

"It's a disappointment Srinivasan is resorting to all that. Chennai are a powerful team and can win exclusive of any such help," Modi wrote on Twitter.

Modi, who in his respond to the IPL chargesheet last year had accused Srinivasan of picking and choose umpires for Chennai team's matches, said the president-elect of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is brazenly supporting the side.

"Not indirectly, but very directly. Fixing the auction umpires and now pitches. Just give the damn crown to the Super Kings, Modi had tweeted.

Modi also touch upon the IPL's falling TRP ratings, achievement an all-time low in the fourth edition.

"Just learnt that the ratings for IPL have reached an average of 3.84, which is the lowly it has ever achieved. Sorry to hear the same."

Australian fable and Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne, who was fine US$ 50,000 by the IPL, said the Twenty20 league is not the similar without Modi.

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