The Plunder Games - Week 4 Recap
Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?
Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.
Game 33: MI vs KXIP
Mumbai Indians 171 for 6 (Sharma 50, Awana 3-39) beat Kings XI Punjab 168 for 3 (Hussey 68*, Miller 34*) by four wickets
Match in 140 characters: Hussey and Miller’s late burst propels Kings XI to 168; MI stutter in their chase but Peterson and Rayadu batter Chawla to steal a victory
#TrottsFault: Once upon a time, Chawla was considered to be Anil Kumble’s successor; but in the years past then, his performances have been unconvincing and culminated today in a disastrous over yielding 27 runs and a stunning win to the Mumbai Indians
Winning Moment: In hindsight, the wicket of Harbhajan Singh turned out to be a blessing for the Mumbai Indians. It brought in Robin Peterson, whose switch hits coupled with Rayadu’s brilliance sealed the fate of the Kings XI Punjab.
Performer of the day: Ambati Rayadu, for as long as he was there, Mumbai Indians believed; and he didn’t disappoint.
Game 34: CSK vs RCB
Match abandoned due to rain
Game 35: DC vs PWI
Deccan Chargers 177 for 4 (White 78) beat Pune Warriors 159 for 7 (Reddy 2-32) by 18 runs
Match in 140 characters: Cameron White finally decodes the IPL to give his first significant performance in a long time as Chargers finally open their account in IPL 5.
Performer of the day: Cameron White has been a passenger in the IPL for the last few seasons, without doing anything special. It was always known that he was a big hitter, as his T20 record in Australia shows, but he has been a huge disappointment in terms of performance over the last few years. In this game, he showed why he can be so dangerous, as he was the only one who played a power-packed innings even as others around him and the opposition struggled to find their groove. In the end, that was the jolt needed by the Chargers to notch their first win in IPL 5.
Game 36: DD vs MI
Delhi Daredevils 207 for 5 (Sehwag 73, Jayawardene 55, Pietersen 50*) beat Mumbai Indians 170 for 9 (Rayudu 62, Karthik 40) by 37 runs
Match in 140 characters: Sehwag leads power packed Daredevils innings as KP and Mahela also make merry; despite best efforts of Rayadu and DK, MI fall short
Performer of the day: For once, two people can share this distinction. If it was Sehwag who started sending the leather to all parts of the ground, Pietersen provided the explosive finish as Daredevils reached 207 and put the total beyond the reach of the Mumbai Indians.
Game 37: CSK vs KXIP
Kings XI Punjab 156 for 8 (Mandeep 56, Morkel 3-29) beat Chennai Super Kings 149 for 8 (Mahmood 3-35) by seven runs
Match in 140 characters: Mandeep and Marsh shine as Kings XI post 156; in reply CSK stutter as Mahmood and Chawla masterming a tight 7 run victory
#TrottsFault: One that should be equally shared by MS Dhoni and Saha. To send in Saha ahead of more qualified batsmen at a crucial stage was not one of Dhoni’s better decisions; and for Saha to potter around and waste deliveries, added more pressure on the following batsmen and cost crucial momentum, which ultimately resulted in a loss.
Winning Moment: If there was any one player who could transform CSK’s fortunes from the dire situation they were in, it was MS Dhoni, the master of close chases. It took some presence of mind by Nitin Saini to run out Dhoni, which heaped more duress on the Super Kings, and ultimately proved to be decisive in the favor of Kings XI Punjab.
Performer of the day: Credit has to be given where it is due. A few days after a disastrous performance against the Mumbai Indians, Piyush Chawla came back into his own and put in a much better show as his figures of 2/20 off 4 overs show. He ensured that CSK never got going while chasing a modest total.
Best tweet of the day: As a New Zealander I’d relly like to apologise to the world for Danny Morrison. Hasn’t lived here for quite a while (by @Sportzfreak)
Fake Fact: BCCI President N Srinivasan announced that Chennai would be receiving the Fairplay award this year, as they have been doing their best to give other teams a chance this season. (courtesy @knittins)
Game 38: KKR vs RCB
Kolkata Knight Riders 190 for 4 (Gambhir 93, McCullum 43) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 143 for 6 (Gayle 86) by 48 runs
Match in 140 characters: Imperious performances by Gauti and Kallis set RCB an imposing target; Kallis and Narine never let pressure ease as Gayle’s knock goes in vain.
Winning Moment: Chasing an imposing 191, RCB needed big performances from their top order; in the space of two deliveries, Kallis derailed any such hopes by dismissing Kohli and de Villiers.
Performer of the day: Gautam Gambhir has been in fine nick as batsman and captain in this IPL, and the fine touch continued as a majestic 93 set the tone for a complete performance by the Knight Riders and maintained their 2nd position on the points table.
Game 39: DD vs RR
Delhi Daredevils 152 for 6 (Sehwag 63, Pankaj 2-25) beat Rajasthan Royals 151 for 3 (Rahane 84*, Morkel 1-26) by one run
Match in 140 characters: Sehwag leads a rusty Daredevils innings as they post 152; in reply Rahane and Dravid seem to have sewn up the chase but for a Morkel special
Winning Moment: It was not so much as a moment as it was an over; the 19th over has been the most important one in most games in this IPL, and yet again it changed the course of the game. Morkel bowled an impressive over yielding just 3 runs and a wicket, which left the Royals needing 12 runs in the final over, which they fell short of by one run.
Performer of the day: Despite the heartbreak of the final over, it was Rahane who was the best player of the day. While Sehwag and Morkel had their moments under the sun (and floodlights!), it was the young Mumbai batsman, who stole the show by making the most of his purple patch.
Game 40: MI vs DC
Mumbai Indians 101 for 5 (Rohit 42, Steyn 2-10) beat Deccan Chargers 100 (Dhawan 29, Duminy 25*, Malinga 4-16, Harbhajan 2-13) by five wickets
Match in 140 characters: Malinga is too hot for DC on a spicy pitch, and despite a matching performance by Steyn, Sharma scores enough to push MI over the line.
Winning Moment: He has been getting a lot of stick this year, but Harbhajan had one of his best days with the ball, in this game. His wicket of Dhawan was very important, as he has been the only consistent batsman for his team this year.
Performer of the day: Malinga may have had more wickets, but for sheer exhilaration and quality of the opposition batsmen, Steyn was the star of the day. His four overs yielded just 10 runs but two wickets, and the Chargers are left ruing a suitable support bowler for the Saffa speed demon.
Game 41: CSK vs KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders 140 for 5 (Gambhir 63, Ashwin 2-22) beat Chennai Super Kings 139 for 5 (Raina 44, Kallis 2-21) by five wickets
Match in 140 characters: Raina and Dhoni preside over a turgid CSK innings; despite some final jitters, Gauti and Das do enough to push KKR over the line
Winning Moment: Honestly, CSK were never in the game thanks to their low total; and Gambhir ensured that the chase was on track. That was until the 19th over when Gambhir got out, and suddenly KKR seemed to panic. It took two calm hits by Das to bring the due victory and spark celebrations among SRK and co.
Performer of the day: Gautam Gambhir has been in fine form, and he duly did the job yet again for KKR. Despite not staying till the end, he did just about enough to ensure that KKR remain just below the Daredevils in the points table.
Best tweet of the day: If I had a dime for everytime Lakshman Shivramakrishna said something new on TV, I would actually have … well a dime #HypePL (by@katragada)
Game 42: DC vs PWI
Deccan Chargers 186 for 4 (Sangakkara 82, White 74) beat Pune Warriors 173 for 5 (Smith 47*, Ganguly 45) by 13 runs
Match in 140 characters: White fires again, Sanga finally returns to form; Pune Warriors try their best but fall short by 13 runs
Performer of the day: Kumar Sangakarra is too classy a player to stay out of form for too long. After bravely sitting out in the last game despite being the captain, he scored a brilliant 82 to power the Chargers to a winning total.
Game 43: RR vs DD
Delhi Daredevils 144 for 4 (Sehwag 73) beat Rajasthan Royals 141 for 6 (Dravid 57, Negi 4-18) by six wickets
Match in 140 characters: Dravid and Rahane give the Royals a bright start but Negi induces complete chaos as they are restricted to 141; Sehwag ensures an easy win
Winning Moment: The Rajasthan Royals have the best opening combination in this season’s IPL, and yet again Rahane and Dravid gave them a great launching pad to post a daunting total. Instead, the introduction of Negi in the 9th over brought about the wicket of Rahane, and that was the start of a collapse as the Royals never got going after that.
Performer of the day: Virender Sehwag scored a record 5th successive half century to establish Delhi Daredevils as the team to beat, but his task was made easier by the little known left arm spinner Pawan Negi whose 4 wicket haul completely derailed the Royals’ innings.
Best tweet of the week:
#ThatAwkwardMoment when Kevin Pietersen gets out to a second-rate Aussie… #IPL (by @AltCricket)