A glittering closing ceremony, with dash of glitz and glamour, drew curtains on the second edition of the Indian Premier League razzmatazz in Johannesburg, on Sunday night. Soon after the Adam Gilchrist-led Deccan Chargers pipped Anil Kumble's Royal Challengers Bangalore in the see-saw final, cricket paved way to entertainment at the Wanderers Stadium.
Deccan Chargers Hyderabad staged a remarkable fightback to upstage Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in a nail-biting final and win the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Johannesburg on Sunday. Chasing a modest 144 to win, Bangalore could muster only 139 for nine in their quota of overs.
With more than half the tournament over, rediff.com analyses the performances of some of the top 'lefties' in the IPL who happen to be very much on the right track.
Controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds, fit-again pacer Bret Lee and David Hussey have been cleared by Cricket Australia to play in the closing stages of Indian Premier League while Shane Watson, Nathan Bracken and James Hopes have been told to stand down from the lucrative Twenty20 event after they failed medical tests.
Adam Gilchrist's sixes at the Indian Premier League will not only enthrall the fans this season, but 25 of his lofty hits will also help fund modified bikes for children with disabilities.
Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar was named best batsman while Deccan Chargers' Pragyan Ojha bagged the best bowler honour at a glitzy IPL Awards Night in Mumbai on Friday.
After being thrashed by 82 runs by Deccan Chargers in their do-or-die IPL match, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist on Saturday said his decision to field first coupled with a sloppy allround performance quashed their hopes of making the play-offs.
Leg spinner Amit Mishra recorded the first hat-trick of the season as Deccan Chargers crushed Kings XI Punjab by 82 runs to dash their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Career-best figures of four for 21 helped Shane Warne earn the man-of-the-match award and his Rajasthan Royals team a narrow two-run win over Deccan Chargers.
Images from the Indian Premier League match betweeen Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Losing three quick wickets in seven balls and all at the same score of 45 was the turning point of the match, said Pune Warriors batsman Robin Uthappa after his team went down by six wickets to Deccan Chargers in an IPL tie in Navi Mumbai.
Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra, who made a comeback in the India ODI squad for the West Indies tour, have impressed their IPL side Deccan Chargers captain Kumar Sangakkara who said the Delhi duo deserved to be back in the national side.
Mumbai Indians' off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was fined $15,000 for abusing Deccan Chargers' Tirumalasetti Suman during their IPL match on Sunday
He no longer plays for Australia, but Andrew Symonds showed he is still one of the most dangerous players around. In fact, he forms an integral part of the Deccan Chargers middle order and he proved that yet again with a cracking knock of 53 against Kings XI punjab in the IPL match in Cuttack on Friday.
A sneak preview of the third edition of the Indian Premier League that starts on Friday.
Deccan Chargers' Ishant sharma, whose five-wicket haul paved the way for his team's comprehensive win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League, says he still has a long way to go.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala captain Mahela Jayawardene was critical of the wicket after his side lost to Deccan Chargers by 55 runs with Ishant Sharma bulldozing his team's batting line-up with a sensational five-wicket spell.
Relieved after getting their campaign back on track with a 29-run victory over Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag expressed hope that is team will maintain the winning momentum in the IPL.
Deccan Chargers pacer Daniel Christian said opener David Warner's wicket was the one, which turned the match in his team's favour against Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The Indian Premier League on Thursday announced the sale of tickets for the inaugural match of third edition of the Twenty20 tournament, at D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on March 12. The tickets are priced from Rs 500 upwards and fans can avail them online at www.iplt20.com. Tickets for other venues are also available online.
Dutch allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate, who scored two centuries in the World Cup, said he is eyeing to score big runs for Kolkata Knight Riders in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.
The Indian Premier League's opening match was on Friday shifted from Hyderabad to Mumbai owing to the political unrest in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue.
Controversial South African opener Herschelle Gibbs may quit international cricket after being left out of the One-day team against England but will remain available for his Indian Premier League side Deccan Chargers.
Herschelle Gibbs has been slapped a hefty maintenance claim by his estranged wife Tenielle, which could see the South African cricketer lose a major chunk of his Indian Premier League earnings. The latest trouble marks yet another personal low for the discarded opener, who was recently arrested for drunk driving.
Kings XI Punjab named former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist as the team's captain for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, starting April 8.
Paul Collingwood on Monday admitted that English players' non-availability for the whole IPL-IV played a big part in their snubbing by the team owners during the two-day auction in Bangalore.
An astounding Rs 4.14 crore bid for little known Australian Daniel Christian was one of the surprises on the second day of the Indian Premier League players' auction in Bangalore, but his buyer Deccan Chargers justified the spending saying the all-rounder is worth the huge amount.
After trading eight players on the first day of the IPL players' auction in Bangalore on Saturday, Kings XI Punjab said the franchise was delighted to have bought a mix of cricketers apart from managing to hold on to some of its former recruits for the fourth edition of the event.
Lacking in star power and coming off mixed results in the preliminary stage, England's Somerset and South African side Diamond Eagles go head to head in a League A encounter of the Champions League Twenty20's Super Eight stage.
Shaun Marsh and Kumar Sangakkara hit brisk half-centuries as Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets in an inconsequential Indian Premier League match in Mohali on Friday night.
Vanquished Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist on Thursday night criticised the Delhi Daredevils for their pacer Mohammad Asif's off-and-on presence on the field during the IPL match even though his opposite number Virender Sehwag pooh-poohed the allegation. Gilchrist said it baffled him to see Asif bowling two overs and then going out before returning again to bowl his final two overs.
Indian Premier League-II runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore take on South Africa's Cape Cobras in the opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 [ Images ] cricket tournament that commences in Bangalore on October 8. Hyderabad will host the final, on October 23, as well as the second semi-final, on October 22, while Delhi will host the first semi-final on October 21.
Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets at the M Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday to keep their hopes alive in the Indian Premier League.
Pakistan's flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi said he would be aiming to better Brendon McCullum's awe-inspiring 73-ball 158 when he makes his debut for Hyderabad Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. Afridi, who has since 1997 held on to the record for the fastest one-day hundred from just 37 balls, said he is itching to emulate or surpass McCullum's innings.
Rahul Dravid had clicked the panic button during the final of the IPL season 2 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, disclosed Herschelle Gibbs in his autobiography, 'To the Point'.
India's left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha credited the Indian Premier League for his match-winning performance in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 against Bangladesh in Nottingham, on Saturday.
VVS Laxman was told that Deccan Chargers did not need him in the playing XI for the Indian Premier League's later half but he stayed on to contribute his experience and knowledge after being requested, skipper Adam Gilchrist has revealed.
Deccan Chargers' 22-year-old right-hander from Mumbai won the award by virtue of the 333 runs he scored in the league stages of the Twenty20 tournament, at an average of 27.75 and a strike rate of 119. Apart from his brilliance with the bat, he also shone with the ball, taking 11 wickets at an average of 11.45, including a hat-trick.
The second season of the Indian Premier League has been as much about ducks as it has been about runs.
Defending champions Rajasthan Royals were dealt a massive blow as captain-cum-coach Shane Warne was on Tuesday ruled out of the Indian Premier League for the next 10 days owing to a hamstring injury. The Australian was injured while batting against Deccan Chargers on Monday night and will be out of action for the next 10 days, making him unavailable for the rest of the team's campaign unless his side makes the final.