Yuvraj Singh's sensational second hat-trick of the tournament, coupled with Irfan Pathan's twin blow in the last over, handed Kings XI Punjab a one-run victory over Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on Sunday and kept their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals alive. Put into bat, Punjab put up a modest 134 for seven that was built largely around Kumar Sangakkara's 43-ball 56, and then rode on Yuvraj's hat-trick to restrict Hyderabad to 133 for eight.
The second season of the Indian Premier League has been as much about ducks as it has been about runs.
Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist blamed the team's fielding and lower-order batting after losing to Delhi Daredevils by 12 runs in the Indian Premier League, in Durban on Thursday.
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.
Deccan Chargers thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 53 runs in their Indian Premier League match at Kimberley on Monday to secure their biggest win in the competition.
Balika Vadhu loses its number one position due to IPL and Bidaai.
Andrew Symond's blazing half-century went in vain as Kings XI Punjab pipped Deccan Chargers by three wickets in the Indian Premier League in Kimberley on Saturday. Chasing 169 for victory, Punjab sneaked home in a close finish with just one delivery to spare. Their magnificent run chase was set up by a scintillating 28-ball 43 from Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene.
Having posted a record 211 in their previous encounter, a buoyant Rajasthan Royals will look to set the record straight against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had humbled them in their opening match, in the Indian Premier League in Pretoria, on Thursday. The defending champions appear to be on their way up with emphatic wins over Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab following a roller-coaster run of alternating wins and losses till last week.
Left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes, who had fine match in the six-wicket win over Deccan Chargers on Thursday, admitted that initially he was little nervous to replace the legendary Australian pacer in Delhi Daredevils' playing eleven.
An unbeaten 67 (47 balls, 5x4, 2x6) by Tillekeratne Dilshan helped Delhi Daredevils beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in the Indian Premier League match in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. The victory, their third in succession, helped Delhi move to the top of the table, a position they now share with Deccan Chargers.
A brilliant spell of spin bowling by Pragyan Ojha (4-0-21-3) enabled Deccan Chargers beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in an Indian Premier League match at Durban on Saturday. The Hyderabad bowler took, amongst other, the crucial wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and JP Duminy, to play a starring role. Chasing 169 to win, having restricted the Hyderabad team with an impressive fightback, Mumbai finished at 156 for seven.
Heaving a sigh of relief after his team tasted their first victory in the second Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum on Tuesday said no ground is big enough for Chris Gayle when he gets going. After the defeat against the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers in their tournament opener, the Knight Riders took their match against Kings XI Punjab as an opportunity to shrug off the setback and bounce back.
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.
The big boost for Sussex Sharks came a few months back when West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith announced that he would play for them ahead of IPL champions Deccan Chargers.Captain Michael Yardy has led from the front with the bat, while young Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will be useful given his knowledge of conditions at home.
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.
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.
A whirlwind unbeaten 109 from Adam Gilchrist ensured Deccan Chargers a comfortable 10-wicket victory over the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.
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.
Four new venues and a third place playoff match will be introduced in the third Indian Premier League which will get underway in Hyderabad on March 12, 2010 with a game between IPL II winners Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Three Indian teams -- IPL II champions Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, the top finishers after the league phase -- will figure in the tournament, matches of which will be played at three centres.
Sunday's final of the Indian Premier League yielded average ratings of 8.3 per cent, compared with 8.7 per cent in last year's final.
Twelve teams will contest the inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20, to be held in India from October 8 to 23. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, the finalists in the second edition of the IPL, and Delhi Daredevils, the top team of the league stage, will compete against the top two domestic T20 teams from South Africa, England, Australia and the domestic T20 champions from New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka.
After becoming the first Indian batsman to slam a century in the IPL, Manish Pandey is convinced that he is made to fire with bat in cricket fields than firing bullets in the battlefield.
With the last two matches of IPL 2009's first phase drawing to a close today, Yuvraj Singh's Kings XI Punjab will be hoping Bangalore Royal Challengers (BRC) lose big to the Deccan Chargers in the second match at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
"I didn't know because Herschelle Gibbs was out off the last ball of one over. So I was thinking I have a hat-trick ball, so I had a slip and a silly point in. Then I bowled a bad ball and I thought I missed my hat-trick, it didn't matter. Then I read on the screen that I had got a hat-trick," he was quoted as saying in IPL's official website.
Adam Gilchrist's blazing half-century went in vain as a spectacular late collapse saw the Deccan Chargers lose to the Delhi Daredevils by 12 runs in the Indian Premier League, in Durban, on Wednesday. Chasing Delhi's 173 for seven, Deccan seemed in control for most part of their innings till medium pacer Rajat Bhatia triggered a lower order to turn the match.
Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist could not help but praise Rohit Sharma for his fine bowling efforts in the IPL, wondering his batting mainstay was fighting for the Purple Cap instead of chasing the Orange Cap for the highest run scorer.
The Deccan Chargers meet the Rajasthan Royals in a IPL match in Kimberley on Monday, in a head-to-head joust between the two Australian captains in the tournament, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne. Rajasthan have a 60 percent win record from their last five matches, whereas the Deccan Chargers have only a 20 percent success rate in their last five outings.
A superb all-round effort from man-of-the-match Rohit Sharma 38 and four for six of two overs, including a hat trick enabled Deccan Chargers beat Mumbai Indians by 19 runs in their Indian Premier League match in SuperSport Park, Centurion on Wednesday.
A superb spell from Shadab Jakati (four for 22) helped Chennai Super Kings thrash Deccan Chargers by 78 runs in their Indian Premier League match at Buffalo Park, East London, on Monday.
Statistical highlights of the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals. Yusuf is the fourth batsman to amass 600 runs in the IPL, joining Gilchrist (646), Suresh Raina (621) and Shanu Marsh (616).
Rudra Pratap Singh took four for 22 as Deccan Chargers crushed Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in the fourth match of the Indian Premier League in Cape Town, on Sunday. Singh took full advantage of the bowler-friendly conditions at Newlands to help bowl out Kolkata for a lowly 101 in 19.4 overs. In reply, Gibbs top-scored with 43 from 26 deliveries and Rohit Sharma smashed 36 not out as Deccan cruised to the victory target in just 13.2 overs.
Suresh Raina unexpectedly pulled out of the tournament after travelling to Dubai with the CSK contingent. The former India cricketer, who announced his international retirement alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni on August 15, later revealed he pulled out to be with his family.
Reader Abhinay Sharma sent us this picture from Hyderabad.
The players' auction for the Indian Premier League's second season got underway in Goa on Friday. A look the price list.
The disarming smile was replaced by a somber look and Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag simply cannot believe that he has been stoned at his home ground of Ferozeshah Kotla, of all places. His team had just tamed the Deccan Chargers by 12 runs to snap the string of defeats but instead of looking upbeat, Sehwag looked thoroughly upset in the post-match press conference late on Thursday night.
"I had full confidence in Amit Mishra, and that is why, I was saving him for the last over. He was bowling well and he proved my decision correct," Sehwag said at the post-match conference.
Delhi Daredevils beat Deccan Chargers by 12 runs in their Indian Premier League match against Deccan Chargers at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Thursday.
Match Referee Talat Ali of Pakistan fined the Knight Riders USD 1,000 for slow over rate in the match which they won beating Hyderabad Deccan Chargers at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium by 23 runs.