Mumbai Indians v KXP: Statistical Highlights

Statistical highlights of the Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.

• # While chasing, the eight-wicket win is Mumbai Indians` first in the 2009 edition of the IPL.
• a victory over Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians are placed fourth in the points table.
• XI Punjab have lost six matches out of 11 played.
• Sohal (43 off 23 balls) has recorded his highest IPL score, surpassing the 30 off 17 balls against Deccan Chargers at Kimberley on May 9, 2009.
• -Paul Duminy (2/15) has registered his best bowling performance in the IPL, eclipsing the 1 for 15 against Delhi Daredevils at East London on May 8, 2009.
• Tendulkar`s unbeaten 41 off 29 balls, is his highest score in his last seven innings in the IPL.
• Bravo (70 not out off 59 balls) has registered his highest score in the IPL, bettering the 64 not out off 53 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at Kolkata on April 29, 2008. The said innings is his third fifty in the IPL.
• (4-0-9-1) has received his first Man Of Match award in the IPL for his excellent economical figures.
• Indians have posted their fifth victory in the second edition of the IPL. Their eight-wicket win is their first in four matches against Kings XI Punjab.

[the article was originally published at http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=20196]

T20 has nothing to do with age says Tendulkar

DURBAN: Old pros have certainly put up some of the best performances of the IPL so far and Sachin Tendulkar believes that Twenty20 format has nothing to do with age as it is thought to be by many.

Tendulkar has himself led the way for Mumbai Indians along with Sanath Jayasurya while the performance of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly in the IPL have given further strentgh to the batting maestro's claim.

''I don't know who says that it's a young man's game.

Clearly, he doesn't know much about cricket. It's a cricketers' game so it really doesn't matter whether you are young or old.

It is a cricketer's match,'' Tendulkar told the official IPL website (iplt20.com).

Both Tendulkar and Jayasuriya, who is pushing 40, handed out a stern lesson to one and all in Mumbai Indians' win against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Both the batsmen also put up the highest opening partnership of the tournament. Just earlier in the day the other senior pros, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs showed just why they are still feared.

Tendulkar showed the way to Mumbai Indians in their last match with a match-winning 68 against Knight Riders which included a lot of power hitting and innovation as well.

The cheeky shot that he played off Chris Gayle certainly showed that age has nothing to do with this format. He scooped the ball from close to the short third man and got himself a boundary.

''That was an innovative stroke. I wouldn't say it is the most innovative one ever that I have played. But it was something different,'' said Tendulkar.

He shared a stand worth 127 with Jayasuriya and was all praise for his old comrade.

''It's fantastic, even last year I enjoyed batting at the other end and it was fantastic. He has got excellent hand-eye co-ordination, very quick feet, very quick hands. Needless to say that he is one of the best strikers in the world.

The rate at which the master blaster was going against the Knight Riders, a century was very much on the cards but the Mumbaikar does not have any regrets.

''I am not playing for 100s, I am playing for the team.

And, if I score a hundred even better for the team. The idea is not to chase a 100. If it comes my way it's fine.
''As long as my contribution is there for the team, that is what matters. If it has helped us to get to a good total, I am a happy person.''

[the article was originally published at http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/04/29135911/T20-has-nothing-to-do-with-age.html]

Mumbai Indians beat Knight Riders by 92 runs

Port Elizabeth: Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya turned on their charm and made mockery of Twenty20 cricket being a young man's game as both posted breezy half-centuries to guide Mumbai Indians to a 92-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar's 45-ball 68 was laced with six boundaries and four sixes, including one that went over the park.

His opening partner, the 39-year-old Jayasuriya scored 52 off 32 balls with four sixes and two boundaries as the Mumbai Indians raced to 187 for six at St George's Park.

Knight Riders opening pair of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum needed to match the veteran duo but disappointed as the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side capitulated for 95.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly and Australian Brad Hodge staged a brief fightback but once their 54-run partnership was brought to an end by Abhishek Nayar, it was one way traffic as Lasith Malinga ripped through the tail.

Ganguly topscored for the Knight Riders, with a 30-ball 34, hitting a six and three fours while Hodge scored 24 off 22 balls with the help of three boundaries.

Earlier, it was the right-left combination of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya that did all the damage.

[the article was originally published at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sachin-jayasuriya-guide-mumbai-indians-to-187/451813]

IPL turns the tables

The going up to now in the IPL has been great. This year the points table seems to be absolutely reversed. Deccan Chargers who were at the bottom of the table last year have climbed up the tables and are heading the list with 4 points. Though these are early days the indications for the Deccan Chargers seem to be good.

Rajathan Royal is finding the going a bit tough as they rely too much on Indian players. These Indian players are not familiar with South African pitches.

The less said about Bangalore’s Royal Challengers the better. Delhi and Chennai are doing well as expected. Kolkata seems to have too many lose ends and their internal fights seem to bring them down.

Mumbai Indians with veterans like Sachin Tendulkar and Jayasurya are tipped to be the surprise favorites. Though nothing can be said with confidence, one thing is for sure, and that is a tough fight is on among the best teams in IPL2.

[the article was originally published at http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=38505]

A weekend of the cricket veterans

The South African pitches and conditions will expose the batsmen's limitations in the 2009 IPL. The four games on the weekend underlined the fact that even in T20 format, there is no substitute besides class and experience. It was the veterans who showed the way and set the trend for the competition.

The best moments over the weekend matches were Dravid's six, Sachin's shot over cover, Vetteori's spell and Warne's guile that mocked at the batsmen. Never mind that Warne's Rajasthan Royals lost, but in those four overs, he provided salvation from the boring sixes and boundaries, the same was for Kumble and Vettori. Of course, there was the slinging Malinga making a statement for the quick bowlers, but frankly this IPL is likely to show a lot of surprises.

The point is that if you take a simplistic perspective of cricket as it being just a sport and there is more to life, then you might enjoy the offerings, though it is only in between the commercials on the television. Most people i know have strong reservations over the break after 10 overs, for it takes away the momentum and continuity. The organizers can justify the gimmick saying they would like to earn as much as they spend.

Watching the likes of Sachin and Dravid was indeed a pleasure. While a big innings from Sachin is always to be expected in any format, Dravid was revelation to those who believed that he is a misfit for T20 cricket.

Dravid was intent on making a strong statement to his detractors as this was so evident in his celebration on reaching 50. It is a pity that Dravid would soon be flying back home to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

The other two veterans who batted, Kumble could barely hide his blushes after the performance.

All the eight teams were not prepared for the very English conditions in Cape Town with all the rain and the moisture, and hence the pronounced movement off the deck. There was something for the spinners too.

Of the eight teams on the weekend,Royal Challengers, Mumbai Indians and the Deccan Chargers were the most improved lot whereas these same teams were at the receiving end last year.

[credit : http://sify.com/sports/cricket/ipl/iplfullstory.php?a=jeuoeNdhfeg&title=Weekend_of_the_veterans&cid=14602148]

Tendulkar - I will not take anything for granted

Cape Town: They might have made a resounding start to their IPL campaign with a convincing win over last year's runners-up Chennai Super Kings, but Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar is not ready to take things for granted and wants to build on the good start.

Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten 59 to script his team's victory in the opening match of the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza, said, "The start is good but it is still a long way to go. I won't take anything for granted."

Tendulkar, who was adjudged Man of the Match, said the initial overs were difficult for batting and lavished praise on Sanath Jayasuriya and Abhishek Nayar for adjusting well.

"When I lost the toss, I realised there was a dampness in the wicket. The first 6-7 overs were difficult and later on Abhishek Nayar came and played a terrific innings and my job basically was to just be there and play till the end and guys on the other end played their strokes," he said.

On being asked what could be a decent total on the South African wickets, Tendulkar said anything around 150 would make a good fight.

"Looking at about 145-150 would be a decent total. Don't look at 180 plus but if you can get into 150-160 then it could be a good total," he said.

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200904182280.htm]

Surprise wins for Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians

Cape Town: Bangalore Royal Challengers crushed defending champions Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians did the same for runners-up Chennai Super Kings to give a astounding start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday.

Mumbai Indians had a disastrous start in the inaugural tournament losing first four matches last year beat Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs in the opening match of the IPL.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers team, led by skipper Kevin Pietersen, annihilated Rajasthan Royals by a massive 75 runs though they had finished last in the inaugural edition.

The 3 Indian veterans of cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, led the way for their teams, using their experience of playing on bowler-friendly wickets.

Sachine Tendulkar's 59 off 49 balls was the highlight of Mumbai Indians, whose total was 165 for seven wickets.

The Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga (3-15), and Sanath Jayasuriya (2-34) restricted Chennai Super Kings to 146 for seven wickets.

In the second match, Dravid, who was replaced by Pietersen as Bangalore Royal Challengers captain, struck back, hitting 66 and guiding the team through a difficult phase to reach 133.

Rajasthan Royals, who had a fairytale inaugural season, were all out for the lowest IPL score of 58 runs with Kumble picking five wickets.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl under cloudy skies, after a delayed start appeared spot on as Tendulkar and his opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya (26) had an unconvincing start. Jayasuriya was run out, ending the 39-run opening stand.

It turned out to be a forgettable debut for Andrew Flintoff, who was on the receiving end of Abhishek Nayar's onslaught. Nayar made a quickfire 35 off just 14 balls and hit Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over.

While chasing, Chennai Super Kings suffered the first set-back as Malinga got opening batsman Parthiv Patel with the second ball of the innings.

Matthew Hayden (44) played carefully but as the innings progressed he found his touch. The retired Australian opener fell while chasing a wide Jayasuriya delivery to Zaheer Khan.

Flintoff (24) and Dhoni (36) tried their best but could not see their teams through.

Tendulkar was guarded in his assessment of the team's performance.

"I am glad that we have started well, but I don't want to take anything for granted. It's too early in the tournament and it's same for the other teams also." he said.

The second match started on a exciting note with Dimitry Mascarenhas (3-20) dismissing Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor in the first over in successive balls.

Royal Challengers were soon left tottering at 52/4 before Dravid, a master of these conditions, summoned his class to anchor the innings. His 48 balls for 66 had eight fours. Pietersen added 32.

"I am in good touch after the tour on New Zealand. Conditions here are ideal for a player like me. You have to play good cricketing shots when the ball is moving. I played few balls to set myself in the middle and then played strokes," Dravid said.

The Rajasthan Royals were sloppy in their run-chase with the batsmen getting out to poor shots. Praveen Kumar (2-7) swung the ball to create trouble for the batsmen. Ryder soon joined in (2-14) to leave Rajasthan Royals at five for 28 runs. They could never recover from such a disastrous start.

Kumble, who bid farwell to international cricket last year, running through the middle-order and tail in a flash, picking 5-5.

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne said it was an "embarassing" beginning."We are the champions and we should have backed ourselves. Bangalore had a bad last year and they came out firing. Chasing a low score, we should have won with couple of overs left. The shot selections of our batsmen were bad."

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200904190384.htm]

Tendulkar can make it happen for the Mumbai Indians in IPL-2

Indians will be looking to a fully-fit, in-form Sachin Tendulkar to make them serious contenders in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), beginning here Saturday. They will take on Chennai Super Kings in the first match.
The most expensive of IPL teams, owned by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, missed iconic Tendulkar in the first seven matches of the inaugural edition due to a groin injury. But his timely presence was inspiring for the team to recover remarkably from a disastrous beginning and reach within striking distance of the semi-final.

Mumbai Indians lost the first four matches under the captaincy of Harbhajan Singh, who was banned for the rest of the IPL for slapping teammate S.Sreesanth. They bounced back to win six matches in a row with Shaun Pollock leading from the front.

The star firepower of Sanath Jayasuriya, Pollock and Dwayne Bravo lifted the team from the dumps. Youngsters Abhishek Nayar and Dhawal Kulkarni, too, played a crucial role in reviving the team’s fortunes.

Mathera marauder Jayasuriya will be a month shy of 40, making him the most aged player in the tournament, but he will be as dangerous as ever. Last year he sprang back to form, scoring 514 runs to become the second highest scorer in the tournament.

This year, he will have a fulltime partner in Tendulkar and seeing the two open the batting will be one of the highlight of the tournament.

Pollock will be doing the job behind the scene as a coach. Former India player Praveen Amre and Jonty Rhodes are the other two coaches of the team.

Zaheer Khan, who was exchanged with Bangalore Royal Challengers’ Robin Uthappa, will be a big bonus to the team. He will lead the attack with fiery Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga.

Mumbai Indians made a smart buy in South Africa’s latest batting sensation J.P Duminy at the auction. Duminy was bought for a whopping US$950,000. They also got Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful and New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Mills besides trading Ashish Nehra for Shikhar Dhawan from Delhi Daredevils.

They will count on a strong line-up of allrounders in Bravo, Ryan McLaren, Duminy and Essex’s Graham Napier, who hit a world record 16 sixes, cracking 152 against Sussex in a T20 match.

Squad: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilhara Fernando, Dwayne Bravo, Luke Ronchi, Saurabh Tiwary, Rohan Raje, Ajinkya Rahane, Pinal Shah, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yogesh Takawale, Lasith Malinga, Jean-Paul Duminy, Kyle Mills, Mohammad Ashraful, Graham Napier, Jaydev Shah, Ryan Mc Laren, Shikar Dhawan, Chetnya Nanda, Raheel Shaikh, Jude Singh.

[credit : http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/in-form-tendulkar-can-make-it-happen-for-mumbai-indians-in-ipl-2-profile_100180588.html]

Mumbai Indians - Team Preview

Performance in IPL 2008

Mumbai had a disastrous start, losing their first four games to Bangalore, Chennai, Punjab and Hyderabad but bounced back remarkably well before ultimately failing to make it to the semi-finals.

After four successive defeats, Mumbai won their next six games on the trot - the best streak of the tournament- as they appeared to peak at just the right time.

Mumbai will rue their 1-run defeat to Punjab since it not only ended their winning streak but also their hopes of a semi-final berth as the team seem to lose momentum. Two more defeats followed before Mumbai beat lowly Bangalore to finish in fifth position.

Who's in, who's out

Mumbai shopped for South African sensation Jean-Paul Duminy in this year's auction and splashed out an eye-popping USD 950,000 to acquire the stylish southpaw.

New Zealander Kyle Mills (USD 150,000) and Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful (USD 75,000) were part of their signings.

Mumbai was also involved in two swaps, trading Robin Uthappa for Zaheer Khan with Bangalore and Shikhar Dhawan for Ashish Nehra with Delhi. Jaydev Shah was also added to the roster while Dwayne Smith, Dominic Thornely and Ashwell Prince were released from their contracts. Shaun Pollock will not return as a player after taking up the role of the coach.

Mumbai also signed Graham Napier and Ryan McLaren, both prolific all-rounders in the English Twenty20 competition.

Players to watch out for

Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar is loved the world over and will be cynosure of all eyes in South Africa as well. He missed the inital games last season but is expected to be available for the entire duration this time around. Not only has he been among the runs for India, he has amassed his runs in a manner which reminds us of the Tendulkar of the nineties. Tendulkar on song will be vital to Mumbai's success.

Graham Napier: The cricket world stood up and took notice of Napier's talent after he blasted a 52-ball 158 for Essex in a Twenty20 game. He scored runs heavily and quickly last season and is a decent medium pacer, capable of bowling the yorkers in the death overs.

Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan has led the Indian attack superbly in all conditions in recent times. Zaheer will enjoy the conditions in South Africa and his recent form suggests that batsmen will find it difficult against him.

Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan scored consistently for Delhi, notching up four fifties in last year's IPL and Mumbai will be hoping he picks up from where he left off. A batsman in the classical mould with shots all around the wicket, Dhawan is the ideal number three.

Trivia

Dhawal Kulkarni of Mumbai bowled 3 wides in a row in his last over against Chennai, thus becoming the first bowler to have such a dubious record.

Sanath Jayasuriya of Mumbai Indians, the oldest player in the IPL, holds the record for the most sixes - 31.

Sanath Jayasuriya hit more fours than anyone else in the IPL. He hit a total of 57 boundaries.

Mumbai won their match at home against the Kolkata with a staggering 87 balls to spare, the highest margin in terms of balls remaining in IPL 2008.

Mumbai Indians used as many as three captains - Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar - in the 14 games they played.

Tendulkar holds the record for the most number of catches in an IPL match with 4 catches in the match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth after Mumbai lost to Kings XI Punjab in a tense game following which Harbhajan was banned from the remainder of the tournament.

5 of the Mumbai Indians batsmen got run out in the game against the KKR. This is a record of a sorts for the IPL.

Current Squad

Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo (WI), Shikhar Dhawan, Jean-Paul Duminy (SA), Harbhajan Singh, Dilhara Fernando (SL), Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Zaheer Khan, Ryan McLaren (SA), Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga (SL), Kyle Mills (NZ), Graham Napier (ENG), Chetanya Nanda, Mohammad Ashraful (B'desh), Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohan Raje, Luke Ronchi (AUS), Jaydev Shah, Pinal Shah, Rahil Shaikh, Yogesh Takawale, Saurabh Tiwary

Coaches

Head Coach: Shaun Pollock (SA)

Assistant Head Coach: Pravin Amre

[credit : http://www.cricbuzz.com/component/latest_cricket_news/Story/12957/team-preview-mumbai-indians]

Red FM to partner Mumbai Indians again

MUMBAI: Red FM's Mumbai station is partnering the IPL team Mumbai Indians for the second time in a row. As the official radio partner of Reliance Industry’s Mumbai Indians for the second season of DLF IPL, Red FM will give eight ‘Fadu fans’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch some exciting matches of the Mumbai Indians live in South Africa.

Starting 13 April, Red FM has planned a treasure hunt for the tickets. As a run up to the matches, for a period of four weeks eight locations in the city will be identified and the RJs will give on-air clues to bring the listeners closer to the final location of the tickets. The clues will be devised to crack the code format with a password. Listeners from all over the city will be invited to call in with their estimates and guesses to the location of the ticket. Finally they would have to give the ‘password’ to the person who holds the ticket and only then can they win it. The listener who reaches the location first wins. Red FM OBs will be stationed on locations to capture the excitement and the confusion amongst the listeners. Two tickets to South Africa are up for grabs every week and all of Mumbai has a chance to win. All one has to do is stay tuned in to Red FM and solve all the clues.

Commenting on this first of its kind initiative, Anuj Singh, National Marketing Head and Station Head (Mumbai), Red FM, said, “Cricket is one of the main pillars of Red FM’s programming and who better than Mumbai's No.1 station to partner with Mumbai's home team! Like RED FM, the Mumbai Indians too exemplify the essence of the city and we are thrilled to continue our association with the team. Mumbaikars have the spirit to bring in the excitement and energy into the game. In an ultimate show of support Red FM had turned to Blue FM last year, this year too with our treasure hunt panning across the city, Mumbai will be the playground for the Mumbai Indians Fadu Fan!”

Red FM has planned a very innovative 360 degree campaign across on-air, on-ground and multimedia. The different phases of the campaign will be unveiled in different stages, maintaining listener curiosity and involvement throughout the series.

Last year, in a first of its kind brand integration, Red FM turned to Blue FM for a whole day for the Mumbai Indians. For the first time in the history of radio, a radio station changed its brand name, identity and jingle to support a cricket team. Red FM also won two WOW awards for excellence in events and experiential marketing for the initiative.

[credit : http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/red-fm-partner-mumbai-indians-again]