World Of T20 Cricket

It wasn’t as resounding a thrashing as that delivered by Brendon McCullum’s ruthless innings against the same opponents in the tournament opener two years ago but it was still a massive win for Kolkata Knight Riders in front of a heaving Eden Gardens crowd. Angelo Mathews followed up his fire-fighting with the bat on Friday by starring with the ball to pin down Royal Challengers Bangalore, before fireworks from Kolkata’s openers ensured their team began their campaign with victories over both of last year’s finalists.

Kolkata were in control right from the start when Bangalore’s young batting talent failed, and the visitors were left to thank the experienced Jacques Kallis, who made a mad dash from South Africa after playing the Pro20 final on Friday evening, for holding the innings together. However, even his battling, an unbeaten 65 on a slowish track, couldn’t spare Bangalore the eventual hammering.

Their troubles began when the surprise move to open with Sreevats Goswami didn’t work out. The pint-sized Goswami was hemmed in by a series of Charl Langeveldt bouncers, and his ploy of backing away to heave the ball to the leg side didn’t come off. Nor could Manish Pandey replicate the wonderful form of his domestic season, looking tentative in his short stay before his attempt to flat-bat Mathews down the ground ended in a bottom-edge on to the stumps.

Next in Bangalore’s youth brigade was Virat Kolhi, talked up by coach Ray Jennings as a future Indian captain, who lasted four deliveries before striking a dipping delivery from Murali Kartik to deep midwicket. With two deliveries left in the Powerplay, Bangalore were down to 20 for 3.

Kolkata’s new-ball bowlers had done their job, and they were backed up by some intelligent bowling from Mathews and Kartik to put Bangalore on the mat. Mathews sent down several slower bouncers which the batsmen struggled to pick, and Kartik varied his pace and effectively used the assistance provided by the track.

It was Kartik who provided the fervent crowd their next chance to scream. Bangalore’s new signing, Eoin Morgan, had started his IPL career confidently with a sensationally-timed off-drive for six off the second delivery he faced, but he was bowled by a short, slow ball, through with his reverse-sweep before the ball arrived.

Match Meter KKR Top-order folds: Kolkata were in charge after Bangalore’s talented youngsters, Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli, fell cheaply, followed by new recruit Eoin Morgan. Bangalore were 35 for 4 after 7.2 overs. KKR RCB Old hands re-build: As they have done countless times for their national sides, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis set about repairing the innings after a slew of cheap wickets. They raised 38 runs to lift Bangalore to 73 for 4 after 12 overs KKR Mathews double-strike: After getting his eye in, Robin Uthappa was looking to open up in the 18th over, but was dismissed by Mathews just after hitting his first boundary. Three balls later, Mathews removed van der Merwe as well, reducing Bangalore to 112 for 7 after 18 overs KKR The Tiwary and Hodge show: In a three-over period, Tiwary and Hodge dismantled each of Bangalore’s three senior bowlers – Kallis, Steyn and Kumble. That spell brought in 42 runs, and Kolkata had sprinted to 61 for 0 after six overs Advantage Honours even

All the while Kallis was starved of the strike, though he had shown glimpses of form, including a ferocious lofted cover drive. He set about rebuilding with the help of another veteran, Rahul Dravid, putting on 38 with some old-school textbook batting. Dravid was looking in fine touch before he contrived to drag a full, wide ball from Mathews on to the stumps.

There was more sedate run-gathering with Robin Uthappa after that, and it wasn’t until the 15th over that Kallis opened up, clouting Rohan Gavaskar to the extra-cover boundary. Uthappa got his first boundary in the same region, before Mathews struck twice in four balls. Kallis then started to get innovative, walking across the stumps to paddle-sweep a ball for four to bring up his fifty, and repeating the stroke in the final over. There was a sweet, straight hit for six as well, and the 14 runs in the 20th over lifted Bangalore to 135.

It was an underwhelming total on a benign track, but not as tiny a target as the Kolkata batsmen made it seem. Manoj Tiwary may not have much of a reputation as a Twenty20 player, but it was his early onslaught that made the match such a one-sided encounter.

After three steady overs, Tiwary blasted Kallis for 14 in the space of four balls in the fourth, including a powerful swipe over midwicket for six. Much of Bangalore’s chances now depended on how effective their spearhead Dale Steyn was, but Tiwary crashed his second delivery over long-off for six more, before a couple of driven boundaries from Brad Hodge made it 17 off the over.

The last major threat was Anil Kumble, who also failed to make an impact, with Tiwary picking him for two fours in his first three balls to take Kolkata 60 for 0 after 5.3 overs, effectively ending the contest.

Things were less frenetic after that, and though both openers fell the delivery after they reached their half-centuries, Kolkata eased to a victory that will reinforce the belief in the side and among their fans after the abysmal shows of last season.

	Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	JH Kallis	not out	65	52	7	1	125.00
	SP Goswami†	c Sharma b Langeveldt	8	10	2	0	80.00
	2.6 the short deliveries haven’t troubled Goswami but have kept him scoreless. He has found it difficult to pull or cut. This time he charged down the track and received a bouncer and he could only top edge the attempted cut straight to third man 15/1
	MK Pandey	b Mathews	0	7	0	0	0.00
	4.3 Inside edge .. dragged on! Manish looked tentative throughout his brief stay – perhaps the pressure of playing in Eden Gardens – and is gone now. He tries to force a length delivery outside off .. he stays rooted to his crease, just lunges out and attempts to flat bat it. Fatal inside edge. 17/2
	V Kohli	c Mathews b Kartik	2	5	0	0	40.00
	5.4 Murali Kartik, who bowled superbly in the previous editions of iPL, takes out Kohli. He got it to dip rapidly on Kohli, who had charged down the track, and the attempted lofted hit went towards deep midwicket. Lovely bit of bowling from Kartik. 20/3
	EJG Morgan	b Kartik	10	7	0	1	142.85
	7.2 Goes for the reverse sweep but Kartik had slowed up the pace and shortened the length .. Morgan was early through his shot and the ball bounded off his arm and fell on the stumps. 35/4
	R Dravid	b Mathews	21	16	3	0	131.25
	12.1 Another fatal inside edge. Angelo strikes again. It was a low dipping full toss well outside off, Dravid wanted to lash it to the cover boundary but gets a thick inside edge as he perhaps went too hard at the ball. He is fuming as he walks back. 73/5
	RV Uthappa	c †Saha b Mathews	20	17	1	0	117.64
	17.3 walks down the track and goes for the lofted big hit but ends up nicking it behind the wicket. Angelooooo had pushed it wider to induce that edge 110/6
	RE van der Merwe	c Hodge b Mathews	1	2	0	0	50.00
	17.6 Angelo is da Maan for KKR so far in this competition. He slips in a slower one around off stump and Van der Merwe slices the intended big hit to backward point where Hodge takes a good low tumbling catch 112/7
	P Kumar	not out	3	5	0	0	60.00
	Extras	(b 1, lb 2, w 1, nb 1)	5
	Total	(7 wickets; 20 overs)	135	(6.75 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	CK Langeveldt	4	0	27	1	6.75
	2.6 to Goswami, the short deliveries haven’t troubled Goswami but have kept him scoreless. He has found it difficult to pull or cut. This time he charged down the track and received a bouncer and he could only top edge the attempted cut straight to third man 15/1
	I Sharma	4	0	27	0	6.75	(1w)
	AD Mathews	4	0	19	4	4.75
	4.3 to Pandey, Inside edge .. dragged on! Manish looked tentative throughout his brief stay – perhaps the pressure of playing in Eden Gardens – and is gone now. He tries to force a length delivery outside off .. he stays rooted to his crease, just lunges out and attempts to flat bat it. Fatal inside edge. 17/2 12.1 to Dravid, Another fatal inside edge. Angelo strikes again. It was a low dipping full toss well outside off, Dravid wanted to lash it to the cover boundary but gets a thick inside edge as he perhaps went too hard at the ball. He is fuming as he walks back. 73/5 17.3 to Uthappa, walks down the track and goes for the lofted big hit but ends up nicking it behind the wicket. Angelooooo had pushed it wider to induce that edge 110/6 17.6 to van der Merwe, Angelo is da Maan for KKR so far in this competition. He slips in a slower one around off stump and Van der Merwe slices the intended big hit to backward point where Hodge takes a good low tumbling catch 112/7
	M Kartik	4	0	22	2	5.50	(1nb)
	5.4 to Kohli, Murali Kartik, who bowled superbly in the previous editions of iPL, takes out Kohli. He got it to dip rapidly on Kohli, who had charged down the track, and the attempted lofted hit went towards deep midwicket. Lovely bit of bowling from Kartik. 20/3 7.2 to Morgan, Goes for the reverse sweep but Kartik had slowed up the pace and shortened the length .. Morgan was early through his shot and the ball bounded off his arm and fell on the stumps. 35/4
	BJ Hodge	1	0	11	0	11.00
	SC Ganguly	2	0	18	0	9.00
	RS Gavaskar	1	0	8	0	8.00

	Kolkata Knight Riders innings (target: 136 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	BJ Hodge	c Pandey b van der Merwe	50	45	7	0	111.11
	13.6 Hodge holes out to long-on. He moved down the track but was beaten in flight and ended up slicing it … Fine innings from him 112/2
	MK Tiwary	c & b van der Merwe	50	29	6	2	172.41
	11.4 Good catch by Van der Merwe. Tiwary had really struck it very hard back down the pitch .. Van der Merwe manages to hold on it .. it hit him on the wrist i think and rolled up and he clung on to it. Looks like he is in some pain now.. Entertaining breezy fifty from Tiwary. 101/1
	SC Ganguly*	c Morgan b Kumar	23	22	1	1	104.54
	18.2 banged in short outside off stump, Ganguly pulls it but straight to deep midwicket fielder …Oh well … 133/3
	CA Pujara	not out	5	15	0	0	33.33
	OA Shah	not out	2	5	0	0	40.00
	Extras	(lb 1, w 5)	6
	Total	(3 wickets; 19.2 overs)	136	(7.03 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	P Kumar	4	0	16	1	4.00
	18.2 to Ganguly, banged in short outside off stump, Ganguly pulls it but straight to deep midwicket fielder …Oh well … 133/3
	JH Kallis	3	0	34	0	11.33
	DW Steyn	4	0	38	0	9.50	(2w)
	A Kumble	4	0	19	0	4.75
	RE van der Merwe	4	0	27	2	6.75	(3w)
	11.4 to Tiwary, Good catch by Van der Merwe. Tiwary had really struck it very hard back down the pitch .. Van der Merwe manages to hold on it .. it hit him on the wrist i think and rolled up and he clung on to it. Looks like he is in some pain now.. Entertaining breezy fifty from Tiwary. 101/1 13.6 to Hodge, Hodge holes out to long-on. He moved down the track but was beaten in flight and ended up slicing it … Fine innings from him 112/2
	V Kohli	0.2	0	1	0	3.00

written by Swapnil \\ tags: Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders