World Of T20 Cricket

At halfway into the tournament so far it’s unbelievable tournament. The teams which started their IPL 2009 campaign on high notes are looking down and out and the teams which started slowly have begun to perk up.

 At this stage no one can predict which four teams will qualify for the semifinals in IPL season2. This is the beauty of this tournament and that’s why it is so popular. Tournament was design on such pattern that no one can predict the final frontier of IPL.

 This updates comes after 34 of the group matches have been played. We have already witnessed two hat-tricks and one century in the tournament. First it was Yuvraj Singh who has taken hat-trick against Royal Challengers Bangalore at his favorite Durban ground but unfortunately Kings XI Punjab came out as looser in the same game.

 Who have thought that Rohit Sharma will take hat-trick against formidable Mumbai Indians batting line-up? But he did by dismissing A.Nayar, Harbhajan Singh and JP Duminy on successive balls to won the game for his team. AB Devilliers already displayed his class and power hitting with bat by smashing quick fire hundred in the game against Chennai Super Kings.

 Out of 34 matches, two games ended without being a ball bowled because of rain. However it is expected to be bright and sunny day in South Africa for the rest of tournaments.

 Like IPL season1 there will be fight among the players for Orange (Highest run getter) and Purple cap (for highest wicket takers). So here is the leader board after game number 34.

 Leading Run Scorer in IPL season2 till 34^th Game 

1. Mathew Hayden (CSK): 378 runs with an average of 47.25 and strike rates of 159.49
2. Suresh Raina (CSK): 296 runs with an average of 37.00 and strike rates of 148.74
3. Yuvraj Singh (KXIP): 266 runs with an average of 38.00 and strike rates of 136.41
4. Brad Hodge (KKR): 240 runs with an average of 40.00 and strike rates of 112.14
5. J.P.Duminy (MI): 238 runs with an average of 47.60 and strike rates of 110.69

Mathew Hayden looks in super touch right from the beginning of IPL season 2 and already smashed three fifties in his eight outings with 45 fours and 16 towering sixes. He currently holds the orange cap and just behind him is his teammates Suresh Raina with 296 runs.

 The most expensive player bought in IPL season two was Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen. But both players failed to perform for their teams as per their reputation. Andrew Flintoff struggled with the bat and the ball and Chennai’s form actually started to turn around after his exit. Same goes for Kevin Pietersen, he scored just 93 runs in six games with an average of 15.50.

 Last years heroes B.McCullum, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma is yet to fire in the tournament. But with the players of their reputation we hope that they will fire soon.

 Leading Wicket Takers in IPL season2 till 34^th Game 

1. R.P.Singh (DC): 15 Wickets with an average of 12.73 and economy rate of 6.43
2. Y.Abdulla (KXIP): 14 Wickets with an average of 17.21 and economy rate of 8.60
3. L.Malinga (MI): 12 Wickets with an average of 10.66 and economy rate of 5.01
4. L.Balaji (CSK): 11 Wickets with an average of 16.72 and economy rate of 8.62
5. I.Pathan (KXIP): 11 Wickets with an average of 22.81 and economy rate of 7.84
6. P.Ojha (DC): 10 Wickets with an average of 15.00 and economy rate of 5.76

R.P.Singh has bowled really well in IPL season2 similar to 2008 and that’s why he has been rewarded the place in the Indian team for twenty20 World Cup squad announced by Indian selectors.

Yusuf Abdulla after struggling in his first outing has performed exceptionally well for his team by picking up 14 wickets. He is also included in South Africa twenty20 world cup squad.

L.Malinga after a long injury lay-off and is using the IPL brilliantly to show his skills. With 12 wickets to his name, he is using IPL as great platform to launch himself in twenty20 2009 world cup.

Team Performance

At this moment if somebody would ask me to bet on a team I will surely go for Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils will be my second option. I don’t know whether Sports Betting is legal or illegal in South Africa, but after watching the 34 games played in IPL I will put my money on Chennai Super Kings.

 Chennai Super Kings after slow start are picking up well with four straight win they were able to move at the top of the points table and now looking well on their way for confirming their semi final berth.

 Delhi Daredevils has lived up to their reputation and at presently placed third in the points table with 10 points out of seven games they have played so far two less than both Chennai and Rajasthan. Most importantly their star (Sehwag and Gauti) are yet to fire in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are two team who bounce back well after loosing their early games.

Mumbai Indians after flying start in the tournament are now lying at the bottom in the points table just above Kolkata knight Riders. Now it will be very hard for Sachin and his team to bounce back in the tournament after loosing to Deccan Chargers by 19 runs in their last outing.

 Kolkata Knight Riders performed worst in the tournament with only one win out of 9 games they have played. They are running out of ideas and are struggling to put the performance in the field. This all started after multiple captaincy controversy and just day before IPL B.McCullum named KKR Captain.

 With reference to betting, the Indian board’s commitment to fight corruption in cricket has come under the scanner after it has emerged that it stayed silent for months on an ICC offer to provide full anti-corruption cover for the IPL this year, mainly because of the fee involved. Why Lalit Modi turn down ICC request initially? Does IPL pose it own Anti Corruption Unit? They finally agreed just day before IPL started that is on 17^th of April.

With Twenty20 cricket there is great excitement and money involved. With so much money involved IPL Cricket Betting is hard to stop but let’s hope for the best. Can any one guarantee that there is no betting taking place in South Africa?

Important Stats

Highest Team Total: 211/4 by Rajasthan Royals against Kings XI Punjab

Lowest Team Total: 58/10 by Rajasthan Royals against Royal Challenger Bangalore

Highest Individual Score: 105* (54 balls) by AB Devilliers against CSK

Best Strike Rates (minimum 100 Runs): 170.40, D.Smith (Deccan Chargers)

Most Sixes: 16, M.Hayden (Chennai Super Kings)

Must Ducks: 3 by H.Gibbs (Deccan Chargers)

Best Bowling Figures: 5/5, Anil Kumble (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals

As you can see, from above stats that Rajasthan Royals have records of highest total as well as lowest total. That is how the defending IPLtwenty20 champions performed in the tournament but it is great to see they are doing well now.

written by Swapnil \\ tags: betting, Cricket, IPL 2009 records, IPL 2009 Stats, IPL cricket betting, IPL twenty20 report card, Sports Betting, Team performance at half way stage of IPL twenty20 2009

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) could waive the one-year “cooling period” proposed by the Indian board for players returning to international cricket from the unsanctioned ICL. Such a move would provide exiled pacemen Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey with added incentive to break ranks with the ICL and return to the fold for New Zealand’s next bilateral international assignment, the August tour of Sri Lanka.

While Bond responded cautiously to news of the BCCI’s amnesty to its ICL players – opening the door for them to return to first-class cricket with immediate effect, and international cricket in 12 months, provided they severed ties with the Zee Group-owned competition – NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan was hopeful the development represented the first significant step towards resolving the ICL issue.

“This is a positive move,” Vaughan told Cricinfo. “Hopefully this will lead to the ICL issue being resolved pretty quickly. If there is a mass exodus of players from the ICL, then hopefully we will all be back to being able to field our best teams, and international cricket will return to normality.”

Vaughan added that NZC would not necessarily follow the “cooling off” sanctions of the Indian board, citing that the ICC board meeting this month gave national bodies the freedom to determine what sanctions, if any, they would level against players returning from the ICL. Should the likes of Bond and Tuffey break ranks with the ICL, a NZC board meeting in June would decide whether they could return to international cricket immediately, or at a later date.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that we would welcome players back if they were to leave the ICL,” Vaughan said. “The question is exactly when they would be available for selection, and that is something the (NZC) board will make a decision on. We’re slightly different to India in that Bond and Tuffey have already played domestic cricket with us, and if those players did decide to terminate their ICL contracts, it would be up to our board to decide when they would be available. We will watch with interest what other countries do.”

Bond, rated among the world’s elite fast bowlers at the time of his defection, said he would reconsider his position in the game if the carrot of international cricket was again dangled before him. Now 33, Bond was initially cleared to represent New Zealand by his national board when he signed with the ICL, but that decision was reversed after pressure was applied by the BCCI. He has not played an international match since 2007.

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: Cricket, ICC, ICL, Twenty20, Twenty20 Cricket

The Indian board has announced an “amnesty” for all Indian players associated with the ICL, who can return to official cricket provided they cut all ties with the unofficial league by May 31. The players who choose to return to the official fold will be eligible to play international cricket after a one-year ‘cooling period’ but can play domestic cricket from June 1, when the ICC’s new rules on official and unofficial cricket come into force.

“A lot of cricketers and support staff with the ICL met us and told us that they committed a mistake by joining the ICL and they want to return to the BCCI,” Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said after a meeting of the board, where the decision was taken. “They will be allowed to play domestic cricket immediately. ”

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: BCCI, Cricket, ICC, ICL, T20, Twenty20, Twenty20 Cricket

After a great response to my post on IPL 2009 Schedule in your Outlook Calendar, Here is Twenty20 Worldcup Outlook Calendar for all the cricket fans.

Don’t miss out a single match add the ICC World Twenty20 Schedule in your Outlook Calendar.

Follow the below steps:
1. Download the .ics file by clicking on the link below and selecting “Save” (Internet Explorer) or “Save to disc” (Firefox):
Download
2. Open up Microsoft Outlook and from the ‘File’ menu select ‘Import and Export’
3. From the next menu, select ‘Import an iCalendar or vCalendar file (.vcs)’
4. Select the Cricinfo calendar file and upload
5. The tournament schedule will now be sitting in your Outlook Calendar.

written by Swapnil \\ tags: Cricket, England, ICC, ICC World Twenty20 2009, ICC World Twenty20 2009 Schedule, ICC World Twenty20 2009 Schedule in your Outlook Calendar, India, Outlook Calendar, Twenty20, Twenty20 2009 Schedule, Twenty20 2009 Schedule Outlook Calendar, Twenty20 Cricket

Andrew Flintoff has returned home from the Indian Premier League to undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Flintoff had been appearing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL when he felt discomfort in his right knee. The Chennai medical staff immediately contacted ECB’s chief medical officer Dr Nick Peirce. Scans were taken of the right knee in a Durban hospital and they detected a slight medial meniscal tear and after these were viewed by Peirce it was decided that Flintoff should return to London.

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: Andrew Flintoff, Chennai Super Kings, Cricket, Indian Premier League, IPL