Finally, Rajasthan clicked as a unit and won a game. It was a slow wicket, perhaps one of the slowest tracks in this IPL, and Rajasthan, whose batsmen were harassed on bouncier pitches in this tournament so far, immediately looked more at home. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala led with a serene 45 to ensure Rajasthan capitalised on a solid start to end up with a very competitive 168, a total which they defended with a disciplined show from their spinners.
 Kolkata didn’t help their cause by a poor batting effort in the chase. Keeping wickets in hand is a sound ploy of course but they struggled to score runs and allowed the pressure to build up. Brad Hodge was the guiltiest of the lot. It might seem harsh for he scored almost a run-a-ball 36, but he never accelerated and allowed the chase to meander along. Hodge’s approach was even stranger, considering Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah were cooling their heels in the dressing room. Even when he was well-settled, he waited for the new batsmen to attack, which was always going to be difficult on this slow track which aided the spinners. And Sourav Ganguly, too, struggled today though unlike Hodge, he tried to go for the big shots but could rarely find his timing. It might have been a plan that Hodge would drop anchor and the others hit around him but he never adapted to the changing demands of the chase.
Rajasthan relied heavily on spin – they started with Yusuf Pathan who took out the opener Manoj Tiwary with a quick skidding delivery and later returned to take out Brad Hodge – and it paid rich dividends on this pitch. It also helped that Shane Warne finally found his mojo today – he found drift and turn to keep the batsmen honest. Hodge was content, nudging Warne around, Pujara couldn’t break free against him, and Ganguly couldn’t connect with his intended big hits. Only Pujara played with a sense of purpose, hitting four fours right away on arrival at the crease but he too was slowed down by the spinners. And the chase had derailed.
Match Meter
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Abhishek Jhunjhunwala plays a cool hand: With Yusuf perishing to the short delivery, it seemed Rajasthan might wobble but Jhunjhunwala ensured the runs kept coming with a responsible knock, occupying the crease from the sixth to the 18th over
Advantage  Honours even
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At the toss, Warne had reckoned that 175 would be a good total and his batsmen responded well to the captain’s call. They attacked with a plan, with one batsman looking to get after the bowling while the other rotated the strike. While Naman Ojha tried to find his touch, Faiz Fazal attacked at the start; while Jhunjhunwala settled in, Ojha attacked; and when Yusuf was new to the crease, Jhunjhunwala collected a few boundaries. Every time a wicket fell, they counterattacked. We don’t know whether all this was planned or it just transpired that way in the middle, but what the approach did was to give Rajasthan a total that they were able to defend on this slow track.
It was Fazal who set the ball rolling with his attacking approach at the top. He walked in after Michael Lumb was trapped in front by Ashok Dinda for a first-ball duck and immediately looked to get after the bowling. In the same over, he swiped for a four but it was in the third over that he really got going with three boundaries against Dinda. He thrashed down the ground, pulled across the line and swung a delivery from outside off to the square-leg boundary to make his agenda very clear.
Fazal fell soon, flat-batting Shane Bond to mid-off but Ojha took over the attacking role to collect a few muscled boundaries against Matthews. However, he was run out in the ninth over, going for the second run but failing to beat an accurate throw from Mathews at long leg. Enter Yusuf and he drove couple of boundaries but yet again fell to the short ball, mistiming his attempted pull shot.
Jhunjhunwala, though, carried on and played a serene knock filled with late cuts, on drives and nudges into gaps, to push Rajasthan on. When he fell in the first ball of the 18th over, it looked like Rajasthan might lose their way but Adam Voges freed his arms to loot 17 runs in the final over, bowled by Ishant , to charge Rajasthan to a respectable total, which proved enough in the end.
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written by Swapnil
\\ tags: IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals
MS Dhoni and S Badrinath added an unbroken 109-run stand from 65 deliveries to push Chennai Super Kings to a competitive total before their bowlers turned in an inspired performance to bowl them to a surprisingly facile win at the Eden Gardens. It was Chennai who had ended Kolkata’s winning streak after the first two games in 2008 and history played out yet again.
Chennai were wobbling at 55 for 3 in the 10th over when Dhoni joined Badrinath to slowly change things around on a track with slightly variable bounce. It wasn’t the traditional hit-everything-in-sight Twenty20 innings from them as they first strived to settle in with dabs and nudges before freeing their arms at the end.
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Star batsmen fail: Kolkata lost two batsmen, who had starred in their victory in the first game, in the first nine deliveries of their chase. Hodge was smartly caught by Ashwin, while Tiwary was bowled by Gony.
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Kemp’s double-strike: There wasn’t going to be a recovery. Ganguly, who limped to 11, mistimed one to midwicket off Kemp in the ninth over. Thirteen balls later, Mathews was trapped in front and Kolkata were shut out.
Advantage Honours even
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It was off the final delivery of the 15th over that Dhoni managed his first big hit – a six over long-on. And it wasn’t till the 18th over that he really went berserk, hitting Laxmi Ratan Shukla for two fours and another six over long-on as he started to work his bottom hand over time.
In the next over, bowled by Shane Bond, he looted three boundaries that included a scorching flatly-pulled six. Badrinath too got in the act, pulling Ishant Sharma for a six in the final over.
Until the final assault from the Chennai duo, nearly everything went according to Plan A for Kolkata. Bond got to swing it at pace, Ishant probed with his seam movement, Murali Kartik was at his canny best, Angelo Matthews was at his nagging self and Shukla kept it really tight as well. But Dhoni’s knock proved the difference between a below-par total and a defendable one.
Kolkata needed a similar partnership but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the chase lacked any momentum and fizzled out very quickly. Within nine deliveries, their heroes from last game, Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary, were dismissed – Hodge pulled Albie Morkel to square-leg and Tiwary was bowled, going for an expansive on-the-up drive against Manpreet Gony. And when L Balaji produced the delivery of the game – it kicked up from short of length even as it straightened outside off stump – to catch the edge of Owais Shah, Kolkata were struggling at 46 for 4.
It required someone to seize the game but there weren’t any inspired bursts lower down. Sourav Ganguly dawdled along for a while, unable to break free against a relentless attack of short deliveries into his rib cage, and he fell, swinging Justin Kemp to deep mid-wicket. Much depended on Matthews if Kolkata were to effect a jail break, but he was trapped in front trying to paddle sweep a straight delivery from Kemp. The tail couldn’t produce any miracle and Chennai wrapped up the win with five balls to spare.
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written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Chennai Super Kings, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders
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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders showed more character than perhaps the first two seasons put together to survive early blows by veterans Chaminda Vaas and Adam Gilchrist at the start of each innings. First Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah added 130 runs from 31 for 4 to put up a fighting total. Their effort was going in vain with Gilchrist rushing towards the target, but their bowlers picked up their game to take regular wickets and allow Deccan Chargers only 51 runs in the last nine overs. Kolkata scored 58 in their last four.
It was as much Deccan throwing it away as Kolkata pulling it back. Gilchrist, who had been dropped twice on his way to fifty, started the turnaround by pulling Brad Hodge straight to deep square leg. In the next over Herschelle Gibbs holed out to long-off. Two overs later Andrew Symonds went to slog the first delivery he faced from Ishant Sharma and top-edged. Two more overs later Rohit Sharma was fooled by a Mathews slower bouncer, and 99 for 1 had become 128 for 5. All that with the required run-rate never going too much past eight per over.
Kolkata were there to accept the gifts with aggressive field placings and good bowling changes. If bowling Hodge was an inspired move, return spells for Karthik, Langeveldt and Ishant were positive decisions by a captain who knew only wickets could win him the match. The diving saves returned, Ganguly looked charged and Kolkata somehow looked like the team that was going to win even with the required rate reaching the improbable only in the last over.
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Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah took their time, and brought out the big hits towards the end. Both scored fifties, spoiled figures of all the bowlers, and took 58 runs of the last four overs. Kolkata made 161
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Adam Gilchrist came out swinging, hitting everything hittable. Three sixes, three fours, two dropped catches, and Gilchrist reached 54 off 34, taking Deccan to 99 for 1 in 11 overs
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The choke started in the 12th over, with Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma throwing their wickets away. Only 51 runs came in the last nine overs, and the champions lost to the wooden spoons
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Thirty-four off 22 balls with only Indian domestic batsmen and the tail to follow was always going to be a tight finish, and Mathews, Laxmi Shukla, Langeveldt and Ishant completed the choke for Deccan with a good mix of yorkers, bouncers and slower ones.
If they had a target that wasn’t blown away by the Gilchrist start, it was only thanks to Mathews himself and Shah. Vaas had dutifully adopted the essence of the previous IPL – first-ball wickets, and gone on to make it a double-wicket maiden. A double-strike followed soon, and memories of Kolkata’s horror 2009 came rushing back. Mathews and Shah, however, averted a one-sided start to the tournament with a partnership that seamlessly went from sensible to sizzling.
One cute paddle over fine leg excepting, Mathews employed strong hitting down the ground. Shah, on the other hand, employed the pick-up shot, almost a sweep of the fast bowlers, to good effect, hitting Symonds, Vaas and Jaskaran for sixes.
The tournament began with the class of Vaas. He started on target, swinging the ball late, and Manoj Tiwary fell over playing the first ball, and lobbed it straight to midwicket. Captain Sourav Ganguly edged to first slip in that double-wicket maiden, and Cheteshwar Pujara and Brad Hodge too departed after a 31-run stand.
Pragyan Ojha and Symonds initially managed to keep Mathews and Shah in check. In eight overs between them, their accurate and smart mid-innings bowling went for 45 runs despite expensive last overs that went for 21.
That was just the momentum the stumbling innings needed, taking Kolkata to 103 for 4 after 16 overs. During that period, Mathews had moved from starting with a top-edged six to attacking youngster Jaskaran Singh in a calculated manner.
Shah, who had been quiet until then, went after the returning Vaas, hitting him for a six and four. Mathews followed it up and launched his countryman over long-off, and 2-1-4-2 became 3-1-22-2.
With the score reading 121 for 4 after 17 overs, Gilchrist made two bold moves. T Suman bowled the 18th over, and was punished by Mathews, who reached his fifty in that over. He carried the momentum into the 19th over, hurting RP Singh too with straight, powerful hitting. Jaskaran, preferred to Vaas for the last over, bowled three yorkers and a good slower delivery, but still went for 10. It left the Kolkata bowlers with a target to bowl at.
The up-and-down match, with at least four swings in fortunes, and featuring good old-fashioned swing bowling, orthodox and unorthodox hitting, was a much-needed and much-denied relief from a rather unwatchable opening ceremony – featuring faded stars and a fading tribute band – that delayed the toss by 27 minutes.
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written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Deccan Chargers, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders
Fake IPL player, multiple captains, doping charges, a sacked coach, perhaps the ugliest uniform (only to be beaten by an even uglier one this year), floodlight failures at Eden Gardens, parties, Bollywood glitz and Shah Rukh Khan. Everything about Kolkata Knight Riders suggests the prototype modern, media-feeding, headline-churning, eyeballs-grabbing team. Except for the success-rate, the worst among the eight teams over two years. In the last season before next year’s draft, Kolkata need a strong performance to do away with the caricature image they have acquired.
They have corrected some of the mistakes from the disastrous 2009 season. For starters, they have named one captain – Sourav Ganguly – for the season. In Dav Whatmore they have a coach who has a way with underdog teams. In Chris Gayle they have one of the most explosive openers going around, and this time he should be available for almost the entire season. In Brad Hodge they have the highest run-getter in Twenty20s, in Shane Bond one of the fastest bowlers around, in Charl Langeveldt one of the best during the death, in Ajantha Mendis a freakish spinner who could come good in Twenty20 any time and, in the later half of the season, they have Brendon McCullum. And in Wasim Akram they have a bowling coach capable of bringing out the best in the likes of Bond, Langeveldt and Ishant Sharma.
 The international players, though, have not been their major worry. Kolkata’s biggest failure has been their inability to get sizeable contributions out of the non-international Indians. Therein lies the biggest test for Sourav Ganguly and Whatmore.
The buzz
Kolkata’s hype-creating machinery has been taking it easy this time: fewer advertisements, fewer pictures with Shah Rukh Khan, no controversy over team leadership, no fake IPL player in action either, though his book launches the day before the tournament begins. However, something time-honoured had to be done. Thus arrived the purple-and-gold, tight-fitting team jersey, sponsored by a manufacturing firm whose owners are linked with a controversial murder case.
New faces
Bond was their big buy at the auction and, unlike McCullum who will be playing Tests against Australia, Bond should miss a maximum of two IPL matches. Manoj Tiwary, a prolific Bengal batsman, has been traded in from Delhi, as has Owais Shah, who replaces Moises Henriques. They have also gone for an almost complete overhaul of the domestic players in the team.
Watch out for
Chris Gayle missed the first season completely, and had to leave the second midway for a series not many were interested in. He might miss a game or two this season – West Indies’ ODI series against Zimbabwe finishes the day the IPL starts – but he will be itching to make a mark in the matches he plays. If Kolkata are to make a dramatic turnaround, they will need a few of Gayle’s specials, the kinds that win matches single-handedly.
Missing in action
McCullum will not be available in March. New Zealand’s Test series against Australia ends on March 31, following which he is expected to flown in business class on the first flight India-bound.
X-factor
Angelo Mathews has proved to a useful allrounder for Sri Lanka, and he contributes in every department: batting, bowling, and fielding.
Strength
The top order: Gayle, Ganguly, Hodge, with the promise of McCullum.
Weakness
The Indian players. It will be the seven Indian players – the likes of Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Manoj Tiwary, and the lesser-known ones – that will make the ultimate difference. Kolkata will need a matchwinner from two out of the seven local players – a performer like Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan or Pragyan Ojha is just what they need.
IPL 2009 – the key figures
Final position: last
Top scorer: Brad Hodge with 365 runs at 40.55 and strike-rate of 117.74
Top wicket-taker: Ishant Sharma with 11 wickets at 27 and economy-rate of 6.9
Best result: Seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings
Worst result: Eight-wicket defeat to Deccan Chargers
Highest team score: 189 v Chennai
Lowest team score: 95 v Mumbai Indians
Prediction for 2010
Deccan Chargers’ title triumph last year, after finishing bottom in the first season, gave heart to Kolkata fans but that is probably in the realms of fantasy. A safe bet for Kolkata is a finish in the bottom half.
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders
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