Mohit Sharma bowled one of best final over under pressure with Kings XI Punjab living to fight another day edging out Mumbai Indians by 7 runs in a high- scoring IPL thriller keeping their play-off chances alive. 
 
Put into bat, Kings XI Punjab piled up a mammoth 230 for 3 in 20 overs riding on Wriddhiman Saha&#39;s belliegerent unbeaten 93 off 55 balls. 
 
In reply, Mumbai Indians nearly pulled off the highest ever chase in IPL before being restricted to 223 in 20 overs. 
 
Needing 16 off the final over, Kieron Pollard (50 off 24 balls) saw one run being deducted off the first delivery as he didn&#39;t touch the crease at non-striker&#39;s end. The next delivery was pulled over square leg for a six. 
 
Needing 10 off 4 balls, Mohit (2/57 in 4 overs) bowled three dots in a row, ladning perfect blockhole deliveries to seal it in favour of the Punjab franchise. 
 
The win took Kings XI Punjab&#39;s points tally to 14 from 13 games and they still are in the hunt with a match against Rising Pune Supergiant left. Mumbai Indians have already qualified with 18 points and have a game left against Kolkata Knight Riders. 
 
The KXIP win also puts pressure on Sunrisers Hyderabad (15 points from 13 games) to win their last match to ensure smooth passage into last four. 
 
Even on a placid Wankhede track, a target of 231 was a huge one. Parthiv Patel (38) and Lendl Simmons (59 off 32 balls) smoted the KXIP bowling en route their 99-run stand in only 8.4 overs. 
 
Mohit Sharma, despite being smashed for 33 in his first two overs, bowled a delivery that climbed on a surging Parthiv, who offered simple skier to Manan Vohra. 
 
Simmons, who scored his half-century off only 27 balls, hit five boundaries and four sixes, before a brilliant effort at the long-on boundary from Martin Guptill saw the Caribbean international head back to the dug-out. 
 
The bowler was skipper Glenn Maxwell and Guptill timed his jump to perfection at long-on boundary to take a one- handed catch. 
 
Leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia then bowled a half-tracker to rival skipper Rohit Sharma (5), who provided the simplest of catches to Guptill at deep-mid-wicket. 
 
The New Zealander was back in action when Nitish Rana (12) slogged one down his throat at the same position off Axar patel&#39;s bowling. 
 
From 99 for no loss, Mumbai Indians slumped to 121 for 4 and it was a matter of time before scoreboard pressure got to the home team. 
 
But Pollard and Hardik Pandya (30 off 13 balls) had other ideas as they smoked 55 runs in 3.3 overs to bring MI back in the game. 
 
Once Pandya was caught brilliantly by Saha behind the stumps off Sandeep Sharma, Karn Sharma (19 off 6 balls) aslo did his bit with Pollard going for the jugular. Needing 23 off 2 overs, Sandeep Sharma gave only 7 runs off the penultimate over before Mohit&#39;s brilliant final over. 
 
Earlier, Test specialist Saha displayed a different facet of his batsmanship with a stroke-filled unbeaten 93 of 55 balls to power Kings XI Punjab to 230 for 3. 
 
Saha, who also has a century in the 2014 IPL final, struck 11 boundaries and three sixes to anchor the innings. 
 
Martin Guptill hit a flurry of boundaries (5x4, 1x6) during his 18-ball-36 and skipper Maxwell&#39;s 47 off 21 balls also propped up the total. Maxwell&#39;s innings had five sixes apart from two boundaries. 
 
It was an off day for MI bowlers with all of them taken to the cleaners by Saha and Co. 
 
Mitchell McClenaghan ( 1-54), Lasith Malinga (0-45), Harbhajan Singh (0-45), Jasprit Bumrah (1-24), Karn Sharma (1 -32 ) and Hardik Pandya (0-29) were hammered to all parts of the ground. 
 
Before this, the highest total this season was 214 for 3 against Gujarat Lions. 
 
Punjab were well-poised at 173/2 at the end of 15 overs and smashed 57 off last five overs to post the their overall highest score at the Wankhede. 
 
The side has posted a total of 230 or above for the third time in all the 10 season of IPL. 
 
Put into bat, Punjab had a flying start as their openers Saha and Guptill put on a 68-run stand in 5.3 overs. 
 
Hardik Pandya conceded three fours in the opening over, two stuck by Kiwi Guptill and the other hit by Saha, who opened the innings in place of Manan Vohra. 
 
Guptill was in his element hitting a towering six over long off Malinga. Saha struck two consecutive fours in the same over as Punjab reached 50 in only 3.4 just overs. 
 
Guptill&#39;s departure did not bother Saha, as he continued to take on opposition bowlers, hitting two fours in the seventh over. 
 
Skipper Maxwell joined in as he struck two massive sixes, one over long on off and other over extra cover off Karn with Punjab completing 100 in just 8 overs. 
 
In the ninth over, off spinner Harbhajan was hit for three sixes by Maxwell.

(PTI)

Kings XI Punjab piled up a mammoth 230 for 3 in 20 overs. Mumbai Indians were restricted to 223 in 20 overs.

Mohit Sharma bowled one of best final over under pressure with Kings XI Punjab living to fight another day edging out Mumbai Indians by 7 runs in a high- scoring IPL thriller keeping their play-off chances alive. Put into bat, Kings XI Punjab piled up a mammoth 230 for 3 in 20 overs riding on Wriddhiman Saha's belliegerent unbeaten 93 off 55 balls. In reply, Mumbai Indians nearly pulled off the highest ever chase in IPL before being restricted to 223 in 20 overs. Needing 16 off the final over, Kieron Pollard (50 off 24 balls) saw one run being deducted off the first delivery as he didn't touch the crease at non-striker's end. The next delivery was pulled over square leg for a six. Needing 10 off 4 balls, Mohit (2/57 in 4 overs) bowled three dots in a row, ladning perfect blockhole deliveries to seal it in favour of the Punjab franchise. The win took Kings XI Punjab's points tally to 14 from 13 games and they still are in the hunt with a match against Rising Pune Supergiant left. Mumbai Indians have already qualified with 18 points and have a game left against Kolkata Knight Riders. The KXIP win also puts pressure on Sunrisers Hyderabad (15 points from 13 games) to win their last match to ensure smooth passage into last four. Even on a placid Wankhede track, a target of 231 was a huge one. Parthiv Patel (38) and Lendl Simmons (59 off 32 balls) smoted the KXIP bowling en route their 99-run stand in only 8.4 overs. Mohit Sharma, despite being smashed for 33 in his first two overs, bowled a delivery that climbed on a surging Parthiv, who offered simple skier to Manan Vohra. Simmons, who scored his half-century off only 27 balls, hit five boundaries and four sixes, before a brilliant effort at the long-on boundary from Martin Guptill saw the Caribbean international head back to the dug-out. The bowler was skipper Glenn Maxwell and Guptill timed his jump to perfection at long-on boundary to take a one- handed catch. Leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia then bowled a half-tracker to rival skipper Rohit Sharma (5), who provided the simplest of catches to Guptill at deep-mid-wicket. The New Zealander was back in action when Nitish Rana (12) slogged one down his throat at the same position off Axar patel's bowling. From 99 for no loss, Mumbai Indians slumped to 121 for 4 and it was a matter of time before scoreboard pressure got to the home team. But Pollard and Hardik Pandya (30 off 13 balls) had other ideas as they smoked 55 runs in 3.3 overs to bring MI back in the game. Once Pandya was caught brilliantly by Saha behind the stumps off Sandeep Sharma, Karn Sharma (19 off 6 balls) aslo did his bit with Pollard going for the jugular. Needing 23 off 2 overs, Sandeep Sharma gave only 7 runs off the penultimate over before Mohit's brilliant final over. Earlier, Test specialist Saha displayed a different facet of his batsmanship with a stroke-filled unbeaten 93 of 55 balls to power Kings XI Punjab to 230 for 3. Saha, who also has a century in the 2014 IPL final, struck 11 boundaries and three sixes to anchor the innings. Martin Guptill hit a flurry of boundaries (5x4, 1x6) during his 18-ball-36 and skipper Maxwell's 47 off 21 balls also propped up the total. Maxwell's innings had five sixes apart from two boundaries. It was an off day for MI bowlers with all of them taken to the cleaners by Saha and Co. Mitchell McClenaghan ( 1-54), Lasith Malinga (0-45), Harbhajan Singh (0-45), Jasprit Bumrah (1-24), Karn Sharma (1 -32 ) and Hardik Pandya (0-29) were hammered to all parts of the ground. Before this, the highest total this season was 214 for 3 against Gujarat Lions. Punjab were well-poised at 173/2 at the end of 15 overs and smashed 57 off last five overs to post the their overall highest score at the Wankhede. The side has posted a total of 230 or above for the third time in all the 10 season of IPL. Put into bat, Punjab had a flying start as their openers Saha and Guptill put on a 68-run stand in 5.3 overs. Hardik Pandya conceded three fours in the opening over, two stuck by Kiwi Guptill and the other hit by Saha, who opened the innings in place of Manan Vohra. Guptill was in his element hitting a towering six over long off Malinga. Saha struck two consecutive fours in the same over as Punjab reached 50 in only 3.4 just overs. Guptill's departure did not bother Saha, as he continued to take on opposition bowlers, hitting two fours in the seventh over. Skipper Maxwell joined in as he struck two massive sixes, one over long on off and other over extra cover off Karn with Punjab completing 100 in just 8 overs. In the ninth over, off spinner Harbhajan was hit for three sixes by Maxwell. (PTI)

IPL: Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians by 7 runs

Kings XI Punjab beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs to stay afloat in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru on Friday.

Put into bat, Kings XI Punjab scored 138 for 7 in their IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Axar Patel top-scored for Kings XI with a 17-ball 38 not out.

For RCB, Aniket Choudhary and Yuzvendra Chahal got the most wickets with two scalps each.

In reply, RCB were all-out for 119 in 19 overs with Madeep Singh scoring 46 off 40 balls.

Sandeep Sharma (3/22 in 4 overs) removed Chris Gayle, skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to set up the match for KXIP. Axar (3/11 in 3 overs) also got his share of scalps.

Skipper Glenn Maxwell and Mohit Sharma got couple of wickets each.

KXIP now has 10 points from 10 games while RCB stay put at last position with 5 points from 11 games.

(PTI)

RCB were all-out for 119 in 19 overs with Madeep Singh scoring 46 off 40 balls. Kings XI Punjab scored 138 for 7

Kings XI Punjab beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs to stay afloat in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru on Friday. Put into bat, Kings XI Punjab scored 138 for 7 in their IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Axar Patel top-scored for Kings XI with a 17-ball 38 not out. For RCB, Aniket Choudhary and Yuzvendra Chahal got the most wickets with two scalps each. In reply, RCB were all-out for 119 in 19 overs with Madeep Singh scoring 46 off 40 balls. Sandeep Sharma (3/22 in 4 overs) removed Chris Gayle, skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to set up the match for KXIP. Axar (3/11 in 3 overs) also got his share of scalps. Skipper Glenn Maxwell and Mohit Sharma got couple of wickets each. KXIP now has 10 points from 10 games while RCB stay put at last position with 5 points from 11 games. (PTI)

IPL 2017: Kings XI Punjab beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs

Rookie batsman Rahul Tripathi played a breathtaking knock of 93 to singlehandedly take Rising Pune Supergiant to a four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here today (May 3). 
 
The Pune bowlers put up a disciplined effort to limit KKR to 155 for eight before Tripathi fashioned his team&#39;s win with a 52-ball blinder. 
 
The visiting team got home with four balls to spare with Tripathi missing out on a well-deserved hundred. 
 
The pick of the Pune bowlers was Jaydev Unadkat, who ended with figures of 2 for 28 after bowling a wicket-maiden in the first over of the game. 
 
It was a sixth win in seven matches for Pune, who have moved up to third place in the points table and closer to a play-off berth with 14 points from 11 matches. 
 
With their second straight loss, KKR remain second in the table with 14 points from 11 matches. 
 
It was all Tripathi in the chase as he stood out in Pune&#39;s star-studded batting line-up. 
 
His sensational innings was studded with seven sixes, three of them coming in succession off chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the 13th over to reduce the equation to 26 off the last 42 balls. He also struck nine fours. 
He, however, could not stay till the end as he pulled one straight to midwicket in the penultimate over with six runs needed to win. 
 
Daniel Christian then sealed the win with a six off Colin de Grandhomme. 
 
Born in Ranchi and raised in Maharashtra, the 26-year- old Tripathi, who made IPL debut this season, showed fine composure as he held on despite wickets falling around him -- Ajinkya Rahane (11), Steve Smith (9), Manoj Tiwary (8), last match&#39;s hero Ben Stokes (14) and MS Dhoni (5). 
 
He was brutal against Coulter-Nile and smashed the Aussie for 4-6-4-4, the last three of them in succession, to race to 18 in seven balls in the third over. 
 
In the next over, India pace spearhead Umesh Yadav took the brunt as he hammered him for a six with a swivel shot on backfoot and followed it up with a four off a slower one. 
 
That Tripathi has a higher strike-rate than the likes of David Warner, Brendon McCullum, Jos Buttler, Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle this season sums up his performance of the youngster who was bought at a base price of 10 lakh at the IPL auction. 
 
Earlier, Rising Pune Supergiant dished out a tidy bowling performance to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a modest total. 
 
Put in to bat, KKR found the going tough at their backyard and suffered their worst start of the season to be struggling at 55 for four inside 10 overs. 
 
Their top four, Sunil Narine (0), Gautam Gambhir (24), Sheldon Jackson (10) and Yusuf Pathan (4) were all back in dugout midway into their innings. 
 
Unadkat returned with excellent figures of 4-1-28-2, while 17-year-old Washington Sundar too was impressive in his 2/18 from two overs. 
 
The duo of Manish Pandey (37 off 32) and Colin de Grandhomme (36 off 19) revived KKR innings with a 48-run fifth wicket partnership off 30 balls. 
 
Having conceded just six runs in his opening spell of two overs, Unadkat returned to dismiss Grandhomme in the 17th over in which he conceded one run as KKR struggled to get going. 
 
It was thanks to Suryakumar Yadav, who was playing in place of an injured Robin Uthappa, KKR were able to cross the 150-run mark after the aggressive batsman smashed 30 off 16 balls. 
 
Pune had the best start of the tournament with Jaydev bowling a wicket-maiden off Sunil Narine. 
 
After being beaten in the first five deliveries, Narine finally got a connection in the last ball of the over only to find Unadkat in the way. 
 
Steven Smith showed full faith on youngster Washington, bringing the offspinner in the fourth over with KKR yet to break free. 
 
It was a gamble that paid off as Washington struck with Sheldon Jackson out hit-wicket, a first for KKR in 10 seasons. 
 
Gambhir took charge on Washington with back to back four and six but in his next attempt the KKR skipper holed out to Rahane at deep midwicket, leaving his team at 41 for three in Powerplay. 
 
This was the worst start for KKR as there was more in store when Imran Tahir trapped a sloppy Yusuf Pathan (4) LBW in his second over. 
 
Just when they were looking down the barrel, Pandey played a perfect fiddle Grandhomme as the duo scored at brisk pace to notch up 55 runs between 10 to 15 overs.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

The Pune bowlers put up a disciplined effort to limit KKR to 155 for eight before Tripathi fashioned his team's win with a 52-ball blinder

Rookie batsman Rahul Tripathi played a breathtaking knock of 93 to singlehandedly take Rising Pune Supergiant to a four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here today (May 3). The Pune bowlers put up a disciplined effort to limit KKR to 155 for eight before Tripathi fashioned his team's win with a 52-ball blinder. The visiting team got home with four balls to spare with Tripathi missing out on a well-deserved hundred. The pick of the Pune bowlers was Jaydev Unadkat, who ended with figures of 2 for 28 after bowling a wicket-maiden in the first over of the game. It was a sixth win in seven matches for Pune, who have moved up to third place in the points table and closer to a play-off berth with 14 points from 11 matches. With their second straight loss, KKR remain second in the table with 14 points from 11 matches. It was all Tripathi in the chase as he stood out in Pune's star-studded batting line-up. His sensational innings was studded with seven sixes, three of them coming in succession off chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the 13th over to reduce the equation to 26 off the last 42 balls. He also struck nine fours. He, however, could not stay till the end as he pulled one straight to midwicket in the penultimate over with six runs needed to win. Daniel Christian then sealed the win with a six off Colin de Grandhomme. Born in Ranchi and raised in Maharashtra, the 26-year- old Tripathi, who made IPL debut this season, showed fine composure as he held on despite wickets falling around him -- Ajinkya Rahane (11), Steve Smith (9), Manoj Tiwary (8), last match's hero Ben Stokes (14) and MS Dhoni (5). He was brutal against Coulter-Nile and smashed the Aussie for 4-6-4-4, the last three of them in succession, to race to 18 in seven balls in the third over. In the next over, India pace spearhead Umesh Yadav took the brunt as he hammered him for a six with a swivel shot on backfoot and followed it up with a four off a slower one. That Tripathi has a higher strike-rate than the likes of David Warner, Brendon McCullum, Jos Buttler, Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle this season sums up his performance of the youngster who was bought at a base price of 10 lakh at the IPL auction. Earlier, Rising Pune Supergiant dished out a tidy bowling performance to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a modest total. Put in to bat, KKR found the going tough at their backyard and suffered their worst start of the season to be struggling at 55 for four inside 10 overs. Their top four, Sunil Narine (0), Gautam Gambhir (24), Sheldon Jackson (10) and Yusuf Pathan (4) were all back in dugout midway into their innings. Unadkat returned with excellent figures of 4-1-28-2, while 17-year-old Washington Sundar too was impressive in his 2/18 from two overs. The duo of Manish Pandey (37 off 32) and Colin de Grandhomme (36 off 19) revived KKR innings with a 48-run fifth wicket partnership off 30 balls. Having conceded just six runs in his opening spell of two overs, Unadkat returned to dismiss Grandhomme in the 17th over in which he conceded one run as KKR struggled to get going. It was thanks to Suryakumar Yadav, who was playing in place of an injured Robin Uthappa, KKR were able to cross the 150-run mark after the aggressive batsman smashed 30 off 16 balls. Pune had the best start of the tournament with Jaydev bowling a wicket-maiden off Sunil Narine. After being beaten in the first five deliveries, Narine finally got a connection in the last ball of the over only to find Unadkat in the way. Steven Smith showed full faith on youngster Washington, bringing the offspinner in the fourth over with KKR yet to break free. It was a gamble that paid off as Washington struck with Sheldon Jackson out hit-wicket, a first for KKR in 10 seasons. Gambhir took charge on Washington with back to back four and six but in his next attempt the KKR skipper holed out to Rahane at deep midwicket, leaving his team at 41 for three in Powerplay. This was the worst start for KKR as there was more in store when Imran Tahir trapped a sloppy Yusuf Pathan (4) LBW in his second over. Just when they were looking down the barrel, Pandey played a perfect fiddle Grandhomme as the duo scored at brisk pace to notch up 55 runs between 10 to 15 overs. (PTI)

IPL: Rahul Tripathi fires Pune Supergiants to four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders

Delhi Daredevils snapped their five-match losing streak with a comfortable six wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad and mathematically remained in the race for the IPL play-offs here tonight.

Yuvraj Singh scored a timely 70, his second half-century of the season, and raised a 93-run stand with Moises Henriques (25) to lead the visitors to a challenging 185 for three after being asked to bat.

The hosts, who have been enduring a tough season with one defeat after another, then came up with an inspiring collective batting show to stun the defending champions with five balls to spare.

Each and every Delhi batsman, who took strike, contributed in the win. The openers Karun Nair (39) and Sanju Samson (24) scored 40 runs in first four overs to provide a decent start and the batsmen who followed them 
built on the momentum.

Rishabh Pant (34) and Shreyas Iyer (33) batted with dogged determination to ensure that the required run-rate never go out of hands.

Nair was dropped on 20 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the Daredevils stand-in captain could not make full use of the life and was dismissed by Siddarth Kaul.

Runs came at a good pace for the hosts with young batsmen batting sensibly. They needed 61 from last seven overs and with Anderson and Iyer at the crease, it was not a big task. However, Iyer was dismissed by 
Bhuvneshwar.

Since the Delhi batsmen lost wickets after getting their eyes in, it kept Sunrisers&#39; hopes alive but gradually the required run rate dropped and Corey Anderson (41 not out) finished the match in company of Chris Morris (15 not out).

With this win, which is their third, Daredevils lifted themselves to the sixth spot from the earlier bottom place with five more matches to play while Sunrisers remained on third spot with 13 points.

Incidentally, Daredevils&#39; last win had come at this very ground against Kings XI Punjab.

SRH were off to a flying to start through skipper David Warner (30) and Shikhar Dhawan (28) but Delhi spin duo of Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav managed to choke the defending champions in the middle overs.

Sanju Samson dropped Yuvraj on 29 and the dashing left-hander exploited it to get some crucial runs for his side. After making 62 against RCB in his first match, he was struggling for runs and found touch when the team needed.

He took some time to settle down on a slow pitch but gradually stroked the ball nicely. His 70 came off 41 balls with 11 fours and a six.

In the last three overs, Sunrisers collected 52 runs with Kagiso Rabada leaking 39 runs in 18th and 20th overs. Earlier, Mishra played a crucial role in choking the Hyderabad batsmen as he gave away only 23 runs in his four overs and also got rid of Dhawan.

Jayant Yadav, included in place of Shahbaz Nadeem, also did a great job by conceding only 26 runs in his four overs.

Warner began from where he left against KKR, striking the ball confidently. He found boundaries off Yadav and Rabada with remarkable ease.

Dhawan also was in tremendous touch as he creamed off two fours and a six off Chris Morris. The SRH openers were never troubled by the home bowlers. Warner smashed one from Mohammed Shami to mid-wicket boundary to raise the team&#39;s fifty.

However, Shami took revenge in the next ball with a well- placed yorker that uprooted Warner&#39;s off stump. Mishra has not bowled during Power Play overs this season and the trend continued. He bowled the ninth over and struck in second ball as Dhawan top-edged the googly to Shreyas Iyer, who covered good distance to take the catch.

The two wickets affected the run flow but the visitors still put on board 83 at half-way mark as Kane Williamson (24) found a few boundaries.

Tight overs by Morris, Mishra and Yadav, created pressure and Williamson, trying to break free, went for a pull off Shami bouncer but only top-edged it to Morris.

There was gap of 15 balls when no boundary was struck. Yuvraj finally found one off Shami and it raised the team&#39;s 100 in 13.2 overs.

Runs were still tough to come by for SRH with Yuvraj and Henriques managing only singles and doubles. Yuvraj though changed the script after being dropped. 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

The hosts, who have been enduring a tough season with one defeat after another, came up with an inspiring collective batting show

Delhi Daredevils snapped their five-match losing streak with a comfortable six wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad and mathematically remained in the race for the IPL play-offs here tonight. Yuvraj Singh scored a timely 70, his second half-century of the season, and raised a 93-run stand with Moises Henriques (25) to lead the visitors to a challenging 185 for three after being asked to bat. The hosts, who have been enduring a tough season with one defeat after another, then came up with an inspiring collective batting show to stun the defending champions with five balls to spare. Each and every Delhi batsman, who took strike, contributed in the win. The openers Karun Nair (39) and Sanju Samson (24) scored 40 runs in first four overs to provide a decent start and the batsmen who followed them built on the momentum. Rishabh Pant (34) and Shreyas Iyer (33) batted with dogged determination to ensure that the required run-rate never go out of hands. Nair was dropped on 20 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the Daredevils stand-in captain could not make full use of the life and was dismissed by Siddarth Kaul. Runs came at a good pace for the hosts with young batsmen batting sensibly. They needed 61 from last seven overs and with Anderson and Iyer at the crease, it was not a big task. However, Iyer was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar. Since the Delhi batsmen lost wickets after getting their eyes in, it kept Sunrisers' hopes alive but gradually the required run rate dropped and Corey Anderson (41 not out) finished the match in company of Chris Morris (15 not out). With this win, which is their third, Daredevils lifted themselves to the sixth spot from the earlier bottom place with five more matches to play while Sunrisers remained on third spot with 13 points. Incidentally, Daredevils' last win had come at this very ground against Kings XI Punjab. SRH were off to a flying to start through skipper David Warner (30) and Shikhar Dhawan (28) but Delhi spin duo of Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav managed to choke the defending champions in the middle overs. Sanju Samson dropped Yuvraj on 29 and the dashing left-hander exploited it to get some crucial runs for his side. After making 62 against RCB in his first match, he was struggling for runs and found touch when the team needed. He took some time to settle down on a slow pitch but gradually stroked the ball nicely. His 70 came off 41 balls with 11 fours and a six. In the last three overs, Sunrisers collected 52 runs with Kagiso Rabada leaking 39 runs in 18th and 20th overs. Earlier, Mishra played a crucial role in choking the Hyderabad batsmen as he gave away only 23 runs in his four overs and also got rid of Dhawan. Jayant Yadav, included in place of Shahbaz Nadeem, also did a great job by conceding only 26 runs in his four overs. Warner began from where he left against KKR, striking the ball confidently. He found boundaries off Yadav and Rabada with remarkable ease. Dhawan also was in tremendous touch as he creamed off two fours and a six off Chris Morris. The SRH openers were never troubled by the home bowlers. Warner smashed one from Mohammed Shami to mid-wicket boundary to raise the team's fifty. However, Shami took revenge in the next ball with a well- placed yorker that uprooted Warner's off stump. Mishra has not bowled during Power Play overs this season and the trend continued. He bowled the ninth over and struck in second ball as Dhawan top-edged the googly to Shreyas Iyer, who covered good distance to take the catch. The two wickets affected the run flow but the visitors still put on board 83 at half-way mark as Kane Williamson (24) found a few boundaries. Tight overs by Morris, Mishra and Yadav, created pressure and Williamson, trying to break free, went for a pull off Shami bouncer but only top-edged it to Morris. There was gap of 15 balls when no boundary was struck. Yuvraj finally found one off Shami and it raised the team's 100 in 13.2 overs. Runs were still tough to come by for SRH with Yuvraj and Henriques managing only singles and doubles. Yuvraj though changed the script after being dropped. (PTI)

IPL: Delhi Daredevils snap losing streak, stun Sunrisers Hyderabad with 6-wicket win

Ben Stokes hammered an unbeaten 103 under pressure to lead Rising Pune Supergiant to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions that consolidated their fourth position in the&nbsp;IPL, here tonight. 
 
Chasing a modest 162 to win, the hosts were reeling at 42 for four when the England batsman came out firing on all cylinders to ensure that the good job done by the bowlers does not go waste. 
 
Stokes braved cramps towards the end of the chase and batted with determination to help RPS take two points and enhance their Play-offs chances. 
 
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir had rocked the Lions&#39; batting order with a three-wicket burst to help his side bundle out the rivals for a modest 161 in 19.5 overs. 
 
The Lions were off to a flying start with Brendon McCullum (45) and Ishan Kishan (31) adding 55 quick runs for the first wicket but lost wickets in a heap to lose way. 
 
Tahir not only broke the opening stand but also got rid of Aaron Finch (13) and Dwyane Smith (0) in successive balls. The South African spinner conceded 27 runs in his four overs. 
 
Lions could not exploit a good batting wicket and if it was not for Dinesh Karthik&#39;s sensible 29-run knock, they would not have put on board a respectable total. 
 
Paceman Jaydev Unadkat (3/29) also took three wickets to wipe off the tail. 
 
Left-arm paceman Pradeep Sangwan provided the Lions a perfect start by scalping dismissing both Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Steve Smith (4) in the very first over. 
 
Soon it came 42 for four when Manoj Tiwary (0) was trapped by Basil Tahmpi and Rahul Tripathi (6) was run out. 
 
From here, Stokes joined forces with MS Dhoni and the duo added 76 runs for the fifth-wicket to frustrate the Lions. 
 
Stokes&#39; onslaught began when he smashed Ravindra Jadeja for two sixes to collect 15 runs from the 10th over and never looked back. Dhoni played the second-fiddle as the former India captain was happy rotating the strike and finding a boundary here and there. 
 
RPS needed 60 off the final five overs. Stokes creamed off 16 runs from Dwayne Smith&#39;s 16th over but Dhoni hit one straight to McCullum in the next over by Thampi. 
 
Stokes, though, stayed till the end to take the side to finish line. His 103 came off 63 balls with seven fours and six sixes. 
 
RPS now have 12 points from 10 matches to be in fourth spot while Lions are sixth with six points. 
 
Earlier, Kishan took some time to get his eye in but made up for the dot balls by hitting a few big shots quite&nbsp;comfortably.

On&nbsp;the other end, McCulllum was on fire from the beginning, treating both spinners and pacers with disdain.&nbsp;Kishan lofted Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar for sixes in the square leg region. Ben Stokes was introduced early into the attack but McCullum had no problems in finding boundaries. 
 
Lions raced to fifty in the sixth over but leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who bowled the last over in PowerPlay, brought relief for the hosts by scalping Kishan. 
 
The South African also succeeded in creating pressure on Lions batsmen by bowling dot balls and soon rival captain Suresh Raina was run out. 
 
Finch decided to take on Tahir and hammered him for a six over mid-wicket but the bowler had the last laugh as he caught and bowled the Australian. Tahir clean bowled Dwayne Smith with a googly in the next ball to stun the rival camp. 
 
Lions had 94 runs on the board at half-way mark but had lost four key batsmen. McCullum was being troubled by Ben Stokes and was hit on the shoulder. The Kiwi was though dismissed by Shardul Thakur after miscuing one off paceman. 
After that, James Faulkner (6) and Jadeja (19) too departed soon to leave Lions struggling.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Stokes hammered an unbeaten 103 under pressure to lead Rising Pune Supergiant to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions

Ben Stokes hammered an unbeaten 103 under pressure to lead Rising Pune Supergiant to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions that consolidated their fourth position in the IPL, here tonight. Chasing a modest 162 to win, the hosts were reeling at 42 for four when the England batsman came out firing on all cylinders to ensure that the good job done by the bowlers does not go waste. Stokes braved cramps towards the end of the chase and batted with determination to help RPS take two points and enhance their Play-offs chances. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir had rocked the Lions' batting order with a three-wicket burst to help his side bundle out the rivals for a modest 161 in 19.5 overs. The Lions were off to a flying start with Brendon McCullum (45) and Ishan Kishan (31) adding 55 quick runs for the first wicket but lost wickets in a heap to lose way. Tahir not only broke the opening stand but also got rid of Aaron Finch (13) and Dwyane Smith (0) in successive balls. The South African spinner conceded 27 runs in his four overs. Lions could not exploit a good batting wicket and if it was not for Dinesh Karthik's sensible 29-run knock, they would not have put on board a respectable total. Paceman Jaydev Unadkat (3/29) also took three wickets to wipe off the tail. Left-arm paceman Pradeep Sangwan provided the Lions a perfect start by scalping dismissing both Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Steve Smith (4) in the very first over. Soon it came 42 for four when Manoj Tiwary (0) was trapped by Basil Tahmpi and Rahul Tripathi (6) was run out. From here, Stokes joined forces with MS Dhoni and the duo added 76 runs for the fifth-wicket to frustrate the Lions. Stokes' onslaught began when he smashed Ravindra Jadeja for two sixes to collect 15 runs from the 10th over and never looked back. Dhoni played the second-fiddle as the former India captain was happy rotating the strike and finding a boundary here and there. RPS needed 60 off the final five overs. Stokes creamed off 16 runs from Dwayne Smith's 16th over but Dhoni hit one straight to McCullum in the next over by Thampi. Stokes, though, stayed till the end to take the side to finish line. His 103 came off 63 balls with seven fours and six sixes. RPS now have 12 points from 10 matches to be in fourth spot while Lions are sixth with six points. Earlier, Kishan took some time to get his eye in but made up for the dot balls by hitting a few big shots quite comfortably. On the other end, McCulllum was on fire from the beginning, treating both spinners and pacers with disdain. Kishan lofted Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar for sixes in the square leg region. Ben Stokes was introduced early into the attack but McCullum had no problems in finding boundaries. Lions raced to fifty in the sixth over but leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who bowled the last over in PowerPlay, brought relief for the hosts by scalping Kishan. The South African also succeeded in creating pressure on Lions batsmen by bowling dot balls and soon rival captain Suresh Raina was run out. Finch decided to take on Tahir and hammered him for a six over mid-wicket but the bowler had the last laugh as he caught and bowled the Australian. Tahir clean bowled Dwayne Smith with a googly in the next ball to stun the rival camp. Lions had 94 runs on the board at half-way mark but had lost four key batsmen. McCullum was being troubled by Ben Stokes and was hit on the shoulder. The Kiwi was though dismissed by Shardul Thakur after miscuing one off paceman. After that, James Faulkner (6) and Jadeja (19) too departed soon to leave Lions struggling. (PTI)

IPL: Ben Stokes spurs Pune Supergiants to five-wicket win over Gujarat Lions

Skipper Rohit Sharma played a sublime knock to lead Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore, ensuring themselves of a berth at the IPL play-offs, here today. 
 
RCB, opting to bat, put up 162 for eight with Ab de Villiers hammering 43 off 27 balls. 
 
It was a rather straightforward chase for Mumbai as the home team reeled off 59 runs in the last six overs, courtesy some crisp hitting from Rohit, who ended with 56 off 37 balls. 
 
Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten with the captain, scoring 14 off nine balls. 
 
With the win at Wankhede, Mumbai moved to the top of the points table with eight wins out of 10 games fetching them 16 points. 
 
On the other hand, it was another disappointing performance from the star-studded RCB, who are very much out of contention for a play-off berth. The loss was their eighth in 11 matches. 
 
Fittingly, Rohit hit the winning runs, a cracking drive past mid-off. It was one of the six boundaries he hit alongside a maximum. 
 
The quick start to the chase was provided by Jos Buttler (33 off 21) and Nitish Rana (27 off 28) after Parthiv Patel was out for a first ball duck. 
 
Earlier, Mitchell McClenaghan claimed three wickets as Mumbai Indians produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict RCB to a modest total. 
 
Besides McClenaghan (3/34), Krunal Pandya (2/34) took two wickets, while Karn Sharma (1/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/33) accounted for wicket apiece. 
 
For RCB, de Villiers emerged as the top-scorer after he blasted three fours and as many sixes during his 27-ball innings, while Pawan Negi (35) and Kedar Jadhav (28) provided the late charge to take the team past the 150-mark. 
 
RCB lost their first wicket in the fourth over when Mandeep Singh (17) went for the slog sweep and was caught by Hardik. 
 
In the sixth over, McClenaghan removed Virat Kohli (20) when the RCB skipper flicked a slower ball straight to short midwicket and Rohit took a simple catch, reducing the visitors slipped to 40 for two. 
 
De Villiers then blasted McClenaghan over backward point for a four before sending him over sweeper cover for a maximum as RCB scored 52-2 in the powerplay overs. 
 
The South African gave Krunal Pandya the same treatment as RCB accumulated 13 runs off the ninth over. 
 
After 10 overs, they were 80 for 2 but Travis Head (12) holed out to Hardik at deep midwicket and RCB slumped to 85-3. 
 
De Villiers brought up the 100 with a six off Krunal over the square leg boundary but was dismissed in the next delivery by the same bowler for the fourth time in as many meetings. 
 
Shane Watson&#39;s poor run continued and he went down cheaply again to leave RCB struggling at 108-5 in 13.4 overs. 
 
Negi and Jadhav then steadied the innings, taking ones and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking. 
 
Negi finally exploded in the 18th over, producing a couple of sixes off Lasith Malinga over extra cover and long- off, before smashing a six over long-on boundary in the next over to bring up the 150. 
 
The final over yielded just five runs as McClenaghan dismissed Negi and Jadhav in successive deliveries, while S Aravind ran himself out while looking for a single.

(PTI)

Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock to chase the target set by Virat Kohli's team

Skipper Rohit Sharma played a sublime knock to lead Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore, ensuring themselves of a berth at the IPL play-offs, here today. RCB, opting to bat, put up 162 for eight with Ab de Villiers hammering 43 off 27 balls. It was a rather straightforward chase for Mumbai as the home team reeled off 59 runs in the last six overs, courtesy some crisp hitting from Rohit, who ended with 56 off 37 balls. Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten with the captain, scoring 14 off nine balls. With the win at Wankhede, Mumbai moved to the top of the points table with eight wins out of 10 games fetching them 16 points. On the other hand, it was another disappointing performance from the star-studded RCB, who are very much out of contention for a play-off berth. The loss was their eighth in 11 matches. Fittingly, Rohit hit the winning runs, a cracking drive past mid-off. It was one of the six boundaries he hit alongside a maximum. The quick start to the chase was provided by Jos Buttler (33 off 21) and Nitish Rana (27 off 28) after Parthiv Patel was out for a first ball duck. Earlier, Mitchell McClenaghan claimed three wickets as Mumbai Indians produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict RCB to a modest total. Besides McClenaghan (3/34), Krunal Pandya (2/34) took two wickets, while Karn Sharma (1/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/33) accounted for wicket apiece. For RCB, de Villiers emerged as the top-scorer after he blasted three fours and as many sixes during his 27-ball innings, while Pawan Negi (35) and Kedar Jadhav (28) provided the late charge to take the team past the 150-mark. RCB lost their first wicket in the fourth over when Mandeep Singh (17) went for the slog sweep and was caught by Hardik. In the sixth over, McClenaghan removed Virat Kohli (20) when the RCB skipper flicked a slower ball straight to short midwicket and Rohit took a simple catch, reducing the visitors slipped to 40 for two. De Villiers then blasted McClenaghan over backward point for a four before sending him over sweeper cover for a maximum as RCB scored 52-2 in the powerplay overs. The South African gave Krunal Pandya the same treatment as RCB accumulated 13 runs off the ninth over. After 10 overs, they were 80 for 2 but Travis Head (12) holed out to Hardik at deep midwicket and RCB slumped to 85-3. De Villiers brought up the 100 with a six off Krunal over the square leg boundary but was dismissed in the next delivery by the same bowler for the fourth time in as many meetings. Shane Watson's poor run continued and he went down cheaply again to leave RCB struggling at 108-5 in 13.4 overs. Negi and Jadhav then steadied the innings, taking ones and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking. Negi finally exploded in the 18th over, producing a couple of sixes off Lasith Malinga over extra cover and long- off, before smashing a six over long-on boundary in the next over to bring up the 150. The final over yielded just five runs as McClenaghan dismissed Negi and Jadhav in successive deliveries, while S Aravind ran himself out while looking for a single. (PTI)

IPL: Mumbai seal playoffs spot after win over Bangalore

Kings XI Punjab dished out a disciplined all-round performance to notch up a superb 10- wicket win over Delhi Daredevils and keep their IPL play-off hopes alive, here today. 
 
In one of the most pathetic batting performances in this edition of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Daredevils were shot out for just 67 by Kings XI Punjab in 17.1 overs after invited to bat here. 
 
Sandeep Sharma (4/20) was the wrecker-in-chief as he returned with a four-wicket haul, while Axar Patel (2/22) and Varun Aaron (2/3) picked up two wickets each. Mohit Sharma (1/3) and Glenn Maxwell (1/12) also contributed with one wicket each. 
 
Chasing the easy target, openers Martin Guptill (50 not out) and Hashim Amla (16 not out) completed the job in 7.5 overs. This is only Punjab&#39;s fourth win in nine matches. 
 
Earlier, Daredevils batting looked like a rudderless ship with none of the batsmen getting past 20-run mark. The highest individual score was 18 from Corey Anderson. 
 
This was the second lowest score in this year&#39;s IPL after 49 by Royal Challengers Bangalore. 
 
Injured Zaheer Khan did not play today and in an inexplicable decision, the team management named Karun Nair the skipper. Nair has been out of form since his triple hundred in Test cricket and did nothing to inspire the confidence of his colleagues.

(PTI)

Kings XI Punjab's all-round performance keeps their play-off hopes alive

Kings XI Punjab dished out a disciplined all-round performance to notch up a superb 10- wicket win over Delhi Daredevils and keep their IPL play-off hopes alive, here today. In one of the most pathetic batting performances in this edition of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Daredevils were shot out for just 67 by Kings XI Punjab in 17.1 overs after invited to bat here. Sandeep Sharma (4/20) was the wrecker-in-chief as he returned with a four-wicket haul, while Axar Patel (2/22) and Varun Aaron (2/3) picked up two wickets each. Mohit Sharma (1/3) and Glenn Maxwell (1/12) also contributed with one wicket each. Chasing the easy target, openers Martin Guptill (50 not out) and Hashim Amla (16 not out) completed the job in 7.5 overs. This is only Punjab's fourth win in nine matches. Earlier, Daredevils batting looked like a rudderless ship with none of the batsmen getting past 20-run mark. The highest individual score was 18 from Corey Anderson. This was the second lowest score in this year's IPL after 49 by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Injured Zaheer Khan did not play today and in an inexplicable decision, the team management named Karun Nair the skipper. Nair has been out of form since his triple hundred in Test cricket and did nothing to inspire the confidence of his colleagues. (PTI)

IPL: Kings XI roll over ninepin Delhi Daredevils with ease

Sunrisers Hyderabad&#39;s top-order batted with aplomb before the bowlers delivered the goods as the defending champions registered an emphatic 26-run win over struggling Kings XI Punjab, here tonight. 
 
Half-centuries from openers Shikhar Dhawan (77), David Warner (51) and Kane Williamson (54 not out) propelled Hyderabad to a very challenging 207 for three after being asked to take the first strike. 
 
The hosts were off to a flying start but intermittent wickets did not help their cause. All they could manage was 181 for nine, allowing Hyderabad consolidate their third position in the table. 
 
Australian left-hander Shaun Marsh made good use of two lives to keep the defending champions nervous but once his whirlwind knock 84 runs was ended by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the win was a mere formality for Hyderabad. 
 
At the start also when Martin Guptill (23) was going hammer and tongs, it was Bhuvneshwar who had dismissed the Kiwi cricketer to bring relief for his side. 
 
Bhuvneshwar, who has been the most impressive bowler this IPL season, continued to dominate the batsmen and his impeccable line and length at crucial juncture yet again proved a boon for his side. 
 
Afghan spinner Rashid Khan was exceptional in the middle overs. He choked the Punjab batsmen with his superb control over line and length. He conceded only two runs in his first 12 balls which meant that the required run-rate mounted to 13.20 after 10 overs. 
 
Overall, he gave away only 16 runs in his four-over quota and also dismissed dangerous Eoin Morgan. 
 
Siddarth Kaul accounted for three batsmen -- Maxwell (0), Wriddhiman Saha (2) and Axar Patel (16). 
 
Earlier, home skipper Glenn Maxwell invited Hyderabad to bat but could hardly trouble the visitors who negotiated the attack with remarkable ease. 
 
The platform for Hyderabad&#39;s second 200-plus total was set by the 107-run stand between Dhawan and Warner. 
 
After Dhawan and Warner did the job with their half- centuries, Kiwi batsman Williamson provided the finishing touches to Hyderabad innings with his fiery knock that came off just 27 balls. 
 
Dhawan and Warner struck the ball hard and clean, sending the fielders on a leather hunt even as the ball swung a bit initially, suggesting that pacers may dictate the terms. 
 
However, none of the bowlers could make an impression with the two left-handers finding boundaries at will. The runs came at a good pace and Hyderabad had put on board 100 runs before the half-way mark. 
 
Skipper Maxwell (2/29) introduced himself to the attack and succeeded in sending back his counterpart, who swept and missed only to see his stumps rattled. Warner&#39;s 51 came off just 27 balls with four sixes and and as many fours. 
 
By that time the damage was already done and Hyderabad were set for a big total. Kane Williamson joined Dhawan at the crease and there was a period of 18 balls when no boundary was scored. 
 
Williamson broke the shackles as he opened his arms to smack Axar Patel for a huge six over mid-wicket region. 
 
Mohit Sharma dismissed Dhawan, who holed out to Maxwell in the mid-wicket region. Dhawan took 48 balls for his knock which had nine shots to the fence and one over the ropes. 
 
His fall brought Yuvraj (15) to the crease and the onus to exploit the good work done by the openers was on him and his Kiwi partner. However the left-hander could not contribute much, becoming second victim of Maxwell. 
 
Williamson though ensured that Hyderabad cross the 200- run mark with his innings which was laced with six boundaries, including two sixes. 
 
(PTI)

Half-centuries from openers Shikhar Dhawan (77), David Warner (51) and Kane Williamson (54 not out) propelled Hyderabad to a very challenging 207 for three

Sunrisers Hyderabad's top-order batted with aplomb before the bowlers delivered the goods as the defending champions registered an emphatic 26-run win over struggling Kings XI Punjab, here tonight. Half-centuries from openers Shikhar Dhawan (77), David Warner (51) and Kane Williamson (54 not out) propelled Hyderabad to a very challenging 207 for three after being asked to take the first strike. The hosts were off to a flying start but intermittent wickets did not help their cause. All they could manage was 181 for nine, allowing Hyderabad consolidate their third position in the table. Australian left-hander Shaun Marsh made good use of two lives to keep the defending champions nervous but once his whirlwind knock 84 runs was ended by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the win was a mere formality for Hyderabad. At the start also when Martin Guptill (23) was going hammer and tongs, it was Bhuvneshwar who had dismissed the Kiwi cricketer to bring relief for his side. Bhuvneshwar, who has been the most impressive bowler this IPL season, continued to dominate the batsmen and his impeccable line and length at crucial juncture yet again proved a boon for his side. Afghan spinner Rashid Khan was exceptional in the middle overs. He choked the Punjab batsmen with his superb control over line and length. He conceded only two runs in his first 12 balls which meant that the required run-rate mounted to 13.20 after 10 overs. Overall, he gave away only 16 runs in his four-over quota and also dismissed dangerous Eoin Morgan. Siddarth Kaul accounted for three batsmen -- Maxwell (0), Wriddhiman Saha (2) and Axar Patel (16). Earlier, home skipper Glenn Maxwell invited Hyderabad to bat but could hardly trouble the visitors who negotiated the attack with remarkable ease. The platform for Hyderabad's second 200-plus total was set by the 107-run stand between Dhawan and Warner. After Dhawan and Warner did the job with their half- centuries, Kiwi batsman Williamson provided the finishing touches to Hyderabad innings with his fiery knock that came off just 27 balls. Dhawan and Warner struck the ball hard and clean, sending the fielders on a leather hunt even as the ball swung a bit initially, suggesting that pacers may dictate the terms. However, none of the bowlers could make an impression with the two left-handers finding boundaries at will. The runs came at a good pace and Hyderabad had put on board 100 runs before the half-way mark. Skipper Maxwell (2/29) introduced himself to the attack and succeeded in sending back his counterpart, who swept and missed only to see his stumps rattled. Warner's 51 came off just 27 balls with four sixes and and as many fours. By that time the damage was already done and Hyderabad were set for a big total. Kane Williamson joined Dhawan at the crease and there was a period of 18 balls when no boundary was scored. Williamson broke the shackles as he opened his arms to smack Axar Patel for a huge six over mid-wicket region. Mohit Sharma dismissed Dhawan, who holed out to Maxwell in the mid-wicket region. Dhawan took 48 balls for his knock which had nine shots to the fence and one over the ropes. His fall brought Yuvraj (15) to the crease and the onus to exploit the good work done by the openers was on him and his Kiwi partner. However the left-hander could not contribute much, becoming second victim of Maxwell. Williamson though ensured that Hyderabad cross the 200- run mark with his innings which was laced with six boundaries, including two sixes. (PTI)

All-round show scripts Sunrisers Hyderabad's 26-run win over Punjab

Jasprit Bumrah produced one of the finest death overs in the history of Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians nearly committed harakiri before edging out Gujarat Lions in a thrilling Super Over finish. 
 
Chasing a modest target of 154, Mumbai Indians were cruising along at 104 for 2 in 13 overs and then 127 for 4 in&nbsp;16&nbsp;overs. An inspired spell by James Faulkner (2/34) and Basil Thampi (3/29) coupled with Ravindra Jadeja&#39;s brilliance in the field saw Mumbai Indians nearly pull off a defeat from the jaws of victory. 
 
There were four run-outs including three in the last seven balls as Mumbai Indians were all-out for 153 off the final ball. 
 
The One Over Eliminator saw Mumbai Indians score 11 with Kieron Pollard hitting Faulkner for a boundary and a six. 
 
Defending 11 runs, Bumrah bowled a no-ball and wide in his first three deliveries but displayed brilliant variations of slower deliveries including a few in the blockhole as Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum could manage only six runs. 
Each of his deliveries were unplayable proving why he is an asset fpr the Indian team in limited overs format. 
 
The seventh win took them to 14 points and on par with Kolkata Knight Riders. One more victory from the remaining five games will seal their spot in the last four. 
 
For Gujarat Lions, the sixth defeat in nine matches further diminished their chances of qualifying for the next stage. 
 
First it was the collective effort from the bowlers that enabled them to restrict Gujarat Lions to a manageable 153 for 9 with Krunal Pandya (3/14) doing the star turn. 
 
Lasith Malinga (2/33), Jasprit Bumrah (2/32) and Harbhajan Singh (1/23) also played their part to perfection. 
 
Parthiv Patel then punched his way to 70 off 44 balls with the help nine fours and a six setting the platform for a victory before it all got messed up. 
 
James Faulkner bowled a good 14th over where he removed Rohit Sharma (5) and Parthiv. Basil Thampi then removed Kieron Pollard (15) to reduce MI to 127 for 5, still needing 27 runs for victory.&nbsp;However Krunal (29) kept his cool but was run-out off the last delivery of the final over bowled by Irfan Pathan. 
 
Earlier, Gujarat Lions suffered a batting collapse before a rear-guard action saw them post a decent 153 for 9 after opting to bat. 
 
Save young Ishan Kishan (48 off 35 balls) and the seasoned Ravindra Jadeja (28), the other Gujarat Lions batsmen were guilty of playing loose shots with home team reeling at 101 for 7. 
 
It was Andrew Tye&#39;s 12-ball-25 with two sixes and two fours and 42-run eighth wicket stand with Faulkner (21 off 27 balls) that atleast provided Gujarat with a total to fight. 
 
This was after the former India U-19 captain Kishan&#39;s attractive strokeplay provided a solid platform which they failed to capitalise. 
 
Malinga made a successful comeback into the team removing the dangerous Brendon McCullum (6) and in-form Aaron Finch (1) to make it easier for the other bowlers. 
 
Harbhajan was once again at his parsimonious best. He found an able ally in left-arm spinner Krunal as the duo tightened the noose around the Lions batting line-up. 
 
In fact, Krunal after fireworks with the bat was today lethal with the ball. 
 
The Harbhajan-Krunal duo gave away only 37 runs between them in the eight overs bowled and also poached four wickets. 
 
More importantly, they bowled as many as 27 dot balls. Add Malinga&#39;s 10 to it, Mumbai Indians&#39; three bowlers in all produced more than six maiden overs to make life miserable for the Lions batsmen. 
 
The start was good for Lions despite Malinga cleaning up McCullum. Kishan hit some fantastic strokes including a six each off Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan. Malinga was smashed over mid-wicket while McClenaghan was hooked for good measure. He also hit six boundaries. 
 
But once skipper Suresh Raina failed to check his shot off a Jasprit Bumrah delivery, things started falling apart. 
 
Finch (1) was played on off Malinga. 
 
Dinesh Karthik (2) was stumped when Krunal deliberately pushed one down the leg. 
 
At 56 for 4, Jadeja joined Kishan as they added 27 runs before Harbhajan, who had kept the Jharkhand left-hander quiet after the first over got him to loft one that was taken by Pollard at long. 
 
Jadeja and Irfan Pathan were snuffed out before Tye and Faulkner joined hands to do some damage control. 
 
(PTI)

Bumrah produced one of the finest death overs in the history of the Indian Premier League

Jasprit Bumrah produced one of the finest death overs in the history of Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians nearly committed harakiri before edging out Gujarat Lions in a thrilling Super Over finish. Chasing a modest target of 154, Mumbai Indians were cruising along at 104 for 2 in 13 overs and then 127 for 4 in 16 overs. An inspired spell by James Faulkner (2/34) and Basil Thampi (3/29) coupled with Ravindra Jadeja's brilliance in the field saw Mumbai Indians nearly pull off a defeat from the jaws of victory. There were four run-outs including three in the last seven balls as Mumbai Indians were all-out for 153 off the final ball. The One Over Eliminator saw Mumbai Indians score 11 with Kieron Pollard hitting Faulkner for a boundary and a six. Defending 11 runs, Bumrah bowled a no-ball and wide in his first three deliveries but displayed brilliant variations of slower deliveries including a few in the blockhole as Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum could manage only six runs. Each of his deliveries were unplayable proving why he is an asset fpr the Indian team in limited overs format. The seventh win took them to 14 points and on par with Kolkata Knight Riders. One more victory from the remaining five games will seal their spot in the last four. For Gujarat Lions, the sixth defeat in nine matches further diminished their chances of qualifying for the next stage. First it was the collective effort from the bowlers that enabled them to restrict Gujarat Lions to a manageable 153 for 9 with Krunal Pandya (3/14) doing the star turn. Lasith Malinga (2/33), Jasprit Bumrah (2/32) and Harbhajan Singh (1/23) also played their part to perfection. Parthiv Patel then punched his way to 70 off 44 balls with the help nine fours and a six setting the platform for a victory before it all got messed up. James Faulkner bowled a good 14th over where he removed Rohit Sharma (5) and Parthiv. Basil Thampi then removed Kieron Pollard (15) to reduce MI to 127 for 5, still needing 27 runs for victory. However Krunal (29) kept his cool but was run-out off the last delivery of the final over bowled by Irfan Pathan. Earlier, Gujarat Lions suffered a batting collapse before a rear-guard action saw them post a decent 153 for 9 after opting to bat. Save young Ishan Kishan (48 off 35 balls) and the seasoned Ravindra Jadeja (28), the other Gujarat Lions batsmen were guilty of playing loose shots with home team reeling at 101 for 7. It was Andrew Tye's 12-ball-25 with two sixes and two fours and 42-run eighth wicket stand with Faulkner (21 off 27 balls) that atleast provided Gujarat with a total to fight. This was after the former India U-19 captain Kishan's attractive strokeplay provided a solid platform which they failed to capitalise. Malinga made a successful comeback into the team removing the dangerous Brendon McCullum (6) and in-form Aaron Finch (1) to make it easier for the other bowlers. Harbhajan was once again at his parsimonious best. He found an able ally in left-arm spinner Krunal as the duo tightened the noose around the Lions batting line-up. In fact, Krunal after fireworks with the bat was today lethal with the ball. The Harbhajan-Krunal duo gave away only 37 runs between them in the eight overs bowled and also poached four wickets. More importantly, they bowled as many as 27 dot balls. Add Malinga's 10 to it, Mumbai Indians' three bowlers in all produced more than six maiden overs to make life miserable for the Lions batsmen. The start was good for Lions despite Malinga cleaning up McCullum. Kishan hit some fantastic strokes including a six each off Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan. Malinga was smashed over mid-wicket while McClenaghan was hooked for good measure. He also hit six boundaries. But once skipper Suresh Raina failed to check his shot off a Jasprit Bumrah delivery, things started falling apart. Finch (1) was played on off Malinga. Dinesh Karthik (2) was stumped when Krunal deliberately pushed one down the leg. At 56 for 4, Jadeja joined Kishan as they added 27 runs before Harbhajan, who had kept the Jharkhand left-hander quiet after the first over got him to loft one that was taken by Pollard at long. Jadeja and Irfan Pathan were snuffed out before Tye and Faulkner joined hands to do some damage control. (PTI)

IPL: Superb Bumrah wins it for Mumbai Indians in 'Super Over'

Gujarat Lions notched up a comfortable seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their IPL play-off hopes, here today. 
 
Chasing 135 to win, Gujarat lost both openers -- Ishan Kishan (16) and Brendon McCullum (3) -- to be reduced to 23-2 but Finch blasted 5 fours and 6 sixes in his scintillating 34 -ball 72-run innings as the visitors romped home with 6.1 overs to spare. 
 
Earlier, Tye returned with a three-wicket haul to trigger a top-order collapse as Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 134 by Gujarat Lions after electing to bowl in their eighth match of IPL 10. 
 
Tye, who had taken a hat-trick on IPL debut against Rising Pune Supergiant at Rajkot, struck twice in two balls and returned with figures of 4-0-12-3 to leave the hosts at 22-3 in the fifth over. 
 
Besides Tye, Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) snapped two wickets and Basil Thampi (1/34) and Ankit Soni (1/28) picked up one wicket each as Lions dished out a disciplined bowling performance. 
 
For RCB, Pawan Negi (32) and Kedar Jadhav (31) were the top scorers. 
 
This is only the third victory in the season for Gujarat Lions, who had gathered just four points from seven games to be languishing at the bottom of the table. 
 
With this loss, the door is fast closing for RCB, who has just five points from nine matches.

(PTI)

Aaron Finch-led Gujarat Lions romped home with 37 balls to spare

Gujarat Lions notched up a comfortable seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their IPL play-off hopes, here today. Chasing 135 to win, Gujarat lost both openers -- Ishan Kishan (16) and Brendon McCullum (3) -- to be reduced to 23-2 but Finch blasted 5 fours and 6 sixes in his scintillating 34 -ball 72-run innings as the visitors romped home with 6.1 overs to spare. Earlier, Tye returned with a three-wicket haul to trigger a top-order collapse as Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 134 by Gujarat Lions after electing to bowl in their eighth match of IPL 10. Tye, who had taken a hat-trick on IPL debut against Rising Pune Supergiant at Rajkot, struck twice in two balls and returned with figures of 4-0-12-3 to leave the hosts at 22-3 in the fifth over. Besides Tye, Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) snapped two wickets and Basil Thampi (1/34) and Ankit Soni (1/28) picked up one wicket each as Lions dished out a disciplined bowling performance. For RCB, Pawan Negi (32) and Kedar Jadhav (31) were the top scorers. This is only the third victory in the season for Gujarat Lions, who had gathered just four points from seven games to be languishing at the bottom of the table. With this loss, the door is fast closing for RCB, who has just five points from nine matches. (PTI)

IPL: Gujarat register facile win over Bangalore

Robin Uthappa made a mockery of Rising Pune Supergiant&#39;s bowling attack to anchor Kolkata Knight Riders closer towards a play-off berth with a convincing seven-wicket win in an IPL match, here tonight. 
 
The India discard right-hander struck a match-winning 87 off just 47 balls balls and was ably supported by skipper Gautam Gambhir, who made 62 off 46 deliveries, as two-time champions KRR regained their spot in top of the standings with six wins from eight games. 
 
While Uthappa decorated his knock with seven boundaries and six hits over the fence, Gambhir innings was laced with six fours and one six. 
 
The duo stitched 158 runs off just 85 balls for the second wicket to help KKR chase down the 183-run target with 11 balls to spare. 
 
Earlier, Steven Smith led from the front with an unbeaten 51 to lift Pune to a challenging 182 for five. 
 
Smith&#39;s half-century came off 37 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six. 
 
Besides Smith, Ajinkya Rahane (46 off 41 balls), Rahul Tripathi (38 off 23), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23 off 11) and Daniel Christian (16 off 6) also made useful contributions for the home team. 
 
Left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with figures of two for 31. 
 
Chasing the target, Sunil Narine (15 off 9 balls) once again got KKR off to a brisk start before he was run out in the third over. 
 
Then Uthappa and Gambhir joined hands and took control off the chase with a bit of luck on their favour. 
 
Uthappa was lucky to have survived a close LBW call when he was yet to open his account and later when Jaydev Unadkat made a mess of a chance at deep midwicket off Imran Tahir&#39;s bowling with the batsman on 12. 
 
The stylish right-hander grabbed the opportunities with both hands and thereafter opened his arms to struck boundaries and sixes at will. 
 
Uthpappa did not spare a single Pune bowler with young Washington Sundar and Unadkat facing the maximum wrath. 
 
Uthappa brought up his half-century in just 26 balls in the 11th over. 
 
Gambhir, on the other hand, was content to play one and twos with occasional boundaries in between. 
 
Gambhir too got a life at the personal score of 32, dropped by Sundar off Daniel Christian&#39;s bowling. 
 
The duo, however, could not finish off the chase as both departed while trying to get over the line as quickly as possible but not before doing the job for their side. 
 
Earlier sent into bat, Pune made a brisk start, courtesy opener Tripathi&#39;s aggressive strokeplay. 
 
Tripathi was at his aggressive best while his experienced partner Rahane played the second fiddle. 
 
Tripahi went about his shots and luck favoured him as he got two reprieves -- first an outside in the fifth delivery of the innings which went just over wicketkeeper Uthappa&#39;s reach and then Yusuf Pathan spilled a chance at long-on in the seventh over while running backwards. 
 
During his stay at the crease Triptahi dealt mainly in boundaries and struck Narine (1/34) for three boundaries to pick up 15 runs in the sixth over. 
 
However, Triptahi&#39;s luck ran out shortly as he under- edged a Piyush Chawla (1/36) googly on to his stumps soon. 
 
Tripathi&#39;s dismissal hardly had any effect on Pune Supergiant&#39;s scoring rate as Rahane and skipper Smith struck a boundary each in every over thereafter. 
 
But Rahane fell four runs short of his second IPL 10 fifty when he was stumped by Uthappa off Narine&#39;s bowling. 
 
Rahane&#39;s wicket brought in Dhoni who made his intentions clear from the onset. 
 
Dhoni struck Chawla to the midwicket boundary in the third ball of the 15th over and then followed it up with a huge hit over long-off boundary off the next ball. 
 
Dhoni continued his onslaught and clobbered Kuldeep Yadav for another six in the next over. 
 
But a brilliant 18th over from Kuldeep Yadav and some fine glove work by Uthappa derailed Pune Supergiant&#39;s surge. 
 
Kuldeep Yadav foxed Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary with two beautiful googlies and Uthappa was quick to whip off the bails to dismiss the batsmen. 
 
Just when it seemed KKR had managed to pull things back, Smith and Christian stepped on the accelerator and accumulated 30 runs off the last two overs, that included consecutive sixes by the latter off Chris Woakes, to take Pune beyond the 180-run mark.

(PTI)

Robin Uthappa struck a match-winning 87 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to the top of the league table

Robin Uthappa made a mockery of Rising Pune Supergiant's bowling attack to anchor Kolkata Knight Riders closer towards a play-off berth with a convincing seven-wicket win in an IPL match, here tonight. The India discard right-hander struck a match-winning 87 off just 47 balls balls and was ably supported by skipper Gautam Gambhir, who made 62 off 46 deliveries, as two-time champions KRR regained their spot in top of the standings with six wins from eight games. While Uthappa decorated his knock with seven boundaries and six hits over the fence, Gambhir innings was laced with six fours and one six. The duo stitched 158 runs off just 85 balls for the second wicket to help KKR chase down the 183-run target with 11 balls to spare. Earlier, Steven Smith led from the front with an unbeaten 51 to lift Pune to a challenging 182 for five. Smith's half-century came off 37 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six. Besides Smith, Ajinkya Rahane (46 off 41 balls), Rahul Tripathi (38 off 23), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23 off 11) and Daniel Christian (16 off 6) also made useful contributions for the home team. Left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with figures of two for 31. Chasing the target, Sunil Narine (15 off 9 balls) once again got KKR off to a brisk start before he was run out in the third over. Then Uthappa and Gambhir joined hands and took control off the chase with a bit of luck on their favour. Uthappa was lucky to have survived a close LBW call when he was yet to open his account and later when Jaydev Unadkat made a mess of a chance at deep midwicket off Imran Tahir's bowling with the batsman on 12. The stylish right-hander grabbed the opportunities with both hands and thereafter opened his arms to struck boundaries and sixes at will. Uthpappa did not spare a single Pune bowler with young Washington Sundar and Unadkat facing the maximum wrath. Uthappa brought up his half-century in just 26 balls in the 11th over. Gambhir, on the other hand, was content to play one and twos with occasional boundaries in between. Gambhir too got a life at the personal score of 32, dropped by Sundar off Daniel Christian's bowling. The duo, however, could not finish off the chase as both departed while trying to get over the line as quickly as possible but not before doing the job for their side. Earlier sent into bat, Pune made a brisk start, courtesy opener Tripathi's aggressive strokeplay. Tripathi was at his aggressive best while his experienced partner Rahane played the second fiddle. Tripahi went about his shots and luck favoured him as he got two reprieves -- first an outside in the fifth delivery of the innings which went just over wicketkeeper Uthappa's reach and then Yusuf Pathan spilled a chance at long-on in the seventh over while running backwards. During his stay at the crease Triptahi dealt mainly in boundaries and struck Narine (1/34) for three boundaries to pick up 15 runs in the sixth over. However, Triptahi's luck ran out shortly as he under- edged a Piyush Chawla (1/36) googly on to his stumps soon. Tripathi's dismissal hardly had any effect on Pune Supergiant's scoring rate as Rahane and skipper Smith struck a boundary each in every over thereafter. But Rahane fell four runs short of his second IPL 10 fifty when he was stumped by Uthappa off Narine's bowling. Rahane's wicket brought in Dhoni who made his intentions clear from the onset. Dhoni struck Chawla to the midwicket boundary in the third ball of the 15th over and then followed it up with a huge hit over long-off boundary off the next ball. Dhoni continued his onslaught and clobbered Kuldeep Yadav for another six in the next over. But a brilliant 18th over from Kuldeep Yadav and some fine glove work by Uthappa derailed Pune Supergiant's surge. Kuldeep Yadav foxed Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary with two beautiful googlies and Uthappa was quick to whip off the bails to dismiss the batsmen. Just when it seemed KKR had managed to pull things back, Smith and Christian stepped on the accelerator and accumulated 30 runs off the last two overs, that included consecutive sixes by the latter off Chris Woakes, to take Pune beyond the 180-run mark. (PTI)

IPL: Kolkata's Uthappa blitz pummels Pune bowlers into submission

The IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore was today called off without a ball being bowled as incessant rain made the ground unplayable.

Both the sides got one point each from the abandoned match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Heavy rain lashed the city in the evening but stopped an hour before the start of the match.

It seemed for a while that the match would go ahead as scheduled and RCB players have even started warming up on the ground.

But&nbsp;it began drizzling just before the scheduled toss time and it continued non-stop.

Later, the rain intensified and forced the abandonment of the match.

There was no toss at all.

Puddles of water were seen at several areas of the ground and frenetic efforts of the groundstaff went in vain as rain finally played the spoilsport.

Though the cut-off time for a five-over shootout match was 11.26pm local time, the umpires called off the match at around 11pm.

With the one point from the abandoned match, RCB jumped to sixth spot with five points from eight matches while SRH remained at third position with nine points from eight games.

SRH had won the first-leg match between the two sides, the tournaments inaugural match, by 35 runs in Hyderabad.

RCB, under India captain Virat Kohli, were looking to come out of the embarrassing batting debacle when they were all out for just 49 in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Sunday but they will have to wait longer to do so.

SRH, on the other hand, would have wanted to notch up their first away win this season. They have lost all their three matches away from home before today.

(PTI)

The two teams, who have largely struggled in this edition of the IPL, will receive a point each

The IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore was today called off without a ball being bowled as incessant rain made the ground unplayable. Both the sides got one point each from the abandoned match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Heavy rain lashed the city in the evening but stopped an hour before the start of the match. It seemed for a while that the match would go ahead as scheduled and RCB players have even started warming up on the ground. But it began drizzling just before the scheduled toss time and it continued non-stop. Later, the rain intensified and forced the abandonment of the match. There was no toss at all. Puddles of water were seen at several areas of the ground and frenetic efforts of the groundstaff went in vain as rain finally played the spoilsport. Though the cut-off time for a five-over shootout match was 11.26pm local time, the umpires called off the match at around 11pm. With the one point from the abandoned match, RCB jumped to sixth spot with five points from eight matches while SRH remained at third position with nine points from eight games. SRH had won the first-leg match between the two sides, the tournaments inaugural match, by 35 runs in Hyderabad. RCB, under India captain Virat Kohli, were looking to come out of the embarrassing batting debacle when they were all out for just 49 in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Sunday but they will have to wait longer to do so. SRH, on the other hand, would have wanted to notch up their first away win this season. They have lost all their three matches away from home before today. (PTI)

IPL: Bangalore, Hyderabad match called off as rain plays spoilsport

In a stunning collapse, Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for 49, the lowest score in the history of IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders spanked them by 82 runs, here tonight. 
 
The hosts had put up a modest total on the board as they were all out for 131 with RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking three wickets. 
 
However, the hosts defended the total despite facing one of the biggest hitters in the game in the rival camp. 
 
Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile ripped apart the Bangalore top-order by dismissing skipper Virat Kohli (0), AB de Villiers (8) and Kedar Jadhav (9). 
 
Pacemen Chris Woakes (3/6) and Colin de Grandhomme (3/4) also took three wickets each to bowl out RCB for 49 in just 9.4 overs.

(PTI)

The Virat Kohli-led franchise was bowled out for the lowest score in IPL history

In a stunning collapse, Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for 49, the lowest score in the history of IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders spanked them by 82 runs, here tonight. The hosts had put up a modest total on the board as they were all out for 131 with RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking three wickets. However, the hosts defended the total despite facing one of the biggest hitters in the game in the rival camp. Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile ripped apart the Bangalore top-order by dismissing skipper Virat Kohli (0), AB de Villiers (8) and Kedar Jadhav (9). Pacemen Chris Woakes (3/6) and Colin de Grandhomme (3/4) also took three wickets each to bowl out RCB for 49 in just 9.4 overs. (PTI)

IPL: Bangalore all out for 49, lose to Kolkata

Mumbai Indians&#39; bowlers rose to the occasion after team&#39;s tough time with the bat as the hosts recorded their sixth win on the trot with a comfortable 14-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match, here tonight.

Daredevils, believed to have one of the best attacks, restricted the hosts to 142 for eight but were terrible in run chase, managing only 128 for seven.

The visitors were gasping at 24 for six at one stage before a 91-run stand between South African pair of debutant Kagiso Rabada (44) and Chris Morris (52) raised their hopes. However, it only reduced the margin of defeat.

Kiwi paceman Mitchell McClenaghan (3/24) scalped three batsmen to rock the Delhi top and middle order and Jasprit Bumrah (2/21) broke the seventh-wicket stand between the South Africans to shape his side&#39;s win.

Delhi needed 30 runs off the final 12 balls but Bumrah and Hardik Pandya denied the rivals a memorable win after they made remarkable recovery through Rabada and Morris.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra returned exceptional figures 4-0-18-2 while Australian paceman Pat Cummins (2/20) also chipped in with two wickets in Daredevils&#39; good bowling show.

It was a collective bowling effort from Daredevils with Rabada (1/30) and skipper Zaheer Khan also contributing in choking the Mumbai line-up which is full of devastating batsmen.

However, the batsmen could not complement the good work done by the bowlers and suffered their fourth loss in six matches. 
Mumbai Indians on the other hand consolidated their position at the top with sixth win in a row.

Earlier, It was Hardik Pandya&#39;s 24 off 23 balls and West Indian Kieron Pollard&#39;s 26 off 29 balls that helped the home side to go beyond the 140 run mark after being 84/5 at one stage.

Mumbai managed to score only 32 runs in the last five overs as Daredevils skipper Zaheer made some good bowling changes. 
Daredevils were also brilliant in the field as they managed to run out three Mumbai batsman including Hardik. For the visitors,

Australian paceman Pat Cummins (2/20), South African Kagiso Rabada (1/30), who made his IPL debut, were impressive.

Openers Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler stitched 37 for the first wicket in four overs. Buttler made his intentions clear as he hit a six off Chris Morris in the second over, followed by a boundary.

Buttler, the star of Mumbai&#39;s game against Kings XI Punjab, got a life on 11 after being dropped by wicket-keeper Rishab Pant on the last ball of the second over.

The Englishman then hammered Rabada for a maximum over the mid-wicket fence. However, in the same over, Rabada, clinched his first IPL wicket as he cleaned up Parthiv (8).

Buttler struck Zaheer for two boundaries in the fifth over. But Buttler?s stay at the crease was cut short by a brilliant throw by Sanju Samson, who came from short cover to hit the stumps as Mumbai slumped to 47/2.

Buttler made 28 off 18 balls, hitting two sixes and three fours.

In the eight over, Cummins removed in-form Nitish Rana (8) as he gave a sitter to Corey Anderson at deep mid-wicket.

In the very next over, skipper Rohit Sharma (5) again fell to a leg spinner, this time Mishra as he was caught by Cummins at deep backward square leg.

In the 13th over, Mishra claimed his second wicket as he sent back Krunal Pandya for 17 as he edge to stumper Pant. Half of the Mumbai side was back to the pavilion on 84.

(PTI)

The Daredevils, believed to have one of the best attacks, restricted the hosts to 142 for 8 but managed only 128 for 7 in the run chase

Mumbai Indians' bowlers rose to the occasion after team's tough time with the bat as the hosts recorded their sixth win on the trot with a comfortable 14-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match, here tonight. Daredevils, believed to have one of the best attacks, restricted the hosts to 142 for eight but were terrible in run chase, managing only 128 for seven. The visitors were gasping at 24 for six at one stage before a 91-run stand between South African pair of debutant Kagiso Rabada (44) and Chris Morris (52) raised their hopes. However, it only reduced the margin of defeat. Kiwi paceman Mitchell McClenaghan (3/24) scalped three batsmen to rock the Delhi top and middle order and Jasprit Bumrah (2/21) broke the seventh-wicket stand between the South Africans to shape his side's win. Delhi needed 30 runs off the final 12 balls but Bumrah and Hardik Pandya denied the rivals a memorable win after they made remarkable recovery through Rabada and Morris. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra returned exceptional figures 4-0-18-2 while Australian paceman Pat Cummins (2/20) also chipped in with two wickets in Daredevils' good bowling show. It was a collective bowling effort from Daredevils with Rabada (1/30) and skipper Zaheer Khan also contributing in choking the Mumbai line-up which is full of devastating batsmen. However, the batsmen could not complement the good work done by the bowlers and suffered their fourth loss in six matches. Mumbai Indians on the other hand consolidated their position at the top with sixth win in a row. Earlier, It was Hardik Pandya's 24 off 23 balls and West Indian Kieron Pollard's 26 off 29 balls that helped the home side to go beyond the 140 run mark after being 84/5 at one stage. Mumbai managed to score only 32 runs in the last five overs as Daredevils skipper Zaheer made some good bowling changes. Daredevils were also brilliant in the field as they managed to run out three Mumbai batsman including Hardik. For the visitors, Australian paceman Pat Cummins (2/20), South African Kagiso Rabada (1/30), who made his IPL debut, were impressive. Openers Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler stitched 37 for the first wicket in four overs. Buttler made his intentions clear as he hit a six off Chris Morris in the second over, followed by a boundary. Buttler, the star of Mumbai's game against Kings XI Punjab, got a life on 11 after being dropped by wicket-keeper Rishab Pant on the last ball of the second over. The Englishman then hammered Rabada for a maximum over the mid-wicket fence. However, in the same over, Rabada, clinched his first IPL wicket as he cleaned up Parthiv (8). Buttler struck Zaheer for two boundaries in the fifth over. But Buttler?s stay at the crease was cut short by a brilliant throw by Sanju Samson, who came from short cover to hit the stumps as Mumbai slumped to 47/2. Buttler made 28 off 18 balls, hitting two sixes and three fours. In the eight over, Cummins removed in-form Nitish Rana (8) as he gave a sitter to Corey Anderson at deep mid-wicket. In the very next over, skipper Rohit Sharma (5) again fell to a leg spinner, this time Mishra as he was caught by Cummins at deep backward square leg. In the 13th over, Mishra claimed his second wicket as he sent back Krunal Pandya for 17 as he edge to stumper Pant. Half of the Mumbai side was back to the pavilion on 84. (PTI)

IPL: Mumbai Indians out-bowl Delhi Dardevils, win by 14 runs

Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 61 to finally come good and reassert his top-class finisher tag as he guided Rising Pune Supergiant to a six-wicket victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling IPL match Saturday.

After a series of flop shows, Dhoni&#39;s reputation as a top-notch finisher was at stake, but on Saturday&nbsp;the former India captain was in his elements, smashing a flurry of fours and sixes as Pune overhauled the target of 177 in the final ball of the run chase.

Dhoni needed two runs from the final delivery but he hit Siddarth Kaul for a boundary as Pune reached 179 for 4 to the wild celebrations of the home supporters at the MCA Stadium.

Dhoni faced 34 deliveries for his unbeaten 61 that included five fours and three sixes.

This was the third win for Pune from six matches and they now have six points. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have eight points from seven matches, after four wins and three losses.

Opener Rahul Tripathi had kept Pune in the hunt with a 41-ball 59 before he was out in the 14th over. Captain Steve Smith contributed with a 21-ball 27 but he got out early in the 11th over.

When Dhoni came out at number four at the fall of Smith&#39;s wicket in the final delivery of the 11th over at 87 for 2, Pune needed 10 runs an over to win the match.

However, the situation worsened after Tripathi was out. Ben Stokes (10), this IPL season&#39;s costliest buy, once again failed to contribute, falling in the 17th over and by that time the asking rate had shot up to above 14 an over.

Dhoni, who seemed to be struggling as he could not connect his bat with the ball for some time, then swung into action as he hit two fours and a six to take 17 runs from the 18th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj.

Dhoni was on song then and he did not spare death overs specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, stealing 19 runs from the penultimate over with the help of two fours and a six. That changed the complexion of the match and Pune needed 11 runs from the final over.

Manoj Tiwary (17 not out) was dropped in the first ball of the final over and got a four courtesy Rashid Khan.

But Tiwary and Dhoni could score only in singles in the next three deliveries before a couple of runs in the penultimate ball. Pune needed two from the last ball and Dhoni hit a four to seal the issue.

For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma and Rashid Khan got wicket apiece.

Earlier, Pune produced a disciplined bowling effort before a smashing half-century by Moises Henriques enabled Hyderabad to reach a competitive 176 for three.

Put into bat, Hyderabad were struggling at 122 for three in the 16th over before Henriques (55 not out) increased the tempo to steal 54 runs in the last four overs, in the able company of Deepak Hooda (19 not out 
off 10 balls).

Off to a decent start after being put in to bat, skipper David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 55-run stand for the opening wicket before Hyderabad bowlers led by Daniel Christian (1/20) and Imran Tahir (1/23) dominated the middle overs to put brakes on the scoring.

Tahir was the one, who gave Hyderabad their first breakthrough by seeing off Dhawan for a 29-ball 30.

Kane Williamson tried to accelerate the run-rate during his 21 off 14 balls that included a six and a four, he was trapped leg-before wicket by Christian.

Even though Warner held on to his wicket and played a responsible knock, he failed to up the ante.

Eventually he was bowled out by Jaydev Unadkat for 43 off 40 deliveries, studded with three boundaries and a six.

After Warner&#39;s departure, Henriques launched a furious assault, hitting two sixes and six boundaries to guide the team to a 175-plus total. He remained unbeaten on 55 off just 28 deliveries.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 61 as he guided Rising Pune Supergiant to victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad

Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 61 to finally come good and reassert his top-class finisher tag as he guided Rising Pune Supergiant to a six-wicket victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling IPL match Saturday. After a series of flop shows, Dhoni's reputation as a top-notch finisher was at stake, but on Saturday the former India captain was in his elements, smashing a flurry of fours and sixes as Pune overhauled the target of 177 in the final ball of the run chase. Dhoni needed two runs from the final delivery but he hit Siddarth Kaul for a boundary as Pune reached 179 for 4 to the wild celebrations of the home supporters at the MCA Stadium. Dhoni faced 34 deliveries for his unbeaten 61 that included five fours and three sixes. This was the third win for Pune from six matches and they now have six points. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have eight points from seven matches, after four wins and three losses. Opener Rahul Tripathi had kept Pune in the hunt with a 41-ball 59 before he was out in the 14th over. Captain Steve Smith contributed with a 21-ball 27 but he got out early in the 11th over. When Dhoni came out at number four at the fall of Smith's wicket in the final delivery of the 11th over at 87 for 2, Pune needed 10 runs an over to win the match. However, the situation worsened after Tripathi was out. Ben Stokes (10), this IPL season's costliest buy, once again failed to contribute, falling in the 17th over and by that time the asking rate had shot up to above 14 an over. Dhoni, who seemed to be struggling as he could not connect his bat with the ball for some time, then swung into action as he hit two fours and a six to take 17 runs from the 18th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Dhoni was on song then and he did not spare death overs specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, stealing 19 runs from the penultimate over with the help of two fours and a six. That changed the complexion of the match and Pune needed 11 runs from the final over. Manoj Tiwary (17 not out) was dropped in the first ball of the final over and got a four courtesy Rashid Khan. But Tiwary and Dhoni could score only in singles in the next three deliveries before a couple of runs in the penultimate ball. Pune needed two from the last ball and Dhoni hit a four to seal the issue. For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma and Rashid Khan got wicket apiece. Earlier, Pune produced a disciplined bowling effort before a smashing half-century by Moises Henriques enabled Hyderabad to reach a competitive 176 for three. Put into bat, Hyderabad were struggling at 122 for three in the 16th over before Henriques (55 not out) increased the tempo to steal 54 runs in the last four overs, in the able company of Deepak Hooda (19 not out off 10 balls). Off to a decent start after being put in to bat, skipper David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 55-run stand for the opening wicket before Hyderabad bowlers led by Daniel Christian (1/20) and Imran Tahir (1/23) dominated the middle overs to put brakes on the scoring. Tahir was the one, who gave Hyderabad their first breakthrough by seeing off Dhawan for a 29-ball 30. Kane Williamson tried to accelerate the run-rate during his 21 off 14 balls that included a six and a four, he was trapped leg-before wicket by Christian. Even though Warner held on to his wicket and played a responsible knock, he failed to up the ante. Eventually he was bowled out by Jaydev Unadkat for 43 off 40 deliveries, studded with three boundaries and a six. After Warner's departure, Henriques launched a furious assault, hitting two sixes and six boundaries to guide the team to a 175-plus total. He remained unbeaten on 55 off just 28 deliveries. (PTI)

Dhoni seals 6-wicket victory for Pune Supergiant against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 61 to finally come good and reassert his top-class finisher tag as he guided Rising Pune Supergiant&nbsp;to a six-wicket victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling IPL match here today. 
 
After a series of flop shows, Dhoni&#39;s reputation as a top-notch finisher was at stake, but today the former India captain was in his element, smashing a flurry of fours and sixes as Pune overhauled the target of 177 in the final ball of the run chase. 
 
Dhoni needed two runs from the final delivery but he hit Siddarth Kaul for a boundary as Pune reached 179 for 4 to the wild celebrations of the home supporters at the MCA Stadium. 
 
Dhoni faced 34 deliveries for his unbeaten 61 that included five fours and three sixes. 
 
This was the third win for Pune from six matches and they now have six points. 
 
Hyderabad, on the other hand, have eight points from seven matches, after four wins and three losses. 
 
Opener Rahul Tripathi had kept Pune in the hunt with a 41-ball 59 before he was out in the 14th over. Captain Steve Smith contributed with a 21-ball 27 but he got out early in the 11th over. 
 
When Dhoni came out at number four at the fall of Smith&#39;s wicket in the final delivery of the 11th over at 87 for 2, Pune needed 10 runs an over to win the match. 
 
However, the situation worsened after Tripathi was out. 
 
Ben Stokes (10), this IPL season&#39;s costliest buy, once again failed to contribute, falling in the 17th over and by that time the asking rate had shot up to above 14 an over. 
 
Dhoni, who seemed to be struggling as he could not connect his bat with the ball for some time, then swung into action as he hit two fours and a six to take 17 runs from the 18th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj. 
 
Dhoni was on song then and he did not spare death overs specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, stealing 19 runs from the penultimate over with the help of two fours and a six. That changed the complexion of the match and Pune needed 11 runs from the final over. 
 
Manoj Tiwary (17 not out) was dropped in the first ball of the final over and got a four courtesy Rashid Khan. But Tiwary and Dhoni could score only in singles in the next three deliveries before a couple of runs in the penultimate ball. 
 
Pune needed two from the last ball and Dhoni hit a four to seal the issue. 
 
For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma and Rashid Khan got wicket apiece. 
 
Earlier, Pune produced a disciplined bowling effort before a smashing half-century by Moises Henriques enabled Hyderabad to reach a competitive 176 for three. 
 
Put into bat, Hyderabad were struggling at 122 for three in the 16th over before Henriques (55 not out) increased the tempo to steal 54 runs in the last four overs, in the able company of Deepak Hooda (19 not out off 10 balls). 
 
Off to a decent start after being put in to bat, skipper David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 55-run stand for the opening wicket before Hyderabad bowlers led by Daniel Christian (1/20) and Imran Tahir (1/23) dominated the middle overs to put brakes on the scoring. 
 
Tahir was the one, who gave Hyderabad their first breakthrough by seeing off Dhawan for a 29-ball 30. 
 
Kane Williamson tried to accelerate the run-rate during his 21 off 14 balls that included a six and a four, he was trapped leg-before wicket by Christian. 
 
Even though Warner held on to his wicket and played a responsible knock, he failed to up the ante. 
 
Eventually he was bowled out by Jaydev Unadkat for 43 off 40 deliveries, studded with three boundaries and a six. 
 
After Warner&#39;s departure, Henriques launched a furious assault, hitting two sixes and six boundaries to guide the team to a 175-plus total. 
 
He remained unbeaten on 55 off just 28 deliveries.

(PTI)

This was the third win for Pune from six matches and they now have six points

Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 61 to finally come good and reassert his top-class finisher tag as he guided Rising Pune Supergiant to a six-wicket victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling IPL match here today. After a series of flop shows, Dhoni's reputation as a top-notch finisher was at stake, but today the former India captain was in his element, smashing a flurry of fours and sixes as Pune overhauled the target of 177 in the final ball of the run chase. Dhoni needed two runs from the final delivery but he hit Siddarth Kaul for a boundary as Pune reached 179 for 4 to the wild celebrations of the home supporters at the MCA Stadium. Dhoni faced 34 deliveries for his unbeaten 61 that included five fours and three sixes. This was the third win for Pune from six matches and they now have six points. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have eight points from seven matches, after four wins and three losses. Opener Rahul Tripathi had kept Pune in the hunt with a 41-ball 59 before he was out in the 14th over. Captain Steve Smith contributed with a 21-ball 27 but he got out early in the 11th over. When Dhoni came out at number four at the fall of Smith's wicket in the final delivery of the 11th over at 87 for 2, Pune needed 10 runs an over to win the match. However, the situation worsened after Tripathi was out. Ben Stokes (10), this IPL season's costliest buy, once again failed to contribute, falling in the 17th over and by that time the asking rate had shot up to above 14 an over. Dhoni, who seemed to be struggling as he could not connect his bat with the ball for some time, then swung into action as he hit two fours and a six to take 17 runs from the 18th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Dhoni was on song then and he did not spare death overs specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, stealing 19 runs from the penultimate over with the help of two fours and a six. That changed the complexion of the match and Pune needed 11 runs from the final over. Manoj Tiwary (17 not out) was dropped in the first ball of the final over and got a four courtesy Rashid Khan. But Tiwary and Dhoni could score only in singles in the next three deliveries before a couple of runs in the penultimate ball. Pune needed two from the last ball and Dhoni hit a four to seal the issue. For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma and Rashid Khan got wicket apiece. Earlier, Pune produced a disciplined bowling effort before a smashing half-century by Moises Henriques enabled Hyderabad to reach a competitive 176 for three. Put into bat, Hyderabad were struggling at 122 for three in the 16th over before Henriques (55 not out) increased the tempo to steal 54 runs in the last four overs, in the able company of Deepak Hooda (19 not out off 10 balls). Off to a decent start after being put in to bat, skipper David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 55-run stand for the opening wicket before Hyderabad bowlers led by Daniel Christian (1/20) and Imran Tahir (1/23) dominated the middle overs to put brakes on the scoring. Tahir was the one, who gave Hyderabad their first breakthrough by seeing off Dhawan for a 29-ball 30. Kane Williamson tried to accelerate the run-rate during his 21 off 14 balls that included a six and a four, he was trapped leg-before wicket by Christian. Even though Warner held on to his wicket and played a responsible knock, he failed to up the ante. Eventually he was bowled out by Jaydev Unadkat for 43 off 40 deliveries, studded with three boundaries and a six. After Warner's departure, Henriques launched a furious assault, hitting two sixes and six boundaries to guide the team to a 175-plus total. He remained unbeaten on 55 off just 28 deliveries. (PTI)

IPL: Dhoni leads Rising Pune Supergiant to six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad

Suresh Raina played a captain&rsquo;s knock to guide struggling Gujarat Lions to a comprehensive four-wicket win over two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match, here today.

Chasing a challenging 188-run target set by KKR, Raina led from the front with a blistering 46-ball 84-run knock to set the platform for the much-needed win for Gujarat Lions.

Coming on to bat at the number three position, Raina took the attack to the opposition bowlers and decorated his innings with nine boundaries and four sixes to steer Gujarat Lions chase.

He was ably supported by Brendon McCullum (33) and Aaron Finch (31) who stitched 42 runs off just 21 balls for the opening stand to get Gujarat Lions&rsquo; chase off to a flier.

Down the order, Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 19 to finish off the proceedings for Gujarat Lions with a boundary in 18.2 overs.

Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (2/33) Nathan Coulter-Nile (2/41) picked up two wickets apiece for KKR.

Earlier, Robin Uthappa cracked a brilliant half-century while makeshift opener Sunil Narine struck a quickfire 47 at the top to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to 187 for five.

Uthappa made 72 off just 48 balls balls with the help of eight boundaries and two sixes to anchor the KKR innings after Narine (42 off 17 balls) played a short little cameo at the top to give his side a blazing start to their innings after being invited to bat.

Narine&rsquo;s breezy knock was studded with nine boundaries and a huge hit over the fence.

Besides, skipper Gautam Gambhir made 33 off 28 balls while Manish Pandey (24) and Yusuf Pathan (11 not out) also contributed for the hosts.

For Gujarat Lions, skipper Suresh Raina (2/11) was the most economical bowler.

(AFP)

Raina's 46-ball 84, aided by a whirlwind start, helped his team chase down a stiff target set by Kolkata

Suresh Raina played a captain’s knock to guide struggling Gujarat Lions to a comprehensive four-wicket win over two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match, here today. Chasing a challenging 188-run target set by KKR, Raina led from the front with a blistering 46-ball 84-run knock to set the platform for the much-needed win for Gujarat Lions. Coming on to bat at the number three position, Raina took the attack to the opposition bowlers and decorated his innings with nine boundaries and four sixes to steer Gujarat Lions chase. He was ably supported by Brendon McCullum (33) and Aaron Finch (31) who stitched 42 runs off just 21 balls for the opening stand to get Gujarat Lions’ chase off to a flier. Down the order, Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 19 to finish off the proceedings for Gujarat Lions with a boundary in 18.2 overs. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (2/33) Nathan Coulter-Nile (2/41) picked up two wickets apiece for KKR. Earlier, Robin Uthappa cracked a brilliant half-century while makeshift opener Sunil Narine struck a quickfire 47 at the top to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to 187 for five. Uthappa made 72 off just 48 balls balls with the help of eight boundaries and two sixes to anchor the KKR innings after Narine (42 off 17 balls) played a short little cameo at the top to give his side a blazing start to their innings after being invited to bat. Narine’s breezy knock was studded with nine boundaries and a huge hit over the fence. Besides, skipper Gautam Gambhir made 33 off 28 balls while Manish Pandey (24) and Yusuf Pathan (11 not out) also contributed for the hosts. For Gujarat Lions, skipper Suresh Raina (2/11) was the most economical bowler. (AFP)

IPL: Raina's captain knock helps Gujarat conquer KKR target

Jos Buttler went on a rampage with a breathtaking 37-ball-77 as Mumbai Indians cantered home by eight wickets against Kings XI Punjab maintaining their pole position in the Indian Premier League, here tonight.

Hashim Amla&#39;s superb 103 enabled Punjab put up a competitive 198 for 4 in 20 overs but Buttler made a mockery of the target with Mumbai Indians knocking off the runs in only 15.3 overs.

If Amla was sublime, Buttler&#39;s power-packed shots were scary as he hit seven fours and five sixes, completely overshadowing the effort from the illustrious South African.

The talented Nitish Rana (62 no off 34 balls) was equally exhilarating as he also sent the Kings XI bowlers on a leatherhunt hitting as many as seven sixes. Buttler-Rana stand got MI 85 runs in less than 8 overs.

Rana got the &#39;Purple Cap&#39; back and finished the match with a six off Mohit Sharma.

Mumbai now have 10 points from six games having won five matches in a row while KXIP slumped to their fourth defeat.

Chasing a near 200-target needed a mandatory good start and Jos Buttler was finally up for it as he punished the two &#39;Sharmas&#39; -- Ishant and Sandeep with equal disdain.

The pint-sized Parthiv Patel also matched him stroke for stroke as they basically finished the contest in the Powerplay overs itself adding 81 runs.

Parthiv&#39;s contribution was 37 off 18 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes.

Both the batsmen matched each other stroke for stroke as the 50 came up in the fourth over itself.

If Sandeep with his military medium pace was getting tonked by Buttler for bowling fuller deliveries, Parthiv was seen using Ishant&#39;s bounce whipping him for a six behind square.

Buttler was seen muscling Sandeep ovr extra cover as Glenn Maxwell had no answer to this onslaught.

Finally, Marcus Stoinis bowled a slower one as Parthiv mistimed it to Maxwell standing at the circle at mid-off pouched an easy catch.

Earlier Amla&#39;s classy hundred powered Kings XI Punjab to a competitive 198/4 after being put into bat first.

Playing shots that would delight the purists, Amla spanked all the Mumbai Indians bowlers en route his unbeaten 104 off 60 balls, which included as many as six sixes apart from eight boundaries.

In fact five of the half dozen sixes were hit off Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga (0/58 in 4 overs).

There were straight hits, shirt arm jabs over long-on, slashes over point, hook, and a majestic pull-shot in &#39;Nataraja style&#39;, which brought up his first hundred in shortest format as well second of this edition.

Skipper Glenn Maxwell, on his part played a typically breezy innings smashing 40 off 18 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes.

It was the 3rd wicket partnership between Amla and Maxwell that produced 83 runs in only 5.3 overs to send the Mumbai attack in complete disarray.

The last six overs produced an astounding 87 runs after KXIP were 111 for 2 at the end of the 14th over.

It was the 15th over of the innings were Maxwell decided to tee off taking 28 runs off the Mitchell McLenaghan over.

The KXIP skipper hit the hapless New Zealand international for three sixes and two fours as he got the required momentum.

The very next over from Malinga saw Amla punce on him taking 22 off that over and suddenly 50 runs came off two overs.

While Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up Maxwell but Amla was well set by then as he showed one and all that a century in shortest format could be scored playing all the proper cricketing shots. There were drives on the up, cut shots and also lofted shot in-front of the square as well as behind the square.

The true nature of the pitch also helped Amla, who infact enjoyed Malinga&#39;s back of the length deliveries.

It was baffling as senior pro Harbhajan Singh, who gave away only 12 runs in 2 overs, didn&#39;t get to finish his quota of overs.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Buttler's power-packed shots were scary as he hit seven fours and five sixes

Jos Buttler went on a rampage with a breathtaking 37-ball-77 as Mumbai Indians cantered home by eight wickets against Kings XI Punjab maintaining their pole position in the Indian Premier League, here tonight. Hashim Amla's superb 103 enabled Punjab put up a competitive 198 for 4 in 20 overs but Buttler made a mockery of the target with Mumbai Indians knocking off the runs in only 15.3 overs. If Amla was sublime, Buttler's power-packed shots were scary as he hit seven fours and five sixes, completely overshadowing the effort from the illustrious South African. The talented Nitish Rana (62 no off 34 balls) was equally exhilarating as he also sent the Kings XI bowlers on a leatherhunt hitting as many as seven sixes. Buttler-Rana stand got MI 85 runs in less than 8 overs. Rana got the 'Purple Cap' back and finished the match with a six off Mohit Sharma. Mumbai now have 10 points from six games having won five matches in a row while KXIP slumped to their fourth defeat. Chasing a near 200-target needed a mandatory good start and Jos Buttler was finally up for it as he punished the two 'Sharmas' -- Ishant and Sandeep with equal disdain. The pint-sized Parthiv Patel also matched him stroke for stroke as they basically finished the contest in the Powerplay overs itself adding 81 runs. Parthiv's contribution was 37 off 18 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. Both the batsmen matched each other stroke for stroke as the 50 came up in the fourth over itself. If Sandeep with his military medium pace was getting tonked by Buttler for bowling fuller deliveries, Parthiv was seen using Ishant's bounce whipping him for a six behind square. Buttler was seen muscling Sandeep ovr extra cover as Glenn Maxwell had no answer to this onslaught. Finally, Marcus Stoinis bowled a slower one as Parthiv mistimed it to Maxwell standing at the circle at mid-off pouched an easy catch. Earlier Amla's classy hundred powered Kings XI Punjab to a competitive 198/4 after being put into bat first. Playing shots that would delight the purists, Amla spanked all the Mumbai Indians bowlers en route his unbeaten 104 off 60 balls, which included as many as six sixes apart from eight boundaries. In fact five of the half dozen sixes were hit off Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga (0/58 in 4 overs). There were straight hits, shirt arm jabs over long-on, slashes over point, hook, and a majestic pull-shot in 'Nataraja style', which brought up his first hundred in shortest format as well second of this edition. Skipper Glenn Maxwell, on his part played a typically breezy innings smashing 40 off 18 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. It was the 3rd wicket partnership between Amla and Maxwell that produced 83 runs in only 5.3 overs to send the Mumbai attack in complete disarray. The last six overs produced an astounding 87 runs after KXIP were 111 for 2 at the end of the 14th over. It was the 15th over of the innings were Maxwell decided to tee off taking 28 runs off the Mitchell McLenaghan over. The KXIP skipper hit the hapless New Zealand international for three sixes and two fours as he got the required momentum. The very next over from Malinga saw Amla punce on him taking 22 off that over and suddenly 50 runs came off two overs. While Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up Maxwell but Amla was well set by then as he showed one and all that a century in shortest format could be scored playing all the proper cricketing shots. There were drives on the up, cut shots and also lofted shot in-front of the square as well as behind the square. The true nature of the pitch also helped Amla, who infact enjoyed Malinga's back of the length deliveries. It was baffling as senior pro Harbhajan Singh, who gave away only 12 runs in 2 overs, didn't get to finish his quota of overs. (PTI)

IPL: Mumbai Indians thrash Kings XI Punjab by 8 wickets

Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on Kane Williamson&#39;s attacking knock of 89 and some brilliant bowling at the death as they beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs in their IPL match here today.

Electing to bat, Hyderabad posted a challenging 191 for 4 courtesy Williamson&#39;s 89 off just 51 balls and his 136-run stand for the second wicket with opener Shikhar Dhawan (70), and then restricted Delhi to 176 for 5 to maintain their unbeaten run at home.

With their fourth successive win at home, Hyderabad jumped to second spot with eight points from six matches, from four wins and two losses.

Chasing 192 for a win, Delhi were in the hunt as they reached 56 for 1 at the end of six powerplay overs with Sanju Samson (42) and Karun Nair (33) going great guns though they lost Sam Billings (13) early on.

But once Samson and Nair were out, Delhi innings lost way and the asking rate piled up. They needed 65 from the final five overs but could only score 49 with the Hyderabad side bowlers coming up with a fine bowling show at the death overs.

Needing 24 runs from the final over, Delhi made a valiant attempt but ended up 15 runs short in the end.

For Hyderabad, Mohammed Siraj took two wickets for 39 runs while Siddarth Kaul and Yuvraj Singh grabbed a wicket each.

(PTI)

Batting first, Hyderabad posted a challenging 191 for 4 courtesy Williamson's 89 off just 51 balls

Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on Kane Williamson's attacking knock of 89 and some brilliant bowling at the death as they beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs in their IPL match here today. Electing to bat, Hyderabad posted a challenging 191 for 4 courtesy Williamson's 89 off just 51 balls and his 136-run stand for the second wicket with opener Shikhar Dhawan (70), and then restricted Delhi to 176 for 5 to maintain their unbeaten run at home. With their fourth successive win at home, Hyderabad jumped to second spot with eight points from six matches, from four wins and two losses. Chasing 192 for a win, Delhi were in the hunt as they reached 56 for 1 at the end of six powerplay overs with Sanju Samson (42) and Karun Nair (33) going great guns though they lost Sam Billings (13) early on. But once Samson and Nair were out, Delhi innings lost way and the asking rate piled up. They needed 65 from the final five overs but could only score 49 with the Hyderabad side bowlers coming up with a fine bowling show at the death overs. Needing 24 runs from the final over, Delhi made a valiant attempt but ended up 15 runs short in the end. For Hyderabad, Mohammed Siraj took two wickets for 39 runs while Siddarth Kaul and Yuvraj Singh grabbed a wicket each. (PTI)

IPL: Riding on Williamson's brilliant knock, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs

Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle smashed a blistering half-century before Yuzvendra Chahal returned with a three-wicket haul as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their IPL encounter here today.

Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2 after Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field.

Opener Brendon McCullum then played a superb 72-run off 44-ball innings, studded with two fours and seven sixes but he didn&#39;t get the support from the other end as RCB restricted the Lions to 192-7 to snap their three-game losing streak.

Yuzvendra Chahal (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he picked up three crucial wickets -- Dwayne Smith (1), Suresh Raina (23) and McCullum -- in his four overs to derail Gujarat&#39;s runchase.

Chasing 214 to win, Gujarat lost their opening batsman Smith early when he was caught at the boundary line by Mandeep Singh off Chahal&#39;s bowling at deep square-leg.

Skipper Raina then slammed a quick-fire 8-ball 23 which included two fours and two sixes before becoming the second wicket of Chahal.

Coming down the pitch, Raina tried to play a sweep shot which went straight to Shane Watson at short fine leg.

McCullum (72) and Aaron Finch (19) then stitched a 66-run innings off 34 balls for the third wicket to take Gujarat across the 100-mark in 10th over.

McCullum also added 31 off 22 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (23) before becoming the third victim of Chahal in the 15th over as Lions looked down the barrel.

Jadeja then was run-out after a mix-up with new batsman Ishan Kishan in the 18th over. Kishan then hit a 16-ball 39, laced with four sixes and two four but it was too late in the end.

Earlier, Gayle and Kohli gave Bangalore a brilliant start as they amassed 45 in the first six overs and then went on to forge a 122-run opening partnership off 76 balls.

Gayle&#39;s innings was studded with five boundaries and seven massive sixes, while Kohli blasted seven fours and one six in his 50-ball innings.

Kohli took the early initiative as he picked up a boundary each in the first two overs before blasting Dhawal Kulkarni for three fours in the third over.

Gayle, who has been out of form, meanwhile, completed his 10,000 runs in twenty20 cricket with a single off Basil Thampi in the fourth over.

The West Indies batsman then blasted his first six of the innings over mid-off. He then sent young mystery spinner Shivil Kaushik for another maximum over long-off in the seventh over.

Gayle then exploded with successive fours and a six off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. He also blasted the last delivery of the over for a maximum but he was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum at the long-off boundary.

However, Gayle survived after replays showed that McCullum&#39;s hat had touched the boundary line.

Gayle made Lions pay as he brought up his fifty with a massive six over long on off Kaushik in the 10th over and then clobbered Smith for another six as RCB reached the 100-mark.

The dashing opener sent Smith out of the park again in the fourth ball over long-on as RCB picked 17 runs off the over.

In the 13th over, Thampi finally dismissed Gayle when he trapped him leg before to break the partnership.

Kohli, however, continued to score runs and reached his 28th IPL fifty in the 15th over with a couple of runs off Kaushik. He then blasted a towering six over wide of long-on in the 4th ball.

Newman Travis Head (30) then sent the last ball for another maximum over deep midwicket.

In the next over, Kulkarni returned to dismiss Kohli, who holed out to deep midwicket with Smith taking the catch at the boundary line.

Head and Kedar Jadhav (38) then provided the late charge to take RCB across the 200-mark. While Jadhav cracked five fours and two sixes, Head hit two fours and a six in his innings.

For Gujarat, Thampi (1/31) and Kulkarni (1/37) took one wicket each.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2wXscx2JcXU" width="560"></iframe>

(PTI)

Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2

Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle smashed a blistering half-century before Yuzvendra Chahal returned with a three-wicket haul as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their IPL encounter here today. Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2 after Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field. Opener Brendon McCullum then played a superb 72-run off 44-ball innings, studded with two fours and seven sixes but he didn't get the support from the other end as RCB restricted the Lions to 192-7 to snap their three-game losing streak. Yuzvendra Chahal (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he picked up three crucial wickets -- Dwayne Smith (1), Suresh Raina (23) and McCullum -- in his four overs to derail Gujarat's runchase. Chasing 214 to win, Gujarat lost their opening batsman Smith early when he was caught at the boundary line by Mandeep Singh off Chahal's bowling at deep square-leg. Skipper Raina then slammed a quick-fire 8-ball 23 which included two fours and two sixes before becoming the second wicket of Chahal. Coming down the pitch, Raina tried to play a sweep shot which went straight to Shane Watson at short fine leg. McCullum (72) and Aaron Finch (19) then stitched a 66-run innings off 34 balls for the third wicket to take Gujarat across the 100-mark in 10th over. McCullum also added 31 off 22 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (23) before becoming the third victim of Chahal in the 15th over as Lions looked down the barrel. Jadeja then was run-out after a mix-up with new batsman Ishan Kishan in the 18th over. Kishan then hit a 16-ball 39, laced with four sixes and two four but it was too late in the end. Earlier, Gayle and Kohli gave Bangalore a brilliant start as they amassed 45 in the first six overs and then went on to forge a 122-run opening partnership off 76 balls. Gayle's innings was studded with five boundaries and seven massive sixes, while Kohli blasted seven fours and one six in his 50-ball innings. Kohli took the early initiative as he picked up a boundary each in the first two overs before blasting Dhawal Kulkarni for three fours in the third over. Gayle, who has been out of form, meanwhile, completed his 10,000 runs in twenty20 cricket with a single off Basil Thampi in the fourth over. The West Indies batsman then blasted his first six of the innings over mid-off. He then sent young mystery spinner Shivil Kaushik for another maximum over long-off in the seventh over. Gayle then exploded with successive fours and a six off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. He also blasted the last delivery of the over for a maximum but he was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum at the long-off boundary. However, Gayle survived after replays showed that McCullum's hat had touched the boundary line. Gayle made Lions pay as he brought up his fifty with a massive six over long on off Kaushik in the 10th over and then clobbered Smith for another six as RCB reached the 100-mark. The dashing opener sent Smith out of the park again in the fourth ball over long-on as RCB picked 17 runs off the over. In the 13th over, Thampi finally dismissed Gayle when he trapped him leg before to break the partnership. Kohli, however, continued to score runs and reached his 28th IPL fifty in the 15th over with a couple of runs off Kaushik. He then blasted a towering six over wide of long-on in the 4th ball. Newman Travis Head (30) then sent the last ball for another maximum over deep midwicket. In the next over, Kulkarni returned to dismiss Kohli, who holed out to deep midwicket with Smith taking the catch at the boundary line. Head and Kedar Jadhav (38) then provided the late charge to take RCB across the 200-mark. While Jadhav cracked five fours and two sixes, Head hit two fours and a six in his innings. For Gujarat, Thampi (1/31) and Kulkarni (1/37) took one wicket each. (PTI)

IPL: Gayle's quick-fire knock guides RCB to victory over Gujarat Lions

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kings XI Punjab by five runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here tonight.

Sent into bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 159 for six with skipper David Warner hitting 70 off 54 balls at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

In reply, Punjab were staring at a defeat at 62 for five at the end of 10th over, but Manan Vohra (95 off 50 balls) brought the visitors within striking distance of pulling off an incredible win.

But Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned excellent figures of 5/19, had the last laugh as the seamer trapped Vohra in the penultimate over of the match.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlKPdmNUXVg" width="600"></iframe>

Vohra struck nine boundaries and five sixes during his whirlwind knock.

Kings XI Punjab were eventually bowled out for 154 in 19.4 overs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, thus, registered their first win after suffering two defeats.

(PTI)

Sent into bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 159 for six with skipper David Warner hitting 70 off 54 balls

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kings XI Punjab by five runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here tonight. Sent into bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 159 for six with skipper David Warner hitting 70 off 54 balls at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. In reply, Punjab were staring at a defeat at 62 for five at the end of 10th over, but Manan Vohra (95 off 50 balls) brought the visitors within striking distance of pulling off an incredible win. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned excellent figures of 5/19, had the last laugh as the seamer trapped Vohra in the penultimate over of the match. Vohra struck nine boundaries and five sixes during his whirlwind knock. Kings XI Punjab were eventually bowled out for 154 in 19.4 overs. Sunrisers Hyderabad, thus, registered their first win after suffering two defeats. (PTI)

IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad clinch victory over Kings XI Punjab by 5 runs

<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/manish-pandey.html">M</a>anish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan each struck blistering half-centuries as Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Delhi Daredevils by four wickets to register their third successive win in the ongoing tenth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday.

Chasing a decent target of 169 runs to win,&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/kolkata-knight-riders.html">Kolkata Knight Riders&nbsp;</a>lost opener Colin de Grandhomme and skipper Gautam Gambhir cheaply for one and 14 runs, respectively.

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Zaheer Khan&#39;s Delhi Daredevils will take on Gambhir&#39;s Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite big-hitters and fiery pacers in both teams, watch out for the spinners in both teams as one of them could well be a match-winner in this crucial encounter. (WION)
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Manish then steadied his side&#39;s innings, as he not only smashed an unbeaten 69-run knock, including four boundaries and three sixes, but also shared a 110-run stand with Pathan (59) for the fourth wicket to help visitors chase down the target with a ball remaining.

For Delhi Daredevils, Zaheer Khan and Pat Cummins bagged two wickets each while Chris Morris and Amit Mishra also chipped in with a wicket each.

Earlier, opting to bat first,&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/delhi-daredevils.html">D</a>elhi Daredevils posted 168 for 7 in their stipulated 20 overs. Opener Sanju Samson (39) and Rishabh Pant (38) were the top scorers for the Delhi-based team.

Nathan Coulter-Nile was the pick of the bowler for the Kolkata team for his figures of three for 22 while Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine all contributed with a wicket each.

Kolkata, who are standing at the top of the table with four wins from five games they have played, will now take on Gujarat Lions at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 21.

(ANI)

Chasing 169 and struggling at 21 for three, the KKR duo hit blistering fifties to scorch a stiff target

Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan each struck blistering half-centuries as Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Delhi Daredevils by four wickets to register their third successive win in the ongoing tenth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday. Chasing a decent target of 169 runs to win, Kolkata Knight Riders lost opener Colin de Grandhomme and skipper Gautam Gambhir cheaply for one and 14 runs, respectively. Zaheer Khan's Delhi Daredevils will take on Gambhir's Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite big-hitters and fiery pacers in both teams, watch out for the spinners in both teams as one of them could well be a match-winner in this crucial encounter. (WION) × Manish then steadied his side's innings, as he not only smashed an unbeaten 69-run knock, including four boundaries and three sixes, but also shared a 110-run stand with Pathan (59) for the fourth wicket to help visitors chase down the target with a ball remaining. For Delhi Daredevils, Zaheer Khan and Pat Cummins bagged two wickets each while Chris Morris and Amit Mishra also chipped in with a wicket each. Earlier, opting to bat first, Delhi Daredevils posted 168 for 7 in their stipulated 20 overs. Opener Sanju Samson (39) and Rishabh Pant (38) were the top scorers for the Delhi-based team. Nathan Coulter-Nile was the pick of the bowler for the Kolkata team for his figures of three for 22 while Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine all contributed with a wicket each. Kolkata, who are standing at the top of the table with four wins from five games they have played, will now take on Gujarat Lions at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 21. (ANI)

IPL: Pandey, Pathan power Kolkata to thrilling win over Delhi

Dependable home bowlers delivered after Sam Billings and Corey Anderson did the job with the bat as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in an IPL match here on Saturday.

Billings (55) struck his second IPL fifty before Anderson (39 not out) provided late fireworks to lead the hosts to a respectable 188 for six.

The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle.

Daredevils, who have one of most potent attacks in the league, then restricted Punjab to 137 for nine to hand the visitors their second straight defeat.

The home spinners as well as pacers dominated the Punjab batsmen, never giving them free runs.

It was spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who rattled the Punjab top-order by scalping Manan Vohra (3) and Wriddhiman Saha (7) in successive overs while Chris Morris (3/23) saw the back of Hashim Amla (19).

Adding to the wickets, skipper Zaheer Khan and Australian quick Pat Cummins (2/23) bowled tight overs to choke Punjab. Punjab&#39;s 50 came as late as in the ninth over while Eoin Morgan (22) departed at the half-way mark, caught by Karun Nair off Cummins.

Tottering at 64 for four in 10 overs, the visitors needed 125 runs from the last 10. With David Miller and skipper Glenn Maxwell around it was not impossible but Daredevils had too good an attack.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been very consistent from the start of the league, dealt a severe blow to Punjab by seeing the back of Maxwell, who could not even open his account.

The last nail in the Punjab coffin was the wicket of Miller, who was trapped by Anderson in the 14th over.

Earlier, the hosts after a surprise decision to bat first, enjoyed their best start of the season through Billings and Sanju Samson (19) but intermittent wickets hurt them a bit.

They were 83 for two after 10 overs, following the opening pair&#39;s 53-run stand but from overs 10 to 15 the hosts managed only 37 runs and lost the set pair of Shreyas Iyer (22) and Billings.

From there, Morris and Anderson took the onus to get the side to a fighting total, hitting some lusty hits towards the end of innings.

Morris&#39; cameo together with Anderson&#39;s calculated approach negated the good work done by Punjab spinners Axar Patel (1/33) and KC Cariappa (1/23).

Anderson, who hit three fours and as many shots over the ropes in his unbeaten knock off 22 balls, ended the innings with a six off Sandeep Sharma.

At the start, both Punjab pacers Sandeep and Mohit Sharma were largely disciplined but a marginal error was enough for Samson and Billings to steal boundaries.

Billings, who had been struggling for form so far, took some time to find his rhythm but gradually came into his zone.&nbsp; 
 
Samson carried on with his tremendous touch after hammering his maiden IPL ton against Pune and began with two fours off Sandeep.

Punjab today fielded five specialist bowlers and skipper Glenn Maxwell quickly shuffled them around. The Punjab pacemen though proved ineffective. Billings made Varun Aaron look pedestrian with a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over.

Delhi openers put on 49 after Powerplay overs as Samson ended the sixth over with a six off Mohit. Left-arm spinner Patel was the only bowler who got some respect from the home batsmen.

Leg-spinner Cariappa, who came in for Ishant Sharma, provided the breakthrough by scalping Samson, who miscued one to long-off. Aaron extended the poor run of Karun Nair (0) by having him caught by Wriddhiman Saha.

Billings found steady partner in Iyer but the Delhi youngster lost his wicket while attempting to accelerate off Mohit. Billings reached his fifty but could not make the most of a good start, becoming a victim of Patel.

The onus was on young Rishabh Pant (15) to take the side to a fighting total but he too fell soon. The wickets kept tumbling but Anderson succeeded in providing impetus to the innings.

(PTI) 
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The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle

Dependable home bowlers delivered after Sam Billings and Corey Anderson did the job with the bat as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in an IPL match here on Saturday. Billings (55) struck his second IPL fifty before Anderson (39 not out) provided late fireworks to lead the hosts to a respectable 188 for six. The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle. Daredevils, who have one of most potent attacks in the league, then restricted Punjab to 137 for nine to hand the visitors their second straight defeat. The home spinners as well as pacers dominated the Punjab batsmen, never giving them free runs. It was spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who rattled the Punjab top-order by scalping Manan Vohra (3) and Wriddhiman Saha (7) in successive overs while Chris Morris (3/23) saw the back of Hashim Amla (19). Adding to the wickets, skipper Zaheer Khan and Australian quick Pat Cummins (2/23) bowled tight overs to choke Punjab. Punjab's 50 came as late as in the ninth over while Eoin Morgan (22) departed at the half-way mark, caught by Karun Nair off Cummins. Tottering at 64 for four in 10 overs, the visitors needed 125 runs from the last 10. With David Miller and skipper Glenn Maxwell around it was not impossible but Daredevils had too good an attack. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been very consistent from the start of the league, dealt a severe blow to Punjab by seeing the back of Maxwell, who could not even open his account. The last nail in the Punjab coffin was the wicket of Miller, who was trapped by Anderson in the 14th over. Earlier, the hosts after a surprise decision to bat first, enjoyed their best start of the season through Billings and Sanju Samson (19) but intermittent wickets hurt them a bit. They were 83 for two after 10 overs, following the opening pair's 53-run stand but from overs 10 to 15 the hosts managed only 37 runs and lost the set pair of Shreyas Iyer (22) and Billings. From there, Morris and Anderson took the onus to get the side to a fighting total, hitting some lusty hits towards the end of innings. Morris' cameo together with Anderson's calculated approach negated the good work done by Punjab spinners Axar Patel (1/33) and KC Cariappa (1/23). Anderson, who hit three fours and as many shots over the ropes in his unbeaten knock off 22 balls, ended the innings with a six off Sandeep Sharma. At the start, both Punjab pacers Sandeep and Mohit Sharma were largely disciplined but a marginal error was enough for Samson and Billings to steal boundaries. Billings, who had been struggling for form so far, took some time to find his rhythm but gradually came into his zone. Samson carried on with his tremendous touch after hammering his maiden IPL ton against Pune and began with two fours off Sandeep. Punjab today fielded five specialist bowlers and skipper Glenn Maxwell quickly shuffled them around. The Punjab pacemen though proved ineffective. Billings made Varun Aaron look pedestrian with a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over. Delhi openers put on 49 after Powerplay overs as Samson ended the sixth over with a six off Mohit. Left-arm spinner Patel was the only bowler who got some respect from the home batsmen. Leg-spinner Cariappa, who came in for Ishant Sharma, provided the breakthrough by scalping Samson, who miscued one to long-off. Aaron extended the poor run of Karun Nair (0) by having him caught by Wriddhiman Saha. Billings found steady partner in Iyer but the Delhi youngster lost his wicket while attempting to accelerate off Mohit. Billings reached his fifty but could not make the most of a good start, becoming a victim of Patel. The onus was on young Rishabh Pant (15) to take the side to a fighting total but he too fell soon. The wickets kept tumbling but Anderson succeeded in providing impetus to the innings. (PTI)

IPL: Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs in their Indian Premier League match, here today. 
 
Chasing a challenging 173-run target, Sunrisers Hyderabad could reach 155 for six in their allotted 20 overs with Kolkata bowlers putting on a commendable performance. 
 
For Hyderabad, David Warner and Yuvraj Singh top scored with identical 26 each. 
 
Earlier, Robin Uthappa struck a gritty 68 off 39 balls to help the Knight Riders recover from a jittery start and post 172 for six. 
 
Despite seeing off openers -- Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir -- early, the Sunrisers bowlers failed to make further in-roads in the middle overs and the Karnataka duo of Uthappa and Manish Pandey (46) put on a solid 77-run partnership from 52 balls.

(PTI)

Robin Uthappa's blitz also helped Kolkata Knight Riders set a challenging total for Hyderabad Sunrisers

Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs in their Indian Premier League match, here today. Chasing a challenging 173-run target, Sunrisers Hyderabad could reach 155 for six in their allotted 20 overs with Kolkata bowlers putting on a commendable performance. For Hyderabad, David Warner and Yuvraj Singh top scored with identical 26 each. Earlier, Robin Uthappa struck a gritty 68 off 39 balls to help the Knight Riders recover from a jittery start and post 172 for six. Despite seeing off openers -- Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir -- early, the Sunrisers bowlers failed to make further in-roads in the middle overs and the Karnataka duo of Uthappa and Manish Pandey (46) put on a solid 77-run partnership from 52 balls. (PTI)

IPL: Narine, Kuldeep spin Kolkata to victory over Hyderabad

India captain Virat Kohli has recovered from his shoulder injury and is fit to play in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the country&#39;s cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday.

Kohli missed the franchise&#39;s first three matches as he underwent rehabilitation after injuring his right shoulder while fielding during the third test against Australia at Ranchi.

The injury forced him to miss India&#39;s series-sealing final test win over Australia in Dharamsala but the BCCI said on Thursday the 28-year-old has regained match fitness.

&quot;He will now be available for RCB&#39;s next match against Mumbai Indians on April 14 in Bengaluru,&quot; the board said in a statement.

&quot;The Indian captain had undergone rehabilitation after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder and has now recovered to be able to participate in IPL 2017.&quot;

Kohli&#39;s side, who have lost Australia paceman Mitchell Starc and India opener Lokesh Rahul to injuries, have lost two of their three matches in the April 5-May 21 tournament.

(Reuters)

The Indian captain is back after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him from playing in the final Test series against Australia

India captain Virat Kohli has recovered from his shoulder injury and is fit to play in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the country's cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday. Kohli missed the franchise's first three matches as he underwent rehabilitation after injuring his right shoulder while fielding during the third test against Australia at Ranchi. The injury forced him to miss India's series-sealing final test win over Australia in Dharamsala but the BCCI said on Thursday the 28-year-old has regained match fitness. "He will now be available for RCB's next match against Mumbai Indians on April 14 in Bengaluru," the board said in a statement. "The Indian captain had undergone rehabilitation after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder and has now recovered to be able to participate in IPL 2017." Kohli's side, who have lost Australia paceman Mitchell Starc and India opener Lokesh Rahul to injuries, have lost two of their three matches in the April 5-May 21 tournament. (Reuters)

India captain Kohli fit to play IPL

Mumbai Indians beat defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter, here today.

Chasing a victory target of 159, Mumbai achieved the target in 18.4 overs with youngster Nitish Rana scoring 45 and veteran keeper Parthiv Patel scoring 39 off 24 balls.

Rana&rsquo;s innings comprised of three fours and two sixes.

Krunal Pandya also played an attractive knock of 37 off only 20 balls.

Earlier, David Warner&rsquo;s 49 and Shikhar Dhawan&rsquo;s 48 were the significant contributions in an otherwise modest 158 for 8 on batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.

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WION&#39;s sports editor Digvijay Singh Deo provides talks about what to expect in the match as the two IPL giants clash at Wankhede today (WION)
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(PTI)

Chasing a victory target of 159, Mumbai achieved the target in 18.4 overs

Mumbai Indians beat defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter, here today. Chasing a victory target of 159, Mumbai achieved the target in 18.4 overs with youngster Nitish Rana scoring 45 and veteran keeper Parthiv Patel scoring 39 off 24 balls. Rana’s innings comprised of three fours and two sixes. Krunal Pandya also played an attractive knock of 37 off only 20 balls. Earlier, David Warner’s 49 and Shikhar Dhawan’s 48 were the significant contributions in an otherwise modest 158 for 8 on batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium. WION's sports editor Digvijay Singh Deo provides talks about what to expect in the match as the two IPL giants clash at Wankhede today (WION) × (PTI)

IPL: Mumbai Indians beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 wickets

A 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted rape and assault after he attacked a woman inside a Gurudwara in the US state of Oregon.

Timothy Walter Schmidt was intoxicated and was walking by the Sikh house of worship in the Oregon town of Gresham Sunday night. He asked to use a restroom at the gurudwara and was allowed inside.

A local<a href="http://www.kptv.com/clip/13205651/gresham-police-arrest-37-year-old-man-who-attacked-woman-inside-sikh-temple" target="_blank"> Fox News</a> report places the incident at around 10pm.

When Schmidt came out of the bathroom, he saw a 26-year-old female temple member inside the building and attacked her, a report in Fox 12 Oregon said.

According to Detective Adam Baker, a temple member heard the commotion and pulled off Schmidt of the woman and held him down until police arrived.

Schmidt was lodged into the Multnomah County Jail and charged with assault, coercion, attempted rape, sex abuse and unlawful use of a weapon. Rights group &quot;The Sikh Coalition&quot;&nbsp;said it was &ldquo;grateful&rdquo; to Gresham law enforcement officials for arresting the accused.

(PTI)

The heroes of MI's thrilling run-chase were one-down batsman Nitish Rana, who made a 29-ball 50, and Hardik Pandya who cracked an 11-ball 29

A 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted rape and assault after he attacked a woman inside a Gurudwara in the US state of Oregon. Timothy Walter Schmidt was intoxicated and was walking by the Sikh house of worship in the Oregon town of Gresham Sunday night. He asked to use a restroom at the gurudwara and was allowed inside. A local Fox News report places the incident at around 10pm. When Schmidt came out of the bathroom, he saw a 26-year-old female temple member inside the building and attacked her, a report in Fox 12 Oregon said. According to Detective Adam Baker, a temple member heard the commotion and pulled off Schmidt of the woman and held him down until police arrived. Schmidt was lodged into the Multnomah County Jail and charged with assault, coercion, attempted rape, sex abuse and unlawful use of a weapon. Rights group "The Sikh Coalition" said it was “grateful” to Gresham law enforcement officials for arresting the accused. (PTI)

Mumbai Indians pull off thrilling four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders

Captain Steven Smith&#39;s love affair with Pune continued as he led Rising Pune Supergiant to a seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an IPL match, dishing out an unbelievable unbeaten knock under pressure in a tense last-over finish, here today. 
 
Smith finished off the match with two consecutive sixes in the final over and remained not out on 84 from 54 balls as Pune chased down the target of 185 with one ball to spare as the match went down the wire. 
 
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni&#39;s inability to finish off matches put pressure on the home side and Smith, at the other end, pulled of a sensational innings at the same ground where he had smashed a century to set up a memorable win for Australia in the recent Test series. 
 
Pune needed 13 runs from the final over and Smith hit a six off the fourth ball, picking a Kieron Pollard slow ball needing another four for a win from two balls. He did not wait for the final delivery and hit the fifth ball of the final over to the stands to the huge roar of home crowd to reach 187 for 3 in 19.5 overs. 
 
India batsman Ajinkya Rahane also made a significant contribution as he hit a brilliant 60 from 34 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes. 
 
Smith and Rahane stitched 58 runs for the second wicket from seven overs to lay the foundation for the run chase. 
 
Pune began brightly but lost Mayank Agarwal (6) in the fourth over bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan and that put some brake on the quick start. 
 
The other opener Ajinkya Rahane and captain Steven Smith batted sensibly with a mix of caution and aggression to take Pune to 93 for 1 at the halfway mark. 
 
Rahane reached to his 32nd T20 fifty with a four off Hardik Pandya in the ninth over but he fell two overs later while attempting a pull shot with Nitish Rana taking a smart catch at deep square leg. 
 
Rahane hit six boundaries and three sixes in his 34-ball knock and shared 58 runs for the second wicket with Smith. 
 
Smith then dropped anchor and showed his class by hitting some exquisite shots to ensure that Pune remained in the hunt in his debut captaincy for the Pune side. 
 
Smith was dropped on 36 off the bowling of McClenaghan with Nitish Rana being the culprit. 
 
Mumbai raised some hopes of a win after Hardik Pandya dismissed Ben Stokes, this IPL season&#39;s costliest buy, for 21. 
 
But it was shortlived as Smith snatched the game from the jaws of defeat. 
 
Earlier, Hardik Pandya&#39;s late heroics took Mumbai Indians to 184 for 8 after leg-spinner Imran Tahir produced a sensational three-wicket burst in the space of 10 balls. 
 
South African Tahir (3/28), who was unsold in the IPL auction and drafted in the Pune team as a late replacement, triggered a top-order collapse to put brakes on Mumbai&#39;s rollicking start after they were put into bat. 
 
Mumbai did not have any substantial partnership after the opening wicket stand of 45 between Parthiv Patel (19) and Jos Buttler (38) before Pandya&#39;s late flourish took them to a competitive total. Pandya remained not out at 35 from 15 balls (1x4; 4x6) as Mumbai added 64 runs in the last five overs. 
 
Tahir cleaned up Patel in his second ball of the match, giving Pune the first breakthrough after Mumbai had knocked off 41 runs in the first four overs. He dealt a body blow to Mumbai in his next over by sending back captain Rohit Sharma (3 off 7 balls) who tried to work Tahir&#39;s delivery to the leg side without any foot movement only to lose his stumps. 
 
Just two balls later, Tahir dismissed opener Buttler in an LBW decision to rock the Mumbai innings. Butler, who hit three sixes and as many fours in his 19-ball knock, was a bit unlucky as it appeared the ball got an inside edge of his bat. 
 
Butler had hit his England team-mate and this season&#39;s costliest buy Ben Stokes (1/36) for two consecutive sixes to set the tempo of the match. 
 
Rajat Bhatia (2/14) had Ambati Rayudu caught and bowled for 10 before Mumbai reached 100-run mark in 13th over. Bhatia then cut short Krunal Pandya&#39;s (3) stay at the crease to just five balls to reduce Mumbai to 107 for five in the 14th over. 
 
Nitish Rana tried to steady the Mumbai innings with a 28-ball 34 but he was also out in 16th over. Kieron Pollard was dismissed for 27 (17 balls; 3x4; 1x6) in the penultimate over by Stokes for the bowler&#39;s first IPL wicket. 
 
Hardik Pandya then stunned the home crowd as he scored four sixes and a boundary to take 30 runs from the final over bowled by Ashok Dinda.

(PTI)

Needing 13 of the last over, Steven Smith finished off the match with two consecutive sixes in the final over

Captain Steven Smith's love affair with Pune continued as he led Rising Pune Supergiant to a seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an IPL match, dishing out an unbelievable unbeaten knock under pressure in a tense last-over finish, here today. Smith finished off the match with two consecutive sixes in the final over and remained not out on 84 from 54 balls as Pune chased down the target of 185 with one ball to spare as the match went down the wire. Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's inability to finish off matches put pressure on the home side and Smith, at the other end, pulled of a sensational innings at the same ground where he had smashed a century to set up a memorable win for Australia in the recent Test series. Pune needed 13 runs from the final over and Smith hit a six off the fourth ball, picking a Kieron Pollard slow ball needing another four for a win from two balls. He did not wait for the final delivery and hit the fifth ball of the final over to the stands to the huge roar of home crowd to reach 187 for 3 in 19.5 overs. India batsman Ajinkya Rahane also made a significant contribution as he hit a brilliant 60 from 34 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes. Smith and Rahane stitched 58 runs for the second wicket from seven overs to lay the foundation for the run chase. Pune began brightly but lost Mayank Agarwal (6) in the fourth over bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan and that put some brake on the quick start. The other opener Ajinkya Rahane and captain Steven Smith batted sensibly with a mix of caution and aggression to take Pune to 93 for 1 at the halfway mark. Rahane reached to his 32nd T20 fifty with a four off Hardik Pandya in the ninth over but he fell two overs later while attempting a pull shot with Nitish Rana taking a smart catch at deep square leg. Rahane hit six boundaries and three sixes in his 34-ball knock and shared 58 runs for the second wicket with Smith. Smith then dropped anchor and showed his class by hitting some exquisite shots to ensure that Pune remained in the hunt in his debut captaincy for the Pune side. Smith was dropped on 36 off the bowling of McClenaghan with Nitish Rana being the culprit. Mumbai raised some hopes of a win after Hardik Pandya dismissed Ben Stokes, this IPL season's costliest buy, for 21. But it was shortlived as Smith snatched the game from the jaws of defeat. Earlier, Hardik Pandya's late heroics took Mumbai Indians to 184 for 8 after leg-spinner Imran Tahir produced a sensational three-wicket burst in the space of 10 balls. South African Tahir (3/28), who was unsold in the IPL auction and drafted in the Pune team as a late replacement, triggered a top-order collapse to put brakes on Mumbai's rollicking start after they were put into bat. Mumbai did not have any substantial partnership after the opening wicket stand of 45 between Parthiv Patel (19) and Jos Buttler (38) before Pandya's late flourish took them to a competitive total. Pandya remained not out at 35 from 15 balls (1x4; 4x6) as Mumbai added 64 runs in the last five overs. Tahir cleaned up Patel in his second ball of the match, giving Pune the first breakthrough after Mumbai had knocked off 41 runs in the first four overs. He dealt a body blow to Mumbai in his next over by sending back captain Rohit Sharma (3 off 7 balls) who tried to work Tahir's delivery to the leg side without any foot movement only to lose his stumps. Just two balls later, Tahir dismissed opener Buttler in an LBW decision to rock the Mumbai innings. Butler, who hit three sixes and as many fours in his 19-ball knock, was a bit unlucky as it appeared the ball got an inside edge of his bat. Butler had hit his England team-mate and this season's costliest buy Ben Stokes (1/36) for two consecutive sixes to set the tempo of the match. Rajat Bhatia (2/14) had Ambati Rayudu caught and bowled for 10 before Mumbai reached 100-run mark in 13th over. Bhatia then cut short Krunal Pandya's (3) stay at the crease to just five balls to reduce Mumbai to 107 for five in the 14th over. Nitish Rana tried to steady the Mumbai innings with a 28-ball 34 but he was also out in 16th over. Kieron Pollard was dismissed for 27 (17 balls; 3x4; 1x6) in the penultimate over by Stokes for the bowler's first IPL wicket. Hardik Pandya then stunned the home crowd as he scored four sixes and a boundary to take 30 runs from the final over bowled by Ashok Dinda. (PTI)

IPL: Pune's Smith plays captain's knock to beat Mumbai

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad made a perfect start to their Indian Premier League campaign crushing a depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opening encounter, here tonight. 
 
Veteran Yuvraj Singh&#39;s blazing blade (62 off 27 balls) and unheralded Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman (2/36 in 4 overs)&#39;s crucial breakthroughs enabled Sunrisers to outwit a Virat Kohli-less RCB in all departments. 
 
A challenging target of 208 was achievable on a placid track but RCB could only manage 172 in 19.4 overs losing wickets at regular intervals. This was the first time after 23 IPL matches that RCB were all-out. 
 
RCB&#39;s top four -- Chris Gayle (32), Mandeep Singh (24), Travis Head (30) and Kedar Jadhav (31) -- were all set before getting out. Kedar&#39;s dismissal was the turning point as RCB were never in the match after that. 
 
The India international was looking dangerous during his 16-ball stay and was run-out when Ben Cutting&#39;s direct throw from the deep found him short by a metre. 
 
On a belter where pacers became easy prey for the batsmen, Sunrisers skipper David Warner rotated his spinners well trying to take the pace off the deliveries. 
 
Young Rashid, who created history by being the first Afghan to play an IPL match got Mandeep with a fuller delivery that didn&#39;t turn. 
 
The batsman trying to cut got an inside edge onto the stumps. The celebration was atypical Shahid Afridi just like his style of fastish leg-breaks. Rashid also got Travis Head when the batsmen tried to play a slog sweep. 
 
But Deepak Hooda got the most important wicket when he got Gayle trying to hit him over long-off for a second six only to be caught by Warner. Th wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no pressure on Sunrisers as they coasted to victory. Ashish Nehra (2/42) also gota couple of wickets to reach a personal milestone of 100 IPL victims. 
 
Earlier, a vintage Yuvraj hammered RCB bowlers to submission as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a commendable 207 for 4 put into bat by Shane Watson. 
 
On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls. 
 
Moises Henriques&#39; 52 off 37 balls also went a long way in contributing to Sunrisers&#39; total. The Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket. 
 
Yuvraj&#39;s innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques&#39; innings had three fours and two sixes. 
 
Skipper David Warner started with a couple of boundaries and huge six over long-on off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary but was gone when his slash was taken by a leaping Mandeep Singh at backward point. 
 
Dhawan banged rival skipper Shane Watson for four boundaries in the final Powerplay over to set the tone. 
 
Henriques at the other end chanced his arms to hit a six over long-on off Travis Head. Once Dhawan was caught in the deep off Stuart Binny&#39;s delivery, Yuvraj came in and started taking on the bowlers. 
 
Rajasthan&#39;s Chaudhary, who has been with the India camp came in for special treatment including a lofted extra cover drive for a six apart fom two fours in a single over. 
 
Aravind, who dropped him bowled a back of the hand slower that was dispatched into mid-wicket stands. 
 
A widish delivery from Chaudhary was slashed past point to reach his half-century. 
 
IPL&#39;s million dollar boy Tymal Mills was flicked past short fine leg and once again picked the slower delivery into the deep square leg stands before becoming his first victim. 
 
India&#39;s T20- specialist Yuzvendra Chahal (1/22 in 4 overs) held his own without conceding a single boundary while Mills 1/31 in 4 overs bowled the maximum (11) dot balls.

(PTI)

Veteran Yuvraj Singh's blazing blade and unheralded Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan Arman helped the defending champions start with a win

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad made a perfect start to their Indian Premier League campaign crushing a depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opening encounter, here tonight. Veteran Yuvraj Singh's blazing blade (62 off 27 balls) and unheralded Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman (2/36 in 4 overs)'s crucial breakthroughs enabled Sunrisers to outwit a Virat Kohli-less RCB in all departments. A challenging target of 208 was achievable on a placid track but RCB could only manage 172 in 19.4 overs losing wickets at regular intervals. This was the first time after 23 IPL matches that RCB were all-out. RCB's top four -- Chris Gayle (32), Mandeep Singh (24), Travis Head (30) and Kedar Jadhav (31) -- were all set before getting out. Kedar's dismissal was the turning point as RCB were never in the match after that. The India international was looking dangerous during his 16-ball stay and was run-out when Ben Cutting's direct throw from the deep found him short by a metre. On a belter where pacers became easy prey for the batsmen, Sunrisers skipper David Warner rotated his spinners well trying to take the pace off the deliveries. Young Rashid, who created history by being the first Afghan to play an IPL match got Mandeep with a fuller delivery that didn't turn. The batsman trying to cut got an inside edge onto the stumps. The celebration was atypical Shahid Afridi just like his style of fastish leg-breaks. Rashid also got Travis Head when the batsmen tried to play a slog sweep. But Deepak Hooda got the most important wicket when he got Gayle trying to hit him over long-off for a second six only to be caught by Warner. Th wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no pressure on Sunrisers as they coasted to victory. Ashish Nehra (2/42) also gota couple of wickets to reach a personal milestone of 100 IPL victims. Earlier, a vintage Yuvraj hammered RCB bowlers to submission as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a commendable 207 for 4 put into bat by Shane Watson. On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls. Moises Henriques' 52 off 37 balls also went a long way in contributing to Sunrisers' total. The Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket. Yuvraj's innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques' innings had three fours and two sixes. Skipper David Warner started with a couple of boundaries and huge six over long-on off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary but was gone when his slash was taken by a leaping Mandeep Singh at backward point. Dhawan banged rival skipper Shane Watson for four boundaries in the final Powerplay over to set the tone. Henriques at the other end chanced his arms to hit a six over long-on off Travis Head. Once Dhawan was caught in the deep off Stuart Binny's delivery, Yuvraj came in and started taking on the bowlers. Rajasthan's Chaudhary, who has been with the India camp came in for special treatment including a lofted extra cover drive for a six apart fom two fours in a single over. Aravind, who dropped him bowled a back of the hand slower that was dispatched into mid-wicket stands. A widish delivery from Chaudhary was slashed past point to reach his half-century. IPL's million dollar boy Tymal Mills was flicked past short fine leg and once again picked the slower delivery into the deep square leg stands before becoming his first victim. India's T20- specialist Yuzvendra Chahal (1/22 in 4 overs) held his own without conceding a single boundary while Mills 1/31 in 4 overs bowled the maximum (11) dot balls. (PTI)

IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in curtain-raiser

The dust hasn&#39;t settled yet on India&#39;s 2-1 T<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/india-beat-australia-by-8-wickets-in-fourth-test-clinch-series-2-1-13884">est series win</a> over Australia, but&nbsp;the country&#39;s cricketers are already busy preparing themselves for another season of the Indian Premier League. With the huge number of Twenty20 (T20)&nbsp;matches being played nowadays, is it influencing the way cricketers play the longer format of Test cricket? We look at 25 years of Test cricket data to find out.

Fewer runs totals over 600

One way to see if there has been any effect is to look at the kind of runs totals teams are putting up in Test cricket now. Given how frenetic T20 matches are, are teams losing the capability and patience&nbsp;to put up huge totals in Tests?&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/7dx2gls.png" style="width: 346px; height: 546px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/combined.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

Looking at the kind of runs totals Test-playing nations have been amassing in their first innings over the past 20 years, we see that the past five years, ie. 2012-2016, have seen only 15 runs totals over 600. This is a decline from the 24 runs totals over 600 in the previous five-year periods of 2002-2006 and 2007-2011.&nbsp;

There is no way to be certain that this decline is down to T20 cricket but it&#39;s&nbsp;worth asking the question.

Batsmen still putting up double-&nbsp;and triple centuries

Teams as a whole may be putting up lower runs totals, but that doesn&#39;t seem to have affected individual batsmen.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/lQeUGNl.png" style="width: 345px; height: 545px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_indiv_scores_v2.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

Looking at how many times batsmen have scored a double-or triple century over the past 20 years, we see that the number has gone up over the past five years. It went up from 40 in 2007-2011 to 49 in 2012-2016.

The run rate has gone up

Let&#39;s look at this further by looking at the rate at which runs are being scored in Test matches. The assumption being that if the frenzy of T20 is creeping into Test cricket, than the run-rate would be higher than it was in the past.

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/WQXstRa.png" style="width: 350px; height: 549px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_run_rate.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

If we see how many runs are scored for every 90 overs, a team would score 293 runs in 2016, compared to 268 in 1991. The runs scored per 90 overs&nbsp;has gone up to around the 300-run mark&nbsp;but it&#39;s been that way since&nbsp;2002, a few years before T20 cricket started becoming popular.&nbsp;So this upward trend may not have much to do with the shorter format.

There are sixes more often now

Again, the logic is that if the T20 format is affecting batsmanship, we should see people more willing to take risks, be less conservative&nbsp;and go for sixes in Test matches.

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/OTLJRu8.png" style="width: 346px; height: 545px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_sixes_rate.csv">here</a>. Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

So if we look at the frequency with which sixes are being scored, the data shows that in 2016, there was an average of one six every 44 overs. This is down significantly from 1992 when it was a six every 105 overs.

But the number of overs to see a six first went under 50 overs back in 2004, before T20 matches were&nbsp;being played internationally. So, again, the growth of T20 may not have much to do with how often we&#39;re seeing sixes now.

Wickets are falling more often

The idea is that if the T20 format is speeding up the pace of Test cricket, we should be seeing wickets fall more frequently now.

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/gngqKuC.png" style="width: 347px; height: 545px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_wicket_freq.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

In 2016, you would have to wait an average of around 10 overs to see a batsman getting out. This is down from the average of 12 overs back in 1993. But this figure&nbsp;for the number of overs between dismissals has been around&nbsp;10 since the mid-1990s. So again, this trend may have little to do with T20 cricket.

Fewer batsmen are getting run out

So if Test cricket is getting more frenetic because of the impact of T20 cricket, we should be seeing more mix-ups between batsmen, more confusion and more run outs right?

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/Qa5c6Fp.png" style="width: 345px; height: 544px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_run_out.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

Not really, according to the data. The percent of dismissals that are run outs has actually gone down over the years. 4.4 % or around one in 25 dismissals was a run out back in 1999. In 2016, 2.6%, or around one in 40 dismissals was a run out.&nbsp;

Not as many maiden overs

Again the assumption is that if we&#39;re seeing more runs because of the influence of T20, we should be seeing fewer maiden overs being bowled.

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/giKAdPI.png" style="width: 347px; height: 547px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_maide.csv">here</a>. Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

We are definitely seeing fewer maiden overs being bowled compared to the late 1990s. In 2016, 18.7% of overs bowled in test matches were maiden overs, compared to 25.5% in 2000. But here too, the downward trend started in 2004, when it first went under the 20% mark and came before the growth in T20 cricket.

Fewer test matches are being drawn

Another way to check if test cricket has been affected, is to look at whether Test matches have&nbsp;sped up so much that we are&nbsp;seeing fewer draws than&nbsp;we used to.

<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/Aky17ba.png" style="width: 348px; height: 548px;" />

See data <a href="https://github.com/shijithpk/2017_04_03_t20_effect/blob/master/again_draw_percent.csv">here</a>.&nbsp;Source: <a href="http://www.cricketarchive.com">Cricketarchive.com</a>

That is certainly borne out by the evidence&nbsp;as last year saw 15% of Test matches being drawn, the lowest percentage since 2002.

Conclusion

After looking at the data from these different angles, we can definitely say that test cricket has changed from 25 years ago. But whether these changes&nbsp;are&nbsp;down to the growth in T20 cricket is open to debate.

(WION)

With the Indian Premier League starting this week, we find out whether Twenty20 matches are changing the way cricketers play Test matches

The dust hasn't settled yet on India's 2-1 Test series win over Australia, but the country's cricketers are already busy preparing themselves for another season of the Indian Premier League. With the huge number of Twenty20 (T20) matches being played nowadays, is it influencing the way cricketers play the longer format of Test cricket? We look at 25 years of Test cricket data to find out. Fewer runs totals over 600 One way to see if there has been any effect is to look at the kind of runs totals teams are putting up in Test cricket now. Given how frenetic T20 matches are, are teams losing the capability and patience to put up huge totals in Tests? See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com Looking at the kind of runs totals Test-playing nations have been amassing in their first innings over the past 20 years, we see that the past five years, ie. 2012-2016, have seen only 15 runs totals over 600. This is a decline from the 24 runs totals over 600 in the previous five-year periods of 2002-2006 and 2007-2011. There is no way to be certain that this decline is down to T20 cricket but it's worth asking the question. Batsmen still putting up double- and triple centuries Teams as a whole may be putting up lower runs totals, but that doesn't seem to have affected individual batsmen. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com Looking at how many times batsmen have scored a double-or triple century over the past 20 years, we see that the number has gone up over the past five years. It went up from 40 in 2007-2011 to 49 in 2012-2016. The run rate has gone up Let's look at this further by looking at the rate at which runs are being scored in Test matches. The assumption being that if the frenzy of T20 is creeping into Test cricket, than the run-rate would be higher than it was in the past. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com If we see how many runs are scored for every 90 overs, a team would score 293 runs in 2016, compared to 268 in 1991. The runs scored per 90 overs has gone up to around the 300-run mark but it's been that way since 2002, a few years before T20 cricket started becoming popular. So this upward trend may not have much to do with the shorter format. There are sixes more often now Again, the logic is that if the T20 format is affecting batsmanship, we should see people more willing to take risks, be less conservative and go for sixes in Test matches. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com So if we look at the frequency with which sixes are being scored, the data shows that in 2016, there was an average of one six every 44 overs. This is down significantly from 1992 when it was a six every 105 overs. But the number of overs to see a six first went under 50 overs back in 2004, before T20 matches were being played internationally. So, again, the growth of T20 may not have much to do with how often we're seeing sixes now. Wickets are falling more often The idea is that if the T20 format is speeding up the pace of Test cricket, we should be seeing wickets fall more frequently now. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com In 2016, you would have to wait an average of around 10 overs to see a batsman getting out. This is down from the average of 12 overs back in 1993. But this figure for the number of overs between dismissals has been around 10 since the mid-1990s. So again, this trend may have little to do with T20 cricket. Fewer batsmen are getting run out So if Test cricket is getting more frenetic because of the impact of T20 cricket, we should be seeing more mix-ups between batsmen, more confusion and more run outs right? See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com Not really, according to the data. The percent of dismissals that are run outs has actually gone down over the years. 4.4 % or around one in 25 dismissals was a run out back in 1999. In 2016, 2.6%, or around one in 40 dismissals was a run out. Not as many maiden overs Again the assumption is that if we're seeing more runs because of the influence of T20, we should be seeing fewer maiden overs being bowled. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com We are definitely seeing fewer maiden overs being bowled compared to the late 1990s. In 2016, 18.7% of overs bowled in test matches were maiden overs, compared to 25.5% in 2000. But here too, the downward trend started in 2004, when it first went under the 20% mark and came before the growth in T20 cricket. Fewer test matches are being drawn Another way to check if test cricket has been affected, is to look at whether Test matches have sped up so much that we are seeing fewer draws than we used to. See data here. Source: Cricketarchive.com That is certainly borne out by the evidence as last year saw 15% of Test matches being drawn, the lowest percentage since 2002. Conclusion After looking at the data from these different angles, we can definitely say that test cricket has changed from 25 years ago. But whether these changes are down to the growth in T20 cricket is open to debate. (WION)

Analysis: Is T20 format ruining Test cricket?

A new city-based Twenty20 tournament for English cricket intended to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia&#39;s Big Bash moved a step closer on Monday following a key presentation by the sport&#39;s governing body.

In a break with 130 years of tradition, none of England&#39;s existing 18 counties is due to feature in the new event. Instead eight new teams, drawn from cities, would compete from 2020.

The proposed change would be one of the most sweeping ever introduced to the English game&#39;s structure, with the details set out for the counties by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in London on Monday.

&quot;We have to think differently if we are going to be successful in attracting family audiences to our competitions,&quot; said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison. &quot;This is about growth and creating something dramatically different for English cricket.&quot;

The counties are being asked to agree a change to the ECB constitution, which currently says each competition must be open to them all. In return, each county would receive a financial inducement of 1.3 million pounds ($1.63 million) annually for five years.

On Tuesday a full ECB board meeting will be asked to ratify the decision.

The ECB urged counties and supporters not to regard the change as a threat.

&quot;What we are doing here is future-proofing country cricket,&quot; said Harrison. &quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s so much a gamble, I think it&#39;s about looking into the future and saying what do we want our business and our game to look like.&quot;

Players draft

Eight as yet unnamed teams will play 36 games over a 38-day summer window in the season, with four home games per team. Eight of the games are planned for terrestrial television.

The tournament would feature a players draft, with each team having a squad of 15 that can include three overseas players.

The new franchises will be the subject of fierce dispute among counties each hoping to host lucrative games at their grounds. Potential new teams ventured in the British media include North London, South London, West, Red Rose, White Rose, Birmingham, Trent Bridge and South.

Scheduling also remains problematic in an already packed English season. The tournament may clash with Tests, meaning established England players may not feature.

&quot;We&#39;d like to find room to breath but it&#39;s difficult and ultimately we&#39;re a market that&#39;s hugely reliant on international cricket. A huge part of that diet is Test cricket,&quot; said Harrison, who added that the new tournament would not affect the existing T20 Blast competition among the counties but could &quot;absolutely&quot; rival the IPL.

However, former England captain Michael Vaughan said the new tournament will bring about a cultural shift in the game.

&quot;In ten years&#39; time cricket in this country could be very different,&quot; he wrote on the Daily Telegraph website (www.telegraph.co.uk).

&quot;No longer will international cricket be king. We have seen this already happen in Australia. This winter the Big Bash eclipsed, in terms of popularity and exposure, Australia&#39;s home series with Pakistan.&quot;

(Reuters)

In a break with 130 years of tradition, none of England's existing 18 counties are due to feature in the new event

A new city-based Twenty20 tournament for English cricket intended to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia's Big Bash moved a step closer on Monday following a key presentation by the sport's governing body. In a break with 130 years of tradition, none of England's existing 18 counties is due to feature in the new event. Instead eight new teams, drawn from cities, would compete from 2020. The proposed change would be one of the most sweeping ever introduced to the English game's structure, with the details set out for the counties by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in London on Monday. "We have to think differently if we are going to be successful in attracting family audiences to our competitions," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison. "This is about growth and creating something dramatically different for English cricket." The counties are being asked to agree a change to the ECB constitution, which currently says each competition must be open to them all. In return, each county would receive a financial inducement of 1.3 million pounds ($1.63 million) annually for five years. On Tuesday a full ECB board meeting will be asked to ratify the decision. The ECB urged counties and supporters not to regard the change as a threat. "What we are doing here is future-proofing country cricket," said Harrison. "I don't think it's so much a gamble, I think it's about looking into the future and saying what do we want our business and our game to look like." Players draft Eight as yet unnamed teams will play 36 games over a 38-day summer window in the season, with four home games per team. Eight of the games are planned for terrestrial television. The tournament would feature a players draft, with each team having a squad of 15 that can include three overseas players. The new franchises will be the subject of fierce dispute among counties each hoping to host lucrative games at their grounds. Potential new teams ventured in the British media include North London, South London, West, Red Rose, White Rose, Birmingham, Trent Bridge and South. Scheduling also remains problematic in an already packed English season. The tournament may clash with Tests, meaning established England players may not feature. "We'd like to find room to breath but it's difficult and ultimately we're a market that's hugely reliant on international cricket. A huge part of that diet is Test cricket," said Harrison, who added that the new tournament would not affect the existing T20 Blast competition among the counties but could "absolutely" rival the IPL. However, former England captain Michael Vaughan said the new tournament will bring about a cultural shift in the game. "In ten years' time cricket in this country could be very different," he wrote on the Daily Telegraph website (www.telegraph.co.uk). "No longer will international cricket be king. We have seen this already happen in Australia. This winter the Big Bash eclipsed, in terms of popularity and exposure, Australia's home series with Pakistan." (Reuters)

English cricket moves closer to setting up IPL rival

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