MI vs RCB final

Chennai: In cricket, captains are known by their moves. And it was Harbhajan Singh’s masterstroke on Saturday which earned Mumbai Indians their maiden entry into the final of the Champions League T20. They will play Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on Sunday. Defending a modest total of 160, Harbhajan marshalled his resources to perfection to steal a 10-run victory against the impressive Somerset, in the second semi-final. The English team had done well till the 18th over as they were comfortably placed at 139 for three. With 22 more required off 12 balls for a place in final, Somerset knew that they were in with a bright chance. It was at this juncture that Harbhajan, the captain, made the most inspiring move of the tournament. When common sense would have told that either Harbhajan himself or Kieron Pollard should shoulder the responsibility of the crucial 19th over, the Mumbai Indians captain entrusted James Franklin with the duty. And what a over it turned out to be for the Mumbai side. Franklin absorbed all the pressure and bowled a disciplined spell, giving away just seven runs and picking up two crucial wickets — of the dangerous Craig Kieswetter (62) and Jos Butler (19). That setback hit Somerset hard and they were left with a difficult task of scoring 15 runs for victory in the final over. Harbhajan, expectedly, employed the fiery Lasith Malinga for the 20th over and the Sri Lankan didn’t disappoint his captain, giving away just four runs and taking two wickets. Somerset could manage 150 for seven in their quota of overs. Also, the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, who had specially flown in to Chennai for the match, must have inspired Harbhajan and Co. to go that extra yard. And Sachin was a happy man at the end of the match. Earlier, the Mumbai Indians managed to put up 160 for five in their 20 overs. Aiden Blizzard top-scored with 54 while Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav and Rajagopal Satish all chipped in with handy contributions on a difficult Chepauk pitch. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Harbhajan said he gave Franklin the ball in the 19th over because he was the man who was bowling a better length on the Chepauk track. The following are excerpts Harbhajan Singh: After I won the toss, I knew that it was definitely a bat-first wicket… We have seen that the games in Chennai, so far, have been low scoring affairs… But definitely this was a better wicket than the earlier ones. I think we batted quite well, just that we lost the momentum in the middle… But then R. Satish and the new guy Surya (Yadav), batted very well and took us to a total which we could defend. Then the way we came out with our bowling, I think we were right at the top. Malinga and Franklin bowled fantastically. We knew that in the Twenty20 format, it just a matter of one or two wickets to turn a game. I think, Keiswetter and (James) Hildreth, were going good… At that point of time, we needed one wicket and I got Hildreth… We kept the next few overs tight. The most important over for us today was the 19th over and Franklin bowled his heart out… That won the match for us. With Malinga bowling the last over, you will have to do exceedingly well to hit him for 15 runs. I gave the ball to Franklin in the penultimate over because he was the only one bowling the right sort of lengths on this wicket. He adjusted his pace well… It was a right choice. Though I still had another over left, but the wicket, by then, was playing pretty easy and the batsmen were set too… Moreover, the boundaries were not that big. So we thought that Franklin would be the right man for the job and it paid off. I’m very happy that we got the result which we were looking for… We are looking forward to the final. Alfonso Tomas: It has been a fantastic effort… We pushed hard, but got beaten by a top team… Things like this happens… Obviously gutted, but we provided some good entertainment to the people of India. We were close today… But then, that guy Malinga… He is just a quality performer… What can I say… I mean, that’s why you pay so much to get him in the team, isn’t it? It has been a fantastic experience for us… I think, in our team, some of the guys came in as boys and are leaving the tournament as men. We are going to take back very fond memories… Lasith Malinga (MoM): I am playing for the Mumbai Indians as a bowler and it is my job to take wickets… The first few overs today were very important… I managed to take a couple of wickets early. Then again, with the old ball, my variations worked and I got a couple more. So, at the end of the day, I’m very happy that we won the match. I know how to use the yorkers, bouncers and slowers… The only thing important is to use them against the right batsmen at the right time. I try my level best to do that. The 19th over was very crucial for us as Franklin gave away very few runs and got wickets too… With 15 runs required of the last over, I knew I had a chance. For the final, it doesn’t matter whom we are playing… I have faith in my abilities. James Franklin: I think it was a last-minute decision to give me the ball in the penultimate over. Bhajji had faith in me… It was Bhajji’s decision. It was nerve-wrecking, but it’s good to come out on the right side of it. Sometimes, this last-minute decisions pay-off, like it did today.

Knight Riders suffer crushing defeat

MS Dhoni scored an important half century to help the Chennai Super Kings built the Kolkata Knight Riders by 55 runs at Eden Gardens to claim their first win in this years Indian Premier League .

The Super Kings skipper stared with the bat, his blistering innings of 66 from just 33 balls allowed the visitors to reach 154-3 on a slow wicket.

The Knight Riders who had got of to the worst possible start losing two early wickets in their run chase never troubled the Super Kings as the visitors bowlers controlled the game.

Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. The Super Kings lost big hitting danger man Matthew Hayden (1) in the third over but Suresh Raina (18) and Murali Vijay (33) didn’t panic keeping Shane Bond and Ishant Sharma at bay with the new ball.

Although runs were slow to come by the pair started to build a useful partnership but they both failed to build on their good starts losing their wickets in the space of 3 balls to put the Knight Riders on top.

Vijay departed first hitting an inside edge onto his own stumps before Brad Hodge struck with is first ball of the game to knock Rainia middle stump out of the ground to leave the Super Kings 55-3.

With the Super Kings in trouble Dhoni came to the rescue, his 4th wicket partnership of 109 with Subramaniam Badrinath (41) gave the Super Kings hope after a slow start.

Dhoni was inspired form smashing 15 runs of Laxmi Shulka in the 17th over and then another 14 runs of Shane Bond in the next over to ensure his bowlers would have a chance of bowling the Super Kings to victory.

In reply the Knight Riders struggle with the bat losing Brad Hodge (0) and Manoj Iwary (8) inside the first two overs as the openers struggled against the new ball pace of Albie Morkel and Manpreet Gony who claimed a wicket each.

Wriddhiman Saha (22) and Owais Shah (5) soon followed to leave the home side 46-4 in the just the 6th over. With wickets falling around him Sourav Ganguly (18) needed to remain at the crease to see his side to victory but he was dismissed by Justin Kemp two overs later.

The Knight Riders were now in complete disarray as they collapsed to their first defeat in this years IPL. Angelo Matthew (6), Rohan Gavaskar (2), Laxmi Shukla (19), Shane Bond (1) and Murali Kartik (21) all departed without troubling the score as the Knight Riders were bowled out for 109.

Lara might join IPL 2011

Need to be at my best'

Mumbai: Brian Charles Lara. The name conjures an image of a batsman swivelling on his back-foot, playing a majestic pull shot against the speedsters, resulting in a perfect freeze frame - the Nataraja pose.

For almost 17 years one name was synonymous with West Indies cricket - Lara.

The man is currently traveling all across India to watch the Indian Premier League 2010 and is keeping a close eye on the men from the Caribbean in the league. In an exclusive interview with iplt20.com, Lara spoke about his chemistry with Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard and his plans for making a comeback to the game with IPL.

Praising the concept of Indian Premier League, Lara said, “It is an awesome concept. IPL is into its third year. They had a season in South Africa and this year it is back in India. I like the concept of franchise [-based cricket] with the private investors coming in. Just like in the English Premier League in England and the Spanish League, you know people are following their clubs. The players are real. It is a great venture and is catching up all around the world.”

It would be safe to say that the cricket-viewing experience is not complete until you have seen an innings by an in-form Brian Lara. For who knows if we'd ever again get to feast on the deeds of such a genius on the cricket field. So does he plans to get back to cricket with IPL?

“I don’t know if I can. It has been a long time since I have played competitive cricket. The standard of cricket being played in the Indian Premier League is pretty high so I need to be on the top of my game before I think of joining the league. So for now I am happy watching it,” he says displaying remarkable modesty.

Mumbai and Sachin are two names which bring a smile on Lara’s face. But which of the two he is fonder of?

“Well, obviously with my fellow West Indians playing in the tournament I had to be here. Mumbai is my favourite city in India. I have a few friends in here and I love coming here during this part of the year. Obviously watching Sachin [Tendulkar] at home is an invite no one can deny.

“I think we have a mutual admiration for each other's talent. We do feed on each other. We have been together on tours and we have discussed batting techniques. I would be happy if Sachin [Tendulkar] breaks my record of 400 in Test cricket. No one other than Sachin should do it,” he added.

With his nimble footwork he cut, drove, hooked and pulled fast bowlers and spinners with disdain through his career. A quality unmatched and hard to find among the youngsters. But quite a few have impressed him from the Caribbean.

“[Dwayne] Bravo has been playing international cricket for a while now so he has the experience and temperament to play at this level. He has had a good season in IPL already so he will be an asset for Mumbai Indians,” he said.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Kieron Pollard’s inclusion in the Mumbai Indians side. Will Pollard be able to live up to his reputation?

“[Kieron] Pollard has attracted a lot of attention with his big hitting already. He has to develop the consistency factor. To get one or two big scores is one thing but to win games consistently for your team is quite different. So, I hope he takes the IPL by storm by his powerful play and consistency,” he explained.

Lara was a true entertainer in every sense of the word. Which West Indies feel is up to entertaining the crowds consistently? “Adrian Barath is a talented young West Indies cricketer. He impressed with his debut for the Carribean against Australia. He will be representing Kings XI Punjab so I too will be supporting [Kumar] Sangakkara’s side.”

What about the bowlers? “We have Kemar Roach who is a very good. Although he is inexperienced there is also an opportunity for youngsters like him and other West Indies cricketers to prepare themselves for the highest level. He is very competitive [in the tournament] and his participation will only build his character,” he said.

Lara acknowledged that the rise of the shortest format has resulted in the rise of T20 specialists. “Yeah, there are specialists but I would say a good cricketer will be successful in all formats in the long run. Talking about the specialist – [Dwayne] Smith is an experienced campaigner in the T20 format. He loves the fast pace of the game and anyone who enjoys the pace and nuances of Twenty20 format will make it big like Smith,” he wrapped up.