Deccan vs Mumbai: whose home is it anyway?

Mumbai: This is a cruel joke on the Chargers. They take on Mumbai Indians in what is supposedly their home game at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. Taking on Sachin Tendulkar is a task in itself. Taking on the Master Blaster at home is like attacking Troy. You need more than a trick to breach his fortress.

And they will surely need some innovative captaincy in the game against Mumbai, who are looking all set to remain atop the points table. The Indians this year are a well-oiled unit who have been led from the front by Tendulkar, himself in stupendous form. In the previous two games Tendulkar has carried his bat through and that is indication enough of what the Chargers' bowlers should expect.

The Chargers have won three of their five games, but they have been a case of blow hot and blow cold. They lost their opening game against Kolkata and then bounced back to win three in a row before Shane Warne got the better of them on Friday.

It was supposed to be an easy game for the Chargers but they crumbled under some tight bowling and will have to be careful not to repeat their errors against a top bowling outfit. Mumbai's bowlers have been on target right through with Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh all among the wickets. The Chargers' running between the wickets has also been dicey and the calling for runs must improve.

Mumbai surely look to be in the driver's seat. The lineup has fired in unision and the 'home' crowd will hope for an encore. The threat of Tendulkar taking the game away from the Chargers in the first 10 overs remains the biggest threat.

The Indians surely have more than an edge in this contest. They have the momentum going their way and they have a certain Sachin Tendulkar who'll show them just who is the boss in Mumbai.

Hayden's Mongoose finds takers in UAE

Dubai: The Mongoose bat may have yielded limited returns for Matthew Hayden in the Indian Premier League, but it is certainly gaining popularity among the cricketers in the UAE.

Cricket lovers are flocking the shops here and in Sharjah inquiring about the availability of the bat.

"Our showroom has already started selling Mongoose bat. Few bats have also been sold in our showroom's outlet in Wimbledon, England," Ali Anwar Jafri of the Sharjah Cricket Council and owner of AJ Sports said.

"I had flown in 20 Mongoose bats nearly six months ago but they had remained unsold. But now the demand is really high," Jafri told Gulf News.

"The power of every cricket bat has increased with manufactures making sure that the sweet spot is made thicker. Bats are now very light and not pressed and such bats are good for professionals but not for club level cricketers," said Jafri.

"Hard hitters want a lot of meat in the middle and I recently happened to see Yusuf Pathan's bat. It was unbelievably thick in the middle," he added.

Though such bats may not last long, professional cricketers do not mind using it because most of the bats are given to them by sponsors and they do not have to pay from their pocket.

"These bats may have lots of power but less longevity. The Mongoose bat is being sold for 300 dirhams (Rs 3,684) and UAE's hardest hitters are likely to use it in the coming tournaments," Jafri said.

One-year IPL ban on Ravindra Jadeja upheld

New Delhi: Ravindra Jadeja may have made the cut for the ICC World Twenty20 but his hopes of playing in the third edition of the Indian Premier League are over. The IPL's Review Committee, headed by Arun Jaitley, on Saturday upheld the one-year ban handed out to Jadeja for breaching player contract guidelines.

"Jadeja's ban upheld for 2010 season," Sundar Raman, the IPL's chief executive, said through Twitter. "Chairman Mr Jaitely filed the report, MI (Mumbai Indians) reprimanded,' he added.

Jadeja was in February banned from playing in this edition after he failed to renew his existing contract with the Rajasthan Royals and attempted to negotiate a new contract with the Mumbai Indians.

The Mumbai team has also been reprimanded for having tried to poach the all-rounder.

Punjab sink to new low as Kolkata win big

Mohali: Things went from bad to worse for Kumar Sangakkara's Kings XI Punjab as they lost their third successive game at home on Saturday. Chasing 184, Punjab made 144-6 to give a comfortable win to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The day belonged to Manoj Tiwary who bludgeoned an unbeaten 79 and then took a super catch to send back the dangerous Yuvraj Singh at the PCA stadium.

Punjab were never in the hunt with Kolkata striking in the first over and keeping a tight lid on the scoring from there on. Shane Bond trapped Ravi Bopara for no score and though Yuvraj Singh (24) belted a few blows, Kolkata were always in control. Especially after Yuvraj, who opened the batting, perished to Ajit Agarkar in the sixth over, Punjab never posed a threat.

Kumar Sangakkara (30) and Mahela Jayawardene (16) attempted to put up a fight but both eventually succumbed to the pressure. And by the time, Irfan Pathan came in the middle it was a little too late for Punjab.

Agarkar, playing his first game of the tournament, returned figures of two for 32 while Bond had figures of two for 24.

Earlier, The Kolkata Knight Riders finally batted like they were playing a 20-over game as Tiwary (79 not out) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (50) drove them to 183-5.

After Ganguly elected to bat, Chris Gayle got the Knight Riders off to a super start by pounding comeback man Brett Lee for 15 runs in the first over of the game. The Kolkata captain took over after Gayle fell for 14 and along with Tiwary added 79 runs in less than 10 overs.

Ganguly reached his fifty in the 14th over, his first in 16 IPL innings. His last half-century was in the inaugural edition in 2008. The southpaw smashed six boundaries and one six in his knock that ended when he tried to lift Irfan Pathan over long-off but was caught by Piyush Chawla.

David Hussey (three) failed to make a mark in his first game of IPL III as he was deceived by Chawla. However, Tiwary held one end up and reached his second IPL fifty and struck lusty blows in the end to power the Knight Riders to a formidable total. Tiwary belted eight fours and two sixes in his unconquered 47-ball innings.

The 39-run win escalated the Knight Riders to the fifth position in the points table.

Sachin fires Mumbai Indians to the top of IPL table

Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi: Chasing a mammoth 219 runs for victory, Delhi lost its plot mid-way through the innings and succumbed to a 98-run defeat after Mumbai posted Indian Premier League -2010’s highest innings total.

The result of the match was a forgone conclusion when Delhi lost its top 6 wickets for just 106 runs and Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir did not come out to bat after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the night.

Earlier, unfazed by the mammoth Mumbai total, Tilakratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag launched up a counter attack chase as Delhi looked all set to take the fight well towards the mid-night. But, alas! that just proved a mirage for the home team.

For a moment of brilliance, Dilshan started the thrilling chase with a courageous four on the very first ball of the innings as a lofted drive rolled past over the mid off boundary. Dilshan’s bravery ended with a brilliant slower one from Lasitha Malinga, world cricket’s rare commodity.

That dismissal at the top opened the flood gates as Delhi was further pegged back by Dwayne Bravo when their skipper Virender Sehwag (26) miscued a delivery only to see a comfortable catch in long off. Bravo once again proved the ultimate weapon at Tendulkar’s disposal as he then got rid off AB de Villiers (11).

The misery continued for the home side as Dinesh Karthik (28), who until then had hit three consecutive fours, missed a full on delivery from Harbhajan Singh and was brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Aditya Tare. Harbhajan fired it on the leg side as Karthik tried to step out and lift, but failed. The dismissal saw the teams departing for strategy break.

The break brought no respite for Delhi as Sanath Jayasuriya got the wicket of his very first ball. Mithun Manhas failed to hit a nicely tossed delivery and Sathish completed the formality. Barring Farveez Maharoof’s 28 runs innings no other Delhi Daredevils batsman moved into a double digit mark as Mumbai Indians bowlers kept chipping in with regular wickets. Tendulkar was adjudged as the player of the match.

Mumbai Innings

Earlier, runs rained at the newly laid Kotla track as Mumbai Indians amassed IPL 2010’s highest innings total of 218/7 in stipulated twenty overs.

And to credit that, if Saurabh Tiwary becomes the most searched word in Indian cricket tomorrow morning then just don’t frown. The young prodigy kept Mumbai’s promise of posting a huge total after Tendulkar’s departure and frustrated Delhi bowlers with some brutal assault.

Tiwary’s blitzkrieg lasted for 37 balls. The southpaw cleared the fence on three occasions for maximum and scored 61 runs before being run out by Dinesh Karthik. The superb innings from the left hander was only second to Tendulkar as the little master maintained a strike rate of staggering 196.88.

I was bringing up a live match report from IPL 2010 most awaited encounter. And what else I could have wrote when the maestro was batting? I was falling short of adjectives when Sachin Tendulkar was on song.

But to rescue me and Daredevils, came Yogesh Nagar. Once again the substitute fielder ran for his life to pull off another blinder as Tendulkar’s fireworks came to an abrupt end. The legend lasted for 32 balls and scored 63 runs before obliging Amit Mishra.

Tendulkar just took 23 balls to bring up a fifty which easily made one ask, how can India afford to miss such an asset in upcoming T20 World Cup in Caribbean Islands?

But all that is a different debate for some another time. Tonight, the infamous Kotla ground saw even and steady bounce as Sachin started milking Delhi Daredevils bowling to start the proceedings for Mumbai. Square cuts or pull shots flowed from the little maestro’s repertoire as Mumbai cashed in the charge and brought up its fifty run score in fewer than five overs.

Expectedly, old war horses, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings for Mumbai and got into the act from the onset as Delhi’s fielders were caught warming up. as the duo brought on a 38 run partnership, only to see a brilliant catch from Yogesh Nagar ending Jayasuriya’s misery at the crease.

Leaping high in air which could have envied Kobe Bryant, Nagar pulled of a sensational catch and gave some respite to Gambhir’s men as Jayasuriya walked back in disappointment.

Jayasuriya, in particular tried his best to break free from the clutches set by accurate line and length of Dirk Nannes but was struggling to get away. But importantly, the duo stuck to their guns and set the stage for a fierce battle in jam packed Kotla ground.

Jayasuriya’s departure saw Aditya Tare join the crease with Sachin Tendulkar. The hard hitting Mumbai wicket-keeper made his presence felt before being clean bowled by Pradeep Sangawan. Tare scored 17 runs before completely missing the line as the leather crashed onto the middle and leg stump.

Tare’s removal saw Jharkhand hero and Dhoni-styled, Saurabh Tiwary, join the crease with little master.

In the end Mumbai ended up posAing IPL season three’s most challenging total of 218/7 in stipulated twenty overs.

Earlier, Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to field first against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

For those interested in Mumbai’s new West Indian imports, Keiron Pollard, the costliest player scored 10 of 8 balls and took one wicket while Bravo scored 9 runs and dislodged 2 Delhi batters in a winning cause for Mumbai Indians.

Dhoni can play against Royal Challengers: Chennai Super Kings

KOLKATA: Within hours of registering their first win in IPL-3 on Tuesday night, Chennai Super Kings were jolted by the news that they will be without captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for at least two matches.

Dhoni was hit on the right forearm by a Shane Bond delivery during his match-winning unbeaten 66 against KKR and has been advised rest.

Dhoni, who left for Ranchi on Wednesday to recuperate at home, will rejoin the team in Chennai on Sunday, when his condition will be assessed. His return to the playing XI will depend on the outcome of the Sunday assessment.

CSK official Russel Radhakrishnan clarified to TOI that the rumour of Dhoni being out for 10 days is not true. "If he is found fit on Sunday, he could well play against Royal Challengers, in Bangalore on Tuesday."

Chennai Super Kings owner Gurunath Meyappan informed that in Dhoni's absence, Suresh Raina will lead the side and Parthiv Patel will keep wickets. CSK's next two games are against Delhi Daredevils in New Delhi on Friday and Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.

"Dhoni's absence is a big loss for us," CSK's director of cricketing operations VB Chandrasekhar said. "The team is very reliant on him. He is the skipper, he keeps wickets and is a great batsman too. It's a hard blow for us."

Dhoni is feared to have suffered severe bruising. Gurunath said that Dhoni would be paid the entire money as per his contract with the franchisee, irrespective of the period that he will be out. Dhoni's 33-ball 66 helped CSK reach a healthy 164/3 after, at one stage, even 140 looked doubtful. In the last over of the innings, the skipper collided with Badrinath mid-pitch and the latter seemed to be injured too. "Badri is fine now," Gurunath said.

Gayle to join Knight Riders in Ahmedabad on Thursday

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders’ big hitting opener Chris Gayle will join the side in Ahmedabad on Thursday ahead of their away IPL match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.

"Gayle has already arrived in Mumbai and he would join the squad in Ahmedabad tomorrow," a KKR source said.

The Knight Riders had a rest day on Wednesday after their Tuesday night's loss to Chennai Super Kings.

The Knights are still expecting the services of their other opener Brendon McCullum who is busy with New Zealand's Test commitments against Australia.

The team will leave for Ahmedabad on Thursday to face the Royals in their fourth match.

IPL: Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils by 98 runs

NEW DELHI: Batting first is generally a good bet on Indian pitches, especially in summers. The formula is to post a big total and then apply pressure on the opposition. But Delhi Daredevils had a different gameplan. They wanted to know how many runs they would have to chase to win the IPL game against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

However, the newly-laid Kotla pitch turned out to be a belter and Daredevils' decision to field first backfired. Boasting of a strong batting line-up, Mumbai Indians made the most of the good batting conditions and put up a formidable 218/7 on the board.

The hosts, also boasting of a powerful batting line-up but hamstrung by skipper Gautam Gambhir's injury, could never really threaten the target, losing wickets regularly to end up at 120 in 16.3 overs. Thus, Mumbai Indians won by a whopping 98 runs to notch up their second successive win. For Delhi, it was their first defeat in three ties.

Even as Gambhir was nursing his injury in the dressing room, his counterpart, the great Sachin Tendulkar, lit up the Delhi sky with a dazzling display of strokeplay. It was Sachin's 62 off 32 balls which gave the impetus to Mumbai innings. Young Saurabh Tiwary proved to be the perfect foil, timing the ball to a nicety.

Sachin took centrestage from the word go and there were no half measures as he played his strokes with the abandon of a rookie hand. The impressive Tiwary was not of inspiration and put up 61 off 37 balls. Ambati Rayudu, another Mumbai young gun, made a quickfire 34. Kieron Pollard, the new sensation from the Caribbean, got his first hit in the IPL but played only eight balls.

Among Delhi bowlers, only Dirk Nannes could command respect.

Gambhir, had to leave the field due to a groin injury in the second over of the day itself, did not come out to bat at all. In his absence, wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik led the side. In Gambhir's absence, T Dilshan stepped in to open the innings with Virender Sehwag but his bad run in the tournament continued.

With the score at 56/1 after six overs, Delhi looked like putting up a good fight but Dwayne Bravo deceived Sehwag with the first ball of the seventh over and the innings simply fizzled out after that. Bravo, Harbhajan and Jayasuriya all bagged two wickets each as Mumbai Indians squeezed the life out their rivals.

Born-again Bangalore has edge over depleted Rajasthan Royals

BANGALORE: Born-again Royal Challengers Bangalore will have a clear edge over an injury-ravaged Rajasthan Royals when they locks horns in the third Indian Premier League on Thursday.

The home side had a rather poor start to their IPL-3 campaign with a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders but Anil Kumble and his men showed tremendous resilience and batting prowess to tame Kings XI Punjab in yesterday's high-scoring humdinger to be back on track.

In contrast, the 2008 champion Royals have lost both their matches so far and losing Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas has further depleted the Shane Warne-led outfit.

The hosts are on a high after chasing down a 200-plus total against Kings XI Punjab that not only boosted their confidence but also spoke volumes of their batting might.

Veteran South African Jacques Kallis has been a pillar of strength for them, contributing both with the bat and the ball.

The indefatigable all-rounder has been a tricky customer with the ball while his ability to pace his innings while batting stood his team in good stead.

Fortunately for them, Robin Uthappa also looks in great form, as is the exciting Manish Pandey.

If Bangalore have any real concern, it's in their bowling department and Kumble would have to ensure that Dale Steyns and Praveen Kumars don't bleed runs against the Royals on Thursday.

The Royals' story so far has been pretty demoralising with back-to-back defeats followed by injuries to some of its key players.

They began IPL-3 sans Shane Watson - busy on national duty - and Ravindra Jadeja, serving a ban, and losing Smith and Mascarenhas now further depletes them.

"It's a big setback for us as Smith and Dimma are very good players for the Royals and their experience will be hugely missed," Warne conceded.

"With these setbacks comes opportunity. We need some players to put there hand up and take responsibility," he said.

Warne's optimism notwithstanding, Royals would have a tough task.

Their batting is not clicking and while Yusuf Pathan's aggression remains beyond question, inconsistency remains a problem with the towering power-hitter.

After defeats against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, the Royals are pretty much low on spirit and they would have to raise their game by a few notches to upstage their opponents from Bangalore on Thursday.

Finger injury rules Graeme Smith out of IPL

NEW DELHI: Their IPL campaign already in tatters with two consecutive defeats, Rajasthan Royals were on Tuesday dealt a body blow as their opener Graeme Smith has ruled himself out of the entire season-3 due to a finger injury.

Smith fractured his right middle finger while fielding in Monday's match against Delhi Daredevils.

"I have a double fracture in my right middle finger, so will be missing the IPL. I hurt it taking the catch off Sehwag on Monday night. wen (When) I landed, my finger got hooked in the ground," Smith wrote on his Twitter page.

The burly South African had suffered a finger during the Test series against India also in February and did not play the following one-day series.

The Rajasthan team is already without key performers in Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja.

While the Australian all-rounder is doing national duty in New Zealand, Jadeja is serving a one-year ban.

Explosive batsman Yusuf Pathan and Dimitri Mascarenhas also injured themselves in Monday's match.

The inaugural edition champions will next play against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

They lost their first match to Mumbai Indians on Saturday and second to Delhi Daredevils on Monday.

Ravi Bopara may miss IPL 2010

Top England batsman, Ravi Bopara has said that he will delay his departure for the IPL 2010 due to the security concern in India. Bopara said that he has not yet decided on whether to go or not for the 3rd season of Indian Premier League.

Ravi Bopara plays for Kings XI Punjab team.

However, IPL commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi, said that he had had a talk with Bopara and that there was no truth in the fact that Bopara was pulling out of the tournament.

Bopara said that while he was looking forward to coming to India, the issue was Rig Dickason’s report which had cautioned the players from featuring in the tournament. The report had also said that the terror threat by the extremist elements was a creditable one, and the IPL Players need to get further clarity about the security situation in the country.

Earlier, Lalit Modi had lashed out at Ricky Ponting for trying to persuade the Australian cricketers into not going to play in the Indian Premier League. Modi had also said that the players were free to miss out on the tournament, but ran the risk of being dumped out of the tournament from net year onwards.

IPL 2010 Schedule begins from the 12th of March with the first match between Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders. It will see also Dale Steyn go into the tournament as a favorite to end with the Purple Cap – awarded to the top wicket taker. He shares this position jointly with Muthiah Muralitharan. Deccan Chargers are said to be favorites to end up as a side to smash most sixes in the tournament and why not, given their power packed line up in Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma.

Kallis, Uthappa guide Bangalore to thrilling win over Kings XI

BANGALORE: Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa hammered blistering half-centuries to pull off a stunning chase as Royal Challengers Bangalore thumped Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in a high-scoring humdinger of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Chasing Kings XI Punjab's intimidating 203 for three, the Bangalore side achieved the target with eight wickets and seven balls to spare on a day when over 400 runs were scored in 39 overs.

Kallis was unbeaten after a stellar 57-ball 89 and his effort was good enough for the Man of the Match award.

Uthappa's 21-ball blitzkrieg of 51 was studded with four fours and as many sixes, while Manish Pandey chipped in with a 25-ball 38.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab rode on the 129-run opening stand between Manvinder Bisla (75 off 51 balls) and Ravi Bopara (77 off 50 balls) to reach a commanding 203 for three which, however, proved inadequate in the end.

If Pandey and Kallis, who smashed nine fours and five sixes in his sizzling essay, had set the platform with a 74-run partnership at the start, it was Uthappa who provided the nuclear power in the mid-innings to fashion RCB's magnificent chase.

The stocky former Indian batsman struck four sixes and four boundaries in his 21-ball essay, taking 25 off S Sreesanth's third over.

Though Uthappa perished in the 14th over at 143, Kallis and Virat Kohli (16 not out) ensured RCB reached the target without any hiccups.

Earlier, little-known Manvinder Singh Bisla had captured the imagination of the buffs with a ruthless exhibition of attacking stroke-play. The ball was meant to be smashed and he did that with glee. He cared little for reputation as he treated Dale Steyn and Anil Kumble with casual disdain, carting them into the stands with effortless ease.

The Punjab opener struck six boundaries and five sixes before he smashed Kallis into the hands off Eoin Morgan at mid-wicket. But by then he had put Kings XI Punjab firmly in the saddle, a position from where Mahela Jayawardene (13-ball 26) plundered the whithering RCB attack at will.

Ravi Bopara, who wisely played the anchor's role to a nicety when Bisla was going hammer and tongs, broke loose as the overs whittled down to notch his second successive half century of the championship.

The English-import took barely 42 balls for his 77 which was embellished with nine boundaries and two sixes.

RCB meet Rajasthan Royals in next match on Thursday.

IPL: Super Kings beat Knight Riders by 55 runs

KOLKATA: Pacer Justin Kemp took three wickets for 12 as Chennai Super Kings capitalised on some pathetic batting display by Kolkata Knight Riders to score a 55-run victory in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Kemp bowled a tight line and length in his three overs and he was ably supported by his pace colleague Lakshmipathy Balaji who took two wickets by conceding just nine runs from his 2.2 overs as CSK shot out the home team for just 109 in 19.2 overs in chase of 165.

Earlier, electing to bat, CSK rode on a late blitzkrieg by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plundered an unbeaten 66 from 33 balls, and Subramaniam Badrinath (43 not out off 33 balls) to post 164 for three after a slow start.

Chasing a challenging total, the Kolkata batsmen competed in gifting away wickets as their top half were back in the pavillion by the ninth over at team score of 55.

None of the KKR top order batsmen made any significant contribution with Wriddhiman Saha top-scoring with a 13-ball 22. Spinner Murali Kartik was the next highest scorer with 21. Laxmi Ratan Shukla contributed 19 while captain Sourav Ganguly made 11. With today's loss, KKR's two-game winning streak was snapped.

The Kolkata outfit made a disastrous start in their run chase with opener Brad Hodge falling for a duck in the second ball of the innings with R Ashwin taking a fine catch after the Australian tried to pull an Albie Morkel short ball.

Seven balls later, last match half centurion Manoj Tiwary perished to a Manpreet Gony incoming delivery and the KKR batsman found his middle stump cart wheeling for eight.

Wriddhiman Saha looked good in his brief innings of 22 from 13 balls studded with five fours. Having hit Balaji for a four, Saha's inexperience was exposed when the former India pacer gate-crashed his defence to uproot the middle stump.

Owais Shah (5) followed suit and captain Ganguly (11) too joined him in the pavillion as the former India skipper was caught at the mid-on off Kemp. KKR were 55 for five then and never recovered from there.

KKR found the going tough at their home ground with wickets continued to fall as Balaji and Kemp were on a roll.

Kemp got his second scalp in the form of Angelo Mathews (6) and followed it up with that of Rohan Gavaskar (2) as KKR almost gave up the fight.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla (19) and Shane Bond (1) departed in consecutive overs as KKR were 84 for nine in 14.1 over and an eerie silence engulfed the packed Eden Gardens.

Kartik briefly put up resistance with a 20-ball 21 before he was the last man out.

Earlier, Dhoni and Badrinath amassed 109 runs in 65 balls in their unbroken fourth wicket. Dhoni hit six fours and three sixes in his explosive knock while Badrinath hit three fours and a six as KKR conceded 58 runs in the last five overs.

The Knight Riders had a disciplined start with their new recruit Shane Bond bowling a tidy fast bowling spell with the new ball as he began his IPL stint conceding just one run from his first over.

On the other end, Ishant Sharma tested Murali Vijay who had a couple of lucky boundaries but it was Bond who gave the former Australian opener Matthew Hayden some anxious time.

Preferring not to use his mongoose bat, Hayden batted with the conventional willow and took seven balls to open his account. The pressure created by Bond, who had a tidy two over spell giving away just seven runs, was enough to panic Hayden who played on to his stumps in Ishant's first ball of the second over.

Ganguly then brought in his leading wicket taker Angelo Mathews and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, a move that saw the run-rate of Dhoni's team coming down to 4.40 at the end of five overs.

After Hayden's fall at 16 in the fourth over, Suresh Raina had a tentative start but soon came into his act with Vijay as the duo managed to take the run-rate to six.

But with Ganguly smartly rotating his bowlers, KKR got their second breakthrough in the ninth over. He brought Laxmi Ratan Shukla from the pavilion end gave and KKR got second breakthrough with Vijay inside-edging a full length delivery.

Another bowling change in the form of off-spinner Brad Hodge yielded another wicket as CSK were reduced to 55 for three in 9.1 overs. Raina fell in the off-spinner's first ball as he found his leg-stump knocked off.

Dhoni started cautiously but opened up only in the 15th over when he smashed Angelo Mathews for a six over long-on to see the run-rate creep above six. He and S Badrinath hit some lusty blows as they put on 83 runs from the last six overs to take the score past 160.

Dhoni completed his half-century in 28 balls, scoring 17 from Bond's last over and CSK's 19th over.

Ishant, Shukla and Hodge took one wicket each conceding 38, 37 and four runs while Bond returned wicketless conceding 33 runs from his four overs.

MS Dhoni ruled out of IPL-3 for 10 days

KOLKATA: Chennai Super Kings' Indian Premier League campaign received a huge blow on Wednesday with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni being ruled out of action for the next 10 days because of an elbow injury.

"Dhoni will be out of action for the next 10 days and the exact nature of his injury is being examined by the doctors at a private hospital here," a team management source said.

Dhoni underwent an x-ray test after being hit by a rising Shane Bond delivery in Tuesday's match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens even though coach Stephen Fleming ruled out any major injury to the India skipper.

The source, however, said that Dhoni will be travelling with the team to Delhi, where the Chennai side will take on Delhi Daredevils at Kotla on Friday.

"He will be travelling with the team to Delhi," the source said.

"An official announcement will be made once the nature of the injury is determined by the doctors," he added.

Apart from the match against the Daredevils, the injury also rules Dhoni out of Chennai Super Kings' matches against Kings XI Punjab (March 21), Royal Challengers Bangalore (March 23) and Mumbai Indians (March 25).

Mighty Daredevils up against Mumbai Indians

NEW DELHI: On a roll after notching up two victories in a row, a confident Delhi Daredevils would aim a hat-trick of wins when they clash with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

The Delhi batsmen would look to exploit the bowling chinks of their rivals, who looked helpless against the Yusuf Pathan onslaught in their first match against Rajasthan.

Mumbai Indians just about managed to survive Pathan storm as except for pace duo of Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga, the other bowlers looked not more than ordinary.

Bowling would be the area Mumbai need to look into as they prepare to take on batting might of Delhi.

For the hosts, either of the two openers - captain Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag -- has spent a good amount of time at the crease to help chase the targets and the middle has also responded well so far.

And the way Sehwag massacred the Rajasthan bowlers with his 34-ball 75 in yesterday's clash, Mumbai need its bowlers to do some extraordinary to stop the Nazafgarh marauder.

But the best option for them would be to put up a big total on the board since any score less than 200 would not be a problem for Delhi to chase, if Sehwag has his way.

Mumbai too have solid openers in Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya but it was young blood that came to their rescue in the match against Rajasthan Royal.

Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu clicked at the right time to take the team total beyond the 200-run mark and all of them need to fire again tomorrow.

But scoring runs would not be easy for Mumbai as Delhi's bowling unit is in good touch.

In the two matches so far, they have been successful in restricting both the opponents - Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals - inside the 150-mark.

Left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes and Farvez Maharoof have done a brilliant job with the new ball while spinner Amit Mishra and Pradeep Sangwan have also contributed nicely.

So, Mumbai are in for a good test tomorrow at Ferozshah Kotla ground.

The only worry for Delhi would be the form of Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan, who surprisingly has not even opened his account in the two matches.

The explosive and the most sought after batsman these days, Dilshan would be keen to shrug of an indifferent start to the tournament.

Skipper Gambir would also want South African AB de Villiers to find his touch and be among runs to boost the batting order further.

Mumbai need Sanath Jayasuriya and Tendulkar to give them a good start and have to ensure that Ryan McLaren, Rajagopal Sathish and Ali Murtaza shares the burden with Zaheer and Malinga.

Both the skippers would not mind losing toss since how the re-prepared pitch would behave at the Ferozshah Kotla nobody knows.

The December pitch fiasco when India-Sri Lanka ODI was abandoned due to unfit strip is still fresh in the minds of the fans, particularly Delhiites, and a good game of cricket is imperative to redeem the image of the venue.

A high scoring game, no doubt, would do it.

Teams: (From)

Delhi Daredevils: Gautam Gambhir (C), Virender Sehwag, Sarabjit Ladda, Joginder Singh, Rajat Bhatia, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Moises Henriques, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Andrew McDonald, Farveez Maharoof, Yo Mahesh, Mithun Manhas, Amit Mishra, Dirk Nannes, Ashish Nehra, Wayne Parnell, Shashi Ranjan, Aavishkar Salvi, Pradeep Sangwan, Sarandeep Singh, David Warner, Umesh Yadav.

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (capt.), Murtaza Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Shikhar Dhawan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Dilhara Fernando, Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Zaheer Khan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ryan McLaren, Chandan Madan, Ishan Malhotra, Lasith Malinga, Graham Napier, Abhishek Nayar, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Rajagopal Sathish, Syed Shahabuddin, Rahul Shukla, Aditya Tare, Saurabh Tiwary.

Mathew Hayden to use Mongoose cricket bat in IPL

If Mathew Hayden clicks in IPL 3rd season then we may see some big changes in the design of bats. The Chennai Super Kings opener is planning to use Mongoose Cricket bat this year. So what is this Mongoose bat? How different is this Mongoose bat from normal cricket bat? see below for answers -

The big difference of Mongoose bat over the current conventional cricket bat is that its handle is 43% longer and its blade is 33% shorter. So how does this help the batsmen? Even if you do not middle the ball and if the ball hits the top of the bat then it can carry a long distance. With this form of cricket (T20) is all about stroke play, cricket experts are betting on high scoring and more entertainment.

MCC has approved this bat and its current design.

So watch out for Mathew Hayden in this series.

Sachin Tendulkar named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has been named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Tendulkar, the most popular Indian sportsperson in the last two decades, will use his global popularity to raise awareness and harness support for environmental action in India and around the world, the UNEP said in a statement on Thursday.

"I have played and enjoyed my cricket across the planet. Now it is also time to do something for the planet, which is our only home," he said.

"Being part of the effort to save the planet is an immense undertaking but it is a challenge I am ready to undertake. Working with UNEP and cricket fans across the globe, I am in good company. Together we can do it."

The agency’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner, said that Tendulkar’s "character, personal integrity, intellect and profile will catalyze widespread environmental action."

Year 2010 is the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity, and Tendulkar will work with the agency to boost the global and grassroots response to the loss of animal and plant diversity worldwide.

Tendulkar will lead a Green Pledge to save the planet when the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off its third season in Mumbai on Friday. The vow that he will make in front of the millions of fans reads, "The Earth is our home and together we must conserve our precious wildlife, forests and oceans. I am proud to pledge that I will play my part in caring for our natural heritage."

The master batsman is no stranger to the work of the UN, having lent his voice to a UNICEF campaign in India on the importance of personal hygiene.

RCB look to redeem pride against Kings XI Punjab

BANGALORE: Smarting from their seven-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be determined to redeem their pride in front of home fans when they take on Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

As RCB skipper Anil Kumble admitted, their performance at the Eden Gardens was below par in all departments of the game.

Their batting was unimpressive as they huffed and puffed to a niggardly 135. Their bowling came apart at the seam as Manoj Tiwary tore into their attack like a hurricane.

To add to their brimming on-field woes, RCB fielding was shoddy, highlighted by Sreevats Goswami's blundering glove work.

If RCB want to raise the performance bar as they had belatedly done in South Africa last season, they have to get their act together quickly before their hopes of making it to the semi-finals is blown away at the very start of competition.

Except Jacques Kallis, who resolutely batted through the 20-over innings, the rest of the RCB batters came a cropper. Much was expected of Goswami, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey, but the talented triumvirate fell to impetuous strokes.

Unless these youngsters and English-import Eoin Morgan, who would be eager to stabilise his place before Ross Taylor arrives, provide the thrust at the top, it will be difficult for RCB to overcome Kings XI Punjab's robust challenge.

Kumble has put his faith in Kallis' bowling but the burly South African has failed to deliver with the ball, conceding far too many runs when his role is to contain the batsmen. This will weigh heavily on the team management's mind when they pick the 11 for Tuesday's match.

However, considering that they have a paucity of all-rounders, RCB may be reluctant to tinker with the combination. Their only option would be to give Virat Kohli a bowl if either Kallis or Dale Steyn comes under assault.

RCB have a bowling all-rounder in R Vinay Kumar, who emerged as the most successful bowler in 2009-2010 domestic season with 62 wickets.

Kings XI Punjab, tamed by Delhi Daredevils in their first outing, also have issues on hand, especially with their fortified batting failing comprehensively at Mohali.

Yuvraj Singh's fitness certainly must be a bother. It seems the left hander is yet to recover completely from the wrist injury he sustained in the series against Bangladesh. Against Daredevils, his bottom hand lost grip of the handle as he shaped to hit Farveez Maharoof over the top, meekly holing out to Gautam Gambhir at mid-on.

The two teams have a similar tale to share. Like RCB, Kings XI found only on significant contribution from Ravi Bopara (52). Otherwise, there was precious little contribution from other batters, including captain Kumar Sangakkara (17), Yuvraj and Mahela Jayawardene.

IPL bans Rajasthan Royals Ravindra Jadeja for a year

UPCOMING CRICKETER Ravindra Jadeja, who plays for Rajasthan Royals has been banned for one-year for indulging in anti-team activities. Jadeja is reported to negotiating with another IPL team for a higher pay.

IPL officials said that Jadeja was trying to violate the league rules and also tried to bargain his pay with his team. They said that this kind of indiscipline will not be tolerated, adding that the one-year ban on him was imposed after an inquiry found him guilty of misconduct.

Incidently, Jadeja had played an important role in the victory of Royals in the first season after he was brought into the team directly from Under-19 grade. Although, Jadeja has a contract with Royals for a year but he was trying to find another team that could pay him more and this became his undoing, sources in know said.

IPL 2010 - Deccan Chargers beats Chennai Super Kings by 31 runs

Local favorite Chennai Super Kings lost by 31 runs from defending champion Deccan Chargers in the 5th match of IPL 2010 or IPL3 on Sunday night.

LOCAL FAVORITE Chennai Super Kings lost by 31 runs from defending champion Deccan Chargers in the 5th match of IPL 2010 or IPL3 on Sunday night. Deccan Chargers scored a huge total of 190 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. For DC good batting shown by Gilchrist who scored 38 of 17 balls, Gibbs 45 of 36 balls and Symonds 50 of 43 balls then Chaminda Vaas took 3 wickets in the start of Chennai Super Kings innings and CSK never comeback in the match.

Earlier, Deccan Chargers won the toss and elected to bat first. In the second over of DC innings Gilchrist scored 2sixes and a four. Gilli scored 38 runs just in 17 bowls before lost his wicket to Ashwin. Later Gibbs and Symonds scored a 96 runs partnership just in 74 balls. In the last over of Sudip Tyagi, Rohit Sharma and T Suman scored 22 runs and Deccan have posted an excellent score.

In the Chennai Super Kings innings, none other than captain Dhoni and Morkel showed their batting skill. They both scored 42 runs each. Hayden scored 17 runs and Justin Kamp 22. In the 20 overs, host CSK scored only 159 runs and lost by 31 runs. Chaminda Vaas was declared Man of the Match for his 3 for 21 runs.

Chennai look to halt Kolkata takeoff

Big Picture

The irony is unmissable: It's early days yet but Kolkata have two wins from two and are looking down at Chennai, who find themselves in the unfamiliar depths of the points table. As Chennai chase their first win Sourav Ganguly comes up against his spiritual heir MS Dhoni under the lights at Eden Gardens.

Kolkata have been here before; they won their first two games in the first season, only to fizzle out and finish sixth. They ended up last the next season but now look to have shrugged that off and stride to a new momentum.

Chennai, on the other hand, were outclassed by their southern neighbours Deccan Chargers in their opening match, left floundering in all departments. However, they lost their opening match last season as well, against Mumbai Indians, but eventually reached the semi-final for the second year running and Dhoni knows his team's bouncebackability.

Team talk

While the threat of Matthew Hayden and his Mongoose bat looms large, Kolkata will be eager to get Shane Bond going in the third season. He finished as New Zealand's top wicket-taker in the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia with nine wickets at 21, and rather than replacing Charl Langeveldt, he might be part of a three-pronged pace attack along with Ishant Sharma. Rohan Gavaskar might be the casualty in that case. Alternatively, Kolkata may not wish to change a winning combination.

Makhaya Ntini has been out of favour with the South African selectors but recently played his part in Warriors' Pro20 title triumph in the domestic circuit with a decisive opening spell. With Chennai's pacemen looking suspect, Dhoni might be tempted to draft him in and capitalise on his freshness. Manpreet Gony, who shot into prominence during the IPL, might also look to make the most of the stage again if picked. Justin Kemp, who couldn't match up with bat or ball in the last match, may be the one sacrificed. Parthiv Patel did decently in the 2008 edition, scoring 302 runs at 27.45 but his stock dipped the following year, scoring only 142 runs at 15.77. Whether he is favoured over Murali Vijay, who managed 3 against Deccan, in the opener's slot remains to be seen as well.

Previously…

Kolkata were thumped by Chennai by nine wickets in the first IPL clash and lost by three runs via the D/L method at home. Fortunes turned around in South Africa with Kolkata winning by seven wickets at Centurion, while the earlier encounter was washed out.

In the spotlight

Lop-sided Morkel: He usually makes up for his expensive spells with some big hitting, but Albie Morkel's credentials as an allrounder have recently taken a beating with him failing to plug the runs. He went wicketless against Deccan and his four overs cost 41 runs. The fireworks though were on display as he smashed 41 off 26 balls, including one four and three sixes, during the chase. The dual effort would only be in the best interest of Chennai, who are tottering on the fast-bowling front.

Home comforts for Tiwary: He was almost anonymous during his stint with the Delhi Daredevils, but the company of his Bengal team-mates seems to have worked wonders for Manoj Tiwary. He quickly made amends for a first-ball duck against Deccan in the opening match with a Man-of-the-Match-deserving 50 off 29 balls next up against Bangalore.

The Mongoose: It was on display only in the Chennai dugout during their first match, but the imposing Matthew Hayden, its brand ambassador, might resort to this even more imposing weapon in the cauldron of Eden. The longer and flexible handle, designed to increase power by 20% and bat speed by 15% than normal ones might be the perfect way to ensure the spectators stay wide awake well into the Kolkata night.

Prime numbers

* Kolkata will hope Angelo Mathews' contributions only get better. He has a batting average of 65.00 and has five wickets from two games at 9.20 and a measly economy rate of 5.75.

* Kolkata possess the two highest run-scorers in Twenty20 cricket. Hodge has 2547 runs in 77 innings at a strike-rate of 129 and David Hussey has scored 2355 runs at a strike-rate of 139.

Chatter

"I guess I was slowly fading from the collective consciousness. This innings is a reassuring factor for me that I am still very much around"

Manoj Tiwary's back in business

"CSK have been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL - runners-up the first year and semifinals in 2009. This year we're more than ready to take the step up."

Chennai's bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad believes the time is now

Sehwag powers Delhi to convincing victory

A disciplined performance by the Delhi Daredevils bowlers and a blistering innings from Virender Sehwag inflicted on Rajasthan Royals their second defeat in as many games. A battling half-century from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala lent Rajasthan's total some respectability but it was a woefully inadequate one to defend given Sehwag's onslaught.

Rajasthan were made to regret their poor batting in the first over of the chase, as Sehwag blazed away, swinging Dimitri Mascarehnas over square leg and mid-on for two boundaries. The seamers bowled either too full or offered him the desired width to break free - Shaun Tait was cut fiercely through point, and Munaf Patel was dispatched over long-off for a six and past mid-on for a boundary in the third over.

There were a couple of moments of hope for Rajasthan. Mascarenhas returned in the fourth over to snare Gautam Gambhir, who mistimed a slower one to mid-on, and got one to move away to produce an outside edge from Tillakaratne Dilshan the next ball. The wickets made no difference to Sehwag's approach - nor, ultimately, to Rajasthan's fortunes - as he skied Mascarenhas when on 41 only to be dropped by Tait while running back from short fine leg - another low on what's so far been a poor IPL for the Australian.

Having smote Mascarenhas for 10 runs off two deliveries, Sehwag proceeded to target Amit Uniyal's medium-pacers, walloping him for six over long-off, upper-cutting him wide of third man to reach his half-century and striking through the line of a length delivery to dispatch it over long-on. The parting shot before being caught brilliantly by Graeme Smith at mid-on was a thunderous six over the bowler's head; Delhi were 99 for 3 when he fell in the 10th over, and Dinesh Karthik, with the luxury of a set platform, saw his team through.

Rajasthan, who wore black arm-bands in memory of the victims of a bus accident in Sawai Madhopur district, had begun positively after Gambhir had put them in. But they were dented by a testing first spell from Dirk Nannes and the early introduction of Amit Mishra, leaving an inexperienced middle order to contend with a determined display from the rest of Delhi's bowlers who gave little opportunity to open up.

The conditions in Ahmedabad were hardly favourable with the dust from the parking lots surrounding the stadium kicking in, and adding to the haze from the floodlights. The surge of moths, flying across the pitch as well as the outfield, proved another irritant.

Swapnil Asnodkar and Smith, cashing in on some overpitched bowling from Farveez Maharoof, smacked two boundaries off the first three balls of the match. Nannes, like against Kings XI Punjab, continued to trouble the batsmen with his ability to generate bounce, even from bowling on a good length. He got rid of Asnodkar with his second delivery, which was sliced towards Dilshan who took a good low catch, and followed up with two snorters to Naman Ojha, one striking him on the shoulder.

Ojha, who had some success while opening the batting for Rajasthan in the previous IPL, resumed the attack after a momentary lull, thrashing Maharoof over mid-on and edging him over the slips. He reserved special treatment for Mishra, brought on in the fourth over, cutting and sweeping him for two boundaries and launching him into the stands over long-on. But Mishra undid him with his first variation of the over, slipping in the googly to bowl him through the gate as he tried to loft him over the covers.

With Yusuf Pathan lasting just five deliveries, failing to pick a slower delivery and holing out to long-on, and the experienced Smith following soon after to make it 50 for 4, Rajasthan were starting at a bleak prospect.

Paras Dogra, who had partnered Yusuf during his ruthless ton against Mumbai, and Jhunjhunwala, returning from the ICL, saw off a quiet phase during a nagging couple of overs from Pradeep Sangwan and Sarabjit Ladda; Rajasthan, at one stage, had played out 38 deliveries without a boundary. Replacing Yo Mahesh, Ladda varied his pace well, often surprising the batsmen with the quicker delivery but had his figures disturbed when the pair had stepped up, both hammering him for two sixes in a 17-run over.

Delhi saw to it they didn't give too much away, with the run-outs of Dogra and Mascarenhas in successive overs. Jhunjhunwala, though, struck two boundaries off Nannes in the final over, reaching his fifty, to give his bowler's more than an outside chance. Sehwag, however, ensured it was washed away.

Pathan's ton in vain, Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians survived a brutal assault by Yusuf Pathan, who struck a belligerent 37-ball century, to record a thrilling four-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in their opening match of the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Scorecard

Yusuf slammed an astonishing nine sixes and eight fours while making exactly 100 runs to bring the Royals on the doorstep of a victory after Mumbai Indians made 212 for six. But after his dismissal, the Royals were stopped in their tracks.

Yusuf was run out brilliantly by R Satish whom he had treated with utter disdain during his superb 107-run partnership with the unheralded Paras Dogra (41 off 29 balls) for the fifth wicket to raise visions of a great come-from-behind victory.

But the marauder from Baroda was run out in the first ball of the 18th over and the rest of the batting order could not provide the finishing touch.

Needing 12 runs in the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga, the Royals ended at 208 for seven after losing Dogra and Amit Uniyal in the first two balls.

Dmitry Mascarenhas and captain Shane Warne could not complete the job.

Earlier fine half centuries from Ambati Rayudu (55) and Saurabh Tiwary (53) following a sound start piloted Mumbai Indians to their highest-ever IPL total.

Guntur-born Rayudu, an ICL returnee, cracked 55 in 33 balls studded with 6 fours and 2 sixes while Jamshedpur-born Saurabh Tiwary slammed a breezy 53 in the same number of balls, embellished with 4 fours and two sixes.

The fourth wicket duo put on 110 runs in only 63 balls to lift Mumbai Indians from 70 for three to 180 for four.

The duo's late order hitting, after the rollicking start given by openers Sanath Jayasuriya (23) and skipper Sachin Tendulkar (17) helped the home team end up with a 200-plus total amidst carnival atmosphere inside the famed Brabourne Stadium.

Left-handed Sri Lanka veteran Jayasuriya set the scorching run-scoring pace by lofting Dmitri Mascarenhas for three fours in the first over, two of them lofted shots in his typical fashion over covers.

The Royals commenced their chase to overhaul the record Mumbai Indians score on the wrong foot as they lost opener Swapnil Asnodkar in the second ball without facing a ball due to a misunderstanding with Graeme Smith.

Smith, who had to return home early at the end of the Test series against India after a finger injury, looked in good touch and was especially severe on Zaheer Khan by thumping the left arm pace bowler for three fours in his second over, two of them to the straight field.

Smith and wicket keeper Naman Ojha took the score to 38 when the latter departed caught in the deep off the first ball from left arm spinner Murtuza Ali for 12.

Smith fell two runs later, deceived by a slower ball from Satish who anticipated the catch and caught him diving to his left, a brilliant effort.

Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Yusuf Pathan forged a small stand of 26 when the former, who stepped out and lofted Murtuza over the straight field once, got himself yorked by Lasith Malinga.

At 66 for 4 in the tenth over things did not look good for the visiting side but then Yusuf took apart Murtuza and Satish with his audacious shots to race to his fifty which was appreciated by the partisan crowd thoroughly.

The Baroda batsman slammed the slow left arm bowler for three consecutive sixes, two of those over long on, in one over that yielded 19 runs and then turned his attention on Satish who was carted for 26 runs in the 11th over as Pathan went berserk.

After slamming Sathish for a six and a four in consecutive balls, the tall batsman hoisted the bowler high to the long on fence where Ryan McLaren caught the ball but also touched the boundary rope to signal another six.

The last ball of the over was disdainfully dispatched to the backward square leg fence.

Pathan's brilliantly executed shots brought down the asking rate drastically so that at the end of the 13th over the score read 131 for four after the all rounder struck McLaren for three fours in that over.