Mumbai Indians vs CSK

Will the card parallel the nicer interference?

Mumbai Indians' started IPL 2012 , Pragyan Ojha and Richard Levi, made immediate impact to set up an easy win over CSK defending champions in the season opener. Richard Levi made the way easy to cross 1st hurdle with 50 from 35-balls, but it was Ojha who made the critical contribution. He made a seamless transition from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai, taking two wickets in his first two overs to pull Super Kings just when they were threatening.

g to break free.

Super Kings were 69 for 2, having made a bit of a comeback from a slow start, when Ojha was introduced in the 10th over, and he take two wickets early that make difference - including those of danger men Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo - meant they could add only 43 in the rest of the piece. Kieron Pollard and Malinga stoped CSK move more, taking two wickets each.

Ojha's introduction was a polar moment in the game. Put in on a surprisingly green Chennai pitch - definitely not one that will impress IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla - Super Kings were just coming out of a period of struggle then. One of their big strikers, M Vijay, had taken six balls to get off the mark, and his anxiousness to do so had resulted in the run-out of fellow opener du Plessis. Soon he himself fell to a slower ball from James Franklin.

At the other end, though, Raina enjoyed his homecoming to the tournament he revels most in, starting things off with a six over mid-off, The first of the tournament. Bravo joined in with two beautiful shots on the up off the bowling off Franklin, putting the pressure back on Mumbai. Both the batsmen were now confident enough to take risks off Ojha's bowling. Raina swept the first ball powerfully, Bravo slogged at the second, and drove the next inside-out for four. That was to be the last boundary of the innings.

Ojha refused to give them pace or flatness, and Raina, 36 off 26, picked out sweeper-cover off the fifth ball Ojha bowled. In Ojha's next, Bravo found long-on with similar precision to fall for a run-a-ball 19. Ojha couldn't be kept out of the game. He soon caught the promoted Albie Morkel off the varied bowling off Pollard. In Ojha's last over, the 16th, MS Dhoni fell for a rare non-direct-hit run-out. It must have been some pressure of suffocation at work. Ojha finished with 2 for 17 in his four, and Pollard dismissed S Badrinath in his last to finish with figures of 2 for 15.At 99 for 7 in the 17th over, with two Lasith Malinga overs left, no one would have expected an addition of many more than the eventual 13. The beefy Levi then charged out in the chase, swinging the shoulders, mostly to leg, hitting sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. The pitch remained lively: Doug Bolinger hit both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar with uneven bounce, forcing the latter to retire-hurt. Levi's explosive start, though, had done enough, and Mumbai cruised through with 3.1 overs to spare.

Richard Levi man of the match.

Mumbai Indians vs CSK

Will the card parallel the nicer interference?

Mumbai Indians' started IPL 2012 , Pragyan Ojha and Richard Levi, made immediate impact to set up an easy win over CSK defending champions in the season opener. Richard Levi made the way easy to cross 1st hurdle with 50 from 35-balls, but it was Ojha who made the critical contribution. He made a seamless transition from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai, taking two wickets in his first two overs to pull Super Kings just when they were threatening.

g to break free.

Super Kings were 69 for 2, having made a bit of a comeback from a slow start, when Ojha was introduced in the 10th over, and he take two wickets early that make difference - including those of danger men Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo - meant they could add only 43 in the rest of the piece. Kieron Pollard and Malinga stoped CSK move more, taking two wickets each.

Ojha's introduction was a polar moment in the game. Put in on a surprisingly green Chennai pitch - definitely not one that will impress IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla - Super Kings were just coming out of a period of struggle then. One of their big strikers, M Vijay, had taken six balls to get off the mark, and his anxiousness to do so had resulted in the run-out of fellow opener du Plessis. Soon he himself fell to a slower ball from James Franklin.

At the other end, though, Raina enjoyed his homecoming to the tournament he revels most in, starting things off with a six over mid-off, The first of the tournament. Bravo joined in with two beautiful shots on the up off the bowling off Franklin, putting the pressure back on Mumbai. Both the batsmen were now confident enough to take risks off Ojha's bowling. Raina swept the first ball powerfully, Bravo slogged at the second, and drove the next inside-out for four. That was to be the last boundary of the innings.

Ojha refused to give them pace or flatness, and Raina, 36 off 26, picked out sweeper-cover off the fifth ball Ojha bowled. In Ojha's next, Bravo found long-on with similar precision to fall for a run-a-ball 19. Ojha couldn't be kept out of the game. He soon caught the promoted Albie Morkel off the varied bowling off Pollard. In Ojha's last over, the 16th, MS Dhoni fell for a rare non-direct-hit run-out. It must have been some pressure of suffocation at work. Ojha finished with 2 for 17 in his four, and Pollard dismissed S Badrinath in his last to finish with figures of 2 for 15.At 99 for 7 in the 17th over, with two Lasith Malinga overs left, no one would have expected an addition of many more than the eventual 13. The beefy Levi then charged out in the chase, swinging the shoulders, mostly to leg, hitting sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. The pitch remained lively: Doug Bolinger hit both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar with uneven bounce, forcing the latter to retire-hurt. Levi's explosive start, though, had done enough, and Mumbai cruised through with 3.1 overs to spare.

Richard Levi man of the match.

IPL 2012 2nd Match KKR Vs DD

The match which was reduced to the 12 overs due to heavy rain is finally won by the Dehli Daredevils. A packed Eden Gardens had waited and waited for the rain to stop. When the 12-overs-a-side game finally got underway after a delay of two-and-a-half hours, the home team Kolkata Knight Riders crumbled instantly.Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to field.

At the end of the fourth over Kolkta Knight Riders had had lost four important wickets. And at the end of Seventh over they had lost 6 wickets. Morne Morkel took three of those strikes, including the wickets of Jacques Kallis and Tiwary off consecutive deliveries. The blows also ensured Knight Riders ended up with a decent score after having been reduced to 55 for 6.

Knight Riders were in danger of getting bowled out in an innings of 12 overs, but Shukla and Das went after the spinners. The final total of the Knight Riders was 97. Thanks to Das' 18 and Shukla's 26  runs.

In the reply Daredevils batting was outstanding. Finch build an opening stand of 49 runs with Sehwag. He was bowled by Kallis. Sehwag was caught by  Iqbal Abdulla,Bhatia took his wicket. Irfan Pathan and Maxwell played very well and build a partnership of 43 runs. 

Delhi Daredevils chased the target with fall of 2 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

Score card is given below

Images source iplt20.com

IPL 2012 2nd Match KKR Vs DD

The match which was reduced to the 12 overs due to heavy rain is finally won by the Dehli Daredevils. A packed Eden Gardens had waited and waited for the rain to stop. When the 12-overs-a-side game finally got underway after a delay of two-and-a-half hours, the home team Kolkata Knight Riders crumbled instantly.Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to field.

At the end of the fourth over Kolkta Knight Riders had had lost four important wickets. And at the end of Seventh over they had lost 6 wickets. Morne Morkel took three of those strikes, including the wickets of Jacques Kallis and Tiwary off consecutive deliveries. The blows also ensured Knight Riders ended up with a decent score after having been reduced to 55 for 6.

Knight Riders were in danger of getting bowled out in an innings of 12 overs, but Shukla and Das went after the spinners. The final total of the Knight Riders was 97. Thanks to Das' 18 and Shukla's 26  runs.

In the reply Daredevils batting was outstanding. Finch build an opening stand of 49 runs with Sehwag. He was bowled by Kallis. Sehwag was caught by  Iqbal Abdulla,Bhatia took his wicket. Irfan Pathan and Maxwell played very well and build a partnership of 43 runs. 

Delhi Daredevils chased the target with fall of 2 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

Score card is given below

Images source iplt20.com

Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) and Mumbai Indians 100 for 9 (Dinda 4-17).Pune warriors beat Mumbai Indians by 29 runs.

The owners of Pune Warriors India, who had threatened to pull out of the IPL because they felt disadvantaged by the tournament's rules, watched their team cause an upset in front of a packed Stadium, where they defended a low total against one of the tournament favourites. The Warriors' spinners - of left-arm, offspin and legbreak variety - captain Sourav Ganguly used them in a beautifull way, bloeide on a generous pitch, picking off their victims, while Ashok Dinda offered substantial pace support.Dinda and karthik tookthree wickets in first two overs.

The result was a surprise because Mumbai Indians had closed Warriors innings to 129 for 9, especially after their batsmen chased successfully with ease on opening night in Chennai against champions of IPL 2011 CSK. However, Mumbai Indians were without Sachin Tendulkar, who was nursing a bruised hand,top order batsmen looking in hurry that damaged to chase Mumbai Indians a modest total.
before this story Pune Warriors India's innings start was not good.

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) v Mumbai Indians

Sourav Ganguly was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai Indians produced truely good bowling and fielding performance to give themselves a strong chance to stay on wining track in this IPL season. Without the injured Sachin Tendulkar in their first home game, Harbhajan Singh's team treated the strong crowd at Wankhede Stadium to an intense performance that smothered the Warriors by taking regular wickets and providing few boundary balls.

The first over, after Mumbai Indians had won the toss, set the tone. Lasith Malinga take down a succession of near yorker-length deliveries that were very difficult to play for young Manish Pandey. Atlast he tried to attack the fifth, missed, and was bowled. Malinga had begun with a wicket maiden. Harbhajan bowled with the new ball and was economical, providing few scoring opportunities. With the run-rate barely four an over, the other opener Sourav Ganguly captain of Warriors in Yuvraj Singh's absence, ran past one and gave Dinesh Karthik who is wearing a baseball catcher's mask, an easy stumping.

Wayne Parnell, a South African allrounder who bowls better than he bats, was promoted to No. 3, and he managed to swat Harbhajan for two boundaries, before he was bowled by Munaf Patel. The ball that beat his defences angled across him and then bent back far enough to take the inside edge on to the stumps. The pressure was maintained by Pragyan Ojha, who's left-arm deliveries gripped on the red soil and turned sharply, beating the bat by several inches.

The next wicket was a result of Mumbai Indians' prowess in the field. Two powerful shots from Callum Ferguson had been stopped by Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu on the boundary, and when the batsman attempted a risky single to Rohit Sharma at point, he was run outt by a direct hit. Rohit had only one stump to aim at and his accuracy made up for a half-chance that Harbhajan had missed the previous ball.

At 47 for 4 in the ninth over, Warriors needed a special innings to recover but they did not get one. Robin Uthappa had begun to accelerate after scoring at a run a ball but skied a return catch to Pollard on 36. Marlon Samuels, who is not playing Tests against Australia to play the IPL, couldn't keep out a Malinga yorker. It needed some free swinging from Steven Smith, who made 39, to ensure the asking-rate at the start of Mumbai Indians's chase was a little over six an over.

Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) and Mumbai Indians 100 for 9 (Dinda 4-17).Pune warriors beat Mumbai Indians by 29 runs.

The owners of Pune Warriors India, who had threatened to pull out of the IPL because they felt disadvantaged by the tournament's rules, watched their team cause an upset in front of a packed Stadium, where they defended a low total against one of the tournament favourites. The Warriors' spinners - of left-arm, offspin and legbreak variety - captain Sourav Ganguly used them in a beautifull way, bloeide on a generous pitch, picking off their victims, while Ashok Dinda offered substantial pace support.Dinda and karthik tookthree wickets in first two overs.

The result was a surprise because Mumbai Indians had closed Warriors innings to 129 for 9, especially after their batsmen chased successfully with ease on opening night in Chennai against champions of IPL 2011 CSK. However, Mumbai Indians were without Sachin Tendulkar, who was nursing a bruised hand,top order batsmen looking in hurry that damaged to chase Mumbai Indians a modest total.
before this story Pune Warriors India's innings start was not good.

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) v Mumbai Indians

Sourav Ganguly was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai Indians produced truely good bowling and fielding performance to give themselves a strong chance to stay on wining track in this IPL season. Without the injured Sachin Tendulkar in their first home game, Harbhajan Singh's team treated the strong crowd at Wankhede Stadium to an intense performance that smothered the Warriors by taking regular wickets and providing few boundary balls.

The first over, after Mumbai Indians had won the toss, set the tone. Lasith Malinga take down a succession of near yorker-length deliveries that were very difficult to play for young Manish Pandey. Atlast he tried to attack the fifth, missed, and was bowled. Malinga had begun with a wicket maiden. Harbhajan bowled with the new ball and was economical, providing few scoring opportunities. With the run-rate barely four an over, the other opener Sourav Ganguly captain of Warriors in Yuvraj Singh's absence, ran past one and gave Dinesh Karthik who is wearing a baseball catcher's mask, an easy stumping.

Wayne Parnell, a South African allrounder who bowls better than he bats, was promoted to No. 3, and he managed to swat Harbhajan for two boundaries, before he was bowled by Munaf Patel. The ball that beat his defences angled across him and then bent back far enough to take the inside edge on to the stumps. The pressure was maintained by Pragyan Ojha, who's left-arm deliveries gripped on the red soil and turned sharply, beating the bat by several inches.

The next wicket was a result of Mumbai Indians' prowess in the field. Two powerful shots from Callum Ferguson had been stopped by Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu on the boundary, and when the batsman attempted a risky single to Rohit Sharma at point, he was run outt by a direct hit. Rohit had only one stump to aim at and his accuracy made up for a half-chance that Harbhajan had missed the previous ball.

At 47 for 4 in the ninth over, Warriors needed a special innings to recover but they did not get one. Robin Uthappa had begun to accelerate after scoring at a run a ball but skied a return catch to Pollard on 36. Marlon Samuels, who is not playing Tests against Australia to play the IPL, couldn't keep out a Malinga yorker. It needed some free swinging from Steven Smith, who made 39, to ensure the asking-rate at the start of Mumbai Indians's chase was a little over six an over.

Rohit Batting Fetch a Dramatic Win for Mumbai

Rohit Sharma's majestic 73*  helped the Mumbai Indians  to win the match in dramatic fashion against the Deccan Chargers in Vizag. James Franklin hit a boundary and Sharma smashed two sixes in the last over to give MI their second win of the season.

Chasing 139, Mumbai batsmen started  in disastrous fashion. Dale Steyn looked in inspired form with his pace and accuracy causing the MI batsmen all sorts of trouble. Tirumalasetti Suman [5] was the first to go followed by Richard Levi[3] who was bowled out  by the same bowler.

At 10 for two, MI were struggling to achieve their target. Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu setted a partnership of  48-run. But leggie Amit Mishra broke the stand after Rayudu smashed one straight to Shikhar Dhawan standing at fine-leg.

It was up to Rohit Sharma to take up the mantle of guiding MI home. The right-hander kept the scoreboard ticking, while Kieron Pollard smashed three sixes to keep up with the required rate. The Chargers responded with a crucial breakthrough after Pollard [24] skied a Daniel Christian delivery straight into Dhawan’s welcoming arms. Dinesh Karthik [7] didn’t last long either as Steyn dismissed the right-hander.

With 18 runs required off the last over, Sharma hit a last-ball six to miraculously guide MI to a five-wicket win over the Chargers.

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat. But his decision backfired right from the beginning as the Chargers were reduced to nine for two in no time. Parthiv Patel [1] nicked one to Rohit Sharma at second slip, who grabbed it on the second attempt. Bharat Chipli [1] was the next to go after he pulled one straight to mid-on off a Munaf Patel delivery.

MI were on top early on, but Shikhar Dhawan’s [41] effective counter-offensive ensured that the pressure was back on the visitors. But the aggressive left-hander’s innings came to an abrupt end after he mistimed a Lasith Malinga slower delivery for a catch to leave the Chargers at 46 for three.

Kumar Sangakkara joined Daniel Christian at the crease and the duo put on a 36-run partnership before the DC skipper was eventually given out under controversial circumstances. The left-hander edged a Munaf delivery, which dislodged the bails while ricocheting into wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik’s pads and again onto the stumps. The umpires initially adjudged him not-out, but after much deliberation, the decision was referred and a dejected Sangakkara [14] had to begin his long walk to the pavilion.

Christian [39], on the other hand, continued to trudge along with ease. But, the Aussie’s time in the middle was cut short when he failed to clear the ropes and holed out at long-on to give Munaf his fourth wicket of the match. The home side upped the ante at the end, with Cameron White [30*] providing some fireworks. Some consistent bowling from Malinga and Kieron Pollard at the end ensured that the Chargers finished with a modest 138 for the loss of nine wickets.

Man-of-the-Match

Rohit Sharma for holding his nerve and seeing MI home with a 50-ball 73* that included the match-winning strike that went for six.

We would like to thanks Noah SEELAM of AFP for the images.