IPL 2014: Smith, Faulkner steal thunder from Yuvraj's superlative show

By B D Narayankar 

Bangalore, May 11 (PTI) In an incredible power-hitting show, Steven Smith and James Faulkner rattled up a match-winning 85-run stand from no where as Rajasthan Royals pulled off a stunning five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.


Chasing a daunting 191 to win, Rajasthan were staring down the barrel after losing five wickets for 106 runs in the 14th over but Smith (48 off 21) and Faulkner (41 off 17) combined well to find boundary after boundary.

In complete mayhem, the Australian duo scored the last 65 runs off just 17 balls to not only secure the win with seven balls to spare but also steal the thunder from Yuvraj Singh, who had roared back to form with a strokeful 83 and followed it up with four wickets.

It all started in the 17th over as Faulkner creamed two fours and a six off fellow Australian Mitchel Starc. Smith began the next over, bowled by Ashoke Dinda, with a six and two shots to the fence. Faulkner then finished it off quickly in the 19th over, punishing Varun Aaron with two sixes and a four, stunning the RCB camp and the home fans.

With this win, Rajasthan have strengthened their position in the top-four although they remained in third position with 10 points. RCB are still at sixth place with six points. Bangalore owed their big total to Yuvraj and AB de Villiers (58) as they shared a magnificent 132-run stand, which powered RCB to 190 for five after electing to bat.

Yuvraj, who was dropped on 47 by Sanju Samson, and de Villiers put up a gallant fight as RCB scored 84 runs in the last five overs to snatch the momentum from their rivals, who were well in command till 12 overs. Sending the Rajasthan bowlers on a leather-hunt, the hosts belted 120 runs in the last eight overs.

Rajasthan too had to endure a bad start as Yuvraj rocked the visitors' middle-order with his spin, starting the rot with the important wicket of skipper Shane Watson (1). The left-armer also scalped Rajasthan's top scorer Karun Nair (56), Stuart Binny (1) and the talented Sanju Samson (13) to end with figures of 4-0-35-4. Rajasthan were reeling at 106 for five in the 14th over but what followed was complete mayhem.

From nowhere, Smith with Faulkner, changed the game with their amazing ability to bat under pressure. Smith played a blinder, scoring 48 off 21 balls with four sixes and as many fours while Faulkner hit three sixes and three fours in his 17-ball knock.

Yuvraj, who received criticism for his slow batting and failures in this IPL, punished the bowlers with seven fours and seven sixes in 38-ball knock.

De Villiers, who has been the most consistent batsman for RCB this season, continued with his splendid form and hit five sixes and a four. Yuvraj and de Villiers tried to outdo each other in hitting fours and sixes towards the end of the innings after RCB had a disastrous start, losing three wickets for 40 runs in 8.1 overs.



The RCB innings was off to a disastrous start after their captain Virat Kohli, who opened the innings instead of Parthiv Patel, returned to the dugout cheaply in the third over. Kohli tried to smash the ball over extra-cover but got a thick edge that went into the hands of Rajat Bhatia stationed at third man off Kane Richardson.

Chris Gayle, who is yet to get a big score under his belt in this IPL, started his innings sedately but shifted gears by smashing two boundaries in Pravin Tambe's first over, which went for nine runs. However, in the next over, the oldest IPL player had the last laugh, snaring Gayle with a googly after he had made 19 off 25 balls with three boundaries.

Vijay Zol, who played his first match of the season, made 16 runs off 14 balls with three boundaries, before he thick edged right-arm legbreak bowler Rahul Tewatia's wrong one to Watson standing in first slip.

RCB's top six batsmen have to convert the starts: Albie Morkel

By B D Narayankar

Bangalore: Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Albie Morkel has said that at least one of their top six batsmen would need to score a big one in Friday's match if they are keen to get the better of indomitable Kings XI Punjab.
"Most of our batsmen got good starts. But we didn't convert. The best innings was of AB (de Villiers) who hit 89. And if you want to win T20 games, out of the top 5-6 batsmen, one has to go out and score a big one.
"30s and 40s can win you games on occasions. From our batting point of view, we are aiming that somebody should score a big one," Morkel told reporters on the eve of the match.

The team needs to win at least five out of the seven remaining games, and the South African allrounder said, "We have seven games to play and have to win five to qualify for semifinals. Certainly, our goal is to play well in the next seven games."

Morkel said RCB would try to take advantage of the home conditions and win three consecutive matches in Bangalore.
"It is a blessing in disguise to play three matches (in Bangalore). If you want to qualify, you have to win home matches. We will go out and try to win all three. We are proud of our record here," said Morkel.
"We are playing Punjab tomorrow. It is going to be a tough contest. They have a few dangerous batsmen. But we are taking things game by game. We haven't yet peaked. Hopefully, that happens tomorrow.
"We all know Virat Kohli is a feisty character and he will be up for it (to win five out of seven games). I think the team will respond very well. It is going to be a good contest. We are prepared like any other game. Hopefully, we recharge ourselves," he said.
Morkel said his team is a very competitive but the batting hasn't clicked as expected.
"We have been doing so many things right and were close to winning games. I think our batting unit probably has not done well as expected," he said.
Replying to a query, Morkel said quite a few niggles were
there, but nothing to worry.
     "There are few niggles. Those are not new injuries. They
have been carrying for a while now. They can play with it.
Just they have to manage it well. For tomorrow's game, I think
everyone is fit. The physio is working overtime. We would
entertain the people and 'Gaylestorm' is around," he said.
     On Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard's ugly on-field
spat, Morkel said "both players went wrong and from RCB's
point of view, we don't want this to be repeated".
     "It should not have happened," he said.
     Morkel also said that such incidents always happen in
Mumbai as the crowd gets behind the opposition teams.
     "It always happens when you play in Mumbai. The games I
played for Chennai, the matches in Mumbai were always heated.
The crowd gets behind them," he pointed out. 

A B de Villiers sensational blitz helps RCB beat SRH

By B D Narayankar
   
Bangalore, May 4 (PTI) A B de Villiers produced one of
the most devastating Twenty20 innings as he smashed an
unbeaten 89 from just 42 balls as Royal Challengers Bangalore
pulled off a sensational four-wicket victory over Sunrisers
Hyderabad in a dramatic IPL match here today.
     De Villiers butchered Hyderabad bowlers with six fours
and eight sixes as he single-handedly took Bangalore to
victory after Bangalore suffered early jolts after fine
bowling show by Karn Sharma (3/17) and  Bhuvneshwar Kumar
(2/16).
     Chasing 156 for six, Bangalore seemingly lost the plot as
they were reduced to 59 for four in the 11th over and then
were down 95 for five when Yuvraj Singh (14) was out, needing
61 from 5.3 overs.
     But de Villiers took on from there and played a memorable
innings to take Bangalore to 158 for six with one ball to
spare. He stitched 57 runs for the sixth wicket with Mitchell
Starc who could score just five.
     In the process, de Villiers dented the reputation of his
South African compatriot fast bowler Dale Steyn who bled 39
runs without a wicket in his four overs.
     Bangalore needed 28 runs runs off last two overs and de
Villiers came into the act and hammered Steyn for 24 runs in
the 19th over with three scintillating sixes and a four, which
turned the tables against Hyderabad, leaving the home side
just four runs to score in the last over bowled Pathan.
     Fittingly, de Villiers hit the winning runs, a four off
Pathan, to take Bangalore to their first victory at home in
IPL 7 in front of wildly cheering crowd at the Chinnaswamy
Stadium.
     This was Bangalore's third win in IPL 7 and they are now
at the fourth spot with six points from six matches.
     The only blemish in de Villiers' incredible innings was
when Karn Sharma failed to hold onto a tough chance in the
14th over off the bowling of Irfan Pathan when the batsman was
on 32.
     After restricting Hyderabad for 155 for six in 20 overs,
Bangalore top order, however, could not click as per
expectations as they were reduced to 38 for three 6.4 overs.
     Opener Parthiv Patel, who had a good start in couple of
matches, failed yet again as he was castled by Bhuvneshwar
Kumar for just three in the second over.
     Captain Virat Kohli, who was a bit low in confidence in
this year's IPL, did not bother the scorers, as he
irresponsibly flashed at Kumar to give a simple catch to Naman
Ojha behind the stumps.
     Chris Gayle (27) showed the glimpse of his batting
prowess for a short while by hammering India pacer Ishant
Sharma for two sixes and a boundary in the fifth over, but
threw his wicket away when he tried to slog Karn Sharma.
     The West Indian batsman scored an entertaining 27 off 19
balls with three fours and two massive sixes, but failed to
shore up Bangalore's chase from troubled waters. When he left
the scene, the home side was deep in trouble, struggling 38
for three.
     South African Rilee Rossouw, a replacement for the Nick
Maddinson, looked out of sorts playing on the Indian
conditions. He scored a laborious 14 runs off 23 balls with
one boundary, before he was trapped by leggie Karn Sharma in
11th over, leaving the home side tottering at 59 for four.
     Left to steady the ship forward, Yuvraj, with de
Villiers, added valuable 36 runs for fifth wicket before he
fell to Karn Sharma.
     Earlier, David Warner's fighting knock of 61 off 49 balls
helped Hyderabad post a challenging 155 for six after being
put into bat.
     Warner hit four boundaries and three sixes as he steadied
Hyderabad innings, along with captain Shikhar Dhawan (37 off
36 balls) with a 62-run partnership for third wicket.
     Put into bat, Hyderabad lost their in-form opener Aaron
Finch (13) and Lokesh Rahul (6) early as they were reduced to
29 for two in four overs. Mitchel Starc and Ashoke Dinda
(1/39) accounted for both the batsmen.
     Australian pacer Starc (2/21) had Finch caught behind by
Parthiv Patel and then Dinda sent back local lad Rahul as he
fished at an out-going bowl to Chris Gayle at first slip.
     Warner, who survived a scare while on six when he played
an uppish shot, and Dhawan provided stability for the visitors
by adding 62 runs for third wicket in the next nine overs.
     Both played some effective shots during their partnership
and prominent among those were the boundaries scored off Varun
Aaron (2/33) and Harshel Patel (1/29).
     A moment of indiscretion cost Dhawan his wicket as he
pulled one off Aaron straight into the hands of A B de
Villiers who was standing at deep mid-wicket after making 37
off 36 balls with four hits to the fence.
     But Warner continued to fight as he smashed Yuzvendra
Chahal for a six over the bowler's head and followed it up by
accumulating seven more runs. He was ultimately castled by
Starc in the last over of the innings.
     Darren Sammy then smashed a flat over long-off for a six
to prop up Hyderabad's innings but was holed out by Starc off
Harshal Patel in deep mid-wicket for eight in as many balls in
16th over.
     Naman Ojha looked in good nick and contributed 15 runs
off 11 balls, which included a gentle guide into the Hyderabad
dug-out for a boundary and a six, before he was caught by
Starc at third-man fence off Aaron. 

Focus is to win more away games, says Kohli

B D Naratankar writes

Bangalore, May 3 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli today said that his team is focussing on winning more away games in order to increase the chances of qualifying for the knockout stage in this edition of Indian Premier League.

"It is the away games we are focusing on more than how many to play here. We are quite familiar with what we need to do in Bangalore, but last year our drawback was we did not win away games and we could not qualify," he told reporters here on the eve of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad tomorrow at Chinnaswamy stadium.

However, the team needs to play good cricket in the remaining games, Kohli said. Moreover, the team will take the Indian leg of the IPL fresh even if they would have won all the five games at UAE, he said.

"We take this as fresh start in the IPL regardless even if we had won five games out of five - still take this as fresh start," he said.

Replying to a query, Kohli said losing should hurt but not annoy, otherwise the team drifts away and the focus goes awry.

"Losing should hurt but it should not annoy you - to drift away from what you have to do on the field," he said.

It is the job of the coach and the captain to keep the team together and players should not panic, Kohli said.

"If you panic, then the guys are obviously scatter and not play together as an unit. I have gone through it before. The best way out of this is stay relaxed and focus on holding on to the momentum," he said.

Kohli said of all the defeats they faced, losing to Kolkota Knight Riders hurt them the most because they lost from a winning position.

"The one we lost to Kolkota hurt the most because the other two games we did not play good cricket. We did not deserve to win those, to be honest," he said.

Kohli said that RCB losing last three games in UAE which was a wake-up call for them to rectify their mistakes. "It is good we lost - it is like wake up call. It helped us rectify our mistakes," he added.

Kohli further said it is all about keeping calm in tournament such as the IPL. "When we start panicking, it doesn't help. It becomes difficult to bounce back," he said.

I train my brain even while travelling on a bus: Virat Kohli

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, May 1 (PTI): Giving an insight into his cricketing mind, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli Thursday said that he prepares for a match by training his brain even while travelling in a bus.

"Even when I am going to the ground in the bus, I keep thinking about the shots I am going to play and to which bowler .. Once you train your brain what to do then obviously when you go out there ... you find that perfect zone," he said in an interview to RCB's official website.

Kohli, who holds the record for the fastest century by an Indian batsman in ODIs, said he visualises of how to play certain bowlers before the match.

"I visualise a lot. I sit and think before a game. I visualise the bowlers whom I am going to face the next day or on the game day," he said.

Talking about his strength, Kohli said controlled aggression on the field is his forte and he channelises it to perform better.

"My strength is a lot of intensity on the field. My strength is aggression, but controlled-aggression now. I try to channelise that as much as I can in the things I want to do on the field," he said.

Kohli, who is the fastest batsman in the world to score 17 hundreds in ODIs, said he does not pay much attention to the encomiums and criticism poured on him when things are going good or bad for him.

"Every time I start scoring everyone says he is in the form of his life. So, I don't pay attention to that. It is just that even if you are not doing well, just one or two good matches can change things around for you," he said.

Kohli also said he does not think about his past and present performances, but concentrates on doing well in the next game.

"I don't think about what I have done in the past. How well I have performed in the recent matches I played. For me it is always the next game and my focus is to do well," he said.

RCB owner Mallya lauds Parthiv, De Villiers

B D Narayankar writes

Sharjah, April 20 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya today lauded Parthiv Patel and A B de Villiers for guiding the team to victory against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

"I have always said Parthiv is a gutsy, talented player - he showed it today. He was fantastic, and A B coming in there and calming things down - that was obviously expected from him - walking into a troubled situation. He did his role and performed it perfectly," he said in a post-match interview to RCB's official website.

Both Parthiv and A B stitched a 99-run unbeaten partnership for the fourth wicket after RCB were in a tricky situation, struggling at 17 for three with Nic Maddinson, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh back into the hut.

Patel mixed caution with aggression to score an unbeaten 57 off 45 deliveries, while hitting seven boundaries. A B played the sheet-anchor's role to perfection, making an unbeaten 48-ball 45 with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Mallya said the depth of RCB batting not only came to the team's rescue but also pulled them out of a hole, paving the way for a convincing victory against Mumbai Indians.

"The depth of Royal Challengers batting came not just to rescue but I think it proved a very, very important point that even if we lose early wickets upfront, as we did - 17 for three - we continue to win the match and didn't lose another wicket," he said.

Mallya also lavished praise on his bowlers for restricting Mumbai Indians to a modest score.

"It was great win. Our bowlers did an outstanding job by restricting Mumbai Indians to 115," he said.

IPL-7: We are going to start 'Gangnam' together with Yuvi: Gayle

B D Narayankar reports

     Bangalore, Apr 14 (PTI) West Indian batsman Chris Gayle
today said that he was looking forward to play along with the
likes of Yuvraj Singh in Royal Challengers Bangalore team in
the IPL which begins in the UAE on Wednesday.
     "Yeah, looking forward to be with some international
stars. Well Yuvi is an Indian star, but you know like always
it is pleasure to share the dressing room with such big
names," Gayle said on the Royal Challengers Bangalore's
official website.
     Gayle said Yuvraj and he can provide fans entertainment
and try to guide the team into the final this season.



     "Yuvi and we are going to start Gangnam style together. I
am sure he is looking forward for that act. We will go out to
have fun and (its) going to be a source of intensity on the
field and give fans what they want - to entertain," he said.
     He said the team was looking forward to grab the trophy
this time around which they failed in the last two seasons.
     "This is a season we are looking forward to. We want to
actually grab it. We have been around in the last two seasons.
We didn't actually make it to the final," he said.
     "We are eager to make best use of good starts. We are a
good all-round squad led by Virat Kohli who is in a great
form. We needed the trophy and I want to go and get it. RCB
here we come," he said.
     "Even I am eager to play with Mitchel Starc," he added.