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.

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. 

Every team has a chance to comeback in India leg of IPL: Yuvraj Singh

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, May 2 (PTI) Senior Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh today said though Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings are sitting at top of the table, the seventh edition of IPL is still wide open and there is chance for every team to stage a comeback.

"This is the time when teams leading would like to consolidate, teams like ours` would like to recover the lost ground and sides like Mumbai Indians would like to change their fortunes. As far as my experience says, everything is possible in this game," he said in an article on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) website.

The Punjab southpaw said the Bangalore outfit believe they can be return back to winning ways if they play to their potential and use home conditions to their advantage.

"We know this for a fact, that if we play to our full potential, we can be back to winning ways. Everyone in the group believes this very strongly and are aspiring to make things better. And that`s what we aim to do when we get back to Bangalore," he said.

"Before getting back to Bangalore, we have two days to recharge our batteries and channelise our energies. Hopefully, the familiar surroundings of our home ground can make this recovery a little easier," he added. Yuvraj, who has had a rough time the last couple of matches, said the team need to overcome from their last three defats in the UAE leg of the tournament.
"Losing three matches in a row is definitely a setback, which we need to overcome very quickly. We had one terrible game against Rajasthan Royals and the other two games we just didn`t play the crucial moments well," he said.

Yuvraj said RCB has plenty of positives, including the right set-up and right combination of talents. "Honestly speaking, we have plenty of them. We have the right set-up, right players, great support staff and a very sporting franchise," he said.

"In this format, you lose and win your battles in a very short span and unlike Test cricket or One-Day cricket, you don`t have many chances to make a comeback," the Punjab lad added.

"We started this year`s IPL on a right note with two consecutive wins. Though, by the end of the first leg of the IPL, we somehow couldn`t carry forward that initiative."

Every team has a chance to comeback in India leg of IPL: Yuvraj Singh

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, May 1 (PTI) : Senior Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh today said though Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings are sitting at top of the table, the seventh edition of IPL is still wide open and there is chance for every team to stage a comeback.

"This is the time when teams leading would like to consolidate, teams like ours` would like to recover the lost ground and sides like Mumbai Indians would like to change their fortunes. As far as my experience says, everything is possible in this game," he said in an article on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) website.

The Punjab southpaw said the Bangalore outfit believe they can be return back to winning ways if they play to their potential and use home conditions to their advantage.

"We know this for a fact, that if we play to our full potential, we can be back to winning ways. Everyone in the group believes this very strongly and are aspiring to make things better. And that`s what we aim to do when we get back to Bangalore," he said.

"Before getting back to Bangalore, we have two days to recharge our batteries and channelise our energies. Hopefully, the familiar surroundings of our home ground can make this recovery a little easier," he added. Yuvraj, who has had a rough time the last couple of matches, said the team need to overcome from their last three defats in the UAE leg of the tournament.

"Losing three matches in a row is definitely a setback, which we need to overcome very quickly. We had one terrible game against Rajasthan Royals and the other two games we just didn`t play the crucial moments well," he said.

Yuvraj said RCB has plenty of positives, including the right set-up and right combination of talents. "Honestly speaking, we have plenty of them. We have the right set-up, right players, great support staff and a very sporting franchise," he said.

"In this format, you lose and win your battles in a very short span and unlike Test cricket or One-Day cricket, you don`t have many chances to make a comeback," the Punjab lad added.

"We started this year`s IPL on a right note with two consecutive wins. Though, by the end of the first leg of the IPL, we somehow couldn`t carry forward that initiative." 

Very pleased with Aaron and Chahal's performance: Yuvraj

B D Narayankar writes

Sharjah, April 27 (PTI) Senior batsman Yuvraj Singh today
said he was pleased with performances of both fast bowler
Varun Aaron and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the IPL-7 so far.
     "I am mighty pleased with the way Varun Aaron has bowled
so far. As an Indian it is heart-warming to see a young Indian
bowler consistently hitting the 145 KPH mark and making the
ball rip and zip on the pitch," he said in his article posted
on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s official website.
     "I must add here that now bowling with a speed of 145 kph
is a humongous effort on his part. Trust me, for someone who
knows a thing or two about injuries, illnesses and recoveries,
coming out of all this and performing like this is not easy at
all," Yuvraj added.
     Varun has played three games and scalped six wickets, and
dazzled against Kolkata Knight Riders with three-wicket haul,
which included prized scalps of Jacques Kallis and Chris Lynn.
     Fast bowling is an extremely tough job and even tougher
it is to come out of the injury and getting your rhythm back,
Yuvraj said adding that it takes loads of hard work, patience
and persistence to achieve it.
     Praising Chahal's performance, Yuvraj said he is a young
talented spinner with few tricks up his sleeves and with time
he will become better and smarter.
     "Chahal is a young talented spinner with few tricks up
his sleeves. And at this age he knows how to mix them. With
time he will become better and smarter," he said.
     "To get a wicket on the first ball is a real confidence
booster. That's the beauty of this tournament. Youngsters get
a chance to perform at this level and some of them grab it
with both hands to leave a mark," he added.
     The 23-year-old leg-spinner from Haryana came to
limelight for his frugal economy rate of 5.08 in this season
where big scores are being chased down with ease. He has, so
far, bagged four wickets after conceding 61 runs in three
matches. 

Yuvraj hates batting under pressure, says mother

B D Narayankar writes

Sharjah, April 22 (PTI) Shabnam Singh, mother of Yuvraj

Singh, today said his son hates to bat under pressure and

relishes playing in a side which enjoys cricket and are

relaxed.

    "He is very happy to be picked up for RCB because cricket

is all about enjoying and that's what the Royal Challengers

Bangalore stand for. All the boys are really chilled out and

that's where he wants to be because Yuvi hates to bat under

pressure or anything," she said in an interview to RCB's

official website.

     Asked about her support to her son, Shabnam said,

"Whenever he is down and out, it is best to leave him alone

instead of pampering him. I try and make him realise that its

just the part of the game and he will come out of it. It is a

regular part of parent and child and every parent does that."

    "It is very important to support the child. I don't think

so I am different. Mothers are all about fussing over their

son and fathers are very harsh. Usually, they are," she added.

     Asked what challenges she faced from her son, Shabnam

said Yuvraj was thrown out of every school he attended and

most of the teachers expressed unhappiness over his

performance in studies.

     "I was called so many times to the school and they

(teachers) said your child is not doing well, but eventually

he decided that cricket was the one sport he wanted to play,"

she 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.

World T20 final defeat still rankles Yuvraj

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, April 17 (PTI) Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh on Thursday said it was difficult to cope with the World Twenty20 final defeat against Sri Lanka but he was learning to take disappointments in his stride.

India had reached the summit clash of the tournament unbeaten but had failed to cap their brilliant campaign with a win.

“A match like the finals always left feelings of ‘so near yet so far’, but as sportsmen they need to overcome these emotions quickly and face next challenge,” he said in an interview published on the Royal Challenger Bangalore’s official website.

“As a team we played a fantastic tournament and displayed emphatic cricket all around. But in the finals thing didn’t go the way we planned and it’s not easy to overcome that disappointment,” he said.

Yuvraj said in his younger days, one of his coaches told him that sportsperson one should be able to handle both the success and the defeats alike.

“That’s what I want to do,” he said.

Yuvraj said he is thrilled to be a part of RCB and hoped it would a memorable season for the side. He said the most of the team-mates got a short but very refreshing break after the World T20 and they are ready for the next 50 days.

He added that the last few days have given the team ample time to be with each other and figure out combinations.

“We had some very useful practice sessions and that has given use fair idea about our strategies and game plans.”

The Punjab southpaw said the side boasts of a very good mix of experience and youth and positivity around the team is infectious and uplifting.

“This comes across as a group that is willing to back each other in good and bad times. It is an absolute privilege to share the dressing room with the likes of Chris Gayle, Muttiah Muralitharan, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori and Alan Donald,” Yuvraj said.

“It is equally pleasing to know that I would be bowling to Gayle in the nets only,” he added.

Yuvraj said the facilities and arrangements are top class and they expect full house in most of the games because this part of the world has loads of Indian and South Asians.

“I can imagine they won’t miss the chance to see this spectacle live. So I expect a full house in most of the games,” 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.