Johan Botha pleased with his new role as an all-rounder for the Rajasthan Royals

Johan Botha is pleased to perform his role as an all-rounder for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
He was initially signed up as a bowler but was offered to bat at No.3 by his skipper, Shane Warne and Coach Jeremy Snape.
“They both approached me at the same time and we had a general chat and they said 'are you keen to do it?’” revealed Botha.
Taking it as a challenge, Botha expressed his pleasure at the opportunity. He added that the T20 game has a lot of glamour in it but one has to adapt to the game, keeping in mind the limited time and the need for quick runs.
"You have a few balls to have a look, the field is up at the start too, so you can get off to a bit of a flier and have 10, 15, or 20 runs before the field is spread out, so that makes quite a difference. Normally, when you come in at the end, it is a few balls to go and one or two of the best bowlers on again, so that is not easy,” he explained.
 Rajasthan Royals appeared in their first match of this season against the Deccan Chargers on April 9, 2011. The Chargers scored 137 runs in the allotted overs.
Rajasthan Royals had lost their first wicket at 31 runs when Botha stepped up to his new role. He thrashed an unbeaten 67 off 47 balls aided with one six and eight fours, leading his side to victory by eight wickets.
Botha repeated the feat against Delhi Daredevils on April 12, 2011 by punching an unbeaten 39 off 32 with two fours. Rajasthan ended up winning the match by six wickets.
He has played six matches in this edition of the IPL and has secured a batting spot in his team by scoring 189 runs at an excellent average of 94.50.
Botha has not allowed his bowling to suffer either. He opened the bowling attack for his team with positive results. His bowling has been praised by his national side as well, he is capable of bringing the run-rate down while picking up some crucial wickets.
He has taken five wickets in this IPL season at an average of 25.60 runs per wicket with best figures of 3 for 6.
Botha was brought down by a finger injury which kept him out of a few games and his side lost a couple of those. He came back to the field as soon as he recovered and Rajasthan Royals have won three back to back games since then.

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STEPHEN FLEMING SAYS BATTING WILL BE CHENNAI SUPER KINGS’ STRENGTH AGAINST DECCAN CHARGERS

The Chennai Super Kings coach, Stephen Fleming said on Saturday that batting would be his side’s strength when they play Deccan Chargers at home on Sunday, May 1.

The Deccan Chargers have one of the best bowling attacks in the Indian Premiere League (IPL), including spearhead pacers from India and South Africa. However, Fleming was confident that the Dhoni-led Chennai side has the required firepower to counter the Indo-South African pace attack.

“Our top order is one of the biggest around and with Badrinath being in form. We've some wonderful Indian players along with Michael Hussey, so we're well-equipped to deal with any attack,” said the former New Zealand skipper while talking to the reporters at the pre-match media conference.

Naming the star performers of his side, Fleming said MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel are some of the biggest hitters in international cricket and the Kiwi thinks that the talent his team have got in their top six can outshine the top order of any other side.

The Deccan attack, which includes the likes of world’s number one bowler, Dale Steyn, and Ishant Sharma, played havoc against Kochi Tuskers Kerala on Wednesday, April 27, crushing them by 55 runs. Ishant Sharma was the star performer in Wednesday’s match, returning with stunning bowling figures of 5 for 12. Sharma was followed by Steyn who picked up three wickets.

Fleming said Chennai Super Kings’ defeat to Mumbai Indians last Friday, helped the team bring out a change in their attitude.

“The pleasing shift for me was the game against Mumbai,” said the New Zealander. “We got shown the standards of fielding in this competition and it was almost a challenge. The next two games we were outstanding. Once you set yourself a benchmark for yourself, it's very good.”

Earlier, the Vice Captain of Deccan Chargers, Cameron White said that his side had the required potential to upset Chennai. The Aussie all-rounder, however, did agree that the Super Kings would be a formidable side to defeat at home.

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Ishant Sharma says Zaheer Khan helped him regain form

The gangly India pacer, Ishant Sharma has credited senior fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, for the development in his bowling line and length.

Defending a meager 20-overs total of 129 runs at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi, the 22-year old Delhi bowler, returned with stunning match figures of 5 for 12 to lead Deccan Chargers to an emphatic 55-run victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

“I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told me to keep working hard on my fitness. Working with him is really tremendous for me", said Ishant while talking to the media reporters after the match.

It was Ishant’s first ever five-wicket haul in the T20 format of the game. He was awarded with the man of the match award for his startling spell. Five of the top six Kochi batsmen were removed by the six feet five inches tall Delhi pacer.

When asked what inspired him to make such an outstanding come back, the right arm medium pacer said, "It's not about inspiration. When we were sitting in the dressing room, we thought 130 is a good total. When RP's first ball hit the gloves (of Sunny Sohal), we thought we won't mind bowling first on this track".

The triumphant Deccan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, of Sri Lanka, expressed satisfaction over the total posted by his batsmen and said that they were confident of defending that run-a-ball run rate. He praised the new-ball duo of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma for containing the opposition batsmen right from the start of their innings, as Kochi were reeling at 11 for six inside four overs.

The Deccan skipper also hailed team coach, Darren Lehmann, for helping the players develop confidence in themselves.

"He (Lehmann) has a lot of common sense when it comes to cricket, nothing flash, just go out there and hit your lengths. We need to keep playing good cricket", said Sangakkara.

The skipper of Kochi, Mahela Jayawardene said that they were well aware and of Deccan’s bowling strength. He singled out Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma for praise for their remarkable spells.

Jayawardene was also unhappy about the way the pitch behaved last night and said that the wicket had a bit more movement than they were expecting.

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Kings X1 Punjab Vs. Delhi Daredevils

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.
Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.
The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.
Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.
There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent. Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.
On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.
The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.
David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.
Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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Sachin Tendulkar and Mumbai Indians record impressive win over Deccan Chargers

MI 172/4 20 overs DC 135/8 20 overs

Mumbai Indians gave their team captain, Sachin Tendulkar, the perfect birthday gift as they trounced the Deccan Chargers in a crucial match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the least favourite venue for the hosts, Uppal Stadium.

In four years the Chargers have hardly ever won at the venue and once again a capacity crowd was left disappointed due to a poor performance from the hosts, who allowed the Indians to post a big total of 172 before succumbing to a meagre 135 run total themselves.

The Indians opted to bat first and the opening pair of Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs got the team off to a flying start as they scored 47 runs in 5.1 overs before Jacobs fell for a well made 32 that came off a mere 20 balls. Tendulkar tried to up the tempo after his demise. However, the birthday boy fell to left arm spinner, Pragyan Ojha, after scoring 28 runs off 24 balls.

Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard were soon sent back as the Indians wobbled at 70/4, the Chargers were revved up and looked set to choke the visitors for runs. The morale didn’t last for long and things changed at this stage as the Indians made an astonishing comeback through an unbeaten 102 run stand between Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds.

The two big-hitters laid into the hosts smashing them to all parts of the ground at the end of the innings, Sharma scored a dazzling 56 off 34 balls while Symonds smashed 44 off 33 balls.

The hosts were hit hard by the unexpected assault at the end of the Mumbai innings and captain Kumar Sangakkara tried to revive their hopes after an early loss of a wicket. However he failed to make most of his own start and perished for 34 runs as the rest of the batting line-up also failed to inspire much with Amit Mishra and Daniel Christian the only two batsmen to cross the 20 runs mark late in the order.

The listless batting performance saw the hosts end 37 runs short of the target. For the Indians, Lasith Malinga the man with the most potent yorker in modern cricket snared three wickets for a mere nine runs of four fantastic overs.

He was named man of the match as the Indians celebrated another important win and solidified their position in the league.

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KINGS X1 PUNJAB VS. DELHI DAREDEVILS

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.

Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.

The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.

Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.

There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent.Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.

On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.

The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.

Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.

David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.

Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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MUMBAI INDIANS GREET RAY PRICE AS TARE, DAVY AND AMBATI COMPETE FOR KEEPING POSITION

Mumbai Indians have greeted the services of Zimbabwe Spinner Ray Price, who will be joining them before their match against the Deccan Chargers on Sunday, 24 April, 2011.

The left-arm spinner has replaced the Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques, who continues to recover from surgery for an adductor muscle injury.

Ray will remain with the top franchise on the points table until the end of IPL ongoing edition.

Ray price is at the second position on ICC’s One Day Internationals (ODI) bowling rankings right now. Pricewas the best bowler amongst the Zimbabwe bowlers with an average of 18.77 and economy rate of 3.44.

Price shared that at the start of his International career, his aim was to finish at top of the rankings, however, being ranked number two in the world is exceptional and he will be eyeing the number one position.

In the mean time, Rohit Sharma is resolute in using the IPL to re-emerge in the international cricket.

The endowed right handed Indian batsman, who missed out on a World Cup berth earlier in the year, splintered a blistering 87 against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday as the hosts powered past the defending champions at the Wankhede Stadium and is looking forward to extend his affluent run of form against the Deccan Chargers.

"I know I missed out on the World Cup, but it's okay because such things happen. I just need to keep my focus. I must not lose heart and whenever I get the opportunity, just do my best," said Sharma, who last played for India in January.

He added that he has been batting well. There has been pressure and he has done well. He is happy to score some runs.

Aditya Tare meanwhile, has not played any IPL match yet since Mumbai keep switching between Davy Jacobsand Ambati Rayudu as their starting wicket-keeper batsman.

Tare is hopeful about a good performance if he gets a chance to play against the chargers on Sunday.

Whilst South African star Jacobs kept the wicket in Mumbai’s first three matches this season, Indian rookie Rayudu has done so in the fourth and fifth games.

"It's always a challenge. There is healthy competition between me, Davy and Ambati. I am doing my very best in the training sessions. So, let us see how it goes," said Tare.

"Batting comes naturally to me. I love to play attacking shots. Hopefully, I can spend more time in the middle, plan my innings well and try and get runs for my side on a consistent basis."

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DECCAN CHARGERS V MUMBAI INDIANS - BATSMAN TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE DECCAN SIDE

As we all know that the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) fourth edition is on its peak and being enjoyed all over the World, the 27^th IPL contest between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians is going to be on Sunday, 24th of April in Hyderabad.

For this Sunday’s show, Bettor.com presents the comparison of the best batsmen, who are likely to perform well.

The Deccan Chargers have a couple of great batsmen in their playing XI, the experienced, Kumar Sangakkara, talented Jean-Paul Duminy and iconic Cameron White.

The Deccan Chargers have lost three matches out of the five they have played so far.

On the other side, Mumbai Indians team seems to be going strong so far, having the experience of players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu in their squad. 

The Mumbai Indians have won three games out of four so far, the one match they lost was against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Mumbai on 15th of April.

Batsmen from the Deccan Chargers

1)       Kumar Sangakkara

A shining Sri Lankan star with exemplary leadership qualities, Kumar Sangakkara loves to play elegantly. A top-order left handed batsman and an athletic wicket-keeper, Sangakkara has proved his worth for his national side in the last couple of years, leading them to the Final of the recently concluded World Cup.

His batting prowess has been on exhibition throughout the World Cup 2011. He has the ability and temperament to stay on the crease for a long time.

His sharp wicket-keeping, athletic dives and quick reflexes are examples for all emerging wicket-keepers.

Leading his national side to the 2009 T20 World Cup Final as well as the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final have been great achievements in his career.

Sangakkara earlier represented the Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League’s previous three editions. This time around he is leading the Deccan Chargers.

In the first edition of IPL, he was the 15^th highest scoring batsman, scoring 320 runs in 10 matches.

In the 2009 season, he was the 14^th highest scorer with 332 runs, including 2 fifties.

In the 2010 edition of IPL, he scored 357 runs in 13 games including a high score of 56.

Sangakkara has played 42 IPL matches, has scored 1145 runs at an average of 30.94 including highest runs of 94 and 8 half centuries. He is the 7^th highest scorer of the IPL.

In the wicket-keeping department, he is at number 3 from 2008 to 2011 with 30 dismissals including 7 stumpings and 23 catches.

2)      Jean-Paul Duminy

A strong middle-order all-rounder from the South African cricket team, Jean-Paul Duminy made his way to the International realm by performing well throughout in his domestic career.

The left-handed player has an uncanny ability to score quickly, hammering any bowling attack in his way.

The 26-year-old player has also proved himself as a useful part time off-spinner with many variations in his bowling.

Duminy’s talents suit well to the Twenty20 format of the game and his inclusion in any side will be welcome.

Duminy made his IPL debut in 2009 from the Mumbai Indians’ side. He was the 6^th higher scorer, scoring 372 runs in 13 matches with 5 fifties.

However in the 2010 season of the IPL 3, he only scored 157 runs in 7 games, setting his average at 31.40.    

Duminy has featured in 22 IPL matches from 2009-2011. He has scored a total of 549 runs at an average of 34.31 including a high score of 62.

This time around, Duminy is playing for the Deccan Chargers.

He made his T20 International debut in 2007 against Bangladesh at Cape Town, since then Duminy has played 30 T20 International matches, scoring 648 runs in total with an average of 30.85 and a high score of 96 runs.

3)      Cameron White

The right handed middle-order batsman, Cameron White is from the Australian cricket team.

White, who is also the captain of Australia’s Twenty20 side, made his Twenty20 International debut against England at Sydney in 2007. 

Since then, White has featured in 25 T20 matches for Australia and has scored 519 runs setting his average at 32.43.

In the ongoing Indian Premier League, the Deccan Chargers bought White for $1.1 million, White was the 2^ndhighest paid Aussie after David Hussey.

White is the Vice Captain of the Chargers while Sangakkara leads as the skipper, having played just one match for the Deccan Chargers so far, White scored 31 runs.

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Shahrukh khan:winning and losing are part of Cricktet

Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders’ owner, Shah Rukh Khan, who is keen to see his men stride away with the title in the Indian Premier League (IPL), understands that victory and defeat are part of the game.  He cited his passion for cricket as the reason for his participation in the sport.
“I've been saying this all the time that I am a sportsperson by nature and I'm here because I love the game. Winning and losing are part of it. Team wise, maybe earlier we had made a few mistakes and so we thought of areas to correct ourselves,” he maintains.
The Kolkata men are scheduled to lock horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 22, 2011, at their home ground of Eden Gardens. Khan is delighted that the team players are gelling well together and is certain that their perfect coordination will prove beneficial for their game.
Answering a question regarding Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion from the squad, he said that the team needed to go through the transition. He added that the matter needlessly turned into a controversy because the message did not effectively reach across to the people of Kolkata.
“It was unfortunate that we couldn't retain Dada but we had to go through a change and try and do something new and different. But Dada was always going to be part of our plans. We want him around to be there and guide the new team,” claimed the franchise owner.
The presence of the high-profile movie star brings the Kolkata Knight Riders in the limelight and puts stress on the owner. However, Khan refused to be stressed and vowed to give his best performance on all fronts. He offered empathy to his team, saying that the players sometimes take too much burden upon themselves.
The Kolkata roster has cruised to the high rankings of the IPL hierarchy this season. However, they tasted their second defeat of the IPL season when the Kochi Tuskers Kerala rose to a 6-run victory against them at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.
King Khan’s side has been earning their victories mainly due to the performance of a few stars in the top order. All-rounder Jacques Kallis plundered three half centuries in the starting fixtures of the tournament. Gautam Gambhir has stood not out and sealed wins against the Rajasthan Royals with his dazzling strokes. Manjor Tiwari also exposed his sturdy side in the recent encounter against Kerala, when he scored a tally of 46 off 51 balls.
On the other hand, the Royal Challengers, who seemed to have swapped fortunes with the Kolkata side, are on a losing spree this season, as suggested by their consecutive defeats against the Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings.
The luminary King Khan has taken a break from his busy Bollywood schedule in order to fully enjoy the IPL tournament.

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So far so good for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League

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The ICC World Cup 2011 may be over, but it seems that cricket has just started in India. The fourth edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League kicked off soon after the Men in Blue were crowned the world champions and since then, the fans have witnessed some entertaining T20 cricket. The shortest version of the game is always fun to watch and it has been a treat for the Indian fans until now.

One of the better performing teams in this year’s IPL has been the Kings XI Punjab. The team didn’t get off to an ideal start to the season, losing the first match against the Pune Warriors (PWI). However, they bounced back strongly in their next couple of matches, winning against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Deccan Chargers (DC). They will next face the Rajasthan Royals (RR), at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali on Thursday 21 April.

The best result for KXIP in IPL has been a semi-final finish in the inaugural season of the cash-rich tournament. However, the team was unable to live up to the expectations of their fans in the next two editions.

The leadership of the team has been handed over to former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist this time around. The veteran cricketer was the skipper of DC in the previous editions of the tournament and led his team to a title victory in the second season of IPL.

Gilchrist was expected to repeat the same performance, but this time for a different outfit. His team was defeated in the first match, as the batting failed miserably. The South African all-rounder, Ryan McLaren, was the only player to make an impression in the match, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 43 balls. His effort went in vain though, as the team was unable to defend 112 against the Yuvraj Singh led squad.

KXIP was under immense pressure, as their next match was against the defending champions CSK. The MS Dhoni led side scored a massive total of 188 runs after they were put into bat by Gilchrist.

Things looked grim for Punjab, but a special effort from opening batsman Paul Valthaty guided the team to an easy victory in the end. The flamboyant batsman scored an unbeaten 120 runs off just 63 balls with the help of 19 fours and two sixes. His effort stunned the strong opposition, as the target was chased with five more balls to spare.

Valthaty’s innings gave a lot of confidence to the team and they carried that into the next game against DC. Gilchrist and his men were yet again given a big target of 166 to chase, but the team reached it with effortless ease.

The opening partnership between KXIP’s captain and Valthaty was worth 136 runs in just 14 overs, which took the game away from Kumar Sangakkara and his men. The pair scored 61 and 75 runs in the innings, making things easier for their middle-order batsmen.

Although things have looked quite good for the Punjab's team, they need to sort out a few things before their next game. The middle-order of the team has appeared to be vulnerable and if a couple of early wickets fall in the innings, there will be immense pressure on the team.

Apart from the batting, the team will need to emphasis on their bowling department as well. KXIP has allowed their oppositions in all three matches to score runs quickly and if the trend continues, things will become difficult for them.

However, the winning momentum would have brought a lot of confidence in the team, which will make things easier for them in the upcoming matches.

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Kings XI Punjab owner Preity Zinta says Adam Gilchrist is no magician

Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta has said that the captain of her side Adam Gilchrist does not have any magic wand in his hand and needs time to put the side back on winning track.
Preity is quite hopeful to see things turning around after her team’s convincing victory over Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
“I am hopeful of a turnaround and know that Gilchrist is a brilliant team leader. But he is not a magician and should be given time to settle down,” Preity said.
After being thrashed by the Pune Warriors in their opening game, Kings XI Punjab made a fantastic comeback and routed defending champions Chennai Kings comprehensively by 6 wickets in their own backyard, Mohali.
Chasing Super Kings’ massive total of 188, the Punjab batsmen held their nerves in front of home crowd, which eventually helped them to perform superbly. The opening batsman Paul Valthaty scored a marvellous unbeaten innings of 120 runs, guiding his side to glory single-handedly.
Kings XI Punjab lost some of their star players in the IPL auctions 2011, as Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who represented Punjab in the previous IPL editions, are leading different outfits this season.
Meanwhile Gilchrist, who led Deccan Chargers to victory in the second season of the IPL, has been trying to continue with the good work for his new side.
The Bollywood star Preity Zinta is also looking forward to the team’s improved performance in the upcoming games.
“We have lot many games left. We will definitely emerge stronger,” the Indian actress said about her team.
Showing her enormous delight over Wednesday victory, Preity further hoped that every player from the side will contribute to the team’s success in the competition.
“Everybody has to realise that they have to chip in. Cricket is not an individual sport and everyone needs to contribute,” the KXIP co-owner added.
Earlier in the tournament, Kings XI were beaten by the Yuvraj-led Pune Warriors.
The Shimla-born actress reposed faith in the players and expected that the team would shine in the competition without having big names in the line-up. Except their semi-final appearance in the 2008 edition of the Twenty20 League, the Kings XI Punjab have failed to make an impact in later IPL competitions.
After their win against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai side, Kings XI Punjab have jumped up to 7^th position in the IPL points table.
Punjab are scheduled to meet the Kumar Sangakkara-led Deccan Chargers on Saturday next.

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SANGAKKARA ASKS DECCAN BATSMEN TO RETHINK THEIR APPROACH

After facing two consecutive defeats in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Deccan Chargers captain, Kumar Sangakkara, has asked his batsmen to rethink their approach for a better performance in the remaining matches in the competition.

Sangakkara’s XI was thrashed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the sixth match of the league. Chasing 164 for triumph at Eden Gardens, the Deccan batsmen were unable to deal with some quality bowling from the opposition, failing to build any big partnership.

After making a slow start, the Chargers lost quick wickets in the beginning and towards the end, which eventually left the side 9 runs short of the target.

Deccan Chargers have already tasted a defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals because of a terrible batting show from the side. Nonstop poor batting has been troubling the skipper, and he asked his batters to step forward and do the trick for the team.

"Our batsmen now have to start rethinking and attack slow bowlers", Sangakkara said about his batsmen’s slow approach against Knight Riders’ new ball bowlers.

The Chargers’ batsmen could not manage to make fluent runs against Kolkata’s left-arm seamer, Iqbal Abdulla, who eventually returned with outstanding figures of three for 24. "He (Abdulla) is not a bad bowler and he managed to bowl a couple of good overs at the start. We need to bat a bit smarter. A few less mistakes would have got us over the line", said the former Sri Lankan One Day captain.

Although, Sangakkara admired Kolkata’s fine bowling, the captain regarded 164 as a gettable score on a pure batting track. The skipper found ‘losing wickets at regular intervals’, as a major source of Deccan’s defeat in the crucial game.

Sangakkara backed Ishant Sharma, who was lacklustre against the Riders. However, the skipper also showed his concerns over 15 extras, given away by his bowlers.

The Lankan wicket-keeper batsman, vowed that his side needs just one win to pick the winning tempo in the tournament and with the kind of bowling attack, Deccan Chargers have, that victory is not very far away.

"As a team we need just one win under our belt", Sangakkara put in plain words.

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