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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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS SIGNED ON MARK BOUCHER AS BRAD HADDIN’S REPLACEMENT

The Kolkata Knight Riders have signed up the South Africa wicketkeeper batsman, Mark Boucher as a replacement for the injured Brad Haddin.

The Chief executive officer and the managing director of the Knight Riders, Mr. Venky Mysore was upbeat to have someone of Boucher’s status in the team as a replacement of the departing Australian.

"We are fortunate to have someone like Mark Boucher as Brad's replacement. Mark comes with a lot of experience and a terrific track record in all forms of the game," said Venky Mysore while talking to the media on Saturday.

Boucher’s signing came after an MRI of Brad Haddin’s injured finger on Thursday detected a fracture and the Aussie cricketer was suggested to drop out of the upcoming games in order to avoid further aggravation of the injury.

Haddin picked up the finger injury during Australia’s tour of Bangladesh earlier this month, playing a three-match One-Day series.

The New South Wales keeper had earlier missed Kolkata’s three opening games due to his national commitments.

Though he joined King Khan’s KKR soon after Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, he could only managed a single appearance for the franchise, failing to make an impact with the gloves or the bat.

The Knight Rider’s CEO said that they are quite disappointed with Haddin’s early exit due to the fractured finger and stated that the 33-year old wicketkeeper had made his presence felt in a very short period of time and he will be missed by both the team and the management.

"We are very disappointed that Brad (Haddin) will be leaving the squad and will not take further part in IPL 4. In a short period, Brad had made his presence felt both on and off the field."

Boucher, the 34-year old former Proteas wicketkeeper, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first three editions of the lucrative Twenty20 league.

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WE GAVE 20 RUNS IN EXCESS AND COULD NOT SCORE RAPIDLY – YUVRAJ SINGH

The Pune Warriors captain Yuvraj Singh, rued that his bowlers conceded 20 odd extra runs during Royal Challenger Bangalore’s innings. Pune suffered a 26-run defeat against Daniel Vettori and his men at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore last night, 29 April, 2011.

The Pune skipper said that they leaked some extra runs to the opposition while fielding and then failed to score runs quickly while batting, leading to their fifth consecutive defeat in the tournament.

The struggling Warriors’ skipper reckoned that the 26-run defeat at the hands of Bangalore has made it quite tough for them to earn a berth in the IPL playoffs since a single defeat in the ensuing six games would mean an ouster from the lucrative league.

"It is really tough from now on,” said the beleaguered Yuvraj. “We have to win six out of six to have a chance. We will give our best,” he vowed.

When asked about the advantage of winning a toss, the stylish middle-order batsman said that it is quite difficult to comment as he has won five tosses so far and lost all those games. Yuvraj wished he had lost the toss against RCB.

The 29-year old all-rounder from Chadigarh also conceded that his side’s batting was not up to the mark against the Bangalore attack.

"It was a gettable target because it was a good batting wicket,” said the former Punjab batsman.

“In the first six overs, we didn''t lose many wickets but Manish and Jesse partnership didn''t yield many runs. If the runs had come at that time, me and Robin could have finished off things. We will look at ourselves on where to improve on," he added.

When asked did if he made a mistake by not batting up in the order, Yuvraj said that batting at number four or five is the core of the team. He however agreed that he should have come up the order at least in this game.

Jesse Ryder was the top scorer from Pune with 51 runs from 34 deliveries followed by skipper Yuvraj Singh who consumed 23 balls to score 41 including two boundaries and three lofty sixes.

With two wins from seven games, the Pune Warriors stand second last at the points table just above DelhiDaredevils and that too because of a better run rate.

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Ross Taylor accepts challenging role in the face of expectations

Ross Taylor was picked up by Rajasthan Royals this season amidst great expectations. He was inducted as a 'finisher' who can lift any innings to a higher level or salvage one on the verge of collapse.

He came into the limelight during the match against a strong Pakistan side who had recently beaten the Kiwis at their home.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 game was staged at Kandy, Sri Lanka on 8 March, 2011. The Kiwis’ had lost two wickets at 55 runs when Taylor entered the arena. Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar had been utterly dominating the Black Caps.

Taylor was lucky to be dropped a couple of times early in his inning by the Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.

Pouncing on the opportunity, Taylor changed the complexion of the game by thrashing Pakistani bowlers to death. He remained unbeaten in the match with 131 runs off 124 balls aided with seven towering sixes and eight powerful fours.

New Zealand was able to post 302 runs in the 50 overs and bowled out Pakistan for 192 runs. Taylor had singlehandedly devastated the Green Caps, leading his side to victory.

After that stellar innings, Taylor has a lot to live up to, especially in the Twenty20 format prevailing in the Indian Premier League.

"It is probably something that has been put upon me over the last three or four years," Taylor told ESPNcricinfo.

"It is different. It is not a role I do for my team back home in New Zealand, or for New Zealand at international level but it is something I do enjoy,” he added.

Taylor takes the expectations as a challenge but the shorter version of the game requires a change of tactics.

"There are not many batsmen who can come out and smack the ball from ball one and do it consistently. So you still have to give yourself a chance. It depends on many runs you have to get and how many balls you have to go. Then you can decide how many balls you have to get in."

Rajasthan Royals have won four games so far in the ongoing Indian Premier league. Taylor has not yet had to prove himself or save a collapsing side.

However, the Rajasthan Royals are looking forward to book their place in the Semi-finals. They have been winning the home matches so far and will be looking to bag the rest as well. Taylor’s presence is a definite advantage for his side, it’s not just his batting talent that is of value, but his experience being the Vice Captain of his national side also comes in to play.

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VIRENDER SEHWAG BLAMES BATSMEN FOR THE DEFEAT AGAINST KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

The dejected Delhi Daredevils skipper, Virender Sehwag slammed his batting line-up for his team’s 17-run defeat to the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi last night.

Chasing a gettable target of 149 to win, the Daredevils could amass only 131 runs from their allotted quota of 20 overs, to suffer fifth defeat in the tournament.

"We had enough batsmen, but no one took the responsibility to finish the job for the team. I said 150-160 is easily chasable, but KKR bowled well," said the disappointed Sehwag after the match.

The Delhi batting line-up collapsed dismally against Umesh Yadav-led Kolkata attack as none of the batsmen from the home side could cross the 25-run individual score line – except for the skipper Sehwag himself who top scored with 23-ball 34. Seven of the Daredevils batsmen fell for single digit scores.

Sehwag’s Kolkata counterpart, Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, was happy to get the side back to winning track breaking a losing streak of three games. He said they were desperate for a victory to keep their chances of making the top-four alive.

"The guys showed a lot of desperation, we all wanted to win desperately...I never expected so much spin on such a grassy wicket," said Gambhir.

Gambhir praised the bowlers for their outstanding efforts and said that defending a modest 148-run total has boosted their morale.

"Everyone contributed in his own way, and if you manage to defend a score of 148 it gives the team a lot of confidence," said Gambhir. "Our bowlers showed what they are made of. My heart and soul is with KKR, I am not a Delhi boy anymore," he added further.

Manoj Tiwary was adjudged man of the match for his belligerent 61 not out off just 47 deliveries to steer the hosts to 148 for 7. While talking to the media after the match, Tiwary said that he went out to bat with an intention of keeping the wicket for the whole 20 over. He further added that things worked out for him and hoped to continue his contributions in the upcoming games.

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Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Manoj Tiwary praises Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman, Manoj Tiwary has hailed Gautam Gambhir for his captaincy tactics and said that latter’s ability to allow personal space to each member of the team makes him stand out of the pack.

"Gautam is an innovative captain. He comes up with lot of ideas and makes it a point to discuss it with the players. He tries to understand each and every player's game and gives them a lot of space," said Manoj while talking to the media reporters.

When asked whether he had also benefited from the experience and exposure of the sensational top order batsman, Tiwary said that Gambhir is a very good batsman of spin bowling and playing with the top order batsman helped him a lot.

The 25-year-old Bengal batsman told the reporters that Gambhir has given him useful tip about how his footwork should be against the spin bowlers.

Talking about King Khan, the principal owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, Tiwary said that bollywood star gifted each and every KKR player a locket he brought from Ajmer Sharif. The Bengal captain said that this gesture of the bollywood celebrity touched their hearts. He also said that it would be a "treasured possession" for him as it was presented by a living legend .

The right handed batsman made his solitary One Day International appearance in February 2008 against Australia in Brisbane and has not been picked in a national side since then. Manoj said that he wants to make a comeback to the national side and is working hard for that as well. However, he said that currently he is focusing on the ongoing Indian Premier League and wants to win matches for Knight Riders.

"My first focus is to win matches for KKR. I don't want to think too far ahead," said Manoj. "My job is to perform and that's precisely what I am trying to do. I felt bad that twice (against Chennai and Kochi) I couldn't finish off matches. But I have learnt from my mistakes and would like to rectify that in coming matches."

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EARLY EXIT FROM IPL MAY COST SRI LANKA PLAYERS THEIR SALARIES

Sources from Board of Control for Cricket in India hinted on Thursday that the Board may block the IPL salaries of Sri Lanka players if they leave the money-spinning T20 league in the midst of the tournament to meet their international commitments.

The source said that as per understanding between the India and Sri Lanka cricket boards, the players cannot leave their respective franchises in the midst of the tournament barring injuries. He further added that if SLC and its players did not honour their commitments, then the BCCI might not pay them their IPL salaries.

“As per the understanding between BCCI and SLC, Lankan players were to stay on till May 22. It was on the basis of that the teams had bought the Lankan players,” told a BCCI source to a leading India sports website.

“According to IPL rules, only those cricketers who are available for the whole season without injury are supposed to be paid the entire salary. We are telling the Lankan board that its cricketers' salaries would be blocked for now if they leave without honouring their commitments,” he added further. 

The sports ministry of Sri Lanka has ordered its players to come back home by May 5, 2011 to join the national team for the training camp for their tour of England starting from May 10. The Sri Lankan Lions have welcomed the Board’s decision and are willing to leave the lucrative Indian Premier League in the midst of the tournament.

Currently eleven Sri Lanka players, including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga, are playing for different IPL franchises. The BCCI had made an informal request to the Sri Lanka government as well as the cricket board but it is learnt that the islanders have decided to ignore the request and are stern to call back the players.

However, the Board officials refused to confirm any such news saying that they are in discussions with the Sri Lanka Cricket and it would be a bit early to comment.

The BCCI official asked the reporters to wait and watch over the developments however, he did agree that there was no signal that the SLC may change its stance.

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