The second of the IPL semi finals sees Deccan Chargers take on Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai on Thursday. Both of these teams endured a nightmare run of form during IPL 2010 but now they stand on the brink of reaching the final. "This game is all about the clash between Chennai’s batting and Deccan’s bowling." Venue and Conditions: It is a pity for the people of Bangalore that the semi-finals were moved from that city, but as alternative venues go, there could be few better than the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. It is the most modern cricket arena in India and the crowds there make one hell of a din. There have been six IPL games at the ground and the stats are quite revealing. An average first innings score of 153 does not suggest a typical Indian pitch, nor does the fact that quicker bowlers have fared better than spinners, both in terms of averages and economy rates. The relatively new playing surface was laid using 200 tonnes of South African soil and was intended to offer pace and bounce for the quick bowlers. Trivia: It was on this ground in 2008 that Adam Gilchrist smashed 109 off 47 balls, the fastest century of the IPL, a record that stood until Yusuf Pathan surpassed it this year. Road to semi- Final: Deccan Chargers: When the Deccan Chargers threw away a match winning position against the Rajasthan Royals in match #36, they had just three wins from nine games and looked to be heading out of the tournament. Gilchrist’s team subsequently reeled off five consecutive wins including a 6 wicket victory over semi final opponents the Super Kings in match 42 when they restricted the big hitting Chennai to a total of just 138. They also came out on top in their earlier meeting … [Read more...]
First IPL Semi-final preview: Mumbai Vs Bangalore
The first semi final in IPL 3 sees the Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday. The fact these two meet in the semis comes as a surprise to many, who thought they'd only lock horns in the final. Mumbai are favourites after topping the table but any side with Bangalore's batting line-up can't be written off. Venue and Conditions: After 56 games in IPL 3 the eight teams have finally been whittled down to four and now it's time to get serious. The first semi final will see the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Mumbai Indians and for the winners the spoils couldn't be higher: a place in the final and also a guaranteed spot in the lucrative Champions League this autumn. Originally this match was scheduled to be played in Bangalore, but given there were two explosions before the last Bangalore home game, it has now been switched. Fortunately for Mumbai the game is now to be played in Mumbai, at the huge Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, where 60,000 Sachin Tendulkar fans will be out in force to cheer on their hero. Only two IPL matches have been played there so far so there are no obvious trends but the wicket does appear to provide assistance to the spinners. Team News: Mumbai Indians: Mumbai rested a number of players for their dead rubber match against Kolkata, so expect to see many changes from that game. Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan will all come back in, while Dwayne Bravo will likely be the most high-profile overseas player to miss out. As recently as last weekend, the Mumbai Indians hammered the Royal Challengers by 57 runs in Bangalore. Mumbai were ruthless on the day as they were already assured of their semi final place. … [Read more...]
IPL semi-finals shifted from Bangalore to Mumbai
The IPL governing council on Sunday decided to move out the semi-final matches of the Twenty-20 tournament from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai due to security concerns. The decision was taken in the wake of the two low-intensity bomb blasts that occurred outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday ahead of the clash between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians. The announcement regarding the same was made by the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi who emphasized that the IPL governing council was not ready to take any chances and wanted to ensure the safety of players and spectators. He added, "the incidents were assessed by local police and the IPL’s security agency as being of a minor nature but they have forced our hand.” Modi said in his statement that the decision of changing the venue is naturally disappointing for the people of Bengaluru but has been taken in consideration of the tournament’s best interests and the interests of its many varied stakeholders. He further said, “While reluctant to relocate the semi-finals at such short notice, yesterday's incidents have made it clear that the current environment in Bangalore prevents us from continuing with our original plans." Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, the IPL commissioner asserted that the semi-finals and finals of DLF IPL 2010 will be successfully contested and provide a fitting finale to a remarkable tournament in spite the minor hiccup. The minor explosions that took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday minutes before the start of the match left atleast eight people with injuries and resulted in delaying the match by an hour. Besides the twin blasts, two other bombs were procured later in the evening which were defused … [Read more...]
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