Mumbai Indians beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 9 wickets to enter play-offs

Mumbai Indians earned their spurs in the last league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad after producing a show-stealing bowling efforts t/hat lock in the chance in the IPL playoffs. 

Electing to bat first, both the openers of Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan failed to make an impression with the bat as they both were dismissed on consecutive deliveries. 

Dhawan's off-stump was splintered on Lasith Malinga's last delivery of the first over, a perfect yorker-length delivery and Dhawan lost the battle against the pace. The next over started off with a loss of another wicket in the form of the in-form and consistent batsman, the leading run scorer of the tournament and the holder of Orange-cap, David Warner. Warner tried to top-edge Mitchell McClenaghan's short-ball delivery and sends off the ball swiftly into the hands of Kieron Pollard. Sunrisers were reduced to seven for two in 1.1 overs.

The two new batsmen, Moises Henriques and Eoin Morgan struggled to rotate the strike and didn't add much momentum. Another major blow came in the sixth over in the form of Morgan when McClenaghan trapped him into his cobweb of short-ball perfection. Morgan tried to cope up with the short-ball with an upper-cut but was caught at deep by the third man in charge, Lendl Simmons. 

Soon after he departed, the scoreboard moved from 29-for-3 to 54-for-five by the end of ten overs. Tenth over brought troubles back for the Sunrisers, as back-to-back two wickets Henriques(11) and Naman Ojha(zero) were encountered off Jagadeesha Suchith. 

The faith of Sunrisers Hyderabad was shaken as wickets were falling at continuous intervals. Hyderabad's batting remained their bane as they were restricted by the Mumbai pacers to a paltry 113 for all from their 20 overs. 

Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, who took the new ball finished with 3-16 from his four overs and clinched the man-of-the-match award for his effort. Lasith Malinga and Jagadeesha Suchith got two wickets apiece. 

With a small total to chase and pressure been pulled-off from the back of Mumbai's batsmen, the openers, Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons flourish and ensured that McClenaghan's three-wicket-haul wouldn't go to waste as Mumbai completed a below-par chase with 37 balls and nine wickets to spare.

While Parthiv Patel belted nine fours and smashed an unbeaten 37-ball-51, Lendl Simmons was unlucky as he was dismissed just two runs short of his half century. The latter made 48 off 44 balls including four boundaries and two sixes. Skipper Rohit Sharma finished off the game by remaining unbeaten on 7. 

It was a piece of cake for Mumbai Indians served fresh by Sunrisers Hyderabad with a cherry on top as Mumbai confirmed their berth in the playoffs. The hosts paid respect of high order to the visitors. After this win, Mumbai jumped to the second position in the points table with 16 points from 14 games and will play the first Qualifier on their home-ground at Wankhede Stadium against Chennai Superkings on Tuesday, while Hyderabad are no more alive in this year's tournament. 

Phillip Hughes

Phillip Hughes, 63* not out forever!

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has organised a tribute match to honour Late Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died because of a fatal injury while playing for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a Sheffield Shield game on November 25, 2014.

The match will be a 63-over affair in the memory of Phillip Hughes who was batting on 63,not out and each team will play 31.3 overs, that makes 63 in total. The match is scheduled to be played at the Tribhuvan University Ground.

Prior to the match, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr Glenn White will host a reception for the players and the stakeholders. The match will be played between teams consisting of visiting players of Australia and the national players of Nepal.

The tribute match will be followed by an expedition where one of Hughes’ bat and playing jerseys will be taken to Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak. All the proceeds from the tribute match will also go towards this expedition to the Everest.

CAN would like to thank the Hughes family for giving its blessing to the match, as well as Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketer’s Association and the Australian Embassy in Nepal for their cooperation.

CAN welcomes all cricket fans to attend and be part of a special day in honour of Phillip Hughes.

Some of the attendees for this game include Cricket Australia and ICC Executive Committee chairman Wally Edwards and former Australian U-19 captain and current ICC Head of Global Development, Tim Anderson. In fact, Anderson has agreed to take the field for this game and will be representing Team Red.

The squad of both the team includes:

Team Blue: Binod Das (C), Paras Khadka, Anil Mandal, Binod Bhandari, Shakti Gauchan, Pradeep Airee, Naresh Budhayer, Avinash Karn, Karan KC, Bhuvan Karki, Mahesh Chhetri, Amit Shrestha, Rahul Visahwakarma & Ram Naresh Giri.

Team Red: Ryan Carters (C), Tim Anderson, Matthew Elliot, Sharad Vesawkar, Gyanendra Malla, Subash Khakurel, Basant Regmi, Prithu Baskota, Sompal Kami, Jeetendra Mukhiya, Siddhant Lohani, Rajesh Pulami, Rajbir Singh, Prajwal Shahi.

Rajasthan Royals' Jersey 2015 unveiled

The captain of Rajasthan Royals Shane Watson along with his team mates Steven Smith and James Faulkner traveled all the way from Australia to India on Sunday for yet another impending season of Pepsi IPL. After raising the World Cup, the Australian-trio of the Rajasthan Royals are all set to carry forward the spark and set this season of Pepsi IPL on fire with their enchanting performance.

After the Royal-Aussies' arrival the next day was followed by an eventful Jersey Launch ceremony. The launch of the new Rajasthan Royals' jersey took place in Mumbai on April 5. There, the press conference consisted of the team's Mentor himself, Rahul Dravid, Captain Shane Watson and his Australian blokes Steven Smith and James Faulkner and India's middle-order mainstay Ajinkya Rahane.

"We have match winners all the way unlike in the past. To me that's very exciting for the IPL season. With the quality we have, the most important thing is to get off to a good start. We have to hit the ground running and with the quality of players we have I think we will do it," said Watson in the press conference.

 The team squad for the entire season of Pepsi IPL inclues Shane Watson(c), Steven Smith, James Faulkner, Tim Southee, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Nayar, Ankit Nagendra Sharma, Ben Cutting, Deepak Hooda, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dishant Yagnik, Karun Nair, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Tewatia, Rajat Bhatia, Sanju Samson(wk), Stuart Binny, Vikramjeet Malik, Chris Morris, Juan Theron, Barinder Singh Saran, Dinesh Salunkhe, Sagar Trivedi, Pardeep Sahu.

The current squad includes Tim Southee, the Kiwi pacer who played in the World Cup finals against Australia. Four overseas players played the World Cup final are a part of Rajasthan Royals' team.

Watson also praised the young lad Ajinkya Rahane who had played against him over the last four months. "Ajinkya batted incredibly well in the Australian summer and since last IPL. It was incredible to watch. He's got time to play shots and showed a wide range of shots even in Australian conditions where there is pace and bounce. He's a crucial batsman in our batting line up. It should be a great season for him."

After being questioned about the attack of short-ball bouncers from Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, Watson said he is not looking forward to see any such spells against him and considered himself lucky to survive that in the World Cup Quarter-finals.     "I am not keen on facing that type of bowling. In IPL we have lot of world class fast bowlers, for example Mitch Johnson who we will come up against in Pune in our first match. He's a big challenge to face. There are world class fast bowlers all around though Wahab may not be there. I had a bit of luck along the way against Wahab," said Watson.

Ajinkya Rahane who said he is impressed with Steve Smith's performance said "I am really happy for Smithy for what he did for Australia last summer. I enjoyed watching his bating and learnt a lot as opposition and am glad he's playing for Rajasthan Royals" 

According to Steve Smith, there's no such trouble in switching from an ODI format to a T20, the modern day players are used to it. "You go from one format to another. For me, Shane and Jimmy the key is in getting used to the conditions over the next couple of days here and getting ready for the first game." He also added "Test cricket is pinnacle and I do enjoy playing all formats. Here it's about getting used to the bounce of the wicket. Hopefully it won't be long,"

The team would surely miss to play at their own fortress this year in Jaipur but they have now got used to playing in Ahmedabad says team mentor Rahul Dravid. "We consider Ahmedabad and Bombay (Mumbai) as home. Obviously we miss the Jaipur ground with which we are familiar with. But even last year a lot of us went into Ahmedabad quite cold after playing in Dubai and it felt like playing all 14 games away. We are used to the conditions at Ahmedabad and at the CCI here."

"Our team is balanced and strong. We have all rounders like Watson, Faulkner, Dhawal (Kulkarni) and Southee but in the IPL all eight teams are strong. But we need to perform in high intensity games and whichever team does that well wins." Rahul said to the reporters.

According to the former captain of Rajasthan Royals, Dravid said it would take time to settle the high of the World cup for the players and adjust into the IPL fever. "It's not easy for a lot of guys in our team. The World Cup was an emotional roller coaster ride and it's a huge and tough event to be part of. But there are other teams too having players who participated in the World Cup and are having a long season. It's a challenge for lot of IPL teams to manage that."

Dravid is all convinced about the current format of the IPL. "It's a tough competition. Fourteen games are good enough to identify the top four teams and anything more than this will become a lot (difficult). Was just talking to Smithy. Australia had a tiring World Cup and from here they go to West Indies and then to the Ashes. They will be away for six months."

IPL 8

India Ka Tyohaar

The opening ceremony of "India ka tyohaar" (translation: India's festival), the brand new season of Indian Premier League to be held in Kolkata on the 7th of April,2015.

The real cricketing action of India's 20-over cricket format jamboree will start from the 8th of April with the first game to be encountered between the Kolkata Night Riders and Mumbai Indians. 

Bollywood protagonists like Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor are all set to hit the stage with their dancing skills in the opening ceremony.

"Entertainers will descend on one stage to mark the start of the eighth season of the IPL with the evening's proceedings being hosted by Saif Ali Khan", BCCI Secretary Arjun Thakur stated. 

Presence of Farhan Akhtar and Virat Kohli's girlfriend, Anushka Sharma are also to be expected along with the fine display of musical skills from the great Music Director Pritam.

Apart from the performances by the Bollywood megastars, Thakur reported that all the 8 captains of the teams will be present to take the MCC spirit of Cricket Pledge reaffirming the values in IPL's commitment to the Spirit of Cricket, which has been displayed since the competition's inception in 2008.

Also the captain of KKR(the defending champions),Gautam Gambhir will place the trophy back in play which signals as the start of the new season.

The performances are expected to last for 2 hours. Nothing can better than watching a show where Bollywood meets Cricket, a glamorous affair with the sporty one.

Sri Lanka's Pride

Adieu to the Lions of Lanka

Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara, one of the luminaries in the world of International Cricket had announced retirement from the ODI format. Another lionheart from the Sri Lankan Sault decided to bid goodbye to the game and start a life outside the field, Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardane played his last ODI yesterday.

Both Sangakkara and Jayawardane have been deep-rooted and fundamental veterans for the Sri Lankan side.

But losing against the Proteas in the World Cup 2015's Quarter Finals on 18th of March, wasn't the kind of farewell both the veterans had planned of. If Sri Lanka would have won the match yesterday then we would have got a chance to see the legends perform again in the Semi-finals and if they would have been more lucky then the World Cup final must have been the match to play for, one last time. It was such a dismay for the Lankan fans that they lost on a disappointing note after losing against South Africa by 9 wickets. 

Surely, both the legends' career didn't have a happy ending but they will always remain in our hearts as they have played brilliantly and have been magnificent in their own ways. 

Here are the top 5 hand-picked (not literally) tweets for the two legends, messages from all over the world that have caught my eyes. 

1) "Well done on glorious ODI careers @KumarSanga2 & @MahelaJay Being an intergral part of the ODI side for so many years, it is difficult to imagine the side without the 2 of you. Wishing you the very best and will miss the 2 of you constructing the innings in coloured clothes"

 - Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

2) "Congrats @MahelaJay & @KumarSanga2 on an excellent career.You have been gr8 role models & inspiration 2 a lot of youngsters.Good luck:)" 

- VVS Laxman

3) "The legends have put their feet up. They were ornaments to the game. Brought much pride to Sri Lanka. #Sangakkara #Jayawardene "

-Harsha Bhogle

4) "It’s sad to see Jayawardene and Sangakkara’s ODI careers come to an end. Cricket has been lucky to have them. #CWC15 #SAvSL #SA #SL"

- Freddie Wilde

5) "Thanks @KumarSanga2 and @MahelaJay for all the entertainment over the years #Truelegends #CWC15 #SLvSA "

- SunRisers Hyderabad 

Style-Have players become more fashion conscious?

         

       "The Joy Of Dressing Is An Art"

The above quoted clear expression seems to have its influence not only in the Glamour world but surely even the cricketers have jumped on the bandwagon of attractiveness and elegance. What a person chooses to wear, reflects his personality and interests. The cricketers definitely have more than their cricket to show, whatever they do (in context of fashion) becomes a style statement at the drop of a hat. 

Lasith Malinga

With the increasing idiolization of cricketers these days, the fans have started imitating the trends that have been set up by their beloved players, which they follow faithfully. 

A fan wearing Malinga style party wig

You wouldn't miss to see people wearing colorful party wigs in the crowd if Lasith Malinga is on the field. His bleached hair, that shiny-glittery effect towards the tip of his curly hair wove around in ringlets has its own impact on the crowd. 

Shikhar Dhawan twirling his pride, moustache 

Another trend setter who is also known as the Man with a Moustache, Shikhar Dhawan, says his moustache is his pride. In one of his article in the GQ India Magazine he said a lot about his Moustache. 

Straight to the top: "For me I always keep the ends curling upwards - never down. It's a sign of pride and honour. It's always got to be up."

Setting up a trend and following it in  a correct way is important. The way he twirls it also has its own explanation. He once said in one of his interviews that whenever he twirls his moustache, he hits a six in the next ball. The bowlers should know when he might send the ball out of the stadium. That was quite a piece of information though, exasperatingly! (After all his name is Shikhar DABANG)

Sunil Narain's Mohawk

Well, our West Indies players are no less when we talk about fashion. Sunil Narain is a trailblazer. The Narain's Mohawk is one of it's kind. Apart from his brilliant magical spells on the pitch that swirls on a magic carpet before reaching the batsman's bat, his hair style is mysteriously funky as it doesn't really reflects his personality. He's been known for his calm and composed, introvert kind of nature. But maybe, his hairstyle do the talking about his hidden unorthodox and radical side.  

West Indies players doing the Gangnam Style of dance.

The West Indies players are also known for their dance moves. Let us not talk about fashion, when it doesn't include the moves you've got to show the world. The Gangnam Style of dancing has really been praised by all the cricket fans across the globe. It has also been one of the famous act of entertainment by the cricketers apart from cricket.

Mitchell Johnson with his tattoo

We have seen cricketers with astonishingly amazing coiffure, but another kind of love has been encountered and has become quite trendy among the cricketers. A permanent design/mark made on the skin by the process of pricking and ingraining an indelible pigment, a tattoo, that's right! The increasing number of tattoo imprints has already set a trend among the cricketers. It definitely adds to the beauty of a cricketer, and is quite common among the younger players. A tattoo can be easily seen among the famous cricketers such as Mitchell Johnson, Virat Kohli, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn, Chris Gayle and many more. Because setting a trend through designs on your body is no less.  

Talking about fashion, and not revealing our cricketers' taste would not sound fair. Our men in jersey on the field can take your heart away, off the field all dressed up neatly in their Tux. Infact, Virat Kohli has been listed among the top 10 Best Dressed International Men. The taste in fashion is well put together by our stars, can be seen in the after match parties, press conferences, interviews and all related tags. Just like any other celebrity from the glamour industry, cricketers have gained female attention competitively. Cricketers have become more fashion conscious. 

Virat Kohli' endorsing his brand, WROGN.

It won't surprise you if I say that our very favourite players have come up with their own fashion brands. Yes, Brett Lee has worked before joining the Australian team as a salesman with Barclays Menswear. Now he has also opened his own clothing line. Also, recently Virat Kohli launched his new fashion brand, WROGN, exclusively available on Myntra.com the online fashion brand website in India. Also with the help of advertisement industry cricketers have gained popularity like an epidemic.
Our players have not only impressed us with their cricket, but also have won our hearts fashion wise. Fashion has really been impactful and eye-catching. Cricket is not just a game , it is religion that people follow. Cricket is another world , which we live in and will die for. After all our players make us skip our heart beat.

(This blog is a part of Blogger Dream Team)

Ranji Blaster

A Paramount Player

Karun Nair, 23, turns out to be a diamond in the rough made history in the world of Ranji Cricket by putting the unbeaten record triple century on the score board in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu. Just 23 years old, a hero in the making is a Right-hand batsman who started playing cricket for Karnataka is in Rajasthan Royals' current squad. His outstanding performance recently reflects his passion and hard work towards the game. 

According to the news, John Gloster who is a former physiotherapist of team India, now currently works for Rajasthan Royals was present at the Wankhede Stadium to watch Karun play. This clearly describes Karun's importance in the Rajasthan Royals' team. 

The official twitter handle of the Rajasthan Royals also posted about Karun's achievement "Karun spent an incredible 872 minutes at the crease, facing 560 balls for his 328 runs. A #Royal inning by the young prodigy! #RanjiTrophy".

This shows that the future of Indian Cricket is in safe hands. But Rajasthan Royals surely must have been dazzled and enraptured to see the Royals' performance in all forms of cricket, be it the Ranji Trophy or the World Cup 2015. 

The IPLs are starting after a gap of 10 days just after the World Cup Final. The players have surely braced themselves up finely for the upcoming season of IPL.

be-LEE-ve

Brett Lee

He is a former Australian International Cricketer, popularly known for his fast pace bowling. He has been known as one of the fastest bowlers in the world. His nick name is Binga and once also been addressed as Oswald. He was born on November 8th, 1976 in Oak Flats , New South Wales, Australia. He started playing cricket at the age of 8. He played his first match at the age of 9, where he bowled out six batsmen in a row in one single over. 

He made his debut in the world of Test Cricket on 26th of December 1999 against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He took 5 wickets by giving 47 runs. Interesting fact about his test career is that he played his last Test Match on the same date in the year 2008 against South Africa. He retired from test cricket in February 2010. Though he continued playing other forms of cricket for 3-4 years more. He played his ODI debut against Pakistan on January 9, 2000. He played his last ODI against England on 7 July,2012. He is the first Australian to achieve the benchmark of first Hat-trick in World Cup in the year 2003 against Kenya. He has been one of the most valuable players of his time. But he retired from all forms of cricket in January this year. He might not play any more matches but his style of bowling and his achievements will always be cherished by all his die-hard fans not only in Australia but across the globe. He is an Idol , a Legend. 

Apart from his cricket career, he is a part of an Australian band 'Six and Out'. He plays acoustic and bass guitar, but also excels in playing mouth organ and piano. He has also featured in 'Flash Force' a cartoon, as a hero. He is also coming up as a lead Actor in an Indo-Australian romantic-comedy movie UnIndian. 

For more interesting facts about him, refer to :- 

http://www.brett-lee.net/wp/brett/quick-facts/