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IPL 2011 star: Paul Valthaty

April 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Paul Valthaty of Kings Eleven Punjab

  Kings XI Punjab star Paul Valthaty is the undisputed star of 2011 Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament. He is almost single-handedly carrying the fortunes of this IPL team on his shoulders. He played miserably for Rajasthan Royals in the earlier editions of IPL. But, Kings XI management showed faith on this cricketer's abilities.  He is now proudly wearing orange cap – beating competition from world class players like Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers. Indian selectors will pick him for West Indies tour as senior players are taking rest. This is another excellent chance for Valthaty to prove his class on the international stage.  Indian junior selectors spotted his talent in the early days of his career and picked him for 2002 U-19 World cup along with Irfan Pathan, Siddharth Trivedi, Mohnish Mishra, Mininder Bisla and Parthiv Patel. But, an injury to left eye spoiled his budding career. He then played just one first class match for Mumbai in 2006 against Baroda.  Paul Valthaty profile:  Age: 27 years (7-12-1983)  Birthplace: Mumbai  His family belongs to Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh but they settled in Mumbai.  Father: Chandrasekhar (Panyam mandal, Kurnool district) – Retired L&T employee.  Mother: Chandravathi (Doctor – Nandyal)  Sisters: 3 – all are doctors.  Favourite cricketer: Kapil Dev  IPL 2011 records by Paul Valthaty:  1. First player to score a century in IPL 4.  2. First cricketer in IPL to take 4 wickets & score 50 runs in the same IPL T20 match.  Performance of Paul Valthaty in IPL 2011:  1. Vs Pune Warriors: 6 … [Read more...]

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Sahara Indian Premier League Awards 2010

April 24, 2010 by 1 Comment

 With the third edition of the Indian Premier League(IPL) entering the stage of grand finale amidst all the high-voltage controversies and allegations, the evening of April 23 witnessed the presentation of the first ever IPL Awards. The glittering ceremony which took place at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai was embarked by the presence of the best from the world of entertainment and sports. However, strengthening the reports of the BCCI-Modi spat, the bigwigs of the BCCI gave a skip to the event. The BCCI top brass including the BCCI President Shashank Manohar and the Secretary N Srinivasan along with the IPL Vice-chairman Niranjan Shah remained absent from the Sahara Indian Premier League Awards function. Those who marked their attendance at the event were the IPL Governing Council member Sunil Gavaskar and former BCCI President Inderjit Singh Bindra who is the Principal Advisor to the International Cricket Council (ICC). Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 37 this Saturday, grabbed the viewers’ choice award for the Best Captain for turning out to be a superb captain leading from the front and taking his team, the Mumbai Indians, through to the finals of the IPL tournament for the first time in the last three years. He also won the award for the Best Batsman, being the highest run scorer in this season of the League, though he gave a miss to the event along with the Chennai Super Kings skipper M.S.Dhoni. Pragyan Ojha received the award for the Best Bowler while Suresh Raina took away the award for the Best Fielder in the viewers’ choice category. Keiron Pollard of Mumbai Indians, who happens to be the costliest player of his team in this year's auction, was adjudged the Best Debutant performer for the season by the jury. … [Read more...]

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IPL 2010: Player’s Performance

April 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 IPL-3 is in final stage with Mumbai, Bangalore, Deccan and Chennai qualified for the semi finals. Mumbai will take on Chennai in the final and rest two will fight for the 3rd spot. Teams like Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders have only themselves to blame, they had plenty of riches within their ranks for their vapid show, others like Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab neither had the firepower nor the form to help their cause. These four teams, which failed to make to semi final, paid the price for the lack of form of their key players, names which promised a lot, but delivered a little. Let’s have a look at performance of top players from these four teams. Yuvraj Singh (Kings XI Punjab)Matches: 14 Runs: 255 Highest: 43 Average: 21.25 S/R: 128.14He was in news for all other reasons except his batting!!Stripped from captaincy, Yuvraj didn't do his reputation any good by being one of the biggest flop stories of this campaign. Even Yuvraj did come out with his own statement saying there is no problem within the side. Kumar Sangakkara (Kings XI Punjab)  Matches: 13 Runs: 357 Highest: 56 Average: 29.75 S/R: 138.91 If the outgoing captain of Kings XI Punjab was struggling to find form, the incumbent fared only marginally better. Kumar Sangakkara's 42-ball 56 against Mumbai Indians was a match-winning effort, but most of his other contributions were forgettable may be because of captaincy pressure on him. S Sreesanth (Kings XI Punjab)Matches: 6 Wickets: 3 Best Bowling: 2-24 Average: 63.66 E/R: 10.05 The Kerala speedster is never in the news for his performances. In the inaugural edition, we remember him for crying in public after the 'Slapgate' incident. But … [Read more...]

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Kumble’s Swan Song ?

April 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 Will today's match be Anil Kumble's swan song ? The statements he keeps making indicate that it may well be. He will turn 40 this October. He retired from one-dayers in 2007 and tests and all forms of first class cricket in 2008. He has been playing only in the IPL in the last 2 years and he has oft repeated in jest that he is an old man and the T20 format is tough on his body. The onlooker may feel that it is just a 3 hour match and the bowler has to bowl only 4 hours but it is a lot tougher than the lengthier formats of the game. As a bowler, you cannot afford to commit a mistake, every ball has to be bowled right. And captaincy will just add to the pressure. Jumbo as he is called debuted in 1990 and with age his technique and finesse just improved. He bagged all 10 wickets in an innings in a test match against Pakistan at Delhi's Feroze Shah Kotla stadium in 1999. His dedication to the game cannot be doubted. It was the year 2002; a test match against the West Indies. Who can forget a heavily bandaged Kumble who came to bowl inspite of a fractured jaw? He is captain material but got to lead a Test team at the fag end of his career. The way he steered the test team and his stint as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team speak volumes of his leadership. His first IPL performance wasn't impressive. But after he assumed captaincy in the 2nd IPL, his as well as the team's performance improved. Sadly, last IPL they lost in the finals to Deccan Chargers and this season, they were defeated in the semi-finals by a very strong team, Mumbai Indians. They now have to fight Deccan Chargers for the 3rd place to qualify for the Champions League. For his age, he has maintained tremendous levels of fitness and injuries have been few. Though … [Read more...]

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IPL : Cricket or Carnival ?

April 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 When the IPL started in 2008, its huge popularity made one feel that it would serve the cause of cricket. Now, one is doubtful. IPL venues look more like carnivals instead of grounds where cricket is played. Cricket shares the limelight with team owners who grace the VIP stands and dugouts with their family and friends. The owners are usually bigwigs in the movie and corporate world. Cheerleaders prancing and ear-blasting music are the hallmarks of an IPL match. Pictures of post-match parties which players are compulsorily supposed to attend are splashed on Page 3 of tabloids and newspapers every day. These activities have hardly anything to do with cricket. They are more like marketing gimmicks to attract people who have no actual interest in the game. A true blue cricketer will surely be interested only in cricket and would indulge in activities like parties only in his leisure time. The staunch cricket fan also comes to the stadium to just enjoy the game of cricket. He is not interested in watching Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty or even Vijay Mallya. Even a fan watching the game on TV would prefer to watch it on silent mode minus all the noise and would barely tolerate the innumerable advertisements which keep popping up. The recent scams reported in the media have not helped matters any. A cricket lover watching the match would keep wondering if the game being played is clean and if any murky deals are going on behind the scenes? The off-field googlies of IPL-3 are reminiscent of the time when the betting scam involving Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs and others, had surfaced. Names of some of our own cricketers had also cropped up. That was a very difficult time for cricket and the sport lost many of its fans. One hopes that IPL does not … [Read more...]

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IPL Semi-final: Hyderabad Vs Chennai

April 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 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...]

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BCCI: Time for Reform

April 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 IPL commissioner Mr. Lalit Modi, who was instrumental in creating the ’Indian Premier League’ seems to have created a Frankenstein's monster . The very IPL which brought him name and fame may now cause his downfall. One doesn't know the truth. Modi is being accused by all and sundry of misdemeanours of all kinds - nepotism in awarding IPL contracts and franchises, intimidation of certain franchises, corruption, siphoning of funds, even betting and new items are being added to the list every day. Everybody seems to have joined the bandwagon of Modi-bashing from cricket officials to politicians. His autocratic ways haven't helped matters any and his rivals must be milking this opportunity to the maximum. For the current hoopla, Modi has only himself to blame. He should have followed a simple maxim- People who live in glass houses do not throw stones at others. By taking on Shashi Tharoor, he shot himself in his foot. Shashi Tharoor of course lost his job and Modi seems to be very close to losing his. If the allegations against Modi are proved, it will only show that 'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' But is Modi the only one responsible? If there are loopholes in the system, it is the system which has to be set right. What has the BCCI been doing all this while? Were other members’ hand-in-glove with Modi in the indiscretions he has been accused of, did they just turn the other way, were they blissfully unaware, or worse still are they behind all the mud-slinging to bring the successful Modi down. As Farooq Abdullah, also a member of the board said, the Indian mentality is such that one cannot stomach another person’s success. The BCCI itself has not been above board and has entered into suspicious deals behind closed … [Read more...]

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Best of IPL 2010: Watch videos

April 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 We are half way through the IPL 2010 season and we already say some great fielding display by players across teams. As we know the very famous saying of catches win matches in Cricket, so I thought of sharing some great catches of this year’s Indian Premier League Cricket. The catch taken by David Hussey right on the boundary line hit by Paul Collingwood was one of the best catches - it not only involved the physical skills but also a great presence of mind to take that catch and also prevent a six. This catch was in the match between Delhi Daredevils Vs Kolkata Knight Riders. There are many more catches like that - the return catch taken by Yousuf Pathan. Rahul Dravid took a wonderful catches while running towards the ball and maintain the balance. Following is the pointer where you can visit to watch all the catches and many more.  To watch Yusuf Pathan fastest century of the IPL visit following link:Author: Mona Gupta (New Delhi) … [Read more...]

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Yuvraj Singh: The angry prince

April 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 Anger, when channelized properly can be turned to an advantage; else it only causes harm. The best example for this can be seen in IPL-3 in the form of Yuvraj Singh. How can one forget the 6 sixes he blasted, to avenge the treatment meted out to his bowling by England’s Dimitri Mascarenhas in a one-dayer in England? One could only feel sorry for the bowler Stuart Broad. And everybody said that the way to get the best out of ‘the crown prince’ is to get him angry. Woe to the opposition who meddles with him. But now in IPL-3 Yuvraj seems a shadow of his former self. Stripped of his captaincy of Kings XI Punjab, one can sense the umbrage he has taken. But one would expect the proud young man to play his best and show that he is an asset to the team as captain or otherwise. Instead we see him sulking, glaring…..everything but playing well. Right now one doesn’t see much of a future Indian captain in the former vice-captain. A good leader accepts his own loss gracefully. How will one who has no control over his own emotions manage a team comprising of different personalities? Though he is said to have suffered a wrist injury in Bangladesh, the cause of his current poor form looks more psychological than physical. Or, are issues other than cricket occupying his mind? Whatever, one likes to see Yuvraj Singh angrily smashing sixes and fours all over the place. Hopefully he gets back to his former self soon. Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Basavanagudi, Bangalore) Inspirational comment by Shahrukh Khan. … [Read more...]

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Quiz on IPL 2010

March 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 IPL 2010: Quiz questions 1. Which is the first ever cricket tournament to be broadcasted live on You Tube?2. Which two cities will be hosting two new teams in the next season of the IPL?3. Who took the first hattrick in the IPL 3?4. Which legendary bowler has been hired by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the bowling coach?5. Which dashing cricketer from Baroda became the first centurion in the IPL 3?6. Who introduced and popularized the so called Mongoose bat in IPL 3?7. Which New Zealand speedster, a member of the rebel ICL previously, was recruited by the Kolkata Knight Riders at the highest price of $ 750million in the IPL3 ?8. Which legend is credited with hitting the highest number of sixes till date in the IPL?9. Which wicket-keeper surpassed Adam Gilchrist to effect the highest number of dismissals in IPL?10. Who scored his highest T20 score when he hammered a match winning 72 runs off 52 balls against the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 3?  IPL 2010 answers:1. Indian Premier League 32. Pune and Kochi3. Praveen Kumar4. Wasim Akram5. Yusuf Pathan of Rajasthan Royals6. Mathew Hayden7. Shane Bond8. Adam Gilchrist9. Dinesh Karthik10. Sachin Tendulkar. … [Read more...]

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