68: DC vs RR

Once again, exams coming up this next week so could be the last entry for a few days at least. The final result here was a 5 wicket for Deccan chasing just 127, not that this tells the whole story of a very nervy chase from DC who did their best to keep Rajasthan in it towards the end. Their win, just their 3rd of the tournament and 2nd of all time at Hyderabad, put the Royals out of the tournament on a rare off night for their in form side and I'm sure they'll be very disappointed having put themselves in a good position going into the last couple of rounds.

Dale Steyn - 4-0-16-2 & MoM
The man that walked away with the MoM award has deserved to win far more games for Deccan given the way he's bowled this year. He's been simply awesome throughout with very few off days and is always a threat with the new ball at the start of the innings. He sent back Rajasthan's top run scorer Rahane through some movement off the seam that gave a simple catch to Dhawan at slip and had Watson in trouble with his pace, producing a sharp, lifting delivery that struck his glove to fall in no man's land. His opening two over burst was as threatening as usual and was impossible to get away at the end. Yet another great performance from DC's main man and they'll need to hold onto him next year if they're to improve in 2013, easily their best player.

Amit Mishra - 4-0-20-2
Mishra has struggled this year, not taking many wickets and getting hit for plenty, so it was a surprise to see how beautifully the ball was coming out of his hand today. The ball he sent back Watson with would have got most players out in any format of the game, pitching on middle and leg to hit the top of off stump past Watson's prod forward. Watson is undoubtedly the crucial wicket to get when playing Rajasthan as he has the ability to take the game away from you in just a few overs so this was a huge moment in the match. Mishra then showed the other side to a leg spinner's game as he got rid of Binny with the perfect googly that ripped back in from outside off to beat an attempted cut shot. There was turn, flight and drift all on display from the experienced leggie and I thought he was the stand-out bowler today and possibly should have got the MoM himself, getting Watson early was what won Deccan the match.

Akshath Reddy - 42 from 35 balls
Deccan have contrived to lose games from all sorts of positions this year but a steady opening partnership of 63 between Dhawan and the 21 year old Reddy looked to have ensured an easy win. Reddy is a bright young prospect with an impressive domestic record (average - 52.6) behind him, similar to that of Mandeep Singh at KXIP, as well as a 20/20 hundred. Looking at these stats is a surprise we haven't seen more of him this year and I'd imagine DC will be wishing they'd given him more chances especially with  the failings of some of their other domestic batsmen, we can see the success Mandeep has had this year and maybe Reddy could have done something similar with a bit of backing. He played the pace of Watson and Tait very competently and looked an excellent player of spin as he used his feet in an assured manner to loft Botha into the stands nicely. He showed a bit of inexperience in getting out, looking to hit out when he could so easily have played calmly to carry his bat and bring up a 65*, not to be though but a promising showing from the youngster nonetheless.

Ajit Chandila - 4-0-20-1
As is Deccan's way, they were in no hurry to win the game and instead lost regular wickets and invited the pressure from Rajasthan onto them, having dropped plenty more catches in the field earlier. Chandila's accuracy was key in this building of pressure through the middle overs, undoubtedly a man worthy of a mention, particularly given his 4/13 against Pune in his last outing. His team-mates refer to him as the 'doorknob' (apparently his action looks like someone opening a door, although I can't see it myself!) and although not a big turner of the ball, he is very consistent and has a good straight ball, as Uthappa found out 5 days ago to be stumped to complete a hat-trick for Chandila. Here he sent back the DC captain Cameron White, caught and bowled to one that stopped on him, and came back superbly having been hit for 11 in his first over. It's a shame he featured so late for Rajasthan but I'm sure we'll see more of him next year, particularly as his stats suggest he's a decent late-order batsman too, a man to watch in 2013.

66: KXIP vs CSK & 67: DD vs RCB

Punjab vs Chennai
Our first visit to the stunning ground at Dharamsala and it was the perfect start from Punjab at their adopted home, it's a shame there aren't more games here because it is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the IPL. Their bowlers used the conditions perfectly to have the Chennai line-up in all sorts of trouble throughout before completing their modest chase pretty comfortably to keep themselves in with a chance to qualify, so long as they win their final game and hope Bangalore and Rajasthan drop points. Meanwhile the defending champions Chennai look likely to miss out on the play-offs unless they get extremely lucky with the other results. I must say it's a real shock that they've struggled this year as they have a stronger side with the addition of Jadeja, and I'd suggest Raina's failures at no. 3 have been the key reason as he's normally so reliable for them.

Punjab's seamers - Kumar 2-18, Harris 1-24, Mahmood 2-28, Awana 2-12
I couldn't pick out any one of the KXIP pace bowlers because they were all superb here and each deserve a mention. Having won the toss Gilchrist was keen to get first use of the overhead conditions, on a pitch with good carry, and his bowlers did not let him down. The amount of play and misses throughout the innings was unbelievable, the ball swinging and seaming past the swinging blades with alarming regularity for CSK who simply couldn't get near the ball. All 4 bowled their maximum allotted overs, the 16 overs of seam taking 7-82, a total of 7 wickets in the day falling to catches by the keepers which highlights how good a day it was for those who could pitch the ball up and let the wicket do the rest. Awana was narrowly the best on show, not getting the ball to move as prodigiously as his team-mates but still getting it to do enough in the right areas to beat frequently beat the bat of Dhoni in particular. CSK never recovered from their early set-backs as KXIP produced a master-class in exploiting the swinging ball, difficult just to survive let alone score runs.

Dwayne Bravo - 48 from 43 balls & 3-0-18-2
The only thorn in Punjab's side in this game was Bravo, who did his best with both bat and ball. Coming in at 42/3 in the 8th over against a ball doing plenty is not ideal and he really had to battle to hang around, accepting when a ball was too good and moving on to the next one. It was an intelligent innings in that he realised the pace bowlers could only bowl 16 overs and that the other 4 would be the ones to go after. Hussey and Chawla's 4 overs cost 35 runs as Bravo noticeably looked to step on the accelerator against the turning ball. He fell to the penultimate ball of the innings which left him 2 short of a deserved 50 and the lack of support around him meant CSK could only post 120/7. The total was a low one but CSK would have known that the pitch would still be in the bowlers favour and Bravo clearly hadn't given up hope. His two quick wickets, both caught behind, had KXIP at 69/3 in the 11th and one more wicket then and the game could have been extremely tight. It wasn't to be though as Chennai ended up totally outplayed with just a slim chance of getting 4th spot, not through a lack of effort on Bravo's part who was exceptional.

Adam Gilchrist - 64* from 46 balls & MoM
It was equally tough going for Mandeep Singh and Gilchrist at the start of their chase and, though they rode their luck, they made it through the difficult patch to effectively seal the win. When Mandeep fell, unnecessarily having a hoick in the 7th over, the Punjab skipper realised the importance of staying in to the end and did just this. This was his comeback game from injury and the decision to drop Marsh meant he was under plenty of pressure to score, pressure he thrived under to post his first meaningful score of the season. Gilchrist has struggled with his timing all year but there was no evidence of that here, particularly in the 15th over from Mahesh that was smashed as he carted it for a couple of boundaries and 2 pick-ups over square leg to the short ball for his 2 sixes of the day. He's certainly still got it and the combination of him and Mandeep at the top could be perfect for Punjab, a proper captain's knock as he saw his side home.

Delhi vs Bangalore
The strange decision to rest a couple of their star players backfired as you could argue that they'd have won an astonishing match if Sehwag and Morkel had been there, probably not though as Bangalore didn't too badly themselves! An awesome partnership between Gayle and Kohli saw RCB post a daunting total of 215/1 and, whilst Delhi threatened to pull-off an astonishing win, they were massive underdogs from the half-way mark, particularly without their best batsman.

Chris Gayle - 128* from 62 balls (13 sixes!) & MoM
It's safe to say we know where the orange cap is going this year as Gayle's incomparable innings moved him 160 runs clear at the top of the pile with 706 (easily an IPL record). It was another example of his new formula - play calmly for the first 10 and then tee off in the second half. At the half-way mark he had 35* from 29, the next 33 balls he faced went for a staggering 93 runs along with a record equaling 13 maximums. It just seems that whenever he wants to hit a six he'll manage it, scooping a near perfect yorker from Aaron over point for 6 at one point, as the bowler looked on the verge of laughter, there's just nothing you can do when bowling to a set Chris Gayle! If its even remotely full then it'll be cleanly swung over wide long-on to leave the fielders with no chance and it's not as if he struggles with the short ball. I'm running out of ways to describe his batting and I think 'ridiculous' is the only way to cover it, no one else in the world can even get near him in terms of ball striking.

Virat Kohli - 73* from 53 balls
When Dilshan fell, at 11/1, Delhi would have felt they were well and truly in the game but an unbeaten partnership of 204 from 17.4 overs saw to this. Kohli played his role perfectly as he looked to play as few dot balls as possible and made sure Gayle saw as much of the bowling as possible when it became clear that he was well and truly in the zone. This makes it sound like Kohli was simply scoring singles though and this is far from the truth as he picked up plenty of boundaries himself, mostly in the late assault alongside his partner. He's a classy player, one of the best of his generation in terms of talent, and there's no doubt that he's got a big career ahead of him. The captaincy has turned his form round and all of a sudden he's finding the middle with ease, timing it nicely with the pace on offer from Yadav and Aaron early on and never looking back from there. A superb knock that will understandably be overshadowed by Gayle's heroics, but it must be remembered that without Kohli's assured innings the big Jamaican would not have been able to play as freely as he did.

Ross Taylor - 55 from 26 balls
Coming back from injury, Taylor has really struggled this year, scoring few runs at under a run a ball and this has led to a very top-heavy Delhi batting line-up relying heavily on Sehwag, KP and now Warner. For this reason Delhi will be delighted that the Kiwi was able to rediscover his form in such brutal fashion, even keeping DD's glimmers of hope just about alive whilst he was at the crease. As per usual it was midwicket that he targeted and when he was going along nicely with Venugopal Rao (36 from 24) you couldn't rule Delhi out. He dealt with Murali really well, which is far easier said than done, playing with a horizontal bat to take the spin out of the equation and pummeled the leg-side boundary, his wagon wheel would certainly be an interesting sight! That is the kind of destructive innings that Delhi had paid for and they'll be hoping for more of the same in the play-offs, when he fell it was pretty much game over despite some impressive stroke play from Russell at the end. 

65: MI vs KKR

With not long left in the league stage now every game seems to take on extra significance with the points so hotly contested, and here we saw two sides both desperate to finish as high up in that table as possible. Kolkata did magnificently well to comfortably defend a low-ish total and you could so see from their celebrations how much it meant to them. Mumbai will be disappointed but know they still stand a great chance of finishing in the top 4, if not in the coveted top 2.

RP Singh - 4-0-33-2
Kolkata's top order have done so well that this year, mainly thanks to the captain Gambhir, that their middle order is lacking in form because they simply have not had many opportunities. Thus early wickets are crucial against KKR to expose that scratchy middle order and MI did just this thanks to RP Singh with the new ball. He sent back two of Kolkata's experienced overseas players with consecutive deliveries in the 2nd over. The first was fortunate to say the least, McCullum somehow given out despite being a good 2 metres down the wicket to a ball pitching outside leg and going over the stumps, but the next ball to get Kallis was a beauty. It pitched on a perfect length in line with off and straightened to crash into the top of off stump, the ideal ball to bowl first up to the new man whose footwork wasn't quite there. RP could have had Gambhir out in his next over as Tendulkar spilled a tricky chance on the boundary that ended up going for 6 and his figures were later dented somewhat by bowling the death overs. RP Singh caused a major set back for KKR who in the end did well to recover to reach a somewhat respectable 140/7, thanks in the main to this start from the left-armer who showed good control of lines and movement.

Manjoy Tiwary - 41 from 43 balls
Having had such a successful season last year, elevating him to national selection, a lot was expected from Tiwary and no.4 is no easy place to bat in 20/20 cricket. In this game he looked much more assured from the outset and whilst his S/R may not look impressive it was a crucial innings to get Kolkata back into the match from a precarious situation. He hit a couple of cracking sixes off the bowling off Harbajahn, skipping down to loft him into the stands over mid-wicket, and Malinga who saw a slower ball picked up beautifully over his head for an elegant straight six. Tiwary was beginning to express himself having started cautiously and would have been frustrated to get out at a key moment at the start of the 15th over, even so it was an important knock both for his team and personally, as he looks to rediscover some form.

Lakshmipathy Balaji - 4-0-11-2
Kolkata under-performed with the bat and knew they'd have to pull off something special with the ball to get a win, luckily they did just this with MI dismissed for just 108. Mumbai had gone for a pace attack whereas KKR where clearly banking on spin at the Wankhede Stadium, having brought in the likes of Shakib and Abdulla, and this put a lot of pressure on the sole specialist seamer Balaji, who can be a mercurial bowler on his day, but I thought they'd miss Lee's experience. Not to be though as Balaji was exceptional from the start, beating Gibbs with a couple of perfect away swingers in the first over before returning in the middle overs to take the big wicket of Karthik who was playing cooly. I've seen Balaji unplayable at times only to follow it up with average displays in the next game but there's no doubting his performance in this match. He set the tone early on for his side with a high quality start and they never let the game slip up away from there, which is the risk when defending a low total.

Sunil Narine - 3.1-0-15-4 & MoM
There is no doubting who the surprise package of this IPL has been as Narine has well and truly made a name for himself as a world class limited overs bowler, taking the purple cap from Malinga in the process. In 12 games he has 21 wickets at an awesome economy of just 5.25 and I'm yet to see a batsman look comfortable against him. More of the same against Mumbai here, it's clear to see that Gambhir sees him as the match-winner, with the use of Narine's 4 overs being of paramount importance, and it's not often he disappoints. He came on early to bowl in the powerplay to no avail and was immediately withdrawn from the attack only to return in the 11th over to send back a clueless Tendulkar who was bowled when looking to cut a ball that ended up far too straight for the shot. It's not often you see a bowler outclass the Little Master and shows just how good Narine really is! The fact that he turns it both ways and is seemingly impossible to read makes him a fearsome death bowler and when Mumbai were needing upward of 14 an over in the last few you just felt KKR would be sure of the win with Narine still having a couple of overs up his sleeve. He picked up a few more wickets and now will rightly wear that purple cap, unless Malinga has something to say about it.

Exams Break!

Mid-way through my IPL break due to a few exams at uni and it looks like I've missed some good ones.

Punjab vs Deccan looked a cracker as once again the Deccan bowlers failed to capitalise on the good work of their batsmen, Dhawan and Cameron White again. David Hussey marshalled his side home to a win that keeps them in the hunt for 4th spot as Gurkeerat Singh showed what the IPL is meant to be all about, a relatively unheard of Indian player making himself for himself with a nerveless innings. I love watching Punjab play so disappointing to have missed it, will now be cheering on Rajasthan and KXIP in the hope on of them makes the play-offs. As for Pune, looks like I'll be waiting until next year for some success!

Today has seen Mumbai put a real dent in Bangalore's chances for the semis in a win that has opened the door to the rest of the chasing pack. Pollard, along with Rayudu, sealed the last over win with some big hitting against compatriot Gayle after Agarwal played a gem of a knock to post a very defendable score for RCB. As I write this Kolkata are just about to come out to defend 159 against Chennai, I think they'll just about scrape home thanks to some Narine heroics but we'll see.

Looking forward to getting tomorrow's paper out of the way to get back for Wednesday's big one - Mumbai vs Kolkata! Enjoy the cricket.

58: KKR vs MI & 59: DD vs CSK

Kolkata vs Mumbai
Today was billed as a 'Super Saturday' of IPL cricket as 4 of the 5 big five battled it out for some important points, in that respect it can be seen as a bit of a disappointment as both were fairly one sided affairs. However, this did not make KKR vs Mumbai any less watchable, those who did see it were treated to one of the great 20/20 innings from Rohit Sharma who continues to astound his critics by mixing the stupid with the sublime. His knock today took the game well out of Kolkata's reach who were then able to defend their big total comfortably.

Herschelle Gibbs - 66* from 58 balls
The South African veteran has now recovered from an injury and is fit to open the innings alongside Sachin, something that'll delight MI fans as the combination of aggressor and anchor at the top is perfect in this format. He started well on debut too, using his feet to carve Lee through and over the offside to pick up 3 beautifully struck boundaries in the 2nd over. When Mumbai lost Tendulkar, to a beauty from Shakib, he showed all his experience as he was content to play the supporting role to Rohit who was in sublime touch. Gibbs managed to score consistently off all bowlers, even managing to hit Narine and Bhatia for runs where most before have struggled. A good start for Gibbs and Mumbai fans we will be hoping him and Sachin get off to some more starts in the final few games.

Rohit Sharma - 109* from 60 balls & MoM
Its vital that a number 3 in 20/20 is able to perform consistently and Mumbai's poor form with the bat has partly been down to Sharma's ups and downs, in that way his performance today was more of the same following a few low scores! He has the ability to make batting look ridiculously easy, most that have played against him will talk of his potential, Shane Warne went as far to say that he could become one of the Indian greats and this incredible knock showed just why. Eden Gardens is a tricky venue to bat with the ball not coming on to the bat and playing into the hands of the slower bowlers, other batsmen struggled to go at anything over the 130 S/R mark, but Sharma was unfazed as he attacked right from the outset. He played Shakib's 5th over with pure class, getting deep in his crease to cut a couple through backward point before heaving a length ball over deep mid-wicket to bring up his 2nd six of the innings, racing to 22 from just 12 balls. Bhatia was demolished later on, sweeping him before coming down the wicket to stroke one through cover with the keeper up at the stumps. Barely a single KKR bowler escaped him as he brought up his 100 (his first in IPL cricket) in another big over from Brett Lee, a truly incredible innings from a batsman that really is brilliant to watch. He was undoubtedly the match winner, batting sublimely on a surface where everyone else struggled to score at a good rate, the MoM award was never going anywhere else.

Jacques Kallis - 4-0-40-0 & 79 from 60 balls
Yet another good performance from Kallis, although less so with the ball against a rampant Sharma, doing his best to track down the 182/1 set by MI. Wickets were constantly falling around him, with their best player Gambhir falling in the first over it was always going to be a tough chase, but he continued to time the ball well with the typical textbook strokeplay we have to expect from Kallis as well as some beautifully struck sixes off the spinners. When he was batting with Pathan (40* from 31 balls) KKR had a glimmer of hope, but in truth 183 was far beyond KKR's reach with the average score at Eden Gardens being around the 150 mark. There's not a lot you can do when someone plays like Rohit did, KKR could only take it on the chin and walk away slightly happy with the form shown by Kallis and Yusuf.

Delhi vs Chennai
A totally one-sided game that Delhi never really got into, as Chennai used the swing on offer at the start of Delhi's innings to take the vital early wickets against DD who never recovered. A comfortable win for CSK who are getting on a bit of a role at a crucial point in the tournament, not that Delhi will be too fussed as everyone's allowed an off day and with KKR's defeat they still sit at the top of the league.

Ben Hilfenhaus - 4-0-27-3 & MoM

It was another great example of how to use a swinging ball in your favour, MoM for the second match running with a another great showing. By sending back the Delhi top 3 inside the first 5 overs of the match, in his opening 3 over burst, he effectively put the game out of DD's reach given their top heavy side. Sehwag was bowled by one that moved away late to hit off, an absolute beauty from Hilfenhaus in a performance similar to that of Zaheer Khan against Pune a couple of days ago. His figures were dented by bowling an over at the death, he probably should bowl 4 through at the start, having also sent back the in form combination of Warner and Ojha. Delhi never recovered from these early set-backs and he rightly earnt MoM as a result.

Yogesh Nagar - 43 from 47 balls
Being in a line-up like that of Delhi's calibre must be a strange experience for a relatively unknown domestic player, in an ideal world he won't actually get a bat as the big names before him will do the hard work. Here though Nagar came in to face the 6th over, far sooner than they'd have planned and his grafting innings was important to them putting up a slightly respectable total in triple digits. He struggled to find the boundaries, eventually reaching the ropes with a boundary and a six in the 19th over, but managed to keep the runs ticking over in a good partnership with Venugopal Rao and were it not for Nagar they'd have struggled to reach 100, having come in at 24/4 with a fairly long tail.

Murali Vijay - 48* from 40 balls
The resurgence in form of Vijay and Raina will surely be a massive boost to Dhoni and his CSK troops as they look to guarantee a place in the semi-finals. Vijay is a destructive player at the top of the order and Chennai had obviously discussed getting ahead of the required rate at the start and not making the same mistake when chasing a low one as they did recently against Rajasthan. He and Hussey (38 from 32) got them off to a quick start and an opening partnership of 75 ensured there would be no nervy finish as Raina's cameo (28* from 20) sealed the 2 points. Vijay looked pretty comfortable throughout, an early cover driven boundary to settle the nerves, and later on played a gem of a shot over cover off the bowling of Aaron for a maximum. It looked a totally different pitch to the one that saw Delhi capitulate to 114/5 and this was down to the assured nature in which Chennai batted, Vijay in particular.

57: PWI vs RCB

Ganguly sat out this game, probably to the dismay of the majority of the crowd, and this gave Steve Smith the chance to lead a young Pune side that seemed to be looking to identify the players worth keeping for next year. Unfortunately for them, Bangalore are well and truly in the hunt for the play-offs and this is mainly as a result of Chris Gayle's batting, which once again made the difference.

Chris Gayle - 57* from 31 balls & MoM
The pitch at Pune is quite a slow one that proves difficult to score off, which proved to be the case for every batsman other than the incomparable Gayle. He normally starts in a sedate manner, playing himself in during the powerplay overs and catching up later on but this innings proved to be an intelligent change from the norm. Perhaps he identified that the first 6 would be by far the easiest time to score, or perhaps he was just going to go all out for 20 overs to eclipse Warner's heroics from yesterday, but he was in unbelievable form as he brought up his half century inside just 6 overs! The last Pune bowler to suffer against Gayle was Sharma, this time it was Kumar who served up 4 length deliveries in one over and each one was smashed over the straight boundary for a maximum. At the other end Dilshan (who went on to play a good knock of 53 from 44) was struggling to find his timing on a tough pitch and after 6 overs RCB had gotten off to a flyer at 66/0, Gayle with 50 of them. Who knows what he could have scored today were it not for him holing out with a flat hit to long-on to Mathews (who bowled well with 3-0-14-1) but his quick start was crucial to RCB reaching a well over par 173/3 on a tricky wicket. Dilshan and Tiwary, 36* from 30, scored some late runs to ensure his efforts did go to waste, a really difficult chase for Pune as it proved. He knows his areas and whenever the ball lands on a good to full length it invariably disappears make over the bowler's head, imagine running up ball in hand to see him at the other end

Zaheer Khan - 4-0-21-2
Pune desperately needed a good start if they were to avoid 7 successive defeats and the wise old head of Zaheer made sure they didn't. After zipping a couple across 2012 debutant Mishra, Khan decided to change up the angle by coming round the wickets, with immediate effect. Mishra was trapped plumb in front looking to flick to leg and then he sent Pandey back two balls later with a peach that pitched on middle and off before straightening to hit the top of off stump. A disastrous start for Pune at 4/2 after 1 over as Zaheer Khan proved far too skillful for a couple of PWI's young domestic players. He threatened to do the same to Clarke in the next over, close to sneaking past the outside edge, and was economical for the rest of his spell, pure class from the experienced left armer.

Robin Uthappa - 38 from 23 balls
I think the key issue with the Pune batting line-up is that they lack a consistent, aggressive opener to take the game to the opposition, the likes of Sehwag, Warner, Gayle and Gambhir that the top sides possess. Ryder has done it at times but is far too inconsistent for an overseas star, unbelievable that the in form Tamim Iqbal is yet to be given a chance, and the man that can do this is Uthappa who came in at 4 today although I think he should open. PWI too had realised that they'd need big runs from the first 6 overs, Clarke and Uthappa near enough playing a shot a ball despite the two early wickets and it was compelling viewing. When Clarke fell, caught on the deep midwicket fence it was going to be down to the ex-Royal Challenger Uthappa. He was striking the ball nicely, smashing a slower ball from Patel over deep-midwicket with a ferocious front foot pull. The issue with him in the past, and the reason he hasn't played more international cricket, is that at times he plays brainless shots and here was a prime example. Murali was always going to be the threat in the middle overs and Pune should have played him sensibly to score around a run a ball off his 4 overs and get the bulk of the runs at the other end. Uthappa started well, staying firmly rooted to his crease and unleashing the perfect reverse sweep to pick up a boundary, but immediately after the time-out (71/3 after 8) he had one of those rush of blood to the head moments. He came dancing down the track to get nowhere near a doosra and was comfortably stumped, the wrong shot at the wrong time to send him back and put RCB well in command. He and Majumdar (31 from 26), who has really impressed in his 2 chances, were looking in control and steadied it nicely for PWI, Uthappa's dismissal made a difficult task near impossible.

Muttiah Muralitharan - 4-0-16-2
Murali would have been a contender for MoM here, his spell was almost as much of a game changer as Gayle's destructive innings. It's hard on Vettori to sit out but it does seem to be to the benefit of the team as Murali adds a totally different dimension to those middle overs where RCB had seemed a bit toothless at times. Barring that early reverse sweep from Uthappa he was not hit for a single boundary as the batsmen are forced to play him with caution (or at least they should do!) as he turns the ball both ways and rarely misses his length. Despite being a slow wicket at Pune its not a big turner so instead he mixed up his flight, playing a big part in the Uthappa stumping as he went through with a lofted shot despite being nowhere the pitch, to keep the PWI batters guessing all innings. A class act as he so often is and the RCB side is certainly a much stronger one with him in it, although I'm still not sure they've got it quite right. Vinay Kumar was down to come in at 7 today which puts a lot of pressure on their top order, lucky it contains the likes of Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers!

55: DC vs DD & 56: RR vs CSK

Deccan vs Delhi
This game was not one for the bowlers as 380 runs were scored for the loss of just 5 wickets, in the end Deccan's horrendous form at their home ground in Hyderabad continued, 1 win in 16 attempts. Their team selection was strange, filling up their four overseas slots with batsmen and this was reflected in their cricket as they put on an impressive total before getting pummeled by Warner and Ojha in the 2nd innings to somehow lose the game comprehensively having scored 187/4.

Shikhar Dhawan - 84 from 49 balls & 2-0-27-1
Deccan's experienced opener has been one of few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season and his aggressive knock today took him to 4th in the top runs scorers list, with 467 runs @ 42.5. After Harris and Sangakarra had fallen in quick succession towards the end of the powerplay he was forced to consolidate for a period, alongside the in form Cameron White, in what was a fairly sedate start for DC in reaching 64/2 at the midway point with both players feeding on loose deliveries and rotating the strike. It was here that Dhawan, in particular, decided to kick on and unleashed a range of different shots to pile the pressure on the Delhi bowlers. He is deadly when given width to cut and is extremely strong through mid wicket, but he also treated us to some clever improvised dinks over short fine leg and some clean hitting down the ground to the spinners. After 29 balls he had just 28 runs which means the next 20 balls he faced went for an astonishing 56 runs, the perfect example of playing yourself to then tee off later on. Dhawan's partnership with White, who played another vital knock for DC of 65 from 40 balls, was worth 126 and had put Deccan in an excellent position at the half way mark. He even sent Sehwag back in the first over of Delhi's innings to top off his good work.

David Warner - 109* from 54 balls & MoM
The issue was always going to be how well the inexperienced bowling line-up fared against a strong Delhi batting outfit and, after the 2nd ball dismissal of Sehwag, it ended being a total mismatch, thanks in the main to the match winner Warner. He was yet to get going this year, mind you he's not been there long, but well and truly turned things round with an astonishingly brutal innings, a S/R of over 200 for over a 50 ball period is a pretty rare thing! As a bowler, unless you are immaculate in the areas you bowl to Warner you will get hammered, and it's safe to say he was fed some poor stuff by the DC bowlers. Most of his 7 sixes came from bowlers dropping short and getting picked up over deep square leg, exactly how he brought up the 100 with a 102m maximum. He wasn't even slogging and if anything it was a chance-less innings, every time a ball was in his zone it got the treatment without fail. A true masterclass as not for one moment did the Daredevills fall behind the rate thanks to the MoM who made it very clear to the Deccan selectors that they cannot leave out bowlers of Steyn's calibre and expect to compete with a side like Delhi. They go top of the table with this win. Not a bad replacement for KP as it turns out!

Naman Ojha - 64* from 46 balls
The risk with this result would be to focus entirely on Warner's innings when actually there was another high class one being played at the other end by Ojha. Delhi have struggled to find the perfect position for their keeper thus far, he'd probably prefer to open the innings in truth, but now he looks a good bet for that number 3 position, particularly as it separates their big 3 batsmen. Having Warner at the other end allowed Ojha to calmly play himself in unfazed by an otherwise daunting required rate, scoring just 7 runs from his first 15 deliveries. He gradually grew into the innings, hitting Dhawan for a couple of enormous straight sixes to end the 9th over from which point he never looked back. Every one of his 5 sixes were back over the bowler's head, predominantly from spinners, which highlights his ball striking ability, the last of them being the six that got his side over the line with plenty of balls to spare. Delhi could not rely on just Warner to win it for them, he'd need a partner and Ojha did this job perfectly, the 2 of them putting on an unbeaten 189 runs at around 11.5 an over, far too good for the Deccan bowlers. It's always great to watch some of the lesser known domestic players make a name for themselves and the joy on his face at the end of the match was terrific to see.

Rajasthan vs Chennai
In stark contrast to the day's early start, this was a low scoring affair as Rajasthan came so close, even becoming favorites at one point, to defending a total of just 127/6. The ball was swinging and seaming throughout but was coming on to the bat nicely which made the low scoring a bit of a surprise, Chennai eventually finishing it off thanks to Morkel and 2012 debutant Anirudha at the end.

Ben Hilfenhaus - 4-1-8-2 & MoM
We've seen Hilfenhaus use swing to his advantage plenty of times in test cricket, but here was a great example of how to do so in the game's shortest format and it was an absolute masterclass that set his side up to win, rightly gaining him the MoM award. It was a performance similar to those of Praveen Kumar at Punjab, bowling his 4 overs straight through at the start, having discovered that he is not a death bowler against Mumbai's Dwayne Smith. Two of his more ordinary deliveries got him his wickets, caught at mid-off and third man, but he regularly beat the bat with movement in the air and off the pitch. The battle against team-mate Watson was particularly compelling, beating him 3 times in a row at one point, eventually swinging it away to produce the edge to a booming drive that just about carried to third man thanks to an outstanding catch from Ashwin. His miserly economy rate and 2 early wickets played a huge role in keeping Rajasthan down to just 127 and gave his batters the perfect opportunity to notch up a massive win for CSK, although it was far closer than they'd have imagined. Yo Mayesh was also impressive with the ball, his 2-21 definitely earning him a mention.

Siddharth Trivedi - 4-0-18-2
RR's performance with the ball was good for so much of the innings until eventually being punished for serving up too many length balls at the end, and Trivedi was instrumental in providing a close finish. Known mainly for his cutters and changes in pace, he realised that this pitch was suited to ordinary line and length bowling and instead relied on seam movement off the pitch to make it difficult for CSK. He gave them little to work with with his impressive consistency that earnt him 13 dot balls including a couple of huge wickets. Firstly that of Dwayne Bravo, when he and Hussey were batting calmly together, and then Dhoni with his final ball to a sharp catch at point, normally such a good finisher for Chennai and India. That last over was the 16th of the match and cost just 3 runs, putting Rajasthan in an excellent position with CSK still needing 47 from 24 balls.

Srikkanth Anirudha - 18* from 6 balls
Unfortunately for Rajasthan the youngster Anirudha, alongside the experienced Albie Morkel, made light work of this target and got home with 11 balls to spare! We all know Morkel can hit boundaries from ball one, ask Virat Kohli, but Srikkanth was the surprise package as he matched the hard hitting South African with an identical score of 18 from just 6 balls. The 18th over from Watson was the one that turned the equation comfortably in CSK's favour, helped by the fact that Anirudha smashed the 4th ball over mid-wicket for 6 and then followed it up with a calm square drive for another boundary. He then made sure of the win with an incredible pick up over the leg side from a searing Tait yorker that somehow cleared the boundary, a remarkable shot. He was also helped by having luck on his side, bowled the next delivery, another missile from Tait, only to be reprieved by a no-ball. He took his chance today, with Badrinath unwell, to produce a nerveless display to grab Chennai the win they so dearly needed to stay in the battle for 4th place.

54: MI vs RCB

A heavyweight clash featuring two sides both keen to cement their place in the play off positions. Surprisingly though it was far from an even encounter as Bangalore strolled to a 9 wicket win, thanks to a great showing in the first innings with the ball and in the field and, later on, the innings played by Chris Gayle. RCB surged into the much coveted 4th spot with this commanding win, 1 position and 1 point behind Mumbai.

Dinesh Karthik - 44 from 39 balls
Having lost the toss and been sent in to bat, though Harbajahn said he'd have batted anyway, it was a disastrous start for Mumbai as they lost 2 early wickets to bring in Karthik at number 4, having floated around the order previously. I've always really rated Karthik and think he could be used to a much greater extent, possibly opening alongside Sachin as he has done in ODI cricket in the past. Here he showed good composure and technique on a pitch with carry and thus full value for shots. He had to play relatively cautiously but still was confident enough to walk down the pitch and hammer a couple of shots through the off-side, one prompting an incredible diving stop from Kohli to a ball that was really travelling. He also showed good footwork to the spinners, typical of a keeper, and launched Mohammad into the crowd over the leg side. However, he fell soon after when looking to attack Murali late on having been the main stay of the innings, a good knock that merits his position in the top order.

Vinay Kumar - 4-0-34-2
Mumbai's poor start was down to the new ball bowling by Zaheer and, in particular, Vinay Kumar as the ball was nipping around and carrying through to AB behind the stumps nicely. VK was lucky to take his first wicket as Franklin upper cut straight into the hands of third man but benefited from attacking the stumps as Sharma was trapped in front looking to flick to leg. He has struggled to live up to the price tag following his move from Kochi but this was a much better showing, although his figures suffered somewhat from Pollard's late assault in the last over, and his two early wickets were crucial in keeping MI down to just 141/6.

Harshal Patel - 4-0-24-2
Another new signing, on the back of a good season domestic season, Patel also impressed against an experienced Mumbai line-up. He didn't find the same movement as the likes of Zaheer and Kumar but was disciplined and also showed signs of variety with some slower balls including the difficult one out of the back of the hand. He'll be delighted to have got the wicket of Tendulkar, who skied a pull for a return catch, having troubled him beforehand. With his final ball Patel got the boost of a second wicket as Rayudu was caught on the fence at long-off allowing the 21 year old, with a good domestic record, to round off a good outing with the ball. Murali also performed notably to take 2-24, with a couple of big wickets in Karthik and Smith, but we all know he's a pretty decent bowler anyway!

Chris Gayle - 82* from 59 balls & MoM
He is quite simply a man that you cannot afford to give a life to and when Dwayne Smith (going from hero to zero) dropped a steepler, you just knew MI would regret it. No total is safe when Gayle is in the opposition, less so when its around 140, and having played himself in fairly cautiously, he made sure the game wouldn't be a contest when it was threatening to do so following the departure of Dilshan. Such is the importance of Gayle's wicket that Malinga bowled 3 overs at the start for the first time this season, but to no avail as Gayle was happy to wisely play him out and score the runs at the other end. Most medium pacers struggle to contain him and Pollard was no different, anything on a length was picked up for a straight six. Ojha bowled really poorly to him and was consequently struck for 3 consecutive maximums. Modern boundaries are far too small for Gayle who was able to play within himself and still score 82 from just 18 overs, a display of calculated brutality that saw his side comfortably over the line.

Virat Kohli - 36* from 25 balls
Vettori's decision to sit out and allow Murali into the side could be just what stand in skipper Kolhi needs to find his form with the bat. He came in at 48/1 in the 9th over and when chasing 140 this is hardly the ideal platform, luckily he was helped by having Gayle at the other end and could thus play himself in. Not that he really needed to as he timed the ball nicely early on and looked far more assured than at any other point this tournament. He was in total control from the start, playing out just 3 dots in total, and picking up boundaries when given the chance. He finished the game in style with a stunning 92m six over long on, fitting that the captain should finish it off. Kohli led his side well in the field, 140 was a vastly under par score, and led by example with exemplary ground fielding and a number of terrific saves in the covers. If he can start to fire then, alongside Gayle, Dilshan and AB, RCB's prospects will improve dramatically.

52: PWI vs RR & 53: DC vs KXIP

Pune vs Rajasthan
With 4 games left, this and all following games, had become must win matches for Pune which made their performance extremely disappointing as Rajasthan were comfortably the better side for all 36.2 overs bowled to climb up into the hotly contested 4th position. Pune, on the other hand, continue to struggle with that pursuit of the ideal XI which is generally the sign of a side under pressure.

Anustup Majumbar - 30 from 20 balls
Probably the only positive for PWI here was the innings played by 2012 debutant Majumbar who came in for the inconsistent Pandey. He came in at number 4, following the dismissals of both openers and a sluggish run rate, and looked the most assured Pune batsman, not that he had much competition! He rotated the strike well and launched into 11th over, bowled by Chavan, to hit a couple of maximums over wide long-on, showing good use of his feet to get to the pitch. Unfortunately he fell at the wrong time, unnecessarily advancing down to Botha to end up yorking himself, having hit the previous ball for four he should have simply got down to the other end. That said, it was a good effort in a tough situation and its encouraging to see Pune using some new faces with eyes on next year's season already, I'd argue that at times the management have persisted with some of the failing overseas players when more changes would have been good to see.

Shaun Tait - 4-0-13-3
Rajasthan's comprehensive win was thanks largely to their brilliant performance with the ball and in the field having lost the toss, led impressively by spearhead Tait who I've been calling out for in the Royals side all year, honest! There was no real evidence for his nickname today as 'The Wild Thing' was extremely accurate, not hit for a single boundary all day, and had batsmen hopping around due to his pace as per usual. You could see the Ganguly wicket coming a mile away as a bouncer was simply too quick for him, as expected given that he barely plays any professional cricket these days, and then sent back 2 other experienced domestic players in Uthappa and Manhas. A more consistent, but equally menacing, Shaun Tait would be the dream for any captain to throw the ball to and Dravid had a real luxury on his hands today. Tait would have been a dead-cert for MoM were it not far the incredible innings played by his compatriot.

Shane Watson - 4-0-28-0, 90* from 51 balls & MoM
Watson's performance with the ball was fairly ordinary and disciplined but his knock was anything but. Given Pune's low total of 125/6 all it was going to take was a breezy cameo from someone to make the chase very manageable for RR, but Watson's stunning performance went far beyond this, scoring 90 of the 126 runs scored! When Rahane fell Pune had a sniff at 4/1 but Watson decided to play a few shots to keep them well and truly on the back foot. He gets a big stride in early on so that anything pitched up can be walloped back over mid on's head but is equally well set up to rock back when the bowler drops short to pull savagely through the leg side, he hits the ball as hard as anyone in world cricket. Pune managed just the 5 fours and 2 sixes all innings and Watson made a mockery of their efforts by hitting 10 boundaries and 4 maximums of his own, astonishing ball striking on a surface on which everyone else had struggled. Such is his power that he was able to muscle short balls from the spinners over the head of the man at long-on, just one of many brutal shots in an unbelievable innings. A huge asset to Rajasthan who look a different side with him and Tait in their line-up.

PUNE - I think the main issue for Pune this season has been the top order batting, who have been inconsistent all year, Ryder the perfect example as he is fallen for single digit scores 6 times in 9 innings. Arguably the key reason for this instability is that of Ganguly, Pune are desperate to keep him in the side due to his skills as a captain but his understandably scratchy batting (it must be remembered that he practically came out of retirement to help out PWI) has meant he's floated all around the order as have the rest. With the stronger sides, the likes of Delhi and Kolkata, you know exactly the make-up of the top order but the likes of Clarke, Uthappa, Ganguly, Pandey and Smith have been used all over the place for PWI. Its been a tough year for Pune with the financial difficulties of Sahara that prompted them to miss out on the auctions and this instability has also been evident in the cricket they've played.
But its not all doom and gloom for Pune fans! Fingers crossed that Yuvraj will return next year, we all wish him well in his recovery, and this could relieve Ganguly of his playing capacity to play an advisory role, which his excellent cricketing brain but weary body is much more suited to. No doubt there'll be well laid down plans in the coming months in relation to whats needed to improve the squad at next year's auction. In the meantime there are still 3 games to look forward to, I'm hoping to see some of the lesser used players get a go to stake a claim for next year, the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Ferguson and Shrikant Wagh. I'll be there in my Pune shirt cheering the side on, hopefully they'll end the losing streak as soon as possible!

Deccan vs Punjab
Much like Pune, Deccan produced a poor display, with not a single performance of note (I looked long and hard before deciding that none of their players merited much of a mention!). Punjab were good again as they put on the ideal 20/20 performance, scoring a healthy total of 170/5 and then defending it with ease, jumping up the table into 5th with as good a chance as any of the chasing teams of taking that crucial 4th spot.

Mandeep Singh - 75 from 48 balls & MoM
A serious contender for the competition's rising star award, Mandeep Singh is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch, incredible to think he's just 20 given how composed he is. He raced along during the first 6 overs, a period that his natural timing is highly suited to, as he reached 29 from 20 balls. He got stuck into the Pratap Singh's short bowling early on, carving a terrific upper cut over point for a 6 as well as well as a lofted cover drive and a pull shot that both went for boundaries to showcase his array of shots. At times this season he's got starts and then fallen when trying to over-hit the ball, but today's evidence would indicate that he's learning from his mistakes as he continued to caress the ball around when the field was dropped back, he hit one gorgeous lofted drive over the bowler's head for a one bounce that may well have been the shot of the day (pictured below). This innings got him into the top 10 run scorers for this year, 8th with 359 @ 29.9 and a S/R of 124.66, and I hope goes from strength to strength, perhaps international recognition awaits in the coming years.

Praveen Kumar - 4-0-15-2
A consistent performer for Punjab, one of few experienced domestic players in their side, Kumar produced another high quality display of new ball bowling. Both his wickets were sheer quality, not as a result of the batsman slogging, with movement in the air and off the seam producing a couple of edges behind the stumps. PK loves to move the ball away from left handers and this accounted for Dhawan early on and later Sangakarra, helped by a great one handed take from Saini. There's not much better to watch in cricket than a bowler in perfect control of a swinging ball and Kumar certainly does this, able to move it both ways at will which is a skill any bowler would love to have.

51: DD vs KKR

A highly impressive from Kolkata took them above Delhi to the top of the table, a position they'll be hoping to cement in the coming matches despite Delhi's game in hand. They were the better side for the majority of the encounter, restricting DD to an under par total of 153/9 on a good batting pitch and were to chase it down fairly comfortably, even with the customary KKR wobble at the end!

Jacques Kallis - 4-0-20-2, 30 from 27 balls & MoM
Delhi had, as per usual, gotten off to a flyer at the start with Sehwag and 2012 debutant Warner trading blows on an almost shot a ball basis, but Kallis immediately changed the course of the match. He seems to surprise a lot of batsmen with his pace, strange given how long he's been around, and pinned Sehwag LBW in front of the stumps having pushed him back with a couple of bouncers with the previous deliveries. He then got the other big wicket of David Warner, caught behind to a ball that carried through nicely, and in the end was unlucky to finish with just 2 wickets, the umpire failing to spot an edge from Jayawardene (prompting some heated discussion between Mahela and Gambhir) through to the keeper and then having the same man dropped behind the stumps. Kallis is very consistent with the ball, bowling few poor deliveries, and so is someone the captain can always feel confident in throwing the ball to. He then scored a calming 30 runs for his side, they've had plenty of middle order collapses this year and had he followed soon after the wicket of Gambhir (at 68/1) then there's every chance some nerves would have set in. The required rate was nothing to worry about and Kallis was able to comfortably go about his business, pushing singles back down the ground and putting away the bad balls. A match winning performance from the all-rounder that was deserving of the MoM award.

Brendon McCullum - 56 from 44 balls
Having shown some signs of form in his previous innings, McCullum once again impressed with the bat to all but see them home. 'Baz' advances down the pitch like no else in the game, then swinging through the line to send the ball racing past the bowler or through the covers and some of his hits today went faster than anything you're likely to see, I can remember one pull off Morkel that got to the rope in about a second if that! It was a (relatively) sensible innings from McCullum who realised that with a required of around 7 there was no need to be going for a shot a ball and played the odd one on merit, happy to play out and dots and pick up singles in his innings that didn't feature a single 6. Kolkata have invariably relied on their top order, in particular Gambhir, to score the runs for them which has allowed them to get away with a dodgy middle order. It'll be interesting to see what what happens if Gambhir and McCullum are both sent back early, not today though as both played well, the Kiwi scoring his first half century of IPL 2012.

Umesh Yadav - 4-0-30-2
It was a broadly under-par day for the Daredevils, one of few so far, and the only real bright spots were the performances from their two promising young fast bowlers. Yadav, in particular, posed questions to all the KKR players who had the misfortune of facing him, often topping the 150kphs and hurrying some of the top players in the world. McCullum and Kallis fell in consecutive balls towards the end of the match, as they skied attempted pull shots having been too late on the shot. I've often been told that he's the latest big thing pace-wise in India but this was the first time I've seen him looking as quick as this, right up there with the likes of Steyn, Lee and Morkel. Alongside Morkel, Pathan and now Aaron, Delhi definitely have the strongest pace in the tournament that are always a treat to watch.

Varun Aaron - 3.4-0-20-1
This game was a comeback for Aaron following a lengthy period out through injury and, whilst not reaching the same speeds as he was last year, looked to be well on the way back. Not only was his pace understandably down, still an impressive 140s+, the line was often slightly too straight as the batsmen were able to flick the ball down to fine leg regularly, so plenty to work on. The carry was there though and being able to hurry a player of Gambhir's quality to chop onto his stumps is really promising, particularly on his comeback and having had him dropped at third man the previous ball. He should have ended the game with 2 wickets to his name after Irfan dropped a sitter from brother Yusuf at mid-off but all in all a decent return for Aaron and Delhi will be thrilled to have him back. He's capable of hitting those same speeds as Yadav and Morkel, no team will fancy playing Delhi when all 3 are on song!

49: MI vs CSK & 50: RCB vs DC

Now that its getting quite late into this season I've become a bit tired of talking about the same players over and over again, the likes of Sehwag, Gayle, Malinga and Steyn seem to do it every match at the moment! As a result some players that performed really well today may not be getting the mention they deserve, just fancied a change from the usual where possible! A couple of stunning matches with some cracking finishing, here goes..

Mumbai vs Chennai

Murali Vijay - 41 from 29 balls
The usually prolific Vijay has struggled so far this year, only recently regaining his spot at the top of the order for Chennai, today he showed signs that the that elusive form may be returning. This became evident from ball one as Vijay stroked it for 4 through the covers which will have given him a boost, not the last time he found the middle of that bat. He rode his luck at times but the 5th over was proof of just how good a player he is in this format, hitting the experienced Munaf for 22 runs in 4 balls, 3 big sixes over wide long-on to give his side the edge in the powerplay, unfortunately falling soon after. CSK's success has often come through Vijay and Raina's (36 from 21 balls) strokeplay at the top and need both firing now if they're to make the top 4, promising results in that department.

RP Singh - 4-0-28-3
The focus from Mumbai's bowling efforts will probably be on Malinga, whose 3-25 reclaimed the purple cap, but the often maligned RP Singh also produced a good performance. Having had the dangerous Vijay in trouble for 3 balls he got his man with the 4th, a beauty that swung and seamed back in through the gate, and it was greatly deserved. He then came back late on to send back two dangerous hitters in Dhoni and Morkel to top off a successful performance. There have been signs in the past couple of matches that he's rediscovering that lost pace, approaching the 140kphs, and this suggests that its all starting to click again for the left-armer.

Sachin Tendulkar - 74 from 44 balls
Mumbai's inconsistency this season has been as a result of their top order's struggles, their bowlers have done terrifically well to get them as many wins as they have, and the partnership between Tendulkar and Sharma (60 from 46 balls) will have filled the MI camp with plenty of hope. Sachin's innings was an absolute masterclass in timing and placement, often forgotten parts to 20/20 batting. It was full of those signature wristy flicks through the leg side and powerful strikes back down the ground, clearly enjoying the pace on offer from Morkel as he hit 33 off the 17 balls he faced to the South African. He was unlucky to miss out on the MoM award, I think he should have just about got it, but it was another incredible, but altogether different innings, that got Mumbai over the line as Tendulkar fell in the 16th over having set a brilliant platform. If he can click from here on in Mumbai's title aspirations will gain a massive boost.

Dwayne Smith - 24* from 9 balls & MoM
A late signing for Mumbai, replacement for the injured Johnson, the West Indian power hitter made the dream debut for his team as he served up a spectacular display of finishing to get them over the line. Smith came in in the 18th over with MI still needing 26 from 15 balls, a tough but not impossible equation. It soon became a whole lot more difficult as he got little strike with wickets falling around him and with 14 runs still required from 3 balls it looked game, set and match Chennai but Smith had other ideas. Twice Hilfenhaus missed his yorkers as full tosses were smashed back down the ground for 6 and 4, only to hit a length ball whizzing past the bowler again to seal the match, prompting wild celebrations from the MI dug-out as the Wankhede stadium erupted. 3 boundaries in the last 3 balls to win a match, there can't have been many better 20/20 finishes and Smith was rightly delighted with the win, a brilliant start for him and lets hope he can live up to the now sky high expectations!

Bangalore vs Deccan

Shikhar Dhawan - 73* from 52
Deccan are another side that have lacked a strong opening partnership on which to build on, but today's between Dhawan and debutant Harris (47 from 41 balls) gave them a platform to launch on later on, with Dhawan managing to carry his bat throughout. He is a great batsman to watch, full of style and elegance particularly when flashing through the offside and clipping straight balls through the leg side. He was happy to play second fiddle, firstly to Harris and later to White (45 from 24) whilst still rotating the strike nicely and hitting boundaries when necessary to keep up a healthy S/R of 140. A top innings from Dhawan that allowed his side to build upon around him, one of few bright spots this year for an otherwise struggling DC.

Muttiah Muralitharan - 4-0-18-0
With Deccan notching up a score of 181/2 its only natural that the majority of the RCB bowlers' figures suffered as a result, but not Murali (in today for Vettori who let Kohli lead in his absence). Murali has performed whenever given the chance so far and even then its proved a struggle to fit him in, Bangalore have lacked a partnership breaker and he is certainly that, extremely unlucky not to pick up a wicket today. He was all over Harris in particular who was beaten by doosras and off spinners whilst struggling to time big hits. A tough decision for Vettori to leave himself out, but you'd have to say it gives the RCB attack a totally different dimension and an option to go to whenever wickets are needed.

Tillakaratne Dilshan - 71 from 54 balls
Bangalore's opening partnership has chopped and changed all tournament but I think on today's evidence, as well as the overall side balance, they'll be sticking with this one for as long as they can. Dilshan is a highly destructive 20/20 player when on form and, whilst not at his very best here, there was plenty of evidence of his fearsome reputation. He swept the spinners nicely and was as fluent as ever when flashing through the off side whenever presented with width. His timing seemed to elude him more and more as the innings went on, trying to over-hit the ball as the required rate climbed, but it was still a great effort and played a massive part in what turned out to be an improbable win, a welcome return to form for the Sri Lankan.

AB de Villiers - 47* from 17 balls & MoM
He is fast becoming the most complete 20/20 batsman in the game, although his team-mate Gayle may have something to say about this, and his knock here was nothing short of phenomenal. His entrance was held back until the 14th over, at the time questionable tactics from the RCB dug-out, but his late arrival was more than justified. Then needing over 70 runs at 12 an over, it wasn't until the 17th (needing 52 runs at 13) that his assault began, along with an impressive 18 from 6 balls by Agarwal, a cameo that cannot be forgotten. AB launched into his campatriot Steyn like no one else in the world can, single handedly smashing the 18th for 23 runs, including 2 fours and 2 sixes, all of which cricket shots straight out of the coaching manual in a classy display under immense pressure. Such was the ferocity of AB de Villier's hitting that RCB got home with 7 balls to spare, easy! We've seen it all from AB this year, reverse sweeps, dinks over the keeper, exquisite drives through and over cover as well as some pummeled hook shots into the stands from Steyn today. Whatever shot he decides upon, he backs himself completely to go through with it and pulls it off more often than not, today's innings was just on another level, a S/R of 276!

47: KKR vs PWI & 48: KXIP vs RR

Kolkata vs Pune

Gautam Gambhir - 56 from 36 balls
Kolkata's captain is in almost Sehwag-esque form at the moment as he, along with Brendon McCullum (42 from 43), handed KKR a cracking start that had Pune well and truly on the back foot. Gambhir got off to a flyer in the powerplays, hooking the pace of Dinda over the fence as well as his signature pick up over mid-wicket for another maximum, not to mention plenty of boundaries too. I'm not his biggest fan in all honesty, but as a batsman he is pure class and highly dangerous in this format given his wide range of shots to both pace and spin. When he fell, holing out to a full toss from Karthik, a great platform had been set at 113/1 in the 13th over and Pune looked to be in plenty of trouble.

Angelo Mathews - 4-0-17-2 & 35 from 27 balls
However, the second half of the KKR innings saw just 52 runs scored and the loss of 5 wickets, an incredible turnaround from the Pune boys. Mathews was greatly responsible for this, coming on in the 10th over to bowl his 4 overs straight through and his change-ups in pace and length accounted for McCullum and later Kallis, bowled through the gate by the perfect off-cutter that clipped the top of off. Karthik (4-0-22-1) and Kumar (4-0-26-2) were also important in slowing the rate down and their efforts were equally vital. Mathews came in to bat following a top order collapse from PWI and with the score at 53/4 in the 8th over the target of 151 looked a long way off. He and Ganguly steadied the ship to put their side in a good position with a fairly risk free partnership until deciding to take the bowling on in the 14th over, needing 61 from the last 6 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Mathews hit 3 consecutive sixes over the leg side to start with off the bowling of Pathan and from nowhere Pune were probably the favorites, particularly with the required rate dipping below 8. Yet the man at the other, enjoying the adulation of the 60,000+ crowd, was undoing the Sri Lankan's hardwork with some poor cricket in my opinion. Once again, as he has done so many times this year, Ganguly was playing out far too many dot balls (15 in his 35 ball innings) when all he needed to do was rotate strike and get the in form Mathews at the danger end. Pune ended up falling just short despite Mathews' all-round heroics, a good deal of credit must go to the KKR bowlers for defending such a low total.

Marchant de Lange - 4-0-34-3
Brett Lee was under the weather today and this allowed de Lange a chance to show off his vast potential and he did not disappoint. The South African made the perfect start by bowling Michael Clarke first ball, the ball grazed the top of the bails to just about dislodge them, as Clarke looked beaten for pace. This pace, coupled with his considerable height, makes de Lange a terrifying looking bowler and he filled Lee's role as strike bowler nicely today. He got Uthappa, slashing to point, in his next over and came back well at the death to show that there are several sides to his game and the hype surrounding the 21 year old certainly looked justified on this performance, I wouldn't fancy facing him that's for sure.

Sunil Narine - 4-1-13-1 & MoM
Another name I'm getting used to writing is that of the unplayable Narine, at his mercurial best today, Ganguly named his as the matchwinner in his post match interview and he was rightly awarded MoM. He beat Steve Smith first up with the doosra and then sent him back with the next LBW, albeit luckily as replays showed an inside edge. Narine's class was all to good for Ganguly as he followed it up with 4 dots to the clueless batsman to complete a wicket maiden, not a bad start at all. He's played a huge role in KKR's success this year and that's partly because he is so good at the death, his 17th and 19th overs combining for just 8 runs and this turned the match well and truly in Kolkata's favour. Narine has undoubtedly been the best, and most versatile, spinner so far this IPL and is a huge asset for KKR.

Punjab vs Rajasthan

Shane Watson - 36 from 17 balls, 4-1-22-2 & MoM
Rajasthan will be glad that their star man has returned from the West Indies and Watson's all round efforts today showcased just how important he is to the side, playing the role of top-order batsman and opening bowler. Following the early wicket of Rahane, Watson immediately put RR back in the front side with a quick fire innings, 6 of the 17 balls he faced went to the boundary and two of these were 6s. He is at his strongest when playing back down the ground and this makes him a daunting opponent for the bowlers who would have been glad to see the back of him, expertly caught by Harris on the cover boundary. Not done there though, the Aussie sent back the in-form Punjab opener Mandeep Singh in the 2nd over of the Punjab innings (a wicket maiden) and KXIP never recovered from there. He bowled his 4 overs in the powerplay and at the death, clearly a key man for Rajasthan who'll be hoping his arrival and kickstart a push for the play-offs.

Ryan Harris - 4-0-34-4
Just the wicket taking bowler that Punjab have been searching for, another late arrival from the Caribbean. His figures may seem expensive but, like Watson, he bowls his 4 overs at the most hittable stages of the innings. Harris generates some good pace, consistently topping the 140kphs and beyond and this can worry some of the inexperienced domestic players in particular. That said, 3 of his 4 wickets were crucial Rajasthan batsmen in the forms of Dravid, Rahane and Hodge and without those breakthroughs Punjab would certainly have gone on to more than 177/6.

Shaun Tait - 4-0-18-2
I've been waiting for the day that 'The Wild Thing' made his 2012 debut because he is truly brilliant to watch in that you never know whats about to happen next, he did not disappoint and hopefully will get a few more games. 150kph is seriously quick and combined with his slingy action makes the prospect of trying to survive, let alone score runs, particularly worrying, the wicket-taker the Royals have been lacking all year. Tait was struck for just the one boundary, a leading edge from Hussey, and was tough to hit throughout, 4 of his 18 runs leaked came through wides. Having Tait and Watson in the side gives the Rajasthan bowling line-up a new look and it will worry any batting side going, Dravid was impressed and hopefully he'll be a regular in their side from here on in.

Johan Botha - 4-0-21-2 & 14* from 8 balls
The experienced South African has struggled in this edition, consequently dropped for a few games, so he'll be delighted that he was able to prove his worth. The pitch was offering some turn and bounce and as a result Botha was tough to get away, but he was not only capable of playing the holding role as he took the big wicket of Shaun Marsh that essentially sealed the win for RR, bowled as he came down the track. He also chipped in with some handy late order runs, showing the impressive balance he brings to the side. Mind you, the batting did seem light today so whether or not the changes seen will remain we'll have to wait and see. A top performance from Botha and part of a good win for Rajasthan that puts their top 4 hopes back on track.

46: CSK vs DC

It was a fairly tight game between the two time defending champions Chennai and Deccan, who are struggling at the bottom of the table this time round, ultimately the difference in class between the two sides came through. Deccan had come back into the game late into the Chennai first innings to give themselves a chance chasing 160 when more like 180 was on the cards. However, DC just simply don't possess the same depth in quality as Chennai do and 160 proved just out of reach for their comparatively inexperienced batting line-up.

Suresh Raina - 32 from 24 balls, 1-0-5-1 & MoM
A highly destructive stroke-maker in the 20/20 format as well as being a handy off-spinner for an over or two, the often forgotten part to his game, and both were on show today as Raina grabbed the MoM award. His runs came in quick time to inject some momentum in the CSK innings, hitting consecutive sixes with his signature pick up of a length delivery over the leg side in the 5th over and really putting Deccan on the back foot early on in the powerplay. However, what was probably his most important contribution was during his one over, brought on to get the wicket of the left handed Sangakarra, and he did just this. Sanga chipped a short ball back down the ground and Raina flew to his right to grab the ball with his weaker hand just inches from the ground. Just what Chennai were after as the partnership of White and Sangakarra could have been a match winning one for DC, the perfect impact from Raina, he just needs to start scoring some big runs.

Deccan death bowling - 6-0-42-3
Its difficult to pick out any one bowler in this period, but the last 6 overs of the innings was where Deccan managed to get back into the match with every chance of chasing the required 161. At the end of the 14th over, CSK were at 118/3 and with Dhoni and Morkel at the crease anything over the 170 mark was easily reachable. Deccan did brilliantly to get back into it through a combination of different bowlers. Steyn's two overs in this period cost just 11 runs, leading the way impeccably as he tends to do, for some of the lesser experienced domestic bowlers. Jhunjuhnwala's left arm spin earnt match figures of 3-0-13-1 which were exceptional against a batting line-up of CSK's calibre, including the wicket of Morkel before he got going and this dented Chennai's hopes of a grandstand finish. Reddy's medium pace has been impressive in the last few games as he appears to have good control of his variety of slower balls and changes in length. However, as has been the way all season for DC, it was a mistake in the field that just about cost them, possibly turning out to be the match winning moment for CSK. Bravo skied a simple catch to Ankit Sharma who put it down, seemingly a result of a mix-up with the keeper Patel. That ball cost 2 runs and Bravo hit the final 3 balls of the innings for 10 and with DC falling 10 short in the chase I'm sure they'll look back on this moment, along with many other dropped catches, and imagine what could have been.

Cameron White - 77 from 52 balls
All of a sudden the previously out of sorts Cameron White has become one of the tournament's most dangerous batsmen, collecting his 3rd score of 70+ in his last 4 attempts. The promotion to 3 has allowed him the time to play himself in before teeing off. His batting to spin bowling has been ferocious, hitting back down the ground and inside out over cover with the best of them. White was the key man in Deccan's chase, as there wasn't much after Christian at 6 (yet to see what Christian brings to Deccan's side by the way), and he was the only man keeping them in it after Dhawan fell for 36. Needing 47 from the final 3 overs the match looked to be Chennai's before White laid into the bowling of Jadeja, crashing a couple of big straight sixes and a four from the final ball to end up with 18 from it and a chance. He was run out in the 19th over, possibly a lazy piece of cricket on his behalf, and there was too much left to do for the rest but it was another terrific innings from a man who looks to have returned as a world class 20/20 batsman.

Albie Morkel - 13 from 9 balls & 3-0-16-1
The South African all-rounder has been a reliable performer with the ball for Chennai so far, having touched on the expensive side last year. He can generate some real pace with the new ball, as Parthiv Patel found out to his cost as he failed to get a decent stride in and ended up chopping onto his stumps, and should had more than one wicket having dropped an easy return catch from White's first ball. It didn't come off for him with the bat today, falling on 13 with plenty of overs left to do some damage, but he'll plenty more chances and his success is crucial to Chennai's fortunes.

45: PWI vs MI

It seems an age ago since these two sides last met and in many ways it was a very similar game, the common theme being its low scoring nature. It looked a good pitch for batting and some poor cricket from both sides produced another last ball finish, this time it was Mumbai who managed to get out of jail to defend a very much under par 120. Pune's slide down the table continues and now will probably have to win all 5 remaining games to make the play-offs, having bowled so well they'll be devastated not to have won and rightly so.

Harbajahn won the toss and put Pune into the field, giving his batsmen first use of a decent looking track (the average score at Pune being 160). Mumbai got off to an unspectacular but solid start in the face of some disciplined bowling from PWI, Dinda marking his return to the side with a maiden at Tendulkar. Both players were kept relatively quiet for the majority of the powerplay, but Franklin cut loose in the 6th over with a few big hits off Nehra to leave MI in a steady position at 42/0 after 6. However, from here Pune were brilliant to get right back into the match and find themselves well on top at the half way mark. The bowling was extremely accurate and the pressure built up by dot balls got to the MI batsmen, with most getting out attempting big shots. Kumar started the procession as he sent back Franklin who miscued to mid on before Sharma, in at 3, once again gave his wicket away in the next over. Clarke, bowling for the first time in the IPL, had sent down a probing over when Sharma missed a ball that was sliding marginally down leg. In the midst of a Pune appeal Sharma wandered down the pitch looking for a single that wasn't there and Tendulkar sent him back to run out by a good yard. A man with his talent really needs to doing more for Mumbai, and hopefully India in the near future, and their poor batting this year is greatly down to his inconsistency. MI were suddenly at 56/2 after 9 overs and never recovered. Nehra produced his best performance of the year (4-0-19-2) as he hit the deck hard and seemed to surprise batsmen with his pace, dismissing Tendulkar for a scratchy 34 from 35 as well as Peterson who skied an attempted heave over the leg side. Kumar, once again, impressed with his consistency as he grabbed 2-9 from his 3 overs to stop Mumbai generating momentum. Were it not for a big 19th over from Dinda, as Malinga and Karthik managed a few boundaries to score 17 from it, they would have struggled to reach the disappointing 120/9 that they got. Pune would have been thrilled with their efforts, especially having lost the toss, and had given themselves an excellent chance to get the win they desperately needed to leap up the table to 3rd. 

What followed was some seriously shoddy cricket from Pune in the face of some good bowling from Mumbai, although you'd have to admit there was nothing special on offer as a result of a fairly placid pitch, other than some slow turn. Ryder and Uthappa came out to open the innings, my favorite Pune combination, and Uthappa in particular started nicely with some attractive cover drives and a stunning six over long on, played with a perfectly straight bat. There hardly seemed in any trouble and I couldn't see Mumbai getting back into it, all looked rosy for Pune fans! However, the trouble began when spin was introduced with clear signs of turn from the word go, much more than there appeared to be when Mumbai were batting. Uthappa had fallen LBW having shuffled across his stumps to Patel and the shot played by Ryder really was awful, aimlessly chipping the ball to mid wicket to allow MI well and truly back into the game at 40/2 after 7 overs. The moment that put Mumbai in control, however, was a shocker from the umpire who gave Clarke out sweeping when the ball was wide of off and probably going over too. With the ball turning and a vastly experienced and skilled Mumbai attack, 120 now looked a long way off, even more so when the ever reliable Smith was bowled through the gate by a beauty from Ojha - 47/4 after 10. The experienced duo of Ganguly and Manhas, who played brilliantly for his 42* from 34, set about rebuilding as necessary.

It was vital that they didn't lose another wicket given their thin batting line-up today, but the issue was the S/R of Ganguly who scored 16 from 24 balls. Manhas managed to keep the strike ticking over, creating his own room and cutting balls on leg stump, whereas Ganguly was happy to block deliveries and allow the pressure to build. It wouldn't have taken much to nudge the ball into gaps and had he scored at a run a ball PWI may well have got home. When he fell, bowled by a Malinga slower ball, it was up to Manhas to try to finish it off alongside the tail still needing 27 from just 18 balls. The 18th over from Ojha went for 11 runs, and just about made PWI favourites needing 16 from the last 2 overs, after Manhas edged the first ball through the slips for a welcome boundary. Unfortunately for PWI Malinga is the best in the business at the death and his next over went for just 4 as well as getting Parnell, who can a hit long ball, to leave Munaf Patel defending 12 from the last over. He started well, with dots and singles up until the 5th ball which was struck for 4 over the covers, a classy shot from Kumar to set up a tense finish, 4 needed from the last ball. The setting of the field was almost a military operation and eventually Patel sent down a low full toss that Kumar could only clip out to deep mid-wicket for 2 which left Pune one run short, an incredible win for Mumbai that seemed unlikely at the change of innings. They bowled brilliantly on the surface, Harbajahn and Ojha (2-18 and 1-24) found enough turn to wonder why Peterson didn't get a go, which hadn't threatened to make 120 a stiff chase. Pune just fell behind the rate early on and let it rise throughout without looking to do much about it, a perfect example in how not to chase a small total in 20/20 cricket. The 5 over period after the powerplay somehow cost just 12 runs as well as 3 wickets to hand Mumbai the initiative, PWI simply dug themselves a hole they couldn't get out of. Malinga fully deserved the MoM award as he scored what turned out to be a crucial 14 runs with the bat as well as taking 2-25.

It was near enough a must win game for Pune and this makes the quality of the batting inexcusable, you really feel for the bowlers (Nehra, Kumar etc) who'd done brilliantly to put the game on a plate for the top order, Smith once again was the leader in the field with 3 run outs. To their credit, Mumbai ramped up the pressure with aggressive fields, disciplined seam bowling and then the attacking spin options, but really 120 should never have been a problem. It was painful to watch as at times it seemed the batsmen were oblivious of the climbing required rate, it wouldn't have taken much effort to prod the ball into the gaps and take a single, as Manhas' sensible display showed. This is not the first time Ganguly has been at fault for exactly this, he simply plays out too many dot balls which really is a crime in the game's shortest format. Still not sure that the right XI was selected by Pune today, they picked 5 specialist bowlers (Parnell, Kumar, Dinda, Karthik, Nehra) which left the batting looking light. I think Pandey could easily come in for one of the domestic bowlers, who I'm not sure, and then leave the possibility for some fill in overs for Clarke, Ryder, Ganguly and Smith, all of whom can more than hold their own in the middle overs. Apologies to Mumbai fans as I'm sure this post may read a little biased, I was not impressed with PWI's display today! It was a huge win for the Indians who consolidate 3rd place, although their batting continues to flatter to deceive and is leaving their bowling under far too much pressure at the moment. No margin for error now for Pune as 4 wins from 5 may not be enough to take them through, one team always makes a late surge and I'll be hoping its the Warriors!