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!