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Hyderabad: <keyword id="13886" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chennai-Super-Kings">Chennai Super Kings</keyword> were reeling at 41/3 in the semifinal against <keyword id="13883" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kings-XI-Punjab">Kings XI Punjab</keyword>. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/faf-du-plessis/26001/8109">Faf du Plessis</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-bravo/26001/10038">Dwayne Bravo</a> steadied the ship with a steady 65-run stand for the fourth wicket. While Bravo was at his aggressive best, <keyword id="518062" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Du-Plessis">du Plessis</keyword> played the second fiddle and scored an important 46 off 33 balls to help CSK reach 182/7. 
 
Speaking to clt20.com, du Plessis said that the team handled pressure well and his partnership with Bravo, combined with some aggressive hits from <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ravindra-jadeja/26001/32004">Ravindra Jadeja</a> down the order helped CSK reach a good total in the end. "We wanted to get a partnership and it was important to knock the ball around for two or three overs. I thought we did really well to hit the gaps in the field, not necessarily taking the guys in the fence on. It was about taking calculated risks. That is something which lacked in <keyword id="194506" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="The-Kings">the Kings</keyword> XI Punjab innings. They kept trying to hit boundaries. With the wicket being a little two paced, you needed a little more batsmanship than power," he said. 
 
Du Plessis said that he was not too bothered about his constant shuffling in the batting order. "I think all of our batsmen from batting positions 5, 6 &amp; 7 play a similar role where they all come in and look to be aggressive. With <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-smith/26001/10043">Dwayne Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/brendon-mccullum/26001/6035">Brendon McCullum</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/suresh-raina/26001/4059">Suresh Raina</a> at the top it is all power and all guns blazing. It was important for someone to strike a balance between all that firepower. I am used to opening the batting in T20 cricket and tonight I got an opportunity to go in the fifth over and counter-attack and play a bit aggressively. When the field went back, I saw myself looking into my role back at number four. It was then about hitting the spaces and running well between the wickets." 
 Du Plessis, who scored three centuries in the recent tri-series in <keyword id="41570" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe</keyword>, added that he felt good about his batting. He said that the main aim for CSK was to win as many trophies as they can. "We are done with one step but we have another big game coming up against KKR who are a very good team. We are very pumped up. We don’t want to get to another final and lose. We want to get the silverware. "

Du Plessis: CSK Desperate To Win More Trophies

<keyword id="13886" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chennai-Super-Kings">Chennai Super Kings</keyword>, inspired by <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/suresh-raina/26001/4059">Suresh </a><a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/suresh-raina/26001/4059">Raina</a>'s furious 90 from 43 balls, eased to a 54-run win over Dolphins on Monday night at Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium to move upwards from the bottom of the Group A points table and get their 2014 Champions League Twenty20 campaign up and running. 
 
Click here for <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/live-score/dol-vs-csk/dock09222014176561/fullscorecard">full scorecard</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/live-score/dol-vs-csk/dock09222014176561/commentary">commentary</a>. 
 In total, CSK smacked 16 sixes and 17 fours to rattle along to a massive total of 242 for 6 - second only to the 246 they scored against <keyword id="13802" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rajasthan-Royals">Rajasthan Royals</keyword> in the 2010 <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>. Not surprisingly, it was all too much for Dolphins' hit-and-miss batsmen, though they did give CSK a scare as they sped to the quickest team 50 in CLT20 history. South Africa's domestic T20 champions did well to get to 115 for 3 by the half-way mark, but the second ten overs of their innings was worth 6 for 73. 
 After the Powerplay, 70 for 1. At the halfway mark, 109 for 2. After 20 overs, 242 for 6. This is hardly what <keyword id="2530109" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dolphins-captain">Dolphins captain</keyword> Morne van Wyk would have hoped for after he put CSK in to bat. Between the first over, in which left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj dismissed <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-smith/26001/10043">Dwayne Smith</a>, and the 20th, which saw pacer Kyle Abbott concede just five singles, CSK looted 228 runs at a rate of 12.66. Of those, 90 came off 43 balls to Raina, whose blistering innings contained eight sixes as he crossed 5000 runs in T20 cricket. And therein was the foundation of CSK's success. 
 
The T20 superstar briefly played second fiddle to <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/brendon-mccullum/26001/6035">Brendon McCullum</a>, who launched a stinging assault on the bowling as he tore into Craig Alexander and Abbott, but once he started to tee off it was bad news for Dolphins. Raina was on 17 off 12 balls balls when McCullum was 45 off 23, but soon caught up. He drew level with McCullum on the sixes tally with a couple off Andile Phehlukwayo in the seventh over, then went one ahead with another off a Robbie Frylinck slower ball. Each of his boundary shots resonated with a ferocity rarely associated with Raina, and you got the feeling something special was brewing. 
 
Though McCullum fell to Khaya Zondo for 49, he had helped CSK draw level with the quickest century stand in the CLT20, achieved, not surprisingly, at this same ground. Raina did not blink at the departure of his partner, hitting Zondo out of the attack as he galloped to his half-century in 27 balls. Maharaj returned and was effortlessly hit for two sixes, each with deft footwork and a beautiful follow-through; Daryn Smit was swung over long-on for Raina's eighth maximum. He was eventually out to the first ugly shot played, and Frylinck added another in the over when he yorked <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ms-dhoni/26001/4057">MS Dhoni </a>first ball. 
 
Faf du Plessis, whose contribution to the stand of 65 with Raina was 11, clattered three fours and a six revive CSK and Ravindra Jadeja smoked 24 off five balls in a partnership of 32 in 11 with Dwayne Bravo (11). Jadeja's 14-ball 40 was part muscle and part placement and lifted CSK to a winning total. 
 Left with a mountain to climb, Dolphins took 20 off the first over bowled by <keyword id="6357606" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ashish-Nehra">Ashish Nehra</keyword>, with left-hander Cameron Delport hitting two fours and a six. The second over produced 16 for the loss of van Wyk (17 off 7) though the Dolphins captain had reason to feel aggrieved after being given lbw by umpire K Srinath to a ball from R Ashwin that clearly pitched outside leg stump. Delport's approach of making room and slicing hard yielded a six and three fours off <keyword id="46772" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mohit-Sharma">Mohit Sharma</keyword>, as Dolphins achieved the fastest team 50 in tournament history (15 balls), but the riposte was short-lived. Playing from the crease, Delport missed a slower one from Mohit and was bowled for a nine-ball 34. 
 
Cody Chetty took a liking to Jadeja's left-arm spin and Dolphins finished the Powerplay block on 85 for 2, but too many attempts to hit out meant chances for the fielders. Maharaj slogged at Mohit and missed and Chetty (38) picked out deep midwicket off Dwayne Bravo, allowing CSK room to breathe. From here, Dolphins lost in a slew of cross-batted hits and frenetic running, bowled out for 188 in 20 overs. Mohit finished with very credible figures of 4 for 41 after conceding 20 in his first five deliveries. 
 
Brief scores: CSK 242 for 6 in 20 overs (<keyword id="14587" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Suresh-Raina">Suresh Raina</keyword> 90, Brendon McCullum 49, Ravindra Jadeja 40*) beat Dolphins 188 in 20 overs (Cody Chetty 38, Cameron Delport 34; Mohit Sharma 4/41, Dwayne Bravo 2/16) by 54 runs

Raina-Charged CSK Make Dolphins Cry

After loosing both games last season again Raina led Lions, what a way to comeback! That was some hitting from Lynn. 
 
Tweet Alert! 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> Match 3 - <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders">@KKRiders</a> 184/0 (14.5 ov) beat <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a> 183/4 by 10 wickets. <a href="https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir">@GautamGambhir</a> (76 off 48), <a href="https://twitter.com/lynny50">@lynny50</a> (93 off 41) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/IvvHOzM4TI">pic.twitter.com/IvvHOzM4TI</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/850400801843535876">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The big day is finally here. Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Knights?src=hash">#Knights</a> have prepared well &amp; are ready to take on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DusKiDahaad?src=hash">#DusKiDahaad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmiKKR?src=hash">#AmiKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/kLWj97647c">pic.twitter.com/kLWj97647c</a>
	— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/850197606428954625">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Captain <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SureshRaina?src=hash">#SureshRaina</a>​ was in full flow during the practice session. All geared up for our 1st match against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GameMaariChhe?src=hash">#GameMaariChhe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/qEU3weWMt7">pic.twitter.com/qEU3weWMt7</a> — The <keyword id="1641060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat-lions">Gujarat Lions</keyword> (@TheGujaratLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions/status/850264389978431490">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
 
Complete Squads 
 
<keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> 
 
Robin Uthappa(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), <keyword id="66306" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manish-Pandey">Manish Pandey</keyword>, Chris Lynn, <keyword id="18938" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yusuf-Pathan">Yusuf Pathan</keyword>, Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Woakes, <keyword id="793467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunil-Narine">Sunil Narine</keyword>, Piyush Chawla, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Yadav, <keyword id="6382259" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andre-Russell">Andre Russell</keyword>, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Ankit Rajpoot, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Darren Bravo, Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Ghosh, Ramsingh Sanjay Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme 
 
Gujarat Lions 
 
Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina(c), Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik(w), Ishan Kishan, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Koushik, Shadab Bashir Jakati, Nathu Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Andrew Tye, Ravindra Jadeja, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Jason Roy, Munaf Patel, Chirag Suri, Akshdeep Nath, Basil Thampi, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya 
 
(<a href="http://oddreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/3454768.jpg">Image Source</a>)

LIVE IPL 2017, Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders: The opening pair of Kolkata just finished Gujarat

Australian all-rounder <keyword id="6378477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shane-Watson">Shane Watson</keyword> today became the first million-dollar buy of the Indian Premier League players' auction going to <keyword id="12643" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers">Royal Challengers</keyword> Bangalore for a whopping Rs 9.5 crore ($1.39 million) after an intense bidding war. 
 India's <keyword id="351" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Yuvraj-Singh">Yuvraj Singh</keyword> wasn't third-time lucky in terms of being the biggest buy but <keyword id="1494441" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sunrisers-Hyderabad">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword> entered late into the fray to buy him for Rs 7 crore ($1.03 million). 
 Sunrisers Hyderabad also bought veteran pacer <keyword id="6357606" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ashish-Nehra">Ashish Nehra</keyword> for Rs 5.50 crore ($810,000) pipping Kings XI Punjab and Gujarat Lions. 
 
Debutants Pune Supergiants got Kevin Pietersen for Rs 3.5 crore ($515,000), the first player to go under the hammer, even though Gujarat Lions also bid intensely for the dashing England batsman. Pune also got Ishant Sharma Rs 3.8 crore (USD 559,000) 
 
Gujarat Lions got South African Dale Steyn and West Indian Dwayne Smith for Rs 2.3 crore ($338,000) each. 
 
However, the player to hit the pay dirt was definitely Watson, who recently hit a smashing century in the third T20 International against India recently. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes 
 Also, he has been an ever-present player for the now banned <keyword id="13802" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rajasthan-Royals">Rajasthan Royals</keyword> being the 'Player of the Tournament' in the league's first season. 
 
Watson has retired from the longer format but his 130-135 kmph seam-up stuff has also turned out to be handy on Indian pitches. 
 
Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill were the players who went unsold in the first session

IPL Auction: Shane Watson becomes the costliest buy for Royal Challengers Bangalore at Rs 9.5 crore!

Everything comes at a price even cricket players. Indian Premier League (IPL) season kicked-off amid glitzy ceremony and eight teams will be contesting with each other to win the coveted trophy. 
 
Preparations for the IPL extravaganza had begun long time back with auction of cricketers from India and across the world (minus Pakistan). 
 Owners of the eight teams- Delhi Daredevils, <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword>, Kings XI Punjab, <keyword id="1494441" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunrisers-Hyderabad">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword>, <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions- retained and even poached players from other teams by bidding a higher amount. 
 
The bidding process threw many surprises as players like Nathu Singh were netted for Rs 3.2 crore. Even M Ashwin was auctioned for Rs 4.5 crore from previous Rs 10 lakh. 
 
Here is a complete list of players who were auctioned for crore of rupees, taking the whole cricket festival a notch higher 
 
 
 
Shane Watson- Rs 9.50 crore 
 
Kane Richardson-Rs 2 crore 
 
Stuart Binny-Rs 2 crore 
 
Jaydev Unadkat- Rs 1.60 crore 
 
John Hastings-Rs 1.30 crore 
 
Mohit Sharma-Rs 6.50 crore 
 
Kyle Abbot- Rs 2.10 crore 
 
Pawan Negi-Rs 8.50 crore 
 
Chris Morris-Rs 7 crore 
 
Carlos Brathwaite- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Sanju Samson- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Karun Nair- Rs 4 crore 
 
Rishabh Pant- Rs 1.90 crore 
 
Jos Buttler- Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Nathu Singh- Rs 3.20 crore 
 
Tim Southee- Rs 2.50 crore 
 
Krunal Pandya- Rs 2 crore 
 
Kishore Kamath- Rs 1.40 crore 
 
Yuvraj Singh- Rs 7 crore 
 
Ashish Nehra- Rs 5.50 crore 
 
Deepak Hooda- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Barinder Sran- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Aditya Tare- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Mitchell Marsh- Rs 4.80 crore 
 
Murugan Ashwin- Rs 4.50 crore 
 
Ishant Sharma-Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Kevin Pietersen- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Irfan Pathan- Rs 1 crore 
 
Thisara Perera-Rs 1 crore 
 
Aaron Finch- Rs 1 crore 
 
Praveen Kumar- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Dwayne Smith- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dale Steyn- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dinesh Karthik- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dhawal Kulkarni- Rs 2 crore 
 
Eklavya Dwivedi- Rs 1 crore 
 
(Images: Indiatimes)

Cricketers who turned millionaires, thanks to IPL-9

Mumbai: West Indies have not had a great start to their India tour. They have played two warm-up games against India A but have failed to register a win. They had lost the first warm-up by nine wickets but put in a slightly better show in the second one but they lost the match by 16 runs. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/denesh-ramdin/10001/10044">Denesh Ramdin</a>, who scored a century in the second game, is optimistic of the team's chances ahead of the five-match ODI series starting on Wednesday in Kochi. Ramdin believes that the arrival of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-bravo/10001/10038">Dwayne Bravo</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-smith/10001/10043">Dwayne Smith</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/andre-russell/10001/10100">Andre Russell</a> will boost the team. 
 
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after the conclusion of the second game, Ramdin said, "We are right where we want to be. Bravo, Smith and Russell still have to slot in. That will give <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kieron-pollard/10001/10060">Kieron Pollard</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/darren-sammy/10001/10041">Darren Sammy</a> more finishing power at the end. Today, we kept losing wickets consistently. But we can take some confidence going into the next game." 
 
The <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/teams/west-indies/10001/home">West Indies</a> wicketkeeper said that the pitch at the Wankhede for the match was a good one for batting. He said that the seamers ran in hard and hit the lengths nicely. He was happy with his effort behind the stumps as he snapped up five catches. The one area of weakness which he pointed out was the way in which the team bowled with the new ball. 
 
"It was a good day in terms of my glove-work and then batting and getting a good score. But I wasn't happy in terms of batting right down to the end and finishing off the game for the team." Ramdin praised the efforts of Sammy and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/jason-holder/10001/10107">Jason Holder</a> but the top order once again failed. In contrast, India A's Unmukt Chand continued his fine form as he scored a century to back up his 79 in the first game. 
 
"It's very important that our batters put runs on the board. We have to get early wickets and put their middle and lower order under pressure," Ramdin said. He said that the pace bowlers will play a key role as the tour progressed and said that <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/jerome-taylor/10001/10054">Jerome Taylor</a> will be key for the West Indies' success after the withdrawal of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/sunil-narine/10001/56004">Sunil Narine</a>.

Ramdin Optimistic About WI's Chances

New Delhi: As we bask in the afterglow of Rajasthan Royals' spectacular win in Bangalore on Sunday night, it is hard not to spare a thought for <keyword id="351" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yuvraj-Singh">Yuvraj Singh</keyword>. He did all he could to line up his finest moment in seven editions of the <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> - a smashing 83 off 38 deliveries and four wickets with his left-arm spin for <keyword id="12643" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers">Royal Challengers</keyword> Bangalore. 

	When leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal conceded only four runs in his final over, the 16th of the innings, it seemed that RCB had the game in their control. With a cushion of 65 runs, it was just a matter of getting over the line. It was just a matter of getting things right over the next 24 deliveries - or so it seemed.
 

	With a boom or bust approach over the next 20 minutes or so, Steve Smith and James Faulkner stole Yuvraj Singh's thunder, leaving him and his team-mates wrapped in disbelief and shock, disappointment and disconsolate. At his interaction with the media after the loss, the focus was on the destruction caused in the final 17 deliveries than on Yuvraj Singh's amazing all-round show.
 At the briefing, it did not seem to matter that he chose his strokes carefully, timed them sweetly and made batting look easy; it did not seem to matter that he did not play anything that remotely looked like a T20 stroke during his innings that included seven fours and as many sixes; it did not seem to matter that he herded the RCB innings when <keyword id="77602" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="AB-de-Villiers">AB de Villiers</keyword> was scratching around. There is no doubt that when he is on song, however rarely it might be these days, there is no better sight than watching Yuvraj Singh at the batting crease. AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Dwayne Smith and <keyword id="55681" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Brendon-McCullum">Brendon McCullum</keyword> bring a brute power to their craft; but none of them has the elegant quality that he gets along. 

	When he flicks the ball off his pads - nay, say wishes it away off his pads with sweet timing - and sends it soaring over square-leg, you know that he is on top of his A game. When he sweeps a ball pitched outside the leg stump, you know that the best of Yuvraj Singh is set to be unfurled. And when he covers up for de Villiers' percentage play at the start, you know something special is on.
 

	The disappointment and hurt on Yuvraj Singh's face was there for all to see. Yet, the 32-year-old and his team-mates will have to pick themselves up from the floor, dust memories of three successive defeats and compete hard when they take the field again on Tuesday against Delhi Daredevils.
 

	It is never the easiest of things to wake up to thoughts of a nightmarish finish, compounded by media reports of the disaster. And in an age when most cricketers inhabit the virtual world - Twitter, if you please - they will be served enough and more reminders about the colossal failure to cross the line the previous night.
 

	How he himself and RCB deal with Sunday's shocking turnaround will be interesting to watch. Of course, Yuvraj Singh has dealt with larger challenges in life and realises that cricket is only a part of life. But, as a team, RCB will find it incredibly tough to cope with the aftermath of the defeat by Rajasthan Royals. For the team itself, T20 cricket is life itself, isn't it?

IPL: Yuvraj Has Bounced Back But Can RCB Do An Encore?

Four defeats in a row after the heady highs of 2013, when <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword> won the rare double of the IPL and the Champions League, has put the spotlight on a fickle batting order. <keyword id="13937" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rohit-Sharma">Rohit Sharma</keyword>, <keyword id="10149" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mike-Hussey">Mike Hussey</keyword> and Corey Anderson look every bit the quality that they're worth, but a closer look will point out that one is retired and doesn't play too much cricket, another has returned from a serious knee injury, while the third has been struggling with form for quite some time in India colours. 
 You could argue that they have been outplayed in all departments in the four games they've played, but a batting of this quality repeatedly failing has put more pressure on their bowling to either restrict oppositions, or bowl them out cheaply. There is a small matter of MI's star all-round duo of Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard also not throwing their weight into the fixtures as yet, even though Pollard somewhat redeemed himself with a tidy innings of 33 against <keyword id="6354884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Delhi-Daredevils">Delhi Daredevils</keyword>. 
 
The opening combination was shuffled against Delhi Daredevils after Hussey's travails at the top of the order. Since retiring from international cricket, Hussey hasn't featured in many team sheets and for a batsman who relies on effortless stroke-play, timing has deserted his game, and he struggled throughout his 18-ball 10 at Sharjah even though he went in at five. 
 The Australian is of great pedigree, and has repeatedly shown his worth when he was with <keyword id="13886" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Chennai-Super-Kings">Chennai Super Kings</keyword>, but for MI to persist with him may compound their problems at this stage. Ben Dunk, another Australian is warming the bench and the management may want to give the veteran the rest he needs to return to his A-game. 
 
Rohit, on the other hand, continues to baffle with his on-again-off-again form. A one-day double-hundred and several good scores have intertwined with painful ordeals at the crease, all during a period where he has enjoyed some of his best times in an India shirt, a Test century on debut included. He batted at No 4 for his franchise in the first three games, but decided to take the opening slot against DD, not that bad a decision given he opens for India in limited-overs cricket, only to run himself out to a direct hit. 
 
Anderson showed glimpses of his batting prowess after he was promoted to one-drop against Chennai Super Kings, but has struggled on the slow surfaces of UAE. Mumbai Indians have done well to promote him up the order, for making him and Pollard bat at five and six leaves them with little to make a mark with in the end. 
 
The Indian recruits, some of whom played an integral part in their title run a year ago, have come undone with the likes of Aditya Tare and Ambati Rayudu not converting their starts into substantial scores. They form a key part of the MI batting line-up, and even though CM Gautam gave the team solidity against DD, foreign signings living up neither to their name nor their game is alarming. 
 
"Our batting needs to improve. We have tried things like changing the batting order," Rohit said after the loss to DD. "It's not working out at all. Our batters need to step up. Hopefully, we would win a few matches when we go back to Mumbai." 
 A change in location with the tournament shifting back to India next week may give the franchise the boost they need on home turf. The IPL is a long tournament, but often teams have failed to arrest a slide as poor as four consecutive defeats. Teams often rely on their overseas signings to lift their performances and <keyword id="13883" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kings-XI-Punjab">Kings XI Punjab</keyword> and Chennai Super Kings have benefited from the forms of some of their star signings. Two of them are Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith. How Mumbai Indians would be ruing having let them go to two teams that are leading the points table is anybody's guess.

IPL: Foreign Flops Hurting
Mumbai Indians

On Tuesday, Kolkata Knight Riders will continue their fairy-tale run in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League with their Qualifier against pre-tournament favourites Kings XI Punjab. KXIP dropped just six points on their way to the Play-offs, while the 2012 champions began their campaign on a horrid note, picked up in the middle and made it into the last four thanks to a seven-match winning streak.
 

	Four players have played a crucial hand in their dramatic turnaround, and will hold the key in putting it past KXIP in front of a capacity crowd at their home ground, the Eden Gardens.
 

	Robin Uthappa
 Much like other teams, <keyword id="6354544" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="KKR">KKR</keyword> were also chopping and changing in their bid to find the right eleven players during the UAE leg of the tournament, a period during which they suffered. The opening combination didn't fit with Gautam Gambhir in woeful touch and Jacques Kallis failing to find fifth gear, while Manish Pandey and Manvinder Bisla couldn't answer the call. UAE leg over, and Uthappa was pushed to open the innings and to the average fan, he single-handedly scripted the turnaround. 

	Since opening the innings, Uthappa has gone on to topple Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith to become the leading run-scorer with an envious run of form: 47, 65, 47, 46, 80, 40, 67, 83* and 41 have been his previous nine innings. Uthappa has been the backbone of KKR's batting thanks to which big-hitters like Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan have flourished. Against KXIP, he will be the key to flatten a KXIP side who have been on a roll of their own.
 

	Sunil Narine
 

	The West Indian was retained by the franchise for a very specific reason, and he hasn't disappointed. Narine is the best on show as far as his craft is concerned, and remains a threat against any team thanks to his deadly accurate offspin. In the two previous games against KXIP, Narine had figures of 3 for 24 and 1 for 30 from his four overs. While KKR couldn't get over the line in Abu Dhabi, they managed to do so in Cuttack. Narine has also been the tournament's leading wicket-taker so far, tied on 20 from 13 games with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
 

	While Bhuvneshwar's Sunrisers Hyderabad have been eliminated, Narine has a chance to consolidate his position further. While he hasn't taken wickets with as much regularity as he would have liked, teams have found it difficult to score against him. Gambhir has used him intelligently - Narine bowls two, sometimes three overs at the back end of the innings and that's where teams have struggled against him. In addition to his 20 scalps, Narine has been the most economical too, going at 6.00 runs per over. Only twice have KXIP not managed to score over 150 in completed innings, and both have come against the bowling attack featuring Narine.
 

	Yusuf Pathan
 

	KKR's batting order worries in the UAE were not only attributed to the top order, but the failure of their middle order to hold them together. Yusuf Pathan showed glimpses of his old spark in a defeat to Chennai Super Kings, but the Yusuf known for his belligerence was missing.
 

	Against SRH at Eden Gardens, however, Yusuf rose to the occasion with a blistering 72 from just 22 balls that took his team home in a big chase in just 14.2 overs. KKR had given themselves two chances at the final, and while everything else fell into place since returning to India, the spark in Yusuf that was missing ensured they were firing on all cylinders.
 

	Yusuf had tore into Dale Steyn for 26 in an over, and how he counters the pace of Mitchell Johnson and co. could determine the outcome of the fixture.
 

	Shakib Al Hasan
 

	Two agonizingly close defeats to Rajasthan Royals - the one with the Super Over and the other that featured the implosion - had threatened to derail KKR's campaign, but the Bangladesh allrounder ensured they came close. Since then, though, Shakib has played an important part in some of KKR's victories with both bat and ball.
 

	Shakib is has been second best only to Narine in terms of economy rate, and has broken crucial stands with his left-arm spin, providing an able back-up to Narine from the other end. His hard-hitting innings of 60 and 46* ensured victories over Royal Challengers Bangalore and CSK, keeping KKR's winning streak unbroken. Together with Narine, he will be tasked with keeping a big-hitting KXIP batting line-up at bay, and batting at No 5 to see the team to either a big total or home in a chase.

IPL: KKR's Fantastic Four Who Will Be Key In The Last Four

Almost all the captains in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League have had some moments of joy, but one <keyword id="16561" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="skipper">skipper</keyword> who has seldom been found without any jest is Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma. Not many expected MI to be one of the first teams to be written off after such a successful campaign last season, when they clinched their maiden title as well as the Champions League T20. More than Rohit's smile gone missing, the look on his face is more gloomy than reassuring, more burdensome than inspirational. After all, he had to bear the burden of MI being defending champions despite the fact that their icon player <keyword id="6354267" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sachin-Tendulkar">Sachin Tendulkar</keyword> was gone and a couple key components not around. After seven losses in ten games, Mumbai's chances of making the play-offs are next to impossible barring some earth-shattering mathematical calculations. The manner in which they were found wanting in a six-wicket loss to <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> on Wednesday night just went on to show that their near-perfect win over Sunrisers Hyderabad was just one hit game amid many listless performances. 

	There are many factors that did not work for MI during a so far painful campaign for them. Here we pinpoint the major ones.
 

	It all started at the auction table
 One of the biggest setbacks for the defending champions was to see the players they let go off from their 2013 squad do exceedingly well this year for other franchises. The biggest examples being Dwayne Smith, <keyword id="470051" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Glenn-Maxwell">Glenn Maxwell</keyword> and Mitchell Johnson, who contributed strongly whenever being called upon to do so last year. Especially Smith, who had made it a habit of forging solid opening stands with Tendulkar, invariably creating momentum for strokeplayers like Rohit, Dinesh Karthik and Kieron Pollard to tee off at any given point of time. That opening slot turned out to be a massive weak link for the team this year as new recruit and veteran <keyword id="6377175" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-Hussey">Michael Hussey</keyword> (30 runs from four games) and Ben Dunk (40 runs from three games) failed miserably with the bat. They alternated the one opening slot with Aditya Tare (106 runs from 10 games) and CM Gautam (121 runs from nine games) but neither could live up to the billing. Plus, playing at least three uncapped Indian players in all matches turned out be a big problem for MI as the options did not enthuse confidence. The reason being the retention of five players for the 2014 auction and the heavy spending on Hussey, Corey Anderson left MI with less purse to buy quality domestic players. 

	Non-performing overseas players
 After being touted as the next big thing in world cricket, fastest ODI centurion Anderson was the cynosure of all eyes when <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7 began. However, 150 runs and four wickets in 10 isn't what you'd want to get from a player who was paid Rs 4.5 crore. Perhaps the big occasion, near alien conditions and huge crowds overawed Anderson but what about Hussey? The former Chennai Super Kings veteran was a real force in the two-time champion side and was expected to do much the same for his new franchise, but his poor returns put MI under tremendous pressure and invariably exposed the frailties of a susceptible middle order. 

	Big runs go missing
 

	After the loss to KKR, Rohit said: "We need to keep scoring 170-plus if we need to win consistently, we aren't doing that." His reasoning is valid. MI have crossed 170 twice so far and ended up winning those games. Their highest run-getter in the tournament, Ambati Rayudu (310 runs in 10 games) is languishing at ninth in the top run-getters. Rohit, Pollard, Rayudu and Lendl Simmons (a late recruit) have combined for seven fifties that includes one score above 70 and two over 60.
 

	After Malinga, who?
 

	The champion bowler that he is in this format, Malinga didn't disappoint with 16 wickets in 10 games. However, he lacked support from the other end. The only instance in the tournament so far when a MI bowler took three or more wickets is Malinga's 4/23 in the season opener. Harbhajan Singh's drought of wickets has not helped apply pressure in the middle overs. In comparison to 24 wickets last season, Harbhajan's eight this year leaves a big vacuum.
 Harbhajan, Johnson, Malinga and Pragyan Ojha took 84 wickets last season. In 2014, injury to <keyword id="12644" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Zaheer-Khan">Zaheer Khan</keyword> has forced MI to try Jasprit Bumrah (two wickets), <keyword id="6366707" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Praveen-Kumar">Praveen Kumar</keyword> (two wickets) and Pawan Suyal (one wicket) as his replacement. Ojha (economy 8.29) and Pollard (10.73) have been the biggest disappointments with one wicket apiece. 

	A combination of the above factors has left Rohit with more than just a creased forehead. Last year, the responsibility brought the best out of him but now the burden of leading an under-performing group is looking too heavy a yoke to bear.

IPL: Numbers Spoiled MI's Title Defense

In terms of ambition, the Champions League T20 was to be the perfect tool to showcase, and popularise, franchise cricket. It was modelled on the UEFA Champions League, with clubs from cricketing nations teaming up for a short T20 event. But into its sixth edition, it hasn't delivered on the promise front. The <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> in India is still the benchmark, and the involvement of international teams somehow fails to pique interest among fans who get behind their local franchises (a reason to include a fourth Indian team). From September 13, however, up until October 4, the disappointments of the England tour will be forgotten, and cricket's shortest format will once again drum up the entertainment before the home season in India gets under way. 
 
In many ways, the timeframe set apart for the Champions League is about perfect for a T20 competition. The IPL lasts two months; back-to-back games in the middle of the Indian summer making it an annual TV soap opera. The expectancy of home advantage is less; teams from South Africa, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand make it a more global event, and the chance to see several international players, who could soon be seen being snapped up by several franchises in next year's IPL. The Champions League then is the IPL's poorer cousin, but the unpredictable nature of the competition could make it for interesting viewing. 
 
Chhattisgarh's Raipur International Cricket Stadium will host the six qualifiers featuring Lahore Lions (Pakistan), Mumbai Indians (India), Northern Knights (New Zealand) and Southern Express (Sri Lanka), before the main league kicks off with games scheduled in Hyderabad, Mohali and Bangalore. Gocricket.com takes a look at the teams making up the competition: 
 
Kolkata Knight Riders: The IPL champions gained direct entry into the league stages by virtue of their title triumph a few months ago, but have been hampered by injuries to Morne Morkel and <keyword id="258312" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chris-Lynn">Chris Lynn</keyword>, who have been ruled out of the tournament, as was Shakib Al Hasan, serving a disciplinary sanction by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The Indian domestic season was over before the IPL meaning several Indian players will be without practice, a situation that forced <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/yusuf-pathan/30001/4096">Yusuf Pathan</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/piyush-chawla/30001/4089">Piyush Chawla</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/manvinder-bisla/30001/27013">Manvinder Bisla</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kuldeep-yadav/30001/4133">Kuldeep Yadav</a> to undergo a boot camp in South Africa. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/gautam-gambhir/30001/4043">Gautam Gambhir</a>, the inspirational two-time IPL-winning captain, however, is back playing franchise cricket after a nightmarish return to the Indian team on the England tour. Gambhir would have to brush aside that traumatic experience to lead his troops. 
 
Perth Scorchers: Like KKR, Perth Scorchers triumphed at the Big Bash League, but like the Indian franchise, they too come into the tournament with a depleted squad. Simon Katich was their leading run-getter but is not available, nor is Shaun Marsh, who was injured. The franchise will rely heavily on <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mitchell-marsh/1001/27022">Mitchell Marsh</a>, who is coming off a successful trip with the Australian team in Zimbabwe. 
 
Dolphins: Winners of South Africa's domestic T20 competition, Dolphins make their Champions League bow under former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk, who has previously turned out for KKR. With <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/david-miller/8001/8076">David Miller</a> opting to play for Kings XI Punjab, the Dolphins squad will miss the services of their explosive batsman, but <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kyle-abbott/8001/29036">Kyle Abbott</a>'s presence in the bowling line-up gives them some international quality. 
 
Barbados Tridents: The 2014 Caribbean Premier League champions will be without <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dwayne-smith/26001/10043">Dwayne Smith</a>, Shoaib Malik and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kieron-pollard/31001/10060">Kieron Pollard</a> but still have enough quality to surprise bigger teams. Zimbabwe's hard-hitting ODI captain <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/elton-chigumbura/11001/11033">Elton Chigumbura</a>, James Franklin and <keyword id="1319274" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dilshan-Munaweera">Dilshan Munaweera</keyword> will bolster the batting, while Ravi Rampaul will lead the bowling attack. 
 
Kings XI Punjab: KXIP turned out to be the surprise package of the IPL and despite falling short of a maiden title, turned heads with their all-round performances. Despite an injury to Sandeep Sharma, who was a revelation with the new ball, the KXIP line-up screams quality under the astute leadership of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/george-bailey/29001/26015">George Bailey</a>. Add to that the explosive batting order comprising <keyword id="7567" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Virender-Sehwag">Virender Sehwag</keyword>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/glenn-maxwell/29001/36006">Glenn Maxwell</a>, David Miller and Thisara Perera. 
 
Hobart Hurricanes: Bailey's absence from the Hurricanes has given discarded Australian wicketkeeper-batsman <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/tim-paine/1001/1088">Tim Paine</a> a chance to step up. Former Pakistan captain <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/shoaib-malik/7001/7011">Shoaib Malik</a> will give the side important advice about playing on subcontinent surfaces, while Chennai Super Kings' pace bowling duo – Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus – would know a thing or two about their former team. Aiden Blizzard and Ben Dunk add muscle to their batting order. 
 
Cape Cobras: After falling two runs short of the Ram Slam T20 title, Cape Cobras will be out to go one better at the Champions League with a team full of South Africa's top players. Justin Ontong has at his service the class of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/hashim-amla/8001/8034">Hashim Amla</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/jp-duminy/8001/8053">JP Duminy</a> and Vernon Philander, and their most successful domestic spinner, Dane Piedt. Veterans Justin Kemp and Robin Peterson are sure to lift the team with their all-round skills. 
 
Chennai Super Kings: CSK are out to emulate Mumbai Indians by attempting a second title. Free from international duty, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ms-dhoni/26001/4057">MS Dhoni</a> will look to his franchise to give his much-criticised captaincy a boost. Their all-round T20 skill under the Indian captain makes them one of the most feared sides in the competition. 
 
Besides the sure-shot contenders, four teams will contest the qualifying stages with two of them set to go through: 
 
Mumbai Indians: The defending CLT20 champions had to endure a difficult IPL but emerged late to snatch fourth place to earn a shot at a title defence. For majority of the competition, MI suffered by failing to field the right combinations and captain Rohit Sharma's absence means fellow seniors like Kieron Pollard, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/harbhajan-singh/31001/4008">Harbhajan Singh</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/lasith-malinga/31001/9036">Lasith Malinga</a> will have to step up. Star signing Corey Anderson's lack of form was a subject of great debate during the competition, but his game-changing 94 against Rajasthan Royals proved how dangerous the side could be with the big players firing. 
 
Lahore Lions: Pakistan's T20 champions had to endure a difficult passage into India with a visa delay, but on match day, their quality is set to leave an impact on the competition. The absence of Pakistani players from the IPL means the Lions will lend additional charm to the event, and the team is full of quality with six Pakistan internationals – <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ahmed-shehzad/7001/7070">Ahmed Shehzad</a>, Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Riaz and captain Mohammad Hafeez. 
 
Nothern Knights: <keyword id="13837" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Daniel-Vettori">Daniel Vettori</keyword>'s withdrawal from the competition wouldn't affect the side that already boasts of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kane-williamson/6001/6071">Kane Williamson</a>, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, BJ Watling and Ish Sodhi, the fulcrum of the revival in New Zealand cricket. Scott Styris brings in years of experience, most importantly of having played in India on several occasions. 
 
Southern Express: Without Lasith Malinga and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/tillakaratne-dilshan/9001/9034">Tillakaratne Dilshan</a>, the Sri Lankan side does look weak but expect them to fight tooth and nail. The familiarity with conditions in the subcontinent will make them a force to reckon with.

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