<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/34416382.cms" /><keyword id="63248" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Abu-Dhabi">Abu Dhabi</keyword>: By the 17th over, it seemed like <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> would pull off a sensational run-chase. Needing 16 off the last 12 balls, one got a feeling they had the match in their pocket, but <keyword id="640879" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="James-Faulkner">James Faulkner</keyword>'s heroics with the ball, followed by a thrilling Super Over denied <keyword id="13839" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gautam-Gambhir">Gautam Gambhir</keyword>'s men the much needed victory. 
 The result might have not been the ideal way for KKR to sign off the UAE leg, but <keyword id="6371482" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="coach">coach</keyword> Trevor Bayliss says the team did well to come close to the target, but not before admitting to his team's inconsistent show with the bat. 
 
"We've just been a little bit off in our game. We played really well in our first match but I don't think we have performed anywhere near our potential yet. We've seen flashes of it tonight but that's the highs and lows of a T20 game," Bayliss said in the post-match conference. 
 
The match was evenly poised at 88/4 when Surya Kumar Yadav and allrounder Shakib Al Hasan revived the KKR innings and took the score to 137. Yadav's 19-ball 31 almost got his side home and Bayliss was quick to laud the effort of the 23-year-old-batsman. 
 
"I think he did a fantastic job. I believe he is one of the better finishers I've seen. He might not look like the big-hitting player but anyone who can sweep a medium-pacer over a big boundary at square leg, to me that person is a power hitter. He has done extremely well for us in the three or four games he has batted," Bayliss said. 
 
However, Bayliss did confess that KKR's batting has not lived upto its potential and the batsmen need to get among the runs before it gets late. "We're looking forward to all our batsmen scoring runs. That's what everyone is striving for. It was good to see the captain [Gambhir] score some runs tonight, which will hopefully be the beginning of a good run for him." 
 
Dismissing the thoughts of perhaps not having a big-hitter in the Super over cost them the match, the former Sri Lanka coach said his team possesses a few genuine match-winners. 
 
"I'm not necessarily concerned about having a big hitter in the team. I think we have got some good finishers. As I said earlier, Yadav did an outstanding job for us. Even Shakib I think played well towards the end. Sometimes you can hit a six and then miss two three in a row, but that's not as good a someone who hits a four and take a couple of twos. We just need to play a little more smartly. With two overs to go, I think we could have won but you learn from mistakes and hopefully we won't repeat it again," he said. 
 KKR's chase owed a lot to Gambhir's 44-ball 45 at the top which ended his dry spell of runs and Bayliss is hopeful of the <keyword id="242763" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="KKR-skipper">KKR skipper</keyword> to make the start count. 
 
"He was obviously disappointed. Not from his own point of view but due to the fact that he wasn't able to get his side off to a start. If he gets going up front, then we are in a lot better position to win games. Yes, we didn't win today but I thought it was a good run-chase, batting second and scoring a 150-odd runs is always a pressure situation in a close game. So the fact that he was hitting the ball well was good to see and hopefully it is a sign of things to come."

IPL: Bayliss Wants KKR Batsmen To Fire

London, Apr 17 () Lancashire Cricket on Friday mutually terminated the contracts of BJ Watling, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner as this season's County Championship has been postponed till May 28 due to the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 pandemic.New Zealand wicketkeeper Watling was supposed to play the first nine games for Lancashire in Division One, while Australia duo of Maxwell and Faulkner were signed for the Vitality Blast. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak forcing a cricket shutdown in UK until May 28, means the trioka will not be able to play for the club this season."As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and given the cancellation of all fixtures until May 28 – and the current uncertainty surrounding the season beyond that date – Lancashire's Director of Cricket Paul Allott has contacted all three players and representatives over the last two weeks and having explained the situation, it was mutually agreed that all three contracts for the 2020 season would be cancelled," the club said in a statement.Lancashire's Director of Cricket, Paul Allott thanked the players for their understanding and said the option of signing them for the 2021 campaign remains open."I would like to thank BJ, Glenn, James and their representatives for their total understanding of the current situation and full agreement of this decision," Lancashire's director of cricket, Paul Allott, said."These are clearly very uncertain and challenging times for all counties, both financially and operationally, and it's clear the issues we face at the moment will have an impact on the way we prepare for the domestic season," Allott said. "The overseas player situation is a policy that has been discussed nationwide and we think it's prudent to mutually come to an agreement with the players we had originally signed," the former England pacer added."We will keep in touch with the players and their representatives, and as part of the agreement we've come to, we do have an option to sign them for the 2021 campaign."Earlier, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry's contract with Kent Cricket was also cancelled, while Nathan Lyon, Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Neser too missed out on a stint in county cricket this year due to the deadly contagion. ATK KHSKHS

COVID-19: Lancashire mutually terminates contracts of Watling, Maxwell and Faulkner

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55fafe64bd86ef19008bb1cd-1440-1080/samwell_tarly hbo game of thrones.jpg" alt="Samwell_Tarly hbo game of thrones" data-mce-source="HBO" />HBOSam left the Wall and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and headed off to Oldtown to become a new "maester of the wall."</div></div></div>HBO's "Game of Thrones" must have big plans for Samwell Tarly (John Bradley-West) on Season 6.The show reportedly just cast Sam's entire family.First reported by "Game of Thrones" fan site, "<a href="http://watchersonthewall.com/meet-the-tarlys-game-of-thrones-adds-three-more-actors-to-season-6/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_source=socialnetwork" target="_blank">Watchers on the Wall</a>," James Faulkner, Samantha Spiro, and Rebecca Benson will play Sam's father, Randyll Tarly; mother, Melessa Florent, and sister, Talla Tarly, respectively.They join "Unreal" star Freddie Stroma, who was <a href="http://watchersonthewall.com/game-of-thrones-casts-dickon-tarly/" target="_blank">cast earlier this month</a> as Sam's brother, Dickon Tarly.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55faff74bd86ef18008bb2b8-613-460/game-of-thrones-downton-abbey-james-faulkner.jpg" alt="game of thrones downton abbey james faulkner" data-mce-source="PBS" />PBSJames Faulkner on "Downton Abbey."</div></div></div>With <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269077/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">more than four decades of acting experience </a>under his belt, Faulkner has most recently played recurring roles on "Downton Abbey" and "Da Vinci's Demons." Some will recognize him as Uncle Geoffrey from "Bridget Jones's Diary" and its sequel.In addition to a successful career in theater, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0819087/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Spiro's credits</a> include the films "From Hell" and "Beyond Bedlam." She also starred on the popular British series "Psychobitches," "Grandma's House," and "M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team."Benson is fairly new to the business, judging from her <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5039410/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">IMDB profile</a>. She graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2011. She went on to appear in a few shortlived TV series and the films "Macbeth" and "Tonight You're Mine."The <a href="http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Samwell_Tarly" target="_blank">last time we saw Sam</a>, he left The Wall and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) then headed off to Oldtown to become a new "maester of the wall."An HBO representative was unable to confirm the castings for Business Insider."Game of Thrones" will return to HBO in Spring 2016. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-snow-twin-theory-game-of-thrones-2015-8">This crazy old 'Game of Thrones' theory just made a big comeback, and fans are losing it</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="I1dng4dzqijk9W6EnsgeuuJqwj7Na-VP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'I1dng4dzqijk9W6EnsgeuuJqwj7Na-VP',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

'Game of Thrones' just cast Sam Tarly's entire family

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/58072622.cms" />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

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51795145.cms" /><keyword id="1641060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat-lions">Gujarat Lions</keyword> began its IPL journey on a winning note after they defeated Kings XI Punjab at the Mohali stadium in their maiden game. Aaron Finch and Dwayne Bravo roared the team into victory by five wickets. 
 New entrant Gujarat Lions, which is owned by the youngest IPL team owner, Keshav Bansal (24), has an impressive team with skipper <keyword id="14587" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Suresh-Raina">Suresh Raina</keyword> leading from the front. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/IPL-9-We-bring-you-Delhis-team-and-the-Daredevilry-theyre-capable-of-with-Rahul-Dravid-as-their-mentor/articleshow/51780040.cms">IPL 9: We bring you Delhi’s team and the Daredevilry they’re capable of with Rahul Dravid as their mentor</a> 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Cricketers-who-turned-millionaires-thanks-to-IPL-9/articleshow/51748652.cms">Cricketers who turned millionaires, thanks to IPL-9</a> 
 
A lot of responsibility lies on players such as Brendon McCullum, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, and James Faulkner, there are Under-19 players, too, who have emerged as winners for their respective teams. 
 
Dwayne Bravo, who had the Purple Cap in IPL 2015, holds the record for taking the most wickets in a calendar year; he took 69 wickets in 47 T20 matches in the year 2015. It remains to see whether his charm will work for Gujarat too. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/ShahRukh-Khans-Kolkata-Knight-Riders-are-all-set-to-fire-up-IPL-9-Have-a-look-atthe-star-squad/articleshow/51742365.cms">Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to fire-up IPL 9. Have a look at the star-squad</a> 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/IPL-Season-9-A-peek-inside-MS-Dhonis-brand-new-Rising-Pune-Supergiants-squad/articleshow/51713737.cms">IPL Season 9: A peek inside MS Dhoni’s brand new Rising Pune Supergiants squad</a> 
 
As many more matches are to be played, it is yet to see whether Gujarat Lions script history in IPL-9 or not. 
 
Here is the line up 
 
(Images: Indiatimes, IPLT20)

IPL 9: Know the players behind the powerful roars that newbie Gujarat Lions are packing

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51823807.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
Till last year, 24-year-old <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=KESHAV+BANSAL&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Keshav Bansal</a> was busy running a mobile handset company as the Director of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=INTEX+TECHNOLOGIES&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Intex Technologies India Ltd</a>. Today, he is the youngest owner of an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IPL&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">IPL</a> team- the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GUJARAT+LIONS&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Gujarat Lions</a>. 
 According to him, it took a mere 20 minutes to convince his father Narendra Bansal, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of <keyword id="6366627" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Intex">Intex</keyword> Technologies that he had what is needed to run an <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> franchise. 
 
Talking to Livemint about his journey of owning an IPL team, Bansal admitted that he was infact in discussions with <keyword id="6354756" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BCCI">BCCI</keyword> for a long-term sponsorship association for Intex as an on-ground sponsor for the IPL. 
 
“That was six months before the auctions. Coincidentally, BCCI members bounced off the idea for bidding for a team. I got back to the office, researched and made a formal presentation to my father. It took us 20 minutes to decide and my father has supported me through this,” said Bansal. 
 
Bansal, who grew up in a joint family studied at The Heritage School in Vasant Kunj before pursuing management AT IILM Institute of High Education in New Delhi. In between, he had also spent a year at the Manchester School of Business. 
 
When he joined Intex, he was put in the logistics department and had to work his way to the company’s marketing team before becoming its Director. 
By his own admission, Bansal has been actively involved in making ad films for the company right from strategy to ideation. 
 
In the past too, he has had a reputation for taking on things at a young age. For example, he held his first press conference at 20 when Farhan Akhtar was appointed as Intex’s brand ambassador. 
 
Owning an IPL team for Bansal ultimately boils down to a chapter in marketing. 
 “Intex Technologies and IPL have the same target audience—the youth. We have been majorly focusing on cricket to fulfil marketing goals. With <keyword id="1641060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gujarat-lions">Gujarat Lions</keyword>, we have further strengthened the association and made it more meaningful..,” said Bansal in an interview to Mint. 
 
That however doesn’t imply that he does not take an interest in cricket. But, at the same time, he claims he is equally fond of other sports as well. Naturally, he was also personally involved in the selection of players for the Gujarat Lions. 
 
The team is captained by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=SURESH+RAINA&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Suresh Raina</a> who is aided my coach Brad Hodge. Others players include Ravindra Jadeja, <keyword id="55681" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Brendon-McCullum">Brendon McCullum</keyword>, James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo, to name a few. 
 
Once his two-year association with IPL ends, Bansal already has another dream he would like converting to reality- that of taking Intex global. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Meet
24-year-old Keshav Bansal, the youngest owner of an IPL team

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/35017058.cms" />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?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/35617550.cms" />In the last league match of <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7, <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword> needed to chase 190 in 87 balls (14.3 overs) at a required rate of 13.2 per over to claim the fourth and final play-offs spot available. <keyword id="61632" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kieron-Pollard">Kieron Pollard</keyword> said during the mid-innings break that the home team would go all for for it, seeing as if they did not get those 190 runs in the required overs their tournament was over and <keyword id="13802" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rajasthan-Royals">Rajasthan Royals</keyword> would progress. What happened next was unbelievable, as Corey Anderson slammed an unbeaten 95 off just 44 balls and found support from Ambati Rayudu and Aditya Tare to seal a sensational five-wicket win. 

	Here, gocricket.com presents the big overs that made for a pulsating chase as MI took an impossible situation and turned it into a most memorable win.
 

	4th over: 19 runs

	Mumbai were 34 for 1 in three. They needed 156 from 69 balls. Anderson launched Dhawal Kulkarni into the sight screen first ball, then miscued one back to the bowler. A single got on strike Michael Hussey, who flicked six over square leg. A wide, double and triple made made it 19 off the over, leaving MI to score at 13 per over.
 9th over: 15 runs Thirty nine balls, 101 runs required. <keyword id="791756" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kevon-Cooper">Kevon Cooper</keyword>, who had dismissed Hussey and Kieron Pollard in his first over to set MI back, was taken for a tap. Anderson got four off the second ball, two off the third and six off the fourth. A big over to keep MI ticking. 10th over: 16 runs <keyword id="13937" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rohit-Sharma">Rohit Sharma</keyword> started the over by putting a full toss from Kulkarni away for four past fine leg, but fell on the second as he lofted to sweeper cover. A wide followed, then a dot ball which saw Kulkarni miss a chance to run out Ambati Rayudu. Anderson reached fifty off 25 balls by depositing the fourth ball over long-off for six. Rayudu smashed the final ball down the ground for four. MI needed 70 off 27 balls. 11th over: 19 runs With 70 needed off 27 balls, <keyword id="6378477" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Shane-Watson">Shane Watson</keyword> gave the ball to James Faulkner, normally his death-overs specialist. First ball, Anderson made room and drilled the ball straight back past the stumps for four. A double, single, wide, single followed. Back on strike for the fifth ball, Anderson swung it over long-on for six. The sixth was a yorker, jammed down to third man for four. Now 51 needed from 21. 

	12th over: 18 runs

	Watson, who conceded 15 off his first over, took the ball from Faulkner. It proved a bad move. Rayudu carved the first ball over third man, the second over extra cover, the third past mid-on. Three balls, three fours. A single, boundary and single followed. Now 33 needed from 15.
 

	15th over: 13 runs

	Mumbai managed 24 off the 13th and 14th over to leave the equation at nine off three balls. Watson entrusted Faulkner the duty. First ball, Anderson edged to third man for one. The second, criminally, was a leg-stump full toss. Rayudu swung it over long leg for six. Now two runs needed off one ball. Rayudu tried to cut a short-of-a-length ball but it lobbed to short extra cover, who underarmed the ball at the nonstriker's end but missed. Rayudu turned back for the second but was run out. He sank to his knees in despair, but within moments the umpires ruled that because the scores were tied, Mumbai could get their NRR over that of Rajasthan's if they hit the next ball for four. Faulkner, after several moments of discussions and strategies with the RR think-tank, sent down a second consecutive full toss outside leg stump. Aditya Tare swung it away for six over square leg to cue ecstatic scenes. The MI dugout was cleared, the fans went berserk, Tare raised his jersey over his head, football style, and ran around the field like a man possessed.

IPL: How MI Chased 190 In 88 Balls

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/35196062.cms" />For the umpteenth time, when asked about <keyword id="6354884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Delhi-Daredevils">Delhi Daredevils</keyword>' wretched season, Kevin Pietersen replied with his most sobering assessment of the worst team in the league. "We've tried a lot of things, nothing has gone according to plan. It's about executing your skills, which we haven't done well enough. No one's here to blame anyone. If you're good enough, you'll turn it around." 

	Had he replied in Gaelic, or spoken about the merits of the Bernoulli Equation, it would have had a similarly hollow tone. Those were the words of a beaten man, left to crinkle his nose at the stench of a rotting corpse of a side.
 

	Everything about Daredevils is in shambles. Their campaign began with Pietersen - acquired for Rs 9 crore - miss the initial few games due to injury. The player to get a look-in, Ross Taylor, struggled to dominate with the bat. In the midst of a poor start, Daredevils lost fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile to injury early in the season. Then went Saurabh Tiwary with a shoulder injury. Around this time, Daredevils released three uncapped players, one of which was batsman Milind Kumar, the distant but only local connect the franchise had. Whatever changes were made, results were not forthcoming. They have been poor with the bat, ball, in the field and in their thinking.
 Much has been written about the management holding back <keyword id="69475" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="JP-Duminy">JP Duminy</keyword> and Kedar Jadhav, the two batsmen with the highest averages and strike-rates this season, and how denying them more deliveries to face has resulted in sub-standard totals. Daredevils' problems are deeper than that. They just aren't ticking. Thursday's match in Ahmedabad against Rajasthan Royals cannot be termed a contest. It was an embarrassment. Pietersen's decision to field came a cropper as RR piled up their highest total this season, 201 for 6, to which Daredevils replied with 139 for 9, losing half their wickets inside ten overs. With qualification for the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7 play-offs out of the question, you could have expected DD to make a statement, play with some freedom and express themselves. It didn't happen. What panned out was a yawn-inducing mismatch. <keyword id="172496" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rahul-Shukla">Rahul Shukla</keyword>, after going for 41 in the previous match, conceded 44 from his four. Siddarth Kaul went for 34 in three. Manoj Tiwary, who rarely bowls, conceded 28 in his two overs, one of which was the 19th of RR's innings that cost 17. On the same track on which Ajinkya Rahane cruised, Kevon Cooper teased, Sanju Samson belted 40 off 25 and James Faulkner finished with 23 off eight balls, Daredevils made 139 for 9. Only one batsman crossed 17; six made single-digit scores. Daredevils' entire season has been a colossal waste of batting talent, with <keyword id="6355316" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Dinesh-Karthik">Dinesh Karthik</keyword> (the second most expensive purchase of the IPL auction at Rs 12.5 crores) repeatedly falling to leg-side heaves regardless of the match situation, an IPL pro in <keyword id="57265" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Murali-Vijay">Murali Vijay</keyword> failing to make an impact, Pietersen not playing a single convincing innings and the domestic pool not stepping up, barring Jadhav. 

	Compare this to RR's success. Rahane has 316 runs this season, which is more than Pietersen, Taylor and Mayank Agarwal have managed. When you consider that Karun Nair, a rookie domestic batsman playing his first IPL, has scored significantly more than Pietersen, you get a sense of why Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the table.
 

	This is not to take away from how well Royals bowled. Dhawal Kulkarni was accurate and probing, Faulkner struck in the only over he bowled early on, Pravin Tambe dismissed the dangerous Duminy and Rajat Bhatia prised out two important wickets with his canny dibbly-dobblers. The sucker ball to get Taylor caught and bowled was a wicket Bhatia will cherish.
 With seven wins from 11 matches, Rajasthan remain at third on the points table and look poised to make it to the play-offs, which leaves <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>, Sunrisers Hyderabad and <keyword id="6354506" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword> in a three-way fight to take the last spot in the top four. Daredevils, like Mumbai Indians, have only pride to play for. But if they keep playing like they did against Royals, even that might be too much to expect.

You Searched For "James Faulkner" and got 10 results

IPL: Bayliss Wants KKR Batsmen To Fire

Gocricket

COVID-19: Lancashire mutually terminates contracts of Watling, Maxwell and Faulkner

PTI

'Game of Thrones' just cast Sam Tarly's entire family

Jethro Nededog

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

Gaurav Sangwani

IPL 9: Know the players behind the powerful roars that newbie Gujarat Lions are packing

Akanksha Jain

Meet 24-year-old Keshav Bansal, the youngest owner of an IPL team

Poulomi Das

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

Gocricket

IPL: How MI Chased 190 In 88 Balls

gocricket

IPL: Delhi Daredevils' Wretched Downward Spiral Continues

Gocricket

2020 IPL auction will see these 332 players trying their luck under the hammer

BI India Bureau