Well, well, KKR have now strung together two wins in a row, and a great start to the season for them. If the win against DC was come-from-behind and a close one, today's win against RCB was dominance.
Bangalore never really got going, as KKR's bowlers got on top of them early and continued the good work throughout the innings. Langeveldt and Ishant were great upfront, conceding 27 runs each with Langeveldt getting Goswami's wicket early. RCB lost quick wickets following that one, as Pandey, Kohli and Morgan failed to get any sort of momentum. And it was the experienced batsmen, especially Kallis who had to see BRC to a modest score. He batted well, carrying his bat for 65* and had a couple of decent partnerships with Dravid and Uthappa.
KKR's bowlers did a top job, Mathews and Kartik in particular. Matthews is in great form all-round and is proving he has immense value as a player - he got four wickets today, conceding only 19 runs too. Kartik bowled cleverly, getting the key scalps of Kohli and Morgan - he varied his pace and flight nicely today.
Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary ensured there were no hiccups in the chase with a brisk partnership of 101 as they scored 50 apiece. Hodge's took 45 balls and Tiwary, who played some absolutely stunning shots off Kallis and Steyn despite an ankle injury, took 29 balls to get his 50. That made the task facile for the other batsmen, and Ganguly looked like getting some form going - he smashed Steyn over long-on for a huge six but was out to another short one soon after. The chase was completed in the final over but it was over long before that.
Tiwary picked up the man-of-the-match award but it really should have been Mathews again, as it was the bowling that restricted RCB to a smaller total.
Both teams that were in the bottom two last year have started with wins, and both of those teams, incidentally, are the ones I support. This will be a great season for me!
6 comments:
This is very confusing now... are KKR the team you support? I remember something about Mumbai?
._.
Or is Mumbai not IPL? *lol* sry
I shall clear the confusion: I'm from Mumbai and support them domestically and in the IPL, but as part of the interblog ipl battle i'm required to support KKR too and post on their matches, so yeah that's it!
Extraordinary, what's going to happen when Gayle and McCullum arrive, might as well give them the trophy now? Seriously though, might be tough to fit them both in if the rest of the overseas players carry on like this no? I like Mathews a lot, and Tiwary was excellent today. I didn't think much of KKR before the start of the tournament (apart from appreciating their delightful kit), but maybe there's a chance...
Good stuff on here man.
I think 4 things bode well:
1. Buchanan getting his arse outta the door. I think the dude was too tall to even spot the action on the ground.
2. Whatmore taking over. No doubt about it, this chap's a fox. Moulded SL into a winning outfit.
3. Ganguly taking over. Helps. A LOT. Motivates the younger and domestic players to perform, which is really important . In the previous editions, there was too much of hope placed on the likes of Gayle, Brendon.
4. Mathews. I've said it before in my blog, and I'll say it again. This guy's quality. Be it batting, bowling or fielding, he just gets it done. Quite a brilliant player in the shorter format especially.
Blog rolling you kind Sire.
TheVickerman
morethanjustagame.wordpress.com
@ Green - Yeah, tough decisions have to be made... Hodge is KKR's highest run-getter so far and he's consistent, so he can't be dropped. Mathews is firing with both bat and ball, he stays. That leaves Owais Shah and Langeveldt, both of whom have done nothing wrong, but will most likely make way for Bond and either Gayle or McCullum. Wow, this is really tight!
@ TheVickerman - I agree, the change of coaches has been for the better, and Ganguly can't be anything if not captain. Yeah, Mathews seems very ordinary but his simplicity is maybe his greatest strength!
Glad to return the blogroll gesture, monsieur.
No, you can't give them the trophy yet - Did you see Deccan against CSK? KKR might have beat them, but Deccan are still looking strong. I suspect the trophy will come down to one of these two, but I ain't placing any bets yet.
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