IPL8 - Mumbai Indians are the champions

Picture Courtesy: Cricinfo

Mumbai Indians were crowned the Champions of the eighth edition of IPL at Eden Gardens. The Mumbai team won the title for the second time after defeating CSK by 41 runs. The result was not in doubt after Mumbai had scored a 200+ batting first.

The R-B chart shows how well the Mumbai team had managed to keep their opponents at bay

CSK's strategies seemed to fail on the big day. MSD's decision to ask Mumbai to bat first was probably the first risky decision. Dwayne Smith's slow batting was instrumental in failure of the chase. The Mumbai batsmen, especially Lendl Simmons and Rohit Sharma, were unstoppable at first. This was continued by a final assault by Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. The end result proved too much for Chennai. 

IPL-8 - Qualifier-1 - Mumbai go past Chennai

Chennai's record against Mumbai in knock-out matches took a beating thanks to Simmons, Pollard and Malinga.

IPL4 Match 44 - Pune lose their 7th successive match

One over! All it took was one over of Alfonso Thomas to take Mumbai to set Pune a target of 161. 28 runs were scored of that over by Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh. Despite the heroics of Manish Pandey and Yuvraj Singh, the Pune Warriors were always behind the required rate.

World Cup 2011 - Big-hitters to watch

Let me stick my neck out to start some posts on predictions in the 2011 World Cup. This one is going to be about Eleven players who I feel will be the big-hitters to shine in the tournament. Maybe they will not be consistent throughout the tourney but they will make their mark by their big shots - when they do, remember this post :)

1. Yusuf Pathan - the latest flavor in town. Has scored two centuries in the last 5 innings he has played, both with his team in dire streets and one that got India the victory.
2. Viru Sehwag - Will be rejuvenated after his 'injury' break - look out for his batting against test-playing nations. Maybe a good chance to score a 200
3. Yuvraj Singh - has not been in great form of late but will like the medium pace bowling on Indian pitches. Will feast on all bowlers other than those who can turn the ball
4. Jesse Ryder - The same fella who has fallen into trouble again (this time while tweeting) - will be eager to show the world his shots
5. Brendon McCullum - A guy whose stroke-making is ideal for the shorter formats. On his day, can tear any bowling apart but alas, the day does not come regularly.
6. Kamran Akmal - Provided he plays the Cup with his head straight, the diminutive keeper is capable of very big shots on his day.
7. Shahid Afridi - The "teenager" of the tournament (well, mentally still he is) can blast the ball into his territory only if he can manage his head well.
8. Luke Wright - Another surprise here. Will not be a first-choice player in the eleven but if he gets a chance, can tonk the ball heavily.
9. Chris Gayle - Relieved of his captaincy, Gayle recently scored a triple ton versus Sri Lanka in similar conditions he will face in the Cup. If Sammy can keep him motivated, sky is the limit
10. Kieron Pollard - He made his reputation during the Champions League and IPL - will India be his lucky mascot once again?
11. Charles Coventry - Held the record for highest score in an ODI before Sachin scored the double century. Has struggled from the expectations after the knock but gets a chance with the minnows.  

Let me know if you agree with me or not. Who do you think will shine?

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