Indian Cricket Team Updates

The Chennai Super Kings added the Champions League T20 2014 to their trophy cabinet after they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in the final of the Oppo CLT20 2014. In front of a boisterous crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, MS Dhoni’s side – powered by Suresh Raina’s dazzling century – made light work of their chase of the 181-run target set by the IPL champions, romping home in 18.3 overs. Skipper MS Dhoni sealed the deal for his team in his signature style, hitting Pat Cummins for a six to take his team over the finish line. (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: FINAL - KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V CHENNAI SUPER KINGS ) After CSK lost opener Dwayne Smith in the very first over of the chase, Raina began in cheeky fashion as he got off the mark with a French cut. But there was no stopping the left-hander thereafter; the 27-year old was in his elements, picking the length quickly, was lightning quick on his feet, had clarity of thought when he attempted to go ov...

The Chennai Super Kings fixed their date with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Oppo CLT20 2014 Final after they defeated Kings XI Punjab by 65 runs in the second semi-final played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Neither team was ready to concede an inch in the first half, but CSK forced their way to a competitive 182 for 7 and then imposed themselves all over their opponents, bundling them out for 117.  (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: SF2 - KINGS XI PUNJAB V CHENNAI SUPER KINGS ) If Kings XI Punjab were found wanting on the field, CSK pouched everything that came their way, and that played a huge role in them decimating their opponents. Brendon McCullum pulled off a stunner to send back opener Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni took a tumbling catch down the leg side to dismiss Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis took a good catch running backwards to see the back of Manan Vohra and McCullum clung on to a sharp chance of George Bailey at short cover. Scoring run...

The Kolkata Knight Riders secured their berth to compete in the Oppo CLT20 2014 Final after they defeated the Hobart Hurricanes by seven wickets in the first semi-final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. After the team for Australia opted to bat first and set them a target of 141, the IPL champions rode on Jacques Kallis’ half-century and his partnership with Manish Pandey to coast to a victory in the final over. The seven-wicket victory stretched KKR’s tally of consecutive wins to 14.   (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: SF1 - KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V HOBART HURRICANES ) Needing to score at just over seven runs an over at the start of the innings, KKR got off to a flying start when Robin Uthappa picked up boundaries of the second and third deliveries of the chase. The Australians pulled things back, not offering too much of room in the next couple of overs, especially to the left-handed Gautam Gambhir. The KKR captain after managing just two scoring str...

The final Group Stage contest of the Oppo CLT20 2014 turned out to a thrilling contest, as the Barbados Tridents defeated the Northern Knights by six wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. After putting the opposition in, the Caribbean side did well to restrict their Kiwi opponents to 135 for 8 in their allotted 19 overs and then chased the runs down with two balls to spare. The six-wicket win was the Barbados Tridents’ only win in the competition, while the Northern Knights finished their CLT20 campaign with four wins and three defeats (including the three wins in the Qualifiers).  (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: M19 - PERTH SCORCHERS V LAHORE LIONS ) Set a target of 138 – worked out using the Duckworth & Lewis method – the Barbados Tridents had contributions all-round, before James Franklin finished it off in style. Openers Dilshan Munaweera (20) and Raymon Reifer (15) persevered against some testing bowling by Tim Southee and Trent Boult to provide a platform; the first wi...

Mitchell Marsh came to Perth Scorchers' rescue on Tuesday as they beat Lahore Lions by three wickets in the Oppo Champions League Twenty20.  (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: M19 - PERTH SCORCHERS V LAHORE LIONS ) The 22-year-old stand-in captain struck 63 not out off 38 deliveries as the Scorchers recovered from 62-7 to chase down 125. Thereby, the Lions' chances of making the last four were ended and the Chennai Super Kings qualified for the semis. Marsh combined with veteran Brad Hogg (28no off 19) for a match-winning 68-run eighth-wicket stand, with the Scorchers earlier slumping to 40 for 6 in their chasing of Lahore Lions’ 6-124. In the end, the Lions’ low score allowed Perth to get home, with the Scorchers attack, led by the impressive Joel Paris (3-22) and Marsh (2-12), who reduced the Pakistani outfit to 4-11 inside the first four overs. Saad Nasim (69 not out off 55 balls) led the revival for Lahore, who needed a significant win to reach the CLT20 semi-finals, before the...

A record third wicket partnership – between Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey – was the cornerstone of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ thumping 36-run victory over the Dolphins in Match 18 of the Oppo CLT20 2014. After opting to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, the IPL champions rode on the unbeaten 153-run partnership between the two Karnataka lads to post 187, and then restricted their opponents to 151, thereby extending their streak of consecutive wins to 13 matches.  (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: M18 - KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V DOLPHINS ) After skipper Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis had their stumps rattled before five overs had been bowled, Robin – who has been one of the pillars of KKR’s successful run this season – and Manish took centre stage as they pounded the Dolphins bowlers mercilessly, in the process making their way into the record books, posting the highest partnership by a KKR pair. If the reinvented Robin mostly caressed the...

The Kings XI Punjab maintained their hundred percent win record in the Oppo CLT20 2014 after they defeated Cape Cobras by seven wickets in their final group stage match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. After their bowlers did a very good job of dismissing the Cape Cobras for 135, the KXIP batsmen went about their job of knocking off the required runs without too much fuss, taking the team past the finish line in the 19th over. (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: M17 - KINGS XI PUNJAB V CAPE COBRAS ) Facing an asking rate of 6.80, Kings XI Punjab needed just one good partnership to push themselves in the driver’s seat. And that partnership came upfront as openers Manan Vohra and Virender Sehwag added 41 in 5.2 overs. Just like he did against the Northern Knights on Friday, Vohra was once again the aggressor in the partnershi p, scoring 23 runs off 15 balls, which included four boundaries. Though Vohra was dismissed in the sixth over, the platform had already been set f...

The Hobart Hurricanes joined Kings XI Punjab as the second team from Group B to qualify for the semi-finals of the Oppo CLT20 2014 after they defeated the Barbados Tridents by six wickets at the Punjab Cricket Association in Mohali. Despite dismissing their opponents to a mere 113, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the Hurricanes batsmen as they struggled on the slow-paced track and needed the experience and calmness of Shoaib Malik to take them home. The Hurricanes got past the finish line with ten balls to spare, losing four wickets in the run-chase.  (Also Read:  QUICK STATS: M16 - HOBART HURRICANES V BARBADOS TRIDENTS ) The Hurricanes chase began on a disastrous note when in the very first over the explosive Ben Dunk drove one from Kyle Mayers to be caught at short mid-off. Skipper Tim Paine and Aiden Blizzard steadied the innings through a 31-run partnership; the pair were separated at the start of the seventh over when the latter picked out short thirdman.  Shoaib M...