Banglore Royals Challengers vs Deccan Chargers - Match 56 - SuperSport Park, Centurion

The last league match between Deccan Chargers and Banglore Royal Challengers was just a formality as both the teams had already qualified for the semi - finals. However this match was important as the winner would be setting up a semi-final clash with the Chennai Super Kings and the looser of this match had to face Delhi Daredevils. Kumble who called right decided to bat first and Banglore innings was dominated by one man, the 19 year old Manish Pandey. It was Pandey's day as he became the first Indians to score a ton in the IPL and was awarded the man of the match for his innings. Pandey who was dropped by RP Singh when he was on 2 made the Chargers pay for their mistake. He made 114 from 73 balls hitting 10 fours and 4 sixers. A few aspects which needs to be mentioned about his innings were his hard running and waiting for the ball to come to him before going for his shots. Van de Merwe(23 from 18 balls) and Virat Kohli(19 from 9 balls) provided some good support for Pandey. The fact that around 106 runs came from the last ten overs was a testimony of Deccan bowler's suffering.

Deccan Chargers had a solid start to their chase with a firs wicket partnership of 68 runs before Gilchrist was accounted by Akhil. Most of the Deccan batsman lost their wickets when they looked set for a bigger innings. Suman(12), Symonds(18), R Sharma(12) got the starts but failed to capitalize on it. Gibbs played brilliantly for his 60 but in the end Deccan fell short by 12 runs handing Banglore a crucial morale boosting victory.

Toss
Banglore Royal Challengers won the toss and chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Banglore Royal Challengers - 170/4 in 20 overs(M Pandey - 114*, V der Merwe - 28, P Ojha - 2/32, A Symonds - 1/15)
Deccan Chargers - 158/8 in 20 overs(H Gibbs - 60, A Symonds - 18, B Akhil - 2/18, A Kumble - 2/23)

Result
Banglore Royal Challengers won by 12 runs.

Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians - Match 55 - SuperSport Park, Centurion

It was the final league match between for the Mumbai Indians and the Daredevils and the need for victory varied for both the teams. While Delhi wanted to win this match to prove their supremacy and go into the semis with some sort of momentum, Mumbai needed this win as a morale booster after crashing out of the tournament. Mumbai who were put in to bat by Delhi didn't have the greatest of starts loosing the wickets of Jayasuriya(0), JP Duminy(9) and Ashraful(2) early in the innings. However Sachin(47 from 38 balls) and Rahane(56 from 41 balls) played brilliantly and helped Mumbai to a total of 165 in their quota of 20 overs. On the bowling front Dirk Nannes bagged 3 wickets for 27 runs and Sangwan picked up a couple of wickets for the Daredevils.
Needing 166 for victory, Delhi started their chase solidly with Gautam Gambhir contributing 47 from 38 balls. Shewag announced his return to form with a brilliant half century from just 27 balls. Shewag belted the hapless Mumbai bowling for 5 fours and 2 big sixers. With just 22 runs for victory from around 6 overs Delhi had a slight hiccup loosing the wickets of Shewag, Dilshan(24 from 14 balls), R Bhatia(2) and de Villers(6) to Harbhajan in a span of 14 balls. But a cameo from Mishra who hit 13 runs of just 4 balls took Delhi to brilliant 4 wicket win with 21 balls to spare.

Toss
Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to field.

Brief Scores
Mumbai Indians - 165/8 in 20 overs(A Rahane - 56, S Tendulkar - 46, D Nannes - 3/27, P Sangwan - 2/28)
Delhi Daredevils - 166/6 in 17.3 overs(V Shewag - 50, G Gambhir - 47, H Singh - 4/17, D Kulkarni - 1/36)

Result
Delhi Daredevils won the match by 4 wickets.

Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 54 - Kingsmead, Durban

Chennai Super Kings kept intact their record of winning all their encounters against Kings XI in IPL by inflicting a 24 run defeat in what was a must win match for Kings XI. Punjab made a mess of their chase and could manage only 92 runs at the end of their quota of 20 overs and ended up 25 runs short of their target of 117. When just a single every ball could have fetched them victory Kings XI batsman applied themselves poorly and some brilliant spin bowling from Murali, Ashwin and Raina dented the the Punjab line up and hence their confidence. Only Pomersbach who made 26 from 32 balls looked dangerous, apart from him the famed Punjab batting line up fell apart and got themselves kicked out of the tournament.

Earlier in the match Chennai could not capitalize on a brilliant platform laid by the opening pair of Parthiv(32 from 23 balls) and Bailey(15 from 12 balls). On a bouncy Durban track Chennai batsman tried to play their strokes and ended up loosing wickets at regular intervals. At the end of 20 overs Chennai could muster only 116 for the loss of 9 wickets, a target which everyone believed could easily be surpassed by Punjab. The jinx that Chennai had never won a match was broken but Punjab must wait till the next IPL to try and break their jinx against Chennai.

Toss
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat.

Brief Scores
Chennai Super Kings - 116/9 in 20 overs(P Patel - 32, S Raina - 20, S Sreesanth - 2/23, I Pathan - 2/32)
Kings XI Punjab - 92/9 in 20 overs(L Pomersbach - 26, I Pathan - 14, M Muralidharan - 2/8, R Ashwin - 2/13)

Result
Chennai Super Kings won by 24 runs

Royal Banglore Challengers Vs Delhi Daredevils - Match 52 - New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

It was a do or die match for Royal Banglore Challengers against the tournament leaders Delhi Daredevils. A win here would mean that Royals can keep their semi-finals dream alive, but on the other hand a defeat would make leave them to the mercy of other teams and a must win situation against Deccan Chargers the next match. Delhi who decided to bat first, had another bad start loosing both Shewag and Manhas for "DUCK". The early wickets meant that Delhi could not attack in the first 6 overs and with Dilshan being rested for this match, the Delhi line up looked vulnerable. G Gambhir(27 from 19 balls) and De Villers(28 from 29 balls) could not capitalize on the starts they got. Whenever Delhi looked to accelerate, they lost wickets and hence their run rate never looked ominous. D Karthik's form in this second half of the tournament is an encouraging sign for Delhi. Karthik made 31 from 29 balls. He looked to take singles and doubles and when the time came for him to get his big shots in the last two overs, he lost his wicket to Kumar. In the end Delhi managed a score of 134 loosing 3 wickets. P Kumar picked up two wickets and Kumble got a couple of wickets. But the best bowler for the Banglore was J Kallis. Kallis bowled his four overs conceding just 17 runs and also picked up the important wicket of Gambhir.

The loss of Robin Uthappa early in their chase did not impact the Challengers run chase. Kallis and Rahul were involved in a brilliant partnership and with the run rate not a demanding one, they took time to settle and played risk free cricket. Dravid fell to Nagar after making 38 from 34 balls. Ross Taylor blasted off by hitting 3 sixers and a four, making 25 from just 12 balls, before he succumbed Nagar. With 34 needed from 5 overs Kallis who remained unbeaten on 58 and Boucher ensured a Royal Challenger victory without any further damage.

Toss
Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Delhi Daredevils - 134/7 in 20 overs(D Karthik - 31, AB De villiers - 28, P Kumar - 3/30, A Kumble - 2/24)
Banglore Royal Challengers - 135/3 in 19 overs(J Kallis - 58*, R Dravid - 38*, Y Nagar - 2/20, A Nehra - 1/21)

Result
Banglore Royal Challengers won by 7 wickets

Chennai Super Kings Vs Kolkatta Knight Riders - Match 51 - SuperSport Park, Centurion

Kolkatta surprised themselves and the entire cricketing community by beating the Chennai Super Kings at Centurion. Being the first team to be eliminated from the tournament and languishing at the bottom of the table with their own set of controversies, this win would do Kolkatta a world of good in terms of morale and confidence. Chennai who decided to bat first, started off brilliantly with both Pathiv Patel(25 of 19 balls) and George Bailey(30 of 27 balls) making their intentions clear. A double blow in the form of run-outs gave some hope for the Knight Rider bowlers, but they were not successful in denting the Chennai line up further. Raina and Dhoni were carried it on from where Bailey and Parthiv left. Raina made a brilliant 52 from 36 balls before Dinda got rid of him in the 17th over. Dhoni(40 from 28 balls) on the other end stayed unbeaten and he along with Morkel(21 from 10 balls) who for the first time in the tournament looked ominously with the bat propelled Chennai to a score of 188.

A target of 189 according to the standard of batting displayed by Knight Riders so far was a near impossible task and many thought that Kolkatta would proceed to yet another victory. The early wicket of Ganguly seemed to be the first casualty in another heavy defeat, but McCullum and Hodge had other plans in mind. Playing nothing but dignity and no pressure to qualify for the semis, McCullum played a captains knock scoring 81 from 48 balls. McCullum's knock was studded with 11 fours and three sixers. He was brilliantly supported by B Hodge(71* from 44 balls) and they made Chennai bowling look second class. Chennai had a glimmer of hope when they striked with the wickets of McCullum and Hussey, But a cameo from Saha(26* from 13 balls) and Balaji giving 19 runs of the penultimate over sealed the game for the Kinght Riders. As Dhoni summed it "I have never seen a poor bowling performance like this". Its high time Chennai concentrate on their bowling to stand a chance of winning the tournament.

Toss
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Chennai Super Kings - 188/3 in 20 overs(S Raina - 52, MS Dhoni - 40*, Dinda - 1/29)
Kolkatta Knight Riders - 189/3 in 20 overs(B McCullum - 81, B Hodge - 71*, M Muralitharan - 1/16, S Jakati - 1/36)

Result
Kolkatta Knight Riders won the match by 7 wickets.

Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 50 - OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein

Delhi added another victory to their kitty by beating Rajasthan Royals in the match 50 of the DLF IPL 2. Choosing to bat first, Delhi lost their openers early, a sight which has become common for the Daredevils and it was once again left to the duo of DeVilliers and Dilshan to bring Delhi back and track and help Delhi to a respectable total. DeVilliers made a brilliant unbeaten 79 from 55 balls while Dilshan contributed 33 from 41 balls. The partnership of Dilshan and DeVillers was a risk free partnership which depended more on ones and twos rather than the boundaries. Once Dilshan got out, Karthik and DeVilliers went into full throttle and helped Delhi post a total of 150 on the board. Karthik contributed 23 from 11 balls.

Rajasthan made a complete mess of their chase when they lost 3 wickets for just 24 runs at the end of the powerplay. Nehra bowled brilliantly conceding just 8 runs from his 3 overs and also picking up the wicket of Quiney. Only J Botha(37 from 31 balls) and R Jadeja(24 from 18 balls) looked to score some runs. Once the wickets of Botha and Jadeja fell it was curtains for Royals. Munaf Patel made an entertaining 23from 10 balls at the end of Rajasthan innings, but it came a little too late as Rajasthan conceded a 14 run victory to Delhi Daredevils.

Toss
Delhi Daredevils won the toss and choose to bat.

Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils - 150/3 in 20 overs(AB deVillers - 79*, T Dilshan - 33, M Patel - 2/39, J Botha - 1/23)
Rajasthan Royals - 136/9 in 20 overs(J Botha - 37, R Jadeja - 24, A Mishra - 3/33, A Salvi - 2/19)

Result
Delhi Daredevils won by 14 runs.

Kolkatta Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers - Match 48 - New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Nothing seems to be going right for the Kolkatta knight riders this season. In the initial matches they failed to put up a good batting performance, but the bowling did them in this match and the last match. Kolkatta's batsmen contributed well after being put in by the Deccan and put up a very good total of 160 in their quota of 20 overs. McCullum(20 from 18 balls) and Ganguly(33 from 41 balls) provided a very good platform on which the likes of Hussey and Hodge built their innings. Hodge scored 48 from 41 balls, while Hussey played a dazzling knock of 43 from just 17 balls which helped to propel the Kolkatta score in the final overs.
Needing 160 runs for victory, Deccan made a solid start with a 68 run first wicket partnership between Gilchrist(43 from 31 balls) and Gibbs(28 from 34 balls). Suman played a useful knock in the middle overs scoring 31 from 24 balls. But with the wicket of Symonds(18 from 13 balls) falling at the end of 17th over. It was Rohit Sharma who guided Deccan to victory in the final overs. Deccan needed 32 runs from the final three overs and beautiful cameo from Rohit(32 from 13 balls) helped Deccan clinch a last ball victory with a six from Rohit's bat.

Toss
Deccan Chargers won the toss and chose to field

Brief Scores
Kolkatta Kinght Riders - 160/5 in 20 overs(B Hodge - 48, D Hussey - 43, R Harris - 2/20, R Sharma - 1/15)
Deccan Chargers - 166/4 in 20 overs (A Gilchrist - 43, R Sharma - 31*, M Karthik - 1/12, B Hodge - 1/23)

Result
Deccan Chargers won the match by 6 wickets.

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumabi Indians - Match 47 - St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

Chennai Super Kings virtually eliminated Mumbai Indians from the second edition of DLF IPL, thanks to a resounding victory powered by Mathew Hayden. Chasing 148 for victory Hayden scored an unbeaten 60 from 57 balls and guided Chennai to a superb victory. Chennai didn't start off well, loosing Parthiv Patel the very first ball to Lasith Malinga. Raina and Badri looked good but were out in their 20s after settling well. But it was Matty Hayden yet again who played the sheet anchor's role in contrat to the Wham Bham innings he had played so far in the previous matches. He along with Dhoni(23* from 22 balls) guided Chennai to a 7 wicket victory with 5 balls to spare.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians who decided to bat first were powered to a total of 147, thanks to crucial knocks played by Jayasuriya, Duminy and Nayar. Jayasuriya helped Mumbai with a solid start scoring 30 from 17 balls. JP Duminy played an anchored the Mumbai innings and he along with Abhishek Nayar led the assault in the final overs. Duminy made 62 from 54 balls and Nayar remained unbeaten on 33 from 27 balls.

Toss
Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bat first.

Brief Scores
Mumbai Indians - 147/5 in 20 overs(JP Duminy - 62, A Nayar - 33*, S Raina - 1/22, S Tyagi - 1/29)
Chennai Super Kings - 151/3 in 19.1 overs(M Hayden - 60*, MS Dhoni - 23*, S Malinga - 1/19, D Bravo - 1/19)

Result
Chennai Super Kings won by 7 wickets

Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils - Match 46 - OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein

A brialliant spell from Bret Lee reduced the dangerous Delhi batting line up to ashes and paved way for a crucial Punjab victory. Delhi batsmen who were put into bat first by Yuvi, didn't live up to their reputation as wickets after wickets kept tumbling. Punab bowlers led by Bret Lee maintained a tight leash over the Delhi run rate. M Manhas(26 of 25 balls) and D Karthik(32 of 29 balls) were the only batsmen who could negotiate the punjab bowling and helped Delhi breach the three figure mark. Even Sreesanth who till now leaked loads of runs took 2 wickets at an economy of 5 runs per over, an achievement of sorts considering the fact that till last match his average econoy was more then 10 per over. Bret Lee finished with a brilliant spell of 3/15.
Punjab chased down the target quite easily even though they lost some early wickets. Kumara Sangakara who remained unbeaten on 43 from 47 balls and I Pathan(21* from 11 balls) guided Punjab to a comfortable victory.

Toss
Kings XI Punjab won the toss and chose to field.

Brief Scores
Delhi Daredevils - 120/9 in 20 overs(D karthik - 32, M Manhas - 26, B Lee - 3/15, S Sreesanth - 2/20)
Kings XI Punjab - 123/4 in 19.1 overs(K Sangakara - 43*, I Pathan - 21*, Mahroof - 2/29, A Nehra - 1/6)

Result
Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets.

Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 45 - Kingsmead, Durban

Rajasthan Royals have pushed themselves to third spot on the ladder after a nail biting win over Mumbai. Needing just four runs off the last over, Mumbais nervous batsmen could only blame themseves for losing three wickets including 2 runouts and ultimately falling two runs short of the target. The match hyped for its contest between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne lived up to its expectations as both men, used tactics of their own to keep the opposition at bay. Warne finally won the contest trapping Tendulkar lbw for 40. Warne was awarded the man of the match for his figures of 24/3.

Earlier the Rajasthan batsmen made a perfect start, just like Warne would have liked after winning the toss and electing to bat. Graham Smith was then caught of Harbhajan Singh for 19 and in came their star player Yusuf Pathan. He did not stay long though managing only 17 of 14 balls. His dismissal brought Jadeja to the crease who combined with Quiney for a 61 run stand. Quiney's stay was ended by Malinga on 51 and thing just got worse for Rajasthan, who managed only 19 of the last four overs and set Mumbai a target of 146.

Mambais reply start badly loosing three wickets with only 23 on the board. That brought Jayasuriya and Tendulkar to the crease who helped rebuild the Mumbai innings. At the ten over mark, Mumbai needed a further 90 for victory. Jayasuriya tried to lift the run rate, but lost his wickets doing so. He was quickly followed by Duminy which brought Nayar to the crease. Nayar and Tendukar increased the scoring rate and quickly put on 27 in 14 balls, before Tendulkar was snapped by Warne. Nayar however went on scoring, but fellin the 19th over. With four needed in the last over, Warne handed the ball to Munaf Patel whose previous over had cost 14 runs. This time he delivered, picking up the wicket of Kulkarni. This was followed by two suicidal runouts in the quest for valuable singles and Mumbai were bowled out for 143.

Toss
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Rajasthan Royals 145-8 in 20 overs (Quiney - 51, R Jadeja - 42, Jayasuriya 3/2 )
Mumbai Indians - 143 in 19.5 overs(S Tendulkar - 40, Nayar - 35, Warne 24/3)

Result
Rajasthan Royals won by 2 runs

Banglore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 44 - Kingsmead, Durban

Banglore Royal Challengers clinched a final over victory against the Chennai Super Kings and hence their hopes for a semi-final berth alive. Chasing 130 for victory Banglore started off poorly loosing Kallis(0), Dravid(8) and Uthappa(6) early. But last match's hero Ross Taylor played a completely contrating innings compared to the previous one and helped Banglore to a victory. Taylor anchored the innings and in partnership with Virat Kohli stabilized the banglore innings. Taylor made 46 from 50 balls and Kohli contributed 38 from 35 balls. The match took an intersting turn when wickets started tumbling after the fall of Kohli. A six hit by Praveen of the first ball of penultimate over from Balaji helped ease tension, but the pendulum swung again when Taylor got out the first ball of the final over, with 5 runs to win of 5 balls, Royals held their nerve and reached home with 2 balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Chennai batsman succumed to the accurate bowling of Kumble and Kallis. Except for Mathew Hayden who scored 60 from 38 balls, none of the Chennai bastmen stayed long enough in the crease. In what can be said as the worst batting performance of the season by Chennai, they managed to put up a below par total of 129loosing all their wickets with two balls to go.

Toss
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat first

Brief Scores
Chennai Super Kings - 129 all out in 19.4 overs(M Hayden - 60, MS Dhoni - 18, A Kumble - 2/12, J Kallis - 2/18)
Banglore Royal Challengers - 132/8 in 19.4 overs(R Taylor - 46, V Kohli - 38, J Oram - 2/12, A Morkel - 2/13)

Result
Banglore Royal Challengers won the match by 2 wickets.

Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab - Match 42 - SuperSports Park, Centurion

Dwayne Bravo scored an unbeaten 70 of 59 balls to help Mumbai Indians achieve a crucial win in a tie against Kings XI. This victory propels Mumbai to the fourth place in the points table, therby keeping their semi final hopes very much alive. Chasing a moderate total of 120 for victory Mumbai lost the wickets of Jayasuriya(4) and last match's hero Rahane(1) quite early but a typical calypso style innings from Bravo and an aggressive Tendulkar kept the Kings XI bowlers at bay and helped Mumbai cruise home with 22 balls to spare. Bravo remained unbeaten on 70(from 59 balls) and Sachin was left unconquered on 41, which took him just 29 balls. The Punjab bowlers had a very hard day, especially Sreesanth a.k.a Aaapam Chutiya who conceded 21 runs from the single over he bowled. Its time Sreesanth concentrate on his bowling rather than his so called dumb aggression. Remember the quote "Empty vessels make more noise".

Earlier in the match, Kings XI could not capitalize on a brilliant innings from Sunny Sohal. Sunny Sohal smashed the Mumbai Indians bowlers for 43 runs from just 23 balls, before a casual walk back to the non strikers crease cost him his wicket, thanks to an accurate throw from Tendulkar. Till then Punjab, eventhough loosing wickets, had momentum going in their way. The wicket of Sohal was soon followed by the crucial wickets of Sangakara, Mota and Yuvaraj. With wickets tumbling like nine pins, a useful contribution from K Goel(20* of 21 balls) helped Punjab reach 119 at the end of 20 overs.

Toss
Kings XI won the toss and chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Kings XI Punjab - 119/9 in 20 overs(S Sohal - 43, K Goel - 20*, JP Duminy - 2/15, A Rahane - 1/5)
Mumbai Indians - 122/2 in 16.2 overs(D Bravo - 70*, S Tendulkar - 41*, B Lee - 1/25, P Chawla - 1/32)

Result
Mumbai Indians won the match by 8 wickets

Kolkatta Knight Riders Vs Banglore Royal Challengers - Match 41 - SuperSport Park, Centurion

Kolkatta Knight Riders did it again, Yes Kolkatta lost yet another game and this time it was a game which they should have won against the Royal Challenegers Banglore. Having dominated the game for more than 30 overs, Kolkatta lost the plot in the final overs and Ross Taylor's heroic landed a much needed victory for the Royal Challengers. Kolkatta didn't have the greatest of starts after being put in by Banglore Royal Challengers loosing the wickets of Sourav Ganguly(4) and A Ghosh(7) early in the innings. But McCullum played a captains innings and along with David Hussey smashed the Royal challengers bowling. McCullum scored an unbeaten 84 of 64 deliveries, an innings which included 10 fours and two massive sixers. David Hussey scored 43 from 27 balls and these two innings propelled Kolkatta to their highest total in this season of IPL 173.

Chasing 174 for victory Challengers made a steady start adding 58 runs for the first wicket in 8 overs. But a Triple blow in the form of wickets of Kallis(31), Ryder(22) and Uthappa(7) reduced Banglore to 74/3. But Ross Taylor who started off slowly and played one of the most explosive innings of this IPL changed the fate of Banglore Royal Challengers. Imagine an innings where a bataman scores 81 runs with a strike rate of 245! That was exactly what Taylor did. He sent the Kolkatta bowlers leather hunting and reduced the asking rate from somewhere around 14 runs per over to just 5 runs of the last over. Ross Taylor's innings included seven four's and five sixers. A beautiful innings from McCullum was completely overshadowed by Taylor and kept alive the semi-final hopes of Banglore Royal Challengers.

Toss

Banglore Royal Challengers won the toss and chose to field

Brief Scores

Kolkatta Knight Riders - 173/4 in 20 overs (B McCullum - 84*, D Hussey - 43, R Vinay Kumar - 2/33, A Kumble - 1/28)

Royal Challengers Banglore - 176/4 in 19.2 overs(Ross Taylor - 81*, J Kallis - 31, M Karthik - 2/28, A Mendis - 1/21)

Result

Banglore Royal Challengers won the match by 6 wickets

Deccan Chargers Vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 40 - De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberly

Deccan Chargers conquered the Rajasthan Royals quite easily in an encounter at De Beers Diamond Oval. Deccan Chargers made a shaky start after deciding to bat first. Gilchrist was the first casuality when he was adjudged leg before after scoring 10 runs. Suman(29 of 19 balls) looked good for a big score, but gave his wicket away to Trivedi, The loss of Rohit Sharma's wicket just at the stroke of strategic time out pushed Deccan to the edge of misery. The wicket of Symonds who was going great guns scoring 30 of just 19 balls just after the strategic time out came as a big blow, but a stellar batting performance from Dwyane Smith helped Deccan set a target of 167 for Rajasthan. Smith scored 47 runs from 32 balls and was involved in crucial partnerships with Chaminda Vass(20 from 15 balls) and Venugopal Rao(12 from 7 balls). On the bowling front Yusuf Pathan grabbed 3 wickets and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets for Rajasthan.

Rajasthan chasing a 167 never looked in hunt as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Smith, Carseldine, Ojha and the big hitting Yusuf fell without contributing much to the total and total reading 74/4 in the twelveth over nothing looked to go right for the Royals. The innings of Asnodkar was the only consolation for Royals. But with Asnodkar falling after making a patient 44, all the hopes of Royals were lost. The Rajasthan Royals were finally bowled out for 113 and lost the match by huge margin of 53 runs.

Toss

Deccan Chargers won the toss and elected to bat

Brief Scores

Deccan Chargers - 166/7 in 20 0vers(D Smith - 47, A Symonds - 30, Y Pathan - 3/34, R Jadeja - 2/26)

Rajasthan Royals - 113 all out in 19.3 overs(Asnodkar - 44, R Jadeja - 19, R Sharma - 3/12, C Vass - 2/19)

Result

Deccan chargers won the match by 53 runs

Mumbai Indians Vs Banglore Royal Challengers - Match 38 - St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

Ajinkya Rahane and Jean Paul Duminy helped Mumbai script a much needed victory over the Banglore Royal Challengers, a victory which keeps them alive in this tournament. Choosing to start first Mumbai lost Master Blaster Sachin for duck. Sanath Jayasuriya and Rahane stabilized the innings before Jayasuriya was adjudged lbw off van Merwe. The exit of Jayasuriya brought together JP Duminy and Rahane. They were involved in a brilliant unbeaten 103 run partnership with Rahane scoring 62 of 49 balls and Duminy contributing 59 of 41 balls. This partnership helped Mumbai reach a competitive score of 158.

Banglore needing just 159 for victory, made a mockery of their run chase. They kept loosing wickets at regular intervals and the moment you thought someone had settled to play a better innings, a needless shot was played to push Banglore further into abyss. Boucher played a brilliant cameo at the end of the innings, but his 48 from 33 balls was not enough to fetch Banglore a victory. On the bowling front Harbhajan bowled economically and picked up two wickets conceding just 15 runs of his quota of 4 overs.

Toss

Mumbai Indians won the toss and chose to bat

Brief Scores

Mumabi Indians - 157/2 in 20 overs(A Rahane - 62*, JP Duminy - 59*, van der Merwe - 1/17, R Vinay Kumar - 1/30)

Banglore Royal Challengers - 141/7 in 20 overs(M Boucher - 48*, V Kohli - 20, H Singh - 2/15, D Kulkarni - 1/24)

Result

Mumbai Indians won the match by 16 runs

Chennai Super Kings Vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 37 - De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberly

Chennai Super Kings's dream run in the latter part of the IPL continued with yet another victory over the champs Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals didn't get the start they want as they lost N Ojha in the third ball of the Royal's innings, but Asnodkar and Smith added 53 runs before Murali trapped Asnodkar plum in front of the wickets for a well made 26. Smith(30 of 33 balls) was foxed by a Murali delivery and a smart piece of glovework from Dhoni sent Smith back to the pavillion. The spinners along with Balaji kept a tight leash on the Rajasthan scoring rate. The batsmen tried to increase the run rate only to find themself playing a poor shot and getting out. Ravindra Jadeja(27 of 19 balls) looked dangerous after the strategic break but was removed by Balaji, thanks to a stunner of a catch from Raina. Shane Warne's final assault of 21 from 11 balls helped Rajasthan reach a score of 140, a very defendable target on a pitch which kept low and made stroke play difficult.

Chennai's chase had some initial hiccups with Murali Vijay departing after scoring just 10 runs and Raina depearting after making 13 runs. With the scoreboard reading 37/2, Badrinath joined Hayden at the crease and this partnership took chennai through. Hayden made a solid 48 from 44 balls and Badri compiled a beautiful half century, an effort which earned him the Man of the Match award. Warne got the consolation wicket of Hayden when the Chennai score read 126, but it was too little too late as Badri took Chennai home with 10 balls to spare.

Toss

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bat first

Brief Scores

Rajasthan Royals - 140/7 in 20 overs(G Smith - 30, R Jadeja - 27, M Muralitharan - 2/22, S Jakati - 2/35)

Chennai Super Kings - 141/3 in 18.2 overs(S Badrinath - 59*, M Hayden - 48, S Trivedi - 1/23, A Singh - 1/25)

Result

Chennai Super Kings won the match by 7 wickets

Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians - Match 35 - Buffalo Park, East London

Delhi Daredevils beat Mumbai Indians convincingly by 7 wickets, thanks to some tight bowling by the Delhi seamers. With Jayasuriya out of the match Mumbai Indians decided to bat first banking on some solid partnership at the top of the innings, but their new openers in Luke Ronchi and JP Duminy didn't bother scoring a run. A careless act cost Sachin his wicket in the form of run out and the Delhi bowling never allowed Mumbai the much required momentum. D Bravo who made 38 runs from 30 balls was the only batsman worth mentioning as Mumbai were bowled out for 116 at the end of their 2o overs.

Chasing a small target of 117, Delhi batsman were on target forging good partnerships. The openers added 42 runs before both Gambhir and Warner were dismissed in quick interval. But a 50+ partnership between deVilliers and Dilshan with deVillers scoring an unbeaten 50 helped Mumbai reach their target with 7 balls to go.

Toss

Mumbai Indians won the toss and chose to bat

Brief Scores

Mumbai Indians - 116 all out in 20 overs(D Bravo - 35, A Nayar - 18, R Bhatia - 3/15, A Nehra - 2/27)

Delhi Daredevils - 118/3 in 18.5 overs(AB deVilliers - 50*, D Warner - 21, H Singh - 1/21, L Malinga - 1/30)

Result

Delhi Daredevils won by 7 wickets

Deccan Chargers VS Chennai Super Kings - Match 29 - Buffalo Park, East London

Chennai Super Kings are on a roll, winning their third consecutive match, which propels them from seventh spot in the points table a week back to the first spot. Almost everything this match went Chennai's way - Dhoni won the toss, decided to bat and the openers backed his decision by providing a wonderful opening partnership. Hayden blasted 43 from 26 balls, while Vijay made a solid 31 from 33 balls. Once the wickets of openers fell, Raina and Dhoni took over and treated the crowd for their money with some excellent display of strokes. Raina provided the much needed momentum after the strategic time out scoring 32 of just 19 balls, while Dhoni came to form with a brilliant, unbeaten 58 from 37 balls. Some good bowling at the death by RP Singh restricted Chennai to 178 from a posistion where they were looking good for 200.

Chasing 179 for victory Deccan started catastrophically loosing three wickets for just one run on the board. Gilchrist was out leg before the very first ball of the innings from Albie Morkel. In the next over Sudeep Tyagi rattled the wood work of Gibbs and in the third over VVS Laxman flicked one straight to the fielder. With their top three gone for "DUCKS", the lucky Dwyane Smith who was dropped twice of consecutive balls counter - attacked with some mighty blows. Smith along with Sharma brought the scoreboard from 1/3 to 73/3, before Jataki made a double strike removing both Sharma and Smith in the same over. With the return of dangerous Smith to pavillion, the Chennai bowlers ran through the remaining batting line up and the Deccan Chargers ended up loosing all their wickets in 14.4 overs with just 100 runs on the board. Jakati once again bowled brilliantly and returned with the figures of 4/22. Murali will be on a hat-trick the next match and ended up with figures of 2/11. The only worrying factor for Chennai would be their catching. Chennai dropped loads of easy catches that too of consecutive deliveries. If only Chennai could have held on to these catches, the match would have been over much earlier!

TOSS

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bat

BRIEF SCORES

Chennai Super Kings - 178/3 in 20 overs(Dhoni - 58*, Hayden - 43, SM Shohaib - 1/14, T Suman - 1/29)

Deccan Chargers - 100 all out in 14.4 overs(D Smith - 49, R Sharma - 21, S Jataki - 4/22, M Muralitharan - 2/11)

RESULT

Chennai Super Kings won the match by 78 runs.

Banglore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians - Match 28 - New Wanderer's Stadium, Johannesburg

Banglore Royal Challengers beat Mumbai Indians comphrehensively by 9 wickets at the New Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg. Chasing a total of 150, Banglore put in front a stunning batting performance led by Kallis(69 of 59 balls) and Uthappa(66 of 42 balls) and reached the target with 11 balls to spare. Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians were kept on a tight leash by the Banglore bowlers before Bravo(50 of 40 balls) and A Nayar(29 of 20 balls) cut loose and helped Mumbai put up a competitive total of 149 on the board. Jayasuriya scored 52 of 43 balls which provided a solid foundation for the likes of Bravo and Nayar. du Preez made an impressive debut for Banglore Royal Challengers claiming the first three Mumbai Indians wickets which included the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and JP Duminy. Sure this kid has a bright future.

Toss
Mumbai Indians won the toss and chose to bat

Brief Scores
Mumbai Indians - 149/4 in 20 0vers(S Jayasuriya - 52, D Bravo - 50, du Preez - 3/32, van der Merwe - 1/27)
Banglore Royal Challengers - 150/1 in 18.1 overs(J Kallis - 69*, R Uthappa - 66*, Z Khan - 1/12)

Result
Banglore Royal Challengers won by 9 wickets

Kolkatta Knight Riders Vs Kings XI Punjab - Match 27 - St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

Bard Hodge's 70 could not help Kolkatta salvage a win, as they lost yet another match to Kings XI Punjab. Kings XI scrapped through with a last ball 6 wicket win, thanks mainly to a solid unbeaten 52 from jayawardane.

Toss
Kolkatta Knight Riders won the toss and Chose to bat first.

Brief Scores
Kolkatta Knight Riders - 153/3 in 20 overs(B Hodge - 70, S Ganguly - 22, P Chawla - 2/27, Y Abdulla - 1/33)
Kings XI Punjab - 154/4 in 20 overs(M Jayawardane - 52*, S Katich - 34, I Sharma - 2/27, B Hodge - 1/13)

Result
Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets