AB de Villiers playing for the Delhi DareDevils pulled off this stunning one handed catch deep in the out field to dismiss one of the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen.

Doug Bollinger emulating the antics of this Aussie team mate, David Hussey, managed to keep his head as he took an impressive catch on the boundary, he then had to throw the ball into the air as he fell over the boundary rope, and still managed to recover and complete the catch.

David Hussey pulled off one of the catches in the history of the IPL. Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders Hussey took an amazing catch to dismiss Delhi Daredevils’ Paul Collingwood for 53 runs.

Fielding on the boundary, Hussey jumps to reach the ball palms it once, twice into the air as he was about to step on the boundary rope, and dive back into the field of play to complete the catch.

David Hussey’s catch will be one of the best catches in the IPL.

Here is a video of the catch, that I found on YouTube, I’m sure a higher quality video will be uploaded soon:

Pakistan captain Younis Khan has asked his team-mates to push for better IPL contracts following their success in the World Twenty20. “These players are now world champions and highly marketable. There is a higher value to their performances,” Younis said. While many in the team turned out for their respective franchises in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, political tensions between India and Pakistan prevented them from playing in the second season.

Younis, who played for Rajasthan Royals, noted, however, that top players like Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq were now worth more than the $100,000 contracts they had signed last year.

“Now the scenario is different. These players should talk to their agents in India and ask them to go for a hike in price from the IPL franchises. I am happy if any of our players can be better packages in the IPL for next season,” Younis said.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had said that after Pakistan’s World Cup win he perceived no problems in the players returning to play in the IPL next year, provided both national governments were okay with it.

Eleven Pakistani players, including Shahid Afridi and Gul, the stars of Pakistan’s World Twenty20 campaign, were recruited by the Kolkata, Rajasthan, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore franchises before the inaugural IPL. However, the franchises opted to retain the contracts of only four of them – Akmal and Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals), Misbah (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Gul (Kolkata Knight Riders) – after it became clear that they would not be able to play in the second season of the league.

Younis though, turned his back on the league after announcing his retirement from the Twenty20 format soon after Pakistan won the world event.

Source:

I’ve watched almost every game that has been played in the ICC World Twenty20 and have noticed a few things.

Don’t break the flow of the game

The IPL can learn from this competition, the introduction of the ‘strategic break’ in IPL 2 was absolutely ridiculous. The break did exactly that “break” the flow of the game; the commentators started talking about the effects of the eleventh over in the IPL.

In this ICC World Twenty20 there have been no breaks, the game has flowed and the scores have been much higher, which the cricket fans love.

There is still place for an elegant cover drive in Twenty20 cricket

My second observation that I’d like to discuss is that batsmen can still play a cover drive in Twenty20 cricket. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis in particular have played good cricket strokes in this ICC World Twenty20, and it’s worked.  Jacques is currently the leading run scorer in the competition with 147 runs in four innings with a strike rate of 129.85.

It hasn’t been often that you’ve seen Jacques play a shot in anger over the past few weeks. And when he has played the big shot it’s been with control. The same can be said about AB de Villiers, this man is pure class and he’s managed to bring that class and batting elegance from test cricket into the Twenty20.

The players who have struggled have been the guys trying to smash the ball out the park from ball one, Albie Morkel, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher.

Taking the pace off the ball

Having the ability to take the pace off the ball without being hit out the park, is possibly the greatest asset any team can have. Seven of the ten most economical bowlers in the competition are spin bowlers.

If you have a decent pace attack that can be backed up by your spinners then you’re going to do very well in Twenty20 cricket. Look at the South African team, we have great opening bowlers in Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell, as soon as they come off we have Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe to build the pressure on the batsmen which then allows for the part timers to take wicket as the batsmen now need to up the run rate.

My last observation: if you have Wayne Parnell in your team, you are going to win the ICC World Twenty20

Statistic were taken from CricInfo, as of Monday June 15 @ 15H50

VS

JOHANNESBURG: Here’s a sneak preview of the game between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils to be played at the Wanderers ground on Saturday.

What’s at stake:Both sides would like to carry the winning momentum after registering confidence boosting wins in Centurion on Thursday. Delhi Daredevils defeated the unbeaten Deccan Chargers by six wickets while Chennai Super Kings overwhelmed defending champion Rajasthan Royals by 38 runs.

Captain vs captain:: Delhi Daredevils may have to make do without the services of their captain Virender Sehwag who needed to have four stitches to his left hand during the match against the Deccan Chargers. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will smell blood after Sehwag almost ruled himself out of the Saturday’s encounter.

Key battles:L Balaji will have to lock horns with in-form local boy AB deVilliers while Muttiah Muralitharan will try to bowl out fellow countryman T Dilshan with a ‘doorsa’. Dirk Nannes would like to repeat his match-winning performance when he faces the likes of Matthew Hayden. Another interesting battle will be between Daniel Vettori and Dhoni.

Team news: Delhi Daredevils are likely to miss the services of Sehwag.

Form guide: The Delhi Daredevils bowling has improved thanks to some excellent work by left-arm new ball bowlers Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra. Chennai Super Kings middle-order including the likes of Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and Dhoni has struck form and it will be a keenly-fought contest.

Source

As Andrew Flintoff prepares for his latest trip to the operating table Kevin Pietersen, England’s other million-dollar IPL star, admitted it was a massive blow for England, but said players can’t be stopped from joining the event.

“It’s going to be very difficult for boards to pull players out of tournaments like this when you’re playing with the best players in the world,” Pietersen told the Guardian. “You can’t have one rule for some and another rule for others. But it’s a huge blow come the summer for England.”

Flintoff flew home yesterday to have surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee which is set to keep him out of action for up to six weeks and means he misses the series against West Indies.

There was months of negotiations between the ECB and Professional Cricketers’ Association before the players were finally released for the IPL, with the board eventually conceding to the demands to allow an extra week at the event despite England’s crammed schedule.

Following an 11-week tour of the Caribbean, Pietersen and Flintoff – along with Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah who were also in West Indies for the duration – had a week at home before heading to South Africa. Those who don’t get injured are due to return next week, shortly before the first Test against West Indies which is the beginning of a hectic summer.

Flintoff had an injury-interrupted tour of West Indies when he returned to England for two weeks to recover from a hip problem before returning for the one-day series. His latest problem is not as serious as some of his previous ailments, but means there will be some major changes to England’s early-summer planning.

Dr Derek Bickerstaff, the renowned knee surgeon who operated on Michael Vaughan, told Cricinfo that although the operation is a fairly simple procedure the recovery needs to be carefully managed. “There are different levels of this sort of injury,” he said. “But the recovery period should also be pretty rapid. There will probably be a week of rest followed by two weeks on the bike in the gym and by four weeks he should be training again and be ready to play after about six if everything goes well.

“There is a small risk that the operation could leave the knee susceptible to further problems because some of the shock-absorbing tissue has been removed, but it’s unlikely to be a factor in the life-time of a fast bowler like Andrew Flintoff although he may suffer later in life. It shouldn’t prevent him returning to action effectively.”

Source: Cricinfo

The Indian Premier League matches scheduled for the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg will go ahead as planned with officials of the Gauteng Cricket Board reaching a solution with IPL bosses.

The Wanderers is scheduled to host eight IPL matches – six regular season matches between May 2 to 19, a semi-final on May 23 and the final on May 24 – but the venue was in doubt due to a row over VIP suites at the stadium.

The IPL had demanded exclusive use of the suites at the stadium, but suite-holders had refused and Alan Kourie, the chief executive of the GCB, said: “We are happy and proud to have reached an amicable resolution with the IPL.”

He added: “It now clears the way for hosting the business end of one of the best cricketing leagues in the world.

“Gauteng cricket fans will now be able to witness some truly amazing cricketers in action at our very own Wanderers Stadium,” he said.

IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi was equally happy.

“We are extremely pleased with the co-operation of the Gauteng Cricket Board and in particular the assistance received from Alan Kourie,” he said.

“I am glad the fans in Johannesburg will now be able to witness the IPL.”

Source

Chris Gayle played a belligerent innings as the Kolkata Knight Riders secured an 11-run win on the Duckworth/Lewis method over Kings XI Punjab in a rain-affected Indian Premier League match at Kingsmead, Durban today.

Gayle, dropped on two and again on 32, briefly dispersed gloomy weather conditions with an unbeaten 44 off only 26 deliveries before rain had the final say.

The Kings XI had made 158 for six and Kolkata had reached 79 for one in 9.2 overs when their innings ended prematurely.

Gayle was dropped on two by Tarun Goel off Yusuf Abdulla in only the second over and again by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off Piyush Chawla when on 32.

By the time the rain came down, Gayle had smashed four sixes and two boundaries while putting on 57 for the opening wicket with skipper Brendon McCullum (21).

The Knight Riders also had their moments with the ball and began ominously, with Ishant Sharma turning in a miserly first over – he conceded only one run – under overcast skies.

Ashok Dinda followed up with four dot balls in his first over before Ravi Bopara broke the shackles with consecutive boundaries off the last two deliveries.

Ishant then got rid of the dangerous Goel in his second over, provoking the opener into edging to Gayle at slip, but Goel’s replacement, Irfan Pathan injected some momentum into Kings XI’s batting by smashing 32 off only 17 deliveries.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly swung momentum back Kolkata’s way with two strikes in his first over. Ganguly got rid of Pathan and then snared Bopara (15) two deliveries later.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh (38) then joined Sangakkara (26) and the two began to rebuild Kings XI’s innings.

An extended strategy break due to a touch of rain worked in favour of the Kings XI this time as Yuvraj and Sangakkara began to hit out.

Ganguly, who had conceded only four runs in his first two overs, leaked 14 in his third and Gayle, struggling with a wet ball, conceded just as many in his only over.

Yuvraj and Sangakkara put on 56 runs for the fourth wicket before Sangakkara ran himself out.

A fluent cameo from Mahela Jayawardene (31 not out) got the Kings XI to a competitive total but their depleted bowling attack struggled to rein in Gayle.

Source

Cape Town: Wanderers hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, including the second semifinal and the final, is still in doubt as the organisers and the local cricket association have not been able to resolve the issue of VIP suites at the Johannesburg stadium.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has reportedly even threatened not to use Wanderers, the largest stadium in the country with 10,000 more seats than any other venue.

The dispute between the IPL and the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) is over the IPL’s demand for all the suites in the main pavilion to accommodate its VIP guests including Bollywood stars during the six league games, one semi-final and the final scheduled to be held there.

The IPL organisers and local cricket authorities at the other venues have resolved the dispute over suites without much of a hassle.

There is still time for the matter to be resolved as the first match at Wanderers, between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, is to be played only on May 2.

GCB said it had complied with the initial IPL request to make 2,400 suite seats available for the semifinal and the final, including the use of the prestigious Long Room President’s Suite.

GCB cited contractual obligations with its suite holders which did not allow it to accede to the IPL request.

“We have considered the IPL’s request, but we regret it is not possible to release all the suites,” the report quoted GCB.

The IPL has offered to provide free tickets in the main pavilion of Wanderers for suite holders as well as a demarcated area for their refreshments, but it appears that CSA would have to foot the bill for this from the 30 million rands it is reportedly getting for hosting the series.

Source

Sitting here watching the opening Indian Premier League [IPL] games this weekend made me realise how smart those guys and girls [that developed it] actually are. They have innovated to create something that is unleashing immense value.

What have they done? Think about it for a minute – there are some excellent lessons about value here for us. Here’s what stands out to me:

Blending a mixture of old and new to innovate

The Age-old game of cricket [about 400 years old]

+ professional sports marketing [fairly established]

+ a new exciting format [20/20 games - only a few years old]

= a brand new product

Very simple in theory, but it hadn’t been done before like this. They weren’t afraid to try it.

Sharing what they’ve created

Political instability in India meant that the IPL could not be held in India this year. So what did they do – simply move it to South Africa. They were not afraid to share the benefits of what they’ve created with another country – smartly realising that they would gain more by letting go than by cancelling the IPL season because they refuse to share the financial benefits.

I can’t believe this was an easy thing for them to do. Have you ever heard of any professional sports leagues [Any country. Any sport. Ever.] that has moved its operations to another country? I sure haven’t. But they did it.

Building for the future

I’m convinced that India will be the top-ranked cricket team [at least in the one day game, if not test cricket as well] in about three years time, possibly even before then.

The reason? Simply that they have used this magnificent creation of theirs to great advantage – exposing young up-and-coming Indian cricketers to the best of the world’s players. While filling up rosters was a necessity, they’ve used the opportunity to ensure that cricket development for young Indian players is leagues ahead of their international counterparts.

A smart move to ensure that their value-creating efforts are sustainable and beneficial down the road, rather than just for the present.

Spend -> invest -> revenue

They have made the most of what some consider a grudge purchase, even if that was not the original intention:

First was a decision whether to spend money on development or not – they chose to spend [the potential grudge purchase].

Significantly, this was converted into an investment by making it not just short-term spending on players training, but rather turning it into a real investment that generates returns for the future.

But then the cherry on top – the system they have built not only makes this investment [growing young players by exposing them to the international stars] but also, as an entertainment spectacular, generates huge revenues and value.

Brilliant!

Mission accomplished

There have been many criticism’s levelled against them, including that they have marginalised the game of cricket and that their high payments to cricketers are changing the focus from the game to money. Fact is, you can’t please all the people all the time, and there will always be someone with a complaint. I can’t comment on the criticisms or to what extent they will affect the game in the future, but I do believe they’ve done a great job and should be applauded for their efforts!

This is not meant to be a comprehensive analysis. I know there are many cricket fans, marketers, economists and others who could explain this much better than I have here. My aim is just to give some idea of the value they have created.

Photos: “CSK Team Meeting” and “Makhaya Ntini – in action” – both by SJ Jagadeesh, via flickr

This post was taken from: OutThink.co.za