Semifinals-1

'Bowling will be the key differentiator'


Spinners and pacers will have an equal role when Pakistan and South Africa face each other in the first semi-final on Thursday. With the track helping the spinners in the recent matches, it will be a keen fight between the bowlers of the two sides.

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Pakistan v/s South Africa

'Semi Final-1'

South Africa vs Pakistan on 18th June 2009, Thursday

Its going to be a tough match for both the team.

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Deccan Chargers v/s Royal Challengers Banglore

'Deccan is the champion 0f IPL 2009'

It was a day for the bowlers as Deccan outsmarted Bangalore to win the second edition of IPL to complete a fairytale turnaround for a team which finished at the bottom of IPL 2008.


After Bangalore Royal Challengers (BRC), led by Anil Kumble’s fantastic spells restricted Deccan Chargers (DC) to a reasonably low score of 143, one would have thought that it would to be a one-sided affair.

But he was outsmarted later on by the disciplined spells of DC bowlers Singh, Ojha and Symonds who improved upon their earlier performances to see their team through in the finals, when it mattered the most. DC turned the tables on BRC with a dose of their own medicine of discipline on the field – in bowling and fielding – which helped BRC reach the finals.

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Can Sehwag make the cut against Deccan?

Delhi faces Deccan in the first semi-final of IPL 2009.Riding on a win against Mumbai in their last league match, Delhi surely is high on confidence. Virender Sehwag struck form at the right time for Delhi to make them comfortable. But can he do it again against Deccan?

DD has proved to be a formidable team in this IPL due to their superlative batting and bowling performances. DD boasts of a good Bowling Efficiency (BE) due to consistent performance from Ashish Nehra, Farveez Maharoof and Dirk Nannes. Nehra incidentally is also amongst the highest wicket takers in IPL 2009. Nannes and Nehra, have been accurate during periods of QuickStart Bowling (QS Bowl) and Extreme Performance Bowling (EP Bowl) which restricts the opponents. The Batting Momentum (BM) of DD is dependent on the good form of batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers and Dinesh Karthik. But they are quiet vulnerable at the start of their innings. However with Virender Sehwag striking form lately, it remains to be seen how Deccan Chargers (DC) plans to keep him calm.

Read full story at Match Preview section at castrol cricket site.

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Who is the Most Valuable Player of this IPL?

With less than a week to go in the IPL 2009, its time to look back and pick this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Selecting the best player in a league is a subjective call. And when it comes to cricket you can be sure that everyone has their own opinion.

In the NBA, the MVP is picked by an “informed” voting panel with each member ranking their top 5 candidates in a secret ballot. The player with the highest weighted average vote wins. The logic here is- the average of the subjective views of a number of experts is bound to throw up the right result. And even after this, there’s still a lot of debate of whether the right man won.

Read full story in fuel for debate at castrol cricket site.

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It is now or never for Rajastan in IPL 2009

With the race to semi-finals getting extremely tight, nothing less than a victory will help Rajasthan in their quest for a semi-final spot when they face a resurgent Kolkata today.

But will it be a cake-walk for Rajasthan Royals (RR)? According to Castrol Index, RR shouldn’t be worried with their overall bowling performances, but their batting leaves much to be desired. In bowling also, RR bowlers tend to lose their way in the last five overs, allowing the opponent to pile up some extra runs. The Extreme Performance Bowling of 3 looks abysmally low compared to what Kolkata KnightRiders performs with the bat during the same period (Extreme Performance Batting of 79). Can Shane Warne fix this hole in his bowling department?

Banglore Royal Challengers v/s Chennai Superkings

'Can Banglore spring a suprise?'


A high Batting Momentum makes Chennai Super Kings a strong favourite against Bangalore Royal Challengers. But can Bangalore spring a surprise?

Todays encounter is crucial for both the teams.
Who will win todays match??

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Bangalore Royal Challengers v/s Kolkata Knight Riders

'Bangalore is in a favourable position'

In a battle between the laggards of IPL 2009, Bangalore Royal Challengers finds themselves in a favourable position against Kolkata KnightRiders when they meet each other today in the return leg.




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Mumbai Indians v/s Delhi Daredevils

'Sachin needs to fire'

Mumbai Indians will keenly await Sachin Tendulkar’s return amongst runs when they face current league leaders Delhi Daredevils today.
Can MI win this important match today?




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KingsXI Punjab v/s Chennai Superkings

'Can Punjab fix their opening problems?'

Kings XI Punjab will look deep into stabilising their ailing Quickstart Batting when they face a charged Chennai Super Kings today in a crucial encounter.




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