Wonder what had Waqar Younis seen in the pitch and opined that it was a bat first one. I just hope that it does not get worse from here and I don't have to swallow my words. Deepu Narayanan informs us that Delhi have never defended a sub-150 total in the history of the T20 League. And I do not think history is going to change tonight. Ok, enough with the wait, players are ambling out to the middle for the second half. Gautam Gambhir is doing some shadow practice. NCN has the new ball. Two slips in place.
"Didn't think the wicket would turn as much seeing the amount of grass on it," says Brad Hogg as he sneaks in a quick interview alongside Andre Russell. It definitely had enough for both pacers and spinners. But that doesn't justify Delhi's dismal show. Yes, everyone expected the pitch to play well after giving it a glance before the game. Still, there was no effort made to revise targets once they saw the ball stopping on. Too many shots, schoolboy errors, incompetence against spin, it all flared up and has culminated in the lowest T20 League score at the Eden Gardens. Yesterday, Harbhajan's cameo saved Mumbai some humiliation. Delhi couldn't even manage that. Kolkata were brilliant. First, with the new ball, their pacers routed through Delhi's top-order, and then came the spin duo of Hogg and Chawla to raid through the remainder. The second half should be a cakewalk..
17.4 -
Hastings to Zaheer, out Caught by M Pandey!! That's it. The burial rites are completed. Again, the ball stops on the pitch and poor Zaheer can't adapt. He is committed to a slog and has invested too much into it to back away. Loops it up off a leading edge offering a simple catch to Pandey running back at cover. Zaheer c M Pandey b Hastings 4(9) [4s-1]
Hastings to Zaheer, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
17.3 -
Hastings to Zaheer, FOUR, this is what he was trying off the previous ball. Makes room by moving to leg, Hastings tries to follow him but there is just enough room to free the arms and hack it over mid-on
17.2 -
Hastings to Zaheer, no run, follows Zaheer as he backs away and targets his rib-cage to restrict him to a defensive stroke
17.1 -
Hastings to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, pounds it in on a short of length and hits high up on the bat as NCN slices his attempted pull in the air. No one at square leg though
John Hastings [2.0-1-1-1] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Chawla to Zaheer, no run, Chawla is fairly confident with the LBW appeal. He had slipped in a quicker and fuller ball on middle, and Zaheer fell over looking to play across the line. Might have been sliding down leg
16.5 -
Chawla to Zaheer, no run, nice, nice. Flights it well outside off, the length isn't full enough to be smothered despite a big lunge and the turns to beat him
16.4 -
Chawla to Zaheer, no run, stops from a length and springs up to hit the outside edge higher up on the bat, goes straight to ground though
16.3 -
Chawla to Zaheer, no run, quicker ball which grips and turns. Lots of turn. Beats Zaheer's tentative back foot poke
16.2 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, loopy leg-break turning away from off, belted to long-off
16.1 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, no run, driven with the turn to cover
15.6 -
B Hogg to Zaheer, no run, well flighted googly around off and Zaheer doesn't pick it. But his thick outside edge rolls along the carpet before second slip dives to stop
There are two slips by the way...
15.5 -
B Hogg to Zaheer, no run, shortish googly which turns away wide of off, Zaheer can't reach out with a cut
Zaheer Khan, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.4 -
B Hogg to Mishra, out Caught by Gambhir!! The ninth one goes and Delhi's grave is nearly prepared. Excellent bowling from this spin duo. It's Hogg this time who does the trick with a well disguised googly. Slips it in on a length around off, lures Mishra forward to drive, and takes the edge. Well taken from Gambhir at slip. Meanwhile, we'll have a strategic time-out. Mishra c Gambhir b B Hogg 3(9)
B Hogg to Mishra, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.3 -
B Hogg to Mishra, no run, flatter leg-break which pitches on middle and turns back in acutely. Mishra is caught on the crease and is rushed into the stroke. Lucky to chop it off an inside edge onto pad
15.2 -
B Hogg to Mishra, no run, shapes to reverse sweep, and is blessed with a low full toss. But he still fails to connect. Or might have got a faint under-edge which is stopped by the keeper
15.1 -
B Hogg to Mishra, no run, Mishra moves to leg, and ends up getting too far away from the googly, toe-ends the cut to cover
14.6 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, no run, lots of in-drift, slides towards middle from a length and NCN is firm in defence
14.5 -
Chawla to Mishra, 1 run, slowish and turning away outside off, slightly on the shorter side, and Mishra places the late-cut to backward point
A Mexican Wave has picked up at the Eden Gardens. People trying to keep themselves entertained, something which Delhi's batsmen aren't providing
14.4 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, quicker through the air and drifts in nicely towards middle and leg, worked to long-on
14.3 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, no run, gets the leg-break to turn enough from a length outside off and beats the forward prod of NCN
14.2 -
Chawla to Mishra, 1 run, might have been the googly, nicely tossed up and slides on from outside off, Mishra picks it and nudges it softly through mid-wicket
14.1 -
Chawla to Mishra, no run, plants his front foot across looking to paddle the sweep fine but is struck on the pad
13.6 -
B Hogg to Coulter-Nile, no run, this one turns away from Coulter-Nile, who tamely pokes at it and the ball snakes past the outside edge
13.5 -
B Hogg to Coulter-Nile, FOUR, nice shot from Coulter-Nile. He skips out of the crease, gets close to the pitch of the ball and drives it to the long-off boundary. It beat the fielder in the deep with ease
13.4 -
B Hogg to Coulter-Nile, no run, mediocred with width, Coulter-Nile looks to cut and is beaten
13.3 -
B Hogg to Mishra, 1 run, Mishra dances down the track, takes it on the half-volley and drives it to long-off for a single
13.2 -
B Hogg to Mishra, no run, width on offer, Mishra cracks the cut to backward point
Amit Mishra, right handed bat, comes to the crease
13.1 -
B Hogg to Samson, out Caught by Uthappa!! DEL's batsmen are falling like nine pins. The latest one to take the walk back to the pavilion is Samson. The straighter-one from Hogg, Samson looks to play a half-hearted drive and ekes out an inside edge. Uthappa shows sharp reflexes to pouch the catch with both hands. Samson c Uthappa b B Hogg 15(13) [4s-2]
B Hogg to Samson, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.6 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, no run, yet another googly from Chawla, but the angle was taking it down leg, it hits Coulter-Nile's pad as he looks to defend and the ball rolls across towards mid-wicket
12.5 -
Chawla to Coulter-Nile, no run, width on offer, Coulter-Nile aims to cut and the ball whooshes past the outside edge
Nathan Coulter-Nile, right handed bat, comes to the crease
12.4 -
Chawla to C Morris, out Bowled!! Chawla continues to use the googly to good effect. It is virtually a stock delivery for him. He picks up another scalp with it. Coming back to the wicket, Morris played all over the googly and could only hear the death rattle. In fact, it hit his pad and the middle-stump took a beating. DEL are in deep trouble here. C Morris b Chawla 11(9) [4s-2]
Chawla to C Morris, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
12.3 -
Chawla to C Morris, FOUR, Morris stays slightly leg-side of the ball and sinks on one knee. He brings out the drive and the ball vrooms away to the deep extra cover fence
12.2 -
Chawla to C Morris, no run, very full from Chawla, Morris drives it back towards the bowler
12.1 -
Chawla to C Morris, no run, Morris was lucky there. He came forward and attempted to defend a leg-spinner and got an inside edge onto his front pad
11.6 -
B Hogg to C Morris, 1 run, Morris stays on the back foot and tucks it to deep mid-wicket
11.6 -
B Hogg to C Morris, 5 wides, well, Uthappa won't be happy with his effort there. Hogg extracts considerable turn on this delivery, Morris looks to tuck it and is beaten by the turn. Uthappa is late to get across to collect the ball and it zooms away to the fine leg fence
11.5 -
B Hogg to Samson, 1 run, low full toss from Hogg, Samson laps it away to backward square leg
11.4 -
B Hogg to Samson, no run, a hint of turn for Hogg, Samson turns it to mid-wicket, but can't bisect the gap
11.3 -
B Hogg to C Morris, 1 run, low full toss from Hogg, Morris tucks it away to deep backward square leg and jogs across to the other end
11.2 -
B Hogg to C Morris, no run, fuller and just outside off, Morris drives it to the cover-region
11.1 -
B Hogg to C Morris, FOUR, Morris, with a touch of bravado, uses the reverse sweep to collect a boundary against the spin to third man
10.6 -
Chawla to C Morris, 1 run, Morris turns this one to deep mid-wicket for a single
Chris Morris, right handed bat, comes to the crease
10.5 -
Chawla to Brathwaite, out Lbw!! The googly has done the trick for Chawla. Brathwaite camped back when he should have come forward and paid the price for it. The ball skidded off the track and Brathwaite missed with his attempted tuck. He was struck in front of middle-stump. Easy decision for the umpire to make. Brathwaite lbw b Chawla 6(4) [6s-1]
Chawla to Brathwaite, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
10.4 -
Chawla to Brathwaite, no run, Brathwaite cuts this leg-spinner to backward point
10.3 -
Chawla to Brathwaite, no run, loud appeal for LBW, but Brathwaite was struck outside the line of off-stump. Brathwaite sits on one knee and looks to sweep and connects with thin air
10.2 -
Chawla to Brathwaite, SIX, well, the man of the moment, Brathwaite shows his big-hitting prowess. He sinks on one knee to a straighter-one and slog-sweeps it over the deep mid-wicket fence
10.2 -
Chawla to Brathwaite, 5 wides, Chawla attempts the googly, but doesn't get it right, Brathwaite tries to nudge it around the corner and misses. It runs away for five wides
10.1 -
Chawla to Samson, 1 run, the leg-spinner form Chawla, Samson cuts it to sweeper cover
Piyush Chawla, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Carlos Brathwaite, right handed bat, comes to the crease
9.6 -
B Hogg to Negi, out Stumped!! Another one has been chugged down. Hogg bowls his stock ball, the chinaman, Negi waltzes down the track and tries to club it over mid-wicket, but connects with thin air. Easy stumping for Uthappa to effect. Reckless shot by Negi though. On the other hand, Hogg also extracted a bit of bounce there. Negi st Uthappa b B Hogg 11(19) [6s-1]
B Hogg to Negi, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
9.5 -
B Hogg to Negi, no run, stump-to-stump line, Negi turns it to mid-wicket
9.4 -
B Hogg to Samson, 1 run, the cross-seamer from Hogg, Samson pushes it to long-off
9.3 -
B Hogg to Samson, no run, this one turns into the right-hander, Samson aims to flick it around the corner and misses. It was going down leg though
9.2 -
B Hogg to Negi, 1 run, again a hint of turn for Hogg, Negi dances down the track and gets it off inside part of the bat to deep square leg
9.1 -
B Hogg to Negi, no run, Hogg straightaway gets it to turn, Negi looks to tuck it around the corner and misses. Hogg dishes out a loud appeal for LBW, but it was going down leg
Brad Hogg, left-arm chinaman, comes into the attack
Strategic Time-Out in place now. Kolkata have whittled away at the batting line-up and hold all the aces as of now. Delhi need the duo of Pawan Negi and Samson to stitch a stand to resurrect the innings. It won't be easy though, as the track is offering movement off the pitch and there is tennis ball bounce on offer
8.6 -
U Yadav to Negi, 1 run, too straight from Yadav, Negi, with a crisp downward angling of the bat, clips it to deep backward square leg. In fact, it was a slower one attempted by Yadav, but it didn't come out right from his hand
8.5 -
U Yadav to Negi, no run, Negi looks to play an innovative shot by trying to ramp a shortish delivery over the keeper, but is beaten on the top-edge
8.4 -
U Yadav to Negi, no run, Negi uses his feet this time. He also makes a bit of room. However, Yadav follows him. In the end, Negi defends it back to the bowler
8.3 -
U Yadav to Negi, no run, well, leading edge there, but Negi survives. Good length delivery and it nips away from the left-hander, Negi is opened up in his defence and gets a leading edge, but falls in front of the diving slip fielder
8.2 -
U Yadav to Negi, 2 runs, good fielding by Yadav. Back of a length delivery and on the pads of Negi, he tucks it to mid-wicket. The bowler himself runs across and stops it. Yadav also fires in a throw at the batsman's end. However, by then Negi had put in a desperate dive to get back in
8.1 -
U Yadav to Samson, 1 run, back of a length delivery and angling down leg, Samson rolls his wrists on it and flicks it to deep mid-wicket. He leisurely jogs to the other end to pick up a single
7.6 -
Munro to Negi, no run, the slower one from Munro, Negi again dabs it to backward point, but can't breach the gap
7.5 -
Munro to Negi, no run, the keeper is upto the stumps now. Fuller length delivery and just outside off, Negi pats it to backward point
7.4 -
Munro to Negi, SIX, nice strike by Negi. He waltzes down the track, makes room, converts it into a fullish delivery and lofts it over long-off for a maximum. It came right off the screws there
7.3 -
Munro to Negi, no run, Munro keeps it in the corridor outside off, Negi defends it to mid-off
7.2 -
Munro to Negi, no run, good length delivery and it nips away from Negi, he comes half forward and pokes at it. Negi is beaten on the outside edge
7.1 -
Munro to Samson, 1 run, a tad fuller and outside off, Samson push-drives it to sweeper cover. Munro extracted a touch of seam movement, on that occasion
Colin Munro, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
6.6 -
U Yadav to Samson, 1 run, opens the face of the bat a little and guides it to third man
6.5 -
U Yadav to Samson, no run, the ball seams a touch around off, Samson defends towards cover
6.4 -
U Yadav to Negi, 1 run, extra bounce and Negi has no idea what happened there, a thick outside edge as he poked at this back of a length delivery, eluded the dive of the slip fielder. Negi is feeling the nerves for sure
6.3 -
U Yadav to Negi, no run, enough confusion to cause a run out but Samson is lucky that he is still there. Negi patted this one off the back foot to point and wanted a single, Samson responded in kind but then Negi stopped and Samson had to go back. Manish Pandey's throw hit Samson in the run and Umesh was left wanting to dislodge the bails at the bowler's end
6.2 -
U Yadav to Samson, 1 run, length around middle and leg, worked to mid-wicket
6.1 -
U Yadav to Samson, FOUR, Samson was initially outdone by this one around off, got squared a touch but did well to soften his wrists and the ball raced to the third man fence courtesy a fast outfield
Umesh Yadav [1.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
5.6 -
Hastings to Negi, no run, short leg was in place for Negi and that kept him on the back foot. Hastings, the smart man he is, kept it full around middle and leg. Negi was lucky that he could tuck it from the crease towards mid-wicket
5.5 -
Hastings to Negi, no run, goes touch fuller this time, the line is around off anyway. Negi opened the bat a bit as he defended it to point
5.4 -
Hastings to Negi, no run, shortish line for the new man, he is not that tall and has to get on top of the bounce to quell it into the pitch
Pawan Negi, left handed bat, comes to the crease
5.3 -
Hastings to Nair, out Caught by M Pandey!! This is how you set up a batsman. And Hastings will be delighted as he foxed Nair with his smart move. Once again kept the ball in the same channel. Nair was getting impatient and sliced the drive, did not keep it down and an easy catch at backward point. Nair c M Pandey b Hastings 3(8)
Hastings to Nair, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
5.2 -
Hastings to Nair, no run, replica of the previous delivery, this time Nair went a touch harder and that made the matters worse for him, nothing on the ball
5.1 -
Hastings to Nair, no run, this Aussie knows what he is doing. Plugging it away around off, Nair is beaten on the forward push
4.6 -
A Russell to Samson, FOUR, that will get Samson going, exactly the kind of the delivery he would have wanted first up. Lenght delivery around middle and leg and Samson gets a touch across and wrists it through mid-on, timed it well to beat a diving fielder
Sanju Samson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
4.5 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, out Caught by B Hogg!! Listen to that crowd, that is an indication that KOL have got another one. DEL are three down and this is the kind of start GG would have wanted from his boys, length delivery around off, Agarwal tried to force the drive on the up. A thickish outside edge carried nicely to the fielder at third man and that will be the end of Agarwal's misery. He never looked at ease tonight. M Agarwal c B Hogg b A Russell 9(11) [4s-1]
A Russell to M Agarwal, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
4.4 -
A Russell to Nair, 1 run, there was not enough power in the drive to beat the fielder at point, but he lacked power because he tried to open the bat a touch to find the gap. The point fielder got a hand to it and kept it to a single
4.3 -
A Russell to Nair, no run, good heavy ball from Russell, bouncers once in a while are good stuff, around off. Nair lets it go
4.2 -
A Russell to Nair, 2 runs, leg-stump half-volley and Nair will thank Russell for this, clips it to deep backward square leg
4.2 -
A Russell to Nair, wide, missed the line by a few inches this time, splayed it down the leg-side and the umpire spreads his arms
4.1 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, 1 run, Russell aimed for Agarwal's toe this time and almost got it right. Must say Agarwal did well to dig it out to mid-on
3.6 -
Hastings to Nair, no run, he ends the over like he started it, beating the batsman just outside off, gets this one to move off the pitch, late, very late. And Nair was beaten as he tried to force this one towards the point region
3.5 -
Hastings to Nair, no run, considering that there is a slip in place, this is a nice line from Hastings, gets the batsman to drive off the front foot. He does well but cannot find the gap through cover
3.4 -
Hastings to M Agarwal, 1 run, short of good length just outside off, Agarwal fences it from the crease to third man, good mopping work done by the man scouting the region
3.3 -
Hastings to M Agarwal, no run, not the kind of sound a batsman wants off his bat when he is driving off the front foot, fuller length around off, Agarwal drives off the toe of the bat towards cover
3.2 -
Hastings to M Agarwal, no run, this time there is no movement, the line is same though, allows Agarwal to defend towards the off-side
3.1 -
Hastings to M Agarwal, no run, peach of a delivery from Hastings, straightened a touch outside off to elude Agarwal's poke
John Hastings, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Karun Nair, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.6 -
A Russell to Shreyas Iyer, out Lbw!! He has been the hero for Mumbai throughout the domestic season but tonight he will have to be content with a duck. Poor shot and he has only himself to be blamed. Tried to play across the line so early in the innings and has to pay the price, the ball would have gone onto his middle and leg with the angle of Russell. Was hit well below the knee roll so no question of the height as well. Shreyas Iyer lbw b A Russell 0(3)
A Russell to Shreyas Iyer, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
2.5 -
A Russell to Shreyas Iyer, no run, bumper and at Shreyas Iyer, ducked under it
2.4 -
A Russell to Shreyas Iyer, no run, Iyer would have had his heart in his mouth as he clipped this one to mid-wicket and set off, the fielder was quick to intercept and threw at the striker's end, Iyer made it with a dive even as the fielder missed the target
2.3 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, 1 run, hurls this one on a back of a length, Agarwal tucks it behind square. New man on strike
Shreyas Iyer, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.2 -
A Russell to de Kock, out Caught by Y Pathan!! Someone shouted "catch, catch" and senior Pathan responded in kind at mid-off, short ball around off, did not come nicely on the bat of de Kock. He was not in any position to pull this one, sliced the pull off the bottom of the bat and the ball ballooned towards mid-off, Pathan took it after fumbling on the first attempt. de Kock c Y Pathan b A Russell 17(10) [4s-1 6s-1]
A Russell to de Kock, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
2.1 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, 1 run, short of a good length around middle and off, M Agarwal stays inside the line and runs it down to third man
1.6 -
U Yadav to de Kock, no run, slower delivery and de Kock read it well, just that he could not execute the swing properly, the bat turned in his hand a bit and it was intercepted at mid-wicket
1.5 -
U Yadav to de Kock, SIX, Yadav is not learning from mistakes and that has allowed de Kock to get into overdrive, short again, went back and flumped into the deep backward square leg fence for a maximum
1.4 -
U Yadav to de Kock, FOUR, poor delivery and punished, de Kock had enough time to rock back and pull this one well over mid-wicket, one bounce over the ropes
1.3 -
U Yadav to de Kock, no run, Yadav goes slightly fuller this time, de Kock drives it with an angled bat back to the bowler
1.2 -
U Yadav to de Kock, no run, similar line and length from Yadav, just outside off, de Kock stays back and punches in the same region
1.1 -
U Yadav to de Kock, no run, short and wide and Yadav is lucky to get away with this, de Kock smeared the cut straight to the fielder at point this time
Umesh Yadav, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
A Russell to de Kock, 5 runs, what could have been a run-out results in four extra runs. de Kock patted this one off the back foot to point, a tremendous fielding effort almost caught him short at the bowler's end, but there was no one backing up and four free runs for the South African
0.5 -
A Russell to de Kock, 2 runs, Russell keeps it around leg stump allowing de Kock the time to get back and tuck behind square on the on-side
0.4 -
A Russell to de Kock, no run, there is one slip in place for QDK and rightly so, the ball went away with the angle this time, de Kock poked at it without much feet movement and was beaten in the end
0.3 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, 1 run, shortish from Russell once again, this time, Agarwal hops back and dabs it to third man for a single
0.3 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, wide, too short and that has been called a wide for height, Agarwal was on the front foot trying to pull it, left it awkwardly in the end
0.2 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, no run, short of length this time, angling into Agarwal, he gets back and taps in front of cover-point
0.1 -
A Russell to M Agarwal, FOUR, what a shot to get off the mark, as if he has come all set, length delivery and Agarwal was never trying to keep it down, lofted the drive over the cover region and the ball raced away to the fence
M Agarwal and de Kock are at the crease. M Agarwal is on strike. A Russell will open the attack
It's a new season, but the same old story for Delhi. Really hope, like Zaheer put it, that it's their first and last bad game. From Kolkata's perspective though, a thoroughly comprehensive win. This should get them warmed up nicely for the competition. Time to wrap things up. Join us tomorrow as the T20 League moves to Mohali. Cheers!
Russell: "We have to adjust to any surface. It wasn't the fastest wicket, not slow either. Short ball was tacky. The WC win a week ago gave me confidence to come out and play fiercely. If I had the chance to bat, I might have tried to do something destructive. When things go your way, you should keep going. I didn't think it would spin much but our spinners gave it a nice rip. Even the other bowlers complemented well."
Andre Russell is Man of the Match
Gambhir: "The way Russell started, he got to Kolkata in the morning. A lot of credit to the bowlers for restricting them to 98, half the job was done right there. Not used to play on these kind of wickets in Kolkata. We weren't sure as to what will be a good total so decided to bowl first. It's a small ground here making it easier to chase. Russell is a quality player and the surface doesn't matter when you have quality. I thought that someone had to bat through which is what professional teams do and that is what we had discussed and that was my responsibility. Robin batted unbelievably, some of the shots were unbelievable. I was playing after a long time, so I'm happy to get some runs under the bag against a quality attack. We have all bases covered so it doesn't matter what we get [in terms of pitches]. Lots of people say that we ask for specific tracks but it's never that way. A quality bowler will do well on any kind of surface."
Zaheer: "You learn everyday. I was trying to swing it too much. Playing a game after a long time. Happy with how the fast bowlers put their hand up. T20 League is such a long tournament, every team is going to have one bad game. And this was our first and last bad game and it's out of the way. We are giving them freedom. T20 is such a fast game, we want the intensity. Everyone works on their game. 120 could have been close on this track. This team is all about letting them express themselves on the field freely."
A bowling captain is the best thing that can happen to a team if they are looking to defend the target, which looked minuscule from every corner. But Zaheer faltered, meaning that Delhi lacked motivation. Uthappa and Gauti once again gave KOL the start they needed and by the time the former departed, only formalities remained. For the second successive day, the team chasing the target has won by 9 wickets. What a one-sided start to the tournament which boasts of bringing out the best of the best.
It has been a forgettable night for Delhi. Clearly nothing went their way. There was definitely a lack of plan as the batsmen did not apply themselves in the middle. Once it was clear that it was not a high-scoring track, they could have adjusted and opted for a realistic one. Did not happen and the match was half-lost half-way. Considering that the batsmen had made a meal, the bowlers needed to play out of their skins. But what they did was beyond belief, gave easy runs and never looked like having a plan.
14.1 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, 1 run, KOL start their T20 League 2016 in style with an easy win. At the other end of the spectrum, DEL have put up a disappointing performance. Coming back to the winning run, Gambhir patted a short of length delivery to point for an easy single. Players from both teams are now shaking hands with each other as they make their way back to the pavilion
14.1 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, wide, short delivery and outside off, Gambhir lets it go by, adjudged as a wide for height
Zaheer Khan [2.0-0-22-0] is back into the attack
13.6 -
Coulter-Nile to M Pandey, FOUR, only two runs required now to post a a well-deserved victory for KOL. Pandey backs away and clubs a back of a length delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary
13.5 -
Coulter-Nile to M Pandey, FOUR, Pandey twins placement and timing to crack the drive to a fuller length delivery. It races away to the deep extra cover fence. He hung back in the crease a bit there
13.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, 1 run, slanted into Gambhir, who dabs it to point for an easy single. KOL are just coasting towards the target
13.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, Coulter-Nile gets good shoulder on a bouncer, Gambhir though, lets it go by
13.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, the slower short one from Coulter-Nile, Gambhir looks to heave it across the line and misses
13.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, FOUR, a tad fuller and just outside off, Gambhir plays what can be called as a half-hearted punch and gets a thickish outside edge that zooms away to the third man fence. It crashed into the ad-cushions, on that occasion
12.6 -
C Morris to M Pandey, no run, another shortish ball from the South African, Pandey backs away and tries one of his forehand smashes. It hits the splice of the bat and rolls away towards the keeper
12.5 -
C Morris to Gambhir, 1 run, too straight from Morris, Gambhir works it to fine leg
12.4 -
C Morris to M Pandey, 1 run, nothing is going DEL's way today. Pandey tries to help a shortish delivery over the man at backward short leg. However, does not get it off the middle of the bat. It just about balloons over the fielder for a single
12.3 -
C Morris to M Pandey, no run, Pandey shuffles across and works a fullish delivery to backward short leg
12.2 -
C Morris to M Pandey, no run, Pandey backs away and looks to cut, but is beaten
12.1 -
C Morris to M Pandey, no run, if the fielder at mid-on had effected a direct-hit now that could have been interesting. Pandey dabs a back of a length delivery to mid-on, who swoops down on the ball quickly and fires in a throw at the bowler's end. However, the non-striker puts in a desperate dive. It was touch and go
11.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, short of length delivery and Coulter-Nile extracts disconcerting bounce on it, Gambhir fends it away to mid-wicket
11.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, from round the wicket, Coulter-Nile angles it in, dabbed to point
11.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, fuller length delivery and just outside off, patted to mid-off
11.3 -
Coulter-Nile to M Pandey, 1 run, now that was an awkward looking shot played by Pandey. Coulter-Nile bangs it short again, Pandey, initially aimed to pull. Eventually, does not get into a position to play that stroke and it turns out to be a forehand smash played to mid-on for a single
11.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, 1 run, just behind a good length and drifting down leg, Gambhir wrists it to deep square leg
11.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, FOUR, Coulter-Nile bangs it short and outside off, Gambhir rolls his wrists on it and pulls it to the deep mid-wicket fence. Gambhir was expecting the short ball, on that occasion
Gambhir is not ready as he gets out of the way. NCN has to reload again
Nathan Coulter-Nile [2.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
C Morris to Gambhir, 1 run, too straight from Morris, tucked to deep square leg
10.5 -
C Morris to Gambhir, no run, fullish and just outside off, Gambhir dabs it to point
10.4 -
C Morris to M Pandey, 1 run, well, can you call that as a chance? I won't think so. Short delivery and slanted in, Pandey uses the pull and it goes right through the hands of the fielder at square leg for a single. It was too quick for the fielder to snaffle the catch
10.3 -
C Morris to M Pandey, FOUR, shortish delivery and angled in, Pandey helps it to the deep backward square leg fence. Iyer put in a good effort in the deep, but couldn't succeed in his endeavour
10.2 -
C Morris to Gambhir, 1 run, short of length delivery and angling into the left-hander, Gambhir hops in the air and fends it just past the fielder at backward short-leg for a single. The trap was set, but couldn't get the desired result
10.1 -
C Morris to Gambhir, no run, back of a length delivery that is slanted away from the left-hander, Gambhir hangs back and pokes at it with his feet stationed in clay, only to be beaten
Chris Morris [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
9.6 -
Mishra to M Pandey, no run, the leg-spinner from Mishra, Pandey offers a textbook front foot defence to keep it out
9.5 -
Mishra to M Pandey, no run, a hint of drift for Mishra, Pandey covers for it and defends off the front foot with his bat and pad tucked in nicely together
Manish Pandey, right handed bat, comes to the crease
9.4 -
Mishra to Uthappa, out Caught by C Morris!! Uthappa would be a disappointed man. He timed that inside-out lofted drive well, but found Morris at wide long-off with perfection. Tossed up delivery and inviting the drive, Uthappa cracks it straight to the man at long-off, who takes the catch with both hands at shoulder height. Uthappa c C Morris b Mishra 35(33) [4s-7]
Mishra to Uthappa, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
9.3 -
Mishra to Gambhir, 1 run, too straight from Mishra, tucked to mid-wicket
9.2 -
Mishra to Uthappa, 1 run, the quicker one from Mishra, Uthappa aims to sweep and gets a bottom edge to square leg
9.1 -
Mishra to Uthappa, no run, another googly from Mishra and it almost helps him to pick up a scalp. Uthappa tried to dab it to third man and eked out an inside edge onto his front pad
9.1 -
Mishra to Uthappa, 5 wides, the attempted googly, but it did not come well out of his hand. Uthappa sinks on one knee and looks to scoop, but misses. It runs away for five wides
Strategic Time-Out in place. KOL are easing their way towards the modest target set by DEL. Gambhir and Uthappa have made merry against some pretty ordinary bowling on view. Both have twinned placement with timing to unfurl a series of eye-catching shots
8.6 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, FOUR, splayed down leg, Gambhir neatly flicks it to the mid-wicket fence. It beat the fielder in the deep with needlepoint perfection. Gambhir is very good at playing the flick shot and DEL have paid the price by bowling on his pads
8.5 -
Brathwaite to Uthappa, 1 run, back of a length delivery and drifting down leg, Uthappa flicks it in the air to deep square leg
8.4 -
Brathwaite to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa misses out with the free-hit as he looks to slog a back of a length delivery that was bowled outside off and can't make the connection
8.4 -
Brathwaite to Uthappa, no ball, now that was nasty. Brathwaite bowls the beamer as it slips out of his hand. Uthappa was surprised by it. It hit his glove as he looked to keep it out. Now, we will have a free-hit
8.3 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, 1 run, width on offer, Gambhir cracks it to sweeper cover
8.2 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, byes, 2 runs, well, good effort ball from Brathwaite. Brathwaite bangs it short and gets good shoulder on it. The focal point was he bowled it outside off, Gambhir tried to pull, but was beaten on the top-edge. De Kock could not collect the ball and that resulted in two byes
8.1 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, no run, fuller length delivery and just outside off, Gambhir mistimes the drive back towards the bowler, who stops it on his followthrough
7.6 -
Mishra to Gambhir, 1 run, width on offer, Gambhir cracks the cut, Zaheer at point misfields and that results in a single
7.5 -
Mishra to Uthappa, 1 run, the straighter-one that skidded on, Uthappa pats it to long-on
7.4 -
Mishra to Uthappa, no run, a hint of turn for Mishra, Uthappa pushes it to point
7.3 -
Mishra to Gambhir, 1 run, too straight from Mishra, Gambhir tucks it to backward square leg
7.2 -
Mishra to Uthappa, 1 run, deliciously flighted from Mishra, Uthappa drives it to long-off
7.1 -
Mishra to Uthappa, no run, flighted delivery and on the stumps, Uthappa drives it back towards the bowler, who dives to his left and stops with one hand. He gets a few words of encouragement from the keeper - Quinton de Kock
Amit Mishra, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, no run, Gambhir waits on this one and cut/dabs it to the fielder at gully. Good over from Brathwaite
6.5 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, no run, Gambhir goes for the expansive drive on this fuller length delivery, did not move his feet and has no chance of connecting with it
6.4 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, no run, Gambhir forces at this length delivery that was angled across, gets it off the outer part of the bat to point
6.3 -
Brathwaite to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa was committed on the front foot and the ball nipped in off the pitch to get an inside part of his bat, rolls to backward square leg
6.2 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, 1 run, similar delivery but this time Gambhir goes back and across, works to mid-wicket
6.1 -
Brathwaite to Gambhir, no run, waits for the length delivery and dabs it to point
Carlos Brathwaite, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
5.6 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, this is one way of keeping him from driving everything, a bouncer. Uthappa sits under it
5.5 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa is driving everything, sometimes he is finding the gaps, sometimes he is not. On this occasion, he could not as he drove it straight to the fielder at mid-off
5.4 -
C Morris to Uthappa, FOUR, another straight drive from Uthappa and this one towards long-on, not a half-volley once again but it is coming on nicely, Uthappa timed it well and it raced away
5.3 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, good length delivery from Morris around off stick, defended towards mid-off
5.2 -
C Morris to Gambhir, 1 run, Zaheer is not quick along the turf these days and Gambhir makes use of it. Drove this fuller length towards him at cover and took on his arm. Uthappa was in danger at the striker's end but he was well in when the ball passed the stumps
5.1 -
C Morris to Gambhir, no run, back of a length delivery angling across the left-hander, punched to backward point
4.6 -
Zaheer to Uthappa, FOUR, straight as an arrow and pardon me for the cliche but it was. Not a half-volley but Uthappa was always waiting for this one on the front foot, just punched it and beat Zaheer's left boot which he had stuck out to stop this one
4.5 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, 1 run, similar delivery, this time Gambhir taps it to the other side of the wicket towards mid-wicket. Some football skills from Brathwaite, cannot hit the target at the bowler's end
4.4 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, no run, this one came in with Zaheer's angle, Gambhir waited for it and defended close to the body, wanted to steal a single but it was not there
4.3 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Gambhir stays in the crease and defends to short cover
4.2 -
Zaheer to Uthappa, 1 run, this one was around middle and off, Uthappa prods across and works it to backward square leg
4.1 -
Zaheer to Uthappa, no run, fuller length from the captain this time, rolled his fingers on it, Uthappa drives it back to the bowler. Zaheer does well to stop it with his left boot
Zaheer Khan [1.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack
3.6 -
C Morris to Uthappa, 1 run, shortish from the South African, Uthappa rides the bounce and dabs to gully, will keep the strike for the next over
3.6 -
C Morris to Uthappa, wide, wayward bouncer down the leg-side, Uthappa was caught off guard, wanted to hook it but did not get any bat, called a wide
3.5 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, Morris gets it better this time, keeps it on a length on off, Uthappa pats it towards mid-off
3.4 -
C Morris to Uthappa, FOUR, he ended up giving it in Uthappa's zone, on middle and leg. Uthappa moved across and flicked it uppishly well in front of the square for a four
3.3 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, right on middle and off this time, Uthappa defends it back to the bowler
3.2 -
C Morris to Uthappa, no run, there is a slip that is fairly wide. But this delivery won't make him come into play, fuller on the stumps, Uthappa moves across and flicks to mid-wicket, who dives to save a few runs
3.1 -
C Morris to Gambhir, 1 run, short of a good length delivery around off, Gambhir drops in front of cover and steals a single
Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, FOUR, carbon copy of the drive he played off Zaheer, once again leans into the drive on this half-volley and threads the gap through cover
2.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, FOUR, edged and it runs wide of slip into the third man fence. Some extra bounce this time, Uthappa is troubled by it as he pushes at it, induces an edge that fetches him a four
2.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, that on the up drive from Uthappa. How he was struggling in the previous over of NCN, a run-fest in the previous over has done world of good to his confidence, cannot beat mid-off though
2.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, 1 run, short ball that rose well to get into Gambhir's rib cage. The Delhi man did well to tuck it to fine leg for a single
2.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, fullish outside off, Gambhir wants to force this one into the off-side, gets it off the inside part of the toe towards the bowler
2.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Gambhir, no run, clearly pitched outside leg, wonder why was NCN appealing. On a length outside leg, Gambhir does not connect with the flick and is rapped on the pad
1.6 -
Zaheer to Uthappa, FOUR, this is majestic from Uthappa, did not try to hit it too hard. Just slouches on the drive on this half-volley outside off and caresses it through cover. The start that KOL needed, they have got it
1.5 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, 1 run, that could have been the third four of the over. It was a again a poor delivery on Gambhir's legs, he flicked it but this time straight to the fielder at deep backward square leg
1.4 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, FOUR, poor delivery, really poor from the captain, there is a deep fine leg, but he had no chance as Gambhir timed this flick well enough. Raced all along the turf this one
1.3 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, no run, length delivery that curls away outside off, Gambhir does not budge
1.2 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, 2 runs, similar delivery from Zaheer, Gambhir clips it through mid-wicket, the fielder there got a hand on it to kill the pace off the shot. Enough time for Gambhir to add a couple to the tally before it is being fielded in the deep
1.1 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, FOUR, how beautifully has that been played by Gambhir, it was not a great delivery, angling into Gambhir and he waited for it, rolled his wrists on the flick. The ball races away to the deep square leg fence
1.1 -
Zaheer to Gambhir, wide, one slip for Zaheer, sprays it down the leg-side, called a wide
Zaheer Khan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Uthappa has completed 3000 runs in the T20 League. Sixth player to do so..
0.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, FOUR, so well he had bowled throughout the over, got too ambitious and wanted to swing this one from middle and leg. It ended up being a half-volley on the legs and Uthappa clips it to the deep square leg fence
0.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, good length delivery around off, Uthappa is committed on the front foot in his usual manner, drives it towards cover
0.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, edges this time but did not go hard at this one just outside off, was able to keep it down. Second slip dives to his right to prevent any run
0.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, pacy delivery from NCN, pitches on a back of a length and then nips away, Uthappa is once again happy to leave
0.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, and this one straightens after angling in, Uthappa was looking to work it with a tilted bat. The ball snuck through past the outside edge. Jaffa!
0.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Uthappa, no run, full ball near the tramline, moves away, left alone by Uthappa
Uthappa and Gambhir are at the crease. Uthappa is on strike. Coulter-Nile will open the attack