In the 27th match of DLF – IPL, Rajasthan Royals were asked to bat first by Mumbai Indians and the bowlers of Mumbai Indians didnt let the captain down. They got rid of Smith when the score was 12 and soon the explosive batsman- Yousaf Pathan was bowled by Nehra. Watson and Swapnil Asnodkar took the score to 74 before loosing Watson. Watson scored 32 and once he was out, it looked almost all over for Rajasthan Royals. The wickets started to fell like heap of cards and it was no longer before Rajasthan Royals were all out for 103 in just 16.2 overs. This was the first time Rajasthan Royals have been all out and its only the batsmen who are to be blamed.Now its upto the bowlers of Rajasthan Royals to prevent Mumbai Indians to achieve the target, but it really looks a daunting task to safeguard that low total.

Today – Match 27th – Scorecard – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals is going to be a thrilling encounter as Mumbai Indians have come back to the league strongly after loosing some initial matches where as the Rajasthan Royals are at the top of the points table much to the surprise of all cricket lovers.
The probables for today are
Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Shane Warne (captain), 2 Graeme Smith, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Swapnil Asnodkar, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Mohammad Kaif, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Manoj Rawat (wk), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Shaun Pollock (captain), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Yogesh Takawale (wk), 7 Abhishek Nayar, 8 Rohan Raje, 9 Saurabh Tiwari, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Ashish Nehra.
Match Details :

Date – May 5, 2008 25th Match
Venue – Mumbai

20:00 India time.

Keep checking iplcricketlive .com for more information about the match, match videos, match score cards and an analysis of each team’s performance.

Mumbai (PTI): Mumbai Indians badly needed captain Sachin Tendulkar to maintain their winning momentum but the master batsman is still unlikely to make his Indian Premier League debut in their match against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.

“I don’t know whether I will play tomorrow or not. I am working on my fitness with my physio now. I think I will play when I become fit,” said Tendulkar, who is nursing a groin injury.

The Mumbai icon player said he has been under no pressure from any quarter to start playing in the IPL, though he wanted to be in the thick of action as soon as possible and help his side maintain the winning momentum after winning the last two matches.

“I want to play in the IPL as soon as possible. But, I have not been under any pressure. My team owner (Mukesh Ambani) told me to concentrate on recovery from my injury, so I will play when I am fit,” he said.

Asked how he felt on being honoured with Padma Vibhushan, Tendulkar said, “I am happy that the Government has given recognition to my contribution.”

Source: hindu.com

England all-rounder Ravi Bopara has turned down a lucrative six-figure deal to play in the Indian Premier League in a bid to cement his place in the national side.Essex star Bopara, who is not centrally contracted to the ECB, said: “When figures like these are put in front of you, it is tempting – but my goal is to play regularly for England.”I am confident that if I continue to score runs and take wickets for Essex, then I will hopefully play for England this summer and for many years to come.”

He added: “If I do this, and with the current talk of new competitions and one-off matches to sit alongside the IPL, then I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy the financial benefits in years to come.”

Bopara has scored 341 runs in three LV County Championship innings and also tops the team’s bowling averages with six wickets at an average of 18.
Source:ukpress.google.com

Deccan Chargers again caused an upset today in the 26th match of DLF -IPL by defeating one of the strongest team ie Chennai Super Kings. Chasing a small target of 145, Gibbs and Gilchrist opened the innings and took the score to 24 when Manpreet Goni got rid of Gibbs. Gilchrist on the other end was simply fierce and was hitting the ball with atmost power. He scored 54 of just 36 balls and thus laid a solid platform for Deccan Chargers. Gilly was the captain for today’s match due to an injury to Laxman and he really played a captain’s knock. When he got out, Rohit Sharma came to bat who along with Scott Styris scored freely and took the score past 100. Deccan Chargers needed run a ball and the game was in the control. With a huge hit to the fence, Rohit began the highest run getter in the tournament and thus bagged the orange cap from Sehwag.When Rohit got out,Afridi came to the center and ended the match with two sixes and two fours in the favor of Deccan Chargers.

Today – Match 26th – Scorecard – Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers