Ken Borland

The Delhi Daredevils, led by their resident wrecking ball Virender Sehwag, cemented their position at the top of the Indian Premier League log as they hammered the Rajasthan Royals by six wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Tuesday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/indian-premier-league/news/120501/Wreckingball_Sehwag_keeps_DD_on_top

Sehwag put on a phenomenal show as he plundered 73 off 38 balls, cruising to their target of 142 with 28 balls to spare, after the Royals had made a meal of the second half of their innings to finish with a mediocre 141 for six.

Sehwag’s great innings, highlighting not only his power but also his uncanny ability to find the gaps, handed Rajasthan their fourth successive defeat, leaving them languishing in sixth place, while the Daredevils now lead the Kolkata Knight Riders by three points at the top of the standings.

The Delhi captain married brute force with tremendous skill as he dominated a fruitful second-wicket partnership of 96 in 9.5 overs with Kevin Pietersen, who did not need to assert himself too much as he strolled to 36 off 34 balls.

Shane Watson, who was the best of the Rajasthan bowlers with one for 29 in his four overs, removed Pietersen when he had him caught at long-off and even the cheap dismissal of Ross Taylor (6), slicing a pull at a Brad Hogg chinaman, left no doubt as to who the winners would be.

It was Hogg who eventually removed Sehwag, slicing a cut to backward point, ending a top-class innings in a rather soft fashion.

Naman Ojha then hit spinner Ashok Menaria’s first two balls for a four and a six to complete a thorough victory for the IPL pace-setters.

It is said that opening partnerships lay the foundation for the innings, but the Rajasthan Royals totally wasted theirs as they stagnated to 141 for six after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Left-arm spinner Pawan Negi was the hero for the Daredevils with four for 18 in his four overs, but Morne Morkel was equally as brilliant, once again showing his class with one for 23 in four overs.

Opening batsman and captain Rahul Dravid was the top scorer for Rajasthan with a determined 57 off 43 balls, but he will be very disappointed with how the innings faded away after he and Ajinkya Rahane had added 71 for the first wicket in 8.4 overs.

Rahane was once again in sublime form as he powered to 42 off 32 balls, with seven thunderous fours, but the competition’s leading run-scorer was not quite the same batsman after Morkel hit him on the head with a ferocious, quick bouncer in the sixth over.

Rahane was the first victim of the 19-year-old Negi as his reverse-sweep was rather lamely placed straight into the hands of Sehwag at backward point.

Watson, who was in the West Indies with the Australian team just 72 hours previously, heaved Delhi’s other left-arm spinner, Shahbaz Nadeem for six, but was given a rude awakening by Negi, who skidded a delivery through to bowl the all-rounder for eight.

Owais Shah (1) tried to have a dip at impressive fast bowler Umesh Yadav (4-0-28-1) and could only glove a catch to wicketkeeper Ojha, and Negi then cut deep into the Rajasthan lower-order when he removed Brad Hodge (1) and Menaria (2) in his final over.

Dravid completed a well-put-together half-century, off 35 balls, by driving Morkel crisply through extra cover for his seventh four in the 17th over, but it was little consolation as the Royals still finished with a poor total on a good batting pitch.

Dravid departed in Morkel’s next over when he tried to hit the tall fast bowler over the leg-side, but could only edge the ball into his leg, from where it hit the stumps.

The Pune Warriors ran into Virender Sehwag at his best, losing their Indian Premier League match against the Delhi Daredevils by eight wickets at their Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.

– http://www.supersport.com/cricket/indian-premier-league/news/120424/Pune_lose_to_Sehwag_scorcher

Sehwag was in hot form, hammering 87 not out off just 48 balls, his scorching strokeplay bringing him 10 fours and three sixes as Delhi cantered to their target of 147 with four overs to spare.

The Indian opener showed once again why he is such a class act, timing and placing the ball magnificently and working the bowlers with great skill through the on-side and being as ruthless as ever when he was given space outside off stump.

Sehwag laughed off his involvement in an awful mix-up with Mahela Jayawardena, who was run out for 18 when Luke Wright suddenly emerged from behind the square-leg umpire and fired in a quick throw to wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa.

The Daredevils were 22 for one in the third over, but Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen quickly banished any hopes Pune had of securing their second victory over Delhi as they added 89 for the second wicket in 8.2 overs.

Pietersen scored a comfortable 27 off 21 balls before he skied a drive off leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, but Sehwag stayed through to the end in a top-class innings, flatbatting Rahul for a straight six to end the match.

Rahul finished his four overs with 1-33 but, although none of the other Pune bowlers could take a wicket, South African seamer Alfonso Thomas (2-0-14-0) and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik (4-0-26-0) were economical.

It was not a good evening though for left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra (3-0-34-0) nor seamer Wright (2-0-24-0).

The Pune Warriors recovered to 146 for two because of a brilliant century stand between Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa.

Pandey and Uthappa added 120 for the third wicket off 112 balls, finishing not out on 80 and 60 respectively. They’re both experienced IPL campaigners, so they didn’t let the shock of Pune being reduced to one for two in the second over get to them as they sensibly built a partnership before lashing out in the closing overs.

It was not the best performance in the field by the Delhi Daredevils as Pandey was dropped three times, Pietersen missing a sitter at long-on off Pawan Negi on 20, and Shahbaz Nadeem and Negi dropping return catches on 44 and 56. Their ground fielding was also not faultless.

Pandey used beautifully-timed, classical strokes with a straight bat, plus some innovation, to strike seven fours and three sixes in his fine innings of 80 not out off 56 balls.

Uthappa played within himself, allowing Pandey to accelerate, but his 60 not out off 58 balls included six fours and was a great supporting act.

The Warriors had elected to bat first, but made a disastrous start as Irfan Pathan’s second ball kept low to bowl Jesse Ryder for a duck and Saurav Ganguly (1) sliced Morne Morkel’s second ball to third man.

Morkel finished with 1-34 in his four overs, but Pathan, with one for 24, and left-arm spinners Negi and Nadeem, who each conceded just 22 runs in their four overs, did the most to restrict Pandey and Uthappa.