The emotional journey of the Indian fan during the WT20 – through GIFs

India came into the World T20, after a dispiriting few months where they just about lost every series, regardless of the format, since November last year. So, when it was time for the World T20 to begin and we realized that we were grouped with Pakistan, West Indies and Australia…..

 

The campaign started on a perfect note though, with a clinical win over Pakistan, but the heart refused to accept that the team would fare better in the remaining games…..

 

Then India beat defending champions West Indies in similarly convincing style. Suddenly, the expectations were kindled….

 

India rolled over Bangladesh and became the first team to enter the semifinals, which was a pleasant surprise

 

By the time Australia were brushed aside ruthlessly, confidence was sky-high

 

India faced South Africa in the semifinal, and were faced with their first challenging target of the tournament. Kohli was all like…

 

India entered the WT20 final for the second time since 2007 and anticipation was building, when it was realized that they were going to play Sri Lanka in the final.

 

Still, it was an opportunity for India to hold all three major ICC trophies at the same time…

 

India batted first. Kohli stuck some lusty blows and at the half way point, it looked like a good platform was set for the finish. Then Yuvraj happened.

 

The game was effectively over by the time Dhoni and Kohli returned to the dejected dugout. Sri Lanka duly completed the chase with Sangakkara leading the team to a memorable triumph in his last T20 international. For the India fan,

 

Then we remembered that the IPL is round the corner….

Views of a Chennai Super Fan – “Dhon’t” leave it too late!

Over the coming weeks, I will be offering my analysis of CSK’s games from a fan’s perspective. Here is the first of the lot:

Match: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in Chennai

Result: Mumbai Indians win by 9 runs.

Narrative: Ricky Ponting won the toss and chose to bat. Promptly, MI were in trouble as they lost Tendulkar and Ponting to the seasoned Nannes and rookie Rajpoot. Dinesh Karthik continued from where he left off against RCB, but the wickets continued to fall as MI stumbled to 83/6 at the end of the 12th over. From there on, it was a Pollard show, as he played a typical belligerent innings to help MI to 148 with the help of Harbhajan Singh. In reply, CSK never really got going as they struggled to 97 in the 16th over when Jadeja lost his wicket. MSD took it as his cue to play his trademark back-to-the-wall innings, as a flurry of four and sixes came off his bat in the final overs, but it was that man Pollard again, whose spectacular catch on the boundary in the final over, who sealed CSK’s fate and with that the game for MI.

Analysis: A very disappointing loss, considering that CSK had reduced MI to 83/6 at one stage. Still, chasing 149 in home conditions against a side without its Lankan spearhead should have been comfortable enough. Yet, that old failing of CSK – unable to get going in the powerplay – came to the fore as the top order just allowed the required rate to shoot up, leaving too much for the middle and lower order to do. MS Dhoni can only do so much, and with a little help from the other batsmen could have still won the game. Starting the season unconvincingly is nothing new for CSK, and invariably they end strongly; but Fleming and Dhoni will have to seriously work on the issues with the top order. It’s worrying that Hussey-Vijay-Raina-Badri-Bravo are unable to give good starts consistently. Hopefully, the arrival of Albie Morkel in the coming week will help with the blues.

 

The Plunder Games – Final Week Recap

1st Qualifier: KKR vs DD

 

Kolkata Knight Riders 162 for 4 (Yusuf 40*) beat Delhi Daredevils 144 for 8 (Jayawardene 40, Kallis 2-24, Narine 2-24) by 18 runs

Match in 140 characters: Pathan and Shukla blitz in last four overs to power KKR to a stiff 162; poor shot selection, umpiring blunder and bizarre tactics cost DD

#TrottsFault: In a tournament which has seen captains struggling over when to send their best hitters to the middle, one more ridiculous instance can be added. When Jayawardene got out, the required run rate was well above 10 an over and the situation required a barnstorming knock like the one Yusuf Pathan played earlier in the game; instead Sehwag sent Negi, known more for his bowling ahead of Taylor. Rao and Negi pottered around as the innings stagnated, and when Ross Taylor finally came out to bat, he had to face Narine with 3 overs left and a RRR touching 14. It was eerily similar to the IPL-3 final, where Tendulkar kept Pollard for too late, costing Mumbai Indians the title.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: If there was one batsman who could make light weight of the target of 163, it was Sehwag. So when Balaji had him nicking behind in the 3rd over, KKR had put one foot in the final already.

Viagra Performer of the day: Yusuf Pathan has been getting a lot of grief over his non-performance in this year’s IPL, but the KKR management stuck to their guns believing that he would come good eventually. He repaid that ironclad faith with the type of innings, he has built his reputation on. At the end of 16 overs, it looked like KKR would be happy with a total of 140; instead, they got an additional 20 runs which proved to be the difference in the end.

Best tweet of the game: Viru claims he never looks at the pitch before a game. Looking at the bowlers he picked today, I am starting to believe him now. #getlostpls (by @fakeiplplayer)

Eliminator: CSK vs MI

Chennai Super Kings 187 for 5 (Dhoni 51, Hussey 49) v Mumbai Indians 149 for 9 (Smith 38, Bravo 2-10, Morkel 2-31)

Match in 140 characters: Despite early hiccups, Badri and Mussey stabilize as Dhoni and Bravo provide explosive finish to innings…MI fall short by 38 runs

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Ironically, it was the fall of Jadeja at the start of the 15th over which turned out to be the exact situation CSK would have wanted to be in. With Dhoni and Bravo at the crease, and Morkel to come, CSK had the license to go after the bowling. MSD and Bravo did it in style as they exploded to add 73 runs in 29 balls to post a total that was beyond even MI’s powerful line-up.

Viagra Performer of the day: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Dhoni revels in situations like these; the treatment he meted out to the first ball he faced was a sign of things to come. All his trademark shots were there, including the helicopter shot only he can perfect. He faced 20 balls, hit 6 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 255 for a blistering 51 that effectively put the total beyond the reach of the Mumbai Indians.

Best tweet of the day: N.Srinivasan to Mukesh Ambani “Hey man. Put chutney ” (by @Sarcasan)

2nd Qualifier: CSK vs DD

Chennai Super Kings 222 for 5 (Vijay 113) beat Delhi Daredevils 136 (Jayawardene 55, Ashwin 3-23) by 86 runs

Match in 140 characters: Murali Vijay’s blistering ton leads a CSK battering of DD as absence of Morkel and strange tactics by Sehwag consign them to defeat

#TrottsFault: For the second game running, Sehwag ensured that team selection and on-field tactics would be the point of contention. Apart from dropping the leading wicket taker Morkel for the sake of team balance, he gave Sunny Gupta, a little known off spinner playing his first IPL game, the responsibility of bowling the first over. The first ball disappeared to the boundary and it never got better after that. Not satisfied, Sehwag decided to come one down while batting, giving DD less chance of a momentum grabbing start which they desperately needed to chase 223.

Viagra Performer of the day: There is something about a big game which brings out the best in Murali Vijay. After looking woefully out of form for most of the tournament, Murali Vijay struck a blistering ton which began with a boundary off the first ball of the innings, and ended when he was run out off the last ball of the innings. In between, he had scored 113 from 58 deliveries at a strike rate of 194.82 containing 15 boundaries and 4 sixes. Going into the final against KKR, CSK will be hoping that he replicates his performance one more time.

Best tweet of the game: Sehwag wants the whole world to go bald, tearing out their hair in frustration trying to make some sense of his cricketing decisions. (by @_fakeiplplayer)

Final: KKR vs CSK

Kolkata Knight Riders 192 for 5 (Bisla 89, Kallis 69) beat Chennai Super Kings 190 for 3 (Raina 73, Hussey 54, Vijay 42) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Raina’s commanding knock leads CSK to an intimidating 190; in response Bisla and Kallis show KKR the path to glory as new champs are crowned

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: In the end, it all boiled down to a Hilfenhaus no-ball in the penultimate over. With 16 needed off 7, Shakib seemingly holed out to Vijay before realizing that the umpires had called no-ball for height. The batsmen had managed to run two, even, in the midst of all the confusion. With 13 needed off 7, Shakib calmly scooped the re-bowled delivery to the fence, narrowing down the equation to a manageable 9 off 6 balls. From there-on, CSK needed a miracle, which never came.

Viagra Performer of the day: While injury to Irfan Pathan could have ultimately caused the Daredevils’ exit in the play-off, injury to Balaji proved to be a blessing in disguise for KKR. While they lost the services of one of their best bowlers, they gained Bisla, whose unexpected blistering knock waylaid all of CSK’s best laid plans. An ebullient 89 from 48 deliveries squashed any hopes of a three-peat for CSK and brought KKR much deserved IPL glory.

Best tweet of the day: Imagine. We were *this* far away from getting to see N. Srinivasan do a cartwheel. (by @rameshsrivats)

Rising star: Mandeep Singh (432 runs at a SR of 126.31)

Player of the season: Sunil Narine (24 wickets at an ER of 5.47)

Orange Cap: Chris Gayle (733 runs at a SR of 160.74)

Purple Cap: Morne Morkel (25 wickets at 7.19)

Fairplay Award: Rajasthan Royals

The story of IPL 5 through Gambhir’s Facebook update

The Plunder Games Week 7 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 65: KKR vs MI

Kolkata Knight Riders 140 for 7 (Tiwary 41) beat Mumbai Indians 108 (Narine 4-15, Balaji 2-11) by 32 runs

Match in 140 characters: Tiwary leads the way as KKR stumble to 140; in response, Mumbai Indians can’t figure out Narine and cant score off Balaji to lose by 32 runs

#TrottsFault: Herschelle Gibbs. His tedious knock of 13 from 24 balls meant that the Mumbai Indians never got the momentum going at the start of the chase.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: The game was delicately poised halfway through MI’s innings as they had 9 wickets in hand with 80 runs to get. In a moment, Narine broke through Tendulkar’s defences with a vicious off break to ensure that the incoming batsmen would be always looking out for an unplayable delivery, thus keeping them on the defensive for the rest of the innings.

Viagra Performer of the day: Another day in the life of Sunil Narine. 4 wickets for 15 runs in 3.1 overs at an economy rate of 4.73. The wait for a batsman who can truly tame him, continues.

Best tweet of the day: Sunil Narine’s deliveries are like a Maruti 800 driven by a Delhi aunty talking on her cellphone, don’t know which side it’s gonna turn. (by @GabbarSingh)

Game 66: KXIP vs CSK

Kings XI Punjab 123 for 4 (Gilchrist 64*, Bravo 2-18) beat Chennai Super Kings 120 for 7 (Bravo 48, Awana 2-12, Praveen 2-18) by six wickets

Match in 140 characters: Kings XI pace quartet restrict CSK to 120; a Gilly special makes light weight of the target as CSK’s playoff fate hangs in balance

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: CSK had struggled to 46/3 at the end of 10 overs, but were looking up to captain Dhoni to do the needful and rescue them out of their hole. Instead, the impressive Awana pressured him into playing an expansive stroke, only to be caught at third man. CSK never got going after that.

Viagra Performer of the day: Despite the impressive bowling performance by the Kings XI pacers, the game was not completely out of CSK’s hands yet as they had the in-form Hilfenhaus opening the bowling. The man who had to face him was Gilchrist, a veteran of many a battle but returning after a long break due to injury. Gilly never let the pressure settle by taking the attack on, and in the process brought home an easy win for KXIP.

Best tweet of the game: The IPL should replace that bowling machine they use for the biggest six scoring comp with Piyush Chawla. (by @birchola)

Game 67: RCB vs DD

Royal Challengers Bangalore 215 for 1 (Gayle 128*, Kohli 73*) beat Delhi Daredevils 194 for 9 (Taylor 55, Zaheer 3-38) by 21 runs

Match in 140 characters: Gayle and Kohli demolish a Morne-less attack; despite valiant efforts by Rosco and Russell, DD fall short by 21 runs

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Ross Taylor had timed his return to form perfectly, as the Daredevils gave a serious fright to RCB while chasing. So, when he got out swinging with the equation reading 57 runs to win from 22 balls, the bowlers finally began to breathe easy.

Viagra Performer of the day: He scored 1 run off the first 8 balls he faced. When he walked off at the end of the innings, Gayle had scored 128 from 62 balls with 13 sixes. At this point, there are no adjectives left to describe the phenom that is Chris Gayle.

Best tweet of the day:  Good game to miss @mornemorkel65 :):) (by @albiemorkel)

Game 68: DC vs RR

Deccan Chargers 128 for 5 (Akshat Reddy 42, Trivedi 2-20) beat Rajasthan Royals 126 for 8 (Dravid 39, Mishra 2-20) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Mishra and Steyn confound to keep Royals to 126; Reddy leads a comfortable chase for Chargers as RR lose their shot at play-offs

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: Since the fielders were of no help, Mishra decided to do the work himself by bowling a special delivery to get rid of Shane Watson. With the exit of their most dangerous player, the Royals struggled to get any momentum going against a determined bowling attack.

Viagra Performer of the day: While Steyn was his usual miserly self, it was Amit Mishra who stole the spotlight with a fine exhibition of leg spin bowling. 2/20 off 4 overs including the important wicket of Watson meant that he was the star player for once, instead of Steyn, for the Chargers.

Game 69: KXIP vs DD

Delhi Daredevils 145 for 4 (Warner 79) beat Kings XI Punjab 141 for 8 (Chitnis 38, Mahmood 36, Morkel 4-20, Yadav 3-19) by six wickets

Match in 140 characters: Morkel and Yadav dismantle KXIP’s top order before Warner’s blazing innings knocks Gilly’s men out of the tournament

Viagra Performer of the day: Umesh Yadav is one of the few Indian fast bowlers to excel in this edition of the IPL. This time, he was at the top of his game, even as he prised out the wickets of Gilchrist, Mandeep and Hussey to ensure that the KXIP would not get to a challenging total.

Game 70: PWI vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders 136 for 4 (Shakib 42, McCullum 41, Parnell 2-18) beat Pune Warriors 102 for 8 (Yusuf 2-12, Shakib 2-18) by 34 runs

Match in 140 characters: PWI’s depressing run ends as KKR come out on top in a pitch only Shakib and McCullum manage to negotiate

Viagra Performer of the day: Its a wonder that Shakib al Hasan doesn’t get more games for his team, as he manages to come up with game changing contribution whenever he gets a chance. On a tricky pitch for batsmen, Shakib powered KKR to a good total and with the ball, he ensured that PWI didn’t get any leeway.

Game 71: DC vs RCB

Deccan Chargers 132 for 7 (Duminy 74, Vinay 3-22) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 123 for 9 (Kohli 42, Steyn 3-8, Ashish Reddy 3-25) by 9 runs 

Match in 140 characters: A Duminy special ensures a late surge for the Chargers as they post 132; Steyn leads a super-charged performance as RCB choke for last time

#TrottsFault: Its not often that one can blame Gayle for his team’s loss, but in the most crucial game of the season, he chose to take Steyn on instead of playing him out and shepherding the chase. The result was a wild swing which got himself castled and put pressure on a middle order which apart from himself and de Villiers has been very unconvincing this year.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Despite the early hiccups, it looked like RCB were on course for the win when Kohli and Tiwary were batting. It all changed in the last ball of the 16th over, when Kohli hit the ball straight to the fielder at long on and exited the ground in a fit of rage against himself. From there, it was only one team which was going to win the game.

Viagra Performer of the day: Dale Steyn has been one of the few shining lights for the Chargers this season. A terrific spell of bowling accounted for Gayle and Dilshan, which robbed RCB of their best batsmen at the top. He finished with figures of 3/8 from his 4 overs and ensured that the Deccan Chargers wouldn’t be going home with the wooden spoon this year.

Best tweet of the game: Somewhere in Chennai, Dhoni is sitting in front of the telly whilst stroking a cat in his lap and saying “It’s all going as planned” (by @KunalVanBhatia)

Game 72: RR vs MI

Mumbai Indians 163 for 0 (Smith 87*, Tendulkar 58*) beat Rajasthan Royals (Watson 45, Kulkarni 3-18) by ten wickets

Match in 140 characters: Watson and Binny power RR to what seems like a challenging total; riding on luck, Tendulkar and Smith ease MI to a 10 wicket win

Viagra Performer of the day: Dhawal Kulkarni got his first game of the season and he didn’t disappoint, with figures of 3/18 in 4 overs. It will be a tricky decision for MI, as they debate whether to retain him for the play-off game or plump for the experience and loud mouth of Munaf Patel.

Best tweet of the week:

By banning #SRK from Wankhede, MCA has sent a clear message that they’ll not tolerate ugly behaviur. Except by players like Munaf, of course (by @rameshsrivats)

The Plunder games – Week 6 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 54: MI vs RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore 142 for 1 (Gayle 82*) beat Mumbai Indians 141 for 6 (Karthik 44) by nine wickets

Match in 140 characters: RCB bowlers finally fire to restrict the Mumbai Indians to 141; Gayle and Kohli seal the chase without any fuss, as RCB move to 4th spot

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When the Mumbai Indians somehow rebuilt their way back to 100/4 in 15 overs, it looked like they had a good launching pad for the big hitters to come in and boost the run rate; instead it was that man Murali, who not for the first time derailed the opposition’s hopes by picking two wickets off successive deliveries.

Viagra Performer of the day: Chris Gayle got the Orange Cap, scored 500 runs in the tournament, and scored another match winning knock to lead RCB to victory. He has hardly been troubled this season, and it is a troubling sign for all bowlers as IPL 5 reaches it business end.

Best tweet of the game: Umpire thinks about giving it out. But then sees it’s Bhajji, decides NO WAY can Bhajji get a wicket. (by @thecricketcouch)

Game 55: DC vs DD

Delhi Daredevils 193 for 1 (Warner 109*, Ojha 64*) beat Deccan Chargers 187 for 4 (Dhawan 84, White 65) by nine wickets 

Match in 140 characters: Dhawan and White power DC to what looks like a winning total; despite Viru’s early dismissal, Warner leads a blistering response for the win

Viagra Performer of the day: There were some people who doubted that Warner would adequately fill in the void left by KP’s departure; this innings was their answer. An unbeaten century at a strike rate of 200 made a difficult target look like a walk in the park.

Game 56: CSK vs RR

Chennai Super Kings 127 for 6 (Raina 23, Morkel 18*, Anirudha 18*) beat Rajasthan Royals 126 for 6 (Hodge 33, Hilfenhaus 2-8) by four wickets

Match in 140 characters: RR stumble to 126 in a rain-affected innings; the bowlers try their best but a brutal onslaught by Morkel and Srikkanth gives CSK the win

#TrottsFault: Its not often that Watson can be faulted, but his expensive third over virtually sealed the game in favor of the Super Kings.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: One expected Morkel to be CSK’s only hope at the start of the 18th over; so it seemed only natural that Srikkanth, being the junior partner should concede the strike to the South African that he might go for the runs. Instead, of the first two balls he faced Watson, he swung for the fences, fetching a 6 and a boundary. That essentially swung the game CSK’s way.

Viagra Performer of the day: Ben Hilfenhaus had a forgettable outing against the Mumbai Indians as he conceded 14 runs of the final 3 deliveries to lose the game for CSK. This time, he made amends with an economical spell of 2/8 off his allocated 4 overs. It meant that the Royals got frustrated into throwing away their wickets, handing the momentum to the Super Kings.

Game 57: RCB vs PWI

20 overs Royal Challengers Bangalore 173 for 3 (Gayle 57, Dilshan 53) beat Pune Warriors 138 for 9 (Vinay 3-32, Zaheer 2-21, Murali 2-16) by 35 runs

Match in 140 characters: Gayle is off to a flier, Dilshan settles first then attacks, Tiwary provides finishing touches as RCB power to a total beyond PWI’s reach

Viagra Performer of the day: Chris Gayle. 57 off 31 deliveries including three 4s and six 6s. Enough said.

Best tweet of the game: You know how good Gayle is? Made ShastriBot abandon tracerbullet and look up words like Scud and Skimmer. That good. (by @thecricketcouch)

Pinocchio Fact: At the end of RCB’s innings, new Pune Warriors skipper Steven Smith sent a request to the IPL’s governing committee if they could sublet their batting innings to the Delhi Daredevils. (courtesy @BoredCricket)

Game 58: KKR vs MI

Mumbai Indians 182 for 1 (Rohit 109*, Gibbs 66*) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 155 for 4 (Kallis 79, Yusuf 40*) by 27 runs

Match in 140 characters: Sharma and Gibbs dazzle to take MI to 182; KKR never get close despite a Kallis 50 and a return to form for Yusuf Pathan

Viagra Performer of the day: Rohit Sharma’s maiden IPL ton served not only as a reminder to the natural talent this man possesses, but also how frustrating it is for long time observers to see him fail at the highest level. Hopefully, this is a sign of bigger things to come for him.

Game 59: CSK vs DD

Chennai Super Kings 115 for 1 (Vijay 48*, Hussey 38) beat Delhi Daredevils 114 for 5 (Nagar 43*, Hilfenhaus 3-27) by nine wickets 

Match in 140 characters:  Hilfy’s opening spell knocks out the DD top order and CSK have no trouble in chasing down the target with ease

#TrottsFault: David Warner was coming off a brilliant ton in his last game and much was expected of him again. He might have forgotten to account for one thing though: His century came against an all-Indian bowling attack. Against a much superior Hifenhaus, he went for an arrogant shot which didn’t clear mid-off, and ultimately put his team’s fragile middle order in strife.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Virender Sehwag has been a huge factor in DD’s rise to the top of the table; while his failure against the Chargers didn’t cost them too much, his wicket in the first over against a superior CSK meant that the Daredevils had to do all the hard work if they wanted a winning total, and ultimately that proved beyond them.

Viagra Performer of the day: For the second game running, Hilfenhaus’ opening spell helped CSK win the game. He is no speed demon like Steyn or a yorker machine like Malinga, but his intelligent use of swing is helping the defending champions in their late attempt to make it to the play-offs.

Best tweet of the day: Mumbai bats like Delhi. Now Delhi bats like Mumbai. Strange Saturday this. (by @knittins)

Game 60: RR vs PWI

Rajasthan Royals 170 for 4 (Rahane 61, Watson 58) beat Pune Warriors 125 for 9 (Smith 37, Chandila 4-13) by 45 runs

Match in 140 characters: Rahane and Watson power the Royals to a challenging total, before little known Chandila’s hat-trick leaves PWI in tatters

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When Chandila ambled in and claimed his hat-trick victim Utthappa, the game was pretty much done and dusted there. PWI were 11/3 at the start of the 3rd over and chasing 171, there was no way back for them from there on.

Viagra Performer of the day: Ajit Chandila. Apart from claiming the first hat-trick of this year’s IPL, he only conceded 13 runs off his allocated overs.

Game 61: DC vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab 194 for 6 (D Hussey 65*, Gurkeerat 29*) beat Deccan Chargers 190 for 4 (Dhawan 71, White 67) by four wickets

Match in 140 characters: Dhawan and White (again!) power DC to what seems to be a winning total, only for Hussey and (unknown till now) Gurkeerat to steal a win

#TrottsFault: Of all the deliveries to bowl in the final ball of an innings when the batting team needs one run to win, the bouncer is the worst choice. If the batsman misses, he can more often than not steal a bye, and if he connects, it is more likely to clear the fielders who have been brought in to stop a single. Gony chose to bowl a bouncer, Gurkeerat managed to connect his swing, and just like that the Chargers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Again.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When David Hussey could only get a single off the second delivery of the final over to concede strike to Gurkeerat, the Chargers would have sensed one final shot at winning the game. Instead, for the second game in running, a little known domestic player turned the spotlight on himself, as Gurkeerat smashed the next two balls for a 6 and 4, resigning the Chargers to another last over loss.

Viagra Performer of the day: Though Gurkeerat got the honor of delivering the winning moment for his team, it was skipper David Hussey who won the game for KXIP from a difficult situation. When he came in to bat, the required rate was well above 11 an over. By the end of the innings, he returned with an unbeaten 65 off 35 deliveries to prove why he is KXIP’s most valuable player.

Best tweet of the game: If all teams win their must win games then will we have all teams in semis? (by @onejubb)

Game 62: MI vs RCB

Mumbai Indians 173 for 5 (Rayudu 81*, Pollard 52*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 171 for 6 (Agarwal 64, Dilshan 47) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Mayank’s blazing finish sets up a tricky chase for MI; despite early stutters, Rayadu and Pollard get the win in commanding fashion

#TrottsFault: RCB’s fifth bowler conundrum. Its the one thing keeping them from being a genuine contender for the title of champions.

Viagra Performer of the day: Not for the first time this IPL, Rayadu has ensured a last over win for MI. On present form, it will be really hard for the selectors to keep him out of the team for the World T20 championship.

Best tweet of the game: Nice to see Munaf Patel hasn’t let this match faze him at all. He continues to be crap. #getlostpls (by @_fakeiplplayer)

Game 63: KKR vs CSK

Chennai Super Kings 160 for 5 (Hussey 56, Narine 2-14) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 158 for 6 (Gambhir 62, Jakati 2-26) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: GG and Baz get KKR off to a flyer before CSK pull it back; Mussey and Vijay do the same before Narine induces panic; Bravo finishes in style

#TrottsFault: It was not so much a fault as it was inexperience which failed the rookie de Lange at a critical stage of the game. The 19th over in this IPL has been harsh to the bowlers and this time was no exception either. MSD ransacked 14 runs off the first three balls to give CSK a great shot at winning the game, which they ultimately did.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: CSK need 5 runs in 2 balls. Bravo swings and misses. Now the equation is 5 off 1. Bravo swings again and JUST clears the boundary to win the game. A few meters is all thats different between a win and a loss.

Viagra Performer of the day: Forget Malinga and Steyn. Narine has been the standout bowler in this IPL. Once again, he confounded the opposition batsmen to pull his team back into the contest. 4 overs, 14 runs and 2 wickets. In the end, it wasn’t enough, but he couldn’t be blamed for it.

Best tweet of the day: 8.1 Kim Jong-Il to Vijay, SIX, Kobe Bryant to complete the over#tweetlikeCricinfo (by @congusmaximus)

Game 64: DD vs KXIP

Delhi Daredevils 140 for 5 (Jayawardene 56*, Awana 3-22) beat Kings XI Punjab 136 for 8 (Hussey 40*, Yadav 3-21, Aaron 2-19) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Hussey weathers a Yadav-Aaron pace attack to drag KXIP to 136; despite losing early wickets, Mahela stays till the end to lead DD to playoff

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: At the start of the 18th over of DD’s innings, the required run rate was touching 9, even as KXIP’s most impressive bowler of the day, Awana ran in to bowl. Irfan Pathan, who has been more effective with the bat than his brother in this IPL, struck 3 boundaries to relieve the pressure and put the Daredevils on a certain path to victory.

Viagra Performer of the day: While Aaron and Yadav impressed with pace earlier in the game, the star of the day was Awana, who bowled against better batsman and returned impressive figures. While his figures were sullied in his final over, it was a top class exhibition of smart bowling and gives some hope for India’s future of fast bowling.

Best tweet of the week:

Ashish Nehra on being grilled by ICC anti-corruption bureau will be saying :”I swear, it wasn’t fixed! I was genuinely bowling badly!!!” (by @coolfunnytshirt)

The little Little Master, already perfecting the ‘disappointed walk back’ look…..

The Plunder Games – Week 5 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 44: KXIP vs RCB

Kings XI Punjab 163 for 6 (Saini 50, Hussey 45, Mandeep 43) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 158 for 5 (Gayle 71, Kohli 45, Mahmood 3-20) by four wickets

Match in 140 characters: PK and Mahmood restrict RCB to 158 despite another Gayle 50; freak run outs threaten to derail easy chase, but Chawla takes KXIP home

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: KXIP should never have had to sweat in the closing stages of the game, after the impressive performance of their seamers and their top order batsmen; but there they were, inducing themselves into a state of panic after some tight bowling by RCB in the final overs. With 2 runs needed off 2 deliveries, it needed the much maligned Piyush Chawla to deliver the winning moment with a thumping hit over long on.

Viagra Performer of the day: Azhar Mahmood continued his impressive performance in the IPL, bagging the MOM award for his efforts; but he reaped the rewards of Praveen Kumar’s highly skilled opening spell where he conceded only 8 runs off his stipulated overs, which was bowled to the likes of Gayle and Kohli.

Best tweet of the day: At the end of the day, Ravi Shastri is the real winner coz the match has gone down to the wire! #ipl (by @coolfunnytshirt)

Game 45: PWI vs MI

Mumbai Indians 120 for 9 (Tendulkar 34, Bhuvneshwar 2-9, Nehra 2-19) beat Pune Warriors 119 for 6 (Manhas 42*, Harbhajan 2-18, Malinga 2-25) by one run

Match in 140 characters: MI huff and puff to 120 as the Warriors keep them on a tight leash; in response Bhajji and co pay them back, as Pune fall short by one run

#TrottsFault: Long time Dada fans won’t like to hear it; but Ganguly has nothing left to offer on the field. He is still one of the better leaders in the IPL, but it time he thought of mentoring the side, a la Shaun Pollock or Stephen Fleming. His stagnant knock never got the Warriors anywhere, and only made the chase more difficult. It is time for one of the country’s greats to leave gracefully.

Viagra Performer of the day: Whisper it, but it looks like Harbhajan Singh might just be returning to his best as a bowler. For the second game running, he bowled with control and picked crucial wickets to keep the Mumbai Indians in the driver’s seat throughout the Warriors’ innings.

Best tweet of the day: MIndians slowing down as they are about to reach yet another 3 figure mark. *Mandatory alert* (by @KnightsDen)

Game 46: CSK vs DC

Chennai Super Kings 160 for 6 (du Plessis 42) beat Deccan Chargers 150 for 5 (White 77) by 10 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Match in 140 characters: CSK get off to a bright start, only to stumble in second half to 160; White and Dhawan lead spirited response, but all-round CSK seal a win

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When Sangakarra joined White at the crease, the game was wide open, with the Chargers slightly ahead. So, when Raina took a blinder of a catch to get rid of the Chargers skipper, it was advantage CSK as White and co could not build any sort of winning momentum after that.

Viagra Performer of the day: Cameron White continued his good form with the bat, as his defiant 77 was all that kept the Chargers in the game. He almost never made it past his first ball, when he was dropped by Morkel off his own bowling but he didn’t quite make  CSK pay for that.

Best tweet of the day:  Albie Morkel is that habitual movie late-comer, who has arrived 2 hours early for the matinee show today to make amends. (by @knittins)

Game 47: KKR vs PWI

Kolkata Knight Riders 150 for 5 (Gambhir 56, Mathews 2-17) beat Pune Warriors 143 for 8 (de lange 3-34, Narine 1-13) by seven runs

Match in 140 characters: Gambhir and Mac get off to a flyer before Warriors fight back to restrict KKR to 150; despite all round Mathews, PWI fall short by 7 runs

#TrottsFault: Once upon a time, Yusuf Pathan was the most feared Indian batsman in IPL. Now, he is barely a shadow of that figure, as it looks like he is desperately trying to get himself dropped from the remaining games. Another listless batting performance was followed by poor bowling which almost got PWI back in the game. KKR’s successful run is keeping the detractors at bay for now, but he has to get his act together before he becomes another forgotten man of Indian cricket.

Viagra Performer of the day: No batsman has been able to decode Sunil Narine till now, as his impressive run continues. This time, he kept bamboozling one of the past masters of spin, Ganguly to effectively seal the game in KKR’s favor. As the World T20 championship looms on friendly pitches, international coaches will have to get cracking if they are to stop this man from tying their batsmen in knots.

Game 48: RR vs KXIP

Rajasthan Royals 177 for 6 (Dravid 46, Harris 4-34) beat Kings XI Punjab 134 for 8 (Tait 2-18, Botha 2-21, Watson 2-22) by 43 runs

Match in 140 characters: Dravid’s class, Menaria’s slogs, Hodge’s swings and Watson’s all round show lead the Royals to a convincing win over the Kings XI

Viagra Performer of the day: Shane Watson was always the big marquee player for the Royals, but a combination of enforced absence due to national duties and the brilliance of the Dravid-Rahane combination, had kept him from the IPL spotlight all season; Against the Kings XI, he reminded everyone of his utility, as his domineering performance with the bat and miserly spell with the ball sealed an easy win for Dravid’s men.

Best tweet of the game: Preity Zinta just thought Kapil Dev hit a boundary… #cricket #ipl (by @InnoBystander)

Game 49: CSK vs MI

Mumbai Indians 174 for 8 (Tendulkar 74, Rohit 60, Smith 24*) beat Chennai Super Kings 173 for 8 (Vijay 41, Bravo 40, Malinga 3-25) by two wickets

Match in 140 characters: Its the game of the season, as Vijay, Raina, Sachin and Rohit light up the game; but the star is Dwayne Smith who steals the game from CSK

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: While it was Dwayne Smith who hogged all the glory in the end, one should not forget two brilliant last overs from RP Singh and Malinga which yielded just 13 runs. In the final context of the game, that ensured a target which the Mumbai Indians just about managed to chase.

Viagra Performer of the day: While Sachin rolled back the years and Rohit continued to dazzle with his IPL form, it was Dwayne Smith who was playing his first game this season, who displayed a tremendous calm, that even Dhoni would be proud of , to swat a 6 and two 4s off the final three deliveries to seal a last ball heist, which is becoming something of an MI trademark.

Best tweet of the day: “Ravi Can Run Ash Win” his parents named him. But he is proving them all wrong. #IPLpun (by @mohank)

Game 50: RCB vs DC

Royal Challengers Bangalore 185 for 5 (Dilshan 71, de Villiers 47*) beat Deccan Chargers 181 for 2 (Dhawan 73*, Harris 47, White 45) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Dhawan n White take DC to a tough total; Dilshan leads the chase with a rapid 50, but it is de Villiers’ mental hitting which seals the deal

Viagra Performer of the day: If there was any doubts as to de Villiers’ legendary status before this game, his manic knock of 47 from 17 balls would have put those to rest. Many batsmen can score the same amount of runs or more, in the same number of deliveries; but in the context of the game, to hit such audacious shots off one of the finest bowlers in the game at such a critical stage requires an exorbitant amount of confidence in one’s own skills – and de Villiers possesses that in abundance.

Best tweet of the game: Just wana congratulate @ABdeVilliers17 on that master battin display! I’d also like 2 say our friendship is nw hanging by a thread bud! Haha (by @DaleSteyn62)

Game 51: DD vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders 154 for 4 (McCullum 56, Gambhir 36) beat Delhi Daredevils 153 for 9 (Pathan 36, Kallis 2-20) by six wickets

Match in 140 characters: Kallis and Narine restrict DD to 153; KKR top order ensure easy win despite late hiccups..

#TrottsFault: In the absence of KP and early dismissal of Sehwag, much was expected from Jayawardene and Ross Taylor. While Jayawardene has been in decent form, the Kiwi skipper hasn’t really got going this IPL. A tortuous innings of 16 runs from 27 deliveries meant that DD had to struggle to post a competitive total, which was comfortably chased down by KKR.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Virender Sehwag came into this game on the back of five consecutive half centuries. Once again, he started like a freight train, racing to 23 off 9 deliveries, before Kallis struck to take him out. The Daredevils never got going after that.

Best tweet of the game:  So I hear Mahela didn’t walk when he edged the ball? Tell me something else thats new. #IPL (by @Floral_Mint)

Game 52: PWI vsRR

Rajasthan Royals 126 for 3 (Watson 90*) beat Pune Warriors 125 for 6 (Majumdar 30, Tait 3-13) by seven wickets

Match in 140 characters: Pune’s listless batting form continues as Tait helps restrict them to 125; In response, a merciless Watson takes the Royals to an easy win

#TrottsFault: Who else, but the man who refuses to go away gracefully. Ganguly promoted himself to the opening slot but could only gather an unconvincing 14, which robbed the Warriors of any momentum.

Viagra Performer of the day: Shane Watson completed another terrific day at the office, as his scathing unbeaten 90 demolished any hopes the Warriors may have had of winning the game.

Best tweet of the game: “Ashish Nehra has a big heart!” FOUR. “Ashish Nehra will keep trying.” SIX. (by @sidin)

Game 53: DC vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab 170 for 5 (Mandeep 75) beat Deccan Chargers 145 for 8 (Hussey 2-2, Praveen 2-15, Awana 2-27) by 25 runs

Match in 140 characters: Mandeep’s impressive run continues as KXIP post a challenging 170; a middle order implosion by the Chargers ensure a no contest.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When David Hussey brought himself on to bowl, the game was in the balance. In the space of four deliveries, he ensured the game was virtually over when he took the scalps of the well set Harris and the dangerous White.

Viagra Performer of the day: Mandeep Singh has been one of the breakout Indian players this IPL; his punishing knock of 75 ensured that the Chargers would have to chase a tricky target. More performances like these would not hurt him one bit, as the selectors are on the look out for fresh talent.

Best tweet of the week:

How do you put an elephant inside a fridge? Open Fridge. Get Ramesh Powar out. Put elephant in fridge. (by @thecricketcouch)

The Plunder Games – Week 4 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 33: MI vs KXIP

Match in 140 characters: Hussey and Miller’s late burst propels Kings XI to 168; MI stutter in their chase but Peterson and Rayadu batter Chawla to steal a victory

#TrottsFault: Once upon a time, Chawla was considered to be Anil Kumble’s successor; but in the years past, his performances have been unconvincing, and culminated today in a disastrous over yielding 27 runs and a stunning win to the Mumbai Indians

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: In hindsight, the wicket of Harbhajan Singh turned out to be a blessing for the Mumbai Indians. It brought in Robin Peterson, whose switch hits coupled with Rayadu’s brilliance sealed the fate of the Kings XI Punjab.

Viagra Performer of the day: Ambati Rayadu, for as long as he was there, Mumbai Indians believed; and he didn’t disappoint.

Game 34: CSK vs RCB

Match abandoned

Game 35: DC vs PWI

Deccan Chargers 177 for 4 (White 78) beat Pune Warriors 159 for 7 (Reddy 2-32) by 18 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Match in 140 characters: Cam White finally decodes the IPL to give his first significant performance in a long times as Chargers finally open their account in IPL 5

Viagra Performer of the day: Cameron White has been a passenger in the IPL for the last few seasons, without doing anything special. It was always known that he was a big hitter, as his T20 record in Australia shows, but he has been a huge disappointment in terms of performance over the last few years. In this game, he showed why he can be so dangerous, as he was the only one who played a power-packed innings even as others around him and the other opposition struggled to find their groove. In the end, that was the jolt needed by the Chargers to notch their first win in IPL 5.

Game 36: DD vs MI

Delhi Daredevils 207 for 5 (Sehwag 73, Jayawardene 55, Pietersen 50*) beat Mumbai Indians 170 for 9 (Rayudu 62, Karthik 40) by 37 runs

Match in 140 characters: Sehwag leads power packed Daredevils innings as KP and Mahela also make merry; despite best efforts of Rayadu and DK, MI fall short

Viagra Performer of the day: For once, two people can share this distinction. If it was Sehwag who started sending the leather to all parts of the ground, Pietersen provided the explosive finish as Daredevils reached 207 and put the total beyond the reach of the Mumbai Indians.

Game 37: CSK vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab 156 for 8 (Mandeep 56, Morkel 3-29) beat Chennai Super Kings 149 for 8 (Mahmood 3-35) by seven runs

Match in 140 characters: Mandeep and Marsh shine as Kings XI post 156; in reply CSK stutter as Mahmood and Chawla masterming a tight 7 run victory

#TrottsFault: One that should be equally shared by MS Dhoni and Saha. To send in Saha ahead of more qualified batsmen at a crucial stage was not one of Dhoni’s better decisions; and for Saha to potter around and waste deliveries, added more pressure on the following batsmen and cost crucial momentum, which ultimately resulted in a loss.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: If there was any one player who could transform CSK’s fortunes from the dire situation they were in, it was MS Dhoni, the master of close chases. It took some presence of mind by Nitin Saini to run out Dhoni, which heaped more duress on the Super Kings, and ultimately proved to be decisive in the favor of Kings XI Punjab.

Viagra Performer of the day: Credit has to be given where it is due. A few days after a disastrous performance against the Mumbai Indians, Piyush Chawla came back into his own and put in a much better show as his figures of 2/20 off 4 overs show. He ensured that CSK never got going, while chasing a modest total.

Best tweet of the day: As a New Zealander I’d relly like to apologise to the world for Danny Morrison. Hasn’t lived here for quite a while (by @Sportzfreak)

Pinocchio Fact: BCCI President N Srinivasan announced that Chennai would be receiving the Fairplay award this year, as they have been doing their best to give other teams a chance this year. (courtesy @knittins)

Game 38: KKR vs RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders 190 for 4 (Gambhir 93, McCullum 43) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 143 for 6 (Gayle 86) by 48 runs

Match in 140 characters: Imperious performances by Gauti and Kallis set RCB an imposing target; Kallis and Narine never let pressure ease as Gayle’s knock is in vain

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Chasing an imposing 191, RCB needed big performances from their top order; in the space of two deliveries, Kallis derailed any such hopes by dismissing Kohli and de Villiers.

Viagra Performer of the day: Gautam Gambhir has been in fine nick as batsman and captain in this IPL, and the fine touch continued as a majestic 93 set the tone for a complete performance by the Knight Riders and maintained their 2nd position on the points table.

Game 39: DD vs RR

Delhi Daredevils 152 for 6 (Sehwag 63, Pankaj 2-25) beat Rajasthan Royals 151 for 3 (Rahane 84*, Morkel 1-26) by one run 

Match in 140 characters: Sehwag leads a rusty Daredevils innings as they post 152; in reply Rahane and Dravid seem to have sewn up the chase but for a Morkel special

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: It was not so much as a moment as it was an over; the 19th over has been the most important one in most games in this IPL, and yet again it changed the course of the game. Morkel bowled an impressive over yielding just 3 runs and a wicket, which left the Royals needing 12 runs in the final over, which they fell short of by one run.

Viagra Performer of the day: Despite the heartbreak of the final over, it was Rahane who was the best player of the day. While Sehwag and Morkel had their moments under the sun (and floodlights!), it was the young Mumbai batsman, who stole the show by making the most of his purple patch.

Game 40: MI vs DC

Mumbai Indians 101 for 5 (Rohit 42, Steyn 2-10) beat Deccan Chargers 100 (Dhawan 29, Duminy 25*, Malinga 4-16, Harbhajan 2-13) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Malinga is too hot for DC on a spicy pitch, and despite a matching performance by Steyn, Sharma scores enough to push MI over the line

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: He has been getting a lot of stick this year, but Harbhajan had one of his best days with the ball, in this game. His wicket of Dhawan was very important, as he has been the only consistent batsman for his team this year.

Viagra Performer of the day: Malinga may have had more wickets, but for sheer exhilaration and quality of the opposition batsmen, Steyn was the star of the day. His four overs yielded just 10 runs but two wickets, and the Chargers are left ruing a suitable support bowler for the Saffa speed demon.

Game 41: CSK vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders 140 for 5 (Gambhir 63, Ashwin 2-22) beat Chennai Super Kings 139 for 5 (Raina 44, Kallis 2-21) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Raina and Dhoni preside over a turgid CSK innings; despite some final jitters, Gauti and Das do enough to push KKR over the line

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: Honestly, CSK were never in the game thanks to their low total; and Gambhir ensured that the chase was on track. That was until the 19th over when Gambhir got out, and suddenly KKR seemed to panic. It took two calm hits by Das to bring the due victory and spark celebrations among SRK and co.

Viagra Performer of the day: Gautam Gambhir has been in fine form, and he duly did the job yet again for KKR. Despite not staying till the end, he did just about enough to ensure that KKR remain just below the Daredevils in the points table.

Best tweet of the day: If I had a dime for everytime Lakshman Shivramakrishna said something new on TV, I would actually have … well a dime #HypePL (by@katragada)

Game 42: DC vs PWI

Deccan Chargers 186 for 4 (Sangakkara 82, White 74) beat Pune Warriors 173 for 5 (Smith 47*, Ganguly 45) by 13 runs

Match in 140 characters: White fires again, Sanga finally returns to form; Pune Warriors try their best but fall short by 13 runs

Viagra Performer of the day: Kumar Sangakarra is too classy a player to stay out of form for too long. After bravely sitting out in the last game despite being the captain, he scored a brilliant 82 to power the Chargers to a winning total.

Game 43: RR vs DD

Delhi Daredevils 144 for 4 (Sehwag 73) beat Rajasthan Royals 141 for 6 (Dravid 57, Negi 4-18) by six wickets

Match in 140 characters: Dravid and Rahane give the Royals a bright start but Negi induces complete chaos as they are restricted to 141; Sehwag ensures an easy win

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: The Rajasthan Royals have the best opening combination in this season’s IPL, and yet again Rahane and Dravid gave them a great launching pad to post a daunting total. Instead, the introduction of Negi in the 9th over brought about the wicket of Rahane, and that was the start of a collapse as the Royals never got going after that.

Viagra Performer of the day: Virender Sehwag scored a record 5th successive half century to establish Delhi Daredevils as the team to beat, but his task was made easier by the little known left arm spinner Pawan Negi whose 4 wicket haul completely derailed the Royals’ innings.

Best tweet of the week:

#ThatAwkwardMoment when Kevin Pietersen gets out to a second-rate Aussie… #IPL (by @AltCricket)

The Plunder Games – Week 3 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 22: KXIP vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders 127 for 2 (Gambhir 66*) beat Kings XI Punjab 124 for 7 (Gilchrist 40*, Lee 2-26, Narine 2-24) by eight wickets 

Match in 140 characters: Kings XI struggle to 124, as Gambhir and Kallis lead KKR to an easy win

Viagra Performer of the day: It is a wonder why Gambhir hesitates to open the innings more often, considering his success at the top which usually converts to wins for his team; a typical innings ensured no hiccups in a steady chase.

Best tweet of the game: There are so many mosquitoes in the field at mohali. Probably, thats why KXIP players wanted to get ALL OUT! 😛 #ipl (by @coolfunnytshirt)

Game 23: DD vs DC

Delhi Daredevils 162 for 5 (Pietersen 103*, Steyn 2-19) beat Deccan Chargers 157 for 8 (Parthiv 45*, Nadeem 3-16) by five wickets 

Match in 140 characters: Nadeem and Morkel restrict Chargers to 157 after a good start; despite a top order wobble, KP powers DD to win, with some generous help

#TrottsFault: Deccan Chargers would have felt that they were in with a chance, as they left the Daredevils staggering at 65/4. All that changed in the space of a Duminy over, where he conceded 21 runs to hand the momentum back to DD.

Viagra Performer of the day: Kevin Pietersen is in some hot form. The Chargers did help with three dropped catches, but full credit to KP who made them pay for it with an authoritative ton that was rounded off with a brilliant six to win the game.

Best tweet of the game: Delhi Daredevils won despite Agarkar, Deccan Chargers lost despite Dale Steyn. #IPL (by @CricketSaurabh)

Game 24: CSK vs PWI

Match in 140 characters: Badri, du Plessis and Dhoni power CSK to 164; Warriors give it their best shot but are thwarted by a strong bowling and fielding effort

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: Till the end of the 19th over of CSK’s innings, it looked like the team was heading for a middling total which could be easily chased by the Warriors. Instead, MS Dhoni got a couple of big hits going which helped CSK to get 18 runs in the final over, and which ultimately proved crucial in a tight finish.

Viagra Performer of the day: For once, no one performer outshone the rest. It was a true team effort with batsmen, bowlers and fielders playing their part.

Best tweet of the game: just realized, Ganguly still doesnt have a full time wicketkeeper for his team. some things never change!#IPL5 (by @chetannarula)

Pinocchio Fact: Concerned by his expensive performance with the ball, Saurav Ganguly met the match referee at the end of the game to report Marlon Samuels for chucking. (courtesy @AltCricket)

Game 25: RCB vs KXIP

Royal Challengers Bangalore 166 for 5 (Gayle 87, de Villiers 52, Awana 4-34) beat Kings XI Punjab 163 for 6 (Hussey 41, Mahmood 33*) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Mahmood’s late burst propels Kings XI to 163; despite a four-fer from Awana, Gayle and de Villiers lead RCB to a risk free victory

Viagra Performer of the day: Chris Gayle is getting more dangerous with each passing match. He has added a new facet to his slam bang hitting – now, he takes his time to settle down and give the first few overs to the bowlers, before hitting out. This strategy served him and RCB well in this game as a chase which should have been more tricky, turned out to be a cake walk for them.

Game 26: CSK vs RR

Chennai Super Kings 147 for 3 (du Plessis 73) beat Rajasthan Royals 146 for 4 (Shah 52, Menaria 36) by seven wickets

Match in 140 characters: Kulasekera and Ashwin counter Shah’s strikes to keep Royals to 146, Faf leads CSK again as ice man Dhoni closes out a tight chase

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: In a game which CSK seemed to have sewn up for most part of their chase, it all came to the final ball with Dhoni needing two runs off Binny; sure enough, the skipper got the runs with a wild throw helping his cause.

Viagra Performer of the day: du Plessis is in the form of his life. He is definitely making it hard for Mike Hussey to find a place in the XI when he returns. Yet another fifty to sheperd CSK’s chase helped him to second place in the run charts.

Best tweet of the game:  Should Ravi Shastri be locked up in the lift again?#PulseQuestion #IPL (by @triple81212)

Pinocchio Fact: At his hotel room, Gambhir was seen shaking his head while watching the CSK chase and was heard muttering something about ‘winning it in 18 overs’. (courtesy @cricketsaurabh)

Game 27: PWI vs DD

Match in 140 characters: Ryder, Ganguly and Smith blast Warriors to 192; despite Viru’s and KP’s best efforts, Ganguly and Alfonso star with ball as DD crash land

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: When Ganguly brought himself on to bowl, he was up against a rampaging Pietersen and Sehwag. With his first ball, he knocked over KP to set off on a vintage celebration. He went on to claim one more wicket to back up an impressive performance with the bat and smart changes in the field.

Best tweet of the game: Ganguly is the Kamalhasan of PWI. Has played every role today. (by @cheese_charmer)

Game 28: MI vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab 164 for 4 (Marsh 68*, Pollard 2-14) beat Mumbai Indians 163 for 6 (Franklin 79, Awana 2-23) by six wickets 

Match in 140 characters: Frankin and DK’s efforts takes MI to 163; Munaf’s tantrum and Pollard’s strangling bowling are in vain as Marsh takes KXIP over the line

#TrottsFault: Munaf Patel might be one of the leading wicket takers in this IPL, but his antics are getting unbearable to watch now. Not satisfied with physically intimidating a batsman, he got into an argument with the umpires and escaped with a fine of 50% of his match fee for all the trouble. Additionally, he had an unforgettable day with the ball.

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: With 8 runs to defend in the final over, Harbhajan turned to Perera, who had bowled one over for 10 runs. Sure enough, the first ball he bowled to Marsh sailed over deep point to signal the beginning of the end of the contest.

Viagra Performer of the day: Shaun Marsh is quickly getting back to vintage form, as he strives to put behind memories of a poor home season behind him. His unbeaten 68 from 40 balls was one of his best knocks considering the opposition and the match situation.

Best tweet of the game: After a long time, Preity Zinta delivers a hit. #KXIP #IPL (by @coolfunnytshirt)

Pinocchio Fact: Considering their inconsistent performances of late, Mumbai Indians are planning to wheel in Lasith Malinga to bowl from a stretcher for the next few games. (courtesy @BoredCricket)

Game 29: KKR vs DC

Kolkata Knight Riders 127 for 5 (Tiwary 30*, Steyn 2-24) beat Deccan Chargers 126 for 7 (Dhawan 50, Balaji 2-22) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: Dhawan top scores in a somnolent Chargers innings as they post 126; despite tight bowling, it is not enough as Tiwary guides KKR home

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: With both teams playing like they wanted the other team to win, it all boiled down to a dropped catch by Anand Rajan in the 18th over of KKR’s chase which sealed the Chargers’ fate.

Best tweet of the game: DC fielders can pass on few ra.one jokes to the kkr batsmen. They will get frustrated and get out. Thats the only option left now! #ipl (by @coolfunnytshirt)

Game 30: RCB vs RR

Royal Challengers Bangalore 189 for 3 (Dilshan 76*, de Villiers 59*) beat Rajasthan Royals 143 for 7 (Dravid 58, Appanna 4-19) by 46 runs

Match in 140 characters: A de Villiers blitz and a Dilshan special propel RCB to 189; Dravid sizzles briefly but Appanna is too much for the Royals

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: It is not often that a Gayle wicket turns out to be a winning moment for RCB; yet, it was the dismissal of the unwell Jamaican that brought de Villiers to the crease and set in motion the mayhem that was to follow.

Viagra Performer of the day: While it was gracious of him to share the MOM award with Appanna, it was the manic innings of de Villiers which proved to be the difference between the two sides. He came in when the team’s run rate was below 6 per over and by the time he walked off after an innings of 59 in 23 deliveries, the run rate was 9.45 per over.

Best tweet of the day: Justin Bieber’s Indian cousin opening the bowling for RCB. (by @AltCricket)

Game 31: DD vs PWI

Delhi Daredevils 148 for 2 (Sehwag 87*) beat Pune Warriors 146 for 2 (Pandey 80*) by eight wickets 
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Match in 140 characters: Pandey and Utthappa resist some tight Daredevil bowling to take Warriors to 146; Sehwag’s blistering knock makes light of target as DD win

Viagra Performer of the day: It is not often that Sehwag strings together two consecutive scores above 50, and it shows that he is slowly getting back into vintage form. 147 was always going to be comfortable chase, but the way he was going, it would not have mattered if the Warriors had scored 200 either.

Best tweet of the game: Dada running long on ! hair is going long off lol #ipl (by @YUVSTRONG12)

Game 32: KKR vs DC

Match abandoned

Tweet of the week:

Looks like this season KXIP will meet the same fate as most of Preity Zinta’s films do (by @_fakeiplplayer)

The Plunder Games – Week 1 Recap

Have you been too busy studying for your exams to take note of what has been going on in the IPL? Or have you been too engrossed in searching for a job to know who has hit the most ‘DLF Maximums’ over the past week? Maybe all your time is being taken up by stalking your ex-boyfriend; or you could just be some closeted IPL fan who likes to keep up appearances by publicly denouncing the ‘pajama cricket’ but want to know how your favorite IPL team is doing?

Never fear. For the attention-deficit IPL fan in you, I present to you ‘The Plunder Games’ – a weekly recap of all the IPL action. Here, you can catch up with all the past week’s action in just 10 minutes.

Game 1: CSK vs MI

Mumbai Indians 115 for 2 (Levi 50) beat Chennai Super Kings 112 (Pollard 2-15, Malinga 2-16, Ojha 2-17) by eight wickets 

Match in 140 characters: Vijay stutters, Dhoni is run out, Ojha fires, CSK stumble to 112…Levi strikes, Tendulkar retires hurt, Sharma gets his box checked, MI win

#TrottsFault: Apart from getting IPL debutant du Plessis run out, Vijay’s nervy batting forced the rest of the batsmen to search for hidden demons in the pitch.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: In his first appearance for the Bombay Desis (aka Mumbai Indians), Ojha struck to remove danger man and IPL God Suresh Raina. CSK never really recovered after that.

Viagra Performer of the day: It is rare to see players justifying their hype in their first game itself; yet, that was what Levi did. He removed any notions of a contest with some brutal strikes, and he will get more dangerous as the tournament progresses.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: The strategic time-out is actually a 2 minute silence for Lalit Modi

Best tweet of the game: How to lose a loyal fan following. Tip 1: Replace Whistle Podu with some hands up nonsense. Tip 2: Invest gazillions on R Jaddu. (by @knittins)

Game 2: KKR vs DD

Delhi Daredevils 100 for 2 (Irfan 42*, Finch 30) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 97 for 9 (Shukla 26, M Morkel 3-18) by eight wickets

Match in 140 characters: Rain delays, match reduced to 12 overs a side, Morkel and Yadav strike, DD to chase 98, Sehwag and Finch start well, Irfan finishes in style

#TrottsFault: Marchant de Lange did not have his national team-mate Levi’s dream IPL debut….instead, at the most crucial stage of the match, he gave bowled plenty of hit-me deliveries to Irfan Pathan who duly obliged.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: In the space of two deliveries, Morkel ensured that KKR would struggle to an inadequate total by dismissing the dangerous Kallis and ‘blink-and-you-will-miss-him’ Tiwary, who might just be the unluckiest Indian cricket player right now.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: Gambhir and Sehwag agreed to a 12 over game, as they are both fans of finishing games early.

Best tweet of the game: Delhi Daredevil’s strategy worked. Dress Agarkar up as Marchant de Lange. (by @greatbong)

Game 3: MI vs PWI

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) beat Mumbai Indians 100 for 9 (Dinda 4-17) by 29 runs

Match in 140 characters: Malinga, Bhajji and Munaf keep Pune to 129 even as Smith steadies the Warriors, Kartik, Dinda wreak havoc on MI’s top order, Ganguly smiles

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: Defending a measly target of 130 against some of the best hitters is always going to be a tough ask; but the Indians’ chase never got off to a start thanks to a double-strike by Dinda in the second over where he dismissed Rayadu and Rohit. In the absence of Sachin, the chase got more difficult and ultimately proved beyond them.

Viagra performer of the day: Kartik struck twice and Dinda four times; but if it wasn’t for ‘Piggy’ Smith’s important knock of 39 which pushed the Warriors to a defendable total, it wouldn’t have mattered. In the process, he made Ganguly a very happy skipper.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: Harbhajan Singh announced before the game, that the Mumbai Indians wanted to win it for Sachin’s injured finger.

Best tweet of the game: Haha cricket, look at @kartikmurali go at BossDK! Must be because he’s added an “H” to their good name. #ipl5 (by @boredcricket)

Game 4: RR vs KXIP

Rajasthan Royals 191 for 4 (Rahane 98) beat Kings XI Punjab 160 for 9 (Mandeep 34, Cooper 4-26) by 31 runs

Match in 140 characters: Dravid plays a familiar supporting role, this time to young Rahane who dazzles with 98, RR cruise to 191, Kings XI have no answer to Cooper

#TrottsFault: At one point, Rahane was toying with Praveen so badly, that it looked like PK was going to grab a stump at any moment and violate the batsman. For a person who shone brightly on the ill-fated tour of England last year, it has been a steep decline since, and today’s performance effectively let the Royals run away with the game.

Viagra Performer of the day: While Cooper made a debut to remember, the win was nicely set up by Rahane, whose classy 98 was a treat for sore eyes. None of his shots were hit in anger, and yet he serenely accelerated to his highest T20 score and helped set a challenging target for the Kings XI.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: Rahane gave credit to Tendulkar’s batting tips for his performance; which explains his getting out in the 90s.

Best tweet of the game: Gotta love the Royals. They took Hogg out of the comm box (by @MadFastBowler)

Game 5: RCB vs DD

Royal Challengers Bangalore 157 for 8 (de Villiers 64*, Bracewell 3-32) beat Delhi Daredevils 137 for 7 (Murali 3-25) by 20 runs

Match in 140 characters: No Gayle show due to injury but de Villiers ensures a challenging total..Sehwag fails, Murali mesmerizes and the game goes RCB’s way

#TrottsFault: Amazing how fortunes can fluctuate in the space of a game. Fresh from spearheading DD’s win in the last game with the bat, Irfan Pathan was the most expensive bowler in the next conceding 47 runs of his allocated overs.

Viagra Performer of the day: In the absence of Gayle and the rare failure of Kohli, the onus was on de Villiers to lead RCB’s innings and he didn’t disappoint. His unbeaten 64, eventually proved to be very decisive.

Best tweet of the game: Some teams pick India hopefuls. Daredevils pick India’s hopeless.#ipl5 (by @BoredCricket)

Game 6: CSK vs DC

Chennai Super Kings 193 for 6 (Jadeja 48, Bravo 43*) beat Deccan Chargers 119 (Jadeja 5-16) by 74 runs

Match in 140 characters: du Plessis starts things off, Jadeja maintains the tempo, Bravo explodes in style…after that, with ball it was a Jadeja show all the way

#TrottsFault: Only one contender. While one ex-CSK bowler had a great day with the ball in the first game, another one was mercilessly slaughtered in the second. Gony, who is also an ex-India pacer was taken to the cleaners by Bravo, which ensured the target would be beyond the Chargers’ meager resources.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: It was a leading edge which went for six runs in the 19th over, which aggravated the hitter Bravo for some reason. From next ball, it was carnage as he struck four more sixes to bring to total 40 runs scored off the last two overs.

Viagra Performer of the day: While Bravo provided the finishing touches with the bat, Jaddu boy had earlier stabilized CSK’s innings after a brief mid-innings stutter. Then with the ball, he rolled over the Chargers with a five-wicket haul and justified his price tag in the process.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: Actor and loyal Chargers fan Siddharth has decided to make a new movie based on DC’s performance – Cricketil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi (How to screw up in Cricket)

Best tweet of the game: Boss you just SHADAB ok! #JakatiTellsWhite (by @tracerbullet007)

Game 7: RR vs KKR

Rajasthan Royals 164 for 5 (Hodge 44, Menaria 40, Lee 2-29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 143 (Tiwary 59, Cooper 3-28) by 22 runs

Match in 140 characters: Menaria, Hodge and Shah power RR to 164, KKR never take off after losing Kallis and Gambhir early, Tiwary reminds evryone he’s still around

Charlie Sheen Winning Moment: One of the lesser known pace bowlers in the IPL, Amit Singh derailed KKR’s chase when he dismissed Kallis and Gambhir off successive deliveries.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: When it was his turn to bat, out of habit, Tiwary carried the drinks to the pitch instead of his bat.

Game 8: PWI vs KXIP

Pune Warriors 166 for 6 (Samuels 46, Uthappa 40, Harmeet 3-24) beat Kings XI Punjab 144 for 8 (Bipul 35*, Rahul 2-34) by 22 runs

Match in 140 characters: Samuels, Utthappa, Smith and Pandey shine to lift PWI to 166, Kings XI have no answer to an inspired all round performance in the field

#TrottsFault:  Bipul Sharma with figures of 0/40 off 2.4 overs. No contest.

Viagra Performer of the day: Marlon Samuels did everything that was asked of him. With the bat, he set the platform for the bottom half of the middle order to explode; with the ball, he was miserly and never let the Kings XI take any easy runs off him.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: After instructing the Kings XI cook not to prepare oily items to prevent cases of ‘butter-fingered’ fielders, Preity Zinta has instructed the team bus driver to drive to destinations with the players running behind, so as to improve their ‘chasing’ skills.

Game 9: DC vs MI

Mumbai Indians 142 for 5 (Rohit 73*, Steyn 3-12) beat Deccan Chargers 138 for 9 (Dhawan 41, Christian 39, Munaf 4-20) by five wickets

Match in 140 characters: DC score 138 but not before Munaf and Bhajji create a scene..Steyn gives a masterclass but Christian does not and Sharma steals a win

#TrottsFault: When you watch a world class bowler steaming in at the other end and causing all sorts of trouble for the batsmen, you are supposed to be inspired. Instead, Dan Christian decided to bowl the exact opposite of Steyn’s performance. The result was two full tosses in the final over which Rohit Sharma made full use of.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: The first nail-biter of the tournament was not decided till the final ball of the match. Needing 3 runs to win, Christian bowled a full toss to Sharma which was duly dispatched over long on. And just like that, the Chargers lost a game which they were in control of, for the most period.

Viagra Performer of the day: Munaf gave a disciplined performance with the ball, and an undisciplined one with the mouth. Rohit Sharma played the sort of innings, which makes long time Indian cricket fans pull their hair in frustration; but there was one player who was simply superior to everyone else. Dale Steyn bowled 4 overs, conceding only 12 runs. Against one of the most powerful batting line ups in the IPL. To put it simply, he bowled ‘like a boss’.

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: After the game, the Deccan Chargers decided to punish Dan Christian by making him pad up in the nets to face an angry Steyn with the ball. Without any protective gear.

Best tweet of the game: With Munaf Patel in disgrace, the PA system plays “Munni Badnaam Hui”. Nice. (by @greatbong)

Game 10: RCB vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders 165 for 8 (Gambhir 64, R Vinay Kumar 2-18) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore123 for 9 (Vinay Kumar 25, Balaji 4-18) by 42 runs 

Match in 140 characters: Aggressive start by Gauti, Kallis and Bisla propel KKR to 165; Gayle, Kohli and ABd flop as Bala-Lee derail the Royal Challengers

#TrottsFault: Harshal Patel was signed up by RCB based on a devastating bowling performance against Karnataka a few months ago; in this game though, he was taken apart by KKR’s top order and with the likes of Mithun and Aravind in the squad, he might have to return to bench-warming duties.

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: Despite the presence of Gayle and Kohli, de Villiers remains as the in-form batsman for RCB and so, his wicket was always going to be very crucial for KKR. So, when Balaji bowled a peach of a delivery to send him back, the Knight Riders were cock-a-hoop, justifiably.

Best tweet of the game: Via [GaneshAthreyaa]@pitchinv:Kohli is as good as both the KKR openers. Cos if you merge Gauti and Kallis you get Gaalis (by @pitchinv)

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: When play was held up at the start due to faulty electrical firing, commentators received frantic tests from a certain Shastri saying, “The atmosphere is absolutely electrifying” (courtesy @knittins)

Game 11: CSK vsDD

Delhi Daredevils 111 for 2 (Pietersen 43*, Sehwag 33) beat Chennai Super Kings 110 for 8 (M Morkel 2-19) by eight wickets

Match in 140 characters: Brilliant Daredevils fielding and panicked Super Kings running restrict CSK to 110, Sehwag’s blast and KP’s zing seals the deal for DD

#TrottsFault: Whoever is responsible for CSK’s running between wickets

Charlie Sheen Winning moment: In a match where the Super Kings played like Run Out Kings, Raina’s dismissal turned out to be the most important one, as he was the only one who looked comfortable in CSK’s troubled innings.

Viagra Performer of the day: In a match which was marked by high quality fielding by the Daredevils, the pick was van der Merwe; he was literally everywhere, throwing himself around, saving numerous boundaries and to cap it all, bowled a fine spell, conceding only 15 runs off his allocated overs.

Best tweet of the game: Today CSK are like the tambrahm guy on twitter. Just can’t score (by @diogeneb)

Pinocchio Interesting Fact: The half hour delay in the game was due the Delhi Police, who were ensuring that it is safe to play after 8 pm.

TOP TWEET OF THE WEEK:

The tournament is wide open. Someone please donate a lungi to cover it up. (by @ABvan)