Kochi Tuskers Kerala won a close encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden gardens by just 6 runs.The credit goes to the excellent captaincy of Mahela Jayawardene and the bowlers.The fielders also did a fantastic job for  the side.

KKR won the toss and Gambhir had no hesitation to bowl first due to the slowness of the wicket.KKR bowlers,especially the spinners bowled really well,taking early wickets of KTK.Y Pathan and Shakib al Hasan took 3 wickets each.As usual McCullum and Mahela gave Tuskers a steady start,which was rattled in the 7th over by the spinners.Thereafter Kochi kept losing wickets at regular intervals.Rejuvenated Ravindra Jadeja was exceptional in his batting.He played all bowlers fearlessly hitting 29 off 18 balls(1×4,3×6).The score may have passed 150 had he stayed till the end.With 20s from McCullum and Mahela and Jadeja,Kochi managed to post a modest total of 132-7 in 20 overs.

KKR  started the chase cautiously until their experienced campaingner Kallis fall to a short pitcher of Vinay Kumar.There after KKR lost wickets at regular intervals.G Gambhir was bowled by RP Singh with a beautiful delivery.RP singh and R Jadeja took 2 wickets each where as Murali,Powar and Vinay kumar took 1 wicket.In the last over KKR needed 14 runs.But Vinay Kumar used his slow deliveries to good effeck to choke KKR by 6 runs.

The credit of the victory goes to the entire team.

Mahela Jayawardene is the Man of the match for his good knock and excellent captaincy under pressure.

Mahela Jayawardene

SCORE CARD:

KTK-132-7  20 overs.

KKR-126-9   20 overs.

MOM:Mahela Jayawardene.

Energetic Kochi Tuskers put up an enthusiastic 7 wicket win over defending IPL champions Chennai Super Kings.Tuskers won the toss and elected to field first.The decision was due to  the humid cloudy conditions and it paid off.Batting first Chennai scored 131-4 in 17 overs.In reply Tuskers chased the score in 15 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

Chennai was not able to score freely against the Tuskers bowling  attack.They  lost Hussey early in the innings.Vijay and Raina played well.After 9 overs,rain stopped the play for an hour.

Kochi bowlers bowled with precision as the top guns of Chennai could not do much.Kerala boy Raiphi took the wicket of Badrinath.All-rounder Thisara perera did a fantastic fielding effort off his own bowling to run dangerous Raina out for 40.This was the turning point of the game.

During the chase,McCullum and captain Jayawardhene played some good shorts.McCullum was flawless in his approach.He hit 3 sixes and 4 fours in his 33 ball 47.He was adjudged Man of the Match in second successive game for the crucial knock.Parthiv Patel played a good innings against his old side.He was particularly good against the left handed spinner Jakati.

P Patel

Brad Hodge and Jadeja see Kochi home without much damage.Young Jadeja is in a mind set to get into the National side.He hit 2 big sixes,one of which was against Tim Southee was a pleasure to watch.

After the win against the Mumbai Indians,Kochi Tuskers has raised confidence level.The side is now playing like a good side.With this win Kochi jumped to 4th spot in the points table.

SCORES:

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:131-4 IN 17 OVERS.
KOCHI TUSKERS KERALA:135-3 IN 15 OVERS.

MAN OF THE MATCH:BRENDON McCULLUM.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala registered their first win in IPL in emphatic style.Tuskers beat last season’s finalists and tournament heavy weights Mumbai Indians by 8 wickets.

Kochi Tuskers won the toss and decided to field first.The decision proved wrong as the Mumbai batsmen capitalised on lack lustre bowling  performance.Kochi went for the match replacing  Sreesanth,Muralidharan and Laxman with Thisara Perera.Powar and Kedar Jadhav.Only part timer Gomez got one wicket.Fielding was also below par.The highlight of the Mumbai innings was the maiden IPL century by the little master.Sachin played a brilliant knock of 100*(66 balls,12×4,3×6) at a strike rate of 151.His knock helped Mumbai score 182-2 in 20 overs.A Rayudu scored a quick 53  of 33.

While chasing,Tuskers went with their experienced pair of McCullum and Jayawardhene.Rest was history!The opening pair played without any fear and played shots all round the ground.Mahela played a typical skipper’s knock,it was a classy innings though.Mahela scored  56 off 36 with 9 fours and McCullum scored 81 off 60(10×4,2×6).Both were dismissed by brilliant yorkers by Malinga.R.Jadeja and B Hodge finished the match with one over to spare.

McCullum was selected as the man of the match.Kochi tuskers got 2 points by winning the match.

After an impressive opening match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore team,Kochi Tuskers is all set to meet its new team Sahara Pune Warriors in Mumbai.

Pune Warriors is a stronger side compared to Tuskers,but the better play on the field matters.Kochi Tuskers has a good opening pair,but lack of a pinch-hitter down the order is pronouncing.Thisara Perera or Micheal Klinger could get a chance today.Klinger is a strong middle order batsman.

Kochi Tuskers’ chances greatly rely on the batting performance of its skipper,Mahela and McCullum.Parthiv Patel is also a good option for the opening pair.Bowling department looked out of colour the first day.Speedsters and Spinners failed to impose pressure over the RCB batsmen.Sreesanth has good pace,but lacks line and perfect length.Also he needs to be careful regarding the no-balls.The fielding of the side was good the last day.They need to continue that.

Pune Warriors has a strong batting line-up and a  good bowling side.If Tuskers need to get 2 points today,they will have to work really hard.

VENUE-D Y PATIL STADIUM ,MUMBAI

TIME-IST:20.00HRS

The Kochi Tuskers promo video will be unveiled on 8th April wednesday.”All this would be done by the team promoters here tomorrow,” the team’s media coordinator said on Tuesday.The promo video is directed by the famous director Priyadarshan.The video is expected to showcase the culture and scenic beauty of kerala.