Tillakaratne Dilshan begins the bowling for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ravi Shastri on air, makes a decent point for once; people tend to forget the performances of underrated players like Dilshan who ended with 1/10 from his four overs in the semi-final.
Royal Challengers Bangalore V Mumbai Indians CLT20 2011 Final Live: Mumbai Lose Blizzard, Kanwar
Mumbai Indians reached 43/2 at the end of the sixth over against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final of the Champions League T20.
Shastri also reminds us that the winner gets $2.5 million while the runner-up will take home $1.3 million. He does not tell us when. According to reports, some of those in the opening edition of the Champions League in 2009 weren’t paid for a couple of years. Some have still not been paid in the IPL.
Anyway, Mumbai Indians have Sarul Kanwar hitting the fourth ball he faces over the mid-wicket fence – six runs. The Mumbai Indians get a move, with nine off the first over.
Aiden Blizzard at the other end departs in the second over. After scoring a half century in the semi-final, he drills one back past Dirk Nannes and runs with the shot. Kanwar does not respond and both are found at the same end. One of them has to go and Blizzard it is. Mumbai 10/1 in the second over.
A horrific graphic, especially if your name is Dirk Nannes. He has conceded more than 200 runs in the competition but taken only one wicket.
Ambati Rayadu comes in at the number three position, and will look to consolidate. Kanwar, at the other end, takes on Sreenath Aravind and smashes it over the covers. Ian Bishop commiserates when he says that Aravind has gone for most fours and sixes in the tournament. Aravind has also been in the news for the wrong reasons recently – selected in the Indian team, he has conceded 124 runs in the last eight overs he has bowled in the tournament, while it was revealed that he is being managed by Anil Kumble’s company, who is also the mentor for the Royal Challengers Bangalore side and the president of the KSCA.
Back to the cricket on the pitch, Mumbai Indians end the third over at 21 for one. Timing does seem difficult on this track but we will soon know about it when Gayle bats on it. And after a couple of tries, Kanwar has his stumps shattered by Nannes. Mumbai limping towards 24/2 in four overs and the new batsman is James Franklin who is a rather slow starter. And a slow finisher.
Interestingly, Franklin has started off with that hint of trying to take on the bowling. Four off the first four balls, including one shot where he uses his feet and the Mumbai Indians take six from the fifth over. And just as I was talking of Franklin’s purported aggression, he pulls Aravind over square-leg for the maximum. And cover-drives for a four to finish off the Powerplay overs on 43/2.
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