Indian Premier League 2011 / Points table

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Chennai Super Kings	13	9	4	0	0	18	+0.544	1990/245.1	1849/244.1
Royal Challengers Bangalore	13	8	4	0	1	17	+0.283	1833/219.0	1872/231.3
Mumbai Indians	12	8	4	0	0	16	+0.245	1687/235.2	1642/237.1
Kolkata Knight Riders	12	7	5	0	0	14	+0.403	1594/212.4	1565/220.4
Kings XI Punjab	13	7	6	0	0	14	+0.271	2108/255.4	1975/247.4
Kochi Tuskers Kerala	14	6	8	0	0	12	-0.214	1901/256.2	1989/260.4
Rajasthan Royals	13	5	7	0	1	11	-0.969	1553/229.1	1668/215.2
Deccan Chargers	13	5	8	0	0	10	-0.080	1942/259.2	1921/253.5
Pune Warriors	12	4	8	0	0	8	-0.033	1657/227.3	1739/237.4
Delhi Daredevils	13	4	9	0	0	8	-0.448	2031/258.2	2076/249.5

Points by match:

Result Date		Team	Pts		Team	Pts
8 Apr 2011		Chennai	2		Kolkata	0	Table | Match
9 Apr 2011		Rajasthan	2		Deccan	0	Table | Match
		Bangalore	2		Kochi	0	Match
10 Apr 2011		Mumbai	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
		Pune	2		Punjab	0	Match
11 Apr 2011		Kolkata	2		Deccan	0	Table | Match
12 Apr 2011		Rajasthan	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
		Mumbai	2		Bangalore	0	Match
13 Apr 2011		Punjab	2		Chennai	0	Table | Match
		Pune	2		Kochi	0	Match
14 Apr 2011		Deccan	2		Bangalore	0	Table | Match
15 Apr 2011		Kolkata	2		Rajasthan	0	Table | Match
		Kochi	2		Mumbai	0	Match
16 Apr 2011		Chennai	2		Bangalore	0	Table | Match
		Punjab	2		Deccan	0	Match
17 Apr 2011		Delhi	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
		Kolkata	2		Rajasthan	0	Match
18 Apr 2011		Kochi	2		Chennai	0	Table | Match
19 Apr 2011		Deccan	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
		Bangalore	1		Rajasthan	1	Match
20 Apr 2011		Mumbai	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
		Kochi	2		Kolkata	0	Match
21 Apr 2011		Punjab	2		Rajasthan	0	Table | Match
22 Apr 2011		Bangalore	2		Kolkata	0	Table | Match
		Mumbai	2		Chennai	0	Match
23 Apr 2011		Delhi	2		Punjab	0	Table | Match
24 Apr 2011		Mumbai	2		Deccan	0	Table | Match
		Rajasthan	2		Kochi	0	Match
25 Apr 2011		Chennai	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
26 Apr 2011		Bangalore	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
27 Apr 2011		Chennai	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
		Deccan	2		Kochi	0	Match
28 Apr 2011		Kolkata	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
29 Apr 2011		Rajasthan	2		Mumbai	0	Table | Match
		Bangalore	2		Pune	0	Match
30 Apr 2011		Delhi	2		Kochi	0	Table | Match
		Kolkata	2		Punjab	0	Match
1 May 2011		Rajasthan	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
		Chennai	2		Deccan	0	Match
2 May 2011		Mumbai	2		Punjab	0	Table | Match
		Kochi	2		Delhi	0	Match
3 May 2011		Kolkata	2		Deccan	0	Table | Match
4 May 2011		Chennai	2		Rajasthan	0	Table | Match
		Mumbai	2		Pune	0	Match
5 May 2011		Kochi	2		Kolkata	0	Table | Match
		Delhi	2		Deccan	0	Match
6 May 2011		Bangalore	2		Punjab	0	Table | Match
7 May 2011		Kolkata	2		Chennai	0	Table | Match
		Mumbai	2		Delhi	0	Match
8 May 2011		Bangalore	2		Kochi	0	Table | Match
		Pune	2		Punjab	0	Match
9 May 2011		Chennai	2		Rajasthan	0	Table | Match
10 May 2011		Pune	2		Deccan	0	Table | Match
		Punjab	2		Mumbai	0	Match
11 May 2011		Bangalore	2		Rajasthan	0	Table | Match
12 May 2011		Chennai	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
13 May 2011		Punjab	2		Kochi	0	Table | Match
14 May 2011		Bangalore	2		Kolkata	0	Table | Match
		Deccan	2		Mumbai	0	Match
15 May 2011		Punjab	2		Delhi	0	Table | Match
		Kochi	2		Rajasthan	0	Match
16 May 2011		Deccan	2		Pune	0	Table | Match
17 May 2011		Punjab	2		Bangalore	0	Table | Match
18 May 2011		Chennai	2		Kochi	0	Table | Match

* Two finalists, and loser of the Qualifier 2 (Played on Fri May 27) will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20

Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers, IPL 2011, Mumbai

Deccan prevail in low-scoring upset

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

May 14, 2011

Text size: A | A

Deccan Chargers 135 for 6 (Kulkarni 3-26) beat Mumbai Indians 125 for 8 (Tendulkar 37, Rajan 3-27) by 10 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Amit Mishra hit Munaf Patel for four successive boundaries in the last over © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers at Mumbai Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: Deccan Chargers | Mumbai Indians

Match Meter MI Malinga rips Lumb's leg stump Off the second ball of the game, Lasith Malinga removes Michael Lumb to push them into defensive mode. MI Mumbai stifle Deccan Deccan are as if in a choke hold, struggling to score freely, reaching 112 for 6 in 19 overs. MI DC Munaf goes for 23 Shikhar Dhawan and Amit Mishra unsettle Munaf Patel, hitting one six and five fours in the final over. MI DC Deccan come out charged Ishant Sharma and JP Duminy reduce Mumbai to 25 for 3. DC Debutant snares the big one With 60 runs required off the last five, Anand Rajan gets Sachin Tendulkar and TL Suman to reduce Mumbai to 83 for 6. DC Rajan holds his nerve in face of the rampaging Kieron Pollard to secure the win. Advantage Honours even

For 19 overs Deccan Chargers, out of the competition already, seemed to be going through the motions. In the 20th, they came to life through Amit Mishra's four successive boundaries off his India team-mate Munaf Patel. Mishra and his India spin rival Pragyan Ojha then bowled eight overs for 34 runs on a turning pitch, sucking the life out of Mumbai's chase. A rollercoaster final over by IPL debutant Anand Rajan made for good drama too.

Mumbai, pretty much like Deccan, woke up in the last two overs of their innings, with 42 required. Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh took 16 off the 19th, and then Pollard got stuck into Rajan, who had earlier removed Sachin Tendulkar and TL Suman in the same over. Rajan was chosen to bowl that last over ahead of the overseas pro and expensively acquired Daniel Christian. Pollard hit the first length ball for a huge six. Rajan's attempt at a yorker resulted in a leg-side wide. Pollard got a thick edge on the next, and dived a mile to complete the second run. Both teams' scores after 19.2 overs were identical: 119 for 6.

Pollard started doing what Mishra had, flicking a leg-side length ball for four. The debutant had to be under pressure, although an expressionless face didn't give much away. Kumar Sangakkara and Ishant Sharma, fielding at a very straight mid-on, called conferences every ball. Rajan's previous over had featured the wicket of the best batsman in the world. He was throwing it away now. Then came a smart slower ball, a split-finger one, outside off. This edge from Pollard carried to third man. Game over. Rajan didn't go delirious celebrating in true IPL fashion. He just smiled.

For a little less than the first half of the match, Deccan hadn't had much to smile about. From the moment Michael Lumb lost his leg stump to Lasith Malinga in the first over, Deccan lived a stifled life. Not one of the main batsmen, except for Shikhar Dhawan, struck at a run a ball.

Malinga and Harbhajan Singh were difficult to get away, and Dhawal Kulkarni sneaked in three wicket-taking deliveries. It seemed Mumbai had resumed normal service after their 87 all out in their previous game. Then Munaf began the last over, at 112 for 6. Dhawan hoisted the first ball for six. Munaf came back well with a yorker that brought Mishra on strike.

This is where the game started turning. Munaf bowled a bouncer, and the top edge flew over the keeper's head. Munaf had things to say to Mishra then, which didn't quite go down well with the Deccan batsmen. Dhawan too joined in the exchange. An attempted yorker now ended up as a full toss, and ended up at the midwicket fence. This time Mishra was looking for Munaf. The next was half edged, half guided past the keeper. Mishra and Munaf collided on the pitch even as the ball reached the third man boundary. Another yorker went wrong, and another full toss was clipped for four.

Deccan went into the defence with confidence. JP Duminy, who was beautifully done in by a loopy offbreak earlier in the match, bowled a beauty himself, opening the innings. That offbreak, pitching on leg, hitting off, removed Aiden Blizzard, and sent Mumbai into caution mode. Now with Mishra and Ojha turning the ball square, Deccan's 135 started to look a good total.

Ishant, too, chipped in with the wickets of Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. With wickets falling around him, Sachin Tendulkar seemed to be stuck between caution and aggression. He too tried to go after the debutant Rajan in the 16th over, with 60 still required. He punched him for four first ball, but then saw Suman perish to a slower one. To the last ball of the over, he moved across to try and pull, and was caught dead in front. Ojha and Mishra came back to give just 11 off the next two overs.

Pollard's hitting in the final two, which brought Mumbai teasingly close to a win, went on to emphasise that he should be batting higher for Mumbai, who are now out of the crucial top two on the points table.

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2011, Indore

Teams in must-win battle

The Preview Siddhartha Talya

May 14, 2011

Text size: A | A

Match facts

Friday, May 15, Indore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

	Shane Watson has yet to dominate © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Brendon McCullum | Shane Watson Matches: Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Rajasthan Royals at Indore Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kochi Tuskers Kerala | Rajasthan Royals

Big Picture

Both teams are still in it theoretically, but a defeat will certainly send them out of the IPL this season. With mixed returns in this campaign overall, and at least two successive defeats marring their recent run, both Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals have been left hanging by a thread.

Rajasthan, in their previous game against the in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore, were humbled after posting 146, while Kochi will be disappointed they didn't defend 176; they were outdone by an enterprising innings from Dinesh Karthik.

Both have two games in hand, and need to win both to entertain hopes of staying. While those wins might not ensure qualification, given the teams' low net run-rates and that the current top four look good to remain there, they'll end their respective campaigns on a high. For Rajasthan, it'll mark a satisfactory end to Shane Warne's reign as player, coach and captain. Likewise for Kochi in their first season following a turbulent build-up.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: LLWWL (seventh on points table)
Rajasthan Royals: LLLWW (fifth on points table)

Team talk

It could be worth bringing Ranji star Deepak Chahar into the playing XI. He hasn't got a game this season, and could be an option in place of Pankaj Singh, who was expensive in Rajasthan's previous game.

B Akhil has had just one game for Kochi this season and could be given a go. Jayawardene has said his team could go in with a four-pronged pace attack.

Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.

In the spotlight

Shane Watson: He's had starts this season at the top of the order, but hasn't really been dominating as he's capable of being. He looked in good nick against Bangalore in his previous match, making 34, and needs to push on for more.

Brendon McCullum: He's had a better IPL than Watson, but in the last few games, like his opening rival, has not dug in after the early bursts. He made a quick 32 in Kochi's previous game, 22 before that and smashed it around for 37 against Delhi Daredevils. He and Watson have similar goals to meet.

Prime numbers

• Rajasthan Royals have had the least number of team fifties this season, with just three in 12 games. Kochi Tuskers Kerala are second from bottom with four
• Rajasthan, as a team, have also struck the least fours and sixes - 128 and 32. Kochi have fared far better - 151 fours and 43 sixes until now

The chatter

"We've often been 20-odd runs short of where we should've been. McCullum plays the way he does and sometimes gets out early. If we have some partnerships in the middle overs, we could end with 15 or 20 more runs, which could make all the difference." Mahela Jayawardene wants his batsmen to step up

Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at ESPNcricinfo

Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2011, Dharamsala

Average Delhi keep Punjab's campaign alive

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar

May 15, 2011

Comments: 17 | Text size: A | A

Kings XI Punjab 170 for 6 (Valthaty 62, Marsh 46, Irfan 3-28) beat Delhi Daredevils 141 for 8 (Chawla 3-16) by 29 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Irfan Pathan surprised everyone by rediscovering old-ball swing, but not much else changed for Delhi as they continued to flounder © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils at Dharamsala Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: Delhi Daredevils | India | Kings XI Punjab

The scorecard will say Paul Valthaty hammered 62 to power Punjab to an eventually match-winning 170, but that's not even half the story. Through 50 balls of clueless flailing, Valthaty put on a display completely out of place in the beautiful setting that is Dharamsala. Delhi Daredevils matched his ordinariness with a shoddy show on the field, followed by the sort of batting display that can be expected from a one-man team, when that one man is missing. Punjab's bowlers, led by a resurgent Piyush Chawla, capitalised on Delhi's woes to run to their third win on the trot, keeping their late-blooming campaign alive.

Match Meter KXIP Delhi blunders: Yogesh Nagar messes up a run-out in the third over, and Venugopal Rao drops a chance in the fourth KXIP Valthaty plunders: Valthaty cashes in despite never looking in control, and smashes Hopes for 18 runs in the 11th over KXIP Marsh goes berserk: Marsh takes a leaf out of the Valthaty book - Sriram leaks 25 runs in the 13th over, as Delhi lose their grip on the game KXIP Warner and Ojha crawl: Praveen's maiden comes in a phase where Delhi play out 10 successive dot balls. Alarm bells. KXIP Chawla takes it home: Chawla dismantles the middle order with three wickets in three overs. Game over. Advantage Honours even

By all counts it was an average game of cricket, and the tone for the ordinariness was set right at the start. There was swing for Irfan Pathan, but not enough pace. There were swings of Adam Gilchrist's bat, but not too many connections. At the other end, Morne Morkel's other-worldly bounce systematically exposed Valthaty's limitations. The pressure was on Punjab and the chances promptly followed, but Delhi graciously fluffed them. Yogesh Nagar and Irfan combined to mess up a straightforward run-out opportunity, before Venugopal Rao dropped a chance at slip. Delhi's generosity was duly reciprocated by Punjab, as Gilchrist gifted his wicket soon after the botched run-out. It was like watching two football sides trying to outdo each other in an own-goal contest.

Shaun Marsh's advent sought to bring sanity to the proceedings - he began by charming Aavishkar Salvi over mid-on, before shredding him through point - but Valthaty's methods continued to spoil the scenery. Initially he attempted on-the-up thumps, regardless of length, and often missed by ridiculously large margins. He later tried to counter the bounce with cuts, but rarely made contact. He then resorted to the pull, and it was soon evident why he doesn't play that shot too often. On the one occasion when he managed to middle the ball, Varun Aaron at fine-leg ran in too far, and the ball sailed over the boundary.

Valthaty eventually found his match against James Hopes' trundle and ignited the innings with two violent sixes over the leg-side and an edged four through third man. Bowling listless lengths to Valthaty wasn't Hopes' biggest mistake of the innings though. He brought on S Sriram's nondescript left-arm spin in the 13th over and Marsh indulged himself to some slog-sweeping violence. The over bled 25, including three big sixes over the leg side, as Punjab galloped from 70 for 1 in ten overs to 115 for 1 in 13.

Delhi managed to contain the damage in the remaining overs, through Aaron's pace, and Irfan's surprising rediscovery of old-ball swing. Marsh and Valthaty perished to Irfan's stock indippers off successive balls in the 15th over. Delhi could have taken control in the next over, but Naman Ojha grassed a chance to let off Dinesh Karthik, allowing Punjab to motor along to 170.

Delhi's chase followed a now-familiar template: David Warner's shocking loss of form - he had cobbled up 47 runs in his last six innings before the game - and Virender Sehwag's absence meant the innings lost steam quickly. Along with Naman Ojha, Warner played out ten successive dot balls early on, in the process giving Praveen Kumar his fourth maiden of the season. Ojha eventually found release by clouting Shalabh Srivastava for two sixes and a four in the sixth over, but it proved to be a false dawn. Ojha guided Srivastava behind in the eighth over for a run-a-ball 28, before Warner miscued the same bowler for a run-a-ball 29. Run-a-balls were, however, not going to be enough.

Chawla has endured a rough time recently: he struggled for impact in the World Cup and his place in the team became a national debate; his struggles continued in the IPL, and he's been left out for the West Indies ODIs. On Sunday, he finally came into his own with a sprightly spell, in which he refrained from his old failing of over-doing the googly. He accounted for Sriram, Rao and Hopes in successive overs, as Delhi went down with the setting sun in Dharamsala.

Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2011, Indore

Kochi stay mathematically alive with a thumping win

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

May 15, 2011

Text size: A | A

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 98 for 2 (Hodge 33*) beat Rajasthan Royals 97 (Menaria 31, Hodge 4-13, Sreesanth 2-16) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Shane Warne is bowled by fellow Victorian Brad Hodge © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Brad Hodge | Sreesanth Matches: Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Rajasthan Royals at Indore Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kochi Tuskers Kerala | Rajasthan Royals

Match Meter KTK Rajasthan lose three early Sreesanth and RP Singh put in good opening spells to reduce Rajasthan to 22 for 3. KTK Hodge runs through the middle Brad Hodge picks up four wickets to negate all Rajasthan's attempts at a recovery. KTK Tait bowls a no-ball Shaun Tait gets Brendon McCullum in the first over, but off a no-ball. McCullum's three sixes in the next over abolish any outside chance Rajasthan have. Advantage Honours even

The short boundaries in Indore proved to be bad masters for Rajasthan Royals. The small playing field seemed to be playing on their minds as batsman after batsman in the middle order perished to reckless strokes. Brad Hodge was at the receiving end of those gifts, ending up with a career-best 4 for 13, but it was perhaps a tight first spell from Sreesanth - three overs for 15 runs and the wickets of Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane - that set the desperation in. Kochi chased the paltry 98 in style, giving their net run-rate a boost too.

Coming into the game, both the teams had an outside chance of making it to the play-offs, but Rajasthan didn't seem too optimistic on that front. They knew the remoteness of the outside chance, and took the opportunity to make six changes to their side. Rajasthan now stand knocked out, and Kochi, with 12 points from 13 games, need to win their last game and need Kolkata and Punjab to lose theirs.

None of Rajasthan's experiments worked. RP Singh and Sreesanth offered no freebies. Faiz Fazal was caught plumb in front by a full toss before Sreesanth got Dravid with a nice outswinger. Rahane followed up a flick from wide outside off to mid-on with a shuffle too far across, making it 26 for 3 in 5.2 overs.

Rajasthan didn't look to rebuild; they knew they would need a substantial total here. Ashok Menaria began with a six off Sreesanth, Shane Watson with three off debutant left-arm spinner P Prashanth. At 56 for 3 after eight, it seemed like Rajasthan were on their way back, but Watson played all around a full delivery from Prasanth Parameswaran.

Now began the Hodge show. He kept tossing the ball up, the Rajasthan batsmen kept trying to hit the ball into the jungles of Madhya Pradesh. All of Hodge's four victims thought they could hit him for sixes; they could not have been more wrong. Pinal Shah managed to go as far as long-on, Jacob Oram failed to even get a touch, Shane Warne dragged one slog-sweep on, and Menaria found long-off. When Menaria fell, Rajasthan had slumped to 89 for 9 in the 16th over, and they were not going to get many more.

Brendon McCullum came out obsessed with improving his team's net run-rate, charging at Shaun Tait first ball. Tait didn't do himself any favours, bowling two no-balls in the first over. One of them - when he cut the side crease - had bowled McCullum. After hitting Tait for a four and six in the first over, McCullum proceeded to treat Oram as a club bowler, nonchalantly flicking him for three straight sixes. When MCullum fell for a 12-ball 29, it was important for Kochi to keep scoring fast. Hodge and Parthiv Patel didn't disappoint, ending the chase in 7.2 overs. It was the second-biggest win in terms of balls remaining in IPLs and the fourth-biggest in all Twenty20 matches.

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Punjab v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Dharamsala

Himalayan task ahead of Punjab

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo

May 16, 2011

Comments: 22 | Login via | Text size: A | A

Match Facts

Tuesday, May 17 Start Time 2000 (1430 GMT)

	Chris Gayle destroyed Kings XI Punjab last time around © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Piyush Chawla | Chris Gayle | Zaheer Khan Matches: Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Dharamsala Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kings XI Punjab | Royal Challengers Bangalore

Big Picture

You come into the tournament with the weakest team on paper; shock everyone by winning three of your first four matches; give the IPL its first surprise hero of the tournament; have an inexplicable seven-day break that seems to derail your campaign; claw your way back into contention with three wins; and your reward is to play for survival against an unstoppable Chris Gayle on a miniature ground in Dharamsala. Who'd be Kings XI Punjab?

Gayle's 436 runs at an average of 87.20 and strike-rate of 201.85 have left even his illustrious team-mates in the shade. Punjab will have particularly bad memories of him; in the first encounter between the two sides, Gayle scored 107 off 49 balls and then took three wickets.

The good news for them is the seemingly-bionic Gayle has not had the most comfortable stay in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh since arriving on Sunday. Cold showers, ill-timed construction work and his fans on twitter kept him awake for most of his first night, and Punjab will be grateful for any further assistance in disconcerting the man who has smashed 32 sixes in seven games since arriving in India.

They would be ill-advised to fixate on Gayle, though, because unlike Delhi Daredevils, who are lost without their main man, Bangalore have plenty in reserve. Don't be surprised if Gayle goes for a duck and Bangalore win anyway.

Adam Gilchrist has been talking up his players after their big win against Delhi Daredevils at the same ground, prophesising a bright international career for Piyush Chawla, and likening Paul Valthaty's style of batting to his own. Is that his way of boosting their confidence before they take on a side whose seven-match winning streak has given new meaning to that elusive IPL quantity - "momentum"? Or is it simply placing them on a wobbly plank, or a precipice from which Gayle and Co. would be only happy to push them down.

Team talk

Preity Zinta's pep talk hasn't had much of an impact on David Hussey's form. He's scored 64 runs from seven innings; Ryan Mclaren scored more in the three innings he had, and gives the side another seam-bowling option in conditions that offered some swing during the Punjab-Delhi match. If Punjab can look beyond Hussey's $1.4mn price tag, they may consider a swap.

Bangalore have qualified for the play-offs, but are still fighting to be in the top two. So there shouldn't be too much experimentation with their winning combination. With Tillakaratne Dilshan gone, 21-year-old South African Rilee Rossouw may get a call-up.

In the spotlight

The last time Piyush Chawla bowled to Chris Gayle, he was greeted with two thumping sixes, but got his man in the end, albeit after Gayle had already taken the game away from Punjab. This time, Chawla is coming off his best Twenty20 performance. Will Gilchrist risk throwing him the ball early to remove Gayle?

Zaheer Khan has not had the same kind of impact on the IPL that he had on the World Cup, or for that matter any series he plays for India. Praveen Kumar, though, got some prodigious swing at this ground, and it would be just like Zaheer to take on the responsibility of removing the core of a top-heavy Punjab line-up.

Prime numbers

• Paul Valthaty is two runs ahead of Chris Gayle in the run charts, so Tuesday's game will be a shoot-out for the orange cap. Gayle, of course, has played five less matches
  
• Praveen Kumar's four maidens is the highest for any bowler in a single season of the IPL. Yet somehow his economy-rate is 7.70.
  
• Out of six IPL innings in Dharamsala, five have seen scores of more than 170

Chatter

"Seriously though, Punjab really take a brother in to the mountains. It's the coldest shower I ever had in my life. No TV. Hill and gully bus ride!"
Chris Gayle lets his fans on Twitter know about his living conditions in Dharamsala

"Valthaty has an attacking style of play and in such a style results are always inconsistent. I know this because I'm speaking through personal experience."
Adam Gilchrist identifies with his opening partner

Indian Premier League 2011

IPL TV ratings continue to plunge

Tariq Engineer

May 16, 2011

Comments: 23 | Login via | Text size: A | A

Through IPL 2011, ESPNcricinfo will be tracking TV ratings using the TAM People Meter, India's leading TV ratings system. This is the fourth installment in the weekly series

	Mumbai Indians continued to be the biggest draw © AFP Enlarge
Related Links News : Twenty20 hasn't peaked - McKenna News : TV ratings plunge, but viewership rises News : TV ratings remain flat for IPL News : IPL fails to build on good start to TV ratings News : IPL beats cricket fatigue worries Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

The 2011 IPL continued to take a beating in the television ratings stakes, with the average rating for the first 49 games dropping 25.52% from the previous year across six key markets.

The average Television Viewer Rating (TVR), a time-weighted figure which accounts for time spent watching by viewers and the number of viewers, was 3.94 across the cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, down from 5.29 in 2010, according to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Media Research, the leading television ratings agency in India. It is the first time the average ratings for the IPL have fallen below 4.

A report by IIFL Institutional Equities, a brokerage firm, said that tournament ratings have fallen because of a combination of too much cricket and the shuffling of players between the teams, which has diluted fan loyalty. However, Akash Chattopadhyay, an analyst with IIFL who co-wrote the report, expects the ratings to pick up as the tournament enters its final stages. "We are of the opinion that ratings may pick up during the last knock-out match -- to the tune of 8 TVR (television ratings points). But overall, the series would be nowhere close to the first edition."

Ratings jargon Universe: The total number of people in a defined target audience (in this particular case, the universe includes all cable and satellite viewers in the six metros). Reach: The number of individuals in the universe who watched at least one minute of a particular game or a particular show. It is typically expressed in percentage terms. For example, if 1000 out of a universe of 10,000 watched at least one minute of a game, the reach would be (1000/10,000) x 100 or 10%. TVR: It is a time-weighted figure which accounts for time spent by viewers in addition to the total number of viewers. So you could have a higher TVR because more people watched a particular game or you could have a higher TVR because the same number of people watched the game, but each person watched more of the game than before. India's cable and satellite TV audience is 70 million and its terrestrial audience is 140 million.

Another sign of the IPL's loosening grip on the attention of the viewer has been the strength of the Hindi general entertainment genre (Hindi GEC). In years past, the IPL has siphoned women away from their soaps but this season the Hindi entertainment channels' share of total viewership has been steady. It was 26% in the month leading up to the tournament and 25% during the first month of the IPL. Instead, Set Max has stolen viewers away from the sports channels, whose share has dropped from 11% during the World Cup to 1% while the Hindi movie genre, to which Set Max belongs, has seen its share rise from 10 to 18%.

The two matches that were the biggest draws between May 1 and May 7 both involved Mumbai Indians. Their win over Pune Warriors had the highest rating of 5.39, with 21 million people tuning in to watch, suggesting that a strong regional rivalry could develop between the teams. The second most popular game was Mumbai's win over Delhi Daredevils that knocked the latter out of the race for the play-offs. It had a TVR of 4.95, and also drew 21 million viewers.

The least popular game over the last week was Chennai Super Kings' trouncing of Rajasthan Royals that was surrounded by the controversy over the selection of the pitch for the game. It was watched by 12 million and had a TVR of just 2.09.

Tariq Engineer is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo