Raina becomes first player to cross 2000 runs in IPL

Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina on Monday became the first-ever batsman to cross 2000 runs in the Indian Premier League. Raina achieved the feat during the course of his 44-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders at the M A Chidambaram Stadium here.

Prior to this match, the left-handed Raina had 1965 runs from 64 matches at an average of 35.86. Raina, who top-scored for his team today, has been playing in the cash-rich Twenty20 league since its inaugural edition in 2008, says a report in The Tribune.

Meanwhile The Hindu writes that the performances of Kolkata Knight Riders in the recent past have smacked of refined bloody-mindedness; something that bears an eerie resemblance to skipper Gautam Gambhir's qualities.

The virtues of collective hunger and a style of play as potent as burnished steel were flaunted by the Kolkata side in its well-crafted five-wicket victory over Chennai on Monday.

According to another report in The Hindu, Eric Simons has welcomed the 50-50 pitches that this Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen with bowlers having a say in the proceedings.

“This season the seamers have done more than they have done in the past. Spinners will play a bigger role as the tournament goes on as the wickets start getting drier. Last year, a lot more spin bowlers were leading wicket-takers.

“Some spinners have struggled this year. Curators have tended to leave more grass on the pitches to be able to prepare the wicket for a longer period of time,” said Simons, the Delhi Daredevils head coach here on Monday.

According to a report in The Times Of India, Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh was critical of the Wankhede Stadium pitch, saying that “it was not a proper T20 wicket”. Harbhajan added: “It was a different wicket from what we have played at the Wankhede. Not good for T20 cricket. We never know what to expect from this track, ever. From next time, I think we have to ensure that we know what kind of wicket we are going to play.”

Meanwhile, former South African pacer and Team Pune support staff member Allan Donald feels that Pune bowler Ashok Dinda's jump at the bowling crease reminds him of his playing days. Donald said, “Dinda is right up there along with other Indian pacers. I have no problem with his jump and that's the way he has done it for a while now. It's not something you see with most bowlers but he (Dinda) reminds me of myself. I too had to get off the ground high enough to snap very hard at the crease,” said Donlad.