AB de Villiers of South Africa who was supposed to play for Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League Twenty20 has been replaced by West Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary. The Champions League Twenty20 tournament is to be held from October 8-23.

A media release said, De Villiers had reported back pain in the ICC Champions Trophy and has been advised to rest for four to six weeks by the Cricket South Africa Medical Committee.

The 23-year-old Bengal batsman, who has got the chance in the absence of De Villiers, is currently playing for the Rest of India against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup. Tiwary made his ODI debut against Australia in February last year, has a good domestic T20 record, including 11 IPL appearances, with 374 runs at an average of 34.00 and strike rate of 119.87 from 17 matches.

The Technical Committee of CLT20 also confirmed that James Pattinson and Simon Keen have replaced injured players Damien Wright and Nathan Bracken respectively in the Victorian Bushrangers and NSW Blues squads.

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Indian cricketers have failed to find a place in the World Twenty20 squad released by ICC in London on Monday. The squad consists of four Pakistan, three Sri Lanka, three South Africa and two West Indies players.

Member of Team India, who failed miserably in the T20 world championship, could not find a place in the ICC’s World T20 XI.

Younus Khan, who bids adieu to the shortest version of the game, has been made the skipper of the team alongwith his Pakistan team-mates all-rounder Shahid Afridi, wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal and paceman Umar Gul.

Sri Lanka’s Tillakratne Dilshan, player of the tournament, named as an opener alongwith the West Indies Chris Gayle while South Africa Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers included for the middle-order.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, teenage South Africa paceman Wayne Parnell and Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis complete the line-up, with Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga as the 12th man.

ICC’s World Twenty20 squad:

Jacques Kallis (SA), AB de Villiers (SA), Shahid Afridi (Pak), Kamran Akmal (Pak), Chris Gayle (WI), Tilakratne Dilshan (SL), Mohammed Younus Khan (Pak, Skipper), Dwayne Bravo (WI), Wayne Parnell (SA), Umar Gul (Pak), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Lasith Malinga (SL)

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Tournament favourites South Africa lived up to their expectations in the World Twenty20, beating Scotland by a mammoth 130-run margin in a Group D match at the Oval on Sunday.

Put into bat first, South Africa posted a huge 211 for five in 20 overs with AB de Villiers hitting a whirlwind unbeaten 79 off just 34 balls and Jacques Kallis scoring 48.

South African bowlers packed up Scotland for just 81 in only 15.4 overs. The total was marginally better than the lowest score of 73 recorded by Kenya against New Zealand at the World Championship two years ago in Durban.

South Africa’s total, which was their highest in Twenty20, was set after some stunning display by de Villiers and Albie Morkel (24) in the last few overs after skipper Graeme Smith (38) and Kallis gave them a solid start.

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Following are the statistical highlights of the Indian Premier League`s semi-final match between Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers here.

• Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist (85 off 35 balls) registered the fastest IPL fifty. With his 17-ball half-century, Gilchrist surpassed the 21-ball 50s registered by Yusuf Pathan (2008) and Brendon McCullum (2009).
• Gilchrist`s 17-ball half-century is the fifth fastest in Twenty20.
• Gilchrist is the first player to make 900 runs in the IPL, aggregating 931 in 29 innings at an average of 33.25, including one hundred and six fifties.
• Gilchrist received his fourth Man of the Match award in the IPL. 
• Delhi Daredevils opener Gautam Gambhir posted his second IPL duck in the match. For David Warner, it was his first in the IPL.
• The duo`s dismissal for ducks was the fifth instance of both the openers getting out without scoring in the IPL.
• Abraham de Villiers was the leading run-getter for Delhi in the IPL 2009 — 465 at an average of 51.66 in 15 matches.
• Herschelle Gibbs became the first batsman to register four ducks in the IPL 2009.
• For Delhi, Nehra is the leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets.
• Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored for Delhi with a 65 off 51 balls. The Sri Lankan had top-scored for the team in the last year`s semi-final against Rajasthan Royals as well with 33 in a total of 87.
• Delhi Daredevils have lost two successive semi-finals – both by huge margins – by 105 runs to Rajasthan Royals last year and by six wickets to Deccan Chargers in the IPL 2009.
• Delhi Daredevils have won 10 and lost five out of 15 they played in the second edition of the IPL.
• Dilshan (65 off 51 balls) recorded his fourth IPL fifty. The innings is his second best in the IPL – his highest being an unbeaten 67 off 47 balls against Bangalore at Port Elizabeth.
• Dilshan completed his 400 runs in the IPL 2009, aggregating 418 (ave.41.80) in 14 games.
• Ryan Harris, with two wickets – Gautam Gambhir and David Warner – in his first over, produced his best IPL performance (3/27), eclipsing the 2 for 20 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Johannesburg on May 16, 2009.
• Virender Sehwag, in the course of his 39 off 31 balls, Sehwag has completed his 600 runs in the IPL, aggregating 604 at an average of 27.45, including four fifties in 25 matches.
• Deccan Chargers, with their six-wicket triumph, have posted their first victory in five games against Delhi Daredevils.
• Deccan Chargers have now won eight and lost seven out of 15 played in the second edition of the IPL.

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Its Semi-Final time and Delhi play Deccan Chargers in the first semi-final in Centurion this evening, while Chennai will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers in the second semi-final on Saturday night.

Delhi’s opening duo hasn’t been at its best, but that hasn’t stopped them from looking a formidable unit right through the tournament. If the star of the middle-order has been AB de Villiers, there have been two silent performers in the team who have always chipped in with useful performances at the right time to take Delhi out of trouble.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik are not the biggest stars of the Delhi team; they are not used to too much stardom at the national level either. While Karthik is still coming to terms with the fact that he is not in the T20 World Cup team, Dilshan is finally relishing the opportunity to bat up the order, which he doesn’t always get while playing for Sri Lanka.

In a tournament of many ups and downs, Delhi have looked the safest bet by a long stretch, but there’s a thin line between confidence and complacency that they will need to be wary of. Sachin Tendulkar agreed that the Daredevils had looked the most impressive in the tournament, but felt the best team on the day would win. “Delhi has looked the best side, without doubt. But in this format, it’s a case of having one bad day and the pressure is on you. Instead of hitting sixes, the ball might be caught at long-off. But the good thing for Delhi is that they have done well, and done well consistently,” he said.

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Team Delhi are really looking unbeatable. The clouds of doubts over skipper Virender Sehwag’s form and fitness cleared out on Thursday as his team thrashed Mumbai Indians to finish on a high ahead of the semis.

A target of 165 and all eyes were on Sehwag (50 off 27 balls) as he walked in to bat at No. 3.

But there was absolutely nothing in his batting that showed that he was going through a bad patch. The ball kept hitting the middle of the bat right from the word go and Sehwag looked like the player we all know.

With the Mumbai Indians pacemen unable to extract lateral movement, it was just a case of stand and deliver for Sehwag. He hit through the line with effortless ease as the target kept coming down at a rapid pace.

And of course, there was his trusted partner Gautam Gambhir at the other end. It seemed that the duo had decided to take charge of the business atleast at the end of the tournament. Even after Gambhir got out, Sehwag, along With Tillekeratne Dilshan, carried on for a while, but Harbhajan Singh struck off successive balls to bring some life back into the game.

Bhajji (4/17) removed AB de Villiers and Rajat Bhatia too to create some flutter, but Dinesh Karthik and Amit Mishra stemmed the rot to ensure a four-wicket win. Earlier, Delhi’s leading paceman Dirk Nannes, too, looked in fine form, removing Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy early.

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The Royals Challengers Bangalore recorded a much-needed win over the table toppers Delhi Daredevils to keep their semifinal hope alive. The Royal Challengers beat Delhi Daredevils by 7 wickets in a crucial IPL match at The Wanderers in Johannesburg. With this victory, Royal Challengers now have 14 points from 13 matches. They will make it to the semis, if they win their last match against the Deccan Chargers on May 21.

After electing to bat first, Delhi had a disastrous start with both Sehwag and Manhas failing for a duck. Gautam Gambhir made 27, while AB de Villiers scored 28. Dinesh Karthik was the top scorer with 31. Yogesh Nagar contributed 20. The Delhi Daredevils put up 134/7 in 20 overs. Praveen Kumar took three while skipper Anil Kumble took two wickets in the innings.

Chasing a victory target of 135, Royal Challengers Bangalore lost Robin Uthappa at the beginning. However, Kallis and Dravid prevented further damage and added 70 runs for the second wicket. Dravid made 38. Ross Taylor also contributed 25 off 12 balls to raise the run rate.

Kallis smashed an unbeaten 56-ball 58, as Royal Challengers Bangalore reached 135/3 in 19 overs. For Daredevils, Yogesh Nagar took 2 wickets. Jacques Kallis was declared Man of the Match.

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Scoreboard of the 50th match between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals at Bloemfontein on Sunday.

Delhi Daredevils innings (20 overs maximum)
G Gambhir         c & b Patel      8
V Sehwag           lbw b Patel     2
AB de Villiers   not out         79
TM Dilshan        b Botha        33
D Karthik            not out        23
Extras     (lb 1, w 1, nb 3)     5

Total     (3 wickets; 20 overs)     150

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-15, 3-102

Bowling              O     M     R     W     Econ
MM Patel          4     0     39     2     9.75
A Singh              3    0     23     0      7.66
SK Trivedi        1     0     9     0        9.00
J Botha              4    0     23     1       5.75
SK Warne         4     0     28     0      7.00
RA Jadeja        2     0     13     0      6.50
AS Raut             1     0     10     0      10.00
YK Pathan       1      0       4       0     4.00

Rajasthan Royals innings
RJ Quiney        c Nannes b Nehra     6
GC Smith          c Salvi b Nannes     0
N Ojha               c Sehwag b Salvi     9
J Botha             c Sehwag b Maharoof     37
R Jadeja          c Karthik b Salvi     24
Y Pathan        c Karthik b Maharoof     1
AS Raut           b Mishra         11
SK Warne       st Karthik b Mishra     6
A Singh           st Karthik b Mishra     0
SK Trivedi     not out         6
MM Patel       not out         23
Extras     (lb 6, w 5, nb 2)     13

Total     (9 wickets; 20 overs)     136

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-8, 3-24, 4-79, 5-82, 6-98, 7-99, 8-99, 9-107

Bowling                 O     M     R     W     Econ
A Nehra                3     0       8      1      2.66
DP Nannes           4     0     33      1     8.25
AM Salvi              4     0      19      2     4.75
MF Maharoof     4     0      27     2     6.75
A Mishra              4     0      33     3     8.25
TM Dilshan          1     0      10     0     10.00

Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to bat first.

Man of the match: AB de Villiers (Delhi Daredevils)

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Defending champions Rajasthan Royals would be hoping to take a step closer to a semi-final spot when they meet table toppers Delhi Daredevils in the second edition of the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Delhi with 8 wins from 11 matches have consolidated their lead in the points table with 16 points and their entry in the semi-final is almost assured. Rajasthan are placed third with 13 points from 12 matches.

A win will give Rajasthan Royals a safe lead among the contenders for the last four stage. The team is fresh from their thrilling two run win over Mumbai Indians in their last match and needless to say will enter the Sunday’s clash high on confidence.

The Jaipur team under the Captain Shane Warne has played like a close-knit unit. Warne defied medical advice to play with a pulled hamstring against Mumbai Indians and admitted his old rivalry with Mumbai Captain Sachin Tendulkar tempted him to participate. The Australian won the contest on Thursday, picking Tendulkar in his impressive two-wicket haul but it is to be seen whether he will make himself available for the rest of the matches.

Rajasthan still need to be more consistent in their batting to make up for not so strong bowling attack. To win, Graeme Smith, Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan, and Naman Ojha all need to score with Delhi having much more depth in their batting line-up, starting with captain Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Tillakratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers.

Delhi’s bowling attack is equally potent and though the side lost to Kings XI Punjab in their last match, the fact that they succeeded in bringing the match to the wire while defending a low total only show its effectiveness.

There is also no dearth of options for Delhi, with bowlers like Glenn McGrath still waiting for their turn. Ferveez Mahroof played his first match against Kings XI Punjab.

For Rajasthan, Siddharth Trivedi and Johan Botha produced quality spells and with Warne and Pathan at the other end added variety to the attack.

However, what gives Rajasthan a slight edge is that they had won the solitary encounter with Delhi in this edition by five wickets.

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In one of the crucial matches of IPL on Friday, the batsmen of Mumbai Indians again failed to rise to the occasion which led to a seven-wicket victory for Delhi Daredevils. It was Delhi’s sixth win in eight games, while the fifth loss in nine games for Mumbai.

Delhi’s inform batsman Abraham de Villiers continuing his good form posted the second fifty in this IPL. He remained unbeaten on 50 (38 balls) while chasing the winning total of 117 and Daredevils won the match with seven balls to spare.

Earlier batting first, a new opening pair for Mumbai couldn’t bring any upbeat show when they lost two quick wickets in the very first over; JP Duminy and Luke Ronchi went without scoring a run. Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing cautiously in the absence of Sanath Jayasuriya, only managed to put 15 of 14 balls before he got run out by the wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

However, Dwayne Bravo’s 35 off 30 balls and few more contributions from the lower-middle order finally landed to a total of 116. It is Mumbai Indians’ lowest innings total in the IPL. In the first edition, they had posted 116 for nine against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali.

For Delhi Daredevils, Rajat Bhatia finished up his spell with three wickets conceding just 15 runs while Ashish Nehra and DP Nannes picked up two wickets each to restrict Indians at 116 in 20 overs.

Despite a low total, the Mumbai bowlers – especially Harbhajan Singh and JP Duminy – pushed the match on to the edge until that over of Sachin Tendulkar which cost 19 runs to completely take away the match from the reach of Indians. AB de Villiers took on Sachin in the 16th over by hitting three boundaries and a lofty six over the dip midwicket boundary bringing the asking rate down and ensuring the victory.

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