IPL 2: Captains Views!

After the match, each captain was asked to say few words in the presentation ceremony. The losing captain asked few questions about the match and then the winning captain. These are taken from www.cricinfo.com

Match 58 - SF2: RC v. CSK: May 23, 2009

Dhoni: "The wicket was a bit slow but they played better cricket score. We were looking for a 160 score but we lost wickets at the wring time. They outplayed us. We were short by 15 runs at least. Bowling was a bit fragile, but we could have made it tougher for them."

Kumble: "One more win will be nice. Their score was not even a par score. Our batsmen backed themselves to clear the boundary. I thought Praveen and Vinay bowled very well at the end."

Match 57 - SF1: DC v. DD: May 22, 2009

Sehwag: "Wasn't our day, bowlers tried everything and it all went for fours and sixes. I thought 153 was defendable. I tried everything but today was Gilchrist's day."

Gilchrist: "Amazing what a little bit of freshness does, coming back after a year off. I just wanted to stay with the run rate, put a little pressure on them. I thought the bowlers close it out very well. The ground fielding and enthusiasm was there. Two horse race in the final, anyone can win."

Match 56: RC v. DC: May 21, 2009

Adam Gilchrist: "We weren't as sharp as we would have liked to be. We were outplayed. But it's a fresh start tomorrow."

Anil Kumble: "It's a great thing for us, from what happened last year, and even from what happened this year. Brilliant hundred from Manish. We took a risk sending him up and he responded superbly. The way Virat and Akhil bowled was superb too."

Match 55: DD v. MI: May 21, 2009

Sachin Tendulkar: "We batted well, but the bowling was not up to the mark. Credit to Gauti and Viru, whose strokeplay turned the whole game. We have been good with the ball in the tournament, so over all I wouldn't blame the bowlers."

Virender Sehwag: I am pretty happy with my performance. I knew a good innings was around the corner. We have given everybody opportunities to play in this IPL, they have all done well. We are looking forward to the semis, I have got back in form, so it's good for my team.

Match 54: CSK v. KXI: May 20, 2009

Yuvraj: "We needed that win, we are pretty disappointed. Unfortunately for us, nobody got going. We didn't get a good partnership, the wicket was two-paced, and we've got ourselves to blame. We enjoyed playing in South Africa. We need to win games when we get into a good position, but we didn't do that today."

Dhoni: "Ashwin was brilliant throughout. Murali put pressure on the opposition, and them playing him cautiously was a mistake. We got off to a good start, both Gony and Thushara started well. We were a batsman short this game, but in the next game when Albie will be fit, we'll be a better batting side."

Match 53: KKR v. RR: May 20, 2009

No Details!

Match 52: RC v. DD: May 19, 2009

No Details!

Match 51: KKR v. CSK: May 18, 2009

No Detalis!

Match 50: DD v. RR: May 17, 2009

Warne: Probably they got 15 too many. We dropped our catches, but that's the way it goes. Had we got a good start, it still could have been a par score. [On Munaf's last over that went for 25] Well Munaf has been pretty special, he was sensational in that last over against Mumbai, and this can happen to anyone in twenty20

Sehwag: Pretty happy with the performance. The batting didn't click, still AB and Dilshan carried on from their good form. I knew 150 is a good total here because we almost won against Punjab after scoring just 120. I haven't got any runs, so I can use the next two games. It is important for my team.

Match 49: DC v. KKR: May 17, 2009

Gilchrist: Lightning doesn't strike twice, but it almost did. Bit of a big ask of him [Sharma] to do it twice in a row. I take a lot of responsibility for starting the slide. i certainly didn't need to take the risk when I did."

Yuvraj: What can I say? I think I should start bowling rather than batting. The last tijme I got the hat-trick we lost, so better to win it now. Everybody hung in, we knew we would be out if we lost.

Match 48: DC v. KKR: May 16, 2009

McCullum: "I want to apologise for the reaction out there, it was purely out of emotion. We're going to try to stay as positive as we can. It's not easy being in a team that has lost of a lot of tight games. We are a committed bunch of guys and are determined to turn things round."

Gilchrist: "Glad to have dragged two points out of this one. What was not pleasing was the 40-odd runs in the last two overs. Rohit played some great innings like this last year, and to stand up the way he did in the end was very pleasing. We are back here tomorrow, and hopefully fresh enough for that match."

Match 47: CSK v. MI: May 16, 2009

Tendulkar: "We tried every sort of combination but fell short. We faltered in crunch situations."

Dhoni: "We keep making the same mistakes again and again. Cannot do that outside the league stage. Hopefully it will all come together. Haydos is brilliant."

Match 46: KXI v. DD: May 15, 2009

Virender Sehwag: "We didn't bat well, but our bowlers did a fantastic job and at one stage we almost won the game. Twenty20 is bad type of cricket because if you start losing you keep on losing, I don't want us to go that way"

Yuvraj Singh: "If we had lost this game, I don't know where I'd hide my face. Our bowling was excellent, and our batting was decent. Anything between 120 and 140 was chase-able. Hopefully, Jayawardene gets back to full fitness soon, we need to bat well."

Match 45: RR v. MI: May 14, 2009

Tendulkar: "You always try out certain things. With the same batting order, we fell just short by 2 runs. Towards the end, there was some panic. We lost in a similar manner last year, and we have to try and win everything we can from here."

Warne: "The guys showed a lot of character. I'm really proud of them. Munaf Patel at the end was sensational. It was a big game for both teams, and we just wanted a smile on our faces and play well. The Mumbai Indians played well, but we hung in there and never gave up. There is a great spirit in our group."

Match 44: RC v. CSK: May 14, 2009

Dhoni: "Not really happy. We tried to win a game out of it. Our fielding has been suspect throughout the tournament. We are a safe fielding side, but not a brilliant fielding side. We have a lot of youngsters in the side who can't throw or run all that well. We were clearly about 20 short. "

Kumble: "It was a fantastic effort. The bowling was brilliant. In the end Ross Taylor saw us through. We stuck to plan. We wanted to get Haydos early on but that didn't happen. Still overall our plan worked. Kallis bowled brilliantly. We'd like to take it one game at a time."

Match 43: DD v. DC: May 13, 2009

Gilchrist: "We just handed the victory away with just bat and ball. You can't drop catches like that. We committed cricket suicide. The standard of catching in this tournament hasn't been high, and it was disappointing to release those two points today. We need to keep working hard, we're still in the mix."

Sehwag: "I was pretty happy with the total, but Gilchrist and Symonds played very well. Sangwan bowled really well, and Bhatia did well at the end, bowling the yorkers and the slower ones. We have a motivation that if we win, we get US$50,000 from our franchises. That's always a nice motivation to have." Wow.

Match 42: MI v. KXI: May 12, 2009

Yuvraj: "We didn't bat properly, except for Sunny. We didn't have enough runs on the board, we needed at least 150, Harbhajn, Duminy and Malinga bowled well and didn't give us opportunities to score, and Bravo played an amazing knock. We got to win all our games now, we have plenty of areas to work on." That was pretty candid from the Kings XI Punjab captain.

Sachin Tendulkar: Harbhajan and JP brought us back in the game, and we took some brilliant catches. We took wickets at regular intervals, that was the key to our success. Nothing work like victory, your body language becomes different, your intensity is different.

Match 41: RC v. KKR: May 12, 2009

McCullum: "I thought 170 was pretty good, but the way Ross played was fantastic. Nice to make contribution, but still disappointed. We have to try and regroup again. We weren't consistent enough with the ball." That's putting it mildly.

Kumble: "Great batting by Ross Taylor. It was important to not lose an early wicket - Kallis and Ryder managed that, and then Ross took it away."

Match 40: DC v. RC: May 11, 2009

Shane Warne: It was a disappointing performance. Credit to Dwayne Smith for his hitting in the last five overs. I wasn't too happy with the intensity of the side."

Adam Gilchrist: It would have been nice to have 10 or 15 runs more. Dwayne Smith batted beautifully, and the bowling was clinical. Versatility is there, which is very important for any team.

Match 39: DD v. KKR: May 10, 2009

McCullum: "Not enough runs on the board. We fought well to get 120, but those three wickets at the top hurt us. We are not consistent across the board, we need to get all three facets of the game firing at the same time. Around 20-30 runs more and it could have been a close game."

Gambhir: "The bowlers set up the game with those early wickets. We've not been chasing big totals so the important thing for us was to hang in there and bat till the end. Still five more games to go, so we need to hold the momentum."

Match 38: MI v. RC: May 10, 2009

Kumble: Probably Rahul's run-out was crucial. It was still a good wicket to get 9 or 10 runs an over at the end, but we lost too many wickets early.

Tendulkar: We needed this victory, I thought Rahane and Duminy batted well till the end. I thought we played well all round, batting was good, bowling was good, fielding was good. We need exactly what are the aspects to focus on (to make the semi-finals).

Match 37: CSK v. RR: May 9, 2009

Warne: "We were probably 20 runs short. It was a fighting total still, but Badrinath and Hayden batted well. I think both teams read the wicket right, the spinners did well, if we had Badri early it could have been a different game. Today was a big game, but we''ve got another one on Monday and we'll keep fighting."

Dhoni: "We thought the wicket will remain the same. The track was turning, but most of our batsmen are left handed, so it was important that Hayden stayed till the end. Badri made the most of his promotion up the order. We need to improve our fielding though. It was a tough chase, they had set an above-par score. But I'm quite happy with the overall performance."

Match 36: KXI v. DC: May 9, 2009

Gilchrist: "We should have closed it out, but another exciting game. It was a funny wicket, it perhaps came on a lot better later on. We didn't quite execute a few deliveries towards the end. But an intriguing contest."

Yuvraj: "I was very cross with my shot and we needed one partnership and Irfan and Mahela did that. Lee really helped us. Jayawardene has always done well under pressure but unfortunately he has pulled a hamstring."

Match 35: DD v. MI: May 8, 2009

Tendulkar: "We were very much there with our bowling and fielding except my over. We didn't want to give them pace onto the bat, which is why I brought myself on and that is where things started changing."

Gambhir: "It was important to carry the momentum, it's a format where once you lose it, it's difficult to get it back. We had wickets in hand, so we were confident of pulling it off despite needing eight-an-over. We bowled really well to restrict them. We want Sehwag back when he is fully fit, but we don't want to rush him in."

Match 34: CSK v. KXI: May 7, 2009

No details!

Match 33: RR v. RC: May 7, 2009

No details!

Match 32: DC v. MI: May 6, 2009

Tendulkar: The bowlers did well but the batsmen didn't reciprocate. Says Shah did well as pinch hitter.

Gilchrist: We would have liked some more runs and says he was foolish with the bat. But credits the batsmen who hung on and then the spinners who protected a decent score. Says this is a big win. A special shout out to Harris for that catch at third man and the ball to get Tendulkar. Says Rohit was 'outstanding' and 'unbelievable'.

Match 31: DD v. KKR: May 5, 2009

McCullum: "It's disappointing, and for most parts of the game we were in the match, but we dropped too many catches. We fell around 20 runs short, but all three guys played exceptionally well in their team. There are some positives but it's hard to get the momentum back when you're losing."

Gambhir: "It was very important for us to win this game, the teams are very close in this tournament. 154 was always chaseable, and Amit Mishra and Ashish Nehra bowled well. I am not spotting the ball well, but I was happy I batted through. Dilshan, the way he has been batting this tournament, it won't be long before he gets his orange cap."

Match 30: RR v. KXI: May 5, 2009

Yuvraj: "Totally outplayed. Went for too many runs. Wanted at least 60 in the first 6 overs but we lost three. We've got to win 90% of our games now."

Warne: "Great to see Smith stamp his authority. Great to see Ojha bat the way he did. The guys showed a lot of character. Nice to be back at the top of the table."

Match 29: CSK v. DC: May 4, 2009

Adam Gilchrist: "We were outplayed in all departments. We didn't bowl badly, but they batted very well on a good batting track. And it was tough to chase, especially after the start we got. I'm not focussed on the semi-finals as of now, but on turning around this run (of three losses)."

Dhoni: "I was struggling earlier, it affects my batting when I come in with only four-five overs to go since I'm not a batsman who can hit right from the start, that was the thinking behind promoting me. Credit to the openers for providing the platform for us to take off from. We need to work hard on our fielding, we have dropped catches right through the tournament, it hasn't hurt us that much because we are scoring 160-180 but if it is a low-scoring game, we will struggle."

Match 28: RC v. MI: May 3, 2009

No details!

Match 27: KXI v. KKR: May 3, 2009

No details!

Match 26: CSK v. DD: May 2, 2009

Gambhir: The total was chase-able, and praises Chennai's fielding and bowling. He also calls Warner's batting "fantastic."

Dhoni: Badrinath and Raina were superb but is disappointed that none of he, Oram and Morkel could push the total higher. He says that even when Warner and Karthik were blazing away, it was a matter of taking one wicket to put the pressure back on Delhi.

Match 25: RR v. DC: May 2, 2009

Gilchrist: "A great game of cricket, so exciting, tight finishes, both the teams had the opportunities to win it. There is bit more in the track and they bowled well to restrict us to 141, we would have like some more."

Warne: "We would have batted first, the guys showed lot of character, the bowling has been going very well, we wanted to get Yusuf down the order, so he could finish it off for us."

Match 24: RC v. KXI: May 1, 2009

Yuvraj: "We didn't get enough partnerships and Bangalore bowled really well. Not a difficult wicket but they're getting slower. Can't blame the pitch."

Kumble: "We really backed our bowlers. Roelof guided us with the bat. Had Yuvraj been there for another 5 overs the game would have been over. Gripping the ball was tough because of the dew. We didn't expect it to be this hard. The intensity was brilliant in the field."

Match 23: MI v. KKR: May 1, 2009

Phil: "KKR have wrestled a defeat from the jaws of victory." I agree. This was a golden chance to seal an outright win in style. They remain at the bottom with 5 defeats. Hodge played a very commendable knock and he didn't do much wrong. van Wyk offered support but a short break in play changed things and the stand was broken.

Tendulkar: "JP really set the match for us. All the bowlers chipped in. A good team performance. We wanted out strike bowlers to bowl first. Strategy of leaving Nayar to bowl the last over worked well for us."

Match 22: CSK v. RR: April 30, 2009

Shane Warne: "I thought at 104 in 16 overs they should have made just 130 but our bowling was ordinary at that stage. We left a little too much to do at the end. We just didn't match those guys for intensity."

Dhoni: "Our bowling was on the mark. Everybody contributed. Raina played a brilliant knock. Feels good to win after losing three games."

Match 21: DD v. DC: April 30, 2009

No Details!

Match 20: KXI v. MI: April 29, 2009

Tendulkar: "After the first half we were in a good position to win. But we lost early wickets and all credit to Punjab. You need partnerships but they just didn't come. We lost wickets in a flurry."

Yuvraj: "I was nervous. We wanted to bowl Piyush in the 19th over to get the left-hander out. The wicket had turned slow, and therefore we used more spinners. Yusuf bowled a very good last over."

Match 19: RR v. DD: April 29, 2009

No Details!

Match 18: RR v. DD: April 28, 2009

Sehwag: "We dropped couple of catches, may be if we had taken them, it would have been different. Till Yusuf came in, we were in control but he played well to hit some big sixes"

Warne: "We wanted someone at the top to take responsibility, so we tampered with the batting order. Pathan's striking was amazing. Had a chat with Munaf and he has done well and the rest of the bowlers."

Match 17: MI v. KKR: April 27, 2009

Brendon McCullum: "We need to look deep inside ourselves, and find a way now." No excuses.

Sachin Tendulkar: "It was wonderful. A good partnership for us. Sanath picked the pace quite well, because initially I took all the strike. Everything went to our plan. Maybe we could have got 200, but everything else went right."

Match 16: DC v. CSK: April 27, 2009

MS Dhoni: The bowlers are letting us down, we need to come up with a few ideas. And we have struggled in the middle overs. We need to pull up there.

Adam Gilchrist: I was pleased we pulled them back to 160, they could have scored 180-190. Ojha bowled well, RP hung in. I probably made a mistake. Gave Ojha only two overs, had a theory in my mind but it didn't work. I won't reveal that theory about Ojha.

Match 15: KXI v. RR: April 26, 2009

Warne: "Our bowling and fielding was pretty good, but our top order failed again. They bowled pretty well at the top, and we haven't found the right combination. Our blokes at the top aren't just doing the job, we can't keep doing that. They have to show how important this tournament is for them."

Yuvraj: "After losing wickets upfront, Sangakkara and Irfan batted really well. The wicket surprised me, I had thought in the morning 165-170 would be a good score, but then 145 was enough."

Match 14: DD v. RC: April 26, 2009

Pietersen: "We did ok to get to 150. I'm really chuffed with some of the young players. Appanna did brilliantly to get rid of AB. Pankaj and Vinay executed our plans well and I'm really happy with them as well. They can be really happy and hold their heads up high this evening. I'm upset we lost but not upset about the way we lost."

Sehwag: "Dilshan and AB got us some valuable runs and Manhas as well. The ball was stopping a bit and batting was difficult with the wind."

Match 13: CSK v. KKR: April 25, 2009

Match abandoned due to rain. No ball bowled!

Match 12: DC v. MI: April 25, 2009

Sachin: Till the 10-over break we were doing well, and we lost our momentum. This time the time-out has gone against us, but hopefull the next time it goes our way."

Glichrist: "It's a little milestone for us. We have got more points than we did last year."

Match 11: KXI v. RC: April 24, 2009

Pietersen: "When u drop some u make it had for yourself. It's not nice losing and we'll try and turn it around. My little team-mate from England Bopara played like a super star."

Yuvraj: "Thank God no rain! 169 was a fair total to chase and the wicket was good. Ravi was outstanding and he kept the momentum. All our experiments worked."

Match 10: RR v. KKR: April 23, 2009

McCullum: "We thought we would get across the line but Yusuf just blew us away. Sourav did incredibly well to get us back in the game. We have to rebound. Mendis is an incredible bowler but they were just too good for us. Chris Gayle was a bit too tired after a Super Over of batting ( when asked why he wasn't used)."

Warne: "The first Super Over had to happen to spice up the tournament. I thought about Yusuf and myself for that Super Over but I went with Kamran and I thought he bowled a very good over. Yusuf was fantastic with the bat. We were hungry to get out there in Durban when it rained."

Match 9: DD v. CSK: April 23, 2009

MS Dhoni: "Thanks to Hayden we were close. They were remarkable with their death bowling, we were nowhere close to that. I hope our bowlers are paying attention."

Match 8: DC v. RC: April 22, 2009

Pietersen: "We let ourselves down at the start with the bat. When Gilchrist and Hayden strike the ball like that there's not much you can do. We need to do better in the first six overs, then we'll be okay. We have to sort that out before Durban."

Gilchrist: Started well today. Felt a bit scratchy in the first game. The work the boys have put in as shown. Rohit has been pretty good for India in ODIs and Twenty20s and he's taken on the vice-captaincy role well. He wants to be a leader. Spinners have also proven effective, particularly here at Newlands. Ojha has been fantastic for us. We're happy."

Match 7: MI v. RR: April 21, 2009

Match abandoned due to rain. No ball bowled!

Match 6: KKR v. KXI: April 21, 2009

Yuvraj: "It's a bit unfortunate, but we also dropped a catch and that let them get ahead. Batting looked pretty good but we need to sort out our bowling. It's a similar start like last year, but we need to push on from here."

McCullum: "Nice to get a result go our way, and this win should give us some momentum. We thought a score of 150-160 was par on this ground, but Gayle got us off to a superb start. It could have been a potentially close game, but for the rain."

Match 5: CSK v. RC: April 20, 2009

Pietersen: "We didn't turn up, did we? May as well have stayed back in Cape Town, and given them two points." Good to see he can laugh about it.

Match 4: DC v. KKR: April 19, 2009

McCullum: "The runs were just not enough. We just weren't up to the standards. The top order struggled and Deccan handled the conditions very well. We never really gave the pitch any opportunity to play to our strengths, and we need to bounce back well after this. It was tough for the bowlers with such a low score to defend."

Glichrist: "It was an ideal start, something we've been working towards. We've had the intensity that you saw today in our training camp, and we've tried to learn from the experience last year. It was fantastic to see the guys unveil their fielding skills today, and we need to replicate this in the future matches. We suffered a lot of defeats last year in games that were 50-50, but we need to build up the momentum further."

Match 3: DD v. KXI: April 19, 2009

Yuvaraj Singh: The break after six overs didn't help us as we lost momentum. Duckworth-Lewis gives the team batting second the advantage in these situations, Goel played well for us. Hopefully it'll be great for him. We had a great tournament last year, and hopefully this one will be the same. Brett Lee's working on his fitness, and as soon as he is ready, we'll play him."

Sehwag: "I just told Gambhir to bat out the overs and that I'll go after the bowling. It's easier for the chasing team with the rain interruptions. I was prepared for a score of 120-130 even after that good start from Punjab, as we have a good batting line-up to it down. We are hoping to play the finals here if we keep continuing like this."

Match 2: RC v. RR: April 18, 2009

Warne: "It was pretty disappointing. As champions, we wanted to impose ourselves but Bangalore bowled very well. It was pretty embarassing for us really. We should still have won despite the conditions, batting under lights. We need to have a serious look at the top three or four and some shot selection. We'll work on it and I promise we'll come back better."

Pietersen: "The boys played fantastic cricket. Rahul was outstanding and Ryder was fantastic. We just wanted to hit it hard, take wickets and see where we would end up. Praveen's a fantastic bowler, very clever. You can't buy Kumble's experience, he's a legend. We'll try to do as best as we can, but there are some areas we can improve in, especially in the batting department."

Match 1: MI v. CSK: April 18, 2009

Dhoni: "I think Harbhajan did really well when Hayden and Flintoff were batting. I think 170-180 will be a par score on these kind of wickets. Even last year we struggled in the bowling department in the early stages but bounced back. Hopefully we will work on those areas."

Tendulkar: "The first 7-8 overs were difficult but I thought Nayar played a brilliant innings. I thought 150-160 would be a good target. I don't want to take anything for granted but I'm glad we've started well."