'Still a bit of discomfort' for Gayle

Chris Gayle, who sat out of Royal Challengers Bangalore's first four games this season with back trouble before playing against Kings XI Punjab on Monday, has said his fitness is still not up to 100%. Speaking at an event in Bangalore, he said: "There is still a bit of discomfort. We have a couple of days to go before our next match, which I will use to work with the physio." Royal Challengers' next match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Bangalore, on Sunday. The team is experiencing a bit of a low, having lost its previous three matches after winning two to start with.

Daredevils attack struggling at death - Shami
Mohammed Shami has said that the Delhi Daredevils attack has not got it right at the death so far and that the side is still seeking its ideal bowling combination. Daredevils had conceded 166, 177 and 184 bowling first to Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad before restricting Mumbai Indians to 125 in their final match in the UAE.

"We are still trying to get our bowling combination right," Shami said. "We have struggled with our bowling at the death. We can do much better with the new ball as well. We'll aim to restrict teams to around 130-140."

Shami himself has been expensive, with three wickets in five games at an economy-rate of nine. He said he had spoken to a lot of senior bowlers and sought their help. "Most of them have told me to concentrate on maintaining a good line and length first. Shoaib bhai (Akhtar) told me to not compromise on pace and advised me on ways I can go quicker."

Bailey pleased with bowlers' performance
Kings XI Punjab's bowlers gave away 205 and 191 in their first two matches but their batsmen, led by Glenn Maxwell, chased both targets successfully. The attack has rebounded in the next three games, restricting Sunrisers to 121 after the batsmen posted 193, defending 132 against Knight Riders and keeping Royal Challengers Bangalore to 124. George Bailey, the Kings XI captain, was pleased with the way his bowlers were performing.

"What's really pleasing about the bowling group is that they are doing well individually and bowling well as a group," Bailey said. "I don't know if that's visible from the outside, but we can really feel it on the field and that's really special. If you want to be a good team, you can't rely too heavily on one or the other (batting or bowling). If you look at the successful T20 sides in the IPL, they generally have a well-balanced side."

Rohit runs into over-rate trouble
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has been fined US$ 20,000 (Rs 12 lakh approx.) for his team failing to meet the required over rate against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. This was Rohit's first over-rate offence this season and his fine was meted out accordingly, the IPL website reported.