Uthappa to remain in opener's slot for KKR - Bayliss

Kolkata Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss has said Robin Uthappa will stay at the top of the order for his team, at least "at this stage" of the tournament. Knight Riders have been constantly shuffling their openers, using Jacques Kallis, Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, Manvinder Bisla and Robin Uthappa in the role, without too much success. In their previous game, against Chennai Super Kings, Uthappa opened and was top-scorer with 47 off 38.

Bayliss said Kallis and Gambhir's patchy form contributed to the uncertainty at the top: "We started off this IPL season with a plan in place that Jacques Kallis will open the batting with Gautam," he said. "Robin was given the role of batting in the middle order and getting us home. But the top order, and especially the opening pair, has been our weakness and we decided to promote Robin up the order in the last game as he has a lot of experience of opening the batting. He performed quite well, and at this stage, he will stay there."

Orthodoxy is over-rated - Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen is set to open a cricket academy in Dubai later this year, but don't expect his coaches to be consumed with tinkering with the kids' footwork and other nitty gritty. Speaking to the Times of India, Petersen said the academy would not "over-emphasise on technique". "Orthodoxy is over-rated, definitely," Pietersen said. "Sure, you must have a solid defence, but I think a lot of coaches over-emphasise on technique.

"My academy is going to be different. It's going to be based on the way a kid plays when he comes in. I'm not going to change his game. I want to coach individuals with unique talent to fulfill that talent, and not try to change anybody or teach him how his foot must be in line with the ball. But there are a few key things to batting which are really important, in terms of the head and not really your foot movement, which I think I want to drill into the kids. But it's not going to be technique-based coaching, but more about discovering your inner style of play."

Hard for Anderson to fire under circumstances - Doull
Mumbai Indians have a penchant for going all out to secure the services of the player who is the flavor of the season at IPL auctions. This year, it was New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson, fresh from breaking the long-standing record for the fastest ODI century. The franchise bought him for Rs 4.5 crore (US$ 750,000 approx), but he is yet to deliver a winning hand for them, having got into the 30s only twice in six games this season (he did win a surprise Man-of-the-Match award in his previous game, though, for scoring 35 off 25 and taking 1 for 17 in two overs).

Former New Zealand pacer, Simon Doull, said it's not surprising he has not delivered, given the enormous pressure on him. "It was always going to be hard for Corey to fire in his first IPL, as Mumbai Indians paid a lot of money for him, which added the pressure on him," Doull said.

Daredevils trip squad
Delhi Daredevils have reportedly trimmed their squad of 23 down to 20, sending domestic uncapped players Jayant Yadav, Milind Kumar and HS Sharath home. "Milind, Sharath and Jayant have gone home for the time being. If they are required they would be called back by the franchise," an IPL source reportedly told PTI.