IPL cap may be raised

The cap of $5 million on buying of players by each of the eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise teams might see an upward revision in the near future, IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said on Tuesday. The IPL Governing Council will hold a three-day meeting in Goa from October 16-18 at which the cap on the players will come up for review, he told reporters. He said on January 29, 2009 has been tentatively fixed as the date for the next auction of the players. Modi also said the IPL has already kept open a month-long period as the players' transfer window from one franchise to another. "The players' transfer window will be between December 15 (2008) and January 15 (2009)," he said. The IPL Commissioner also announced that the champions of the first edition of the multi-million dollar T20 league, Rajasthan Royals, have the right to decide on the venue for the summit clash of the 2009 edition. Likewise the runners-up of the 2008 IPL, Chennai Super Kings, can decide about the venues of the two semi finals, he said, while giving details about revenue sharing from these matches. Owners of the Mumbai franchise (Mumbai Indians) had the right to organise the semi finals and the final of the inaugural edition held between April 18 and June 1 this year and chose Mumbai as the venue for all three ties. For Information on traveling to Inida  Read  Kalka to Shimla

'Not out' Dravid walks out

An oversight cost Rahul Dravid his wicket on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday. India were in a good position when the one-down batsman walked in to join Virender Sehwag. But for the third time in a row, the former captain 'lost' his wicket to Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis. Dravid had scored just two runs. It was a googly that grazed his bat and pad and went straight to the fielder, Malinda Warnapura, at forward short-leg. An immediate appeal followed and Dravid began walking back to the pavilion, saving the umpire the trouble of taking what would have been a difficult decision. However, TV replays showed that the catch was deflected off Warnapura's hand and went on to hit his helmet which meant that the batsman was not out as per rules. But even as Warnapura was fumbling with the ball before completing the 'catch', Dravid had left the crease. As per laws, it is not a fair catch if the ball has touched a protective helmet, worn by a fielder, although the ball remains in play. When Sehwag was asked about the dismissal, he said, "I could not pick it up from the non-striker's end, but I felt it had hit the helmet. I feel if Sri Lankan fielders knew about it then appealing for the catch was against the spirit of the game."

Team India leaves for Sri Lanka tour

The Anil Kumble-led Indian cricket team left on Tuesday for its three-match Test series against Sri Lanka starting July 23. The Indians will start their campaign with a three-day practice match against Sri Lanka Board XI from Friday. They play their first Test in Colombo from July 23. The Test series would be followed by a five-match ODI series. One-day and Twenty20 team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted out of this series, citing fatigue caused by non-stop cricket.

India bowlers shine in practice match

Test hopeful Thilina Kandamby top-scored with 84 to help the Sri Lanka Board XI make 224 against a visiting India on the opening day of their three-day tour match on FridayThe Sri Lankans were tottering at 82-4 before Kandamby and Chamara Silva rescued them with a 100-run fifth-wicket partnership. India captain Anil Kumble took 3-30 while his off-spin partner Harbhajan Singh took 2-52 to fold up the hosts' Lankan innings in 71.5 overs at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. Kandamby, who is yet to make his Test debut, hit 11 fours during his 138-ball knock while Silva made 68 after captain Jehan Mubarak won the toss and elected to bat. Kandamby's fine innings came to an end when he edged behind to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik off paceman Munaf Patel while Silva was sent packing by Harbhajan. In reply, the Indians were four for one wicket at stumps after losing in-form opener Gautam Gambhir early in what is the only warm-up game ahead of the three-Test series beginning here on July 23. India have not won a Test series in Sri Lanka for 15 years.

Female bodyguards for Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has taken time out from cricket but he still needs protection. In fact, he is being given special protection to keep him safe from his ever growing female fans. The Jharkhand Police has arranged for female bodyguards for this much sought after cricketer.

When Dhoni reached his house in Ranchi last week the Jharkhand Police promptly deployed five female bodyguards outside Dhoni's house. These armed female guards will escort Dhoni when he moves around his hometown. Clear about their duty, one of the constable said, "Dhoni has a huge number of female fans and we have been appointed to protect him from them".

The Jharkhand Police have deployed these special guards in view of the hysterical reactions with which female fans have greeted Dhoni in recent months. In Kolkata one female fan broke through the security and hugged the Indian ODI captain. To avoid any more embarrassment for Dhoni these female constables will accompany Dhoni where ever he goes including his college in Ranchi.

India MenDismissed; Lanka win Asia Cup

Sensational spinner Ajantha Mendis took six wickets for just 13 runs to help Sri Lanka beat India by 100 runs in the final on Sunday to successfully defend the Asia Cup title.As expected the 23-year-old spinner mesmerised the Indian batsmen with career-best figures to cause a slump which saw India lose nine wickets for 97 runs and were bowled out for 173 in 39.3 overs.Sanath Jayasuriya hit a fighting 125 to help Sri Lanka post a decent 273 in their 50 overs on a flat National Stadium pitch

Hope football can be as popular!

Football may be huge globally but in India, it is still an emerging sport. Indian football thrives on club championships and unlike cricket, it seldom gets the exposure it deserves. However when football stars from top clubs like Mohan Bagan and East Bengal go to watch a cricket match in full support of their teams, even wearing cricket jerseys, it just reflects the unity of the Indian sporting community.
At the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, our on-field reporter spotted and caught up with East Bengal striker Alvito D'cunha who had come to watch the Bangalore-Kolkata tie of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) along with his teammates and opponents alike.
The East Bengal striker said that this was his first trip to the Eden Gardens to watch a cricket match and added that he enjoyed the atmosphere in the stadium. Being interviewed in the middle of the match, he said that the match was very exciting and he hoped for a good result.
West Bengal is known for its cricketing personalities, especially former India captain Sourav Ganguly who enjoys mass adoration from his home fans.
Apart from that, Bengal is also known to have a huge football following with top clubs like Mohan Bagan and East Bengal hailing from there. Alvito praised Bengal's rich history of sport and said that football and cricket rule the roost among the most popular sports in India's eastern state.
The ace forward was then asked whether he wishes football could get the attention it deserves in an otherwise cricket-crazy nation.
"So far, it's nothing of that sort but I hope very soon football also gets very popular and hope we can also do something like cricket," he said wistfully.
Asked about the IPL teams he and his friends from East Bengal and Mohan Bagan were supporting, Alvito concluded, "Right now, we are just wearing the Bangalore Royal Challengers jerseys and have come here to support them. But most of the players are from Kolkata and it doesn't matter which team wins as long as the best team wins."
In that game, Kolkata Knight Riders ended up beating Bangalore Royal Challengers by 5 runs.

IPL - Investors Picked Lottery or Loss ?

Some love it and some dislike it too. But there is no denying that T20 (Twenty20), a short, colourful and entertaining form of a cricket match, is here to stay. Cashing-in on its enthusiastic & popular mass appeal (and to counter the ICL ?) BCCI rushed to launch its IPL (Indian Premier League) - an ambitious, bold and the most expensive cricket venture ever.

With $2 billion invested in IPL by various corporates, broadcasters, sponsors etc, the game is poised for a substantial shake-up in the future. Whopping $700+ million was paid to buy its eight teams and millions of moolah was 'bid' in the auctioning of top national and international players to take part in the tournament. Around $1 billion has been committed for the tv broadcasting rights over the next 10 years.

As a business, IPL has proved to be Terrific20 for cricket boards, players, stadiums, merchandising vendors and a host of business beneficiaries. But the big Q remains unclear - will it be profitable for the investors who have put staggering amounts in this new and untested cricketing model ? Some feel it makes a sound investment, while others differ and feel the extravagant sums will make it hard for investors to recoup or reap rewards soon.
In anycase, Cricket has come a long way and grown big in India. In all liklihood, India is heading towards becoming the epicentre of T20 version -- and this will be a bonanza for its fans. Isnt it ?

Six weeks that changed cricket

On April 18, as the first IPL game got underway, cricket was reborn. Corporate megabucks, Bollywood spectacle and the frequent sound of willow thumping leather, the new cocktail was revolutionizing the sport in the way it was played, viewed and managed. Here are the tournament's 10 trendsetters:Boys who came from nowhere: From Australian outback's, Punjab small-towns and Bengal backwaters, they suddenly emerged. A clutch of nerveless unknown desi and firang talents took IPL by storm. Who would have thought that among the million dollar big boys, an unauctioned Australian rookie (Shaun Marsh) would outscore everybody else in the league phase? And that a Punjab paceman whose only USP was that his surname, Gony, rhymed with Dhoni, would take more wickets than Shaun Pollock or Zaheer Khan?But for IPL, how many years would it have taken for Shikhar Dhawan, Abhishek Nayar, Amit Mishra, Ashok Dinda, Swapnil Asnodkar and Yo Mahesh to be seen, recognized and admired? His amazing level of consistency meant that Team Mohali got off to a flier more often than not.

Rajasthan Royals are IPL champions

After 44 days of mind-boggling action and a no-holds-barred feud among eight fierce franchisees, Rajasthan Royals pipped Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in the thrilling grand finale to lift the inaugural Indian Premier League on Sunday. Chasing Super Kings' modest total of 163 for five, the Royals rode on a brilliant all-round display by Yusuf Pathan, who took three wickets and top-scored with a 39-ball 56 to overhaul the score off the last ball after needing eight from the last over.Sohail Tanvir (9 not out) hit the winning run, a pull off the expensive L Balaji, in the company of his inspiring captain Shane Warne, who was not out on 9 in a final score of 164 for seven.The winners received the top prize of $1.2 million and a glittering gem-laden trophy while the runners-up won $600,000.

Chennai beat Punjab, enter final

Chennai Super Kings drubbed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in a lop-sided contest to storm into Sunday's final against table toppers Rajasthan Royals.After restricting the Punjab side to a meagre 112 for eight, the Chennai side romped home riding on a second wicket stand of 102 runs between opener Parthiv Patel (51 off 48 balls) and Suresh Raina (55 off 34 balls) at the Wankhede Stadium.The best chance for Kings XI, after putting up a pathetic batting display on winning the toss, was to strike a few early blows.They managed to dismiss opener S Vidyut cheaply for six to reduce Chennai to 14 for one, but then the left-handed combination of Patel and the more aggressive Raina took control of the proceedings.They made runs at a comfortable pace and raced past the finish line in 14.5 overs to complete a thumping victory.

IPL showing pays off as Ojha, Yusuf get ODI nod

The national selectors seem to have paid some heed to Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag's observation that IPL performances should be taken into account for selection into the Indian team. Keeping the thrust on youth and the aim to build a team for the 2011 World Cup, on Friday, the five wise men decided to pick Team Jaipur all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and Team Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the 15-member ODI squad for next month's tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The 25-year-old Pathan scored 334 runs at an average of 27.83 with three fifties in the league stage of the IPL. The elder brother of Indian pace bowler Irfan Pathan, Yusuf has hit the fastest half-century of the tournament, off 21 balls against Team Hyderabad, besides smashing 17 sixes, the maximum by anybody in Team Jaipur's array of big-hitters. The Baroda youngster, who also took five wickets with his off-spin, played in the T20 final against Pakistan last September. Pathan's slot was created after Sachin Tendulkar ruled himself out of the twin tours due to a groin injury. Though Team Hyderabad performed disastrously, Ojha emerged with a decent performance. He took 11 wickets at 25.81, and his best figures were 2 for 18. The 21-year-old Ojha's passage was made easier because experienced left-arm spinner Murali Kartik made himself unavailable due to injury. Team Chennai's Suresh Raina was also rewarded for his good showing in the IPL with a berth in the squad. Raina, 21, who last played a ODI in January, 2007, edged Team Chennai teammate Subramaniam Badrinath, Delhi's Shikhar Dhawan and Hyderabad's Venugopal Rao. The question mark over the ODI careers of both former captains Dravid and Ganguly, who had earlier been dropped for the previous tri-series won by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side in Australia for the first time ever, continued, as both were left out of the ODI scheme. The selectors made five changes in the team that played the tri-series in Australia in March. Along with Tendulkar, who missed two home Tests against South Africa and the first seven IPL games for Mumbai Indians, banned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, fast bowler Munaf Patel, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and middle-order batsman Manoj Tiwary failed to make it. Incidentally, Harbhajan, banned by the BCCI for five ODIs for slapping Sreesanth, was left out of the Asia Cup squad though he would have served out his ban after India's first two ties in Pakistan

Royals demolish Daredevils, enter final

Riding on a brilliant all-round display by Shane Watson, the ruthless Rajasthan Royals crushed Delhi Daredevils by 105 runs in a lop-sided semi-final to storm into the final of the Indian Premier League on Friday.Watson powered his way to a 29-ball 52 with three sixes and four fours in his team's challenging total of 192 for nine after league table toppers Rajasthan Royals were asked to take first strike by Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag.Later, Watson ripped out the top-order of Delhi with a triple strike to account for the top three Delhi batsmen Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply to reduce them to 24 for three.Delhi never recovered from this early body blows and lost wickets at regular intervals while the asking rate kept climbing before they were shot out for a paltry 87 in 16.2 overs

IPL twice a year may trigger early retirements: Sehwag

As the Indian Premier League authorities toy with the idea of hosting the cash-rich extravaganza twice a year from 2011, Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag warns it may lead to premature retirements among the top players. IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi, in a recent interview, said for the first three editions, IPL would remain an annual event but after that, he would like to see the Twenty20 league twice a year, starting in May and September. Sehwag, however, is apprehensive about the move, which he fears may not augur well for the game. "I think having it twice a year might trigger premature retirements," he told reporters on Tuesday. Sehwag believes the hype and hoopla around IPL notwithstanding, people still put international cricket ahead of the Twenty20 extravaganza and it would be difficult to squeeze in two IPL seasons in an already crammed international calendar. "I think before they think about introducing a second IPL in the same year, they would have to see the schedule. The fact remains that people at large crave more for international cricket than IPL -- be it India vs Pakistan or England vs Australia. "I guess they would have to find at least four months to accommodate two IPLs, which would not be an easy task," Sehwag explained.

Bookies bet on Jaipur and Mohali final

here might be a break in the action on the field with the IPL semi-finalists decided, but off the field, the betting game is only getting hotter. British bookies are backing Team Mohali to lift the Trophy, while for Indian punters it's a toss up between those two teams. Neither lot sees either Chennai's or Delhi's chances of reaching the final as bright. Those who place bets with Indian bookies, though that's illegal, are being offered winnings of Rs 2.25 for every rupee bet on either Jaipur or Mohali. According to their rate cards, Chennai and Delhi are the also-rans of the knock-out stage. That's reflected in their offering, Rs 3.40 on Chennai and Rs 3.80 on Delhi for every rupee you bet. British bookies Ladbrokes and William Hill seem to agree that Mohali and Jaipur are most likely to play the final, but do not otherwise see eye to eye with the Indian bookies. Both see Delhi as more likely to win the IPL than Chennai, for instance. Ladbrokes is offering 7/4 on Mohali (Rs 1.75), 9/4 on Jaipur (Rs 2.25), 3/1 on Delhi (Rs 3.33) and 4/1 on Chennai (Rs 4.00) winning the inaugural IPL. William Hill sees the chances of the four as relatively more even with odds of 2/1 on Mohali (Rs 2.00), 9/4 on Jaipur (Rs 2.25), 11/4 on Delhi (Rs 2.75) and 10/3 on Chennai (Rs 3.33). Interestingly, despite rating the Delhi team as least likely to win the event, Indian bookies give it more of a chance against Jaipur in the first semi-final of the IPL on Friday than they are willing to give to Chennai against Mohali on Saturday. In the first semis, for every Indian rupee spent on Team Jaipur, you can win 90 paise while betting on Delhi can win you just a little more than a rupee. On the other hand, in the second semis, while you can win Rs 1.50 for every rupee you bet on Chennai, if the team wins, you can at best win 60 paise for the rupee on Mohali. Ladbrokes is offering 8/11 (Rs 0.73) on Jaipur for the first semis and a rupee for every rupee you bet on Delhi. For the second semis, they are offering 11/8 on Chennai (Rs 1.37) and 8/15 on Jaipur (Rs 0.53).

IPL doubles BCCI profit

Many eyebrows were raised and heads shaken when it first emerged how much the Indian Premier League franchisees were shelling out. Would they be able to recover their huge investments, asked skeptics. Well, it looks like the franchisees will be having the last laugh - all the way to the bank. The whopping success of IPL has not only ensured that teams like Jaipur, Kolkata and Mohali are likely to break even in the first year itself, but also transformed the fortunes of its telecaster Sony Set Max, says a report prepared by the equity research division of Alchemy Shares and Stock Brokers. The biggest gainer, though, is arguably BCCI - which is projected to rake in a profit of Rs 350 crore from IPL in the first year itself. This would be more than BCCI's profit of Rs 235 crore for all of 2007. In all, IPL will bring revenue of Rs 1,200 crore a year into cricket, more than double the government's entire sports budget of Rs 490 crore. Set Max, too, seems to have a winner on its hands. The channel's revenue marketshare has risen from a pre-IPL level of 5.7% to 28.8%, says the report. Its share of prime time has gone up to 29%, higher than the cumulative marketshare of the top nine Hindi general entertainment channels. From next year, Sony is projected to gross about Rs 650 crore in advertising revenue for about 45 days of IPL, which would be 7% of the entire estimated TV ad revenue of around Rs 9,000 crore for the whole year. Ad rates for 10-second spots, which were at Rs 2 lakh per 10 seconds at the start of the tournament, have climbed rapidly to Rs 5 lakh and look set to rise further to Rs 10 lakh for the final, says the report. This would be even more than the Rs 8 lakh per 10 second rate for the nailbiting T20 World Cup final between India and Pakistan last year. Interestingly, the TRP viewership rating of the World Cup final was 9.21. Arnab Mitra, who prepared the Alchemy report, says the TRP rating of the first few IPL matches was around 8.2, which later fell but remained over 5 - higher than any other program running on TV. IPL's success has also rubbed off on the franchisees. According to the report, teams like Jaipur, Kolkata and Mohali, which have not spent much on franchisee fees, are likely to break even in the first year itself. Kolkata Knight Riders is projected to make an operating profit of Rs 15 crore due to its huge earnings from local sponsorship, amounting to Rs 32 crore, and gate ticket sales of Rs 20 crore. Similarly, Team Jaipur will also be making a profit of Rs 10 crore. This is mainly because it bid a mere Rs 27 crore as the annual franchisee fee, almost half the sums bid by the UB group for Bangalore and by Reliance for Mumbai. However, even the loss-making teams are expected to earn revenue ranging from Rs 48 crore-76 crore. With cash inflows into cricket getting ever bigger in India, expect this figure to rise further. Valuations will rise correspondingly. In the international sports market, a team is normally valued at three to four times of its revenue. As growth prospects in India are much brighter, an IPL team could get even higher multiples.

Tickets for IPL semis exorbitantly priced

The tickets for the Indian Premier League semi-final matches, to be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 30 and 31, are going to cost the cricket fans dear with the rates fixed between Rs 1000 and Rs 12000 for most stands barring the popular East Lower.
The costliest ticket for the matches is the one which gains the fan entry into the Garware club house, the upper tier to the left of the players' dressing rooms, and is priced at a whopping Rs 12,000, according to Mumbai Cricket Association sources.
This is double the amount the fans paid for the matches during the league stages.
Similarly the cost of the MCA Guest Stand ticket has also been doubled to Rs 6,000 while the fans occupying the Sachin Tendulkar stand on the northwestern part of the stadium would have to cough up Rs 2000, four times what they had paid for the earlier ties held at this venue, while the North central stand ticket has been priced at Rs 4000.
The Sunil Gavaskar stand tickets, the upper tier of the East Stand with corporate boxes, would cost Rs 5000 each while tickets for the Vijay Merchant Stand (upper and lower) have been priced at Rs 10000 and Rs 1000 respectively, the sources said.
"We have maintained the price for the East lower stand at Rs 250 and they have all been sold out," the sources said, a surprise considering the fact that the host team - Mumbai Indians have not yet qualified for the knock-out stage of the Twenty20 League.

IPL winner's trophy unveiled

The diamond-studded Indian Premier League winner's trophy, encrusted with rubies and yellow and blue sapphires, was unveiled in Mumbai on Monday by IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi.
"It's a handcrafted and very expensive rotating trophy, the value of which I will not reveal. It has been crafted by Orra's design team," said Modi.
The Antwerp-based RosyBlue Group, owners of the Orra diamond brand, which set up a new diamond production facility in Mumbai last year with an investment of Rs 35 crore, also designed the trophy the BCCI presented Anil Kumble on his feat of 600 Test wickets.
"The winning team will get a replica of this trophy," he clarified.
The trophy, which has a player in gold leafing holding a bat adjacent to a map of the country with the names of the teams engraved on it and symbolised by eight rubies, was crafted by 14 artisans, said chief designer Mona Mehta

Pawar dismisses possibility of two IPLs a year

BCCI President Sharad Pawar shot down Lalit Modi's grand plans to have the Indian Premier League (IPL) twice a year and said the crammed International Cricket Council (ICC) calendar leaves no such scope. Days after Modi, the IPL Chairman and Commissioner, said that from 2011 onwards, he would like to see the IPL twice a year -- one starting in May and the other in September. Pawar categorically dismissed such a possibility. "We have just got one window from the ICC per year. The calendar is ready for next seven years, so there is no scope," Pawar said in a television programme. Earlier, in a television interview, Modi had spelled out his future plans for the Twenty20 extravaganza and said, "I think the IPL, we will like to keep it as two seasons. A single season for the first three years, we would like to move it to two seasons and we have another season in September." Incidentally, star batsman and Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag too is against having two IPLs a year, for, he thinks, it may lead to premature retirements among top players. "I think having it twice a year might trigger premature retirements," Sehwag recently said. The Delhi opener too pointed out to the international calendar and said it would be difficult to squeeze in two IPL seasons in the schedule. "I think before they think about introducing a second IPL in the same year, they would have to see the schedule. The fact remains that people at large crave more for international cricket than IPL -- be it India vs Pakistan or England vs Australia", he said.

Tight semi-final contest on cards

The first semi-final of the Indian Premier League will see an interesting clash between table-toppers Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, which qualified by default, at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday.Rajasthan Royals would be looking to continue their dream sequence of wins, while Delhi Daredevils, which managed to grab the last spot in the knock-out stage, will be hoping to finally live up to their potential on the big stage.The competition has built up nicely to the last four stage and a capacity crowd is expected to witness this slam bang action between the two teams that possess enough firepower to outperform each other.

When Pathan met Pathan

King's XI Punjab bowler Irfan Pathan greets elder brother and Rajasthan Royals' all-rounder Yusuf at the end of their Indian Premier League match at PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.

The Punjab team beat Rajasthan by 41 runs in the last league match. Royals topped the IPL points table with with 22 points from 14 matches while Punjab finished second with 20 from as many matches.
The Pathan brothers have been a huge hit in the League.
Yusuf Pathan was instrumental in giving Rajastahn some breezy starts as he scored 334 runs with a strike rate of 182.5. He also claimed five wickets at an average for 41.6 from 14 matches.
Meanwhile, Irfan has 128 runs at the strike rate of 123 and 14 wickets at an average of 23.28 from 13 matches.

He's like a lion'

The Indian ODI and T20 captain, the Chennai skipper and the player who earned the highest bid during the IPL auction - it is MSD who gets the ladies' votes too! Actress Sophie Choudry calls him a "lion on field and I looove it! He has a fantastic and positive attitude. To be honest, IPL or no IPL, it is Dhoni for me."These superlatives later, singer Anushka Manchanda chips in, "He takes care of his looks and leads his team well… excellent combination." His game is what makes him so hot for the women. "Success suits him. His sexiness lies in the way he leads his team," she adds. Grooming pro Meyhar Bhasin sums it up, "Dhoni is a statement in himself. He has class, panache and attitude. His game is like no one else's."

IPL is here to stay, says Dravid

The Bangalore Royal Challengers may have cut a sorry figure in the inaugural Indian Premier League but captain Rahul Dravid has no doubt that the Twenty20 extravaganza is here to stay. After the side completed their campaign with yet another defeat, Dravid looked back at the tournament and said though organisers put up the show in a hurry, the event looked good enough to last. "Definitely this IPL tournament is here to stay. It was designed in such a short span of time and hopefully it will come with better colours next year," said Dravid. When asked about his team's performance, Dravid said, "It has given all of us lot of learning. We require some special skills to play in Twenty20 games and it's for the youngsters to know how important it's to hone these skills when they are back in this format next year." He felt crowds have been fantastic in this tournament. "Though unfortunately we could not play well here the crowds have been fantastic in these matches," said Dravid. In their last league assignment, Dravid's team went down to Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians by nine wickets. In the rain-truncated tie, the Mumbai side restricted the hosts to 122 for nine in 18 overs before they went on to overwhelm the target with two overs to spare. Dilhara Fernando wrecked the top order with a four-wicket haul which also earned him the Man of the Match award. The strapping pacer later said varying the pace did the trick for him. "Change of pace is very important in Twenty20 matches," said Fernando, who grabbed 4 for 18 in his four overs. "It's important to vary pace in this format of the game as it helps to break the rhythm of the batsmen," said the curly-haired Sri Lankan. "I have learnt a lot from bowling in these matches and sharing the dressing room with the likes of Sachin (Tendulkar) Sanath (Jayasuriya) and (Shaun) Pollock have been very fruitful," he said. Coach Lalchand Rajput, who accompanied Fernando, was of the view that IPL had provided a fine platform for the youngsters to showcase their talent. "The youngsters I feel have been benefited a lot from this tournament sharing dressing rooms with senior cricketers and international players. The wealth of knowledge that has been shared in the dressing room is tremendous and in the years to come they will turn out to be better cricketers," said Rajput.

Punjab win by 41 runs against Rajasthan

Shaun Marsh smashed a mesmerizing century to lead Kings XI Punjab to a convincing 41-run victory against Rajasthan Royals in their inconsequential IPL encounter at PCA stadium on Wednesday.Put in to bat, the Punjab team, riding on Marsh's 115-run knock reached a massive 221 for three and then restricted the visitors to 180 for seven in their quota of 20 overs.Young leg spinner Piyush Chawla was the most successful bowler for the hosts with brilliant figures of 4-0-35-3.Niraj Patel (57) and Yousuf Pathan (39) did their best for the Royals but their effort was not enough to overhaul the big target.Though both the teams have already made the semi-final grade, which made the match inconsequential yet the Punjab team enter the knockout stage with the momentum.

Mumbai win by nine wickets against Bangalore

Mumbai Indians put up an all-round display to end their Indian Premier League campaign with a thumping nine-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers on Wednesday.The win though came late for Mumbai Indians, who went out of the semifinal contention after losing three close games in a row, which made them dependant on other teams' losses to reach the last four.

Even though their team doesn’t figure in the semi-finals, the franchisees of Mumbai Indians, Reliance, are set to make a killing during the finale of the IPL stretching over May 30 to June 1. As highest bidders at the team auctions, they were given marketing rights for all the matches in Mumbai, including the two semi-finals and the final. As the event caught the public fancy and demand for tickets increased, the value of the high-end seats has almost doubled while that of the lower seats in the north stands has quadrupled. But for the Vijay Merchant upper stand, the rate has gone up from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000, a 2,000 per cent rise. For the Vijay Merchant lower stand, the rate has gone up from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. The franchisee upset the staging association, Mumbai, by refusing to give them the 20% quota of seats/tickets for the last three matches, as it had done during the league games. Instead, it agreed to give them to the IPL management. The MCA took up the matter with BCCI president Sharad Pawar. He ruled in favour of the MCA and ensured that the MCA would get its quota for the semi-finals at the Wankhede. For the final at DY Patil Stadium, though, the IPL, sources said, allotted 2,000 tickets to both MCA and D Y Patil Sports Academy. Agency reports quoted an MCA official as saying: ‘‘Commerce, more than promotion of the game or the interest of the host association, is the overriding factor in the staging of IPL ties

Only pride at stake for Bangalore, Mumbai

Chennai Super Kings' victory dashed the hopes of Mumbai Indians, who will play their last match against Royal Challengers on Wednesday but are now out of semi-final contention. For, even if they do enough to win the match against the second-placed host side from the bottom up, it might not be enough to stay alive in the tournament.This is because Mumbai Indians snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Team Jaipur, and despite whatever happens in Bangalore or Hyderabad, the Delhi Daredevils, with 15 points, are through to the semis.Mumbai's excruciating loss to Team Jaipur has given the Daredevils a second lease of life and a toehold in the last-four.

Chennai beat Chargers to reach semi-finals

Chennai Super Kings grabbed the last available semi-final spot in the Indian Premier League after beating Deccan Chargers by seven wickets in their last league match on Tuesday.Chasing 148 to win, the visitors overhauled the modest target with four balls to spare, thanks to sensible batting by Suresh Raina (54 not out) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (37).The Chennai team not only sealed a semi-final place for themselves they also broke the heart of Sachin Tendulkar led Mumbai Indians team, which is now out of the tournament.A lose of Chennai and a Mumbai win tomorrow against Bangalore Royal Challengers would have enabled Mumbai to enter the last-four stage of the tournament. Now Mumbai's last league match has been rendered inconsequential.

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We must enjoy this 'must-win' challenge

Two losses in two games and we are now facing a must-win situation on Tuesday against Hyderabad. The defeat against Bangalore was due to inept batting, while the defeat against Rajasthan was because we gave away far too many runs, especially at the top of the innings. The only consolation was that we batted extremely well to chase 211, and while we did fall short, we at least made a game of it.
That was not the only disappointment for us on Saturday, because the other game also had a result that does not help us. Though I only watched the start of the Mumbai innings, we were aware of what was going on and that Delhi's win does put us in a must-win situation. However, I would like to get into the semifinals on our own strength and not on the basis of another team's performance. On Saturday, our bowlers were guilty of bowling on both sides of the wicket, and in T20 cricket, it's difficult to defend both sides of the field. We also bowled quite a few boundary balls, which the in-form Bangalore took full advantage of.
When the tournament began, everybody was talking of the 'star' teams, but I knew that Rajasthan would do well. They have utility players, and everybody does his little bit with the bat and ball. What's more, many of their guys are in good form, and they also have good bench strength. While I did not get a chance to speak to too many of them, they look like a team that is on a winning streak, happy and gelling well together.
We too need to exude similar confidence when we face Hyderabad and it's important that we enjoy the challenge of a must-win situation. I am not one to complicate things too much, and since Sunday was a break for us, I watched 'Iron Man' and have come back suitably refreshed.
Hopefully, the weather in Hyderabad will be a little less punishing than it is in Chennai right now. My finger is not in a very good shape after the knock in Kolkata last Sunday. Parthiv Patel will be keeping wickets, as I would not like to aggravate the injury before a hectic cricket season. Hyderabad's openers are in very good form and we need an early breakthrough to peg them back.
We need a good bowling performance that was lacking in the last game. We batted badly against Bangalore and bowled badly against Rajasthan. I hope that we will get both aspects right this time, and enter the semifinals on our own steam. It will be some time before we get back to Chennai, whichever way the game goes on Tuesday. It's been a wonderful stay, and I will miss the motorcycle rides to the stadium and down Beach Road and EC Road. I look forward to the stay here next year.

Rahul Dravid denies reports of quitting

Bangalore Royal Challengers skipper Rahul Dravid has denied reports of qutting the team and parting ways with Vijay Mallya-owned team after there were rumours of him being unhappy with the team and management. Dravid said to a news channel: "Reports of quitting Bangalore Royal Challengers not true. I have enjoyed the experience of playing in the IPL T-2O matches. I have a 3-year contract and hope to fulfill it." Earlier, there were rumours that the Vijay Mallya-owned IPL franchise - Royal Challengers - is likely to receive a jolt as its 'icon' player and skipper Rahul Dravid was believed to have expressed interest in parting ways with Mr Mallya for the league's second season. Dravid, according to insiders in the franchise as well as BCCI, was unhappy with the way the team management has dealt with the players. "I have had no discussion with Rahul Dravid, but he is performing well personally which I am pleased about. The other players also need to play to their abilities," Mr Mallya told Economic Times. When contacted, Dravid told ET: "I have nothing to say at this stage." A senior BCCI official said that Dravid has had an informal discussion with board officials on his exit from Royal Challengers. "There is an issue with Dravid, as he is unhappy with his team, and post the first IPL season, we will have to look into the matter."

Jaipur win make Delhi happy

Niraj Patel (40 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out) turned heroes by scoring 16 runs from the match-deciding last over to guide Rajasthan Royals to an improbable last-ball 5-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in a nerve-wrecking Indian Premier League match on Monday.The young duo stood tall among ruins to share an unfinished 69-run stand for the sixth wicket to single-handedly decide the fate of the match though aided by some blunders by the Mumbai team.Today's result ensured that Delhi Daredevils make it to the semi-finals with 15 points from 14 matches while Mumbai Indians (12 points from 13 matches) will have to wait the outcome of tomorrow's match between Chennai Super Kings (14 points from 13 and bottom placed Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad.

Deadly duel: It’s Shane vs Sachin

We thought, and subsequently rued, that we had seen the last of it. That only memory and those nostalgic classic DVDs will help us relive those moments that famously compelled the peerless Sir Donald Bradman to realise that, yes, he just might have a parallel in modern day cricket, while forcing similar confession out of Richie Benaud, former Australian captain and leg-spinner.
The sight of Shane Warne slumping disconsolately on his haunches after Sachin Tendulkar had collared him for a "it's gone miles" maximum with effortless ease in the unforgiving dust of Sharjah, or Tendulkar being teased, lulled, deceived and eventually snared by the master leg-spinner in the extravagance of Melbourne Cricket Ground and the cauldron of Chennai has not only enthralled the connoisseurs, but also the commoners.
Tendulkar vs Warne has been more than a mere contest, it has been a battle, a battle of mind as much as of body, of craft as much as of graft, of flair as much as of attrition, of silk as much as of steel; a rivalry lacking the obviousness of the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman one, but none of its intrigue and skill. What has added to its allure is the fact that there has been no outright winner. Surely, Tendulkar has had the edge over his charismatic adversary, but Warne's absence from India's 2004 and 2008 Down Under forays due to a drugs ban and retirement has ensured that the jury is not out just yet on this one.
And even the sporting Gods are keen on another dance. That is why on Monday, they have provided both of them with a chance for a final hurrah, something which was inconceivable even six months back, when IPL was yet to be launched.
In Jaipur, the two talented and driven men will square off once again, but this time in a format their bodies might loathe, but the mind certainly relishes. Two individuals well in their professional dotage, past their prime—Warne is "happily retired" now— full of mutual admiration, eager to land one final, decisive blow.
Warne is certainly roused up for this one, even willing to ignore the call of his "battered" body. After beating Chennai, when asked by this correspondent when he would take a break as he had been playing in every game, Warne said he would sit out the next one. But when told he would be up against Sachin, he promptly changed his stance, saying, "then I'll probably sit out against Mohali!" That comment itself lays bare the desire and his eagerness to get back at a man whom he describes as "his favourite cricketer", and the one who gave him "nightmares". Sachin too was effusive in his praise on Sunday.
"He is a great bowler, it'll be a fantastic challenge. Which I am looking forward to," the Master said. It's been eight years since they last faced-off. High time they duelled again.

Sourav guides Kolkata to stunning win

Skipper Sourav Ganguly led from the front with an unbeaten knock of 86 as the Kolkata Knight Riders snatched an unbelievable three-wicket win with two balls to spare against the formidable Kings XI Punjab to finish their below-par campaign in the Indian Premier League on a high on Sunday.Replying to the Kings XI's competitive score of 174 for 6, the Knight Riders reached their winning target of 175 losing seven wickets in 19.4 overs in a nail-biting finish before a crowd of 30,000 at the Eden Gardens.Man of the match Umar Gul (24; 11 balls, 1x4, 3x6), who also shone with the ball with figures of 4/23, turned the game upside down during a hurricane 49-run seventh wicket stand with Ganguly after the Knight Riders seemed headed towards yet another defeat at 106 for 6.As Irfan Pathan set out to bowl the last over, the hosts needed 15 runs, but Ganguly finished off the proceedings in a destructive manner, with a six, two, six and one to hand out the Kings XI their fourth defeat.The Punjab side, already in the semi-finals, remained on 18 points after 13 games.

Bangalore beat Chargers by 5 wickets

The top order of the Bangalore Royal Challengers clicked in unison as Rahul Dravid's men chalked out a five-wicket win with one over to spare against lowly Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League battle between the laggards on Sunday. With this win, the Bangalore side avoided the ignominy of finishing last in the IPL, while the Deccan Chargers could not avoid the wooden spoon. Chasing 166 to win, Jacques Kallis (31), Misbah-ul-Haq (34), Dravid (31), Cameron White (31 not out) and B Akhil (27 not out) came up with timely cameos as the side reached 171 for five in 19 overs. Akhil smashed three sixes in the 19th over, bowled by Chamara Silva, en route to his unbeaten 27 off just seven balls to seal the issue. Bangalore's reply got off to a poor start as Wasim Jaffer (5) fell early but Kallis and Misbah stemmed the rot, scoring at a lively rate. Misbah was more impressive of the two but like Kallis, who was run out, the Pakistani too could not convert the start and fell to Ravi Teja after a 28-ball 34 that included four boundaries and a six. Next man in Dravid too looked in good nick as he went after the hosts bowlers and by the time he fell to Sanjay Bangar, the Bangalore captain had contributed 31 off 21 balls that kept the side right on course. Down the order, White and Akhil completed the formality without much ado to carve out a win with one over to go. Earlier, deciding to bat first, the Gilchrist-Gibbs duo overcame a subdued start and came down hard on the Bangalore attack. But once they departed in a space of seven balls, the home team witnessed a batting collapse with only Y Venugopal Rao (26) and Rohit Sharma (17) managing double figures. Dravid sprang a surprise by opening the attack with Anil Kumble and the leggie didn't disappoint either, as he kept it tight, while Dale Steyn too proved a miser. But once they were taken off, Gilchrist and Gibbs imposed them on the visitors. Vinay Kumar and B Akhil came in for some harsh treatment from the duo as the Deccan Chargers reached the 100-mark in the 11th overs without losing a wicket. On his return, Kumble drew first blood when Sreevats Goswami stumped Gibbs and in the next over, Gilchrist fell to Vinay Kumar to join his opening partner in the hut. Gibbs' 34-ball 47 included six fours and two sixes, while Gilchrist hit four boundaries and two sixes en route to his 37-ball 46. Wickets kept tumbling and Rohit's exit further complicated things for the Deccan Chargers. Venugopal hit Kumble for two sixes and a boundary in his last over before Vinay Kumar cut short his stay. The Deccan Chargers in fact lost their last nine wickets for just 56 runs in less than eight overs.

Daredevils beat Mumbai by 5 wickets

The famed top order crumbled but Dinesh Karthik's bravura unbeaten 56 and Manoj Tiwary's (36) gutsy cameo enabled Delhi Daredevils eke out a thrilling five-wicket win against Mumbai Indians to cling on to their semifinal hopes in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.For once, the Daredevils middle order took the onus on itself to pull off an improbable win with Karthik being the architect of the victory that helped them stay afloat in the tournament.Karthiks match-winning unbeaten 56 came off 32 balls and was studded with three sixes, besides four fours.Needing 177 to cling on to their semi-final dreams, the Daredevils required eight runs off the last over, sent down by Ashish Nehra. Karthik and Ferveez Maharoof (20 not out) kept their cool as the Daredevils overhauled the target with one ball to spare

Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai by 10 runs

Albie Morkel (71) and Parthiv Patel's (54) half centuries went waste as Chennai Super Kings lost the plot towards the close to suffer a 10-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their crucial Indian Premier League match on Saturday.After Graeme Smith (91) and Kamran Akmal (53) had led the Royals to a huge total of 211 for five, the Super Kings replied by the taking the visiting bowlers by the scruff of their neck with one down Suresh Raina doing most of the scoring.Super Kings were cruising at 157 for three at the end of 15 overs but failed to get 55 from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand to make their semi-final hopes uncertain.With 14 points from 13 matches, the MS Dhoni side will have to win their last match against Deccan Chargers on May 27 in Hyderabad to make the grade.

Kings XI beat Deccan Chargers by 6 wickets

Kings XI Punjab rode on twin half centuries by Shaun Marsh (60) and Kumar Sangakkara (50) to post a six-wicket victory over Deccan Chargers in a close but inconsequential Indian Premier League match on Friday night.Chasing a target of 176, Kings XI openers Sangakkara and Marsh shared 84 runs for the first wicket to lay the strong foundation for their ninth victory in the tournament which they achieved with three balls to spare.Towards the close, there was some anxious moments for the home team. With asking rate reaching near 10 per over from the last three overs and four wickets having fallen, the Chargers pressed for a wicket but experienced Mahela Jayawardene (14; 10 balls; 1X6) and young Piyush Chawla (16; 9 balls; 1X4; 1X6) shared an unfinished 39-run stand for the fifth wicket to reach 178 for 4. Shaun Marsh was later adjudged Man of the Match.

Knights are like my kids, says SRK

It sounds pretty much like what coach Shah Rukh Khan dished out to a bunch of women hockey players before the final in Chak De! India. Only this was no final game and his team had nearly signed an exit warrant from the Indian Premier League. Before his team's hoping against hope game against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday, Shah Rukh sent out a chin-up sms longer than a panchvi class essay to the Knight Riders. He told his team, "Don't spoil your character in the next two games. Let's go out with a bang and not a whimper. In films, we say you are only as good as your last film. So let's make the whole world know how good we are in the last (maybe not) two games." Despite the defeats suffered by his team, Shah Rukh says he remains dedicated to the team. "I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids," he says. Then he adds, "Only, I won't be coming to the class room till the headmaster's rules are understood by me. I am a bit anti-establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to you all." In the game, Shah Rukh was asked to leave the team's dugout by ICC's anti-corruption and security unit. Unfortunately, unseasonal Delhi rain did not give his team the opportunity to sign out with a flourish.

I would've cracked T20 if I was 21: Dravid

There was more to it than merely winning a game of T20. On Wednesday, Rahul Dravid, for once, was making a statement. "T20 is a bit of a hit-and-miss game. Had I been 21, I would easily have cracked this," he said, and perhaps for the first time, an admission of age had been made by one of the Indian batting's Big Three in the IPL. While on one hand, Dravid made it clear that it doesn't take too much to master the format, the technician also gave the impression that probably he was tired of re-inventing himself. At 35, you can expect that from a man who has done everything for India except opening the bowling! There was no extra excitement in the usually inscrutable Dravid, after he, along with old pal Anil Kumble, helped Bangalore Royal Challengers record a shock, and very satisfying, victory on Wednesday over Chennai. The win meant that Chennai are left with no option but to win one of the two remaining matches (against Jaipur and Hyderabad) if they have to make the semi-finals. While Dravid's 39-ball 47 (the highest individual score of the game) kept the Royal Challengers in the hunt, it was Kumble's spell of 3-14 that ultimately won the game for them. "In One-day and Tests, you get a little more time to adjust ... T20 doesn't give you that time. Maybe, I am still learning," he jibed, when somebody asked whether he has finally come to terms with T20 cricket. You couldn't miss the sarcasm in Dravid's voice as he added: "I don't think I need not prove anything more to anybody." Was it meant for his owner Vijay Mallya, who would have preferred to have Dhoni in his team rather than spending as much as he did on the 'icon'? Dravid didn't specify, but he made it clear that he won't leave the battlefield so easy. "This win won't make any difference for us this time, but we will take a lot of heart from it anyway and come back strong next season," he said. As Dravid spoke for himself, he also didn't forget to mention Kumble. "He knows all about handling pressure situations and this was special," he said, referring to the leggie's spell where the Team India Test captain accounted for Stephen Fleming, Parthiv Patel and S Badrinath to turn the game around. Amidst all these, Dravid couldn't conceal the sense of pleasure at being able to break Chennai Super Kings' rhythm. "I don't mind playing the party-pooper now," he said with a smile.

Rain lashes Viru's boys, sends Riders crashing out

A morose Delhi Daredevils dressing room sat and watched in silence as rain lashed the Ferozeshah Kotla on Thursday, washing out their all-important clash with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Delhi, who needed to win both this game and the next one against Mumbai to stand a strong chance of making it to the semi-final, have now split points with Kolkata, which has further complicated their scenario and made them dependent on the results of some of the other semi-final contenders to get into the last four. Intermittent drizzle late in the evening made the work of the Kotla ground-staff very difficult. Their best efforts couldn't get the stage ready for the show. The umpires called off the match after an inspection at 10pm. However, match referee Clive Lloyd expressed his unhappiness at the condition of the super soppers used to flush out the water from the outfield. He said that only one of the three soppers was working efficiently. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders, after this game, are definitely out of the semifinal race with 11 points from 13 games, which means they can at best finish with 13 points. Both Team Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore are already out of the race. With Team Jaipur already through with 18 points, and Team Mohali also assured of a place with 16 points and three games to go, that still leaves Delhi (13 points after this washout from 13 games), Mumbai Indians (12 points from 11 games) and Team Chennai (14 points from 12 games) jostling for the other two semi-final spots. Mumbai now look the strongest out of these three to make it to the semis first. They have three games to play, and Delhi will be hoping and praying they lose at least two out of those three. If Mumbai wins two of their remaining games, they'll be out of reach of Delhi. That means Delhi will have to beat them on Saturday and hope for Mumbai to lose another game, either against Team Jaipur or the Bangalore Royal Challengers, and for Chennai to lose their remaining games. In such a scenario, Delhi will finish with 15 points, while Mumbai and Chennai will have 14. So Delhi will become the third semi-finalist, while Mumbai and Chennai jostle it out (in terms of net run rate) for the fourth slot. The equation for Chennai is now quite simple: they need to win either against Team Jaipur or Team Hyderabad to be sure of a spot in the semis. In short, it's not curtains for Delhi yet, but they'll have to closely follow the fortunes of the competition and hope for the best.

Dhoni confident of semi-final berth

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team still had a chance of making it to the Indian Premier League (IPL) semi-finals despite a shock defeat to Bangalore Royal Challengers.
`I don`t want to leave anything for our last game against the Deccan Chargers, but we would like to beat Rajasthan Royals here on Saturday and qualify for the semi-finals,` he said.
Dhoni said a couple of partnerships would have helped Super Kings to pull through after Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel had provided them a solid start.
Sharing his thoughts on the dramatic collapse, the skipper admitted that poor shot selection led to loss of wickets.
`It was a gettable total. We changed the batting order according to the situation. If the players thought in the middle as much as they thought in the dressing room, we would have won,` he said.
Challangers captain Rahul Dravid gave full credit to his bowlers, particularly Anil Kumble, while admitting that his batsmen did not perform.

`We played well in our first match against Chennai in Bangalore but could not finish and the same thing happened to the Chennai team today. Anil (Kumble) was brilliant and turned the tide in our favour,` he said.
`Even in the last two overs, one could not say as to who will win. When we got Fleming, we had a chance but Suresh Raina is known for big hitting. It is good to have won a match after five straight losses,` he said.
`It has not been a good season, but we have to show some responsibility. Hopefully, the same team will do well in the next season,` he said.

Sachin unhappy with umpiring

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has expressed disappointment with some of the umpiring decisions that were taken during their clash with KingS XI Punjab in Mumbai on Thursday.

Mumbai's first innings saw some of the decisions which seemed to be incorrect that included run-outs of D Smith and S Chitnis. And in their second innings, there was another such decision which went against Mumbai's favour. Kings XI Punjab's Luke Pomersback was not given out in spite of a direct hit by Shaun Pollock which TV replays clearly showed him out.

"The world saw it, I need not say anything on this," said Sachin Tendulkar.

Royal Challengers stun Chennai by 14 runs

Chennai Super Kings batsmen perished under pressure as Anil Kumble's three-wicket haul helped Bangalore Royal Challengers register a 14-run win, their first victory after five consecutive defeats, in the Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest target of 127 to win, the home batsmen spoilt a good platform provided by openers Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel to manage only 112 runs for the loss of eight wickets.

The defeat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium meant that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men, with 14 points from 12 matches, will have to wait further to book their semi-final berth.

Kings XI Punjab halt Mumbai's winning run

Kings XI Punjab halted Mumbai Indians' winning streak with a thrilling one-run victory off the last ball in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
In a thrilling final phase of the match, the home team - chasing the visitors' 189 for four - were dismissed for 188 after losing their last six wickets in three overs and one ball in a dramatic change of fortunes.

Seemingly cruising to a comfortable victory with captain Sachin Tendulkar (65) leading from front, Mumbai Indians suddenly lost the plot and a clutch of wickets (mostly to run-outs and the list included their skipper) to end up on the losing side.

From 159 for three in 16.5 overs, the home team slumped to 188 all out when last man Vikrant Yeligati was run out at the non-striker's end by a superb piece of fielding by Punjab XI skipper Yuvraj Singh when two runs were needed off the final ball

Australia to launch Indian-style Twenty20 league

BIG business could be asked to tender for domestic Twenty20 franchises within a year as Australian cricket prepares for a revolutionary overhaul.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland yesterday confirmed plans for Australia to host its version of the Indian Premier League as early as the 2009-10 season.

Sutherland said CA wanted to upgrade its two-week Big Bash domestic Twenty20 competition, and one way to tap into the game's latest cash cow would be to follow the lead of the IPL.

As revealed in the Herald Sun last week, CA is considering allowing teams to be privately owned franchises with salary caps and overseas talent to ensure lucrative TV coverage appeals internationally.

"In our review, leading into the 2009-10 season we will be launching our own Twenty20 competition that we believe will really significantly enhance what already is a good, strong KFC Big Bash competition," Sutherland said.

CA is frustrated that it does not share in the spoils of the IPL, despite providing some of the competition's drawcards.

There is a possibility governing boards will receive a handout if the IPL finds an exclusive spot in the international fixture next year.
This would mean nations would need to be reimbursed for missing out on revenue from Test and one-day international series.

But a sure way to tap into the Twenty20 boom is to host a major tournament, which England is also considering in conjunction with billionaire Allen Stanford.

"We are under no illusions that our market is a different size.
''We need to tailor our product to our market, but we still see a tremendous benefit of being able to play Twenty20 that will bring new people to the game," Sutherland said.

Speaking at the launch of next summer's international program, Sutherland also said:

THE traditional New Year's Test in Sydney, against South Africa, will begin a day later than usual on January 3 so players would have more rest after the MCG Test.

A TWENTY20 "Champions League" tournament featuring the two best teams from Australia, England, South Africa, India and Pakistan could still be held later this year.

CRICKET Australia was working with the CSIRO to find a ball suitable for staging Test cricket at night.

All is not well between SRK and Ganguly

The differences between Kolkata Knight Riders' owner Shah Rukh Khan and its skipper Sourav Ganguly have come out in the open after the team's poor performance against the Rajasthan Royals cost them their chance to feature in the top four teams. Sourav Ganguly spoke to Times Now and said, "I have seen the reports and I will clarify his stand in the controversy later." Refusing to comment on the issue and not denying any such reports could hint at a possible rift between the two. However, owner Shah Rukh Khan has not reacted to reports over possible rift between the two. Has the peace in the Kolkata Knight Riders' camp been shattered? Are 'Dada' Sourav Ganguly and 'Badshah' Shah Rukh Khan not getting along with each other anymore? Yes, say insiders. The two power centres in the Kolkata team are not seeing eye to eye on many issues. The problem apparently started with the entertainment tax that Shah Rukh Khan is paying for the matches being played at the Eden Gardens. The Bollywood star wanted Ganguly to speak to West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and try and get it abolished. The Kolkata captain, who is known to be close to the CM, has refused to oblige, at least till now. Interestingly, it is learnt that Eden Gardens is the only stadium where an IPL team is paying entertainment tax. That is not all though. The bigger bone of contention is KKR's sudden dip in form and its poor performance in the last few games, harming their semifinal chances. Shah Rukh, sources say, is not too happy with this change of fortunes although he hasn't expressed his feelings openly. Ganguly, on the other hand, has not been too pleased with the team composition right from the beginning. The differences surfaced during the auction itself, with Sourav wanting more batsmen while the team management was more keen on bowlers. The problems magnified when coach John Buchanan was given more powers than the captain himself. To add fuel to the fire, Shah Rukh announced that the coach will take all the decisions for the team next year onwards, upsetting Ganguly in the bargain. Ganguly has apparently already begun showing his discontent: he preferred to go back home after the last match rather than stay back for a press conference to annouce Knight Riders' tie-up with a website. Said an insider, who was present at the event, "Shah Rukh did pass some caustic remarks saying, 'I thank all my teammates for being at the press conference but who can forget Dada who is missing from the event'." The duo also had a spat when Khan was keen that his team fielded first in the last game against Chennai; Ganguly, however, preferred to bat first. Eventually, the Knight Riders lost by 3 runs on Duckworth-Lewis following a rain interruption.

Jaipur Polish Off Kolkata

Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Kaif drummed up a crucial unfinished 81-run partnership as Rajasthan Royals confirmed their semi-final berth by cantering to a six-wicket victory over a lacklustre Kolkata Knight Riders here on Tuesday.Pathan (48 not out off 18 balls) and Kaif (34 not out off 31 balls) took the game away from the Knight Riders during their rollicking 42-ball stand after the hosts posted a modest 147 for eight in the face of a disciplined bowling performance from the league leaders.Pathan, who played a hurricane knock studded with five fours and three sixes, ended the game in style with an overboundary off pacer Umar Gul as the Royals reached 150 for four with 21 balls still remaining in the Eden Gardens game.

Warne may consider Ashes return

Former world leading Test wicket taker Shane Warne has hinted at a possible return to international cricket for next year`s Ashes tour of England.The Australian legspinner, who retired from the international arena at the end of the 5-0 Ashes victory over England in early 2007 and has since retired from first class cricket, is playing in a domestic Twenty20 competition in India.The 38-year-old, however, said he would return for the Ashes next year, if he was needed."If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and Ricky (Ponting) thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options," Warne was quoted as saying in a newspaper."If Stuey (Stuart) MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, `Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you`, that is something I would weigh up."Warne, who said he had grown tired of travelling and retired to spend more time with his children, said he felt he could still perform at the top level though did concede a return would be a "fairytale".
"If I wanted to keep playing I don`t think there would be an issue with me being the number one spinner and performing," he said."I would still love to be playing international cricket, and miss it because I devoted 20 years to first-class cricket. It is a big part of my life.”"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that."Australia captain Ponting, who is in Jamaica preparing for the first Test against West Indies, however, said he had not heard from Warne about a possible return to Test cricket."He has never mentioned that to me about coming back for the Ashes and I don`t think that will happen," Ponting was reported as saying in a newspaper."We all knew when he retired it wasn`t anything to do with his bowling, we knew he could keep bowling well for a number of years if he wanted to."Ponting also backed MacGill to be the main spin option for the Ashes tour."If his (MacGill) body stays right, there is no doubt that he is the best wicket-taking spinner in Australia," Ponting added."So, if he keeps himself fit and has the desire and passion to keep playing cricket then I`m pretty sure he would be good enough to get the Ashes job done."

Lifting of $5 million cap hypothetical: Modi

Indian Premier League Chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi on Monday described talks of lifting the $5 million cap forcing each of the eight franchise teams to limit their players' buying power for next year's edition as "hypothetical". "All players have been bought (by the franchise owners) for three years. All the teams probably have eight foreign players. It's hypothetical (to say) cap will be lifted. The cap is applicable for years two and three," he said. Reports that the cap may be raised by the IPL authorities has fuelled speculations that England batsman Kevin Pietersen would be signed up for an astronomical sum by one of the franchises. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has expressed his opposition to lifting of the $5 mn cap as he felt that the scrapping of this benchmark for salaries could lead to robbing the Twenty20 League of its competitive edge as franchises with money power would go on a buying spree. "I have heard there may be no salary cap, but I am not sure if that will be good for the IPL," Ponting was quoted as saying in Herald Sun . "The more I have thought about it, it might be detrimental to the whole set-up. We want good, competitive cricket with lots of international players playing good, close games," he said.

Do-or-die situation for Knights

With Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar uncertain to play with a knee problem, Kolkata Knight Riders face a do-or-die situation to keep alive their fading semi-final hopes as they meet the in-form Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.The Royals, the most inexpensive side in the tournament bought by their franchisee owners for $67 millions, have emerged as the surprise package of the meet and are now sitting pretty at the top after sealing a last four slot. Having triumphed in eight of their 10 outings, the Royals have so far collected a whopping 16 points, to leave behind close challengers Punjab Kings XI (14 from 10) and Chennai (14 from 11).

SRK banned from players' dugout

One enduring image of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ roller-coaster ride through the inaugural IPL has been Shah Rukh Khan. In the dejection of defeat or the euphoria of joy, ‘King Khan’ has never been too far away. On Sunday, he was told to keep a ‘safe distance’ from his team. The Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC has asked the KKR owner that he should not be in the player’s dressing room or their dugout just beyond the boundary. ‘‘I’ve been told it’s got something to do with ICC’s code of conduct,’’ SRK himself informed on Sunday evening in response to a question during a media conference. ‘‘I’ve been made to believe it’s anti anti-corruption.’’ Shah Rukh, who is usually seen cheering the Knights in the company of his group of celebrities from the terraces of the BC Roy Club House at the Eden Gardens here, has of late been making it to the dugout at the ground. The Bollywood matinee idol has been with his ‘boys’ in the dressing room, by his own admission very discreetly and only with the permission of coach John Buchanan, but now that door will be shut for him.

Delhi Daredevils Beat Bangalore Royal Challengers By 5 Wickets

Delhi Daredevils beat Bangalore Royal Challengers by 5 Wickets with 10 balls remaining in the 43 rd match of the IPL at M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore.
For Delhi, Gambhir was run out on 39 runs, Sehwag made 47 runs and AB de Villiers made 21 runs.
Batting first Bangalore Royal Challengers made 154/7 against Delhi Daredevils in their stipulated 20 overs.
Kallis made 25 runs in 21 balls, Dravid was bowled out on 9 runs, while Misbah-ul-Haq was not out on 47 runs.
For the Delhi Daredevils Mc Grath took 2 wickets, Mahroof took 2 wickets, and Dilshan took 1 wicket.
Earlier Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to field first .

Salman to perform at the IPL final

If all goes well, Salman Khan will perform at the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, to be held at Y.R. Patil Stadium (Nerul, New Mumbai) on June 1.We hear Salman will dance to the theme song of his upcoming reality TV show 10 Ka Dum and also shake a leg to one of his filmi numbers. Will Salman perform during the break or before the match begins? Sallu's ‘item' will be a part of the closing ceremony, and promises to be a rocking one! It is learnt that Salman has yet not rehearsed for his act. Right now, he is in Australia shooting for Main Aur Mrs Khanna. He can spontaneously start dancing at any given moment and does not need rehearsals, added a source.Salman has already finished shooting four episodes of 10 Ka Dum, which is based on the American game show Power of 10. In true Sallu ishtyle, once he cycled all the way from Bandra to shoot for the show at R. K. Studios in Chembur. A few days before that, he jogged down to Mehboob Studios for the show's rehearsals. Seeing Salman's moody behaviour one cannot be sure whether he will perform at the IPL or back out at the last minute. Moreover, it's also well known that he doesn't like cricket, and prefers football. But as of now, we can only keep our fingers crossed and hope to see Sallu at the closing ceremony!

Mumbai Indians beat Deccan Chargers 25 runs

Mumbai Indians beat Deccan Chargers by 25 runs in their Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians were now on course of a semi-final berth, after notching up an impressive six victories in-a-row on Sunday. Chasing a target of 179 runs, Deccan Chargers lost momentum from the beginning, losing wickets in regular interval. Only Venugopal Rao played a gallant innings of 57 runs for the home side. Earlier, a sensible batting by Abhishek Nayar (38) and Dwayne Bravo (30) helped Mumbai Indians reach a competitive 178 for seven against Deccan Chargers in their crucial IPL Twenty20 match on Sunday. Nayar-Bravo combination put up important 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket when their team was struggling at 97 for 4 at one stage, after sent in to bat. RP Singh (3/35), who was most successful bowler for the hosts, dismissed both of them in the 18th over, dashing the visitors hope of setting a big target. However, the duo ensured the Mumbai team get enough runs on the board to make a fight out of it. Nayar, the top-scorer for the Mumbai team, hit three fours and two sixes in his knock while Bravo hit two boundaries and as many sixes in his innings. Earlier, Jayasuriya (36) looked unstoppable from the word go as he began the proceedings with a fine-leg boundary off P Vijaykumar and then hit him for a six on the fifth ball. The Sri Lankan then hit compatriot Nuwan Zoysa for three boundaries and one six in his first over to give a rollicking start to the visitors. This forced Adam Gilchrist to introduce Y Venugopal Rao, who did not disappoint his skipper and sent packing Jayasuriya, bringing relief for the hosts. After hitting Rao (2/25) for a couple of boundaries, the Sri Lankan swept the spinner for a big shot but could manage to find RP Singh in the deep. The left-handed opener took just 15-balls to score 39 and hit six fours and two sixes in his cameo. Dominic Thronely then joined his captain Sachin Tendulkar and the duo put together 33-runs for the second wicket. However the run-rate suffered as hosts bowlers bowled well. Then Shahid Afridi (2/23) dealt twin blow to the Mumbai team dismissing Tendulkar and Thornely in his second over to put his team in the driver's seat. Tendulkar lofted a Afridi delivery, trying to accelerate the run-rate but could not execute the shot and gave away a simple catch to Chamara Silva, who ran from covers to mid-off. This brought huge relief for Gilchrist as he had missed a stumping chance off Pragyan Ojha when Tendulkar came out of the crease attempting inside out by making room for himself. Afridi then trapped Thornely two balls later sending shock waves in the opponent's dressing room. The Mumbai team never recovered from these shocks and struggled to maintain a high run-rate after that.

Aussies are being paid in installments: Maxwell

IPL salary delay: Kings XI CEO admits it's a lengthy process

After Australian cricketers complained of delay in the payment of their Indian Premier League wages, Kings XI Punjab CEO Neil Maxwell on Sunday said clearing the money was a time-taking process as it involved "taxation issues". Maxwell, who also manages top Australian cricketers like Brett Lee, Michael Hussey and Shane Watson, admitted the payments were slowly being made in phases. "The players are being paid in installments because there are a number of taxation issues. It is the first installment that is taking the most time because it's not simple as a lot of taxes are involved," Maxwell told a news channel reacting to Australian media reports which said players were getting frustrated with long delay in their IPL payments. Maxwell said too much was being read into the delay and asserted that every player would be paid his contract money. "I think too much is being made out of it. It's a little lengthy process and everyone has to be patient. The players are contracted with their franchisees and they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding," he explained. Australia's Test cricketers had a short stint at the IPL and played only for the first couple of weeks before leaving to fulfill their national commitments in the West Indies. The top Aussie cricketers who returned included skipper Ricky Ponting, pace spearhead Brett Lee, Michael Hussey, Simon Katich and all-rounder Andrew Symonds among others.

Indian cricket team best ambassadors of the sport: Archer

Notwithstanding a few dark moments encountered by them in the recent months, Indian cricketers have drawn praise from noted British author and playwright Lord Jeffrey Archer who described the players as the best ambassadors of the sport in the world. An ardent cricket fan, Archer spoke at length about his love for the game, his admiration for Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid and the popularity of the Indian team across the globe. "I love rugby and football but cricket is ahead by a mile. The Indian cricket team, when touring abroad, are the best ambassadors," said Archer, despite Indian players like Harbhajan Singh's involvement in a string of controversies since early this year. Archer, whose recent jail caper 'A Prisoner of Birth' topped the charts in just three days, also said he had high regards for Indian batsmen. "Tendulkar, Gavaskar and Dravid are in the same league," he said, adding he also had high regards for V V S Laxman and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. "Tendulkar and Dravid are great admirers of my work also and I had the privilege of dining with them early this year," he said at a function here last night. Archer, who started his career as a politician and began writing at the age of 35 'by mistake', claimed he was perhaps the "only Englishmen watching Laxman butchering the Australian bowlers in the Sydney Test in 2003-04". Archer, author of bestsellers like 'Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less', 'Kane and Abel', 'As the Crow Flies' and 'First Among Equals', will also visit Lucknow, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai as part of his six-city tour.

Low crowd turnout amid tight security in Jaipur

Just about an hour before the Indian Premier League match between Jaipur and Bangalore was to begin, the first spectators -- two 15 year olds -- walked into the Rs 1500 enclosure of the Sawai Man Singh stadium. After sitting idle for a while, one of them asked a Rajasthan Cricket Association staff, who was on the ground next to an empty raised platform: "Bhaiyya, cheer girls kahan hain?"
It was the fourth day after the serial blasts had rocked Jaipur, claiming 63 lives and the city was already back on its feet.
But extreme security measures meant most of the spectators stayed away from the Sawai Man Singh stadium, which has been packed for all its home games. Instead of the usual 500 policemen, some 3000 policemen and more than 200 private security personnel manned the ground.
"A friend gave me passes yesterday. But I gave it back since there would be tight security and getting in would be a problem," said Rahul Singh, an auto rickshaw driver.
He was right. Spectators were not allowed to carry mobile phones and even everyday items like pens. When a spectator tried to convince a gatekeeper that there shouldn't be a problem with him carrying a pen, the youngster at the gate brimmed: "We have even confiscated toffee from a kid, sir. How do you expect us to allow you to carry the pen?"
Spectators were frisked at three security points before being shown their seats. When it was time for the toss, only one stand had filled and all the other had spectators scattered here and there.
Before the match began, IPL chief Lalit Modi handed over a cheque for Rs 6 crore to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundara Raje Scindia. The eight franchises had each contributed Rs 50 lakh, and five major sponsors contributed Rs 40 lakh each.
The two teams -- sporting black arm bands -- then observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect for those killed in the blast. As in the field, here too Shane Warne stood out. Just before the crowd rose to observe silence, Warne threw a quick glance at his team and gestured them to shed their shades and remove their caps.

Dream Team: A few surprises

he ultimate dream of every sports lover is to play God and to pick his own dream team. Such a team would of course play only in his fantasies but would, without doubt, sweep everything before him.The IPL has given its eight franchises the opportunity to play God and literally buy any player of his choice. A few months ago when the entire exercise was undertaken, however, the money-bags could only follow their instincts and some half-baked suggestions at the auction table.Not too surprisingly, some of the dream teams have turned out to be nightmare squads; and one of the weakest links stunned everybody by its work ethic, planning to perch itself on top of the table. Now that the lessons have been learnt the pretenders and challengers will not make the same mistake