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.