SHARUKH KHAN PLANS TO SELL KKR

With the Kolkata Knight Riders team churning out only dard and no disco in the IPL, team owner Shah Rukh Khan could well be looking to say alvida to his side.Speculation abounds that SRK is in talks with three companies to sell-off his team and move out of his cricketainment business. Although it couldn't be confirmed yet, it is believed that SRK is in talks with Nokia, the Anil Ambani group and Sahara to dispose of his entire shareholding in the Knight Riders. 


Shah Rukh had purchased the Kolkata franchise for 300 crore rupees last year, and could make atleast a profit of 100-150 crores if he does indeed sell his team.After dropping "Kolkata" from Indian Premier League team (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), actor Shah Rukh Khan has started discussions with Nokia, Sahara, the Anil Ambani group, and several other companies to sell the team he bought just over a year ago for Rs 300 crore, and exit the business, according to a report published in Business Standard.


The website quoted sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKR's holding company, saying "Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding."


Khan's public relations officer, however, said she would not be able to confirm the development because she had not met the actor.


None of those who have reportedly been approached confirmed the development. Sahara India's communications director Abhijit Sarkar said: "We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team."


D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: "Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team."


A Reliance Communications spokesperson declined to comment. "A lot of people negotiate with Anil Ambani. I cannot comment unless there is something concrete on table."


According to the Red Chillies official, Khan wants to exit, owing to the team's poor performance - so far the team has won only one win in a rain-curtailed game under the Duckworth Lewis method - and rising costs.


"If the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not increase the number of teams for next year, Khan could get double what he paid," said the Red Chillies official.


Khan is supposed to pay Rs 30 crore per year for the next 10 years. The total annual cost for the team is about Rs 75 crore.


Khan had earlier said that KKR was easily the most successful IPL franchise, making a Rs 13 crore profit last year. However, his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.


According to initial calculations, Red Chillies had to pay Rs 90 lakh per match and was supposed to earn Rs 3 crore if all stadium tickets were sold at Eden Gardens. Red Chillies had to pay Rs 20 lakh to the police and municipal tax of Rs 5 lakh. So its expenses per match would have been over Rs 1 crore. But this figure had trebled.


Last year, however, Kolkata Police demanded Rs 2 crore as security fees, against Rs 50 lakh that the organisers of the IPL offered. Then, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) demanded Rs 25 lakh from Red Chillies as amusement tax for holding IPL matches at Eden Gardens.


To settle the dispute between Kolkata Police and the IPL organisers over the cost of security arrangements at Eden Gardens, Red Chillies Entertainment had to agree to pay Rs 75 lakh as security fees.


About 5,500 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 sleuths were deployed to secure the stadium and its surrounding areas, since many celebrities were expected to watch the IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

chennai superkings vs rajasthan royals:Raina hammered RR,leading to a comfortable win for CSK

chennai superkings bating
rajasthan royals batting

It's a repeat of last year's final when the Rajasthan Royals take on the Chennai Super Kings on Thursday.Shane Warne decided to field after winning the toss with Pretoria's history of favouring the chasing side. The Royals made one change with Sidharth Trivedi replacing Paul Valthati.The Super Kings brought in Shadab Jakati and Sudeep Tyagi in place of Joginder Sharma and Manpreet Singh Gony.MS Dhoni's men will be desperate for a win after winning only one game out the five played. They are only above the Kolkata Knight Riders in the points table.Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have had a mixed tournament so far winning two games out the five matches. Shane Warne's team will be confident, however, after their super win against the Delhi Daredevils which was powered by a 30-ball 62 by Yusuf Pathan.

deccan chargers vs delhi dare devils:Dilshan ends Deccan's winning streak

deccan chargers batting

delhi dare devils batting

Table toppers Deccan Chargers' winning streak was on Thursday brought to an end by Delhi Daredevils who cantered to a comfortable six-wicket win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.Put in to bat, Deccan Chargers recovered from a disastrous start to score 148 for 9 riding on Dwayne Smith's fighting 28-ball 48 balls but the total was not enough as Delhi romped home with eight balls to spare at the SuperSport Park.Dinesh Karthik (35 off 40) and Tillakaratne Dilshan who remained unbeaten on 52 off 46 balls, added 79 runs in the fourth wicket partnership which was the cornerstone of Delhi's victory.With 17 runs required off 12 balls, Dilshan cracked two boundaries off paceman Fidel Edwards in the 18th over and wrapped up the game with a six.Delhi started on an attacking note as Gautam Gambhir clobbered the third delivery of the innings off Edwards to the fence, followed by Virender Sehwag's two consecutive fours off RP Singh in the next over.The West Indian first paired up with T Suman and then Venugopal Rao to help the Deccans survive some mid-innings slump which made their life difficult before the strategy break.

Smith was particularly severe on Daniel Vettori hitting him for three consecutive boundaries in the 12th over as the Deccans accelerated the pace of scoring after the strategy break.Azhar Bilakhia (22) and debutant T Suman (23) were the other notable contributors for the Deccans who have left Delhi Daredevils to score at an asking rate of 7.50 to win the game.Dutch-born Australian paceman Dirk Nannes inflicted the Hyderabad team two vital blows in the initial overs by sending back skipper Gilchrist in the third delivery of the match, followed by another cheap dismissal of Deccan's South African import Gibbs. Gilchrist failed to middle a rising delivery off Nannes in the very first over as wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik pouched an easy catch.

The left-arm pacer, who was sharing the new ball with India discard Ashish Nehra, hit success again in his second over when Gibbs decided to go after a good-length delivery but his ambitious shot found AB de Villiers at mid-off.With the team seemingly in trouble, Azhar Bilakhia paired up with birthday boy Rohit Sharma in the middle to stitch up a 33-run partnership.When both the batsmen got their eye in and started ticking the scoreboard by rotating the strike, Amit Mishra broke the partnership when Rohit Sharma who made 17 off 20 balls, fell prey to the leg spinner in the ninth over.Deccans suffered another blow in the very next over when experienced New Zealander Daniel Vettori sent Bilakhia packing on 22, leaving the Hyderabad side at 55 for 4 after 10 overs.


Smith found good support from young T Suman, who scored 23 off just 14 balls, and added 65 run to the Deccans' total in fifth-wicket partnership, before the latter was dismissed by Delhi Ranji pacer Pradeep Sangwan.But the Delhi openers again failed to give their side a solid start as both Sehwag (20) and Gambhir (17) departed cheaply.Sehwag, who smashed four boundaries during his 11-ball stay, was the first to return after falling prey to Deccan pacer RP Singh in fourth over, before Shoaib Ahmed dismissed South African AB de Villiers (5) in the next over.Things only got complicated for Delhi when Gambhir who was middling the balls quite comfortably, also had to head back after Ahmed's wicket-bound delivery found his leg.However, Dinesh Karthik and Tillakaratne Dilshan put up a creditable show to pull out the Delhi team from the slump as they added 79 runs on the board, before Karthik was given lbw off spinner Pragyan Ojha.Earlier, Chargers got off to a disastrous start with their two in-form batsmen Adam Gilchrist (8) and Herchelle Gibbs (0) perishing quickly, but Dwayne Smith's 28-ball 48 helped the team to put up a competitive total.

mumbai indians vs kingsXIpunjab:Kings XI clinch low-scoring thriller by 3 runs

kingsXIpunjab batting
mumbai indians batting

Barring Kumar Sangakkara, none of the Kings XI Punjab batsmen could make their presence felt as the Mohali-based outfit managed a modest 119 for eight wickets against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.Sangakkara waged a lone, grim battle with a 44-ball 45 on a day when only three of his teammates returned double digit scores.

Yuvraj Singh's decision to bat first backfired and by the first strategy break, Kings XI Punjab had crawled to 50 in 10 overs with three top-order batsmen, including the skipper himself, cooling their heels in the hut.Openers Karan Goel (12) and Ravi Bopara (6) just could not get going and the first three overs yielded only 10 runs.The subdued start would have pleased any rival captain but not Sachin Tendulkar who tossed the ball to Harbhajan Singh in the fourth over and the offie struck with his third delivery.Goel, having slog-swept the spinner for a six in the previous delivery, stepped out to court peril and return stumped after completely misreading the line.

Dwayne Bravo followed in Harbhajan's footsteps and struck in his first over, removing Bopara. A lot was expected of Yuvraj (10) but the left-hander let down once again, leaving his team in dire straits.Tendulkar pressed Sanath Jayasuriya into service and the wily Sri Lankan responded by removing his former captain Mahela Jayawardene (7) with his third delivery.To make it worse Irfan Pathan's (7) was a brief stay, cut short by Zaheer Khan, and Lasith Malinga then castled Wilkin Mota and Piyush Chawla off successive balls to dash hopes of Punjab's rearguard defiance.

Pietersen signs off with hope of resurgence

Star England player Kevin Pietersen, who played his last match in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) Wednesday, called the tournament the 'best academy' for youngsters looking to graduate to Test cricket.The Royal Challengers skipper said he was happy to sign off on a winning note, having beaten Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets, and hoped that the team would bounce back in the tournament."I absolutely love this tournament. It is the best academy for youngsters in the world. No coach can teach what the young players are learning here. For these guys who are looking to play Test cricket some day you cannot ask for anything better," said Pietersen after Challengers ended their four-match losing streak.Pietersen was the most expensive IPL player along with his England teammate Andrew Flintoff with a price tag of $1.55 million.After finishing at the bottom of the tournament last year, Royal Challengers team owner Vijay Mallya handed Pietersen the captaincy of the team, replacing Rahul Dravid with him.Challengers started with a bang, inflicting a huge 75-run loss to defending champions Rajasthan Royals in the first match.

But then they lost the plot and lost some close matches with Pietersen's own form deserting him."It did not go our way in some of those close matches. But the boys did put in everything. Some of these young guys are fantastic. Today the tactics worked for us. Hopefully, the team will bounce back from here.""There is still work to do. We need to improve. I am sure the team will use the momentum and take it from here.""There were a lot of positives. Boucher and young Shreevats were fantastic."

Pietersen, who had a tough season this year, having lost the England captaincy after a bitter controversy with the coach, will fly back to England for the series against West Indies.



Pietersen said that he will carry good memories from the tournament and look to return next year.

royal challengers bangalore vs kolkata knight riders:rcb won a thriller

kokata knight riders batting

royal challengers batting

Bangalore Royal Challengers overcame some anxious moments before snatching a thrilling five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL on Wednesday.After restricting Kolkata to a modest 139 for six which largely revolved around Chris Gayle's knock of 40 and Morne van Wyk's unbeaten 44, Royal Challengers overhauled the target with just one ball to spare to record their second win in the tournament.In the battle of the laggards, the RCB had the last laugh and the narrow victory has given them a hope of riving their fortunes in the high-profile event.Bangalore openers Shreevats Goswami and South African all-rounder Jaques Kallis laid a strong foundation with a 69-run partnership off 67 balls.Goswami was in a punishing mode as the left-hander sent Ajit Agarkar out of the ground on two successive occasions in fourth over before hitting two boundaries off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik in the next over.

Goswami, who adorned his 46-ball 43 with six boundaries, found good support from Kallis (23) as the duo showed a consummate ease in rotating the strike to the frustration of Kolkata skipper Brendon McCullum.Hodge tasted the first success for the Knight Riders as he broke the opening partnership by sending back Goswami in 12th over as his turning delivery kissed the willow to wicketkeeper van Wyk. The proceedings took an interesting turn when Bangalore received three jolts within 38 runs with Hodge striking twice.Kallis fell prey to paceman Ishant Sharma, followed by two cheap dismissals of skipper Kevin Pietersen (13) and Virat Kohli (19).With 10 runs required from the last over off Chris Gayle, the experienced Mark Boucher held his nerve to hit a boundary followed by two doubles with Manish Pandey (2 not out) before wrapping up the affair by sending the ball to the fence.

Earlier, Bangalore skipper Pietersen decided to share the new ball with spinner Roelof van der Merwe which paid dividends as the Kolkata team suffered a huge blow when skipper Brandon McCullum departed off the very first delivery of the match.McCullum tried to start on an attacking note but his ambitious cut off Pietersen found Virat Kohli at backward point as the latter pouched a well-judged catch.Brad Hodge then joined opener Chris Gayle in the middle before Anil Kumble struck in the sixth over, just when the duo were struggling to repair the innings.Kumble sent Hodge packing (17 off 15) as the batsman failed to make out a drifting delivery off the former India skipper which found the Australian trapped in front of the stumps. Ganguly (1) disappointed when his team was expecting a timely knock from the left-hander who went after Praveen Kumar before his lofted shot landed in safe hand of South African Jaques Kallis.

However, van Wyk and Wridhiman Saha stitched a crucial 40-run partnership when the Kolkata side was struggling at 70 for 4 following the departure of Gayle.Van Wyk played some delectable strokes and smote the ball into fence on six occasions before Goswami ran behind to pouch a spectacular catch near the fence in the 12th over off KP Appanna.The experienced Kumble broke the partnership when he dismissed Saha for 21, which he made off 14 balls and with the help of one six, as Pietersen took an easy catch in the 17th over.It was a good show from Bangalore's bowlers as wickets at regular intervals stopped the Kolkata team from posting a fighting total.For Bangalore, Kumble managed two wickets for just 16 runs while Pietersen and van der Merwe managed one each. Praveen Kumar and KP Appanna also bagged a wicket each.

Challengers' captaincy still 'open': coach

Embattled Bangalore Royal Challengers are having second thoughts on making an out of form Jacques Kallis skipper once Kevin Pietersen leaves and may again hand the captaincy to Rahul Dravid if he returns here after attending to his new born baby.


Coach Ray Jennings said with Kallis struggling with the bat and ball, the captaincy of the side in the Indian Premier League second season is still open after Pietersen departs for England after Wednesday's match against Kolkata.


Bangalore team owner Vijay Mallya had earlier announced that Kallis would take over from Pietersen. Mallya had factored in Dravid's likely absence from the Indian Premier League second season to attend to his baby when he named Pietersen as captain instead of the former India skipper.Jennings said if Kallis, who has scored 101 runs from four matches with the bat and just a solitary wicket, fails to make it to the playing XI, Dravid and even Anil Kumble can lead the side.


"It is still open. I need to sit down and discuss with the management what we need to do. If Jacques plays, obviously he might be captain. But if he doesn't play we have other guys like (Mark) Boucher, (Anil) Kumble and even (Rahul) Dravid (when he comes back) who are capable of leading the team," Jennings said.


"Obviously, after Pietersen we have to look at the performance of the side and then see who is the best guy to lead the side," Jennings was quoted as saying in 'Cricinfo'.


Jennings believes much of the fault for the poor run of his team lies with it.


"I'm disappointed with the results like everybody else from Bangalore. I'm disappointed in the performance of some of the players. Our fielding has not been upto the scratch and we haven't done well both with the ball and bat in the first and the last six overs," Jennings said.


"I don't think too many players have risen to the occasion in one game. That goes to everybody. There are not too many players who have walked away with results that would make an impact on the field.


Jennings was also unhappy with the team's fielding.


"Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid dropping catches in the last few games. If opportunities like that are not grabbed then it will not make a difference in the eventual result."


Despite Bangalore's struggles -- only one win from five matches, Jennings said he felt no pressure from his bosses.


"I'm in contact with the management. I spoke to (Vijay) Mallya three days ago. They are coming up with ideas, which I need to respond to and consider if they can be put into action. There may not be performances on the board but from my point of view I'm totally committed. I'm not in a position to comment if they will be patient this time. In cricket issues arise and it depends on how you handle them."

delhi daredevils vs rajasthan royals:Brutal Pathan, calm Smith power Royals win

delhi daredevils batting
rajasthan royals batting

A determined 50 from AB de Villiers helped Delhi Daredevils post 143-7 in their 20 overs against the Rajasthan Royals here on Tuesday.


After electing to bat, the Daredevils were reeling with Virender Sehwag (16), Gautam Gambhir (8), Tillekaratne Dilshan (7) and Dinesh Karthik (4) back in the hut within the 8th over.


De Villers and Daniel Vettori (29) then revived the innings with a gritty 56-run stand. South African de Villiers was unlucky to fall to Shane Warne after he hit five fours and one six in his fifty.Mithun Minhas provided the late surge with an unbeaten 23 that came off 16 balls.

India to host 2011 World Cup final, 29 games

Mumbai will house the 2011 World Cup secretariat and India will host 29 of the 49 matches after the event's Central Organising Committee today reallocated the games following the ICC decision to drop Pakistan as a co-host of the tournament.


Accordingly, the opening match of the 10th edition of the quadrennial tournament would be held as scheduled in Bangladesh on February 19, 2011, while the final would be held in India.


The opening ceremony of cricket's showpiece event would also be held in Bangladesh on February 18.The Central Organising Committee, which continues to have Sharad Pawar heading it, has reallocated the matches by which India would host 29 games across eight venues, Sri Lanka 12 games across three and Bangladesh eight at two venues," ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said here.


"Bangladesh would play host to two quarter finals while one quarter final each would be held by India and Sri Lanka who will also split the two semi finals equally. The final would be held in India (in March, 2011)," Lorgat said.


The reallocation of matches was necessitated by the ICC's decision to take away co-hosting rights from Pakistan due to security concerns in the wake of the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on March 3.


Pakistan was slated to host 14 ties, including a semifinal, while Lahore was named the home of the secretariat.


"The Central Organising Committee was also reorganised and will continue to be headed by Sharad Pawar with representatives from the three World Cup hosting countries and a representative of the ICC," Lorgat said.


The World Cup Organising Committee also relocated the Secretariat from Lahore to the BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai, besides appointing BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty as the Event Managing Director.


"Prof Shetty will be the Event Managing Director while I S Bindra, the special adviser to the ICC, would be a key person in the management of the World Cup. The secretariat will be in Mumbai in the offices of the BCCI", the ICC CEO said.



There would also be a venue inspection group to oversee the preparation for the mega event in which BCCI secretary N Srinivasan and Shetty, along with Bangladesh's Mahbubul Anam, are members, Lorgat said.


Lorgat assured that the security concerns of the various members of the ICC and the players would be addressed with the formation of a special committee, headed by BCCI President Shashank Manohar, to oversee the security details.


"The security arrangements are very important and a special committee with Mr Shashank Manohar at its helm would put together security plans for the successful conduct of the World Cup in 2011", the ICC official said.


"It will be an ongoing process till World Cup 2011, and we will do our best to convince players and other countries in addressing security issues," Lorgat said.


He also said that the ICC has not received any communication, in writing or otherwise, from the Pakistan Cricket Board about their team not wanting to play any World Cup tie in India.


"We have nothing on the table. We would cross the bridge when we reach it. I don't think Pakistan would object (to playing matches in India)," he maintained.


Lorgat did not read much into the decision of the Indian Premier League not to have members of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit overseeing its running of matches.


"It's the BCCI's prerogative whether to ask for ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit's assistance or not in the IPL," he said.


The meeting was attended by Pawar (Chairman), Bindra, Manohar, Srinivasan and M P Pandove (all from BCCI), Lt Gen Sina Ibn Jamali, Mahbubul Anam and Shafiqur Rahnan (all from Bangladesh Cricket Board), D S De Silva, Nishantha Ranatunga, Sujeewa Rajapakse and Duleep Mendis (all from Sri Lanka Cricket Board) and Lorgat.

McCullum to step down if KKR keep losing

With Kolkata Knight Riders' frustration mounting after every defeat, the struggling team's captain Brendon McCullum says he would be "happy to step aside" if the side fails to make the semi-finals of the ongoing Indian Premier League here.


"If we don't make the semi-finals then I am more than happy to step aside. To me it's about accountability as a captain," McCullum said after KKR succumbed to their fourth defeat in the five matches they have played so far.


"I know I am going to be judged by results, my team is going to be judged by results and if I am not able to inspire my team to at least give ourselves a chance atleast in the back-end of the tournament, I am more than happy to step aside come next season," he explained.McCullum said the crushing loss to Mumbai Indians last night has left the team frustrated.


"It's frustrating. That's the word we have been using for the last week and a half. We were blown off the park at the top of the order by Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sanath Jayasuriya," he said.


Asked whether captaincy was taking a toll on his form with the bat, McCullum said, "I don't think captaincy has burdened me as such. I just don't think I have played as well as what I should. I am desperately keen to put out a winning contribution from myself to be able to help my team.


Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim agreed, "They (the KKR thinktank) have messed up right from the beginning with the multiple captaincy idea.



I don't see any multiple captain here."

Taking a dig at the huge support staff which boasts of John Buchanan, director cricket operations, Karim said: "I don't see any need of that.


Why do you need a wicketkeeping coach for an experienced campaigner like (Brendon) McCullum? Or is he (the wicketkeeping coach) for standby wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who is injured?"


Besides the two-time World Cup winning coach for Australia, KKR support staff include chief coach Mathew Mott, assistant coach Brad Murphy, wicket-keeping coach Wade Seccombe, bowling coach Andy Bichel, assistant coach for strength training Michael Buchanan (John's son), team director Joydeep Mukherjee, trainer Adrian Le Roux, physiotherapist Andrew Leipus, fielding coach Jon Deeble.


"It's quite disappointing for a side which had a good preparation for IPL2. There was talent hunt programme all over India," Karim said.


Bengal selection committee Chairman Sambaran Banerjee also said: "I want Ganguly to return as captain. He takes pressure off the team and is the lone person to lift the side from this difficult position."


Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers in their next match on Wednesday.

australia vs pakistan 3rd odi:Clarke takes Australia closer to series win

Stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke led by example with a fine all-round display as his side defeated Pakistan by 27 runs in the third one-day international at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Monday. Australia now leads the five-match one day international series 2-1.

Clarke's half-century and three wickets helped Australia take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Clarke, who was appointed captain after the selectors decided to rest Ricky Ponting, first helped Australia put up a decent target of 199 with a fighting 66 off 93 balls, well assisted by Callum Ferguson (41). He then bowled his off-spinners to return with figures of 3-15 from six overs as Pakistan collapsed from 95 for no loss to 171 all out.

His fellow off-spinner Nathan Hauritz took 2-25 in his ten overs.

Pakistan made heavy weather of their run chase with four overs of recklessness undoing all the good effort put in by the openers Salman Butt (48) and Ahmed Shehzad (40). The pair put on 95 runs for the first wicket when Hauritz struck twice in as many deliveries to trigger the slide.

Butt edged one to Clarke in the slips and Younis Khan played a chip shot to Andrew Symonds for a golden duck.

Misbah-ul-Haq started with a six but he perished going for another ambitious one to Clarke. His wicket rattled Shehzad, who had crossed and was bowled the next delivery, having failed to see the arm ball.

The flamboyant Shahid Afridi survived the second hat-trick ball of the innings but soon after top-edged a catch to David Hussey.

The tail failed to support Shoaib Malik, who hung on for a fighting knock of 30 from 56 balls, but when he was run out, his team was still 28 runs short.

Clarke believed the pressure was now on Pakistan who is hosting the series in the UAE after Australia refused to tour the country because of security concerns.

"Both sides have failed to improve on their batting. But we did the job in the end and I am happy that my players responded well to the challenge.”

"We did well but need to work hard on our batting. We have five days before the next match to sort out our problems," he said.

Clarke admitted that his side was 20-30 runs short of their intended target after Pakistan's spinners again proved effective in restricting them to 198.

Although pace bowler Umar Gul claimed three wickets, leg-spinner Shahid Afridi took 2-31 and off-spinner Shoaib Malik 1-22 to tie down the Australians in the middle overs.

After Clarke won the toss and elected to bat, Australian openers James Hopes and Brad Haddin put on 28 in 33 balls before the loss of two quick wickets slowed the team's run rate.

Hopes tried to steal a single but was run out by Pakistan captain Younus Khan in the sixth over. Four balls later, Shane Watson played a delivery from Gul onto his stumps and Australia was 28-2.

Haddin then got bogged down and after his departure, Symonds too was dismissed cheaply. The all-rounder who hit a half-century and took two wickets in the last game to help Australia level the series, was trapped leg-before-wicket on 7 to Afridi.

Australia's strategy to negotiate the spinners in the middle overs and then attack failed when Afridi caught and bowled Clarke in the 39th over, just after he took the batting powerplay.

Clarke's 53-run partnership with Ferguson for the fifth wicket ultimately proved crucial in the low-scoring match.

"I have always maintained that we are up against the best side in the world. They are the number one side and it showed in their performance today," Younus said.

The losing captain defended the display by the batsmen saying: "They are all experienced players who are coming after long breaks owing to fitness. Players like Afridi and Misbah are going through a bad patch and I am sure they will do well in the next game."

The next two games are on Friday and Sunday before the teams head back to Dubai for a Twenty20 international.

mumbai indians vs kolkata knight riders:kkr hammered by mumbai indians

mumbai indians batting
kolkata knight riders batting

After choosing to bat, Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya hammered blazing half-centuries for the Mumbai Indians in a 127-run opening stand against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

chennai superkings vs deccan chargers:gibbs guides dc to a 4th consecutive victory

chennai superkings batting

deccan chargers batting

Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs clobbered the Chennai Super Kings attack to hand Deccan Chargers their fourth successive win in the Indian Premier League on Monday.The Australian-South African duo hammered 67 off 34 balls in a spectacular opening stand as the Chargers surpassed Chennai's competitive 165-6 with six wickets and three balls to spare in the Twenty20 clash at the Kingsmead here.The 37-year-old Gilchrist, leading the Deccan Chargers after retiring from international cricket last year, blazed 44 off 19 balls with five boundaries and three sixes.Gibbs remained unbeaten on 69 with six fours and two sixes to continue his side's impressive run this year. The Chargers had finished at the bottom of the table in last year's inaugural tournament.Chennai, finalists last year, now have just one win from five matches with three defeats and one rained-off game.

Chennai's innings revolved around two whirlwind knocks from left-handed veterans Matthew Hayden of Australia and Jacob Oram of New Zealand.Hayden, who quit official cricket in January, hit 49 off 35 balls to remain the tournament's leading scorer with 215 runs in five innings.Hayden put on 64 in 39 balls for the second wicket with Suresh Raina (25) and 38 for the third with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22) after Parthiv Patel had fallen in the first over.Oram, who replaced England's injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, smashed an unbeaten 41 off 29 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.

rajasthan royals vs kingsXIpunjab :Rajasthan handed a royal hammering by Punjab

kingsXIpunjab batting

rajasthan royals batting

Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh won the toss and opted to bat against Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town on Sunday. Both teams are coming on the back of victories in their previous games.Punjab have turned in a thoroughly professional performance to thump the Royals by 27 runs. Their big guns rose to the challenge, particularly Sangakkara, who got them up to 139 when they batted. And their bowlers were too good on the day to blow Rajasthan away.Rajasthan need to go back to the drawing board. The Super Over win was sensational, but their batting order caved in too early. The likes of Smith and Pathan and others have failed to fire so far, so changes might be likely in the next game.

delhi daredevils vs royal challengers bangalore:Dilshan stars as Daredevils win three in a row

royal challengers batting

delhi dare devils batting

Another impressive performance by the Delhi Daredevils saw them register their third win in as many games in the tournament. Bangalore Royal Challengers, on the other hand, slumped to their fourth straight win in the IPL. Tillekaratne Dilshan was the star of the game with a blazing 67 not out. 

AUSTRALIA VS PAKISTAN 2nd ODI:Clarke pleased with his team's showing

pakistan batting

australia batting

Australian captain Michael Clarke said he was pleased with his team's show of character to level the five-match One-Day series against Pakistan, and targeted wins in the remaining fixtures."We were under pressure after losing the first game, but it's great that my team stepped up to win the very next game," said Clarke after Australia took the second match by six wickets here on Friday.Having lost the first fixture of the series by four wickets on Wednesday, Australia on Friday limited Pakistan to a modest total of 207 before completing a successful run-chase with almost five overs to spare.Returning all-rounder Andrew Symonds took two cheap wickets and then hit a match-winning 58 to help Australia level the series 1-1.Clarke was also happy to hear rival captain Younis Khan assert that Australia is still the world's top team."That's a real compliment, especially from the other team's captain. For us it's about continuing to play good cricket, we want to win every game no matter what form we are in," said Clarke, standing in for regular captain Ricky Ponting who was rested for this series.

The Australian selectors also rested star batsman Michael Hussey and fast-bowler Mitchell Johnston for this tour."We can take a lot of positives from this win," said Clarke, who admitted his team was "under pressure" after losing the first match off the back of one-day defeats in South Africa"We lost the first match, the wicket is difficult and helping spin yet we stood up," he said. "We got the result we wanted and it's now another three matches so we must continue to improve."Clarke praised his team's willingness to learn from mistakes.


We had a good chat after the (first) game and the batters got together and talked about certain things and shared new ideas. James Hopes and Shane Watson gave us a good platform and then Symmo (Symonds) played brilliantly," said Clarke.Hopes (48) and Watson (30) added 77 for the second wicket to set the winning tempo.Pakistan captain Younis singled out a lack of big partnerships as a factor in his team's low score.

"The key was partnerships, we had just one," said Younis who added 53 for the second wicket with opener Salman Butt, who top-scored with 57. "We did not bat as per our plans and it was never enough (against) the world's top team.""Australia is still the best team in the world so we knew they would come down hard on us."We need to improve in the next three games if we want to win the series," said Younis.The remaining three matches will be played in Abu Dhabi on April 27, May 1 and 3.The two teams will also play a Twenty20 match in Dubai on May 7.

chennai super kings vs kolkata knight riders:match abandoned due to rain,both teams share 1 point each

Persistent rain abandoned the second match of this season's Indian Premier League between Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in Cape Town on Saturday. Both sides were looking to post a win after tasting narrow defeats the night before.Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, who both ended up on the losing side in thrilling games the night before, now lock horns with each other. Chennai are without Andrew Flintoff who has returned home.

deccan chargers vs mumbai indians:Chargers win to make it three in a row

deccan chargers batting highlights

mumbai indians batting highlights

The Chargers are looking unstoppable in South Africa. What a turnaround from last time. They have now won three in three games. They held their nerves against Mumbai Indians to win by 12 runs. Gilchrist, Gibbs and Smith set up the game, posting 168. Mumbai chase was well on course with Tendulkar and Duminy striking it with uncanny ease. But after the 10-over break, wickets fell and the Deccan spinners pushed back Mumbai. In the end, the Mumbai chase fell short by 12 runs. A spinning masterclass from Pragyan Ojha and disciplined back-up from Venugopal Rao ensured Deccan Chargers consolidated their position at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table with a 12-run victory over Indians/1414' target='_blank'>Mumbai Indians here on Saturday.


Chasing 169, Mumbai looked destined for victory when they entered the final 10 overs of their innings needing 85 to win with nine wickets in hand and star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and JP Duminy at the crease.But Ojha's 3-21 swung the match as he had Tendulkar caught at short extra cover by Herschelle Gibbs for 36, then removed Shikhar Dhawan and Duminy (47) in consecutive overs.Fellow spinner Rao squeezed the batsmen at the other end, allowing just 21 runs from his first three overs as Mumbai managed a meagre 24 runs in the five overs after the 'strategy break'.Dwayne Bravo and Harbhajan Singh led spirited resistance, but when Fidel Edwards removed fellow West Indian Bravo for 21, Mumbai's fate was sealed and they ended their innings on 156-7.An opening stand of 63 between Adam Gilchrist and Gibbs set Chargers up for a big total after they won the toss and elected to bat under sunny Kingsmead skies.Even after Gilchrist had fallen for 35 to the bowling of Bravo, Gibbs continued the assault on Mumbai's bowlers with Dwayne Smith as Deccan reached 124-1 in the 13th over.But when Smith was bowled by Sanath Jayasuriya for 35, his dismissal instigated a collapse and none of the batsmen who followed reached double figures. Top scorer Gibbs was run out for a feisty 58 as Deccan made 168-8 in 20 overs.

kings XI punjab vs royal challengers bangalore:Bopara scripts easy win for Punjab

royal challengers bangalore batting

kingsXIpunjab batting

Jacques Kallis posted his highest score in the IPL as Bangalore Royal Challengers reached 168-9 against Kings XI Punjab after electing to bat first. Punjab are looking at their maiden win in the tournament.A composed 84 from Ravi Bopara anchored Kings XI Punjab to a facile seven-wicket win over Bangalore Royal Challengers to post their first win. Chasing 169, Punjab were never really troubled by the Bangalore batsmen.

INJURED FLINTOFF RULED OUT OF IPL

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Andrew Flintoff's tryst with Indian Premier League tournament is over for this year. Flintoff has been sent back from South Africa after the England and Wales Cricket Board recalled him when a scan revealed a knee injury. The Lancashire player will undergo surgery on his right knee next week, which rules him out of the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies. However, he is expected to recover for the Ashes.Hugh Morris, England Cricket Managing Director said that: "Andrew has been extremely unlucky with injuries but if there is one saving grace it is that the injury has occurred now rather than on the eve of either the World Twenty20 or the Ashes. Having the surgery now means that Flintoff should be available for both those events although he is certain to miss the series against the West Indies."Scans at a Durban hospital earlier detected a slight medial meniscal tear and after they were viewed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s medical supremo Nick Peirce, it was decided that Flintoff should return to London. "Clearly this is a huge disappointment for both the player and the IPL team. This sort of degenerative injury though is one that could have happened at any time anywhere. The procedures we put in place meant that the ECB medical staff were alerted about the problem immediately and we thank Chennai for their cooperation." said Peirce.Flintoff, the most expensive player in IPL along with Kevin Pietersen, has just played three games for the Super Kings but the English Board are taking no chances with a busy season ahead which includes Test matches against the West Indies and the Twenty20 World Championship.

Flintoff hasn't had a great run so far in the tournament. He has made just 62 runs and has conceded 105 runs with only 2 wickets in 11 overs bowled.However, the fact that Flintoff got injured while playing the IPL may spark off an uproar as there was criticism of the all-rounder taking part in the cash-rich league rather than preparing for England's Test series against the West Indies.

SACHIN TURNS 36

 Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar turns 36 on Friday still harbouring one dream; to win the World Cup for India.For a man who has achieved so much and set the standards in the modern era of the game, it is an anamoly that he still does not have a world cup title medal around his neck. And the Little Master is determined to change that when the event comes visiting to the Indian subcontinent in 2011.

At a recent function in Mumbai he laughed away the question saying "You only dream when you are asleep." But then quickly added, "I want to win the World Cup for India."During the function, Sachin also narrated his special birthday moment on the field.On April 24, 1998 Sachin Tendulkar hit an exhilarating century against Australia to lead India to a win in the triangular series tournament in Sharjah. Just a day before he had hit 141 against the same opposition to enable India to qualify for the finals."That victory was a very special birthday gift," he recounted.Tendulkar, who is at present leading the Mumbai Indians in the second edition of the IPL, was in for a surprise at Cape Town where his team and other players from the Indian team organised a surprise birthday party at the hotel.

Yuvraj Singh, Harbahajan Singh and Zaheer Khan gave Sachin a thorough paint job with the cake.Speaking to reporters, en ever-humbe Sachin said, "It is the good wishes and blessings that count a lot. My family is joining me tomorrow, so am really looking forward to it."The master blaster said he was still every moment of playing the game. "I would like to achieve the enjoyment factor. It is important to enjoy the game and only then will you come out with your best andf that's what I want to do," he added.

rajasthan royals vs kolkata knight riders:a thrilling super over finish

rajasthan royals batting

kolkata knight riders batting

Few people understand talent like Shane Warne and this time the greatest magician of his trade has picked another winner.


Eighteen-year-old Kamran Khan, who bowled that exceptional last over against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, was completely unknown only a month ago. But then he found a golden mentor and already he is front page news.


"His (Warne's) belief in me was really a big thing for me, but I was confident that if threw the ball to me, then I will not let him down," Kamran told reporters after last night's match that Rajasthan Royals won in the 'super over'.Kamran, who hails from the crime-ridden small town of Azamagarh in Uttar Pradesh, moved from there to Mumbai just five years back. Homeless and penniless, Kamran slept on railway platforms. Now he's getting used to five-star comforts.


He grew up playing local tournaments at the Naduwa Sarai village in Mau in UP and even got paid for them. He was spotted by coach Naushad, who took him to Mumbai and groomed him.


Kamran is the youngest among seven brothers and two sisters and lost both his parents when he was young. His family was engaged in beedi making. Kamran studied only till the eighth standard after which he could not pursue studies.


But the fortunes of the former tennis ball tearaway changed drastically when he was spotted at a T20 tournament in Mumbai. One look at him was enough for Warne to put him on the plane to south africa.


"Kamran had to bowl that last over with just six required of it. He held his nerve and bowled so well," Warne said at the post-match presentation.


"He did a good job. And I told him don't worry about the Super Over. If you hadn't bowled such a good last over, we would not have been in this situation," he added.


Asked how the Aussie communicates with Kamran, he said: "There is a bit of Hindi, but mainly English and I am trying to speak slow.


"Kamran sometimes doesn't understand too much but Munaf (Patel) works exceptionally well with Kamran. We try and him down with me at mid on or mid off and then I have a sound with Munaf about what delivery I want."

chennai superkings vs delhi dare devils:De Villiers shines as Daredevils win thriller

delhi dare devils batting

chennai superkings batting

AB de Villiers won the battle of the master blasters against Matthew Hayden on Thursday to give Delhi Daredevils a nine-run win over Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League thriller.South African De Villiers rode his luck to finish unbeaten on 105 as Delhi made 189-5 in their 20 overs and Australian Hayden hit 57 as he triggered a heroic run chase that ended at 180-9 after a late collapse at Kingsmead.Victory maintained the 100 percent record of Delhi while Chennai suffered their second loss in three matches in a tournament switched to South Africa because a clash with Indian general elections created security concerns."I kept it simple, hit the ball and enjoyed myself. I really had to work hard for my first 50 as my timing was a bit off, but the runs flowed from then on," De Villiers said after the first ton of the 59-match tournament.

Delhi team-mate Paul Collingwood of England branded the De Villiers innings "perfect" and recently retired Test batsman Hayden called it a "magnificent, patient and methodical" stand.Daredevils lost their openers inside the first two overs and needed a hero.Enter De Villiers to gradually subdue his opponents and hit six sixes and five fours in a 54-ball masterclass. He did have a moment of luck after reaching 50 when compatriot Albie Morkel was guilty of sloppy fielding at the boundary to drop a simple opportunity of sending De Villiers packing.Hayden made a quickfire 57 in a reply that was on track until former England skipper Andrew Flintoff was caught by substitute David Warner to leave Chennai on 156-5 and two last-over run-outs settled the outcome.

AUSTRALIA VS PAKISTAN 1st ODI:Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood

AUSTRALIA BATTING

PAKISTAN BATTING

Shahid Afridi exposed Australia's frailties against spin to help Pakistan rout their opponents for 168 in the first day-night international at the Dubai Stadium here on Wednesday.Leg-spinner Afridi took a career-best 6-38 and was ably supported by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (2-19) as the duo triggered a middle-order collapse after Australia won the toss and elected to bat.Australia were sailing merrily at 95-1 in the 19th over before losing eight wickets for 27 runs as their batsmen crumbled on the newly built Dubai Stadium pitch to the bowling attack of Afridi and Ajmal.James Hopes, who top-scored with 48 not out, added 46 for the last wicket -- a record against Pakistan in one-dayers -- with Ben Hilfenhaus (four) to give some respectability to the total.Australia had raced to 41 as openers Shaun Marsh (16) and Brad Haddin easily negotiated the pace of Gul and Shoaib Akhtar before Marsh was run out.Shane Watson (40) helped Haddin (40) add 54 for the second wicket but once the spinners came, wickets fell like nine pins.Australia lost Haddin and Watson -- both falling to Afridi in quick succession -- and the innings derailed.Afridi broke the stand when he bowled Haddin in his fourth over and then never looked back.Haddin hit three fours and a six off 52-balls.Watson looked dangerous during his 47-ball knock and hit two boundaries and a six off Afridi before the leg-spinner bowled him with a sharp one that spun across the bat.

In between Ajmal had Australian captain Michael Clarke caught behind for four.Andrew Symonds, who returned to the squad after playing his last one-day in July last year, became Afridi's third wicket with a googly which caught the edge and was smartly snapped up by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.Symonds made just two.Afridi further dealt three blows by dismissing Callum Ferguson (two), Nathan Bracken (one) and Stuart Clarke (two) to improve his previous best one-day figures of 5-11 against Kenya at Birmingham in 2004.Hopes hit five fours and a six during his 46-ball knock.

Deccan chargers vs Royal Challengers bangalore:Gilchrist, RP shine as Chargers win by 24 runs

DECCAN CHARGERS BATTING

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BATTING

Hello and welcome to a cracking contest between the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Deccan Chargers. And it's good news from Newlands as the forecast for the day is bright and no rain is expected, although there are some clouds over the ground.Adam Gilchrist has won the toss and the Chargers are batting first.Last year's bottom two teams clash for tonight's game. However, a lot has changed for both the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Deccan Chargers.Both teams are rejuvenated in South Africa and Kevin Pietersen and Adam Gilchrist will be looking for their second win in the tournament in what is expected to be a gripping contest.The chargers thrashed the Knight Riders in their first game and not surprisingly, have gone with an unchanged eleven.
A blazing 71 by skipper Adam Gilchrist and a peerless 52 by Rohit Sharma guided the Deccan Chargers to 184-6 against the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Wednesday. This is the highest total in IPL II so far.The Deccan Chargers have won their second game on the trot by beating the Royal Challengers by 24 runs. Great match. High scoring and well chased. The Challengers could have got closer had they not lost too many wickets halfway through their innings. Gilchrist, Rohit Sharma, Dravid and Virat Kohli put up a nice show with the bat.Dravid gets the Orange Cap back as the leading run-getter in the tournament and RP Singh gets the Purple cap as the leading wicket-taker.

Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians:Rain washes off Rajasthan-Mumbai game

Persistent rain forced abandonment of the game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals here on Tuesday.


The Royals open their points tally as both games get one point each. Mumbai Indians, now with there points, lead the points table.

SRK got hate mails after Ganguly sacking

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday revealed he has been receiving "strange" hate mails for stripping Sourav Ganguly of captaincy."I get strange hate mails from people for taking decision for the team's sake," Shah Rukh said after KKR tasted their first win of second IPL against Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday."But that is okay, I'm saving them all so that I can go to each house and say (the KKR anthem) Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo...," he added.In a fervent plea to the Kolkatans to stay by the side of KKR, Shah Rukh said, "Along the way if we go wrong, please feel for us and send us positive energies."Arguably the most hyped Indian Premier League franchisee, KKR has been in the news this year since coach John Buchanan floated the multiple-captain theory which many in Kolkata saw as yet another Australian ploy to strip local favourite Sourav Ganguly of captaincy.Buchanan's idea was eventually shelved but Ganguly didn't retain his job either as KKR named Kiwi stumper Brendon McCullum as its new captain, a decision that did not go down well in Kolkata.Shah Rukh said it was not easy pleasing people in Kolkata where emotions run high and admitted there was tremendous pressure on his side.

"We are under a lot of pressure. We are a hyped team because the owners are from film industry and because we have the most passionate city backing us," the Bollywood actor said."For good and bad, the Kolkatans love us one night and one night they do get angry with our decisions. But I promise you guys that the dream I have is to come to Kolkata with the IPL trophy and dance. Will do some new steps for Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo," he said.Incidentally, Sourav Ganguly played a cameo role in Tuesday's win with two quick wickets even though he didn't get a chance to bat.
Shah Rukh took the occasion to pledge his support for Ganguly and said for him, the former India captain remained the greatest KKR player."I want him to be the Player of the Tournament this year. Whoever feels he is not given importance in the team, let me tell you that for me, he is the greatest Knight Riders player. He and (Chris) Gayle will compete for the 'Player of the Tournament' award," he said.Dwelling on the win over Kings XI Punjab - which came via Duckworth-Lewis method - Shah Rukh admitted it came as a huge relief for his side."It's nice to be here. This is surely not the best way to win a game but a win is a win nevertheless."I understand that we are a team under pressure. With multiple captains, choice of captain and the way we played the first game, it all probably were signs of a team in disarray. But we know we will stick together. It's good we started coming together," he said.

Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders:Kings XI Punjab done in by rain, Gayle

Kings XI Punjab batting

Kolkata Knight Riders batting

Kolkata Knight Riders have posted their maiden win in the IPL over Kings XI Punjab by 11 runs (D/L method.) Unfortunate for Kings XI Punjab though, as they lose their second game on the trot because of a rain interruption. However, you have to give it to Chris Gayle, who made sure Kolkata were never behind the asking rate.


Organisers couldn't wait any longer as it's a double header day, and Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals need to get their game under-way at the same venue. The rain has subsided, so we should get a start pretty soon.

It's pouring down and not looking good at the moment. The crowd was being treated to vintage Chris Gayle, but we'll have to wait a while before we know what the situation is.

chennai superkings vs royal challengers bangalore:Hayden gets Orange cap as Chennai post 179

CHENNAI SUPERKINGS 4's & 6's

CHENNAI SUPERKINGS FALL OF WICKETS

Chennai superkings highlights BATTING

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ROYAL CHALLENGERS

Chen-blor-2
by whatra

Chennai Super Kings will feel confident with a score of 179-5. This is the highest score at this ground in a Twenty20 game. Hayden and Parthiv Patel brought up the 100-run stand in the first 10 overs and then departed in quick succession. But their start was good enough to get Chennai to the final total. Hayden is now the holder of the orange cap with the maximum runs in the tournament. We'll be back with the chase in just a couple of minutes!

Controversial Symonds lands in trouble again

Controversy and Andrew Symonds can never be too far apart it seems with the latest being allegations that the Australian cricketer used his autographed bat to get a seven-figure loan sanctioned before investing the money in a failed company."Symonds used an autographed bat to lock in a seven-figure loan with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia that he then invested with the failed Storm Financial Services, a former Storm executive alleges," reported 'The Sydney Morning Herald'."The Australian Financial Review reports that a Storm adviser offered the autographed cricket bat in 2007 in order to waive the cost of mortgage insurance for Symonds. The cricketer is believed to have lost about USD one million when the company collapsed in January," the report added.The adviser negotiated the loan with CBA's Aitkenvale branch in Queensland, the unnamed executive has alleged in a signed affidavit.

The CBA, meanwhile, says the bat was accepted by a staff member but refuted allegations that the bank offered preferential treatment to Symonds.Symonds invested the money in two Storm-branded products."Storm's founders Emmanuel and Julie Cassimatis put the company into voluntary administration in January after being unable to meet a repayment demand from CBA," the report stated.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS VS DECCAN CHARGERS:highlights will be uploaded after the match

kolkata knight riders wickets

kolkata knight riders 4's & 6's

kolkata knight riders batting

deccan chargers batting

Adam Gilchrist smiling after a Deccan Chargers game, a rare sight. But in the very first game, the Deccan Chargers have issued a serious warning to the other seven sides. Gilly's men have thrashed the Knight Riders. And it doesn't get any more convincing than this. An eight-wicket win with almost seven overs to spare. RP set the game for the Chargers with four wickets and Gibbs (43 not out) and Rohit Sharma (36 not out) finished it for them. Congratulations Deccan Chargers! What a start! For the Knight Riders, they have to pull up their socks..Their owner may have been the most visible presence in the pre-tournament build-up, but the Kolkata Knight Riders will seek to show they are capable of playing good cricket when they open their Indian Premier League campaign against the Deccan Chargers at Newlands on Sunday.The Delhi Daredevils meet the Kings XI Punjab in the early match of the second double-header at the ground in which all eight teams were due to be in action over the first two days of the five-week tournament in South Africa.Knight Riders owner, film star Shah Rukh Khan, admitted that his team didn't perform as well as he hoped in finishing sixth out of eight last year, although he said they were the "coolest-looking" outfit.West Indian captain Chris Gayle will only be available for the early matches but most of the other key players, including New Zealander Brendon McCullum, will be able to play in all the games.McCullum hit a spectacular 158 in the opening match against Bangalore last year and has been appointed captain for the 2009 season.Other experienced players in the team include former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, Australia's Brad Hodge and Sri Lanka's mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, together with Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik.

If the Knight Riders were under-achievers last year, the Deccan Chargers did even worse, winning only two out of 14 games and finishing bottom of the table.The Chargers signed a galaxy of big name, quick-scoring batsmen whose performances were erratic, while the team paid for a shortage of experienced bowlers.Elegant Indian batsman V V S Laxman remains on the team's books but was fired as captain in favour of Australia's Adam Gilchrist, who together with South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs spearheads what should be an exciting batting line-up.India's RP Singh will carry a heavy burden as the team's leading bowler.The Daredevils look one of the strongest teams in the competition with a potentially devastating opening batting pairing of India's Virender Sehwag and Australia's hard-hitting David Warner preceding batsmen of the quality of Gautan Gambhir and AB de Villiers.The bowling looks reasonably strong, too, with Australian veteran Glenn McGrath backed up by capable Indians in Ashish Nehra and the promising Umesh Yadav and international bowlers in Farveez Maharoof and Daniel Vettori.With England all-rounder Paul Collingwood also in the squad, the biggest problem for Delhi might be which four international players to use.The clash between the Daredevils and Punjab, who also reached the semi-finals last year, could be one of the best of the opening weekend,The Kings XI are led by Indian star Yuvraj Singh, arguably the most devastating hitter in the 20-over game.They will be missing key bowlers in Brett Lee and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who are both injured, while West Indian Jerome Taylor, who was recruited as cover, was hurt in a car accident.

But Punjab have capable Indian bowlers in all-rounder Irfan Pathan, VRV Singh and Ramesh Powar while late signing Yusuf Abdulla has been one of the better Twenty20 bowlers in South African domestic cricket.Yuvraj will be backed up by prolific Sri Lankan batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

DELHI DAREDEVILS VS KINGS XI PUNJAB:Vettori stars as Daredevils win rain-hit tie

kingsXIpunjab fall of wickets

kingsXIpunjab batting

delhidare devils batting

So there you are! Kings XI Punjab would be feeling unlucky as they had a decent score behind them, but the rains made it easy for Delhi only because they didn't lose any wickets in their chase. But Vettori was the man for the Daredevils. His 3-15 from three overs effectively put paid to Punjab's chances. And Sehwag's 38 from 16 balls was the icing on the cake. Delhi Daredevils have beaten Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets (D/L Method)

A battle of guiles between some big hitters of the game and experienced bowlers is on the cards when Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab take on each other in their opening encounter of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.The Daredevils, the pundits' favourite, boast off a balanced side with in-form batsmen and experienced bowlers in their ranks though the result can go either way as both the sides will be rusty in their first matches at Newlands.The Delhi franchisee have an explosive batting line-up with the likes of captain Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and South African AB de Villiers in pink of form while Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori will lead the bowling department.Australian Dirk Nannes, the Twenty20 specialist though is not certain whether he would play tomorrow as only four foreigners are allowed in the playing XI.Young Umesh Yadav, who tormented the Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in the Duleep Trophy, is also likely to be thrown into the ring by Sehwag to prove his spell against the India biggies was not flash in the pan.Kings XI Punjab are no less formidable in batting with Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawradene besides captain Yuvraj Singh.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS VS BANGALORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS:DRAVID LED THE CHARGE

Royalchallengers fall of wickets

Royalchallengers batting

RAJASTHAN ROYALS BATTING

RAJASTHAN ROYALS FALL OF WICKETS

So Bangalore have really made a match of it. Dravid led the charge with a charismatic 66 and some lower order hitting has got them up to 133-8 in their 20 overs. Dmitri Mascarenhas didn't let them get away with three wickets up front, and Warne and Henderson worked their magic too. But Dale Steyn and Co. have something to bowl to, and chasing under lights could be tricky.

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 5th ODI:COMFORTABLE WIN FOR AUSSIE

AUSTRALIA BATTING

SOUTHAFRICA BATTING

 Australia regained their world number two ranking with a comfortable 47-run win over South Africa in the fifth and final one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.Australia took advantage of being given first use of an excellent batting pitch by South African captain Graeme Smith, making 303 for seven despite a mid-innings stumble.Despite a second wicket stand of 104 between Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis, South Africa fell steadily behind the asking rate and wickets fell at regular intervals after Gibbs was out for 82.The series win meant that South Africa retained their world number one ranking. Australia briefly slipped to third behind India after losing the fourth match in Port Elizabeth on Monday but returned to the number two spot with their consolation win.South Africa won the series 3-2 following a 4-1 series win in Australia earlier in the series. The two teams shared the honours in two Test series, with South Africa winning 2-1 in Australia and the Australians reversing the result in South Africa.

"It's a good way to finish," said Australian captain Ricky Ponting."We were pretty disappointed with the way we played over the last few games so to bounce back today is a good thing for the group. It's been a really tough few months of cricket."Smith said he was happy with the overall results. "It's been a terrific summer for South African cricket," he said.Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke gave Australia a flying start when they put on 127 off 116 balls for the first wicket.Haddin hit 62 off 64 balls and Clarke 66 off 69 as they put together their second successive century partnership. But they were out in quick succession.Ponting (40) and Callum Ferguson (41) added 54 for the third wicket before Australia again struggled against South Africa's slow bowlers. Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe took two for 44 and off-spinner JP Duminy made up for the absence of Johan Botha by bowling a full quota of ten overs and taking three for 48. He also held three catches, one off his own bowling.

Gibbs and captain Graeme Smith put on 46 for the first wicket for South Africa before Gibbs and Kallis (64) put the hosts in a winning position.But Gibbs missed a sweep against man of the match, off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, and South Africa found themselves on a slide when Kallis drove at a wide ball from left-arm seam bowler Nathan Bracken.Ben Laughlin held a remarkable catch to dismiss South African danger man Albie Morkel on the midwicket boundary, leaping high and maintaining his balance to land inside the rope.South Africa called for the batting power play in the next over and with the first delivery Laughlin bowled man of the series AB de Villiers for 38 to make victory for Australia almost certain.

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 5th ODI:FINAL ODI TODAY

South African spinner Johan Botha reported for a suspected illegal bowling action, will sit out his team's final one-day international against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.
Captain Graeme Smith admitted: "We've decided not to play Johan, just to take the focus off him."South Africa have a winning 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Botha was reported by umpires Brian Jerling, Asoka de Silva and television umpire Rudi Koertzen after the fourth match in Port Elizabeth Monday.The off-spinner has been a key figure in two successive South African one-day series wins over Australia.He led the team in a series in Australia earlier in the season when Smith was injured. In both series his economical bowling and an ability to take top-order wickets prevented the Australian batsmen from achieving big totals.Coach Mickey Arthur and bowling coach Vincent Barnes have come to the defence of Botha, who is seen as playing a key role for South Africa in the World Twenty20 in England in June.Although the umpires cast suspicion on Botha's faster ball and his doosra - the off-spinner's googly - Barnes said none of the 18 video clips supplied by the International Cricket Council showed Botha bowling a doosra.Barnes is confident that Botha's action will pass scrutiny following remedial work done by the bowler after he was banned from bowling in international cricket in 2006 because his "elbow flexion" exceeded the maximum permitted 15 degrees.Botha is expected to fly to Perth soon for testing at the University of Western Australia where he was passed for bowling again after his first ban.