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Royal punch
Daredevils take on resurgent Knight Riders
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Button wins in Melbourne for second year in a row
Malhotra for Amitabh as CWG brand ambassador
Birmingham hold Arsenal 1-1
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Royal punch
Ahmedabad, March 28 Electing to bat, Rajasthan Royals scored a challenging 177 for eight, thanks mainly to wicketkepeer-batsman Ojha's blistering 49-ball 80 which was laced with six fours and five sixes and then restricted CSK to 160 for six to notch up their fourth win on the trot and fourth out of seven matches in IPL III. Chasing 178 in front of a packed crowd at Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera here, CSK lost wickets in regular intervals and none could come up with a big score. They also failed to take advantage of the largess given by butter-fingered Royals fielders who dropped three catches.
Fast bowler Shaun Tait, who generated a lot of pace with some of his deliveries clocking above 150kmph, continued his good form and he was the pick of the Royals bowler, taking two wickets for 22. Yusuf Pathan also bowled a tight line and length, picking one wicket and conceding 26 from his four overs. Warne, who produced a gem of a delivery to remove Suresh Raina — who was dropped twice, returned with figures of one for 34. He was impressive till he bled 20 runs in the 18th over with Morkel hitting three consecutive sixes. Today's loss was CSK's fourth on the trot and they have now won just two of their seven matches.
The Rajasthan Royals openers forged a brief and brisk 47-run opening partnership inside four overs that provided the perfect platform to put on board a really big total even though the Royals eventually settled for a score which could have been higher. Albie Morkel opened the bowling for Chennai Super Kings and a nonchalant Lumb dismissed his third delivery over long-on ropes to signal his intention. His partner Ojha responded by hitting a boundary off the last delivery of the over to open his account and both were seen making merry at Chennai's expense. Morkel returned to send down his second over when Lumb hit him for a four, following it up with a massive six before he fell to a slower ball. — PTI Scoreboard Rajasthan Royals: Super Kings:
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Daredevils take on resurgent Knight Riders
Daredevils had begun well, defeating Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in their first two away matches. But Mumbai Indians brought them down to terra firma with an astonishing victory, fashioned by Sachin Tendulkar. Chennai Super Kings, even without captain M.S.Dhoni, rubbed into the wounds of Daredevils at the Kotla ground, and Delhi found themselves in a hole when they lost to Deccan Chargers to suffer their third consecutive defeat.
But they are back on winning ways after bearding Kings XI Punjab in their own lair. Ganguly with a half century and Manoj Tiwari with an unbeaten 75 had played the sheet-anchor in KKR's victory and Daredevils fear the prospect of tackling another smash-hitter Tiwari. For, the tall, long-haired Sourabh Tiwari had scattered the Delhi bowling to smithreens to help Sachin post a big total for Mumbai Indians from which Delhi could not recover. With regular captain Gautam Gambhir and pacer Ashish Nehra being doubtful starters for tomorrow's match, Daredevils would have to yet again look upon Virender Sehwag to shoulder the burden of gathering the bulk of the runs. Though Sehwag did put on decent totals in the last two home matches, others could not match up to his efforts. Daredevils were found wanting in batting, bowling and fielding but the victory against Royal Challengers has charged them up and are now desperate to consolidate their position.
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IPL will help in preparing for T20 World Cup: Collingwood
New Delhi, March 28 Notwithstanding the three-game loss on the trot, Collingwood feels Delhi Daredevils still have a chance to make it to the semifinals and said he will contribute his bit to boost the middle-order if he plays tomorrow. "I wouldn't say we are in a bad position. Yes, we have lost three games but there is lot of confidence in the team after the last win. A few more wins and we will peak at the right time. I feel we still have a great chance to make it to the semis," Collingwood said.
— PTI |
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Button wins in Melbourne for second year in a row
Melbourne, March 28 "It feels so good... Guys, amazing job, I think we got that pitstop pretty much perfect," Button, who went for an early change to slicks that proved crucial, shouted over the team radio after beating Renault's Robert Kubica by 12.034 seconds.
With the race starting in wet conditions, Button was the first to pit for slick tyres and seemed to have got it wrong when he immediately skidded off into the gravel. It took only a lap for him to be vindicated, however, as the track dried. "He made the call on his tyres," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh after a race full of overtaking to banish fears of more tedium after a dull opener in Bahrain two weeks ago. — Reuters Chandok gets 1st finish
Five laps behind the winner and three behind the second-last racer, Karun Chandhok steered his battered car past the chequered flag at the Australian Grand Prix to give new team Hispania (HRT) their first Formula One finish on Sunday. The Indian driver's debut at Bahrain lasted a lap before he retired when he hit a bump and went off the track, having driven the car for the first time in qualifying the previous day. |
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Malhotra for Amitabh as CWG brand ambassador
Prof Malhotra, in a letter to chairman of the Commonwealth Games 2010 Suresh Kalmadi, has requested him to make Amitabh the brand ambassador, considering his high stature. Prof Malhotra, who is also the president of the Archery Association of India, and chairman of the Reception Committee of the CWG, wrote: "Commonwealth Games are going to be an important milestone in the history of contemporary India. It will not only showcase our sporting talent, but also our social and cultural heritage. "In this regard, appointment of brand ambassadors of the Commonwealth Games 2010 is going to be very crucial because they will be looked upon as the best and the brightest of the county. These brand ambassadors, as they will be representing the country, should be proud of being given the job and they should do it in the national interest and not for money. "I suggest that Shri Amitabh Bachchan should be appointed as the main brand ambassador of the Commonwealth Games. Bachchan represents best of India's mid-age generation and is icon for the youngsters. He was the Brand Ambassador of the 1982 Delhi Asiad in which he lent his voice and anchored the opening ceremony. "I strongly feel that Bachchan be given this honour again. The Organising Committee of the Games has already named some brand ambassadors and some more are going to be appointed very soon. I will suggest that we should appoint only those cine-stars, sportspersons and other celebrities who have a clean record and are prepared to do this job without asking for any honorarium.”
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Birmingham hold Arsenal 1-1
London, March 28 The results maintain the champions' one point lead at the top of the Premier League, with Chelsea just behind on 71 points and Arsenal a further three points back. On paper, the trip to the Reebok appeared not to be easy for Sir Alex Ferguson's side and the task was made more difficult by the absence of in-form striker Wayne Rooney, who missed the game with a knee injury. But with seven minutes of the first half remaining, the away side were helped by an own goal from defender Jlloyd Samuel, who inexplicably fired Ryan Giggs' cross into his own net after the ball had narrowly evaded Darren Fletcher's reach. The result was confirmed midway through the second half when Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen could only parry Fletcher's shot into the path of striker Dimitar Berbatov, who finished from ten metres. And the Bulgarian claimed his second goal nine minutes later to put the result firmly beyond the home side with a classy finish after excellent work by Nani on the left wing. The Portuguese midfielder was again at the heart of the action just minutes later when he pulled the ball back for substitute Darren Gibson to make it 4-0 as the home side collapsed under the weight of United's pressure. With the crucial game between the two main contenders taking place at Old Trafford next week, Chelsea's 7-1 win over Aston Villa signalled their belief that they can win the title this year.
— DPA |
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Margao, March 28 Salgaocar suffered their first defeat under Karim Bencherifa in the last round as they went down 1-2 against Chirag. The Goan club are only one point above the relegation zone and knows how important it is to win tomorrow's match especially after Shillong Lajong beat Mohun Bagan to move two points above them. Salgaocar's defence will be strengthened by the return of Luciano Saborosa, who could not play the last match due to double booking. Their success will largely depend on how well the midfield and upfront combine. Striker Keita who was out of form will have to strike a right cord with Ekene who has been their livewire upfront. Rocus lamare will have to play a vital role in the midfield along with Francis Fernandes, Cataeno Fernandes and Peter Costa to feed their strikers. Salgaocar have injury worries but that will not deter coach Bencharifa from collecting full points against the red and gold brigade who look fatigued after their defeat in the AFC Cup. Mahindra bt Chirag
Kolkata: Former champions Mahindra United was today back in reckoning for the title as they edged past Chirag United by a solitary goal in their 18th round of the ONGC I-League at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today.
— PTI |
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London, March 28
Opener Murali Vijay, who was dropped on 15, top-scored with 42 while Albie Morkel made a cameo of 12-ball 28 which had one four and three sixes. Other CSK batsmen got the starts but failed to play a big innings. Matthew Hayden (19), Suresh Raina (14), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21) and S Badrinath (25) all looked good for a big score before fizzling out.
Earlier, Naman Ojha hit a belligerent 80 to propel Rajasthan Royals to 177 for eight. Ojha and Michael Lumb (30 off 16 balls) took the onus on themselves to justify skipper Shane Warne's decision to bat first at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera and Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn't know how to stop the boundary flow as long as the duo were in the middle.
New Delhi, March 28
Though they regained some ground by arresting the winning spree of the formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Anil Kumble, in yet another away match to record their third victory in six matches, they face-off against Kolkata Knight Riders with a lot of trepidation. Sourav Ganguly-led KKR too had lost their way after posting wins in their first two matches.
"I am raring to go. It's a great opportunity to get back into Twenty20 mode. We have a World Cup coming up in West Indies and I am the skipper of the Twenty20 squad. So it is great chance to work on the mental aspect of the game and prepare for the event," Collingwood told reporters here.
"It was the right time. Fantastic job, this is a great way to start the year." Poland's Kubica was comfortably clear of Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, who nosed out team mate Fernando Alonso for third after the Spaniard had roared back from a first corner spin that left him in last place.
New Delhi, March 28
