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CSK wary of charged up Deccan
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Best ever after worst ever for Woods
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Kings humble Mumbai Indians The victory is inconsequential as Kings XI are already out of the race for the semifinals, while Mumbai retain their position at the top of the table despite the defeat. Except for their luck with the toss, the day belonged to Kings XI. They bowled with purpose. Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla were particularly impressive, claiming three wickets each, while rookie seamer Luv Ablish took two. Man of the Match Kumar Sangakkara led from the front. Their batting came good, resulting in a facile win. Two successive fours he hit off Zaheer, which went racing to the long-off and long-off fence, proved that he was not afraid of the reputation of the bowler. Sangakkara played a measured knock. It was the skipper who anchored the innings in a brilliant fashion. Though they lost the wickets of Barath (33, 27 balls, 4X4, 1X6) and Yuvraj at the other end, the left-handed batsman kept
his cool. As the Kings XI approached the target, he played some glorious strokes. By the time he departed after contributing 42-ball 56, the side was on the threshhold of victory. Irfan Pathan and Reetinder Sodhi completed the formalities. For Mumbai, Zaheer Khan had an off day, while Harbhajan, playing on his home ground, failed to make any impression. Lasith Malinga emerged the best bowler, claiming the key scalps of Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Earlier, Irfan Pathan provided his an ideal start to Kings XI, when Shikhar Dhawan played on an away-swinging delivery. Ambati Rayudu played some bold strokes. He was harsh to Brett Lee as well as Pathan as runs came on a fast clip. With 50 on the board, Rayudu going great guns with skipper Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai looked on course to a competitive total. But leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, introduced from the pavilion end, made an instant impact. He struck thrice to turn the match on the head. First he castled Rayudu. Next, he had Saurabh Tiwari caught behind. When immediately thereafter he rattled the timber of a well-set Sachin Tendulkar and the side reduced to 70 for 4, Mumbai were in trouble. Then Pathan compounded their woes, evicting Satish and Pollard. It was left to Duminy to wage a battle. He scored 35, the highest score from the side, while R Satish contributed 20 as Mumbai Indians put 154 on the board Scoreboard Mumbai Indians: Dhawan b Irfan 2 (4) Tendulkar b Chawla 29 (25) Rayudu b Chawla 33 (18) Tiwary st Sangakkara b Chawla 4 (5) Duminy run out 35 (28) Sathish c Sangakkara b Irfan 20 (17) Pollard b Irfan 18 (14) Harbhajan c Sangakkara b Ablish 9 (7) McLaren b Ablish 0 (1) Zaheer not out 0 (1) Extras: (lb 3, w 1) 4 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 154 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-51, 3-59, 4-70, 5-96, 6-134, 7-152, 8-154, 9-154. Bowling: Lee 4-0-38-0, Irfan 4-0-29-3, Ablish 2-0-17-2, Chawla 4-0-24-3, Yuvraj 2-0-15-0, Powar 4-0-28-0. Kings XI Punjab: Barath lbw b Duminy 33 (27) Jayawardene c Tiwary b Malinga 31 (18) Sangakkara c Dhawan b Malinga 56 (42) Yuvraj c Duminy b Pollard 15 (21) Irfan not out 15 (6) Sodhi not out 4 (2) Extras: (lb 1, w 3) 4 Total: (4 wickets; 19.2 overs) 158 Fall of wickets:1-41, 2-87, 3-125, 4-147. Bowling: McLaren 2-0-13-0, Zaheer 3.2-0-36-0, Malinga 4-0-36-2, Harbhajan 4-0-34-0, Sathish 2-0-14-0, Duminy 3-0-15-1, Pollard 1-0-9-1.
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CSK wary of charged up Deccan
Nagpur, April 9 The last time the two teams clashed, Andrew Symonds had blown away Chennai by blasting a 43-ball 50 run and picking up two crucial wickets. However, meting out the same treatment again will be far from easy considering Chennai’s recent form. They have beaten Bangalore, Rajasthan and table-toppers Mumbai Indians in the last three outings. After a series of flops, Deccan’s middle-order have finally come to the fore last night when T Suman (78) and Andrew Symonds (53) shared an unbeaten 91-run stand to overhaul RCB’s 184 with four balls to spare. But the chargers’ opening combination has been a problem with Mohnish Mishra, Herschelle Gibbs proving failures so far and even Gilchrist not being in the best of form. Another cause of worry for them is Rohit Sharma’s inconsistency. He has scored 264 runs in last 10 matches with just one fifty. In bowling, Pragyan Ojha has been the most consistent bowler for Deccan, picking up 15 wickets to lie at the top of the bowlers list in IPL III and although RP Singh has been in and out of the team, he has taken nine wickets. Symonds has also troubled the batsmen with his part-time bowling, picking up nine wickets so far. Chennai, on the other hand, have five wins from 10 matches and are a contender for the final four. However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have suffered because of an inconsistent batting lineup. Their opener Matthew Hayden has been scoring in patches and although M Vijay has shown what he is capable of with innings of 78 and 127, he was out cheaply in their last outing. Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni have got starts although a big score is still due from them. But Chennai will hope the inclusion of Australian Michael Hussey in the ranks will give the side an additional weapon and Dhoni will have to use him tactfully tomorrow. In the bowling unit, Muttiah Muralitharan, who is third in the highest wicket-taker's list, has been Chennai's most reliable but expensive. In his absence in the last match, R Ashwin, Thilan Thusara and Shadab Jakati have done the job. In the pace department, Doug Bollinger has lent the side a fierce look. RCB take on rejuvenated Kolkata
Bangalore: Four defeats in five matches have hit Royal Challengers Bangalore’s semifinal hopes and they would be desperate to bring their campaign back on track when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow. Sitting pretty at one stage with four wins and eight points in five matches, RCB now have 10 points from as many games, showcasing how the team's fortunes took a turn. They would have to win at least three matches to ensure that they are in the reckoning for the title, which eluded them in South Africa last season. An invigorated Kolkata, with or without Sourav Ganguly, will not be an easy opponent to conquer in tomorrow's contest at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. Ganguly is on the injury list. The former India captain had injured his right ankle during Wednesday's win over Delhi at the Eden Gardens. Though he has had an MRI done, the results are awaited. He may not play tomorrow. Kolkata have gathered confidence from their win against the formidable Delhi Daredevils. If the visitors from the East produce as powerful a sucker punch as Deccan Chargers delivered on Thursday night, the doors could possibly be shut on RCB's challenge in the third edition of the cash-awash league. Though their batsmen failed to generate runs in the first half of the innings against Deccan, Anil Kumble is not much hassled about RCB's batting. It is the insipid performance of the bowlers that worries
Kumble. — PTI |
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Indo-Pak players anticipate final clash
The two confident teams have to win the semifinals to qualify for the final, but they are fancying themselves as winners of the World Cup. Terming the coordination among the players as the strength of his team, captain of Indian team Mangat Singh alias Mangi is confident of a win over Canada in semifinal, which is otherwise not a weak team, as most of its players are also from Punjab. On the other hand, captain of Pakistan kabaddi team, Imtiaz Alam finds Canada as strong and competitive, but still gives more weightage to the Indian team, as having faced each other on various occasions in the past, he has no doubt about their endurance. About the strategy for the semifinal against Canada, the Indian players plan to use their best raider and best stopper in the beginning itself, while Pakistan preferred being tight-lipped about their policy to take on their rival Italy in the semifinal. “We plan according to the situation as the already planned tactics rarely bear fruit,” said Imtiaz Alam. The blessings people have been sending from our country will make us clinch the cup,” said the confident Pakistan players. Speaking further, the Pakistan players disclosed that despite their rivalry with the Indian team, the two sides enjoyed great bonding, and if any of the two teams got eliminated, they would pray for the other side to win the title. |
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Circle kabaddi should not lose traditional touch
Chandigarh, April 9 “I myself do not agree with this 30-second raiders’ slot,” says Union Minister of Sports Manohar Singh Gill confirming that he has received some objections from organisers and kabaddi officials. Talking to The Tribune over the telephone, he said that he has been following the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament closely. “I am very happy that this traditional sport has received overwhelming response from people of Punjab. I am also happy that the National Anti-Doping Agency is constantly checking for drug abuse so that the problem is killed in the Punjab youth. I have also noticed suggestions made in the columns of The Tribune for special identity be given to Circle Kabaddi, as the National Style Kabaddi already stands recognised. “Last year, my ministry had appointed a separate observer for Circle Kabaddi. I am going to examine what more can be done to give Circle Kabaddi adequate recognition at the national level. It is a traditional sport with great public support,” Manohar Singh Gill said. He held that since some of the managers of kabaddi have replaced the traditional cant of “kabaddi, kabaddi” by a silent 30-second slot for the raider, it has taken away the traditional touch of the sport. This should be restored and let kabaddi remain as it has been for centuries together. The duration of the raid in traditional kabaddi coincides with the breath holding capacity of the raider. Besides holding his or her breath, the raider has to continuously shout “kabaddi, kabaddi” till he or she has scored a point or the opposing “jaffi” succeeded in holding him or her back. |
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Chandigarh hockey trio enter the big league
Chandigarh, April 9 The three boys in question - Dharamvir Singh, Preet Inder Singh and Rupinder - had joined the academy in 2002. "We have been dishing out talented players all through. These three players, who are exceptional in their own right, will surely carry forward the good work of their predecessors like Rajpal and Baljit. I have very high hopes from them," said an elated CHA coach Jasbir Singh Bajwa. Bajwa, who has been with the academy since 1987 also points out that CHA has been able to produce quality players only because they have always been provided with the best of facilities by the administration. Bajwa adds, "The diet, training equipment, lodging and facilities available with us are better than anything else in the region. The players revel with all these facilities and it makes performing on the field easier for
them."
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Best ever after worst ever for Woods
“Actually, it felt normal. I just went about my business,” The Daily News quoted Woods, as saying. When one questioner asked what the day meant, looking for something deeper, Woods said, “It meant I’m two shots off the lead. That’s what it means. I’m here to play a golf tournament.” He will start the second round tied for seventh place, trailing leader Fred Couples, his Monday practice partner, by two shots. But on a day when old-timers like Couples and Tom Watson ruled (in all, four players 50 and over broke par), Woods reminded them all that he is still Tiger Woods. Woods, who wore his Buddhist bracelet for protection, agreed that it seemed as though he had never left.
— ANI |
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Their five-match losing streak finally snapped with a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore and a confident Deccan Chargers will look to dent Chennai Super Kings’ semifinal chances in their Indian Premier League match here tomorrow. Deccan’s semifinal hopes were almost over after they lost six of their 10 matches.
However, a seven-wicket victory over Bangalore last night boosted their
morale and Adam Gilchrist’s men will look to win the rest of their
four ties.
Mohali, April 9
Chasing the 155-run target, Kings XI were never in any sort of trouble. New recruit Adrian Barath never looked out of depth. In the company of Mahela Jayawardene, the diminutive batsman batted with confidence. He showed good defence and never hesitated to attack either. He backed his instincts and was involved in 41-run first-wicket stand with Jayawardene in 4.3 overs before Jayawardene departed.
Bathinda, April 9
Augusta, April 9
Armaan finishes third