Mumbai, April 23
Semifinal losses have put paid to their title hopes but Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore would be eyeing a slot in the Twenty20 Champions League when they take on each other in the third-fourth place play-off of the Indian Premier League here tomorrow. The team that finishes third would earn the right to join this year’s finalists Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the September Champions League.

After the 38-run loss to the Super Kings, Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist was confident his teammates would be up to the task of getting off the floor for one final flourish. “We would pick ourselves up for Saturday’s match. We want to play in the Champions League again. We enjoyed playing in it last year,” the retired Australian wicketkeeper said yesterday in his post-match comments.

RCB skipper Anil Kumble said his team had two days at its disposal after losing by 35 runs to the Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. “We have a couple of days to prepare for that match which would be a consolation victory. The main prize was the IPL final,” Kumble said. Toss is again expected to play a crucial role as the team that bats first will hold a big advantage with the wickets in the country having slowed down in the summer heat.

“Obviously I’m disappointed for not having a shot at the final. But it’s becoming difficult to chase on these wickets which have become a bit tired and also slowed down though not many matches have been played here,” said Gilchrist. Royal Challengers would look forward to Jacques Kallis rediscovering his magic touch that gave them a superb run in the earlier part of the tournament.

The South African has gone off the boil after playing the sheet-anchor role to perfection for the others to revolve around him. The Bangalore team has tried out Manish Pandey and Rahul Dravid in the opening slot to accompany Kallis with mixed results. In the lower order, Robin Uthappa has given them a flourishing finish on a few occasions with his clean hitting. The team would look forward to the youngster with powerful shoulders to do the bidding against the Chargers along with Kevin Pietersen at the top.

The indifferent form of Virat Kohli (307 runs in 15 games) too has not helped Bangalore’s cause. The bowling attack looks potent though a bit jaded at the fag end of the 45-day tournament in which teams crisscrossed the country leading to tired bodies and minds. Dale Steyn, who blew away rival batsmen early on, needs to make one last determined effort to give his team the breakthroughs that would peg back the Chargers line-up.

Kumble too would be relied upon to do his job in the middle overs but the big disappointment has been Praveen Kumar. Two big guns of Chargers have failed to fire. Skipper Gilchrist has had a very poor tournament, with only one half century to show for in 15 starts, while Herschelle Gibbs has not lived up to his reputation either.

Rohit Sharma’s indiscreet shot selections have led to his downfall as it happened in the semifinals while Andrew Symonds has had a mixed bag. The batting needs to pick up force in the final clash for the team. Ryan Harris has been penetrative for the Hyderabad franchise, while the other bowlers, especially left arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (21 wickets) have also done well, but the batting has not lived up to its mark. — PTI 

Madrid, April 23
A toothless Liverpool failed to get the away goal they craved as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League semifinal. Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan had a huge slice of luck for his winner in the ninth minute but there was nothing fortunate about his side’s win as Liverpool, missing star striker Fernando Torres, failed to test goalkeeper David de Gea and must now rely on home advantage to turn the tie around in the second leg at Anfield on April 29.

The last time Liverpool visited Madrid they beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of last season’s last 16 Champions League tie but they were second best at the Calderon and fortunate to escape with a 1-0 loss with goalkeeper Pepe Reina pulling off some fine saves to keep the Spaniards at bay. There was no emotional homecoming for Atletico favourite Torres - who came through the youth system and was made captain at 19 - with the Liverpool striker sidelined for the rest of the season due to knee surgery.

In the absence of Torres Benitez put his faith in French striker David Ngog. With Argentine forward Sergio “Kun” Aguero suspended the Atletico goals responsibility fell more on the shoulders of top-scorer Forlan who memorably scored both goals for Manchester United in a 2-1 league win over Liverpool at Anfield back in the 2002.

Despite reaching the semi-finals Atletico had only won one of their 12 European games - six in the Champions and six in the Europa League - and had lost their last two matches in the league. However, they got the perfect start netting after just nine minutes although there was a huge slice of luck for Forlan who looked to have fluffed his lines.

Jose Jurado crossed from the by-line and the unmarked Forlan got his header horribly wrong but the ball fell kindly into his path and the Uruagayan scuffed the ball past Reina. In the opening quarter hour Liverpool looked like they were jaded from their 24-hour journey from Liverpool to Madrid although coach Benitez had insisted it would not affect his troops. — AFP

New Delhi, April 23
Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh said in the House that to make the 2010 Commonwealth Games a grand success, the Sports Ministry, the Indian Olympic Association and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee should work unitedly as there was little time left for the Games. 

He said India would be conducting a mega sports event after a long gap, since Delhi played host to the 1982 Asian Games. He said the Asiad was an unqualified success due to the personal interest taken by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and since then, a sports culture was developed in the country. He said if all the concerned parties worked together, India could also top the medal chart, and the country’s image could get a big boost. 

Mumbai, April 23
Indian cricket may be besmirched in one of its worst ever crisis but there is cause for celebration amid the gloom as iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar turns 37 tomorrow. Unlike some previous years, Tendulkar will have to put his birthday celebrations on hold as a day after he has some unfinished task to complete. With his coruscating show with the bat, he has led Mumbai Indians to the IPL summit clash for the first time in three attempts and could give himself a perfect birthday gift by laying hands on the winners’ trophy.

The maestro is, however, struggling hard to get fit after splitting his right hand webbing during the semifinals. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed that he is declared fit to play the final on April 25. Tendulkar’s 37th birthday comes as BCCI and the IPL battle allegations of corruption and betting. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is in fact, facing the possibility of being shunted out of the event which was his brainchild.

But with their splendid show, Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians have shown that the controversy - which has found an echo in the Parliament of the country as well - has not diminished their spirits and when on field they care for nothing but cricket. Tendulkar has been in phenomenal form which has made cricket fans around the world wonder what makes him tick on the cricket field with such consistency even after 20 years of virtually non-stop play at the international level.

And to top it all, not a whiff of the scandals that have enveloped the sport in the duration of his incredible career has besmirched his name. Just when people started writing epitaph on his career, his heavy bat boomed with a huge bang in all three forms of the game - Tests, One-Day Internationals and in the IPL - to silence them. The champion batsman first ratcheted up the stakes in Test cricket by zooming close to a half-century mark in the number of tons and how well he did it.

Between December’s visit to Bangladesh and the February home series against South Africa, Tendulkar wielded his bat like a magician to rake up five centuries in four Tests, including four on the trot. Tendulkar started the fabulous sequence of three-figure knocks with an unbeaten 100 at Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka that helped India draw the match before going on to clinch the rubber.

In Bangladesh he struck tremendous form to score 105 not out and 143 for winning causes in Chittagong and Dhaka before returning home to take on the South African pace attack and chalk up innings of 100 and 106 at Nagpur and Kolkata in the drawn two-match rubber. Then he went into over-drive in the ODI format too. The champion batsman, who loves to celebrate his birthday with his family members and friends, took that phenomenal form into the IPL which he lit up with his brilliant displays that has piloted Mumbai Indians into its first final. — PTI 

BRIEFLY

Olympic champ tests positive
LOS ANGELES: Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt of the United States has been suspended after testing positive for an anabolic steroid contained in an over-the-counter penis enlargement product. Merritt, who is also the world champion at 400m, said in a statement via his lawyer that he was “deeply sorry” at failing three doping controls for the banned substance DHEA. — AFP

BBC to broadcast CWG 2010
LONDON: The British Broadcasting Corporation on Friday announced that it would show the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi even though security apprehensions persist. “We’re delighted to have exclusive rights for the UK,” BBC Sport head of major events Dave Gordon said. Accordingly, the October 3-14 Games will be available in the United Kingdom across TV, radio, online, iPlayer, mobile and new media outlets. — PTI

Randhawa, Muniyappa face exit
KOREA: Gaganjeet Bhullar could not even start his second round, while Jyoti Randhawa and C Muniyappa are set to make an early exit from the weather-hit Ballantine’ s Championship golf tournament after returning identical two-over 74 on Friday. — PTI

Vaibhav hits ton
NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Rawal slammed 108 with ten fours and three sixes to power R.P. Academy to a 13-run victory over Indian Navy, Mumbai in the 20th All India Om Nath Sood Cricket Tournament for the Sperry Cup, played at the Roshanara Club ground here on Friday. Scores: R.P. Academy: 233 (Vaibhav 108, Mihir 50, Nishan 3 for 43), Navy: 220 for 6 (Sanjeev 56, Yashpal 53, Krishna 35, Negi 2 for 33). — TNS