Scoreboard
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Klinger b Gayle 24
McCullum c sub b Vettori 22
Parthiv run out 19
Jayawardene c de Villiers
b Vettori 3
Hodge c Zaheer b Aravind 5
Jadeja c Kaif b Mithun 23
Gomez c Kohli b Aravind 7
Vinay c Vettori b Zaheer 3
Powar not out 8
RP Singh run out 0
Parameswaran not out 1
Extras (w 9, nb 1) 10
Total: (9 wkts; 20 ovrs) 125
Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-26-1, Aravind 4-0-20-2, Gayle 4-0-26-1, Vettori 4-0-24-2, Mithun 3-0-21-1, Dilshan 1-0-8-0.

Royal Challengers
Gayle b Vinay 44
Dilshan not out 52
Kohli not out 27
Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 5
Total: (1 wkt; 13.1 ovrs) 128
Bowling: RP Singh 2-0-13-0, Powar 2-0-27-0, Parameswaran 2.1-0-44-0, Vinay 3-0-18-1, Jadeja 4-0-24-0.

Mohali, May 8
In the end, local star Yuvraj Singh did not even need Sourav Ganguly to figure in the playing XI, as he led his team Pune Warriors to a very easy win over Kings XI Punjab at the PCA stadium here tonight. This was a grudge match for Yuvi. After all, he had been part of the franchise based at this centre for three years before parting ways with Kings XI Punjab. And the exit still rankles.

Pune Warriors’ Yuvraj Singh hits one to the fence during their match against the Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

But Yuvi got sweet revenge when he made it two-out-of-two against his erstwhile team. Pune had also beaten Kings in their earlier encounter in Mumbai. For Kings, it was their fifth straight defeat in IPL-IV and they will now have to traverse an arduous route to get anyway close to the playoffs. And even before the Kings have time to reflect on this loss, a rampant Mumbai Indians side is already in town waiting for them for the next match at the same venue on Tuesday. These surely are tough times for the Kings.

Punjab had set a rather weak target of 120 for Pune and ended up losing the match by five wickets. Yuvraj fell with just four required for victory, but he played a sweet little knock of 35 from just 15 balls with two sixes and five fours. Kings have only themselves to blame for the hole that they find themselves in.

Their skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and chose to bat on a lively track and also continued his poor run with the bat by falling cheaply once again.

Yuvraj brought on his trump card Rahul Sharma early and the leggie struck in his first over. Rahul was on target again in his next over and once again had highly impressive figures of 4-0-17-2. The way Rahul Sharma has emerged in this tournament has been a treat to watch. And now it seems only a matter of time before this 24-year-old spinner from Jalandhar finds himself in the Indian one-day side. In fact, his big break could come as early as next week when the Indian selectors choose the team for the tour to the West Indies on May 13.

With some seniors slated to miss this tour, the likes of Rahul Sharma have a strong chance of getting in.

For Pune, the Sourav Ganguly drama continued to unfold with Dada once again choosing to give live action a miss. The Pune camp insists that Ganguly will be on the park in the next game in Hyderabad, but Ganguly ought to have played this one. It is now becoming clear that Dada has more on his mind than just playing in IPL-IV. He still might play some matches for Pune in the coming days, but his eyes are set on a bigger mentoring role for this franchise - something like Anil Kumble has for Royal Challengers Bangalore. It also won’t be a surprise if Ganguly does become the coach of this team in the next season.

For the statistically minded, there was a bit of trivia involved with Geoff Marsh and his sons Mitch and Shaun having a role in the match. Mitch Marsh bowled well for Pune Warriors with coach (and dad) Geoff watching from the dugout. And, of course, Shaun Marsh has been with Kings right from the start. As both were playing for different teams, one brother had to lose. Tonight, it was the turn of Shaun Marsh of Kings XI Punjab. 

Jaipur, May 8
Rajasthan Royals would bank on their formidable winning record at home and look to exact revenge of their first leg loss, when they take on defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a crucial Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.

Both the sides are coming into the match after losing their previous matches and any slip up tomorrow could prove costly for either team for a place in the play-offs. Chennai are on 12 points from 10 matches, third in the IPL table and they have come into tomorrow's match after their four-game winning streak was snapped by Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are on 11 points from 10 matches and a win tomorrow will take them closer to a play-off berth. Besides, the Shane Warne-led side have a formidable record at home, having won 12 games out of 15 in the IPL. They have won four out of five games here this year.

Chennai, on the other hand, have been poor travellers having won only one out of their five away games this season and they would look to breach the Rajasthan Royals stranglehold at Sawai Man Singh Stadium. With just three games left for each after tomorrow's match, both the sides are expected to fight a fierce battle to take their sides closer to the play-offs.

The match will be played on a new strip after the pitch controversy generated by the remarks from Sachin Tendulkar, the skipper of Mumbai Indians, who were restricted to 94 for eight here on April 29. Though the Mumbai Indians insisted that there was no formal complaint, a new strip was ordered for the remaining two matches at Sawai Man Singh Stadium after a visit by the pitch inspector.

Chennai beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in their last meeting on May 4 in Chennai. The Royals must be ruing the manner in which they squandered the advantage after being 92 for one in 13th over to post just 147 in 20 overs after batting first and subsequently lose the match.

Rajasthan Royals would, however, take positives from that match like Rahul Dravid cracking 66 of 51 balls and he shared a 92-run opening wicket partnership with Shane Watson. Skipper Shane Warne has already announced that he will retire from the IPL after this season and he and his team are eager to finish in top four. They will have to win at least two of their remaining four matches to make the grade.

Rajasthan Royals have had a roller coaster journey with five victories and a washed out tie from 10 outings to accumulate 11 for a fifth place as of now. They will have to put in some extra efforts to go through the race. They will look up to Warne, as usual, in the bowling department and to extract the best out of his players at the home conditions with his tactical moves. Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha and Ashok Menaria will have to fire in tandem in the batting front.

Chennai, on the other hand, look formidable with likes of Michael Hussey, Murli Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and skipper M S Dhoni capable of posting big scores and chasing down stiff targets. Their bowling attack is also no less formidable with Albie Morkel, Doug Bollinger and deceptive spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in good form.

Chennai lost to Kolkata Knight Riders under D/L method last night, but will look to be back to their winning momentum tomorrow. — PTI 

Lahore, May 8
Pakistan's controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that losing to India in the World Cup semi-final at Mohali is the greatest regret of his life. Shoaib though was not a part of the Pakistan playing XI in that match, but he said defeat to India always hurt more than anything else in his cricketing career.

The enigmatic fast bowler announced his retirement from international cricket during the World Cup and was sidelined by the tour selectors for Pakistan's last four games after he had a bust up with teammate Kamran Akmal during the match against New Zealand. Shoaib also admitted in an interview to a Sunday magazine that he himself didn't like his mood swings that had got him into trouble numerous times in his career.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt and captain Shahid Afridi have made some scathing comments about his fitness in the World Cup, but Shoaib has remained tightlipped about it. Rawalpindi Express, who has kept a low profile since returning from the World Cup, was suppose to come and receive a shield of honour from the organisers of a T20 tournament in Karachi on Saturday night but pulled out at the last moment.

The organisers said Shoaib had informed them he could not make it to Karachi from Lahore because of the death of a close relative. Asked about his idea of perfect happiness, Shoaib said he got that feeling when his parents were happy.

"My greatest fear in life is of losing my parents," said said Shoaib, adding that his mother is his most treasured possession. He also said that at the moment he didn't feel any restrictions and felt free for the first time after a long time in his career.

The pacer said his favorite quote remained: "I don't believe in teamwork; give me a team that works!" Shoaib, who has reportedly been signed up to play in the Sri Lankan premier league T20 competition in July, revealed that playing for Pakistan remained his greatest achievement in life. — PTI

Chandigarh, May 8
Rahul Sharma knows a thing or two about turnarounds! He has seen many, in a career that at one point was threatened by a facial nerve dysfunction, which affected his vision, to fighting his way back into reckoning with countless practice hours, amazing grit and a lot of hard work. IPL 2011 has seen Rahul grow, and shine.

It started with him picking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, and from there on, he has never looked back. Match after match, the 6-feet-4-inches-tall Jalandhar lad, is blooming, and making statements of intent with every outing. He speaks exclusively to The Tribune about the season, Yuvraj Singh, his Pune experienceand hopes of wearing the India colours. Excerpts:

Q: Your performance this IPL has been sensational. Doing anything different?

A: I had a good season with Punjab, had some good outings in the ODI games and that helped. I was very happy that I got about a month, where I worked very hard on my game and the results are showing.

Q: You are playing under Yuvraj. Does it help having someone like him around?

A: Of course Yuvi being there has made a difference. When someone from your state is there in the side, you can always go speak your mind with him. Having guys like him and Dada is always good as they share their experiences and tell us how to handle pressure.

Q: Your height has always been a big advantage. Even in the IPL, you have extracted bounce from the flattest of wickets.

A: My height has played a big role, even on dead tracks, and this has been a trend ever since I started playing cricket. I really feel it has been a factor in getting sharper turn, and also helps with overspin.

Q: Pune started pretty well, but after that, it has been a dismal run. What do you feel are the reasons for that?

A: It is a new team and new management. It’s difficult to get everything right from the word go. There have been issues, but these are more like teething issues.

Moreover, T20 is all about momentum. I really think once you start winning, it can just become a trend and it is easier to go on with that. We have a good side, but we were a little unfortunate with injuries.

Q: Within the Punjab setup, who all do you credit with your development?

A: Firstly there is Adrian, who helped me a lot with the fitness side of my game. He is currently with the Kings XI, but he really helped me a lot. Then with the skill part, there is Devender Arora and Bhupinder Singh Sr. who helped me a lot.

Q: Everyone has suddenly woken up to the fact that they might see you wearing India colours soon.

A: I know there might be a chance of that, but I don’t want to think about it. I leave it to God, and just want to focus all my attention on my performance. Just keep up my form, and then see where it goes from there.

Q: You’ve picked some important wickets, with Sachin the big one. How has that changed things? Feel any different around people?

A: It just feels great to be back home. I love the fact that people recongnise my hard work. It doesn’t make too much of a difference to friends or family, as for them I will always be the same guy. I invited my family over for the game against Kings, and it is the first game they will be watching. It just feels wonderful to be around them.

Q: Lastly, who is the one player you look upto?

A: Anil Kumble has always been my favourite. I have been speaking to him since the last IPL, and Anil bhai has always been very helpful. He keeps giving me vital tips, and has encouraged me a lot. Even when I spoke to Shane Warne, he told me that I was doing good. It really feels great to be here right now, and I want to work harder everyday to make sure it gets better. 

Istanbul, May 8
Defending driver world champion Sebastian Vettel consolidated his lead in this year's title race with a near-flawless drive to victory for Red Bull in today's Turkish Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old German led from his 19th career pole position to the chequered flag unchallenged, conceding the lead only once during his pit-stops, as he claimed his third win in four races this year.

It was the 13th win of his career and another day of celebration for the Red Bull team as Vettel's team-mate Australian Mark Webber overtook, in a brilliant manoeuvre in the closing stages, the two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari to finish second.

It was the England-based team's first one-two of the season and came at the conclusion of an action-packed contest full of overtaking moves and incidents.

Alonso, revelling in a much-improved Ferrari, finished third ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, who came home fourth for McLaren after a typically roller-coaster afternoon including one pit stop wrecked by a sticky wheel nut. For Alonso and Ferrari, it was their first podium finish of the season and confirmed they are back among the contenders after a tricky start to the year.

German Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes ahead of Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren, the 2009 champion losing ground after planning a three-stop race.

Vettel's winning time was one hour 30 minutes and 17.558 seconds. "Yes," he screamed over his radio at the end. "Yes! That's what I am talking about. What a race. We controlled it from the beginning to the end. Thank-you." —AFP

Ipoh, May 8
A resolute India rallied to hold world and Olympic champion Australia to a 1-1 draw, riding on Adrian D'Souza's brilliant goalkeeping in their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match here today.

India's defence showed frayed nerves throughout the encounter, but the defending champions managed to emerge with a 1-1 draw. Jacob Whetton (14th minute) and Rupinder Pal Singh (22nd minute) were the ones who hit on target in the exciting match.

The Indian defence allowed Australia to dominate the game, conceding two soft penalty corners and repeatedly gave away the ball to the Australian strikers, but D'Souza played an outstanding game to keep the rivals at bay. The 1-1 score-line will give satisfaction to the Indians, coming in the first encounter with Australia after the 8-0 drubbing in the final of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi seven months ago.

Like India, the Australian lineup was also without half a dozen players from the senior squad, but the Aussies set the pace in the game and maintained complete domination in the initial 15 minutes of play, when India just managed to make one foray into the rival territory.

India's fumbling defence seemed to create pressure on themselves, but they still hung on grimly to keep the score level, and were aided by the wayward shooting of the Australian strikers. A weak clearance by Rupinder Pal Singh saw the Indian goal come under pressure in the third minute, but he managed to recover ground to deflect out Glenn Turner's feeble shot.

Three minutes later, D'Souza padded a Jason Wilson shot past the jittery defence. Australia forced their first penalty corner in the ninth minute, but fumbled in the set-piece attempt. — PTI

Kolkata, May 8
Indian men's recurve team settled for a silver after going down to the US in the final of the Archery World Cup Stage I in Porec, Croatia. The fifth ranked Indian trio of Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar and Rahul Banerjee, after upsetting the Korean applecart in the semifinals, lost their lead to succumb to their US opponents 219-221 in a pressure-filled 24 arrows final, yesterday.

In a gripping finish, the Indians gave in to the pressure factor as they shot three 8s to enable their opponents win the final end with a three point lead (54-51) that was enough for them to clinch the title with a two-point margin.

The Indian women's team lost out in the bronze medal play-off to Germany by 202-209 points to finish fourth in a tough field. — PTI

Madrid, May 8
Rafael Nadal overcame Roger Federer 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 to set up a Madrid Masters final against Novak Djokovic on an emotional day that had started with a tearful tribute to Seve Ballesteros. World number one Nadal stood side-by-side with old rival Federer in a minute's silence at the Caja Magica before a showreel of Ballesteros's greatest moments played out on the giant courtside screens.

"It's a terrible day for Spain and the world. We lost a great champion, probably the greatest in the history of Spain," said Nadal of the 54-year-old golfing legend, who lost his brave fight against cancer. "Seve was one of the pioneers in so many things... especially in golf. He was an example to everyone."

Despite the sombre occasion, Nadal, with a black ribbon pinned to his shirt as a mark of respect for his compatriot, went on to thrill his fans and reach his third Madrid final in three years. His victory set up a familiar final for the world number one, with Nadal to face off for the third straight time at a Masters this season against world number two Djokovic.

The Serb overcame an early lapse to hold off unseeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

One way or another, a streak will be broken in today's final with Nadal not having lost on clay in 37 matches and Djokovic undefeated on all surfaces in 2011 after 31 straight wins. — AFP

Kuala Lumpur, May 8
Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal faltered after a good start, as she lost to world number three Xin Wang of China in the finals, to finish runner-up in the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament here today. The world number four and top seed Indian, playing with a taped-up ankle, lost 21-13, 8-21, 14-21 in a 48-minute contest against her second-seeded rival.

Saina ran away with the opening game in just 15 minutes with eight smash winners and better net-play, but the momentum swung immediately after that, as Asian Games gold-medallist Wang roared back into the match. The Chinese, who finished runner-up here two years ago, clinched seven points in a row in the second game to equalise.

She was dominant in the deciding third game as well, leading 11-7, but Wang went on once again to win seven points on the trot to close the issue in her favour. — PTI