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RCB too good for hapless Pune Warriors
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Lucky to play for India: Dravid
Mathews steps down from Pune Warriors captaincy
Kallis pulls out, Duminy back in CT squad
Mario Balotelli places girlfriend for sex-bet!
Shooters oppose decision on excess baggage charge
Sindhu enters semis in Malaysia, Guru out
AITA recommends Somdev for Khel Ratna award
Tough test for Indian paddlers
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Raina’s kingly knock downs Punjab
Chennai, May 2 Raina scored an unbeaten 100 in Chennai Super Kings’ total of 186 for four and then the bowlers kept their cool to restrict Kings XI to 171 for six despite a brilliant conter-attacking partnership of 95 between Shaun Marsh, who scored a 51-ball 73 and David Miller (51 not out, 26 balls). The win took CSK’s points tally to 18 from 11 matches and they are now all but through to the last four stage of the competition. The seventh successive win is an IPL record which they now share with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Needing 19 to win off the last over, Dwayne Bravo bowled intelligently giving away only three runs but more importantly took three wickets to finish with figures of three for 34. Marsh and Miller played their part admirably well to get close to the target but in the end, 186 proved to be good enough for CSK. Haryana medium-pacer Mohit Sharma had dealt a severe blow by removing both openers Luke Pomersbach and Mandeep Singh in quick succession. It was always going to be a catch-up game for the Kings XI batsmen but credit to Marsh, who grabbed with both hands the chance to open the innings after regular captain Adam Gilchrist sat himself out. Earlier, Raina’s splendid century helped title favourites CSK to post a commendable total of 186 for four after opting to bat. Raina batted magnificently to strike exactly 100 off only 53 balls with the help of seven fours and half a dozen sixes. The UP left-hander became the third batsman after Chris Gayle and Shane Watson to score a century in the current edition. In the last five overs, CSK pulverised the Kings XI bowlers for 70 runs. Hussey and Raina hardly took any risks and yet added 55 runs in only 7.2 overs. While Hussey, who scored 35 runs off 29 balls, was content rotating the strike, Raina repeatedly peppered the off-side field with his trademark shots in between the cover and extra-cover arc.
— PTI Scoreboard
Chennai Super Kings Saha c Marsh b Awana 18 Hussey st Gurkeerat b Chawla 35 Raina not out 100 Dhoni run out 2 Morkel c Miller b Awana 23 Jadeja not out 5 Extras: (lb 1, w 2) 3 Total: (4 wkts) 186 Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-82, 3-92, 4-166 Bowling Praveen 4 0 38 0 Hussey 4 0 31 0 Awana 4 0 29 2 Chawla 4 0 32 1 Gony 2 0 29 0 Sathish 2 0 26 0 Kings XI Punjab Pomersbach b Sharma 7 Mandeep c Raina b Sharma 15 Marsh b Bravo 73 Hussey c Bravo b Ashwin 22 Miller not out 51 Gurkeerat c Hussey b Bravo 0 Sathish lbw b Bravo 0 Gony not out 0 Extras: (lb 3) 3 Total: (6 wkts) 171 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-36, 3-73, 4-168, 5-168, 6-171 Bowling Morkel 4 0 20 0 Mohit Sharma 4 0 31 2 Ashwin 4 0 33 1 Morris 3 0 31 0 Raina 1 0 19 0 Bravo 4 0 34 3 |
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RCB too good for hapless Pune Warriors
Pune, May 2 Chasing a huge total of 187, Pune did well, by their own standards, to reach 170 but could not prevent the loss. Robin Uthappa (75) and Angelo Mathews (32) tried to put up a fight. However the lower order caved in during the crunch
overs. Batting first, Saurabh Tiwary (52) and Chris Gayle (21) began well as they put on a solid partnership of 36 runs in just 6.3 overs. Gayle was the first one to go as T Suman got his caught through Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Virat Kohli (25; 18 b) too could not provide the fireworks. de Villiers ( 50) and Moises Henriques (27) did the damage. Dinda's last over to de Villiers yielded 26 runs. Dinda's first five balls were carted for a 6,4,6,4,4, ending the last ball with a two runs. Brief scores Royal Challengers Bangalore: 187/3 in 20 overs (Saurabh Tiwary 52, de Villiers 50, Moises Henriques 27, Chris Gayle 21, Dinda 2/52, T Suman 1/15); Pune Warriors (170/9 in 20 overs (Uthappa 75, Mathews 32, Vinay 3/31).
— TNS |
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Lucky to play for India: Dravid
Kolkata, May 2 “I am very lucky that I had the talent to play cricket for this country. It is the number one sport in this country, virtually a religion in this country and I feel privileged to have played for my country,” Dravid said here a day before the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more and on top of that to get the recognition and honour is truly a big privilege,” he said. About getting the Padma Bhushan this year, Dravid said, “It is a great honour. When you start playing you don’t think about the awards. You just play because you just love it and there is no reason why you start playing this game. But along the way when you get awards and recognitions from the government of India, from the people of this country, it is a great privilege and honour.” Dravid has led the Royals by example as they have been a consistent unit in IPL-6 with six wins from nine games. They are currently in the third position and are in line for a playoff berth. Dravid said it was important for him to be adaptable so as to meet the demands of T20 format. “I think the key role is to be adaptable, to be able to do various roles, to do things that might not be in your comfort zone. When you are a part of the team or any organisation, it’s very important to ensure that you play your part well.”
— PTI Today : KKR vs RR (8 pm)
live on set max |
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Mathews steps down from Pune Warriors captaincy
Pune, May 2 Australian batsman Aaron Finch has led the side in a lot of games as Mathews was dropped due to poor form. “It is in our best interests that the captaincy is not switched frequently as we strive to achieve the best balanced team for each different opponent. Given that Aaron (Finch) is likely to play in all our remaining games then it is logical that he continues to be our captain,” Mathews said in a statement. The Sri Lankan said he would continue to be a member of the side. “I will naturally provide my fullest support at all times to Aaron and my team-mates. I will also continue to work as hard as possible as a player as we all strive to win our remaining matches,” he said.
— PTI |
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Kallis pulls out, Duminy back in CT squad
Capetown, May 2 AB De Villiers will be the captain of the squad that also has Test skipper Graeme Smith.
It will be Duminy’s first selection since he suffered a severe ankle injury during the first Test match against Australia six months ago. “JP is well on the way to a full recovery,” commented Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener Andrew Hudson. “The latest information is that he will be fully fit to play his part in all three disciplines by the end of the month. He is a very experienced limited overs cricketer and we don’t anticipate his lack of match practice being any kind of problem. “His return adds a lot of balance to the side and that, together with the presence of two batting
all-rounders in Faf du Plessis and Farhaan Behardien, means that we now have the option to go into the tournament with seven specialist batsmen. “Jacques’ experience will obviously be missed but it does create an opportunity for David Miller whose recent form has been most impressive. It also gives a young player the chance to make his mark ahead of the ICC World Cup in 2015. “We have stayed consistent with the squad that played in the ODI series against Pakistan, also bearing in mind that we wanted to choose players who are well equipped for England conditions. “As always there are unlucky players. Unfortunately we can only take 15 players to England. However, the World Cup is 2 years away in Australasia and is a wonderful incentive for those who have missed out to concentrate their focus.” Sri Lanka have announced the 15-man squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy, comprising of as many six seam bowlers. There is no place for mystery off-spinner Ajantha
Mendis. Gatting is MCC prez
Former England captain Mike Gatting was on Wednesday named President of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC). The 55-year-old, who played his county cricket for Middlesex whose home is the
MCC-owned Lord’s Ground, will assume his duties on October 1.
— Agencies |
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Bayern show Barca who’s the boss now
Barcelona, May 2 The Bundesliga champions, chasing a fifth continental crown, will play Borussia Dortmund in the May 25 final at London’s Wembley Stadium after an imperious performance that inflicted the heaviest two-legged European defeat in Barca’s history. Their bid for a third Champions League crown in five seasons ended in humiliation and the era during which they blazed a trail under Pep Guardiola, who will take over from Jupp Heynckes as Bayern coach next season, was reduced to a distant memory. Last year’s runners-up Bayern had effectively killed off the tie with last week’s 4-0 victory in Munich and there was no way back for a toothless Barca when Arjen Robben cut inside and blasted the ball past Victor Valdes in the 49th minute. A miserable night for the pre-tournament favorites and their fans thronging the giant arena was completed when Gerard Pique skewed the ball into his own net in the 72nd minute and Thomas Mueller, who scored twice in the first leg, nodded a third for a rampant Bayern four minutes later. The Spaniards, last defeated in both legs of a European knockout tie in 1987, were deprived of the talents of Lionel Messi, who has yet to recover fully from a hamstring injury and was left on the bench. Without the talismanic World Player of the Year they barely threatened as forwards Cesc Fabregas, David Villa and Pedro, and later substitute Alexis Sanchez, were helpless against a resolute Bayern defense. The statistics made grim reading for Barca. Their biggest aggregate reverse in Europe before Wednesday was by four goals and it was their heaviest Champions League defeat at the Nou Camp since Dynamo Kiev beat them 4-0 in 1997. They were also unbeaten in their previous 21 Champions League home matches since a 2-1 loss against Rubin Kazan in October 2009. Fabregas was initially deployed in Messi’s roving forward role in a three-pronged attack with Spain team mates Pedro and Villa. Bundesliga champions Bayern were first to threaten when Robben burst clear on the left in the 13th minute but the Dutch winger was denied by a fine covering tackle from Pique. The Spain center back made another excellent intervention to nip the ball away from Philipp Lahm six minutes later before Manuel Neuer had to be alert to tip a long-range Pedro effort over the crossbar and Xavi volleyed high and wide when well placed. As the half wore on and Bayern looked increasingly comfortable against Barca’s aimless attacks, their boisterous fans high up in the stadium began to make themselves heard on a balmy night in the Catalan capital. The home crowd were silenced four minutes into the second half when David Alaba sprayed the ball across to Robben on the right wing and he cut inside Adriano in trademark fashion before crashing a left-foot drive past Valdes. Barca now needed six goals to get through and any fans looking towards the bench to see if Messi was warming up were disappointed. The Germans even began to stroke the ball around in the style Barca have made their own in recent years, each pass being greeted with a jubilant “Ole!” from their travelling support. Barca huffed and puffed for a goal to salvage some pride but Pique’s own goal and Mueller’s back-post header completed a truly awful and unprecedented night for a team often lauded as the greatest ever.
— Reuters |
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Mario Balotelli places girlfriend for sex-bet!
According to the Sun, Balotelli said the entire Real Madrid team could sleep with Fanny if they made the Champions League final. The 22-year-old AC Milan reportedly said the Madrid players, including Cristiano
Ronaldo, “could have sex with Fanny if they managed to go through.” The remark was apparently made after Real lost the first leg of the Champions League semi-final 4-1 against German side Borussia Dortmund. Balotelli later denied saying this. Real didn’t make the final, losing 4-3 on aggregate, but Fanny have walked out of football bad boy’s Italian mansion. Belgian Fanny is reportedly angry with Balotelli’s friendship with kickboxer Giorgio
Petrosyan. The Sun quotes sources as saying: “This was a major bust-up and could spell the end for Mario and Fanny.” But Balotelli doesn’t seem too worried. He has cheered himself up by buying a 200,000 Pound Ferrari F450! End-March this year, Balotelli revealed his relationship with Fanny. He attributed his relationship with her for finding his goal-scoring touch for AC Milan. “Yes, I am in love!” said Balotelli in an interview. (Read) “She is determined, confident and generous. In a short space of time she found herself in sync with me. I could spend my whole life with someone like this.” Surprisingly mature words from a player, who has been photographed with known mafia mobsters, burnt his house down and was spotted in a Milan jersey while playing for Inter. Last year Balotelli split from TV presenter Raffaella Fico, 25, even though she was pregnant with their daughter,
Pia.
— Agencies |
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Shooters oppose decision on excess baggage charge
Pune, May 2 In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, Rahi — who recently created history by becoming the country’s first pistol markswoman to clinch a gold in World Cup shooting — and two other top Maharashtra shooters, Anjali Bhagwat and Tejaswini Savant, have asked the ministry to reconsider its decision. They felt sportspersons would be adversely affected by this decision as they would have to pay much more than their actual fare. The shooting trio, as well as officials of the Maharashtra Olympic Association, wanted the permission granted to airlines for levying extra charges towards ferrying sports equipment to be withdrawn immediately, a media release said. Their contention is that athletes do not travel by air just for pleasure but to manage their training camp and competition schedules. The letter stated that consequent to this decision by the Aviation ministry a lot of athletes would be inclined towards travelling by train even if this meant an additional effort, wastage of time and energy. “Due to official permission by the government, we fear that the airlines may levy additional charge on the accompanying sports goods at will and is going to adversely affect the Indian sports in general,” the letter stated. “Hence it is requested to withdraw this particular permission to levy additional charge on sports equipment to athletes and allow them to carry such equipment within the charges of their own fare,” it said. Copies of their appeal have been sent to Union ministers hailing from Maharashtra — Sharad Pawar, Sushil Kumar Shinde, and Praful Patel — apart from former Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, MOA president Ajit Pawar and all the MPs from Maharashtra, the release added.
— PTI |
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Sindhu enters semis in Malaysia, Guru out
New Delhi, May 2 Sindhu, who reached the semifinals of the India Open Super Series here last month, needed just 37 minutes to get the better of her seventh seeded opponent 21-17 21-17 in the a quarterfinal clash. Sindhu had prevailed over Ngan Yi Cheung of Hong Kong 11-21 21-18 21-10 in a three-game second round match earlier in the day. However in the men's singles, 11th seed RMV Gurusaidutt's campaign ended in the quarterfinals as he conceded his match against Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin of Malaysia. The Indian retired in the second game which he was trailing 2-5. The Malaysian had won the first game 21-19. Gurusaidutt had beaten Riichi Takeshita 21-19 21-16 in his third round match. However, the other Indians in men’s singles category, K Srikanth and Sameer Verma, lost their respective third round ties to bow out of the tournament. Verma lost to Yan Kit Chan 15-21 19-21 in 36 minutes, and Daren Liew, seeded third, took 42 minutes to get the better of Srikanth 21-17 22-20. Sindhu had taken only 46 minutes in beating Ngan Yi Cheung. Meanwhile, London Olympics quarterfinalist, Parupalli Kashyap dropped out of the men’s singles top-10 while rising shuttler Sindhu rose two places to reach a career-best of No.13 in the Badminton World Federation rankings released today. Kashyap, who had achieved a career-high of World No.6 last week, suffered a reversal of fortunes due to his first round exit at the recently concluded India Open. The Hyderabadi shuttler dropped five places to be ranked 11. Mumbai’s Ajay Jayaram, who had reached the India Open quarters last week, jumped three places to 27 while Gurusaidutt gained five places to be placed at 28. Madhya Pradesh’s Sourabh Verma rose a rung to 35.
— PTI |
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AITA recommends Somdev for Khel Ratna award
New Delhi, May 2
Somdev, who was the last and 15th tennis player to receive the Arjuna Award in 2011, had raised a banner of revolt, along with seven other players, including Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan
Bopanna, against the All India Tennis Association (AITA) a few months ago, seeking enhanced facilities for the players. However, he called truce with the AITA to play in the Davis Cup tie against Indonesia at Bangalore last month, which the hosts swept 5-0, with Somdev winning both his singles
matches. Somdev, the country’s highest-ranked singles player, became a big-game hunter in 2010 when he won the Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi and the Asian Games singles and doubles gold at Guangzhou (China) after featuring in the challenge round of the Chennai Open a year earlier. Leander Paes is the only tennis player to have received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006-2007 after the award was instituted in 1991-1992, with world chess champion Viswanath Anand being the first recipient of the the Khel
Ratna. Hockey star Sandeep Singh is the other prominent player who has been recommended for the Khel Ratna Award. Ironically, Mahesh
Bhupathi, a multiple Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, was never recommended for the Khel Ratna Award while Bopanna has not even received the Arjuna Award. The AITA has also recommended the names of former Indian captain Vijay Amritraj for the Dhyan Chand Award, present Indian Davis Cup team coach Zeeshan Ali for the Arjuna Award (long outstanding) along with women’s champion Rushmi
Chakravarthi, and former Indian Davis Cup team coach Nandan Bal for the Dronacharya Award. Vijay, who received the Arjuna Award in 1974, has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand lifetime achievement award. Ramanathan Krishnan was the first tennis player to receive the Arjuna Award when it was instituted
in 1961. |
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Tough test for Indian paddlers
New Delhi, May 2 “We will have to watch out for the teams like Singapore, the current world champions, and England. Our girls have prepared well for the championships and, with a good draw, we can hope to finish on the podium,” said Mukherjee. Mukherjee has pinned his hopes on regular stalwarts like K Shamini and Mouma Das with able support from local girl Neha Aggarwal who has been in fine form this season after she took Delhi to team title at the Raipur Nationals early this year. India will be represented by veteran Achanta Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh, Anthony Amalraj, Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty in the men’s section, while Shamini, Mouma, Neha and Madhurika Patkar will be host’s bet in the women’s category.
— PTI |
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London, May 2
