Mohali, May 12
The script took a turn for the worse for Bangalore Royal Challengers. Faced with a confident Kings XI Punjab, they certainly were not favourites after their lacklustre run in the tournament. Not much at stake, they were expected to go all out and play some good cricket.

But, as it happened, their woes compounded further as the Rahul Dravid-led side crashed to an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat with more than four overs to spare in probably the most lopsided contest in the IPL T20 match at the PCA Stadium here tonight.

Batting first, nothing went right for the Challengers as they stuttered and struggled before scoring 143 runs losing eight wickets in their 20 overs.

Kings XI Punjab batsmen led by in-form Shaun Marsh came out all guns blazing overhauling the target for the loss just one wicket in 15.4 overs.

After their listless batting display, Challengers, though having a decent bowling attack at their disposal, had the misfortune of running into an in-form Marsh. The Australian batsman, who has been a thorn in the flesh of rival sides in the competition so far, was in even more devastating form today.

The left-handed batsman, deemed among the most talented upcoming players in Australia, treated a bowling attack which had the likes of Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan (the most successful bowler before the match in the competition), Praveen Kumar and Anil Kumble with utter disdain.

It was James hopes, who set the tone, clobbering Zaheer for two mighty sixes in two overs and giving the same treatment to Praveen Kumar in between before miscuing a similar attempt off seamer Vinay Kumar. His 27-run cameo was studded with three hits over the fence.

Marsh came into his own after the departure of Hopes. He welcomed Anil Kumble, lifting the bowler straight over his head for a six which also completed the 50 of the innings.

Upping the tempo further, he stunned Steyn, cutting a delivery which went rocketing over the point boundary. The stroke had the stamp of a batsman who was classy as well audacious. He also clobbered three fours and then ran a single as well in the same over to complete his 35-ball fifty.

Then was the turn of Zaheer to suffer. He straight drove the left-handed seamer with cosummate ease all along the carpet past the boundary before unleashing two more spanking fours taking his side close to the winning target.

The over (15th) yielded 18 runs as Pomersbach also freed his arms to take the team to the doorstep of victory.

Pomersbach, playing his first game, was a revelation. The confidence with which the left-handed Pomersbach batted made one wonder why he was made to cool his heels on the sidelines for so long. Pomersbach looked a cool customer and at times matched Marsh in playing bold strokes.

Both batted with unbriddled aggression as five overs between them produced 71 runs. Marsh, adjudged Man of the Match, remained undefeated on 74 (51 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes), while Pomersbach was also unbeaten on 34 (24 balls, three fours, two sixes).

Challengers innings had brief bursts of aggression. Virat Kohli looked good for while, Misbah threatened to explode scoring eight-ball 21, Dravid, as usual was more intent on rotating the strike and Boucher was left stranded besides being denied strike for much of the latter part of the innings as the side put measly 143 on the board.

The campaign having been derailed, Rahul Dravid biting his nails as the game drew to a close cut a pathetic figure.

Scoreboard

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Arunkumar c Jayawardene b Sreesanth 1

V Kohli b Chawla 21

New Delhi, May 12
The internal bickering of the Bangalore Royal Challengers today came out in the open today with team owner Vijay Mallya lashing out at captain Rahul Dravid and sacked CEO Charu Sharma for the side's pathetic show in the Indian Premier League.

Charu Sharma, however, dismissed Mallya’s strong attack saying he had no role in the selection of players.

Mallya made it clear that he was not happy with the squad, currently languishing at the bottom of the IPL points table, which has been ridiculed as a Test team in Twenty20 jersey.

The liquor baron said he had some players in mind but Dravid and Sharma completely ignored them and went ahead with their own plan during the IPL auctions.

"I had my own list (of players) but the fact is Rahul Dravid and Charu Sharma had their own list and at the end of the day, I decided to take the back seat," Mallya told NDTV.

"I was very tempted to bid for players whom I wanted but they held me back. Obviously, things have turned out differently," he said.

He said Sharma backed Dravid to the hilt and even in the second auction, where the captain was not present, the former CEO discouraged Mallya to buy players of his choice.

"When Rahul Dravid was not present in the second auction, I wanted to acquire some players but Charu Sharma was very tentative about them. I mean I bought Misbah-ul Haq because I was determined to do it. There were other players I was discouraged about," Mallya said.

"How could you think that I would have a say in the selection of the playing XI when you have great players like Rahul Dravid and Test captain Anil Kumble in the side?" Sharma asked.

He said the team lost a few close matches and Mallya needed to have faith in the team management.

"I think they need to give more time to the captain and the coach." On his sacking, Sharma said, "Well, if I say I'm not feeling hurt, I'd be wrong."

Mallya, however, dropped ample hints that he felt Sharma did not contribute enough to the team's cause and that was the reason behind replacing him with former Test player Brijesh Patel.

"Charu Sharma was appointed CEO because I thought he understood cricket and he would add value to the team and the entire Royal Challengers initiative." Mallya said Patel's appointment was necessitated because he was tired of complaints that the team did not have good practice facilities in its base in Bangalore.

"When I was questioning the performance of the team, all I was told was that practice facilities are bad, then I was told there was no bonding in the team...so everything was blamed on a particular event or lack of infrastructure," he said.

"So I said to myself things can't continue like this and I brought Brijesh Patel. He is the secretary of the KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) and who better a person to provide match facilities and whatever else the team needs at its base in Bangalore. He understands cricket as well," Mallya explained.

The flamboyant liquor-baron also made it clear that IPL had an unmistakable corporate face, which makes it evidently distinct from other tournaments.

"At the end of the day, people need to understand that the IPL has a corporate side to it, and a very definitive corporate side. It is not at all cricket in the traditional sense," he added.

Now that the team's semifinal hopes have gone up in smoke, Mallya expects Dravid and his teammates to win a few matches to salvage some pride.

"I want from Rahul Dravid to do the best for the team and to produce some good results for us because I don't think Rahul Dravid enjoys being at the  bottom of the league tables,  and certainly I don't." Mallya added. — PTI

Kolkata, May 12
Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar could be seen in action for the first time, as a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders take on Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.

Having collected eight points from as many matches, both teams are in contention for semifinal berths, and the Eden Gardens tie could be crucial in determining the course of events.

With their superior net run-rate (0.545), the Knight Riders are now placed fourth, a rung above the Delhi side, who have a net run rate of 0.500.

After four losses, the Knight Riders have returned to winnings ways in the last two matches, and skipper Sourav Ganguly's re-discovery of form both with the willow and the cherry have come as an additional morale-booster for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side.

Senior pro Ganguly had totalled only 96 from half a dozen games till the match opposite Bangalore Royal Challengers on May 8, which had prompted questions on his form and fitness.

But the comeback man of Indian cricket gave a befitting reply to his critics with two consecutive man-of-the-match performances.

With dream bowling figures of 3-0-7-1, Ganguly put paid to the hopes of Hyderabad overhauling the Knight Riders' total before coming up with a breath-taking all-round show in yesterday's outing against Deccan Chargers (91 off 57 balls and 2/25).

However, all eyes are now focused on the likely inclusion of Shoaib, who is yet to make his IPL debut since arriving in India last week and whose presence could add more ammunition to the Knight Riders bowling arsenal.

In the batting department, the hosts would be again relying on hard-hitting David Hussey, who has been their most successful willower in the tournament, with Wriddhiman Saha and Laxmi Ratan Shukla also expected to pick up some runs in the slog overs.

Among the pacers, Ashok Dinda (3/33 against Deccan Chargers) has done well, but Ishant Sharma and Umar Gul have come in for punishment from the batsmen in recent games, while spinner Murali Kartik has also been expensive.

Virender Sehwag has so far led the Delhi team from the front, piling up 287 runs at an enviable strike rate of 177.16, while opener Gautam Gambhir (336 at strike rate 139.41) and Shikhar Dhawan (209) have been the other success stories.

On the flip side, Shoaib Malik and South African AB de Villiers and Dinesh Karthick have not been among runs. Pakistan's Mohammad Asif and Indian youngster Y. Mahesh have also done reasonably well, though Asif has come in for some stick.— PTI

Port of Spain, May 12
West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels has been found liable of one of the two bribery charges and faces a two-year ban from international cricket.

The WICB found sufficient evidence to charge Samuels for allegedly passing on team information to Indian bookie Mukesh Kochar during the first ODI between the West Indies and India in Nagpur on January 21 last year, Radio Jamaica reported. The West Indies all rounder now faces a two-year ban from international cricket, the report said.

The hearing was conducted by the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Committee. It was chaired by former acting Chief Justice of eastern Caribbean, Adrian Saunders, and had Courtney Walsh and Richie Richardson as members.

Samuels was also suspended from bowling in January after analysis of his action revealed his off-break and faster deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under regulations. — PTI

New Delhi, May 12
An ill-tempered Yuki Bhambri squandered chances galore as Australian Adam Feeney sent the Indian teen packing in the opening round of the $50,000 ATP Challenger Series' SAIL Open here today.

The only Indian in action in the singles today, the 15-year-old Bhambri went down 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 in an over two-hour contest.

The wildcard entrant made a resounding start and broke Feeney, ranked 925 places above the Indian at 274 in the ATP charts, in the third game.

With his double-handed backhand earning him some stunning winners, the Indian teen broke his 23-year-old rival again in the fifth game to race to a 4-1 lead.

Feeney broke back in the next game and reduced the deficit to 4-5 but serving for the set, Bhambri made no mistake and sent in a fine serve which the Australian could only return wide.

When Bhambri broke Feeney in the very first game of the second set, an upset seemed likely but the gritty Australian made sure that it never happened with a remarkable comeback.

It all started in the fourth game in which Feeney broke Bhambri to make it 2-2. Feeney led 5-2 after the Indian lost his serve yet again in the sixth game.

Frustrated with the reversal of fortunes, Bhambri lost his cool after the chair umpire over-ruled the linesman on a return from Feeney that could have given the Indian a break point.

After losing the second set, Bhambri looked jaded in the decider and threw his racquet in disgust several times to vent 
his frustration, forcing the chair umpire to warn him.

A composed Feeney, on the other hand, held his serve and broke Bhambri twice to wrap up the match in his favour.

In another early morning contest, Kuwaiti Mohammad Ghareeb beat Australian Andrew Coelho 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to advance to the second round.

Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna pulled out of the singles' competition due to a nagging left knee injury that he carried through the Davis Cup win over Japan here last month.

Bopanna made the decision after he and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, seeded number one, crashed out with a 2-6, 3-6 defeat to the unseeded Indo-American duo of Prakash Amritraj and Rajeev Ram.

In another doubles' encounter, Harsh Mankad and Ashutosh Singh advanced to the second round after beating the Russian-Japanese pair of Alexandre Kudryavtsev and Gouichi Motomura 7-6 (2), 6-4.

In the singles, third-seeded Dane Kristian Pless defeated German Alex Satshcko 6-5, 5-7, 6-2 to set up a second round clash with Ukrainian Ilia Marchenko, who beat Brazil's Ricardo Mello 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. — PTI

Kanpur, May 12
Stung by the ICC's criticism of the Green Park Stadium's pitch here, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association is on damage control mode and has already started preparing the track for the next international match at the venue, an India-England ODI in November.

As a precautionary measure, the UPCA has started working on the 22-yard strip to avoid a repeat of any pitch controversy.

"We have already started the preparation of the pitch for the match to be played at the end of the year," Green Park pitch curator Shivkumar told PTI.

The game's world governing body censured the BCCI for "poor quality" of the pitch here after the third Test between India and South Africa here wrapped in three days with as many as 32 wickets falling.

Miffed Proteas coach Micky Arthur said the track was one of the most under-prepared in the world. The ICC recommended that BCCI take remedial action to ensure a similar pitch is never prepared in future at this venue. "BCCI pitch consultant Daljit Singh is also expected to visit the venue, who will supervise the whole process," Shivkumar said.

BCCI earlier accepted ICC's warning and promised to undertake necessary action to ensure the pitch is improved for future international matches. — PTI

Ipoh (Malaysia), May 12
India warded off a spirited second half resurgence by Belgium to script a 6-4 victory and keep themselves afloat in the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament here today.

The Indians opened up a flattering 5-1 lead by half time but their opponents fought back brilliantly to score three goals in the second session. But the Indians managed to hold on their lead to record their second successive win in the seven-nation tournament.

Shivendra Singh and Sandeep Singh rammed in two goals while SV Sunil and Diwakar Ram chipped in with a goal each in the fast-paced contest which saw India frittering away a few scoring opportunities.

Alexender de Sadeleere, Jerome Trueyns, Thomas Briels and Charles Vandewgheles were the scorers for Belgium who very nearly caught up with the Indians in the second session.

India have now garnered six points from four matches and have shown signs of an improvement after losing their first two matches against New Zealand and Argentina.

The team, mainly comprising of juniors, started off with a flourish by scoring as many as five goals in the opening session, but seemed to lose their rhythm after the interval with the forward line failing to break through the rival defence.

Belgium dominated the initial minutes before India scored its first goal through Shivendra Singh in the ninth minute.

Despite the early goal, India appeared tentative but a few clever substitutions and placement of players by coach AK Bansal helped the team pick up the momentum.

India showed commendable perfection in converting the penalty corners. Four goals of the six were scored converting the short corners.

In 22nd minute, young drag-flicker Diwakar Ram netted the second goal.

But, two minutes later, de Sadeleere reduced the margin for Belgium by scoring from a penalty corner.

Sandeep was introduced in the place of Innocent Kullu after Belgium converted its first penalty corner and the experienced drag-flicker struck two valuable goals.

Struggling winger Sarwanjit Singh, who missed a sitter in the 12th minute, was replaced first with SV Sunil and then Mandeep Antil and this move helped India pick up momentum.

India extended the lead when Diwakar's senior pro Sandeep beat Belgian goalkeeper in 29th minute to make it 3-1.

In the 32nd minute, an unmarked SV Sunil dodged past opponent defenders and scored the fourth one for India from a well-organised move from the right flank.

Just before half time, Sandeep banked on another penalty corner to help India go into the break with a big lead.

Belgium dominated the proceedings in a large way in the second half and pumped in as many as three goals through True (45th), Briels (59th) and Vandewegheles (61st) to rattle the Indian camp.

However, Shivendra completed his brace in the 67th minute to bring cheer to his side.

Belgian coach Adam Commens said the Indian drag-flickers made the difference in the match. — PTI

Ipoh (Malaysia), May 12
The second victory in a row after two defeats should be a pleasant experience for any coach, but AK Bansal was miffed as he thought India's performance in today's Azlan Shah outing against Belgium was a "horrible" one.

Bansal was dejected with the fact that after leading 5-1 at half-time, India conceded three goals in the second half to manage a 6-4 win against the Belgians here.

"It is a horrible win," a point blank Bansal said.

"We had no business to let in so many goals in the second session, so much so that at one point of time it appeared we will lose the contest," he said.

Bansal said the team should have adopted an attacking approach after the change of ends.

"We knew any side in the situation, in which Belgium was in, would have done what exactly they did - go all out for goals. Some of our players are experienced ones, they should have borne this basic fact of competition in their mind when they entered the ground for the second half.”

"I am sorry to say our players in general, and forwards in particular, have to come up and be counted. We should not lack in mental strength," Bansal said.

Coming on to the positive side of the day, he said, "We required a win to attain some reasonable position in the tournament. We won, and the three points count much."

"I normally deploy three forwards in the attack, and they get enough support from the attacking midfielders. This way scoring so many goals in the first half was a positive aspect," he said.

Asked why injured Sandeep Singh was fielded today, Bansal said his injury was minor.

"Midway in the first half, I found our midfielders were committing mistakes and I wanted to stop that. Sandeep was a good choice. He went inside and scored two goals, then how can I pull him out?" he said.

Bansal, who never expected that all four penalty corners would be converted in today's match, complimented both Sandeep and Diwakar Ram for the success which brought India back into the reckoning in the tournament.

"Frankly speaking, both players were in the doubtful list to make this trip. Thankfully, they are here and you can see for yourself their worth," Bansal said.

Sandeep last played for India a year ago at the Champions Challenge Cup in Boom, Belgium. His love-hate relationship with the outgoing coach Joaquim Carvalho was cited as the reason for him not playing for the country.

After two back-to-back wins, India will get a couple of days' break and Bansal will take his boys to Penang, a sea resort, for some well-deserved rest. — PTI

Chandigarh, May 12
“It is a commendable initiative that needs to be encouraged for promoting sports at the grassroots,” says Union sports minister Manohar Singh Gill while appreciating the effort of four youths of Mahilpur in promoting Indigenous Football League (IFL) in the rural Doab. The Indian Olympic Association and the Punjab Olympic Association, too, have commended the initiative.

“I am sure this initiative will produce not one but many Jarnail Singhs,” commented Manohar Gill after reading The Tribune’s front page story on how four friends had put their resources together to take football to the people in their free time by organising the first-of-its-kind floodlit competition featuring teams from villages in the neighbourhood.

“We will do whatever we can do to encourage such initiatives. I wish I could go and watch the finals on May 14,” he said recalling his association with football legend Jarnail Singh, who belonged to Panam, a village less than 20 km away from the place where this IFL is being conducted.

The Punjab Olympic Association president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa not only complemented the organisers of the Indigenous Football League but also promised all assistance in the future conduct of the tournament. “It is an example that the youth of other villages and other team sports should follow,” he added saying the POA will encourage all such initiatives.

“In fact, this innovative IFL gels well with our proposal of introducing village-level club competitions in different team events,” says Randhir Singh, secretary-general, Indian Olympic Association. “We in the IOA are appreciative of this pioneering effort of Gurkanwal, Navdeep Bains, Manjinder Singh and Mohammed Akbar. They have proved to be torch bearers.”

MS Gill said that both Sansarpur and Mahilpur had rightly been recognised as hockey and football nurseries for they have produced many Olympians and international players. Cricket, hockey, football and kabaddi continue to be team sports that enjoy massive following not only in Punjab but also throughout the country.

The Union minister held that “the government would do everything to further this initiative. This tournament will get all possible help from us.”

Meanwhile, Gurkanwal Singh, one of the organisers of the tournament, says that from next year, a team from Canadian colleges will also participate in the tournament. Gurkanwal coaches a few college teams in Ontario province.

Milan, May 12
A flawless back nine brought home the bacon for Shiv Kapur who signed off with a sedate final round of three-under 69 to finish a creditable tied 17th in the Italian Open at the Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club here.

The Delhi youngster birdied the first and ninth holes in his eventful front nine. In between, he bogeyed the fourth and the seventh hole double bogey saw him take the turn at one-over.

On his way back, Shiv birdied the 12th to be level-par and picked up a shot on the 15th before signing off with a birdie-birdie finish.

His four-day total of 14-under 274 was good enough for a top-20 finish besides making him richer by Euro 20,881.

South African Hennie Otto won his maiden European Tour title with a final round of 69 with an aggregate of 25-under 263, just one shot ahead of Oliver Wilson who shot the day's best round of eight-under 64.

Chopra finishes tied 42

Florida: Daniel Chopra needed a strong final round for a top-10 finish but the Indian-born Swede ended up signing off with six-over 78, his worst card of the week, to finish a disappointing tied 42nd in the $9.5 million The Players Championship here.

Overnight tied 20th, hardly anything went right for Chopra who had just two birdies, both on his front nine, to show on the final day.

Before he was halfway through his round, three front nine bogeys had already sent him over-par and worse awaited Chopra on his way back.

Bogeys simply flew from his club and he dropped five more shots in this stretch to finish with a 72-hole total of seven-over 295.

At the top, Spaniard Sergio Garcia parred the 17th hole in a playoff to pip Paul Goydos in the playoff and won the biggest title of his career.

Garcia earlier shot 71 in his final round to join Goydos at five-under 283. — PTI