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Royals seal semis berth
Kings XI Punjab down Daredevils |
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Super Kings look better poised
Control aggression, Ganguly to Bhajji
IPL: WADA to conduct dope tests
Riders to take action against Pak daily
Azlan Shah Hockey
Ebrahim wins first-round race
Jeev makes cut; Kapur, Randhawa crash out
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Royals seal semis berth
Jaipur, May 17 Chasing a challenging 198 to win, the visitors could manage just 132, largely built around skipper Rahul Dravid's brilliant unbeaten 75-run knock. The win sealed a semifinal berth for the hosts as they reistered eighth win of the tournament to be perched at the top of the points table with 16 points. Dravid waged a losing battle as he smashed Yousuf Pathan for three sixes in the 17th over but it was too late by then as Bangalore batsmen let their team down once again. The former Indian captain hit six fours and as many sixes in his innings. The run chase of the Bangalore team began on a disastrous note as opener Jagdeesh Arunkumar was dismissed for a nought on the third ball of the first over by Sohail Tanvir. Pakistani Misbah-ul-Haq then got a first ball duck on the second ball of the next over reducing the visitors to two for two. It was important to get a partnership from here but Tanvir struck again to pile up the agony of the Bangalore team when he castled Virat Kohli (3). The scorecard read five for three bringing skipper Cameron White to the crease. Munaf Patel (2/21) picked up his second wicket on the last bowl of his spell when he sent back White (10) and Siddharth Trivedi plotted the fall of Jacques Kallis (20). Skipper Shane Warne (3/23) joined the party when he took wickets of consecutive balls in his second over and then dismissed Zaheer Khan (1) off a stunning caught and bowled in the third. Earlier, hosts Rajasthan Royals piled up 197 at the cost of just one wicket, thanks to a brilliant batting by their top-order. Fine half-centuries by openers Graeme Smith (75 not out) and Swapnil Asnodkar (50) propelled hosts to the challenging total. Shane Watson also played a handy unbeaten knock of 46 after the opening duo of Smith and Asnodkar put on 109 for the opening wicket, having sent in to bat. Both the opener faced some good bowling by pacers Zaheer khan and Praveen Kumar but kept the bowlers at bay as they did not lose concentration. Rajasthan Royals reached 94 without loss at the halfway mark. Scoreboard Rajasthan Royals: Smith not out 75 Asnodkar c Misbah b Kumble 50 Watson not out 46 Extras (b 1, lb 6, w 18, nb 1): 26 Total (1 wicket; 20 overs): 197 Fall of wickets: 1-109 Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-46-0, Praveen 4-0-28-0, J Kallis 4-0-39-0, Abdur Razzak 2-0-29-0, Kumble 4-0-32-1, V Kohli 2-0-16-0 Bangalore Royal Challengers: Arunkumar c Trivedi b Tanvir 0 Kohli b Tanvir 3 Misbah c sub b Patel 0 Kallis c Pathan b Trivedi 20 White c Trivedi b Patel 10 Dravid not out 75 Patil c Jadeja b Warne 9 Praveen c Kaif b Warne 0 Zaheer c & b Warne 1 Kumble c Rawat b Tanvir 8 Razzak not out 0 Extras (w 6): 6 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs): 132 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2, 3-5, 4-31, 5-40, 6-73, 7-73, 8-83, 9-118 Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-10-3, M Patel 4-0-21-2, S Watson 2-0-6-0, S Warne 4-0-23-3, S Trivedi 2-0-23-1, Y Pathan 2-0-28-0, R Jadeja 2-0-21-0 Player of the Match: GC Smith (Rajasthan Royals) — PTI
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Kings XI Punjab down Daredevils
New Delhi, May 17 Asked to score 123 to win, Kings XI finished 94 for three in eight overs to emerge winners under Duckworth-Lewis system. The Kings XI Punjab did not have an auspicious start and lost their first three wickets at the score of 31. But despite the early losses, Punjab maintained a good run rate and always kept themselves ahead of the required target. Yuvraj Singh looked threatening for Daredevils during his brief stay at the crease, as he launched Glen McGrath for two successive sixes. But the swashbuckling left-hander became a victim of his own aggression and could not connect a McGrath delivery well with Maharoof holding on to a spectacular catch at mid-off. Yuvraj scored 23 runs off just eight balls with three sixes and a four. The visitors raced to 50 in the fifth over and Sehwag, who took the ball to bowl the sixth over, was given a taste of his own batting as he conceded 22 runs. Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawerdene teamed with Luke Pomersbach as the duo added 63 runs off 30 balls when the rain halted the game for the last time. Pomersbach hit three huge sixes and made a pacy 25 off just 12 balls while Jayaweredene scored a 17-ball 36 with two hits over the fence and three fours. In the rain curtailed match which saw match being interrupted twice the umpires finally decided to make it 11 overs a side match and Kings XI Punjab were set a revised target 123. Earlier, the start was delayed by 20 minutes, as Sehwag won the toss. The Daredevils began promisingly and Sehwag's intentions looked dangerous from the word go as he smashed a half-volley from Sreesanth to third-man for six in the first over of the match. But soon in Sreesanth's next over, Sehwag got a respite from his counterpart when Yuvraj Singh dropped a fairly simple catch at mid-off to mount Sreesanth's woes, who seemed struggling bowling wides one after the other. The first over itself set the tempo for Daredevils, but the batsmen did not have to make much of an effort as Sreesanth bowled four wides in it. India's Twenty20 World Cup star Gautam Gambhir continued his amazing run in the tournament and started his assault on Kings XI bowlers. In search of a wicket, Yuvraj introduced VRV Singh but the two Delhi batsmen greeted him to score 22 runs off his first over. Gambhir has been in awesome form in the tournament and has scored 465 runs so far and is the proud owner of the 'orange cap' too. Scoreboard Delhi Daredevils: Gambhir b Powar 40 Sehwag not out 51 Dhawan c Chawla b Powar 8 Dilshan c Pomersbach b Hopes 8 Maharoof c Powar b Hopes 0 Malik not out 1 Extras (lb 2, w 7, nb 1): 10 Total
(4 wickets; 11 overs): 118 Fall of wickets: 1-75, 2-104, 3-115, 4-116 Bowling: S Sreesanth 3-0-33-0, I Pathan 2-0-13-0, VRV Singh 2-0-33-0, R Powar 2-0-22-2, P Chawla 1-0-13-0, J Hopes 1-0-2-2 Kings XI Punjab: Marsh c Dhawan b Sangwan 2 Hopes c Malik b Mishra 4 Yuvraj c Maharoof b Jayawardene not out 36 Pomersbach not out 25 Extras (lb 2, w 2): 4 Total (3 wickets; 8 overs): 94 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-30, 3-31 Bowling: G McGrath 2-0-18-1, P Sangwan 1-0-12-1, A Mishra 2-0-21-1, V Sehwag 1-0-22-0, M Maharoof 1-0-11-0, R Bhatia 1-0-8-0 Result: Kings XI Punjab won by 6 runs (D/L method)— UNI |
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Super Kings look better poised
Kolkata, May 17 Placed third with 12 points from 10 matches, the visitors would be keen to cash in on the brittle batting of the Kolkata, who folded for a miserly 67 in their IPL game opposite Mumbai Indians yesterday to slip to the sixth position. The hosts now are on 10 points from as many ties and need to improve their team game to put it across Chennai. Both the sides lost their previous encounters against Mumbai Indians and would be keen to boost their tally by two points before a full house of 85,000 at the Eden Gardens. The tournament's highest paid cricketer and Indian ODI captain M S Dhoni has led the batting display of the Super Kings, plundering 332 runs at a strike rate of 131.74. In the bowling department, Laxmipathy Balaji is coming off a hat-trick, while medium pacer Manpreet Gony leads the team bowling chart with 11 scalps followed by Joginder Sharma (8). The legendary offie Muralitharan though has picked up just half a dozen wickets, his very presence is morale boosting for the bowling side. Kolkata, on the other hand, have relied on peak individual performances, rather than collective efforts to win five of their matches. It has either been an out-of-the-world knock from Brendon McCullum, or raw firepower from Sourav Ganguly's blade or an amazing burst of pace bowling from Shoaib Akhtar, which have enabled the side to stay afloat in the semi-final race. David Hussey has been the only consistent performer in the side and his swashbuckling knocks in adverse situations have won two matches for the Knight Riders. — PTI
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Control aggression, Ganguly to Bhajji
New Delhi, May 17 "... we have all (the senior players) reasoned with him and he needs to understand how vital he is to the team and so he should control himself," Ganguly said. Harbhajan was handed a five-match ODI ban besides being barred from the remainder of the Indian Premier League for slapping India teammate S Sreesanth after an IPL match last month. The flamboyant bowler remains apologetic about the incident and has said the ugly episode was the worst crisis he has had to deal with after the emotional turmoil he faced following the death of his father. Ganguly described Harbhajan as an aggressive but fine human being despite his on-field behaviour coming in for scathing criticism from all quarters. "Harbhajan is an aggressive person but he is very good at heart. He is a friend who is always ready to help anybody at anytime," Ganguly said in 'BBC's Ek Mulaqat' programme. Besides the Harbhajan-Sreesanth spat, the IPL has also seen some riveting cricket and Ganguly said the tournament has revolutionised the game. "This is true that IPL has brought about a paradigm change in cricket. All the stadiums remain packed... We wish that this new style of cricket will be successful," Ganguly said. However, the left-hander reiterated that five-day cricket remained the true test of a player's abilities. "This is entertainment, but involves a lot of travelling. The real cricket is Test cricket," he said. On his own side Kolkata Knight Riders and its owner Shah Rukh Khan, Ganguly said the Bollywood star was deeply involved with the running of the team. "He is very involved with the team. I know him well since 2003, when he was operated for his back. Our whole team likes him very much and he motivates us a lot," he said. Ganguly, who rose to prominence as an opener alongside Sachin Tendulkar, said the Mumbai batsman still remains his favourite as an opening partner. "I like to open with Sachin Tendulkar. I have played with him for many years. Even Sehwag is a great player but if you ask me for my best choice that would be Sachin. He has the capabilities of winning the match," he explained. Asked who were his best mates in the Indian team, Ganguly named his contemporaries as the closest to him.
— PTI |
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IPL: WADA to conduct dope tests
New Delhi, May 17 "There are surprise dope tests to begin today. The (WADA) team from Sweden has already come down. We don't know which team will be subjected to the tests first or which player's samples would be taken first," said IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi. "As per the ICC rules, the WADA team is here and the dope tests will start immediately," he added. The WADA team's arrival comes in the close aftermath of reports in the Pakistan media that Kolkata Knight Riders' Akhtar carried an unusually high number of syringes in his baggage while coming here. Modi, however, rubbished the reports. "I have verified the reports, no such things were found," he said. Interestingly, Akhtar was banned after testing positive for performance-enhancing drug nandrolone during the Champions Trophy in 2006. Another IPL participant, retired Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne, who is the captain-cum-coach Rajasthan Royals, had also served a one-year ban after testing positive for banned diuretics during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. The ICC rules on doping adhere to the WADA code which lists a two-year ban for a first-time offender and a life-ban for any dope violation the next time.— PTI
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Riders to take action against Pak daily
Kolkata, May 17 "We are contemplating all action including legal against the paper," Knight Riders manager Jay Bhattacharjee told newspersons here. Describing the report as a deliberate attempt to malign Akhtar, now plying the Indian Premier League for the Knight Riders, Bhattacharya said, "We are talking to lawyers. We want to see whether we can make out a case, then we will proceed." "Both Shoaib and the Kolkata Knight Riders are extremely upset over the clear attempt to slander him," he said. The manager pointed out three discrepancies in the report. "First, Shoaib travelled to India from Lahore, not Karachi. Secondly, he travelled to Kolkata via Delhi, not Mumbai. And thirdly, he did not travel with any hand baggage, therefore obviously there were no syringes," he said. The report in the 'Nation' had said that prior to boarding the flight to Mumbai en-route to Kolkata to join the Knight Riders "the customs officials had questioned Shoaib on an inordinately large number of syringes in his baggage -- reportedly as many as three dozens in number". Bhattacharya claimed that after verifying with various sources, the Knight Riders were convinced that Akhtar was neither stopped nor questioned by any Indian or Pakistani customs officials. — PTI
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Mumbai seek 6th successive win
Hyderabad, May 17 In their last two matches, Mumbai Indians have rode on Sanath Jayasuriya's explosive batting to notch up valuable wins and the Sachin Tendulkar-led side will want to repeat it again against the Chargers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here to move one step closer to the semifinals. The pitch is expected to be a favourable one for the batsmen and the strong batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians would like to put up a big total on the board by batting first if they win the toss. Apart from the envious opening pair of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa and West Indian Dwayne Bravo are the other key members of the visitors' batting line-up. The team's bowling attack also looks decent. Led by South African Shaun Pollock, whose three-wicket haul devastated the Kolkata Knight Riders yesterday, it has bowlers like Ashish Nehra and Bravo in it. The Mumbai team have won five of their 10 matches they have played so far and now require at least three wins out of the five remaining matches to book a semifinal berth. For the Chargers, led by Australian stumper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, the match is an opportunity to regain some pride as the team has not won a single match at home so far. — PTI
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Azlan Shah Hockey
Ipoh (Malaysia), May 17 First half goals by Shivendra Singh (9th) and Sandeep Singh (10th) put India in the driver's seat in the crucial match and they maintained the lead till the last minute before Mohammad Amin Rahim shot home a consolation goal for Malaysia. With this win, India have gathered 12 points from six matches and set up a title clash against Argentina, who have finished with 14 points, tomorrow. India, who lost their first two matches, continued with their impressive turnaround in the tournament to register their fourth consecutive victory and make the Azlan Shah final after a gap of 12 years. India tried to keep the Malaysians under control in today's game and in the initial minutes Sunil had a golden chance to score the first goal when he took the ball with a solo run and had a shy at the Malaysian post without succeeding in beating home goalkeeper Subramanian. Then it was the run of Indian keeper Adrian D'Souza, who continued with his good showing against Pakistan and single-handedly blocked three back-to-back attempts by the Malaysian strikers. India got into lead in the 9th minute when a Sandeep Singh slapshot from outside the Malaysian circle was deflected in by Shivendra Singh. The spirited Indian forwards initiated a few more moves, one of which resulted in two consecutive penalty corners in the 10th minute. The Malaysians warded off the two threats but conceded a penalty stroke off the second short corner. Sandeep Singh fooled the Malaysian custodian without much trouble to give his team a 2-0 lead. The hosts came closer to open their account when a defensive lapse allowed Ismail Abu to take the inside the circle and shoot at the Indian post with only Adrian to beat. But the Malaysian hit it wide to spoil the chance. Adrian was again in the thick of action when a good clearance from him prevented Seva Raju's attempt off a nice move. The game became a drab affair with players from both sides getting involved in some mundane action in the last 15 minutes of the first session. After the break, Indian strikers showed some agility and created a few opportunities. Sunil hogged limelight with a gem of a move as he dribbled past some Malaysian defenders with skillful stick-work and tried score through a reverse hit. But the ever alert Subramanian stood like a wall to avoid any further damage. Soon India won two more penalty corners, but could not extend their lead because of their poor execution. The home team stepped up their attack and earned two more short corners, but their efforts went in vain due to the impregnable Adrian. The Malaysians stepped on the accelerator in the closing minutes to give some nervy moments for the Indians. They got a penalty corner a few seconds before the hooter and Mohammad Amin Rahim at last put it past Adrian to score the consolation goal. — PTI
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Chennai, May 17 Chennai-born Aarman, who finished runner-up in the championship on his debut last year, drove a fantastic race and maintained a decent margin of nine seconds from his nearest rival. Earl Bamber of New Zealand and James Grunwell of England finished second and third, respectively. Considering his win in the opening race of the season as a great birthday gift, Aarman hoped that he would be able to get more financial support from sponsors to enable him to complete this season. "I turn 19 today and this will be my last year as a teenager. It is a great win and I intend to make the most of it by getting quicker and better as a racing driver with every opportunity that I get," Aarman said. — PTI
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Jeev makes cut; Kapur, Randhawa crash out
Adare Manor (Ireland), May 17 Jeev, tied for the lead overnight, was in a for a disastrous reversal of fortunes in the second round as he stumbled to four bogeys and a double bogey against a couple of birdies that took his overall total to two-under 142 and gave him a share of the 11th spot. However, Kapur (76) and Randhawa (75) did not have the first-round exploits to fall back upon like Jeev and their respective totals of four-over 148 and seven-over 151 saw them miss the cut at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort. It was a disappointing reversal for Jeev as he found himself two-over within the first four holes after a bogey-brace on the third and fourth. Another dropped shot on the eighth completed a wretched stretch for the seasoned pro, who made the turn three-over. — PTI
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