Durban, April 27
Table-topper Deccan Chargers' fairytale campaign continued in the second Indian Premier League with the Adam Gilchrist-led side edging out Chennai Super Kings by six wickets to maintain their clean slate here today.

Chasing 166, Deccan Chargers rode on Herschelle Gibbs' (69 not out) second half-century of the tournament and captain Gilchrist's buccaneering 44 off 19 balls to cruise to 169 for four in 19.3 overs to record their fourth win on the trot.

Put into bat, Chennai Super Kings had earlier posted 165 for six, courtesy Matthew Hayden's belligerent 49 and Jacob Oram's breezy unbeaten 41 down the order.

Gilchrist and Gibbs were clearly in a hurry to wrap up the match and with both the batsmen going after the bowlers, Chennai simply had no respite.

Gilchrist hit Lakshmipathy Balaji for back-to-back fours in the first over to signal his intention. The Chennai pacer had a chance to settle scores in the next over but Balaji grassed a difficult caught-and-bowled chance and Gilchrist was simply unstoppable as he hit the pacer for two sixes and a boundary in that productive over.

Gibbs, at the other end, matched his captain shot for shot, milking 20 runs off a Manpreet Gony over.

Their association had yielded 67 runs in no time when Suresh Raina stopped them from running away with the match with double strikes.

Gilchrist perished at short third man in Raina's first over and in his next, out-of-form VVS Laxman (4) was caught at the gully.

Rohit Sharma (18) and Dwayne Smith (12) fell in quick succession but Gibbs stayed till the end to guide the side to victory.

Earlier, Matthew Hayden muscled his way to a belligerent 49 while Jacob Oram hit a breezy unbeaten 41 as Chennai Super Kings posted 165 for six. — PTI 

I think the bowlers are letting us down. We really need to come up with some ideas, maybe a few other combinations and test our bench strength

We are getting good start but have been struggling in the middle overs. Middle order is not clicking, we need to work on that as well

— MS Dhoni

Chennai got off to a good start and I think we did well to pull them back. They looked like getting 180-190 but our

bowlers just hung in

I think I made a mistake. Ojha bowled two overs and took two important wickets (of Hayden and Dhoni) for just 11 runs. Maybe my mind got it wrong.

— Adam Gilchrist

Scoreboard

Chennai Super Kings:

Patel c Gilchrist b Edwards 0

Hayden c Rohit b Ojha 49

Raina c and b Rohit 25

Dhoni c Shoaib b Ojha 22

Oram not out 41

A Morkel c RP Singh b V Rao 13

Badrinath c and b RP Singh 8

Gony not out 0

Extras (w-4, nb-3): 7

Total (for 6 wickets in 20 overs): 165

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-64, 3-102, 4-103, 5-129, 6-165.

Bowling: Edwards 4-0-21-1, RP Singh 3-0-32-1, Smith 1-0-17-0, Venugopal 4-0-35-1, Rohit 3-0-18-1, Ojha 2-0-11-2, Ahmed 3-0-31-0.

Deccan Chargers:

Gilchrist c Muralitharan b Raina 44

Gibbs not out 69

Laxman c Oram b Raina 4

Rohit c Dhoni b Balaji 18

Smith lbw b Muralitharan 12

Bilakhia not out 12

Extras (lb 2, w 3, nb 5): 10

Total (4 wickets; 19.3 overs): 169

Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-75, 3-114, 4-130

Bowling: L Balaji 3.3-0-41-1, MS Gony 1-0-20-0, JA Morkel 3-0-29-0, M Muralitharan 4-0-17-1, SK Raina 4-0-18-2, Joginder Sharma 1-0-14-0, J Oram 3-0-28-0. 

Centurion, April 27
Riding high on the back of a three-match winning streak, Delhi Daredevils will be looking for an easy prey in title-holders Rajasthan Royals when they meet in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Centurion Park here tomorrow.

A week into the IPL and the Daredevils have emerged as one of the favourites while defending champions Rajasthan Royals are still struggling to find the winning touch that made them a formidable team last year.

The Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals have managed one win in three matches and that came against Kolkata Knight Riders through a Super Over. The absence of talented all-rounders Shane Watson of Australia and Pakistani Sohail Tanveer has hurt them badly. Going by their last match's performance where they lost to Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals will have to be on the top of their game against the formidable Daredevils.

The Daredevils, who made it to the semi-finals last year, are in a sparkling form, as all their wins have been convincing. A star-studded batting line-up and a balanced bowling attack, have been the key to success for Virender Sehwag's team.

In Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Daredevils have two formidable openers who can crush the spirit of any bowling attack. But even if they fail, Daredevils can fall back on their strong middle-order which boast of players like Tillekaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers. In the last two matches, Dilshan and De Villiers were the cornerstone of the Daredevils batting.

Dilshan has hit two consecutive half-centuries, seeing Daredevils through a difficult situation against Royal Challengers in the last match. De Villiers has scored the first century of the IPL, a whirlwind knock that flattened runners-up Chennai Super Kings in the second match.

Moreover, the bowling attack too seems to be in perfect shape. Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been one of the top bowlers and has got enough support from leggie Amit Mishra to restrict the opposition. — IANS

Start of Play: 8 p.m.

Port Elizabeth, April 27
Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya turned on their charm and made mockery of Twenty20 cricket being a young man's game as both posted breezy half-centuries to guide Mumbai Indians to a 92-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match here today.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar's 45-ball 68 was laced with six boundaries and four sixes, including one that went over the park.

His opening partner, the 39-year-old Jayasuriya scored 52 off 32 balls with four sixes and two boundaries as the Mumbai Indians raced to 187 for six at St George's Park.

Knight Riders opening pair of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum needed to match the veteran duo but disappointed as the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side capitulated for 95.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly and Australian Brad Hodge staged a brief fightback but once their 54-run partnership was brought to an end by Abhishek Nayar, it was one way traffic as Lasith Malinga ripped through the tail.

Ganguly topscored for the Knight Riders, with a 30-ball 34, hitting a six and three fours while Hodge scored 24 off 22 balls with the help of three boundaries.

It was the right-left combination of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya that did all the damage. — PTI

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians:

Jayasuriya c Ghosh b Shukla 52

Tendulkar lbw b Shukla 68

Harbhajan c Mendis b Hodge 18

Duminy not out 18

Abhishek Nayar run out 3

Dwayne Bravo c Gayle b Shukla 3

Shikhar Dhawan c McCullum b Ishant 12

Saurabh Tiwary not out 4

Extras (lb-1, w-8): 9

Total (for 6 wickets in 20 overs): 187

Fall of wickets: 1-127, 2-146, 3-148, 4-151, 5-162, 6-175.

Bowling: Ishant Sharma 4-0-29-1, Dinda 2-0-24-0, Ganguly 1-0-16-0, Mendis 4-0-39-0, Gayle 2-0-24-0, Hodge 3-0-29-1, Shukla 4-0-25-3.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

McCullum c Duminy b Malinga 1

Gayle c Tendulkar b Bravo 12

B Hodge b Nayar 24

Ganguly c Bravo b Nayar 34

Yashpal c Shah b Bravo 8

Ghosh c Tendulkar b Nayar 0

Shukla c Jayasuriya b Khan 6

Ishant not out 6

Mendis b Malinga 0

Dinda b Malinga 0

Anureet absent hurt -

Extras (w 2, nb 2): 4

Total (all out; 15.2 overs; 81 mins): 95

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-17, 3-71, 4-80, 5-81, 6-83, 7-91, 8-95, 9-95

Bowling: Zaheer Khan 3-0-14-1, SL Malinga 2.2-0-11-3, DJ Bravo 
3-0-31-2, Harbhajan Singh 2-0-15-0, A Nayar 3-0-13-3, S Tendulkar 
2-0-11-0. — PTI 

Karachi, April 27
Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who has been reported for a suspect bowling action by the match officials in the on-going one-day series against Australia, has already faced similar charges in the domestic cricket three year back.

Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that umpires had reported Ajmal for having an illegal bowling action in April, 2006 while playing in the domestic circuit.

"The match officials had said that he needed to undergo a proper evaluation of his bowling action particularly while bowling the 'doosra' before he should be allowed to play again," one source told PTI.

The source said after the report the bowler apparently did undergo remedial measures but as he was not an international player, the PCB didn't send him for a proper evaluation in the bio-mechanic labs in Australia.

"Ajmal was asked to appear before the bowling action review committee of the board for an evaluation of his action," the source added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has criticised the ICC's bowling action review system and also expressed surprise that the umpires had reported Ajmal after the second ODI against Australia in Dubai although he had been playing for a while now.

The PCB sources, however, said the board had conveyed to Alam to be careful with his statements and not to interfere in ICC's working.

When contacted Saleem Altaf, the chief operating officer of the PCB, said that Ajmal will undergo a review of his action within 15-days of being reported.

"We are trying to arrange for a review of his action at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where we have cameras installed at the indoor school. If necessary he can also be sent to Australia or England for a proper evaluation," Altaf said. — PTI

Karachi, April 27
Pakistan's former Test captain Zaheer Abbas feels controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was now mere a shadow a himself and advises him to retire from international cricket.

Zaheer pointed out that Shoaib had been struggling for fitness and with disciplinary problems for the last two-and-a-half years and he was not his former self as a bowler at all.

"It is obvious now after watching him bowl in the first two matches that he is neither fit and he is struggling to cope with the demands of international cricket," Zaheer said.

"He has failed to deliver for Pakistan for a while now and I think it is best he retires and allows a younger bowler to take his place in the team," the former batsman said.

He was critical of the fact that by playing Shoaib the Pakistan team management were depriving a fitter and more penetrative bowler to represent the country which is harmful to the team.

Karachi, April 27 
Facing the stark reality of not being able to host any international teams at home, Pakistan Cricket Board is keen to make Dubai its neutral home venue with the tacit approval of the big guns behind the Dubai Sports City, including Abdul Rehman Bukhatir. Sources in the PCB told PTI that Pakistan was now even pushing to get back its share of the 2011 World Cup matches and want to host them at the Dubai Sports City ground which was used for the first two one-day internationals against Australia.

"Bukhatir is keen to get back international cricket to Dubai and Sharjah and is willing to work out an arrangement with the PCB to achieve his ambition," one source said. The source said after the ICC and Indian board combined nearly six years ago to force Bukhatir to close down his highly successfully international cricket operations in Sharjah, Bukhatir now wants international cricket back. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Bayern Munich sacks Klinsmann
Munich: Jurgen Klinsmann was on Monday sacked as coach of Bayern Munich following a series of poor results, the defending Bundesliga champions announced. The 44-year-old only took charge in July 2008, but recent poor results have seen Bayern crash out of the Champions League after a 4-0 hammering at Barcelona while Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Schalke left them third in the German league. Former Bayern trainer Jupp Heynckes will take over as head coach for the remaining five games with Hermann Gerland as his assistant. Klinsmann, who along with assistant coaches Martin Vasquez and Nick Theslof, will leave with immediate effect, was told of the decision in a meeting with Bayern team manager Uli Hoeness and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "We did not come to this decision lightly," Rummenigge said in a statement. — AFP

Abbas tells Akhtar to quit,chief selector differs
Karachi: Pakistan's former Test captain Zaheer Abbas feels controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was now mere a shadow of himself and advised him to retire from international cricket. Zaheer pointed out that Shoaib had been struggling for fitness and with disciplinary problems for the past two-and-a-half years and he was not his former self as a bowler at all. "It is obvious now after watching him bowl in the first two matches that he is not fit and he is struggling to cope with the demands of international cricket," Zaheer said. "He has failed to deliver for Pakistan for a while now and I think it is best he retires and allows a younger bowler to take his place in the team," the former batsman said. But chief selector Abdul Qadir jumped to Shoaib's defence insisting that it was not important that Shoaib had not taken any wickets in the first two games against Australia. "We are not worried that he is not taking wickets. The main thing is that he is playing and he is working hard," Qadir said. — PTI

Disappointment for Indians on F4 Futures Day 1
New Delhi: Tushar Liberhan, Srirambalaji Narayanaswamy and Ronak Manuja today lost their first round matches to round off a disappointing opening day for India in the $ 15,000 ITF F4 Futures tournament at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) complex here. While Liberhan was thrashed by fourth seed Goran Tosic of Montenegro 3-6 1-6, Belgian Alexandre Folie made short work of Manuja 6-3, 7-5. Narayanaswamy, however, gave a tough fight to Hiroki Moriya before bowing out of the tournament. The 19-year-old national runners-up squandered a set advantage to go down 6-4, 2-6, 0-6 to the fifth seed Japanese. — PTI

Randhawa slips to 113, Jeev rises to 36 in golf rankings
New Delhi: Jeev Milkha Singh rose a place to 36th in the latest golf rankings but missing the cut in the Ballantine's Championship cost Jyoti Randhawa three places as the lanky pro slipped to 113rd. Randhawa missed the cut at the Ballantine Championship, co-sanctioned by European and Asian Tours, with a below-par two-day total of 149 to slip from his previous week's 110th place. However, Jeev, who took a break last week after missing the cut in Verizon Heritage on the PGA Tour, moved one placed up the ladder. Among other Indians, Arjun Atwal is placed 244th, while SSP Chowrasia is ranked 358 in the official ranking. — PTI

Delhi team for under-21 soccer
New Delhi: Goal-keeper Shantanu Jain will lead Delhi in the 18th National Football Championship for the Datta Ray Trophy, to be held in Goa, from April 29. The team: Goalkeepers: Shantanu Jain (captain) and Jatin Hooda. Defenders: Pawan Sharma, Neeraj Ahmed (vice-captain), Anirudh Sharma, Ratan Kumar, Longjam Debit Meetei, Dayal Mazumdar and Kushal Chhetri. Mid-field: Monu Choudhary, Hidam Prem, Ashu Nathani, Sourabh Rawat, Ashish Bhalla and Lalzarzolien. Forwards: Ankit Srivastava, Adam Gamgmet, Balwant Singh, Rohan Tomar and Ajay Rawat. Delhi play their first match against Chhattisgarh on April 30. — TNS