New Delhi, March 16
Delhi Daredevils are riding the high horse after scoring two spectacular victories, and they are all keyed up to dare Mumbai Indians when they face-off in IPL-III at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here tomorrow night. Delhi Daredevils’ strength is their batting dynamos Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and their all-round talent.

Both Gambhir and Sehwag gave a fine exposition of their batting might against Kings XI and Rajasthan respectively. The Ferozeshah Kotla is their own fiefdom where Gambhir and Sehwag had revelled in many a brilliant knock. Mumbai Indians were lucky to scrape past Rajasthan Royals in opener, despite Yusuf Pathan’s blistering century.

Though star batsmen Jayasuriya and Sachin had failed to fire, Mumbai found two young talent coming to their rescue -Tiwari and Rayudu, who both cracked quick-fire half centuries, and were involved in a 110-run partnership. But the Delhi Daredevils are a different kettle of fish, that too in their own backyard, and the visitors would find the going really tough against the hosts in the flood-lit match.

Kotla ground was mired in a major controversy following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI match here a few months ago on account of the pitch being “dangerous” for play. The ICC subsequently imposed a one-year ban, and the IPL is expected to erase that balck spot from Kotla’s name.

For the past few weeks, curator Venkat Sundaram, a former Delhi and North Zone opener, has been working on the pitch hard to bring it to the level of international standard. And expectedly, it would be a batsman-friendly pitch, aiding the likes of Sehwag and Gambhir to indulge in their uninhibited strokeplay.

Mumbai Indians will have to come up with something extra if they want to tame Daredevils in their lair, which would be a tough task indeed. But Sachin was happy at the state of the pitch. “It looks like a good wicket..a typical Delhi wicket, which looks bare with no grass cover on it”, he said after a practice session.

With both the teams boasting of many cricket icons, the match has generated tremendous interest, though security people are yet again playing their role of the spoilsports. The media has already got a taste of the tight security on the eve of the match, as most parts of the pavilion area were inaccessible to them.

Kolkata, March 16
Pacer Justin Kemp took three wickets for 12 as Chennai Super Kings capitalised on some pathetic batting display by Kolkata Knight Riders to score a 55-run victory in the Indian Premier League here today. Kemp bowled a tight line and length in his three overs and he was ably supported by his pace colleague Lakshmipathy Balaji who took two wickets by conceding just nine runs from his 2.2 overs as CSK shot out the home team for just 109 in 19.2 overs in chase of 165.

Ealier, electing to bat, CSK rode on a late blitzkrieg by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plundered an unbeaten 66 from 33 balls, and Subramaniam Badrinath (43 not out off 33 balls) to post 164 for three after a slow start. Chasing a challenging total, the Kolkata batsmen competed in gifting away wickets as their top half were back in the pavillion by the ninth over at team score of 55.

None of the KKR top order batsmen made any significant contribution with Wriddhiman Saha top-scoring with a 13-ball 22. Spinner Murali Kartik was the next highest scorer with 21. Laxmi Ratan Shukla contributed 19 while captain Sourav Ganguly made 11. With today's loss, KKR's two-game winning streak was snapped.

The Kolkata outfit made a disastrous start in their run chase with opener Brad Hodge falling for a duck in the second ball of the innings with R Ashwin taking a fine catch after the Australian tried to pull an Albie Morkel short ball.

Seven balls later, last match half centurion Manoj Tiwary perished to a Mapreet Gony incoming delivery and the KKR batsman found his middle stump cartwheeling for eight.

Wriddhiman Saha looked good in his brief innings of 22 from 13 balls studded with five fours. Having hit Balaji for a four, Saha's inexperience was exposed when the former India pacer gate-crashed his defence to uproot the middle stump.

Owais Shah (5) followed suit and captain Ganguly (11) too joined him in the pavillion as the former India skipper was caught at the mid-on off Kemp. KKR were 55 for five then and never recovered from there.

KKR found the going tough at their home ground with wickets continued to fall as Balaji and Kemp were on a roll.

Kemp got his second scalp in the form of Angelo Mathews (6) and followed it up with that of Rohan Gavaskar (2) as KKR almost gave up the fight.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla (19) and Shane Bond (1) departed in consecutive overs as KKR were 84 for nine in 14.1 over and an eerie silence engulfed the packed Eden Gardens.

Kartik briefly put up resistance with a 20-ball 21 before he was the last man out. 
— PTI

Scoreboard

Chennai Super Kings

Vijay b Shukla 33 (26)

Hayden b Sharma 1 (8)

Raina b Hodge 18 (20)

Badrinath not out 43 (33)

Dhoni not out 66 (33)

Extras (lb 2, w 1) 3

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 164

Fall of wickets: 1-16,, 2-53, 3-55.

Bowling: Bond 4-0-33-0, Sharma 4-0 -38-1, Mathews 3-0-29-0, Shukla 4-0-37-1, Kartik 4-0-21-0, Hodge 1-0-4-1.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Hodge c Ashwin b Morkel 0 (2)

Tiwary b Gony 8 (3)

Ganguly c Morkel b Kemp 11 (20)

Saha b Balaji 22 (13)

Shah c Dhoni b Balaji 5 (4)

Mathews lbw b Kemp 6 (13)

Shukla c Morkel b Muralitharan 19 (16)

Gavaskar c Vijay b Kemp 2 (8)

Bond b Ashwin 1 (2)

Kartik run out 21 (20)

Sharma not out 6 (15)

Extras (lb 5, w 3) 8

Total (10 wickets; 19.2 overs) 109

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-34, 4-46, 5-55, 6-69, 7-79, 8-82, 9-84.

Bowling: Morkel 2-1- 6-1, Gony 3 -0-33-1, Balaji 2.2-0-9-2, Muralitharan 4 -0-16-1, Kemp 3-0-12-3, Ashwin 4-0-22-1, Raina 1-0-6-0.

Bangalore, March 16
Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa hammered blistering half-centuries to pull off a stunning chase as Royal Challengers Bangalore thumped Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in a high-scoring humdinger of the Indian Premier League here today. Chasing Kings XI Punjab’s intimidating 203 for three, the Bangalore side achieved the target with eight wickets and seven balls to spare on a day when over 400 runs were scored in 39 overs.

Kallis was unbeaten after a stellar 57-ball 89 and his effort was good enough for the Man of the Match award. Uthappa’s 21-ball blitzkrieg of 51 was studded with four fours and as many sixes, while Manish Pandey chipped in with a 25-ball 38. Earlier, Kings XI Punjab rode on the 129-run opening stand between Manvinder Bisla and Ravi Bopara to reach a commanding 203 for three which, however, proved inadequate in the end.

If Pandey and Kallis, who smashed nine fours and five sixes in his sizzling essay, had set the platform with a 74-run partnership at the start, it was Uthappa who provided the nuclear power in the mid-innings to fashion RCB’s magnificent chase. The stocky former Indian batsman struck four sixes and four boundaries in his 21-ball essay, taking 25 off S Sreesanth’s third over.

Though Uthappa perished in the 14th over at 143, Kallis and Virat Kohli ensured RCB reached the target without any hiccups. Earlier, little-known Manvinder Singh Bisla had captured the imagination of the buffs with a ruthless exhibition of attacking stroke-play. The ball was meant to be smashed and he did that with glee. He cared little for reputation as he treated Dale Steyn and Anil Kumble with casual disdain, carting them into the stands with effortless ease.

The Punjab opener struck six boundaries and five sixes before he smashed Kallis into the hands off Eoin Morgan at mid-wicket. But by then he had put Kings XI Punjab firmly in the saddle, a position from where Mahela Jayawardene plundered the whithering RCB attack at will. — PTI

Scoreboard

Kings XI:

Bopara c Kumble b Praveen 77 (50)

Bisla c Morgan b Kallis 75 (51)

Yuvraj c Morgan b Steyn 9 (6)

Jayawardene not out 26 (13)

Irfan not out 3 (1)

Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 9, nb 1) 13

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 203

Fall of wickets: 1-129, 2-141, 3-194.

Bowling: Praveen 4-0-43-1, Steyn 4-0-36-1, Kallis 4-0-39-1, Kumble 4-0-40-0, Vinay 2-0-19-0, Kohli 2-0-23-0.

Royal Challengers:

Pandey c Irfan

b Chawla 38 (26)

Kallis not out 89 (55)

Uthappa c Kaif b Bipul 51 (21)

Kohli not out 16 (12)

Extras (lb 1, w 4, nb 5) 10

Total (2 wickets; 18.5 overs) 204

Fall of wickets: 1-74, 2-143.

Bowling: Irfan 3-0-33-0, Sreesanth 3-0-42-0, Abdulla 2.5-0-36, Chawla 3-0-20-1, Yuvraj 2-0-18-0, Bipul 3-0-37-1, Bopara 2-0-17-0.

Ludhiana, March 16
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana today accredited university alumni and Olympians, late Pirthi Pal Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Charanjeet Singh by naming the road between the university Library and the Gymnasium as ‘Olympian Marg’. Charanjit Singh was the captain of the Indian hockey team during the 1964 Olympics (Tokyo, Japan), Pirthi Pal Singh was part of the 1968 Olympics (Mexico) squad, while Ramandeep did the nation proud during the Sydney Olympics.

Charanjit, Ramandeep and Jaspreet Kaur, daughter of Late Pirthi Pal Singh were presented a citation and a shawl each by Dr. MS Kang, vice chancellor of PAU. Ramandeep, who is presently working as deputy director sports at PAU, said, “This honour is as prestigious as an Olympic medal and it is more than a personal achievement as the road named after sportspersons has immortalised sports at large. Also, this is a motivation for future generations, especially the aspiring and deserving players,” he added.

Charanjit while recollecting the time spent with Dr. PN Thapar and Dr. Mohinder Singh Randhawa said that they were great administrators who brought eminent scientists and sports persons to the University.

He said the PAU management appointed him and Pirthi Pal as director students welfare on account of their contribution in sports at the international level. He said although he served as deputy superintendent of police but he drew a unique delight while serving PAU. 

New Delhi, March 16
Hockey-player-turned-boxer Amandeep Singh (49kg) out-punched Malaysian M Redzuan while Jai Bhagwan (60kg) didn’t even step inside the ring to make the finals as a record six Indians assured themselves of at least a silver in the fifth Commonwealth Championships here today.

Good news started trickling in early in the day for India when Asian Championship silver medallist Jai got a walkover into the finals after his English opponent Danny Philips was found medically unfit in the weigh-in this morning. Jai will face Bahamian Valention Knowles in the final tomorrow. Amandeep, a gold medallist from the January South Asian Games in Dhaka, thrashed Malaysian M Redzuan 7-1 to enter the final. He will now face Kenya’s Peter Mungai. With world number one Vijender Singh (75kg), Asian champion Suranjoy Singh (52kg), World Cup bronze medallist Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Asian bronze medallist Paramjeet Samota already through to the finals, the Indian team is in contention for lifting the team championship as well.

In the only bout to feature a local favourite today, Amandeep fought from long range to get past his opponent, who was aggressive throughout. A few jabs earned Amandeep a crucial 3-0 lead in the opening round and though he couldn’t add to the tally in the next three minutes, the Indian ensured that none of his opponent’s wild swings could get to him.

“My opponent was slightly slow and that helped my cause,” he said. — PTI

London, March16
An upset England mid-fielder David Beckham has vowed to bounce back from his Achilles injury, which has ruled him out of this year’s World Cup in South Africa. “I am upset but want to thank everyone for their messages of support. I hope to make a swift and full recovery,” The Mirror quoted the 34-year-old, as saying on his web site.

Meanwhile, Dr Sakari Orava, who operated on Becks at the Mehilainen Hospital in Helsinki, has said that there is no chance of Beckham making it to the World Cup. When asked, Orava said: “No, I don’t think so. Healing takes a long time. Beckham’s Achilles tendon was torn completely off, and we had to put together the two parts. He will probably be discharged on Wednesday. The operation was successful. Everything is fine.”

Becks picked up the injury while playing for AC Milan on Sunday. Becks hobbled off his private jet on crutches as he touched down at Turku airport yesterday. He was then whisked to the hospital in a SUV. Posh decided to make the 16-hour, 5,400-mile trip from LA after speaking to her distraught husband.

The 35-year-old scrapped a host of work engagements to be there. A source said, “The entire family is absolutely broken by this. Posh is expected to stay in Finland for 48 hours before returning to LA to finish a commercial shoot. — ANI 

BRIEFLY

Smith, Mascarenhas out of IPL III
NEW DELHI: As if back-to-back defeats were not bad enough, Rajasthan Royals will now be without star players Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas for the remainder of the third Indian Premier League. Royals captain Shane Warne wrote on his Twitter page that both Smith and Mascarenhas would not be available for the rest of the tournament because of their finger and ankle injuries, respectively. — PTI

Razzaq should lead: Afridi
KARACHI: In case he is not chosen to lead the Pakistan cricket team in Twenty20 World Cup, Shahid Afirdi wants Abdul Razzq to do the job. According to sources, the explosive batsman suggested the name of Razzaq to PCB chairman Ejaz Butt on being asked about the leadership issue. — PTI

Pak National Games postponed
KARACHI: Shunned by international teams, Pakistan now struggles to host even domestic events and National Games is the latest victim of the prevailing security situation in the country. Pakistan Olympic Association President Lt General Arif Hasan told a press conference on Tuesday that the games scheduled in Peshawar had to be postponed because the authorities didn’t give security clearance. — PTI

Davis Cup tie moved out of Pak
KARACHI: The International Tennis Federation has moved Pakistan’s home Davis Cup tie to New Zealand due to security concerns. Pakistan were scheduled to play their Asia-Oceania Group-II semifinal against New Zealand in Lahore in July. The Pakistan Tennis Federation termed the move as a setback and said they will push for a neutral venue so that if they lose home advantage the opponents should also not get it. — PTI

Azlan Shah: Pak may pull out
NEW DELHI: Left with little option after the mass retirement of players and the sacking of selection panel following its dismal showing in World Cup, Pakistan might skip the inaugural AHF Champions Trophy and Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Malaysia later this year. Pakistan registered its worst-ever performance in the World Cup, finishing last in the 12-team competition. — PTI

‘Man U can clinch title’
LONDON: MId-fielder Paul Scholes believes Manchester United can win their remaining eight Premier League games and clinch an historic fourth consecutive title triumph. United, who returned to the top of the table with Sunday’s 3-0 win over Fulham, are chasing a double record - a fourth straight title and a 19th in all to eclipse arch rivals Liverpool. “I’d like to think we have the right players, ones who've been there before and know how tough it can be to win the League.” — ANI

F1 not in crisis: Ecclestone
LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has insisted the sport is not in crisis despite the new rules, and asked people not to panic. There are fears that what was billed as a blockbuster season with four world champions fighting for the title will turn out to be a flop. “There’s no panic or crisis,” The Sun quoted Ecclestone, as saying. — ANI