Cuttack, March 21
Andrew Symonds purple patch continued as he came up with yet another all-round display to steer defending champions Deccan Chargers to a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils in a thrilling Indian Premier League match here today.

Symonds first scored a brisk 24-ball 35 and then starred with the ball with figures of three for 21, apart from a coming up with a stunning catch to dismiss dangerman Dinesh Karthik, to guide the Chargers home in the match that saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to the other.

With this win, the Hyderabad outfit has recorded its third consecutive victory in the Twenty20 event after losing the tournament opener against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Daredevils, on the other hand, have slumped to their third defeat on the trot from as many as five outings. For Daredevils, explosive David Warner made a quickfire 57 off 33 balls upfront, while skipper Karthik seemed determined to see his side home with a dangerous-looking 27-ball 46-run innings.

Apart from Symonds, Rohit Sharma too produced an all-round show for the Chargers with vital 45 runs off 30 balls and then captured two crucial wickets for 42 to help his side's cause. Earlier, Chargers' skipper Adam Gilchrist (24 off 14), Herschelle Gibbs (31 off 26) and T Suman (29 off 19) also chipped with useful contributions to help Chargers post the competitive 171 for six on the board.

Chasing 172 for victory, Daredevils lost the plot towards the end and could only manage 161 for nine wickets after they were provided with a solid foundation by Warner and AB de Villiers (27 off 26) with a 51-run first wicket stand. Delhi, however, did not have an ideal start to their innings as they lost dashing opener Virender Sehwag (3) early, caught Gibbs off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.

But Warner looked in a ferocious mood as he murdered the Hyderabad bowlers for four boundaries and as many sixes during his 33-ball essay before he fell prey to a suicidal run out. — PTI

Scoreboard

Deccan Chargers:
Monish b Mishra 1(4)
Gilchrist c Karthik b Ladda 24 (14)
Gibbs c Henriques b Nagar 31 (26)
Symonds c de Villiers b Henriques 35 (24)
Rohit c de Villiers b Nannes 45 (30)
Suman not out 29 (19)
Rao run out 1 (2)
Vaas not out 3 (2)
Extras (lb 1, nb 1) 2
Total (for 6 wickets, 20 overs) 171
FoWs: 1-3, 2-44, 3-72, 4-103, 5-163, 6-168.
Bowling: Mishra 3-0-12-1, Nannes 4-0-39-1, Nagar 3-0-28-1, Ladda 2-0-20-1, Yadav 4-0-36-0, Henriques 4-0-35-1.

Delhi Daredevils:
Warner 57 (33)
Sehwag c Gibbs b Ojha 3 (7)
de Villiers b Rohit 27 (26)
Karthik c & b Symonds 46 (27)
Manhas c Suman b Rohit 8 (8)
Henriques c RP b Symonds 11 (5)
Nagar b Vaas 1 (6)
Mishra c Gilchrist b Symonds 0 (1)
Ladda not out 3 (4)
Yadav run out 0 (1)
Nannes not out 1 (2)
Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-1) 4
Total: (for 9 wkts, 20 overs) 161
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-85, 3-98, 4-112, 5-132, 6-156, 7-156, 8-158, 9-158.
Bowling: Vaas 4-0-21-1, RP 3-0-31-0, Ojha 4-0-36-1, Rohit 1-0-7-0, Rahul 4-0-42-2, Symonds 4-0-21-3.

Chennai, March 21
Kings XI Punjab made a sensational fightback before scripting a dramatic victory over Chennai Super Kings via one-over eliminator in an IPL match here tonight.

Put into bat, Kings XI made a modest 136 for eight and defeat wrote all over their face after the home team were 96 for one by the 14th over in their run chase.

But after that the visitors made a remarkable fightback to restrict CSK to 136 for seven from the 20 overs to set up IPL III's first one-over eliminator. In the Super Over bowl out, CSK made nine runs off the bowling of Juan Theron by losing two of their three nominated batsmen - Matthew Hayden (0) and captain Suresh Raina (8) - while Albie Morkel made one.

Batting second, Kings XI Punjab made 10 for one with Yuvraj Singh hitting a four from the fourth ball off Muttiah Muralitharan to set up the dramatic victory. Mahela Jayawrdene was out in the second ball after hitting a six off the first. The third nominated batsman Irfan Pathan did not face a single ball in the super over.

With the win, Kings XI Punjab snapped their three-match losing streak and opened their account - two points from four matches - in IPL III.

For CSK, this was their second loss in four matches after their defeat to Deccan Chargers in their first match.

Chasing a modest target of 137, CSK looked set for a thumping win before a dramatic collapse from 96 for one to 136 for seven, which led to IPL III's first tied match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel struck a fighting 57 to take CSK to almost to a winning position only to see his team-mates throw away the game. — PTI

Scoreboard

Kings XI:
Bopara c Balaji b Morkel 1 (8)
Irfan b Balaji 39 (32)
Sangakkara st Patel b Murali 15 (16)
Jayawardene lbw b Murali 3 (5)
Yuvraj c sub b Morkel 43 (28)
Kaif c Morkel b Murali 14 (16)
Bisla run out 7 (9)
Chawla not out 8 (4)
Theron run out 0 (1)
Powar not out 2 (1)
Extras (lb 2, w 2) 4
Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-54, 3-58, 4-64, 5-109, 6-124, 7-124, 8-125.
Bowling: A Morkel 4-0-23-2, Gony 2-0-20-0, Ashwin 4-0-32-0, Balaji 4-0-29-1, Muralitharan 4-0-16-3, Kemp 0.1-0-1-0, Raina 1.5-0-13-0.

Chennai Super Kings:
Patel st S’kkara b Chawla 57 (58)
Hayden b Powar 33 (24)
Raina run out 15 (11)
Vijay lbw b Theron 0 (3)
Badrinath c S’kkara b Yuvraj 2 (2)
A Morkel not out 12 (12)
Gony b Theron 2 (6)
Ashwin c Kaif b Pathan 2 (5)
Extras (b 2, lb 3, w 7, nb 1) 13
Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-96, 3-97, 4-104, 5-121, 6-127, 7-136.
Bowling: Irfan 3-0-22-1, Powar 4-0-22-1, Srivastava 3-0-25-0, Theron 4-0-17-2, Chawla 4-0-27-1, Yuvraj 2-0-18-1.

New Delhi, March 21
Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi did not expect today's bidding to generate an amount so staggering but he assured the franchise owners that there is no reason why they cannot make profit.

Sahara ($370 million) and Rendezvous ($333.33 million) paid a total of $703 million - nearly Rs 3,235 crore - to bag the Pune and Kochi franchises respectively and the amount is bigger than the collective worth of Rs 2,840 of the original eight franchises.

“I was indeed a little bit surprised by the amount. Honestly speaking, I thought the winning bid would be $300-320 million. So it was $40-50 million higher than my expectation. The bidders must have done their numbers well," Modi said. He, however, assured that the franchisees can make enough money out of the league.

"We are just two-year-old and every team that has been run well must be making profit. If not, they are probably marginally short of making profit," he told CNN-IBN channel.

Beyond that, I had no role to play. It's a group of business people and I understand it's a business decision," Tharoor said. Tharoor's clarifications came after little known Rendezvous Sports World Limited bagged the Kochi franchise for a staggering $333.33 million for the next 10 years. — PTI

London, March 21
Arsenal went top of the Premier League when they beat West Ham United 2-0 with goals from Denilson and Cesc Fabregas on Saturday despite playing for more than half the match at the Emirates with 10 men. Arsenal moved on to 67 points with seven matches to play to lead the standings for the first time since January and keep the pressure on Manchester United and Chelsea, who play their weekend matches on Sunday.

United, who host Liverpool at Old Trafford, have 66 points from 30 games, followed by Chelsea who have 64 points from 29 and visit Blackburn Rovers. If United or Chelsea pick up three points they will move ahead of Arsenal again. Tottenham Hotspur maintained their push for fourth place and a possible Champions League berth when they won their fourth successive league match with a 2-1 success at Stoke City and moved on to 55 points from 30 games. They are followed by Liverpool (51 points), Manchester City (50) and Aston Villa (50), who were held to a 2-2 draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday's early kickoff. — Reuters

Chandigarh, March 21
It is not only Olympic sports but all sports have to stay clear of drugs. It is better to win one medal with honour than winning 50 medals otherwise, says Union Minister of Sports Manohar Singh Gill, claiming that the country has one of the best set ups to check doping in sports.

When asked to comment on the doping controls stressed by the organizers of the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament, he said that he was for “total drug free sports”. “I am a great fan of Punjabi style kabaddi. When I was a small boy, I was a great fan of Makhan Singh, a champion in 10 villages of our area. He was a great kabaddi player. We should also send a message to other countries participating in the Kabaddi World Cup. They should also go for random sampling of their kabaddi players so that this great sport, like all other sports, remains free from drugs,” suggests Gill.

Ever since he took over as Union Minister of Sports in April 2008, the Ministry had been staying focused on all drugs in all sports. In 2009 after several months of hard work, India got its latest laboratory with facilities for testing dope accredited with the WADA, the world body controlling doping in sports.

The laboratory has been set up next to Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and it has been provided with the latest equipment, testing agents and equipment. Highly qualified staff has been appointed. Instead of spending US $ 80000 for getting a sample tested from similar laboratories in Japan or Bangkok, says Gill, now we have a world standard facility available to us in Delhi.

“We want to give our message loud and clear. Sampling is not only limited to players, but even coaches can be tested for doping. Our role is not only for taking samples and analyzing them but also to give the athlete or the coach an opportunity to appeal against the test report. Associated with the New Delhi lab that besides being WADA accredited and under NADA - our national body to check doping in sports, are legal and medical experts.

“Associated with the lab are top pharmacologists, top legal and medical experts. The main purpose of the lab is to hold frequent and random tests, provide quick results and suggest action on reports. Then there is a Tribunal available that is headed by a retired Sessions Judge. Further, there is an appellate Tribunal headed by a retired Judge of the High Court,” adds Gill.

Jalandhar, March 21
Conflicts in Hockey India ruined hockey and brought a gradual downfall of the game leading to the poor performance of Indian hockey team at the recently-concluded World Cup in Delhi.

“It is not the players who lack the sporting spirit, rather the enemy within Hockey India, which has paralysed the entire system. The murky conflicts and politics among senior officials have led to this situation. Even players should think twice before supporting such corrupt officials”, said former Olympian Aslam Sher Khan who was here to attend a local function.

Talking to the media about the upcoming Hockey India elections he said that the system is ailing due to the lack of any senior hockey player in the federation. He also said the elections should be held in a free and a fair manner to avoid further downfall of the sport.

Also hitting out at Union Minister for Sports M.S. Gill, he said, “The minister should ensure that a rule or a law be constituted, which prohibits the entry of corrupt officials in Hockey India and senior players get a chance to have their say for the actual revival of the game”.

At the same time there was no dearth of money as well, he maintained. “Infact during the World Cup, Hero Honda gave Rs 20 crore, SAIL gave Rs 8 crore, while an equal amount was raised through advertisements”, he added.

Further talking about the protest raised by the hockey players ahead of the World Cup he said, “It was a good sign that the players raised their voice against the officials. The boys went public only when they felt that the situation went out of their control”, he added.

Aslam also added that he would support Director Sports, Punjab, Pargat Singh if he contests for the post of president of Hockey India.

Dehradun, March 21
Definitions in India, especially in the government departments, have a dynamic nature. They can change at the whim of a babu, or influential folk. So when the Uttarakhand police deny a Indian Hockey Federation national camp, School Nationals and Junior Nationals as eligible parameters for a constable’s post under the sports quota, the surprise is overtaken by disdain for such a system.

Mayank Rautela, a national level goalkeeper, and a native of Uttarakhand was denied recruitment by the police, even after having participated in several nationals recently, under the hockey sports quota. Much to the horror of Mayank, an unknown player was selected in the recruitment of constables for Haridwar police held in January 2010. Information sought by Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, a New Delhi-based RTI activist brought out interesting replies given by the police.

When Bhattachraya wanted to know whether any of the participants in the trails conducted by the Uttarakhand police had played in any national tournament or attended a IHF camp, the police replied in the negative, despite the fact that Mayank was a part of the trials.

BL Tamta, assistant superintendent of police (personnel) told The Tribune that they only gave importance to trials and not to prior performance and achievement as they wanted to see “how much can a player perform on the spot”.

“My son was not selected because they wanted to recruit a boy who had recommendation. How can a national level gold medallist be judged on the basis of a single trial?” questions BS Rautela, Mayank’s father. Going by the bizzare answers the police have already offered, their reply to this plea could well be another ‘quote of the day’ candidate. 

Sangrur, March 21
One of the nurseries of boxing in India, Punjab has produced yet another champion in the shape of 25-year-old Amandeep Singh who won the gold medal in the Light Fly weight (49kg) category at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Boxing Championship in New Delhi.

Amandeep wrested the gold after he defeated Peter Mangai of Kenya in the finals 4-0 on March 17. Boxers from seven other countries, including Kenya, Malaysia, England, Scotland, Botswana, Ghana and Tanzania fought in the 49kg category at the championship held from March 12 to 17.

“It feels great to win a gold medal for India. It is all due to the efforts of my family members, my trainers, friends and well wishers”, Amandeep said while speaking to The Tribune.

Amandeep had served with Punjab police as a sepoy earlier, but left when he was denied promotion. He is currently serving with the Indian Railways. His father Pyara Singh, who works as ‘granthi’ (priest) in the Gurudwara Nabha Gate in Sangur is overjoyed by his son’s feat. “It is a great moment for us. Not only has he made his family proud but also Punjab and the rest of the country”, Singh said.

“He has worked hard to reach this spot and his trainers and friends have supported him very well. I hope, for once, the government will come out to lend him a helping hand, instead of making hollow claims”. He added that he wished that Amandeep would one day win an Olympic medal.

BRIEFLY

Losing to Ljubicic an accident: Nadal
INDIAN WELLS: Rafa Nadal described his stunning semi-final loss to Ivan Ljubicic on Saturday as an "accident", and felt he had been playing close to his best at the Indian Wells ATP tournament. The Spanish world number three was upset 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 by the big-serving Croat at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden after he had squandered three break points in the sixth game of the second set to lead 4-2. — Reuters

Andy Roddick celebrates his victory over Robin Soderling in their semifinal match at the Indian Wells ATP tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, on Saturday. — Reuters

NZ happy with CWG security
Wellington: New Zealand chef-de-mission for 2010 Commonwealth Games Dave Currie on Sunday gave a thumbs-up to the security arrangements for the October 3-14 mega-event in Delhi. Currie, who visited the CWG venues and Games village during the recent Chef-de-Mission seminar in Delhi, said he was happy after watching the arrangements in venues, including the Hockey World Cup. — PTI

Chowrasia slips to tied 50th
Rabat: SSP Chowrasia's slide continued as the Indian brought home his worst card of the week, a one-over 74 to lie tied 41 after the third round of the Trophee Hassan II golf tournament here. The Kolkata pro dropped as many as five bogeys against four birdies to aggregate five-under 213, one stroke ahead of compatriot Shiv Kapur lie tied 51. — PTI

Ghosal India's lone challenge
New Delhi: Saurav Ghosal will be India's lone challenge in the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic to be held from March 22 to 26 in East Wintergarden, London. Unseeded Ghosal will lock horns with third seeded England's James Willstrop in the first round of the prestigious PSA World Tour Five Star event. — PTI

Karun aims for Melbourne finish
New Delhi: After his Bahrain debut ended inside two laps, India's lone Formula One driver Karun Chandhok reckons finishing the race in the Australian Grand Prix would be a strong result for his rookie F1 outfit. It took nearly a miracle for Karun and Hispania racing team to overcome huge odds, financial and otherwise, and put the car on the starting grid. — PTI

Pak appeals Davis Cup tie switch
Islamabad: Pakistan has appealed against its Davis Cup Asia Oceania tie being switched to New Zealand over security fears, demanding it should be played at a neutral venue, officials said on Sunday. Pakistan Tennis Federation secretary Rashid Khan said an appeal has been lodged with the board of the ITF, which made the decision last week. — AFP

Indian eves lose to Japan
New Delhi: Indian women's hockey team succumbed to their second successive defeat against Japan to go 0-2 down in the four-match series after their 1-4 loss at the Gifu Green Stadium in Kakamigahara today. Having lost the first match of the series, the Indians dished out yet another scrappy performance on a chilly and rainy afternoon. — PTI