Mumbai, April 13
Kieron Pollard blasted a stunning 13-ball unbeaten 45 and then produced a superb bowling and fielding performance as Mumbai Indians thumped Delhi Daredevils by 39 runs in their IPL match here today. West Indian Pollard used his massive frame to produce a late blitzkrieg, scoring five sixes and two fours in 13 balls to take table toppers Mumbai 183 for four after electing to bat at the Brabourne Stadium.

The Trinidadian, who was bought at the last IPL auction for a sum exceeding the cap of $750,000, then bowled an economical spell of 4-0-15-0 and also made a run-out of Paul Collingwood. Chasing 184, Delhi, who needed a win for improving their semifinal chances, faltered against the determined Mumbai bowling and fielding efforts and were stranded at 144 for seven.

David Warner briefly threatened to take the Mumbai attack by the scruff but fell for 31 in 15 balls and the rest of the batsmen flopped. Two key batsmen - Virender Sehwag (20) and Paul Collingwood (2) - were run out, a repeat of their poor display in running between the wickets against Kings XI Punjab in their last match. Andrew McDonald remained unconquered on 33 along with Pradeep Sangwan (6).

Left arm spinner Murtaza Ali, included in the team after a gap of few matches, bowled extremely well to return figures of two for 18 while Dilhara Fernando, getting his first match, ended up with two for 32. With the win today, Mumbai, who have already qualified for the semifinals, took their tally of points to 18 and are sure to top the table at the conclusion of the league phase.

Delhi remained stranded at 12 points and need to win their last two ties - against Chennai Super Kings away and Deccan Chargers at home - to enter the semifinals. Delhi started their run-chase in a very impressive fashion by rattling off runs in a breezy manner with Warner, who struck five fours and a six in his 15-ball 31, in his usual punishing mood, before the innings went into a tail-spin.

Left-handed opener Warner went hammer and tongs at the Mumbai bowlers and he singled out Zaheer Khan for some rough treatment by hitting the left-arm pacer for two fours and an effortless straight six in the second over. He then attacked Dilhara Fernando, who was included in the team for over-worked Lasith Malinga, for two fours before the Sri Lankan extracted revenge by having him caught at mid off -- a good running catch by Murtaza Ali. Delhi were 39 four one in the fourth over then.

Fernando should have dismissed Sehwag too at almost the same spot but the same fielder grassed the skier in same over. Delhi, then, suffered a double blow as they lost both Sehwag and skipper Gautam Gambhir in the space of six balls and for the addition of three runs. Gambhir flicked a return catch to Harbhajan Singh after hitting the off-spinner for a four while Sehwag was run out going for a non-existent second to leave Delhi at a difficult 75 for three in the eighth over. — PTI

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians:

Madan c Mishra b McDonald 15 (19)

Tendulkar c de Villiers b Sangwan 30 (26)

Tiwary b Sangwan 38 (28)

Rayudu c de Villiers b Nehra 24 (21)

Duminy not out 21 (14)

Pollard not out 45 (13)

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

Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 183

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-65, 3-104, 4-133.

Bowling: Nehra 4-0-30-1, Sangwan 4-0-35-2, Mishra 3-0-30-0, McDonald 4-0-42-1, Collingwood 4-0-27-0, Ladda 1-0-14-0.

Delhi Daredevils:

Warner c Murtaza b Fernando 31 (15)

Sehwag run out 20 (18)

Gambhir c & b Harbhajan 17 (9)

Karthik b Murtaza 11 (14)

De Villiers lbw b Murtaza 4 (7)

Collingwood run out 2 (5)

McDonald not out 33 (31)

Mishra b Fernando 12 (17)

Sangwan not out 6 (5)

Extras: (lb 6, w 1, nb 1) i8

Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 144

Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-72, 3-75, 4-85, 5-90, 6-94, 7-120.

Bowling: Zaheer 2-0-23-0, Fernando 4-0-32-2, Harbhajan 4-0-24-1, Bravo 2-0-26-0, Murtaza 4-0-18-2, Pollard 4-0-15-0.

Jaipur, April 13
With the IPL still wide open for as many as six teams and three semifinal berths up for grabs, the stage is all set for a humdinger between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Rajasthan Royals at the SMS Stadium here tomorrow. Led by two of modern cricket’s greatest spinners - Anil Kumble and Shane Warne - both the teams would like to win the match to remain in hunt for a spot in the final four.

Both the teams have 12 points from as many matches though the RCB ranks higher in the points table on account of their better net run rate. The Rajasthan Royals would like to avenge the humiliating defeat they suffered at the hands of the RCB in their first encounter and move a step closer to semifinals.

A loss for either of the two teams would virtually mean end of the road in IPL season 3, particularly for the Rajasthan Royals, though the RCB will still have a slight chance of making it to the final four due to their better net run rate.

Interestingly, both the sides have not performed consistently in the entire tournament. The Rajasthan Royals’ campaign got off to a disastrous start and they lost their first three matches, but they made a good comeback, winning six of their next nine matches. On the contrary, the RCB did well in the first leg of the IPL, winning four of their first six matches, but then they could only win two out of their next six matches.

The RCB is one of the most balanced sides in the IPL 3 as their batting has big hitters like Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa as well as cool headed batters like Rahul Dravid. The same goes for their bowling which has a good mix of seam and spin bowlers. Kallis, who has been in the race for the Orange Cap, would be the danger man for the Royals and if they can get him out cheaply tomorrow their road to the semis will become easier.

Uthappa and Dravid too seem to be in an ominous form and Warne & Co. will have a tough time restricting them. For Rajasthan Royals playing on their home ground will be a huge advantage, as they have lost only one out of the nine IPL games played here. Their key batsmen - Michael Lumb, Naman Ojha and Yusuf Pathan - have got good scores in the tournament, while the return of Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson has added to the team’s strength.

Led by Warne, the bowling too looks in good shape with the likes of Watson, Pathan and Siddharth Trivedi performing well in the tournament. However, they will have to work on their fielding and running between the wickets, the two factors, which did them in during their last encounter with the Mumbai Indians. 

Ludhiana , April 13
Till yesterday they were an ordinary bunch of kabaddi players, but a convincing win against Pakistan in the finals of World Kabaddi Cup here at Guru Nanak Stadium last night has instantly shot them to fame.

It has been dream ten days for team Indian grapplers. These man of steal who till now were living life in oblivion are enjoying a superstar status. Majority of the players still believe that it is a fairytale as they used to fight it out of their skins for the sake of few thousand rupees prize money in village tournaments.

Life has certainly not remained same for these 14 players. Each member of the team pocketed nearly Rs 8 lakh of the prize money and soon they would be seen serving in government departments. “We were not accustomed to live amidst so much of security cover, we never had food with knife and fork, we never travelled in AC buses to the playground, and we never enjoyed so much of hospitality and star status. After spending the most precious days of my ife here, I do not want to go back home,” said Khushdeep Singh of village Dirba in Sangrur.

The players are elated over the fact that they have proved their critic wrong. The game which used to be associated with villages has now entered the urban household. Lakhwinder Singh Lalli of village Uttla near Samral said, “The elder women in the villages used to say that this game has nothing but grevious wounds. One serious injury and we would be left incapacitated for life. But we have proved the critics wrong. Punjabis, no matter which part of the world they live in, were following the game. I can tell you with conviction. If fate kept on favouring us than the next generation would shun other sports and would join kabaddi.”

Vice Captain Hardawinder Singh Surkhpuria, one of the most experienced members of the team said, “People who used to mock at us and used to call us mindless musclemen are standing in queues outside the villages and waiting to greet us with garlands in their hands. Undoubtedly, things have changed overnight.” 

Ludhiana, April 13
The fund starved Punjab Sports Department, which expressed helplessness to foot the electricity bill to restore power in the stadium two years ago, spent around Rs 7. 50 lakh to ferry spectators to Guru Nanak Stadium for the final of the World Kabaddi Cup here on Monday. A total of 200 buses were pressed into service to ferry people to stadium and Rs 3750 were given for hiring the bus for a day. Further, additional expenses were given for diesel.

It is learnt that 100 private buses, 50 Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) buses and 50 buses belonging to the Punjab Roadways were hired for the job. General Manager Punjab Roadways RS Grewal said out of 130 buses, 50 were hired by sports department to commute people to the stadium for the kabaddi cup final. However, the hiring of buses by the sports department did not go down well with the routine commuters as they were seen jostling with each other in the absence of bus service. It is learnt that the bus drivers of Punjab Roadways were directed to take the kabaddi fans from villages falling in the vicinity of Ludhiana city. Further private buses were sent to Samrala, Khanna, Jagraon, Mullahpur, Raikot and Kila Rai Pur to ferry commuters. 

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

London, April 13
Any meeting between Tottenham and Arsenal carries an extra edge but tomorrow’s latest edition of the north London derby has become a season-defining fixture for both sides. Arsenal’s crushing defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou last week brought an end to their Champions League ambitions, ensuring the Premier League title now represents their last chance of ending a five-year wait for a major trophy.

Tottenham, meanwhile, suffered an even more unexpected blow when they were beaten in Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal by a Portsmouth side who had been relegated into the Championship 24 hours earlier. That meant there is no chance of new silverware appearing in the Spurs trophy cabinet this season and the club’s primary aim now is to finish fourth and claim a place in next season’s Champions League.

Defeat for either side at White Hart Lane could all but end their respective hopes of ending the season on a high, while a draw will suit no-one. There’s little doubt, though, that Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp faces the bigger job in trying to lift his players following a painful defeat. By the time the derby kicks off, Arsenal will have had more than a week to get over the lesson handed out by Lionel Messi and the rest of his Barca team-mates.

For Spurs, though, the shock of failing to secure an FA Cup final meeting with Chelsea will still be raw. Redknapp insisted the Arsenal clash was the ideal game for them after the shock of being humbled by Portsmouth and his task is to make sure that message sinks in to his squad. While Spurs were on cup duty, Man City were tightening their grip on fourth place beating Birmingham 5-1. — AFP