New Delhi, April 25
It will be a mixture of good and bad news when Delhi Daredevils take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Ferozshah Kotla here tomorrow. The good news is that the batsmen have finally shown some form and also that the Kotla track, by some miracle, promises runs. The bad news is that Chris Gayle is back and evidently, quite upset with the West Indies Cricket Board. The good news is that he has already scored a century, so two in a row would be a bit much. The bad news is that Kotla is small. Even lazy miscues end up in the stands.

So, for a change, this could well be a match where the artillery fires from both sides, and if momentum has anything to do with it, this one is beginning to look like a clash between an immovable object and an irresistible force.

Kotla saw an unprecedented 433 runs being scored in 40 overs as Delhi finally got their act together to put it past Kings XI Punjab. Just as well that Virender Sehwag finally found runs and also managed to stitch a partnership with David Warner, since all those runs were needed to fight off a rampant KXIP and Shaun Marsh.

Which brings us to Gayle. Given the runs that Kotla promises, and given that Gayle seems to have a point or two to prove, equally to WICB and all the IPL franchisees, this could well be something Sehwag and his side don’t need. But Gayle, classically, is a laid-back character, whose desire to prove people wrong often dies down quickly, leaving the lazy grace, which doesn’t always translate into runs. Delhi would be hoping desperately that this is true.

So essentially, the RCB bowlers didn’t exactly impress against Kolkata Knight Riders and it was Gayle who made the telling difference there. Equally, the Delhi bowlers found the going tough against KXIP. So this one would be another big-hitting contest, provided the pitch holds, of course.

The biggest worry for RCB now is that Zaheer Khan has come in for a bit of stick, going for 53 runs off four overs against KKR. While this may be just a bad match for the bowling spearhead, RCB would desperately want to see that this indeed is the case.

Another teaser now is going to be what sort of bowling options to go for. A normal Kotla track would prompt immediate deployment of the slower bowlers, but if the kind of pace and bounce we saw last time persists, the fast bowling options become crucial. At the same time, expecting too much from the track here for too long would be a fallacy.

But given the last match, for pitch and teams alike, this one should keep the scorers on their toes. Great fun for all concerned. Unless you are a bowler, of course. 

Chennai, April 25
Chennai Super Kings returned to winning ways with a 25-run win over Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League here tonight. The Chennai outfit, after having scored 142 for six in their 20 overs, bowled with discipline and restricted Pune to just 117.

Albie Morkel was the star with the ball for Chennai, picking up three wickets, while Australian Doug Bollinger picked up two.

Pune looked off-colour, especially their captain Yuvraj Singh, who laboured to a 43-ball 34, before being brilliantly caught in the covers by Shadab Jakati, off the bowling of Albie Morkel.

Earlier, Pune Warriors India bowlers came back well during the second part of the Chennai Super Kings innings to restrict the defending champions to 142 for six, despite a sensible half century from Michael Hussey.

On a tricky pitch, Chennai openers Hussey (61, 48 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Murali Vijay (31, 29 balls, 2x4, 1x6) added 64 runs for the opening wicket. After scoring 63 off the first nine overs without losing a wicket, the CSK managed only 79 off the back 11, losing six wickets in the process.

West Indian speedster Jerome Taylor was the most successful bowler grabbing three for 30, while Alfonso Thomas chipped in with a couple of wickets. Put into bat, CSK openers Vijay and Hussey started off in a confident note. Although, they didn't start tonking the bowlers from the outset, the duo found the gaps and the hittable deliveries dispatched to the boundary.

Hussey was the first one who opened his shoulders giving Nathan McCullum the charge, hitting the offie over mid-off for a six. The Australian batsman got a couple of streaky boundaries off Murali Karthik. His partner Vijay was lucky to survive couple of run-outs. Although he hit a couple of fours and a straight six off Karthik, he wasn't exactly in his explosive self.

The 50 came off only 43 deliveries. It was the 10th over of the innings where seamer Alfonso Thomas struck twin blows, when it looked as if the CSK openers were trying to bat the opposition out of the game.

Thomas dug one short and McCullum didn't have any problems in gobbling up Vijay's mistimed pull-shot. Suresh Raina’s first shot was another mistimed pull that fetched him a couple. — PTI

Scoreboard

Chennai Super Kings:

Vijay c McCullum b Thomas 31

M Hussey c Pandey b Taylor 61

Raina b Thomas 2

Dhoni st Uthappa b Rahul 26

Albie c Ryder b Taylor 0

Badrinath not out 11

Anirudha c Uthappa b Taylor 7

Extras: (B-1, W-3) 4

Total: (6 wkts, 20 overs) 142

Bowling: McCullum 2-0-12-0, Taylor 4-0-30-3, Thomas 4-0-29-2, Kartik 4-0-29-0, Rahul 4-0-27-1, Yuvraj 2-0-14-0.

Pune Warriors

Ryder b Ashwin 15

Mishra b Albie 9

Pandey b Albie 12

Uthappa b Ashwin 0

Yuvraj c Jakati b Albie 34

Manhas c Dhoni b Bollinger 20

McCullum c Jakati b Bollinger 15

Rahul run out 1

Taylor run out 2

Kartik not out 1

Thomas not out 1

Extras (lb 3, w 2, nb 2) 7

Total (9 wkts; 20 overs) 117

Bowling: Albie 4-0-29-3, Bollinger 4-0-20-2, Ashwin 4-1-19-2, Randiv 4-0-23-0, Raina 2-0-11-0, Jakati 2-0-12-0.

New Delhi, April 25
With as many as three of his past key players turning out for the opposition camp here tomorrow, Delhi Daredevils coach Greg Shipperd has termed his side's crucial IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore as a battle between "Old Delhi vs New Delhi".

Daredevils lost four of its star players — Daniel Vettori, Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers and Dirk Nannes — to RCB in the IPL 4 auctions earlier this year.

Even though, Nannes has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury after featuring in just a couple of matches for RCB in the ongoing IPL, the other three former Delhi players will be desperate to prove a point to their previous owners at the Feroz Shah Kotla tomorrow.

"It's almost like Old Delhi playing New Delhi. Half of their (RCB) side played for Delhi (in the last three seasons of IPL). They were our valued players. We tried to keep them in auctions but at last couldn't afford them," Shipperd told reporters on the eve of the vital encounter.

"They have found a nice new home and we have embraced our new people," he added.

With two wins and three losses from five matches, the Daredevils are languishing at the second last position in the team standings with four points.

In their last home match, the Delhi upstaged Kings XI Punjab by 29 runs to return to winning ways and the coach hoped the team can carry forward the momentum in the tournament. "Hopefully, we can develop some momentum and secure some back-to-back wins," Shipperd said.

In the absence of too many big names, Delhi's batting department relies heavily on a good start provided by the explosive combination of captain Virender Sehwag and Australian David Warner.

"Every side relies on its top order, its top four because they are the ones who get to play the most number of overs, they are ones who get to bat in powerplay. When big names fire things generally go well," Shipperd insisted.

Although, he is visibly satisfied with the efforts of his bowlers, Shipperd said there is still room for improvement.

"I am not that unhappy with our bowling. We created a lot of chances the other day. It could have been 2/20 and we could have been starring at a 100-run victory," said the Australian.

"But we have some work to do in bowling, especially on yorkers, in finishing. (Morne) Morkel was very good, Irfan (Pathan) too got a wicket maiden." Shipperd, who is used to seeing a low, slow track here, is delighted to witness a transformed Kotla strip, which produced a run riot in the last match it hosted.

"On different wickets you pick different balance teams.

If you put good players on good wickets, you will get good cricket," he said of the high-scoring match between Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab.

"It is a new wicket and is expected to die down but as of now we are happy with the pitch. There are basic nature of some wickets like Chennai assist spin but we prefer pace and bounce here," he stressed.

The Delhi coach refused to give unnecessary importance to big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle, who marked his return to IPL with a whirlwind century.

"Hopefully, we will catch the first nick he gets tomorrow. We will have to bowl in good areas to him but he is not our only focus," Shipperd said.

Gayle, who remained unsold in IPL 4 auctions, came in as a replacement for injured Nannes and powered RCB to a nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders with an unbeaten 102 off 55 balls. — PTI

Jaipur, April 25
Kochi Tuskers Kerala skipper Mahela Jayawardene criticised his batsmen for putting up a sloppy show and said his team failed to adapt to the conditions in its eight-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals here. The Tuskers saw their three-game winning streak snapped and Jayawardene hoped his team will bounce back in the days to come.

“It was going to be a tough task with the dew, we needed another 20-30 runs more, we didn't bat well and they bowled well up front,” the Sri Lankan said after the match.

"We needed to take wickets and not give them momentum. Rahul and Watson showed their experience and played really well. We tried our best.

“We didn't have a good day in the office. Hopefully we will come back. After the start we had, I thought 120-130 was a good score, but we couldn't execute, but plenty to learn from this.

“We have to adapt to conditions. It is a close table this time around, everything is beating each other, we need to keep focus and we can be top of the table again," he added.

The Royals jumped to the second spot in the points table after their win over the Tuskers and skipper Shane Warne said it would be important to keep the momentum in the business end of the tournament to enter the knock-out stage.

"We don't look too much at the table, we are still at the halfway stage. It's important to get some victories and momentum going in the final stages. We have four-five days off now, looking forward to that," said Warne, who was adjudged as the Man of the Match for his three-wicket haul.

Rajasthan batsman Shane Watson said the track was two-paced and it helped the bowlers.

“I was scratchy to start with, it was nice to hit a few big boundaries towards the end. It is normally a good wicket here, but it was a bit two-paced today, and good for the bowling side. I love opening, but will bat wherever Warnie wants me to,” he said. — PTI

Jaipur, April 25
Relieved after snapping their losing streak, Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne said his team responded well to the pressure and showed intensity in its eight-wicket victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala here. Talking to reporters after the match last night, the Australian spin legend said the past week was very tough and the losses really hurt the team.

“We had to play four matches in seven days and that too in far corners. We also played pretty disappointing cricket but I am happy with the way the boys have come and responded," Warne told reporters at the post-match press conference.

“After three dismal losses we sat together and had honest chats among us. The sessions with trainer Jeremy Snape too helped us a lot. We were back at the drawing board and came up good. The losses had hurt us and I am happy we have responded well with intensity,” He said.

Asked if today's opening line-up with Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson at the top would be maintained, Warne said the playing eleven is chosen keeping in view the opposition. “(Shaun) Tait took three for 23 but could not find a place today because pitch seemed to be low. I feel we need more pace in our attack. Watson and Siddharta (Trivedi) are doing well but still we need more pace in our attack,” he said.

“We are happy to be back home and if we win remaining four here we can be among top four. But anything can happen in Twenty20. See we beat Kochi easily but they had beaten top teams like Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata in their previous three matches,” he added. Warne also felt the toss didn't play a role today.

“The toss was not really that important. See how easily we chased,” he added. — PTI

London, April 25
To stop Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney from scoring in tomorrow's Champions League semifinal showdown, will be the main motive of Schalke defenders, who are under orders not to concede any goal. Schalke defender Christoph Metzelder said, "It's all about stopping Rooney, he's the key player. The first match is at home, so it will be very important not to concede a goal."

"Against Chelsea, he dropped into the midfield, so it's important to defend against him, not only with the defensive line, but also with the midfielders. Of course we know that Manchester United have so many key players, but they don't scare us," The Sun quoted Metzelder, as saying.

Germany star Metzelder also admitted that Schalke is happier to face United in the Champions League semi-final rather than favourites Barcelona. "It would be much more difficult for us to play against Barcelona. The style of Manchester United is easier for us, if you can say that.

"Barcelona take control and they make you run so much, it's very difficult to defend against them. It's easier to play against teams like Manchester United - or even Real Madrid," he said. Metzelder, 30, conceded United are overwhelming favourites to go through, but insisted Schalke love being the outsiders. — ANI

New Delhi, April 25
The Budhh International Circuit in Greater Noida, which will host the country’s first Formula One race on October 30 this year, now has a logo that will identify it to all enthusiasts of the sport. Jaypee Sports International, who are building the track, today launched the logo at a ceremony at their Sports Complex at Greater Noida.

The logo, in three colours, according to the JPSI officials, reflects the colours of the National Flag, as well as reflecting ‘Bharat’ in its similarity to the letter B. The heart-shaped logo is also a portrayal of the sporting heart of the nation.

The track, built inside the Jaypee Group’s 10 km sports complex, will be able to seat almost 125,000 people in various stands, ranging from the grandstand to various temporary stands and down to the natural seating on brassy banks.

The track, being built at a cost of US$ 400 million (Rs 1700 crore) is expected to be able to meet the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) safety standards by July and will be all set for the race, tentatively set for October 30, JPSI officials said at the function.

While the track will be occupied by the Formula One race only for about a week, JPSI has plans to bring in several new events, including Moto GPs and other races to the track, to keep it viable and profitable. At the same time, with India hosting its first F-1 race, JPSI is planning to make it spectator-friendly in terms of providing feeder bus services from Metro stations, plus other facilities like attractive schemes for the young spectators etc.

It is going to be a pretty formidable exercise, with almost 100,000 people expected to visit the track during the weekend, for the race.

Ticket prices for the F-1 race are expected to be ‘friendly’, with tickets ranging from Rs 2,500 for the natural seating, to about Rs 30-35,000 for the grandstand seats, which is on par with the international rates, the JPSI officials said. 

Chandigarh, April 25
Hosts Pinegrove School overpowered Daly College, Indore by 31 runs, in the final of the 2nd Invitational Cup Cricket Tournament at the flood-lit stadium of Pinegrove School, Dharampur.

Pinegrove won the toss and elected to bat. The Indore boys maintained strict discipline in the field, which kept the run rate under control.

Pinegrove were off to a slow start and at one stage, the score read 28 for the loss of 2 wickets in 6 overs. From there on, Parteek Romana and Shiv Kumar Tyagi’s partnership enabled Pinegrove to post a challenging total of 163 for 7. Parteek scored 78 while Shiv contributed a quick fire 33.

Daly College too went about the task nervously and lost early wickets. The batsmen failed to develop big partnerships and lost wickets at regular intervals. They finally managed 132 for 7 after a plucky display and fell fort by 31 runs.

The Best Bowler of the Tournament was awarded to Chetan Thakran of Pinegrove School for his 11 wickets, while Bharat Tandon of Mayo College won the Best Wicketkeeper’s prize. The Best Batsman award went to Parteek Romana of Pinegrove School, who scored 218 runs in the tournament and Salil Bajaj, also of Pinegrove School, walked away with the Player of the Tournament award. 

BRIEFLY

Nikhil hits ton
New Delhi: A strokeful century by Nikhil Gangta and five-wicket haul by off-spinner Gurvinder Singh helped Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association beat Telefunken by 84 runs to enter the quarter-final of the 21st All-India Om Nath Sood Cricket Tournament played at the RSKP ground here. — TNS