Jaipur, April 29
Johan Botha produced an all-round show to enable Rajasthan Royals inflict a seven wicket defeat on table toppers Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here today. After spinning a web around the Mumbai batsmen with impressive figures of three for six, Botha sparkled with the bat as well, scoring vital 44 runs off 39 balls, during which he struck two fours and a six, to set the platform for Rajasthan's victory.

Chasing a paltry 95-run target, Rajasthan batsmen played sensibly to overwhelm Mumbai's score with 11 balls to spare at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here. Apart from Botha, Shane Watson (26 off 32) and Ross Taylor (13 not out) made double digit scores while Munaf Patel (2/18) emerged as the best bowler for the visitors.

Earlier, Rajasthan came up with an inspiring bowling display to restrict a formidable Mumbai Indians to a paltry 94 for eight. Opting to field, Rajasthan bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals as the star-studded Mumbai batting line-up fumbled under pressure to slump to their lowest total in the tournament.

Incidentally, it also the lowest total at this ground. Only four Mumbai batsmen reached double figures but none could cross the 20-run mark with Andrew Symonds being the top-scorer with 17 followed by Davy Jacobs (15).

With figures of 3/6, Botha was the pick of Rajasthan bowlers while the duo of Maneria (2/20) and Amit Singh (2/14) scalped two wickets each.

Rajasthan began their chase on a cautious note with Watson and Rahul Dravid putting on 17 runs for the first wicket in 4.3 overs before the latter scooped a Patel slower delivery straight to Tendulkar at midwicket.

Watson and Botha then took Rajasthan past the 50-run mark, stitching 39 off 43 balls for the second wicket. But just when it seemed the duo will run away with the match, Watson edged a Lasith Malinga short ball to Jacobs behind the wicket.

Botha, however, was unlucky to have missed out on a half century as he was bowled by Patel just five runs short of the target.

But that was all Mumbai bowlers could manage on the day as new man Maneria and Taylor completed the formalities for the home team without any further damage.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians witnessed a horrible start to their innings, losing both their openers — Jacobs and Sachin Tendulkar — inside the first five overs after being sent into bat.

Jacobs scored a run-a-ball 15 before Singh went through his defence and castled the middle stump. An over later, Mumbai were dealt with a bigger jolt when Tendulkar departed, stumped by an agile Dishant Yagnik after being outsmarted by a witty Maneria delivery to see the visitors in a spot of bother at 22 for two.

To make matters worse for Mumbai, two more wickets — Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma — were also dismissed in a span of six overs to see Mumbai in serious trouble at 50 for four at the half-way mark of their innings.

Bangalore, April 29
Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their resurgence with a comfortable victory in their Indian Premeir League (IPL) match against Pune Warriors here today. Needing a substantial 182 for a win, Pune left too much to do for the end, and despite a half-century by Jesse Ryder and a 23-ball 41 by captain Yuvraj Singh, fell short by 26 runs.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore rode on Virat Kohli’s whirlwind half century and Chris Gayle's blitzkrieg at the start to notch up a formidable 181 for five.

Put into bat, Kohli smashed 67 off 42 balls after Gayle laid the foundation with 49 off a mere 26 delievries, to lead the home team's challenge at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Kohli hit four boundaries and as many sixes during his stay at the crease while Gayle found the ropes three times and cleared it the same number of times.

After a quiet first over, Tillakaratne Dilshan scored the first boundary of the Bangalore innings, when he drove Jerome Taylore's short of length delivery through the covers.

Thereafter, till the last ball of the ninth over, the show completely belonged to Gayle, who unleashed an array of hefty blows, leaving the opposition bowlers hapless, and the crowd delighted.

On the receiving end of Gayle's furious onslaught was Kamran Khan who conceded 47 runs in his three overs.

The big-hitting West Indies opener picked the left-arm seamer for 20 runs, including two massive sixes and two boundaries, in the innings' third over.

After being welcomed with a four over extra cover, Kamran was sent over long-off for the maximum. He then bowled a short one, which was smashed over long-on by the marauding left-hander.

More misery was in store for Kamran as he conceded two more sixes and a boundary in the sixth over and his second.

The over-pitched one was sent soaring over the backward point, the short of length delivery was thumped over long-on while length balls were whacked through the midwicket region.

Leg-spinner Rahul Sharma removed Dilshan and Gayle in quick succession but Kohli had other ideas.

The stylish right-hander from Delhi pumelled Kamran's length ball over long-on for and six, and moments later, did the same to Sharma.

Kohli then picked Taylor for two more sixes, the first one over square leg and the next over third man.

Kohli was literally toying with the Pune bowlers till he holed out to Harpreet Singh off Alfonso Thomas in the penultimate over. — PTI

Pune Warriors
Ryder c Kaif b Syed 51
Paine c Vettori b Aravind 8
Pandey c Tiwary 
b Vettori 19
Yuvraj c Syed b Zaheer 41
Uthappa not out 23
Manhas c Kaif b Gayle 3
Harpreet not out 1
Extras (lb 4, w 5) 9
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 155
Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-33-1, Aravind 4-0-35-1, Mithun 4-0-26-0, Vettori 4-0-23-1, Gayle 2-0-8-1, Syed 2-0-26-1.

New Delhi, April 29
Owning up blame for Delhi Daredevils' pathetic run in the Indian Premier League, skipper Virender Sehwag said his own poor form has hit the team badly. Delhi suffered its fifth defeat in seven matches when it lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 17 runs, last night. They are languishing at the bottom of the points table.

"I have only got one fifty in the seven games. So I need to look at my performance also. If I get going it will be difficult for other teams to come back," the Delhi skipper said. Sehwag said he need to spend some time at the crease if his side has to do well. "I'll have to shoulder the responsibility and need to stay at the wicket for 12-15 overs. It will be good for my team," he said.

The Delhi captain feels that some shuffling in the batting order has become imperative but defended his decision to send Travis Birt ahead of in-form Y Venugopal Rao in the match against KKR.

"We thought a left-hander would be a better option against left-arm spinner. But nothing seems to be going our way. None of our plans are working. T20 game is like that only. Probably we will send Venu and Naman Ojha up the order in the coming games," he said.

Sehwag conceded that it's now a herculean task for his team to reach the semifinals. "It's difficult and pressure is on us. We have to pull ourselves and really bat and bowl in coming games. Nothing is impossible. We can still back ourselves from here on and if we win two three games from here on, then it's possible for us but yes it's quite difficult."

Meanwhile, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir lauded his bowlers for defending a modest total of 148.

"We just played very well as a team. We bowled and fielded well. It just goes to show how desperate we were for a victory. If we can continue like this, definitely it will help our campaign. I am satisfied with the all-round performance today," he said

About man-of-the-match Manoj Tiwary, who scored a 47-ball unbeaten 61 to help his team's cause when wickets were falling at the other hand, Gambhir said, "He set the game for us. Entire credit goes to him for setting the game for us. He played a good innings."

Gambhir said since they saved 15-20 runs through some terrific fielding, it meant that the opposition had to chase a score of around 160-165 runs.

"When you start defending the modest totals, it gives you confidence for the games ahead. We defended the target and it has acted like a confidence-booster for us," he said.

He also defended Yusuf Pathan, who has been off-colour in this tournament so far. "He has hardly played enough. He is hitting the ball good and till the time, he sticks to our gameplan, he remains a very important member of our scheme of things," Gambhir insisted. — PTI 

Kolkata, April 29
After returning to winning ways with a hard-fought triumph over Delhi Daredevils, the Kolkata Knight Riders will be hungry for more when they take on a formidable Kings XI Punjab at home in their Indian Premier League clash here tomorrow.

After suffering two consecutive losses, the Knight Riders came back strongly to beat Delhi Daredevils by 19 runs last night. Be it in fielding or bowling, the Knight Riders showed intensity, something that was needed after Manoj Tiwary salvaged the batting with a fluent yet combative innings.

As Knight Riders launch their mission to the next stage after completing half of their league phase, it is all about maintaining the momentum from hereafter.

With three more home matches lined up — Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians — it is crucial for the Knight Riders not to lose the grip of it.

They may be lying low on seventh but the Kings are not in a much disadvantageous position considering that they have played only five compared to seven by the Knight Riders. It's a situation much like that of Kolkata a couple of matches ago.

After three superb wins under their belt, Delhi outgunned Punjab in a run-fest in their previous match. In second leading run-getter Paul Valthaty, who shot into limelight with 120 not out against Chennai, Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh, Kings XI have a threatening top-order.

With David Hussey, Dinesh Karthik to follow, Kings XI have a formidable batting line-up and they will hope that the bowlers led by Praveen Kumar do their job meticulously. A win will take them to the play-off zone. — PTI 

London, April 29
India's new cricket coach Duncan Fletcher could come a cropper in his very first assignment when the team tours England this year as he might try to double guess his former wards, a lot of whom he "doesn't know at all", feels English spinner Graeme Swann.

Fletcher coached England for eight years — from 1999 to 2007 — and was earlier this week appointed India's coach to succeed South African Gary Kirsten.

Swann, who fell out with Fletcher soon after his debut in 2000, said the Zimbabwean might think he knows the entire English team very well but he hardly understands quite a few players of the side.

"Fletcher knows a few of our players better than some other coaches would," Swann told the 'Daily Telegraph'.

"But there's a hell of a lot of our team he doesn't know at all. I think that will work to our advantage, because he might be trying to double guess us a little bit and come a cropper," he said.

Swann played his first Test almost eight years after his international debut due to his erratic behaviour which led to the fallout with Fletcher. — PTI 

Chandigarh, April 29
The second day of the 8th Honoria Lawrence basketball tournament for girls saw Daly College Indore beat YPS Mohali by a narrow score of 34 points to 32 points. In the second match The Lawrence School, Sanawar beat Shri Ram School Delhi by 31 to 28 points in the next match Welhams Girls Dehradun beat Woodstock by 24 to 19 points. 

In the following matches played later during the day Daly College Indore beat The Lawrence School, Sanawar by 30 to 12 points and YPS Mohali defeated Welham Girls by 22 to 20 points. Daly college Indore beats WoodStock School Mussoorie by 23 to 6 The Lawrence School Sanawar beat YPS Mohali by 37 to 27 Yashodhan Thaku from Sanawar scored 19 points and Harshini from YPS scored 10 points This was the un-predictable match of Tournament

Mr. Howard Wilkins, a basket ball enthusiast from Australia, who has taken up teaching assignment at woodstock school Mussoorie and is official in charge of the Woodstock team reckoned that all the matches were played with good competition, camaraderie and congeniality. Arrangement and planning were meticulously made and there was unbiased support for each other during the matches.