Chennai, May 11
Title contenders Chennai Super Kings would look to consolidate their position and virtually seal a play-offs berth when they clash with Delhi Daredevils, sans Virender Sehwag, in an Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.

The Super Kings looked impregnable at home this season, with five wins from as many matches, but on the other hand, the Daredevils, who will be led by James Hopes in Sehwag's absence, showed flashes of brilliance, but struggled for consistency throughout the tournament.

Thanks to their indifferent form, the Daredevils are languishing at seventh place with just four wins and seven defeats from 11 games. Hopes, appointed captain after Sehwag suffered a shoulder injury for which he is set to undergo surgery in London, faces an acid test.

On the other hand, the Super Kings peaked at the right time and the convincing away win in their last match against Rajasthan Royals will only add to the confidence of a team seeking to defend its title. A second spot in the standings with 14 points from seven wins are indications enough of Chennai's form and their urge to win at any cost.

Apart from the in-form Chennai players, the struggling visitors will also have to cope with the vocal home crowd at the MA Chidambaram stadium. Making good use of the depth in batting and the solid starts, the Super Kings came out with flying colours on all the seven occasions they had batted first.

Compared to the other teams in fray, the Super Kings top-order was one of the best in the tournament, often providing the team the start it needed and which went a long way in maintaining a healthy record. As they say, if the top-order fires the batsmen that follow benefit and that was exactly the case with the Super Kings. Such is the balance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side that it can try various combinations on any given day.

The home side's top six have been among runs. Middle order batsman Subramaniam Badrinath has excelled making 294 runs at an average of 98 and Aussie import Michael Hussey is the side's leading scorer with 388 runs. Hussey is followed by Suresh Raina (320) Murali Vijay (277) and Dhoni (199).

Super Kings' bowling is also no less strong with Doug Bollinger (13 wkts), Albie Morkel (13), Ravichandran Ashwin (12) and Shadab Jakati and Suraj Randiv (six each) doing the job.

As far as Delhi are concerned, Sehwag has been their man and the team looked solely dependent on him. Despite playing with a burdened shoulder, the Nawab of Najabgarh slammed 424 runs from 11 innings, including a century that knocked the daylights out of the Kings XI Punjab bowlers.

While they struggled for a major part of the tournament, whatever little the Daredevils achieved was due to Sehwag's brilliance, and the big-hitting opener's absence would surely be felt. — PTI

Ipoh, May 11
Defending champion India's hopes of retaining the Azlan Shah Cup hockey title virtually ended today as they suffered an embarrassing 1-3 defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-voltage match here.

India squandered the lead gained through drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh in the 23rd minute as Pakistan rallied with penalty corner goals from captain Muhammad Imran and Sohail Abbas in successive minutes midway through the second session.

India enjoyed an edge in the first half but lost the plot after change of ends with Asian Games gold-medallist Pakistan turning the tide in their favour by dominating the entire second session. Arjun Halappa-led side were unlucky as the referee disallowed a goal early in the match. They also wasted a few open chances in the first session which could have changed the complexion of the game.

The loss also snapped India's four-match winning streak against Pakistan since last year.

With the loss today, India, outright winners in 2009 and joint champions with South Korea in 2010, slipped to the fourth spot in the round-robin league standings with seven points from five matches. Pakistan moved up to the third place with nine points in five games.

World champions Australia are leading the standings after their 4-2 victory over South Korea today to secure to 10 points in four matches, while Britain are second on nine points from four outings.

India have one match remaining -- against New Zealand tomorrow, in the round robin league.

Each side play six matches in the seven-team competition. The top two sides in the standings after the round-robin league will play in the summit clash on May 15. India had the first shy at the Pakistan goal in the eight minute when Vikas Pillay moved forward on the left flank and sent a diagonal cross to which Mandeep Antil failed to connect in the goalmouth.

The Indians almost took the lead in the 14th minute on their first penalty corner but as Dhananjay Mahadik's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Shivendra Singh sent a stinging reverse from the top of the circle to hit into the boards. Dutch umpire Roderick Wijsmuller first signaled for a goal, but changed the decision after Pakistan team protested for an obstruction.

Gurvinder Singh Chandi missed a sitter in the 20th minute when he failed to push in S V Sunil's pass into an open goal, but penalty corner shooter Rupinder Singh put India ahead in the 23rd minute by sending a deft drag-flick into the cage. — PTI

Jaipur, May 11
Chris Gayle’s superb form and match-winning run continued as he scored an unbeaten 70 to help the Royal Challengers win by 9 wickets against the Rajasthan Royals in their crucial Indian Premier League match at Sawai Man Singh stadium here today.

Gayle and Dilshan made a sound start and were soon chipping away major runs from their target. But Dilshan’s stay was cut short when he was dismissed by Royals’ skipper Shane Warne.

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals frittered away a good start to settle for a modest 146 for six. Opener Rahul Dravid top scored for the host with his 31-ball 37 run knock and his opening partner Shane Watson was the next best batsmen with 29-ball 34.

Rajasthan were off to a decent start with Dravid and Watson sharing 73 runs but Bangalore dominated the proceedings after left-arm paceman Sreenath Aravind consumed both the openers in the 10th over.

Scoring rate suffered after the double blow as the middle-order failed to carry on the good work and the biggest disappointment was Taylor, who yet again failed to make any significant contribution.

Aravind (3/34) was the most successful bowler with three wickets, though he was not successful initially.

Virat Kohli led Bangalore in the absence of injured Daniel Vettori and the 22-year-old Indian became the youngest captain to lead an IPL side.

Earlier, Watson found two boundaries off Aravind and Dravid hit his trademark elegant drives off Zaheer Khan and Charl Langeveldt as Bangalore reached 43 for no loss after six overs after being invited to bat.

Conditions were good batting as the ball was nicely coming on to the bat and both the openers started to play more freely with Watson launching Aravind for a huge six. The openers were targetting Aravind a lot and in the process both of them fell in the left-arm paceman's third over, 10th of the innings.

First to go was Watson, whose powerful hit landed straight in the hands of AB de Villers at long-off and two balls later, Dravid hit one back to the bowler. — PTI

Scoreboard
Rajasthan Royals
Watson c de Villiers b Aravind 34
Dravid c & b Aravind 37
Rahane run out 17
Botha c Arun b Aravind 19
Taylor c Kaif b Langeveldt 13
Menaria c Kaif b Gayle 8
Raut not out 5
Yagnik not out 2
Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 7, nb 2) 11
Total (6 wkts; 20 overs) 146
Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-23-0, Aravind 4-0-34-3, Langeveldt 4-0-26-1, Gayle 3-0-23-1, Kohli 3-0-17-0, Kazi 2-0-21-0.

Royal Challengers
Gayle not out 70
Dilshan c Taylor b Warne 38
Kohli not out 39
Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 2) 4
Total (1 wkt; 17 overs) 151
Bowling: Watson 2-0-19-0, Botha 4-0-42-0, Pankaj 2-0-23-0, Trivedi 2-0-12-0, Warne 4-0-26-1, Taylor 1-0-11-0, Menaria 2-0-16-0.

New Delhi, May 11
South African cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto has become an internet sensation and a mini-celebrity back home after being kicked out of the IPL for secretly blogging on player behavior in post-match parties. The 22-year-old Gabriella, from Pietermaritzburg, was one of the 40 South African cheerleaders in the IPL and was employed by Mumbai Indians. She reportedly wrote about "flirtatious" and "inappropriate" behavior by the cricketers and even mentioned some of them. South African media reported that her blogs created "privacy concerns" for the players.

Gabriella told the press she believed many cheerleaders had intimate relations with cricketers and accused her employers of being "hypocritical". Reports suggest she was sacked after a cricketer and another cheerleader complained to the IPL chairperson.

"On Tuesday last week I was sent home as if I was a criminal. I was treated as if I had taken drugs or done something awful and I was never offered an opportunity to give my side of the story," Gabriella told the Witness. "It's a joke. There are cameras everywhere at these after-parties watching what they (the players) got up to. The guys treated us like pieces of meat. We couldn't go anywhere without the crowds mobbing us and many of the girls did not behave. But nothing I wrote was directed at any one person. I think the cricketers who complained had a guilty conscience."

Gabriella initially began to tweet comments about her experiences at the after-parties, and was then approached by a website to write a blog. After two posts created a sensation, she was sacked.

One of her posts stated, "We are practically like walking porn. These cricketers are the most loose and mischievous I have come across. I have a long while still here, so I must remember my tip list: beware of the cricketers!"

Already, support for Pasqualotto has been gathering steam on Twitter, forcing Cricket South Africa media officer Michael Owen-Smith to state that SA cricketers were expected to adhere to the board's code of conduct.

Another post which she was forced to remove states: "The men see your face, then your b***s, then your a**, then your b***s again, Ol' Graeme Smith will flirt with anyone while his girlfriend walks behind him. The Australian cricketers are naughty, a certain someone played kissing catches with three girls. He told them, 'Come to my room, I want to cuddle'."

However, she was all praise for a few Indian players: "The few Indian players we have met, such as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have been very polite and keep to themselves in the dark corners.

"Hotshots like Tendulkar with families at home are never present. The likes of Jonty Rhodes and Albie Morkel are notorious for having a good time with friends!"

Pasqualotto, who lost a month's earnings, around 8000 rand, now says, "People think you are like handmaidens to the cricket gods, and I'm thrown out for a silly blog." Graeme Smith's agent Craig Livingstone refused to comment. — Agencies

Mohali, May 11
Back in the reckoning after scripting an upset victory over table toppers Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist believes that they have got the required opening to surge ahead. Kings XI, who were languishing in the bottom half of the table with just six points before yesterday's match, stunned the much-fancied Mumbai outfit with a 76-run victory after the hosts managed to put on a competitive 163 on the board at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium here.

"It was an all-round performance from us. We put up a respectable total though we finished a little bit short of what we had thought," Gilchrist said at the post-match press conference.

"The beauty of this (T20) format is that anyone can beat anyone. The win is a tremendous boost for us, more than the fact that it keeps us alive in the tournament. We have got the foot in that door and hopefully it will keep open," the left-hander added.

Lauding his batsmen, the former Australian wicket-keeper said Kings XI had put up a solid batting effort today. Gilchrist pointed out that it was Kings XI's batting that had let the team down in the earlier matches of the tournament.

Gilchrist also had words of praise for Mumbai speedster Lasith Malinga. — PTI

Manchester, May 11
Manchester City qualified for the Champions League for the first time, beating Tottenham 1-0 to deny the London club a second successive season in Europe's elite club competition.

The victory came through a 30th-minute own goal by Peter Crouch, who had scored the lone goal at Eastlands last May that took Tottenham into this season's Champions League at the expense of Man City yesterday night.

Securing one of England's four Champions League places was a key target for City's Abu Dhabi owners when they bought the club in 2008. "We are employed to give performances and get results," City goalkeeper Joe Hart said.

Hart added, "Regardless of the money spent by the club, we are a team and we have shown that. If you watched the Champions League this season, Spurs have done brilliantly (reaching the quarterfinals) and it's a shame for them that they can't be there again, as they brought something to it. But trips to Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan, what more can you ask for?"

An investment of more than USD 1 billion in players by Sheikh Mansour has also put City within one match of ending their 35-year title drought. Stoke is up next in the FA Cup final on Saturday, and City striker Carlos Tevez is set to be fit for the match at Wembley Stadium after making a late substitute appearance having recovered from a hamstring injury.

"We now need a trophy and that is this Saturday," Hart said. Crouch's own goal came at the same end where he scored a year ago. City winger James Milner raced on to Adam Johnson's short pass and crossed low into a crowded penalty area, from which Crouch stuck out a foot and turned the ball into his own net.

The goal ensured City will play in the European Cup for the first time since 1968 — 24 years before the tournament was revamped into the Champions League. If City finish fourth in the Premier League, the team will have to contest a playoff in August to reach the group stage.

With two rounds remaining, City is two points behind Arsenal and five adrift of Chelsea. Manchester United needs only one point to win the title. — AP

New Delhi, May 11
Indian boxer Akhil Kumar out-punched Nauru's Maakal Dj to enter the semifinals and assure himself of at least a bronze medal at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia today. The former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist won the bout 19-14 to make the last-four stage in the biennial event, where India is participating for the first time.

The 29-year-old, who is competing in his first international event after the disappointment of losing in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Games last year in Delhi, would have won by a bigger margin, but then he got a couple of warnings in the final round of the bout.

The Haryana boxer will face Australian Ibrahim Balla in the semifinals tomorrow. "Once again, my uppercuts got me most of the points. I wouldn't say it was the best of me fighting there, but I guess it was good enough for this bout," Akhil told PTI from Darwin.

Earlier, Vijender Singh won his quarterfinal bout in the light heavy weight (81kg) division yesterday. Among the women, Pooja Rani (75kg) and Meena Rani (60kg) are already through to semifinals. — PTI

New Delhi, May 11
Inspired by the huge success of IPL, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is mulling on launching a franchise-based professional league in India in collaboration with Hockey India from 2013.

With the success of last year's World Cup and the Commonwealth Games here, the world body also initiated a "FIH Project Chake De" in India, which will witness the country playing host to five major international hockey events from 2011 to 2014.

India has been given hosting rights of the Champions Trophy (December 3-11), men's and women's Olympic Qualifiers (February 12-26, 2012), men's and women's World Junior World Cups in 2013, men's World League Finals in 2013 and the women's Champions Trophy in 2014. "We will be holding a World Club Championships in 2013 which will be an annual event," FIH president Leandro Negre told reporters here.

"Together with Hockey India, the FIH will organise a professional league in India and the champions of that league will participate in the World Club Championships," he said.

Negre, however, clarified that the proposed professional league is still under discussion and the FIH was working very closely with all its member associations in creating an international window for the event.

"The timing is important and it has to be between January and February. It will be held only after the London Olympics. But we need to find a window (for the tournament), a good moment of the year," the FIH chief insisted.

"From 2013, the professional league and the World Club Championships will be held every year. In the coming four years, India will be the hub of world hockey." The FIH is also set to organise a new event — World League from next year, the finals of which will be held in India in 2013. — PTI

New Delhi, May 11
Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal suffered a shock defeat against lower-ranked Chinese Taipei's Chen Chien-An in the first round to bow out of the World Table Tennis Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

World number 54 Sharath, the country's best bet in the prestigious event, struggled throughout his first round match against the world number 106 to go down 1-4 in the men's singles main draw. Sharath, after winning the opening game, lost 11-8 9-11 8-11 7-11 9-11 to Chen in a hard-fought contest.

Sharath had got a direct entry into the men's singles event of the championship. Other Indians Soumyadeep Roy, Abishek Ravichandran, Anthony Amalraj and Subhajit Saha had lost in the qualifiers yesterday at different stages.

In the men's doubles category, the Commonwealth Games doubles gold medallists duo of Sharath and Subhajit Saha also failed to live up to their reputation and were defeated by the North Korean pair of Kim Nam Chol and Ri Chol Guk 4-11 12-10 13-15 7-11 7-11 in the first round.

The other Indian pair, Amalraj Anthony and Soumyadeep Roy lost 11-7 5-11 8-11 5-11 5-11 to second seeded Chinese pair of Wang Hao and Zhang Jike. — PTI

Rome, May 11
Novak Djokovic stretched his unbeaten run for the year to 33 matches after crushing Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-0, 6-3 with an imperious display in the second round of the Rome Masters on Wednesday.

The world number two, who beat Rafa Nadal to win the Madrid Masters and claim his sixth title of the year, was hardly made to sweat in the first set, as he tormented his opponent with a series of flashing forehand and backhand winners.

The Serb will replace Nadal as world number one if he wins in Rome and the Spaniard fails to make the semi-finals. — Reuters