Indore, May 12
On a high after upstaging table-toppers Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab would seek to keep their slim hopes of making the IPL play-offs alive, when they take on an equally desperate and unpredictable Kochi Tuskers Kerala here tomorrow.

Kings XI Punjab celebrated an unlikely victory over Mumbai after losing five matches on the trot. The unexpected victory gave a fresh lease of life to the floundering campaign of the franchise, owned in part by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta.

Punjab's strength lies in their destructive batting, but the line-up's inconsistency has been a problem for the team. New find Paul Valthaty and skipper Adam Gilchrist form an intimidating opening combination, but the duo's inability to be consistent has cost the team dearly.

In the middle-order, however, Shaun Marsh has been doing his job well, notching up three fifties so far, but the Australian needs good starts from the openers to build on. But further down, Dinesh Karthik and David Hussey have yet to step up and Punjab would need them to strike form quickly.

On the bowling front, left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt has been a good find for the team and it was proved by his four-wicket haul against Mumbai in the last match. In the pace department, Praveen Kumar has had a decent run, but given the situation Punjab finds itself in, they will have to be consistent on every front to have any chance of progress.

Kochi, on the other hand, have had a roller-coaster of a ride so far. Most recently, after a couple of back-to-back wins, they were handed a rather crushing nine-wicket defeat by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Mahela Jayawardene's men floundered in batting despite having big-hitters such as Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum in the ranks. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja too is struggling, adding to Kochi's problems, as his explosive batting comes in handy down the order. The bowling doesn't look any more formidable with R P Singh being a major let down.

Besides, Jayawardene has also had to deal with the temper tantrums of pacer S Sreesanth, who threw a fit on being dropped from the side in the previous match. Given the two teams' performance so far, it seems to be an evenly-matched contest between sides, which remain in the hunt, despite lackluster campaigns. — PTI

Ipoh, May 12
India's medal hopes in the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament went up in smoke as New Zealand rode on a penalty corner hattrick by Andrew Hayward to humiliate the title holders 7-3 in their last round-robin league match here today.

India squandered the lead thrice before Hayward produced a hat-trick of drag-flicked goals to put the Black Sticks in command and spoil India's chance of claiming a medal in the event, which they won outright in 2009 and were joint champions along with South Korea last year.

By virtue of this loss, India slipped to the fifth position in the seven-team round-robin league table, which is being headed by world champions Australia, who defeated Great Britain 2-1 earlier in the day.

Five-time Azlan Shah Cup winners, Australia now have 13 points from five games and are assured of a place in Sunday's summit clash, with one league match still to go against New Zealand.

However, Australia's opponent in the final will only be decided on Saturday as Great Britain, Pakistan and New Zealand all have a chance of making it to the title clash. But with nine points each in their kitty, Great Britian and Pakistan are slightly better placed than the Black Sticks.

For New Zealand to qualify for the final, they will first have to beat Australia on Saturday and hope other two contenders - Great Britain and Pakistan - lose their last league matches. India's opponent for Sunday's classification playoffs will also be decided on Saturday.

Hayward's hat-trick of penalty corner goals came in the space of 14 minutes midway through the second session when the Indian defence again caved in under pressure. To add to it, two speedy field goals by Blair Hilton and one strike each from Nicholas Wilson and Shay Neal gave New Zealand their biggest win ever against India.

For India, Gurwinder Singh Chandi scored two field goals after S V Sunil had opened the scoring. India drew first blood in the 20th minute through an outstanding goal by Sunil, who latched on to a long diagonal ball from Ravipal Singh on top of the circle and slotted home past the onrushing goalkeeper. — PTI

New Delhi, May 12
The biggest fallout of the Indian Premier League is that the Indian team for the West Indies series will have a new look. Why this is fallout instead of an advantage is simple - it is not generated by lavish riches to splurge with in terms of talent, but simply because the seniors are trying to seek some space to get some rest and try and recuperate.

Another big point that seems to be missed in this whole exercise is that a tour of the West Indies, which begins with a lone T20 at Port of Spain on June 4, isn’t what it used to be. If there was any tour to skip, this would be the one, and the possibilities are aplenty.

The certainties first. Virender Sehwag is out of action for a while, and his shoulder surgery will keep him away from the Caribbean, preparing for the ‘bigger’ series against England. That will be the big bite missing from the Indian batting teeth. On a lesser level, Ashish Nehra too will be missing in action, which, given the fast-bowling crisis that is eternal, isn’t something to dismiss altogether.

More so since Zaheer Khan is on the list of probable absentees, at least for the T20 and five one-dayers. So essentially the medium-pace line-up will need a complete overhaul. Unfortunately that does not bring in new faces, just some older ones, hopefully leaner and meaner. Praveen Kumar has a case, as always, while Ishant Sharma seems to have found his feet, at least in club cricket.

The sad thing is that none of the many other seam-up bowlers has done much, including the eternal media darling, S. Sreesanth. Munaf Patel, on his part, couldn’t have claimed a five-for at a more opportune time, while Karnataka’s D. Vinay Kumar seems to have his backers.

Sachin Tendulkar too is on the regrets list, it seems. Bit of a surprise, given that his elusive 100th international century is something the entire nation is holding its breath with. But then, a Test match in the West Indies is probably the best and easiest stage, to do it.

Then there is the Mahendra Singh Dhoni issue. It is understood that the skipper may miss a part of the ODI series, and the replacement, naturally, would be a wicket-keeper. Parthiv Patel will be packed and ready. If the skipper were to miss some games, the captaincy would come to Gambhir.

Many names have been thrown up. Rohit Sharma has realised the merits of putting his head down and scoring, while S. Badrinath too is in the list. But then again, once more, the same names. Even the fringe players are the same, the usual Ambati Rayudu. Paul Valthaty, Ravi Teja, even Y. Venugopal Rao and a few others will be very surprised if called up.

Many spinners have put up their hands in the IPL, but Harbhajan Singh and R. Ashwin face little threat. Several wrist-spinners are on the list. But which of these comes in as a back-up for the front-liners remains to be seen.

Chennai, May 12
Some lusty hitting earlier in the night by MS Dhoni and S Badrinath, and a disciplined bowling performance led by Ravichandran Ashwin, ensured that the Chennai Super Kings won their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils by 18 runs here tonight.

Chasing an imposing 177 for a win, the Delhi Daredevils started brightly. Wicket-keeper Naman Ojha was particularly harsh on Doug Bollinger and scored a 14-ball 25, before being dismissed by Albie Morkel.

David Warner tried to play the anchor role, but he too was soon back in the hut. Delhi’s most consistent performer this season, Venugopal Rao, alongside Irfan Pathan, tried to up the tempo, but it was simply too much to ask from a Daredevils side that is really low on self belief.

Earlier, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and in-form Subramanium Badrinath hit contrasting half centuries to help Chennai Super Kings post a commanding 176 for four.

The duo added 96 runs for the fourth wicket in 9.2 overs to lay the foundation for a score that looks more than defendable with no Virender Sehwag in the opposition ranks.

Dhoni (63, 31 balls, 5x4, 4x6) sent the Daredevils bowlers on a leatherhunt with a 28-ball half century. He finished with a flourish hitting Irfan Pathan for consecutive sixes off his final two deliveries.

On the other hand, Badrinath (55, 43 balls, 6x4, 1x6) who is almost a certainty to board the flight to Caribbean did his reputation no harm as he played with lot of precision rotating the strike and punishing the loose deliveries.

The final two overs yielded 37 runs while CSK scored 109 runs off the last 10 overs having scored 67 from the first 10. — PTI

Scoreboard
Chennai Super Kings
Hussey lbw b Irfan 5
Vijay c Rao b Agarkar 35
Raina c Irfan b Aaron 14
Badrinath run out 55
Dhoni not out 63
Saha not out 0
Extras (lb 2, w 1, nb 1) 4
Total: (4 wkts; 20 ovrs) 176
Bowling: Irfan 4-0-40-1, McDonald 2-0-23-0, Aaron 4-0-20-1, Agarkar 4-0-49-1, Nadeem 4-0-26-0, Hopes 2-0-16-0.

Delhi Daredevils
Naman c Jakati b Albie 25
Warner c Vijay b Bravo 21
Ingram c Bravo b Ashwin 7
Irfan not out 46
Rao b Ashwin 30
Hopes c Hussey b Bravo 8
McDonald c Saha b Bollinger 8
Nagar not out 1
Extras (lb 7, w 5) 12
Total (6 wkts; 20 overs) 158
Bowling: Albie 3-0-36-1, Bollinger 4-0-38-1, Ashwin 4-0-19-2, Raina 4-0-18-0, Bravo 3-0-21-2, Jakati 2-0-19-0.

New Delhi, May 12
Spin legend Shane Warne is impressed by Rohit Sharma's talent and says the young Mumbai batsman can become one of India's greatest cricketers if he plays the sport with the right attitude "Rohit Sharma has got all the talent in the world, if he could just get his mind right and get his attitude right. If his one thought was 'I want to become the best cricketer I possibly can'. Every morning he woke up and try and talk to Sachin and ask him 'Sir, if I could have lunch or dinner'," Warne said.

The former Australian spinner said Sharma should ask Tendulkar questions like 'how do you think about batting? how do you approach it in these conditions?' "Every minute of the day until Sachin says, 'Mate can I have five minutes break?' Be a pester to him," Warne suggested to Sharma.

"He could be a match-winner, world beater and one of the best Indian cricketers ever, he has got that much talent," Warne said of the Mumbai batsman who has showed enough glimpses of talent but is struggling for consistency.

Warne was also impressed by Virat Kohli in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). "I saw Kohli in the first year and thought there is something about the kid. He could play the short ball well. But there are not too many young cricketers in the world that has played just couple of games and can play with so much comfort. You have to get into stride first," Warne said.

According to Warne, the IPL has given young players the opportunity to mix with international players, to experience playing in front of big crowd. The sharp cricket brain that he has, Warne is one of the greatest Aussie cricketers not to have led the country, but he has no regrets.

"No, not at all. I was very lucky to play under a couple of good captains. Allan Border was fantastic when I first started and Mark Taylor was probably the best captain I have played under. His communication and I thought his tactics," Warne said.

Asked what one looks for in a firm leader, Warne said, "I think you look for someone who is going to back you. Someone who says you are the man, we need you. You perform and we will win. Someone who always back you, no matter what. I think their communication, their honesty. There was a time when the feeling was that Warne the person came in the way of becoming Warne the captain. I think captaincy seems to bring out the best in me.

“If I didn't get the opportunities then so be it. I made poor calls and some poor choices. So they were probably right in the way they were thinking saying 'it's too much of a risk, anything could happen in that stage of my life. I understand that I don't regret it one bit.” — PTI

New Delhi, May 12
Vijender Singh (81kg) and Akhil Kumar (56kg) settled for bronze medals after losing in the semifinals, but women kept India's chances of a boxing gold in the Arafura Games alive as all three advanced to the finals of their respective categories in Darwin, Australia today.

On a disappointing day for the men, Vijender and Akhil bowed out with contrasting defeats. While Vijender lost 16-17 to New Zealand Sam Rapira in a thrilling encounter, Akhil went down 13-24 to Australian Balla Ibrahim. But Pinki Jhangra (51kg), Meena Rani (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) advanced to the finals, keeping India's hopes for gold afloat.

Among the men, Akhil was the first to enter the ring today and though he left his rival bloodied, the 29-year-old trailed in points count. He was down 4-7 in the opening three minutes before the gap widened to 8-15 and 13-24 ultimately.

"I gave it my all but in the end, it's a loss. I am disappointed with the result, but not with my effort. It was a good bout. I was competing after seven months and I am satisfied, I hope to peak as more tournaments come," Akhil told PTI from Darwin.

Vijender's bout was a closer affair. The scores were tied 4-4 in the opening round with Rapira withstanding some harsh blows from the Indian. The Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Indian took a point's lead in the second round, but the Kiwi boxer managed to sneak away with a win by notching up a couple of crucial points in the final three minutes.

This was the 25-year-old's first international event in the 81kg category. The Haryana-lad is world number one in the 75kg division and will return to it for Olympic qualifiers later this year. — PTI

Madrid, May 12
Barcelona were crowned Spanish champions for the third successive season with a 1-1 draw at Levante, clinching a 21st domestic title with two games to spare. Barcelona needed just a point to retain the title and they duly obliged yesterday to become the first side to win three consecutive league titles since 1993, when Johan Cruyff's Barcelona 'Dream Team' won the third of their four straight league crowns.

Mali midfielder Seydo Keita headed in a 27th minute opener for Barcelona only for Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo to equalise on 40 minutes, but it didn't matter, as a draw gave the Catalan side the title.

"It's always a nice feeling to win the title and the fans really deserve this," said midfielder Xavi. "I imagine we're going to celebrate this title win with them tonight in the streets of Barcelona."

Barcelona stand six points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid and they lift the title courtesy of their superior head to head record over their rivals. Coach Pep Guardiola has won the league title in each of his three seasons in charge and can now concentrate on going for the double with the Champions League final against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 28.

"Winning the title is always difficult and this one was tough just like the others were before," said Guardiola. "Now we can enjoy this win." Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday meant Barcelona had to finish the title job themselves.

Guardiola vowed not to rest his stars and was true to his word, as the likes of Lionel Messi, David Villa and Xavi started although Andres Iniesta began on the bench. French international Eric Abidal also started at left back in his first league start since mid-March having successfully undergone surgery on a liver tumour.

Levante sounded an early warning with Valdo firing just wide, but the visitors drew first blood through Keita on 27 minutes. Xavi picked out Keita as he made a late run into the box and he produced a terrific header.

Barcelona had one hand on the trophy, but got complacent with Spanish international Gerard Pique making a schoolboy defensive mistake to confuse goalkeeper Victor Valdes and Caicedo was on hand to equalise. Messi went close with a free-kick before the interval, but at the break, the title was in their hands despite a below-par display. — AFP

Patiala, May 12
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is leaving no stone unturned to make Indian sports drug-free. Keeping in view doping cases which embarrassed the entire nation during various tournaments, NADA is covering each aspect to ensure that offending sportspersons could not plead clemency on any ground.

Giving information in this regard, NADA Director-General Rahul Bhatnagar said that he had recently written a letter to the sports control institutions like Police Sports Control Boards (PSCB), Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) regarding their players who have been found positive for banned substances and had offered all help in checking this practice. “Though the departments have not reverted yet, I am hoping to hear from them soon,” Bhatnagar said.

He said NADA had suggested that sample collection and analysis should be one of the pre-conditions for recruitment under sports quota. NADA would be ready to provide any assistance the institutions may need for this purpose.

Also, most of the players who failed dope tests before the Commonwealth Games pleaded that they were unaware that Methyl Hexanamine was a banned substance or sometimes they suffered with illness that require use of particular medication that may fall in the Prohibited List.

To ensure this does not happen again, NADA was putting up a detailed list of branded names of medicines containing prohibited substances and it had contacted the Drug Controller of India and sought their cooperation, which was assured to NADA.

“In case of medical treatment, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) may, under strict conditions, provide an athlete with the authorisation to take the needed medicine, while competing, with no resulting doping offence,” Bhatnagar added. NADA has now, apart from the testing of urine samples, commenced blood sampling on a regular basis.

Jalandhar, May 12
Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy men drubbed Haryana 4-0 in a one-sided match while Mumbai women defeated Pepsu 5-2 during the Federation Cup-2011 hockey tournament (men’s and women’s) at Jalandhar today.

In the second match of the day, Mumbai men beat Tamil Nadu 4-0, while the Punjab eves thrashed Uttar Pradesh 8-1. Four matches each in the men’s and women’s sections were held today.

M.P. Hockey Academy led 1-0 at half-time, the lone goal coming from the stick of Ravi Parek in the 8th minute. In the second half, Parek scored once again with a field goal in the 42nd minute. Armaan Qureshi and Vikas Chaudhary also posted a field goal each.

In the women’s section, Mumbai eves took the lead in the 7th minute when Nishis Singh scored through a penalty-corner. The winners were leading 1-0 at half-time.

Miami, May 12
An inspired LeBron James delivered the decisive blow with the last 10 points as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday to book their place in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics were expected to represent a major hurdle for the Heat, but they cleared with relative ease, winning the best-of-seven series 4-1. Miami will now await the winner between Bulls and Hawks. — Reuters

New Delhi, May 12
Captain Mahender Kumar struck a brace, scoring once in either half, as Delhi defeated Nagaland 2-0 in a Cluster VI match of the Santosh Trophy Football Championship being played in Assam.

According to the Delhi Soccer Association, Delhi played dominant football throughout, and scored first in the fifth minute when Mahender drove home a pass from left-out Parveen Rawat. On resumption, Mahender scored in the 68th minute, when he converted off a pass essayed by full-back Vikas Rawat. Delhi will meet Himachal Pradesh in their second group match on May 14. — TNS