Dharamsala, May 21
Leg spinner Amit Mishra recorded the first hat-trick of the season as Deccan Chargers crushed Kings XI Punjab by 82 runs to dash their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs here today.

Chasing 199 to win, Punjab only managed to score 116 all out in 19 overs at the pictersque HPCA stadium with captain Adam Gilchrist being the top scorer with 51. Brought back into the attack in the 16th over, Mishra removed Ryan McLaren, Mandeep Singh and Ryan Harris off successive deliveries to record his second hat-trick in the history of the Twenty20 tournament.

Mishra has now joined Yuvraj Singh as the only player in the IPL to have recorded two hat-tricks. Apart from these two players, Kolkata Knight Riders' Lakshmipathy Balaji, Chennai Super Kings' Makhaya Ntini and Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma had achieved the feat in the previous editions of the event.

After the Deccans rode on Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 95 and Ravi Teja's 60 to post an imposing 198 for two, Mishra took the centrestage to return with superb figures of 4-1-9-4 and spin his team to victory. Punjab's defeat means that Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight riders now confirm berths in the play-offs.

Mishra bowled a googly to McLaren, who tried to clear the fence but in the end only found Daniel Christian latching on to the ball at deep midwicket to complete a good low catch. Mandeep Singh was stumped by Kedar Devdhar in his bid to accelerate the scoring.

Harris was caught by Shikhar Dhawan at second slip, as the googly by Mishra bounced extra from outside off and took the Punjab batsman by surprise who tried to cut the ball towards point.

Chasing a daunting target, Punjab skipper Gilchrist cashed in on a dropped chance to notch up his second fifty this IPL season. His aggressive 37-ball knock consisted of two sixes and six fours.

In a surprise move by skipper Cameron White, South African recruit Jean-Paul Duminy opened the bowling for Deccan in their last game of the season 4. Duminy bowled a tight over barring a last-ball boundary scored by Gilchrist. Valthaty (5), one of the finds of this IPL season and Punjab's leading run-scorer behind Australian Shaun Marsh, failed to fire in the crunch game and was dismissed by pacer Dale Steyn in his first over.

Steyn hurled a fuller delivery on the middle stump line which landed around leg and middle and curved towards middle. Valthaty, in his bid to clear the ball, gave a simple catch to Anand Rajan at mid-on.

Marsh (13), Punjab's most consistent top-order batsman, started the chase on a confident note and carved Duminy to two consecutive fours in the third over. But Duminy had the last laugh as he dismissed the dangerous looking Marsh on the last ball of his third over to leave the Punjab tottering at 22 for two.

Steyn bowled a tight next over and Punjab started to feel the heat.

On the last ball of the over, Gilchrist mistimed a fuller delivery by Steyn, who got both hands to it but the ball slipped through the palms. The Punjab skipper smashed the right-arm medium Rajan for a six and a four in the fifth over. — PTI

Shane Warne

Mumbai, May 21
Retired Australian spin legend Shane Warne once again batted for a window for the IPL in the ICC calendar, saying the tournament helps breaks down barriers in world cricket which lessens instances of sledging in international matches.

"I look at the IPL with fun and with the wish that the the ICC, would say no international cricket for six weeks and every cricketer is available to play. That will help in breaking down barriers in world cricket about sledging and all those sorts of things and everyone is friends," said Warne who played his last competitive game last night, leading his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals to a 10-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.

Warne, who called it quits to focus on his business interests, poker tournaments and be with his three children and girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, does not want to see too many changes in the team structures. "There are a lot of good things about the IPL, hope that continues. As long as the nucleus of the team is the same, the fans will have to get used to the players, IPL is very good for Indian cricket and world cricket," he declared. The comments of the spin king were in sharp contrast to the recent comments of former England captain Tony Greig who questioned the wisdom behind top cricketers Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo preferring IPL over commitment to the West Indian team which is engaged in an international series at home against Pakistan. Warne said he is looking out for a short stint as a consultant with the Royals or any other franchise next season. "Royals will be very good next year if the international boys fire with guys like (Ajinkya) Rahane, (Ashok) Meneria (there). Rahul (Dravid) plays well at the top. Young Ankit Chavan (left arm spinner) bowled beautifully tonight, probably had Sachin out twice. I think they will go all the way next year," he said confidently.

"At the end of the day I think IPL is about promoting young cricketers in India. We have done probably better than any other team in the competition with that. To win the second-most games after Chennai with the teams we had for four years was an outstanding effort from all our guys in the squad," Warne said.

"I wouldn't be here as a coach for the entire tournament. No point being here for seven weeks and don't play. But I can see myself in a consultancy sort of a role…may be ten days pre tournament or a week in the middle or a week in the end. That might be with the Rajasthan Royals.

"In the next 12 months I might not be associated (with Royals), it may be somebody else. Royals will be my first priority. If I can't come to an agreement with them I will look elsewhere and see whatever team (as consultant) for a week or so. If I don't, I will play another poker tournament and watch on the telly," he said about his future plans. Warne suggested the introduction of Super Rounds next year in which one extra international player, the fifth, can be fielded by each of the 10 franchises.

"I actually thought there should be two super rounds with each team playing five internationals...just two rounds in the middle of the tournament," the leg spin ace said. "Some teams might not have played well and an extra international may help to get them back up. If people like it then the next year or later have three super rounds - one after every four games sort of," he explained further. — PTI

Barcelona, May 21
Australian Mark Webber grabbed his first pole position of the season and seventh of his career on Saturday after clocking the fastest time during qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Red Bull driver, winner of last year's race, clocked a time of one minute 20.981 at the Circuit de Catalunya, just 0.2 seconds faster than his team-mate German Sebastian Vettel. Webber admitted that he didn't feel challeneged by rival teams McLaren and Ferrari, but was delighted to have beaten his 23-year-old team-mate - who has been on pole position at every other race this season.

"It was clear that there might have been a bit of a margin between us and them" said Webber, who is fourth in the world championship with 37 points, 31 behind Vettel. "It was a good battle with Seb, I though we were going to be battling for pole so I just had to make sure I did a good lap and then pray that my time went above Seb's."

Vettel congratulated Webber on ending his run of pole placings which had seen him become the first driver since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 to take the first four poles of the season. "I didn't use KERS in Q2 and Q3, but it's not right to say I didn't have KERS and Mark got pole - he deserved pole," said Vettel.

Despite being almost a second off Webber's time, just 0.03 seconds separated third-placed Briton Lewis Hamilton from his McLaren team-mate and fellow Englishman Jenson Button, who was fifth. Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari split the two McLarens pipping Button to fourth place in his final lap of the session. German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes was sixth fastest followed by Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado managed eighth for Williams, while seven times champion Michael Schumacher was ninth. — AFP

Bangalore, May 21
Just a point seperating them in the team standings, top-ranked Chennai Super Kings take on second-placed Royal Challengers here tomrorow in what promises to be an exciting contest between the two most consistent performers of the IPL this season.

Sitting pretty at the top of the table with 18 points from 13 games, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will be keen to sign off the league phase on a high when but an equally determined Royal Challengers Bangalore would hardly give an inch at their home turf of M Chinnaswamy stadium here.

Having already qualified for the play-offs, both teams would play for pride of place. If Super Kings win, they will top the leaderboard with 20 points.

But if Royal Challengers, who have 17 points from 13 games, pull off a coup against the better organised and balanced Chennai team, then they would finish at the top with 19 points.

If RCB lose, they will either play Kolkata Knight Riders (16 from 13), Mumbai Indians (16 from 13) or Kings XI Punjab (14 from 13) in the eliminator. The winner in the Mumbai Indians versus Kolkata Knight Riders match will play CSK in qualifier.

The Mahender Singh Dhoni-led Super Kings have an edge over RCB. Their batting, which has been gaining confidence and momentum with each outing, runs deep. — PTI

Kolkata, May 21
Pulled back by three consecutive losses, a struggling Mumbai Indians will be up against an in-form Kolkata Knight Riders in a must-win match for them in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow.

With a healthy net run-rate, the Knight Riders are all but assured of a play-off berth. But Mumbai Indians have to ensure that theirs remains better than Kings XI Punjab. All the arithmetical probabilities put aside, the clinical Knight Riders are eyeing the second spot on the ladder that will give them a brighter chance to book their final berth.

"By finishing in the top-two, you have a double chance of making it to the final," the Knight Riders batting mainstay Jacques Kallis said. "The new system rewards the teams with the best record over the course of the league and makes it harder for those sneaking in third and fourth by making them play a straight knockout and then another match against the loser of the first qualifier."

In the new IPL format, the loser of the top two teams in the play-off will get a second chance as they are drawn against the winner of the third and fourth teams before advancing to the final.

The Knight Riders under Gautam Gambhir have been the team of the IPL fourth season as they have come solid in both batting and bowling. In the last match, however, Kallis picked up an injury while bowling. — PTI

Fort Worth (US), May 21
Arjun Atwal ensured a piece of weekend action with a neat round of three-under 67 as he made a big move up in the Crowne Plaza Invitational golf tournament at Colonial here.

Atwal was going great guns with four birdies and no bogeys till the 17th at which point he made his only mistake of the day for the solitary bogey and ended with a card of three-under 67 to make a big move on the second day.

Following a 69 he was placed 39th in the first round and has now moved to 21st. David Toms shot a second successive 62 and opened up a seven-shot lead. Both his rounds have been bogey free and he is way ahead in the four-man bunch in the second place.

The second placed group includes Charlie Wi (64-67), Steve Bowditch (67-64), Mark Wilson (65-66), John Senden (65-66). Toms' second round could have easily been below 60. Besides a birdie miss at 18, he misread a 10-footer at the 13th, misread an 18-footer at 14 and saw a nine-footer at the 16th run out of steam. — PTI

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki serves against Francesca Schiavone during the Brussels Open semifinal on Friday. — AFP

Brussels, May 21
Caroline Wozniacki gained a valuable confidence boost ahead of next week's French Open when she beat last year's Roland Garros winner Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in their Brussels Open semi-final on Friday.

The Danish world number one and Schiavone have both been in patchy form of late and Wozniacki outlasted the tiring Italian in an entertaining if error-strewn encounter.

Wozniacki will play China's Peng Shuai in Saturday's final before heading to Paris where she faces Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round. — Reuters

New Delhi, May 21
Pace legend Wasim Akram today joined the growing list of former Pakistani players criticising the sacking of Shahid Afridi as ODI skipper, saying the decision defies logic and is disrespectful to the flamboyant all-rounder.

The PCB discarded the maverick Afridi as Pakistan's ODI captain after reports of his rift with coach Waqar Younis became public. "Arguments between captains and coaches are not new in Pakistan cricket. Afridi was hailed as a national hero after the World Cup, and came back from the West Indies after winning the ODI series only to find out he has been sacked. What is the PCB upto?" Akram said'.

Akram questioned the Board's decision to appoint Misbah-ul-Haq as ODI skipper, saying the 36-year-old middle order batsman is "at best a stop-gap arrangement".

"The present Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq is on the wrong side of 30 and I don't see him leading the side beyond 6 to 8 months", said Akram. "It is a wrong step taken by PCB, and only (chairman) Ijaz Butt is to be blamed for this. In Pakistan, the coach wants all the power and when it doesn't happen, the fight begins," he added. — PTI 

Mumbai, May 21
After succumbing to a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard admitted that his team was completely outplayed but said they can only improve from here.

"We were totally outplayed by Rajasthan Royals. We can only get better from here. We didn't play well. The game against Kolkata (Knight Riders) would be crucial for us," said Pollard.

Mumbai Indians, who suffered third straight defeat yesterday, will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their concluding league game tomorrow at the Eden Gardens and Pollard said it is an important match for his team to book a berth in the play-offs.

"We have not been scoring as many runs as we want to. We have lost three games in a row. The game against Kolkata is very important for us," the West Indian said. — PTI

Kieron Pollard

Mumbai, May 21
New Zealand and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Jacob Oram has revealed that the various off-field glitz and surreal moments of the Indian Premier League leave him shaking his head in disbelief.

Oram has spent the past six weeks in India after been summoned as an injury replacement for England's Paul Collingwood. The 32-year-old said that playing under Shane Warne's captaincy and the after-parties were the highlight.

"After nearly every game there's an after-party, there's Bollywood stars there and fashion parades; the drinks are free and the cheerleaders are around. It's a different world. Sometimes you wonder if you're here for cricket or not.

Ultimately you are. It is good fun, but at the same time I don't think it's reality," Stuff.co.nz quoted Oram, as saying. "Warne is a nice guy, really easy to talk to. He's about to retire and that experience will last forever. I'm glad I had that opportunity. I played alongside Rahul Dravid; there's some pretty cool things I've experienced," he added.

The all-rounder also felt that despite a slip in the television ratings, the IPL was still capturing the imagination in cricket-mad India. "It's everywhere. You flick through the different TV channels and half of them will have some panel talking about the IPL.

“There's half a dozen pages in every paper, it's all about the IPL. They have an hour's buildup and an hour's review of every match," Oram said. Oram further said that meeting Warne's girlfriend, actress Elizabeth Hurley, would also be memorial.

"She [Hurley] was here for a week, halfway through the tournament. She's a very nice lady and has an organic farm herself, so with my wife's family being organic farmers there was a conversation starter there," Oram said.

"She brought her kids across and Shane had his three kids there, and nannies and a bit of security so there was a massive entourage for a while," he added. — ANI