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Dinda stuns Mumbai Indians
Pune Warriors’ Ashok Dinda celebrates the wicket of Mumbai Indians’ Ambati Rayudu during their match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. — AFP |
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Rahane lifts Royals to victory
RCB kick off campaign against upbeat Delhi Daredevils
CSK look to bounce back
Pune Warriors get their own stadium
The wicket improved after rain: Irfan
Olympic Qualifiers: Manpreet in quarters
Swann leads England’s charge
Top-order to blame: Gambhir
Easy win for Prampra
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Dinda stuns Mumbai Indians
Mumbai, April 6 The visitors reduced the home team to a sorry five for three at the end of the second over and tightened the noose gradually to come out on top. Missing an injured Sachin Tendulkar, there was little of note in the Mumbai innings, barring Dinesh Karthik's 32 off as many balls and an identical effort from James Franklin. Both the batsmen added 49 runs for the fourth wicket. Mumbai skipper Harbhajan Singh, who had bowled well for the wicket of his rival counterpart Sourav Ganguly earlier, made a valiant 16 off 15 balls towards the end. Dinda, the Warriors' new recruit from Bengal, grabbed two wickets in his first over and then came back to add two more to finish with admirable figures of four for 18. The spinners - Murali Kartik, Marlon Samuels and Rahul Sharma - choked up the Mumbai batting with the turn they got out of the pitch. Karthik got two for 14, including the important wicket of Karthik when the game was wide open, while West Indian Samuels and leggie Sharma got a wicket apiece along with South African pacer Wayne Parnell. Earlier, bowling effectively to a plan and fielding brilliantly, the hosts restricted the visitors to a modest total. The Warriors, who had won only four games in the previous season, commenced their campaign on a poor note after being put in to bat. They slumped to 27 for three by the fifth over and never recovered from the big blows. The Warriors lost the wickets of Manish Pandey (0), Ganguly (3) and Parnell (11), all of them to poor shots, much to the delight of the home crowd. Only Robin Uthappa (36 in 33 balls with three fours) and Steven Smith (39 in 32 balls with four fours) were among the runs and also compiled the highest stand of the innings - 44 in 48 balls - for the fifth wicket. Murali Kartik came late in the order to hammer a quick-fire 14 off nine balls with a six and a four. Mumbai will next take on Deccan Chargers at Vishakapatnam on April 9 while the Warriors play their first home game of the season against Kings XI Punjab on April 8 at the new Subroto Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune. Mumbai started their run-chase poorly as they lost both the openers - Richard Levi (0) and Ambati Rayudu (1) inside first two overs. South Africa T20 specialist Levi, who stole the limelight with a Man-of-the-Match performance in Mumbai's opening game against Chennai Super Kings two days ago, was flummoxed by the amount of turn extracted by Murali Kartik with his left-arm spin and was out to the second ball of the innings, stumped while lunging forward. Rayudu was out to an injudicious cut off Dinda and was caught at slip by Kartik. Mumbai lost their third wicket when Rohit Sharma (1) was caught behind playing a horrendous shot, leaving the home team at a precarious five for three. The repair job was left to Karthik and Franklin, who forged a 49-run stand in 53 balls to resurrect the innings. Karthik looked in good touch and also struck a huge six over long-on off Marlon Samuels in the fifth over to bring back some cheer to Mumbai. Franklin warmed up to the task with a slashed four off left-arm speedster Parnell as the 50 was raised in the 11th over. Karthik was found well outside his crease when Kartik bowled one short to which the batsman stepped out and the ball turned past his bat for Uthappa to make a comfortable stumping. Samuels then castled newcomer Suryakumar Yadav, replacement in the eleven for the injured Tendulkar, with a faster delivery that the batsman had no clue to and the dismissal left Mumbai at a difficult 64 for 5 in the 13th over. Franklin was batting confidently as wickets fell at the other end. The big-hitting West Indian Kieron Pollard (8) was completely beaten by the fast leg-break from Rahul Sharma. With the run-rate climbing and six wickets down, the gangling Franklin went for a mighty hit on the leg-side off Dinda, lost his bat in the process, and the skier was taken brilliantly by a diving Pandey at the mid-wicket. — PTI Scoreboard Mumbai Indians
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Rahane lifts Royals to victory
Jaipur, April 6
Kings XI fought hard as Gilchrist, Bipul and Mandeep played cameo innings, but the target of 192 ultimately proved too daunting for them. It was also a dream debut for Royals’ Kevon Cooper as he picked up four wickets. Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane scored a blistering 98 to power Rajasthan Royals to a mammoth 191 for four. Rahane turned out to be the cynosure of all eyes at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here, scoring his 98 runs off just 66 balls with the help of 16 boundaries and a lone six. Just when was set for the first century of IPL V, Rahane was bowled by James Faulkner in the final over of the innings two runs short of the magical three-figure mark. Put into bat, captain Rahul Dravid ()28 off 24) and Rahane gave a flying start to Rajasthan's innings, sharing 77 runs for the opening stand that came off just 57 balls. After a quiet first over, Rahane broke the shakles with two consecutive boundaries off Faulkner in the next. Rahane then clobbered Praveen Kumar for four fours to pick up 16 runs of the bowler's second over. Dravid, on the other hand, played sensibly with ones and twos but hit boundaries when opportunities came his way. After toiling hard for 9.3 overs, Kings XI finally managed to get the breakthrough when Dravid was dimissed by Harmeet Singh (1/23), caught by Faulkner at the cover boundary as he tried to slap one over the in-field. Rahane soon brought up his fifty in style off just 37 balls. — PTI Scoreboard Kings XI Punjab
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RCB kick off campaign against upbeat Delhi Daredevils
Bangalore, April 6
Bangalore would hope that Vettori can carry forward the legacy of Anil Kumble and bring the same zest that he brought to his national team while at the helm of perennial underdogs but proven giant-killers New Zealand. Besides Gayle, Bangalore would also expect fireworks from the Indian national team's in-form batsman Virat Kohli. The Delhiite, whose sensational run with the bat in the tour of Australia and the Asia Cup made as many headlines as India's wretched run in both the outings, will look to continue the fine form. Daredevils, on the other hand, have got the perfect start to their campaign after Irfan Pathan scored a brisk unbeaten 42 to guide them to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in a rain-curtailed 12-overs-a-side lung-opener last night. Their bowling was the key as Morne Morkel scalped three wickets 3 for 18 runs, while Umesh Yadav and Roelof van der Merwe bagged two apiece to restrict the Knight Riders to 97 for nine. Chasing the small total, Aaron Finch (30 from 27 balls) and skipper Virender Sehwag (20 off 13) gave the Daredevils a solid start putting on 49 for the opening wicket. — PTI
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Visakhapatnam, April 6
The side led by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not look like a team chasing a hat-trick of titles with their key batsmen failing miserably and bowlers coming a cropper to lose against Mumbai by eight wickets. They could post a meagre 112 and lost the match with 19 balls to spare. Much will depend on the combine of Dhoni and Suresh Raina to secure Chennai's first win tomorrow. Both have not been in the best of forms recently and they would look to make a mark for their team tomorrow. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, the costliest player at this year's auction, came a cropper against Mumbai, but he can be a match-winner any day with his all-round skills in home conditions. Two other key players, Australian Doug Bollinger and Ravichandran Ashwin - their pace and spin spearheads - would also be eager to make a mark quickly in the tournament against a side which will be without captain Kumar Sangakkara who would be missing tomorrow's match due to national duty against England in Sri Lanka. — PTI
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Pune Warriors get their own stadium
Chandigarh, April 6 The celebratory evening will see an unforgettable fanfare of cultural performances followed by spell of glitz and glamour. The ceremony will be aired on Sunday, April 8 at 6.55 p.m on Sahara One, Filmy and Firangi. The viewers will experience a remarkable treat of cultural performances with 120 dholak and trumpet players along with 100 lezim dancers showcasing their talent along with an act by 192 cultural dancers. |
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The wicket improved after rain: Irfan
Kolkata, April 6
Chasing 98 from 12 overs, Delhi Daredevils coasted to an eight-wicket victory with five balls to spare. "The wicket just got better. I've played at the Eden earlier and it's always on the slower side. Probably it (the wicket) got settled because of the rain. The ball came nicely to the bat," Irfan, who was adjudged the man of the match, told reporters in the post-match media interaction. Irfan who hit Knight Riders pacer Marchant de Lange for two sixes said the South African's pace was just perfect on this wicket. "It was coming nicely to bat. His pace, it seemed, was just right for batting on this pitch." "Absolutely, it was a good toss to win. In shorter games you generally tend to panic. if you bat first you don't know what target to set. Morne changed the whole momentum for us," Irfan said giving credit to Morne Morkel who took three for 18. "When you lose two wickets in an over, it's tough to set a target. But they (Kolkata Knight Riders) are a good side. They still came close to us. It's a good win for us. It can take us a long way," said Irfan. Irfan faced his elder brother Yusuf in the penultimate over of the chase and hit a boundary to make the equation in favour of Delhi. "That's the only thing I don't look forward to. He is my brother and I've emotional attachment. He will be with me for the whole my life. Somewhere down the line he was bowling a crucial over and I hit a four. Hope my family is not too angry with me," he said with a smile. Irfan thanked skipper Virender Sehwag for promoting him to No 3. "Virubhai wanted one left-hander at the top. I thank him for giving me the opportunity. I could express myself well," he said. Irfan opened the bowling only to be taken out of the attack after conceding nine runs but the seamer said he would hope to bowl more overs in the upcoming matches. "It's a long tournament. Hope I will get wickets in the coming matches." — PTI
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Olympic Qualifiers: Manpreet in quarters
Patiala, April 6
Singh floored his opponent Tulyek Yerbolat of Mongolia with a crashing right cross followed by a huge uppercut which left the Referee no other option but to stop the bout, in the very first round as that was the third count being administered to him. Hence, on the decision of RSC (Referee Stops Contest) in the 1st Round, the 23 year old Indian was declared the winner. It took Manpreet just 1 minute 46 seconds to get past the Mongolian National Champion. Manpreet (91kg) declared winner against Tulyek Yerbolat of Mongolia against Waez Ishak of Syria, who was a Pan Arab Military Games Gold medal winner in 2010, in the pre-quarter final match today evening. Tomorrow, Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Suranjoy Sing will meet his old nemesis Nyambayar Tugstsogt of Mongolia in the 52 kilograms weight division. Although Suranjoy had lost twice earlier to the Mongolian boxer at the AIBA World Championships 2011 on points (14:17) and also at the AIBA World Championships 2009 on count back of equal points 10:10, he will certainly be more confident this time as his compatriot Santosh Harijan had defeated Nyambayar by a score of 18:9 points at the Asian Championships 2011 at Incheon, Korea. Youth Olympic Games 2010 Silver medallist Shiva Thapa (56kgs) will also be seen in action as he takes on Mohd Nooristani of Afghanistan in the pre-quarter finals, If Thapa gets the better of the Afghani boxer, he is then likely to meet Asian Games 2010 Gold medallist Worapoj Petchkoom of Thailand who was also the Silver medallist at Athens Olympics 2004 in the quarterfinals on April 9.
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Colombo, April 6 Skipper Mahela Jayawardene stood in England's way with an unbeaten 55, showing the form that has already fetched him two centuries in the series, including one in the first innings. England, who lost the first Test in Galle, will return for the final day's play tomorrow looking to polish off the rest of the Sri Lankan batting quickly. Andrew Strauss' men need a win to draw the series and retain their number one Test ranking. The tourists were hoping for a swift closure when Swann grabbed the key wickets of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara in the post-lunch session. But Thilan Samaraweera (47) and Jayawardene kept the England attack at bay -- even for nine overs with the second new ball -- during a 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Swann, coming on two overs before stumps, bowled Samaraweera with his first delivery and Suraj Randiv with the third to pin Sri Lanka against the ropes. If England do the unlikely and fail to win, they will rue a dropped catch off Jayawardene by Tim Bresnan at mid-on off Samit Patel when the batsman was on 20 and the hosts were still 46 runs behind. — PTI Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 218 for 6 and 275 lead England 460 (Pietersen 151, Herath 6-133) by 33 runs.
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Kolkata, April 6 Daredevils rode on a 20-ball unbeaten 42 by man of the match Irfan Pathan for an eight-wicket win with five balls to spare in a match that ended well past midnight. Asked whether rain played a decisive role, Gambhir said: "Not really. It was still a close game. But toss was never really in our hand. It's always difficult when you lose three wickets with 20 runs on board." Gambhir praised Debabrata Das' sparkling innings of 18 runs from nine balls studded with two sixes. "He (Debabrata Das) batted well at the nets. We knew he had the potential. Hopefully he can take this form forward. Laxmi Ratan Shukla too is in great form. We hope to take the positives. We hope to learn from the mistakes." On whether he was satisfied with the wicket, Gambhir said: "There is always a lot of talk about the wicket. But it was a good wicket which can be assessed from chasing 97 runs from 12 overs. They played well." He, however, said toss was not a factor. "Toss can never be a factor. If you play good cricket, toss cannot be a factor. After losing four quick wickets, we did well to get to 97. It was a great effort. But they played some smart and quality cricket. I would have opted to bowl (after winning the toss). But there are certain things which are not in your hands." — PTI
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Easy win for Prampra
New Delhi: Left-handed batsman Bharat Dureja slammed 48 and left-arm spinner Ajit Ranjan claimed 2/35 to help Prampra Cricket Club beat Madan Lal Cricket Academy by five wickets to to enter the quarter-final of the 22nd All India Om Nath Sood Memorial Cricket. Man of the match: Bharat Dureja. Scores: Madan Lal Academy: 168 (Chander Thapa 53, Nitesh Lochab 47, Ajit Ranjan 2/35, and Rajiv Gaur 2/38).Prampra: 170 for 5 (Bharat Dureja 48, Pramod Chandela 35, Abhishek Batra 25, Karanvir Gogia 3/35). — TNS Jr Football League
New Delhi: Over 200 young footballers, including eight NGO teams, will participate in a six-week junior football league, to be held from April 8 to May 13. The league will be organised by TheFootballLink, in association with FootballFirst Sports at the Kathuria Public School in Vasant Kunj. The league is intended to to promote grassroots football, to benefit those who are under-privileged to attend regular coaching or camps, to showcase their talent, and progress further. — TNS Punjab Heroes win
New Delhi: Punjab Heroes defeated Bangadarshan 2-0 in the Delhi Soccer Association A Division League, which resumed today. Sumesh and Ankit Yadav scored the goals. Moonlight blanked Paschim Heroes 3-0 while Goodwill defeated Collegians 4-0. Gurpreet Singh, Srikant and Shekher were Moonlight’s marksmen. Former international B. Thakur struck a brace while J Rawat and Manpreet added a goal apiece in Goodwill’s win. — TNS |
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Pacer Ashok Dinda scalped four wickets as Pune Warriors pulled off an upset 28-run win over Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring Indian Premier League match here today. The Warriors defended their total of 129 for nine with a clinical bowling effort on a Wankhede strip that assisted the spinners and pacers alike, restricting Mumbai to 101 for nine in the allotted 20
overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was livid with his top-order batsmen after the eight-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils and blamed their flopshow for the team's debacle in its rain-truncated IPL opener. Morne Morkel struck twice in successive balls as the Delhi franchise reduced the Kolkata's top order to 20/3 and restricted the hosts to 97/9 after a two and half hours delayed start.
