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Daredevils-Chennai face-off today
RCB look to continue winning ways
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Finger still not good: Tendulkar
Chanderpaul ton puts West Indies in charge
Sania slips to 182 in singles ranking
Harish Sharma Basketball Academy
HPCA move up
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Daredevils-Chennai face-off today
New Delhi, April 9 Defending champions CSK suffered a terrible defeat on their home ground against Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in the IPL opener while Delhi Daredevils, led by Virender Sehwag, pounded Kolkata Knight Riders, captained by another Delhi boy, Gautam Gambhir, also by eight wickets, at the Eden Gardens. But Delhi’s elation was short lived as they were beaten by Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore two days later. On the other hand, Mahender Singh Dhoni-led CSK put behind their opening-match nightmare to pull one back, by a handsome 74-runs win against Deccan Chargers at Visakhapatnam to show that their formidable reputation is not to be trifled with.
As they gear up for the face-off against CSK tomorrow, Delhi Daredevils fortified their ranks with the arrival of vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) and explosive batsman Kevin Piertersen (England), after playing the Sri Lanka-England Test series in Lanka. They headed the batting averages for Sri Lanka and England respectively, portending a menacing message for CSK, as tackling Daredevils’ formidable batting line-up on their home ground would be a tough task, though the visitors have variety in their bowling. “I am looking forward to a good season with the team”, Jayawardene said after arriving Delhi. “It will be wonderful working with some wonderful cricketers with so much collective experience”, he added. Pietersen was equally delighted to be joining the Delhi Daredevils.“I know we have a good unit and am happy that we got off to a good start in Kolkata. I am looking forward to spending some time with young cricketers in Delhi”, Pietersen said. Daredevils also got the good news that pacer Umesh Yadav will be fit to take the field tomorrow. Yadav went out of the ground without bowling his third over against RCB due to cramps. Daredevils need to regroup their act after losing to RCB by 20 runs, with the ageing, but canny, Mutthaiah Muralitharan wreaking havoc with his spin tricks. Daredevils have a strong batting and bowling line-up, like Aaron Finch, Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardhene, Kevin Piertersen, Irfan Pathan, Doug Bracewell, Morne Morkel and the like. It is a matter of gelling together on a given day, though CSK would not be the team to experiment with. Irfan has shown good form with the bat in the first two matches, with his 20-ball 42 against Kolkata Knight Riders, proving to become the game-changer. Dhoni’s men charged back, after a startling defeat against Mumbai Indians, to stun Deccan Chargers with Ravinder Jadeja putting on an all-round show (48 and 5/16) to earn the man of the match award. Though Dhoni is yet to come good with the bat, he is a proven performer, with a knack of hitting form when the team need his services the most. And he has enough ammunition in his armour to take the fight into the Daredevils’ den in Delhi. |
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RCB look to continue winning ways
Bangalore, April 9 Led by Daniel Vettori, RCB beat Delhi Daredevils by 20 runs on Saturday and the New Zealander would hope his men would pull off yet another victory to make sure they don't go haywire after making a good start, which has been the story until last IPL. On the other hand, after tasting two defeats in a row, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to reverse their fortunes when they play their third match against southern powerhouse
RCB. RCB were impressive against DD, both A B de Villiers and Muttiah Muralitharan starred with bat and ball respectively. RCB were served well by wily Muralitharan's three for 25, after de Villiers set it up with a blazing 64 off 42 balls. He hit six fours and two sixes in an innings that gave Bangalore the platform. On Tuesday, RCB would be hoping to get a rollicking start from Chris Gayle, who sat out due to fitness issues in the last match, and Tillakratane Dilshan. Virat Kohli, the current toast of Indian cricket, would hope to fire after he had a brief stay at the crease scoring just eight runs. If given a chance, Cheteshwar Pujara and Saurabh Tiwary, who know the conditions well here, can also make useful contributions. The rest of the batting too has solid names such as Andrew McDonald, de Villiers, Mayank Agarwal and Vettori apart from a tail which consists of Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan and Harshal Vikram Patel, who all have skills to add a few quick runs. KKR, on the flipside, have failed to capitalise on their good batting and bowling lineup so far. They first lost to Delhi Daredevils in a rain-curtailed game and Rajasthan Royals yesterday. In their next encounter with the RCB, KKR, who became the first team to lose both their matches this IPL, would look for a better batting performance and build partnerships to bounce back on the track of winning ways. Losing nine wickets in a truncated match would be a cause of worry for any captain and this continued even in their next outing against RR where they lost four quick wickets in the form of Jacques Kallis, Gautam Gambhir, Brendon McCullum and Debabrata Das for just 25 runs in six overs. Gambhir, who lost India's vice-captaincy to Kohli, would look to give a solid start along side Kallis. A good start would help players like McCullum, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan and Laxmi Ratan Shukla break the shackles. Tiwary would be desperate to prove a point to the Indian team management after being denied a single opportunity during the entire tri-series in Australia and the subsequent Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Tiwary was the only batsman for KKR to make a half century scoring 59 against RR.
— PTI |
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Rohit lifts Mumbai Indians to victory in last-ball thriller
Visakhapatnam, April 9 Earlier, Munaf Patel grabbed four wickets as Mumbai Indians restricted Deccan Chargers for 138 for nine. Patel bowled his usual accurate and wicket-to-wicket line which fetched him four wickets for 20 runs as Deccan failed to build sustained momentum. Munaf got able support from Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga who bagged three wickets. The match was, however, marred by controversy with Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh having a heated and prolonged argument with the field umpires who committed a mistake in not giving Kumar Sangakkara out. The incident happened in the 13th over of Deccan Chargers’ innings with Sangakkara bowled off the bowling of Munaf though the umpires thought otherwise initially. Sangakkara dragged the ball onto the stumps with the bails dislodged and the ball hit wickets again after ricocheting from wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. The field umpires eventually referred the decision to the third umpire who gave Sangakkara out as expected.
— PTI Scoreboard Deccan Chargers Parthiv c Rohit b Munaf 1 Dhawan c Pollard b Malinga 41 Chipli c Malinga b Munaf 1 Christian c Pollard b Munaf 39 S’kara b Munaf 14 White not out 30 Ravi Teja b Malinga 4 Mishra c Munaf b Malinga 0 Steyn b Pollard 2 Ankit c Rayudu b Pollard 1 Extras (b-1, w-4) 5 Total (9 wkts, 20 ovrs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-9, 3-46, 4-82, 5-123, 6-127, 7-127, 8-136, 9-138. Bowling: Harbhajan 4-0-18-0, Munaf 4-0-20-4, Malinga 4-0-27-3, Ojha 4-0-39-0, Pollard 4-0-33-2. Mumbai Indians Suman c & b Steyn 5 Levi b Steyn 3 Rohit not out 73 Rayudu c Dhawan b Mishra 19 Pollard c Dhawan b Christian 24 Karthik b Steyn 7 Franklin not out 7 Extras (b 2, lb 2) 4 Total (5 wkts; 20 ovrs) 142 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-10, 3-58, 4-95, 5-120. Bowling: Ankit 4-0-18-0, Steyn 4-1-12-3, Christian 4-0-49-1, Rajan 2-0-9-0, Mishra 4-0-31-1, White 2-0-19-0.
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Vettori keen to rein in dangerous McCullum
Bangalore, April 9 "I know how destructive he (McCullum) can be and how he can take the game away from us quickly. He is incredibly dangerous and good player so we are going to stop him at top of the order. We did that last year when he played for Kochi. Hopeful we will do the same this year," Vettori told reporters at pre-match press conference here. Apart from strategising to stop McCullum, Vettori is focussed getting a right combination for every game to forge ahead in this year's IPL. He is excited to bowl in tandem with Muralitharan to take take wickets. "Murali is the best bowlers of all time. He is a wicket taker and a strike bowler. So it is important that both of us ball in tandem. Murali is the best guy to throw the ball to when you need a wicket," he said. From captaincy perspective, Vettori said it is quite exciting to have Muralitharan in the side as it makes the job a lot easier. "I was fortunate enough to play with Murali in the world series game a few years back. There I got a chance to know how good he was," he added. Moreover, the team needs bowlers who have skills to take wickets as the wicket at the Chinnaswamy stadium was still good to bat on, Vettori said. Replying to a question, Vettori said the team was pretty confident of dashing West Indian batsman Chris Gayle playing tomorrow. "He is running and batting whole time so we are confident he will be in the side tomorrow," he added. With the inclusion of Gayle in the team, Vettori has a good problem of choosing from plenty of overseas players in the side. "Andrew (McDonald) performed so well in the last game. There will be pressure on all the overseas players to keep performing. As a captain myself it is my responsibility to get the right balance every game.”
— PTI |
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Finger still not good: Tendulkar
New Delhi, April 9 "Finger still not looking good. Had to aspirate blood from my finger twice in 4 days," Tendulkar wrote on his twitter page. The iconic batsman has also posted a picture of his injured finger on Twitter. Tendulkar was batting on 16 and had to retire hurt as he was in considerbale pain after being hit on the gloves. He missed the next match against Pune Warriors but is likely to miss a few more matches. Switching to T20 isn't difficult, says Jayawardene
Delhi Daredevils vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene, who joined the team yesterday along with explosive English batsman Kevin Pietersen, today said that nowadays it's not difficult to switch formats. "As for coming and playing IPL after playing Test cricket doesn't make a difference as these days we keep changing from one format to another very quickly," the Lankan skipper, who has recently scored back-to-back Test hundreds told mediapersons on the eve of their first home game against the Chennai Super Kings. Harmeet in Code of Conduct Breach
Pune: Harmeet Singh Bansal of Kings XI Punjab has got an official warning and reprimand for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's match against Pune Warriors here. Bansal pleaded guilty to a Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.8), for a breach of match playing conditions clause 42.4.2 when he bowled two high full pitched balls during the 18th over of the Pune Warriors innings last night.
— PTI |
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Yuvraj, the comeback king, returns home victorious
Gurgaon, April 9 A number of Yuvi’s admirers as well as the media surrounded him ever since his landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi till his entering the comfy confines of his house in DLF Phase-I of Gurgaon. Sporting a pair of khaki trousers, red T-Shirt and red-and-white cap, the charismatic cricketer thanked his supporters for their good wishes and said he was recovering well and feeling better. In response to a query, 30-year-young Yuvi said it was a great feeling being back home and he looked forward to having gobhi parathas. Yuvi’s mother Shabnam Singh was more than willing to treat her son to a sumptuous luncheon; and much grateful to the entire country for praying for her son’s speedy recovery and comeback on the field. “I am so happy he is back home. ?I express heartfelt thanks to all countrymen who have overwhelmed us with their touching gestures and good wishes,” said Shabnam. On being asked about the future plans, she maintained that Yuvi needed some rest and would go back to his training sessions and eventually to the field as soon as he was fit to do so. Yuvraj, son of yesteryears’ cricketer Yograj Singh, said he would have an open chat with the media on April
11. Welcome back my brother: Tendulkar to Yuvraj
Yuvraj, who underwent three cycles of chemotherapy for a rare germ cell cancer between his lungs, returned home to a rousing welcome from adoring fans. Received by his mother Shabnam at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, Yuvraj came on a Jet Airways flight this morning after spending some days in London to recuperate from the after-effects of the chemotherapy. Tendulkar, who is nursing his injured finger, had met the left-handed batsman in London last month. — PTI
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Chanderpaul ton puts West Indies in charge
Bridgetown, April 9 Chanderpaul batted for 386 minutes for his unbeaten 103, becoming the leading run scorer in Tests at the Kensington Oval while skipper Darren Sammy thrilled the crowd with a quickfire 41. "I never expected to be the person who had the most runs at Kensington. To have the most runs is a hell of an achievement," said Chanderpaul. "Against an opposition like Australia if you're doing well against them you know the world is watching. When you go against them you have to bring your 'A' game. You can't just walk out and decide that you can play anyhow against them. You have to step up." In the morning, Australia took the new ball as soon as it became available but it didn't seem to provide any more movement than the old one. Skipper Michael Clarke had a gully and a short backward point in place to Darren Bravo and the plan worked when he played a tentative shot to the slower pace of Shane Watson, the ball going straight to Mike Hussey.
— AFP Scoreboard West Indies 1st innings Barath c Siddle b Harris 22 Brathwaite c Wade b Siddle 57 Edwards c & b Warner 61 Darren c Mike b Watson 51 Chanderpaul not out 103 Deonarine c Wade b Harris 21 Baugh run out 22 Sammy c Cowan b Hilfenhaus 41 Roach c Clarke b Lyon 16 Edwards c Mike b Lyon 10 Bishoo not out 18 Extras: (b-12, lb-9, w-4, nb-2) 27 Total: (9 wkts, decl, 153 ovrs) 449 Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-142, 3-167, 4-240, 5-285, 6-316, 7-369, 8-402, 9-421. Bowling: Harris 29-8-83-2, Hilfenhaus 33-12-67-1, Siddle 31-10-83-1, Lyon 31-11-94-1, Clarke 2-0-4-0, Watson 15-5-46-1, Warner 10-0-45-2, Mike 2-0-6-0. Australia 1st Innings Cowan batting 13 Warner batting 27 Extras: (4lb) 4 Total: (0 wkts, 9.5 ovrs) 44 Bowling: Edwards 4-1-14-0, Roach 4.5-0-18-0, Bishoo 1-0-8-0.
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Sania slips to 182 in singles ranking
New Delhi, April 9 The Hyderabadi girl has also lost two places in the doubles rankings to be in ninth position, after she and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina suffered a shock first-round defeat at Miami. Meanwhile, the out-of-action Somdev Devvarman has lost 12 more places to be down at 197 in the latest ATP singles rankings list. In doubles, both Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna continued to be at number seven and eight positions, respectively. Bhupathi has also managed to maintain his No. 15 spot in the doubles ranking.
— PTI |
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Harish Sharma Basketball Academy
New Delhi, April 9 Roopam Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, BFI stated: “It is indeed a befitting tribute to the legacy of Harish Sharma who worked tirelessly to promote and popularize basketball. I am touched by the gesture to dedicate The North East Basketball Academy in Guwahati in the memory of Harish". The Academy aims to develop and popularize basketball in North East and for talent scout in the age group of 14-16 years, for both boys and girls.
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HPCA move up
New Delhi, April 9 Scores: HPCA: 271 for 5 (Nikhil Gangta 102, Varun Sharma 60, Sumit Verma 42, Abhinav Bali 38, and Vivek Yadav 2/35).Vidya Jain Academy: 148 (Agnesh Surya 43, Hitesh Tyagi 25, Gurvinder Singh 4/29, Rahul Chara 3/19). Tuesday's fixture: Tedco vs Gush Club at R.S.K.P. ground. |
Spurs beaten
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