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Kings from Punjab rule in Kolkata
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Ryder, Smith lead Warriors to 7-wicket win over Chennai
Centurion Rahane gives Rajasthan a Royal win
Sachin set to return as Mumbai take on in-form Daredevils
Pune’s Samuels reported for suspect bowling action
Chandigarh golfer qualifies for Mercedes World Finals
Mercedes’ Rosberg claims maiden win in Chinese GP
Unimpressive start by Olympic hopeful archers
Force India misses points
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Kings from Punjab rule in Kolkata
Kolkata, April 15 Chasing a target of 135 on a tricky Eden pitch, KKR needed nine runs off the final over but medium pacer Harmeet gave away only six runs. Debabrata Das, who played a lovely cameo (35, 23 balls, 3x4, 1x6), failed to hit a boundary off the final delivery as home team ended on 132 as Kings XI won their second match of the tourney. Debabrata, who played for KKR in first edition of IPL before being dumped during three subsequent seasons, almost took his team to victory with some lusty blows after they were down in the dumps at 88 for six. Along with Harmeet, India seamer Praveen Kumar bowled a brilliant penultimate over where only four runs were scored. Also spinners Piyush Chawla (3/18) and Bhargav Bhatt (2/22) should be lauded for sharing five wickets for only 42 runs in the eight overs bowled by them. It was pity that KKR offie Sunil Narine's brilliant figures of five for 19 were undone by some indiscreet shot making on the part of home team batsmen, especially Manvinder Bisla and Yusuf Pathan. On a track, where the spinners are getting fair amount of assistance, a target of 135 was always going to be difficult. While Jacques Kallis (1) was gone early, thanks to a brilliant catch by Paras Dogra, skipper Gautam Gambhir hit a flurry of boundaries on his way 22 before he offered a tame return catch to Dimitri Mascarenhas. At 30 for two, in-form Bisla (27, 25 balls, 1x4, 1x6) and Manoj Tiwary (20, 27 balls, 1x4) added 43 runs for the third wicket and it looked KKR will coast home easily. However left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt angled one into Tiwary who was caught plumb in-front as KKR were 73 for three. Within another six runs, it was Bisla who played all over a Chawla delivery to be bowled. Pathan tried a paddle sweep but the ball jumped off his pad straps to clip the bails. KKR went further down in the dumps as Shakib Al Hasan lobbed an easy catch to Gilchrist off Chawla's bowling as home team stuttered at 88 for six. Earlier, Narine foxed Kings XI Punjab with a brilliant five-for that helped KKR restrict the visitors to 134 for nine in stipulated 20 overs. Put into bat, Kings XI batsmen failed to read Narine's deliveries as the Trinidad spinner had figures of 4-0-19-5 to show for his efforts which also proved why KKR bought him for a handosme price of $700,000. The Trinidad spinner after being introduced in the third over took two prized scalps of Adam Gilchrist (5) and an in-form Shaun Marsh (1) in two overs to dent the Kings XI progress. Gilchrist along with his new opening partner Mandeep Singh started positively with the duo racing to 14 for no loss in two overs but Narine's spell (2-0-5-2) cost them dear as they were reduced to 21/2 in 4.2 overs. — PTI SCOREBOARD Kings XI Punjab Gilchrist c Tiwary b Narine 5 Mandeep c ten Doeschate b Shakib 38 Marsh b Narine 1 Hussey run out 32 Dogra c Das b Bhatia 6 Sharma c Bisla b Narine 12 Mascarenhas c Bisla b Bhatia 0 Chawla not out 13 Praveen b Narine 0 Harmeet c Bisla b Narine 14 Bhatt not out 6 Extras (LB-6, WD-1) 7 Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 134 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-21, 3-73, 4-85, 5-99, 6-100, 7-104, 8-104, 9-128. Bowling: Y Pathan 1-0-7-0, Kallis 4-0-30-0, Narine 4-0-19-5, Al Hasan 4-0-26-1, Unadkat 3-0-32-0, Bhatia 4-0-14-2. Kolkata Knight Riders Kallis c Dogra b Bhatt 1 Gambhir c&b Mascarenhas 22 Bisla b Chawla 27 Tiwary lbw Bhatt 20 Al Hasan c&b Chawla 4 Yousuf b Chawla 0 Das not out 35 ten Doeschate b Harmeet 11 Bhatia not out 3 Extras (B-4, LB-3, WD-2) 9 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 132 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-30, 3-73, 4-79, 5-79, 6-88, 7-128. Bowling: Parveen 4-0-22-0, Bhatt 4-0-24-2, Mascarenhas 4-0-34-1, Harmeet 4-0-27-1, Chawla 4-0-18-3.
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Ryder, Smith lead Warriors to 7-wicket win over Chennai
Pune, April 15 Steven Smith was equally brilliant as he smashed 44 off just 22 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Chasing 156 for victory, the Warriors needed 34 off the last three overs. Smith carted Dwayne Bravo for a six and a four to bring the equation down to 22 off 12. Ryder then launched into Nuwan Kulasekara as he pulled and cut the medium pacer for two fours on either side of the wicket. Requiring 10 in the final over, the Warriors cantered home with four balls to spare after Smith hit a four and a six over cover off Yo Mahesh. Ryder hit seven fours and a six during his stay at the wicket. Robin Uthappa started the chase in earnest, pulling Albie Morkel for a six over mid-wicket in the second over. But the Karnataka batsman could not sustain the initial momentum as he was run out by Kulasekara. Ryder was, however, unfazed by the dismissal of his partner as he went about the task in a calculated manner. After hitting Kulasekara for three boundaries on the leg-side prior to Uthappa's wicket, the burly Ryder found the fence against Morkel and Dwayne Bravo at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. But what must have hurt the Warriors at that point of time was the lack of support from the other end. Yet to find form with the bat, the trend continued for skipper Sourav Ganguly who, despite digging on for some time, could not score more than 16. Marlon Samuels flopped again as he got out to a horrendous shot off the bowling of Mahesh after wasting 15 deliveries for his eight runs, before Smith and Ryder turned the tide in their team's favour. — PTI
SCOREBOARD Chennai Super Kings Plessis st Uthappa b Rahul 43 Vijay c Dinda b Mathews 8 Raina c Smith b Rahul 20 Dhoni c Kartik b Dinda 26 Jadeja c Smith b Nehra 44 Albie not out 3 Bravo not out 5 Extras: (lb-1, w-3, nb-2) 6 Total: (5 wkts, 20 ovrs) 155 Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-67, 3-86, 4-147, 5-148. Bowling: Kartik 3-0-18-0, Dinda 4-0-30-1, Nehra 4-0-43-1, Rahul 3-0-16-2, Samuels 4-0-29-0 , Mathews 2-0-18-1. Pune Warriors Uthappa run out 10 Ryder not out 73 Ganguly run out 16 Samuels b Mahesh 8 Smith not out 44 Extras (lb 2, w 3) 5 Total (3 wkts; 19.2 ovrs) 156 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-65, 3-90. Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-38-0, Albie 2-0-22-0, Ashwin 4-0-19-0, Bravo 3-0-31-0, Raina 4-0-22-0, Mahesh 2.2-0-22-1.
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Centurion Rahane gives Rajasthan a Royal win
Bangalore, April 15 Rahane produced a scintillating 103-run unbeaten knock off just 60 balls and together with Owais Shah (60) stitched 121 runs off 8.2 overs for the second wicket to guide Rajasthan to a mammoth 195 for two after opting to bat at the R Chinnaswamy Stadium. Rahane carried on his good form in the tournament and showed his intentions from the onset. He decorated his unconquered innings with 12 boundaries and five huge sixes to stamp his authority on the highest run-scorer of the tournament list. Rahane was a treat to watch as he pulled, cut and drove RCB bowlers with consummate ease during his century knock. Coming in at number three position, Shah provided Rahane the perfect support from the other end, scoring a quickfire 60 off just 29 balls during which he struck five fours and as many sixes. Chasing the formidable total, RCB lost the plot after a quick start and lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 136 in 19.5 overs. Trivedi starred with the ball for Rajasthan with brilliant figures of four for 23, while Pankaj Singh (2/18) and Amit Singh (2/43) also scalped two wickets apiece. Mayank Agarwal (34 off 21) gave a brisk start to RCB's run chase before Pankaj pegged back the visitor's innings with a double blow in the fifth over. Pankaj first dismissed Agarwal, who top-edged a simple catch to Shah and then a ball later he induced an inside edge on to the stumps from dangerman Chris Gayle to shatter RCB's chase. To make matters worse for RCB, A B de Villiers also failed to make any impact as he played on a Trivedi delivery in the ninth over. Virat Kohli tried to force a comeback with an 18-ball 22-run innings but it was not to be as Trivedi knocked him over with a slower delivery to pick up his second wicket of the day. As the asking rate kept on mounting, pressure started to build on RCB batsmen and in search of quick runs, the visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Trivedi turned out to be the beneficiary as he added two more to his tally, cleaning up Saurabh Trivedi (17) and RCB skipper Daniel Vettori in the 15th over. — PTI SCOREBOARD Rajasthan Royals Dravid st de Villiers b Vettori 25 Rahane not out 103 Shah c Vinay b Zaheer 60 Hodge not out 1 Extras
(B-4, LB-1, WD-1) 6 Total (2 wkts; 20 overs) 195 Fall of
wickets: 1-62, 2-183 Bowling: Zaheer 4-1-15-1, Aravind 3-0-48-0, Vinay 4-0-51-0, Vettori 4-0-20-1, Muralitharan 4-0-35-0, Gayle 1-0-21-0. Royal Challengers Bangalore Agarwal c Shah b Pankaj 34 Gayle b Pankaj 8 Kohli b Trivedi 22 de Villiers b Trivedi 6 Tiwary b Trivedi 17 Kaif c Hodge b Botha 14 Vettori b Trivedi 1 Vinay b Singh 11 Zaheer c Rahane b Hogg 0 Aravind not out 14 Muralitharan c Rahane b Singh 6 Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3 Total
(all out; 19.5 overs) 136 Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-42, 3-69, 4-78, 5-101, 6-103, 7-107, 8-116, 9-120 Bowling: Botha 4-0-30-1, Pankaj 4-0-18-2, A Singh 3.5-0 -43-2, Hogg 4-0-19-1, Trivedi 4-0-25-4. |
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Sachin set to return as Mumbai take on in-form Daredevils
The batting maestro sustained a finger injury in his right hand in the IPL season opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on April 4 and missed the next three games. Yesterday he took part in his first batting practice, facing throw-downs for 45 minutes while the rest of the MI team members had a net session at the Wankhede Stadium. Since the IPL season opener against Chennai, Mumbai Indians have not had a solid start but with Tendulkar expected to take his spot at the top of batting order, MI can hope for a strong opening stand for the likes of Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma to feast on later. Neither T Suman, who opened in two games, nor Ambati Rayudu, who got a chance to launch the innings in the other game, prospered in Tendulkar's absence. South African Richard Levi, who debuted in the IPL in style with a man-of-the-match award-winning half century when Tendulkar was at the other end, also has not done anything extraordinary since the opening game. A victory for MI tomorrow would be their third on the trot and help them shoot their way back to the top while a win for the Daredevils would take them to six points and keep them among the leading teams on the points table. The Daredevils have the momentum, and the comprehensive victory over Chennai in their last game would have given them enormous confidence. Sufficiently rested after that eight-wicket victory at home, the Daredevils pose a very strong challenge to the might of MI. The visiting team has a formidable pace battery at its command with the gangling Morne Morkel with the ability to extract bounce and Umesh Yadav giving it the cutting edge. The side appears a bit weak in the spin department which could be a handicap if the wicket at the Wankhede starts to provide the sort of turn that was on view in the game against Pune Warriors on April 6. — PTI
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Pune’s Samuels reported for suspect bowling action
Pune, April 15 According to a media release issued by IPL, on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford along with TV umpire Vineet Kulkarni reported about West Indian cricketer's action. "Marlon Samuels has been reported for bowling certain deliveries with a suspected illegal action during IPL match against Chennai Super Kings, played in Pune on 14 April 2012. The bowler was reported by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford, along with third umpire Vineet Kulkarni, at the conclusion of the match," the release stated. Samuels' action has been under scanner for quite some time but the murmers were gaining momentum as some of his fast off-breaks created a lot of suspicion. The delivery that cleaned up Mumbai Indians' Surya Kumar Yadav was bowled at a lot of pace and against CSK, Samuels bowled one over at a speed of over 122 kmph, average speed of Praveen and Vinay Kumar. As of now Samuels can bowl but if reported once again, he will be debarred from bowling during matches. "Under the IPL Suspected Illegal Bowling Action policy, Mr Samuels may continue to be selected to play and bowl for Pune Warriors India but should he be reported a second time, he will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the season," the release further stated. — PTI
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Chandigarh golfer qualifies for Mercedes World Finals
Chandigarh, April 15 In a keenly-contested event, 40 winners from regional qualifiers of Mercedes Trophy fought it out yesterday at Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, to secure three coveted spots in the World Finals. This year Mercedes Trophy saw the largest draw of around 2000 amateurs golfers in India who participated in qualifying rounds held at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chandigarh over the last few months. Only 40 golfers made it to the national finals today and three ultimate winners will represent India at the world finals to be held in Stuttgart, Germany in September this year and get a chance to win against participants from 43 countries in the world. This is the 12 th Edition of Mercedes Trophy in India. The National Final participants also got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of putting their driving skills to test with a track driving experience on the fabulous new Buddh International F1 circuit.
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Jwala wants to avoid Olympic pressure
New Delhi, April 15 Jwala would be partnering Ashwini Ponnappa and V Diju at the Asian Badminton Championships and the Indian Open in the women's and mixed doubles categories, respectively. They have to secure enough ranking points before the May 3 deadline to earn an Olympic berth and Jwala said she was taking it easy mentally to ensure there is no undue pressure. "We have created history, so we don't need to worry. I have spoken to both my partners that we shouldn't take pressure. It doesn't matter if we don't qualify. Yes, Olympics is precious but if you keep thinking about Olympics then you will take pressure," said Jwala. "We have been training with (Syed Mohammed) Arif sir for the last few weeks and he makes us slog like anything. Right now, I'm training for ABC, as this and then India Open is very important tournament for me. He pushes me more on basics, more on-court practice. After India Open, I will train more specifically for Olympics," Jwala explained. Asked about the tricky draws that await her, Jwala said she is not bothered about that as it is always expected to be tough. Jwala put up a rather disappointing performance in the last three tournaments and she feels playing too much and pressure of expectations might have affected her show. — PTI
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Mercedes’ Rosberg claims maiden win in Chinese GP
Shanghai, April 15 The German’s faultless drive in Shanghai saw him home more than 20 seconds ahead of the McLarens of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, for what was also Mercedes’ first victory since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. The Red Bull of Mark Webber was fourth and reigning two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel fifth after some frantic jostling for the other podium places. There was no such trouble for the 26-year-old Rosberg. “Unbelievable. It’s been a long time coming for the team also. It’s finally there. It’s amazing. I didn’t expect to be this fast today. I was very happy with the entire race.” After finishing 12th and 13th in the first two grands prix of the season, in Australia and Malaysia, Rosberg said he was delighted his team had managed to turn practice and qualifying speed into genuine race pace. “We’ve been working very hard. We struggled in the first two races but progressed so quickly.” Summing up his weekend he said: “It all came together.” Button, the 2009 world champion, was delighted to secure second after that place changed hands repeatedly up until nearly the very end of a compelling race. “There were some really good battles out there,” said the Briton. Hamilton was dealt a blow by a chaotic last stop in the pits, although he admitted he might never have caught the speedy Mercedes. “I stopped on the markers and had a problem on the rear,” he revealed. “I got stuck for maybe 10 seconds,” he added, allowing Rosberg to streak into a clear lead that he never looked likely to surrender. The first two (stops) were very good. These things happen.” Rosberg showed no early nerves from pole position and made the perfect start to stay ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher going into the crucial first corner at an overcast but dry Shanghai International Circuit. — Agencies
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Unimpressive start by Olympic hopeful archers
Kolkata, April 15 According to information received here, the women's compound team lost to Italy in the bronze play-off to end their campaign with only one medal-the silver that was earned by the women's recurve trio of Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Chekorvulo Swuro. India had a poor ninth-place finish in the 12-team medal standings that was topped by the USA. The London Olympics-bound trio of Deepika, Bombayla and Swuro had yesterday lost to their Korean counterparts in the team final to settle for a silver, India's only medal from the season opener. — PTI |
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Shanghai, April 15 It was difficult for both the drivers since their position on the grid was not that good. Paul had started 15th, just ahead of teammate Nico on the grid and to their credit, at least improved on those positions. “It was an extremely close race today and although we were able to keep ourselves in the hunt, we were just missing the pace to catch people and make up any more ground. “So it was a bit like the race in Australia where there were lots of cars running very close to each other and a lot of guys nursing their tyres. I think we made some good calls with the tyres and there were lots of different strategies playing out around us,” Paul said. Force India had scored one point at Australian Grand Prix and eight at Malaysian Grand Prix. Nico conceded it was tough day for them. “I didn’t get a great start because there was a lot of wheelspin and I lost a few places straight away. Then I picked up some damage to my front wing on the first lap. I don’t think I hit anybody, but there was a lot of debris flying around going into turn one so maybe that’s when it happened,” Nico said. — PTI
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Mumbai, April 15
Nico Rosberg celebrated the first victory of his Formula One career, and the first in 57 years by Mercedes, after a dominant performance from pole position to chequered flag in China on Sunday.
The German’s 111-race wait for a win ended in a joyous champagne drenching as he joined an elite club of F1 drivers who have followed in the tracks of their racing fathers as grand prix winners.
Mumbai, April 15
