Chennai, April 28
Underdogs Kings XI Punjab scored an upset seven-run victory over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match, here today.

Defending a target of 157, Punjab bowlers led by all-rounder Azhar Mahmood held their own at the death as they restricted the much-vaunted CSK batting line-up to 149 for eight, at MA Chidambaram Stadium. Chennai stay put on nine points from as many matches while KXIP are on eight points but occupy the eighth position despite their fourth win.

Credit to Parvinder Awana, Praveen Kumar and Mahmood who bowled the final three overs when CSK needed 39 runs which is considered a gettable target in the shortest format. The three medium pacers bowled a fuller length hardly giving any room to the opposition batsmen who stuttered and lost wickets at regular intervals.

Mahmood played an useful hand at the rear scoring a quickfire 18 off 12 balls and then had impressive figures of three for 25 which also included the prize-scalp of Albie Morkel who was accounted in the first delivery of the final over.

Chennai got off to blistering start with a 47-run opening stand between Subramaniam Badrinath and Faf du Plessis in 5.3 overs. In-form Du Plessis made 29 off 20 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes while Badrinath's 18-ball 25 consisted of four boundaries.

Both set the tone for the chase before Du Plessis was caught and bowled by Mahmood. Mahmood dismissed Badrinath in his second spell when the batsman was caught at the square leg boundary. — PTI

SCOREBOARD
Kings XI Punjab
Mandeep c Raina b Bravo 56
Marsh run out 32
Mahmood lbw b Bravo 18
Miller c Dhoni b Albie 19
David c Jakati b Albie 7
Bipul run out 7
Chawla c Bravo b Albie 0
Saini c & b Kulasekara 6
Praveen not out 6
Awana not out 0
Extras (w 5) 5
Total (8 wkts; 20 ovrs) 156
Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-97, 3-127, 4-133, 5-138, 6-138, 7-148, 8-154
Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-29-1, Albie 4-0-29-3, Ashwin 4-0-25-0, Jakati 2-0-22-0, Raina 1-0-8-0, Bravo 4-0-28-2, Jadeja 1-0-15-0.

Chennai Super Kings
Plessis c & b Mahmood 29
Badrinath c sub b Mahmood 25
Raina st Saini b Chawla 15
Saha b David 6
Jadeja c David b Chawla 17
Dhoni run out 1
Bravo c Chawla b Praveen 30
Albie c Marsh b Mahmood 8
Kulasekara not out 5
Ashwin not out 7
Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-3) 6
Total (8 wkts, 20 ovrs) 149
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-62, 3-71, 4-87, 5-88, 6-98, 7-136, 8-140.
Bowling: Praveen 4-0-40-1, Bhatt 2-0-13-0, Bipul 1-0-11-0, Awana 4-0-34-0, Mahmood 4-0-25-3, Chawla 4-0-20-2, David 1-0-3-1.

Kolkata, April 28
For once Chris Gayle could not provide Royal Challengers Bangalore with an explosive and happy ending as he left himself too much to do against the Kolkata Knight Riders, here tonight. They ultimately lost the match by 47 runs as Gayle too was dismissed in the last over for 86.

Chasing a daunting 191for a win, RCB started off on a horrible note as Yusuf Pathan struck in the first over itself to dismiss Tillekeratne Dilshan. Gayle was then joined by the out-of-form Virat Kohli and the two looked for momentum, but Kohli was sent packing by Kallis. The burly South African struck off the very next ball as he also dismissed AB de Villiers for nought. It was looking too much for even Gayle to accomplish from there on, as falling wickets and a rising run rate were going hand in hand. Sourabh Tiwary and Gayle tried to push on but the Knight Riders kept a tight grip on the proceedings with some intelligent bowling.

They ultimately wrapped up the points in front of a packed crowd when Lakshmi Ratan Shukla had Gayle walking back as he edged a delivery to Brendon McCullum in the last over of the innings.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir led from front with a rollicking 93 as Kolkata Knight Riders posted an imposing 190 for four against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match, here today.

Gambhir survived twice in a Zaheer Khan over and never looked back as he bulldozed the Bangalore bowling by smashing five huge sixes and nine fours in his 51-ball knock.

Everything went right for Kolkata, from winning the toss to a good start and then a good finish at Eden Gardens.

Gambhir and Brendon McCullum put on 95 runs for the opening wicket, their highest first-wicket stand of the season, to lay foundation of a big score.

McCullum supported Gambhir well with his 37-ball 43, which had eight fours and after the fall of the Kiwi, Jacques Kallis (41 off 27 balls) added 80-run for the second wicket with his skipper.

Gambhir's innings meant that the hosts notched up their highest score of this season.

However, Gambhir was not lucky enough to complete his first IPL century as he fell short by seven runs when he was dismissed by Zaheer. He was caught by K P Apanna at the long-off boundary while going for a big shot.

Gambhir survived two catches at the start as Harshal Patel dropped him at the third-man boundary though it was a stunning effort. One ball later Gambhir got a second life on 13 when Gayle missed an easy catch at the gully. — Agencies

SCOREBOARD
Kolkata Knight Riders
McCullum b Vettori 43
Gambhir c Appanna b Zaheer 93
Kallis c Harshal b Vinay 41
Yusuf c Dilshan b Vinay 7
Tiwary not out 1
Extras (lb-1, w-4) 5
Total (4 wkts, 20 ovrs) 190
Fall of wickets: 1-95, 2-175, 3-182, 4-190.
Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-48-1, Vettori 4-0-29-1, Appanna 3-0-27-0, Vinay 4-0-31-2, Dilshan 2-0-19-0, Harshal 3-0-35-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Dilshan c Bhatia b Yusuf 1
Gayle c McCullum b Shukla 86
Kohli lbw b Kallis 18
de Villiers c Shukla b Kallis 0
Tiwary c Gambhir b Bhatia 19
Agarwal b Narine 10
Vettori not out 4
Vinay not out 0
Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 5
Total (6 wkts, 20 ovrs) 143
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-34, 3-34, 4-77, 5-112, 6-143.
Bowling: Yusuf 4-0-19-1, Lee 4-0-34-0, Narine 4-0-11-1, Kallis 4-0-31-2, Bhatia 3-0-41-1, Shukla 1-0-5-1.

New Delhi, April 28
Delhi Daredevils are on a roll, having recorded six wins from eight matches, to top the table with 12 points, in the Indian Premier League. But they still need to iron out a few grey areas if they have to persist with their winning ways. Though Daredevils’ 37-run victory against Mumbai Indians at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground last night was convincing enough, the match could have turned on its head, despite Daredevils putting up a huge total of 207, had Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik stayed put for a few more overs, with their lasing batting display.

Daredevils had failed to seize the initiative despite losing the top three MI wickets, including that of Sachin Tendulkar, for 19 runs, as the hosts allowed Rayudu and Karthik to flourish, as they put on 93 runs. Had Ajit Agarkar not removed the dangerous-looking Karthik for 40, MI would have taken the fight into Daredevils den. Delhi were also lucky that Kiron Pollard got out cheaply, as his fall while fielding, seemed to have taken a toll on him.

Even then, Mumbai’s score of 170 for 9 was no mean achievement, and Daredevils need to guard against complacency when they take on Rajasthan Royals at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here tomorrow at 4 p.m.

For, Rajasthan Royals, led by former Indian captain Rahul Dravid, would prove to be more than a handful if they are allowed escape routes, and Daredevils just cannot afford to slacken in any department when they clash for the first time, in Season V of IPL. Royals’ confidence has taken a big knock, due to some unexpected losses, to lag at eight points from as many matches, though they have still enough matches on hand to bounce back, and they would strive hard to beard Daredevils on their home turf.

Daredevils’ confidence level has gone up with captain Virender Sehwag playing match-winning knocks. He has scored half centuries in the last three matches, to become a potent batting force, and what is worrisome for the rival teams is the manner in which he decimates the bowling. Mahela Jayawardene has rediscovered his batting form, and Kevin Pietersen keeps up his reputation as the butcher of bowling, with his innovative batting displays, to give Daredevils the kind of solidity not many teams can boast of. But a big knock from Irfan Pathan is overdue, and his early exit against MI, cramped Daredevils’ run flow for a couple of overs, till Pietersen came back roaring to take the Mumbai bowling to the cleaners.

Rahul Dravid is a seasoned skipper, and under his dynamic leadership, Royals are expected to stage a recovery. On the present form, the hosts definitely hold the advantage, unless they indulge in self-destruction. Royals are certainly not in high spirits after suffering a last-over loss to Chennai Super Kings in an away match, and the home defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 runs, in their last tie. Yet, the visitors cannot be wished away as also-rans.

Mumbai, April 28
The inconsistent Mumbai Indians would be keen to rediscover their winning touch when they clash with bottom-placed Deccan Chargers in the return leg game of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium here tomorrow.

After a five-game losing streak, the Chargers earned their first points against Kolkata Knight Riders in a washed-out game and then scored their first win of the season against Pune Warriors in the latter's backyard.

MI's performance has waxed and waned from the opening encounter against defending champions Chennai Super Kings and they go into the game against the Chargers with a 50:50 win-loss record, their last defeat occurring last night against the Delhi Daredevils.

Another defeat would dent their chances of advancing to the play-off stage of the competition considerably.

Chargers, on the other hand, would be keen to set right the last-ball defeat suffered against MI at Visakhapatnam on April 9 when Rohit Sharma carried the latter across the finish line with an unbeaten 73.

With just eight points from as man games, the task has become more challenging for MI to make it to the last four. Some bad luck, in the form of injuries to key players, has also set MI back. When Sachin Tendulkar regained fitness to finally take the field after recovering from the finger injury sustained in the tournament opener, the team's bowling spearhead, Lasith Malinga, was laid low by a sore back.

Malinga returned to the playing eleven at Delhi's Ferozshah Kotla but the side were without James Franklin in the same match after the New Zealander had cracked a match-winning 79 against Kings XI here on April 22.

Franklin's replacement at the top of the order – Aiden Blizzard – fell for a third-ball duck against the Daredevils.

The Tendulkar-Blizzard opening combination was the sixth one tried out by MI in eight games, an indication of the struggle the team has gone through to put up a settled opening pair on the field.

The latest worry for MI is the shoulder injury sustained by their main all rounder Kieron Pollard who fell on the right shoulder while fielding and looked in pain after hitting a huge six when batting later. The bowling form of Munaf Patel and skipper Harbhajan Singh is also a major worry for MI. Harbhajan has taken just one wicket in eight games.

Tendulkar returned to IPL after missing four games, but has looked a bit rusty. The team's unsettled opening pair has hurt the batting order which has been wobbly on all but three occasions. — PTI

New Delhi, April 28
India's P Kashyap's gritty performance before losing to world No 17 Shon Wan Ho of Korea in a three-game thriller to draw curtains on Indian campaign at the Yonex Sunrise India Open Super Series, here today.

Thirteen ranking points separated the two but Olympic bound Kashyap showed a lot of gumption during his 71-minute battle against the Korean before losing by 14-21 21-19 16-21 margin at the Siri fort stadium here. Kashyap played long rallies and made some brilliant returns but he left enough opening for his rival to capitalise as the Korean lead 11-7 at the break. The Korean exploited the Indian's weakness and extended the lead to 18-11 before sealing it with a roaring smash from the mid-court.

In the second game, Wan once again opened up a narrow 4-1 lead. Kashyap tried to break Wan Ho's rhythm and caught up with the Korean at 10-10, much to the delight of the vociferous crowd and then surged ahead 18-16 with a couple of cross-court smashes.

The Korean clawed back at 18-18 but he faltered at the fag end as Kashyap closed the game at 21-19.

In the decider, Wan Ho committed some unforced errors early on to allow Kashyap to lead 5-2 but he drew parity at 7-7 and with Kashyap faltering at the net, the Korean lead 11-10 at the break.

After the change of ends, Wan Ho extended the lead to 15-11 before moving on to 18-12, courtesy unforced errors on Kashyap's part.

Kashyap did play a few splendid shots as well but in the end it was the Korean who had the last laugh.

In the other semi-final, World No 1 and defending champion Lee Chong Wei was on course for his second consecutive title after notching up a 21-13 21-7 victory over Chinese Taipei's Jen Hao Hsu to set up a clash with Wan Ho.

In the women's singles, world No 8 and sixth seed German Juliane Schenk ended the giant-killing spree of Chinese qualifier Xiao Jia Chen 21-16 21-13 in a 42-minute battle.

In the final, Juliane will take on fourth seed Chinese Yanjiao Jiang after her semi-final opponent of China Xuerui Li pulled out citing an injury.

Among others, fifth seed Thai pair of Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam edged past Chinese combo of Tao Jiaming and Xia Huan 21-19 22-20 in 47 minutes to reach the finals.

They will take on second seeds Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia, who beat third seed Korean pair of Yong Dae Lee and Jung Eun Ha 21-7 21-14 in another mixed doubles semifinal match.

In men's doubles, Thai pair of Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit saw off Indonesian pair of Angga Pratama and Ryan Agung Saputra 21-15 20-22 21-15 in 48 minutes. — PTI

Pep Guardiola described four years of coaching Barcelona as an eternity yesterday. For Barcelona players and supporters, his departure means that Tito Vilanova will take over the reins from Guardiola, who took the club to dizzying heights after just one year’s experience as Barcelona's B team coach. But this season, the club had just finished 18 points behind Real Madrid in the league.

Yesterday the players he had moulded into one of the greatest teams ever were there to watch him confirm his departure - notably the senior players Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez, who under Guardiola’s guidance had finally won the trophies their careers deserved, and Andres Iniesta, who like Xavi, had been viewed as too lightweight for many of the club’s biggest games under previous coach Frank Rijkaard, but who blossomed under Guardiola.

Victor Valdes, who had gone from being an accident-prone keeper to one of the top three in the world was also present. Gerard Pique, who he brought back from Manchester United, and Pedro and Sergi Busquets who he promoted from the youth team he had taken from the third division to the second as champions in his only other season in football management.

For some his departure was harder to take than for others. Cesc Fabregas joined the club last season to fulfil a dream not just to play for the club he supported as a boy but also for his boyhood hero. His face was longer than most and for the absent Leo Messi the disappointment at losing his mentor was too much.

Messi became the world’s greatest player during his tenure. Under the previous manager, Frank Rijkaard, his goals-per-games ratio was 0.39 - under Guardiola it shot to more than a goal a game. Messi would have improved naturally under any coach but Guardiola’s decision to move him to a withdrawn centre-forward position was one of the coach’s masterstrokes.

Many of the watching players had played in Guardiola’s first game in charge - a disappointing away defeat to Numancia. The new Pep team as it was later named then drew their first home match against Racing Santander, giving rise to whispers that the club had erred in giving so much responsibility to an untried manager, when Jose Mourinho was also available. But the team then beat Sporting Gijon 6-1 away and never looked back, winning 13 trophies.

Guardiola won the Spanish Cup, the league and the Champions League in his first season, lifting the European Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the World Club Cup to complete a debut clean sweep. The league was won the following season and in his third campaign he did the domestic and Champions League double. His trophy count puts him three clear of Johan Cruyff as the club’s most successful manager. — By arrangement with The Independent

Patiala, April 28
After grappler Sushil Kumar reserved his berth for the London Olympics, now the focus shifts on to the women wrestlers who will get in action on the last day of the First World Qualifying Tournament that is underway at Taiyuan, China. Since 55 kg weight category Indian wrestler Geeta Phogat has already qualified for London Games, India has sent wrestlers for the remaining three Olympic weight categories - Babita (48 kg), Anita (63 kg) and Gursharanpreet Kaur (72 kg).

This tournament is an acid test for these wrestlers because this is the last opportunity for them to live their London Dream as there is very little gap between this tournament and the last Olympic qualifier, which begins in Helsinki from May 4. Therefore, the WFI has selected three other players to represent India in the last tournament.

Though there is uncertainty over whether an individual player qualifies for Olympics or a weight category. Some senior wrestling coaches have informed that it is not an individual player that is chosen for the Olympics, but a weight category. In that case, the federation can replace a player and send another player in the same weight categories under various circumstances, including critical injury of the player who actually qualified for the Games. The general trend in the country is that the player who qualifies is the one who is sent, they added.

Following the trend, this certainly will be the most crucial day for these wrestlers. While Anita and Geeta’s younger sister Babita are Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist, respectively, Gursharanpreet Kaur had won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Championship in the past. Indian hopes are pinned up especially on Anita and Babita because they have been performing really well at international level in past few years.

It is worth mentioning that while Anita lost a very close bout during the Asian Qualifying Tournament recently and could not make it Olympics, Babita was not allowed to take part in the trials for the Asian qualifiers and hence was not included in the Indian squad because she was found overweight in a prior tournament. 

Chandigarh, April 28
In the 3rd Invitational T-20 Cricket Tournament being played at Pinegrove School, Dharampur, hosts Pinegrove School triumphed over Sherwood College, Nanital by 8 wickets and booked their place in the finals. Sherwood boys won the toss and elected to bat first posting a reasonable total of 118 runs in their stipulated 20 overs. Vikas was the highest scorer with 34 runs followed by Deepesh who remained not out on 23 runs.

There was some customary early movement, ruthlessly exploited by Sahil Bal enabling him to take 4 wickets for a miserly 21 runs. Mansher and Salil chipped in with 2 wickets a piece as well for Pinegrove. An astonishing display of non-stop shot making from their openers led the home team comfortably victorious, scoring the required runs in 10.5 overs for the loss of just 2 wickets. The home team openers soon realised that the pitch held no demons and played with increasing freedom giving them a solid foundation of 86 runs. Parteek was all about power and placement as he treated the crowd to his dazzling array of strokes all round the wicket scoring a superb 43, Aldrin contributed a classic 46. Sahil Bal was adjudged the Man of the match for his impressive performance with the ball.

In another exciting match Mayo College Boys School, Ajmer got the better of Punjab Public School, Nabha by 7 wickets. PPS boys batted first and scored a challenging 152 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. A useful 47 runs from Karansher Singh and 16 runs from Jaspreet enabled them to reach 152. For Mayo, Uday Tomar took 3 wickets while Vivek added 2 wickets to his kitty.

Things just didn’t go right for PPS boys and everything went according to script for Mayo. Mayo boys started on a confident note and were always in the hunt. Their reply got off to a flying start as Prateek Shankar dismantled the PPS attack hitting fours and sixes, blasting 60 from a mere 48 balls faced helping Mayo outplay their opponents by 7 wickets. He was also declared Man of the match for his herculean effort. Taranjot for PPS was the only bowler to impress taking two wickets.

In one more league match Mayo played earlier under floodlight Mayo boys overpowered Sherwood College, Nainital to storm into the finals and set a title clash with the hosts. PPS Lads won the toss and elected to bat first. They lost wickets at regular intervals.