Chennai, April 30
Gautam Gambhir led from the front as it was his innings of 63 runs that proved crucial as Kolkata Knight Riders continued their impressive campaign by beating Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets, denting their title defence, in their Indian Premier League match here tonight.

By the time Gambhir was dismissed, the Knight Riders had a rather solid grip over the proceedings and in the end Yusuf Pathan and Das went through the motions as their side romped to victory in the final over.

Earlier, Jacques Kallis led a disciplined bowling effort with two important wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders restricted Chennai Super Kings to a modest 139 for five. Kallis took the wickets of Suresh Raina, who top-scored for the hosts with a 34-ball 44, and West Indian hard-hitter Dwayne Bravo, to finish with 2/21.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained unbeaten on 34 off 30 balls. Opting to bat after winning the toss, defending champions Super Kings were never allowed to get off the hook by the KKR bowlers. — PTI

SCOREBOARD
Chennai Super Kings
Plessis c McCullum b Lee 3
Mike run out 18
Raina c Yusuf b Kallis 44
Bravo c Abdulla b Kallis 12
Dhoni not out 34
Jadeja c Das b Narine 9
Albie not out 13
Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-3) 5
Total: (5 wkts, 20 ovrs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-32, 3-74, 4-88, 5-118.
Bowling: Abdulla 3-0-18-0, Lee 4-0-34-1, Yusuf 1-0-10-0, Narine 4-0-24-1, Kallis 4-0-21-2, Bhatia 3-0-22-0, Shukla 1-0-7-0.

Kolkata Knight Riders
Gambhir lbw b Bravo 63
McCullum c Jakati b Ashwin 2
Kallis c Dhoni b Bravo 26
Tiwary c Mahesh b Albie 13
Yusuf c Plessis b Ashwin 12
Das not out 11
Shukla not out 0
Extras (lb 4, w 8, nb 1) 13
Total (5 wkts; 19.4 ovrs) 140
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-84, 3-112, 4-124, 5-136.
Bowling: Jakati 2-0-17-0, Albie 4-0-24-1, Ashwin 3.4-0-22-2, Mahesh 1-0-11-0, Jadeja 2-0-13-0, Bravo 4-0-27-2, Raina 3-0-22-0.

Chennai, April 30
Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina today became the first-ever batsman to cross 2000 runs in the Indian Premier League. Raina achieved the feat during the course of his 44-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders at the M A Chidambaram Stadium here.

Prior to this match, the left-handed Raina had 1865 runs from 64 matches at an average of 35.86. Raina, who top-scored for his team today, has been playing in the cash-rich Twenty20 league since its inaugural edition in 2008. — PTI

Jaipur, April 30
A low-on-morale Rajasthan Royals will be looking to make amends when they take on the formidable Delhi Daredevils just 48 hours after losing a close away game, in their Indian Premier League match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here tomorrow. Rajasthan would be eager to put behind the disappointment of last night's defeat when the Daredevils pulled off a dramatic one-run win from the jaws of defeat.

The Royals needed to score just 15 runs in the last two overs but Morne Morkel's penultimate over completely changed the complexion of the match as he gave away just three runs, picking up the wicket of Brad Hodge to turn the tables.

Although the hosts would be hoping for a change of fortunes in their own den tomorrow, the Royals would have to battle it out not just against a strong Delhi outfit in the field but also have to overcome the psychological barrier.

The Royals have lost three matches on the trot and will be looking at Australia's prolific all-rounder Shane Watson, who would be joining the squad tomorrow, to boost up the morale of the side and put it back on the winning track. Skipper Rahul Dravid had earlier said that the arrival of Watson would lend balance to the side as he was the mainstay of the Royals' triumph in the first edition of the IPL.

Watson, in all probability, would be opening the innings along with in-form Ajinkya Rahane and Rajasthan would expect the two to give them a solid start. Dravid, who scored a quick-fire 40 last night, may just come down the order to provide solidarity to the middle order. Brad Hodge, Owais Shah and Ashok Menaria, though have been inconsistent with the bat in the middle overs, and would look to get their act together.

The form of wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami is also under the scanner.

Apart from Kevon Cooper and Siddharth Trivedi, no one has looked consistent with the ball for the Royals. Even as Pankaj Singh (2 for 25) did well yesterday, they will have to fire in unison tomorrow.

On the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils, having won seven out of nine matches, would be looking to carry on the momentum.

The fact that they won last night's match only in the closing overs would play on their minds and the visitors would be wanting to register a more convincing victory.

The Daredevils are aware of the glorious uncertainties of Twenty20 cricket and would be more cautious against the Royals. — PTI

New Delhi, April 30
Morne Morkel's penultimate over, which yielded just three runs and a wicket, helped table- toppers Delhi Daredevils snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, said a disappointed Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid after his side slumped to an unexpected one-run loss in an Indian Premier League match here yesterday.

Chasing 153 for victory, the Royals were comfortably placed at 138 for one after 18 overs. But Morkel's penultimate over completely changed the complexion of the match.

Needing 12 runs off the last over bowled by Umesh Yadav, the Royals could only manage 10 as Owais Shah was run out by a direct throw from wicketkeeper Naman Ojha as the two batsmen ran for a desperate single in order to level the scores and take the match into Super Over.

"It was disappointing to lose from that position. We had the game within our grasp till the 18th over, but Morne's 19th over was crucial. He bowled really good balls. We must give credit to him the way he bowled under pressure," Dravid said at the post-match press conference.

"It happens in Twenty20 cricket. May be we could have finished the game much earlier. "But we will have to bounce back (from this defeat), we have no other option. We probably needed the points more than Delhi," he added. — PTI

Cuttak, April 30
Having lost to Deccan Chargers at home earlier this week, Pune Warriors will look to extract revenge when the two teams square off in an Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.

The Sourav Ganguly-led Warriors are currently placed at No. 7 in the points table, with just four wins out of the nine and the team would like to put its campaign back on track against table-trailers Chargers.

The bowling troika of Marlon Samuels, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rahul Sharma looked ordinary against Chargers at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. However, Pune can take some heart from the performance of Ashish Nehra and South African import Alfanso Thomas. Thomas has particularly been impressive with the ball conceding just over six runs an over in the three matches he has played for the Warriors so far.

Nehra, on the other hand, has looked good in patches, but his inability to strike early in the last few games have raised concerns in the Pune camp.

The form of leg-spinner Rahul Sharma is also a matter of worry for the visitors and with Ashok Dinda still nursing a side strain the Pune attack wears a rather depleted look. Their batsmen have been performing well, but the team would want its top-order to be more consistent. Jesse Ryder has amassed 224 runs in the tournament so far, courtesy his 86-run knock against Delhi Daredevils and another 73 against Chennai Super Kings, but in the rest of the matches the New Zealander has struggled to get going.

The skipper also hasn't wielded his bat to much of an effect with 41 being his highest. Samuels and Manish Pandey, too, have not been able to prove their worth so far. The only consistent performance for the Warriors has come from Robin Uthappa and Australian recruit Steven Smith. — PTI

Mumbai, April 30
All-rounder Cameron White, who led the Deccan Chargers in their IPL game against Mumbai Indians, said it was unselfish of regular skipper Kumar Sangakkara to drop himself from the playing eleven and hand over the leadership to him.

"Darren Lehmann (team coach) and Kumar were discussing and decided the best team for this wicket. The team we played tonight was what Darren and Kumar decided to go in with. It was a very selfless thing for Kumar to do, to pick that team," said White at the post-match media conference.

Conceding that it was not regular of a captain to leave himself out of the eleven, White said the Chargers were outplayed by the home team which bowled them out for 100 and reached the target for the loss of five wickets.

"No doubt Kumar is a class player, but that's what Darren and Kumar decided tonight. It was unusual to change the captain, isn't it? That's the way it happened. Unfortunately we were not good enough tonight. And Mumbai were too good tonight," the Australian said.

While agreeing the track prepared for the game at the Wankhede Stadium may not have been ideal for the shortest format, White said both the teams had to play on the same wicket.

"It had a little bit of grass and a little bit of moisture. Wicket is changing here from time to time said Harbhajan at the end of the press conference there (prize distribution). What I understand is that there is a different wicket every time (here). Probably not an ideal Twenty20 wicket, but both teams had to play on it." — PTI

New Delhi, April 30
Former South African pacer Allan Donald feels that Ashok Dinda's jump at the bowling crease reminds him of his playing days and he is "right up there along with other Indian pacers". "I have no problem with his jump and that's the way he has done it for a while now. It's not something you see with most bowlers but he (Dinda) reminds me of myself. I too had to get off the ground high enough to snap very hard at the crease," Donald told PTI during an exclusive interview.

Elaborating further, he said, "I love the hang time he gets before he snaps through the crease. The hang time allows him to get into a strong position before pulling the trigger. The action comes naturally to him but the stress on the body is huge so paying attention to his core will be something he will have to work hard on."

"Dinda has impressed me with his attitude and skill. The question I want to ask, do coaches see him as a stand in for the big boys or a potential talent who you can back to do you a job no matter what? "Of all the Indian bowlers I have seen, he is right up there. We all want to stack up the numbers (wickets) but there is a patiant process to follow and that for me will make him a big time contender in the Indian team." — PTI

Madrid, April 30
Real Madrid edged closer to their first league title in four years with a 3-0 win over Sevilla, but Barcelona ensured their celebrations were put on hold with a 7-0 mauling of Rayo Vallecano.

Karim Benzema struck a second half brace after Cristiano Ronaldo had given Real the lead to beat Sevilla as Real took their record breaking haul of league goals for the season to 112 yesterday. Victory against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday will guarantee a first title since 2008 for Jose Mourinho's team.

"It was an important win and the team deserves to be champions as the players have shown their mentality and character," said Real assistant coach Aitor Karanka. Referring to their Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, he added: "The players went into the game tired and down but they responded well, even though winning the league will not cure anything.

"We will go out looking to win games even when we are the champions, if that happens, as we only have one plan. It will be fantastic to win the league and it is the most important objective at the moment." Mourinho, looking to wrap up the championship as quickly as possible, fielded his strongest side with the only change from the Bayern match being the introduction of Esteban Granero for Sami Khedira.

Both Ronaldo and Benzema tested the visitors' defence with a number of dangerous runs and it seemed a matter of when and not if the hosts would score the opener. The breakthrough came after 19 minutes when Benzema supplied Ronaldo in the box, allowing the Portuguese striker to turn inside Jorge Coke before smashing the ball into the corner.

While Real were impressive going forward, they were — in keeping with their midweek performance against Bayern — leaving themselves exposed at the back. Former Real player Jose Antonio Reyes shot tamely at Iker Casillas and then both Jesus Navas and Negredo fired wide from excellent positions.

Real continued to dominate and Ronaldo was inches away from his second goal moments before the break when he hit the post from an indirect free-kick but in a four-minute spell shortly after the restart, all chance of a Sevilla fightback was ended by Benzema.

Taking advantage of some poor defending, the Frenchman stole in at the far post to roll in an Angel Di Maria cross after Coke mis-kicked in the 48th minute.

Four minutes later Benzema made it three when he headed home a Sergio Ramos cross.

Barcelona, in their first match since Pep Guardiola announced he would quit at the end of the season, produced a sensational attacking display of their own to help ease a little of the pain suffered by their midweek Champions League exit to Chelsea. Lionel Messi put Barca ahead and then an own goal from 'Rober' Correa who turned in an Alexis Sanchez shot, and a Seydou Keita strike gave them a 3-0 lead at the interval. — AFP

Berlin, April 30
Cologne winger Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal for next season, the two clubs said on Monday, ending months of speculation regarding the future of one of Germany's most exciting players. The 26-year-old, the relegation-threatened side's leading scorer this term with 18 Bundesliga goals, has long been a target for several top European clubs and had a year left on his Cologne contract.

An Arsenal statement said Podolski, who will join fellow Germany international Per Mertesacker at the London club, had agreed a long-term deal for an undisclosed fee. "This transfer gives me the opportunity to play for a top European club on an international level," said Podolski, who joined Cologne as a 10-year-old and returned to the club after a hapless three years at Bayern Munich from 2006-09.

"I did not decide against Cologne but for a great chance regarding my own sports development," he added in a Cologne statement. "This was not an easy decision for me at all as Cologne, our fans and the city are special to me."

The Germany international, who has scored 43 goals in 95 appearances for the national team and is poised to go to Euro 2012, is hugely adored at Cologne.

Despite his most successful Bundesliga season so far, the left-footer has been unable to secure the top-flight future of his team with a game left to play in the season. Cologne are in 16th place in the relegation playoff spot with 30 points, two above Hertha Berlin.

Arsenal are third in the Premier League thanks largely to the goals of main striker Robin van Persie. Podolski is likely to line up on the left wing of Arsene Wenger's favoured 4-3-2-1 formation.

"We are delighted to secure the deal for Lukas and see him as an important part of our future," Wenger said. "He is a top-class player, a very good finisher and a proven performer at club and international level. He is a very strong player and will provide us with good attacking options." — Reuters

London, April 30
Fernando Torres, suddenly oozing confidence in front of goal, netted his first Chelsea hat-trick as the Champions League finalists capped a sensational week by routing Queens Park Rangers 6-1 in the Premier League on Sunday. Chelsea remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish along with Tottenham Hotspur, who took fourth spot on 62 points ahead of Newcastle (62) and their London rivals (61) by beating Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at White Hart Lane with goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Kyle Walker. Torres, a forlorn figure at Stamford Bridge for much of the 15 months since his 50 million-pound ($81.19 million) move from Liverpool, produced three incisive finishes to add to his late goal at Barcelona on Tuesday which eased Chelsea into a Champions League final with Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard struck twice in the first half after the home side had led through Daniel Sturridge's goal after just 46 seconds and John Terry's header. Torres completed his hat-trick on 64 minutes by side-footing past Paddy Kenny from Juan Mata's pass, a goal that had beaming owner Roman Abramovich high-fiving the fans around him. — Reuters

New Delhi, April 30
Star Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar today said he is determined to win his second Olympic medal at the London event and will leave no stone unturned to bring the laurel to the country. Sushil won a gold medal the Olympic qualifying event in China recently to book his berth in the London event.

Sushil had created history by becoming only the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal when he captured a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games.

"Once again, for the fans and the country, I will give it all to win an Olympic medal," Sushil told PTI-Bhasha.

Sushil also dismissed concerns about his eye injury, which he sustained while competing in China.

"There is nothing to worry. After some rest, it will be all right," he said.

Asked about his preparations, Sushil said," My coach is taking care of it. I am watching the videos of all the wrestlers against whom I will compete in London to make my strategy." "From my side, I will leave no stone unturned. I will work hard, I know the fans' wishes and love are with me." — PTI

New Delhi, April 30
Indian weightlifters earned two quota places for London Olympics — one each in men's and women's sections — in the Senior Asian Championships which concluded at Pyeongtaek, South Korea today.

Indian women lifters collected 93 points and stood fourth in the Championships by virtue of which the country earned a berth for the London Olympics.

N Soniya Chanu was the best performer among the seven Indian women who participated in the championships, winning a bronze in 48kg category.

The men's team of eight lifters collected 134 points and stood fifth in the championships which also gave India a quota place for London. This is the first Olympic quota place India has earned in men's weightlifting after a gap of 12 years since the 2000 Sydney Games.

Thandava Murthy Muthu competed in the men's 56kg in 2000 Sydney Olympics and finished 16 with a total lift of 245kg.

Indian Weightlifting Federation secretary general Sahdev Yadav said that the selection committee will meet shortly to pick the two lifters who will take part in the July 27-August 12 London Olympics. — PTI