Mumbai, October 12
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Friday terminated the contract of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Deccan Chargers after their failure to pay the stipulated bank guarantee of Rs.100 crore.

The BCCI in a statement stated that concerns over players' payments and a "sudden change of stance by the franchise" had precipitated the decision.

“BCCI was compelled to hold an emergency meeting of the IPL Governing Council late Friday evening to discuss certain developments due to the Deccan Chargers' defaults,” the official statement read.

“This evening, the BCCI received a lawyers' notice invoking arbitration from the franchise stating that it had not committed any breaches and even if such breaches were committed, the BCCI should not act to terminate the franchise till Yes Bank Ltd furnishes sufficient finance to cure the breaches."

“By this, Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd has clearly admitted its inability to cure its breaches within the time stipulated in the BCCI notice despite every bit of assistance from the BCCI. Since the month of May, BCCI has received repeated assurances that the overdue player fees would be paid; all of these promises have been unfulfilled.

“Considering the stated position of the Deccan franchise to refuse to rectify the various defaults including payments to players, foreign Boards etc, as also the deleterious effect such conduct would have on the reputation of the IPL and the franchise itself, a decision was taken to forthwith terminate the Deccan Chargers franchise," the statement said.

Earlier Friday, Kamla Landmarc Real Estate, a Mumbai-based real estate firm, had bought the Chargers franchise for an undisclosed amount. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL) Friday informed Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that the board of directors of the company at its meeting held Thursday decided "to sell, transfer/dispose off the Deccan Chargers franchise business to Kamla Landmarc Real Estate Holdings Pvt Ltd".

Deccan Chargers' failure to furnish the guarantee money before the 5pm deadline effectively means that the BCCI's termination of the team stands and the Board was now free to float the tender for a new franchise.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, the owner of the franchise, had sought an extension to today's deadline until October 15 to submit an “irrevocable and unconditional” bank guarantee but the High Court refused to grant further time.

Justice S J Kathawala declined to give them more time, saying the earlier deadline of October 9 had been extended by three days to accommodate them.

A top BCCI official said that the IPL Governing Council had earlier decided to terminate Deccan Chargers' contract with IPL and that decision stands.

“We had decided to terminate the contract of Deccan Chargers. It was a decision taken by the IPL Governing Council and only that body can change it. So as things stand, their contract is terminated,” the official said. The court had on October 1 asked DCHL to give the bank guarantee which would be in force for a period of one year.

The BCCI had last month taken the decision to terminate the contract after an emergency IPL Governing Council meeting in Chennai. The DCHL had moved the Bombay High Court challenging the termination.

The court had at an earlier hearing ordered DCHL to bear all expenses for IPL 6 including making payments to BCCI towards franchise, players and support team costs. Besides, it was asked to bear the costs of conducting matches and other expenses.

In the event of any default on part of DCHL, BCCI shall be entitled to invoke the bank guarantee to the extent necessary, Justice Kathawala had said.

The court had on September 26 appointed retired Supreme Court judge C K Thakkar as arbitrator to resolve within three months the dispute between BCCI and DCHL over the termination of Deccan Chargers franchise. However, pending arbitration proceedings and making up of an award by the arbitrator, the judge asked the BCCI not to act on the termination of the franchise agreement for a period of seven days, if the award is in their favour.

The judge had, however, clarified that the September 26 order would immediately cease to be in force if DCHL fails to furnish the bank guarantee. — Agencies

Mumbai, October 12
Two of India's Olympic heroes — wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh — have come out in support of badminton star Saina Nehwal, who is still awaiting payment from her endorsement deal with Deccan Chronicle despite coughing up Rs 70 lakh advance tax for it.

Saina, who recently signed a Rs 40 crore deal with Rhiti Sports Management Group, has reportedly still not got the Rs 3 to 4 crore of endorsement that was due to her as part of her deal with Deccan. The London Olympic bronze-medallist, ironically, paid the tax in advance. Both Vijender and Sushil said the woman who changed the face of Badminton in India deserved better.

“It's very disappointing to witness this sort of infringement in this industry. We athletes work very hard to make our country proud but at the same time we trust the people we are managed by," he said. "It's quite embarrassing to be caught up in this sort of situation but I hope things work out for the best for Saina,” added Vijender. Saina had endorsed more than several products during her association with DC and the agreement was that the money would be routed to her account through her managers. Saina has apparently tried contacting Deccan for her payments but has not got any response.

No official from Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited could be reached for their comments on the issue. An SMS message to DCHL Chairman T Venkatram Reddy also went unanswered. — PTI

With the World Twenty20 won by the West Indies, the players from that team representing the different franchises will be high on confidence. It is this confidence that the others in their teams will try and capitalize on, for make no mistake, cricket is so much a game of the mind that winning makes for an invincible feeling and that can do anything vibe that is hard to describe. Players tend to feed off each other in a team sport and vice versa where if one head and one set of shoulders drop then it can quickly infect the others too. The T20 format is such that the pressure is intense and concentrated in a short span of time and a good over can and does affect teams.

The Trinidad and Tobago team should have been inspired by the performance of their colleagues playing as the West Indies team, but they were mired in controversy even before they undertook the long journey from their shores to South Africa. How can any player expect to get a share of what the board was getting for those Trinidad players, who opted to play for their franchises?

The rule that an Indian franchise will pay the player's country franchise which also qualifies for the Champions League, a release fee if they want the player to play for them and not the country's franchise is one sided to say the least. The IPL is considered the cash rich cow and quite rightly too if one goes by the laughable amounts that are on offer in the other leagues, but then there is a price to pay and that is why other franchise are only too happy to release their players as long as they get the fees which can often make the difference between profit and loss for those franchises. For the Trinidad players to ask for a share of that fee was quite ridiculous for they had themselves done nothing to get that fee. That they went out of the tournament is no surprise, but sad none the less for they can be a terrific side which plays cricket the way it should be played.

Now with the serious part of the tournament starting the teams will be looking for a winning beginning for that eases the pressure to get into the semifinals. The net run rate also will be kept in mind and with the weather in Johannesburg being rainy the D/L method will also be a factor in deciding whether to bat or bowl first.

No team can be called the favourites though those with the West Indian players in their ranks will be high on confidence. The pitches will be hard and bouncy so going down the pitch to the quicker bowlers will not be as easy as it was in Sri Lanka. In fact quicker bowlers will also have to be careful with their short deliveries for not only would they bounce high, but also elude the jumping wicket keeper as has happened in the qualifying games. That will balance it out nicely between bat and ball and that is what the spectators want to see. — PMG

Johannesburg, October 12
After their not so memorable outing in the just-concluded ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka, it will be a test of character for the Indian boys in the Champions League Twenty20 which enters the business stage on Saturday.

There are four Indian Premier League teams in the fray in the cash-rich tournament, including defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and this season's IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The other two IPL sides are Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Daredvils (DD).

But the interesting to watch in the tournament will be the desperation of the Indian cricketers, who will be eager to erase the scars of their Super Eight elimination in the Twenty20 World Cup. While KKR and DD have been placed in Group A, the other two IPL teams — MI and Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK — are in group B, raising the hopes of an all India clash in the semis, as the top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

However, in no sense it would be an easy task for the Indian outfits as they will be up against some of the best T20 outfits of the world. And with Titans and Highveld Lions, both from South Africa, enjoying home advantage, the task for the Indian units will be even more cut out. Apart from the two African teams the championship also hosts Australia's Perth Scorchers, which boasts of players like Shaun Marsh and Herschelle Gibbs in their ranks.

The other Aussie side in fray is Sydney Sixers and with the presence of Shane Watson along with young pace sensation Mitchell Starc and skipper Brad Haddin in their line-up, they the Sixers definitely look a side to be watched out for.

The tournament will also witness Auckland Aces and Yorkshire, both of whom made it to the main draw after topping their respective pools in the just concluded qualifiers. The Indian challenge in the tournament will start with a battle between two IPL biggies — KKR and Daredevils. While the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR would be out there to prove that their victory in the IPL V was no fluke, Daredevils under new skipper, Mahela Jayawardene, would like to stamp their authority on the tournament in which they have so far remained the underachievers.

The Daredevils boasts of some big names like David Warner and Kevin Pietersen in their ranks, and with Virender Sehwag being declared fit for the tournament, the Delhi side definitely has what it takes to be the champions.

The tournament will also be an opportunity for Sri Lanka's Jayawardene to redeem himself after his side lost in the final of the World T20 Championship to the West Indies earlier this month. The 35-year-old was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side after Sehwag opted out of the job to concentrate on his batting. Jayawardene, however, stepped down as the captain of Sri Lanka's T20 side after losing to the West Indies and it remainsto be seen how he handles the new responsibility. KKR, on the other side, possesses a healthy mix of Indian and foreign players. Jacques Kallis and Brendon McCullum have been phenomenal for KKR and the team has really done well under Gambhir. The other Indian franchisees to look out for in the championship are Dhoni-led CSK and Harbhajan Sigh-led MI. Both the teams have tasted success in this championship earlier, with CSK winning the 2010 edition and MI lifting the trophy a year later.

Teams: Group A: Auckland Aces, Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Perth Scorchers, Titans; Group B: Chennai Super Kings, Highveld Lions, Mumbai Indians, Sydney Sixers, Yorkshire. — PTI

Today: Titans v Perth Scorchers (5pm) KKR v Delhi Daredevils (9pm).

Johannesburg, October 12
Former South African opener Herschelle Gibbs says he is ready to "explode" during the Champions League Twenty20 main tournament which starts in Centurion.

Gibbs said he was looking forward to letting local fans see his unique brand of cricket again as he turns out for Australian side Scorchers in the when they take on South Africa's Titans in Centurion tomorrow. "I'm pretty much excited and ready to explode," Gibbs said.

"We've prepared pretty well for this champs league and our good run during the (Australian) Big Bash will certainly give us the edge as far as match fitness, preparedness and competitiveness are concerned," he added.

Gibbs, whose best T20 score is a 101 not out, has 26 half centuries in the format. He was named Most Valuable Player by the Scorchers in the last season where they ended runners-up in the Big Bash. Gibbs said he was looking forward to playing at the high altitude again. "The ball does travel really fast out here in the Highveld and certainly we'll be out to meet the ball with the middle of the bat and hopefully score big," Gibbs said.

“Our fielding as well has to be up there because the balls will be flying to the boundaries," he added. Gibbs frequently ran into trouble off the field while playing for the Proteas. Two years ago, he released a controversial book which angered his fellow players and Cricket South Africa. — PTI

Sonepat, October 12
Host Haryana pipped Chandigarh 5-4 to win the second Hockey India Junior Women National Championship title, on Friday.

In a high voltage clash, Haryana scored through Navjot Kaur (24th), Navneet Kaur (44th ), Reena Rani (55, 67) and an own goal in 16th minute, while for Chardigarh Hardeep Kaur (3rd), Pooja Rani (14th , 59th) and Navpreet Kaur (52th) were the goal-getters.

Haryana's centre forward Navneet Kaur, who scored 21 goals in the tournament, was adjudged the best player of the tournament.

In another match, Jharkhand defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy (MPHA) 3-2 to pocket the bronze medal. MPHA, who led 1-0 at half time, scored through Sabnam Lakra (46th, 48th) and Punam M Tete (53rd ), while Reena Khokhar (34th, 37th) were on target for Jharkhand.

While Haryana posted a 5-3 win over last year's runners-up Jharkhand to enter the final, Chandigarh beat defending champions Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy (MPHA) via penalty shootout to book a berth in the final.

Earlier, Chandigarh goalkeeper Inderpreet Kaur became the star with three saves to lead her team to the final of the tournament after the match ended in a 3-3 draw against MPHA following the regulation time and 15-minute extra time. — PTI

New Delhi, October 12
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi on Friday blasted the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) for not "pulling their weight behind" Mohinder Amarnath who was removed from selector's post after his first season.

Without naming him, Bedi also didn't spare BCCI president N Srinivasan and questioned the manner in which he functions.

“It would have been an honour for North Zone and Mohinder was suppose to become the chairman of selectors but got the boot as some people had personal interests," Bedi stated during a media interaction organised by Kirti Azad at the Constitution Club on Friday. “In BCCI one chap is omnipresent and no one can challenge him. I tell you that is not a good sign," Bedi said, in an apparent reference to Srinivisan though he did not take his name.

Bedi accused DDCA sports secretary Sunil Dev of not doing enough at the BCCI AGM. — PTI

LATER they were to laugh about it, but for a while it was deadly serious. It was at the 1998 world track championships that Lance Armstrong enjoyed one of his closest escapes. The American, two of his US Postal team-mates, Jonathan Vaughters and Christian Vande Velde, and the team doctor, Pedro Celaya, were staying in a bed and breakfast in the Dutch town of Valkenburg. One morning a dope tester from cycling's governing body, the UCI, arrived unannounced and set up his equipment in the communal area outside their rooms.

It did not phase Celaya. The doctor coolly walked to his car, collected a litre of saline, returned to Armstrong's room and administered the solution. The other two were tested first, then Armstrong. The solution had done its work and flushed out his system; he was clean in the eyes of the authorities.

There is no great secret to Armstrong's evasion of sporting justice for so long. At times it is almost comical; once on the Tour of Luxembourg the team were on their bus heading for their hotel where they were informed police were waiting. The bus stopped and an incriminating bag was buried in a nearby wood. In the build-up to the Tour de France, Armstrong would avoid racing to avoid testing.

Even when he raced he was able to evade it. In 2000, during an event in Spain, Armstrong told George Hincapie, his team-mate, that he had taken some “oil” – as testosterone was known. Later Hincapie discovered drug-testing officials at the team hotel, texted Armstrong and Armstrong dropped out of the race, another test dodged.

Dodging was not difficult. As Tyler Hamilton put it: “We had a time-honoured strategy for beating the testers – we hid.” There were “three rules” for using EPO: inject intravenously, do it in the evening and don't answer the door. — The Independent

New Delhi, October 12
Shamim Khan fired a scintillating eight-under 64 for the second time in three days to turn the tide against Rashid Khan after the penultimate round of the BILT Open golf championship at the Delhi Golf club.

After leading the clubhouse with a similar 64 in the opening round, Shamim had carded a sedate 72 yesterday to lose the lead to Rashid, who hit a consistent run with 65 and 66 in the first two days. However, Shamim found his bearing right once again today as he hardly put a foot wrong and grabbed a four-stroke lead, going into the final round tomorrow.

The Delhi golfer, ranked third in the Rolex ranking, knocked down as many as eight birdies on yet another flawless performance here to enjoy a three-day total of 16-under-200.Overnight leader Rashid was, however, in for a disappointment as after two brilliant performances in the first two days, he stumbled to a one-over 73 to see his total move to 12-under 204. "This is the first time that I have shot two scores of eight-under in the same tournament. I just dropped one bogey so far and I am happy with my performance. I could not birdie yesterday, so I was looking to pick up strokes today," Shamim said.

"My hitting and putting was good today. I sank some long putts and that gave me a huge boost. I'll continue to concentrate on my 3-wood and putter in the final round. "I have won two events at the DGC -- SRF in 2006 and 2010 -- but both those victories were in the matchplay format. I'm now looking forward to my first win in stroke-play event at my home course," he added. Among others, Md Islam (67-74-66) of Patna was placed third at nine-under 207, while Manav Jaini (69-71-68) was a further stroke back in the fourth position. — PTI

Macau, October 12
Gaganjeet Bhullar maintained his overnight advantage in the early stages of the second round in the 2012 Venetian Macau Golf Open here on Friday, shooting a three-under-par 68 to lead 144 players.

After the fireworks of his opening round where he shot a superb 63, Bhullar was a bit more subdued in his second round with four birdies overcoming an opening bogey. The 20-year-old newcomer Thitiphun Chuayprakong of Thailand moved into contention with an impassive bogey-free 66 for second place while countryman Thongchai Jaidee was a further shot back after a 68 alongside Filipino star Angelo Que, Bangladeshi Siddikur and Kieran Pratt of Australia.

“Not as good as yesterday but considering the conditions right now, it's not a bad score," said Bhullar. “I could have done much better but there is a lot of golf left. I hit the ball good but had some bad luck.” Bhullar was delighted to maintain his form which has seen him win once and finished second and ninth in his last five starts.

“It always feels good to play in the lead group week after week," he said. “It proves the standard of golf is improving. It'll be nice. I'm looking forward to playing on the weekend. I'll take the same strategy as on the first two days. I willstick to my routine. — IANS

Shanghai, October 12
Andy Murray remained on course for a hat-trick of titles at the Shanghai Masters despite the best efforts of tricky Czech Radek Stepanek on Friday and now sets his sights on Roger Federer.

Third seed Murray, still on a high from winning the U.S. Open last month, was out-foxed in the first set by the unorthodox Stepanek before recovering to win their quarterfinal clash 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Top seed Federer, who is guaranteed to spend a 300th week on top of the ATP rankings, cruised past Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4 to conclude the day's action.

In the bottom half, Tomas Berdych proved too solid for Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, winning 6-3, 7-6, while Novak Djokovic ended the run of Tommy Haas, winning 6-3, 6-3.

Murray met his match early on against Stepanek — a player who relies on crafty angles, changes of pace and razor-sharp volleys.

Stepanek, 33, pounced on some loose play from Murray to earn three break points in the fifth game of the opening set and converted the third.

London, October 12
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has reacted to Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova, who said last weekend that Messi was “the best (player) in the world by a long way”.

“When someone with the same responsibility as me comes out and says: 'Mine is the best on the planet' then I have to say: mine was not born in Madeira, he was born on Mars; he is not from planet Earth, he is the best in the universe,” Mourinho told Portuguese daily A Bola.

Messi has won football's top honour for the last three years running, but following a disappointing season by Barcelona's standards in which they relinquished their La Liga and Champions League titles, winning only won the Kings Cup, there is a growing argument that Ronaldo should win this year's award

“If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe. It would be a crime if Ronaldo did not win the Ballon d'Or,” Mourinho said.

Last year Real Madrid won La Liga for the first time in four years, with Ronaldo's 46 league goals instrumental in ending Barcelona's run of three straight league titles.

“How can you win the Ballon d'Or without collecting titles, without winning anything important? Don't come to me telling me about the Intercontinental Cup or the Supercup, this is small stuff. Tell me about fat titles,” Mourinho said.

Ronaldo has continued his rich reign of form this season, scoring two hat-tricks already this term and becoming the first player to score in six consecutive el Clasico's when he put two past Barcelona in the 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp on Sunday.

Mourinho also argued that Ronaldo has had a tougher career than his great rival who comes from a privileged background in his native Argentina and joined Barcelona at the age of 13.

“It is harder to be Cristiano than Messi. Messi grew up in the team where he plays, with the players with whom he plays,” he said. “Not Cristiano. He was in England, then they put him here in a losing team. He had to grow over the last two years with this team which has been forming.” — The Independent

New Delhi, October 12
The top two seeds will clash for the title in the women's final of the Fenesta National Open Tennis Championship tomorrow. In the semifinals today, top seeded Rishika Sunkara yet again had an easy outing when she disposed of third seed Natasha Palha 6-2, 6-1 while Prerna Bhambri was forced to draw on her reserve energy to prevail over sixth seed V Pedireddy 6-4, 6-4.

The final will be a clash of friends: Rishika and Prerna had teamed up in the doubles, but lost the final battle against Treta Bhattacharya and Natasha Prahla at 6-4, 0-6, 10-6 in the afternoon.

In the men's singles final, top seed Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan will take on wild card Arjun Khade in the challenge round. While Jeevan just breezed past third seeded Siddharth Rawat 6-1, 6-0 in a hurry, Arjun Khade had to toil to sail past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3, 6-2 .

The promising Kadhe was always confident of booking his place in the title round, but Ramkumar tried to push him hard, before cracking up in straight sets. The Maharashtra player has tons of talent, and Jeevan will have to bring out his best tame Kadhe in the title round.

In the boys under-18 semis, third seed Karan Salwan upset second seed Shaikh Abdullah to setup a title clash against top seed Rishab Agarwal, who toyed with Neeraj Elangovan 6-1, 6-1. 

Yeongam (South Korea), October 12
Sebastian Vettel led a Red Bull one-two on Friday in practice for a South Korean Grand Prix that could send the F1 world champion back into the overall lead for the first time since May.

The 25-year-old German, four points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with five races remaining, set the fastest lap of one minute 38.832 seconds on a clear and sunny afternoon.

Australian teammate Mark Webber, who joined Vettel on the front row in Japan last Sunday for a race that the German won from pole, was a mere 0.032 slower after being third in the morning.

Spaniard Alonso was third quickest in the second session, 0.328 off Vettel's pace. “We can be quite happy, but I think it looks extremely tight,” said Vettel of the relative performance of the top three teams who tested Pirelli's soft and supersoft tyre options. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Shubhankar wins Chandigarh golf title
Chandigarh: Shubhankar Sharma of Manesar won the Toyota IGU Chandigarh Juniors with a total score of four over 292 (73-72-74-73), defeating Harjot Singh Soni of New Delhi by two strokes. Arjun Singh, also of New Delhi, finished third with a score of 295 at the Chandigarh Golf Club. The tournament is the Indian Qualifier for Faldo Series Asia Championship. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m happy to get it,” Sharma later said.

Gurbani keeps crown, Aditi finishes second
Kolkata: Defending champion Gurbani Singh won the Usha West Bengal Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship, beating Aditi Ashok by six strokes. Gurbani, who shot a stunning six-under 64 on the first day, carded 75 on the final day for a three-round total of two-over 212 while Aditi aggregated 218.