Mohali, May 6
Killer Miller! The placard in the stands proclaimed the South African David Miller as the hero of the match. Chris Gayle on Monday was reduced to a mere shadow of a monster that he is. It is not that didn’t spew fire. He did it in his trademark style.

It’s just that Miller turned out from nowhere as a humongous genie, who till the 14th over had kept brooding in the bottle. Blame it on skipper Virat Kohli who uncorked the mayhem as he dropped a skier off Vinay Kumar. And there was no looking back for the baby-faced giant.

RP Singh soon realised, as Miller feasted on 26 runs (6, wide (1), 6,4,4,4,1) off him in the 15th over. The 23-year-old along with R Sathish put up 100 runs in 42 balls for the fifth wicket partnership. But it was the mad rush from 100 to 150 runs which took just 14 balls in the middle overs. The innocuous length balls outside the off stump changed the entire complexion of the game and the fate of Royal Challengers was sealed.

And Punjab had no problem whatsoever in romping home (194/4) with two overs to spare.

Giving RCB a taste of their own medicine, Miller replicated a Gayle-like innings, to give a new lease of life to the team in the tournament. For the moment, Kings won’t mind even if the win came off a sheer individual effort.

Earlier, RCB scored 190/3 after Kings XI put them in. Punjab failed to contain Chris Gayle (61 off 33 balls) as he notched up another half century in a whirlwind style. Cheteshwar Pujara (51), at the other end, too kept it going and helped the visitors post a challenging total. Both the openers made sure that the team was well on its way to post their second win away from home.

It was speedster Manpreet Gony who got Kings the first breakthrough in the form of Gayle in the 12th over with the score at 102.

Gony clean bowled Pujara to give a double blow but the Challengers kept it going. AB de Villiers pitched in just when it mattered with 38 runs in 19 balls with a late flourish.

Kings XI drafted Michael Neser but the Australian proved costly, conceding 62 runs including 21 in the last over. Neser has proved to be the most expensive bowler for Kings XI so far.

Scoreboard

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Pujara b Gony 51

Gayle b Gony 61

Kohli c Marsh b Awara 14

de Villiers not out 38

Henriques not out 16

Extras: 10

Total (3 wkts; 20 ovs) 190

Fall of wickets: 1/102 2/133 3/144

Bowling

P Kumar 4-0-28-0

Awana 4-0-28-1

Gony 4-0-41-2

Neser 4-0-62-0

Chawla 4-0-26-0

Kings XI Punjab

Mandeep c Karthik b V Kumar 16

Marsh c de Villiers b Rampaul 6

Gurkeerat lbw b Kartik 20

Miller not out 101

Sathish not out 27

Extras: 11

Total (4 wkts; 18 ovs) 194

Fall of wickets: 1/13 2/25 3/51 4/64

Bowling

Rampaul 4-0-27-1

RP Singh 3-0-38-0

Henriques 3-0-29-0

V Kumar 4-0-48-1

Kartik 3-0-22-2

Gayle 1-0-22-0

New Delhi, May 6
India's pistol shooters competing in the ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning, USA will be without the services of coach Sayed Wajid Ali as he has been denied visa to travel for the May 4-13 tournament.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said the US embassy is yet to give a reason for denying the government core-group coach visa. “He has been denied visa though we don't know the reason behind that. He is also yet to get the passport back,” NRAI adviser Baljeet Singh Sethi told PTI.

"Though the other coaches are there, it is unfortunate as far as the pistol shooters are concerned. His presence would have certainly helped them," Sethi added. Normally, four coaches are employed as part of the core group, and they are entitled to travel with the team for international tournaments.

"It is very unfortunate as Ali has been there as a coach for a while now and had travelled with the team to a few other countries. "The federation has also got the foreign affairs ministry write a letter to the US embassy in this regard, but still he could not go," Sethi said.

The NRAI had a feeling that Ali could face problems in getting the visa, so the federation had informed him in advance to file his application. Some of the pistol shooters taking part in the competition in the USA are Annu Raj Singh and Heena Sidhu (women), Amanpreet Singh, Jitu Rai, Prakash Nanjappa and Om Prakash (men).

Nanjappa emerged as India's latest success story in shooting with a bronze medal in the pistol event of the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, last month.Sethi meanwhile, said the government has approved the name of the national pistol coach. — PTI 

Jaipur, May 6
Rajasthan Royals will look to close in on a play-off berth and consolidate their position in the points table when they take on a struggling Delhi Daredevils in the domestic T20 league match on Tuesday.

Daredevils were routed by Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in their previous encounter as their big-ticket stars once again failed to fire with the bat and folded up for a pathetic 80 runs, the second lowest total of the season after CSK's 79 against Mumbai Indians. Daredevils were living dangerously over the past few weeks with a couple of victories just about keeping their campaign alive in the tournament. But their chances are as good as over after they dished out yet another horrendous batting display. Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner went out cheaply against Hyderabad but what was more surprising to watch was their atrocious shot selection.

Daredevils had included two overseas all-rounders, Johan Botha and Jeevan Mendis, into their playing XI against Sunrisers to turn around their ebbing fortunes but the move did not produce the desired result.

Only four of the Delhi batsmen managed to touch the double-digit mark in what can only be described as a meek surrender.

Considering there is nothing to lose in the matches ahead with just six points from 11 matches, the Daredevils will look to play party poopers and upset the applecart of the Royals.

The last time the two sides met on April 6 at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium, Kevon Cooper had bowled a sensational final over, picking up two crucial wickets, to hand Rajasthan a thrilling five-run win over the hosts. Revenge would be on top of Daredevils' agenda but given their poor run in the competition and Royals 'home' record — six wins out of six games — the script is most likely to remain the same for the hosts.

Royals, high on confidence after chasing down a challenging 179-run target against a hapless Pune Warriors the other night, will leave no stone unturned to win this crucial game and make a confident surge towards a play-off berth. After Daredevils, Royals will have one more game to play at home on May 12 and going by their poor away record — four losses out of five games — they won't want to leave their fortunes hanging in balance with run-rates coming into play. — PTI

Bangalore, May 6
A case has been registered in a local court against Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for allegedly “denigrating” a Hindu god and "hurting" the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

The 6th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Choori Khan registered a case under section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) along with 34 of the Indian Penal Code against Dhoni on a complaint filed by social activist Jayakumar Hiremath.

In his complaint, Hiremath alleged that by posing for an advertisement in a business magazine as Lord Vishnu holding several things including a shoe in his hands, Dhoni had denigrated the Hindu god and hurt religious feelings of the Hindus.

Taking cognisance of the offence and registering the case, the court posted it to May 12 for recording of the statement of the complainant.

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni is undergoing a purple patch, as far as captaincy is concerned, his team is on top of the table with 18 points. Royal Challengers Bangalore, despite losing to KXIP on Monday is still holding on to their second position (14pts). Mumbai Indians are third, while Kings XI Punjab are seventh with 10 points. — PTI 

Vasco, May 6
With a point away from winning the coveted I-League title for the second time, Churchill Brothers are all geared up for their clash with Mohun Bagan on Tuesday in the penultimate match of the championship scheduled to be played at the Tilak Maidan.

With East Bengal failing to stay in contention for the title, Churchill Brothers, who are on top of the table with 51 points from 24 matches, need one point from the two remaining matches to secure the title and even a draw with Bagan is enough for them.

Churchill Brothers' Subhash Bhowmick knows that they are a point away from winning the title for the second time and would like to do it in front of their home crowd on Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 6
India maintained their good form when the men and women’s teams entered the semi-finals of the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship at the Thyagaraj Nagar Stadium here on Monday. Both the teams will run into England in the
semi-final rounds.

The Indian men’s team topped Group F to earn a berth in the semi-finals after they took in their stride Northern Ireland, Scotland and Malaysia with identical 3-0 wins. Though Sharath Kamal and Soumyajit Ghosh were expected to sail through, there were doubts about south paw Shetty, who replaced Anthony Amalraj, getting his act together, but he exhibited firm resolve to emerge unscathed.

Though Shetty dropped a game against Niall Cameron of Scotland, he kept himself in check to beat Niall 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 after Sharath and Ghosh had won their matches against Sean Doherty and Gavin Rumgay respectively to help the hosts lead 2-0. Shetty, who packed a punch too many in his forehand shots, overcame a nervous start to win. Harmeet Desai was fielded in place of Sharat against Malaysia and he made no mistake in beating Foo Dunley 11-7, 11-6, 5-11,11-5 while Ghosh defeated Muhamad Ashraf 3-0 and Anthony Amalraj downed Chee Kien Ee 3-1. India
were so sure of victory that they did not feel the necessity to enter Sharath.

Though the Indian women began their Stage 2 quarterfinal league with a thumping 3-0 win against Scotland in the morning, they went down to top seeds Singapore 1-3 in the afternoon. The defeat against Singapore was on expected lines but what gave the Indians confidence was the way Neha Aggarwal tackled world No. 91 Yihan Zhou to win at 11-6, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6.

Mouma Das gave a glimpse of her inherent talent when she won the first game against Singapore’s Mengyu Fu, ranked No. 27, to win at 11-7. In the second game too, she started well, but then lost her rhythm to lose 9-11, and in the next two games, the Singapore girl just rushed past Mouma to win at 11-5, 11-6.

Madhurika Patkar tried to put up a game fight against world No. 4 Feng Tianwei, but the London Olympics bronze medallist, despite losing a game, was way ahead to win at 11-2, 11-13, 11-2, 11-5. Neha began on a rousing note winning the first two games before letting her opponent gain the upper hand for a while, but the Delhi girl quickly arrested the slide to win the next game to wrap up the match.

“Everything fell into place and I am confident of a good performance in the matches ahead,” said Neha.

Mouma tried to retrieve the situation when she met Feng, but she could only stretch her opponent before folding up at 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10, 11-4.

However, the Indian girls made up when they blanked Wales 3-0 to finish second behind Singapore in group E and seal their semifinal spot.

Chandigarh, May 6
After winning gold medal in the Malaysia Open Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was eager to get back home and be with her parents, near and dear ones. Although she had already celebrated the win by cutting a cake and video-chatting with them on Skype, the teenager, 17-year-old to be precise, wanted to be at their side as soon as possible.

However, the wait kept extending till Monday evening when her parents PV Ramana and P Vijaya finished off their office work and caught up with their daughter at Pullela Gopichand's academy. Sindhu, after reaching Hyderabad had straight away gone to Gopichand's mother's house after landing in the city at 2am. Sindhu took out time from celebrations as she chatted with The Tribune about her future course of action.

Excerpts:

It is a big win for you on international stage. Your first feelings?

It's a dream come true. All my hardwork is bearing fruit now. I have a long way to go. Probably, this is a beginning. If I work hard I am sure to get more success. I was expecting to do well in Kuala Lumpur. I have played three back-to-back international tournaments and was hoping to do well in all of them but here I got what I wanted.

There were some intense comebacks and some interesting lapses of concentration during the matches?

It happens sometimes I was lucky to get out of them and make comebacks fast without losing time. It was a good experience. I have learnt lessons for the future.

You must be feeling more confident and good about your game now?

Definitely. It is always satisfying to win in a big tournament. I was top-seed here but you cannot take anything for granted. The competition is so stiff that if you trip once there is no chance of coming back.

When do you expect to be in the top five?

It would be very difficult to say that. The competition is really tough. I don't want to get overburdened by the load of self expectations. Currently, I am No. 13. I wish I will be in the top 10 by the end of this year. But again that will require a lot of hardwork. Till then, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

To be in the top five, what adaptations and improvements do you think you will need to make in the near future?

First of all, I would like to beef up my defence. It needs serious attention. I have been working on it for sometime now but there is still some way to go. Also, I need to strengthen my legs a bit more. I have worked a lot on my backcourt coverage, deceptions. They are coming off really well but I think I can improve more to be on firm footing.

How have your family's sports background helped you in your career?

My parents have encouraged me at every step. It has helped that they have played sports. I guess I am lucky in that sense. Both were international volleyball players so I have inherited height from them. That too helps in badminton.

Tell us something about you as a person?

I am like any other teenager. I am fun-loving and love to hang out with friends. I also like to meet people and chat with them. I get less time to spend with my parents, andwish I could do that more.

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu

Born: 5 July 1995

Ranking: 13

Height: 5-11'

Right handed player

Parents: P V Ramana and P Vijaya (former volleyball players). Ramana is an Arjuna Awardee (2000)

Hometown: Hyderabad

Wins: Silver in Dutch Open, 2011

Gold , India Open Grand Prix, 2012

Gold, Malaysian Open Grand Prix, 2013

Currently, I am No. 13. I wish I will be in top 10 by the end of this year. But again that will require a lot of hardwork. Till then, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
— PV Sindhu

Chandigarh, May 6
Golf was once considered a game for retired people, but that is not the case any longer. On the PGA Tour, world number two Rory McIlroy celebrated his 24th birthday last week but the Wells Fargo Championship was won by an even younger player, 22-year-old PGA Tour rookie, Derek Ernst.

Ernst was playing in just his ninth event on the PGA Tour and only got in as the fourth reserve — he received a call that he had gotten into the tournament while he was driving to play an event on the Web.com Tour. Till last year he was busy finishing his college degree and this week took home the winners share of $ 1,170,000, his biggest paycheck so far.

Meanwhile, at the Volvo China Open, the youngest player to qualify for a European Tour event, 14-year-old Ye Wocheng, made history by qualifying for the tournament but failed to leave his mark. The Chinese player went on to miss the halfway cut after carding two consecutive 79's. However, 16-year-old Dou Ze-Cheng made the cut and became the youngest player to do so. But last week's winner, Brett Rumford is on a roll; he won back-to-back events on the European Tour.

Jeev Milkha Singh carded the best finish amongst the Indians in the field, finishing tied 14th with a total of five-under-par for the week. Gaganjeet Bhullar finished the week tied for 41st place with a total of one-over-par, while SSP Chowrasia missed the cut.

The other Indian professionals have been busy on the Asian Tour. Rahil Gangjee finished eighth with a total of nine-under-par in the Indonesian Masters, which was played at the Royal Jakarta Golf Club last week. Shiv Kapur finished 23rd due to a three-over-par in the final round, while Anirban Lahri finished 35th and Ajeetesh Sandhu finished 67th. 

Patiala, May 6
With the NIS, Patiala, administration going all out to churn quality coaches in the coming year by formulating strict admission rules as compared to previous year, the aspiring coaches will now have to excel both in academics and sports in order to seek admission in the prestigious institute. From this academic year onwards, the administration has decided to give preference to science graduates over an arts graduate as far as education qualification is concerned. As far as the sports achievements go, players who have represented country in major international recognised competitions; those who have participated in senior national championships or have participated in All India Inter-University Championships, junior national or youth national twice and the ones who have participated in Inter-Services meet, All India Police Games or Inter-Railway Championships will have an extra edge over others.

It is pertinent to mention here that earlier these diplomas were carried out in three centres, Patiala, Kolkata, Bangaluru and now they have started diplomas in Trivandrum also. Now, there are total 216 seats diploma seats in 18 disciplines in Patiala, 60 seats in five disciplines in Kolkata, 60 seats in six disciplines in Trivandrum and 160 seats in nine disciplines in Bangaluru.

Speaking to The Tribune in this regard, Executive Director of NIS LS Ranwat said this decision had been taken with a view to produce quality coaches in the country. “Sports in itself is a very technical subject and students from arts background sometimes faced difficulty in studying sports sciences. Therefore, we have decided to give preference to science graduates so that they can understand things better. Moreover, sports merit is another requirement,” he added.

He further informed that the administration had taken this decision in larger interest of the sports. “We have decided that we will strictly go as per the new rules and would not mind even if the seats are left vacant. We may produce fewer coaches but at least who so ever passes out will be totally competent to train papers from grass-root level till the international arena. They will be aware not just about the techniques of a particular sport but also the science behind it,” said Ranawat. 

BRIEFLY

oNCE MORE: SRK-McA FACE-OFF LIKELY
Will Shah Rukh Khan gatecrash into the Wankhede Stadium where his KKR will take on Mumbai Indians at Wankhede tomorrow? The actor who was banned by the Mumbai Cricket Association after he got into a brawl with a security guard last year has suggested that he could try entering the stadium wearing a mask. “What will they do if I enter? Shoot me?" Khan has been quoted as saying ahead of tomorrow's match. The MCA which imposed a five-year ban on the actor has however turned down his verbal apology. Its bosses have demanded that the actor apologize in writing. "As of now the ban on Shah Rukh Khan stays," Ravi Sawant, President, MCA said. After Khan joked about trying to gate-crash into Wankhede, MCA officials have threatened to beef up security and forcibly evict the actor if necessary. Sawant said security would be beefed up and Khan would certainly stopped from entering. Khan who has the backing of top officials from the BCCI has however not succeeded in winning over the MCA bosses. — TNS

Mohali
Miller all the way: When the marauder from Jamaica, Chris Gayle, scored a whirlwind 61, it looked almost over for Kings XI Punjab but David Miller completely overshadowed the Purple Cap holder with his breathtaking shots in the covers. Hiiting a first century of his T20 career, Miller said, “It was a tough task but R Sathis at the other end had a soothing effect on me. I just concentrated on hitting in the V zone. The crowd who had come to watch Gayle were in for a double treat as the South African not only carried his scintillating form forward but set a new record and pumped in new hope for the struggling side. Priety Zinta, who was sitting with a long face before the arrival of Miller, lit up and energetically cheered for the team. No sooner did the winning runs came off his bat she jumped in joy and the dimple-faced actor was her usual self. KXIP still have an uphill task ahead — they have to win 4 of their remaining 5 matches to have a shot in play-off stage. — TNS

Mumbai
Tendulkar deserves to play 200 Tests: Lee: Former Australia speedster Brett Lee would like to see senior India batsman Sachin Tendulkar reaching the unprecedented landmark of 200 Test matches before calling it quits. "There is a lot of media saying he should move on, he should stand down. (But) I believe if he keeps scoring runs and he keeps batting well, then he should be able to go (out) on his own terms. I think it is only fair," Lee said. "If a guy has played for over 20 years of international cricket, he deserves the right to play his 200th Test match. Hopefully, he does get his 200th Test match, because I can't see it ever being achieved again," the Aussie said.

Jaipur
Modest Rahane praises Rajasthan bowlers: Rajasthan Royals' Ajinkya Rahane is modest about his role and opts to praise his team's bowlers for keeping it tight in the death overs."I feel our bowlers came back strongly and restricted the visitors a good 10-15 run short then what was expected at one stage. They should be given credit for the way they bowled in last 6-7 overs," said Rahane.The 24-year-old, who is seen as a bright prospect for the future, was not picked in India's Champions Trophy squad but Rahane said he would rather focus on performance than selection."I wanted to contribute and play well. Selections are not in my hands," said Rahane.

New Delhi
CSK batting vs MI was comedy of errors: Dhoni: CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has described his team's batting against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday as a "comedy or errors." "Before the match our coach Stephen Fleming was a bit worried about us being complacent. I think that was on the cards after winning seven games in-a-row. Mentally we were not into this game at all," Dhoni said after the game. "We should have got 140. There was a comedy of errors, especially, in the batting department," Dhoni said.I think it was a good wake-up call for us," he added."With a few more games to go, we got it at the right time."

Mohali
It's going to be tough against Punjab: Vettori: Sitting pretty at the second position in the points table, RCB are not facing an intimidating rival but they are not taking KXIP lightly either tomorrow. In contrasting campaigns, Punjab have managed to win just four out of their 10 games so far while RCB have seven wins in 11 games. I think Mohali is a strong side in these conditions. now.” — PTI

Barcelona
Messi returns to put Barca on brink of La Liga title: Lionel Messi came off the substitute's bench to score twice and help Barcelona to a 4-2 win at home to Real Betis that moved them to within striking distance of the La Liga title on Sunday. The World Player of the Year had missed Barca's humiliating Champions League semi-final exit to Bayern Munich on Wednesday as he recovered from a hamstring problem, but came on in the 56th minute at 2-2 to score the goals that sealed the victory. The Argentine's 16th double of the season took his league tally to 46, just four short of last season's record breaking total. Barca have 88 points with four games left to play, 11 ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who triumphed 4-3 at home to Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Oeiras, Portugal
Stanislas Wawrinka upsets David Ferrer for Portugal title: Stanislas Wawrinka notched a second Swiss title victory at the Portugal Open as he followed Roger Federer’s precedent by winning the clay event with an upset of David Ferrer 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday. The second-seeded winner claimed the fourth trophy of his career and third on clay with the 64-minute victory over his world number four rival, top seed at the Estadio Nacional. Wawrinka showed his intentions as he dominated in a 29-minute opening set, with Ferrer not claiming a game until four minutes from the end of the set. The Swiss served it out a game later with a service winner on the first of three match points.

Manchester
Win over Man-U puts Chelsea on course for top-4 finish: A late own goal from Phil Jones secured Chelsea a 1-0 victory at Manchester United on Sunday to leave the Londoners poised for a top-four finish and a Champions League place next season. An angled shot from Spaniard Juan Mata in the 87th minute took a slight deflection off defender Jones and beat keeper Anders Lindegaard. Europa League finalists Chelsea moved up to third place on 68 points from 35 games, one ahead of Arsenal, who have played a game more, and three ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have also played 35. — Agencies