New Delhi, April 19
Putting up an all-round show, Royal Challengers Bangalore humbled defending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in their IPL Twenty20 match at the Dubai International Stadium.

After restricting Mumbai Indians to a modest 115 for nine, RCB cantered to their second successive win in 17.3 overs.

RCB though had a shaky start when left-handed opener Nic Maddinson was cleaned up by Lasith Malinga for 16 and Zaheer Khan wreaked havoc in the very next over with two wickets.

The left-arm pacer sent skipper Virat Kohli for a duck and trapped Yuvraj Singh lbw for nought in the space of three deliveries.

Wicketkeeper Aditya Tare though ruined Zaheer’s hat-trick chance when he dropped Yuvraj on the very next ball after Kohli’s dismissal.

But Mumbai’s cheer was short-lived as Parthiv Patel and AB de Villiers soon got a grip of the situation to stitch a 99-run unbeaten partnership.

Parthiv mixed the right dose of caution and aggression to score an unbeaten 57 off 45 deliveries. His innings was laced with seven boundaries. De Villiers at the other end played the sheet-anchor’s role to perfection, making an unbeaten 48-ball 45 with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Earlier put into bat, Mumbai batsmen failed to counter the clinical bowling display. The Mumbai openers started on a decent note but soon lost the plot against the RCB pacers.

South African pacer Albie Morkel drew first blood after scalping Mike Hussey for 16 in the 4th over of the innings.

Tare also couldn’t last long as pacer Varun Aaron induced a top-edge from the batsman which landed in the safe hands of Maddinson in the deep.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal then bowled a magnificent spell to bag two quick wickets, giving away just 17 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma (2) was a prized scalp for the Haryana tweaker and soon the big-hitting Kieron Pollard also fell to his guile.

Ambati Rayudu and Corey Anderson then tried to stem the rot, stitching together a 31-run fifth-wicket partnership, but Mitchell Starc sent the two batsmen back in the dug-out in his third over to choke MI. Rayudu was caught at long off for a fighting 35 as De Villiers took his second catch while Anderson followed him soon after to give Starc a hat-trick chance.

The Australian left-arm pacer did not get the hat-trick but ended with impressive figures of 2/21. Ashok Dinda joined the party when he packed Zaheer back for a duck and Mumbai slipped further. Harbhajan tried to counter attack with a boundary in his run-a-ball eight-run stay but Aaron soon picked his second wicket.

The win takes RCB into a position of strength very early into the tournament after their eight-wicket win against Delhi Daredevils. — Agencies

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians

Hussey c Chahal b Morkel 16

Tare c Maddinson b Aaron 17

Rayudu c de Villiers b Starc 35

Rohit c de Villiers b Chahal 2

Pollard c Rana b Chahal 3

Anderson c Kohli b Starc 18

Harbhajan b Aaron 8

Zaheer c Rana b Dinda 0

Malinga run out (Yuvraj) 2

Ojha not out 1

Bumrah not out 1

Extras: (b 1, lb 3, w 7, nb 1) 12

Total: (9 wkts; 20 ovs) 115

Fall of wickets: 1-20 2-52 3-60 4-70 5-101 6-101 7-101 8-110 9-113

Bowling

Starc 4-0-21-2

Morkel 3-0-23-1

Aaron 4-0-30-2

Chahal 4-0-17-2

Dinda 4-0-14-1

Yuvraj 1-0-6-0

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Maddinson b Malinga 12

Parthiv not out 57

Kohli c Harbhajan b Khan 0

Yuvraj lbw b Khan 0

AB de Villiers not out 45

Extras: (lb 1, w 1) 2

Total (3 wkts; 17.3 ovs) 116

Fall of wickets: 1-16 2-17 3-17

Bowling

Zaheer 4-0-21-2

Harbhajan 4-0-14-0

Malinga 3.3-0-29-1

Bumrah 2-0-14-0

Ojha 4-0-37-0

Mumbai, April 19
The BCCI’s all-powerful Working Committee is to meet in Mumbai Sunday afternoon at its headquarters to find a pathway to satisfy the latest directive of the Supreme Court in the case related to corruption in last year’s IPL.

The apex court put the ball back in the BCCI's court for future course of action to probe the damning contents of the Mudgal Committee report on its own through appropriate means.

On April 16, the Supreme Court had said the BCCI should conduct a probe against N Srinivasan and 12 others in the betting and spot-fixing scandal to maintain its institutional autonomy as the court cannot “close its eyes” to the allegations made by the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee.

The Emergent WC meeting, to be held two days before the next hearing of the case in the apex court, has been convened following demand from some state units affiliated to the Board after the Supreme Court’s hearing.

Some Board bigwigs, including secretary Sanjay Patel, are currently in the UAE watching the first phase of IPL-7 but are set to return in time to attend the crucial meeting scheduled at its headquarters — Cricket Centre.

Shivlal Yadav, the former India Test off-spinner who is the Supreme Court-appointed interim president of BCCI for non-IPL related matters, would be chairing the meeting. The future course of action of BCCI in the wake of whatever had transpired in the SC hearing on April 16 concerning allegations of spot-fixing and betting in IPL, is the important item on agenda, Yadav said.

With another damning statement by its former president Shashank Manohar that the Board lacked leaders to take on Srinivasan, and another former president Jagmohan Dalmiya's observation that the BCCI's image has been sullied, indications are that a new panel satisfying the apex court would be formed to conduct a deeper probe into the Mudgal Committee’s findings. The BCCI website indicated Sunil Gavaskar, the Supreme Court-appointed interim president for IPL-related matters, as the chairman of Working Committee, but Yadav is not certain whether his former skipper would attend the meet.

“I don't know whether he will be attending the meeting as he’s in Dubai overseeing the organisation of IPL,” said Yadav.

Meanwhile, there have been demands from some quarters that Mahohar himself come back to head the Board's probe panel.

Aditya Verma, the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar chief who is the petitioner in the IPL case, has demanded that Manohar head the probe panel against the scam. — PTI

Officials

Shivlal Yadav (Interim President), Sanjay Patel (Secretary), Anurag Thakur (Jt. Secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (Treasurer), SP Bansal (Vice President, North), Chitrak Mitra (VP, East), Ravi Savant (VP, West), Rajeev Shukla (VP, Central), Representatives of Delhi & District Cricket Association, Tamil Nadu CA, Cricket Association of Bengal, Mumbai CA, Uttar Pradesh CA (all permanent Test centres), Haryana CA (North), Goa CA (South), National CC (East), The Cricket Club of India (West), Railway Sports Promotion Board (Central) (all by rotation), Karnataka State CA, Punjab CA, Gujarat CA, Vidarbha CA, and Hyderabad CA (Staged Test match in the last 2 years.

New Delhi, April 19
Glenn Maxwell, the off-spinning all-rounder from Australia, was the biggest buy in the IPL players’ auction last year, striking a whopping $1 million deal with Mumbai Indians. His reputation of being a clean striker of the ball and a handy off-spinner made him the million-dollar baby of the league.

However, Maxwell was used sparingly during Mumbai's charge to the IPL title and the 25-year-old Australian ended up playing in only three matches and aggregating just 36 runs at a below-par average of 18. He was criticised for his poor form and a popular Indian website had even labelled him a “million dollar waste” for not figuring in the team's plans.

Before that, the 25-year-old Australian got to play only two matches for Delhi Daredevils in 2012, with nothing substantial to write about him.

Mumbai Indians did not retain him before this year's players' auction and relieved him of his duties, only for Kings XI Punjab to cash in on the opportunity and bring the all-rounder into their fold by spending Rs 6 crore.

And Maxwell has justified that price, starting the 2014 season with a bang. Maxwell hammered a 43-ball 95 yesterday while chasing the Chennai Super Kings' mammoth 205 for 4 to set up his team's six-wicket win in Abu Dhabi.

Maxwell's innings must have made Mumbai Indians rue their decision not to retain him this year. So, has the Australian come into the tournament to prove a point or two to his critics? “Well, not really. I don't think I have come here to prove anything. I don't think you can talk much about the last two IPL seasons as I got to play few games. This year, I have come into the IPL after a playing a lot for Australia in the last seven-eight months,” Maxwell told The Tribune from Abu Dhabi.

Maxwell has always underlined his importance to Australia's future in the shorter forms of the game by scoring at a brisk rate with the bat and bowling those slower balls in the middle overs of the innings.

At the Twenty20 World Cup, Maxwell hit a 29-ball 74 against Pakistan and a 22-ball 45 against the West Indies to accumulate 147 runs in four matches. He was the lone bright spot of yet another disappointing Australian campaign at the World T20.

Maxwell was also part of the Australian team for the seven-match ODI series against India in October-November last year. Maxwell said the time spent with the Australian team in the last one year helped him in becoming a better player. “It was a very good, enjoyable period. I have been given more responsibility in the Australian line-up. I have become more responsible the way I approach my game now,” he said.

In his first outing for Kings XI Punjab, Maxwell went about his business in style and scored over the infield and through the gaps. The way he reverse-swept off-spinner R Ashwin thrice was especially clinical.

“I generally try to back myself against spin. For me, it doesn't really matter who the spinner is. I have played enough against the subcontinent teams and I am not too afraid of them. I'll try to take them on and put the pressure back on them in the IPL,” he said. 

Worcestershire stint for Ajmal

Pakistan offie Saeed Ajmal (in pic) has been given clearance by the PCB to play a shortened stint with Worcestershire in the English season. The 36-year-old’s departure was held up after the PCB discussed the matter following confirmation of Pak’s tour to Lanka in July-August. Ajmal said he would fly early next week and will be available for Worcestershire’s home match against Derbyshire on April 27. “I am quite used to playing in the English season, but duty-bound to return for national duty,” he said.

Moores returns as England coach

Peter Moores was named England coach for the second time as the board continued its overhaul following the humiliating 5-0 Ashes rout in Australia. The 51-year-old succeeds Zimbabwean Andy Flower who stepped down after five years in charge following the whitewash Down Under in January. “It's great to be back. I feel very proud to get this opportunity because I think it's a great chance. “To work with Alastair Cook and try to build something is great,” he said. — Agencies

Chandigarh, April 19
Anirban Lahiri shot a flawless, bogey-free six-under 66 to move up the leaderboard with a total of six-under 210 after the third round of the $2.75 million Malaysian Open.

The Indian, who carded two consistent rounds of 72 for 36-holes, is tied for 14th place going into the final round and is well-placed to make it into the top-ten if he maintains the patience and consistency he has shown all week. Lahiri carded back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, followed by another on the sixth to make the turn at three-under for the round. He then picked up birdies on the 10th, 14th and 16th holes to return an error-free card of 66. He now trails tournament leader Lee Westwood by eight stokes.

“I am really happy with how I played. I have been playing good golf the last two days, but just wasn't making putts. I came out and just putted much better today. I have been working on it and it's nice to have it improve. I was probably trying a bit too hard the last two rounds and was too anxious. I just relaxed a little bit today and it was a great day," said Lahiri, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour who carded the lowest round of the day.

“The KLGCC is always tricky as the greens can be very deceptive. However, they are slightly slower this year and the grass is slightly longer than usual. The speeds have changed and the lines have changed. I have also been working on some things with my coach and have stuck to the changes," said Lahiri, who hit 16 greens in regulation and holed all the putts that he narrowly missed in the first two rounds. “I am happy with my ball-striking. I hit 16 greens today and 15 yesterday. Hopefully my ball-striking stays that way so it will all come down to putting. Hopefully I can make a few more tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Rahil Gangjee carded a two-under 70 and is a further two strokes behind Lahiri with a total of 212. SSP Chowrasia continued to card sub-par rounds, shooting a 71 in the third round and is tied 23rd alongside his fellow Kolkatan. Shiv Kapur, who just sneaked in to make the cut after shooting a 69 in the second round, followed it up with a 69 today to considerably improve his position on the leaderboard with a tie for 35th place at 214.

However, current Asian Tour Order of Merit co-leader Rashid Khan had a dismal round, a 76 which left him in a tie for 65th place.

At the helm of the event, tournament leader Lee Westwood will attempt to end a two-year title drought as he heads into the final round with a one-stroke lead over countryman Andy Sullivan.

New Delhi, April 19
India ended their disappointing European hockey tour with a loss against The Netherlands in the fifth and final build-up game played at The Hague today.

It was the men’s hockey team’s third successive defeat of the tour as the Sardar Singh-led side went down 2-1 against the hosts, raising several questions about the team’s preparedness for the World Cup, scheduled to be held at The Hague from May 31 to June 15.

The Indian team found the net in just the 2nd minute of the game when Rupinder Pal Singh successfully converted a penalty corner. The Indians denied the Dutch players any scoring opportunity and maintained their lead till the half time.

It was only in the second half that The Netherlands were able to open their account when Micro Pruyser pumped in a goal from penalty corner in the 46th minute. The Dutch players grew in confidence after that and made several inroads into the rival’s citadel. Their efforts finally paid off when Tristan Alegra scored the second goal for the hosts in the 67th minute to pocket the match.

India had earlier thrashed Leiden Hockey Club 7-0 in the first build-up game at Oegstgeest before playing out a 3-3 draw with HGC Hockey Club in the next game of the tour.

The visitors had tasted their first defeat of the tour when they went down 2-1 against Belgium in the third build-up game before losing to The Netherlands 2-4 last evening in their fourth match.

Result: India 1 (Rupinder Pal Singh 2nd min) lost to The Netherlands 2 (Micro Pruyser 46th min, Tristan Alegra 67th min).

Brace for Chan Chan Devi

The Indian women's hockey team completed its Ireland tour with a 2-2 draw against the hosts in the third and final Test in Dublin.

India had already clinched the series after defeating Ireland 3-1 and 2-1 in the first two matches of the tour, organized as part of the team's preparation for the FIH Champions Challenge 1 beginning April 27 in Scotland.

The match started on an attacking note and both teams made some early inroads into each other's citadel. Ireland opened the account in the 7th minute when Anna O'Flanagan scored through a field effort.

India equalised in the 31st minute through Chan Chan Devi and went into the half time with scores levelled at 1-1.

In the second half, both teams pressed hard to take the lead. India eventually tasted success when Devi converted a penalty corner to score her second.

Ireland, however, equalised in the 64th minute through O'Flanagan just six minutes before the final hooter. The first shot was well saved by goalkeeper Savita but the rebound went straight to O'Flanagan, who put the ball into the net to complete her brace.

Result: India 2 (Chan Chan 31st min) draw Ireland 2 (Anna O'Flanagan 7th, 64th min). 

New Delhi, April 19
Sandeep Kumar (60kg) notched up a comprehensive win to enter the pre-quarterfinals but Asian bronze-medallist Manjeet (69kg) bowed out after a fierce battle as Indian boxers produced mixed results in the second round of World Youth Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, today.

Sandeep entered the last-16 after beating Lukas Dekys of the Czech Republic in his second-round bout. The Indian led throughout and was unanimously declared the winner in all three rounds.

He will now square off against Japan's Goh Hasaka, who defeated Iraq's Jamal Hayder in his bout.

Manjeet, on the other hand, fought hard against Rakhat Marzhikpayev of Kazakhstan but could not come through. The Indian gave his more fancied rival a tough time but eventually had to bow out, losing 1-2.

Earlier, Asian silver-medallist Neel Kamal Singh lost to Finland's Kalle Kallioinen in the middleweight 75kg second round.

The event is doubling up as a qualifying event for the Youth Olympics. The youngsters will have to reach at least the semifinals of the event to make the cut. — PTI

New Delhi, April 19
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has hired two foreign coaches — An Jong Son and Kim Song Han from North Korea — to help its state units conduct training sessions for junior paddlers during summer vacation.

The hiring of foreign coaches, part of TTFI's annual developmental programme that began three years ago, has been a great hit with young players who have benefited from their training methods in the last two seasons. The two coaches will be here for nearly three months and help conduct camps in more than half a dozen states this year. Son was the chief coach of the North Korean national team from 2011 to 2012. Han was the chief coach of the nation’s youth team from 2009 to 2012.

This year's training camps will also be held at Delhi and Sonepat among other cities. The Delhi camp has already begun. — PTI

Shanghai, April 19
Lewis Hamilton will line up on pole position for Sunday's Chinese Formula One Grand Prix after putting in a storming lap in treacherous conditions to maintain Mercedes' qualifying stranglehold.

The Briton's best time of one minute 53.860 seconds through rain and spray was a hefty 0.595 of a second quicker than Red Bull's Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who joined him on the front row.

"It is so slippery out there, the conditions — trying to find the grip, not making mistakes on your lap and really putting it together," said Hamilton, who will be chasing his third win in a row.

It was Hamilton's third pole in four races this season and 34th of his F1 career, pushing the 29-year-old past the late Jim Clark's British record that he equalled in Malaysia last month. He is now fourth on the all-time pole list led by Michael Schumacher with 68.

Red Bull's quadruple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, but more than a second slower than Hamilton and outqualified by team mate Ricciardo for the third time in four races.

Championship leader Nico Rosberg, who had been on pole in the previous Bahrain Grand Prix, completed the second row for Mercedes after running wide on his second lap and then spinning on his final flying lap.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, last year's winner in China, qualified fifth with new team boss Marco Mattiacci looking on from the pit wall.

However, it was a day of mixed fortunes for the sport's glamour team with Kimi Raikkonen failing to make it through to the top 10 shootout after struggling for grip all session long. — Reutes

Boston, April 19
When Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa returns to the starting line of the Boston Marathon on Monday after winning the fabled footrace last year, one of his fiercest challengers may be Kenyan Dennis Kimetto.

Both men arrive in Boston with short but enviable records, with this marking only the fourth marathon for each and the first time they will meet in a race. Each won two of their last three outings and came in second in the third one.

This year's 118th running of the race is sure to be an emotional one with the largest ever field of 36,000 including many racers who were not able to cross the finish line last year when police stopped the race after two bombs exploded, killing three and injuring more than 260. — Reuters

Madrid, April 19
Atletico Madrid stayed firmly on course for a surprise La Liga title triumph when a Miranda header and Diego Costa's late penalty secured an unconvincing 2-0 win for the leaders at home to Elche on Friday.

David Villa had a penalty saved shortly after halftime at a raucous Calderon stadium, packed with fans enjoying their team's best season in nearly 20 years, and nerves were jangling when centre back Miranda rose at the back post to nod a Jose Sosa corner powerfully into the net 18 minutes from time.

Costa was felled by Elche defender Cristian Sapunaru, who earned a second yellow card and was sent off, in the 90th minute and the Brazil-born forward stroked the ball into the net for his 27th La Liga goal of the campaign, one fewer than leading marksman Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.

The victory stretched Atletico's lead over second-placed Real to six points. Champions Barcelona, who host fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, are a further point behind in third.

Under coach Diego Simeone, Atletico are mounting a genuine challenge to the dominance of vastly wealthier Real and Barca and are closing on a first La Liga title since 1996 when a team featuring the former Argentina captain won the domestic league and Cup double.

If they win their next three matches, they will be assured of the title by the time they meet Barca for the final game of the campaign. — Reuters

Monaco, April 19
Roger Federer beat an injured Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-2 to set up an all-Swiss Monte Carlo Masters final with Stanislas Wawrinka after the Australian Open champion ousted David Ferrer 6-1 7-6 (3) on Saturday.

Holder Djokovic resisted for one set before pain in his right wrist was just too much to bear for the second-seeded Serb who bowed out on the first match point after one hour 14 minutes.

The much-awaited clash lived up to expectations early on, with 17-times grand slam champion Federer saving two set points on serve at 5-4. Federer, who has never won the Monte Carlo Masters, broke in the following game and pocketed the set with an ace before Djokovic went to his chair holding his right wrist.

The second set was a stroll for the Swiss who produced a series of forehand winners as he moved 18-16 up in his head-to-head record against Djokovic.

Earlier, third seed Wawrinka showed no mercy against the giant-killing Ferrer.

The Swiss raced through the first set and kept his composure in the second when the Spaniard raised his level.

Sixth seed Ferrer, who knocked out eight-times French Open champion and world number one Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals on Friday, was on the back foot throughout.

"It was the perfect start for me. I played very well in spite of the wind," Wawrinka said. "He changed tactics in the second set, being more aggressive, and I became more hesitant but I played tougher then."

Wawrinka quickly opened a 5-0 lead after breaking twice with a passing shot and a forehand return winner. The Swiss, looking to win his first Masters 1000 title, sealed the opening set with a stunning backhand winner down the line.

Ferrer saved a break point in the opening game of the second set but Wawrinka, whose 31 winners made up for 40 unforced errors, accelerated again in the tiebreak and prevailed on his second match point when his opponent netted a backhand.

Fed Cup: Germany lead Australia 2-0 in semifinal

Brisbane: Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber had straight-set wins on Saturday to give Germany a 2-0 lead over Australia in their Fed Cup semifinal and primed to reach their first final in 21 years.

Petkovic opened with a 6-1, 7-6 (7) win over Sam Stosur while top-ranked German player Kerber had little difficulty beating Casey Dellacqua 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes on outdoor hard courts at Pat Rafter Arena. — Agencies

Berlin, April 19
Late goals from Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic rescued lacklustre Bayern Munich who beat Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 on Saturday to bounce back from two straight league defeats ahead of next week's Champions League semifinal at Real Madrid.

The 35-year-old Peruvian was picked to start ahead of Bayern top scorer Mandzukic and the choice proved key as the Bavarians' slump in form showed for much of the game. Bayern were missing several players including keeper Manuel Neuer and defender David Alaba.

Despite enough big name players in the squad, however, they struggled against the aggressive hosts, out for any points to avoid relegation.

Braunschweig were far livelier despite the absence of injured top striker Domi Kumbela. It took Bayern more than an hour to settle in and Pizarro drilled home from a tight angle after a well-timed pass by Mario Goetze. Substitute Mandzukic settled any nerves in the 86th.

Borussia Dortmund tightened their grip on second place, opening a six-point lead over third-placed Schalke 04 with a 4-2 victory over Mainz 05.

Dortmund did better two minutes later with Milos Jojic's deflected shot. Twice Mainz 05 recovered with goals from Japan international Shinji Okazaki but twice the hosts hit back almost instantly with Robert Lewandowski's 18th goal of the campaign and another from fullback Lukasz Piszczek. — Reuters

Inter beat Parma

Rome: Inter Milan moved a step closer to qualifying for next season's Europa League with a 2-0 Serie A win over 10-man Parma on Saturday while local rivals AC Milan boosted their chances of European football with their fifth straight victory. Inter stay fifth but are on 56 points, five ahead of Parma and AC Milan, who thumped lowly Livorno 3-0. 

London, April 19
The Premier League survival hopes of Cardiff City and Fulham remain no clearer after a draw with Stoke City and loss to Tottenham Hotspur respectively kept them marooned in the relegation zone with three matches remaining.

Cardiff fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 to move above 19th placed Fulham on goal difference after the west Londoners went down 3-1 at Spurs, who won with goals from Paulinho, Harry Kane and Younes Kaboul.

Newcastle United slumped to their fifth straight loss after a late Wilfried Bony penalty earned Swansea City a 2-1 win, lifting the Swans to 36 points, six clear of relegation danger. — Reuters 

DubaiI, April 19 
JP Duminy hit a timely unbeaten 52 after skipper Dinesh Karthik set the foundation with a fighting 56-run knock as Delhi Daredevils edged out Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in a thrilling match.

Electing to bat, KKR posted a decent 166 for five, thanks to some brilliant batting by Robin Uthappa (55) and Manish Pandey (48) at Dubai International Stadium.

Delhi Daredevils batsmen responded to the challenge well and overhauled the target with three balls to spare.

Karthik batted superbly in the top order while Duminy finished it off in style with a six off Piyush Chawla.

Like KKR, Delhi too had to endure a bad start as Murali Vijay (0) was run out in the first over. Mayank Agrawal was off to a superb start as he hit some terrific shots but could not stay long at the crease as his short but entertaining 26-run knock was ended by Morne Morkel. — PTI

Scoreboard

Kolkata Knight Riders
Kallis c Taylor b Shami 0
Gambhir c Duminy b Coulter-Nile 0
Pandey b Nadeem 48
Uthappa c Taylor b Unadkat 55
Shakib not out 30
Pathan b Coulter-Nile 11
Yadav not out 8
Extras: (lb 1, w 12, nb 1) 14
Total: (5 wkts; 20 ovs) 166
Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-11 3-75 4-132 
5-157
Bowling
Shami 4-0-33-1
Coulter-Nile 4-0-27-2
Unadkat 4-0-25-1
Neesham 2-0-26-0
Nadeem 3-0-29-1
Duminy 3-0-25-0
Delhi Daredevils
Vijay run out (Pandey) 0
Agarwal c Chawla b Morkel 26
Karthik lbw b Narine 56
Taylor b Kallis 6
Duminy not out 52
Tiwary c Narine b Morkel 8
Neesham c Pathan b Chawla 8
Coulter-Nile not out 0
Extras: (lb 6, w 5) 11
Total (6 wkts; 19.3 ovs) 167
Fall of wickets: 1-10 2-39 3-60 4-118 5-127 6-161
Bowling
Vinay 4-0-35-0
M. Morkel 4-0-41-2
Shakib 3-0-25-0
Kallis 2-0-15-1
Chawla 2.3-0-27-1
Narine 4-0-18-1

London, April 19
Chelsea’s title hopes were seriously dented after the London club was stunned 1-2 by Sunderland in Premier League on Saturday. 

Samuel Eto'o gave the home side the lead in the 12th minute, before Connor Wickham equalised six minutes later. Chelsea missed many chances before Fabio Borini converted a penalty in the 82nd minute. 

Meanwhile, the Premier League survival hopes of Cardiff City and Fulham remain no clearer after a draw with Stoke City and loss to Tottenham Hotspur respectively kept them marooned in the relegation zone with three matches remaining.

Cardiff fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 to move above 19th placed Fulham on goal difference after the west Londoners went down 3-1 at Spurs, who won with goals from Paulinho, Harry Kane and Younes Kaboul.

The pair are two points behind Norwich City, who sit one place above the relegation zone and host leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

Newcastle United slumped to their fifth straight loss after a late Wilfried Bony penalty earned Swansea City a 2-1 win, lifting the Swans to 36 points, six clear of relegation danger, while Crystal Palace's resurgence under Tony Pulis continued with their fifth consecutive victory courtesy of Mile Jedinak's second-half penalty in a 1-0 win at West Ham United. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

abu dhabi
Tendulkar bowls at MI nets alongside son Arjun

Sachin Tendulkar was seen bowling at the Mumbai Indians nets alongside son Arjun at the ICC Academy. The Mumbai legend’s presence at the academy created quite a stir as hundreds arrived to catch a glimpse of him. Tendulkar, 40, bowled long spells to the Mumbai batsmen and so did Arjun, who looked as focussed as his father. The Master Blaster may have bid adieu to the game after helping MI do a double last season — won the IPL and Champions League Title — but will be seen wearing his No.10 jersey in the team’s dugout after the management decided to retire the shirt.

Abu Dhabi
CSK flattered to deceive, says Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni conceded that his side were beaten “fair and square” by a better opponent in their six-wicket loss against Kings XI Punjab. “When you score 200, you have to remember the opposition has every chance of scoring it as well. It was a fantastic wicket, they batted really well. We did well but they beat us fair and square,” Dhoni said. The skipper said his side could have done better but refused to blame anybody. “We should have done better with the ball. Batsmen did their job and bowlers should have had different plans for different players. Bowl right areas. The margin of error is very small. There was not much spin. Overall, it will be difficult for the bowlers. The game was down to the batsman,” he said.

SHARJAH
RR and KXIP hope to outsmart each other

Their campaigns off to a flier, both Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals would be hoping to outsmart each other when they clash in an exciting match on Sunday. On paper Kings XI will start as favourites against the Royals. However, bowling would be a cause of concern for Kings XI going into tomorrow's game. Almost all their bowlers went for runs against Chennai. — PTI