Bangalore, may 9
David Miller smashed a brilliant 29-ball-66 and Sandeep Sharma picked three wickets to lead Kings XI Punjab to a comprehensive 32-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

Miller and Wriddhiman Saha (17) steadied the innings after KXIP slumped to 116 for four in 11.4 overs after Virender Sehwag and Mandeep Singh gave a rollicking start to the visitors, adding 60 runs in 35 balls. Sehwag again scored 30 but more importantly provided the momentum. Glenn Maxwell blasted his way to 25 off 10 balls before holing out in the deep off Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling trying to go for his third six.

But Miller more than made up for Maxwell's fall as the South African left-hander scored runs at a brisk pace. He hit eight boundaries and three sixes off only 29 balls before departing in the 17th over of the KXIP innings. Saha also contributed in Punjab's massive total by supporting Miller as they notched up 54 runs in only 4.5 overs, helping Kings XI put on a daunting 198-run total. The Kings XI wicketkeeper was scalped by Harshal Patel, caught at long-off by AB de Villiers, trying to loft a slower delivery. Thereafter Akshar Patel and Shivam Sharma went cheaply, scoring two and four respectively.

RCB were out of the game the minute Sandeep dismissed Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli on successive deliveries. Eventually, RCB managed 166/9, thanks to a 26-ball 53 by AB de Villiers. —PTI

Scoreboard

Kings XI Punjab

Sehwag c Kohli b Chahal 30 (24)

Mandeep c Morkel b Harshal 21 (15)

Maxwell c Starc b Chahal 25 (11)

Miller c Chahal b Aaron 66 (29)

Bailey c PA Patel b Morkel 1 (7)

Saha c de Villiers b Harshal 17 (17)

Johnson not out 16 (12)

Patel b Starc 2 (3)

Shivam b Starc 4 (2)

Balaji not out 1 (1)

Extras (lb 2, w 11, nb 2) 15

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 198

FoW: 1-60 2-68 3-93 4-116 5-170 6-184 7-189 8-193

Bowling

Starc 4-0-43-2

Morkel 4-0-20-1

Aaron 4-0-35-1

Harshal 3-0-56-2

Chahal 4-0-23-2

Yuvraj 1-0-19-0

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Gayle c Saha b Sandeep 4 (7)

Parthiv c Mandeep b Sandeep 13 (14)

Kohli c Saha b Sandeep 0 (1)

Sachin b Patel 18 (16)

de Villiers c Patel b Balaji 53 (26)

Yuvraj c Sehwag b Shivam 3 (11)

Morkel c Bailey b Shivam 16 (8)

Starc c Miller b Balaji 29 (23)

Harshal c Saha b Johnson 6 (3)

Aaron not out 17 (11)

Chahal not out 1 (1)

Extras (lb 1, w 4, nb 1) 6

Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 166

FoW: 1-8 2-8 3-26 4-39 5-50 6-76 
7-125 8-133 9-153

Bowling

Sandeep 4-0-25-3

Johnson 4-0-25-1

Balaji 3-0-43-2

Akshar 4-0-22-1

Shivam 4-0-26-2

Maxwell 1-0-24-0

MOM: Sandeep Sharma

New Delhi, May 9
The Delhi High Court has directed India's National Sports Federations (NSFs) to follow the Sports Code, which was approved by the Indian government in 2011.

The National Sports Development Code of India, passed by the central government in 2011, sought to put restrictions on the age and tenure of office-bearers of the various NSFs, apart from ensuring free and fair elections and transparent functioning of the sports federations.

Many of the NSFs and officials refused to accept the Sports Code or went to court against it, but the Sports Ministry has been persistent in trying to ensure that it is accepted by all the federations. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had challenged the Sports Code in the Delhi High Court. The Delhi High Court's judgement today upheld the right of the central government to lay down conditions for the NSFs to use the name “India” for their teams, ie to officially represent the nation in a sporting event.

Today's judgement in the Delhi High Court observes: “Aid or recognition is not one way street. The central government's legitimate right to recognise these sporting bodies, for the purpose of the use of the expression “India”, enabling national sports teams sponsored by these NSFs and the IOA to in turn use that appellation, carries with it the right to insist that certain basic standards are followed. With the right to grant or withhold such recognition is also the right to spell out conditions ...”

Reacting to the judgement, former sports minister Ajay Maken, during whose tenure the Sports Code was passed, said: “My stand on the Sports Code has been vindicated with the high court supporting the Code which was envisaged in February 2011. This code will ensure that the NSFs follow the age and tenure norms and also conduct the election in a free, fair and transparent manner through secret ballot as provided for in the National Sports Code.”

“It's a historic decision. Delhi High Court has dismissed the IOA's challenge to the Sports Code,” activist Rahul Mehra, who has been fighting a long battle to cleanse Indian sport, told The Tribune. “The IOA had challenged the veracity of the Sports Code. They wanted it to be scrapped. The IOA had challenged the central government's authority and had said that only state governments can legislate on sports, but the High Court ruling has come as a big jolt to them. Let them fight it out in the Supreme Court. We are ready for another court battle.”

VK Malhotra, the acting IOA chief, told The Tribune: “I have not seen the judgement but what I have come to know is that our petition has been rejected. The High Court has refused to scrap the Sports Code. IOA has already incorporated the tenure guidelines of the Sports Code. Regarding the age limit, the IOA follows International Olympic guidelines. We will take the legal recourse. Naturally, we will approach the Supreme Court, there's no doubt about it.”

Mumbai, may 9
Eric Simons's role has been under the scanner as Delhi Daredevils' bowlers have averaged a mere 3.1 wickets per outing in eight IPL games so far but the former India bowling coach lashed out at his critics stating that “identifying problems is easy, fixing it is difficult”.

Simons normally stresses on “hitting the right areas” and would lay strips on the stump channel to help the bowlers hit those areas, a mode of practice that has often attracted criticism.

Asked if that's what stops bowlers from experimenting, a fuming Simons told PTI, “You know what dendrites are? Dendrites are mental habits. Identifying problems is very easy, fixing it is difficult part. That's what coaching is. It's easy to sit there in the commentary box and say what bowlers should and shouldn't do.”

Simons justified the using of mats. “We use mat for practising length delivery, wide delivery, yorker. Unless you have a specific objective, you don't learn and you just bowl. The ball goes where it goes from a specific muscle memory. Let me tell you that, there aren't too many bowlers in the world today who can just run up and bowl six deliveries line and length,” the South African coach said.

Pollard has been spoken to, says Rohit

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma today defended his teammate Kieron Pollard and said the ugly spat involving the West Indian and Royal Challengers Bangalore's Mitchell Starc happened in the heat of the moment and won't be repeated.

“We all have spoken to him. I thought whatever happened, happened in the heat of the game. Nobody wants to ruin the spirit of the game. It happened and we have spoken about it and we have to move forward now,” Sharma said on the eve of the IPL defending champions' clash against two-time former winners Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.

“Pollard, we know is an aggressive player. He didn't do anything purposely. As a captain it was my duty to explain or tell him what sort of behaviour you should have on field. We have had a word with him and he is okay with that. Hopefully he will not repeat such mistakes,” he said. — PTI

New Delhi, May 9
Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has suggested the setting up of an autonomous body, independent of the BCCI, to run the cash-rich T20 league. “I would remove the IPL from under the BCCI and put it in the hands of a separate company,” Modi said.

“They can have the ownership, let them earn the revenue but allow autonomy to the independent company. Bring in professionals that have nothing else but to run the IPL,” Modi was quoted as saying by a cricket website.

Modi said it is important to involve the franchise owners in the decision-making process. “The league's board would have franchise owners on it. And the company would then send in an annual report to the BCCI. That is how it should be. The owners need to have a big say in it. You cannot have a system that keeps changing rules like retention to suit one's own needs,” he said. — PTI

Chennai, May 9
Sharwan Kharb from Haryana qualified for the Asian Junior Championships after winning the 5000m race on the opening day of 12th Federation Cup National Junior Athletics Championships here on Friday.

The morning session witnessed some noteworthy performances in the 5000m race with Abhishek Pal (Assam), Jatinder Kumar (Punjab) and Sharwan fighting it out in a keen battle in the junior men`s category.

Abhishek, the bronze medallist in the last year's Asian Youth Games at Nanjing in 3000m, led the race initially. However, the 17-year-old runner received stiff challenge in the second half of the race from Jatinder and Sharwan.

Towards the finish, Sharwan, a junior camper who made a last minute entry here, ran into a commanding position and went on to win the race, clocking 14 minutes 54.51 seconds — the timing qualified him for this year's Asian Junior Championships at Chinese Taipei next month.

Jatinder (14:55.24) and Abhishek (14:56.23) took the remaining two positions on the podium.— PTI

New Delhi, May 9
“If you build an army of 100 lions and their leader is a dog, in any fight, the lions will die like a dog. But if you build an army of 100 dogs and their leader is a lion, all dogs will fight like a lion”. This is the famous quote on leadership skills by Napoleon Bonaparte — a French military and political leader, who rose to prominence during the later stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars in Europe in the 18th century.

One would expect a management guru or a corporate honcho to quote these lines, but to hear it from India boxer Akhil Kumar, the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games gold medallist, leaves one surprised.

Laid low by injury breakdowns and working hard to get back into shape, Akhil, whose last major international event was the 2011 World Championships, has returned to the boxing ring for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He appeared in the trials for the men's core probable group for the CWG and the Asian Games at NIS Patiala on Friday. Akhil will participate in a new weight category —lightweight 60kg — if selected for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

“It’s been a tumultuous ride for me after straining my calf muscle while preparing for the qualifiers of the London Olympics. It’s been a frustrating period, but now I am back, working hard to make the CWG and the Asian Games squad. It's been a three-year wait for me. I feel there’s still enough boxing left in me,” Akhil told The Tribune after appearing for trials on the first day of competition.

“I have the talent, experience and fitness to represent the country in international competitions. I believe a boxer can compete till the age of 40 and if I remain injury free, Rio Olympics in 2016 is on my target list. I am not done yet. I was 75kg when I started my rehabilitation programme. It was not easy for me to lose weight, but now I am 60kg. I am thankful to chief national coach GS Sandhu, Jaidev Bisht, weightlifting coach Amrik Singh who helped me come out of the tough phase and get me to the boxing ring again,” said the 33-year-old, who is a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana.

Akhil, who sank into oblivion but returned to prove his critics wrong with the All India Police Games gold medal in Ranchi in December last, said boxing never took a back seat for him. “Last three years were tough for me. Sitting out and not being able to do what I love the most was difficult,” he said.

Akhil's unique open-guard technique was a rage, and he was the Indian boxing’s pin-up boy before Vijender Singh came through and won a broze medal in Beijing.

Akhil, however, knows it would be difficult for him to reach the top level again. Akhil's last achievement was a bronze medal at the 2009 Champion of Champions in China. Thereafter, the medals dried up for him and other boxers surged ahead of him.

But with Akhil back in the ring, looking determined and hungry, the boxing fans could be in for a pleasant surprise.

Madrid, May 9
Andy Murray was overwhelmed 6-3 6-2 by Santiago Giraldo and champion Rafa Nadal showed signs of rustiness before reaching the Madrid Open quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-4 win over Jarkko Nieminen on Thursday.

Wimbledon champion Murray, returning to action after a month's break, showed mental strength to beat Nicolas Almagro in the last round but he was never in the contest against Giraldo, who claimed his first top-10 scalp.

Briton Murray lost his opening service game and could not cope with the power and accuracy of his Colombian opponent who comfortably won the first set.

There was no change in momentum in the second and Giraldo, who reached the Barcelona final last month, next takes on Roberto Bautista Agut who beat Lukasz Kubot 6-4 6-2.

Spanish World No. 1 Nadal is used to rolling over opponents on clay but this year he lost in the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and Barcelona to dent his confidence ahead of his bid for a ninth French Open title. The three-times champion started well and swept Nieminen aside in the first set with a series of powerful passing shots.

Nadal led 3-0 in the second set before Finn Nieminen, the World No. 57, broke back and had break points in Nadal’s next service game which he failed to take.

Nadal struggled with his timing but scraped through and next faces sixth seed Tomas Berdych who beat Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 6-3 6-2.

“At 6-1 and 3-0 I was playing at my best level since Monte Carlo but then I slowed down a bit and made some errors,” Nadal told a news conference. “I am working on finding my level and performance. Today I did what I had to do but I still need to be more consistent.”

Barcelona Open champion Kei Nishikori of Japan reached the quarter-finals after beating eighth seed Milos Raonic 7-6 7-6, his eighth successive victory on clay.

Serena Williams pulls out with thigh injury

World No.1 and defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn with a thigh injury ahead of her Madrid Open quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova. Williams, 32, had played with heavy strapping on her left thigh throughout the week in Madrid, but aims to return at next week's Italian Open.

The American will then defend her title at the French Open, which gets under way in Paris on 25 May. “I suffered [the injury] during my first-round match,” said Williams. “I started to feel better but it is important that I have enough time to rest and recover. It's very frustrating. This isn't the way I wanted to end the week.”

Maria Sharapova defeated World No. 2 Li Na (2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3) in quarters, extending her clay-court winning streak to 45 matches — 45 matches against players not named Serena Williams, that is. — Agencies

Barcelona, May 9
Barcelona's Brazilian defender Dani Alves has called for the banana-thrower who sparked a global anti-racist uproar to be given his job back after he reportedly lost it due to the incident.

The young man is accused of throwing a banana on the pitch near the 30-year-old Alves as he was about to take a corner during Barcelona's 3-2 away win at Villareal on April 27.

Alves won praise after he took a bite from the banana and got on with the game, drawing worldwide attention to racist incidents in Spanish football. “My only concern is that the kid lost his job and I don't want that. I don't want to hurt anyone. He made a joke and it caused an uproar,” Alves said on Thursday.

“I ask that they give him his job back," he added. Spanish police arrested the suspected culprit, who could face up to three years in jail if convicted of inciting discrimination. Villareal banned the man from their facilities and stadium and cancelled his club membership. Spanish newspapers said the suspect was a member of the support staff of a junior Villareal team, and thus lost his job through the sanction.

Alves threatens to quit Barca

Dani Alves has threatened to quit the club if fans fail to appreciate his performance on the field. Barcelona's results and style of play have been criticised by many fans and media pundits since Pep Guardiola's spectacular four-year reign as coach ended in 2012, leading to rumours over the future of Alves and forward Cesc Fabregas. — AFP

Bathinda, May 9
While Punjab continues to callously neglect the vast talent pool in the state, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is taking advantage of their lackadaisical attitude and filling in its ranks with the choicest of athletes in various disciplines.

Not surprisingly, ONGC has become a force to reckon with in domestic tournament, while Punjab, once considered the hub of athletics, is lagging behind in domestic tournaments and National Games medal tally.

Javelin thrower Arpinder Singh, a bronze medallist in Asian Athletics Championship, said, “I won a gold medal for Punjab in the 2010 National Games but no honour or award was given to me despite proving my credentials and requisite paperwork.”

Shot putter Om Parkash Singh, who representd India in the London Olympics and has won many medals at the international level, said, “There is favouritism in the state athletics bodies. I started my career in Punjab but seeing the discrimination in the selection process I had no option but to switch to Haryana.”

Pole vault player Suresh Kumar said, “I have represented the state in many international and national events. Representing Punjab, I have broken the national record but no monetary reward was given to me ever. I still wish to play for my state but the state government should think about our plight and provide bare minimum facilities and infrastructure to athletes.”

While ONGC provides excellent facilities, a decent salary and attractive perks to its athletes, Punjab has suffered due to a flawed sports policy, lack of infrastructure and apathy to its meritorious athletes. Arpinder, Om Prakash and Suresh had no other option but to join ONGC. There are hundreds of athletes who are suffering due to the state’s apathy.

Lonodon, May 9
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was fined £10,000 after his sarcastic comments about the match officials following a shock defeat against Sunderland.

Mourinho made a series of pointed remarks about referee Mike Dean and his assistants after Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss to struggling Sunderland in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on April 19. The defeat marked the end of Mourinho's 77-game unbeaten run in league matches at the Bridge and dealt a major blow to Chelsea's hopes of winning the Premier League.

Mourinho was enraged that Chelsea had conceded a penalty for Cesar Azpilicueta's challenge on Jozy Altidore even though there appeared to be minimal contact with the Sunderland striker. Chelsea's assistant manager Rui Faria responded by launching an astonishing touchline rant at Dean and the fourth official, which saw him sent to the stands and later given a six-match stadium ban. — Agencies

New Delhi, May 9
Ace discus thrower Vikas Gowda won the silver medal in the IAAF Diamond League Series in Doha on Friday. Gowda hurled the discus to a distance of 63.23m, finishing behind Poland's Piotr Malachowski, who took the top spot with a throw of 66.72m.

The Mysore-born Gowda won the 2010 Asian Games bronze and silver in the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games in the discus event. His personal best throw is 66.90 meters, which is also the national record, achieved in 2013.

Young Tintu Luka clocked 2:00:56 seconds to finish a poor sixth in the 800m event which was won by Kenya's Eunice Jepkoech Sum with a timing of 1:59:33s.

Chanelle Price of the US took the silver with a timing of 1:59:75s while Lenka Masna of Czechoslovakia clocked 2:00:20 to win the bronze medal. The other two finishing ahead of Tintu were Janeth Jepkosge of Kenya (2:00:49) and Molly Beckwith-Ludlow of the US (2:00:55). — PTI

BRIEFLY

ICC confirms review of its anti-corruption unit
Dubai: The ICC today confirmed the review of its under-fire anti-corruption unit even as it dismissed reports raising questions on the watchdog's effectiveness in dealing with the menace of spot and match-fixing. In the wake of the reports claiming Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) will now be controlled by the sport's big three —India, England and Australia, the ICC confirmed the development without undermining the role that the ACSU has performed since its inception in 2000.

Sammy set to be axed as West Indies Test skipper
Port of Spain: West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy is set to get the axe from Test captaincy and Denesh Ramdin is likely to take his place in the upcoming New Zealand series, according to a report. The ‘Trinidad Guardian’ reported that wicketkeeper batsman Ramdin has already received the nod from the Caribbean selectors though the final call will be taken by the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) directors later.

Blatter to stand again as Fifa president, says report
Zurich: FIFA president Sepp Blatter plans to run for a fifth term as the boss of football, a Swiss newspaper ‘Blick’ said on Friday. “I want to do this, because things aren't over yet. My mandate is running out, but my mission is not finished,” the 78-year-old was quoted as saying by the tabloid.

Vettel sputters out of practice, Hamilton fastest
Montmelo (Spain): Sebastian Vettel's day ended with the four-time defending Formula One champion hitching a ride on a scooter after his Red Bull puttered out. Lewis Hamilton finished Friday's opening day of practice at the Spanish Grand Prix with the top times from both training sessions. The British driver is looking to add to his three poles positions and hat trick of wins after four races this season. An electrical problem caused Vettel's RB10 to come to a halt after four laps on the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya and ruled him out of the second session. That leaves Vettel with one session on Saturday before qualifying..

Federer will play French Open, says his agent
Paris: Roger Federer will take part in the French Open despite earlier suggesting he may take time out to be with wife Mirka, who gave birth to the couple's second set of twins this week. Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said that the Swiss intends to feature at the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros in Paris on May 25, where he would stretch his consecutive run of Grand Slam events to 58. “Roger plans on playing Roland Garros and he will make a decision at the last minute if he will play Rome (next week) depending on how everything is going with his family,” said Godsick. — Agencies