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Hyderabad blues for RCB
Robin a runaway success
Saina stuns World No.1 Intanon as India beat Thailand
Kohli most marketable
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Stay postive and result will take care of itself: Sachin to hockey team
ACSU official ‘caught’ on wrong foot
Kings on home stretch
Don’t think Spain have quality to win, says Luis Figo
Haryana, Punjab continue winning streak
Rakesh gets highest bid in kabaddi auction
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Hyderabad blues for RCB
Hyderabad, May 20 Sunrisers win has opened up an interesting race for the fourth place in the play-offs and also assured Super Kings’ place in the last four. Electing to bat, Royal Challengers scored 160 for six in 20 overs thanks largely to skipper Virat Kohli’s 67 off 41 balls. In reply, a 100-run opening stand between Shikhar Dhawan (50) and David Warner (59) helped Sunrisers stroll to 161 for four with two balls to spare. Dhawan, who was removed from captaincy Sunday, found back his form, hitting a quickfire 39-ball knock that was studded with seven fours and a six. Dhawan found an able ally in Warner, who smashed three fours and four sixes in his 46-ball knock. The duo took Sunrisers to the threshold of a win with their 100-run stand and it was then left to Naman Ojha (24), Aaron Finch (11 not out) and skipper Darren Sammy (10 not out) to take the team home safely. Earlier, Chris Gayle (14) once again failed for the Royal Challengers and Parthiv Patel (4) fell early too. Captain Virat Kohli took it upon himself and along with India partner Yuvraj Singh (21) strung together a 57-run stand for the third wicket. Kohli and AB de Villiers (29) gave the innings the much needed impetus and at 141 for three in the 17th over, it seemed Bangalore were on their way to an imposing total. — PTI Scoreboard
Gayle c Rasool b Sharma 14(20) Patel lbw b Kumar 4(4) Kohli c Steyn b Pathan 67(41) Yuvraj c Steyn b Rasool 21(25) AB de Villiers b Kumar 29(17) Rana not out 12(7) Starc run out 6(6) Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 4) 7 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-23, 3-80, 4-141, 5-146, 6-160 Bowling B Kumar 4-0-27-2 Steyn 4-0-23-0 Rasool 4-0-26-1 Sharma 3-0-27-1 Venugopal 1-0-7-0 Pathan 3-0-28-1 Sammy 1-0-19-0 Sunrisers Hyderabad S Dhawan run out 50(39) Warner c Yuvraj b Aaron 59(46) Ojha c Yuvraj b Aaron 24(20) Finch not out 11(9) Sammy not out 10 (4) Extras (b 2, lb 2, w 3) 7 Total (3 wickets; 19.4 overs) 161 Fall of wickets: 1-100, 2-126, 3-150 Bowling Muralitharan 4-0-26-0 Starc 3.4-0-31-0 Aaron 4-0-36-2 Ahmed 2.2-0-22-0 Chahal 4-0-32-0 Yuvraj 1.4-0-10-0
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Kolkata, May 20 Robin Uthappa got his seventh successive 40 plus score in the championship as his 40-ball-67 enabled the home team to chase down a tricky target of 156 with ease as it turned out to be a worthwhile wait for the supporters present at the Eden Gardens. After Uthappa laid the foundation, Shakib Al Hasan gave finishing touches in a 21-ball 46 not out (6x4, 2x6) in an unbeaten 34 run stand with Manish Pandey (18 no) as KKR eased to the win with 12 balls to spare. KKR with 14 points steered four points clear of RCB and Sunrisers as they would now require two more points to seal their play-off berth from the two remaining home games. Uthappa, the KKR opener, had his share of luck as he was let off twice — on six and 24 — something that cost dear for the two-time former champions who had piled 154/5 with Suresh Raina hitting a 51-ball 65. — PTI Scoreboard Chennai Super Kings Smith b Cummins 5 (6) McCullum c SA Yadav b Narine 28 (24) Raina c ten Doeschate b Chawla 65 (52) du Plessis run out (Chawla) 23 (20) Dhoni not out 21 (15) Jadeja not out 9 (4) Extras (w 2, nb 1) 3 Total (4 wkts; 20 overs) 154 Fall of wickets: 1-5 2-60 3-122 4-129 Bowling Shakib 4-0-30-0 Cummins 4-1-29-1 Yadav 4-0-29-0 Narine 4-0-24-1 Chawla 4-0-42-1 Kolkata Knight Riders Uthappa c du Plessis b Jadeja 67 (39) Gambhir b Pandey 21 (20) Pandey not out 18 (28) Shakib not out 46 (21) Extras (b 2, lb 2, w 3) 7 Total (2 wickets; 18 overs) 156 Fall of wickets: 1-64 2-98 Bowling Hilfenhaus 3-0-38-0 Pandey 4-0-31-1 Mohit 3-0-28-0 Ashwin 4-0-24-0 Jadeja 3-0-23-1 Raina 1-0-9-0
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Saina stuns World No.1 Intanon as India beat Thailand
New Delhi, May 20 Before coming into this tournament, the World No.4 Thai sensation had admitted to feeling low on confidence after being plagued by a series of injuries in the last one year, which led to her withdrawal from two Super Series events — Japan Open and China Masters. Besides, she also missed the Super Series Final in Malaysia. More recently, she withdrew from the India Open Super Series last month, citing medical reasons. So when the World No.8 Saina took guard against the three-time World junior champion, the Hyderbadi shuttler must have gone through this crucial piece of information about Ratchanok. The way Saina quelled the challenge of Ratchanok in the first singles spoke a lot about her state of mind; the relief was writ large on her face. In a contest that was engrossing at times, but in which Ratchanok could not exert her dominance, Saina won 22-20 21-14 in 42 minutes. The first game was pretty tight with Ratchanok showing signs of her real self, but the Indian somehow managed to pull through. In the second game, Ratchanok remained at the receiving end most of the time as Saina put India 1-0 ahead in the tie. "I just can't believe I won it. I have been training for this tournament for long and I am glad that I pulled it off against Intanon. This victory is a real confidence booster for me. It was important to pull off the first game which showed my strokes and movement were going right. She is the World No.4 who has played so many tournaments all around the world. I was much better at the net and my defence was also good," Saina said after the match. In the second singles, P V Sindhu put on display a fine exhibition of deceptive shots and cross court winners to beat Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21-19, 21-14 in 37 minutes. Then, the Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medallist pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa made it 3-0 for the hosts after notching up a convincing 21-16, 21-13, win over Duanganong Aroonkesorn and Savitree Amitrapai in the first doubles. In the third singles, P C Thulasi could not withstand the onslaught of Busanan Ongbumrungpan and lost the match 15-21, 10-21. Meanwhile, in a surprise move, Saina and Sindhu paired up in the second doubles of their final Uber Cup clash against Thailand. The unimpressive performance of the doubles pair of Pradnya Gadre and N. Siki Reddy led the team management to experiment with Saina-Sindhu combine. The experiment, however, didn't succeed as the new pair went down fighting 12-21, 21-18, 15-21 to Kunchala Voravichitchaikul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai. RESULTS Uber Cup: India beat Thailand 3-2: Saina Nehwal beat Ratchanok Intanon 22-20 21-14; P V Sindhu beat Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21-19 21-14; Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponappa beat Duanganong Aroonkesorn/Savitree Amitrapai 21-16 21-13; P C Thulasi lost to Busanan Ongbumrungpan 15-21 10-21); Saina Nehwal- PV Sindhu lost to Kunchala Voravichitchaikul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 12-21, 21-18, 15-21.
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New Delhi, May 20 The list, driven by marketing potential over the next three years based on value for money, age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal, has Virat as the only Indian sportsperson in the June edition of the London-based magazine. (Click here for latest on Cricket) Former England batsman and Delhi Daredevils skipper Kevin Pietersen (35) is the only cricketer other than Kohli, 25, to feature in the top-50 list. Brazilian soccer star Neymar, who topped the chart in the previous two editions of the magazine, has now slipped to the seventh spot. In a list comprising Christiano Ronaldo (4) Usain Bolt (6), Lionel Messi (11), Novak Djokovic (15), Andy Murray (21), Rory McIlroy (24), Sebastian Vettel (27) and Victoria Azarenka (31), Kohli's No. 2 spot is surely a matter of pride for every Indian sports fan. — PTI
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Stay postive and result will take care of itself: Sachin to hockey team
New Delhi, May 20 A day prior to the team's departure for the World Cup, Tendulkar visited the team in New Delhi on Tuesday on the request of skipper Sardar Singh to motivate the team to give their best. “Tendulkar shared his experience from his playing days. He told us how he would prepare for a big tournament and keep the pressure at bay. He said we should feel honoured and proud of getting an opportunity to represent the country at the World Cup. His advice has raised our confidence,” said vice-captain Rupinder Pal Singh. “He talked about his playing days and how he would analyse the mind set of every opposition before taking the guard against them. He told us to start with a positive attitude, prepare thoroughly, and understand the opposition's strength and weaknesses” added Rupinder. The India vice-captain said each player got a chance to ask one question from Tendulkar. “I asked him how did he make comeback after suffering a career-threatening tennis-elbow injury? He said if you love the game and have the desire to represent the country, everything else takes a backseat.” “We couldn't have got a better send-off. It was an inspirational pep talk, and it has further strengthened our desire to finish as high as possible in the tournament,” said Rupinder. Tendulkar had once said that recovering from tennis-elbow injury was the most difficult phase of his career and that he feared he would never be able to hold a bat again after surgery in 2005. Midfielder Gurbaj Singh, who was also a part of the hour-long session, said that it was a big honour for him to meet the legend in person. “Everybody applauded him when he asked us to always remember that no team is stronger us. He said losing is a part of the game but one shouldn't take failure to heart,” said Gurbaj. “I asked him 'you were very young when you played your first World Cup. So how did you handle the pressure of performing on the world's biggest stage?' I asked this because our team too is young and many boys are playing the World Cup for the first time.” “Tendulkar said that he did feel the pressure, but did not allow it to get the better of him. 'I waited for the next opportunity and scored a half-century. I grew in confidence after that. My advice to you all is stay positive and don't feel the pressure. Give your best and you will automatically get the results', he said. Sardar Singh, captain of the Indian team, played a key role in organising the session. It was on his request that Tendulkar took some time out from his busy schedule to meet the players. Soon after the session, Tendulkar left for Mohali to join the Mumbai Indians ahead of their match against Kings XI.
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ACSU official ‘caught’ on wrong foot
New Delhi, May 20 A Dhaka-based television channel 'Bangla Tribune' today released audio tapes of an alleged conversation between an ICC ASCU's officer from India and an alleged bookie during the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh this year. The channel claimed that the bookie was arrested by Dhaka police but was later released on the request of the ICC ACSU officer, who told the officials that the former was his informer. "Based on audio surveillance records, the bookie was arrested in April, following which he provided key information surrounding cricket match-fixing," the channel said. The ASCU official refused to comment on the alleged conversation, saying that it was for the ICC to react on such issues. The ICC has not given any official reaction on the matter. The conversation between the bookie and the official was also shown by an Indian channel which, however, made it clear that they did not vouch for its veracity. In the conversation, the ACSU official was telling the bookie to be careful and leave Bangladesh immediately as his presence has already been noticed. The official was also heard telling the bookie that his presence has created a mess and it could be difficult to defend him. "You better leave this place because you are now a marked face and you can be easily be identified...better you leave this place before somebody recognises you," the official was quoted as saying by the channel. — PTI
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Kings on home stretch
Mohali, May 19 But now is the time for them to dazzle.
On their own turf and in front of their near and dear ones, Kings XI Punjab pacer Sandeep Sharma and opener Mannan Vohra have a chance to turn into heroes. They know the conditions like no one else does and Mohali wicket is tailor-made for the Punjab duo. All they need is to just turn up and let the magic flow. Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey is buoyed by Sandeep and Mannan’s success. “I think what you get from winning is confidence and self belief. They are really two important things in this format of the game,” he disclosed the secret behind his team’s success. Punjab, with an overwhelming victory record is on a roll and already they have made it to the play-off stage. On the other hand, the die is more or less cast on the fortunes of Mumbai Indians for this edition. But that does not means the fight is all over for them. The picture is not over yet as long as offie Harbhajan Singh is there. If Mumbai Indians have a trump card for Mohali, it will be Bhajji only. He too knows the conditions well and the bounce in the wicket might add to his bite. Mohali crowds would love to see the duel between Bhajji and Glenn Maxwell. If Bhajji fails to do it, Mumbai have one more ace in their pack—Lasith Malinga, a top wicket-taker in the competition. Today’s matches KXIP vs MI (8pm) Live on Sony Six
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Don’t think Spain have quality to win, says Luis Figo
“I don't think Spain are going to win this World Cup. I do not think they have the quality to do it. It's difficult, but it's not impossible,” Figo, one of the best players of his generation, said. I need to change ‘chip’ and think of Argentina: Messi Buenos Aires: Lionel Messi wants to change the Barcelona “chip” in his head to an Argentina one to do well at the World Cup, the national captain said. Messi said he would try to put a disappointing season in Spain behind him with Barcelona failing to win a major trophy for the first time in six years. “Now I must think of the national team and change my chip,” Messi said. “Many times it was the reverse, I'd go to Barcelona and play well, let's hope it's the other way round. When I join my friends at the (Argentine FA training) complex it'll be another story." — Agencies
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Haryana, Punjab continue winning streak
Mumbai, May 20 Mizoram also posted a win today after getting the better of Madhya Pradesh Hockey Association 2-1. While Chandigarh Olympic Association went down to Haryana with a 1-3 loss, Punjab blanked Uttar Pradesh 5-0 and Manipur thrashed Maharashtra 8-2. Punjab’s Shubhkarman Singh scored as early as the 9th minute of the game. The second half belonged to Punjab as Pargat Singh scored a field goal in the 38th minute taking the lead to 2-0. Mehkeet Singh, making full use of the penalty corner, pierced in a goal in 53rd minute. Two more goals followed as Dilpreet Singh and Pargat Singh scored in the 60th and 68th minute respectively, declaring a clear win for Punjab with a score of 5-0 on the board. In Haryana vs Chandigarh match, Amit gave the lead for Haryana. In the second half, Haryana stroked in two goals within a span of 2 minutes which came through the stick of Abhishek in 38th minute and Deepak in 40th minute moving the scores to 3-0 on the board. Chandigarh's Manjinder Singh stroked in its first field goal in 46th minute. Results: Pool C: Hockey Punjab: 5 Shubhkarman Singh (9 min), Pargat Singh (38, 68), Mehkeet Singh (53), Dilpreet Singh (60) vs Hockey Uttar Pradesh 0; Pool C: Manipur 8 Monish Singh (5, 19), Dhananjoy Singh (11, 50), Ibung Singh (37), Stelin Singh (44), Thoungamba Meitei (55, 66) vs Hockey Maharashtra: 2 Ajinkya Jhadav (54), Rahul Shinde (63); Pool D: Hockey Mizoram: 2 Lalchhantluanga (46, 60) vs Madhya Pradesh Hockey Association: 1 Ravi Panche (14); Pool D: Hockey Haryana: 3 Amit (33), Abhishek (38) and Deepak (40) vs Chandigarh Olympic Association: 1 Manjinder Singh (46). — PTI
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Rakesh gets highest bid in kabaddi auction
MUMBAI, May 20 Raider Kumar, 32, employed with Northern Railways and was part of the Indian men’s gold winning squad at the 2006 Qatar Asian Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games as well as the 2007 World Cup winning team, fetched the top prize in the auction featuring 96 players from 13 countries. In second place was raider Deepak Niwas of Sports Authority of India who was bought for Rs 12.60 lakh by Telugu Taitans (Vishakapatnam). The other big buys were: Surjeet Singh (Rs 12 lakh, Bengal Warriors of Kolkata), Ajay Thakur (Rs 12.20 lakh by Bengaluru Bulls of Bangalore), Surjeet Narwal (Rs 12.20 lakh by Delhi franchisee and Navneet Gautam (Rs 11.20 lakh by Jaipur Pink Panthers). There were four Pakistani players too at the auction and two of those — Atif Waheed and Wajid Ali — were purchased for Rs 4 lakh each by the Telugu Taitans. The other two — Waseem Sajjad (Rs 5.20 lakh) and Nasir Ali (Rs 4 lakh) — were bought by the Patna franchise and Jaipur Pink Panthers, respectively. “There are just a few Pakistani players. We have initiated the process for their visas and expect support from the government. We want to showcase their skills,” said Charu Sharma of league promoters Mashal Sports at the media conference, when queried on the issue of Pakistan players. Among the foreign players, Iranians were the biggest draws with defenders Mostafa Noudehi (Rs 6.60 lakh, Puneri Paltan of Pune) and Farhad Gharibi (Rs 5.60 lakh, Bengal Warriors) being the pick of the lot. Players from South Korea, which is hosting the Asian Games in September-October at Incheon where kabaddi is a medal event, Japan, Kenya, Taiwan, Britain, Oman, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Turkey were also bought at the auction. The league is scheduled from July 26 to August 31. The players were divided into three categories — A, B and C — by the Kabaddi Federation of India at the auction based on prior records and performances and the eight franchises had been given an equal purse of Rs 60 lakh for category A and B players. The base price for category A players was Rs 4 lakh and bidding for category B players began at Rs 2 lakh, while category C players were allotted to teams through a double draw format. Among those present at the auction was Jaipur franchise owner and Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who praised the initiative. “The winner will be the game of kabaddi,” he said. Kabaddi Federation of India’s chief JS Gehlot said the sport has been part of the South Asian Games and Asian Games. “There are 32 nations playing the sport, including in Europe. It’s slowly becoming a global one. We would now try and take it into the Olympics,” he said. — PTI
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Sunrisers Hyderabad spiced up the race for the play-offs with a thrilling seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, at Uppal, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
It’s not often that you get to meet Sachin Tendulkar. Chances of having a chat with him beyond exchanging pleasantries are even slimmer. So when the World Cup-bound Indian men's hockey team got an opportunity to get up close and personal with the legend, they were simply floored.
Royal Challengers 
London, May 19
