A fourth consecutive victory for the Super Kings

A brilliant knock by Dhoni leads the Super Kings to maintain their winning run!

The Chennai Super Kings kept their unbeaten record intact by beating home team the Bangalore Royal Challengers, who suffered a dramatic batting collapse to go down by 13 runs in a pulsating Indian Premier League match.

Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit a blistering 65 of 30 balls to help his team to a challenging score and then put his thinking cap on, rotating his bowlers cleverly to script their fourth win in a row.

Chasing Chennai Super Kings’ 178, on a day when the rain stayed away, Royal Challengers struck an early vein of aggression through Wasim Jaffer (50, 33b, 5x4, 2x6).

Jaffer along with Ross Taylor (53, 34b, 3x4, 3x6) crafted an 89-run second-wicket partnership. However the chase unhinged in despair, after Jaffer holed out in the deep, though Taylor continued to bludgeon, swiping Morkel into the stands past long-on and then scampering for a single that ushered in his fifty.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings struggled to fire upfront as openers Mathew Hayden and Parthiv Patel had to contend with the zest and pace of South African speedster Steyn.

Hayden tried to break free against Zaheer and inner-edged to his stumps. Parthiv perished to Praveen and the innings gained some breath through a 41-run third wicket partnership between Hussey and Suresh Raina before Dhoni stepped in and plonked his foot on the accelerator.

Chennai Super Kings now has an all-win record in its four matches and has eight points, while Royal Challengers stays at two from four.

The scores:

Chennai Super Kings: Parthiv c J. Kallis b Praveen Kumar 21, M. Hayden b Zaheer Khan 13, M. Hussey c R. Dravid b Zaheer 47, S. Raina (run out) 28, M.S. Dhoni c (sub) R. Vinay Kumar b Zaheer 65, J. Oram (not out) 0. Extras: (lb-1, w-3) 4. Total: (for five wkts. in 20 overs) 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-42, 3-83, 4-178, 5-178.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Steyn 4-0-40-0, Zaheer 4-0-38-3, Praveen 4-0-29-1, Kallis 4-0-36-0, Akhil 4-0-34-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: B. Chipli b Gony 8, W. Jaffer c Oram b Amarnath 50, R. Taylor c Raina b Amarnath 53, J. Kallis c Dhoni b Joginder 14, M. Boucher c Hussey b Gony 4, V. Kohli b Morkel 12, R. Dravid lbw b Gony 0, Praveen (run out) 6, Zaheer (run out) 8, B. Akhil (not out) 2, D. Steyn c Hussey b Joginder 1. Extras: (lb-1, w-6) 7. Total: (in 19.4 overs) 165.

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-102, 3-127, 4-132, 5-142, 6-143, 7-149, 8-161, 9-162.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Oram 4-0-27-0, Gony 4-0-34-3, Morkel 4-0-38-1, Amarnath 4-0-38-2, Joginder 3.4-0-27-1.

Bhajji Banned!

Harbhajan banned for 11 IPL matches.

The bad boy of cricket, spinner Harbhajan Singh has been handed an 11-match ban in the Indian Premier League after pleading guilty to slapping fellow India star Sree Santh.

The suspension will end his involvement in the competition unless his team, Mumbai Indians, reach the semi-finals.

Harbhajan, 27, was previously cleared of racial abuse and now will not only be banned but will also lose his match fees for the whole tournament after when he was pleaded guilty the incident in a game last Friday between Mumbai and Santh's Kings XI Punjab.

Assuming Harbhajan's Mumbai side fails to qualify for the semi-finals – and they have so far lost all four of their games – the decision will cost him almost $730,000 in lost match fees. Failure to reach the last four would also mean he will not play IPL cricket again until 2009.

"We take this offence to be extremely serious," said Modi at a chaotic press conference in Delhi this afternoon. "We want to make sure such a thing does not happen again and will do whatever required to ensure the same."

"He didn't take any steps to restrain," said Modi. "We want to make it very clear that we will protect the spirit of cricket, whether it be a player or official. We are not here to brush things aside, but we want to protect the integrity of the game and uphold its spirit all the way down the line."

In an unexpected twist, the Mumbai Indians manager Lalchand Rajput was fined 50% of his match fee after footage revealed him to be standing directly behind Harbhajan when he hit Sreesanth, who was later seen sobbing openly in the outfield and had to be comforted by team-mates. Modi and Farokh Engineer, the match referee, found Rajput guilty of a Level two offence under the International Cricket Council's code of conduct.

Harbhajan also faces separate action from the BCCI, which has asked him to explain, "as a contracted player", his role in the incident after the IPL match between the offspinner's Mumbai Indians and Sreesanth's King XI Punjab on Friday. Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said on Monday that Sudhir Nanavati, a lawyer, has been appointed to conduct a "preliminary inquiry" and submit a report "within 15 days" to Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, who will refer the findings to the board's disciplinary committee for possible action.

Harbhajan was initially banned for three tests after being found guilty of making racist remarks against all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but was subsequently let off with a fine on a lesser charge following an appeal.

Harbhajan is India's most successful spin bowlers, but his disciplinary record has been poor. He was even ejected from the board's National Cricket Academy early in his career.

It was Gilly’s Day All The Way!

Gilchrist steers the Deccan Chargers to register their first win of the tournament.

It was raining sixes and fours from the bat of the former Australian wicket-keeper as he started his onslaught with two fours in the first over from Ashish Nehra. He then went on to treat all the bowlers with disdain as the ball disappeared to all parts of the ground. Adam Gilchrist smashed the fastest century in a Twenty20 game in just 42 balls as Deccan Chargers routed the Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets in their DLF Indian Premier League match.

Gilchrist was at his imperious best reaching his century from just 41 balls, fittingly bringing up three figures with a towering blow over the midwicket boundary off Abhishek Nayar - his third six of the over. The left-hander also added nine fours in his innings of 109 from 48 balls.

Earlier, When Mumbai Indians batted, Nayar, sent out at number six behind experienced, established strokeplayers, overshadowed the likes of Jayasuriya and Robin Uthappa with a ferocious 19-ball 34. Dwayne Bravo was equally busy scoring 34 (18 balls).

For Chargers, it was a performance long overdue. A side that boasts of some of the most feared hitters in the game, they had played poorly up to this point. However, Gilchrist's magical touch could now turn things around for them in the tournament.

The scores:

Mumbai Indians: L. Ronchi c Laxman b R.P. Singh 13, S. Jayasuriya c Sharma b Afridi 18, A. Rahane c Ojha b Bangar 0, R. Uthappa c Gilchrist b Afridi 6, S. Pollock b Bangar 31, A. Nayar c Gilchrist b Zoysa 34, D. Bravo c Ojha b R.P. Singh 34, M. Khote (not out) 7; Extras (b-2, lb-3, w-3, nb-2) 10. Total (for seven wickets in 20 overs) 154.

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-18, 3-27, 4-55, 5-79, 6-122, 7-154.

Deccan Chargers bowling: R.P. Singh 4-1-15-2, Zoysa 4-0-30-1, Bangar 4-0-34-2, Afridi 4-0-33-2, Ojha 2-0-14-0, Kalyankrishna 2-0-23-0.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist (not out) 109, V.V.S. Laxman (not out) 36; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-4) 10. Total (for no loss in 12.4 overs) 155.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Nehra 2-0-19-0, Pollock 2-0-33-0, Kulkarni 1-0-8-0, Jayasuriya 2-0-17-0, Chitnis 2-0-20-0, Bravo 2.4-0-30-0, Nayar 1-0-22-0.

Yuvraj and Katich take the Kings XI to a fine victory over the Daredevils

Man of the Match Simon Katich set the stands on fire with a flurry of shots!

Brilliant knocks by Simon Katich and captain Yuvraj Singh helped Kings XI Punjab snatch an exciting four-wicket verdict with three balls to spare against Delhi Daredevils, led by Virender Sehwag, in the 13th match of the DLF Indian Premier League.

It was Kings XI Punjab's second triumph in the three encounters they have played so far.

Chasing a victory target of 159, Kings XI Punjab completed their task by scoring 162 for 6 in 19.3 overs. The winning stroke was hit by Yuvraj Singh who dispatched Shoaib Malik for boundary.

Earlier, Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to bat first. Delhi pieced together a total that was far from safe, given the surface and Punjab’s batting depth. In an innings dotted with two sixes and 18 boundaries, only six overs produced more than 10 runs an over.

Unlike the last two matches, a good partnership at the start did not come and the in-form trio of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan were back in the pavilion in six overs with just 45 on the board.

Delhi Daredevils, who were on the winning streak by winning both their earlier matches before coming to Mohali, suffered their first defeat.

The scores:

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Yuvraj b V.R.V. Singh 18, V. Sehwag lbw b Pathan 6, S. Dhawan c Sangakkara b Lee 0, S. Malik c Lee b V.R.V. Singh 19, M. Tiwary c Yuvraj b V.R.V. Singh 39, D. Karthik b Yuvraj 24, R. Bhatia b Pathan 17, F. Mahroof (run out) 18, V. Yomahesh (not out) 11; Extras: (lb-5, w-6) 11; Total: (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 158.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-12, 3-45, 4-54, 5-88, 6-125, 7-139, 8-158.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Lee 4-0-33-1, Pathan 4-0-26-2, Sreesanth 2-0-25-0, V.R.V. Singh 4-0-29-3, Chawla 4-0-29-0, Yuvraj 2-0-11-1.

Kings XI Punjab: K. Goel lbw b McGrath 1, S. Katich (run out) 75, K. Sangakkara c Karthik b Asif 4, M. Jayawardene c and b Malik 15, Yuvraj (not out) 40, T. Srivastava c Karthik b Yomahesh 7, I. Pathan c Karthik b Asif 10, B. Lee (not out) 1; Extras: (lb-3, nb-2, w-4) 9; Total: (for six wickets in 19.3 overs) 162.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-11, 3-69, 4-119, 5-141, 6-155.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-29-1, Asif 4-0-39-2, Mahroof 3-0-31-0, Yomahesh 4-0-23-1, Malik 3.3-0-32-1, Bhatia 1-0-5-0.

Harbhajan Suspended after slapping Shreesanth!

Harbhajan-Sreesanth hearing on April 28

Harbhajan Singh has been temporarily suspended from the Indian Premier League following his spat with Sreesanth at the end of the Mumbai-Punjab game in Mohali on Friday.

What exactly led to Friday night's slapping incident? Frustrated at Mumbai Indians' third defeat in as many matches in the IPL, Harbhajan, leading the team in place of an unfit Sachin Tendulkar, allegedly slapped the Kerala paceman and also used harsh words when the latter approached him to shake hands at the end of the match. Shaken by Harbhajan's behaviour, Sree Santh was in tears in full view of the packed house and was also caught on TV for all to see.

Farooq Engineer was the match refree and he will conduct a hearing on April 28 inquiring into the Harbhajan-Sreesanth row in Delhi. Both Harbhajan and Sreesanth will be present and video evidence, if any, will be used during the hearing which will be conducted as per the ICC Code of Conduct.

"The inquiry date has been fixed for Monday in New Delhi. We are not going to sweep things under the carpet. The complaint has to be carefully examined before any decision is made," Engineer said. "Everything possible will be done to adjudicate it immediately.

"The complaint made by the management of the Punjab team has been referred to me by Lalit Modi, chief commissioner of the IPL, for immediate adjudication under the ICC Code of Conduct. I have already started the process and will be summoning all concerned and will also seek any video evidence recorded by the host broadcaster.

"Since the process has started I will request the media not to seek any further clarification or information. I will furnish my report to chief commissioner of IPL, keeping in view the ICC code of Conduct and interest of cricket."

While it was decided, South Africa's Shaun Pollock will lead Mumbai Indians in the IPL match against the Deccan Chargers today (April 27). Pollock was confirmed as the stand-in skipper of the team after Harbhajan Singh faced suspension. The decision to make Pollock as the skipper came in after the Mumbai team's meeting.

Rajasthan Royals Win Again!

A Royal Clash but in the end it was the Rajasthan royals with the royalty!

Chasing Royal Challengers’ 135, Rajasthan Royals thrived on a 104-run third-wicket partnership between Graeme Smith (49) and Shane Watson (61 n.o., 41b, 8x4, 2x6) to score the winning runs in 17.1 overs.

Earlier, the Royals bowlers stuck to a good line and made maximum use of the bouncy track to restrict Bangalore to 135 for eight, with Watson and Munaf Patel claiming two wickets apiece.Royals skipper Shane Warne marshalled his bowlers very well as his batsmen gave him no hiccups what so ever in achieving the winning target.

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now on top of the table with three wins each although Rajasthan have played four games to Chennai's three.

The scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: S. Chanderpaul c Jadeja b Watson 2, R. Dravid c Jadeja b Watson 0, R. Taylor c Smith b Munaf 44, J. Kallis c Munaf b Trivedi 11, V. Kohli c Rawat b Munaf 13, M. Boucher c Rawat b Warne 4, Praveen (run out) 34, S. Joshi (run out) 3, Zaheer (not out) 17, Vinay (not out) 1; Extras: (lb-2, nb-1, w-3): 6; Total: (for eight wkts. in 20 overs) 135.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-16, 3-59, 4-65, 5-77, 6-78, 7-90, 8-131.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Watson 4-0-20-2, Tanvir 4-0-31-0, Munaf 3-0-20-2, Trivedi 4-0-29-1, Warne 4-1-23-1, Pathan 1-0-10-0.

Rajasthan Royals: G. Smith c Kumble b Joshi 49, M. Rawat c Boucher b Praveen 0, Y. Pathan c Boucher b Zaheer 21, S. Watson (not out) 61, Kaif (not out) 4; Extras: (lb-1, w-2): 3; Total: (for three wkts. in 17.1 overs) 138.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-26, 3-130.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Praveen 3-0-42-1, Zaheer 4-0-24-1, Vinay 2-0-15-0, Kumble 4-0-22-0, Kallis 1-0-7-0, Joshi 3.1-0-27-1.

Three In A Row

The Kings Men shadowed by the SuperKings!

Matthew Hayden and Mahendra Singh Dhoni starred as Chennai Super Kings handed Kolkata
Knight Riders their first defeat yesterday and went to the top of the Indian Premier League.

Dhoni, the most expensive player in the league, sealed a nine-wicket win with a six, while Australia opener Hayden clubbed an unbeaten 70 off 49 balls in Chepauk, Chennai which earned him the man of the match. The hosts reached their target with 18 balls to spare and now have three wins from as many matches.

Earlier, the foundations for Chennai’s victory came from impressive bowling, notably by New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram, who took three wickets. He removed his big-hitting compatriot Brendon McCullum for 24 and Ricky Ponting in successive deliveries as Kolkata struggled to gain momentum in their innings. Only Laxmi Ratan Shukla held the innings together with a crucial innings of 42. Ganguly seemed be determined to carry his bat through while wickets fell at the other end. But he too made an exit trying to clear Joginder Sharma over the covers. His 12 off 19 balls had just one four.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan conceded just 12 runs from a miserly four overs as Kolkata were restricted to 147 for nine.

Kolkata's first fifty came off 30 balls but as wickets fell at regular intervals, the next 50 runs took 57 deliveries.While Muttiah Muralitharan remained the most economical bowler with 4-0-12-0, P Amarnath claimed two wickets in four overs conceding 29 runs.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Ganguly c Badrinath b Joginder 12, B. McCullum c Raina b Oram 24, R. Ponting c Raina b Oram 0, W. Saha b Goni 27, D. Hussey c Badrinath b Amarnath 0, M. Hafeez c Joginder b Amarnath 16, L.R. Shukla (run out) 42, A. Agarkar c Muralitharan b Goni 11, M. Kartik c & b Oram 3, I. Sharma (not out) 4, A. Dinda (not out) 0; Extras (lb-2, w-4, nb-2): 8; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 147.

Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-32, 3-61, 4-64, 5-70, 6-98, 7-121, 8-127, 9-145.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Oram 4-0-32-3, Goni 4-0-40-2, Amarnath 4-0-29-2, Muralitharan 4-0-12-0, Joginder 4-0-32-1.

Chennai Super Kings: P. Patel c Ishant b Agarkar 21, M. Hayden (not out) 70, M. Dhoni (not out) 43; Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-12, nb-1): 18; Total (for one wkt. in 17 overs): 152.
Fall of wicket: 1-66.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Dinda 3-0-25-0, Ishant 3-0-26-0, Agarkar 3-0-19-1, D. Hussey 1-0-10-0, Hafeez 2-0-16-0, Kartik 3-0-33-0, Shukla 2-0-18-0.

At last a win!

Sangakkara’s 94 in just 54 balls held firm as wickets fell regularly at the other on the batting-friendly strip of the PCA stadium.

Kumar Sangakkara's confident 94-run knock coupled with disciplined bowling fashioned Kings XI Punjab's 66-run victory over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match on Friday.

The hosts then restricted their opponents to 116 for 9 in their quota of 20 overs with Chawla coming up with a brilliant four-over spell, in which he claimed two wickets. Brett Lee also produced exceptional figures of 4-0-9-1 while Irfan chipped in with two wickets in his team's first victory in the tournament.

Earlier, Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan struck twice before a breathtaking left-handed catch from an air-borne Yuvraj Singh removed dangerman Shaun Pollock. That dismissal reduced Mumbai to 105 for eight in the 16th over and the result was never in doubt.

The visitors paid the price of not building partnerships as batsmen succumbed to pressure of soaring run-rate and plunged to their third successive defeat.

The poorly named Mumbai Indians have had a string of bad luck, or perhaps bad captaincy, in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 series. They currently share the bottom of the points table with the Deccan Chargers.

Following the match Kings XI bowler Sreesanth was spotted in tears after an incident with Harbhajan Singh.

It is alleged that stand-in Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh had struck Indian team-mate and IPL rival Sreesanth in the face.

The scores:

Kings XI Punjab: K. Goel (run out) 18; I. Pathan c Kulkarni b Nehra 6; K. Sangakkara c Kulkarni b Harbhajan 94, Yuvraj c Bravo b Pollock 18, R. Sarwan c Harbhajan b Nehra 7, M. Jayawardene c Nayar b Harbhajan 12, Sunny Sohal c Nehra b Kulkarni 0, B. Lee (not out) 16, P. Chawla lbw b Harbhajan 0, S. Sreesanth c Ronchi b Kulkarni 0, V.R.V. Singh (run out) 4; Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-4, nb-1): 7; Total (in 20 overs) 182.

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-81, 3-107, 4-121, 5-152, 6-155, 7-159, 8-169, 9-170.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Pollock 4-0-40-1, Nehra 3-0-22-2, Kulkarni 4-0-37-2, Harbhajan 4-0-32-3, Bravo 3-0-27-0, Khote 2-0-22-0.

Mumbai Indians: L. Ronchi (run out) 11, S. Jayasuriya c & b Lee 1, R. Uthappa c Sarwan b V.R.V. Singh 21, D. Bravo b Chawla 23, S. Tiwary b Chawla 17, S. Pollock c Yuvraj b Sreesanth 22, A. Nayar c Chawla b Pathan 2, Harbhajan lbw b Pathan 0, M. Khote (hit wicket) b Sreesanth 8, D. Kulkarni (not out) 2, A. Nehra (not out) 2; Extras (lb-1, w-4, nb-2): 7; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs) 116.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-14, 3-61, 4-65, 5-91, 6-94, 7-94, 8-105, 9-110.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Lee 4-0-9-1, Pathan 4-1-19-2, V.R.V. Singh 4-0-40-1, Sreesanth 4-0-31-2, Chawla 4-0-16-2.

Shane Warne relieves his side with a royal cameo to win a nail-bitter!

Despite a hurricane knock, Andrew Symonds ended up on the losing side.

Shane Warne cracked successive sixes off the last two balls of the innings as the Rajasthan Royals condemned the Deccan Chargers to a third straight Indian Premier League defeat in a thrilling finish on Thursday. The legendry Australian leg-spinner hit his compatriot Andrew Symonds for four, six and six in the last over to seal the match in the favour of the Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.


The veteran Australian struck 22 from just nine balls to lead his side to a three-wicket win.

Earlier, during the home team’s innings, Symonds broke all the shackles with the fastest century of the tournament and proved that he is worthy of his top billing.

Warne bucked the trend, inviting his rivals to bat, after reading the flip of the coin right. Buoyed by Symonds blistering and unconquered century (117, 53b, 4x11, 7x6) the Chargers had set up an imposing 214 for five. With scant regard for line or length, the dreadlocked Queenslander had steadied the Deccan boat rocked by reversals that ripped through its top order. Anything above the waist, he pulled with pulverizing power.



Warne had a hand in Symonds’ half-century, the leggie’s fingers unable to cut off a heave that then made the ropes.

The visitor was well on its victory, thanks to a rollicking second-wicket stand of 98 between opener Graeme Smith (71, 45b, 4x8, 6x2) and Yusuf Pathan (61, 28b, 4x4, 6x6). Smith played the sheet-anchor, never intimidated by the Chargers’ attack, smashing it at will to all corners of the ground.

Chargers desperately needed a win but with the loss they are again in troubled waters.

The scores:

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist st. Akmal b Pathan 13, V.V.S. Laxman c & b Warne 16, S. Afridi c Jadeja b Pathan 10, A. Symonds (not out) 117, Rohit c Salunkhe b Warne 36, Arjun Yadav c Akmal b Watson 16; Extras (w-5, nb-1): 6; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 214.

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-32, 3-75, 4-186, 5-214.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Munaf 4-0-55-0, Watson 4-0-32-1, Pathan 2-0-20-2, Pankaj 2-0-14-0, Trivedi 3-0-37-0, Warne 4-0-47-2, Salunkhe 1-0-9-0.

Rajasthan Royals: K. Akmal c Bangar b Vaas 12, G. Smith c Kalyankrishna b Afridi 71, Y. Pathan c Symonds b Kalyankrishna 61, S. Watson b Afridi 4, M. Kaif c Symonds b Afridi 34, R. Jadeja b R.P. Singh 1, S. Warne (not out) 22, D. Salunkhe (run out) 1, Pankaj (not out) 4; Extras (lb-4, w-2, nb-1): 7; Total (for seven wkts. in 19.5 overs) 217.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-112, 3-126, 4-186, 5-187, 6-195, 7-196.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vaas 4-0-42-1, R.P. Singh 4-0-44-1, Ojha 2-0-23-0, Kalyankrishna 3-0-30-1, Afridi 4-0-28-3, Symonds 2.5-0-46-0.

It's 24th of April and it's Happy B'day Sachin

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar turns 35!

One year ago the master batsman, considered to be among the all-time greats of the game and perhaps next only to Don Bradman in stature as a pure batsman, was distraught following India's early and shameful exit from the World Cup and celebrated his birthday quietly at his home with his family.

The stalwart contributed mightily to the team's Test and ODI victory in Old Blighty as well as a first-ever triumph in the tri-series Down Under after helping India match the world champions step for step in the acrimonous Test series that they lost narrowly to the hosts after a rip-roaring battle.

The ace batsman, who in the process also increased his century count to 39 in Tests and 42 in ODIs has truly bounced back in style after some critics wrote his epitaph in the aftermath of India's dismal display in the World Cup in the Caribbean.

The only dark spot surrounding Tendulkar's 35th birthday is that he is continuing to be troubled by his injury woes.

Tendulkar has also stated clearly that retirement from either Tests or ODIs is the furthest thought occupying his mind currently.

Unlike last year, this time he is celebrating his birthday on the cricketing road with his Mumbai Indians teammates who would be wishing fervently he gets back into action at the soonest and turns around the team's plunging fortunes after two straight defeats in the first two ties.

Warne's birthday wish for Sachin.

Shane Warne has wished Sachin Tendulkar as many playing years as he wants. This came a day before Tendulkar's 35th birthday. "He is a great player. We may have to wait for many-many years to have another player like him. He should be allowed to continue till he wants to," Warne was reported as saying.

The SuperKings win a nail bitting match!

Hayden and Raina put on a century stand to lay the foundation for a 200-plus score.

Chasing 209 for a win, Mumbai ended at 202-7, with Nayar remaining unbeaten on 45 off 20 balls, while Harbhajan contributed 28 off 14 balls. This partnership of 48 runs by the Mumbai Indians stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh and young left-hander Abhishek Nayar brought their side to within shouting distance of the huge Chennai Superkings total

Earlier, Hayden (81, 46b, 12x4, 2x6), who was adjudged the Man-of –the-Match, was not complaining. and Raina (53, 37b, 3x4, 3x6) put on 101 runs for the third wicket and helped the Superkings out of a dicey position. Hayden scored an attacking 81 while Raina contributed 53 runs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with a quickfire 30 as the hapless Mumbai bowlers were taken to task by all the Chennai batsmen.

Matthew Hayden`s 46-ball 81 earned him the man of the match award but the Chennai Super Kings batsman believes teammate Suresh Raina`s was a superlative knock in Indian Premier League match. Heaping praise on the left-hander, Hayden said, "He really played a better innings than me. Lot of effort and skill are needed to play like that."

Coach Kepler Wessels too praised Raina and said the youngster had already made his mark in the tournament. "He has played two good innings in our matches so far. He also has big responsibility on his shoulders when both Hayden and Michael Hussey would be going back to Australia to fulfill their national commitments," Wessels said

The scores:
Chennai Super Kings: Parthiv c Ronchi b Nehra 14, M. Hayden (run out) 81, M. Hussey b Dhaval 5, S. Raina c Bravo b Khote 53, M.S. Dhoni c Bravo b Khote 30, J. Oram (not out) 5, S. Badrinath (not out) 2, Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-9, nb-2): 18; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs) 208.

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-39, 3-143, 4-194, 5-206.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Pollock 3-0-32-0, Nehra 4-0-35-1, Dhaval 3-0-25-1, Harbhajan 2-0-14-0, Bravo 3-0-36-0, Yeligati 1-0-16-0, Nayar 1-0-14-0, Khote 3-0-29-2.

Mumbai Indians: L. Ronchi (run out) 2, S. Jayasuriya c Joginder b Gony 20, R. Uthappa b Joginder 43, S. Pollock b Amarnath 17, D. Bravo c Oram b Joginder 24, A. Nayar (not out) 45, M. Khote c Raina b Muralitharan 9, Harbhajan c Badrinath b Muralitharan 28, A. Nehra (not out) 1; Extras (lb-5, w-6, nb-2): 13; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs) 202.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-30, 3-81, 4-97, 5-130, 6-141, 7-189.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Oram 4-0-53-0, Gony 4-1-18-1, Joginder 4-0-29-2, Amarnath 4-0-57-1, Muralitharan 4-0-40-2.

Sehwag's blistering 94 gives a second win in their IPL match at hyderabad

"No one can stop me when it's my day"

Virender Sehwag decimated the Deccan Chargers with a violent unbeaten 94 as Delhi Daredevils cantered to an easy nine-wicket win their second league match in the Indian Premier League.

Sehwag's 94* of just 41 balls included 10 hits to the fence, besides six towering sixes.

The opener, who scored an Indian Test record 319 following his return to the national team earlier this year, was at his imperious best to help his side pass the Deccan Chargers' 142 for eight with seven overs remaining.

Earlier, Deccan Chargers failed to drive home the advantage of batting first on a good pitch and was restricted to 142 for eight in 20 overs.

The fireworks were missing from the big guns, but Rohit Sharma came up with a cameo (66, 36b, 6x4, 4x6). The highlight of Rohit’s knock was his assault on Sri Lankan fast bowler Ferveez Maharoof when he hit two sixes and three fours in the 18th over to provide some late thrusts to the innings.

Rohit could not have timed his innings better, as even a total of 120-plus did not look possible at one stage for Deccan Chargers. The technically-perfect player came up with classy strokes to take his team to 142.

On his team, Sehwag said the team is gelling well and supporting each other, adding they are looking forward to carrying the momentum throughout the Indian Premier League 2008.

The Daredevils now have enough time to savour their second win of the tournament and prepare for their next match, which is against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Sunday afternoon.

The scores:
Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist b Asif 8, Y. Venugopala Rao c Dhawan b Maharoof 14, V.V. S. Laxman b Asif 2, A. Symonds c Karthik b Maharoof 12, Rohit c McGrath b Bhatia 66, S. Afridi lbw b Bhatia 2, S. Bangar (run out) 8, Arjun Yadav c Gambhir b Yomahesh 12, C. Vaas (not out) 12, R.P. Singh (not out) 1; Extras (lb-3, w-1, nb-1): 5; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 142.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-23, 3-36, 4-45, 5-60, 6-82, 7-123, 8-129.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-1-22-0, Asif 4-0-19-2, Maharoof 4-0-36-2, Yomahesh 4-0-35-1, Bhatia 4-0-27-2.

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Gilchrist b R.P. Singh 12, V. Sehwag (not out) 94, S. Dhawan (not out) 25; Extras (w-7, pen-5): 12; Total (for one wkt. in 13 overs) 143.

Fall of wicket: 1-31.
Deccan Chargers bowling: Vaas 3-0-22-0, R.P. Singh 3-0-27-1, Bangar 2-0-30-0, Afridi 2-0-17-0, Symonds 2-0-35-0, Ojha 1-0-7-0.

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The Knight with an iron bat!

IPL opens with McCullum's record breaking 158 of just 73 balls

A spectacular and innovative opening ceremony was the launch pad for an extraordinary display of pyrotechnics from the New Zealander, Brendon McCullum, whose undefeated 158 set a new record for Twenty20 cricket. The home team, Bangalore Royal Challengers, was thumped by the Kolkata Knight Riders, but the 40,000 people in the stadium couldn't complain about the rich entertainment on offer. Even Vijay Mallya would have enjoyed it.

The man who cost Bollywood legend and Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan $US700,000 for his services, went a long way towards justifying his expense in just one innings, striking 10 fours and 13 sixes in the 73-ball assault, a collection that included a shovel shot over the wicket- keeper's head and a miscue into the crowd at third man.

After this Knight’s assault, the result was utterly inevitable. It was also irrelevant. The impact of this event will be felt far and wide. Even in Blighty. Bangalore, India's silicon valley, is home to numerous call centres for British companies. But all the employees were at the cricket last night. So if you couldn't get through to Network Rail inquiries, now you know why. Normal service will be resumed shortly.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Ganguly c Kallis b Zaheer 10, B. McCullum (not out) 158, R. Ponting c Praveen b Kallis 20, D. Hussey c White b Noffke 12, Md. Hafeez (not out) 5; Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-9) 17; Total: (for three in 20 overs) 222.

Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-112, 3-174.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Praveen 4-0-38-0, Zaheer 4-0-38-1, Noffke 4-0-40-1, Kallis 4-0-48-1, Joshi 3-0-26-0, White 1-0-24-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: R. Dravid b Ishant 2, W. Jaffer c Ponting b A. Dinda 6, V. Kohli b Dinda 1, J. Kallis c M. Kartik b Agarkar 8, C. White c Saha b Agarkar 6, M. Boucher c Kartik b Ganguly 7, B. Akhil c Ponting b Agarkar 0, A. Noffke (run out) 9, Praveen (not out) 18, Zaheer b Ganguly 3, S. Joshi c McCullum b Shukla 3; Extras: (lb-8, w-11) 19; Total: (in 15.1 overs) 82.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-9, 3-24, 4-24, 5-38, 6-38, 7-43, 8-57, 9-70.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Dinda 3-0-9-2, Ishant 3-0-7-1, Agarkar 4-0-25-3, Ganguly 4-0-21-2, Shukla 1.1-0-12-1.

ICC sends notice to BCCI over the Kanpur pitch.

The Indian team may be a relieved lot having clinched a face-saving series levelling result at Kanpur. But the 22 yards that contributed to their win continues to be the subject of debate and controversy even days after the Test. In the latest, the International Cricket Council has sent a notice to the BCCI seeking an explanation from the hosts on the substandard pitch.

The Green Park dustbowl seemed tailor-made to suit the Indian spinners - and not surprisingly, the Indians came up trumps in quick time. But the pitch has now come under the scanner of the the ICC. Roshan Mahanama , match referee in Kanpur Test, has stated in his post-match report about the sub-standard and unfit nature of the pitch and the International cricket board's note demands an explanation from the BCCI on the Kanpur pitch fiasco.

"The match referee sends a report to the ICC - that report includes a paragraph or a section on the state of the pitch - the match referee marks the pitch either substandard or unfit, the ICC then writes to the home board and asks them to explain and the latter are given 14 days to do so," ICC Media Manager Brian Murgatroyd.

Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag were at their lethal best on a pitch offering assistance, wrapping up the Proteas within 3 days. Not surprising then, that skipper Graeme Smith was critical of the Green Park wicket even before going into the Test.

Smith had commented that the pitch looked "slightly underpreprared".

"I think it is obviously going to be a lot drier than the one in Ahmedabad. I think it can be a little insulting when you think you can only win on one type of surface," he said on April 9.Kanpur curator Shiv Kumar has however insisted that the pitch had no role to play in South Africa's loss. "The SA team played badly, they were under a lot of psychological pressure - they lost half the match in the dressing room with talk about the wicket, though there was no basis to their apprehensions. Sourav Ganguly for instance, had no problems scoring," he said.Despite the Curator's insistence, the Kanpur Pitch fiasco could become the latest flashpoint between the ICC and the BCCI and the controversy could also see Kanpur being stripped of its Test status.


"Once the BCCI has written back an explanation, ICC Chief Match Referee that is Ranjan Madugalle and the ICC General Managrer of Cricket Operations, that is David Richardson review the situation and they pass standard judgment - that judgment can vary from, on the one hand a warning, and on the other hand the international venue having its status removed," continued Murgatroyd.

South African coach Mickey Arthur who admitted no suprise in seeing the Indians resort to the home advantage factor in a key contest - did say the pitch was "not ideal" for Test Cricket. Just two days into the Test, South African coach Mickey Arthur also said that he expected India to prepare such a track as they were trailing 0-1 in the series. And now, with both the Match Referee and the captain's report raising doubts on the standard of the Kanpur pitch - a new battle between the ICC and the BCCI could be brewing!

Dhoni Gifts Rs.10000/- to the ground staff

Delhi curator supports cricketers giving money to ground staff

Veteran Delhi cricket curator Radhey Shyam Tuesday supported the 'tradition' of giving money to ground staff for hard work, justifying India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni giving Rs.10,000 to the Kanpur curator after the win over South Africa Sunday.

'Ground staff at every venue waits eagerly for an international match. A Test match or a One-Day International is like their Holi or Diwali - an occasion when players give them money as appreciation,' Radhey Shyam, who had also prepared the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch on which Anil Kumble took all 10 Test wickets against Pakistan in 1999.

'I felt sad when I heard that people are finding ulterior motives in Dhoni giving money to the Green Park Stadium pitch curator Shiv Kumar. He gave the money to him and the rest of the ground staff as his appreciation,' he said.

India, led for the first time in a Test by Dhoni, defeated South Africa inside three days in the third five-day Test on a pitch that assisted slow bowlers and later provided uneven bounce. It was said that the pitch was prepared under specific instructions from the Indian team after it had lost the second Test in Ahmedabad and trailed the series 0-1 going into the final match.
An organiser of the Kanpur Test said the money was not meant only for Shiv Kumar.

'The money was meant to be shared by four or five people who are part of the ground staff. And if you divide Rs.10,000 it comes to just about Rs.2,000 per head. Is it big money?' he said by phone from Kanpur.

Shiv Kumar, on his part, denied that he received any money from Dhoni.
'I have not received any money from anyone. If someone else has received money, I do not know about it. But traditionally, players give money to ground staff as a token of appreciation,' Kumar said.

Radhey Shyam said he was given money when Kumble took a world-record 10 wickets in the second innings against Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla in 1999.

'Giving a token amount to the ground staff is just a tradition and it must continue. I was given Rs.4,000 by Kapil Dev once after an international match at the Kotla. Many players give some money individually, but that never comes out in the open. It's part of the game's tradition,' he said.

Radhey Shyam, in fact, alleged that these days few players give money to the ground staff.
'With so much money coming into the game, players have become more money minded. For instance, no Delhi player gave anything to the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds men this season while the Himachal Pradesh team gave Rs.1,000,' he said. Even umpires give some money to grounds men just for measuring the pitch, the boundary line, the inner circle and the stumps' width and height. 'That should not be misconstrued,' said Radhey Shyam.

IPL: Footballing through to cricket!!

IPL wants partnership with English premier league

Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi says he wants to enter into a partnership with an English premier league in order to enable star England players to compete in the Indian championship.
"Our players are contracted only to the IPL, but as long as an English premier league was not played at the same time as ours, then I see no problem with partnership. I think it's a good idea," he said in an interview on Sunday.

His comments came amid reports that the three men running cricket in England will be visiting India at the start of the IPL championship next week.

Unlike football, there is no English premier league for cricket. However, the formation of the billion-dollar IPL, which has thrown domestic cricket in England into a state of crisis, has led to suggestions that England should set up a cricket league modelled on that of the IPL.
An England premier league would allow the IPL to field such star England players as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has banned all players contracted to it from playing in the IPL, saying the schedule of the Indian championship - running for six weeks from the second half of April - clashes with the English domestic season.

Meanwhile, a top ECB delegation will be in India to watch the IPL championship, which kicks off in Bangalore with a tie between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers.
The delegation will comprise chief executive David Collier, chairman, Giles Clarke and commercial director John Perera, the Sunday Times reported.

They are to be followed by teams of county cricket administrators who also plan to witness the IPL in action.