Chennai Super Kings beat Pune Warriors by 25 runs

An out of sorts Yuvraj Singh found difficulty in middling the ball as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were successful in defending a mediocre score of 142 defeating Pune Warriors India by 25 runs, in an IPL match, on Monday.
The CSK bowlers used the conditions to good effect and their fielders saved at least 20 runs as the Warriors could manage only 117 for nine in 20 overs. CSK now have six points from an equal number of matches and moved upto the sixth place while Pune Warriors with their third loss are now on eighth position.
Touch seemed to have completely deserted India’s World Cup hero as he scratched around for his 34 (43 balls, 2x4) before an inspirational catch by Shadab Jakati at extra cover ended his agony. During his stay, Singh failed to clear the fielders and at times he even failed to connect.
Having lost first four wickets for 40 runs, the team depended a lot on the captain but sapping Chennai heat seemed to have taken its toll.
Ravichandran Ashwin who is now India’s premier T20 bowler did his reputation no harm as he castled the dangerous Jesse Ryder (11). This was after Albie Morkel started the slide getting Mohnish Mishra to drag one back onto the stumps.
Manish Pandey (12, 2x4) coming back after serving four-match ban was also out in an identical fashion as he played on to a Morkel delivery trying to guide it to the third man region.
With the ball not coming onto the bat, Robin Uthappa’s (0) pre-meditated sweep shot off Ashwin saw his stumps go for a walk. The ball pitched outside left-stump and turned enough to beat Uthappa’s bat.
Precariously placed at 40 for four, things were looking downhill for Pune Warriors when Mithun Manhas (20) joined skipper Singh. The duo added 38 runs before Manhas was done in by extra bounce as he edged one off Doug Bollinger to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind stumps.
Earlier, put into bat on a tricky pitch, Chennai openers Mike Hussey (61, 48 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Murali Vijay (31, 29 balls, 2x4, 1x6) added 64 runs for the opening wicket. After scoring 63 off the first nine overs without losing a wicket, the CSK managed only 79 off the back 11 losing six wickets in the process.
West Indian speedster Jerome Taylor was the most successful bowler grabbing three for 30 while Alfonso Thomas chipped in with a couple of wickets.
Put into bat, CSK openers Vijay and Hussey started off in a confident note. Although they didn’t start hitting the bowlers from the outset, the duo found the gaps and the hittable deliveries were dispatched to the boundary.
Hussey was the first one who opened his shoulders giving Nathan McCullum the charge hitting the offie over mid-off for a six. The Australian batsman got a couple of streaky boundaries off Murali Karthik.

Team India's new coach : Duncan Fletcher

Former England coach and Zimbabwe captain Duncan Fletcherwas on Wednesday selected as coach of the Indian cricket team.

Fletcher's name was finalised during a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) working committee. Stephen Fleming and Andy Flower were the other contenders for the job.

Former India coach Gary Kirsten after winning the World Cup.

Fletcher replaces South African Gary Kirsten, who led India to the World Cup victory. "The contract with Fletcher is for two years. He may not join the team in the West Indies (tour) as he has some prior commitments," BCCI Secretary N. Srinivasan said.

Eric Simons will continue as the bowling coach of the Indian team.

Fletcher, 62, captained Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup and played just six one-dayers during the African nation's pre-Test days.

As coach for England, the high points of his career was England's Ashes triumph over Australia in the home series of 2005, England's first series win in West Indies in 36 years and taking England to the third spot in Test rankings. He also guided England to eight straight Test wins.

Fletcher has a tough job ahead of him as he replaces Kirsten, who set a high benchmark for the Indian team and completed his stint with the memorable World Cup triumph earlier this month.

Indian Cricket Sreesanth’s New Girl Shazahn Padamsee?

After Riya Sen and Shriya Saran, Indian bowler Sreesanth has been painting the town red with Shazahn Padamsee.
Indian bowler who loves to dance in award functions, Sreesanth has recently been spotted getting a bit too close to Sharon Prabhakar and Alyque Padamsee’s daughter Shazahn.
The girl who made her big Bollywood debut in YRF’s Rocket Singh was seen painting the town red with the young cricketer.
On Friday, April 22, an eyewitness tipped off Mumbai Mirror, “Shazahn and Sreesanth have gone for a drive in South Mumbai. They are sitting pretty close.”
One must note that Sreesath who last played for Kochi against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, this IPL on April 15 has fallen in love with the city since then. He has been spotted in Mumbai on and off since the last match.
Shazahn too, has smartly kept away from the ongoing matches. Though the girl did meet up with her new friend afterwards. When contacted, the actress did not even deny it. She confirmed that the two had been driving around the city after the matches.
But when asked whether there was anything romantic, the girl promptly replied, “Oh, Sreesanth and I are just good friends. I am busy with my career. I am very much single. Can I call you back?”
Call back she did. And we asked her whether she found Sreesanth handsome. “Well, I can’t comment on that,” she quipped and quickly added, “He is sweet.”
When asked how she got to know the cricketer, Shazahn shot back, “I can’t tell you that.”
Earlier, Shazahn was dating TV actor Aakashdeep Seagal (of Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame). Not so long ago, she was also linked up with her co-actor Dhruv Bhandari from her second Bollywood movie, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji.
On the other hand, Sreesanth has been linked up in the past with TV actress Surveen Chawla and Bollywood actors Riya Sen and Shriya Saran.

Sachin deserve for Bharat Ratna :Bhutia

Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia on Monday supported the growing demand to confer the Bharat Ratna to champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar, but did not favour any campaign for it.

"I definitely think he deserves it. But people should not campaign for it. Even Sachin would not like people to campaign. A campaign would not justify the award," Bhutia said.

"Everyone knows what he has done for the country. His records and achievements speak for itself. So Sachin deserves the greatest of the greatest award," Bhutia added.

Sachin has contributed to the game of cricket what Maradona had done to football, Bhutia said.

"Unfortunately cricket is not played around the world, else he would have been as popular as Beckham or Ronaldo. By individual talent and contribution to the game, Sachin has contributed as much to cricket as Maradona had to football," Bhutia said.

Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by 29 runs

The change of scenery at the Ferozeshah Kotla had immediate effect on the fortunes of Delhi Daredevils. As the track went from brown to green, Delhi roared back to ground the flying Kings XI Punjab by 29 runs on Saturday.

Contrary to the belief that the pacemen would hold sway on what can be called an 'anti-Kotla' track, it was the batsmen who dominated the proceeding from the moment Adam Gilchrist won the toss and put the Daredevils in to bat. 

The faster the Kings XI bowlers bowled, the farther the ball went off the flashing willows of Virender Sehwag and David Warner. In the first hour of the game, there was massacre at Kotla by the Daredevils openers. Warner (77; 48b, 7x4, 4x6) and Sehwag (77; 35b, 8x4, 4x6) feasted on a track that had enough bounce and movement to keep all the pacemen interested. 

The level of Delhi's confidence could be judged by the fact that they went in with an all-pace attack including first games for Varun Aaron and Ajit Agarkar. The opening stand of 146 was the highest so far in IPL 4, overhauling 136 put on by Kings XI's Gilchrist and Paul Valthaty, and set the platform for the total of 231/4. It was the first 200-plus total this year and the third-highest IPL total ever. 

Every Delhi batsmen enjoyed the extra pace coming on to the bat and were aided by the wayward Kings XI fast bowlers. Venugopal Rao (28 not out, 15b, 3x4, 1x6) and Naman Ojha (19 not out, 8b, 1x4, 2x6) provided the finishing touches to the fantastic opening charge. 

Kings XI attempted to return the favour with two Australian southpaws in Adam Gilchrist (42; 33b, 8x4, 1x6) and Shaun Marsh (95; 46b, 9x4, 6x6). The duo's 72-run stand for the second wickets kept the visitors interested in the match but Aaron picked up his first IPL scalp by crashing through Gilly's defence with a 142-kph delivery. 

Marsh got to within five runs of a second IPL century but skied Morne Morkel with the side still needing 48 to win off 14 balls. David Hussey, playing his first match this season, scored a 10-ball 20 (2x6) but the target was too steep for Kings XI to overhaul as they ended up at 202/6. This season's sensation Paul Valthaty (14; 10b, 2x6) smashed a couple of sixes but his luck ran out as he top-edged Irfan Pathan to point. 

The Delhi bowlers, much like their counterparts, got carried away at the sight of the green track. All the bowlers took a pounding again but the cushion of a massive total got Delhi past the finishing line.

Sachin Tendulkar turns 38, won't celebrate birthday

Iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar turned 38 today with the historic World Cup triumph being the most memorable high of a successful year for the veteran batsman.

But the big day is expected to be devoid of any major celebrations because of the death of Shri Sathya Sai Baba, of whom Tendulkar is a devotee.

Asking his fans to pray for the well being of Sai Baba, Tendulkar had yesterday tweeted, "I m praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health." But with the spiritual guru succumbing to multiple organ failure this morning, Tendulkar may not celebrate his birthday at all.

The 86-year-old Sai Baba had been undergoing treatment for multi-organ dysfunction since March 28.

Tendulkar, who sits on such a huge pile of runs and records which any contemporary batsman would find nearly impossible to exceed, is not known to be flamboyant in his celebrations.If he is not busy on the field, an intensely private Tendulkar prefers to blow the candles just in the company of his two kids, wife Anjali and other family members.

In fact, the Mumbaikar got his biggest gift weeks before the special day.

The trophy might have been lifted first by Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the finals on April 2 but much before India won it, the members of the World Cup squad were falling over each other to dedicate it to Tendulkar, who was making his sixth and perhaps the final appearance in the mega-event.

Tendulkar had played five World Cups before this edition but had never been a part of the winning squad. His dream was finally fulfilled this time and even for a man who is known to be discreet in expressing emotions, the tears were all too visible when his teammates carried him on their shoulders for a lap of honour.

Just a couple of days before his birthday this year, Tendulkar interacted with wheel-chair bound soldiers in Pune via a video conference as IPL commitments could not allow him the time to meet them in person.

"Respectful greetings, my dear soldier brethren; I have learned to take up responsibility and fight till the end from you people," the batting maestro, who is an honorary Air Force Group captain, told the soldiers during his interaction from Mumbai.

The 80-odd soldiers are undergoing rehabilitation at the paraplegic centre in Pune's Khadki cantonment area and are wheel-chair bound. Some of them are paralysed neck-down and some others waist-down.

The lot wanted to meet the icon cricketer personally, but that wasn't possible immediately as Tendulkar was busy leading Mumbai Indians in the fourth edition of IPL.

In fact, the legend wouldn't be at home today as he will be here for MI's match against Deccan Chargers.

Via the video conference, Tendulkar also cut a birthday cake and symbolically exchanged bouquets with the members of the country's armed forces.

Just one short of completing his 100th century in international cricket, records are fairly routine for Tendulkar but for the cricketing fraternity every run he scores just adds to the legend that the right-hander has become.

A staggering 14,692 runs scored in 177 Tests before the ongoing one at a robust average of 56.94 confirmed Tendulkar's greatness in the longer version of the game.

And in the 453 ODIs he played, a whopping 18,111 were added to his mountain of runs at an average of 45.16.

Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super kings by 8 runs

The Mumbai Indians proved to be too good for the Chennai Super Kings, beating them by 8 runs at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium in match 25 of IPL-4 on Friday. Earlier, Rohit Sharma cracked a blistering 87 to help last year’s runners-up Mumbai Indians rally strongly and put up a challenging total of 164 for four. Rohit, who came to the crease at the fall of skipper Sachin Tendulkar in the fourth over, put on half century stands with Ambati Rayudu (27) and Andrew Symonds (31 not out) to help the home team recover from 13 for two at the Wankhede Stadium tonight.

He was finally out in the last over holing out to long on fielder Michael Hussey off Doug Bollinger. Thanks in large measure to Rohit, who hit five sixes and eight fours from 48 balls, and his partnerships of 61 with Rayudu and of 87 with Symonds, who hit two sixes and a four in 36 balls, Mumbai’s total assumed challenging proportions on a track offering some movement to the pace bowlers. Rohit’s knock came after Mumbai had lost both their openers Rajagopal Satish for a duck and in-form Tendulkar for nine.

For Chennai, Doug Bollinger grabbed two for 30. Albie Morkel at last found his touch with the ball and bowled a splendid four-over spell, including one maiden over, to take 1-19. Suraj Randiv got one for 31. Mumbai commenced their innings with a new partner for skipper Tendulkar, Rajagopal Satish replacing James Franklin who opened in the previous game against Pune Warriors. But the move did not click as Satish failed to get going and put pressure on his captain.

 

Facing the first over from Albie Morkel after his team was asked to take first strike, Satish failed to connect all the deliveries barring one which ended up as a near-catch to the point region and the opening over was a maiden. Tendulkar started promisingly with a superb back-foot cover-drive in the next over from left-arm Doug Bollinger who began with four wides with a short ball that bounced over Chennai captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

But Satish fell off the very first ball in Morkel’s second over, spooning a tame catch to short mid-wicket fielder Anirudha Srikkanth to leave the home team at eight for one. The big blow was reserved by Bollinger when he induced Tendulkar (five in eight balls) with a short ball that the champion batsman gloved in trying to pull and gave a dolly catch to slip fielder Michael Hussey to leave MI tottering at 13 for two in the fourth over.

Rohit Sharma, who had completed Mumbai’s victory over Pune two days ago with a six, began in splendid fashion by square driving Bollinger for two boundaries in the same over. The talented Mumbai batsman then flicked Morkel, who bowled four overs at a stretch for 20 runs and was able to extract appreciable movement off the pitch, for a four. Sharma slammed the first six of the contest by hoisting Joginder Sharma, playing in his first match of the season after replacing Shadab Jakati, over long on.

Mumbai, 41 for two after the power play six-over period, reached 50 in the eighth over. The introduction of R Ashwin for Morkel after the latter’s full quota got the desired result for the Super Kings by arresting the run-rate a bit. The home team’s third wicket pair completed their half century stand when Rohit square cut Suraj Randiv for another four after the Lankan offie was brought in for Joginder. After the 10th over, Mumbai were 67 for two.

 

Rayudu (27) departed in the 11th over after having added 61 runs with Rohit in 7.3 overs. Lured by Randiv, he gave the bowler the charge but was deceived by a straight ball and Dhoni made an easy stumping. He hit four fours in 29 balls. In the same over, Rohit edged the Lankan spinner for a four and then essayed a classy lofted cover-drive. Rohit later struck Randiv straight to the sight screen for his second six to bring up his 50 in 31 balls and the team’s 100 in the first ball of the 15th over.

At the end of the 15th over, Mumbai were 107 for 3. They added 57 runs in the last five overs. The 16th over bowled by Joginder proved very expensive for the visitors with Rohit hitting the medium pacer for two fours and Andrew Symonds, struggling to middle the ball, carted him over long on for a six. Sixteen runs came off it and the 50 of the fourth wicket stand too was raised in 29 balls.

Symonds later whacked Ashwin straight over the ropes for his second six and the Mumbai run-rate had perked up nicely with eleven more added in the 17th over and they were 135 for 3. Rohit even scored a scooped six off Bollinger in the 18th over. Sharma then went hammer and tongs against Suresh Raina by slamming the part timer for two sixes in the 19th over while the Chennai fielding too was put under pressure.

Kings XI Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals by by 48 runs

Praveen Kumar (2-22) led disciplined Kings XI bowling attack to help Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals by 48 runs in their Indian Premier League clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali.

Chasing 196-run target, Rajasthan Royals lost wickets at regular intervals against Kings XI Punjab. Ashok Menaria top-scored for the Royals as he hit a six and two fours in his 26-ball 34 innings.

Ryan McLaren dismissed Stuart Binny in the thirteenth over after Binny revived the Royals run-chase with Ashok Menaria. Binny and Menaria added valuable 50-run for the fifth wicket in just 30 balls. Binny hit a six and two fours in his 24-ball innings.

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla trapped Ross Taylor LBW for naught in the eighth over to reduce Royals to 49/4. Pacer Praveen Kumar struck in the previous over to get rid of dangerous Shane Watson (24).

Watson hit four boundaries in his quick 16-ball knock but failed to hold the faltering Royals innings.

Royals lost Swapnil Asnodkar (9) and Rahul Dravid (8) early and in quick succession. Praveen scalped Asnodkar in the third over after Ryan Harris gave Punjab an early breakthrough in the previous over.

Put in to bat, Shaun Marsh (71) and Paul Valthaty (46) helped Kings XI Punjab post massive 195/7 against Rajasthan Royals.

Punjab were set to cross 200-run mark before Shaun Tait (3-22) and Shane Watson (2-24) led Royals fight back in the end to stop them after the hosts raced to 169/2 in 15 overs.

Punjab managed to score just 26 runs in last five overs, scoring only two boundaries during the period.

Marsh led the Punjab charge after openers gave them terrific start as he slammed three huge sixes off Warne's single over to raced to his fifty in just 29 balls. Marsh also hit six fours in his 42-ball blitzkrieg.

Kings XI lost Dinesh Karthik (21) in the sixteenth over, which started their final overs misery, after he added valuable 70-run third wicket stand with Marsh.

In-form Paul Valthaty (46) failed to hit another half-century after giving his team a flying start against Rajasthan.

Royals skipper Shane Warne dismissed Valthaty in the tenth over and checked the Punjab’s marauding march. Valthaty smashed three huge sixes and four boundaries in his quick-fire 31-ball innings.

Punjab lost their captain Adam Gilchrist (28) in the fifth over after he added a rapid 67-run opening partnership with new batting sensation Valthaty.

Gilchrist slammed a six and four boundaries in his 16-ball cameo as Kings XI raced to fifty in just 2.5 overs, which is the fastest in the IPL history so far.

Shane Watson gave Royals first breakthrough when he scalped Gilchrist wicket.

Punjab’s innings started dramatically as no balls saved both openers early after Siddharth Trivedi clean bowled Gilchrist in the first over and Valthaty was caught at third slip off Shaun Tait in the next over.

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne won the toss and decided to field against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 runs

Kochi Tuskers Kerala defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six runs to halt the winning run of the local team on Wednesday night at the Eden Gardens here.

Chasing Kochi's total of 132 for the loss of seven wickets, KKR could only reach a score of 126 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their quota of 20 overs.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six runs at the Eden Gardens.
Chasing a modest total of 133 for victory, Kolkata finished with 126-9.
Kochi's third straight win as Kolkata register their second loss of the tournament.

Manoj Tiwary top-scored for KKR with a brilliant 46, while Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for Kochi with 2-25

Mumbai Indians beat Pune Warriors by 7 wickets

Mumbai Indians registered a seven-wicket win over Pune Warriors India in an exciting last-ball finish in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium here Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Pune Warriors were bowled out for 118 runs in 17.2 overs after Robin Uthappa made a valuable 37-ball 45. Match of the Match Munaf Patel picked up three for eight.

While chasing, Mumbai Indians lost James Franklin (6), who was promoted as an opener, in the second over, but skipper Sachin Tendulkar (35) and Ambati Rayudu (37) took the match away from Pune's grasp with their 74-run stand for the second wicket.

Tendulkar and Rayudu played patiently and waited for the poor balls to punish them for boundaries. Tendulkar hit two fours in his 39-ball innings and rotated the strike intelligently. Rayudu also smacked four fours during his 40-ball stay.

But the departure of Tendulkar and Rayudu in consecutive overs, created panic before Rohit Sharma (20) and Andrew Symonds (16) took the hosts home with their unbeaten 35-run stand.

Mumbai Indians needed five runs from the last over and after four singles from the first five balls, Sharma smacked left-arm spinner Murali Kartik's last ball for a huge six for the winning runs.

Earlier, Pune Warriors put on one of their worst batting performances in the IPL and struggled against the Mumbai Indians' pace attack. Pacers Lasith Malinga, Abu Nechim and spinner Ali Murtaza also got two wickets each.

But it was Munaf, who gave the Mumbai Indians the crucial breakthroughs, and also picked up the important wicket of captain Yuvraj Singh, who didn't trouble the scorers.

Stripping Idea was to be famous says : Poonam Pandey

 

 Poonam Pandey became a household name, thanks to her promise to strip if India won the World Cup. While she didn't quite get down to the act, the model says she was fully aware of what she was saying and enjoyed the public response.

"I took it as fun, but people made an issue out of that because I was an Indian girl and not allowed to do such things," Poonam, 20, revealed.

"I did many things like starting a fan page on Facebook where I did an exclusive photo shoot. But I was not satisfied, so I came up with this idea, which worked well. It was my own decision and I was awake and fully aware of what I was saying," said Poonam.

Suddenly she became a much googled name on the internet.

She said she was refused permission by the cricket board about stripping before the victorious Indian team and will not request it any more.

"But I want the media to support me and convey my message to the members as there is no point in asking same thing again and again".

Did she face any difficulties after her announcement?

"Yes, there were many problems which nobody can even think of. I avoided going to public places. I faced issues like court cases, arrest warrants and calls from the moral police. But, anyway, it was a good experience," she said, giggling.

Now Poonam is ready to show her dare devil attitude on the small screen as a participant on Colors' adventure show 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 4' where she will feature with 12 other celebrities.

"I have seen the previous season of the show. It's something very different and adventurous and that will not be a problem for me as I was into sports during school days. It will be fun facing my fear.

"This season, the production has added the word 'Torchaar' which says many things, so I am looking forward to go on the ride with Bollywood Khiladi Akshay Kumar," said Poonam.

She was one of the top contestants of the Gladrags' model hunt contest last year and also modelled for the Kingfisher calendar.

"It's a very strange story. I am a 20-year-old girl, still going to college in Mumbai But I don't get the time to attend classes because of work. I started my career six-and-a-half months back, so it's a new experience for me.

"When I thought of becoming a model, the next day I got Gladrags' offer. After that I did the Kingfisher calendar and then I became the most downloaded model on the internet; so the journey was exciting," Poonam said.

Is Bollywood her next destination?

"Of course, everyone targets Bollywood. I got movie offers and item numbers but I will not disclose it at the moment because I have not given any commitment to anybody," said Poonam

Virat Kohli dates Sarah Jane Dias?

Has another cricketer lost his heart to a Bollywood belle? Reportedly, the latest star romance is between 'Game' actress and former Miss India Sarah Jane Dias and cricketer Virat Kohli.

Apparently, Virat and Sarah Jane met at a party some months ago and, since then, have been making time to see each other more regularly. Buzz is they've been on dinner dates and have tried to manage their busy careers so they can spend more time together.

So is this going to be the next big love story bringing together hotties from the Indian cricket team and T'town - in the way of Zaheer Khan and Isha Sharvani, who're reportedly planning to get married soon? Watch this space for updates!

Deccan Chargers beat Delhi Daredevils by 16 runs

A quickfire half-century by Sunny Sohal and an equally useful knock of 49 from captain Kumar Sangakkara helped Deccan Chargers register a 16-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here today. Opting to bat, Sohal (62, 41b, 8X4, 1X6) and Sangakkara (49, 35b, 8X4, 1X6) put on a 92-run stand for the second wicket to set a solid platform and post a competitive total of 168 for four, even though some disciplined bowling by the Daredevils at the end managed to put brakes on the Deccan scoring rate.

Kochi beat Chennai Super Kings Kochi by 7 wickets

Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets to notch up their second win in the tournament. Chasing a target of 135 in 17 overs due to Duckworth-Lewis method, the winners reached the target in 15 overs. Brendon McCullum (47, 33 balls), Parthiv Patel (36, 24 balls) were the chief architects of this win. Brief Scores: CSK 131/4 (S Raina 50, M Vijay 28, R P Singh 1/28). KTK 135/3 (B McCullum 47).

Brendon McCullum smashed a rapidfire 47 to power Kochi Tuskers Kerala to a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match on Monday.The New Zealander hit three sixes and four boundaries in his 33-ball knock as Kochi achieved a rain-revised target of 135 with two overs to spare in a match reduced to 17-overs-a-side.

It was Kochi's second win and Chennai's second defeat in four matches.

McCullum, who hit two sixes off South African paceman Albie Morkel early in his innings, added 51 off just six overs for the second wicket with Parthiv Patel, who scored a 26-ball 34.The New Zealander eventually fell attempting a big shot as he was caught at long-off by Morkel off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who also dismissed skipper Mahela Jayawardene (16) to finish with 2-31.

Australian Brad Hodge (19 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (16 not out) completed the victory with a 25-run stand for the unfinished fourth wicket off just two overs.Chennai's Suresh Raina earlier cracked a brisk 40-ball 50 with the help of one six and five fours to prop up the innings after the early dismissal of Australian Michael Hussey (eight).

Hussey was caught behind off paceman Rudra Pratap Singh, but Raina steadied the innings with two useful stands as he added 37 for the second wicket with Murali Vijay (28) and 48 for the next with Subramaniam Badrinath (19).

Opener Vijay hit six fours in his 18-ball knock before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a 13-ball 14 not out, including a six off the last ball of the innings

Delhi Daredevils beat Pune Warriors India by 3 wickets

Earlier, Delhi Daredevils Captain Sehwag won the toss and elected to field first against Pune Warriors on Sunday. Chasing target of 188-runs, Delhi Daredevils lost their wickets in quick very session against Warriors India at DY Patil stadium. Pune Warrior’s skipper Yuvraj Singh took two wickets in his two balls to reduce Delhi Daredevils to 116/4 from 97/2. Yuvraj also dismissed Naman Ojha on 11 runs and Irfan Pathan on 14 runs in the 13^th over. Delhi Daredevils lost Virender Sehwag’ wicket on 37 and David Warner on 47 runs after a very good start against Pune Warriors India. Jesse Ryder clean bowled Virender Sehwag in the tenth. Sehwag was in very good form as he hit six boundaries in his quick 23-ball knock @ put hios team in at good situation. Skipper Yuvraj Singh Scored 66 runs not out and Jesse Ryder scopred 60 runs and hit fifties to help Pune Warriors post 187/5 runs against Daredevils. Yuvraj Singh used the platform provided by Ryder to launch the Pune Warriors attack as he smashed 5 sixes and 4 boundaries in the final over. Yuvraj complete his fifty in 30 balls only and in his 33-ball quick-fire inning he played. Ashok Dinda struck in 4^th over to give Delhi Daredevils early breakthrough. Smith hit two fours and scored 28 runs in 14 balls for the opening wicket with Jesse.

 

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan by 8 wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders produced a clinical performance to thrash a spineless Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League match at the Eden Gardens here today.


With a vintage Laxmipathy Balaji (3/15) at display, the Knight Riders bowled out for Rajasthan for a paltry 81 runs, the lowest total of the ongoing IPL.


Kolkata were also helped by a listless performance by Rajasthan batsmen, who played some irresponsible shots at a placid Eden pitch to be bundled out in 15.2 overs.


Balaji was brilliantly backed up backed up by Bangladesh captain Shakib-al-Hasan (2/21) and some sharp work at the field, which accounted for two run outs


For Knight Riders this was their third consecutive win -- back-to-back against Rajasthan -- after losing the first match to Chennai Super Kings to climb up to the top of the points table.

Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by 8 wickets

Kings XI Punjab continued their new found success story in the IPL 2011 as they trounced Deccan Chargers by eight wickets at Hyderabad.

The Chargers, who had only broken their string of defeats at their home ground in the last game, fell back to defeat after Paul Valthaty shone for a second match in a row for Punjab.

Chasing a stiff 166-run target, Valthaty, opening with Adam Gilchrist, began very well. The left-right duo both scored attacking half -centuries and their first wicket stand was enough to take the match away from Deccan. Their first 50 runs came in only five overs as Valthaty smashed Manpreet Gony all over the park, hitting four fours and one six, in all taking 23 runs off one over. By the tenth over, the hundred-run mark had been breached too and there was no looking back for the Kings XI.

Gilchrist made 61 runs off 46 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and he was finally out in the 14th over. He pulled Amit Mishra straight to square leg but had done his part in the rousing start.

Valthaty though continued and for a brief moment looked as if he could indeed make a second consecutive T20 hundred. But it was not to be. His stellar innings of 75 runs off 47 balls, with eight fours and five sixes, ended when he holed out lazily to long-on. That was the 16th over and the score read 151 for two.

There could have been hiccups towards the end if Deccan had managed some quick wickets but Abhishek Nayar and Dinesh Karthik spoiled all those plans, romping home with 14 balls to spare.

Earlier, Valthaty stole the show with a dazzling display with the ball as well. After losing Sunny Sohal early, Deccan made steady progress with Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan adding 75 runs for the second wicket.
But Piyush Chawla and Valthaty combined very well in the middle overs for Punjab as they pegged the Chargers back with a quick double blow. Sangakkara (35 runs off 28 balls) and Dhawan (45 runs off 36 balls) fell within three runs off each other and it disrupted the middle order momentum.
Ryan McLaren added to their woes with two wickets but it really was Valthaty’s day. He added JP Duminy’s wicket to Dhawan’s and then struck twice more, finishing with 4 for 29 from his four overs. Deccan made 165 for eight in their allotted overs, a total that seemed about twenty runs short of comfort. 

Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs

Michael Hussey smashed an undefeated 83 off 56 balls to help Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.



The left-handed Australian hit 11 fours and a six in the IPL defending champion's 183-5 off the maximum 20 overs.
Royal Challengers made a bad start to its run chase — losing a wicket in each of the first two overs — and finished on 162-7, despite a fighting 64 by South African AB de Villiers.
Man-of-the-match Hussey and Murali Vijay took Super Kings to 51-0 after the hosts opted to bat first. Vijay fell to Ryan Ninan caught at long-off after hitting the off-spinner for a six on the previous delivery.
Hussey was lucky to be dropped on two occasions but made full use of the reprieves, sharing another half-century partnership for the third wicket with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Hussey reached his half-century in style with a six and four off successive deliveries from Challengers captain Daniel Vettori.
Suresh Raina hit 29 and Dhoni scored 22 as the hosts increased the run rate before Raina fell to Ninan and Zaheer Khan dismissed Dhoni. South African pacer Johan van der Wath dismissed Albie Morkel for nine and Subramaniam Badrinath for five in the final over.
Super Kings took a Challengers wicket as early as the second ball when Morkel sent back Tillakaratne Dilshan — caught at midwicket for a duck. New Zealand pacer Tim Southee bowled Asad Pathan for 14 in the second over.
Off-spinner Ravindran Ashwin dismissed opener Mayank Agarwal for seven to reduce the visitors to 31-3 but Virat Kohli lifted the innings with an aggressive 35 before falling to left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati.
De Villiers hit five fours and two sixes but Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv struck off successive overs to dismiss Saurabh Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara.

Yuvraj gifted Audi Q5 for his stellar World Cup show

The spate of gifts for the victorious Indian World Cup cricket team continues. As promised, German car major Audi on Thursday presented a brand new Audi Q5 to Yuvraj Singh for his performance in the recently concluded mega event.

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri and Audi India chief Micheal Perschke presented the keys to the car, considered among the sportiest and most elegant SUV in its class.

"I would like to congratulate Yuvraj on being declared the Man of the Tournament at the World Cup 2011. His performance on the cricket field has made us all proud," said Perschke.

Perschke said that it was cricket which first brought Audi to India as an Audi 100 was gifted to Shastri for his winning performance at the World Cricket Championship in Australia in 1985, where he was declared the Champion of Champions.

On his part, Yuvraj said he was happy to be presented with the swanky car.

"It is after 28 years India brings the World Cup home. It is an honour to be chosen and felicitated by Audi as they continue their tradition," Singh.

Audi, with its four rings on the grille, has had a deep-rooted relationship with cricket over the years.

The memory of the 1985 Indian team's victory lap in the Audi 100 continues to live on in the minds of Indian cricket fans even today.

"My association with the iconic brand Audi began 26 years ago, when I brought home the country's first ever Audi. I am happy to see Audi India take this tradition forward and continue to recognise the achievement of champions in the cricketing field," said Shastri.

He added that Yuvraj, with his versatility, consistency, talent and thirst for excellence, has set new benchmarks in the cricketing world.

Kolkat Knight Riders beats Rajasthan Royals by 9 wickets

Unbeaten half centuries by skipper Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here Friday.

Gambhir (75 off 44) and Kallis (80 off 65) scored 152 runs for the second wicket as Knight Riders chased down Royals' 159/4 in 20 overs with nine balls to spare.

Barring the initial hiccup of losing opener Manvinder Bisla (1) to a run out in the second over, the Knight Riders never faced any challenge from the Rajasthan bowlers, with both Gambhir and Kallis going for the kill on the slow pitch.

Gambhir came down heavily on the spinners, smacking 11 fours and a six during his innings. Kallis joined the party with seven fours and two sixes and also earned the orange cap for becoming the leading run-getter in the tournament.

Sent in, Rajasthan's total was propped by a 52-run second-wicket stand by Rahul Dravid (35) and Ashok Menaria (27) after losing opener Amit Paunikar (9) early in the fifth over. Al Hasan struck in his first over when he dismissed Paunikar to give Knight Riders the breakthrough.

Australian opener Shane Watson, who was playing his first match for Rajasthan Royals after notching up the world record for most sixes (15) in an ODI innings against Bangladesh, whacked two huge sixes in his 22 runs off 13 balls before Shakib Al Hasan (2-31) cut short his innings in the 17th over.

Yusuf Pathan removed Dravid and Menaria in the same over to peg back Knight Riders' after Royals negotiated the attack with ease.

Ross Taylor provided the late thrust hitting two sixes and two fours in the final overs during his quick-fire unbeaten 35 off 25 balls.

Sachin's first Century but Kochi Tuskers Kerela defeated Mumbai Indians

Kochi Tuskers Kerela defeated Mumbai Indians by 8 wickets to register their first ever win in IPL at the Wankhede stadium on Friday.
Brief Score:

Mumbai Indians: 182 for two in 20 overs (Sachin Tendulkar 100, Ambati Rayudu 53; R V Gomez 1/29).

Kochi Tuskers Kerela: 184 for two in 19 overs (Brendon McCullum 81, Mehela Jayawardene 56; Lasith Malinga 2/42).

Mumbai batting report

Sachin Tendulkar smashed his maiden twenty20 century, a brilliant unbeaten 100 in 66 balls, to pilot Mumbai Indians to an imposing 182 for two against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

Tendulkar, who carried on his superb form in the World Cup into the T20 League, slammed three sixes and eight fours, and put on a stand of 116 runs in just over ten overs with Ambati Rayudu, who played a blinder of an innings while making 53 in 33 balls with four sixes and three fours.

The duo, which had stitched a match-winning partnership in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, were in absolute command during their rip-roaring second wicket stand after the home team was asked to bat first on a wicket that had bounce and seam movement initially.

The second wicket pair joined forces after Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs (12) put on 61 for the first wicket, and were not separated till Rayudu was run out in the last over.

Tendulkar went on to complete his first-ever hundred in the T20 league with a four, a six and a single off Vinay Kumar’s final ball who gave away a whopping 48 runs in his four overs.

I am happy with the momentum: Yuvraj

Pune Warriors skipper Yuvraj Singh on Wednesday expressed satisfaction at his side's second consecutive victory after beating fellow-IPL debutants Kochi Tuskers Kerala by four-wickets at the D Y Patil Stadium.
"A win is a win, hard way or easy. I will take it. Very happy with the momentum," said Yuvraj after his side chased Kochi's 148 for 8 with seven balls to spare after surviving some nervous moments.
He praised Mohnish Mishra for finishing the game for his side with an unbeaten 37 off 21 balls.
"I tell him to bat at no. 6, but he wants to open. His game is suited at no. 6 and he will bat at that position," said Yuvaj.
"After me getting out, (Robin) Uthappa made a quick 25-30 runs and had a good partnership with Mohnish. Mohnish took the match to the end," he added.
Yuvraj was also happy with the team's bowling that had their rivals in trouble at 24 for 4 before Kochi fought back.
"Our bowlers bowled well. We took four quick wickets in the last match too," he said.
Yuvraj said he was happy to bat second in the match. "Some captains like to put up a total, some like to chase. Our team is chasing well, did in the last two games. Happy to bat second," he said.
Yuvraj said the collision between Graeme Smith and Rahul Sharma was bad and the extent of injuries to both the players would be known in a day or two.
"He (Graeme Smith) is struggling at the moment. We will assess his injury in the next two days. It was a bad collision in the field. We will come to know about the extent of injuries in one or two days," Yuvraj said.
In the 19th over, there was an on-field collision between Rahul and Smith when both the fielders went for a high catch near the sight screen without calling out to each other.
Smith hurt his knee and needed medical attention and a substitute fielder. Both the players were seen walking out to bat with a substitute runner during their runchase.
Yuvraj was non committal about the decision of the Indian government to resume bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan.
"It is not in our hands. It's not my call. It's they who decide. My job is to play," he said.
Mohnish Mishra said though he was not accustomed to bat at no. 6, today's knock that fetched him the man of the match award has given him lot of confidence.
"First time I am batting at no. 6. I had the captain's confidence. We had played together in the Challenger Series. After this knock my confidence level has increased," said the player who struck 2 fours and as many sixes.