World Cup wait is over, celebration of the Beautiful Game begins tonight
Our Correspondent : 12 june 2014
In the city where football was first played in Brazil, the hosts will square off against Croatia Thursday to kick-start the biggest show on earth — watched by 61,606 screaming fans in the Arena de Sao Paulo and millions worldwide.
After the first whistle, it will be 32 days of non-stop football featuring 32 teams and some of the biggest names in the game.
Organised football came to Brazil in 1894 with Charles Miller. Born in Sao Paulo, he went to school in England, where he learnt to play. When he returned, he brought with him a book of rules and a deflated ball, and started teaching expats. But once the Brazilians got the hang of it, football changed forever. You taught us the game, we perfected it, Roberto Carlos, a World Cup winner with Brazil, once said.
Over the next month, the world will know if Brazil have perfected it enough to get them an unprecedented sixth Cup. They haven’t won since 2002 — too long for a country where football isn’t just a game but Jogo Bonito (the beautiful game).

No one feels the pressure more than star forward Neymar. Outside Morumbi stadium, Neymar shirts sell briskly. People here don’t just wear their Neymar shirts, they flaunt them even on cold winter mornings — an indication of the kind of pressure the young boy who started at Pele’s club and now plays with (Lionel) Messi would be under.
Anything less than runners-up could have severe consequences, especially since Brazil’s affair with the World Cup has seemed like a marriage in crisis. It’s something President Dilma Roussef, seeking re-election this year, sought to allay, saying: “A World Cup lasts a month, but the benefits are for life.”
Brazil’s winter is getting intense. What better way to warm up than with a month of football. Or Futebol, as they say here.

Dhoni in Forbes list of world’s highest paid athletes
Our Correspondent : 12 june 2014
Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the lone Indian sportsman to figure on Forbes’ list of world’s 100 highest paid athletes.
This is being topped by American boxer Floyd Mayweather and includes golfer Tiger Woods and tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Dhoni is ranked 22nd on the list with total earnings of USD 30 million and endorsements worth USD 26 million.
His salary and winnings total USD four million as of June 2014, Forbes said.
“Dhoni cemented his legacy as one of India’s best captains of all time when he led the Indian national team to victory in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and became the first national captain to ever win all three ICC trophies,” the publication said.

Dhoni signed bat sponsorship deals with leading brands like Spartan Sports and Amity University in late 2013 reportedly worth a combined USD four million annually, up from the USD one million Reebok was paying previously, it added.
The earning figures include salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, as well as licensing and endorsement income paid out during the last 12 months between June 2013 and June 2014.
Mayweather earned USD 105 million during the past year for 72 minutes of work in the ring for fights against Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana.

The payday puts Mayweather at the top of Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes for the second time in three years.
Mayweather is the first athlete, besides Woods, to crack the USD 100 million earnings threshold.
Real Madrid and star Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo leads a group of 15 soccer players in the top 100.
Ronaldo ranks second overall with total earnings of USD 80 million.
American basketball player LeBron James ranks third with earnings of USD 72.3 million, followed by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi who ranks fourth at USD 64.7 million. Woods is ranked sixth on the list with earnings of USD 61.2 million.
Forbes said Woods’ golf course-design business has picked up after multiple blowups.

Developers plan to open a new course in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this year which will be the first completed Woods-designed course.
Federer, who holds the record for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money (USD 81 million) is ranked seventh on the list with earnings of USD 56.2 million.
“Federer continues to be among the world’s best players 16 years after he turned pro. His sponsors collectively pay him more than USD 40 million annually,” Forbes said.
Nadal is ranked ninth on the list with earnings of USD 44.5 million.
The list also includes tennis player Novak Djokovic on the 17th rank with earnings of USD 33.1 million, tennis star Maria Sharapova (34), Jamaican runner Usain Bolt (45), tennis player Serena Williams (55) and German Formula One racing driver Sebastian Vettel (83).

FIFA says Brazil not footing World Cup operational costs
Our Correspondent : 11 june 2014
World soccer's governing body FIFA defended itself on Tuesday from criticism that it is making big bucks from the most costly World Cup in history at the expense of the Brazilian people. FIFA said in a statement that it has covered the entire $2 billion operational costs of the World Cup with moneyfrom the sale of World Cup TV and marketing rights, and not a cent will be footed by Brazilian taxpayers.

The 32-nation tournament that kicks off on Thursday will cost Brazil 25.8 billion reais ($11.60 billion) in investments in stadiums, airports, urban transport and other infrastructure improvements. One third has been spent on new or renovated stadiums in 12 host cities. FIFA said it was Brazil's choice to build 12 stadiums instead of opting for eight or 10, and investments include infrastructure not directly linked to the World Cup that will benefit the country for years to come.
Many Brazilians consider the price tag excessive for a developing nation that has more important priorities and say the money should have been spent on improvements to deficient public services in health, education and transport. The high costs have brought disillusionment with the top event in a sport Brazilians are passionate about. The resulting anti-World Cup movement triggered massive street protests a year ago and threatens to disrupt access to Cup stadiums.

Brazilians believe FIFA has turned the World Cup into a business, to the point where it obliged their country to change its laws to allow the sale of alcoholic drinks produced by event sponsors. They also complain that tickets to the games in the new stadiums are so expensive that many Brazilian fans of the popular sport cannot afford them. FIFA said there are tickets available that are cheap compared to other sports events like the Olympic Games, Formula 1 races and tennis tournaments.
FIFA also denied it had demanded tax exemption for its sponsors and commercial activities during the World Cup, though it has required the easing of customs rules to import materials needed to organise the event, such as computers, footballs and electronic advertising boards, the statement said.

The soccer body also rejected charges it demanded evictions of people living next to stadiums that were built or renovated, or that it had driven out street vendors from around the venues. Due to security concerns, however, vendors had to get accredited to sell authorised products outside the stadiums and were given training and uniforms, the FIFA statement said.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa generated total revenue of $3.65 billion for FIFA, including $2.4 billion from the sale of TV rights, but excluding ticket revenue. Expenses incurred totaled $1.3 billion, according to FIFA.

FIFA World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo returns as Portugal rout Irish 5-1
Our Correspondent : 11 june 2014
East Rutherford: Hugo Almeida scored two first-half goals and Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting lineup as Portugal easily beat Ireland 5-1 on Tuesday. It was the team's final friendly before heading to Brazil for the World Cup.
Ronaldo, sidelined with knee and thigh injuries since May 24 when he helped Real Madrid defeat cross-city rival Atletico for the Champions League title, took his first touch less than a minute after kickoff. He sprinted from midfield before hitting a low shot that Irish keeper David Forde easily handled.

Each time Ronaldo neared the ball, the overwhelmingly partisan Portuguese crowd of 46,063 at MetLife Stadium roared with anticipation. One of his biggest ovations came when he left the game in the 65th minute for Nani, one of four simultaneous substitutions for Portugal.
Portugal scored a mere 121 seconds into the game when Silvestre Varela dribbled down the right and crossed to an unmarked Almeida, who easily headed it in from the edge of the 6-yard box.
The Portuguese doubled their lead in the 20th when Ronaldo sent a ball wide left to Fabio Coentrao. His attempted cross struck the outstretched foot of Irish defender Richard Keough and looped over a hapless Forde before settling in the far side netting for an own-goal.
Portugal dominated possession and chances, including a pair of shots in rapid succession in the 14th minute. Forde did well to parry a blast from Ronaldo first, then recovered to deny Raul Mierelles on the rebound.

Ronaldo nearly had his goal five minutes later, skipping a free kick from 25 yards once off the turf and bouncing it off the right post. Portugal added a third goal in the 37th. Forde blocked Ronaldo's sharp header, but Almeida reacted to the rebound and volleyed it in.
Ireland produced little offensively in the first half, at best managing a few shots from distance and a weak header by Jon Walters in the 27th minute.
Ireland was far more effective from the outset of the second half and scored in the 52nd. Wesley Hoolahan found James McClean on the right side of the area, and the midfielder cut inside and beat keeper Rui Patricio with a low left-footed shot to the far side.

Portugal restored its three-goal lead on a counter in the 77th. Nani sent in a cross from the left that Vieirinha headed and Forde blocked. But the rebound came straight back to Vieirinha, who volleyed it in.
Vieirinha set up another six minutes later, sending a ball to Coentrao, whose right-footed flick beat Forde past his left shoulder. The victory finished Portugal with two wins and a draw in its three preparation matches, drawing 0-0 with Greece and beating Mexico 1-0.
The Portuguese open the World Cup on June 16 against Germany and also will face the United States and Ghana in Group G.

Sania Mirza climbs to world No. 6 in doubles
Our Correspondent : 10 june 2014
New Delhi: Touching a new high, India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza on Monday became World No.6 in doubles, her career-best ranking, as the new chart was released following the conclusion of the French Open. Courtesy a quarterfinals appearance at the Roland Garros, Sania earned 430 ranking points along with partner Cara Black to jump eight places in the ranking charts.
Sania and Cara had lost to eventual champions Shuai Peng and Su-Wei Hsieh. “When I started the season this year in January, one of my goals was to better my career-best world ranking. I am happy to have achieved this today,” Sania said from Birmingham, where she is gearing up for the grass court season, leading to the Wimbledon championships.
Sania’s father and coach Imran Mirza said, “Sania has played very consistently this season and has been rewarded. I believe she has the potential to go further.” India’s No.1 singles player Ankita Raina also achieved her career-best rank, 262, with a jump of 28 places. Ankita had ended runner-up at a $25,000 event in Indonesia to earn 30 points. In the ATP rankings, Somdev Devvarman dropped out of top-100 as he lot 23 places to be 119 in the singles chart. He had made a first round exit at the French Open.

Same old story, it is 0-4 thrashing this time
Our Correspondent : 10 june 2014
India escape embarrassment as defending champions Australia take it easy after sealing the match in first 22 minutes.
Twenty two minutes into the first half, the defending champions Australia were 4-0 up. As visions of a mauling began appearing before the Indians, the Australians eased the pressure and scored no more. So, India were left with, in the circumstances, a face-saving defeat, if there is anything like that, at 0-4.

That concluded India's league engagements, with one win and one draw and three defeats for a total of four points. With Spain thrashing Malaysia in the next match of Group A, India slipped to fifth in the Pool and as a result will be left to play the ninth-10th place match. Their opponents will be either Korea or South Africa, currently occupying fifth and sixth places in Pool B.
While Australia will sail through as toppers, the second place will be decided after the last match between Belgium (9 points) and England (7 points).
A whirlwind start, as only the Australians can put on display, gave them the lead in the third minute after missing a chance in the first. Kieran Govers opened the scoring and in the 16th minute Chris Ciriello converted the first of the three Australians scored off on the day.

Jeremy Hayward added the third in the 20th off another penalty corner and two minutes later Ciriello made it 4-0 with another precise conversion. The game was only 22 minutes old. The Indians must have feared the worst.
But in the rather hot weather, the Australians preferred to relax somewhat after that. With just around seven minutes left for the first half to finish, Mark Knowles crashed into SV Sunil he seemed to have injured his neck and was stretchered off, and then it seemed the Australians assured of medal matches were more keen on keeping their star players intact for battles ahead.
Of Knowles, Aussie coach Ric Charlesworth said: "At the moment I don't know what the situation is. He will be assessed, but I hope he will be back for the semi-final."

It was only in the second half that the Indians seemed present on the field. Rupinder Singh and Sardar Singh, who tirelessly kept making moves for his teammates gave India a few chances but they went abegging.
Sunil was quick to make the moves, but as coach Terry Walsh later said, "He is a playmaker, not a scorer." There was no one to latch on to his crosses and through balls.
In Pool B, The Netherlands are through from Pool B as toppers, while the outcome of the Germany-Korea match and the Argentina-South Africa clash will decide the second qualifiers.
Stopwatch: Men: Australia 4 (K Govers 3, C Cirlello 16, 22, J Hayward 20) bt India 0, Spain 5 bt Malaysia 2

Women: New Zealand 0 drew with Australia 0, The Netherlands 3 bt Korea 0
Playing today
Men: Argentina vs SA (2pm), Germany vs Korea (4pm), NZ vs The Netherlands (11.15pm)
Live on Ten Sports
Women: USA vs SA (6pm), Germany vs England (9.30pm), Argentina vs China (9pm)

Time to translate potential to performance
Our Correspondent : 09 june 2014
India head coach Terry Walsh says India have it in them to pocket maximum points against Australia in last league clash today and still fight for fifth-sixth places.
India's head coach Terry Walsh and captain Sardar Singh admit to not being able to sleep properly these days. Despite the smiles, the duo is still haunted by how close they were to getting into the semifinals or at least the top-three in their pool to play for the fifth-sixth places.
India's last game is against Group A leaders Australia on Monday. Asked what he would ask the team to do, Walsh thought for a while and then said, "We are going to go for one but will try for three (points). If you ask me whether we have the capacity right now, I'd say 'No' but if you ask about potential, I'd say 'yes'."
On paper, India still have a chance to play for fifth-sixth places. They need to beat Australia, a tall order indeed, and at the same time would need Belgium to beat England, which is a strong possibility.
To be fair, the Indian team has not been outplayed in any of the games. They have played fairly well. But what has held them back is that they have not been able to make good the chances, and not converted penalty corners. Above all, they have given away goals in closing stages.
Walsh added, "We had a good game against Malaysia on Saturday which has resulted in a morale boost. A win always helps. Akashdeep Singh is in a good form and is surely to be looked out for. From our end, we will focus on scoring goals and concentrate more on saving the crucial last minute goals of the opponent. Also, we have been poor with penalty corners and are working in the direction. I am sure our world class midfield and an energetic forward line will make us a difficult rival for Australia tomorrow."
Sardar spoke about the positive feeling in the team. "The team is all set to take on Australia. Our last match against Malaysia will act as a motivation as we are all looking forward to playing the defending champions. There is positivity in the dressing room that will act in our favour on the field."
Asked about how small the gap has been between various teams, Walsh, said, "Sometimes you wonder. But then you look at the reality – we did not do it. We were so close for a draw with Belgium and frankly we should have won the match against England. We created more chances. To give away those goals does bother you. There is a lot of difference between seven and four points at this stage and you know what means."
Even a draw against England would have got India to five, and England would have had the same. So India would be tied in third place with them behind Australia and Belgium.
So, what does Walsh propose to do? "First to ensure that we don't allow chances in the closing stages. And then, we should start taking our chances and play to a plan that we have prepared. As I have said, this is a young team and we are moving positively. The boys understand the things we need to work on. Sardar is an experienced player and he is helping out. The boys need to know when to be in the right position to score, take penalty corners and so on. Basically close the gaps. We have seen videos and discussed them and now we need to slowly apply them in match situations.
He also talked about the programmes that others have. "England had a decent funding, so does Belgium. Malaysia have a good programme. We have just begun, so we need time," he said.
Australia's depth in the squad is also interesting to highlight. They don't need to depend on any specific two or three players to lead the scoring. In four matches, they have scored 15 goals, and only Glenn Turner (both in same match against South Africa), Jamie Dwyer, Kieran Govers and Eddie Ockenden have scored more than once. So in essence their 15 goals have come from 11 different players.
That they have also let in just one goal means the defence is as sturdy as can be.
In contrast, India have been wayward in finding targets, their penalty corner conversion rate is poor and then there is the mental strength issue in closing stages.
Australia are in quest of winning their third title, which would be an ideal parting gift to coach Ric Charlesworth, for whom this will be his last World Cup.

Hamilton suffers brakes problems from early battles
Our Correspondent : 09 june 2014
London: Lewis Hamilton said his early-race battle with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg led to the brake problems that finally ended his challenge in Sunday`s Canadian Grand Prix
Hamilton and Rosberg were locked in a close and dramatic fight for the lead until they both began to suffer from Energy Recovery System problems that also led, in the end, to them losing speed - and Australian Daniel Ricciardo claiming his maiden victory for Red Bull.
"I was following him and when you`re following someone you`re gaining more heat," said Hamilton. "He was in clean air all the time in front.
"There was not much I could do. When I came out in front, everything was cooked already."
Hamilton said he was informed soon after his first pit-stop that both he and Rosberg had mechanical problems.
"We knew as a team that we had some issues in the second stint, but we thought we would be able to manage it," he said.
"I got him in the (second) stop and was thinking `finally, wow, what an amazing feeling`. Then straight away on that lap the brakes failed."
Championship leader Rosberg nursed his wounded car home in second place behind Ricciardo, a result that has lifted him 22 points clear of Hamilton.
"The team still got 18 points so we`ll move on and hope we don`t have any more DNFs," said Hamilton.
"I`ve had a lot of work to do since race one

Nadal, Djokovic to meet in French Open final
Our Correspondent : 07 june 2014
Rafael Nadal is going for No. 9 at the French Open, and the only man that can stop him is Novak Djokovic. Nadal is already a record eight—time champion with a lifetime 65-1 record at Roland Garros. One more victory on the red clay will make him the first man to win five in a row and give him his 14th Grand Slam title tied in second place with Pete Sampras.
The top-seeded Spaniard reached the final by beating Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 Friday on Court Philippe Chatrier, the stadium Nadal calls his favorite place to play. Djokovic defeated Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first semifinal.
Nadal has beaten Djokovic at the French Open in all five of their meetings, starting with a quarterfinal victory in 2006. They also met in the semifinals in 2007, ‘08 and ‘13, and in the final in 2012.
The second-seeded Djokovic, however, has beaten Nadal the last four times they have played, including on clay in the final in Rome last month.
The winner on Sunday will also be ranked No. 1 on Monday. Nadal is currently at the top, but needs to extend his French Open winning streak to 35 matches to stay there.
Nadal jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set, then broke early again in the second and third sets. The Spaniard had six break points in the entire match, and converted each one.
Murray, meanwhile, couldn’t even manage to earn a single break point.
Besides his eight titles at the French Open, Nadal has also won twice at Wimbledon, twice at the U.S. Open and once at the Australian Open. Sampras won 14 major titles in his career, but never the French Open. The record holder is Roger Federer with 17 Grand Slam titles. He won his 14th in Paris in 2009, the only French Open in which Nadal lost a match.
On the first sunny day of this year’s tournament, the semifinals started with Djokovic and Gulbis on Chatrier.
Djokovic was able to control the pace of the match while letting Gulbis’ unforced errors mount. The powerful Latvian, who was playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, finished with 44 errors.
Djokovic, a six—time major champion who needs to win the title at the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, was first to get into trouble in the first semifinal. But he managed to save two break points and hold to 2—2 in the opening set.
A few minutes later, he was ahead for good. Djokovic needed three attempts to earn his first break of the match, and he finally got it when Gulbis sent one of his many forehands long.
It was also in that game that Gulbis had his first of five double-faults. His second double came in the final game of the set, when Djokovic broke again. And his third came when trailing Djokovic 4-3 in the second, when the Serb broke yet again.
Gulbis fared better in the third set. He again had two break points while leading 3-2, but again failed to win the game. However, he didn’t waste his chance two games later, breaking Djokovic to take a 5-3 lead before serving out the set with his 11th ace.
The two traded breaks early in the fourth set, and Djokovic broke again to lead 5-3 when Gulbis, again double—-faulting once in the game, sent a backhand long.
Djokovic won the last game at love.
“It was a struggle out there,” Gulbis said. “I felt maybe throughout the match I hit five really clean shots, from either side, backhand or forehand. Even serve.”
After nearly two weeks of overcast skies and cool temperatures, the sun was shining on center court and Djokovic and Gulbis were more interested in staying cool than staying warm.
Both players used ice wrapped in towels around their necks, like players often do at the sweltering Australian Open, as the temperature reached 28 degrees C (82 degrees F) on Friday.

India don't have bowlers to get England out twice: Dilip Vengsarkar
Our Correspondent : 07 june 2014
To win a Test in England, you have to bowl them out twice, and the Indian bowling attack lacks just that, felt former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar."It will be tough for India. We need to have bowlers who can get them out twice but unfortunately I don't see any bowler doing that because we will play with four bowlers. Out of four bowlers, you have to have two bowlers who can get 10 wickets in a match, which I don't happening," Vengsarkar said after launching a website for his academy.
Vengsarkar didn't completely rule out India's chances, though. "In cricket, anything can happen. After a long time, we are playing a five-Test series, I hope we do well," he said.
"The first couple of Tests will be tough because they have no clue about the conditions and they must prepare well. Two practice matches are quite less. They must play at least four to five matches before the first Test," he said.
Former India player Ajit Agarkar, who was also present at the event said, "Five Tests are not going to be easy. But England are rebuilding, so it might be good for India."
Meanwhile, the Vengsarkar Cricket Academy, in collaboration with Norwegian IT Organisation, RTC Tech AS (RelTime Norway), has introduced an online cricket community platform wherein young cricketers can get video coaching classes and have discussions. Children between seven and 19 years from any part of the world that wish to be coached by the VCA have to send in a video of themselves playing cricket.
Coaches from VCA will select the best and form a team.

Brazil coach predicts WC final against Argentina
Our Correspondent : 06 june 2014
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has projected that Argentina will be the most likely opponent if the hosts can make it all the way to the World Cup final.
Scolari says he and his staff analysed the tournament’s bracket and predicted the two South American powers will meet in the July 13 final.
While Argentina is one of the chief threats to Brazil winning the tournament, Scolari wants them to do well, as a final between them would match “great players” and two teams with “a lot of quality” against each other.
The rivals cannot meet at the World Cup until at least until the semifinals. If both teams finish first in their groups, they can only face each other in the final at the Maracana Stadium.

Sreejesh earns India first points with 1-1 draw against Spain
Our Correspondent : 06 june 2014
India finally managed to earn their first points in the World Cup Hockey as they held Spain to a 1-1 draw as custodian PR Sreejesh effected at least four brilliant saves.
The Indian goalkeeper fought gallantly to effect numerous saves as Spain’s strikers often broke past the jittery Indian defence only to find Sreejesh standing like a rock.
India went into the lead, for the first time in this World Cup, courtesy a penalty stroke conversion by Rupinder Pal Singh in the 28th minute.
Roc Olivia equalized for Spain with a low flick just one minute before half-time after Sreejesh had blocked two earlier shots at the goal.
Spain forced the first penalty corner in the seventh minute, but Sergi Enrique’s drag flick was stopped by Indian custodian Sreejesh.
At the other end, Rupinder Pal’s long diagonal ball found striker Lalit Upadhyay, but his deflection was way off the target.
The Indian goal came under threat in the 17th minute when Salvador Piera was in a one-on-one position with goalkeeper Sreejesh, who padded away the shot.
Sreejesh was again in action to block the second Spanish penalty corner conceded by erratic Indian defence. India went into the lead on a penalty stroke which was awarded when Dharamvir Singh’s diagonal assist was picked up by Mandeep Singh on top of the circle.
He was tripped from behind by Spanish defender Ramon Alegre as he created space for a shy at the goal. A lapse in their own territory by the Indians allowed Spain to get the equalizer.
Defender V.R. Raghunath lost the ball allowed the Spaniards to build an attack with the Indian half-line out of their positions. Couple of tries by the Spanish strikers were brilliantly parried by Sreejesh before Olivia slotted the ball into the goal.

Mithali Raj calls for more Tests for women
Our Correspondent : 05 june 2014
World No. 1 batswoman in One Day Internationals, Mithali Raj, cannot wait to don her white flannels once again. The only Indian woman with a double hundred in Test cricket is excited and looking forward to playing the longer format once again after a long wait of eight years when the Indian women tour England in August.
The Indian women will play a four-day contest in Wormsley from August 13-16 followed by three ODIs on August 21, 23 and 25, the first two at Scarborough and the third one at the Lord’s cricket ground.
Thirty one-year-old Raj, who spoke at the Sports Journalists Federation of India’s 37th National Convention here on Wednesday evening, said the cricket boards should organise more Test cricket for women.
“We are touring England in August and we are playing one Test. Though I have scored 214 in a Test match, I will be playing a Test after eight long years. As an experienced cricketer, I would take some time to prepare my temperament. Preparation is a must for Test cricket,” she said.
“It is sad that there are so less Test matches in women’s cricket and I hope the boards come together and organise more Test matches for women’s cricket,” added Raj.
Praising BCCI for the way they are handling women’s cricket, she also stressed on how the Indian cricket board should have more domestic matches to unearth new talents. “I would say good, but there is a flip side to it also. The domestic cricket is organised well and we get access to facilities like the National Cricket Academy. There are also monetary benefits. But the flip side is that the domestic tournaments are very short. I believe that you need to play more domestic matches to produce more players.”
Raj also wanted the board to reward them with central contracts that would help them feel secure. “As far as I know, we are the only team that does not have a central contract with the national board. I don’t know what is holding it up but it would be good if it happens because it would provide security to players who do not have a permanent job,” added Raj, who impressed last month by top scoring with 67 as Rest of the World Women’s XI defeated Marylebone Cricket Club by 41 runs in the Bicentenary Celebrations of the Lord’s ground in London on May 19.

Sharapova on verge of third Paris final in a row
Our Correspondent : 05 june 2014
Paris: Clay has long been Maria Sharapova's least favoured surface, but the Russian, who takes on Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday, is on the brink of reaching her third successive French Open final, a feat she has never achieved in the other grand slams.
Sharapova, who won the title in Paris in 2012 and lost in the final last year, will need to douse the up-and-coming Bouchard, the 18th seed who has yet to beat a top-ranked player at Roland Garros.
Seventh seed Sharapova has been showing her usual fighting spirit, overcoming the loss of the first set in her last two matches.
The other semifinal on court Philippe Chatrier will feature German 28th seed against Romanian fourth see Simona Halep, who has been blazing her way through the draw.
Halep, who compensates her lack of power with her tactical nous, has lost just over four games per match and has yet to drop a set.
She won the 2008 junior title and will face an opponent she beat a year ago in the final of the Nuremberg claycourt tournament.

Hockey World Cup: Spain's seasoned strikers present massive challenge for India
Our Correspondent : 04 june 2014
Bogged down by two successive losses, an under-pressure Indian hockey team will be confronted by Spain's livewire strikers when the two teams clash in their preliminary league encounter of the World Cup at the Greenfields Stadium at The Hague on Thursday.
After conceding match-winners to Belgium and England in the closing stages of successive matches, the Indian defence will need to raise its game several notches against Spain, who won a penalty shootout against India for the fifth position when they last met in the 2013 World League Semifinals.
Financial woes have forced the Spanish hockey team to opt out of some big-league events over the past two years, but the crux of the team is still there, and could again be troublesome for the Indian defenders. Santi Frexia and seasoned Eduard Tubau would be major threat to the wobbly defence of India.
Indian team's technical director, Roelant Oltmans feels the high-quality individuals in the Spanish team could pose problems for his team. But Indian players, according to Oltmans, are professional enough to overcome the trauma of the losses in earlier games. "We've not played Spain often in recent times, but they have several high-quality players in their ranks. We'll have to perform well as a team to overcome this rival," said Oltmans. Oltmans said it was disappointing to have lost two matches due to late goals, but the Indian team has "played quite well."
Oltmans said there were clear signs of the team's rising performance graph, and it should be visible more in the World Cup itself.
"We're disappointed over the result, but not at the level of performance by the boys. In due course, it should lead to better results. The Indian team needs to lift its game further," he said.

Sri Lanka win ODI series against England 3-2 amid controversial run out
Our Correspondent : 04 june 2014
Sri Lanka won the final one-day international in Birmingham by six wickets on Tuesday, a game that will be remembered for the controversial run-out of England's Jos Buttler, to triumph 3-2 in the five-match series.
After winning the toss England laboured to 199 for six but had the dangerous Buttler, who made a brilliant 121 in the fourth game at Lord's on Saturday, at the crease on 21.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was then dismissed at the non-striker's end by Sachithra Senanayake who took the bails off when Buttler strayed out of his crease as the off-spinner was about to deliver the ball.
Buttler had already received several warnings in this game, and at Lord's, for backing up too far but umpire Michael Gough asked Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews if he was sure that he wanted Senanayake's appeal to stand.
Mathews replied in the affirmative and the batsman had to make his way back to the pavilion.
The run out had added significance with Senanayake the subject of an International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation for a suspicious bowling action.
When the teams shook hands after Tuesday's game at Edgbaston, clearly disgruntled England skipper Alastair Cook exchanged words with Mathews.
"He has been taking unfair starts, not just in this game but in the last game as well," the Sri Lanka captain told Sky Sports after his side reached their target of 220 with 10 balls to spare.
"We gave him two warnings in the spirit of cricket. I actually don't know how to stop a batsman doing that continuously so we had to go for it. I would stick by [the decision] because what we did was completely within the rules."

Kohli, Ashwin bag top Ceat awards
Our Correspondent : 03 june 2014
Virat Kohli won the ‘Cricketer of the Year’ honours at the Ceat awards function on Monday, while R. Ashwin received the ‘Indian Player of the Year’ award from batting maestro V.V.S. Laxman.
Former India wicketkeeper and a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, Syed Kirmani, was given the‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.
Laxman, asked to explain Ashwin’s achievement in the 2013-14 season, said: “I never thought Ashwin would go on to play Test cricket for India. The first time I faced him in a Duleep Trophy match, he looked a one-day sort of bowler. He has developed variations and used his mind to spin a web around batsmen.”
The India off-spinner has come a long way since then to bag 104 Test wickets in 19 appearances apart from 106 scalps in 79 ODIs. Ashwin, who has scored a Test century too, said he was a fan of Shane Warne.
“Spin is an art. It is all about deception and perception, and Warne showed these qualities in all their glory.”
Karnataka batting mainstay Robin Uthappa received the ‘Domestic Cricketer of the Year’ prize for his exploits in the State’s Ranji Trophy triumph and the form he carried over into other formats like the IPL.
The award winners: Cricketer of the Year: Virat Kohli (India); ODI Player of the Year: Shikhar Dhawan (India); T20 Player of the Year: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh); Test Player of the Year: Mitchell Johnson (Australia); Popular Choice award: Glenn Maxwell (Australia);
Young Player award: Vijay Zol (Maharashtra); Domestic Cricketer of the Year: Robin Uthappa (India); Special award for Indian Player of the Year: R Ashwin (India); Lifetime Achievement award: Syed Kirmani (India).

Nadal wins again to reach French Open quarters
Our Correspondent : 03 june 2014
Defending champion Rafa Nadal dismantled unseeded Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 on Monday to set up a French Open quarterfinal clash with fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in a repeat of last year's final.
Ferrer, the fifth seed, beat South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 to reach his tenth consecutive last-eight place at a Grand Slam.
In the women’s event, battling Italian 10th seed Sara Errani survived an 81 minute first set to reach the last eight a 7-6(5), 6-2 win against Jelena Jankovic, the sixth seed from Serbia.
Errani will next take on Andrea Petkovic, who reached her fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal when she outlasted Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the fourth round
Later, Romania's Simona Halep, the highest seed left in the women’s singles draw, outwitted American 15th seed Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 to reach the last eight.
Eight-times champion and world No.1 Nadal improved his Roland Garros win-loss record to a remarkable 63-1 to advance having not dropped a set in Paris this year.
World No. 83 Lajovic, who had not previously lost a set on his French Open debut, quickly went 5-0 down and never recovered, also losing the first four games of the second set to love.
“I think he played a great tournament,” Nadal said of his 23-year-old opponent,
“First time on this court (Philippe Chatrier) is never easy, the court is so big. I'm happy with the way I played today, I was able to control the points from the baseline, which is important for me.
“I look forward to playing against David (Ferrer), it is going to be a very difficult match,” added Nadal, who ended the masterclass on his first match point with a thumping forehand down the line.
Praise for Juan Carlos
Such was the ease of Nadal’s win that he spent most of his time at his post-match news conference discussing the abdication of King Juan Carlos of Spain.
“He is a wonderful person who was a great representative of our country and Spain should thank him,” said Nadal. “I had the opportunity to meet him on quite a few occasions. He was always very nice and warm towards me. He made me feel very comfortable every time we met.”
Ferrer is one of three players who have beaten Nadal on his favoured clay this season, prevailing in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
Ferrer had beaten Anderson, who was hoping to be the first South African man in the last eight since Cliff Drysdale in 1967, at the same stage of the tournament last year.
“Tactically, I will have to be perfect against Rafa,” said Ferrer. “I hope that I will instill some doubts in Rafa's mind. I will pull out all of the stops to play well without making errors, and we'll see what's gonna happen.”
Errani, the 2012 runner-up to Maria Sharapova, won a bitterly contested first set that lasted 1hr 21min and saw eight breaks of serve, four from each player.
The 27-year-old from Bologna took control in the tie-break leading 5-2 before sealing the opening frame 7-5.
Jankovic, the former world No.1 and three-time semifinalist in Paris, appeared to lose heart in the second set as Errani raced into a 3-0 lead. She then staved off a brief Jankovic comeback to close out the match on her second match point.
Petkovic, who came to Roland Garros last year ranked 136 but is now back at 27, failed to get through qualifying on her last trip to Paris, and has endured back, ankle and knee injuries which almost dropped her out of the top 200.
It was also a spell of form which pushed her to the brink of quitting last year. However, now she is enjoying her finest season since 2011 when she reached the last eight in Australia, Paris and at the US Open.

IPL: Winners Kolkata Knight Riders' grand felicitation at Eden Gardens on Tuesday
Our Correspondent : 02 june 2014
Memories of the 2012's grand felicitation of Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens are set to be re-lived with the West Bengal government and Cricket Association of Bengal having planned a similar programme at the same venue tomorrow morning.
All the roads tomorrow will lead up to Eden Gardens, KKR's home venue, and the entry will be free for the fans to join the felicitation programme, CAB joint secretary Subir Ganguly said.
"Eden Gardens gates will be open from 11.30am to 3.30pm and everybody is welcome to join in the grand victory march tomorrow. We have all plans to make the victory doubly memorable," Ganguly, who is with the KKR team, told PTI from Bangalore.
He further said CAB supremo Jagmohan Dalmiya will call on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat (Nabanna) this afternoon to finalise the programme.
The CAB official also said he would land in the city with the triumphant KKR team members and the Trophy at 7pm today.
Team Mamata had come under sharp criticism after showering KKR with gold medals and gold chains in an extravagant felicitation after their maiden IPL triumph in season five, two years ago.
It will be interesting to see how the state supremo goes about the felicitation this time around especially when the West Bengal government is under scrutiny in the wake of Saradha chit fund scam.
Earlier, the West Bengal chief minister had congratulated Kolkata Knight Riders and its co-owner Shah Rukh Khan for their second IPL triumph, last night in Bangalore.
"Congratulations… KKR; Congratulations… Shah Rukh," Mamata posted on her official Facebook page moments after Piyush Chawla hit the winning boundary to seal a three-wicket chase with three balls to spare against Kings XI Punjab in a pulsating IPL-VIII final.
Thousands of KKR fans waving purple-gold flags, and screaming team slogan 'Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re!' poured into the streets of Kolkata while firecrackers lit up the skyline after the Gautam Gambhir-skippered side won their second IPL title, something that had earlier achieved by Chennai Super Kings.
Mamata had earlier conveyed her best wishes to Shah Rukh who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal as the Bollywood heart throb had called on the CM at her residence after their team sailed into the final with a win over the same KXIP in the first qualifier May 28.
Shah Rukh had earlier urged Kolkatans to get ready and celebrate the triumph on Hooghly river and on the streets of Kolkata.
"This time on the Hooghly we are going to dance, we will create issues on the roads in Calcutta. Mamatadi, we are coming back like we promised. We are the champions," he said.
"The party starts from here. We will move to Mumbai and then to Calcutta… It's going to be a long affair. My son is in London, my wife and daughter are in Paris and the little one is in Delhi. So I will have to celebrate the win everywhere!" The celebration for KKR went till the wee hours this morning at their Bangalore team hotel with team co-owner Shah Rukh leading the party.
"Tonight I will teach u how to dancer boy," Shah Rukh said in reply to KKR player Kuldeep Yadav in an early morning tweet on his official Twitter handle.
"Either the cup is too big or my nose is. Either way the victory of my KKR boys is the biggest still. Love u. Get ready Kolkata we rule!!!!"
Quoting Serbian poet and philosopher Dejan Stojanovic, Shah Rukh tweeted: "'Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn't live off fame, but rather deeds.' My Knights are most beautiful."
Shah Rukh also thanked physiotherapist Andrew Leipus and trainer Adrian Leroux for their contribution.
Last night, Shah Rukh had dedicated the victory to his little son AbRam the newest member to his family.
"But I'm sorry this time I can't dedicate this win to the City of Joy… This one is for my little baby AbRam. But I am happy to bring the trophy back to Calcutta," said Shah Rukh.
"I am really happy and proud of the team. My children are happy. I would like to dedicate this victory to my little baby AbRam, who has just got his KKR T-shirt! The win is as much of Gautam and the team."
"Everyone in KKR… be it Gautam or Manish, who won us the game today… We have a team that believes in itself. We are not flashy, we don't have big names, we are a bunch who just goes out and does its job. KKR is just like me.
"Perhaps, I am a bit flashy because I have been working for too long and I can do somersaults. But yes, KKR is like me… cool," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Gautam Gambhir hails his team after securing 2nd IPL title
Our Correspondent : 02 june 2014
An elated Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir on Sunday said that the triumph was even sweeter as not many people gave them a chance after the first seven matches in IPL this year.
"Where we were after first seven games, not many people thought we would be here," Gambhir says. "Boys absorbed a lot of pressure, a lot of credit needs to go to the team," the teamman in Gambhir came to the fore once again. Gambhir said that they always fancied the chance to win as Chinnaswamy is a small ground to defend.
"This is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. We wanted to get it down to 5 overs, 50 or 60 to get. Manish played a fantastic innings, Yusuf chipped in, and Chawla hit that important six. Wriddhiman also played an unbelievable innings but Manish was fearless."
Man-of-the-Match Pandey said that winning IPL was like "icing on the cake" after winning Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. "We have got four achievements, Ranji Trophy, Irani, cherry on the cake was the IPL," Pandey said.
The man who hit 94 off 50 balls said that he was confident of performing in a crunch game. "I'm very optimistic, and I love to play the crunch game. We got 10 in the first over, and that was the time I thought, if we kept doing that, we'll get 200."
"Orange Cap' winner Robin Uthappa described the feeling as "surreal". "I'm at a loss for words. I'm happy I've contributed in a meaningful manner. If I have to pick one innings, the one against Mumbai Indians, because I played with a broken toe, and I broke through a physical barrier."
The affable KXIP skipper George Bailey was all praise for the team that played so well. "We've got a special bunch of guys, we've had a wonderful tournament, and our guys can hold their heads high." Asked to talk about his memories of the season, he says, "I enjoyed this one, I got to play a few games."
Akshar Patel, who won the 'Emerging Player Award' said," I'm very proud that I've beaten so many domestic and international players to No 1," Akshar says. "Our bowling coach Joe [Dawes] makes a lot of plans for different batsmen, and I've worked on those. I think I'm a batting allrounder, but after this performance, maybe bowling allrounder."

IPL Qualifier 2: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab
Our Correspondent : 31 may 2014
Virender Sehwag sprang the biggest surprise of IPL-7 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday taking his team to a spectacular victory over Chennai Super Kings and to the title match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Bangalore on Sunday.
After some listless displays in the league, the former India opener exploded, showing the bright side of his cricket.
In a little over half an hour Suresh Raina threatened to turn the match on its head with a heavy dose of scintillating strokeplay and sweetly timed sixes, but a direct-hit run out effected by rival captain George Bailey halted CSK in its tracks.
Raina’s brilliance enabled CSK reach an exact 100 at the conclusion of the Power Play overs. After Faf du Plessis perished, West Indian Dwayne Smith remained a mere spectator when Raina did everything right with the bat and seemed to be on his way to stealing the thunder from his former India teammate.
But, once he fell, KXIP regained control and advanced to the final for the first time. A Mitchell Johnson no-ball ‘dismissal’ stretched Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tenure in the middle, but the target of 227 was too far away to be really challenged and KXIP won its third straight match against CSK.
The Sehwag story of the evening was all about raw as well as refined hitting. By his own high standards, the 35-year-old had appeared well past his prime in the 15 previous outings.
The pre-match focus was on Glenn Maxwell, but getting a chance ahead of the Australian in the batting order, Sehwag refused to be far removed from the scene of action. He went on a leather hunt and notched up his second IPL century that shaped KXIP’s third score over 200 against two-time champion CSK.
Clearly there was much inspiration to be drawn from its earlier two wins against CSK at Abu Dhabi and Cuttack when it chased and defended 200 plus targets. Sehwag had played his part in those matches dominated by Maxwell, David Miller and George Bailey; he scored 19 (10b, 4x4) and 30 (23b, 5x4, 1x6).
A forceful off-side boundary off left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra set the tone for a remarkable knock over a period of one-and-a-half hours.
Manan Vohra, overshadowed by one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket, in the meanwhile clubbed Ishwar Pandey for two sixes.
Sehwag raced to his half-century off 21 balls with seven 4s and two 6s and then reached his century off 50 balls with a flurry of sixes off Jadeja, Nehra and Ashwin.
KXIP posted 70 runs in the Power Play overs and then Miller’s brutal hitting took it to a total that most teams would regard as safe.
But, on an extraordinary Friday night, when the bat held sway over the ball, and with Raina in the middle flaying the bowlers to all parts of the field and into the stands, Sehwag may have wondered whether the magic he had wrought with the bat was not enough.

Sunil Narine out of WI Test squad
Our Correspondent : 31 may 2014
Off-spinner Sunil Narine has opted out of the West Indies side for the Test series against New Zealand starting June 8.Narine has informed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that he would not be available to join the West Indies Training Camp which starts in Barbados June 1, reports CMC.
The Trinidadian spinner has decided to remain in India to represent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Kings XI Punjab in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.
“Narine had been in discussions with the WICB and was required to inform the Board by May 24 whether he will join the squad currently in training in Barbados June 1,” said a statement from WICB released on Friday.
“Narine had indicated by the May 24 deadline that he will join the squad June 1 as required. Narine subsequently told the WICB on Wednesday that he would not be able to meet the June 1 requirement.”
The WICB release says Narine will be considered for selection to the squad for the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand July 5 and July 6 in Dominica.
WICB director of cricket, Richard Pybus, says the guiding principle of the West Indies First Policy, recently approved by the board of directors, requires players to make themselves available for team preparations.
“The onus of the WICB is to protect the integrity of international cricket at all times,” Pybus said.
“International cricket, and specifically Test cricket, is a priority and requires dedicated preparation which is integral to team success. The WICB policy requires players to commit to sufficient preparation... as part of a culture of excellence.”
WICB’s chief executive Michael Muirhead says players in breach of the June 1 deadline would not be considered for selection. “It is his decision,” Muirhead said Friday.
“The cut-off date for joining the camp was moved forward from May 22 to June 1 specifically to allow those players involved in the IPL the opportunity for more matches. Anyone who is in breach won’t be considered for selection.”
Muirhead explained that if Narine misses the deadline, he would be unavailable for the first Test in Kingston June 8 and 12, but would remain in the chosen squad of 15 and be eligible for the remainder of the series.
The IPL management is reported to be involved in the issue and is said to have made a case to the WICB on Narine’s behalf.
Additionally, Narine has been seeking the support of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) through president and chief executive Wavell Hinds. “This is in no way an act of defiance by Sunil. He is seeking the board’s flexibility for a couple of days’ leeway so that he can turn out for Knight Riders Sunday,” said Venky Mysore speaking on Narine’s behalf by telephone from his Kolkata office.
“He has told us that he came to do a job and wants to see it through to its conclusion. He also wants to represent West Indies against New Zealand. You can understand the quandary that he is in.”
A similar situation occurred on the West Indies tour of England in 2009 when then captain Chris Gayle applied for an extension to play one more match for his franchise team in the IPL.
The WICB acceded to the request and Gayle arrived in London two days before the Lord’s Test, triggering widespread criticism of the decision.
KKR, the franchise owned by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, had promised to fly Narine back by the fastest available flights should the WICB alter its position, estimating that he could join the West Indies squad by June 3.

IPL: Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab clash in Qualifier 2
Our Correspondent : 30 may 2014
When Mumbai Indians' Harbhajan Singh hit last ball of the innings for a six in Wednesday's Eliminator, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's gaze was fixed on the trajectory of the ball. Though he stood expressionless, he might have been wondering about that many more runs he would be needed to score should he be needed to bat.
However, such has been Chennai Super Kings' batting might that they chased down a total of 173 with relative ease. And, Dhoni, one of the greatest finishers in the game, was not required to bat though he sat in the dugout with two bats in his hand, ready for the challenge. Friday may not be that easy though. For, two-time champions CSK run into Kings XI Punjab in the second qualifier of playoffs with the winner earning the right to face Kolkata Knight Riders in Sunday's final in Bangalore.
KXIP, seeking a maiden entry to the final, have been the flavour of the season and the big-hitting Glenn Maxwell, a revelation. But Maxwell has not come good in the last four matches scoring 14, 2, 0 and 6. His scores preceding the poor run were three scores of 90s and an 89, KXIP have lost twice. Though they may not be heavily reliant on the Victorian as they have others who have come good — right from opener Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller and captain George Bailey — Maxwell does hold the key if they are to stop CSK from marching ahead.
On the other hand, CSK have been there and done it. Five finals in the previous six editions speaks of the tremendous consistency in their results. They know how to go about their business. They are mightily experienced in such situations, though they did not have to take the back-door entry into the final except on one occasion – in 2012 when they won the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 before losing to KKR in the title clash. Can 2014 be the year to avenge that defeat?
KXIP skipper Bailey would do well to put to use all that he has learnt when he was warming the bench while he was a CSK player in the previous seasons. It is no secret that he has admired Dhoni's captaincy and learnt the trade secrets.
One thing is common between them, though. Bailey bats fearlessly in the death overs and more often comes good, something that Dhoni has been doing repeatedly, match after match, season after season, be it in yellow IPL or in blue Team India colours.
The team that holds nerve will come out on top. Like India's stop-gap ODI captain and man of the match in CSK's victory over MI the previous night, Suresh Raina said, "Whoever panics is going to lose the battle. We have to go out there and express ourselves, we need to look to start strongly. The important thing is that we have handled pressure really well over the last seven years. When you know you have a captain like Dhoni and a coach like (Stephen) Fleming, it helps. Whoever handles pressure well in T20 wins."

IPL playoffs attracted 2.8 million online viewers: Starsports.com
Our Correspondent : 30 may 2014
Mumbai: Starsports.com, the digital sports channel owned by Star India Pvt. Ltd, said its coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff matches Wednesday attracted 2.8 million online viewers, the highest for a sporting event outside of the US Super Bowl.
The coverage of two big playoff matches—Kings XI Punjab versus Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians—was streamed on starsports.com.
The coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics on nbcolympics.com earlier this year claimed the record for the most watched on the internet, with 2.1 million unique users on 21 February, the day US and Canada squared off in a men’s ice-hockey match, Starsports.com said in a statement.
Starsports.com said it has attracted more than 55 million visits in the past six weeks, since start of the IPL, with viewers having watched 450 million minutes of video.
Starsports.com is airing the matches live and with a five-minute delay (free). The channel did not disclose details of subscription revenue.
The website is airing the matches through a deal with Times Internet, which owns the digital broadcast rights for the popular cricket tournament. Times Internet won the internet and mobile broadcast rights for the IPL for Rs261.6 crore in 2011, and teamed up with Star India in January 2014 to share the rights with Starsports.com, the broadcaster’s online brand.

7: KKR extend streak, make second final
Our Correspondent : 29 may 2014
Glenn Maxwell went a little too far across as he aimed the vacant leg-side boundary. But Umesh Yadav’s delivery was quick and it skidded off the surface to catch Maxwell plumb in front. With the fall of this particular wicket, in the eighth over of the Kings XI Punjab’s chase of 164, Kolkata Knight Riders had one foot in the final.
There was rain in the air and Punjab were playing catch up with the Duckworth and Lewis par score. They needed 62 after eight overs with eight wickets remaining. Maxwell’s departure reduced them to 55 for three and from there on it was always going to be a tough catch-up job for the visitors.
For Kolkata, there was still a small matter of getting rid of David Miller. Piyush Chawla took care of him with a sharp leg break that went through Miller’s defence to peg back the middle stump. Punjab’s two big guns could only manage 14 runs (Maxwell 6, Miller 8) between them and their team disintegrated to lose the Qualifier 1 by 28 runs.
Kolkata dominant, not rain
For Gautam Gambhir, the first piece of good news came around early afternoon when he was recalled to the Indian Test squad for the upcoming tour of England. And the Kolkata captain celebrated it by taking his team to their second IPL final in three years. Punjab, however, have a lifeline and will go to Mumbai to play Qualifier 2 on Friday. Rain eventually relented to allow a full game on Wednesday and the capacity crowd got their money’s worth. Midway into Punjab’s innings, the fans started to dance in the aisles of Eden Gardens. The hosts were that dominant.
Kolkata had enough on the board after being sent in by George Bailey. Gambhir got out early, in the second ball of the second over, as he mistimed a pull off Mitchell Johnson. But Robin Uthappa was once again in prime form and scored 42 off 30 balls. It was his tenth 40-plus contribution in a row and in the process he also surpassed
Virat Kohli to hold the record of most runs scored in a single IPL season by an Indian. Kohli had 634, Uthappa now have 655 and has another game in hand. The opener’s 65-run partnership with Manish Pandey set Kolkata on course and they looked set for a very big total. But a double wicket maiden from left-arm spinner Akshar Patel – selected in the Indian ODI squad for the tour of Bangladesh — brought Punjab back into the contest.
Uthappa was holed out in the deep by Miller, while Pandey was bowled as the ball ricocheted off his shoulder on to the stumps. Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan then forged another good partnership.
Once again, Punjab bounced

Bangladesh tour good opportunity for England tour: Raina
Our Correspondent : 29 may 2014
Suresh Raina, who is all set to lead the 15-member Indian squad to Bangladesh for a three-ODI series, has said it would a good opportunity for him to get prepared for a tougher England tour ahead.
“It will be a good opportunity for me before the England ODI series. I hope if I do well (in Bangladesh) then I will go and perform well in the England one-day series also,” said Raina.
He, however, admitted that Bangladesh series would not be easy for his “young team”, as the hosts would be tough opponents in their backyard.
The 27-year old will lead the Indian team which is devoid of star players like regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma among others.
“Bangladesh is a good team in its home ground. We didn’t win in the Asia Cup and we lost the (T20) World Cup final (held there). It will be a challenge for us.
“It is a young team. The good thing is that all the young players have done well. Left-arm (spinner) Akshar Patel has done well, (Ambati) Rayudu has done well, Manoj Tiwary has done well, (Wriddhiman) Saha has done well. Especially Robin Uthappa, he has been performing well in the ongoing IPL,” said Raina on Wednesday night after his IPL team Chennai Super Kings posted a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.
Stating that a captain is as good as his team, the left handed batsman said, “It is a good team. I think the captain is not so important but if you have good players you can win matches.”
Raina is currently playing in the IPL and said he hoped to take a few tips from Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming before leaving for Bangladesh.
“I am focusing now on the next two games of (IPL) and then I will have 10-12 days on how to plan things. I hope I will sit with MSD and Fleming on how to plan,” he revealed.
India will play three ODIs against Bangladesh in Mirpur on June 15, 17 and 19.

Man City bracing for €60 million bid from Real for striker Aguero
Our Correspondent : 29 may 2014
After Real Madrid gave up on Liverpool star Luis Suarez, Manchester City are reportedly bracing themselves for a £60 million bid from the Spanish club for their striker Sergio Aguero.
The Champions League winners reportedly seem to have fixed Aguero at the top of their summer shopping list as Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, who was planning to lure Suarez to the Spanish side, has been privately forced to accept that the Uruguayan will not leave City.
According to the Daily Star, speculations are rife that the Real bosses are willing to sanction a mega-money move for Aguero and make him one of the highest paid stars at the club.
However, Real president Florentino Perez has reportedly insisted that the club is not chasing Aguero, but it is believed that the club would wait until after the World Cup in Brazil this summer before they make their move for the Argentine international.
With Real striker Karim Benzema's future looking doubtful at Real, Aguero is being seen as the deal replacement for the French international, the report added.
Perez said that currently there is no real urgency for them to sign any new players, adding that Real is not thinking about making a move for Aguero at the moment.

Master Blaster left shaken in Kochi
Our Correspondent : 28 may 2014
They are no longer content with just catching a glimpse of him. It looked like everybody wanted a piece of Sachin Tendulkar, some even a picture with the cricket great with their mobile cameras, as he came to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.
Tendulkar, now the joint owner of the newly named Kerala Blasters football team – with the Hyderabad-based PVP Ventures – which will play in the IPL-style Indian Super League here later this year, was mobbed by surging crowds and nearly 60 media cameras at the Kochi stadium. In the end, the Master Blaster was left shaken.
Poor security
With just about 15 cops around when he arrived at the stadium, security was poor. Utter chaos prevailed and it became so unmanageable at one point that Tendulkar had to take refuge in the curator’s room at the stadium. And according to sources, he refused to come out till things were brought under control.
“This is not the way it should have happened, we didn’t have policemen,” said a disappointed K.M.I. Mather, the president of the Kerala Football Association. “None of the programmes we had planned happened, we couldn’t talk anything with him.”
Tendulkar, who came along with the Kochi team’s co-owner and PVP Ventures’ Chairman Prasad Potluri, was supposed to meet with the KFA officials to complete the registration formalities of his new team. The two were also supposed to have meetings with Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany and GCDA Chairman N. Venugopal. But in the confusion that prevailed here, nothing materialised.
“We did not have any meeting with Tendulkar, in fact we did not have time for anything. He just came and saw the stadium and left,” said Chammany.
Meanwhile, the KFA General Secretary P. Anilkumar said the registration formalities can be completed in the next few days.
“We need not have Tendulkar for that. Somebody from the owner’s side will have to be here to confirm the team’s name and for the other formalities,” he said.
Tendulkar also had a look at the Nehru Stadium pavilion which has been named after him before leaving the city by an evening flight.

IPL 2014: KKR hope to continue Maxwell kill
Our Correspondent : 28 may 2014
New Delhi: If there is one person who has been the spearhead in shaping Kings XI Punjab`s fortune, it's been the swashbuckling Glenn Maxwell.
The Australian has taken the current Indian Premier League season by storm and exactly what Chris Gayle did in the last couple of seasons. The Australian big hitter who has amassed 533 runs from 13 matches, lies in third place as the highest run-getter. He recently lost the IPL Orange cap to Kolkata Knight Riders` Robin Uthappa. Maxwell has performed consistently well and has single-handedly won matches for his side.
But against a resurgent Knight Riders, Maxwell has gone out cheaply in both the matches so far. In the first encounter held in the UAE leg, Maxwell managed just 2 runs before being castled by Morne Morkel. Though KXIP won the low scoring affair, KKR most importantly had handed the match over to them with some woeful batting.
The next encounter in the Indian leg between these two teams at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack, saw KKR win in style. This time Maxwell scored a meager 14 runs before getting out to leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. In the two matches, Maxwell managed just 16 runs and this has been the bonus for Gautam Gambhir`s side.
After Tuesday's washout, Kolkata will hope to continue their pursuit of Maxwell`s wicket early on Wednesday at the Eden Gardens knowing his scalp will give them an outside chance to win the play-off tie. If Maxwell manages to unleash himself, then the Kolkata crowd will witness an effective onslaught that might just help the visitors in the evening.
Kolkata will hope it doesn't rain on Wednesday.

IPL 7: Knights take on Kings at Eden as playoffs commence
Our Correspondent : 27 may 2014
Kolkata: Riding an incredible winning wave that has seen them washing seven games on the trot with their sheer resilience, 2012 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to give table toppers Kings XI Punjab a more than decent run for their money as the two top sides of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) lock horns at the iconic Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. While Kings have appeared favourites to go all the way right from their first game, KKR has overcome an indifferent start to hop on to an enviable streak that has looked good enough to earn them their second IPL crown in three years.
While skipper Gautam Gambhir has endured the ignominy of a hat-trick of ducks, in Robin Uthappa, KKR seems to have woken up a soporific run machine. His phlegmatic demeanour and listless eyes have betrayed the sheer will and ability to do well, and Uthappa, realising a possible vacuum in Indian top order, has staked a substantial claim for return in Indian colours.
As far as Kings are concerned, they have rarely put a foot wrong in this IPL. Having consistently hovered in top two positions, Kings have a lot to thank to Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. In Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra, they have two brutal batsmen who have been farely consistent, and in Mitchell Johnson, they boast of perhaps the only fast bowler in IPL 7 who is capable of running through the opposition. While KKR would be buoyed by the return to form of Yusuf Pathan, he will be challenged by Johnson’s sheer pace and canny left-am spin of Akshar Patel.
Kings would like Glenn Maxwell to return to top form at the earliest. The Aussie right-hander, after setting the IPL 7 ablaze, has gone quiet in last three games. On Tuesday, he will be up against the searing pace of Morne Morkel and the inscrutable guile of Sunil Narine. Both sides are adept at chasing; Kings have chased successfully on all six occasions they were asked to bat second this IPL, while KKR have won last six of their run chases. In terms of momentum, KKR have a slight advantage, however, all that will come to nought when Gautam Gambhir and George Bailey walk out for toss this evening.

The 5 ugliest incidents that shammed FIFA World Cup
Our Correspondent : 27 may 2014
Football, the most played game in the world, the game that unites people accross the globe in one string.

The world may be divided by borders and languages, but when it comes to soccer, there are not many places where the common language of football is not spoken.

And the biggest tournament celebrating the reach of the beautiful game is the World Cup. However, there have been unfortunate incidents in the past that have shamed the most famous sport in the world.

Never thought scores would be tied in 14.3 overs: Rohit
Our Correspondent : 26 may 2014
Elated after pulling off a stunning win against Rajasthan Royals to make the IPL playoffs, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said even though his team had the self-belief to chase down the daunting target of 189, he never thought that it would be able to draw level in just under 15 overs.
“When (Ambati) Rayudu was run out (with the scores tied in 14.3 overs), we did not know exactly (who qualified). We did not know the match could be tied in 14.3. We wanted to win in 14 or 14.2 or thought we would lose, but never thought it could tie on 14.3,” Sharma said after the brilliant chase on Sunday night.
“The big screen flashed it but I was not watching it. But our analysts were working constantly and we knew we had to hit a boundary on the next ball to get our run rate ahead of Rajasthan Royals,” added an elated Sharma after his team’s five-wicket victory and a passage into the play-off.
Aditya Tare, who replaced Rayudu, calmly dispatched a full toss from Royals’ left-arm pace bowler James Faulkner into the stands beyond the square leg area to complete the daunting task and then ran towards the far end of the Wankhede Stadium in glee with his teammates chasing him.
With the two teams ending with the same number of points (14) after the league stage of the tournament, title holders MI went through due to a marginally better net run rate than their rivals.
In fact, there was some confusion when the scores got tied with the run out off the third ball of the 14th over while going for a difficult second run with the Royals even celebrating before it dawned on them that the next ball was the clincher.
Sharma said the team knew how difficult it was to chase such a big score at 13 runs an over but drew confidence from the fact that it had done so in last year’s Champions League too to qualify for the knockouts.
“With the 190 target, we thought we should enjoy and not take pressure. Doing it in 14.3 overs is not a common occurrence. It was not easy as a run rate of 13 was needed from the first over. But we also knew we could do it as we have the batting and we had included an extra batsman (Corey Anderson), so that we could chase whatever was the target in front of us.
“In Champions League also, we were in the same situation. We had then chased 155 in 14.3. We had the belief we could do it and were positive we could chase. The wicket was also good to bat on,” said Sharma.
The Mumbai Ranji Trophy skipper said it was an unbelievable feeling to make it but also said the team deserved it as it had showed excellent consistency after losing the first five games in the UAE where the first phase of the tournament was held because of general elections in the country.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, honestly. People wrote us off after those first 5 games. To come here at the end of day and see Mumbai Indians at no. 4 is simply amazing. We really played some good cricket and deserved to be in top 4. Since we came back to India we have played 9 games and lost only 2 and won 7. It shows we are a consistent team.
Sharma was all praise for the left-handed Kiwi Corey Anderson for his whirlwind unbeaten 95 off only 44 balls (with 6 sixes and 9 fours in it) and his match-winning partnership of 81 runs for the fifth wicket with Rayudu who made an invaluable 10-ball 30 with a six and five fours.
“He proved that he’s capable of doing such heroics on the field. He always had that ability to play such knocks. I don’t know what was happening earlier on. But today he performed the way we expected him to. It was a good choice to get him to bat at no. 3 and give him the license to just go and play his shots and he did just that.
“I had played with him in New Zealand recently (earlier this year) and saw what kind of talent he had. I always believed he could produce a performance like that any time and it was due today was the perfect day I hope he continues that form which would be really good for us.”
Asked about the next game, the knock out play-off eliminator against former champions Chennai Super Kings at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium on May 28, Sharma said he was yet to put his thoughts on that.
“My mind is not working right now. I am not thinking about it right now. Probably tomorrow onwards it will be on. I need to relax in the dressing room and see how we have performed in the last 14 games
“Chennai is a good team we know their strengths and weaknesses. It will be a challenge to play against them. Their form is a little inconsistent. We probably would try and use that to our advantage, but no underestimating them.”

Kings XI Punjab defeat Delhi Daredevils by 7 wickets
Our Correspondent : 26 may 2014
The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium was decked up for a felicitation party, and the invitees didn’t disappoint. Perhaps, if you’re hoping to give your favourite side a pleasant farewell before it faces severe tests, you need to look no further than Delhi Daredevils. Kevin Pietersen’s side includes many pliable guests who have never considered gate-crashing a party.
The obliging visitors gladly folded for 115, and only the skipper had the temerity to be hostile. Pietersen scored more than half the runs (58) in a team effort characterised by mediocrity and feebleness. Kings XI won by seven wickets.
After being put into bat, Daredevils had progressed smoothly to 43 for one in five overs despite the early loss of Mayank Agarwal. Kevin Pietersen was slamming the ball with authority and Dinesh Karthik showing class and timing for pristine hits to the fence.
The latter’s dismissal, though, marked the beginning of the Daredevils slide.
Pietersen, though, refused to submit. Two partnerships with Manoj Tiwary and Jean-Paul Duminy bore almost similar value but didn’t threaten to disturb the host’s equanimity.
Tiwary’s dismissal, though, must have caused immense consternation in the Daredevils camp as he sacrificed himself after a terrible mix-up with the skipper.
Then, Duminy departed and Pietersen followed him immediately, and with that the last bit of fight from the visitors ended. With 11 balls left, the entire team was dismissed.
The beginning of KXIP’s innings produced a bit of worry for the host since Virender Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell were dismissed within the first four overs.
However, it was plain sailing afterwards.
Since entering the side, Manan Vohra has invariably provided a quick and strong start to the KXIP innings. The man-of-the-match hit a couple of fours and a beautiful six over mid-on in the sixth over bowled by James Neesham to propel the chase.
By then, David Miller had already endured the difficult phase. The duo added 96 off 60 balls.
Miller ensured the win was achieved in style as he swept Tahir for a massive six.

IPL: JP Duminy says Delhi need to 'look in the mirror to find faults'
Our Correspondent : 26 may 2014
Aghast at their appalling show in this IPL, Delhi Daredevils batsman JP Duminy said they need to look in the mirror to find faults and improve so that they can come back strong in the next season.
Daredevils ended their campaign with their ninth defeat in a row as Kings XI Punjab thrashed them by seven wickets.
"There are a lot of lessons to be learnt. No doubt, one of our poor seasons in terms of brand of cricket. So as much we want to forget it, I think we need to really look at ourselves in the mirror, take the responsibility and see where we can improve as players and how we can represent Delhi a lot better in the coming season," Duminy said.
Asked what exactly went wrong in their campaign, Duminy said, "On a whole we just didn't put it all together. When we batted well, we never bowled well and when we bowled well we didn't bat well. At times, we let ourselves down in the fielding as well."
"Our skills needs to be improved dramatically if we want to compete in this tournament and that includes myself. You know, we can all improve in every area of our games," the 30-year-old South African said.
He further added, "We are professional cricketers who take pride in our performance, not only as individuals but also as a team. Even though we all come from different countries, when you cross that rope you are playing for the badge that you are wearing. Very disappointing this season has been, but we need to take out lesson from it." Is there any positive they can take from this season Duminy says,"As a team we have connected well. Nobody has blamed each other for dismal performances. Throughout the tournament, we stuck together as a team and encouraged each other each and every day…we are probably one of the few teams which are completely fresh team, nobody was retained…just connecting with people and teammates. Obviously there is a lot of different cultures within the group, so creating friendships and creating relationships between each other was obviously a plus."

IPL snub to Pakistani players dented India’s image: Shahid Afridi
Our Correspondent : 24 may 2014
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi feels India’s cricketing image has taken a hit worldwide due to the IPL organisers’ decision to keep players from his country out of the T20 event.
Talking to reporters in Lahore, the former captain said it was strange to see that while cricketers from all over the world were in the IPL, only Pakistani players were being sidelined by the Indian authorities.
“It is a setback for Pakistani players but overall it is the image of Indian cricket that has suffered because of this policy,” Afridi said.
Afridi said Pakistan has always supported Indian cricket and even now was putting its hand out for having normal and cordial relations.
“I have always said that not only through politics but even through cricket, relations between the two countries can improve a lot,” he asserted.
Afridi also talked about his future plans insisting he might quit playing ODIs after the 2015 World Cup.
“I will take a decision than on what to do after looking at my fitness and performances. But there is no doubt that this World Cup is of great importance and significance for senior players like myself.”
“Maybe after the World Cup I might decide to just focus on playing T20 cricket.”
Asked about the captaincy, Afridi said he had been asked a similar question after returning from the World T20 tournament in Bangladesh.
“Like every player, I also have a desire to lead my country. I love challenges and I have a big heart and I am not one to run away from challenges. There is a wish to be captain and it will always be there.”
Afridi was also candid when asked about his past differences with new head coach Waqar Younis.
“We have to forget past issues and if we remain adamant about not forgetting than it will not be beneficial for anyone,” he stated.

Eves squander 2-0 lead to go down in semis
Our Correspondent : 24 may 2014
The mood in the Indian camp here on Friday was in stark contrast to the celebration the previous day after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa helped India enter a historic Uber Cup semifinal.
It was curtains for Saina Nehwal & Co. as the Indian women went down to superior Japan 2-3 in the last four and had to be content with a bronze medal.
After Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu won their singles against Minatsu Mitani and Sayaka Takahashit, respectively, to give India a 2-0 lead, a historic maiden entry to the final was just one win away.
But, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, ranked 36th in women’s doubles, went down fighting to world No. 4 Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 21-12 20-22 16-21 to let Japan pull one back.
The third singles was an easy affair for Japan as world No. 16 Eriko Hirose proved to be too strong for the Indian world No. 65 PC Thulasi. Hirose won 21-14 21-15.
At two-all, it all boiled down to the second doubles clash. Saina and Sindhu could not replicate their singles victories collectively as a doubles pair. They went down to world No. 5 Miyuki Maeda and Reika Maeda 14-21 11-21.
Results (SF): Thomas Cup: Japan bt China 3-0, Malaysia bt Indonesia 3-0; Uber Cup: Japan bt India 3-2 (M Mitani lost to S Nehwal 12-21 13-21, S Takahashi lost to PV Sindhu 21-19 18-21 24-26, M Matsutomo/ A Takahashi bt J Gutta/ A Ponnappa 21-12 20-22 21-16, E Hirose bt PC Thulasi 21-14 21-15, M Maeda/ R Kakiiwa bt S Nehwal/ PV Sindhu 21-14 21-11), China bt Korea 3-0

Clinical KXIPdefeats Royals
Our Correspondent : 24 may 2014
Kings XI Punjab produced a clinical all-round display to register a convincing 16-run win over Rajasthan Royals and consolidate its position at the top of the table in the IPL-7, here on Friday night.
Sent into bat, table-topper Kings XI Punjab plundered 46 runs in the last three overs of its innings to finish with a competitive 179 for four. Its bowlers then came to the party, with Akshar Patel leading the way with impressive figures of three for 24, to restrict RR to 163 for eight.
Needing 31 off the last over, James Faulkner (35 off 13) smashed two sixes to make it a little interesting, but the asking rate proved to be too much for RR in the end. Faulkner blasted four sixes during his breezy, unbeaten knock at the PCA Stadium.
The hosts’ 10th win kept the door open for Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Asked to bat first, the Punjab outfit upped the ante towards the end after being 133 for four at the end of 17th over, with the in-form David Miller and skipper George Bailey remaining unbeaten on 29 and 26 respectively.
Shaun Marsh top-scored with 40, which included five hits to the fence. Marsh was involved in a 59-run partnership ensued with Wriddhiman Saha.
Marsh played some good shots during his 35-ball knock and completed 4000 runs in all forms of T20 cricket. The Australian struck five fours and one six, before he was done in by a slower ball from Vikramjeet Malik.

Kings XI Punjab: Virender Sehwag c Malik b Faulkner 18 (8b, 3x4, 1x6), Manan Vohra run out 25 (20b, 3x4, 1x6), Shaun Marsh c Rahane b Malik 40 (35b, 5x4, 1x6), Wriddhiman Saha c Rahane b Tewatia 27 (20b, 4x4), David Miller (not out) 29 (20b, 2x6), George Bailey (not out) 26 (18b, 1x4, 1x6); Extras (b-3, lb-7, w-3, nb-1) 14; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 179.

Scoreboard
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Sehwag), 2-54 (Vohra), 3-113 (Marsh), 4-119 (Saha).
Rajasthan Royals bowling: Vikramjeet Malik 3-0-29-1, Shane Watson 2-0-16-0, James Faulkner 3-0-39-1, Kevon Cooper 4-0-25-0, Rahul Tewatia 4-0-24-1, Pravin Tambe 4-0-36-0.
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane b Dhawan 23 (26b, 2x4), Karun Nair c Bailey b Balaji 11 (6b, 2x4), Sanju Vishwanadh st Saha b Karanveer 30 (29b, 2x4, 1x6), Shane Watson b Dhawan 0 (1b), Stuart Binny c Marsh b Karanveer 7 (10b), Rahul Tewatia c Karanveer b Akshar 16 (13b, 1x6), Brad Hodge st Saha b Akshar 31 (18b, 2x4, 2x6), James Faulkner (not out) 35 (13b, 1x4, 4x6), Kevon Cooper c Marsh b Akshar 2 (2b), Vikramjeet Malik (not out) 1 (2b); Extras (lb-4, w-3): 7; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 163.
Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Nair), 2-56 (Rahane), 3-56 (Watson), 4-70 (Binny), 5-83 (Vishwanadh), 6-101 (Tewatia), 7-128 (Hodge), 8-130 (Cooper).
bowling: L. Balaji 4-0-37-1, Beuran Hendricks 4-0-57-0, Rishi Dhawan 4-0-25-2, Akshar Patel 4-0-24-3, Karanveer Singh 4-0-16-2.
Man of the match: S. Marsh.
Kings XI Punjab won by 16 runs.

Madhav Mantri, a cricketing doyen, passes away
Our Correspondent : 23 may 2014
India’s wicket-keeper-batsman in the 1950s, Madhav Mantri passed away on Friday morning at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. He was 92.
“He suffered his first attack on May 1 (Maharashtra Day). He recovered and was recuperating at the Lilavati. He suffered a massive heart attack today morning and died. He did not return home after he was hospitalised on May 1,” Mantri’s niece told The Hindu.
A maternal uncle of India’s batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar, Mantri, under Vijay Hazare’s captaincy, made his Test debut against Nigel Howard’s MCC team at the Brabourne Stadium in December 1951. He made 39. Thereafter he did not trouble the scorers much during the 1952 tour of England. He was fast bowler Freddie Trueman’s three victims when India was reduced to 0 for 4 in the Headingley Test of 1952. He played his fourth and last Test against the Abdul Hafeez Kardar led Pakistan team at Dacca in January 1955.
A walking compendium on Indian cricket, Mantri was a great raconteur and cricket lovers absorbed every bit of information and anecdote he had to say at after-dinner functions in the city. He played with illustrious cricketers like Polly Umrigar, Ghulam Ahmed, Vinoo Mankad, C.D. Gopinath, Hemu Adhikari, G.S. Ramchand, Sadashiv Shinde (Sharad Pawar’s father in law), Dattu Phadkar, Pankaj Roy, Vijay Manjrekar, Subhash Gupte, Naren Tamhane, Lala Amarnath and Chandu Sarawate.
Mantri played 95 first class matches, scored 4403 runs and as a wicket-keeper, had 192 victims, 136 caught and 56 stumped. After retirement from first class cricket, he became coach, selector, manager and was also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

Rajasthan need to beat Punjab to make it to the play-offs
Our Correspondent : 23 may 2014
As the scramble for the top four positions has set off, Kings XI Punjab have not much to worry about as they have already made it through the play-offs but will be hoping to consolidate their position on the top when on Friday they meet the Rajasthan Royals who need a win to book a place in the playoffs.
Punjab, who lost to Mumbai Indians in their previous encounter, are currently on top of the table with 18 points from 12 outings. On the other hand, Rajasthan have 14 points from 12 matches and were pushed to the fourth spot on Thursday, after the Kolkata Knight Riders went to 16 points to claim a playoff spot by knocking Royal Challengers Bangalore out of the race.
Rajasthan, champions of the inaugural edition in 2008, have been performing as per the expectations with some little-known players contributing massively to their success, but they are coming into this match after a 25-run loss against Mumbai, paying the price for resting key players such as Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane.
Smith and Rahane are likely to make a comeback and need to fire against Punjab, who are on a roll despite suffering defeat at the hands of Mumbai. Barring opener Karun Nair's 48, Brad Hodge's 40 and James Faulkner's 31 down the order, none of their other top-half batsmen contributed significantly in their previous match and RR management will be hoping that the line-up shows consistency during the end of the tournament.
Meanwhile, after disappointing the local fans, before whom the Punjab made their first appearance of this season in the defeat against Mumbai, the George Bailey-led side will look to do better in the next two home games. The collapse of their middle order against Mumbai would be a concern and the team will look to sort that out. KXIP will be hoping that the likes of David Miller, Glenn Maxwell once again fire in the middle order and entertain the Punjabi crowd with some power hitting.
Virender Sehwag has not played big knocks but has provided good starts with Manan Vohra, while skipper Bailey has provided depth down the order. The solid KXIP batting order has successfully chased down 200-plus scores twice so far and on paper are surely a better team than their opposite number. Their young bowlers Akshar Patel and Sandeep Sharma have also shown maturity in pressure situations and they just need to continue doing the good work.

RMV Gurusaidutt helps India salvage pride
Our Correspondent : 22 may 2014
Twenty four-year-old wins decider as Parupalli Kashyap-led side beat Germany 3-2 in Thomas Cup league tie.Indian men pulled one back to exit the Thomas and Uber Cup on a winning note. In an inconsequential tie against Germany, India, already knocked out of the tournament with losses against Malaysia and Korea, won 3-2 to salvage some pride.
It was not an easy win, though, for the Parupalli Kashyap-led Indian men. After Kidambi Srikanth gave the home team a winning start by taking the first match 21-18 18-21 21-18 in a hard-fought match that lasted four minutes shy of an hour, Germany took the next two matches. Michael Fuchs and Johannes Schoettler whipped the Indian doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 21-15 21-6 in just 26 minutes as Germany levelled the tie at 1-1.
Germany surged ahead when 59th-ranked Dieter Domke, who has never won against world No. 21 Kashyap in their five previous encounters, found the occasion to end that record in the second singles match. Kashyap tried his heart out but his 26-year-old German opponent did not let him breathe easy. Domke eked out a 23-21 14-21 21-14 in 55 minutes.
The doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra then brought India back into the hunt with a thrilling 21-9 17-21 21-19 win over Peter Kaesbauer and Josche Zurwonne in the second doubles.
With the tie level at two-all, all eyes were on the 24-year-old RMV Gurusaidutt, who has been the saving grace for India, having won his matches against Malaysia and Korea when the rubbers were already decided.
Gurusaidutt edged out Lucas Schmidt 14-21 21-19 21-19 in a come-from-behind high-octane match during which the noise made by the crowd hit a crescendo.
Gurusaidutt produced a brilliant fightback in the second game after losing the first as he made up for a six-point deficit from 5-11 to first claw back at 18-18 and then wrest the lead with a smash. He finally roared back into the contest with a cross court net dribble that found Schmidt napping.
In the decider, Gurusaidutt opened up a lead early on and maintained it, moving from 14-11 to 14-19. Schmidt breathed down his neck and made it 19-20. But with his return finding the net, Gurusaidutt burst into celebration at the end of a 61-minute battle.
It was a celebration badly needed for the Indian men on a day in which all their matches barring the first doubles went the distance.

SC rejects Srinivasan’s plea for restoring his powers
Our Correspondent : 22 may 2014
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N. Srinivasan will continue to stay away from discharging the functions as head of the cricketing body as the Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain his plea seeking restoration of his powers.

The apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice A.K. Sikri declined to hear Mr. Srinivasan’s plea saying that they would not interfere with the order passed by the other bench.

The apex court asked Mr. Srinivasan to approach the bench which had passed order against him.

IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad stay afloat in tournament with crucial win
Our Correspondent : 21 may 2014
Hyderabad down Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7 wickets to come level on points but are one place below on Net Run Rate.Sunrisers Hyderabad registered an important win against Royal Challengers Bangalore, making the fight for the third and fourth places, and thus the scramble for the playoffs, that much more hotter.
In the 12th match for each team, Sunrisers defeated Challengers by seven wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening.
With their fifth win, Sunrisers are on 10 points, the same as Challengers but are sixth in the table below Virat Kohli's side due to a poorer Net Run Rate. Sunrisers and Bangalore can both reach a maximum of 14 points should they win both their remaining matches, RCB against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 22 and against Chennai Super Kings on May 24 and Sunrisers against CSK on Thursday and Kolkata Knight Riders two days later.
Sunrisers top-order put up a clinical performance while chasing a challenging target of 161, after their bowlers restricted Bangalore to 160/6. In his second match after relinquishing the captain's band, Sunrisers opener Shikhar Dhawan returned to form with a stroke-filled 50 (39b, 7x4, 1x6) and shared 100 in 12.3 overs for the opening wicket with David Warner. The left-handed Australian helped himself to a 46-ball 59 with three fours and four sixes, putting the match beyond Challengers grasp.
Dhawan attacked from the start with some flowing cover drives and a hooked six off Varun Aaron. The lndian opener dominated the Powerplay, scoring 29 out of 51 runs in that period. Thereafter, once the field spread, Warner took charge, picking up a six off veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and two maximum hits off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Hyderabad were always ahead though the win came off the fourth delivery of the final over. Naman Ojha played his part with a 20-ball 24 (2x6) while back-again-captain in the previous match, Darren Sammy was there in the end to see his team cross the line and earn two invaluable points. Hyderabad needed 20 off the last two overs but an erratic Aaron conceded 16 runs including two sixes, one each to Ojha and Sammy.
A loss here to Hyderabad would have almost certainly meant curtains for them.
Earlier, Kohli scored his first half-century of the league. His 41-ball 67 (4x4, 4x6) held the Bangalore innings together. A better start from Chris Gayle and Parthiv Patel would have given RCB a much taller score that could have made the difference in the end.
Only Yuvraj Singh (21) and AB de Villiers (29) gave Kohli some support against Hyderabad, who used seven bowlers including Jammu and Kashmir off-spinner Parvez Rasool, who finished with a tidy 1/26 in his four overs, his victim being Yuvraj.
SRH WON BY 7 WICKETS

Sachin Tendulkar boosts World Cup-bound hockey team's morale
Our Correspondent : 21 may 2014
Sardar Singh & Co high on confidence after legendary cricketer spends two hours with the Indian team and gives pep talk on the eve of its departure to Hague He came, he saw, he motivated.
A day before the Indian hockey squad was to leave for the 2014 World Cup to be held in The Hague, The Netherlands, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar paid a visit to the team that is camping in New Delhi to give them some much-needed pep talk.
Pep talk he did give, and how! Tendulkar spent nearly two hours with the entire national team, talking to them about how it feels to play in the World Cup, the pressures associated with it, his personal experiences in cricket and life in general. He was at his humorous best, and had the players in splits with his anecdotes.
Manpreet Singh, the 21-year-old midfielder who had never met Tendulkar before, said about Tendulkar's visit: “It was one of the most interesting interactions I have had in my life. Besides telling us about how it feels to represent the nation in a World Cup, Sachin paaji told us about the various injuries he had to cope with and how he handled them, which is very important for us hockey players. He also gave us tips on how to handle pressure associated with such a big tournament and how to approach every game.”
Manpreet, who grew up idolising Tendulkar, said he only asked one question to the 41-year-old. Notorious for playing pranks within the team, Manpreet wanted to know if Tendulkar too was a prankster with his seniors around when he walked into the Indian team as a 16-year-old. And the response, he says, was typical of Sachin paaji.
“He told me that he was also a very big prankster, even as a kid making his debut. He told his seniors that if they play pranks on him, he too would do the same. He told me never to be serious when you're away from the game,” Manpreet laughed.
Another question that came up was how Tendulkar felt after getting his 100th hundred in international cricket. “He told us, 'Well, I had got 99 before, so the feeling was not that different',” said Manpreet, adding that it showed the humility of the man.
It was skipper Sardar Singh, who requested Tendulkar a few days back to meet the squad. Manpreet felt that meeting the Little Master had taken the team's energy levels to a new high just a day before departing for the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on May 31.
“Tendulkar's presence and his words have doubled our energy levels going into the World Cup. All the members of the team are now more confident and positive,” he said.

Saina Nehwal leads eves into quarters
Our Correspondent : 20 may 2014
Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal returns to opponent Pui Yin Yip from Hong Kong during their Uber Cup badminton match at Siri Fort Stadium in New Delhi on Monday AFP
For the second successive day, Indian men came a cropper to bring a premature end to their campaign in the Thomas and Uber Cup finals here on Monday. Also, the women shuttlers led by Saina Nehwal continued to bring cheer to the Indians by having it easy against Hong Kong, winning 4-1 and booking their berth in the last eight.
In Uber Cup Group Y, India outplayed Hong Kong with Saina, PV Sindhu and the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa clinching the rubber in the first available opportunity.
Saina suffered some initial hiccups in both her games as her 21st ranked opponent Pui Yin Yip took lead in both the games. In the first game, Yip was levelled at 3-3 by the No. 8 Saina and the Indian did not look back, going on to win 21-9. In the second game, it seemed as if Yip led till reaching nine points and thereafter it was Saina all the way, winning 12 consecutive points after trailing 9-10 to clinch the game 21-10 and give India a 1-0 lead.
Gutta-Ponnappa and Sindhu broke little sweat while winning their matches and giving India a winning 3-0 lead.
However, the tale was not pleasant among Indian men in Thomas Cup earlier in the day. The Indian men, who were wiped out 1-4 by Malaysia on Sunday, went down fighting 2-3 to Korea. Indian men had to win all their singles matches. The wins came from captain Parupalli Kashyap and third singles player RMV Gurusaidutt.
But the first singles player, Kidambi Srikant and the two doubles teams, Sumeeth Reddy-Manu Attri and Akshay Dewalkar-Pranaav Jerry Chopra.The home team did not get the start they were looking for as world No. 18 Srikanth squandered a one-game advantage to go down fighting 21-17 12-21 18-21 to Wan Ho Son, ranked ninth, in an hour and 11 minutes-match.
B Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri did their best and led 18-14 in the first game but they let the opportunity slip and eventually ended with a 18-21 17-21 loss to Yeon Seong Yoo and Yong Dae Lee, as India lagged 0-2.
Captain of the side, Kashyap kept his team in the hunt with a comfortable 21-17 21-14 win over Lee Dong Keun in the second singles.
However, the doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra lost 16-21 16-21 to world No. 4 duo of Kim Sa Rang and Kim Ki Jung within 30 minutes in the next match as India lost the tie 1-3.
Gurusaidutt once again came up with a stellar performance to register a 24-22 21-13 win over Hwang Jong Soo in the third singles as India finished with a 2-3 scoreline. Indian men next take on Germany in an inconsequential tie on Wednesday.

Aditya Verma urges Narendra Modi to make BCCI corruption free
Our Correspondent : 20 may 2014
Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma, who is the petitioner in the ongoing IPL spot-fixing case, on Monday wrote a letter to prime minister designate Narendra Modi, who is also president of Gujarat Cricket Association, to strengthen Indian cricket board and free it of conflict of interest.
In his letter, Verma prioritised the 'revival of cricket in Bihar' and explained how the Board of Control for Cricket in India derecognised CAB. He urged Modi to make an adhoc committee to revive cricket in Bihar.
"On behalf of thousands of cricketers from Bihar I request you to make an adhoc committee and revive cricket in Bihar. Perhaps you will be surprised to know that after bifurcation of the Bihar, the newly-created state of Jharkhand fraudulently snatched BCCI recognition from Bihar.
"For last 12 years, the young cricketers of Bihar have failed to participate in any level of cricket conducted by BCCI. Since 2004, CAB has tried several times to start cricket in Bihar but has been ignored by BCCI and failed to get recognition," he wrote.
Verma accused BCCI president in abeyance N Srinivasan for damaging board's reputation. "You are the president of Gujarat Cricket Association and also the next PM of our country. Everybody knows your work skill. You can make BCCI, and other sports organisations, free of corruption.
"Last one year Hon'ble Supreme Court and High Court in their order, questioned the functioning of BCCI due to conflict of interest by Mr Srinivasan, who has damaged the integrity of BCCI. If you will not care or interfere in the functioning of BCCI, nobody can save the institution, which was established in 1928," the letter added.

Saina Nehwal leads eves into quarters
Our Correspondent : 20 may 2014
Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal returns to opponent Pui Yin Yip from Hong Kong during their Uber Cup badminton match at Siri Fort Stadium in New Delhi on Monday AFP
For the second successive day, Indian men came a cropper to bring a premature end to their campaign in the Thomas and Uber Cup finals here on Monday. Also, the women shuttlers led by Saina Nehwal continued to bring cheer to the Indians by having it easy against Hong Kong, winning 4-1 and booking their berth in the last eight.
In Uber Cup Group Y, India outplayed Hong Kong with Saina, PV Sindhu and the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa clinching the rubber in the first available opportunity.
Saina suffered some initial hiccups in both her games as her 21st ranked opponent Pui Yin Yip took lead in both the games. In the first game, Yip was levelled at 3-3 by the No. 8 Saina and the Indian did not look back, going on to win 21-9. In the second game, it seemed as if Yip led till reaching nine points and thereafter it was Saina all the way, winning 12 consecutive points after trailing 9-10 to clinch the game 21-10 and give India a 1-0 lead.
Gutta-Ponnappa and Sindhu broke little sweat while winning their matches and giving India a winning 3-0 lead.
However, the tale was not pleasant among Indian men in Thomas Cup earlier in the day. The Indian men, who were wiped out 1-4 by Malaysia on Sunday, went down fighting 2-3 to Korea. Indian men had to win all their singles matches. The wins came from captain Parupalli Kashyap and third singles player RMV Gurusaidutt.
But the first singles player, Kidambi Srikant and the two doubles teams, Sumeeth Reddy-Manu Attri and Akshay Dewalkar-Pranaav Jerry Chopra.The home team did not get the start they were looking for as world No. 18 Srikanth squandered a one-game advantage to go down fighting 21-17 12-21 18-21 to Wan Ho Son, ranked ninth, in an hour and 11 minutes-match.
B Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri did their best and led 18-14 in the first game but they let the opportunity slip and eventually ended with a 18-21 17-21 loss to Yeon Seong Yoo and Yong Dae Lee, as India lagged 0-2.
Captain of the side, Kashyap kept his team in the hunt with a comfortable 21-17 21-14 win over Lee Dong Keun in the second singles.
However, the doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra lost 16-21 16-21 to world No. 4 duo of Kim Sa Rang and Kim Ki Jung within 30 minutes in the next match as India lost the tie 1-3.
Gurusaidutt once again came up with a stellar performance to register a 24-22 21-13 win over Hwang Jong Soo in the third singles as India finished with a 2-3 scoreline. Indian men next take on Germany in an inconsequential tie on Wednesday.

Aditya Verma urges Narendra Modi to make BCCI corruption free
Our Correspondent : 20 may 2014
Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma, who is the petitioner in the ongoing IPL spot-fixing case, on Monday wrote a letter to prime minister designate Narendra Modi, who is also president of Gujarat Cricket Association, to strengthen Indian cricket board and free it of conflict of interest.
In his letter, Verma prioritised the 'revival of cricket in Bihar' and explained how the Board of Control for Cricket in India derecognised CAB. He urged Modi to make an adhoc committee to revive cricket in Bihar.
"On behalf of thousands of cricketers from Bihar I request you to make an adhoc committee and revive cricket in Bihar. Perhaps you will be surprised to know that after bifurcation of the Bihar, the newly-created state of Jharkhand fraudulently snatched BCCI recognition from Bihar.
"For last 12 years, the young cricketers of Bihar have failed to participate in any level of cricket conducted by BCCI. Since 2004, CAB has tried several times to start cricket in Bihar but has been ignored by BCCI and failed to get recognition," he wrote.
Verma accused BCCI president in abeyance N Srinivasan for damaging board's reputation. "You are the president of Gujarat Cricket Association and also the next PM of our country. Everybody knows your work skill. You can make BCCI, and other sports organisations, free of corruption.
"Last one year Hon'ble Supreme Court and High Court in their order, questioned the functioning of BCCI due to conflict of interest by Mr Srinivasan, who has damaged the integrity of BCCI. If you will not care or interfere in the functioning of BCCI, nobody can save the institution, which was established in 1928," the letter added.

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in Italian Open, dedicates win to Serbia flood victims
Our Correspondent : 19 may 2014
Novak Djokovic dedicated his third Italian Open title win on Sunday to flood victims at home in Serbia. He beat defending champion and world number one Rafael Nadal 4-6 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes. This was his third win in a row against the Spaniard, and has been victorious at five of the last six ATP Masters 1000 events, reports the BBC.
Nadal was quoted as saying that the past week has been very hard mentally and physically. He admitted to being very tired after losing to Djokovic. Djokovic, on the hand, said that part of him was very happy to win the tournament in Rome, but another part of him was with his suffering people in Serbia.
He drew a heart on the court moments after converting match point. It was only his fourth win against Nadal in 17 matches played on clay.

After Punjab shocker, tough game for Hyderabad
Our Correspondent : 17 may 2014
After a shocking defeat to table-toppers Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad now face a must-win game against Kolkata Knight Riders, who are on a high following back-to-back victories, in the IPL in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The Sunrisers have earned eight points from 10 matches and suffered successive losses against Mumbai Indians on May 12 and Kings XI Punjab on May 14 at their home ground, which makes it important for the team to win on Sunday to fetch a berth in semifinals.
Though Sunrisers set a mammoth target of 205 runs in the match against Punjab, but it was chased down by the formidable batting line up of the latter.
The effortless chase by the Punjab raised some concerns about the efficacy of Sunrisers’ bowling attack comprising some of the best in the world and at home including Dale Steyn, West Indian all-rounder Darren Sammy, Australian Moises Henriques, and proven Indians Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma.
The Sunrisers’ star batsmen such as Aaron Finch, David Warner, Naman Ojha have risen to the occasion in recent matches and captain Shikhar Dhawan rediscovering his form augurs well for the side.
The hosts need to plug the loose ends and demonstrate their combined might to ensure a win against the Knight Riders for a place in the semifinals.
The Knight Riders, on the other hand, are high on confidence following back-to-back victories, including the one against table-toppers Kings XI Punjab, and would look for a straight win against Hyderabad to consolidate their position.
KKR have 10 points from an equal number of matches.
Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir and star batsman Robin Uthappa have been in fine form and the team boasts of a potent mix of foreign and domestic players.
The line-up includes Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Yusuf Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Piyush Chawla and Manish Pandey all of whom have proved their mettle in different matches in the tournament

Nadal beats Murray to reach Italian Open semis
Our Correspondent : 17 may 2014
Top seed Rafael Nadal of Spain beat Andy Murray of Britain in a three-set thriller to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open.
Murray blew away a 4-2 lead in the decider as Nadal hit back to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes in Rome on Friday, reports Xinhua.
Nadal, 27, will play Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who progressed after German Tommy Haas’s retirement, in the semi-final.
“I’m getting close to getting back to where I want to be, and that’s pleasing with a couple of big months ahead,” said Murray.
Nadal said he produced his best performance both physically and mentally to beat Murray.
“The physical part is really good, the mental part too, and my tennis is going to be there sooner or later,” said Nadal.
“This was one of my best matches in a while,” he said.
Earlier, two-time champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia edged past Spain’s fifth seed David Ferrer 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 and will face Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic, who beat Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in the other semi-final.

IPL 7: DD, serial losers
Our Correspondent : 16 may 2014
Umpire S Ravi could only afford a sheepish grin, but he could be in store for much worse. On the fifth ball of the third over of Delhi’s chase, substitute fielder Unmukt Chand hit the stumps from point while trying to prevent a single that the batsmen Dinesh Karthik and Kevin Pietersen attempted off James Faulkner.
A couple of Rajasthan Royals players appealed as the ball hit the stumps but Ravi waved them off. It wasn’t a convincing appeal by any means. In fact, the bowler and ‘keeper hardly seemed interested. Pietersen, who was running towards the danger end, looked confident that he had made his crease.
The television replays, though, revealed that the Delhi captain’s bat had gotten stuck in the mud a few centimetres short of the line when the bails went off. However, since Royals did not make a strong case and Ravi hadn’t referred it to the third-umpire, Pietersen, who was batting on 3, got a reprieve.
Deja vu
Coincidentally, this was the second time in as many weeks the Englishman got a lifeline in similar fashion, that too against the same opponents. In their previous encounter on May 3, Pietersen was on 2 when he wandered out of the crease after being hit on the pads, not realising the ball hadn’t gone too far.
Sanju Samson, the wicketkeeper, fired a direct hit by the time Pietersen turned back. Unlike Thursday, Royals made a strong appeal but umpire Sanjay Hazare chose not to refer it to the third umpire. Much to his embarrassment, replays showed Pietersen was a few inches short. The umpire was later stood down for the rest of the tournament.
Luckily for the Rajasthan side, Pietersen once again failed to make the most of his second life at the Motera. Five overs after his lucky escape, the England discard, batting on 13 (off 18 balls) tried to go over extra cover off Rajat Bhatia. But the ball came slow off the surface, stayed low, took the inside edge and dislodged the stumps.
If Delhi had any hopes of chasing down the mammoth target of 202 set by Royals, they needed a misfiring Pietersen to come to the party. However, once his stay in the middle ended, they crumpled like pack of cards.
Royals handed the Daredevils a 62-run defeat, their sixth in a row, to end their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. At the same time, the huge margin of victory will not only boost Royals’ net run-rate but also put them in a very comfortable position to make the cut for the knockout stage.
While Delhi cut a sorry figure both in all aspects of the game, Rajasthan proved their title credentials yet again, conjuring a thoroughly professional display.

AB de Villers a complete batsman of the modern era: VVS Laxman
Our Correspondent : 16 may 2014
Hyderabad: Former India star VVS Laxman feels Royal Challengers Bangalore's AB de Villiers, without any doubt, is the most complete batsman in the modern era, who has three to four shots in his repertoire for every delivery.
"Yes, he is without a doubt," the Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor said when asked if the South African was the most complete batsman in the modern era.
"... And I feel (Glenn) Maxwell is getting there. Like Maxwell, AB can play shots all around the wicket. He has got three or four shots for one delivery. There is nothing that he cannot do when he is batting. He is quick on his feet and in his thought process. "To execute some of the shots he has played, one has to have a quick mind, which he has done effectively not only to mediocre bowlers but also to the best in the business. He is quick on his feet, always thinking, and an exceptional runner between the wickets, which makes him a complete cricketer."
The elegant batsman said de Villiers has the perfect blend of orthodoxy and innovation.
"That is why he is complete. Because of his good basic technique, even on tough conditions, he can adapt quickly. To unsettle the opposition, he can play some freak shots and get his innovation into the picture and change the game single-handedly. He has the potential to play aggressively and be defensive at the same time."
Laxman did not end there, adding that the South African batting mainstay, who is playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, has an astute cricketing brain when it comes to batting.
"I do not know him personally, but the way he bats, you can make out that he responds to a particular situation in a certain way. AB exactly plays the way he should in a particular situation."
Talking about India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Laxman said every cricketer would like to have his temperament.
"The reason MS Dhoni has been so successful, is his temperament and situational awareness, which is so important for a cricketer. He understands exactly what is to be done as a captain and as a batsman in a particular situation, and he delivers more often than not.
"You may have the best technique and skill, but you need to know when to do what, which Dhoni does brilliantly. Dhoni's game is totally different when he comes to bat early and when he bats down the order during pressure-cooker situations, which all boils down to situational awareness," Laxman said. He felt the India skipper has progressed as a batsman over the years.
"The Dhoni during his debut was one-dimensional and the opposition bowlers could make him play according to their plans. But it is amazing how he has progressed as a batsman. He understands his own game and has the hunger to keep improving. MS Dhoni is an all-round player now."
Asked about Maxwell's batting in this IPL, which he has made his own with some incredible batting, Laxman praised his "fearlessness" and termed him "destructive".
"Fearlessness. That is one thing that we saw very briefly in the ICC T20 World Cup this year. He was playing fearlessly, attacking from ball one without the fear of losing his wicket, which has worked well for him and for Kings XI Punjab. "The only difference between the T20 WC and the IPL is that he is converting starts into big scores."

Kolkata beat Mumbai by 6 wickets
Our Correspondent : 15 may 2014
Cuttack: Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 game at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. On a slow surface, Kolkata restricted Mumbai to 142 and then Robin Uthappa led the way with 80 to help Kolkata sail home. With this victory, Mumbai are almost out of contention for a place in the playoffs. With this victory, Kolkata have stayed at the fourth spot in the IPL 2014 points table.
A few days ago, Kolkata had turned up at this venue with the Kings XI Punjab being the home side. However, they were the hosts for this game and going by the experience of their previous game, they decided to bowl first. There was one significant change as Shakib Al Hasan came in for Jacques Kallis.
Mumbai struggled to get going for a major part of the innings. There were very few moments when they scored quickly, but Kolkata put up a disciplined bowling performance to keep Mumbai in check. Morne Morkel picked up two wickets, but he did go for 35 balls. The stars were Sunil Narine and Shakib, who have been in splendid touch for them through the season.
Narine’s spell of 1 for 18 at the death did not allow Mumbai’s batsmen to get away. Shakib also did his bit with one for 21 as he kept a hold over their batsmen in the middle overs. Rohit Sharma hit 51 off 45 balls, and it was only towards the end that he smashed the ball around. He had started off with 16 off 26 balls and then attacked. However, his efforts were not going to be enough. Kieron Pollard also struggled as he remained unbeaten on 10 off 11 balls at the death. That showed how tough Kolkata had made it for Mumbai.
After the bowlers put up a good show and restricted Mumbai to 142, the batting got into the act. Uthappa was in great touch. The moment he worked the second ball of the innings, from Lasith Malinga, through mid-wicket, one knew he was in form.
When compared to other batsmen, Uthappa looked at ease on a surface that was slow and it was keeping low a few times. With Gautam Gambhir struggling to come to terms with the wicket, Uthappa was playing through the line and smashing them down the ground with ease.
With Uthappa going strong, Kolkata scored 45 in the powerplay. Harbhajan Singh was Mumbai’s best bowled on the day. He dismissed Gambhir and Manish Pandey (in the 15th over), but Uthappa kept it going. He was in control of his shots and accelerated as the innings progressed. He had got to his half century in 34 balls.
At the death, Kolkata needed 44 off 30 balls. Uthappa then smashed two sixes off Lendl Simmons down the ground to bring the required rate down, but was bowled by Simmons later in the over for 80 off 52 balls. By then, however, Kolkata were on course. Shakib did fall with Kolkata on the brink, and the victory was ultimately was achieved with eight balls to spare

Rafael Nadal beat Gilles Simon in Rome Masters
Our Correspondent : 15 may 2014
Defending champion Rafael Nadal beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (1), 6-7 (4), 6-2 in a thrilling encounter to reach the last 16 of the Rome Masters Wednesday.
The Spaniard, who has won in Rome a record seven times, was given a stern test by Simon, but managed to come through the battle in three hours and 19 minutes, Xinhua reported.
Nadal, bidding for his eighth title in Rome this week, served for the opening set at 5-4 and 6-5, before prevailing in the tie-break after one hour and 11 minutes.
Nadal failed to hold onto a break lead early in the second, and needed to rally from triple break point down in the ninth game, reeling off five straight points to hold serve.
He earned a match point on Simon's serve at 6-5, but couldn't put away the victory as the Frenchman fought back and drew level.
Simon produced a series of fine winners to win five of the first seven points in the tiebreak, before winning the set after Nadal hit the net.
Nadal regrouped to break the former World No. 6 in the opening game of the third set. Simon pegged back with a break to love in the fourth game, only to lose his next service game as the match eclipsed the three-hour mark.
Nadal will face No. 14 seed Mikhail Youzhny, who was up 7-5, 4-1 in his second-round match when qualifier Andrey Golubev retired with an abductor strain.
Tomas Berdych and Grigor Dimitrov will face off in the third round for a second straight week. Berdych rallied from a set down to beat the Bulgarian in Madrid, before falling to Nadal in the quarter-finals.
The sixth-seeded Czech opened with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Russian Dmitry Tursunov, while No. 12 seed Dimitrov beat Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (3), 6-4.

'Yuvraj will be match-winner in World Cup 2015' - Murali
Our Correspondent : 14 may 2014
Muttiah Muralitharan feels his Royal Challengers Bangalore team-mate, Yuvraj Singh, has a lot left in him. Following Yuvraj's knocks of 83 off 38 and 68 not out off 29 in the IPL, Murali said India "should look after Yuvraj" because of what he could do for them in next year's World Cup. Following his stymieing 11 off 21 in the World T20 final, Yuvraj was under considerable pressure, Murali said, and hence his form dropped.
"I have been talking to Yuvi a lot," Murali told the IPL website. "He is a great limited-overs player, but his confidence was low. After the World Twenty20, the whole country put a lot of pressure on him. I know the situation well as I played for 20 years at the highest level. I knew it was just a matter of helping him regain his confidence. I was sure once he did that, he would be a different player.
"After the way he has performed in the last two games, it seems I was right. I honestly think Yuvi has still got it and India should look after him because I feel he will play a big role in the 2015 World Cup. He will be India's match-winner there."

After beating Dhoni in Twitter battle, Can Virat get past Sachin?
Our Correspondent : 14 may 2014
Batting sensation Virat Kohli may be facing a dry patch in terms of scoring runs in IPL, but the star cricketer is a hit in the Twitter arena.
Kohli has recently reached a whopping 3.1 million followers on the popular social website, surging ahead of his team India captain, Ms Dhoni. Dhoni so far has 2.82M followers.
The followership of Kohli speaks volumes of his rapidly increasing popularity.
After MSD, the next challenger for Kohli is Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who Kohli has idolised since a young age. The legendary cricketer has 4.27M followers on twitter, but with Kohli's fan base increasing at a brisk pace, crossing Sachin should be no problem for him.
On the all time Twitter followers' chart, Kohli (3.08 million followers) is way ahead at the top, gaining 50,000 new followers in the third week of the IPL, the highest of anyone in the top 10.
Interestingly, bollywood has an upper hand over cricket when it comes to twitter followers.
Shah Rukh Khan(7.6M), Salman Khan(6.84) and Amir Khan(6.76M) are already way ahead of the cricketers. But it's not the Khan's who rule Twitter, it's Big B, Amitabh Bachchan, who is Twitterati's favourite with 8.7M followers.
Amitabh Bachchan is the most followed Indian on Twitter and is currently on 97th spot in followership.
However, Indians are still lagging behind its international counterparts from showbiz and sports .
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo(26M) is the most followed athlete in the world.
But entertainment business trumps sports as singer Katy Perry rules the Twitter world with almost 53 million followers, and chasing her closely is Justin Bieber(52M) at No.2.

CSK rope in David Hussey to replace injured Dwayne Bravo
Our Correspondent : 13 may 2014
Chennai Super Kings have roped in Australian batsman David Hussey as replacement for the injured Dwayne Bravo, who has already been ruled out of the rest of IPL 7 due to injury.
Bravo did damage to this shoulder while trying to take a catch in the first match of the season in the UAE.
Chennai had not sought a replacement, but commentator and former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja confirmed David's appointment while talking to his elder brother Michael Hussey, who is playing for the Mumbai Indians this year.
The junior Hussey had also tweeted: "Just recd some amazing news!!!!! Can't wait until tomorrow.... Get in there!!!!"
Hussey, 36, has a lot of IPL experience under his belt having played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab previously. The Australia has played 59 IPL games, scoring 1206 runs at a strike rate of 122.93.

Kolkata Knight Riders look to continue winning momentum against Mumbai Indians
Our Correspondent : 13 may 2014
High on confidence after beating table-toppers Kings XI Punjab in their previous game, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue the winning momentum when they take on erratic defending champions Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.
The last time the two sides faced off in the tournament opener in the United Arab Emirates, the Knight Riders came out triumphant.
The Kolkata outfit, though, has been struggling to find its feet in the ongoing tournament, but back-to-back victories, especially a win against a strong Punjab side at this very venue, must have done its confidence a world of good.
Come tomorrow, KKR, who are placed fourth in the points table with four wins and five loses in nine games, would certainly be keen to go all out for a victory and brighten their chances of making the play-off stage.
Kolkata's batting has clicked against both Delhi Daredevils and KXIP, with underfire skipper Gautam Gambhir leading from the front striking a couple of superb half-centuries to guide the team to victory.
Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey have also made significant contributions in the last two games and would be looking to continue with their exploits.
The bowlers will also draw confidence form the fact that they managed to restrict Punjab's marauding batsmen to a mere 149 for eight here.
Knight Riders' decision to include Morne Morkel and Piyush Chawla in the playing XI paid huge dividends as they picked five wickets for 49 runs in eight overs between them.
While leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (3/19) bowled brilliantly in the middle overs, pacer Morne Morkel (2/20) did his job to perfection.
With mystery spinner Sunil Narine around, the Mumbai Indians would definitely be wary of Kolkata's bowling unit.
The defending champions, with just three victories from nine games so far, are well aware that they would have to win all their remaining matches if they want a berth in the play-offs.

IPL: Yuvraj Singh finds form, smashes 83 off 38 balls as Bangalore amass 190 against Rajasthan
Our Correspondent : 12 may 2014
Yuvraj Singh struck form with a magnificent 83 while AB de Villiers hit a scintillating 58 to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 190 for five against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match, here today.
Yuvraj, who was dropped on 47 by Sanju Samson, shared a game-changing 132 run partnership with de Villiers as RCB scored 84 runs in the last five overs to snatch the momentum from their rivals, who were well in command till 12 overs.
Yuvraj, who received criticism from some quarters for his slow batting and failures in this IPL, began with a flourish as he smashed seven fours and seven sixes in 38-ball knock.
De Villiers, who is the most consistent batsman of RCB, continued with his form in T20, punished the bowlers with five sixes and a four.
They belted 120 runs in the last eight overs, sending bowlers on a leather-hunt.
The duo were competing in hitting fours and sixes towards the end of the innings after RCB had a disastrous start,losing three wickets for 40 runs in 8.1 overs.
RCB innings was off to a disastrous start after their captain Virat Kohli, who opened the innings instead of Parthiv Patel, returned to the dugout cheaply in third over.
Kohli tried to smash the ball over extra-cover, got a thick edge that went into the hands of Rajat Bhatia stationed at third man off Kane Richardson.
The mighty West Indian Chris Gayle, who is yet to get a big score under his belt in this IPL, started his innings sedately but shifted gears by smashing two boundaries in Pravin Tambe's first over for nine runs.
However, in the next over the oldest IPL player had the last laugh by having Gayle reaching for a googly and was caught by Sanju Samson behind the stumps after he had made 19 off 25 balls with three boundaries.
Vijay Zol, who played his first match of the season, made 16 runs off 14 balls with three boundaries, before he thick edged right-arm legbreak Rahul Tewatia's wrong one to captain Shane Watson standing in first slip.

IPL is not really the ideal way for India to gear up for their tour of England
Our Correspondent : 12 may 2014
India is about to embark on a summer tour to England, where they had been drubbed 4-0 during their previous visit. And the players are still busy belting the ball in the Indian Premier League. Arunabha Sengupta echoes Cheteshwar Pujara’s worried voice about the difficulties of adjusting to the longer format, and wonders if a better schedule could not have been drawn up.
So, amidst the sound and fury of the Indian Premier League, the fireworks and fanfare, the blaring music and the gyarating hips of the cheerleaders, a tiny voice has rung out. And by now Cheteshwar Pujara’s opinion has already drowned under several layers of the incessant noise that accompanies the yearly spectacle.
The words of the batting mainstay of the Indian Test team have nevertheless managed to air a warning, “It won’t be easy at all.” He was referring to the problems of adjusting from the shortest format of cricket to the longest in the space of just a few days, especially on the eve of an important tour to England.
How difficult is it to adjust? Are the cricketers not expected to be good at all the formats? Let us try to find out with a short trip down memory lane. The year was 1987, the setting Feroz Shah Kotla, the bowling lethal. The conditions were extremely difficult – the match had seen team totals of 75 and 127 in the first two innings. A few minutes earlier, debutant Sanjay Manjrekar had been struck just above the eye by a rearing delivery from Winston Benjamin. Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar was in the process of essaying one of the most memorable knocks under pressure, defying the extreme pace of Patrick Patterson and the supporting menace of Courntney Walsh.
At this point a delivery from Walsh came through short, and rather wide outside the off-stump. Vengsarkar, whose dour determination had seen him score just 24 between lunch and tea, suddenly went for a highly uncharacteristic swish at the ball. Luckily for him, he missed – it looked ugly, and the ball went through to Jeff Dujon. The Indian captain stood there grimacing, almost in pain due to his moment of madness. He was furious with himself.
Vengsarkar scored 102 in that innings – a masterly effort by a very good batsman at the peak of his powers. But, there were a couple of moments of indiscretion. Apart from the wild swish, another wide delivery saw him opening the face of the bat and trying to run it down to third-man, the ball flying to the second slip where Richie Richardson dived full length and grassed a supremely difficult chance.
The Indian skipper later confessed that those couple of strokes had been the effect of the recently concluded Reliance World Cup. The diet of non-stop One Day Internationals had played havoc with even the thoroughbred batsmen of the mid-eighties, brought up on the traditional tenets of the art of cricket, who swore by the straightest of bats and avoidance of risks.
On the same day as the start of the Kotla Test between India and West Indies, England had kicked off their series against Pakistan at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. They had managed 175 in the first innings and 130 in the second. Yes, as was the story of those days, there had been plenty of dubious decisions, with as many as seven leg-before decisions. But, the English batsmen had seemed too keen to sweep the spinners into submission. What had worked excellently against Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh in the World Cup semi-final had proved disastrous against Abdul Qadir in the rather more demanding stage of a Test match. The problem of adjustment had reared its troublesome head with rather spectacular effects.
At the end of the season, Sir Garry Sobers had spoken to Vengsarkar. His words had been wise and timeless. “The problem now is that you guys play so much cricket, you hardly get a chance to sit and think about the game.”
That had been 27 years ago. Since then, the calendar has become far more congested and crazy. Another format has been added to the equation – shorter, sillier, fantastically richer and prone to strokes even more bizarre and atrocious. Time between events has been squeezed to the bare minimum, just about enough to get the weary cricketers from one corner of the world to the other. Thinking about the game is too costly a luxury for the system to allow, what with all the jet setting across the world, T20 tournaments with their obligatory late night parties. The act of thinking has been successfully outsourced to imported coaches with fancy laptops – in turn marketed as advancement of sports science and technology.
Hence the IPL goes on in full flow. The batsmen keep belting them around with scoops and cross batted heaves, the bowlers keep rushing through their four highly paid overs. All the while the Indian cricketers know that they will have to set out for England – a voyage that promises to be challenging, in a land where they had been trounced 4-0 during their previous visit. The preparation for the crucial trip has taken the form of never-ending hit and giggle.
Times may have changed. IPL may be the harsh and lucrative reality. It hardly makes sense to turn away fast-earned fortunes by clinging on to tradition and spending time acclimatising to foreign pitches and swinging balls. One can argue that two First-Class matches almost constitute a luxury before an important series, and the Indian cricketers should be thankful for that.
There is no point in debating the ethics, morals and purity of cricket. The game evolves. Even in the mid-19th century there were money spinning single wicket competitions with large wagers placed on the outcome. Formats and finances have always been tampered with all through the history of the game. What we are worried about is the effect this will have on India’s performance in England.
If Cheteshwar Pujara, one of the mainstays of the Test batting line-up, raises this as a concern, it is indeed cause for worry.
It does beg the question – could the Indian Board have done a better job of scheduling and preparation? Was it really impossible to manipulate the days of the cricketing calendar – so that even with the IPL circus in full flow, the Test cricketers could have had a tiny morsel of time to strip off the coloured costumes and get sufficient match practice in pristine whites?

Delhi High Court Upholds Validity of National Sports Code
Our Correspondent : 10 may 2014
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the validity of National Sports Code capping age and tenure of office bearers in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and National Sports Federations (NSFs).
A division bench of Justice Ravinder Bhat and Justice Nazmi Waziri said: "The central government can insist upon adherence to these provisions (sports code), without the aid of legislation."
It held the provisions of the sports code are "neither arbitrary" nor does it "violate any freedom under the Constitution".
"The tenure restrictions impugned in this case can and are insisted upon as part of the public interest in efficient and fair administration of such NSFs."
The Sports Development Code 2011, framed by the government, barred more than 12 and 8 years of tenure for president and other office-bearers including secretary and Treasurer, for any sports federation along with setting a maximum age of 70 years to officiate.
The court judgment came on a petition filed by IOA challenging the implementation of the sports code on sports bodies on the ground that the government does not possess any power to impose through guidelines, restrictions on the functioning of autonomous bodies such as IOA and NFSs.
The bench, commenting on the current state of sports in the country, said: "Sport administration, the way it is run in India, through coterie, cabals, manipulations and intrigues, seems to discourage a vast majority of the population to devote itself to athletics, shooting, judo, table tennis, gymnastics, soccer, bokingAd by Torntv V9.0, fencing and the like."
"As the cliche goes, the state of sports is in a lock jam where roughly 1.2 billion people have to rest content with a harvest of medals so meager as to be surpassed by just one individual like Michael Phelps," it added.
It also remarked that the country's six medals tally in the London Olympics meant only one medal was won for roughly every 207 million inhabitants.

IPL: Chennai Super Kings' bowler Mohit Sharma scripts big turnaround
Our Correspondent : 10 may 2014
The last time Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings met in Dubai a fortnight ago, Mohit Sharma applied the brakes on the Rohit Sharma-leg side with his well-disguised slower deliveries. Batsman after batsman, four in all in that match, failed to read his slower ones that were delivered from the back of the hand.
The 25-year-old Mohit from Haryana took four for 14 in that match. Three outings prior to that, he had taken only two wickets. But from that match against Mumbai Indians, he owned the purple Cap with 14 wickets from eight matches until Sunrisers Hyderabad's Bhuvneshwar Kumar overtook him on Thursday. Though both have the same number of wickets, Bhuvaneshwar has a better average, 10.71 to Mohit's 15.50.
Mohit has been one of the lesser-known bowlers who has made headlines this season. His scalps this season include Kevin Pietersen for a first-ball duck, Aaron Finch, Kieron Pollard besides other frontline batsmen. Mohit has been more effective in the death overs, mixing his slower ones to catch the batsmen, going for pre-medidated big hits, unawares.
Chennai coach Stephen Fleming was pleased with Mohit's success. He said on Friday: "When we introduced Mohit last year in IPL, he showed he was capable of doing pretty good things though he had not been exposed to high end cricket. Since then, he played for India, played in ICC World T20 (in Bangladesh).
"He has come back to us after learning some new tricks. And we're benefitting from it. He would get better with experience and once he starts to understand how well he could be. I am very happy with Mohit's performance."
Mohit could make an impact at the Wankhede on Saturday, considering the conditions where slower bowlers have better success here.
Mumbai captain Rohit and his team will be wiser with the experience of having dealt with Mohit previously. Rohit said he was not focussing on just Mohit but other CSK bowlers as well. "Mohit is bowling really well, but they've got other bowlers who're doing well. I don't want to single out any particular bowler. We want to concentrate on their bowling attack completely, not just one individual because you never know one bowler can take a game away from you."

Roger Federer Expected to Play French Open, Says Agent
Our Correspondent : 09 may 2014
Paris: Roger Federer will take part in the French Open despite earlier suggesting he may take time out to be with wife Mirka, who gave birth to the couple's second set of twins this week.
Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said that the Swiss intends to feature at the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros in Paris on May 25, where he would stretch his consecutive run of Grand Slam events to 58.
"Roger plans on playing Roland Garros and he will make a decision at the last minute if he will play Rome (next week) depending on how everything is going with his family," said Godsick.
Mirka Federer gave birth to sons Leo and Lenny on Tuesday. The couple already have twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Ri, who will be five in July.
Federer, 32, has played in a record 57 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, this past January eclipsing the mark previously set by Wayne Ferreira in 2003.
He will be making his 16th straight appearance at the French Open, where he won the title in 2009 to complete a career Slam.

KXIP vs RCB preview: The league match of extraordinary gentlemen
Our Correspondent : 09 may 2014
One way or the other, it is sure to thunder down at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. The forecast suggests that it will rain in Bangalore during the game. If it doesn’t, then the batting heavy line-ups of Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore sure will. Especially with the current talk of IPL town, Punjab’s Glenn Maxwell, and the greatest IPL batsman of all time, Bangalore’s Chris Gayle, teeing off in the same arena.
While Gayle has played only three games this season and is yet to blaze the stage as he is prone to do (he is yet to hit a fifty), the good news for RCB is that he has progressed arithmetically with scores of 20, 27 and 38 so far. A big score from his big blade could be just what mid-tablers Bangalore need to resurrect what has so far been a mediocre season.
Maxwell, on the other hand, has been in the purplest patch of his career with three nineties and an 89 — a patch that reminds his team-mate Virender Sehwag of book cricket. “The kind of form he is in, it is extremely difficult to stop him. Nothing matters to him — the bowlers or the fielders or the boundary. I felt like he was opening the pages of a book and every time the number was either four or six. It has been great to watch him bat,” said Sehwag.
Sehwag was even generous enough to say that Maxwell was hitting the ball better than he ever did in his prime. “I was not that destructive. I was a bit, but not that much,” Sehwag added on IPL’s official website. He then went on the praise the other destructive batsman in the Punjab unit, David Miller, lavishly as well. “Maxwell and Miller. If the two of them get going, it becomes very difficult for the bowling side because if one misses a ball, the other makes up for it with a six.”
This form, of course, is not good news for the bowlers. When Maxwell made 90 off just 38 balls against Mumbai in his previous match, no bowler went for less than 9 an over. But Bangalore will take heart from the fact that the last time they were up against Maxwell, Virat Kohli’s side managed to stop the Aussie in single digits — this after the man had

Kings XI turn in a regal performance
Our Correspondent : 08 may 2014
For the second time in the Pepsi IPL-7, Chennai Super Kings tasted defeat at the hands of Kings XI Punjab, and, once again, it was Glenn Maxwell who played a winning hand, hitting 90 off 38 balls.
Set to chase a mammoth 232, this season’s highest, CSK was restricted to 187 for six at the packed Barabati Stadium here thus falling short by 44 runs on Wednesday to lose only its second game in eight. The defeat also snapped its six-match winning streak. KXIP registered its sixth win in seven games.
CSK needed a solid launch to the chase but that wasn’t to be. On a pitch full of runs the most successful opening pair of the tournament, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, was separated rather early — with the former sent back with the score on five in the first over.
Suresh Raina got 33 runs in 27 balls but fell thereafter. Promoted to accelerate the scoring, Ravindra Jadeja departed for 17.
Then, McCullum failed to beat Mitchell Johnson’s direct hit while attempting a suicidal second run after making 33 off 29 balls.
Faf du Plessis and M.S. Dhoni tried gamely, but the huge target proved too much. Invited to bat, KXIP produced the batting performance of the tournament so far.
After Virender Sehwag gave his side a bright start with a little cameo, the team’s demolition men Glenn Maxwell and David Miller produced a stunning display of strokes.
From 38 for two, KXIP turned it on.
The fireworks began in the 11th over when R. Ashwin was introduced. The Aussie seemed to be waiting for the India off-spinner to come on, and greeted him with two massive sixes on his way to plundering 17 runs. Jadeja, coming on next, faced the same treatment, Miller hoisting him for a huge six. That over cost 14 runs.
Dhoni persisted with Ashwin, and he went for 21 runs. The duo waded into the offie, hitting him for two sixes and two boundaries.
Maxwell brought up his half century (52, 23b, 4x4, 4x6) as the total jumped to 121 for two.
Maxwell kept toying with the CSK bowlers; Ishwar Pandey was next to get the treatment as he was hit for 18 runs. The 15th over, bowled by Jadeja, produced 14, and KXIP raced to 153 for two.
Dhoni then brought on Smith, who got Miller for 47 (32b, 5x4, 2x6) bowling him off an inside edge. The pair had put on a record 135 runs for the third wicket in 10.4 overs.
Maxwell perished at 90 (38b, 6x4, 8x6) in the 18th over bowled by Mohit, Jadeja taking a well judged catch at wide mid-wicket off a slog sweep.
However, the last four overs cost Super Kings a whopping 58 runs, of which 23 came off the final over bowled by Mohit, with captain George Bailey making full use of the drooping CSK shoulders to power to an unbeaten 13-ball 40 with five boundaries and two sixes.

We acted as per rules in suspending RCA, says BCCI
Our Correspondent : 08 may 2014
New Delhi: The BCCI on Wednesday (May 7) said that it has acted as per its rules and regulations while suspending the Rajasthan Cricket Association just after former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was declared elected as president of the state cricket body.
Modi, who has been living in exile after being slapped with a life ban, was yesterday elected RCA President after the Supreme Court cleared the decks for the announcement of the election results held four months ago, prompting a livid BCCI to suspend the state cricket body. "Being aware and mindful that an anomalous situation would arise in the event Mr Modi was elected President of RCA, the BCCI filed an application before the parallel proceedings pending in the Supreme Court bringing the issue to the notice of the Hon'ble Court and seeking reliefs that its position on the said issue be clarified," the BCCI said in a release.
"Vide the order dated 30th April 2014, the Hon'ble Supreme Court directed that if it is found by the BCCI that any person has acted against its rules, regulations or law, which is to be enforced by it, it would be open to it to take action against such a person," it said. "In pursuance of the order, under authority vested in him as per Regulation 32 (vii) of the Rules and Regulations of BCCI and as per the unanimous resolution passed in the Working Committee of the BCCI on 28th December 2013, the Interim President, Mr Shivlal Yadav has suspended the Rajasthan Cricket Association from the membership of the BCCI, pending disciplinary proceedings against it on charges of misconduct .
"The BCCI has acted and will act as per its Rules and Regulations and its precedents by which it is bound," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said in the release. Patel said "Despite having voted in favour of Modi's expulsion, RCA did not take any action against its member unit, the Nagaur District Cricket Association, where Modi held the post of President."

Lalit Modi, president of suspended RCA, plans Rajasthan Premier League
Our Correspondent : 07 may 2014
Jaipur: Despite the snubbing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the newly-constituted members of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) are all agog with new plans, including a brand new Rajasthan Premier League.
According to Sumendra Tiwary, the new honorary secretary of the RCA, newly elected executive members had their first meeting on Tuesday, with Modi chairing over the video conference from London. In the two-hour long meeting, the former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner elaborated the future plans for the association.
"We are planning to start eight big academies in the state with world-class facilities. Our first academy in Jaipur was highly appreciated by former Australian batsman Greg Chappell.” said Tiwary.
"Modi has a plan to build stadiums in Jaipur and Udaipur. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium (SMS) in Jaipur is owned by the state government. We want to have our own stadium," he added.
Tiwary also said that “We (RCA) are challenging the BCCI’s decision in Jaipur High Court. They can’t suspend our association, the results of which have been declared by the court. Our lawyer (Sudeep Hora) will prepare the papers soon and submit them before the High Court here."
Earlier on the day, the BCCI had suspended RCA following the election of Modi as the association president.
The RCA elections were held on December 19 last year under the supervision of two retired Supreme Court judges, NM Kasliwal and SP Pathak. The votes, casted by 33 district units, were submitted to the apex court in a sealed envelope. And under the apex court`s directive, the results were declared at the presence of supervisors on May 6.

AB De Villiers hits hole-in-one after slamming six into dustbin!
Our Correspondent : 07 may 2014
London: South African batsman AB De Villiers had reportedly hit a spectacular 'hole-in-one' after slamming a huge six which landed straight in a bin which was lying on the edge of the pitch during Tuesday's second Indian Premier League (IPL) match.
De Villiers, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, was facing Indian seamer Irfan Pathan, from the Mumbai Indians, in the 10th over when he produced what is undoubtedly the shot of the tournament.

According to the Daily Star, De Villiers slammed Pathan back down the ground for a huge six which landed straight in a bin lying on the edge of the pitch, adding that a member of De Villiers team calmly tipped the bin over and retrieved the ball.
De Villiers is an excellent golfer and plays of a handicap of two, the report added.

Lalit Modi to lead Rajasthan board despite BCCI ban
Our Correspondent : 06 may 2014
Former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi, who was banned for life from holding a position in any cricketing body in the country last year, was named president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association on Tuesday.
The flamboyant 50-year-old was found guilty of financial and administrative irregularities during his stint as chairman of the Twenty20 league's first three editions by an Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) disciplinary committee.
Modi, who has denied any wrongdoing, stood for election for as the head of the Rajasthan Cricket Association in a poll conducted in December and the result was announced by a court-appointed observer on Tuesday.
The combative billionaire was vice president of the BCCI from 2005 until September 2010, soon after he had been removed from his position in charge of the IPL.
His election is almost certain to lead to BCCI action against the Rajasthan Cricket Association for allowing Modi back into cricket administration.
Modi has long been the most vocal critic of N Srinivasan, the industrialist who has ran the BCCI since 2011 and will become chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July.

Redemption day ends in sorrow for Liverpool's Luis Suarez
Our Correspondent : 06 may 2014
Distraught Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was helped from the Selhurst Park pitch by captain Steven Gerrard on Monday with his shirt pulled over his head to hide his emotions after a day billed as redemption ended in title concession.
The celebratory day began with the Football Writers' Association following the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in naming Suarez, often billed as the Premier League's villain, their player of the season.
The individual awards bestowed after a staggering 30 goals in 31 Premier League appearances this season had propelled Liverpool to within touching distance of a first English title in 24 years.
The volatile Uruguayan added a 31st in the 55th minute of their penultimate game of the season at Crystal Palace to put Liverpool 3-0 ahead and in prime position to heap the title race pressure back on Manchester City.
Victory would have left City needing to win their final two home games against Aston Villa and West Ham United to seal a second league title in three seasons but Liverpool made their rival's lives so much easier as they pushed for more goals.
Taking advantage of the absent defending, Palace scored three times in the final 11 minutes with Suarez laughing in disbelief as Marcus Gayle levelled the match with his second in the 88th minute to leave City's Samir Nasri gloating.
"What a game, what a league, I love Crystal Palace so much now our turn to do the job," the Frenchman posted on his Twitter feed.
As Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers conceded their bid for the title was over, Suarez did not look capable of waving the white flag let alone muttering anything after the final whistle.
Crouched on the pitch with his hands covering his eyes as the tears flowed, Gerrard pulled his team mate to his feet and drove away the prying television cameras as Suarez tried to hide his face.
The title was Liverpool's to lose last week with pundits lauding Suarez and his team for their entertaining feats before a painful 2-0 home loss to a canny Chelsea left them requiring City, boasting a superior goal difference, to slip up.
Nasri's side hung on for a 3-2 win at Liverpool's neighbours Everton on Saturday to go top of the table and turn the pressure back on Suarez and co, who cracked once more.
The Uruguayan was reported to have been feeling ill in the pre-match warmup and never looked fully fit on Monday but the 27-year-old doggedly refused to give in.
He was seen hunched over after running bursts, while he propped himself up on the advertising hoardings on more than one occasion, but still was able to exchange passes with Raheem Sterling before firing in his goal.
However, the strike was overshadowed by the tears that followed 40 minutes later from a player that has been loved and loathed in a chequered three-and-a-half season spell on Anfield.
Banned for making racist comments, suspended for biting, punished for offensive gestures and regularly accused of diving, Suarez then pushed his club management to the brink before the start of the current campaign after demanding to leave.
Arsenal's advances were rejected, while Real Madrid's never came and he committed to the job in hand in spectacular fashion to haul last year's seventh-placed finishers into title contenders.
Pessimistic Liverpool fans will say his scoring efforts have only alerted more suitors and fear his tears were of a man who had just missed out on his final chance of success with the Merseyside club.
However, Rodgers was adamant Liverpool were building something special and not about to remove a key component.
"When we've got time to sit down at the end of the season and reflect on it, we'll see that this has been an outstanding season for Liverpool Football Club," Rodgers said.
"It doesn't take away the pain now, because we've drawn a game we should have won.
"This season has given us great hope. We're trying to build something that is sustainable. We'll just keep fighting and keep working, and I think next season we'll take more strides forward and hopefully be up there challenging again."

Dhoni can lead India for three-four years - Fleming
Our Correspondent : 05 may 2014
Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Super Kings coach and former New Zealand captain, feels that MS Dhoni can lead his country for another three to four years but is not sure whether he will be able to do so across Tests, ODIs and T20s given the amount of cricket India play.
"I haven't spoken to him on this issue. But he is in fine shape and if he is fit, he can continue to lead for at least a good three to four years," Fleming told PTI. "Having said that, I don't know how long he will be playing all three formats. It's pretty hard as India have such a tight schedule.
Dhoni has been India's captain in limited-overs cricket since 2007 and in Tests since 2008. He has led his country in 53 Tests, 159 ODIs and 48 T20 internationals. No one has captained India in as many Tests and T20s, and only Mohammad Azharuddin led in more one-dayers than Dhoni has.
Dhoni will turn 33 in July. In January 2012, he had said he might have to give up one of the formats if he was to lead India's World Cup defence in 2015. Such a decision would be made only at the end of 2013, he had said then.
Fleming said that an international captain could have issues if he led for more than four years, but added that this did not seem to apply to Dhoni. "Dhoni and Graeme Smith have been exceptions, but I feel that an international captain has a shelf-life of four years. After that it is easier to get back as another normal cricketer; if you have been the leader for too long, then it becomes difficult once you leave the job. You tend to miss the decision-making authority and stuff like that. In fact, I faced similar problems after I quit captaincy."
Dhoni's leadership style had suited the Indian team very well over the years, Fleming said. "Indians look for consistency and have a pattern. They have such talents that on a given day, some of them can single-handedly win matches. You don't need too dynamic or too radical thought-processes when you have players like [Virat] Kohli, Dhoni. In the case of the New Zealand team, Brendon [McCullum] has to be a bit dynamic and try a different strategy as they don't have a talent pool like India."
Apart from his India responsibilities, Dhoni has also been Super Kings' captain right from the inaugural IPL in 2008. Fleming has also been involved with the franchise since then, first as a player for the 2008 season and thereafter as coach. He said he had tried to ensure Dhoni enjoyed his time in franchise cricket while taking a breather from India duties. "What I try to provide MS is with two months of enjoyment, so that he can come into the Chennai side having taken a break from the Indian team. He loves his game and looks a pretty comfortable man winning games for Chennai consistently."

IPL 7: Royal Challengers Bangalore back at Chinnaswamy fortress
Our Correspondent : 05 may 2014
Royal Challengers Bangalore have gone into a temporary meltdown, losing their last four matches of the UAE leg. Sunrisers Hyderabad were slow off the blocks but two wins in the last three games has them running. Bangalore will be playing their first home game in India hoping that their luck will turn.

Fortress Chinnaswamy
Bangalore are back playing at fortress Chinnaswamy. They can draw inspiration from the side’s performance there last year — seven wins from eight games. Hyderabad were given a seven-wicket thrashing with Virat Kohli playing a blinder — 93 not out off 47 balls. With short boundaries on either side of the wicket and a flat wicket, this ground is a strokeplayers’ delight. And Bangalore have the batting strength to destroy any bowling attack not the least when the conditions are favourable.

Kohli’s captaincy test
Kohli the batsman has been untouchable, but with losses mounting, his captaincy is coming under increasing scrutiny. Kohli’s aggression, which seems to be good for his batting, is perhaps not helping his captaincy. His job has not just been to contribute at the top of the order, but also decide how to get the best out of a batting line-up packed with big hitters, apart from managing the stars in the side into a unit. How he handles a string of losses will give an indicator of his style of captaincy.

Kumar shining
One of the few positives for Hyderabad in this tournament is Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling. His overall figures in the five matches in UAE read: 19.3 overs, 120 runs and eight wickets. Compare this with his performance in the World T20 where he took just four wickets in six matches. Before that in Asia Cup, which was an ODI event, he had only three wickets in four matches. Kumar has always been useful with the brand new ball, but has improved in the death overs. He’s getting his yorkers right and is also keeping the batters guessing with his change of pace and seam movement. In fact, he is one of the top Indian pacers so far in the tournament, along with the likes of Varun Aaron. He will have his task cut out against Gayle and company.

Royal Challengers Bangalore look to return to winning ways in first match at home
Our Correspondent : 03 may 2014
Bangalore: Left to lick their wounds after losing their last three matches in a row, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to return to winning ways when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first home match in IPL 7 here tomorrow.
Virat Kohli and his colleagues will have to quickly forget their less-than-impressive display in the United Arab Emirates and gear up to take full advantage of home conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as they play their first match of the India leg.
Both RCB and Hyderabad have garnered four points each, but the home side are placed above in the points-table because of a better run-rate.
RCB started off really well in the tournament by winning their first two matches even in the absence of the explosive West Indian Chris Gayle, but things went awry for them since then.
A lot of team's success, as has been the case all these six years, will revolve around Gayle, Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers. In the five games RCB have played so far, they have not fired as expected.
Captain Kohli will be hoping that a return to familiar territory will be just the boost his team needs. Yuvraj has been getting decent knocks but he is not getting his rhythm right. De Villiers also have been miserable except for the 45-run knock against Mumbai Indians.
The opening stand have been disappointing for RCB which has resulted to their scoring the third lowest total ever in IPL history -- bowled out for a meagre 70 in 15 overs against Rajasthan Royals. RCB were also restricted to 124 for eight in their last match against Kings XI Punjab.
Gayle, who missed the team's first four games with a hamstring injury, showed his glimpse of batting prowess when he pummelled Kings XI Punjab from the word go, picking 20 runs in the first over of Glenn Maxwell.
However, the swashbuckling Jamaican fell in the next over, but not before making a statement of his arrival, which could prove a nightmare for any side's bowlers.

Mumbai's Cricket Club of India likely to get IPL Qualifier 1 match
Our Correspondent : 03 may 2014
The governing council (GC) of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will meet at the Cricket Centre here on Saturday.
According to IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal, the GC will "take stock" of the UAE leg of the league. "It was a mega-hit and there is absolutely no doubt about it. As many as 19 of the 20 matches were played in front of a packed house. However, we still need to sit down and discuss the positives and negatives of the fortnight," Biswal told dna.
Sunil Gavaskar, the BCCI's interim president for IPL affairs, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, who recently came on board as advisor to Gavaskar, and other senior BCCI officials are expected to attend the meeting.
It is reliably learnt that the GC has plans to shift the Qualifier 1 (1st vs 2nd), to be played in Chennai on May 27, to another venue. As of now, Mumbai's Cricket Club of India seems the likely beneficiary. Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium is also in the running. Insiders say this is the BCCI's (read N Srinivasan) way of saying 'Thank you very much' to the associations which have firmly stood by him and his camp in these turbulent times.
Chennai is also scheduled to host the Eliminator (3rd vs 4th) on May 28. The last two matches of the league — Qualifier 2 (Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1) and Final — will be played at the Wankhede.

Title Holders MI look for elusive win at home against leaders Punjab
Our Correspondent : 02 may 2014
Mumbai: Title-holders Mumbai Indians would be keen to end their dismal five-match losing streak but the task is easier said than done as they will clash against table toppers.
Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium here tomorrow.
The stadium was a mini fortress which could not be breached in eight attempts last year as MI went all the way to clinch the title for the first time.
With the IPL action shifting to India after the initial phase was held in the UAE, MI would be eager to turn around their floundering fortunes after suffering five straight defeats in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, would be equally earnest to ensure that their five-match winning streak in the UAE is not snapped by last year's champions.
Punjab have batted, bowled and fielded extremely well in the first phase of the T20 League and another victory at the cost of the struggling MI would enhance their last four qualifying hopes which are already bright.
It has been Mumbai's batting, more than their bowling, which has caused their slump thus far in the tournament.
MI have tried out a few opening combinations and failed miserably with captain Rohit Sharma, his Mumbai Ranji Trophy teammate Aditya Tare, former Australia cricketer
Mike Hussey and new signing Ben Dunk, also an Aussie, all failing to get going.
The middle order too has performed dismally barring the last game against Sun Risers Hyderabad at Dubai when Kieron Pollard at last found form with a blistering knock of 78 off only 48 balls with six sixes and three fours.
But the powerfully built West Indian all-rounder's stupendous effort went in vain as MI slumped to a 15-run defeat chasing SRH's challenging score of 172.
For MI to get their floundering campaign on track, all the top order batsmen need to find form quickly.
While MI batting has been a big let-down, the bowlers have fared only slightly better with Sri Lanka's World T20 winning captain Lasith Malinga (8 wickets), Zaheer Khan (8) and former captain Harbhajan Singh (2 wickets with economical bowling) being the pick of the lot.

IPL-7 returns to Indian summer
Our Correspondent : 02 may 2014
How Kings XI Punjab would have loved to have the entire IPL-7 in the UAE. They have won all their five matches there and are on top of the table. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians would have been so desperate to return to Indian shores. Yet to taste a win after five matches, a lot of questions are being asked about the Rohit Sharma's team management that comprises some of the most successful cricketers that have ever played the game.
Difficult to imagine how a support staff that includes Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Ricky Ponting, John Wright, Jonty Rhodes and Robin Singh could not produce a single win.
On the contrary, Kings XI Punjab, without any high-profile names in their coaching staff, have believed in their abilities and given the freedom to their players to express themselves in the middle. Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey have been their success stories so far.
Though still a long way to go, one would imagine this to be KXIP's bright chance to crown themselves as IPL kings, come June 1 by carrying on the momentum in familiar surroundings of India. But it is still early days. Teams like Mumbai Indians will only hope that luck changes for the better once they are in India. It is just a coincidence that the No. 1 team in the table with all five wins, KXIP, take on the last-placed MI in their first match in India at the hallowed Wankhede on Saturday.
It is an opportunity for Mumbai Indians to win back the faith of their supporters. Perhaps, the big-hitting Trinidadian Kieron Pollard found his timing right and nearly took Mumbai home with that hurricane knock on Wednesday night in Dubai. With a lot of questions being asked about Mumbai Indians' decision to retain players before, and their selection during, this year's auctions, Pollard needs to produce such knocks on a regular basis. Conditions in India will not differ much compared to what were on offer in the UAE. As TA Sekar, director of GMR Sports, owners of Delhi Daredevils, said, "There won't be much difference in the conditions. In India, you can prepare pitches to your taste and the home side tends to have the advantage."
But as have been seen in the earlier editions, there will be runs galore, and targets in excess of 200 will be chased down with ease. It is, perhaps, here that somebody like Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir will be happy to get back his confidence. His team's batting coach WV Raman said, "There is no hard and fast rule that Gambhir returning to form cannot happen in UAE or that it has to happen in India. It is just a case of one good innings."
And, that one good innings did come in KKR's last game when he made 45 against Rajasthan Royals before departing for India after his first four outings showed 0, 0, 0, 1. KXIP's head coach Sanjay Bangar said that the conditions are the same to all. He said: "Conditions in UAE are pretty similar to India. I think some pitches in India will help the bowlers a bit. It is equal for all the teams. It is just that every team has to cope up with the pitches in their own way."
Chennai Super Kings will play their home match at Ranchi's Jharkhand State Cricket Association's, the home of their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, against KKR in the first match of the India leg on Friday.

MI vs SRH: Mumbai still win-less after 15-run defeat
SRH 172-5 in 20 overs: David Warner (65 runs, 51b, 1x4, 4x6) hit a fighting half-century and combined well with Lokesh Rahul (46 runs, 40b, 3x4) for a superb 111-run partnership which set the tone for a fine win. Warner worked hard for runs initially but once he got his eye in and was settled, the Australian left-hander scored runs at a brisk pace.
Veteran paceman Zaheer Khan (2/26) bowled with good rhythm and succeeded in sending Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Aaron Finch (16) back to dugout inside the first five overs. The SRH skipper edged one to Harbhajan Singh in slips immediately after hitting a boundary while Finch, who yet again looked in good touch, failed to keep a drive on the ground and was caught in covers by Ben Dunk. Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh also bowled well and at the same time SRH batsmen did not lack in application and were maintaining a decent run-rate. Pragyan Ojha was the only Mumbai bowler who failed to make an impact.
He was hit for consecutive boundaries by Rahul and was also punished by Warner, who smashed the spinner to a huge six over the mid-wicket. In his first two overs, the left-arm spinner leaked 25 runs, allowing SRH to overcome the early loss of the openers. At half-way mark, SRH were 71 for two, albeit there were not much boundaries, only six at that stage. Warner and Rahul had to work hard for runs.
They relied on rotating the strike, rather then going for big shots. In fact, at one time, the gap between two boundaries was almost six overs. The shackles were broken when Ojha returned. He first fired his second wide for five runs and then Warner again hammered him for a massive six. Warner did not spare Pollard and even umpire Kumar Dharamasena, who was hit on his shoulders by one of his furious shots.
Mumbai 157-7 in 20 overs: When the captain himself is out within two overs, the rest of the team is bound to lose some confidence. Rohit Sharma (1) failed to give Mumbai the big start that they needed when he was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Corey Anderson (1) followed soon after and MI were reeling at 8-2 in 2.4 overs. It looked as if opener Ben Dunk's four fours would be the only positives in that opening period but then Ambati Rayudu (35 runs in 27 balls, 5x4) and Kieron Pollard (78 runs, 48b, 3x4, 6x6) stitched up a brilliant partnership worth 77 runs which gave them a glimmer of hope.
But Rayudu and Pollard were both out in the space of 14 balls. After that, it was easy pickings for SRH. They didn't really need to try for wickets and finished the 20 overs with ease. Mumbai eventually fell 16 runs short as the last four wickets went for just 13 runs.
Turning point: It would be harsh to say this, but until the wicket of Finch it looked like Mumbai were in control. As soon as Rahul came in, he and Warner just clicked and put a brilliant stand.
Man of the match: David Warner -- the Aussie has finally hit form and tonight's innings proved that again.

Australia return to top of test rankings
SYDNEY: Australia returned to the top of the test rankings for the first time since August 2009 on Thursday after sweeping an Ashes series and beating previous incumbents South Africa in their own backyard over the last six months.
The Proteas, who had topped the rankings since displacing England in August 2012, slipped below Australia after the results from the 2010-11 season were dropped from the calculations.
The Australians have also retained their top ranking in one-day internationals ahead of India, who have fallen from third to fifth in the test rankings behind the top two nations as well as England and Pakistan.
"We are incredibly proud to be the number-one ranked team in the world in both test and ODI cricket, which are two of the team´s most important goals," said Australia captain Michael Clarke.
"There has been an enormous amount of hard work and effort on and off the field that has led to this result. "However, the true test of a great side is sustained success and now our goal is to maintain these rankings and continue to play great cricket as we lead into challenging test series against Pakistan and India, and the ICC Cricket World Cup at home."
Australia topped the rankings from their inauguration in 2003 to 2009 before being displaced briefly by South Africa, with India (2009-2011) and England (2011-2012) then ruling the roost.

IPL scam: Supreme Court reserves order on constituting panel to probe Srinivasan
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on constituting a probe panel to investigate allegations against N. Srinivasan and 12 cricketers in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.
A bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik, which had suggested that the probe be conducted by the Justice Mudgal Committee, reserved the order after BCCI and Mr. Srinivasan opposed further investigation by the committee and pleaded for setting up a fresh panel.
The bench said it cannot come to any findings regarding the allegations leveled by the Mudgal committee report against Mr. Srinivasan and 12 others until a duly constituted probe committee looks into the allegations.
The court said that it had suggested further probe by the Mudgal Committee itself to maintain confidentiality of the allegations. It said that the allegations would be known to other people if a fresh panel comprising new members is allowed to conduct the probe.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the Committee whether it will be willing to conduct further probe against Mr. Srinivasan and 12 others in the scandal.
It had said that the committee will be given assistance by investigating agencies if it agrees to conduct further probe against 13 people who were named by it in a sealed envelope after it conducted initial investigation in the scandal.
BCCI had also informed the court that it had decided to constitute a three-member panel to further probe the scandal but the bench said it will pass the order after hearing all the parties and after considering Justice Mudgal Committee’s reply.
The all-powerful working committee of the Board had in its emergent meeting on April 20 decided to suggest the names of former all-rounder Ravi Shastri, former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice JN Patel and ex-CBI director R.K. Raghavan as members of the probe committee.
The apex court had on April 16 expressed reservations over a SIT or CBI probe, saying that institutional autonomy of the Board has to be maintained and a committee constituted by the BCCI to look into the issue would be preferred.
The court had said that it cannot “close its eyes” to the allegations made by its probe committee in the scandal and a probe must be conducted to clear the air as some prominent players were named in the report submitted in sealed envelop.
Earlier, Justice Mudgal, who had headed a three-member committee, had submitted a report in a sealed envelope to the court.

Indian Premier League: Mumbai Indians look to heal wounds, face Sunrisers Hyderabad
Dubai: Languishing at the bottom of the table, defending champions Mumbai Indians will be desperate to end their winless streak in their final match of the first leg of IPL in the UAE when they lock horns with another struggling outfit, Sunrisers Hyderabad, here on Wednesday.
This is Mumbai Indians' last chance to redeem themselves in the seventh edition of the cash-rich event before the action shifts to India.
Placed last in the eight-team league after losing all four of their matches so far, the title holders will not get a better chance of opening their account than taking on a lowly Sunrisers, who are just a shade better with only a win and three losses.
Mumbai batting has come a cropper till now. Despite some big names in their ranks, they have managed just a few fine knocks among them. The likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, Mike Hussey, Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard have failed to fire in unison.
Ambati Rayadu has shown glimpses of his talent, but none were match-winning efforts.
Come Wednesday, Mumbai will need all these hard-hitting batsmen to contribute if they want to end their drought in the desert.
As far as the bowling is concerned, Indian veterans -- Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh -- will need to bring in all their experience to effect a turnaround.
Although mercurial speedster Lasith Malinga has been both economical as well as amongst wickets, he has fallen short of his ability to run through any batting line-up.
Mumbai will require their bowling spearhead to rise to the occasion.Besides, the team will also expect Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan's spin partner, Anderson and Pollard to fire as an unit.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have seen just two batsmen, Aaron Finch and David Warner, making a mark so far in the tournament. While the team will bank heavily on Finch and Warner yet again, it is high time that skipper and opener Shikhar Dhawan demonstrate his batting prowess.
The middle-order, with the likes of Lokesh Rahul, Y Venugopal Rao and Darren Sammy, also need to play key roles.
Their bowlers haven't done too badly till now.

KKR look for turnaround against Rajasthan on Tuesday
Hit hard by the woeful form of its captain Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders would look for a turnaround in their fortunes when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday. Kolkata is struggling in their batting department with Gambhir having been dismissed for a duck thrice in the four matches he has led the team so far. He scored just one in Kolkata’s last match against leaders Kings XI Punjab, which his side lost by 23 runs.
The 2012 edition champions have one of the strongest batting line-ups among the eight IPL teams but none of their batsmen, except Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, have been consistent so far. Their batting problem was compounded by the disappointing form of big hitter Yusuf Pathan, who has scored just 17 in the four outings till now.
After a bright start in the tournament with a victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians, Kolkata have been finding it difficult to click as a team. Had it not been the stunning catch by Chris Lynn to dismiss A B de Villiers, Kolkata would have lost their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 24 in Sharjah.
Kolkata though still have time to come back with a bang as it is early days in the tournament and despite their inconsistent form, they are still in the third place in the league table with two wins from four matches.
With the likes of mystery spinner Sunil Narine, highest wicket-taker so far this season with nine scalps to his credit, in fine touch and the bowling department comparatively doing well, Kolkata would be hoping to end the UAE leg of their campaign on a winning note on Tuesday.
Just like Kolkata, Rajasthan also began their campaign with a victory but suffered two consecutive losses before winning their last match against Bangalore. They also have same points with Kolkata on four.
The Jaipur-based side have also been facing problems at the top with openers Abhishek Nayar and Ajinkya Rahane failing to give a strong start in the four matches they have played so far.
The win against Bangalore in their last match must have boosted the confidence of Rajasthan, more so with their captain Shane Watson’s return to batting form and picking up a wicket in that match.
Rajasthan’s bowling department, which does not have any big name, has been doing a fine job. Except against the rampaging Kings XI Punjab, the Rajasthan bowlers have restricted their opponents to modest totals and it will be interesting to see when they come up against the likes of Kallis and Gambhir on Tuesday.
Pacer Rajat Bhatia and off-spinner Kane Richardson have been consistent while leg-spinner Pravin Tambe scalped four in Rajasthan’s thrashing of Bangalore in their last match.

Indian women's hockey team goes down 2-4 to Korea
GLASGOW: Indian women's hockey team went down fighting against Korea 2-4 in their opening match of the Champions Challenge 1. The Indian team opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Vandana Katariya's field goal.
The Koreans, however, struck back immediately and scored the equaliser in the 14th minute through the stick of Mihyun Park.
The Koreans again scored in the 24th and 25th minute taking the scorecard to 3-1 at the end of the first session.
The Indian team maintained a steady attack in the second half but was unable to stop their opponents from scoring again in the 42nd minute which they converted through a penalty corner.

The Indian women reduced the margin in the 69th minute through a field goal from Poonam Rani to lose the match 2-4.
India play hosts Scotland tomorrow in their second match in Pool A.

It was a complete performance by CSK, says MS Dhoni
Abu Dhabi: Chennai Super Kings crushed Delhi Daredevils by 93 runs to record their first win in this year's Indian Premier League and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni termed his side's outing as a "complete performance".
Chennai first rode on Suresh Raina's fine half-century and a late burst from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to post a competitive 177 and then came up with a disciplined bowling and fielding effort to bundle out the Daredevils for a paltry 84 in 15.4 overs. "It was a complete performance. Catches win matches and it was proved. This was a perfect game for us," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here.
"There was a bit of help for fast bowlers. Seven batsmen should be good enough. We had a day off and fielding is something we always emphasise on and it can be a benchmark for forthcoming games," he added.
Losing skipper Dinesh Karthik feels it was an achievable target. He also said that injury to Nathan Couter-Nile at the start of the match hurt their cause.
"Coulter-Nile will be out for some time, pulled his hamstring. To have lost him that early was a blow for us. But the target was gettable if we batted better," he said.
"The ball was seaming. Under the lights it was doing a bit more. I would have batted second anyway had I won the toss." Raina, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his 41-ball 56-run knock and three catches, said fielding played a big role in Chennai's win.
"We bowled really well. We won the match because of the fielding. The pitch was doing something. The new ball does do more under lights," he said.
He also praised young Ishwar Pandey who picked up two wickets for 23 runs in his first match. "I think Ishwar Pandey won us the game today."

Supreme Court rejects BCCI's proposed panel to probe IPL scam, asks Mudgal committee if it can help
The Supreme Court has rejected the three-member Board of Control for Cricket in India panel that was proposed to investigate the Indian Premier League 2013 scam. The cricket fraternity was divided over the selection of former Test all-rounder Ravi Shastri, ex-Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Jai Narain Patel and former CBI boss RK Raghavan by the BCCI. The court had last week directed the Board to suggest a committee that could investigate the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting scandal. Thirteen names, including that of suspended BCCI president N. Srinivasan, figure in an inquiry committee report submitted to the apex court.

The Supreme Court has now asked Justice Mukul Mudgal whether he will be able to probe the scam with the help of investigators. In February this year, the Mudgal committee had submitted a report to the court after a four-month probe. Mudgal has to reply by 2 PM today.
BCCI's panel is facing conflict of interest questions. While Shastri is on the pay-rolls of the BCCI, Patel is related to BCCI's vice-president and currently interim head Shivlal Yadav. Raghavan is secretary of a club affiliated to under Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Srinivasan is the president of TNCA.
On a court directive and under pressure from a section of the Board, the BCCI held an emergency working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon to pick a panel. The Board members took almost three hours to decide three names. The Board proceedings were quite acrimonious, according to sources.

BCCI's list ran into heavy weather with two former BCCI presidents slamming the choice of the panelists. Former BCCI president Shashank Manohar opposed Shastri's inclusion, saying he was a paid employee of the Board and was on more than one important IPL committees. Shastri, who is commentating in the ongoing IPL in UAE, is known to be close to Srinivasan. Manohar, who represented Vidarbha Cricket Association, said the former Test all-rounder's choice was thus a clear case of conflict of interest.
Manohar objected to Raghavan's name as well but the former CBI boss prevailed on votes. Raghavan, who headed the CBI during the match-fixing inquiry in 2000, was one of the 52 people who deposed before the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee.

On Monday evening, former BCCI president Sharad Pawar echoed Manohar's sentiments and went a step further. Pawar objected to Justice Patel's selection saying he was Yadav's brother-in-law. It was yet another case of conflict of interest, said Pawar.
There is pressure on the Supreme Court from the petitioner's counsel to order a CBI or NIA probe into the IPL scam. Last week, the Supreme Court indicated that it wanted to protect the BCCI's "autonomy" by ordering an independent probe. But at the same time the judges added "if compelled, they may even hand it over to the CBI."

Aditya Verma opposes BCCI's probe panel, Shastri's inclusion
The unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar chief Aditya Verma, who has dragged BCCI to the Supreme Court over the IPL spot-fixing scandal, on Sunday opposed the three-member committee suggested by the board to the SC to probe into the case.
Verma demanded a probe by either the Central Bureau of Investigation or National Intelligence Agency into the IPL scandal. "Only CBI or NIA inquiry is acceptable for me because if Hon'ble apex court-formed Justice Mudgal Committee is not acceptable by the BCCI then why I will consider their probe panel," said Verma in a statement.
"On 22.04.2014 behalf of my CAB I will strongly object of this BCCI panel in Supreme Court and strongly demand for CBI or NIA inquiry. Only apex court can change the image of BCCI," he said.
Verma objected to the inclusion of former India allrounder Ravi Shastri in the three member panel suggested by the BCCI to the SC in its emergent Working Committee meeting in Mumbai. The other two members are former chief justice of Calcutta High Court JN Patel and ex-CBI director RK Raghavan.
"I have no doubt about credential of two members but Mr Ravi Shastri is a paid employee of BCCI from long time. Last few days after IPL 6 scam he always read shrini chalisha, so no hope from Shastri," Verma said.
Verma has earlier demanded that the board's former president Shashank Manohar head the panel to probe into the IPL scandal.

Joshna Chinappa stuns top seed to win Richmond Open
Richmond: Joshna Chinappa ended a career-long losing run to Australia's former world champion Rachael Grinham when she upset the top seed in straight games to win the inaugural $10,000 Richmond Open.
World No.21 Chinappa beat her 16th-ranked opponent 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 for the first time in six meetings to bag her ninth Women's Squash Association (WSA) tour title at the Country Club of Virginia on Saturday.
With the victory, Chinappa also avenged her defeat of the Texas Open last week when she lost to the 37-year-old Australian in just 24 minutes. For Grinham, it was the 65th final appearance since making her first tour final back in March 1998 while it was the 16th final for the Indian.
Tournament spokesman Kristen Lange narrated the final. "Starting the first game, Grinham came out swinging, firing her way to a 6-2 lead - however Chinappa surged back through consistent play to level the game off at 6-6," Lange said.
"From here it was a battle to 11, with the lead oscillating between the two players until a couple unfortunate mistakes gave Chinappa the first game," he said.
Chinappa dominated the second game before Grinham fought back in the third. "The start of the third game was once again all Chinappa as she quickly sailed to an 8-2 lead. Never one to be counted out Grinham fought her way back to 8-8, however it was a case of too little too late as Grinham made three critical errors to give Joshana her first win over the courageous Australian," Lange added.

IPL Scandal: Aditya Verma for Shashank Manohar as probe panel head
New Delhi: The unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar chief Aditya Verma, who has shaken the BCCI by dragging it to the Supreme Court over the IPL spot-fixing scandal, has demanded that the Board's former President Shashank Manohar head the probe panel against the scam.
In a statement issued on Friday, Verma said the BCCI, which has called an emergent meeting of its all-powerful working committee, should hand over the investigation into the IPL corruption case to a panel headed by Manohar. ALSO SEE A timeline of India's biggest cricket controversy
= "Only Mr. Manohar can clean the image of BCCI and IPL," Verma said in his statement.
The matter is scheduled to be heard in the top court on April 22 next and Verma said he would oppose any other name suggested by the BCCI.
"Till the probe is concluded, CAB demands a good governance review committee for BCCI. Several former office-bearers of BCCI, like Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, Mr. AC Muthaih, Mr I S Bindra, Chirayu Amin, Ajay Shirke, Sanjay Jagdale and Niranjan Shah are very much capable of improving the administrative function of BCCI," he said.
"Due to any reason if BCCI fails to make Mr Manohar the head of the probe panel, the CAB will strongly object to any other suggestion in the Supreme Court on next date," he added.

Ajinkya Rahane was confident about Rajasthan's victory over Sunrisers
Abu Dhabi: His patient half-century on Friday helped Rajasthan Royals notch up a four-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL and Ajinkya Rahane said that he backed his instinct and was confident that one big partnership would take his team home comfortably.
"When three wickets fall, I wanted to bat as long as possible, I knew we just needed one big partnership," said Rahane, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 53-ball 59 which was studded with six fours. "Me and Binny enjoy each other's company very well and it helped us in the middle today. He has improved a lot. I backed my instincts. I decided to take one ball at a time."
Rahane also praised the bowlers from both the camp for exploiting the conditions well.
"Our bowlers did a good job but credit also goes to Sunrisers bowlers. They bowled very well in the first six overs. It was difficult to bat then. We just wanted to get the momentum going and play to our strength," he said.
Talking about the run-chase, Rajasthan skipper Shane Watson said, "It was a slightly smaller score than we expected. But with the quality they have in their bowling 134 was always going to be challenging to chase down. The wicket played very nicely."
"Rahane and Binny really held their nerves in the middle to build up a really good partnership," he said.
Hyderabad skipper Shikhar Dhawan said, "I think 150 would have been good total, we were short by 20-30 runs and it cost us the game.
"It was double paced and swinging initially. We were striking the ball well but unfortunately we could not go through our half century and so we got into the back foot.
"We had the confidence of defending the total. Last year we did defend low scores. Our bowlers did a good job. Our batsmen need to score more runs."

Virat Kohli defends Yuvraj Singh, says "unfair" to doubt him
Abu Dhabi: Star batsman Virat Kohli on Thursday, termed the criticism directed to his India team-mate Yuvraj Singh for his performance in the recent World Twenty20 loss for India against Sri Lanka in Bangladesh as "unfair".
"Yuvraj got criticism recently, it's unfair. He has won us two World Cups (2007 T20 and 2011 50-over), he's a proven match-winner and it's important to back a player like him," Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said after his side's eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here.
Yuvraj on Thursday, hit an unbeaten 52 and shared 84 runs for the unconquered third wicket with Kohli (49 not out) to help RCB chased down the target of 146 with 20 balls to spare. Kohli praised his bowlers for restricting the Daredevils to 145 for four.
"It was a 170-plus track and to hold them down to 145 was big. Chahal did extremely well, Varun as well and Mitch too," he said. Kohli was dropped on 23 and 24 and asked about that, he said, "That's what I was telling Yuvi in the middle, if those were mis-hits they wouldn't have gone to hand."
Delhi Daredevils captain Dinesh Karthik conceded that his side were beaten in all departments of the game. "We didn't bat well enough though Taylor and JP Duminy had a great partnership. Duminy absorbed the pressure brilliantly and hit some lusty blows at the end," said Karthik who stood in for an injured Kevin Pietersen.
"They (RCB) batted well, kept playing their shots, came off, bad fielding. It looks like that when the opponent is hammering you.
"It's the first game of the season and we're getting used to who performs which role and it's important for us to learn and come back in the next game." Man-of-the-match Yuzvendra Chahal of RCB said, "It's my second match in IPL, I played one for Mumbai. I got confidence seeing the first ball turn. It is great to have the support of the captain Kohli, choosing me as the spinner over a player like Murali in the squad.

IPL 7, CSK vs KXIP, Live cricket score: Two-time champions face off against perennial underdogs
One team has won the Indian Premier League title twice. The other has been unable to make a strong impact in the previous six editions so far. Chennai Super Kings take on Kings XI Punjab in Friday's first match and ground realities show that the 'vast difference' between the two may not count for much. The updates:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been the undisputed giants of Indian Premier League (IPL) for several years. Having won the title twice (2011 and 2012), Mahendra Singh Dhoni has marshaled his men well to bring down opposing teams. The last one year though has been unlike any before. Controversies off the field have threatened to steal the thunder from the Men in Yellow. The objective in front of this team though is clear - play hard, play well and play to win not just the title but hearts as well.
Kings XI Punjab are standing in the way of CSK. This team has always been the one to beat to collect full points and move ahead in the table. The script may change this year as George Bailey leads the team under the watchful eyes of the only Indian coach in IPL - Sanjay Bangar. And then there is Virender Sehwag who is a man on a mission - raring to prove that he is still an attacker-par-excellence. The team has several other quality stars including David Miller, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson who can thwart any challenge that is thrown at them. A win in the opening match and a win against a quality side like CSK can bolster the morale of the side and keep it up through the course of the tournament.

IPL RETURNS TO FIELD
In its brief seven-year history, Indian Premier League on Wednesday enters it’s most crucial edition yet as it aims to clear the dark shadows of fixing and corruption that kept its future in doubt throughout last year. Ironically, the cleaning up starts in the United Arab Emirates — a place India decidedly avoided for close to 14 years for the same corruption issues.
Though the IPL is going to spend only 15 days in the UAE (due to the Lok Sabha elections in India), it can’t afford to lower the guard and let the rogue elements seep through. Everybody involved, including interim president Sunil Gavaskar, needs to be extra vigilant because if the biggest cricket league in the world can come out unblemished, it will do a lot of good to its badly hurt credibility.
Hopefully, enough steps are being taken to regain the trust of its huge fan base, which has been its biggest strength. And, having seen the humiliation and impending harsh punishment to the three players who were involved in the last year’s spot-fixing scandal, players as well as officials would themselves be wary of crossing the line.
“It’s going to be a big challenge. I am sure the teams and owners must have been briefed about what is required and what is not required. IPL is a very precious property and the BCCI would do anything to protect it,” former Test spinner Maninder Singh said.
Window of Opportunity
While IPL is hoping for a favourable turn in its fortunes this year, cricketers are trying hard to not get affected by all the negativism surrounding the event and planning to get noticed through on-field performances.
With the 2015 World Cup less than 10 months away, the players who believe they are contenders will try to use the IPL as a platform to convince selectors about their potential and form.
The inconsistency of India’s opening pair, shaky form of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina’s perceived inability to counter pace and bounce create a few openings in the national squad. Young and not-so-young, all are eyeing a spot and there is no better success route than the IPL. Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Sourabh Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara, all are harbouring aspirations to take that middle-order spot while Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will be aiming to have a final shot at redemption.
“I am looking forward to this IPL. I will bat the way I like to bat — go there and smash it, and leave the bowlers scared,” Sehwag said on the KXIP Hangout.
“Gambhir and Sehwag are tried and tested players. If they start scoring runs consistently, they will be in the reckoning. They don’t need to prove themselves. They have already proved their mental strength. They have proved that they are made for big and quality cricket. It’s just that they haven’t been scoring runs consistently,” Maninder said.
High-profile Guiding lights
It will not be just players who will be looking to outwit their opponents; this IPL will also see some intriguing tactical battles between some of the high-profile coaches. Delhi Daredevils have brought Guru Gary (Kirsten), who helped India win 2011 World Cup, Mumbai Indians have the services of coach John Wright and mentor Anil Kumble, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings have two intelligent Kiwis — Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming respectively — to guide them. If that’s not enough, Rajasthan Royals have persuaded Rahul Dravid and Sunrisers Hyderabad are guided by the duo of Tom Moody and VVS Laxman. Not to forget Trevor Bayliss and Wasim Akram of Kolkata Knight Riders.
However, after a year full of controversies and court-room drama, the biggest relief for all cricket fans will be the return of IPL to the cricket field.

N. Srinivasan named in IPL spot-fixing probe report, says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Wednesday revealed that N. Srinivasan's name figures in the inquiry report submitted by the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee on February 10. The court said that Srinivasan cannot discharge any function inside BCCI. On Tuesday, Srinivasan appealed to the Supreme Court to reinstate him as BCCI chief. He was removed on March 28. The court said its interim order will stand.
The top court also said that Sundar Raman can continue as the Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Premier League. The interim BCCI president Sunil Gavaskar has recommended that Sundar Raman can continue, the court informed.
The Supreme Court's mood has been explosive. Justice AK Patnaik, one of the two judges who had heard this case throughout, is retiring on June 3. Before going, will he make some landmark decisions in a bid to rid Indian cricket of betting and match-fixing? On March 25, the Supreme Court bench slammed Srinivasan saying: "It's nauseating that N. Srinivasan continued as BCCI chief, he should go if cricket has to be cleaned." But Srinivasan is in no mood to throw in the towel easily.
Here's a look back at the top 10 developments of the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing scam (latest first):

1. On April 15, Srinivasan files an affidavit saying the Supreme Court should reinstate him as BCCI president. Srinivasan says he is innocent and allegations of conflict of interest were baseless. He also says that he never tried to hide the real identity of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who has been indicted by a court-appointed inquiry committee for betting and sharing team (Chennai Super Kings) information.
2. On April 11, Supreme Court refuses to hand over to BCCI lawyers the audio recording of statements made by Dhoni, Srinivasan and Indian Premier League Chief Operating Officer Sunder Raman. All three had deposed before the Justice Mukul Mudgal probe panel. The tapes are in a sealed envelope in possession of the bench.
3. On April 11, suspended IPS officer Sampath Kumar wants Special Investigation Team to probe BCCI and players linked with Indian Premier League match-fixing and betting scam. He files a petition in the Supreme Court saying his transfer and suspension from Tamil Nadu crime branch was motivated and an act of a powerful lobby trying to hush up the IPL scandal.
4. On April 9, BCCI moves a petition requesting the Supreme Court to share transcripts of the audio tapes containing conversation between the probe panel and Dhoni among others. The petitioner's counsel charged Dhoni for not revealing the real identity of Meiyappan. Dhoni apparently told the panel that Meiyappan was "an enthusiast" when Srinivasan's son-in-law actually ran the CSK show.
5. On March 28, Supreme Court suspends Srinivasan as BCCI president. In its interim order, the court says Srinivasan will be replaced by former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav. Gavaskar was given charge of IPL affairs while Yadav was entrusted with non-IPL issues. This is the first time when a top court 'suspended' a Board official. Court says final hearing on April 16.
6. On March 25, the court slams Srinivasan for corruption in Indian cricket. The judges rebuke the 69-year-old Tamil Nadu strongman for conflict of interest and say he must go to rid cricket of corruption.
7. On March 7, BCCI lawyers tell the Supreme Court not to reveal details in the sealed envelope as it contains "speculative and baseless charges against leading cricketers."
8. On February 10, the Justice Mudgal-led panel submits it report to the Supreme Court. It submits two reports and a sealed envelope that has confidential but unverified content.
9. In October, the Supreme Court appoints a three-member committee headed by a retired judge (Mukul Mudgal) to probe allegations of betting and match-fixing. The panel gets four months to file its report.
10. The case dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised the issue of conflict of interest in the formation of a BCCI commissioned two-member inquiry panel. Retired judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian found "no evidence of any wrongdoing" on the part of Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra. Verma filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court. The judges termed the probe panel "illegal". The BCCI challenged the Bombay High Court order in Supreme Court.

Delhi Daredevils say no to gifts during IPL 7
While the governing council of the Indian Premier League has done its best to ensure that incidents of fixing - as witnessed in the sixth edition - doesn't return to haunt one of the most prolific domestic T20 tournament in the world, even franchises are doing their bit to refurbish the image of the tainted league. And that is the main reason why the Delhi Daredevils management has asked its players and coaching staff to not accept any gift during the seventh edition of the IPL.
Speaking to Mail Today, one of the officials said that despite the IPL guidelines allowing players to accept gifts, the Daredevils management felt that it was in the best interest of both the league and the individuals concerned that no gifts are accepted.
"Despite the guidelines of the IPL, allowing players or support staff to accept gifts, it was the decision of the management - GMR group - that nobody should accept any gift - irrespective of whether it is big or small. The IPL guidelines state that while token gifts can be accepted by a player, the individual needs to inform the IPL authorities if they are accepting something that is exorbitantly priced. But then, we felt that doing away with the whole concept of accepting gifts was the best thing to do," he said.
Another official echoed said that it was a move in the right direction as sometimes dubious people pretend to be fans and increase proximity by sending gifts. "The IPL is a format which has a lot of fan following. It creates an environment for dubious characters to gain access to players and officials on the pretext of wanting to click pictures or get autographs or gift things to an individual. This is definitely a positive effort," he said.

Olympic legend Michael Phelps coming out of retirement
Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement, the first step toward possibly swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 22-time Olympic medalist will compete for the first time since the 2012 London Games at a meet in Mesa, Ariz., on April 24-26. Bob Bowman, the swimmer's longtime coach, told The Associated Press on Monday that Phelps is entered in three events — the 50- and 100-meter freestyles and the 100 butterfly.
"I think he's just going to test the waters a little bit and see how it goes," Bowman said by phone from Baltimore. "I wouldn't say it's a full-fledged comeback."
Phelps returned to training last fall and re-entered the U.S. drug-testing program. He has completed his six-month waiting period by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to be eligible for competition.
Bowman said Phelps is "pretty far" from being back in top form. He's been training Monday through Friday with Bowman's team at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.
epa03330824 US swimmer Michael Phelps celebrates after swimming the final leg of the gold-medal winning US Men's 4X200m Freestyle Relay to win the gold medal during the London 2012 Olympic Games Swimming competition, London, Britain, 31 July 2012. The medal is Phelps 19th Olympic medal overall setting an all-time record for medals won by an Athlete.
"He's gotten back into good shape since September," the coach said. "He can give a good effort and certainly not be embarrassed. He's in enough shape to swim competitively."
Besides Phelps, USA Swimming said Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky are among those expected to swim in the Arena Grand Prix at Skyline Aquatic Center.
Phelps turns 29 in June and is the winningest and most decorated athlete in Olympic history. He captured 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall at the last three Summer Games. He broke Mark Spitz's record for a single Olympics by winning eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008.
Phelps had vowed that he wouldn't swim into his 30s. Since retiring less than two years ago, he has stayed busy with a chain of swim schools, a foundation focused on water safety and appearances on behalf of his sponsors. He devoted lots of time to golf and participated in a reality show with famed coach Hank Haney.
His camp is being low-key about the comeback.
"I think he's just really enjoying it," Bowman said. "He enjoys the training and being physically fit. He just kind of wants to see where he's at. It's more really for fun. It's been nice for me to see him swim just for the joy of it really." In Mesa, Phelps will swim 100 free and 100 fly preliminaries on the first day. Then, if he qualifies, he'll decide which race to swim for the evening finals, Bowman said. He'll swim the 50 free on the second day and might swim the 50 fly "just for fun," the coach added.
Phelps will stick to the shorter races and some relays rather than the grueling individual medleys he swam during the height of his career.
"He's really doing this because he wants to — there's no outside pressure at all," Bowman said.
Olympian Jessica Hardy, who will compete in Mesa, said many swimmers were surprised by news of Phelps' comeback.

Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2014: Gautam Gambhir-led side aim to repeat IPL 5’s performance
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) once in the 2012 edition. But in the last season in 2013, they were not really up to their mark. As the teams gear up for IPL 7, all eyes will be fixed on the Gautam Gambhir-led side that has new players in their squad. Abhishek Borwankar previews the team ahead of IPL 2014…
This year’s edition which will be starting on the April 16 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would be hoping to do a lot better than their previous show and make it to the knockout stages. In last year’s edition, they only finished at the disappointing seventh spot. They were e expected to do lot better than that as they were the defending champions. Kolkata has maintained their core squad and has bought in some new talent in this year’s IPL. Let’s have a look at some of the key features of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the IPL 2014 season.
Captain
Despite not finding a place in the Indian national side, Gautam Gambhir was retained by KKR and will be the captaining the side again. He lost his place in the Indian squad to Shikhar Dhawan and is finding it difficult to make it back.
He was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and captained the side to IPL success in first season itself. There are expectations that KKR have to live up to these expectations and Gambhir would be hoping his team provides the necessary support and performances to help them retain the trophy. The conditions in UAE are very similar to that of India, so adjusting to the conditions in the first of the leg of the league won’t be difficult for him.
Key Indian Players
To have success in the IPL, it is very essential to have good Indian players in their camp. In the batting department, KKR have the likes of Robin Uthappa who can open the batting for them and even keep wickets. He is a destructive batsman and Gambhir will be hoping the veteran cricketer in the Indian domestic circuit delivers on the big stage. Manvinder Bisla is similar to Uthappa and was their key batsman in the IPL 2012. Yusuf Pathan is also a strong middle-order batsman who can change the game at his will with powerful strokes. But his inconsistency has been a worry in the past. He can chip in with the bowl too. Manish Pandey and Debabrata Das will be hoping to make an impression in this year’s edition.
In the bowling department, KKR have Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla. They all have had stints with Indian national team, so Gambhir will be hoping to use their experience. Yadav has the pace and Vinay Kumar has had a lot of experience with Royal Challengers Bangalore. They have also picked the young talent of Kuldeep Yadav. The Chinaman spinner will be an option that will be bring variation in the bowling attack.

Can Indian Super League revive the sorry state of Indian football?
Seeking to revolutionise football in the country, organisers of the much-anticipated Indian Super League unveiled the eight franchises on Sunday, with cricket legends, Bollywood stars and industrialists winning the bid for owning the franchises.
The forthcoming two-month tournament marks a latest attempt to popularise the most watched sport in India. The ISL's organisers, which also include sports management group IMG Worldwide, said cricket players Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, and high-profile film actors such as Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham head franchises when the ball kicks-off in September. This is being seen as an unrivalled football championship in the country once called 'sleeping giant' by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and it aims to foster local talent by featuring international stars. Playing with a superior level of foreign professionals will also help India's local players to improve their game even though the iconic footballers that the franchises will hire may be past their prime.
Each franchise is expected to register a minimum 22 players for the two-month affair out of which 10 will be foreigners and five can be fielded in the playing XI. The initial success of the ISL will depend on the icon players such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Hernan Crespo, Dwight Yorke, Louis Saha and the list goes on and on. These big names will surely attract crowd to the fields and will increase the popularity of sport in the country.
For long, the industrialists and business houses have been shy to invest in Indian football. But now with the coming of the ISL, some big businessmen have come and money will be poured in Indian football now and that will surely help Indian footballers in the future.

ISSF Shotgun World Cup: Manavjit Singh Sandhu pips Michael Diamond to clinch gold
NEW DELHI: India's Manavjit Singh Sandhu produced some excellent shooting to clinch the men's trap gold medal ahead of two-time Olympic champion Michael Diamond at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, USA.
The 37-year-old Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee shot scores of 121 and 13 in the qualification and finals, respectively, to finish on the podium with the yellow metal dangling around his neck.
It was some achievement by the former world number one Indian and world champion as he was up against Australia's Diamond, who had won the top prize in the 1996 Atlanta and Sydney Olympics in 2009, besides winning five gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
On Friday, Diamond shot 119 and nine in the qualifications and finals, respectively.
Manavjit scored 14 out of 15 targets in the semifinals. The Indian sharpshooter had last won at the World Cup stage four years ago.
The bronze medal went to Alexey Alipov of Russia who shot 121 and 12. Ireland's Derek Burnett, who topped the scoring in the qualifications with 123, failed to replicate his form in the semifinals where six shooters competed.
"We had some of the world's best shooters competing today. Winning the match against Michael Diamond has been definitely challenging but at the end you have to hit your own target, and the final score is what it is," Manavjit said after his win.
"I have prepared for this first World Cup throughout the winter season. We had several championships and trials in India in the last months. I never stopped shooting," the shooter, currently ranked 16th in the world, added.
One of the finest shotgun shooters in the country, Manavjit had last month clinched the Patiala Cup for the overall gross score in trap, double trap and skeet, at the Indian Shotgun Open here.
In the 2012 London Olympics, Manavjit finished 16th in the qualification round at the Royal Artillery Barracks and failed to enter the final of men's trap event.
But this win will warm him up nicely for the busy international calendar ahead, with the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Asian Games all lined up from July to September.
As many as 64 quota places for 2016 Rio Olympics will be up for grabs at the World Championships, scheduled to be held later this year in Grenada, Spain.

Introducing the Sunrisers Hyderabad for This IPL
With Krishnamachari Srikkanth around, the atmosphere in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room brims with joviality. And when the Aussie coach Tom Moody and former elegant batsman VVS Laxman join the ‘party’, the ambience gets even more livelier. The IPL-7 is around the corner but neither tension nor nervousness is evident anywhere. Instead there is camaraderie and bonhomie among the players.
‘President’ Srikkanth, in fact, stepped into the role of a journalist and started asking his players questions at the press conference of the Sunrisers team here on Friday, which also had ‘Prime minister’ Moody and ‘Dy Prime Minister’ Laxman present.
The former national selector’s first question veered towards fast bowler Ishant Sharma.
“You are a prime bowler who has been winning us many matches last year. How do you feel this year?” asked Srikkanth. Ishant’s prompt and typical reply was, “Thank you for asking the question. I will try my level best to do well, what I did last time.”
The former cricketer, who was at his lively best, asked about the the musketeers of the team -- leg spinner Amit Mishra, West Indies skipper Darren Sammy and fast bowler Ishant Sharma.
“How do you like that,” he prompted, to which Ishant said the combination of three musketeers was different. “One is black (laughs), one is short and the other is tall. We enjoy each other’s company and make sure that we have a lot of fun.”
The mentor then turned his attention to all-rounder Karn Sharma, whom he was referred as the ‘magic leg spinner’. “Karnbhai, hindi mein baat karange ya English (we can speak in Hindi or English). I think you came into the lime light for brilliant performances. How confident are you?”
Just as confident as last year, responded the sportsman. Sharma was one of the top gainers with `3.5 crore and was retained for his solid performances from last year.
This year sees the entry of Irfan Pathan’s into the team, a fact that was warmly welcomed by Srikkanth. On asking him about his experience of working with Moody and the new team, Pathan assured that that the ball was still swinging. “The first two days have been wonderful which I can see as the team atmosphere is very good. As you can see, there is a lot of laughter and quite a relaxed one and the team is very focused. It is good to be part of such a team this season.”
Shifting focus briefly, Srikkanth drew attention to Andhra cricketer Y Venugopala Rao who was also present, calling him an old warhorse and a good batsman, before concluding with wicketkeeper Naman Ojha, whom he referred to as a clean striker of the ball.

Court to rule on April 16 on BCCI demand for return of IPL-6 audio tapes
Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) Secretary Aditya Verma on Friday said the court will give its views on issues related to an appeal made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the return of audio tapes containing conversations of N.Srinivasan, IPL CEO Sundar Raman and Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni on April 16.
"As you know, the BCCI has filed an application that they needed Dhoni, Sundar Raman and Srinivasan's audio and visual statements, which they made in front of the (Justice Mukul Mudgal) commission. Our counsel, senior advocate Ajit Sinha, raised an objection that technically the BCCI secretary doesn't have any right to say anything on behalf of them through an affidavit. The judge said that he will not go into technicalities. Our counsel also said that whatever materials are there, should be made available to us in an envelope as well," Verma said.
"In the mean time, the Mudgal Commission secretary said whatever demands have been made, these materials are with him, and that it is not in a sealed envelope. So after listening to all the arguments, the judge fixed the next date of hearing for April 16," Verma added.
The Justice Mukul Mudgal-led committee, which was appointed in October 2013 by the court, had recorded statements made by Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Board president and CSK owner N. Srinivasan and Indian Premier League Chief Operating Officer Sunder Raman.
All three of them had deposed before the commission headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal. The panel after its investigation had submitted a sealed envelope to the two-judge Supreme Court bench on February 10 that contained many allegations of sporting fraud.
Verma stated that his counsel also raised the issue of stopping Srinivasan from attending the ICC's Executive Board meeting in Dubai , to which the judge said that he will hear it on April 16th itself.

Darren Sammy credits explosive batting to 'clarity in thinking'
St. Lucia: West Indies Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy says his blistering batting in the recently concluded World Twenty20 in Bangladesh has stemmed from clarity in thinking.
Speaking to CMC Sports in his first interview after returning from Bangladesh with the West Indies team, Sammy said that he had taken a new approach to his batting in T20s.
"Right now, when I go to the wicket I have a clear idea of how I want to play," said the Windies skipper, while witnessing the finals of the Secondary Schools Under-19 competition at the Gros-Islet Playing Field.
"It's something I have developed. In the absence of Kieron Pollard, my role is to finish the innings whether we are batting first or chasing runs."
Sammy played two scintillating innings as he helped West Indies advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.
He smashed an unbeaten 34 from 13 balls against Australia to get the Caribbean side home with two balls to spare and returned against Pakistan to belt a career-best 42 not out off 20 balls, to lay the groundwork for the Windies' 84 run triumph.
They lost to eventual champions Sri Lanka by 27 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method in the first semi-final, after a rain and a hailstorm ended play prematurely with West Indies 80 for four off 13.5 overs, chasing a target of 161.
"I am very proud of the team. We went to Bangladesh with the mission to retain the title and although the weather played a part which we had no control over, yet still we lost by 27 runs and had 27 dot balls," he pointed out.
"I still believe we would have gotten home. That's the kind of self belief we have in the dressing room at this present moment. I am very proud to see how we went about playing in this tournament.
"But it is not only the cricket but the team spirit. The unity was very evident out there on the cricket field."
Sammy finished the tournament with a strike rate of 224.44 and was included in the ICC World Team of the Tournament.

BCCI says MS Dhoni didn’t lie before the probe panel, seeks tapes
Having questioned the indictment of Indian captain M S Dhoni for allegedly lying before the IPL probe panel, the BCCI on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, seeking access to the audio transcripts of the statements made by Dhoni and ousted chief N Srinivasan before the panel.
The panel, while holding Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan guilty of betting in IPL, had trashed the statements made before it by the beleaguered BCCI president and Dhoni that he had nothing to do with the cricketing affairs of the Chennai Super Kings. As per the panel, both Dhoni and Srinivasan claimed that Meiyappan was just a “cricket enthusiast” supporting the team. However, refuting the allegations against Dhoni, the BCCI had later told a bench led by Justice A K Patnaik that Dhoni had never made the statement that Meiyappan was only a cricket enthusiast. Seeking an urgent listing of their application, BCCI counsel C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before the bench on Wednesday. “We are seeking audio transcripts of all the interviews conducted by the probe panel during its inquiry. Various statements are being attributed to Srinivasan, Dhoni and Sunder Rajan that should not have been made,” Sundaram told the bench.
Accepting the plea on Friday, the court asked the BCCI to serve a copy of the application also on the petitioner, Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB). CAB’s counsel Harish Salve had accused the skipper of lying and indulging in “corrupt practices” by seeking to cover-up. It was also asserted that neither the BCCI nor any person in individual capacity has challenged the findings of the panel and the BCCI had rather accepted the report and hence they cannot challenge the findings now.
On March 28, the court had allowed IPL-7 to go on with participation of all eight teams, including Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals — the two sides linked to corruption scandal, but shunted out Srinivasan from all the affairs of the board. The bench had replaced him with former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar as the Board’s interim President for managing the affairs of the seventh edition of the IPL, starting April 16 in the UAE, till the court delivers its judgement in the IPL betting and spot-fixing case.
For the rest of the work of the BCCI, senior-most vice president Shivlal Yadav will discharge the functions of the president of the board. “We also direct that till we deliver the judgment, none of the employees of India Cement Limited or its associate companies (except for cricket players or commentators) will perform any of the duties assigned to them by the BCCI and the Interim President, Sunil Gavaskar, will have power to engage

Sachin Tendulkar named Mumbai Indians’ ‘icon’ for IPL 7
Mumbai: Retired cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has been named an ‘icon’ by his erstwhile Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Mumbai Indians, for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league. The seventh edition of the IPL kickstarts in Abu Dhabi on April 16.
"We are very happy to have Sachin as the Mumbai Indians icon. I am sure the youngsters in the team will be delighted to have him around for guidance, and so would be the Mumbai Indians fans," team owner Nita Ambani said in a statement.
Tendulkar was the icon player of the Mumbai Indians since the first edition in 2008 before he went on to win the title during his last IPL in 2013.
"Sachin has been an integral part of Mumbai Indians and a source of inspiration for the team ever since the inception. It was a fitting finale to Sachin last season, when we dedicated the IPL as well as Champions League T20 trophies as tribute to the legend," Ambani added.
The feeling is no different for the batting great too.
"I have been a part of the Mumbai Indians team since its inception and am delighted to continue my association. This season with Mumbai Indians will be a different experience for me and I look forward to closely interacting with the experienced support staff and sharing my learnings with the exciting youngsters in the team," said Tendulkar.
Tendulkar also expressed his desire to be a part of the Mumbai Indians' 'Education For All' initiative.
Led by Nita Ambani, 'Education For All' stands for equal and rightful education opportunities for the underprivileged children and has been able to meaningfully impact over 30,000 such kids from various NGOs.
"Mumbai Indians was one of the first teams to recognize the potential of using its worldwide fan base to enhance awareness about a compelling social issue. 'Education for All' is an initiative which has been personally nurtured by Nita Ambani and each one of us at Mumbai Indians is a passionate believer in this initiative," said Tendulkar.
"I am committed to working with the team at Mumbai Indians in spreading the message of 'Education for All' across the country and beyond," Tendulkar added.

IPL fixing: BCCI moves SC, seeks transcripts of tapes
NEW DELHI: The BCCI on Wednesday moved an application before the Supreme Court seeking transcripts of audio tapes containing statements of board president N Srinivasan and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, recorded by the Mukul Mudgal Committee which probed allegations of IPL spot and match fixing.
The plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik which posted the matter for hearing on April 11.
In the application BCCI has also sought the transcripts of statements by Sundar Raman, the Chief Operating Officer of IPL.
The application was mentioned by Senior Advocate C S Sundaram who was appearing for BCCI.
The counsel told the bench that they need the transcript to prepare themselves for the matter which is pending before the Supreme court.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had proposed the name of veteran cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar to head the board during pendency of the case in the apex court.

India would do well to adopt the Australian method: Walsh
Terry Walsh has a mission. He wants to see India back among the top six nations of the world. A top-eight finish at the World Cup would be a realistic way of assessing India’s hockey status but Walsh’s optimism of a better finish is infectious. The team has begun to believe the future promises a lot.
In Walsh’s opinion, India would do well to “imbibe” some of the Australian way.
“Australia has taken some of the best things from the Indian game and utilised it most effectively in the modern era. It is quick and furious and forever playing with pressure.
“I want India to take advantage of the interchange rule if you have to make use of the physiology. You look at the second league (‘A’ division) of the Indian national hockey championship where you see probably four or five interchanges in the game.
“There are 70 if you are watching Australia or Germany playing. Seventy in a match!” he exclaimed emphasising the astonishing difference.
Power game
The game, Walsh insists, is much faster with stress on power.
“The game has picked up, the power and speed is more intense from what it was in my era.
“We had to play cleverly, run hard cleverly. There was lot more cunning and cleverness in that era. That’s what I would like to see.
“You also have to decide now if you want to play for the purity of the game or play it for the media. It is certainly not cat-and-mouse but bang-crash.
“My favourite memory of hockey is India playing Pakistan, five vs. five. It doesn’t exist in today’s hockey.”
Rule changes
The recent rule changes have not impressed Walsh, who dominated the field as an incisive forward in the company of Ric Charlesworth.
“I was never in favour of changing the off-side rule. I don’t think that’s a good thing. But most people think otherwise. I think it has taken away the artistry.
“But now if you don’t change you get left behind. Hockey is desperately trying to find how it can keep pace.
“It is becoming too costly to run even in Australia. It is an incredibly fast sport with major skills. Hockey has to make its presence felt in the commercial world. Otherwise it will die.”

India turn over a new leaf
This was a team that had not won anything at all in any format on its two winter tours and was beaten by Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. They had come close, of course, they had competed, but that winning feeling had last come for them against West Indies at home in November last year. Yes, Bangladesh is much closer to home for the Indians compared to South Africa and New Zealand - home is just a "forty-minute flight away" as MS Dhoni said - but a winless environment is not what you want to take with yourself into a world tournament. Yes, the conditions played a big part, but India have to be lauded for putting in such a commanding performance all the way to the final that somewhere along the way, they became title favourites.
This after entering the tournament with only two wins - against Bangladesh and Afghanistan - in nearly four months. And with a World T20 record in the past three editions that suggested the format began and ended for them with the IPL - they are not allowed to play in any other domestic T20 league, and they couldn't perform in the World T20. This time, not only did India win consistently in Dhaka, they won every game convincingly till the final, so convincingly that the victories started to look formulaic.
Bowl first, bowl aggressive wicket-taking spin, restrict the opposition, and hunt down the modest target with ease. This approach worked to perfection in their first three games against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh, and made them the first team in the tournament to qualify for the semi-finals. They wanted to bat first in their final group game against Australia, were put in and recovered to post a decent total before the spinners, led by R Ashwin, demolished the opposition.
The batsmen, led by Player-of-the-Tournament Virat Kohli, took over in the semi-final against South Africa, hunting down 170-plus against the might of Dale Steyn and co with nearly an over to spare. India made this match appear like a typical subcontinent ODI chase, where their batsmen were capable and confident enough to surge past whatever their bowlers had conceded.
India can take credit for showing in this World T20 that it is possible to play formulaic cricket in the shortest format in familiar conditions and develop a measure of consistency in winning, something thought to be nearly impossible in T20. Almost all their wins were one-sided. Their matches lacked the kind of chaotic thrill a crowd expects from a T20. This lack tells you a lot about their dominance in a format which, due to its ultra-condensed nature, produces nail-biters almost by rote.

Corey Anderson set to be fit in time for Indian Premier League
Wellington: New Zealand swashbuckler Corey Anderson is expected to be fit for the upcoming Indian Premier League after recovering from a finger injury which had put him in doubt for the cash-rich Twenty20 event.
Anderson, who broke the world record for the fastest ODI century soon after bursting into international cricket last year, was a much sought after player in the IPL players` auction.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians eventually grabbed him for a whopping Rs 4.50 crore (USD 750,000).
"There`s no fracture, no break and we`re very happy with how the injury is going," Anderson was quoted as saying by the `Fairfax NZ News` The 23-year-old`s statement came after he visited a specialist in Auckland last week.
"The ligaments are all fine too; everything else is good to go. Everything went well and the news was all positive," he said. Anderson had hurt his dislocated right little finger during the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in a match against Sri Lanka.
The injury had triggered speculation of him either giving the IPL a miss or joining the squad late. The IPL will kick off April 16 in the UAE with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.
The first half of the IPL (from April 16 to 30) is being played in the UAE due to a clash of dates with the general elections in the country.

VICTORY FOR SANGA PARIVAR
Heartbreak for millions as Islanders beat India by six wickets to win World T20 title
India's quest for a historic treble ended in heartbreak as gutsy Sri Lanka produced a clinical display to win their maiden ICC World T20 trophy with a convincing six-wicket victory here on Sunday.
Sri Lanka thus became third time lucky in the World T20 summit clash while Mahendra Singh Dhoni's dream to win a record third World title lay in tatters as his team faltered when it mattered the most.
Despite Virat Kohli's belligerent 77, Yuvraj Singh's excruciatingly slow innings of 11 off 21 balls left India with a very modest score 130 for four in 20 overs. Kohli's brilliance went down the drain due to Yuvraj's struggle.
Sri Lanka faced a few anxious moments in the early stages of the chase but eventually overhauled the target with 13 balls to spare. It turned out to be a 'fitting finale' for the two retiring legends of Sri Lankan cricket as Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara certainly made it a 'farewell to remember' as the champions ended their T20 careers with a memorable triumph.
Mahela's 24 was a sweet little innings which set the tempo while Sangakkara anchored it to perfection with an unbeaten 52. He again proved to be a thorn in the flesh for the Indians as he chose the final of the tournament to claw his way back to form after indifferent first five matches.
The match decisively swung in Sri Lanka's favour in the 15th over in which Thisara Perera (17 no) chanced his arms to hit Amit Mishra over long-on while Sangakkara swept him fine to get a boundary. 15 runs came off that over and the match was as good as over by then.
In Mishra's next over, Sangakkara hit him over extra cover for a boundary while Thisara again hit the portly leggie for a six. Mishra went for 32 from four overs and would like to forget his last two matches after a good start.
While Sangakkara made it a 'Farewell to Remember', Yuvraj Singh, may face the ire of Indian cricket fans as his slow batting completely upset the momentum for the Indians. Sangakkara completed his 50 off 33 balls with a sweep and was egged on by the hero of 1996 World Cup Sanath Jayasuriya.
India though started their defence in right earnest when Kusal Perera (5) was removed in the second over by young Mohit.
However in his next over, Jayawardene got three boundaries as Lanka were finally up and running in their chase. The first was a cheeky upper cut, the second a tuck off his hips and the third a 'lemon cut' as 15 runs came off that Mohit over.
Then came the Mahela special as he played a deft late-cut off Bhuvneshwar. It was followed with another cheeky scoop over bowler's head as Indians had a surrendered look on their faces.

Virat Kohli - not just a run-monger
India played two finals at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 on Sunday - one that featured Virat Kohli and the other that the rest of his team-mates played.
The Man of the Tournament was on a different planet - not finding any demons in the track or any riddles in the Sri Lankan bowling. While his illustrious team-mates like Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni struggled to make contact, Kohli clenched fists at the other end, muttering a "come on" with every breath.
ALSO SEE Kohli pleased with World T20 outing
The team man in Kohli not just wants himself to succeed but also see his mates do well. That's why you see him frown at a misfield, snarl at a lax effort to grab a catch and grimace when his partner at the other end fails to rotate strike.
Virat Kohli - not just a run-monger
The team man in Kohli not just wants himself to do well but also see his mates contribute towards India's success.
When Yuvraj struggled during his 21-ball 11 in the final last night, Kohli stood at the other end watching in agony as he failed to farm strike in the death overs. He scored more than half of the runs India managed (130), but what hurt the team man in Kohli was that India failed when it mattered the most.
ALSO SEE Kohli is in love with run-chases
And Kohli's demand for nothing less than 100 percent comes from his own performance. With 319 runs, he topped the World T20 batting charts and his 73 in the final stood out in an otherwise average show by India, which pressed an undo button on their five wins in a row en route the summit clash.
There's an inevitability about Kohli's success with the bat; his limited-overs record, especially chasing, leaves no room for debate. His hunger looks Tendulkaresque and the desire to do well unmatched at the moment.
The 25-year-old has hit 25 international hundreds (19 in ODIs and 6 in Tests) already and going quicker than Tendulkar at that age. He averages 56.51 in Tests, 52.16 in ODIs and 45.30 in T20s. No modern-day batsman matches that triangle.
Though it would be wrong to draw comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar's genius, Kohli's consistency takes you repeatedly in that direction. If God gifts him with Tendulkar's longevity to go with his consistency, ten years from now, we will be saying, "There can't be another Virat Kohli."

It was my best Twenty20 knock, says Virat Kohli
Mirpur: Virat Kohli termed his unbeaten 72-run innings against South Africa on Friday night as his "best knock" considering the importance of the match although he said he had batted better than this on several other occasions. "If you look at the importance of this match (World T20 semi-final), then certainly this is my best knock but I personally feel that I have batted better than this innings on many occasions," Kohli told the mediapersons at the end of India's six-wicket win over South Africa in the ICC World T20 semi-final.
"There has been several T20 innings where I have middled the ball much better than what I did today. There had been instances where I have hit three to four boundaries at the start and my timing was far better. But today, considering the context, this innings will certainly be on top of the list," Kohli added.
On a lighter note he said that getting a chance to hit the winning stroke was a gift from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "Yes, he deliberately did not hit the winning run. He just told me that 'is match mein main tujhe kuch naahin de sakta hoon. Yeh winning stroke mere taraf se gift samajh lena (I can't give you anything for this match. You hit the winning runs as it is a gift from me). Obviously, it is a nice feeling to hit the winning runs and I am grateful that he gave me the chance to hit them," Kohli said.
When someone asked as to why he is never under pressure, Kohli was a trifle embarrassed. "Is that a valid question? Everybody does what is required to do well but I believe that cricket is played more between the two ears. Just like the first 20 deliveries, I did not hit a single boundary but I was not worried about what the dug-out thought. "I am able to block all negative thoughts. Now this is something that you learn with time as you start scoring runs." Kohli said that the character of the pitch did not change much during the course of the match although it was "much slower" as per his reading.
"I don't think there was much change in the pitch as there was no dew. Only once the ball got wet when it crossed the advertisement billboards and fell where water was collected."

NO INDIAN AT INDIA OPEN
Saina, Kashyap lose as hosts’ campaign ends before semi-finals; Chinese girls dominate
They had to punch above their weight but both Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kahyap weren't up to the big challenges on Friday and as a result Indian challenge, ironically, ended at the Yonex Sunrise India Open before the pen-ultimate stage here at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
Saina was facing world number two Yihan Wang, the Indian ace was trailing 1-7 before the quarter-final against the Chinese opponent but Friday was not the day for her to pull one back as Saina kept trailing during the entire match and never looked like winning, coming second best with 16-21, 14-21.
In the first game, Yihan took an early 10-7 lead and used her deceptions and sharpness to play some delectable drop shots to widen the gap to 18-12 before winning 21-16.
The story wasn't very different in the second part of the match. Saina trailed 1-4 in the beginning and that gap rose to 4-11. Few poor line judgements coupled with some average shot selection made it 18-9 in favour of Yihan and Saina's struggle ended at the score of 16.
"It was a tough match as I was playing world number two. It was a learning experience for me. I played well as compared to my previous matches and it shows that I am improving. I went for big shots but I feel I should have played it a little safe and should not have allowed her to take the lead every time. I need to improve my net-play and work on my fitness and I believe it should take me two months," the London Olympics bronze medallist said.
Yihan, who had also defeated the Indian world number eighth in the 2012 Olympics and improved her career head-to-head with the Hyderabadi to 8-1, said that she was confident of a win going into the match.
"I was confident going into the game because I had a good one-to-one record against her. I was determined to play well and soaked-up all the pressure. I don't have any injuries and am feeling well about my game," the former world number one said using a translator.
Meanwhile, the women's singles' semi-finals will be an all-Chinese affair as apart from Yihan, Li Xuerui, Liu Xin and Shixian Wang also crossed the quarters hurdle.

RAIN CHEATS WINDIES, REWARDS LANKA
Sl in final after beating WI by 27 runs via D/L method; latter were 80 for 4 chasing 161

A dominant Sri Lanka on Thursday made it to the ICC World T20 final for the third time knocking out defending champions West Indies by 27 runs via the Duckworth Lewis method after thundershowers stopped proceedings in the 14th over of the second innings.
Batting first in the first semi-final, Sri Lanka scored an impressive 160 for six riding on important contributions from Angelo Mathews (40) and Lahiru Thirimanne (45). In reply, West Indies were 80 for four in 13.5 overs when a storm followed by heavy downpour ruled out any chances of a game.
The D/L par score at that point of time was 107 and the Caribbeans were well short of the target, struggling at 80 for four in 13.5 overs. There was certainly no 'Gayle-storm' but the 15-minute 'Kalboisakhi' (NorWesters), as they call in this part of the world, turned the ground into a lake. Umpires Richard Kettleborough and Rod Tucker had to wait as per rules before Sri Lanka were adjudged winners.
But the Lankans were the deserving winners considering that West Indies were never in the hunt during their chase except for the first over.Dwayne Smith (17) made his intentions clear in the first two balls bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara, lofting him for a boundary and a six respectively as 17 came from the first over.
Chris Gayle (3) looked out of touch and looked shaky having been hit on the shinbone while fielding. After scratching around for a dozen deliveries, he played a Lasith Malinga slower delivery onto his stumps. The skipper then bowled another slow off-break that breached through Dwayne Smith's defence.After their stand-in captain provided twin breakthroughs, the rejuvenated Lankans stemmed the flow of runs with some tight bowling. Lendl Simons (4) was done in by a flipper from leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna as he was caught plumb on the back-foot.
West Indies were struggling at 34 for three at the start of the eighth over.Brief scores Sri Lanka: 160 for six in 20 overs (Thirimanne 44, Mathews 40, Dilshan 39; Santokie 2/46) beat West Indies: 80 for four in 13.5 overs (Dwayne Bravo 30, Marlon Samuels 18 not out; Lasith Malinga 2/5) by 27 runs via D/L method.

ICC World T20 2014: South Africa will look to get key moments right against India, says Faf du Plessis
South African Twenty20 captain Faf du Plessis is reportedly planning to play key moments well and make the right decisions at crucial times to have success in the World Twenty20 semi-final against India on Friday
South Africa faces another knock-out situation in an ICC event, and will be keeping it simple in search of the elusive silverware.
According to Sport24, Du Plessis said that as it will be a high pressure game against India so it would be important to play the key moments well and to make the right decisions at crucial times, if they want to come out on top in the match.
Stating that India is still regarded as ‘favourites’ to win the event, Du Plessis however, said that although they have been almost playing like underdogs as they have not been given any chance before the tournament, however, they are playing very well as a team and not relying on a particular individual.
The report mentioned that this is the eighth head-to-head T20 international meeting between the two sides, with India winning five out of seven.
Du Plessis says the men from the sub-continent remain the favourites because of their past success at major ICC tournaments, although he believes South Africa will enter the game with a fresh mindset as they have had huge success against India before.

T-20 WC: India, Pakistan women pile up, she fell heavily on Sania
Sylhet. ICC Women's Twenty20 World Cup, toppling women in Pakistan by 6 runs. Mithali Raj & Company out of the title race, who won the hearts of his fans Cirpratidwndvi defeated.
Indian team to bat first scored 106 for the loss of 7 wickets. A total of 100 runs for the loss of 9 wickets Pakistan's women totaled. Sonia, who wickets for just 14 runs after 3 Dbir the Player of the Match 'mode. Mirza Khan of Pakistan and India by Sonia Dbir 3-3 wickets, but in the case of Sonia Mirza heavily on his team had to win.
Mithali played a captain's innings
Indian Opener Poonam Raut and memory Mndhana 29 runs for the first wicket. The explosive batting memory with the help of 4 fours scored 22, but the first ball of the seventh victim sitting on the Mirza Khan.
The first wicket falling at 29 after the captain Mithali Raj Yoga fought with Poonam handled. The two batsmen added 35 runs for the second wicket. Sania Khan in the 13th over and Jhulan Goswami, Poonam double jolted out of India, but Mithali left the field. Mithali faced 43 balls laced with 39 fours scored 3. His most important contribution to the Indian innings. Mithali wicket fell on the fifth ball of the 20th over. He walked Asmaviea Lpakwakr hands of Fatima Iqbal Bethul wk.
She became a star
India's fast bowler gave her Dbir match winning performance. A total of 14 runs in his 4 overs while bowling Pakistan out of the three top order batsmen. Pakistani opener Javeria Khan in the third over, she first walked Lpakwakr hands of sultanas. Pakistan score now that she was involved in a total of 2 runs clean bowled the other opener Abidi Naina. He was heading for a big score in his second spell, Mian Khan of Pakistan Lpakwakr dismissed by Poonam Yadav.

IPL-7: Get ready for adventure, April 3 online sales of tickets
Dubai. Quite a struggle after the Indian Premier League ( IPL ) for the seventh edition of the online ticket sales will start from April three. BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) than the online sale of tickets These tickets Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah will be available in selected supermarkets. Ticket sales will start on April 10 at the stadiums. IPL Online Tickets can be purchased from www.iplt20.com and www.ticketmaster.
Noted that the general elections in India are conducted -7 IPL United Arab Emirates (UAE) is being. IPL will be played from April 16 to the first phase of the UAE. The 20 matches will be played. April elections in India by May 12 will be seven.

Jwala crashes out of India Open
New Delhi : men's singles, while former national champion Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhat and mixed doubles star Jwala Gutta suffered defeat. To enter the main draw of the four places in each category were at stake. India men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and three in four classes - three won a place in the mixed doubles.
Anup Sridhar of men's singles, women's singles while Ajay Kumar Jaiswal Sreyansh Shruti Mundada, currency Dhanye Sayali Gokhale and managed to make it to the main tournament. The women's singles main draw matches will be played today at the Eighth seed Saina Nehwal and world player of the ninth PV Sindhu will spearhead the Indian challenge. The Indian challenge in the men's singles champion and national burden primarily on P Kashyap will be the top player and Olympian Srikanth.

All team sought feedback from owners Gavaskar
New Delhi (Sanan): famous Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and interim chairman of the IPL, BCCI -7 owners seeking their opinion on the team's chief operating officer Sundar Raman T services in competition to continue or not.
Please tell an important decision in the Supreme Court of India Cements except players and commentators had ordered the removal from the BCCI officials. She decided that Raman Gavaskar gave up on whether or not to continue on the post, the upcoming IPL interim chairman of the board was made for the event.
During the meeting yesterday, according to a news channel reported that Raman particular issue. Gavaskar over the KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan, head of RCB owner Vijay Mallya and Mukesh Ambani of Mumbai Indians consulted.

Cricket passion: making stone or water everywhere Fours - Sixes
MirpurCricket and India both - can be considered complementary. Sachin Tendulkar , Mahendra Singh Dhoni are several such players, the country's child - the child knows and wants to be like him. Ground or the city streets of the village burial place all fours, three poles - can be easily visualized sixes. Bollywood craze of cricket in our country today is less.

Celebration of India after winning the atmosphere is tremendous. Dare to compete with India will be released from their fans. Most fans will also find that you like to have a hairstyle like your favorite player and try to look like them.

So far you have seen people playing cricket on the field, but we find water through photos, playing cricket show on mountains and stones.Cricket can expect to see as many of these pictures. If someone is playing on the field no water. Playing cricket on the bank of river stones is shown. This is of course difficult, but given the passion for cricket in India certainly can not say impossible.

T-20 WC: Sri Lanka reached the semi-finals on the strength of bowlers
Chittagong. Fifth in Twenty20 World Cup Rangana Herath (5 wickets) and illustrated Senanayake (2 wickets) in a crucial match of the deadly bowling by Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 59 runs to enter the semifinals. New Zealand's Kane Williamson (42) as Sri Lankan bowlers could face alone. No more than double the figure of their batsmen could not touch. Williamson struck six boundaries in his 43-ball innings.
Losing the toss and bat first, Sri Lanka scored 119 in 19.2 overs. New Zealand team to answer 60 runs in 15.3 overs could. Rocking of five wickets for just three runs with Rangana Herath was named Man of the Match. Herath in 21 balls bowled 18 dot balls. New Zealand has the lowest score in Twenty20 format. Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong was played in the match.
The position of the points table
Group 1-Sri Lanka to cement his place in the semi-finals with six points. Sri Lanka T20 World Cup semi-final for the fourth time in a row now. New Zealand has had to see the way out. South Africa, the group has already reached the semi-finals.
The shock Herath took five wickets
Martin Guptill as New Zealand took the first blow. They had run out by five runs in nine deliveries. Soon after Brendon McCullum captain account without opening the wicket keeper Rangana Herath was caught by Kumar Sangakkara.
Deadly bowling by Sri Lankan Rangana Herath took five wickets. He captain Brendon McCullum (0), Ross Taylor (0), Luke Ronchi (0) and to Nisham dismissed. He was the most successful bowler.

T-20 WC: Dhoni ahead of giant kangaroo failed, defeated by 73 runs
Mirpur. Fifth match of the Twenty20 World Cup Group Two Yuvraj Singh (60) after batting R. bang. Thanks to Ashwin's deadly bowling team defeated Australia by 73 runs. It is Australia's third successive defeat. India won four eight points from four matches, while Australia has not yet account.
Losing the toss to bat first, India scored 159 for seven in the allotted 20 overs. Aussies in response r. Ashwin and Amit Mishra and capitulate before the slow wickets for just 86 runs in 16.2 overs could.

Ashwin delivered the first blow
Australia's first wicket fell as Finch. Kohli, Ashwin Hthon them to score six runs were caught. Ravindra Jadeja Cameroon White Bhubaneswar Kumar's hands rushed off. He faced two balls but could not open the account. Watson then came to bat could not last much longer. They dominated the last wicket fascinated by the bold first Twenty20 format.

Glenn returned Ashwin
He then came to bat welcomed Maxwell Jadeja at deep midwicket but with long-hitting, right-handed batsman brunt of this aggression had to do, and he's trying to sweep Ashwin in reverse are bold. During his innings of 23 runs from 12 balls with three sixes. Spin off Mishra
Australian captain George Bailey (8) in the next over the next six to Jadeja at deep mid-wicket as the ball was caught by Kohli. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, Brad Haddin (6) Australia seventh jolted by sending the pavilion. Michael Stark was run out after scoring just two. Mishra then Brad Hodge (13) was dismissed.

Amazing 300th match Kaka, AC Milan Sevo was in front of the flat
Milan. Brazilian star footballer in the form strongly. Italian football club AC Milan's Kaka plays with two goals in his 300th match planted. Kaka thanks to the brilliant performance by the Italian league match against AC Milan Sevo defeated 3-0. Mario Boletelli planted by another goal.

Boletelli the beginning of
Shortly after the start of the match Mario Boletelli been subjected to trap the ball with a strong kick. It is very close to the goal of de imposed. Then Kaka made his first and second goal in the 27th minute. AC Milan was leading 2-0 until the intermission.

Third goal in the second half
Kaka and his second timeout after the third goal of the match. Thanks to this goal by AC Milan Sevo defeated 3-0. Milan Sevo bump up against players that were not even once. It is entirely one-sided match.

BCCI to take tension ... Dhoni at a time when oil made 3 World Record
ports Desk. Controvrsi running of the field, leaving captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are busy team win. ICC T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh, Dhoni and his team superb performance 8-wicket victory. He's just 22 runs in 12 balls, fast - paced innings played contributed to the victory.
Each side of Dhoni's India Cements staff were warm and spot-fixing allegations. In terms of performance on the field, Amit Mishra, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma was a matter of names. So while Dhoni proved himself to just put a match made in two world records.
World Record # 1 - Most stumping
Bangladeshi batsman Nasir Hossain carrying out stumping captain MS Dhoni broke the world record. He stumping Sangakkara, beating the record for the most in international cricket.
Dhoni's Test, ODI and T20 128 stumping so far are mixed. Pre-record - holder 127 stumping Sangakkara are recorded in the accounts.
International Cricket highest stumping Here are the top 5 ace
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni - 128 (372 matches, 440 innings) Kumar Sangakkara - 127 (544 matches, 461 innings) Kaluvithrna - 101 (238 matches, 270 innings) Moin Khan - 93 (288 matches, 327 innings) Adam Gilchrist - 92 (396 matches, 485 innings)

X-CLUSIVE: Why cricket has become the BOSS BCCI, Find the 5-Factor
BCCI president N Supreme Court. Srinivasan is ordered to stay out of the office. View all BCCI What is it that everyone stays on. BCCI is the richest cricket board and everyone wants to join the party.
No it 'Complete Control Board of India', then a 'Board of Control for Cricket Intrneshnli Complete' and 'Bileniers Control for Cricket in India says, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Indian cricket board, the BCCI today made the boss of world cricket.
The World Anti-Doping Agency, or simply refuse to come Surveillance Decision Review System after all other cricket playing nations accept and reject, the BCCI's decision at international level is always open.
Large cricket board BCCI go on borrowing countries and other international cricketers to play in India. BCCI today at the international level has become a big name. That's why today everyone wants to add themselves to the board. It is just amazing BCCI cricket in the country has become so famous that dwarf the rest of the game seemed to cricket. Due to the increasing popularity of cricket richest cricket board BCCI has become today.
After all, why BCCI is believed to be so powerful in the world. Cricket expert Ayaz Memon tell.

MS Dhoni did not mislead IPL investigation, Supreme Court is told
False allegations have been made against Indian captain MS Dhoni in the Supreme Court in the context of an investigation into alleged corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said India's cricket board to judges today.
Mr Dhoni has also been "wrongly vilifed" by the media after yesterday's hearing, said representatives for the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI in court today.
Mr Dhoni captains the Chennai Super Kings, a franchise in the domestic Twenty20 league that's owned by BCCI chief N Srinivasan, whose son-in-law G Meiyappan was indicted last month for illegal betting in last year's edition of the tournament. In court, Harish Salve , who is representing the petitioner, the Cricket Association of Bihar, said that during the investigation, Mr Dhoni had lied about Mr Meiyappan's role, describing him as "just a cricket enthusiast" though he is a key member of the team's management.

The BCCI's lawyers said today that Mr Dhoni did not make that statement.

The Supreme Court today ruled that Mr Srinivasan will stand down as BCCI chief; former captain and cricket analyst Sunil Gavaskar will take charge of the IPL tournament that begins on April 16. (Will no stop IPL 7, Sunil Gavaskar in-charge of BCCI)
In February, a three-member committee, headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, handed to the supreme Court its report on illegal betting and spot fixing - conceding a specified number of runs in exchange for money from bookmakers.
The corruption controversy erupted last year after several players, including bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, were arrested by Indian police for spot fixing

Serena Williams beats Sharapova for 15th straight time
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Between points, Serena Williams stood motionless behind the baseline with her back to the net, as if trying to match — or mimic — the methodical ritual of her opponent, Maria Sharapova.
They took turns waiting on each other, the pace of play plodding, which only delayed the inevitable. Williams beat Sharapova for the 15th consecutive time Thursday, rallying in both sets to win 6-4, 6-3 in the Sony Open semifinals.
"I have always felt when I'm playing at my best, then it's hard for people to beat me," Williams said.
Rafael Nadal could say the same. He advanced to the semifinals by hitting a flurry of forehand winners down the stretch to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
On Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Williams will try for a record seventh Key Biscayne title against No. 2 Li Na, who overcame 40 unforced errors to beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Williams is 10-1 against Li.
Williams improved to 16-2 against Sharapova, whose most recent victory in their rivalry came in 2004.
"Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces," Sharapova said. "You finish the match, and you know where you need to improve and the things that you need to work on."
Williams can credit a superior serve and better returns for her latest win. She hit nine aces and broke five times, which helped her rebound from deficits of 4-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second.
"I wasn't playing my best," Williams said. "I knew if I wanted to stay in the tournament and make another final, I just had to play better."She did, earning her 14th consecutive victory against a top-10 player.
The No. 1-ranked Nadal, who is 0-3 in Key Biscayne finals, needs one more win to get there again. His opponent Friday night will be No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych, who advanced by beating No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Nadal has beaten Berdych 16 times in a row over the past seven years.
"This tournament is a tournament where I really feel the love of the people so much," Nadal said, "so I'm going to try my best to keep playing well."

Virender Sehwag were moving out of the team, as the captain hit a stormy cent
Team's star opener Virender Sehwag looks to return to form. Longing for a century by Sehwag scored 109 champion county match captain. Marylebone Cricket Club Durham century on the strength of their team won by 6 wickets.
The four-day match against the MCC club was the target of 224 runs in the last inning. Captain Virender Sehwag's century (109 runs) and Samit Patel's unbeaten 48 runs for the loss of 4 wickets on the back of the MCC got it. Sehwag did not shine throug
To improve your performance by Virender Sehwag decided to play county cricket. In the first match against Durham in the first inning was a flop. They scored a total of 5 to 7 balls were out at Scott Borthvik ball. After losing the first chance he did not miss a second chance. Viru longing for form in first class cricket balls 97 fours and 1 six of the 18 109 runs. Always landing as an opener Sehwag came fourth in the match. He Daniel Bell - together with Drummond added 67 for the third wicket.
Daniels out after 31 overs, Samit Patel newly arrived at the crease with Sehwag handled innings. Sehwag's 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Patel played. MCC club was out until they had landed close to victory.

T-20 WC Preview: Stuart Binny met a chance to replace the crown prince?
ICC T20 World Cup winning team is back on track. Before defending champions Pakistan and West Indies, Dhoni brigade freshly unseat the seventh heaven.
Creepy New Zealand tour of South Africa and the Indian team in the Asia Cup was Suprflop. T20 World Cup losing streak constantly being broken into. Asian plains in your favorite format captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni went to the Magic and the team won consecutive matches.
Team India has not been completed yet. Dhoni brigade to reach the knockout round also will have to beat Bangladesh and Australia. No team in the Twenty20 format is not small or large. There is no team can win. The threat of a significant shift in Dhoni brigade will have their combination. This change replaces Yuvraj another chance at youth.
It is difficult to prince
According to reports, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj are quite strong. Despite frequent bouts did not they'd put Yuvraj out of the playing XI. Of flexibility is needed in the big tournaments. If you are adamant about Dhoni, Yuvraj, so it may be a threat to the team.
Yuvraj is not a lack of options. There are some players in the Indian team, Yuvraj can be tried on the spot. Stuart Binny are specialist in this format. Dhoni Kelakr can check them against Bangladesh.

World Twenty20: Win against Bangladesh boosts our Net Run Rate, says West Indies skipper Darren Sammy
West Indies brought their ICC World Twenty20 title defence back on track with a 73-run win over Bangladesh on Tuesday and skipper Darren Sammy said the huge victory will give a boost to their net runrate in Group 2 of Super-10 stage.
"When you play cricket, the team that plays better wins. Much better game for us. Chris and Smithy played well, then our bowlers bowled fantastically well," Sammy said after the match.
"We started off really well, Smith had to really graft. So he gave us the platform. The bowlers then bowled well. It is important that we won and it also boosted our NRR."
Dashing batsman Chris Gayle shunned his attacking game on Tuesday and scored a run-a-ball 48 after opening the innings with Dwayne Smith (72) to set the foundation for West Indies total of 171 for seven in Mipur.
Asked about Gayle, Sammy said: "Chris, this innings, he didn't score at the strike rate which we are used to, but the fact that he was there was important. The Bangladeshi captain brought Shakib very late because of him. In the next couple of games, i have no doubt he will get to his zone. I am not worried about him."
Sammy was also happy with the bench-strength of his team.

"The conditions are for slower bowling. Santokie and Badree started off very well. It is hard to leave someone like Ravi Rampaul out, but you saw what Santokie did. It is good to have that sort of bench strength," he said.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said it was their fielding and batting which let them down on Wednesday.
"It was a disappointing effort - first with our fielding, because we gave away a lot of cheap runs. To chase 170 you need a good start, but we lost wickets early and it is difficult from there on," he said.
"Our bowling was good, but our fielding let down as we gave away 20 extra runs. We need bit better shot selection. If you lose three early wickets, you are on a back foot. It hurts (the recent losses) but the credit should also go the opposition players," Rahim said.
Dwayne Smith, who was the Man of the Match, said: "We have a good bowling attack, so it was important to put the runs on the board. Well done to our bowlers and our fielders.
"We had a very bad first game so we went and spent time in the nets to work hard on our mistakes. I am glad to see that Santokie performed well and hope he goes from strength to strength," he said.

Why is N. Srinivasan not stepping down? Supreme Court slams BCCI boss
The Supreme Court on Tuesday 'attacked' Board of Control for Cricket in India president N. Srinivasan for sticking to his chair at a time when the Indian Premier League was reeling under charges of corruption. Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, a Chennai Super Kings team official, is in the centre of the scam for betting and sharing team information. (Read: Top-10 developments in case)
The BCCI lawyers are fighting the case tooth and nail and wants the Supreme Court to allow the Board to set up its own probe commission and hand out punishments to the guilty. The apex court, which is hearing reports submitted by the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee that investigated for four months allegations of betting and match-fixing in IPL 2013, is in no mood to let BCCI handle the IPL scam on its own. The Board's past record has been rather dubious.

Srinivasan won a year's extension as BCCI chief in the AGM in Chennai in September last year. The Tamil Nadu strong man had "stepped aside" for some time last year till a BCCI-appointed probe committee controversially exonerated Gurunath and Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra of corruption charges. Srinivasan's power as a cricket administrator has grown in recent weeks. Come July, he is going to be the first chairman of a revamped International Cricket Council.
All hell broke loose in June last year when the Cricket Association of Bihar filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court against Srinivasan for "conflict of interest" since the BCCI boss was also the owner of two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings and Meiyappan was his family member. After the Bombay High Court said the BCCI probe committee's finding was "illegal", the matter reached the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Srinivasan, even asking him to step down to ensure that the IPL scam probe was fair. This was the first time that the apex court was so hard-hitting with its observations. Some of them are listed below:
# Why Srinivasan is not stepping down? It is so nauseating? Why is he sticking to the president's post: Supreme Court.
# We will not like to damage the president but we find that if Srinivasan does not step down no fair investigation can take place: Supreme Court.
# If you (Srinivasan) don't step down, then we will pass an order: Supreme Court.
# There are no definite findings by the Mudgal committee but the allegations are of a very serious nature. Whether the BCCI will act on the findings of the probe panel is a big, big question: Supreme Court.
# "We will show the papers. You see them and tell us as a counsel about your opinion and not as a paid counsel for Srinivasan: Supreme Court judge to senior BCCI counsel C.A. Sundaram.

Shikhar Dhawan to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League 2014
India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was today named captain of Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 7th edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 event beginning on April 16.
West Indian Darren Sammy will be the vice-captain of the side, Sunrisers Hyderabad said in a release.
“Shikhar Dhawan with his significant contribution as a batsman in the previous season has retained his position in the team not just as a crucial opener in the batting order but as the appropriate choice to extend his captaincy role in Champions League to the upcoming IPL as well,” the release said.
“Shikhar Dhawan with his reputation for a mesmerising stroke-maker, who mixes power and panache in equal measure, is sure to lead the pack with his team-building leadership streak,” it said.
Sammy, an integral part of the team last season, will now play the role of a deputy to Dhawan.
“In top form as a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium bowler, Sammy’s experience in the sport as an all-rounder, as West Indies captain of the ongoing T20 World cricket and his consecutive association with the franchise promises to lead the players as a team all the way up to the playoffs as in the previous season,” Sunrisers Hyderabad said.

World Twenty20: Who should open with Dhawan - Rahane or Rohit?
India's batting may look well equipped to climb any mountain, but it becomes easier to scale a summit if the order of the climbers matches the skills and tools they carry in ascend. India success at World Twenty20 may depend on that theory - in cricketing terms, the batting order.

There's enough meat in the bats India have carried to Bangladesh. They have arguably the world's best finisher in skipper MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh's assault against Stuart Broad seems only yesterday, Virat Kohli is now an intimidating name, Ajinkya Rahane is as fresh as a daisy, Suresh Raina is back in his happiest hunting ground and Ravindra Jadeja leads a battery of allrounders who fit nicely in the T20 blocks.

The above is a perfect recipe to set and chase big totals, but at what number should Dhoni write each of those names could at the end of the day decide the success of a team that relies heavily on its batsmen.

One name who, to the surprise of some, didn't find a mention in para 2 is Rohit Sharma. But that's not without a reason. The form of Mumbai Indians' skipper has triggered debates of late, especially on the tours of South Africa and Australia where India lacked badly in building good opening stands. While Shikhar Dhawan arrested that slide in New Zealand, Rohit failed to do it consistently - which sprung up Rahane's name as Dhawan's likely opening partner in Bangladesh.

The Rajasthan Royals' opener has been a runaway success in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His 488 runs in IPL 6 took Rajasthan to the semi-finals, while IPL 5 was even better at 560 runs. The Mumbaikar is not averse to opening the batting; in fact, he prefers doing it in the shortest format. However, Rahane has left it to team's thinking heads.

"Right now, I am not thinking about any batting number or position. I just want to go out there and enjoy my cricket and just back myself. I know that I have been playing well in T20 for Rajasthan Royals batting at the top but here the decision is completely up to the team management. I am not thinking about that," Rahane said.

The Indian skipper isn't one who believes in major shake-ups in team selections. But Dhoni will have a chance to try pushing Rahane up to open and ask Rohit to bat in the middle order against England in the warm-up game on Wednesday. However, he may also think the opposite allowing Rohit another chance to get among the runs before the opener against Pakistan.

Rohit has been successful at lower down the order for his IPL franchise, and it may not be a bad idea to shift him back into that role for the national team in Bangladesh and give the in-form Rahane a chance to lay a solid foundation.

Greg, unhappy from Ganguly