Unadkat, Ganguly script a fine five-wicket win over Rajasthan

Kolkata captain superbly lead his young guns on the field and later scored a fine unbeaten 75 to carve out a rather comfortable eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals.

Though it was a tad baffling why Ganguly and his partner Cheteshwar Pujara, who batted well for his 45, did not show any urgency to knock off the runs within 13 overs, as it would have helped the team to have more favourable net run rate.

Eventually, after restricting Rajasthan to 132 for 9, Kolkata scored 133 for 2 with consummate ease and with 3.5 overs to spare. Jaidev Unadkat, the 18-year-old left-arm medium-pacer was adjudged man-of-the-match for his fine bowling effort of 3 for 26 in 4 overs.

After inspiring the bowlers with his outstanding fielding, Ganguly brilliantly anchored Kolkata’s innings and scored a 50-ball 75, which included two blazing sixes and 11 boundaries. He shared an unbeaten 111-run partnership with Pujara to make the run-chase look like a walk in the park. Though initially, Kolkata were in a spot of bother when they lost two of their most explosive batsmen Brendon McCullum (6) and Chris Gayle (0) in the third over with the scoreboard reading 22 for 2.

They built the innings with a lot of patience and care. They chose the more ugly but effective way of building the innings— with singles and twos. Ganguly worked the gaps smartly and ran hard like a youngster in his 20s. And every time a bowler erred in length, the captain would help himself to a boundary. In fact, he began very confidently by cracking Yusuf Pathan for two boundaries in the first over of the innings and stepped on the gas towards the business end of the innings.

Pujara played the role of a junior partner to perfection. He placed the ball well in the gaps and often gave Saurav the strike to take the game in control. During his 38-ball innings, Pujara hit five cracking boundaries and a massive six.

After being asked to bowl, Kolkata allowed the tourists to get off to a fine start, when the openers Shane Watson and Naman Ojha raced off to 46 for no loss in the first 6 overs. Ganguly turned to his statemate Laxmi Ratan Shukla and he more than obliged his captain.

Shukla bowled a slower bouncer to which Watson had no answer; he completely missed the line to see the ball rearrange his timber. Until then Watson had been shaping up well for a big score but had to return to the dug out for 44.

Unadkat produced another breakthrough when Ojha flashed hard at a rank bad ball wide outside the off stump, but Shukla pulled of a breathtaking catch at point by flinging himself full length to his left.

In a matter of one over, Rajasthan went from 59 for no loss to 69 for 2. It was still a decent platform for the middle order to put up a formidable total but soon after Yusuf Pathan departed and that opened the flood gates. Pathan got out to a spectacular catch by Ganguly, who dived full-length to take a single-handed catch off Unadkat.

The Royals batsmen joined the procession that went in one direction — the dug out. A wicket fell almost every second over and there was no partnership worth the mention. The next seven wickets could add only 61 runs.

Strike bowler Shane Bond bowled remarkably well and finished with a figure of 20 for 1 in his 4 overs, which included a wicket maiden. Medium-pacer Ashok Dinda also put up a spirited effort while taking 2 for 24.

Must-win for Chennai in battle of Kings

Dharamsala: Chennai's fate lies as much in their own hands as in the hands of other teams. For starters, they will have to win their game against Punjab at Dharamshala on Sunday to keep their hopes alive of remaining in the competition. Punjab, on the other hand, would like keep their pride intact in what has been otherwise a disastrous IPL - III for them and sign off on a winning note.

On paper, Chennai look far superior, but the problem with them has been their batting. Matthew Hayden like most Australian batsmen this time has not fired and Mike Hussey seems to have terribly lost his touch. Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina are the only two batsmen who have taken Chennai to most of their wins and the side would hope for an encore from them. Skipper MS Dhoni has also been short of runs and it's time for a Dhoni special.

Meanwhile, hosts Punjab have come a long way since their insipid performances in the first leg. Their batting has started to click and Sri Lankan players Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have begun to look extremely dangerous. Even Yuvraj Singh seems to be finding his feet which is a good sign for India ahead of the T20 World Cup.

If the three click again in tandem, they could gatecrash Chennai's party.

Chennai's bowling too is better than Punjab's. The team almost defended a paltry score of 112 against Delhi in their last game. Ravichandran Ashwin and Shadab Jakati have done well with their slow spinners and Doug Bollinger has made an incredible impact since coming into the side. It was Bollinger's first over in the last game where he scalped both Virender Sehwag and Tillakratne Dilshan that opened the floodgates for Delhi. The Punjab batsmen will have to see him off and can then look to accelerate in the middle overs.

Chennai also have an edge being a better fielding unit and the likes of Raina, Hussey, Hayden and Morkel all of a safe pair of hands. Punjab will have to pull up their socks in this regard. They have dropped important catches in crucial games and they cannot make the same mistake against the Chennai Super Kings.

The pitch at Dharamshala is a belter and its high time the Mongoose fires. If it does, Sangakkara's average bowling outfit willl have their task cut out. Punjab in their last game at the same venue could not defend a good score of 174 against Deccan Chargers. That tells a lot about the bowling arsenal Sangakkara possesses. For him what will be pertinent is that his batsmen score a lot many runs to put any pressure on the opposition. For now though Chennai look to be the firm favourites.

Virtual semi-final as Delhi take on Deccan

New Delhi In a game supposed to decide the fourth and the final semi-finalist, Delhi Daredevils take on Deccan Chargers at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi. Loss for either could jeopardise their chances of reaching the semis. A win though would guarantee a place in the final four, something which has surely come at a high price this IPL.

Delhi's position is a little better than Deccan's. They have a good run-rate and are sitting pretty with 14 points. They might just be in the semis, unless they make the mistake of losing by a huge margin. Their batting has looked good in most of the games and the good news is that their skipper Gautam Gambhir has struck form. With Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and Paul Collingwood in their line-up, this is one batting attack that has the potential to decimate any bowling line-up.

On the other hand, Deccan’s batting has failed to live upto their reputation. Skipper Adam Gilchrist has hardly made runs; Andrew Symonds has more often then not failed to deliver and Monish Mishra’s quick knocks have been too brief. It is the efforts of two Indian batsmen namely Tirumalasetti Suman and Rohit Sharma which has taken Deccan to where it stands now. Both the batsmen have has been spectacular in taking their side home, time and again.

On the bowling front, Delhi has the edge with Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra being in sublime form. The two left-arm seamers have succeeded in maintaining a tight leash as well as picking up wickets up front. It was early wickets against Chennai in their last game which broke Chennai’s back and made sure the home side skittled for a paltry 112. Amit Mishra has also been in decent form with comeback man Tillakratne Dilshan and all-rounder Virender Sehwag support him pretty well.

Deccan on the other hand has struggled in their bowling department. Though Ryan Harris has given them good starts time and again, others have seriously let the side down. Their biggest disappointment without doubt has been RP Singh. The left-arm seamer has given runs in plenty to the opposition batsmen. The way Mahela Jayawardene picked him up for boundaries in the last game, it was clear that he had a lot of work to do on his bowling to be back in rhythm. Purple cap holder Pragyan Ojha has also not looked very impressive in the last few games and all and all-in-all the situation looks grim for Adam Gilchrist’s bowlers.

The one problem for batters of both sides will be the Delhi track. It has been a low-slow kind of a surface with enormous help for the spinners. Run scoring has not been easy and totals of 140 odd can be a tricky one to chase. The team batting first is definitely going to hold an advantage and hence the toss would be doubly crucial.

Modi offered $50 mn to pull out: Kochi team owner

New Delhi/ Mumbai: Lalit Modi – Shashi Tharoor IPL row took yet another turn after one of IPL Kochi’s co-owners Shailendra Gaikwad alleged that Modi had offered Rendezvous Sports a huge sum to pull out of the bidding process that was held in March.

"We were offered USD 50 million by Modi to withdraw from the Kochi team" Shailendra Gaikwad, CEO of the franchise, alleged within hours of Modi telling reporters that there was a question mark over the fate of the new team, secured by a bid of Rs 1533 crore last month.

Terming as "rubbish" the charges, Modi told PTI: "Are they mad. Who will offer tham what they say Rs 200 crore. I will take legal recourse."

Asked when he would initiate the legal action, he said "I am awaiting the clippings (in which Gaikwad had made allegation that Modi wanted their bid to be withdrawn). Once I

have that, I will serve them legal notice... possibly tomorrow."

Hours after Modi told a press conference that there was a question mark over the owners of the Kochi franchise, Gaikwad hit back at the IPL Commissioner saying that they were being deliberately made to go through a "tough time" because they refused the offer.

"We went through the process in the right manner and won the bid. But within 10 days of winning the bid, Modi offered us USD 50 million to give away the rights of the IPL franchise," Gaikwad told agency.

Gaikwad said that the franchise was being targeted because it outbid some big business houses whom Modi wanted to rope in for the subsequent editions of IPL.

"We are being put to an unnecessary process and the reasons are obvious. If we did not have all the papers in place how could we win the bid. It is unfair now to make us go

through these problems," he said.

Modi, on the other hand, wondered as to "why I will offer them the money... the bid had gone for a good sum," and dared Gaikwad to prove the allegations.

"Today they are saying USD 50 million. Tomorrow they may say some different figures," he said adding that every communication and conversations, including that of Tharoor

wherein the Union Minister asked him not to identify the owners, was minuted in IPL.

Allegations from Rendezvous, which has given a 18 per cent share of its 25 per cent equity in Kochi Team to Sunanda Pushkar -- a friend of Tharoor, came within days of Modi divulging the names of stakeholders in Kochi Team, a tweet that led to a public spat between the Union Minister and IPL official. Gaikwad said that all the details of the owners were provided in the bid document which would have, otherwise, been

rejected.

"We have submitted all the details such as, PAN card, passport and other professional documents in the bid. Everything was attached as per the requirements. So how come

suddenly there is a doubt about the owners? he asked.

Gaikwad suggested that the IPL Commissioner may be putting obstacles on the Kochi franchise so that he could push some other team which he favoured.

He alleged that Modi had asked a lot of personal details during the meeting with owners in Bangalore.

"We were asked a lot of personal questions about some of our owners which we could not readily answer. He asked questions about when did you meet Sunanda (Pushkar) and other such irrelevant things.

"We said that whatever questions were unanswered we will mail all the details as soon as possible. We felt that most of the questions were planted. Before we could give all the

answers he went on Twitter and said at the press conference that we did not have knowledge about all the owners," Gaikwad said.

Asked whether the Kochi franchise, which won the bid for a whopping Rs 1533 crore, was contemplating legal action against Modi for breaking the confidentiality terms, Gaikwad said, "we don`t want to take legal recourse."

"We don`t want to make this a legal issue. We are here for the passion of the game. We wanted to do something for cricket."

Earlier, Modi had said that he is in dark about the owners of Kochi franchise and would call a meeting of the IPL Governing Council after April 25 to discuss the issue.

"As regards all earlier franchisees we know who the owners are. They come, they attend conferences and meetings but as far as Kochi IPL is concerned we had a question mark," he said at a press conference in Mumbai.

We wanted to finish it off quickly: Pietersen

Jaipur: After taking Royal Challengers Bangalore close to the IPL semifinals with a blistering 29-ball 62, Kevin Pietersen said they came to bat with an aim to finish the game within 15 overs.

Chasing 131 to win, the visitors cruised to the win in 15.4 overs which helped them move up a place to second in the points table and get to a healthy net run-rate of +0.467.

"Against Deccan Chargers we took too long to be there and wanted to finish it early to improve our run-rate. I was firing on all cylinders because we wanted to finish it inside 15 overs," Pietersen, adjudged Man-of-the Match, said the British batsman`s splendid knock had a tragic end as he got run out after a mix up with Virat Kohli but Pietersen condoned the young teammate.

"I was disappointed with the run out. It was silly way to get out. Run outs are run outs and nobody was at fault. I am happy with the team`s performance. Everything came out very good. With run-rate improving we are closer to the semifinals," Pietersen, who was seen yelling at Kohli after the run out, said.

Rajasthan skipper Warne attributed the loss to poor start and chided his team for the pathetic show.

"We again had a horror start because of the Lumb run out. We were 14 in 2 overs but in the next few balls we lost third wicket also. It was disappointing. We thought we had a calm head under pressure but it was panic.”

"Still we did well to reach 130 for six but Pietersen came and took them along. He was hitting the ball and escaped with it. We still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semifinals but I am still very disappointed with the performance today," Warne said.

IPL 2010: Tendulkar Guides Mumbai Into Semi-Finals

Sachin Tendulkar produced another Indian Premier League batting masterclass as the Mumbai Indians qualified for the semi-finals with a comprehensive 37-run win over the Rajasthan Royals.

Tendulkar batted through Mumbai's innings and took full advantage of being dropped by Aditya Dole when on 45 to see his side to a score of 174 for five before the Royals could only manage 137 for eight in reply.

Early on in his well-crafted innings, Tendulkar went to the top of the table for boundaries scored in the 2010 IPL and he soon became the seventh man to score 1000 IPL runs.

After hitting Shane Warne for 14 runs in one over he was dropped at long leg by Dole as he tried to pull Siddharth Trivedi and the Royals would pay dearly. Tendulkar passed his half-century and then raced past Jacques Kallis tot he top of the 2010 run-scoring lists, finishing by smacking Trivedi for 20 runs in the final over of the innings.

The Royals held the upper hand early on when Shane Watson's aggressive spell brought him the wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya, caught at mid-off by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala for one, Ambati Rayadu, caught by Naman Ojha for a duck adnd Saurabh Tiwary, caught by Dole at deep backward square leg.

Tendulkar then shared half-century stands with JP Duminy (31 in 32 balls) and Kieron Pollard (25 in 13 balls) and he closed the innings unbeaten on 89 in 59 balls having hit ten fours and two sixes.

The Royals, needing a fast start, got off to a poor one when openers Michael Lumb (8) and Ojha (0) were caught at backward point and slip respectively and it got worse when some chaotic bating ended in Watson being run out for one and Faiz Fazal departing in the same manner for ten.

Jhunjhunwala attempted to stabilise the innings but he too was run out for 22, Tiwary and Rayadu combining to end his day's work.

Controlled bowling from Mumbai and disciplined fielding, a late inconsequential drop from Lasith Malinga aside, led to more wickets tumbling and the match was quickly over as a contest, despite Dole hitting out to good effect with 30 in 18 balls and Adam Voges also making 28.

Zaheer Khan bowled superbly to return two for 17 and there was a wicket apiece for Dhawal Kulkarni, Harbhajan Singh and Pollard as the Royals were beaten in Jaipur for the first time.

Shah Rukh Khan will not be present in IPL Match on chennai

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan will not be present when his side takes on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in a must-win encounter for teams on Tuesday at the Chidamdaram Stadium.

"No, I won’t come to Chennai for the match. Think the team needs to introspect and play without my interference...emotional or physical," the superstar tweeted on Monday.

The Knight Riders have not been consistent enough in their campaign this year and are now ranked sixth with 10 points from 11 matches with a poor net run rate of -0.417.

Shah Rukh is reportedly worried about that.

"I think our main issue is winning consecutive games. We haven’t since the first two. Momentum and consistence amiss," Shah Rukh said on the social networking site.

Shah Rukh, who is busy shooting for his forthcoming film Ra. One, also feels that only praying for his team’s success will not work. Performance on the field is the only mantra for the Knights.

"Ha ha... someone said better way to pray at KKR matches will help... I don’t think so... I think better play at KKR matches will help our cause," he said.

The Knight Riders need to win all three of their remaining matches to stay in contention for a semi final berth.

With Mumbai Indians making the semi-finals for the first time in IPL history on Sunday after mauling the Rajasthan Royals, the only team not to feature in the semis ever isthe Knight Riders.

Tharoor's to-be wife stakeholder in IPL Kochi franchise

New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor himself may not be a stakeholder but the lady he is reportedly planning to marry is part of the consortium which owns the Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League, revealed IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

Clearing the air about the ownership structure of the little known Rendezvous Sports World which coughed up USD 333.33 million (appr Rs 1533 crore) to bag the Kochi franchise, Modi wrote on his Twitter page that the free equity holders include Kisan Shailender and Pushpa Gaikwad, Sunanda Pushkar, Puja Gulati, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad and Sundip Agarwal.

Media reports have said that Tharoor proposed to marry Sunanda Pushkar, a Kashmiri girl. Trained as a beautician, she runs a spa and has lived in Dubai.

"A lot of you asking shareholders and events surrounding the kochi team. I am compiling a note shortly and will put an official release soon," Modi wrote.

Modi hinted there was pressure on him not to reveal the details of who all owns Rendezvous.

"I was told not to get into who owns Rendezvous, specially Sunanda Pushkar. Why?" said Modi, a disclosure which could land Tharoor in a fresh controversy.

In a subsequent tweet, Modi spelled out the details.

"Kochi shareholders are: Rendezvous 25 per cent free, Rendezvous one percent, Anchor 27 per cent, Parinee 26 per cent, Film Waves combine 12 per cent, Anand Shyam 8 percent, Vivek Venugopal one percent," Modi tweeted.

Interestingly, Tharoor had played an instrumental role in galvanising the Kochi consortium, insisting all along that he had no financial stake in it.

"All I did on my part was to offer encouragement, blessings and expert advise when required to the bidders. Beyond that, I had no role to play. It`s a group of business people and I understand it`s a business decision," Tharoor had said.

"I am not even sure whether I know all of them, nor do I have any knowledge of the decision that how much they were going to bid. I know this Rendezvous Sports World and had met the Gaekwad brothers.

"I have given them all kind of encouragement but my role was limited. It was like...what shall I say...mentor sounds too grand a word," Tharoor had said.

Modi himself had earlier described Tharoor`s role as that of a facilitator only.

"Mr Tharoor was involved in facilitating and trying to get a team from Kochi to bid. He is an ardent fan of the game who wanted a team from Kochi and his role ends there," Modi had said.

Kochi-IPL spat turns ugly, Modi alleges foul play

New Delhi: The IPL-Kochi franchisee row took a more intense turn as league commissioner Lalit Modi, unperturbed by BCCI chief Shashank Manohar’s rebuke, alleged that the Shashi Tharoor ‘linked’ group had a lot to hide and he had done no wrong by disclosing their names to public.

In an e-mail to the BCCI chief, he even went at lengths to say that the group “has lied about who is the actual owner of the shares” and is uncharacteristically mum on their association with Sunanda Pushkhar.

Modi had hinted that there was pressure on him not to reveal the details of who all owns Rendezvous saying, “I was told not to get into who owns Rendezvous, especially Sunanda Pushkar. Why?"

Modi`s tweets could land Tharoor in a fresh controversy as the union minister had vehemently claimed that he had no financial stake in the Kochi franchise. He however, is supposedly about to tie the knot with the Dubai-based Kashmiri girl.

"All I did on my part was to offer encouragement, blessings and expert advise when required to the bidders. Beyond that, I had no role to play. It’s a group of business people and I understand it’s a business decision," Tharoor had said.

Sources claimed that Modi was interested in having Ahmedabad as one of the franchises for the subsequent IPL seasons and was therefore creating problems for Kochi which emerged as the second highest bidder in the auction.

Kochi and Pune will be the two new teams from IPL 2011.

Bangalore seek to settle score

It’s heartening to see reigning champions Deccan Chargers finally getting their bearings right. And now they look a potent force, having clocked two wins on the trot. As Gilchrist and Co had comprehensively beaten Royal Challengers in their own den in the last encounter, they would go into this match with a psychological edge at their surrogate home ground, Nagpur.

Deccan Chargers

Interestingly, Tirumalasetti Suman’s batting form has coincided with the team’s change in fortune. Batting at no. 3, he carved out two half-centuries that were in the winning cause. Against an opposition like Bangalore, Suman’s role will again be crucial.

Captain Gilchrist would love to take a leaf out of his junior’s book and hit the straps against a formidable side like Royal Challengers. However, the intriguing form of Rohit Sharma is another riddle the team needs to fix.

In a crucial match where a win could potentially decide the team’s entry to semis, the captain would do well to bring back either Herschelle Gibbs or VVS Laxman even though they haven’t been in good nick. As they say, class is permanent.

Ryan Harris has been hitting the deck nicely and picking up wickets as well and that should come handy against Bangalore’s reputed batting line-up. The duo of Harris and RP Singh will have to keep pecking at the top order to restrict the opposition to run away with the match. Pragyan Ojha, who is the leading wicket taker, has been doing a splendid job during the middle overs and he should pose a challenge to Bangalore batsmen.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Deccans must be rankling in the collective consciousness of the team. It can either become a mental block or spur the team to settle the score. With a team as resourceful as Bangalore, the latter is more likely.

However, one wonders why change an opening combination of Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey that has done well in the past.

The middle order has too much of class and substance to fail too often. However, it would be important not to hit the panic button if they lose early wickets.

The bowling quartet have done exceedingly well with captain Kumble leading from the front. Dale Steyn and Vinay Kumar have often wrecked batting line with their speed and guile and would be looking forward to carry on their good job.

Teams (Probable Eleven):

Deccan Chargers: Monish Mishra/VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist (capt-wk), T Suman, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Dwayne Smith/Herschelle Gibbs, B Sumanth, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ryan Harris, Harmeet Singh

Royal Challengers Bangalore: S Sriram, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa (wk), Ross Taylor, Cameron White, Virat Kohli, Anil Kumble (capt), Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Dale Steyn

Lalit Modi tweets names of IPL Kochi owners

New Delhi: IPL Chairman Lalit Modi ended all speculations regarding the scrapping of Kochi franchise by giving a list of the names of the owners on his Twitter page.

Modi informed his followers on the page saying, "Kochi shareholders are: Rendezvous 25% free, Rendezvous 1%, Anchor 27%, Parinee 26%, Film Waves Combine 12%, Anand Shyam 8%, Vivek Venugopal 1%. And Rendezvous free equity - held by Kisan, Shailender and Pushpa Gaikwad, Sunanda Pushkar, Puja Gulathi, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad, Sundip Agarwal."

Modi had last week told his tweeted, “Ignore all speculations over Kochi row.”

He had clarified that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stands on Kochi consortium over ownership issue and there is no chance of scrapping the newly acquired IPL team.

The Kochi owners had met BCCI officials in Mumbai on Friday as they looked to dispel fears that their agreement with the IPL would collapse. Modi had also said, "There are certain shareholders in the Rendezvous Company who have not been able to answer the question over stakes yet. The agreement has been signed, but we will seek clarification. It`s just a matter of time."

A consortium of various business groups, under the umbrella of Rendezvous, had bid Rs 1300 crore for the Kochi based franchisee at an auction last month.

ICC rules out window for IPL

The ICC has ruled out creating a separate window in the FTP for lucrative domestic leagues like the IPL, despite increasing calls for the game's governing body to figure out a way to allow players to participate without disrupting their international commitments.

"We don't envisage a separate window for a domestic event like the IPL," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's CEO, said in New Delhi at the unveiling of the ICC World Twenty20 trophy. "We cannot incorporate all domestic events into the FTP. It is just not possible as there would be implications for all other member boards."

Players from Australia, New Zealand and West Indies had to miss the first few games of the IPL this season as they were busy playing for their countries. Australia and New Zealand were involved in a bilateral series and the players couldn't reach India before April 1. Former Australian wicketkeeper and captain of Deccan Chargers, Adam Gilchrist, was the latest to join the chorus for an IPL window, pointing to the financial rewards for the players.

Commenting on the Twenty20-heavy calendar, Lorgat said he wasn't too concerned about possible player burnout once players assemble in the West Indies for the World Twenty20. The tournament begins on April 30, just five days after the conclusion of the six-week IPL. He pointed to the success of last year's World Twenty20 in England, which followed just after the IPL.

"The World Cup in England last year came immediately after the IPL. But it was extremely successful. We saw a full house at all the venues. I think the IPL is a great forerunner to the World Cup," he said. "Players are in Twenty20 mode and we are hopeful of an equally successful World Cup this time around."

The World Twenty20 is supposed to be held once every two years, but the fact that this edition follows barely a year after the previous one is an anomaly, which the ICC is trying to fix. "The fact that it is the third T20 World Cup in four years is a bit of an anomaly," Lorgat said. "We are trying to rectify the scheduling and set it right."

He also brushed aside concerns that the popularity of Twenty20 will overshadow that for Tests and ODIs. "Its popularity has gone beyond expectations but other formats are also popular. There was a lot of negativity around the other formats, but in the last 12-18 months we have seen some fascinating 50-over games," Lorgat said. "When (India's) Sachin Tendulkar scored 200, most people were of the view that 50-overs cricket would definitely survive."

Dominant Tendulkar boosts Mumbai

Sachin Tendulkar shored up Mumbai Indians yet again with his fifth half-century of the IPL that all but guaranteed them a place in the semi-final and took him to the top of the run-charts in the tournament. He overcame Rajasthan Royals' strong start by building two partnerships: the first with JP Duminy to lead Mumbai's recovery after the loss of three early wickets, and the second with Kieron Pollard to accelerate at the end. That effort was backed up by a clinical performance from Mumbai's bowlers, which left Rajasthan battling in a mid-table scrap at fourth place, and inflicted on them their first defeat in Jaipur.

While their chase seemed doomed to fail after four wickets in the first seven overs, Rajasthan will look back at two phases where Mumbai could have been restricted. They grabbed three wickets in the Powerplay, but failed to keep up the pressure during a rebuilding endeavour by Tendulkar and Duminy. And they performed poorly in the field, with Adam Voges missing an easy opportunity to run out Pollard off his first ball, and Aditya Dole dropping a sitter off Tendulkar when on 45. The lapses cost Rajasthan dearly, as the pair helped plunder 68 off the last five overs to lift Mumbai to a score that proved out of Rajasthan's reach.

Tendulkar faced just 12 deliveries in Mumbai's Powerplay, but adapted superbly, restraining himself while ensuring a healthy rate after the early setbacks, and taking off with ease at the death against Rajasthan's seamers. Shane Watson removed Sanath Jayasuriya in his first over, and followed up by dismissing Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary with the bouncer, a weapon used successfully against local batsmen. But Duminy proved a suitable foil for Tendulkar, and the pair worked the field, picked the singles by calling well and accumulated 30 runs in five overs after the Powerplay.

There was hardly anything for the Jaipur crowd to cheer thereafter, but franchise loyalties mattered little in a Shane Warne v Tendulkar contest that fans were deprived of in the previous encounter. Tendulkar prevailed today, with three boundaries in one over against his counterpart. Warne was the only Rajasthan spinner to rely on flight, and Tendulkar improvised twice by striking him inside-out through extra cover. And when Warne dropped one short, Tendulkar made room to cut him through point.

Rajasthan had a chance once they broke the 63-run stand between Duminy and Tendulkar in the 13th over, but paid the price for mistakes in the field and some indisciplined bowling at the death. The seamers often bowled too short and when varying their pace, pitched the ball on a length which Tendulkar and Pollard were able to feed off with ease. Pollard began the surge with a slapped four off Dole in the 16th over and clipping Watson through fine leg in the next. He singled out Dole for treatment, smashing him for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries before being bowled to end a 50-run stand.

Tendulkar's acceleration was more calculated. He had picked out his spots in the field and it didn't help Rajasthan that their bowlers gave him ample opportunity to find them. With a mid-on inside the circle in the penultimate over, Watson bowled short and was hammered over that fielder for two consecutive fours. When Siddharth Trivedi came on next, Tendulkar targeted the wide long-on region for two successive sixes and finished off with 20 in the final over.

The only moment of promise in Rajasthan's chase was when Michael Lumb struck Dhawal Kulkarni for two fours in the second over, before slashing one straight to point. Zaheer Khan was the best of the Mumbai bowlers, nipping the ball away from the batsmen and clocking in excess of 140 kph, and earned his reward when opener Naman Ojha edged to slip.

While Rajasthan were generous in the field, Mumbai didn't waste their chances and Shane Watson and Faiz Fazal were run out after responding late to calls from their partners. All hopes rested on Yusuf Pathan but there were no miracles this time, and when he was caught in the 14th over with the score on 85, Rajasthan's fate was sealed.

Pandey back, Bangalore field

Anil Kumble called correctly, and he went with the ploy that has fetched Bangalore five out of their six wins, choosing to field first. In the seven previous matches where Bangalore have chased, they have won five, and another such result will put them in an excellent position for a semi-final berth. They won the previous game convincingly against Kolkata Knight Riders, but made a couple of changes to that team, bringing in Manish Pandey and left-arm spinner KP Appanna instead of S Sriram and Praveen Kumar.

Deccan, meanwhile, were put in a slightly unfamiliar situation of batting first at this ground for the first time in three games. It's a must-win match for them, and they've had mixed luck in the two previous games here - against Rajasthan Royals exactly a week ago, Rohit Sharma's classy 73 wasn't enough to prevent a heartbreaking two-run loss. A couple of days back, they cruised to a fairly comfortable six-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings, which has kept them in contention for the semi-finals. Deccan made only one change to that side, with Herschelle Gibbs returning and Dwayne Smith sitting out.

The bigger boundaries and the lush outfields probably means posting high scores here might not be as easy as in most other IPL venues - in the first match Rajasthan defended 159, while in the last match here Deccan went past 138 only in the last over. The spinners could also have more to do here, which probably explains Bangalore's decision to include Appanna.

Deccan Chargers 1 Monish Mishra, 2 Adam Gilchrist (capt & wk), 3 T Suman, 4 Herschelle Gibbs, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 B Sumanth, 8 Ryan Harris, 9 Harmeet Singh, 10 RP Singh, 11 Pragyan Ojha.

Royal Challengers Bangalore 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Robin Uthappa (wk), 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Cameron White, 7 Virat Kohli, 8 Vinay Kumar, 9 KP Appanna, 10 Anil Kumble (capt), 11 Dale Steyn.

Tendulkar's presence would have helped us in T20 WC: Harbhajan

Sachin, Harbhajan

Day in Pics: April 7

CHANDIGARH: Considering the red-hot form Sachin Tendulkar is in these days, it would have been fantastic for India's Twenty20 World Cup campaign if the batting legend was a part of the squad, feels Harbhajan Singh.

Tendulkar does not play T20 Internationals anymore hence the selectors did not include him in the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, beginning in the West Indies from April 30.

Tendulkar, who turns 37 on April 24, is in scorching form and has been instrumental in Mumbai Indians' splendid run so far in the third season of the Indian Premier League.

"Had Sachin decided to play in the World Cup, it would have been good for the team. But since he has decided, we know he is not going to change his decision," Harbhajan, Tendukar's IPL teammate, said during an informal interaction with scribes on the sidelines a felicitation function.

Tendulkar, captain of the Mumbai Indians, is the second highest run getter with 394 runs behind Jacques Kallis.

Harbhajan, who is among the top five bowlers in IPL 3 with 11 scalps, has also impressed with his batting skills and his blistering knocks have come handy for his side.

"I have worked a lot on my batting as well," he said even as he hurriedly added that despite his little cameos he will still remain a bowler first.

Asked the T20 effect on the other formats of the game he said, "It is having a positive effect on other versions. The game is becoming more fast now."

The senior pro also said the IPL has helped all the international players in T20 World Cup preparations.

"I think now we as Indian team believe that every target can be chased down if our batting clicks. It's a good practice for T20 Cup. Other teams too will benefit because their players are playing in the IPL," he said.

Suman, Symonds show keep Deccan in semi-final race

BANGALORE: T Suman (78 not out) played the innings of life while Andrew Symonds gave him the perfect support with a 24-ball 53 cameo as Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets to stay afloat for a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Chasing a competitive 184, Suman came up with runs when it mattered most for his team and shared an unbeaten 46-ball 91-run fourth-wicket stand with Symonds as the title holders overhauled the target comfortably with four balls to spare.

Suman bejeweled his innings with six fours and three sixes while Symonds blitzkrieg included five boundaries and three huge hits over the fence.

Earlier Jacques Kallis (68) and Virat Kohli (58) put on a 52-ball 95 runs fifth wicket partnership to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 184 for six.

With this win, Deccan took their points tally to eight from ten contests while the defeat saw RCB stagnate at ten points from as many matches.

It was also RCB's second successive defeat, while Deccan returned back to winning after five consecutive loses.

Deccan did not have the perfect start to their run chase as they lost their opener Monish Mishra in the third over with just 11 runs on the board.

Skipper Adam Gilchrist (32 off 19) and Suman, however, kept the Hyderabad side in the hunt, sharing 77 runs for the second wicket that came in just 8.3 overs.

But the whole scenario changed within just seven runs as Deccan lost two crucial wickets -- Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma -- to find themselves in a spot of bother.

Gilchrist's 19-ball essay was cut short by Kumble who foxed him with a googly and Robin Uthappa did the rest behind the stumps.

As if that blow was not enough, five balls later Rohit Sharma (6) gave away a straight forward catch to Dale Steyn off R Vinay Kumar to compound their problems.

But it was not to be Bangalore's day as Suman and Andrew Symonds milked the Deccan bowlers with caution and set the platform for the comfortable victory with some sensible hitting.

Needing 49 off the last four overs, first Symonds opened up, hitting Praveen Kumar for a four and six and then Suman joined the party clobbering the medium pacer straight over his head to pile up 21 runs.

Symonds clobbered R Vinay Kumar for a six and then followed it up with a boundary in the next ball to drew curtains to their run chase in style.

For RCB Praveen and Kumble picked up a wicket each, giving away 37 and 38 runs respectively.

Earlier sent into bat, Kallis continued his purple patch and scored 68 in 44 balls while Kohli produced the acceleration towards the end, making the fifty plus innings in just 35 deliveries to guide RCB to the big score, especially after they were struggling at 68 for four at one stage.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2/24) and Ryan Harris (2/37) were the notable wicket-takers for Deccan.

From the time he stepped in, Kohli knew nothing about pressure and took the fight into the Deccan camp.

He virtually butchered the Deccan attack, taking 23 runs off an Andrew Symonds over to begin the late innings mayhem. Left-arm pacer RP Singh too bled as Kohli went berserk during his 35-ball blitzkrieg which overshadowed Kallis' belligerence.

Kallis designed his innings with nine fours and a six before he feel to a superb running catch by Harris off Mitchell Marsh.

Kohli struck four sixes and as many boundaries before holing out to Symonds at long on off Harris in search of quick runs.

Kohli's seemed in a destructive mood and together with Kallis, he tore apart the Deccan attack to pile up 92 runs off the last six overs.

Ojha bowled intelligently for Deccan and accounted for Rahul Dravid (26) and Ross Taylor (1) to emerge as the highest wicket-taker in IPL 3 with 15 scalps.

Cameron White drew curtains to the Deccan innings in style, hitting back-to-back sixes off Harris in last two balls of the final over.

Kochi IPL franchisee to be scrapped?

Mumbai: Kerela’s dream of having a franchisee of its own in the Indian Premier League looks to be turning sour as, if sources are to be believed, Team Kochi might be scraped altogether.

A consortium of various business groups, under the umbrella of Rendezvous, had bid Rs 1300 crore for the Kochi based franchisee at an auction last month.

However, the status of one of the partner in the consortium, who owns a 25% stake, remains ‘unknown’.

The Kochi franchisee has to submit its papers to the IPL board by Monday.

The consortium has been asked to present its case and sign the agreement, mentioning all its partners, in Mumbai.

IPL sources also hinted at the identities of the partners without taking their names directly.

“BCCI has been confidentially told that a minister, a former India captain and a cricketer who’s currently playing for India are also part of the consortium. Their names should also figure in the agreement document.”

‘‘This free equity business will have to be investigated and that is why the Kochi team’s agreement has been returned. We hope the owners come clean on this. If there are seven partners or eight parties involved, let them come out in the open and sign the document. We have no problem,’’ a top BCCI official, who didn’t wish to be named, said.

However, the Kochi camp vehemently denied that any such transfer of stake had taken place. They also insisted that they would submit the agreement papers to BCCI on Friday itself.

The CEO of the Kochi franchisee, Shailendra Gaikwad, denied any such differences with the board. ‘‘I am not aware of such an event,’’ he said.

“We have won the Kochi team fair and square and we are very serious about going ahead with it,” he insisted.

Kings XI have only pride to play for

MOHALI: It’s a clash between two teams at the extreme ends of the table; Mumbai Indian are the pace setters while Kings XI Punjab bring up the rear. The former are just a win away from securing a berth in the semifinals, while the home team’s languishing at the bottom ever since the IPL 3 started on March 12.

Things have gone so bad for KXIP, proudly presented and backed by Preity Zinta, that the bubbly Bollywood star has become invisible during the last two games. In fact, she went to Haridwar for a dip in the Ganga and even performed a ‘yagna’ for the team’s victory.

Punjab have just two wins to show in their 10 matches in what has been a miserable display by a team that promised much under new skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

On the other hand, the supremely confident Mumbai have lost just two games, the last being at Chennai when the team tumbled after Sachin Tendulkar suffered from cramps and dehydration in humid conditions. That was a hiccup MI would not be overly worried about. The weather conditions in Mohali will surely be not as sapping as down south - it is hot during the day but the temperatures dip at night and there is not much humidity either.

Mumbai are up against a team which has become a punching bag in this tournament, but Tendulkar’s men need to be cautious as KXIP do have the ability to surprise a team that lowers its guard. They did that to KKR, chasing 200.

In their remaining four matches KXIP will have two objectives: One, to spoil the chances of the teams that cross their path and two, to avoid the wooden spoon.