Mumbai Indians stormed into the final of the DLF-IPL III defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Wednesday.
Ross Taylor (31 not out, 30 balls) staged a lone battle as the visitor, chasing 185 for a place in the final, crumbled to 149 for nine in 20 overs. Kieron Pollard was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match.
Sachin Tendulkar was absent owing to injury to fingers from the fourth over onwards in RCB's innings.
Zaheer Khan stepped in to fill the breach. The skipper walked out at the finish to greet each teammate with a bear hug.
Rayudu's efficiency behind the stumps, three wickets by Kieron Pollard apart from a run-out, timely strikes by Harbhajan and J.P. Duminy's well-judged catch on the ropes were the highlights of Mumbai Indians's work on the field. A berth in the Champions League is the first reward.
RCB's batting response was entrusted to Dravid the opener, orthodox yet effective in using the pace generated by Zaheer Khan. He had the presence of mind to wait for the umpire's verdict when Tendulkar celebrated a catch at first slip. The Mumbai Indians captain walked off for treatment on injured fingers as the television umpire negated the catch.
Harbhajan's knack of making things happen, complemented by Rayudu's reflexes behind the stumps, resulted in Pietersen's exit. The off-spinner saw the batsman stepping out, bowled down the leg-side and the wicket-keeper finished the task with a flourish, diving sideways to take the bails off.
Uthappa left after a short burst, sweeping sixes off Harbhajan. Mumbai Indians appeared to have turned the tide when a fine piece of fielding by Pollard ran out Dravid (23 runs, 22 balls), collecting a throw from R. Sathish and flinging his body forward to effect a diving run-out, leaving RCB still to get a grip on the chase at the half-way mark (83 for two in 10 overs). Rayudu then latched on to an edge by Kohli.
Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary, busy as bees earlier at the crease, put on 67 runs off 49 balls in a fifth-wicket stand when the RCB bowlers were on top.
Rayudu started with an imperious drive over the bowler's head, then scored 40 off 38 balls creating the launchpad for the big-hitters to follow. Tiwary cleared the ball with huge swings, using the bat like a sledgehammer for four sixes.
Mumbai Indians scored 184 for five thanks to a five-over blast from Tiwary and some clean-hitting by Pollard (33 not out off 13 balls). The West Indian smashed three sixes.
Mumbai Indians got a reality check about life without Tendulkar. The captain stretched outside the offstump to drive a Dale Steyn ball swinging away, scooped towards cover for Taylor to stun the home crowd into silence with a low, rolling catch. Kohli's sharp reaction cut short Shikhar Dhawan's short stint as five overs resulted in 39 runs and loss of both the openers.
Duminy's apprehensions against spin came true, startled by bounce from Kumble, angled across the left-hander. Pietersen kept plugging away at the other end, bowling flat and denying the batsmen pace off the track. Rayudu and Tiwary were patient, working the ball around for singles to rotate strike.
Tendulkar opted to bat after winning the toss, but Mumbai Indians gained momentum in the 14th over bowled by Kohli.
Tiwary cleared mid-wicket with a huge swing across for the first six as the home team crossed the 100-run milestone. He stepped out for his second six, a huge swing over long-on off Kallis in the 16th over.
The scores:
Mumbai Indians: S. Dhawan (run out) 12 (9b, 2x4), S. Tendulkar c Taylor b Steyn 9 (9b, 2x4), A. Nayar c Praveen b Pietersen 22 (18b, 2x4), A. Rayudu c Kallis b Steyn 40 (38b, 4x4), J-P. Duminy c Pietersen b Kumble 3 (4b), S. Tiwary (not out) 52 (31b, 3x4, 4x6), K. Pollard (not out) 33 (13b, 1x4, 3x6), Extras (lb-2, nb-2, w-9) 13; Total (for five wickets in 20 overs) 184.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-29, 3-68, 4-77, 5-144.
Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Praveen 3-0-29-0, Steyn 4-0-43-2, Vinay 2-0-25-0, Kallis 2-0-25-0, Kumble 4-0-30-1, Pietersen 4-0-20-1, Kohli 1-0-10-0.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis c Rayudu b Malinga 11 (9b, 2x4), R. Dravid (run out) 23 (22b, 3x4), K. Pietersen st. Rayudu b Harbhajan 19 (14b, 2x4), R. Uthappa c Dhawan b Pollard 26 (13b, 2x4, 2x6), R. Taylor (not out) 31 (30b, 1x4, 1x6), V. Kohli c Rayudu b Pollard 9 (7b, 1x4), M. Pandey c Duminy b Pollard 5 (9b), Praveen b Harbhajan 1 (2b), Vinay b Malinga 8 (8b), D. Steyn b Fernando 5 (5b, 1x4), A. Kumble (not out) 1 (2b), Extras (nb-1, w-7, lb-2) 10; Total (for nine wickets in 20 overs) 149.
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-47, 3-81, 4-81, 5-97, 6-108, 7-118, 8-134, 9-146.
Mumbai Indians bowling: Zaheer 4-0-34-0, Fernando 4-0-28-1, Malinga 4-0-24-2, Harbhajan 4-0-44-2, Pollard 4-0-17-3.
Showing posts with label Cricket News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket News. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Stadium attacks herald new Indian Mujahideen offensive
Investigators believe Saturday's bombings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore were executed by an Indian Mujahideen cell led by Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa, police sources told The Hindu.
Karnataka-born Bawa—also known as ‘Yasin Bhatkal'—is allegedly a key figure in a series of urban bombings executed by the Indian Mujahideen between 2005 and 2008 that claimed hundreds of lives.
Bawa, police say, was the organisation's key-bomb maker and his devices were used in the attacks.
Earlier this year, during investigations, he emerged as a key suspect in the bombing of the German Bakery in Pune. Police informants had identified the fair, slight Bawa, dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt and a rucksack slung over his back, in closed-circuit footage recorded by a camera placed over the cashier's counter at the German Bakery. Witnesses also identified Bawa from photographs shown to them by Pune investigators.
The police sources say there was credible intelligence that he was planning further attacks, but insist there was no information suggesting the M. Chinnaswamy stadium was to be targeted.
The timer-activated improvised explosive devices were similar in design to the devices used in Bangalore. “High humidity in Bangalore because of recent rains may have degraded the ammonium nitrate used to manufacture the bombs, lessening their lethality,” a senior police official told TheHindu. Similar problems had led the nine improvised explosive devices planted in Bangalore in July, 2008, to malfunction.
Bawa was allegedly recruited into the Indian Mujahideen by his childhood friends, Islamist ideologue Iqbal Shahbandri and his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri. Karnataka Police sources say Bawa was a key figure in a meeting held in the summer of 2004 on the beachfront in Bhatkal, where key Indian Mujahideen operatives met for the first time to discuss their operational strategies.
Police in several States have sought Bawa ever since October, 2008, when he escaped a police raid on an Indian Mujahideen safe house near Chikmagalur. Police recovered laboratory equipment, precision tools and five complete improvised explosive devices during the raids.
For at least a year, it has been clear that the Indian Mujahideen has been rebuilding its networks in India. In his testimony to the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pakistani-American jihadist David Headley spoke of what he called the ‘Karachi Project': a Lashkar effort to raise new networks of Indian jihadists.
Police say Hyderabad-based jihadist Sheikh Abdul Khaja, who was arrested by the Indian authorities in January, had met with key leaders of the Indian Mujahideen in Karachi, including Bawa, the Shahbandri brothers, and gang-lord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan.
Karnataka-born Bawa—also known as ‘Yasin Bhatkal'—is allegedly a key figure in a series of urban bombings executed by the Indian Mujahideen between 2005 and 2008 that claimed hundreds of lives.
Bawa, police say, was the organisation's key-bomb maker and his devices were used in the attacks.
Earlier this year, during investigations, he emerged as a key suspect in the bombing of the German Bakery in Pune. Police informants had identified the fair, slight Bawa, dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt and a rucksack slung over his back, in closed-circuit footage recorded by a camera placed over the cashier's counter at the German Bakery. Witnesses also identified Bawa from photographs shown to them by Pune investigators.
The police sources say there was credible intelligence that he was planning further attacks, but insist there was no information suggesting the M. Chinnaswamy stadium was to be targeted.
The timer-activated improvised explosive devices were similar in design to the devices used in Bangalore. “High humidity in Bangalore because of recent rains may have degraded the ammonium nitrate used to manufacture the bombs, lessening their lethality,” a senior police official told TheHindu. Similar problems had led the nine improvised explosive devices planted in Bangalore in July, 2008, to malfunction.
Bawa was allegedly recruited into the Indian Mujahideen by his childhood friends, Islamist ideologue Iqbal Shahbandri and his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri. Karnataka Police sources say Bawa was a key figure in a meeting held in the summer of 2004 on the beachfront in Bhatkal, where key Indian Mujahideen operatives met for the first time to discuss their operational strategies.
Police in several States have sought Bawa ever since October, 2008, when he escaped a police raid on an Indian Mujahideen safe house near Chikmagalur. Police recovered laboratory equipment, precision tools and five complete improvised explosive devices during the raids.
For at least a year, it has been clear that the Indian Mujahideen has been rebuilding its networks in India. In his testimony to the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pakistani-American jihadist David Headley spoke of what he called the ‘Karachi Project': a Lashkar effort to raise new networks of Indian jihadists.
Police say Hyderabad-based jihadist Sheikh Abdul Khaja, who was arrested by the Indian authorities in January, had met with key leaders of the Indian Mujahideen in Karachi, including Bawa, the Shahbandri brothers, and gang-lord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sehwag is Wisden Cricketer of the Year
Explosive Indian opener Virender Sehwag became Wisden Cricketer of the Year for the second time in a row, beating off competition from England captain Andrew Strauss and Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan.
The award, which was instituted in 2004, has Australian captain Ricky Ponting, spin wizard Shane Warne and talismanic English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff among its past winners.
The 31-year-old Indian was picked for the honour for a second successive year after scoring “more quickly than any specialist batsman in Tests or One-day internationals”, Cricinfo reported.
Sehwag apart, English wicketkeeper Matt Prior, spinner Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, pacer Stuart Broad and Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke were the ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’ chosen by the magazine.
Sehwag averaged 70, with a strike-rate of 108.9, in the Tests he played last year. In One-day internationals, Sehwag had a strike-rate of 136.5 while averaging 45.
Strauss and Dilshan were also nominated by several correspondents who were consulted about this award but fell short of Sehwag.
The award, which was instituted in 2004, has Australian captain Ricky Ponting, spin wizard Shane Warne and talismanic English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff among its past winners.
The 31-year-old Indian was picked for the honour for a second successive year after scoring “more quickly than any specialist batsman in Tests or One-day internationals”, Cricinfo reported.
Sehwag apart, English wicketkeeper Matt Prior, spinner Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, pacer Stuart Broad and Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke were the ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’ chosen by the magazine.
Sehwag averaged 70, with a strike-rate of 108.9, in the Tests he played last year. In One-day internationals, Sehwag had a strike-rate of 136.5 while averaging 45.
Strauss and Dilshan were also nominated by several correspondents who were consulted about this award but fell short of Sehwag.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Modi tweets up hot IPL row
For the second day running, aides close to the minister of state for external affairs, Mr Shashi Tharoor, have denied any link with the stunning Dubai socialite, Ms Sunanda Pushkar, who has now been named by the Indian Premier League commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi, as an 18 per cent stakeholder in the IPL Kochi franchise Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) and a “close associate” of the minister.
Mr Tharoor, when asked to comment on persistent reports that he was planning to tie the knot on June 26 with Ms Pushkar, a Dubai-based Indian socialite who has already been married twice before, rubbished the reports.
An aide close to the minister also denied that SMS invitations had been sent to several leading Indian businessmen in the port city, whom many believe have funded and backed the so-called Kochi franchisees.
The aide clarified that Ms Pushkar only had a five per cent stake in the company.
The Kochi franchise is now accusing Mr Modi of breaking the confidentiality clause and have threatened to sue him. The Kochi franchise has also complained to the BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar, about Mr Modi’s indiscretion.
Sources said the Kochi franchise wants Mr Modi to disclose the stake-holding pattern in other franchises like Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.
RSW sources alleged that Mr 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 second highest bidder in the auction.
As the minister seeks to distance himself from the controversy, the issue of just who owns the Kochi franchise in the expanded IPL is under scanner with Mr Modi revealing details of ownership pattern.
In his Twitter post, Mr Modi named the members of the group that put in the successful Rs 1,532-crore bid on March 21, revealing that the free equity holders in the Rendezvous Sports World consortium partners include Kisan Shailender and Pushpa Gaikwad, Ms Pushkar, Puja Gulati, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad and Sundip Agarwal, according to Mr Modi.
Mr Tharoor, when asked to comment on persistent reports that he was planning to tie the knot on June 26 with Ms Pushkar, a Dubai-based Indian socialite who has already been married twice before, rubbished the reports.
An aide close to the minister also denied that SMS invitations had been sent to several leading Indian businessmen in the port city, whom many believe have funded and backed the so-called Kochi franchisees.
The aide clarified that Ms Pushkar only had a five per cent stake in the company.
The Kochi franchise is now accusing Mr Modi of breaking the confidentiality clause and have threatened to sue him. The Kochi franchise has also complained to the BCCI president, Mr Shashank Manohar, about Mr Modi’s indiscretion.
Sources said the Kochi franchise wants Mr Modi to disclose the stake-holding pattern in other franchises like Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.
RSW sources alleged that Mr 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 second highest bidder in the auction.
As the minister seeks to distance himself from the controversy, the issue of just who owns the Kochi franchise in the expanded IPL is under scanner with Mr Modi revealing details of ownership pattern.
In his Twitter post, Mr Modi named the members of the group that put in the successful Rs 1,532-crore bid on March 21, revealing that the free equity holders in the Rendezvous Sports World consortium partners include Kisan Shailender and Pushpa Gaikwad, Ms Pushkar, Puja Gulati, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad and Sundip Agarwal, according to Mr Modi.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Daredevils beat Bangalore by 37 runs
Pradeep Sangwan and Amit Mishra took 3 wickets each as Delhi Daredevils beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 37 runs in their IPL clash.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Life ban for Younus Khan, Mohammed Yousuf
Pakistan cricket was thrown into turmoil on Wednesday with the country's Board putting an end to the international careers of former captains Mohd Yousuf and Younus Khan besides imposing a one-year ban on Shoaib Malik in the wake of the team's disastrous tour of Australia.
Pakistan were whitewashed in all three formats of the game in Australia and the PCB had set up an inquiry committee headed by Wasim Bari to probe the reasons for the debacle.
As recommended by the committee, former captain Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were handed one-year bans.
The inquiry committee had recommended that Yousuf and Younis should no longer be part of the national team in any format because of their bad influence on the team and that Malik and Rana be banned for 12 months and fined 2 million rupees each.
The Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar -- and Afridi have been put on probation for six months besides being fined between Rs 2-3 million for indiscipine on the tour, the PCB statement said.
The punishments are set to impact the composition of Pakistan's World Twenty20 Championship. The team is the defending champion in this format and the 15-man squad for the event is due to be out by the end of this month.
According to sources, the report was discussed by the PCB chairman Ejaz Butt with the national selection committee on Monday as part of the selection process for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.
"Apparently at the meeting, there were mixed reactions to the strong recommendations keeping in mind that upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies where Pakistan defends its title," the source stated.
The inquiry committee apparently had serious reservations over the attitude and commitment shown by Malik and Rana in Australia where they are accused of not cooperating with the management.
He said the captain, coach and manager on the Australian tour had reported Malik and Rana for misbehaviour and not cooperating with the management a fact confirmed by some other players who appeared before the probe committee.
This is the first time in Pakistan cricket history that the Board has taken such strong disciplinary action against so many players at one time.
Pakistan were whitewashed in all three formats of the game in Australia and the PCB had set up an inquiry committee headed by Wasim Bari to probe the reasons for the debacle.
As recommended by the committee, former captain Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were handed one-year bans.
The inquiry committee had recommended that Yousuf and Younis should no longer be part of the national team in any format because of their bad influence on the team and that Malik and Rana be banned for 12 months and fined 2 million rupees each.
The Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar -- and Afridi have been put on probation for six months besides being fined between Rs 2-3 million for indiscipine on the tour, the PCB statement said.
The punishments are set to impact the composition of Pakistan's World Twenty20 Championship. The team is the defending champion in this format and the 15-man squad for the event is due to be out by the end of this month.
According to sources, the report was discussed by the PCB chairman Ejaz Butt with the national selection committee on Monday as part of the selection process for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.
"Apparently at the meeting, there were mixed reactions to the strong recommendations keeping in mind that upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies where Pakistan defends its title," the source stated.
The inquiry committee apparently had serious reservations over the attitude and commitment shown by Malik and Rana in Australia where they are accused of not cooperating with the management.
He said the captain, coach and manager on the Australian tour had reported Malik and Rana for misbehaviour and not cooperating with the management a fact confirmed by some other players who appeared before the probe committee.
This is the first time in Pakistan cricket history that the Board has taken such strong disciplinary action against so many players at one time.
Modi promises fireworks in IPL-3
The continuing by TV news channels boycott notwithstanding, Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi expects a successful third edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 event starting March 12.
“The preparations are in full swing and there are no hiccups. We all are ready to go. We have planned a very good opening night as well as opening ceremony with a spectacular laser and fireworks show,” Modi said at a media conference.
But Modi was not too worried about IPL’s stand-off with NBA and said he expected the TRP ratings of the IPL action to get boosted. “People can see IPL action on Sony and YouTube (with whom the League has struck a deal to show complete ‘live’ action with a five-minute delay for India),” he said.
Two new franchises are set to be added next season but despite the increased number of matches, the Indian Premier League will not run beyond seven weeks as extending it would “hurt other forms of cricket,” Modi said.
“We are going to have the current limitation (in the IPL’s duration), and we are happy to live with that. Then (if we make it a longer tournament) you are going to start to hurting the other forms of the game,” Modi said.
“We chose the window specifically to be off-season in India, April-May are typically off season in India... I don’t think we are going to be able to change that,” he added.
The IPL will have 94 matches in the 2011 season but Modi said the tournament will only be 51 days long.
“It’s (next season) only over seven weeks instead of six, it’s over 51 days instead of 46, we have done the scheduling, we just have to announce it.”
Modi reiterated that Test cricket remains a priority for the BCCI. “Test cricket is our bread and butter which people don’t understand, we are never going to compromise on Test cricket,” he said.
Modi also defended the financial clauses put in place for buying new IPL franchises despite the fact that the stringent rules kept some interested parties away from the auction. The auction ultimately had to be put off till March 21 and new tenders were invited for the process as no one could match the $1 billion net worth clause. “We wouldn’t want that (clubs getting into a debt trap). When we did the 50m numbers, we projected certain revenue going forward, 80 per cent of the revenue (we earn) goes back to the franchises,” he said.
“When we did our numbers, it was on a business plan. The idea is that everybody should survive and make money on it, then only can somebody grow, because of the confidence, whatever we have done, we have no regrets,” he added.
“The preparations are in full swing and there are no hiccups. We all are ready to go. We have planned a very good opening night as well as opening ceremony with a spectacular laser and fireworks show,” Modi said at a media conference.
But Modi was not too worried about IPL’s stand-off with NBA and said he expected the TRP ratings of the IPL action to get boosted. “People can see IPL action on Sony and YouTube (with whom the League has struck a deal to show complete ‘live’ action with a five-minute delay for India),” he said.
Two new franchises are set to be added next season but despite the increased number of matches, the Indian Premier League will not run beyond seven weeks as extending it would “hurt other forms of cricket,” Modi said.
“We are going to have the current limitation (in the IPL’s duration), and we are happy to live with that. Then (if we make it a longer tournament) you are going to start to hurting the other forms of the game,” Modi said.
“We chose the window specifically to be off-season in India, April-May are typically off season in India... I don’t think we are going to be able to change that,” he added.
The IPL will have 94 matches in the 2011 season but Modi said the tournament will only be 51 days long.
“It’s (next season) only over seven weeks instead of six, it’s over 51 days instead of 46, we have done the scheduling, we just have to announce it.”
Modi reiterated that Test cricket remains a priority for the BCCI. “Test cricket is our bread and butter which people don’t understand, we are never going to compromise on Test cricket,” he said.
Modi also defended the financial clauses put in place for buying new IPL franchises despite the fact that the stringent rules kept some interested parties away from the auction. The auction ultimately had to be put off till March 21 and new tenders were invited for the process as no one could match the $1 billion net worth clause. “We wouldn’t want that (clubs getting into a debt trap). When we did the 50m numbers, we projected certain revenue going forward, 80 per cent of the revenue (we earn) goes back to the franchises,” he said.
“When we did our numbers, it was on a business plan. The idea is that everybody should survive and make money on it, then only can somebody grow, because of the confidence, whatever we have done, we have no regrets,” he added.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
South Africa win by an innings and six runs
South Africa defeated India by an innings and six runs on the fourth day of the first cricket Test here Tuesday.
Following on, India were bowled out for 319 runs with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 100.
Harbhajan Singh (39), Wriddhiman Saha (36), Zaheer Khan (33) came up with useful contributions, but India folded up in 107.1 overs.
Dale Steyn took a match haul of 10 wickets while Paul Harris got three for 76 in the second innings.
South Africa had declared their first innings at 558/6 and bowled out India for 233.
Following on, India were bowled out for 319 runs with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 100.
Harbhajan Singh (39), Wriddhiman Saha (36), Zaheer Khan (33) came up with useful contributions, but India folded up in 107.1 overs.
Dale Steyn took a match haul of 10 wickets while Paul Harris got three for 76 in the second innings.
South Africa had declared their first innings at 558/6 and bowled out India for 233.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Awaiting Laxman’s fitness report : Dhoni
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday said the team is waiting for middle order mainstay V.V.S. Laxman’s fitness report before deciding who will bat at number three in the first Test against South Africa starting here on Saturday.
