Swann backing Bopara

England spinner Graeme Swann is backing Ravi Bopara to step up to the mark and fill the void left by Kevin Pietersen.

Bopara is set to replace homeward-bound Pietersen in the line-up to face New Zealand in the final Super Eights game at the ICC World Twenty20.

Pietersen has been in imperious form in the wins over Pakistan and South Africa, however he will miss the clash with the Black Caps as his wife Jessica is due to give birth.

Pietersen is expected to return in time for Thursday's semi-final, should England progress, however Swann believes Bopara is the ideal candidate to come into the side.

Swann said: "It's obviously a loss not to have Kevin for the next game. But after winning these last two, it probably makes it a little bit easier.

"We've got Ravi to come back, who in this form of the game can be as destructive as anyone - even Kev.

"He'll come in and stake a claim to be involved. If we qualify for the semi-final he'll want to get a spot in it.

"It's obviously disappointing to miss Kev. But I think everyone in the squad understands why, and we're 100 per cent behind him."

If Pietersen has provided the impetus with the bat, it is Swann's partnership with Michael Yardy that has been the highlight of England's bowling.

Together, the spin twins ripped out the South African top order in Barbados - and Swann has been full of praise of the Sussex captain.

"We don't talk on the field. It's all done beforehand," added Swann.

"We go out there knowing exactly what we've got to do, who to do it to, and when to do it.

"He certainly doesn't say anything to the batsmen; he gets on with his game. He just runs up and does his job.

"I'm sure he's annoying to a few batsmen at the minute, because he keeps getting them out."

Afghans in search of new horizons after T20 heroics

Barbados — Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan wants professional teams around the world to help his players build on their performances at the World Twenty20.

Afghanistan bowed out of the tournament with a 59-run loss to South Africa after being dismissed for 80 as they collapsed in the face of hostile fast bowling from Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn.

But earlier they held the Proteas to 139 for seven, a decent effort in any terms and one all the more impressive given some Afghanistan players only took up the game a few years ago and that the side were recently competing against the likes of Jersey and Denmark.

Afghanistan fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who took three wickets for 21 runs against South Africa and then struck 22, featuring two huge sixes, has been on the Young Cricketer scheme run by Lord's based Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)

Mean while off-spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has played domestic cricket in Pakistan.

Khan, himself a former Pakistan pace bowler, said: "In Afghanistan the team was already heroes, but it was good to see them on the television and they have been exposed.

"As a coach that's what I'm happy about because we want them to play tough professional cricket in other countries with a contract in South Africa, Australia, England or India.

"If you want to get used to facing the likes of Steyn or Morkel or anyone on top of the world they have to play against them in domestic cricket.

"We haven't got a domestic structure in Afghanistan (the security situation in the country makes matches there a rarity) and preparing for a World Cup for three or four weeks isn't enough.

"We want all the big cricket countries to help us in that. We've got talent, the boys are quite ready and they are quick learners.

"They (other nations) could invite players for training camps, they could invite them into the domestic games as professional or semi-professional we don't mind but they should play cricket."

Meanwhile Afghanistan Nowroz Mangal was proud of the way his played against South Africa.

"We bowled and fielding really well to restrict South Africa to 139 as they have a lot of good players, but they bowled really well.

"They were really quick, bowling at 90mph and there was swing as well so it was very difficult for our batsmen to face them. But it was a good experience for us." I think the whole past two years has been their experience.

"With each stage they are going a step higher.

"As a coach I am quite satisfied with their performance against two top nations in the world.

"Against India (where opener Noor Ali made 50 in a total of 115 in St Lucia last week) there was all sorts of pressure on them, there was television, there were the big stars, there was the crowd and they coped with it very well.

"Today (Wednesday) to restrict a batting line-up like South Africa to 139 is a big achievement so there are all sorts of pluses for them.

"The key is they need to be exposed to that pressure again and again and then they'll get used to it.

"We were talking about practising for the pace bowlers and on a bowling machine you can put it to 90mph but you can?t have Dale Steyn bowling at you and swinging the ball.

"So you have to face those bowlers to get the experience. Because my team are quick learners when they play against South Africa or India again they will do much better."

Twenty20 World Cup: New Zealand enters Super Eight

New Zealand entered the Super 8 stage in T20 World Cup with a victory over Zimbabwe in a rain-hit match tonight. Sri Lanka too reached the Super 8 from Group B.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first. Zimbabwe bowled out for 84 in 15.1 overs. Tatenda Taibu was the top scorer with 21, while Hamilton Masakadza made 20.

For New Zealand, Nathan McCullum and Scott Styris took 3 wickets each, while Daniel Vettori took 2 wickets. Chasing a victory target of 85, New Zealand were 36/1 in 8.1 overs, when rain stopped play.

The match could not be resumed and New Zealand were declared winner by 7 runs as per the D/L method. Nathan McCullum was adjudged "Man of the Match".

West Indies support England's call for Duckworth/Lewis review

West Indies captain Chris Gayle expressed his sympathy for England and supported Paul Collingwood's call for a review of the Duckworth/Lewis system in the Twenty20 game following their eight-wicket win.

England captain Collingwood called for urgent attention to be turned on the D/L method in the game after his team suffered an undeserved defeat to the West Indies in their World Twenty20 group opener.

It left England needing to beat Ireland today to ensure their place in the Super Eights.

West Indies faced a difficult chase of 192 on a slow pitch which was eventually cut to 60 from six overs because of heavy rain.

With the hosts restarting after the rain on 30 for no loss, they needed only 30 more off 22 balls with 10 wickets in hand. A target they met with only ball to spare.

"I'm happy, but it's just unfortunate for England," Gayle said following their victory which booked them a spot in the Super Eights.

"I would support what Collingwood said. I could have been in the same position as well.

"It's something that can be addressed, so it can be 'even Stevens' for both teams in the future."

One of Duckworth-Lewis's advantages is that when a game is being threatened by rain the system is flexible enough for the target to change depending upon the number of wickets lost, rewarding the fielding side for dismissing opposition batsmen.

Now though the problem seems to be when play resumes after a rain break and the team batting second is left with a fixed target in a compressed number of overs that bears little relation to the first innings total.

Indian Cricket Team Goes to West Indies for ICC T20 World Cup

The Indian Cricket Team has left for West Indies to play the ICC T20 World Cup which kicks off on April 30. The Indian Skipper, Mahindra Singh Dhoni has expressed confidence in his side to put up a good show at the tournament.

With Virender Sehwag injured and out of the side, doubts have been raised about the recently concluded IPL season affecting the team’s performance in the World Cup. However the captain believes that the side is equipped enough with talent to lift the World Cup this year.

On the IPL front, skeletons just keep tumbling out of the closet. The newly appointed IPL interim chief Chirayu Amin has said that the BCCI made a mistake by placing too much confidence in Lalit Modi. He added that the Governing Council should have been more vigilant.

Moving away from cricket, Shahabad Academy and Madhya Pradesh hockey academy have entered the semi-finals of the All-India Women’s hockey tournament being played at the Aishbagh Stadium in Bhopal. Shahabad Academy defeated Orissa XI 3-2 in a closely contested match.

Murli Vijay replaces Sehwag for T20 World Cup

Team India opening batsman Virender Sehwag has been forced out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2010 due to a shoulder injury and he has been replaced by Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament that will start from April 30.

TEAM INDIA opening batsman Virender Sehwag has been forced out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2010 due to a shoulder injury and he has been replaced by Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament that will start from April 30.

Sehwag was injured during a match of the Indian Premier League, while playing for the Delhi Daredevils. The ace cricketer has been asked to take rest for 3 to 4 weeks, thus ruling him out of the T20 world cup tournament.

ICC selectors have picked up Tamil Nadu and and Chennai Super Kings batsman Murali Vijay to replace Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir has been the vice captain of the team.

This is a shocking news for Team India because Virender Sehwag is a crucial member of team and he was also an important player in the Indian victory in T20 world Cup in South Africa.

A similar injury to Sehwag had rocked India's campaign in the previous edition of the Twenty20 world cup in England. Although he travelled along with the team, he did not play a game there.
The T20 World Cup will start from April 30 in the West Indies.

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IPL 2010 has been brilliant

The buffeting the IPL impresario, Lalit Modi, is encountering off the field replicates the harsh treatment most of the competition's bowlers have been experiencing on it.

Run rates are climbing ever higher and the distances some of the tournament's 573 sixes have travelled almost beggar belief.

During a spectacular run chase in the foothills of the Himalayas a week ago, Chennai Super Kings captain, MS Dhoni, deposited one ball 108 metres. The same hit at Lord's would have comfortably cleared the pavilion (or the media centre), dwarfing the shot made by AE Trott there in 1899 which is still denoted in Wisden as the record hit in an official match.

Inside the grounds, and on television too, the all-hitting all-dancing IPL has again been a phenomenon. Viewing figures have been impressive and stadiums have been packed with excited fans, drawn by the IPL's seductive combination of pop, sport and Bollywood.

The melodrama of the matches, fortunes lurching one way then the other, has often mirrored the plot of a Bollywood movie. That is the IPL's winning formula – every match has the real sense of an event – and there is nothing else in the sub-continent to compete with it. It delivers what the burgeoning Indian middle-class crave – western-style entertainment. For that simple reason the IPL will continue to thrive, in spite of all the off-field machinations.

The 60-match tournament is too long and the relentless schedule is draining for the participants relentlessly criss-crossing India, but there were few uncompetitive games and new stars were unearthed. India now has a new generation of destructive batsmen. Lots more will be heard of the audacious Murali Vijay, the frisky Suresh Raina and the elegant Rohit Sharma. One or two interesting bowlers emerged too, notably off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin.

Chennai had the best indigenous young players and that is the secret of success in the IPL, never mind all the lavish spending on foreign players.

Despite energy-sapping conditions, the cricket has been intense, making it hard for 'retired' great players such as Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne to prosper. Warne is weighing up his options and may well call it a day. Rattling along at breakneck speed, the IPL is no country for old men.

To a man the players seem energised by the IPL, making light of the demands, even though there are vast discrepancies in salaries. While many of the foreign players are earning at least £30,000 a week, some of the Indians are being exploited. But, no matter, every dressing room is abuzz with ideas and ambitions. Paul Collingwood reports that his Delhi Daredevils training sessions are the best he has ever experienced.

Now that rival international teams rarely socialise with each other, the IPL has been invaluable in re-establishing the global cricketing brotherhood. With coaches and trainers recruited from far and wide it is a cricketing crucible. Whatever fate befalls the originators, it has fast-tracked the sport to remarkable new heights.

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Heroes of IPL 2010: Chennai Super Kings

CHENNAI SUPER Kings, now the kings of India, bagged the IPL trophy in the final against Mumbai Indians on their own ground among there own supporters.

With nearly forty thousand people of crowd on the galleries shouting Sachin… Sachin, it was a tough fight given by the CSK to beat the Mumbai Indians.

The main highlights of CSK

CSK did not have major star players.

There is no Bollywood stars and biggies like Amabani, Vijay Mallya , Shahrukh Khan, Preeti Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and others to stand on the boundary line and to shout- ‘come on boys come on’. But still CSK made it!

Even though there were ups and downs in the competition, the spirit of the game has been maintained entirely throughout the tournament by the CSK team. Player like Suresh Raina have helped in an exceptionally great way to maintain the spirit of the team.

The captain’s duty is not only to make victories, but most importantly he needs to make his team believe that we can make victories and that is how Dhoni is differentiated from other captains.

Cheers! Chennai Super Kings.

IPL: Lalit Modi out, Chirayu Amin takes over

Two hours, 12 men - that's what it took to formally endorse the decision to suspend Lalit Modi as Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The interim chief of the IPL is Chirayu Amin.

The Governing Council of the IPL met this morning in Mumbai to discuss the 22 charges of impropriety that were served last night, via email, to Modi, seconds after the Chennai Super-Kings won IPL3. (Read: 22 charges of financial crimes against Modi)

Modi stands accused, in a 34-page notice, of allegedly consistent venality - including accepting a multi-million dollar kickback while assigning the telecast rights for IPL matches, and attempting to rig the bids for the two new IPL teams that were auctioned last month. (Watch: IPL saga - Rise and fall of Lalit Modi)

By suspending Modi last night, the BCCI ensured that he would not be able to attend this morning's meeting. The decision came after Modi added yet another twist to the high-drama IPL tale, stating, on twitter, that he would chair the Governing Council meeting. Modi had earlier said he would not attend the meeting. (Read: BCCI president explains Modi's suspension)

The only members of the governing council who were not at Monday's meeting were Modi, politician Farooq Abdullah, who said he needs to be in Parliament.

Speaking to NDTV immediately after his suspension last night, Modi said, "Are they so scared of me attending the meeting? Are they so scared of the truth?" Modi has 15 days to respond to the 34-page chargesheet. At the closing ceremony for IPL 3 last night, Modi channeled his quintessential bravado to assert that he is the undisputed leader of the IPL and that no financial misdeeds were committed. Referring to himself as "Captain of the team", he said that all deals had included the approval of the Governing Council. (Modi to NDTV: Are they afraid of the truth?) | (Read: Text of Modi's speech after IPL final)

The members of that governing council don't quite see it that way. Its world view suggests that Modi functioned as a lone ranger, striking deals that benefited largely himself. For example, the council says it was not privy to Modi's complicated negotiation of the telecast rights for IPL matches for which an 80 million dollar "facilitation fee" or commission was paid by Multi-Screen Media (MSM) to World Sports Group (WSG), which held the global broadcast rights. Mod, who brokered that deal, is accused by the BCCI of siphoning off a part of this money. (Both MSM and WSG have emphasized that the commission was a part of their official contract, and that no financial rules were broken. Income tax officials investigating the deal believe that at the very least, 140 crores in tax is due for that giant commission).

The BCCI also makes the equally damaging accusation that Modi tried to rig the bids for the two franchises that were sold last month. He was stopped, they say, by BCCI members.

The BCCI is now conducting an internal inquiry against Modi.

What remains a gray area is why the BCCI has waited so long to pin Modi down, if it was aware all along of at least some of the grotesqueries he was committing. Trying to rig an auction of teams is, by any standards, a colossal no-no. So why did the BCCI wait to out him?

IPL 2 hit by match-fixing, betting allegations

Serious concerns that matches were fixed during the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) add to the growing belief that it s truly Apocalypse Now for Indian cricket.

Sources confirm to NDTV that 27 cricketers are being investigated for match-fixing during IPL 2. In a report submitted to the Finance Ministry, income tax officials discuss allegations of betting involving IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

The owners of different IPL teams have expressed their unhappiness with reports of match-fixing; they want clarifications as soon as possible.

The IPL, earlier celebrated as an infusion of cricket, fans, and Bollywood has been passing through its darkest hour, ever since IPL Chairman unloaded on twitter revelations that forced Shashi Tharoor to resign as minister, PUT Modi s own job on the line, and forced Parliament to confront the very real possibility of senior politicians holding dangerously vested interest in a sport that is bursting at the seams with crores (the Indian cricket board is the richest in the world).

The government has ordered a wide inquiry involving the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate. Among the charges are foreign exchange violations, tax evasions, proxy ownership of different teams, and sweet deals for relatives and friends of politicians and cricket organizers and administrators.

In an interview to NDTV, IPL Governing Council member Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi said that of the many problems that the IPL is riddled with, it s the prospect of match-fixing that worries him the most.

Mumbai Indians storms into the final

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.

SRK's kids bat for Kolkata

Poor Shah Rukh Khan. His valiant Kolkata team began firing at the wrong moment. It is all over for Saurav Ganguly and his merry men, the thumping victories against Shilpa Shetty’s Rajasthan team on Saturday and Nita Ambani’s Mumbai team on Monday, notwithstanding. Both victories were gained at the Eden.

Which, it seems, is SRK’s happy hunting ground suddenly. But the Bollywood Badshah need not worry about future IPLs because new blood is already being introduced in the Twenty20 tournament. SRK and Gauri’s kids Aryan and Suhana are showing a turn for cricket that should do the Kolkata team proud years ahead. Aryan already excels in football, but Suhana came as a revelation. If cricket is taken care of, who’s going to get into King Khan’s Bollywood shoes is what the actor should worry about next.

Shifting of IPL semi-finals venue comforting

Australian Cricketers' Association boss Paul Marsh has said that the shifting of the IPL semi-finals venue was really comforting in the wake of two crude bomb blasts outside Bangalore's Chinnawamy Stadium on Saturday.

Marsh believes Australian players will be given adequate protection during the final week of the Indian Premier League.

"We're still scratching our heads, given all the concerns leading in to this event, how what happened could happen. We flagged our concerns before the tournament started. We had our security consultant, Reg Dickason, review [the IPL plans] and they were solid plans," Marsh said.

"The question was always going to be around the implementation of the plans. That's still the issue as we head to the last part of the tournament. You've just got to hope they follow through on everything they said they'll follow through on from here on in," The Age quoted him, as saying.

Marsh said the ACA was not fully satisfied by the explanations about the security breach in Bangalore, but supported the decision prompted by a report from IPL security group, Nicholls-Steyn, to move the matches to the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Adam Gilchrist, Ryan Harris, Matthew Hayden and Cameron White are among the Australians who will take part in the semi-finals of the IPL.

‘Not heard of threats to players wanting to leave IPL’

Australian Twenty20 vice-captain Cameron White’s manager has rubbished reports that players were warned to stay put or risk being banned from the Indian Premier League after two crude bombs exploded outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

White and umpire Simon Taufel were in close proximity to the blast site outside Bangalore’s cricket stadium on Saturday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that cricketers who leave India early because of Saturday’s bomb blasts have been threatened with disqualification from future IPL tournaments.

White’s manager, Gerard Sholly, said he was unaware of any threat towards players wanting to leave.

“I haven’t heard anything about an ultimatum, I think it would probably be a rumour,” Sholly said.

“Cameron was in his hotel room at the time, he wasn’t required to play. He sent a message to his friends and family letting them know he was fine.”

Sholly said White would remain in India for the remainder of the IPL and then meet Australian teammates in transit to the World Twenty20 in the West Indies next week.

Seventeen people were reported injured after the attack, which took place before an Indian Premier League match between the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Mumbai Indians.

Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh said the bombing was a serious concern and was awaiting a report from IPL security company Nicholls Steyn last night.

Who needs what in the IPL semi-final race

It's a bit of a mind boggler for the laymen and sheer wonder for the avid statistician, but do wrap your brain around the following to find out who needs what in order to qualify for the 2010 IPL semi-finals...

Nine wins across a dozen matches on the back of a superior run-rate sees the Mumbai Indians sitting pretty on 16 points - four points more than their closest rivals - and thus already secure in a semi-final berth.

All but through to the last four, the Bangalore Royal Challengers can seal the deal with a victory over Mumbai, whom they beat earlier in the tournament, on Saturday. Even if things do not go their way against Sachin Tendulkar's posse, a profitable net run-rate means Bangalore need not depend on other results - unlike the chasing pack - in the group stage's closing fixtures.

Another franchise basking in a plentiful net run-rate, the Chennai Super Kings only have to win one of their last two games - against temperamental Delhi or the bottom-feeding Kings XI Punkab - in order to line up alongside Mumbai and company. Losing both matches, however, will leave the Super Kings on shaky ground and all too reliant on other results.

Despite the presence of the big-hitting Virender Sehwag, the Delhi Daredevils' net run-rate isn't as formidable as one would have anticipated at the start of the tournament. Hence, they're left seeking a couple of wins - or at least one utterly convincing one - against Chennai and the Deccan Chargers this week. At the same time they'll be hoping fellow mid-table lurkers Deccan fluff their final games against the Kings XI and Delhi, leaving Adam Gilchrist's posse languishing on 12 points and the Daredevils in the clear on 14 points.

Even if the Rajasthan Royals manage to upstage Kolkata on Saturday, which will take them to 14 points, they're left with an unhealthy dependence on other results thanks to their unenviable net run-rate of -0.421. The former champions' only hope lies in a huge win over the Knight Riders coupled with two losses for Delhi and two wins each for Chennai and Deccan. Fat chance, indeed.

Another side to have fallen prey to a poor net run-rate, the Deccan Chargers' best case scenario requires wins over Punjab and Delhi to get 'em through to the final four on points. On the contrary, two losses guns the defending champs out of contention entirely, while a solitary win from their remaining two fixtures leaves them to the devices of other results.

In the same boat as Rajasthan, the Kolkata Knight Riders must win their final clash and will Delhi to beat Chennai and Deccan and the Kings XI to console their awful campaign with a two-triumph high. So in other words, a lot needs to go their way.

A snowball's chance in hell leaves the Kings XI Punjab needing to string together two wins on the trot - something they haven't managed all season - and a host of net run-rate unlikelihood to play into their hands.

This piece will be updated each morning to reflect the previous night's result, so keep checking in to see how things have progressed.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Mumbai Indians	12	9	3	0	0	18	+1.116
Bangalore Royal Challengers	13	7	6	0	0	14	+0.467
Chennai Super Kings	12	6	6	0	0	12	+0.348
Delhi Daredevils	12	6	6	0	0	12	+0.024
Rajasthan Royals	13	6	7	0	0	12	-0.421
Deccan Chargers	12	6	6	0	0	12	-0.438
Kolkata Knight Riders	12	5	7	0	0	10	-0.632
Kings XI Punjab	12	4	8	0	0	8	-0.484

Deccan Chargers keep IPL semi-final hopes alive

ust when the Deccan Chargers’ chances of securing a semi-final berth in IPL-3 seemed all but extinguished, three consecutive victories have revived their top-four chances.

When Adam Gilchrist’s team slumped to their fifth straight loss in a nail-biting finish against the Rajasthan Royals on April 5th their prospects of backing up last year’s IPL victory with another in 2010 appeared remote.

After that two-run defeat, Deccan were languishing in seventh place in the IPL points table, with only the hapless Kings XI Punjab below them. Then came the revival.

First came a seven-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore away from home; that was followed a six-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings at Nagpur two days later; and for the hat-trick they defeated Bangalore by 13 runs in the return match yesterday.

Suddenly, Deccan had gone from cellar dwellers to fifth place on the points table and one of four teams to have recorded six wins for the IPL, shaded out of a semi-final place only on percentage.

Indeed, while it’s probably safe to pencil top-of-the-table team the Mumbai Indians (eight wins and three losses) in for a top-four finish and Punjab (four wins and eight losses) in as a bottom-four finisher, you could throw a blanket over the remaining six teams, who are all in a tight race for the semis.

There must have been some nervous moments in the Deccan camp against Bangalore yesterday though as Bangalore’s Dale Steyn, the world’s No. 1 ranked Test bowler, steamed in on his hat-trick ball in just the first over of their innings, having dismissed both Gilchrist and Tirumalasetti Suman for ducks.

Rohit Sharma defended that delivery safely away to mid-on and went on to steady the ship for his team with 51 valuable runs from 46 balls. That innings, combined with Monish Mishra’s 41 from 30 deliveries, helped Deccan to a modest total of 151-6.

Bangalore started their run-chase in a similar fashion to Deccan’s innings – losing Manish Pandey for a diamond duck. But that was just the start of their problems.

Jacques Kallis (27), Rahul Dravid (49) and Ravi Uthappa (34) all offered some resistance to the Deccan bowlers, but with no other batsman making more than four they received little support from their teammates.

The knock-out blow for Bangalore came in the first ball of the 19th over, when Harmeet Singh rattled Uthappa’s stumps with Anil Kumble’s team requiring just 18 more runs for victory. The medium-pacer made it two wickets from two balls when he trapped Dale Steyn in front.

Bangalore added just four more runs for the match, before they were all out for 138, 14 runs short of the target.

And with that, Deccan – with matches against Punjab and the Delhi Daredevils to follow – were firmly back in the race for the semi-finals in 2010, and perhaps a second straight series victory in the IPL.

“The last three games we have got better and better and better,” Gilchrist said post-match yesterday. “There’s no other option, we have just got to keep winning.”

It’s the same story for five other teams too.

City chemist arrested for selling IPL tickets in black

A 36-year-old chemist was arrested by central district police for allegedly posing as an authorized agent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and selling tickets for cricket matches in the black market at five times their original price.

Sources said the accused, Amit Kumar Gupta, who owns a chemist shop in Daryaganj, had a franchise of ‘Easybill’. Police arrested him on Saturday near the Feroze Shah Kotla cricket stadium following a tip-off.

"Amit procured IPL tickets using Easybill facilities and stocked them well in advance. Once the sale had closed at the stadium, he used to sell the tickets to desperate cricket fans and earned huge profits," said DCP (central) Jaspal Singh. He said that Gupta was arrested after the police received a complaint that he was selling tickets for the Sunday match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XII Punjab near the stadium.

Police said that 28 tickets and a complimentary pass for the match were seized from Gupta’s possession. After receiving a tip-off, police laid a trap and managed to nab Gupta, said sources. A decoy customers was sent to him and when he tried to sell a Rs 100 ticket for Rs 500, he was arrested, said a police officer.

"Gupta never sold the tickets from his shop. He posed as an IPL agent to win the confidence of the people approaching him for tickets," the police officer said.

IPL 2010 | Points Table

Here is the current IPL Standings in season 2010. We have collected data of won,lose, current run rates, total points, matches played, matches drawn, current position, current rank and so we have analyzed it in special way. Here is the list of the current table for IPL Standings after the Match Between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers on 8th April March which was won by Deccan Chargers.

Here is the Detailed Ranking Tables. On Date 8th April 2010.

Rank	Team	Matches	Won	Lose	Tied	N/R	Points	Run Rate
.
.
1.	Mumbai Indians	9	7	2	0	0	14	+1.31
.
2.	Delhi Daredevils	10	6	4	0	0	12	+0.28
.
3.	Rajasthan Royals	11	6	5	0	0	12	-0.13
.
4.	Royal Challenger Bangalore	10	5	5	0	0	10	+0.35
.
5.	Chennai Super Kings	10	5	5	0	0	10	+0.15
.
6.	Kolkata Knight Riders	10	5	5	0	0	10	-0.32
.
7.	Deccan Chargers	10	4	6	0	0	8	-0.63
.
8.	Kings XI Punjab	10	2	8	0	0	4	-0.70

IPL 2010: Daredevils Captain Gambhir eyeing top 4

Delhi Daredevils are in a good form for the last few matches and with the inclusion of Paul Collingwood, the Gautam Gambhir-led Delhi side is doing a great job.

Last night they outplayed Royal Challengers Bangalore and credit must be given to Collingwood, Pradeep Sangwan and leg spinner Amit Mishra.

Captain Gautam Gambhir praised his team’s effort and stated: “We played some very good cricket,” the captain observed. “Winning the toss helps, I guess and once we had done that, we knew that if we put 180-185 runs on the board, we had the bowling to restrict the opposition.”

He also added that he was very happy to have beaten a quality side like Bangalore saying: “Bangalore is a quality side and we are always threatened by them. But things are going our way and a score of 180 is always very difficult to chase.”

Gambhir main aim is to make the semi-finals and he knows that his team needs to maintain this performance in order to achieve that feat. He wrapped up the interview stating: “We haven’t even made the semi-finals yet. We have a couple of away games and our focus as of now is making the semi-finals.”

Delhi have won their last 4 encounters and for me they have already made it to the top 4 and it’s just the matter of time before the round robin matches ends. Stay tuned to get all the latest updates on IPL.

IPL to shell out Rs 60 lakh for cop security

The IPL organisers will have to shell out about Rs 60 lakh to the police for the security cover for the three matches which will be played here. The police have sent a notice to the IPL, said sources.

"According to the rules, we have prepared estimated cost of security personnel being provided for the matches. The rates charged from the IPL organisers are different for policeman of each rank," said a police officer.

He added that as there would be about 1,800 policemen of various ranks to be deputed for security at the hotel where the teams will stay and the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, the estimated cost of security is around Rs 20 lakh for each match.

"Notice has been issued and we are awaiting payments. We have been informed that payments will be made soon," said the officer.

"The IPL organisers have agreed to pay the amount in 2-3 days. Discussions regarding this was held in presence of RCA president C P Joshi," said the officer.

The cops are also awaiting an amount of Rs 1.15 crore from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for the security cover they provided during the ICC champions trophy in 2006 at the SMS Stadium. Despite several notices to the RCA, the amount has not been paid till date.

The amount (Rs 1.15 crore) is also substantiated by the audit report of the Controller and Auditor General for 2008-09, following the evaluation of the documents from the SP (south) office.

Chennai Super Kings beat Bangalore by 5 wickets:

IPL 3: IPL 2010 Points Table: Chennai knock down the upper ranked Bangalore by 5 wickets in the 28th league match of the IPL session 3 played at the P Chidambaram Stadium on yesterday.

It was an all-round performance of the Super kings which led the team toward a big victory against the Royals. Opener Murali Vijay had a major contribution in the match with a valuable 78 of 39 to reach a target of 162.

Earlier in the match Royal’s captain Anil Kumble won the toss and opted to bat first to settle a big target for the host but were restricted to 161 by the super Kings.

Coming to bat at second Chennai easily reached the target with the great support of 78 from Vijay, and then by 44 of Raina.

Murali Vijay was later declared man of the match. It is to be mentioned here that in the first match between the two in the previous phase of the seriesChennai lost the match to Bangalore by 36 runs.

Discovery 'Go' for April 5 Launch

THE IPL match on March 29,2010 between KKR and DD (Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils) was played at the Firoz Shah Kotla stadium.The stadium was all decked up. The match was a crucial one for both the teams as they had not performed satisfactorily in previous matches.

The toss was won by Delhi Daredevils, who chose to bat. DD had an advantage of playing on the home ground. Gautam Ghambir rejoined as skipper of the team after recovering from the injury. Though the early loss of the three wickets left people disappointed, but DD managed to score 177/4 by end of 20 overs. It was David Warner's unbeaten century that enabled the DD players breathe easy.

On the other hand, KKR also did not start off that good. Unlike DD, the Knight Riders come into form gradually. Fine bowling by Nannes and Amit Mishra led to early wickets for DD .The spectators seemed to be in high spirits till the end as they enjoyed the unexpected pleasant breeze, the loud cheerful numbers that were being played and needless to mention the bubbly cheerleaders. The match was won by Delhi Daredevils by 40 runs. KKR slipped down to the 6th position while DD rose to the 4th position.

All in all, it was a great morale booster to the DD.The KKR need to pull up their socks to stay in the tournament.

Kings XI Punjab fined for slow over rate

Kings XI Punjab has been fined by the Indian Premier League (IPL) for maintaining a slow over rate during the match against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday night.

At the end of the match, Kings XI Punjab were assessed to be one over behind the required rate after allowances were taken into consideration.

Since it was Kings XI Punjab's second offence of the season, under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, captain Kumar Sangakkara was fined $40,000 and each player in the team $10,000. Sangakkara was earlier fined $20,000 for his team's first offence.

Mumbai Indians' Sachin Tendulkar, Delhi Daredevils' Gautam Gambhir and Knight Riders' Sourav Ganguly are other captains who have been fined so far in the IPL.

Shilpa Shetty to be celeb judge for IPL Rockstar

Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s tryst with reality shows continues as she’s drafted in as a celeb judge on Colors show IPL Rockstar, say various media reports.

Shilpa was quoted in a tabloid saying that she’s judging a reality show but couldn’t speak more.

Sources associated with the show claim that IPL Rockstar required a star connected to the Indian Premier League and so Shilpa was signed on. Shetty will rate the contestants for their star presence and the ability to shine as a true Rockstar. Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher are the other judges on the show.

Shilpa and her hubby Raj Kundra are stakeholders in the Rajasthan Royals IPL team which is currently lying at the bottom of the table. In fact, ever since the couple joined the IPL bandwagon since last year, Rajasthan Royals’ fortunes declined as they not only lost their title but finished sixth in the 8-team competition.

IPL Rockstar hasn’t quite set the ground on fire and the naysayers might not approve of Shetty’s inclusion. However, not many gave Shilpa a chance when she won Big Brother 3.

Meanwhile, Sa re ga ma pa Challenge 2007 finalist Raja Hasan too has joined IPL Rockstar.

“When asked about Shilpa Shetty coming in as judge, Hasan replied “When the God of cricket (Sachin Tendulkar) is in the ground, the rest are simply dwarfed. Honestly, I’m not aware of Shilpa’s participation but it would be great to perform in front of her.”

Tendulkar's knock against KKR is his highest T20 score

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar's match winning knock of 71 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was his highest Twenty20 score.

Tendulkar's unbeaten 71 off 48 balls at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday is his second 50 in the third edition of IPL - his fifth IPL 50 overall.

Other statistical highlights of the match between Mumbai Indians and Knight Riders:

Tendulkar's runs tally of 176 (ave. 58.66) in four games is bettered only by Jacques Kallis (264) and Virender Sehwag (186) in the third edition of IPL.

Tendulkar earned his fourth MOM award - the most for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

Sourav Ganguly, during the course of his 31 off 34 balls, completed his 1,000 runs in Twenty20, aggregating 1,013 at an average of 23.02 including four 50s in 49 matches.

Chris Gayle posted his sixth 50 in Twenty20. His knock of 75 off 60 balls is his first 50 in IPL.

Mumbai Indians have won all five matches against Kolkata Knight Riders in and are now placed on the top of the table with six points, having NRR of +1.330.

Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers have won three games each in the 2010 edition of IPL.

Knight Riders recorded their 19th loss in 31 matches. Kolkata's tally of 11 wins is the least amongst eight teams - winning percent 37.09.

Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils have lost three games each.

Kolkata (155/3) have posted their highest total against Mumbai, outstripping the 139 for six at East London on May 1, 2009.

Gayle and Ganguly were involved in a stand of 71 - Kolkata's highest for the opening wicket against Mumbai in five games.

The stand is the second highest for the first wicket for Kolkata, next only to the 101 between Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary against Bangalore at Kolkata on March 14, 2010.

IPL steroid to boost Kerala cricket

The first cricketer from Kerala to play for India, Tinu Yohannan, looked destined to become a professional athlete. That his father TC Yohannan broke the Asian Games record in long jump at Tehran (1974) meant that his pedigree as a track and field star was impeccable.

When he reached high school, Yohannan junior dabbled in cricket and became the strike bowler of his school team. A break with a popular cricket club in Kochi provided him the launch pad, which sent him all the way to the Indian team.

A decade ago, however, Yohannan’s career path to Team India was more of an exception than the norm in a state where football, athletics, swimming, waterpolo, volleyball and basketball have traditionally dominated.

Youngsters adorn their walls with posters of Diego Maradona, Carl Lewis, Steffi Graf, Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. IM Vijayan, the former India football skipper, can still draw as big a crowd as Sachin Tendulkar. The advent of Yohannan and then Shanthakumaran Sreesanth did trigger a passion for cricket among Malayalees but football or athletics still held their sway.
All that, however, could just change with Kochi bagging the franchisee rights for an Indian Premier League team.

KN Ananthapadmanabhan, the former Kerala leg-spinner, believes that the launch of a Kochi-based team will open a window of opportunity for aspiring players from the state.

“Just imagine one of the young Kerala fast bowlers dismissing Virender Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar. What ails the Kerala cricketer is a lack of confidence because he hardly gets an opportunity to rub shoulders with the big boys. Even Sreesanth, after breaking into the national team, has played only a handful of games for Kerala. If our boys can share the dressing room with international players and play against them they will gain immensely,” Ananthpadmanabhan, also a former junior national selector, told DNA.

Incidentally, it is only in Kochi that league cricket is played over two days of 90 overs each. The other cricket played in the districts is either 50 or 30-over games.

“Quality turf wickets have been laid in new stadiums in Thalassery and Palakkad. However, most of the other turf wickets are within grounds where at times the boundary is just 30-35 yards away. Rest of the cricket is played on matting wickets. Hopefully, having a Kochi-based IPL team will improve infrastructure rapidly,” Ananthapadmanabhan said.

Sreesanth believes that the new IPL team will see more role models emerge. “When it came to fast bowling I always looked up to Tinu. Now, I am sure we will see more youngsters take up cricket as a profession over athletics and football. Sports in Kerala will get a big boost as having an IPL team will mean more investment and greater interest in cricket.” Sreesanth told this newspaper.

As for where his loyalties will lie, Sreesanth said: “I would love to be an icon player for Kochi and help them win the IPL title. That said, as of now I am enjoying playing for Kings XI Punjab.”

Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) secretary TC Mathew said: “We are establishing cricket stadiums in 14 districts and will train 300 players under the Cricket Academy and Sports Hostel (CASH) programme, an international-standard cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000 will come up in Edakochi,” Mathew said.

This season Kerala’s only success in Ranji Trophy was a walkover, courtesy Services. However, Ananthapadmanabhan believes results don’t reflect the calibre of the side. “We are a much better team.”

Tendulkar's fourth IPL 50 him takes past 600-run aggregate

Sachin Tendulkar's 32-ball 63 against Delhi Daredevils is his fourth 50 in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The knock fetched the Mumbai Indians skipper his third Man-Of-The-Match award in New Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

Tendulkar, who hit his sixth 50 in 22 matches in the shortest form of the game in Delhi on Wednesday night, moved to second position behind swashbuckling Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya with an aggregate of over 600 runs. Tendulkar has 632 (ave. 33.26) from 22 matches and Jayasuriya 765 runs for Mumbai Indians.

The other highlights of the match:

# Mumbai Indians have recorded their second win in five games over Delhi and are the only unbeaten team in the third edition.

# Saurabh Tiwary (61 of 37 balls) has posted his fourth 50 in Twenty20.

# Tiwary has batted extremely well in the third edition, recording successive fifties apart from maintaining a strike rate of 162.85.

# Virender Sehwag has completed his 700 runs in the IPL -- 713 (ave.28.52) in 28 matches. He is the second player for Delhi Daredevils after Gautam Gambhir (901) to achieve the feat.

# Dinesh Karthik and Adam Gilchrist share the IPL record for most stumpings (10).

# Mumbai Indians' 98-run triumph is the biggest winning margin by runs in the third IPL edition, bettering Chennai Super Kings' 55-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders Tuesday.

# Mumbai Indians (218/7) have registered their highest total in the IPL.

# Mumbai, with their successive 200-plus scores, became the first team to record two totals of 200-plus in this edition.

# Mumbai's total is the best by any team against Delhi Daredevils, surpassing Rajasthan's 192 for nine at Mumbai on May 30, 2008.

Shaun Marsh moves closer to IPL return

Shaun Marsh will be in India by the weekend provided he can convince Cricket Australia his injured back is fully healed. The opener Marsh, who was the batting star of the first IPL, has been troubled by a bulging disc problem for the past five weeks and the injury interrupted his Australian one-day ambitions for the second year in a row.

If he can prove his recovery to Kevin Sims, the Cricket Australia physiotherapist, on Friday, Marsh will try to get on a flight that night or on Saturday morning and begin his road back with Kings XI Punjab. "Hopefully I'll get the all-clear, which I'm really confident of doing, and get over to play some cricket in India," Marsh told Cricinfo.

"It's perfect to get away and play over there, it's a little bit more relaxed than playing international cricket, so I want to get over there and have a little bit of fun and enjoy it. I'll see what happens after that."

Initially it was thought Marsh suffered back spasms in the warm-up before the third ODI against West Indies last month, but the injury was diagnosed as a painful bulging disc. It was another untimely setback for Marsh, who was floored by long-term hamstring injuries last year, just as he was becoming a fixture at the top of the one-day order. In 26 ODIs he averages 37.96 and made starts in all eight matches against Pakistan and West Indies this summer, with his scores ranging for 12 to 83.

The latest issue has forced a change in his approach to fitness for Marsh, who is still only 26. "The last year I've had these injuries and it's made me realise I have to start look after my body a little bit better," he said. "I probably really haven't worried about it too much. This has given me a little bit of a kick up the bum that I make sure I do everything right, with recovery and gym work and that sort of stuff. I see it as a minor setback."

Shane Watson, who seems to have overcome his injury plague, has offered Marsh support with his problems. Marsh has not followed Watson into a life full of pilates and free of alcohol, but he has restructured his training and wants to build on the outlook in India.

Punjab are currently win-less after two games and have matches on Sunday and Tuesday, which Marsh could be part of. He was the surprise of the first IPL, topping the run list with 616 at a strike-rate of 139.68, but he didn't play in the second event due to his hamstring problems.

Later in this campaign he hopes to run into his little brother Mitchell, the 18-year-old signed with Deccan Chargers. "He had a fantastic year this year, he came on in leaps and bounds," Shaun said. "Hopefully I'll get over there and play against him."

Mitchell left Perth for India on Tuesday and the brothers' franchises are due to face each other on April 16. By then Shaun will know how his body has coped with the extra demands of his rehabilitation.

'Injured' Dhoni out of IPL 3 for 10 days

Chennai Super Kings' Indian Premier League campaign received a huge blow on Wednesday (March 17) with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni being ruled out of action for the next 10 days because of an elbow injury.

"Dhoni will be out of action for the next 10 days and the exact nature of his injury is being examined by the doctors at a private hospitals here," a team management source said.

Dhoni underwent an x-ray test after being hit by a rising Shane Bond delivery in yesterday's match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens even though coach Stephen Fleming ruled out any major injury to the India skipper.

Suresh Raina has been appointed as the stand-in skipper. Sources added that Dhoni will be travelling with the team to Delhi, where the Chennai side will take on Delhi Daredevils at Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday. "He will be travelling with the team to Delhi," the source said.

Earlier, the team’s coach Stephen Fleming ruled out any major injury adding, “He has gone for an X-ray. I hope that everything is well and it’s just a bruise and nothing more than that.”

Apart from the match against the Daredevils, the injury also rules Dhoni out of Chennai Super Kings' matches against Kings XI Punjab (March 21), Royal Challengers Bangalore (March 23) and Mumbai Indians (March 25).

IPL 2010: CSK Vs DC - Cricket live score, updates, streaming

Chennai Super Kings take on Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers today, March 14 in the IPL 2010 Twenty20 at Chepauk. Do watch the live coverage, cricket live scroe, latest updates and live streaming.

Today is a big day for Indian Skipper MS Dhoni, as his IPL team Chennai Super Kings take on Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers today, March 14 in the IPL 2010 Twenty20 at Chepauk. Today's match, CSK Vs DC would be Chennai's first match in the IPL 2010 season 3. Whereas,for defending champions, Deccan Chargers, today would be their second match in the IPL 3 after losing their opening match against SRK's Kolkatta Knight Riders.

The CSk Vs DC IPL T20 match would be a day night affair and would start at 8pm Indian time. The live coverage of the match and the cricket live score can be watched on Sat Max TV Channel. Also the latest news, updates and live streaming will be available on a number of websites.

Today's Match, would be a treat for all the viewers across the globe as both the sides have some of world's best players in their teams. Dhoni's Cuper Kings have a slight edge over Deccan Chargers as they will be playing at home and all its key players are in great form. However, CSK will be without the services of Flintoff, Hussey and Oram. But they have Dhoni, Hayden, Murlidharan, Raina, Kemp who can fire anytime and anywhere.

On the other hand, DC will be under a bit of pressure after losing their 1st match against KKR. But they have players like Gilchrist, Gibbs, Symonds, rohit Sharma who can single handedly turn things around.

The Pitch will be a batting's paradise, promising a high scoring match. So whats your take? Who will win today's IPL 2010 match between Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings?

Charged up Deccans take on Knight Riders in glitzy IPL opener

The third edition of IPL will kick off on Friday evening with Defending Champion Deccan Chargers taking on the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Heavy security arrangements have been made in the vicinity of the Stadium.

The match will be preceded by an opening ceremony, which will witness performances by some top international performers like - Lionel Ritchie, UB40 and Bjorn Agan, besides Bollywood star Deepika Padukone as well as some spectacular fireworks.

The eight teams Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab) will be honored in this ceremony and the games will officially begin with the first match.

This IPL will be important for the players for more than one reason. They would be looking to give their best in this season so that they can strengthen their case for the IPL IV auction in 2011.

The one and half month long cash-rich T20 tournament is known for its thrilling and nail-biting encounters in past.

The inaugural edition of IPL was held in 2008, since than it has earned unanimous popularity across the world. Buoyed by huge success, IPL management has announced to add two more teams in 2011.

The Final match of IPL 2010 will be played on April 25, 2010.

Deccan Chargers will play exciting cricket, says Gilchrist

Deccan Chargers' skipper Adam Gilchrist is very excited and keen to do well in IPL-3. The defending champions begin their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on March 12. In an exclusive chat with ToI on Tuesday, Gilchrist affirmed his team's commitment to play an exciting brand of cricket. Excerpts.

You're probably the best advertisement for a wicketkeeper-captain, leading the defending champions...

Thank you. Wicketkeeping brings with it an involvement throughout. You're involved in every ball, perhaps more than anyone else. So it helps you have a better understanding of the game and what's going on. I think that helps the team when it needs attention or direction.

It was tough going in IPL-I. How difficult was it for you to face the situation after getting used to the Australian way?

It just confirmed to me that losing, the feeling of losing, is the same no matter who you play for. It's not that we never lost a game for Australia. We had lost and I had experienced it before. I was very lucky to play in a successful era for Australia. But that (DC) was a great challenge for me and everyone in Deccan Chargers.

Did you veer off track in trying to adapt to local conditions than forging a separate DC identity?

Without doubt. Every team would have been looking to understand and appreciate each other's cultures, especially when most teams had nearly six different nationalities. We were the same. Perhaps we overdid it early but since no success came we probably neglected it towards the end. What we realised was that we needed to create our own environment and culture.

Given the clout T20 wields what do you reckon are the major areas due to change because of the new format?

In terms of cricket, the mindset of the players: that anything is achievable. It's really creating a new style of cricket. Brendon McCullum showed last week and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan is doing it. I read with interest McCullum saying the bowlers are getting better so we need to open up new areas on the ground so that we get more scoring options. It's fascinating to watch that happen.

Mandira's cricket, cocktails and conversation

It’s T20 season and kickstarting the excitement this time round is Citibank, the IPL’s official bank, with an afternoon of cricket, cocktails and conversation between television anchor Mandira Bedi and Deccan Chargers’ star player Rohit Sharma — the winner of the 2009 Citi U-23 Success of the League Award.

He unveiled the trophy for 2010 after interacting with guests at the Citibank initiative in which Mandira conducted a lively cricket quiz and Sharma himself gave children present tips on bowling.

Of Sharma winning the award last year, IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi said, “Rohit was the deserving winner. The DLF IPL is the perfect opportunity for young players to make their mark at a global event and showcase the skills that will make them future stars. It is great that Citi places such an emphasis on success in young people. I am sure that the Citi U-23 Success of the League Award will be a prize all aspiring cricket stars will covet.”

Vijay Ramchandran, Chief Marketing Officer, Citi South Asia, added, “We are pleased that our smartly chosen avenue through the IPL has helped us reach out to millions of Indians and establish long-term relationships with our customers, the majority of whom love cricket. We have launched a host of interesting offers that will give them an opportunity to enjoy the IPL Season 3 live in the stadia.”

IPL will help local players'

The security at the team hotel was predictably tight but Mahendra Singh Dhoni appeared relaxed and confident here on Monday, ahead of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) battles in season III of the Indian Premier League.

Dhoni said, “We reached the final and the semifinal in the first two editions. We can win the title but need to play to our potential.

“But then, given the kind of format Twenty20 cricket is, you cannot guarantee success. Things can change very quickly. You can have good days and the not so good ones.”

He noticed the security around him too. “I think the security has been great. We are all feeling comfortable.”

Primary strength

The dashing wicket-keeper batsman maintained batting was CSK's primary strength. “We are basically a strong batting unit. We have a useful bowling attack too.

“We have players who can step in to bowl if our main bowlers go for runs. I think, overall, we have a balanced side,” said Dhoni.

Dhoni conceded CSK would miss the injured Andrew Flintoff who would take no part in this edition. He was not sure either about Jacob Oram's time-frame for recovery from yet another fitness concern.

“We have Justin Kemp this year though. He can be a destructive batsman and can chip in with the ball.”

He, however, expected the senior bowlers to rise to the occasion.

“Someone like Muttiah Muralitharan is still a very good bowler. He is also a great character, adds a lot to the dressing room.”

Gruelling event

The CSK skipper acknowledged IPL could be a gruelling event but added the upcoming edition would be less tiring than the competition in South Africa.

Home base

“Twenty20 cricket is a demanding format, physically and mentally. There is also a lot of travelling involved. But at least, we would have a base this time.

“We did not have that in South Africa. The competition would also help us to prepare well for the Twenty20 World Cup.”

Dhoni felt the domestic player had gained much from the IPL.

“I think coach Fleming and cricketers such as Michael Hussey have been good mentors. A lot of Indian cricketers have benefited.

“S. Badrinath, M.S. Gony and M. Vijay have gone on to play for India.

“Suresh Raina has emerged a much better cricketer. So, the IPL really helps the emerging players.”

This is precisely the reason why Dhoni firmly believes only four foreign cricketers should figure in the eleven. “It is the Indian Premier League, right? I think, the Indian cricketers should gain the most from it.”

Fleming's take

Coach Stephen Fleming said, “While the international players enable a side win a game or two, it is the strength of the domestic players that helps a team win the title. I think a lot of good local talent has come through in Tamil Nadu.

“This is a region that has a rich history in the game and is extremely proud of its cricket. There is a very good development system for young cricketers here. All said, local players are the key.”

Talking about practice sessions, he said, “There would be more quality than quantity. We will strive to be extremely focussed and intense.”

Who has the right to broadcast cricket news?

The Indian Premier League can’t seem to keep itself free of controversies. If it isn’t the Australians, it’s the Pakistanis and political parties. Just when matters died down, Indian news channels have drawn swords against IPL’s India broadcaster: Setmax.

Last week the News Broadcast Association (NBA), representing 34 news channels across the nation, decided to boycott the coverage of the third season of IPL that starts soon, due to its restrictive coverage guidelines.

Opposing the newly proposed guidelines for IPL coverage issued by IPL and Setmax, the NBA stated that IPL/Setmax have arbitrarily refused to abide by their commitment as contained in the 2008 norms drafted jointly by both parties.

“In view of this position unilaterally taken by IPL/Setmax, members of the NBA are unable to offer their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches,” said their official release.

Setmax is pained by the rampant usage of cricket clippings aired on news channels and sometimes, dedicated cricket programmes using their footage and allegedly robbing them of their channel audience.

The official Highlights are often given a miss. Add to it the fact that news channels tend to get sponsors for their special cricket shows, thus making revenues that the official broadcaster lost out on.
And this gets Setmax’s goat.

Back of the envelop calculations show that Setmax stands to lose Rs. 10 crore throughout the event. Hence it believes that since it has legal rights to the footage, it has the prerogative to set the rules of
the game.

ICC chief Howard welcomes strong India

Former Australian prime minister John Howard has welcomed India's new-found influence over world cricket as he prepares to become the sport's governing body chief in 2012.

Howard, who is facing a challenge to win over Asian nations, according to Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan, said India's growing power was positive for the sport.

"India is the second most populous country in the world, it's cricket-mad, they are pluses," Howard told state radio on Wednesday.

"I think it's entirely wrong to look at the Indian involvement in cricket in a negative light.

"I think of those millions of people in India and the sub-continent... who play cricket. They play it with a passion and love it."

Howard, a self-confessed "cricket tragic", has been nominated for the rotating International Cricket Council presidency and will take over from India's Sharad Pawar in 2012.

Muralitharan said he had forgiven Howard for labelling him a "chucker", but added that it would not be easy for the conservative former leader to get South Asian nations on-side.

"It won't be an easy job. He has to convince the subcontinent -- that's going to be a tough challenge for him," Muralitharan told the Sydney Morning Herald.

India's huge market has made it cricket's most important powerbase, with its Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament handing out lucrative contracts to the world's best players.

Howard also defended his suitability for the role despite having no experience of sports administration, unlike the New Zealand contender John Anderson.

"I think the fact I haven't been involved in cricket administration is explained by the fact I had a day job which made that rather difficult," he said in reference to his 30-year stint in politics.

Sachin tops 'trust' list in cricket; Lalit Modi at bottom

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar has been named the country's most trusted person in the cricket arena, wherein IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has been ranked at the bottom.

In a list of 100 most trusted people compiled by Readers' Digest magazine, Sachin figures at the eighth position -- the highest among people related to cricket and next only to chess champion Viswanathan Anand (overall 6th).

In the same list, IPL Chairman Lalit Modi, arguably the most controversial cricket administrator, has been ranked 93rd -- the lowest rank for any cricket-related person in the list.

About Modi being at the tail-end of its Trusted list, Readers' Digest said "perhaps it's controversy that still stalks Lalit Modi, cricket administrator and chairman of Indian Premier League, who at 93rd position is the only sports personality to feature amongst the trust list's tailenders."

While Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, ranked 97th, is also related to the field of cricket in his capacity of Chairman of BCCI (Board for Control of Cricket in India), but he's more of a politician.

Among people in the list who owe their fame to cricket, Sachin is followed by Team India captain MS Dhoni at 42nd position in the overall list.

Last week, master blaster Tendulkar dedicated his record unbeaten knock of 200, scored in the one-dayer against South Africa, to the people of India.

After the match, Sachin thanked his fans and people of India for their support and said: "I dedicate this ton to the people of India. I thank those who supported me and this is indeed a special moment."

Besides cricketers, other sportspersons on the list include Viswanathan Anand (6th), shooter Abhinav Bindra (25th), Mahesh Bhupati (49th), Leander Paes (57th) and Sania Mirza (81st).

'Cricket needs leadership from India'

Sachin's ODI double

Like millions of others, I have been a Sachin Tendulkar fan for many years now. And while the real excitement was watching him emerge as the best player in the world, it has also been wonderful witnessing his endurance. There have been quite a few good judges who have tried to persuade Tendulkar to retire, but I am not one of those. The Indian cricket lovers simply can't get enough of him, and let's face it, he will be retired for a long time. His double-hundred against South Africa was another milestone in the career of a man who has been a great example to cricketers young and old. Despite making more runs than anyone else in cricket, Tendulkar remains true to the spirit of cricket - though he has to live a life that is very different from that of many of his team-mates.

He is so loved. He is mobbed wherever he goes in India, and many other cricket-loving countries. He and his family have to take holidays in remote places to experience things most of us take for granted - like shopping or going for a drive. Even a family meal at a restaurant is just not on. He has handled all this adoration with the same calm control he possesses when he has a bat in his hand. I don't think there can ever be another Don Bradman, but if there is, Sachin Tendulkar would be the man.

Brett Lee's retirement from Test cricket

Brett Lee's retirement from Test cricket shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. He has been through a tough time with injuries, and is now at an age when he needs to manage what he has left in his fast-bowling tank. This likeable fast bowler has also had to manage a recent marriage break-up, and [the retirement] goes with being a good dad to his young son Preston.

As much as Lee loves Test cricket, he, like many of his team-mates, is faced with a tougher decision than those who have gone before. The international calendar has changed dramatically with the advent of the lucrative Twenty20 tournaments around the world. It is no longer imperative to have a board contract to make a living and this is resulting in those close to retirement, and fast bowlers in particular, reassessing their plans. Brett Lee has decided that if he gives Test cricket away, he has a chance of making an impact in ODIs and Twenty20.

He retires as Australia's fourth-highest Test wicket-taker - he took 310 wickets in 76 Tests. His contribution while playing in the world's best cricket team for over a decade will give him immense satisfaction. While Australia don't have a super-fast replacement for Lee, there is no doubt that the very healthy first-class competition will continue to produce hardworking and effective replacements, like Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle. The cupboard is certainly not bare. Brett Lee has brought to Australian cricket the excitement that goes with watching a seriously fast bowler. He falls into the same category as Shoaib Akhtar and Dale Steyn - super fast and aggressive. His Test career may be over but expect to see him bowling and hitting out in the limited-over formats.

Are fast bowlers a dying breed?

There are some experts who are worried that fast bowlers are a dying breed. They argue that too much cricket and not enough recovery time is killing them off and that the balance has shifted in favour of batsmen over the years. There is no doubt that this is partially true. The advent of the helmet has certainly reduced the test of courage and bats are far better than they were. It is up to those of us who know the game to come up with answers that address the problems that unsettle the balance between bat and ball. Fast bowlers flourish on fast, bouncy pitches, so all we have to do is see to it that pitches around the world are, in the main, hard and not devoid of surface grass. This past season in Australia groundsmen were instructed to prepare normal pitches but to leave more surface grass on the pitches. The pitches were wonderful, and we saw plenty of good cricket. Flat pitches, like many in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies, allow batsmen to dominate and the result is often boring. Again, we are in the hands of the administrators of the game. If they don't take action nothing will change.

Premature retirements

It amazes me that cricket lovers and some administrators are surprised that cricketers are announcing their retirement from Test cricket in order to prolong their ODI and Twenty20 careers. Let's try to get all this into perspective. Since World Series Cricket back in the late seventies, the financial position of cricketers has continued to improve. As a result top players are playing well into their thirties, and in some cases forties, to take full advantage of the wealth on offer. As they find it more difficult to handle the hectic programme, something has to give, so it's natural that the toughest and most time-consuming format of the game, Test cricket, is the victim. Giving away Tests gives top players more recovery time, while also allowing them to play in all the limited-overs internationals. It also gives them a better opportunity to play in the IPL and to cherry pick the other Twenty20 domestic competitions around the world, in an effort to ensure they have a team to play for in the lucrative Champions League. It's all about money, and the IPL is the biggest money spinner.

Let's face it, cricket administrators don't know how to handle the new cricket landscape. India have already managed to wrestle from the world game a window of two months in which to play the IPL, but more importantly they have set up a franchise system which is able to offer overseas players financial incentives to play. The whole model is based on television revenue, and every cricket nation is now faced with the prospect of losing their best players to India's IPL for no financial return whatever. It's only a question of time before all this will come to a head, and when it does India will be asked to make concessions, but it may well be too late. Ultimately the players will decide what is best. Do they want to continue to be contracted to their respective boards, and in so doing do as they say or will they choose the freelance option? Some will stay and others will go as they are now, but there can be no doubt that the game as we know it will change unless the all powerful Indian board decides or is forced to adopt a different approach.

The IPL and security issues

The security for foreign players during the IPL has again become a talking point, and there are many players who are apprehensive about taking part in this year's tournament. Regrettably, we live in an age where no government or cricket board is in a position to give meaningful guarantees to players. They do, however, have to listen to the concerns of the players and do their best to implement their requirements. The attack on the Sri Lankan players in Lahore has ensured that it is no longer acceptable to put in place minimal security arrangements. Hotel and ground security has to be top-class and appropriate convoy procedures have to be in place when teams are moved between airports, hotels and grounds. Another player-related incident in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka will have a shattering effect on cricket in the region.

It's far too easy to accept that the security threat is a modern reality. As far as I am concerned it's an individual thing and I can see a time when cricket authorities the world over will be left with no option other than to allow players to make their own decisions without there being any repercussions. We could even see a situation arise where players who agree to go to places that are dangerous will receive more of a financial incentive for doing so. If, for example, Pakistan wanted to play a World XI in Pakistan in an effort to get some decent home games, they would, I am sure, succeed in putting a team together but it would be expensive. It's also worth noting that the more the cricketers rely on the IPL for a living, the more likely it is that these players will go to India regardless of the threat.

Saving Test cricket in India

Recently Rahul Dravid bought into the cricket-calendar debate and what he had to say was interesting and will raise a few hackles in India. Dravid wants India to adopt a similar approach to their scheduling to that of Australia, South Africa and England. He actually went a step further and suggested that India should use their clout to lead the debate. Great idea, but I am not going to hold my breath because it seems to me that while India holds the financial trumps they will continue to adopt a divide-and-separate philosophy. There are so many issues that need to be resolved before cricket settles down to a period of peace and prosperity. For this to happen the game needs leadership, which has to come from India or it will simply not happen. A rolling programme has to be devised which takes into consideration the requirements of everyone in the cricket family. Such changes don't usually come about until a disaster occurs. It's rather like an alcoholic - there is usually the downhill slide, and then comes the call for help, and the recognition that there is a problem; thereafter it's usually plain sailing.