IPL contract obligates Kallis to play for RCB

Tournament rules may suggest otherwise but South African Twenty20 champions Warriors chief Dave Emslie says Jaques Kallis had no option but to play for Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore in next month's Champions League Twenty20.

Emslie said Kallis' IPL contract obligated him to play for RCB in the CLT20 which begins in Johannesburg on September 10.

"Kallis' contract (with RCB) says if his IPL team get into the CLT20 his team has the first option. He is obligated to play for RCB. For that we got USD 200,000. We would have wanted Kallis but the decision did not lay in our hands. We never had a choice," he said in a media interaction with a group of Indian journalists.

"One can argue the merits of the case but that is the rule. They (CLT20) may be thinking of changing the rule in future," he added.

CLT20 rules seemed confusing after Governing Council Member Dean Kino's statement after the launch of the tournament in Johannesburg suggests that Kallis, New Zealander Ross Taylor and Australian Cameron White had the option not to choose RCB.

"CLT20 regulations stipulate that with Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor and Cameron White playing for their IPL franchise instead of their home teams, RCB must compensate the Warriors, Central Stags and Victorian Bushrangers USD 200,000 each respectively," Kino had said.

Warriors coach Russell Domingo was also clear that Kallis had no choice but to play for RCB.

"I am under correction. But I think Kallis' contract (with RCB) says that should RCB qualify for the CLT20 they have the first call on him. We might think it is crazy, he is a South African and his club Warriors is in the CLT20 but still he is playing for RCB but that's it," he said.

"We don't pay big money, we can't compete with IPL teams. IPL dollars are going to get the first call. Money talks," he quipped.

Russell, however, said it was not a bad deal to lose out on Kallis as the Warriors are getting a lot of money in return.

"It is a big attraction to get that money. It is not a bad deal as it was out of our control to get Kallis in our side. I think we can have another player like Kallis in future (to get big money)," he said in a lighter vein.He conceded that Kallis' absence would be a big blow to his side's chances in the CLT20 but said it was good as younger players will get a chance to play.

"It is a big blow for us that Kallis will not be with the side as he is a three-in-one player. He is one of the best batsmen, a useful bowler and very good fielder."

"But we always knew that Kallis will not be there. It gives a chance to youngsters like Collin Ingram. Kallis also did not play in some big matches last season but we still won domestic titles. We won the MTN domestic championship and Standard Bank Pro20 title without him," he added.

Emslie feels that young South African players have a big opportunity to impress in CLT20 to get a place in IPL teams.

"Blokes here have a chance to be in an IPL team if they do well in the CLT20. Though I would want my players not to get too excited about the auction," he said.

Up and coming pacer Lonwabe Tsotsobe is one such player waiting for the CLT20 as a vehicle for the IPL.

"I am waiting for the CLT20 to come. I hope I get to play in the IPL and for that I have to come up with a good performance in the CLT20 as the IPL auctions are coming up shortly after the CLT20," he said.

"My agent said I will be there in the list of players to be auctioned for the the IPL. It (IPL) is a big platform as you will get to play against the best players in the world," he added.

IPL 2010 Schedule – Cricket Match Timetable 2010

DLF IPL Schedule / Timetable for 2010 is as follows. And the happy news is season 3 is going to happen in India. This year IPL 3 ( 2010 ) is going to be more exciting than last year. Stay tuned for more information.

March 12 2010 –
IP Hyderabad vs IP Kolkata
1st Match, Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Live action starts from: 14:30 GMT (20:00 IST)
March 13 – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals – Mumbai/Nagpur
March 13 – Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils – Mohali
March 14 – Chennai SuperKings vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad – Chennai
March 14 – KolkataKnightRiders vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Kolkata
March 15 – RajasthanRoyals vs DelhiDaredevils – Jaipur
March 16 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs Kings XI Punjab – Bangalore
March 16 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai SuperKings – Kolkta
March 17 – Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians– Delhi
March 18 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs RajasthanRoyals– Bangalore
March 19 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab– Vizag
March 20 – RajasthanRoyals vs Kolkata Knight Riders– Ahmedabad
March 20 – Mumbai Indians vs RoyalChallengersBanglore– Mumbai/Nagpur
March 21 – Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad – Delhi
March 22 – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders– Mumbai/Nagpur
March 23 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs Chennai SuperKings – Bangalore
March 24 – Kings XI Punjab vs RajasthanRoyals– Mohali
March 25 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils– Kolkta
March 26 – Chennai SuperKings vs Mumbai Indians– Chennai
March 26 – RajasthanRoyals vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad– Ahmedabad
March 27 – RoyalChallengers Banglore vs Delhi Daredevils – Bangalore
March 27 – Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders– Mohali
March 28 – RajasthanRoyals vs Chennai SuperKings – Ahmedabad
March 28 –Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians – Vizag
March 29 – Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders– Delhi
March 30 – Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab – Mumbai/Nagpur
March 31 – Chennai SuperKings vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Chennai
March 31 – Delhi Daredevils vs RajasthanRoyals – Delhi
April 1 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad – Kolkata
April 2 – Kings XI Punjab vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Mohali
April 3 – Chennai SuperKings vs RajasthanRoyals – Chennai
April 3 – Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad- Mumbai/Nagpur
April 4 – Delhi Daredevils vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Delhi
April 4 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab– Kolkata
April 5 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs RajasthanRoyals – Hyderabad
April 6 – Mumbai Indians vs Chennai SuperKings – Mumbai/Nagpur
April 7 – RajasthanRoyals vs Kings XI Punjab– Ahmedabad
April 8 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad– Bangalore
April 8 – Chennai SuperKings vs Delhi Daredevils– Chennai
April 9 – Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians – Mohali
April 10 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs Kolkata Knight Riders – Bangalore
April 10 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Chennai SuperKings – Hyderabad
April 11 – RajasthanRoyals vs Mumbai Indians – Jaipur
April 11 – Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab – Delhi
April 12 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Hyderabad
April 13 – Chennai SuperKings vs Kolkata Knight Riders – Chennai
April 14 – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils – Mumbai/Nagpur
April 15 – RajasthanRoyals vs RoyalChallengersBanglore – Jaipur
April 15 – Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad – Dharmsala
April 16 – Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai SuperKings – Delhi
April 17 – RoyalChallengersBanglore vs Mumbai Indians – Bangalore
April 17 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs RajasthanRoyals– Kolkata
April 18 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad vs Delhi Daredevils – Hyderabad
April 18 – Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai SuperKings– Dharamsala
April 19 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians – Kolkata

April 21 – Semifinal Match 1
April 22 – Semifinal Match 2

April 24 – 3rd Place Match

April 25 – FINAL Match

Deccan steal IPL show amid the glitz

The transplanted Indian Premier League finished in front of a capacity crowd with a blaze of fireworks and an array of international entertainers headed by Guyanan rock star Eddy Grant.
The Deccan Chargers took the title with a six-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final, but throughout the 37 days of the tournament in which 59 matches were played, the cricket shared top billing with the lights, music and cheerleaders that were part of the IPL package.
Arranged at short notice in South Africa following security concerns because of elections in India, the IPL captured the imagination of South African sports followers.
The opening weekend in Cape Town, with two double-headers on successive days, was sold out. So were the semi-finals, in Centurion and Johannesburg, and the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
In between, near-capacity crowds attended many of the games, attracted by low prices, the glitz and glamour of the tournament, and the chance to see most of the world's best players in action.
The unpredictable nature of Twenty20 cricket was shown when Bangalore and Deccan, who filled the last two places on the log in the first IPL in 2008, reached the final.
Even on 2009 form that was a surprise, because they beat the two teams that dominated the round robin stage, the Chennai Super Kings and log-topping Delhi Daredevils respectively.
Conditions were different in South Africa from those in India last year, with bowlers having a bigger say on late-season pitches that offered assistance to both seam and spin bowlers.
Even so, it remained a batsman's game.
Matthew Hayden, the powerful Australian left-hander who retired from international cricket in January, was Chennai's mainstay as he topped the tournament run-scorers list with 572 at an average of 52.00 and an impressive strike rate of 144.81 runs per 100 balls.
Another former Australian player, Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist, played the stand-out innings of the tournament when he slammed 85 off 35 balls in the semi-finals to get his team past Delhi.
Left-arm opening bowler RP Singh of Deccan Chargers was the leading wicket-taker with 23 at an average of 18.13, but many of the most effective bowlers were spinners, led by Bangalore captain Anil Kumble, who finished with 22 wickets, including four for 18 in the final.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was a consistent performer for Deccan and experienced international bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh were consistently economical.
While much of the focus was on established international stars, the tournament provided a platform for young Indian players such as Bangalore's Manish Pandey, 19, who became the first Indian to hit a century in two seasons of the IPL.
While Deccan leapt from last place in 2008 to the title in 2009, defending champions Rajasthan Royals failed to reach the semi-finals, with former Australian star Shane Warne unable to inspire his comparatively modestly-funded teams to another triumph.
Much of the early focus was on Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta, all co-owners of franchises, but none of their teams did particularly well.
Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders finished an embarrassing last, winning only three out of 14 matches and Khan returned to India early in the campaign.
Zinta's Kings XI Punjab were squeezed out of the semi-finals on run rate, while Shetty's Rajasthan were sixth.
In the end, the cricketers were able to claim centre stage.

Dravid lifts Bangalore past Chennai

Indian stalwart Rahul Dravid and two of the country's rising stars took the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory in their Indian Premier League semi-final against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.
Bangalore will meet the Deccan Chargers in the final at the same ground Sunday in a contest between the teams that filled the bottom two places on the log in the first IPL in 2008.
Dravid (44) and 19-year-old Manish Pandey (48) put on 72 for the third wicket to lay the foundation for Bangalore's six-wicket win, then Virat Kohli, 20, finished the match off by hitting 24 not out off 17 balls.
As in the first semi-final, when Deccan beat the Delhi Daredevils Friday, the team finishing lower on the log won the knock-out match.
Chennai made a good start after being sent in, with Matthew Hayden, the tournament's leading scorer, and Parthiv Patel putting on 61 for the first wicket.
But the innings lost momentum when Hayden lofted Vinay Kumar to deep mid-wicket off the last ball of the seventh over after making 26.
Patel followed two overs later when he was leg before to Jacques Kallis for 36.
Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the left-handed Suresh Raina added 35 for the third wicket.
Raina hit a four and six off successive balls against Vinay Kumar but the threatened acceleration was cut short in the next over when he top- edged a pull against Praveen Kumar and was caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 20.
Dhoni reached 28 without hitting a boundary before he hit Roelof van der Merwe high to long-on and fell to a well-judged catch by Vinay Kumar who managed to maintain his balance just inside the rope.
With the pitch playing slower as the innings progressed even the normally free-scoring Albie Morkel could only manage an unbeaten 20 off 17 balls.
Bangalore started their innings aggressively, with Pandey hitting Morkel through the covers for two fours in the first over, with Kallis punching Manpreet Gony past point for two more boundaries in the next over before eding a drive to be caught behind.
Van der Merwe was sent in as a pinch hitter but after being dropped by Muttiah Muralatharan back-pedalling at mid-off against Morkel in the third over he was bowled next ball.
But Pandey continued to bat fluently and found ideal support from Dravid as the pair added 72 for the third wicket before Pandey missed a sweep against left-arm spinner Shadap Jakati in the 13th over.
Dravid was leg before to Muralitharan, who bowled superbly to take one for 15 in four overs, but Kohli and New Zealander Ross Taylor both hit sixes as Bangalore won with seven balls to spare.

Gilchrist blasts Deccan to shock win

Adam Gilchrist blasted a 17-ball half-century and led the Deccan Chargers to a shock win over the Delhi Daredevils in the first Indian Premier League semi-final at Centurion Park on Friday.
Gilchrist finished with 85 off 35 balls, hitting five sixes and ten fours, as the Hyderabad-based Chargers stormed to a six-wicket victory against the tournament favourites with 2.2 overs to spare.
It was the first time in five matches that Deccan had been able to beat Delhi, who posted 153 for eight after being sent in.
That target soon looked easy as Gilchrist went on the rampage, hitting the fastest half-century in the IPL's short history.
Gilchrist hit five successive boundaries off fellow-Australian Dirk Nannes in the first over of the Deccan innings.
Herschelle Gibbs was bowled playing a reckless shot against Ashish Nehra in the next over but Gilchrist continued his assault, hitting 15 off an over from Pradeep Sangwan, then 13 off Nehra as the total raced to 56 off four overs.
Tillekeratne Dilshan managed an economical over of off-spin, conceding only three runs but Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag was smashed for 25 runs in his only over, including three successive sixes by Gilchrist, one from a free hit following a no-ball.
Gilchrist was third man out when he top-edged an attempted big hit against leg-spinner Amit Mishra to backward point off the last ball of the tenth over with the total on 102. Amid the carnage handed out to the other bowlers, Mishra took three for 19 in his four overs.
Deccan made a great start when Ryan Harris dismissed both Delhi opening batsmen for no runs in the first over.
But Sehwag (39) and Dilshan (65) counter-attacked in a third wicket stand of 85 and Delhi were on target for a challenging total before they lost four wickets for eight runs off the last seven balls of the innings.
Harris finished with three for 27.
Delhi finished top of the log in the round robin stage, winning ten of their 14 matches, while Deccan scraped into fourth place with seven wins and seven losses.

Captaincy is making me angry: Yuvraj

Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh was in a relaxed mood after his side's victory over Delhi but that did not stop him from confessing that captaincy has brought the worst out of him as he gets angry easily when his side is not doing well.

"Well, actually it is getting worst out of me. I am getting very angry on the field, I don't know why," Yuvraj said after his side beat Delhi Daredevils by six wickets to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

"But hopefully ... As long as we are winning the games, it doesn't matter what it brings out of the captain, so I am happy," he added.

Yuvraj though could not hide his glee when mentioned about the red-hot form of fit-again Australian Brett Lee whose match-winning 3/15 set up the match for Kings XI against Delhi.

"Lee made a (big difference). Since he came in, we have got better in the bowling department. He obviously brings in a lot of pace and enthusiasm. He has been helping Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth out too, that's very important. So I am glad he is here," the left-hander said.

Having praised Lee, Yuvraj credited the victory against Delhi to team effort. "We had lost three early wickets (in run chase) and we needed one partnership. I took my time, Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara) took his time. And we took up the challenge. We had to play some big shots in the end. Thankfully Irfan (Pathan) came in and got those runs. It was a complete team effort," he said.

Yuvraj was also happy that temperamental pacer S Sreesanth also came good against Delhi after his forgettable show against Deccan Chargers.

"He (Sreesanth) is coming back from an injury. He has had an up and down time but I thought he bowled really well against Delhi. He bowled at his best and is getting better at the end of the day. So hopefully, he will do better in the coming games for us."

SA bowling coach joins Deccan Chargers

South African bowling coach Victor Barnes will work with the Deccan Chargers team for the rest of the tournament.
Barnes, who is currently bowling coach of the South African national team, was asked by Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehman to help his bowlers.
"Darren Lehman asked me to join the team and help the boys and I was only glad to help," Barnes told Chargers official website.
He worked with Harmeet Singh, RP Singh and Shoaib Maqsusi and advised them about the importance of using the width of the crease. "I am mainly working with the fringe bowlers. A few of them had problems with over stepping. We worked on it and things are getting better," said Barnes.
"I was impressed by the number of questions they asked. They are willing to learn and that is a positive sign. They were eager in practice and I spoke to them on areas that concern bowling at the death. It was a fruitful session." Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist also expressed happiness over Barnes' addition.
"Barnes has been enjoying a senior role in the South African team. He brings with him a lot of experience and I am sure the boys will benefit from it," said Gilchrist.

Punjab remain in IPL hunt with upset win over Delhi

Kings XI Punjab stunned leaders Delhi Daredevils with a six-wicket victory in their Indian Premier League match here on Friday to keep their semi-finals hopes alive.
After Punjab bowlers had restricted Delhi to 120-9, Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten 43 to guide his side to a thrilling win with five balls to spare.
Punjab nearly made a mess of the chase, losing their top three wickets for 35 runs before Sangakkara put the innings back on track with a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj (18) was dismissed with the side still needing 33 to win from 26 balls but Irfan Pathan kept his cool, hitting three sixes en route his unbeaten 21 to take his team home in their must-win tie.
Erratic Farveez Mahroof, playing his first match of the tournament, took a wicket off his first ball to finish with 2-29 while left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra conceded just six runs off his four overs while picking one wicket.
Delhi, who lead the eight-team tournament, can still make the semis even if they don't win any of their remaining three games.
Delhi have 16 points from 11 matches, followed by Chennai (13/11), Rajasthan (13/12), Deccan (12/11), Bangalore (12/12), Mumbai (11/12), Punjab (12/12) and Kolkata (3/11).
Delhi were off to a poor start with swashbuckling openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag being sent back cheaply inside the first four overs.
Paceman Brett Lee was the most impressive bowler with 3-15 off four overs, for which he was named man of the match, while Pathan and Santhakumaran Shreesanth chipped in with two wickets each.
Dinesh Karthik top-scored with 32 and shared a 50-run stand with Mithun Manhas to lend some respectability to the total.

Warne's Rajasthan clinch a last-over thriller

Munaf Patel bowled a tight last over under pressure as Rajasthan Royals posted a thrilling two-run victory over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Mumbai needed four runs in the final over to achieve a 146-run target, but seamer Patel conceded just one to boost Rajasthan's chances of making it to the semi-finals.
Three wickets fell in the last over, including two run-outs.
Skipper Sachin Tendulkar hit a solid 40 off 30 deliveries and Abhishek Nayar an 18-ball 35 to raise Mumbai's hopes of victory following man-of-the-match Shane Warne's triple-strike, but Rajasthan hit back in the closing over.
Former Australian leg-spinner Warne finished with 3-24.
Mumbai's hopes rested on Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya (16), specialist openers batting in the middle order, after three wickets had fallen for 23 runs but skipper Warne removed both the batsmen at the right time.
Delhi lead the eight-team tournament with 16 points from 10 matches, followed by Chennai (13/11), Rajasthan (13/12), Deccan (12/11), Bangalore (12/12), Mumbai (11/12), Punjab (10/11) and Kolkata (3/11).
The top four sides advance to the semi-finals.
Australian opener Rob Quiney and Indian middle-order batsman Ravinder Jadeja earlier boosted Rajasthan with a 61-run stand for the third wicket off just six overs.
Quiney top-scored with a 40-ball 51 for his maiden half-century of the tournament, while Jadeja scored 42 off 32 balls.

Taylor fashions Bangalore victory

Ross Taylor hit a crucial 46 to steer Bangalore Royal Challengers to an exciting two-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
The New Zealander added 56 for the fourth wicket with Virat Kohli (38) as Bangalore achieved a 130-run target with two balls to spare to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Man-of-the-match Taylor fell in the final over after hitting one six in his sensible 50-ball knock, but his team needed just five to win at that stage. Vinay Kumar completed the victory when he smashed Jacob Oram for a four.
Kohli cracked two sixes in his 35-ball knock.
Delhi lead the eight-team competition with 16 points from 10 matches, followed by Chennai (13/11), Deccan (12/11), Bangalore (12/12), Mumbai (11/11), Rajasthan (11/11), Punjab (10/11) and Kolkata (3/11).
The top four sides will qualify for the semi-finals.
Veteran Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble earlier led Bangalore's fightback with two wickets for just 12 runs off four overs.
Chennai were strongly placed at 101-3 following Australian opener Matthew Hayden's brisk half-century, but lost the last seven wickets for 28 in a sensational collapse.
Kumble started the slide when he had in-form Hayden caught by Kumar at deep mid-wicket. Hayden smashed three sixes and five fours in his 38-ball 60 -- his fourth half-century of the tournament.
Hayden propped up the innings after South African seamer Jacques Kallis had bagged two early wickets, but received no support from the other end. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the second-highest scorer with 18.

Delhi survive Gilchrist blitz

Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist smashed a rapid-fire half-century, but failed to stop Delhi Daredevils from posting a 12-run win in an Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
Delhi scored 173-7 before restricting Deccan to 161 despite Gilchrist's 33-ball 64 to boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Delhi lead the eight-team competition with 16 points from 10 matches, followed by Chennai (13/10), Deccan (12/11), Mumbai (11/11), Rajasthan (11/11), Bangalore (10/11), Punjab (10/11) and Kolkata (3/11).
The top four sides will advance to the semi-finals.
Gilchrist went for his shots from the beginning, hitting seamer Ashish Nehra for four boundaries in the opening over. He cracked five sixes and as many fours before inside-edging seamer Pradeep Sangwan's delivery on to his stumps.
Andrew Symonds kept the momentum with a 22-ball 41 before seamer Rajat Bhatia (4-15) triggered a dramatic collapse which saw Deccan lose their last seven wickets for just 12 runs.
Dinesh Karthik earlier helped Delhi set a stiff target with a 23-ball 44 not out, including 18 runs off the last five deliveries from Sri Lankan paceman Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan set the pace, plundering 24 runs in an over from paceman Shoaib Ahmed. He cracked one six and seven fours in his 18-ball 37 before being caught by Ravi Teja in the deep off Symonds.
South African AB de Villiers kept the scoreboard moving after Dilshan's dismissal, scoring a 36-ball 44.

Smith, Sharma star in Deccan victory

Dwayne Smith smashed a brisk 47 and Rohit Sharma grabbed three quick wickets as Deccan Chargers thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 53 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Monday.
Deccan rode on West Indian Smith's 32-ball knock to post 166-7 before restricting Rajasthan to 113 for their sixth win in 10 matches. Rajasthan have so far won five of their 11 games.
Delhi lead the eight-team competition with 14 points from nine matches, followed by Chennai (13/10), Deccan (12/10), Rajasthan (11/11), Punjab (10/10), Mumbai (9/10), Bangalore (8/10) and Kolkata (3/10).
Defending champions Rajasthan faltered against the pace-spin combination, with opener Swapnil Asnodkar alone offering resistance with a 39-ball 44.
Veteran Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas (2-19) did the early damage with two wickets in a lively opening spell to reduce Rajasthan to 19-2.
The left-arm paceman trapped South Africa skipper Graeme Smith (one) leg-before and then had Australian Lee Carseldine (eight) stumped by Adam Gilchrist.
Off-spinner Sharma ensured an easy win with three wickets for just 12 runs off three tight overs.
Deccan earlier plundered 58 runs in the last five overs, thanks to man-of-the-match Smith who smashed four sixes in a superb exhibition of hard and clean hitting.
Spinners Yusuf Pathan (3-34) and Ravinder Jadeja (2-26) threatened to restrict Deccan to a modest total before Smith propped up the innings with a 37-run stand for the fifth wicket with Vaas (20).
Off-spinner Pathan struck with his third delivery when he trapped Gilchrist (10) leg-before and then accounted for Vaas and Smith.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja also kept pressure on the batsmen and got a big wicket when he bowled Andrew Symonds, who hit a 19-ball 30.

Delhi crush Kolkata and regain top spot

The Delhi Daredevils bowlers paved the way for a seven-wicket Indian Premier League thumping of strugglers Kolkata Knight Riders Sunday as they reclaimed top spot in the table.
Kolkata were restricted to 123-8 at chilly Wanderers after they lost the toss and were sent in to bat and Delhi cruised home, reaching 125-3 with 17 balls to spare.
Openers David Warner, who made 36 off 23 balls, and 18-run Gautam Gambhir got Delhi off to a good start in the chase with a 53-run first-wicket partnership.
While Gambhir, Warner and Tillakaratne Dilshan were removed within three overs, South African AB de Villiers and Dinesh Karthik combined to carry them home.
The pair put on an unbroken 56 runs for the fourth wicket with De Villiers making 40 from 32 deliveries and Karthik contributing 17.
Earlier, Ashish Nehra had struck twice in Kolkata?s first over, and in the second Australian Dirk Nannes removed South African Morne van Wyk to leave them struggling at 9-3.
Opener Sourav Ganguly and Yashpal Singh forged a 36-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Amit Mishra sent Singh packing in the eighth over and three balls later added the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha to break Kolkata?s momentum.
Ganguly, who made 44 runs off 45 balls, stuck around to anchor the innings, but was removed by Nannes in the 17th over.
Ajit Agarkar, dropped by Rajat Ghatia off his own bowling on 21, contributed 39 off 29 deliveries.
He was removed with the last ball of the innings after sharing a stubborn 40-run stand with Murali Kartik.
Mishra was the pick of the Delhi attack, returning 3-14 while Nannes and Nehra claimed two wickets each.

Duminy, Rahane keep Mumbai afloat in IPL

Mumbai Indians rode on a record stand by Jean-Paul Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane to beat Bangalore Royal Challengers by 16 runs in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
The duo put on 104 off 72 balls, the highest third-wicket partnership in the IPL, as Mumbai scored 157-2 in 20 overs before restricting Bangalore to 141-7 at St George's Park here.
Mumbai's fourth win in 10 matches took them to nine points and kept their hopes alive of making the semi-finals. Bangalore were stuck on eight points from 10 games.
Both teams have four more league matches to play.
Rahane and Duminy came to the crease after skipper Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed for zero in the second over and Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya fell for 29 in the eighth.
Rahane, a 20-year-old from Mumbai, remained unbeaten on 62 off 49 balls with four boundaries and a six.
Duminy, the left-handed South African, made 59 not out off 41 balls, a knock that was studded with three sixes and two fours.
Bangalore's challenge faded after four wickets fell for 58 by the 10th over, including those of Jacques Kallis (12) and Rahul Dravid (10).
South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher smashed an unbeaten 48 off 33 balls, but his gallant effort was not enough for Bangalore to snatch an unlikely win.
India spinner Harbhajan Singh was Mumbai's star bowler with two wickets for 15 runs in his four overs.

Chennai prevail in high-scoring affair

Following a thumping win against the Deccans, A confident Chennai captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. The were two changes in the Superkings team - George Bailey and Manpreet Gony replaced Murali Vijay and Jacob Oram. Punjab had one change in their eleven - VRV Singh came in for Ramesh Powar.

Chennai had a change in the batting line-up. With Murali Vijay not playing, Hayden was accompanied by Badrinath at the opening slot. However, the new combination did not work for Chennai when Badrinath tried to upper-cut an Irfan Pathan delivery but was caught by VRV Singh. Raina joined Hayden at number three and the duo started off a show of brilliant stroke-play. Though the conditions were overcast, it did not deter Raina and Hayden, who took an attacking approach and decimated the Punjab bowling. Chennai were 68/1 after 7.3 overs when the rain gods came to the help of Punjab by halting the play.

The play resumed after the rain delay with the match being reduced to 18 overs a side. Punjab got their first break-through after the delay when Raina attempted a pull off Chawla but could only find Goel latch on to a catch. The captain MS Dhoni once again promoted himself and came in at number four. He looked in good touch, timing the ball sweetly. Meanwhile, Matthew Hayden continued from where he left off and went on to score his fifty.

MS Dhoni opened up towards the end of the innings, scoring at an express rate. VRV Singh was at the receiving end when Dhoni scored 24 runs in his over which inculded 2 fours and 2 sixers. Hayden went one step further, scoring 3 sixers off Sreesanth in the penultimate over.

The duo brought on the 100 partnership off just 46 balls. However, Hayden departed in the same over, holing out to Jayawardene at long-in. The hard hitting Hayden managed to score 89 runs off just 58 balls. His innings included 8 fours and 6 sixers. Meanwhile, Dhoni reached his fifty with a four in the last over, taking just 24 balls to get there. Chennai ended the innings with a mammoth score of 185 on board. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 56 off just 27 balls. His innings included 7 fours and 2 sixers.

Punjab started the innings requiring 188 runs to win as per Duckworth and Lewis. Punjab's uphill task started off on a wrong note when Sunny Sohal was bowled by Morkel in the first over. Meanwhile, Simon Katich took charge, scoring at quick rate. Karan Goel gave him good company at the other end, playing for singles and rotating the strike. Simon Katich took the fight back to Chennai scoring 3 consecutive sixers off Gony. Karan Goel tried to emulate Katich by trying to hit Jakati over the top. However, he holed out to Gony at long-on, bringing Yuvraj Singh to the crease. The Kings XI captain started positively, dealing in boundaries and sixers. Not to be left behind, Katich played at a brisk pace and reached his fifty off just 24 balls. Just when things were looking good for Punjab, a loose ball from Balaji resulted in the dismissal of Katich. At this stage Punjab were 84/3 requiring 104 runs off 53 balls.

Yuvraj survived a chance in the 11th over when his attempted shot over long-on, off Muralitharan's bowling was put down by Gony. Meanwhile, an in-form Jayawardene was striking boundaries and sixers at will, taking the attack to his Sri Lankan counterpart, Muralitharan. Yuvraj Singh made Chennai pay for the dropped catch, decimating the Chennai bowling attack. With 3 overs remaining, Punjab required 39 runs to win. Leading from the front, Yuvraj Singh brought up his fifty in just 28 balls.

An exciting finish was in place when Punjab required 30 runs off the last two overs with Yuvraj and Jayawardene putting up the fight. Suresh Raina was given the ball for the penultimate over and he just gave away 6 runs. Punjab required 24 runs off the last over. Balaji, who was chosen to bowl the last over, kept his cool and bowled consistently in the block hole, giving away just 12 runs in the over. In the end, Chennai emerged victors by 12 runs.

In a closely fought encounter, Chennai held their cool and ultimately ended on the winning side thanks to the batting efforts of Hayden, Dhoni and Raina. Punjab gave Chennai a good fight but were not good enough at the end.

Rajasthan cruise to victory

There were a lot of similarities in the two teams that took to the field today, apart from the obvious one of both having 'Royal' in their team name. They had both had fitful starts to the tournament, but were coming into the match having built up great momentum, and both were led by leg-spinning legends of the game who were contemporaries.

Anil Kumble lost the toss to Warne, who decided to bowl first on a fresh pitch. Bangalore went in with an unchanged side, while Rajasthan brought in Munaf Patel and local boy Morne Morkel instead of Siddharth Trivedi and Shane Harwood.

The impressive Amit Singh again provided the breakthrough for Rajasthan when he had Wasim Jaffer caught with Lee Carseldine taking a well judged catch at short cover. Last match hero Jacques Kallis couldn't repeat his batting performance and fell to Munaf Patel in the fifth over, leaving Bangalore in a bit of a hole, with the run-rate below 5 and two wickets down. They were dealt a body blow when they lost returning hero Rahul Dravid for a duck. Dravid got a ball down the leg-side and uncharacteristically, instead of tickling it fine for a boundary, got a feather-touch through to the keeper, giving Lee Carseldine a big wicket in his debut over. Bangalore slid further, losing Robin Uthappa plumb lbw to part-time spinner Jadeja, and only a dropped chance by 'keeper Ojha off Warne kept Virat Kohli at the crease and prevented Bangalore from losing half the side before half the overs were up. As it was, they were a none-too-healthy 49 for 4 at the halfway mark, and true to form, they lost a wicket immediately after, when Boucher was bowled by Jadeja.

Jadeja continued to have a dream spell with the ball and snaffled Virat Kohli who's cut only succeeded in finding the safe hands of a tumbling Morne Morkel.

Amit Singh then bowled a beautiful slower delivery - an off-cutter who's turn would have done Murali proud - to bowl the dangerous van der Merwe.

An excellent all-round bowling display meant Rajasthan got Bangalore all out for 105 off the last ball of the innings, with Amit Singh returning figures of 4-0-19-4 and Ravindra Jadeja having 4-0-15-3.

In an innings that lay in shambles from start to finish, the most exciting moment came when No.10 Vinay Kumar attempted a switch hit - you read that right, a switch hit - off Amit Singh in the last over of the innings.

Rajasthan's chase got off to a sedate start, but with no requirement to go slam bang, Smith and Ojha could afford to take their time to settle in. Just when he looked about to explode though, Smith was castled by South African team-mate Kallis.

Rajasthan kept ticking the runs off though, and even though Lee Carseldine was run-out in a bad mix-up with Naman Ojha, the score progressed at above the required rate, reading a comfortable 62 for 2 at the strategy break, with Yusuf Pathan at the crease.

Bangalore did manage to get Yusuf out, it was too little too late, as by then Rajasthan needed just 15 runs to win and had 6 overs and 7 wickets in hand to get them.

This they duly did, with Naman Ojha scoring another fifty and remaining unbeaten on 52 not out off 37 balls, to give Rajasthan victory by 7 wickets and 5 overs to spare.

At the end of the match, another similarity had emerged between the two teams - both stayed true to the form they had displayed in IPL '08!

Turning Point of the Match: A thoroughly professional display by Rajasthan ensured that they had their second successive one-sided victory, with possibly the only turning point being the fact that the toss landed in Warne's favour rather than Kumble's!

Man of the Match: Amit Singh for his sterling bowling performance in just his second IPL match, which really set up the victory for Rajasthan by putting Bangalore on the back-foot from the start.

Gambhir half century takes Delhi to the top

A half-century from stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir led Delhi Daredevils to the top of the Indian Premier League table with a nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.
Gambhir's measured innings of 71 not out eased Delhi to their target of 155 with one over to spare, although he did enjoy some luck after being dropped by Kolkata captain Brendon McCullum on 21 and was given not out after being caught behind just short of his half-century.
David Warner's quickfire innings of 36 from 23 deliveries got the Daredevils off to a flying start and eased the pressure on his team-mates, allowing Gambhir and Tillakaratne Dilshan (42 not out) to ride home.
Gambhir has struggled for IPL form, but was pleased to finally register a good innings.
"I am not spotting the ball well, but was happy I batted through," he said. "We discussed that someone had to finish the job, and with two batsmen set we managed to do that."
It was Kolkata's seventh loss from nine matches, and they rued some poor fielding with a number of dropped catches and unnecessary boundaries after their batsmen set a reasonable total.
McCullum finally found form to record a speedy 35, but it was fellow opener Morne van Wyk who really sparkled with 74 from just 48 balls.
The South African hit 11 fours, but was at times starved of the strike by a struggling middle order as the innings tailed away and ended with a total that was a shade under par.
"I thought probably another 20 on top would have been good, but the way they chased them down was thoroughly professional," conceded McCullum.
Defeat leaves Kolkata rooted to the bottom of the table with just three points.

Smith boundary blitz steers Rajasthan to IPL win

South Africa skipper Graeme Smith staged a boundary blitz as Rajasthan Royals cruised to a 78-run triumph over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League Tuesday.
Smith struck 12 boundaries at balmy Kingsmead as he shared a 135-run first wicket partnership with Naman Ojha that set up the defending champions for a fourth win in eight outings.
The Protea made 77 off 44 balls before being caught at the boundary by Piyush Chawla and the 68-run innings of wicketkeeper Ojha included five sixes and five fours.
Royals made 211-4 in 20 overs and while Punjab recovered from a disastrous start in reply to reach 133-8, the outcome was obvious longer before the final ball was bowled.
Rajasthan bettered the previous highest total this season by 22 runs and the Smith-Ojha stand was also a 2009 IPL record as the round-robin phase of the Twenty20 tournament reached the halfway mark.
No Punjab bowler suffered more than Shantha Sreesanth, who bowled two no balls in the penultimate over and conceded 23 runs, including a six from 33-run Ravindra Jadeja.
Punjab made the worst possible start in pursuit of a 10.60-run-an-over target with Sunny Sohal caught by Rajasthan skipper-cum-coach Shane Warne off the first ball of the innings.
Karan Goel contributed just one run before he headed for the pavilion and when Australian Simon Katich departed in the fifth over, Punjab were 25-3 and staring humiliation in the face.
Skipper Yuvraj Singh established some middle-order stability with a 48-run spell at the crease that included three sixes and three fours, but only Irfan Pathan (19 runs) offered support.
Victory lifted Rajasthan from second last to second on the eight-team standings, behind leaders Chennai Super Kings on net run rate, while Punjab slipped from second to sixth.

Jakati shines again for Chennai in IPL cricket

Left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati picked up 4-22 as Chennai Super Kings thumped Deccan Chargers by 78 runs for their third win on the trot in the Indian Premier League on Monday.
Jakati removed top-scorer Dwayne Smith (49) and Rohit Sharma in the space of four balls to help Chennai restrict Deccan to 100 all out in 14.4 overs in a one-sided contest at Buffalo Park here.
The 28-year-old unheralded bowler from Goa had also turned in a match-winning performance in Chennai's win against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni earlier led the batting charge with an unbeaten 58 while tournament's leading run-getter Matthew Hayden slammed a 26-ball 43 to take Chennai to an imposing 178-3.
The win propelled Chennai to the top of the points table while Deccan slumped to their third defeat in a row.
Deccan's chase began on a disastrous note as they lost their explosive openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs inside the first two overs.
Albie Morkel snapped up Gilchrist off the first ball of the innings when he trapped the Deccan skipper plumb in front while Suddep Tyagi accounted for Gibbs.
Morkel returned to dismiss Venkatsai Laxman (0) in his next over but was unlucky not to claim Smith whose easy skiers were dropped twice in a row by clumsy Chennai fielders.
Smith, who also survived a crazy mix-up at the crease, briefly sustained Deccan's hopes, putting on 72 runs for the fourth wicket with Sharma (21).
But Deccan's fate was sealed once Smith was trapped leg-before by Jakati. The West Indies' all-rounder slammed five sixes and two fours in his 23-ball knock.

Kallis, Uthappa pave way for Bangalore victory

A superb unbroken stand between Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa led Bangalore Royal Challengers to a nine-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League clash on Sunday.
After winning the toss at the Wanderers and opting to bat, Mumbai recovered from a poor start to reach 149-4 and in reply, Bangalore made 150-1 with 11 balls to spare.
Kallis got off to a cracking start after fellow opener Wassim Jaffer had fallen early on and although he slowed, still reached his half-century off 39 balls.
Uthappa was even quicker, making his fifty off 36 deliveries.
The pair shared 126 runs for the second wicket with Kallis 69 not out from 59 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
Uthappa was unbeaten on 66, having faced 42 deliveries in an innings that included eight fours and two sixes.
Bangalore seamer Dillon du Preez, who returned with 3-32, got his IPL debut off to a dream start, bagging three wickets before conceding a run.
Coming on at first change, Du Preez removed Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane with successive deliveries in his first over.
And in his next, he had JP Duminy caught behind to leave Mumbai reeling at 23-3 before Sanath Jayasuriya and Dwayne Bravo compiled 60 runs for the fourth wicket to stage a recovery.
Jayasuriya smashed 52 runs from 43 balls with six fours and one six. The Sri Lankan veteran was removed by spinner Roelof van der Merwe in the 15th over, but Abhishek Nayar joined Bravo in an unbroken 66-run stand for the fifth wicket to keep Mumbai in control.
Bravo made 50 not out from 40 deliveries with one boundary and two sixes, and Nayar was unbeaten on 29 off 20 balls.