After the biggest tragedy in IPL season 2, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sacked coach John Buchanan. And now former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, former Indian batsman Pravin Amre and previous India coach John Wright will make their presentations for KKR ’s Coach post.

Former Indian Captain and a member of Kolkata team Sourav Ganguly hinted that he might regain the captaincy next season and indicated that his presence at the meeting had not been finalised yet.

“Akram is part of the final few coaches who have been called on August 30,” Ganguly told PTI. “He, Wright and Amre have been called.”

Franchise officials further said that Akram is expected to be only bowling coach as teh former Pakistani legend himself is less keen on a full-time coach’s job and would like to work as a consultant.

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Former Indian Cricket Captain Rahul Dravid makes a return to India’s ODI team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and for the Champions Trophy next month. Rahul Dravid replaced Rohit Sharma, who managed 15 runs in three ODI innings in the West Indies and 43 runs in three innings against major opposition in the World Twenty20.

Also the selectors did not want to take risk including Virender Sehwag, who is yet to recover fully from his shoulder injury. He was not expected to make it to the Sri Lanka tri-series and now has been left out for the Champions Trophy as well.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid who have made a come back to the ODI squad

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who opted out of the West Indies series, makes a comeback. Suresh Raina, who was out because of a hairline fracture of the thumb, also returns. Amit Mishra makes it into the ODI squad, replacing Pragyan Ojha as the back-up spinner to Harbhajan Singh. Dinesh Karthik and Abhishek Nayar have retained their places.

India’s ODI squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, and Abhishek Nayar

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Deccan Chargers completed an extraordinary journey from being at the bottom of the table last year to win the second edition of the Indian Premier League, defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in a exciting final at the New Wanderers on Sunday.

There was no lack of excitement and heartbreak in the title clash as the 37-day, 59 match tournament ended with a fitting finale between last year’s bottom two sides.

Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble used his guile and experience to claim four wickets and restrict the formidable Chargers to 143 after winning the toss. Herschelle Gibbs top-scored for Chargers with an unbeaten 53 while Andrew Symonds contributed 33. 

The Challengers, who were coming on the back of five successive wins, were never on the top of the chase and lost wickets at regular intervals. They lost five wickets in the last six overs and finished at 137-9.

Andrew Symonds (3-18), Pragyan Ojha (3-28) and Harmeet Singh (2-23) all chipped in with the ball.

Ross Taylor (27) held the Bangalore innings together at a difficult time, but two successive blows by Symonds tilted the scales in the Chargers favour. Challengers needed 45 off 36 balls at that stage.

Taylor holed out to Venugopal Rao in the deep and Virat Kohli was out to a brilliant piece of stumping by Gilchrist. Harmeet Singh, in the next over took out Mark Boucher, who gave a straight catch to Gibbs at point.

Robin Uthappa (17) kept the team in the hunt and Challengers needed 27 off the last two overs. Uthappa and Vinay Kumar took 12 runs off the first five balls of Ryan Harris, before the latter was out to a brilliant catch by Harmeet at long leg.

RP Singh kept his nerve in the last over and Uthappa could hit only one four off the fifth ball, but it was all over for Chargers by then.

Earlier, Challengers’ in-form opening pair of Manish Pandey (4) and Jacques Kallis (16) got out without making much on the scoreboard.

Kallis hit Ryan Harris for two fours before dragging a RP Singh delivery onto the stumps.

Van der Merwe (32) meant business straightway, hitting Harris for two sixes but Ojha, who has been in impressive form through out the tournament dismissed Pandey and Merwe.

Taylor and Dravid looked to build a partnership by adding 22 runs, but Dravid went for a paddle shot and was bowled by Harmeet Singh.

Earlier, Challengers were off to a great start as Kumble, opening the attack, bowled for a duck the dangerous Andrew Gilchrist, who had single-handedly crushed Delhi Daredevils in the semifinals.

Suman fell to a good running catch by Pandey off Vinay Kumar in the fourth over. Symonds was dropped on five by Rahul Dravid in the slips, but could not do much and became Kumble’s second victim.

Gibbs smashed three boundaries and two sixes in 48 balls while Symonds faced 21 balls and cracked four boundaries and a six. The pair shared a third wicket stand of 40 runs to bring the Chargers back on track.

Kumble removed Rohit Sharma for 24 and Venugopal Rao for a duck in the 17th over.

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Its Semi-Final time and Delhi play Deccan Chargers in the first semi-final in Centurion this evening, while Chennai will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers in the second semi-final on Saturday night.

Delhi’s opening duo hasn’t been at its best, but that hasn’t stopped them from looking a formidable unit right through the tournament. If the star of the middle-order has been AB de Villiers, there have been two silent performers in the team who have always chipped in with useful performances at the right time to take Delhi out of trouble.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik are not the biggest stars of the Delhi team; they are not used to too much stardom at the national level either. While Karthik is still coming to terms with the fact that he is not in the T20 World Cup team, Dilshan is finally relishing the opportunity to bat up the order, which he doesn’t always get while playing for Sri Lanka.

In a tournament of many ups and downs, Delhi have looked the safest bet by a long stretch, but there’s a thin line between confidence and complacency that they will need to be wary of. Sachin Tendulkar agreed that the Daredevils had looked the most impressive in the tournament, but felt the best team on the day would win. “Delhi has looked the best side, without doubt. But in this format, it’s a case of having one bad day and the pressure is on you. Instead of hitting sixes, the ball might be caught at long-off. But the good thing for Delhi is that they have done well, and done well consistently,” he said.

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Retired Australian bowler Glenn McGrath has expressed his disappointment at not being given a chance by the Delhi Daredevils to prove his fitness during this season’s IPL. He is contracted with Delhi next year as well, but McGrath hinted that he may not return for the 2010 season. 

The 39-year-old McGrath, who retired after the 2007 World Cup, played almost every game for Delhi in the inaugural IPL and was among the stand-out bowlers in that tournament. However, with Victoria fast bowler Dirk Nannes being outstanding this season, and the Indian pace contingent of Ashish Nehra, Pradeep Sangwan and Aavishkar Salvi performing consistently, McGrath has been on the sidelines this year.

“It has been hard to be a part of the bench, and I was hoping for a game during the league stage,” he wrote in his column in the Hindustan Times. 

McGrath, who was signed by Delhi for US$350,000, went on to suggest that he may not be back for the next season. “I am contracted for another year with Delhi, but that is a long way away. Right now, I would not bet on myself returning.”

Delhi has been the most impressive side of the tournament so far, finishing on top after the league stage, and takes on Deccan Chargers in the first semi-final at Centurion on Friday.

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The grand finale of IPL Season 2 is going to redefine the meaning of grandeur. Top shots from the world of film, politics and corporates are going to add to the zing of closing ceremony of IPL Season 2. The organizers are not ready to disclose now, but media can dig out any secret and as goes the scoop: the crowd at the Wanderers are expected to witness an unprecedented assembly of rich and famous on the May 24th.

Over the past one month and more, the South African crowd has been watching Bollywood stars cheering for their teams. Now its time to see some of them dancing. If the Indian Premier League management and producer Sajid Nadiadwala and Eros International are able to reach an agreement, the Kambhakkt Ishq stars, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor will be there to entertain the crowd gathered.

International film festivals were considered the most suitable venue for holding the premier of the upcoming movies, but Indian Premier League clearly provides a bigger launch pad for the Mumbai movies. After missing it out in the Cannes, Sajid Nadiadwala is all set to unveil his film at the Indian Premier League. For the film’s hero, Akshay Kumar, association with IPL is not a novel experience, as he was the brand ambassador of Delhi Daredevils in the previous season. However, for Kareena, IPL will be a new experience. She is expected to perform a special dance number from the film.

If Akshay and Kareena are not enough for your eyes, then wait to see the beautiful Katrina dancing to the steps of Shiamak Davar to the tune of ‘Jai Ho’ and two other Bollywood babes, Bipasha and Rani sharing stage with her, Shilpa Shetty joining American R&B sensation Akon as he sings his Grammy award winning Smack, Caribbean music legend Eddy Grant performing the world-famous “Walking on Sunshine” and his anti-apartheid hit “Gimme Hope Jo’anna”, followed by pyrotechnics and laser show are all part of what is being marketed as a spectacular closing ceremony. 

But the celebrity list does not end there. Many other film stars both from Bollywood and South Indian film industry are going to appear at the closing ceremony. Many of them are brand ambassador of some of the IPL teams, the rest have been invited simply to add up to the glamour quotient of this mega event. 

Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Ramya and Upendra (Bangalore Royal Challengers); Juhi Chawla, Arjun Rampal, Sajid Khan, and Farah Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders); Singer Daler Mehndi (Kings XI Punjab); Vijay and Nayantara (Chennai Super Kings); Ila Arun (Rajasthan Royals); Hansika Motwani (Deccan Chargers); and Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Anil Kapoor (Mumbai Indians).

In addition to the who’s who from the glamour world, the big shots from industry and politics are also going to attend the gala ceremony on Sunday night. Although, the organizers refused to divulge the names of the politicians for obvious reasons, there are reasons to believe that some of the most high profile politicians are flying in here to attend the event. 

And if the speculation of the cricket news media proves correct, the newly-elected South African President Jacob Zuma will be there to grace the occasion. Among the businessmen, Vijay Mallya, the seventh-richest man in the world, and Mukesh Ambani, the fourth-richest in the world, will definitely be there to cheer their respective teams, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians.

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Mumbai Indians take on Delhi Daredevils for the first time in IPL 2 at Buffalo Park in East London on Friday. The Daredevils would try a different strategy when they take on win-hungry Mumbai Indians, who are eager to bounce back after two straight defeats.

With a new name adorning the number one position after almost every match, the Daredevils, who climbed to the coveted position, would have to up the ante when they take on Sachin Tendulkar’s army for the first time in the tournament.

Delhi have played the least number of matches (seven) but aggregated highest points (10) so far in the eight-team event that has already staged 34 of its 59 matches.

But that Mumbai put up a brave fight against Deccan Chargers on Wednesday is indication enough that it won’t be as easy as their previous match for Daredevils.

Barring a few lapses, Mumbai held their cards for most part in the game of dwindling fortunes.

Mumbai boast of an attacking opening pair of Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, well supported by South African Jean-Paul Duminy in the middle order.

Their bowling looks equally impressive studded with Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo.

However, it remains to be seen if pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who is nursing a shoulder injury, gets fit for the match on Friday.

Among the youngsters, Dhawal Kulkarni and Pinal Shah also impressed with both ball and bat against Deccan Chargers.

But despite the impressive line-up, Mumbai are second from bottom with just three wins from eight matches.

For Delhi, their key batsman Gautam Gambhir, who also stood-in for an injured captain Virender Sehwag, was back among the runs after an indifferent start to the tournament.

Tillakaratne Dilshan also demonstrated his form in their last match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Delhi may consider fielding Glenn McGrath in place of Nannes with Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra and Pradeep Sangwan already doing well for the side.

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Riding high after their crushing victory over Kings XI Punjab, defending champions Rajasthan Royals will be gunning for revenge against Bangalore Royal Challengers in IPL on Thursday.

In their first meeting, Royal Challengers defeated Rajasthan Royals by a huge 75-run margin.

Since then, both teams have followed the same course – losing matches at the start before bouncing back in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals have nine points, one more than Bangalore Royal Challengers who have eight.

With a depleted side, Rajasthan Royals lost matches at the start and looked like a pale shadow of the formidable team that won the opening IPL championship last year.

Royal Challengers are on a roll with three wins on a trot. A new skipper in Anil Kumble has moulded the team into a winning bunch.

Their last victory against Mumbai Indians saw Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa return to form.

Royal Challengers have the advantage of many South Africans in their ranks. In the last match, all their oversesas players — Kallis, Mark Boucher, Preez and Roelof van der Merwe – were South Africans which helped them to assess the local conditions better than any other team.

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Kings XI Punjab slumped to 53-5 in 10 overs in their massive 212-run chase against the Rajasthan Royals at Kingsmead on Tuesday. Earlier, Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha powered the Royals to IPL season 2 highest score.

Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha ripped apart Kings XI Punjab’s bowling as Rajasthan Royals amassed 211 for four, the highest total of the second Indian Premier League, in Durban on Tuesday.

Put into bat by Punjab, Smith (77) and Ojha (68) struck blazing fifties and combined for a 135-run opening stand, also the biggest partnership of the tournament.

Rajasthan were off to their best start of the event, making 92 runs in their 10 overs before the strategy break. Playing only his second IPL match, Ojha was sent in to open the innings with Smith and the the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman justified the move with his 51-ball knock.

Smith, out of sorts so far in the event, was cautious to start with but soon cut loose to send Punjab bowlers on a leather hunt.

The South African’s innings came off just 44 balls and was studded with 12 boundaries and a six.

He was dismissed in the 15th over while trying to loft a Ramesh Powar delivery over long on, only to be caught by Piyush Chawla.

But before that, Smith and Ojha had laid the foundation for a big total for Rajasthan. Ojha, who was dismissed for a duck in his first match, gave a perfect start to Rajasthan’s innings, hitting Powar for two massive sixes and a four in the very first over.

The right-hander struck five boundaries and an equal number of sixes during his knock before an attempted slog went wrong and Simon Katich caught him at deep midwicket off Piyush Chawla.

Ravindra Jadeja’s 33-run cameo that came off just 12 balls then helped Rajasthan go past the 200-mark. Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh tried seven bowlers in a bid to stop the run flow but none could do the trick for him.

Punjab and the tournament’s most successful bowler Yusuf Abdulla conceded 44 runs without picking up a wicket in the three overs that he bowled.

S Sreesanth, playing his first IPL game after recovering from a back injury, was not as expensive to start with but was taken to task in his fourth and final over, which left him with figures of 0/44.

Powar’s only wicket of Smith proved way too costly as he ended up giving away 33 runs in three overs he bowled. Chawla was the most successful for Punjab with figures of 2/30 in his four overs.

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Sreesanth has been included in the Kings XI Punjab squad as Yuvraj Singh elected to bowl first against the Rajasthan Royals in Kingsmead on Monday. The Kerela pacer replaced Vikramjeet Malik in the Punjab line-up.

The Royals have made a couple of changes. Niraj Patel comes in for the struggling Swapnil Asnodkar and Amit Singh replaces Munaf Patel, who’s being rested. Amit Singh is a fast-medium bowler from Gujarat.

Kings XI made a slow start to the IPL but as the tournament progressed they have caught up with the pace. They started with two consecutive losses and the three wins on the trot brought them back in the hunt. Out of seven matches, they have won four and lost three for a healthy win-loss ratio.

Kings XI have one of the most balanced sides in the IPL second season and all-round performances by both bowlers and the batsmen have done the trick for them. Skipper Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, and Simon Katich have come up with good knocks in the tournament and if they get to fire together it will be tough for the inexperienced Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack.

For Rajasthan Royals, it is the team spirit that has been carrying them through. The depleted Royals have won three of the seven matches they have played in the Twenty20 league. Barring the five-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils, the wins against Kolkata Knight Riders and Saturday’s three-wicket defeat of Deccan Chargers have been close.

Teams:

Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (Capt.), Simon Katich, Sunny Sohal, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Tanmay Srivastava, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Abdulla.

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Capt.), Graeme Smith, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Niraj Patel, Lee Carseldine, Naman Ojha, Abhishek Raut, Shane Harwood, Siddharth Trivedi, Amit Singh.

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