It was a good day for Praveen Kumar of Royal Challengers bangalore who registered the first hat-trick in the ongoing third IPL season.

Praveen along with Kumble and Kallis destroyed the Rajasthan Royals to just 92 and posted a huge 10 wicket win. Except Yusuf Pathan (26) nobody made a mark with bat in Rajasthan team.

Manish Pandey (42 not out) and Jacques Kallis (44 not out) finished off the Bangalore chase with 56 balls remaining. Jacques Kallis was declared man of the match.

Related posts

• Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals: Rajasthan won by 5 wickets (0)
• T20 World Cup 2009 Team Announced: RP Singh Back (0)
• Sachin moves up the ODI Ranking (0)
• Match 1: West Indies Vs India: India Won by 20 runs (0)
• Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals: Crucial clash between Mumbai and Rajasthan (0)

Irfan Pathan had a surprise gift from brother Yusuf on Eid. His father handed him over the keys of swanky SUV- a gift from elder brother Yusuf Pathan who is in South Africa to play the Champions Trophy. According to family sources, Irfan had arrived in city late on Sunday night to celebrate the festival with his family, who stay in Vadodara.

Irfan was speechless and immediately called up Yusuf in South Africa and thanked him for the gift. Later, Irfan said that he would pray for his brother and the team’s success in the Champions Trophy.

“My brother Yusuf has given me this gift as Idi given during Eid. I am speechless, I wish him all the best for the Champions trophy,” said the left-arm seamer.

Family sources said that Yusuf had booked the SUV six months ago had told his father to keep it a secret.

Related posts

• Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab: RC looking to maintain new-form (0)
• Shane Warne compares Yusuf Pathan with Symonds (0)
• T20 World Cup 2009 Team Announced: RP Singh Back (0)
• Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab: Hodge helps Kolkata set 154 target (0)
• Dhoni Heroics take Chennai into Semifinals (0)

India has won the first of the four ODI series between India and West Indies at the Sabina Park in Jamaica by 20 runs.

After winning the toss, India opted to bat first and the opener Dinesh Karthik gave a good start joining with Man of the Match Yuvraj Singh.

Scoreboard:

India innings (50 overs maximum)

KD Karthik c Ramdin b Bernard 67

G Gambhir c DJ Bravo b Taylor 13

RG Sharma c DJ Bravo b Baker 4

Yuvraj Singh c Ramdin b DJ Bravo 131

MS Dhoni run out (Ramdin) 41

RA Jadeja c Ramdin b DJ Bravo 0

YK Pathan not out 40

Harbhajan Singh not out 21

Extras (b 1, lb 8, w 10, nb 3) 22

Total (6 wickets; 50 overs) 339

Fall of wickets:1-25, 2-32, 3-167, 4-253, 5-253, 6-298

Bowling:JE Taylor:10-1-74-1-7.40,LS Baker:9-0-62-1-6.88,DJ Bravo:10-0-66-2-6.60,DE Bernard:8-0-50-1-6.25,SJ Benn:10-0-50-0-5.00,CH Gayle:3-0-28-0-9.33

Yuvraj Singh celebrates his 12th ODI Century

West Indies innings (target: 340 runs from 50 overs)

CH Gayle c Harbhajan Singh b Nehra 37

RS Morton c Dhoni b Pathan 42

RR Sarwan  run out (Singh/Dhoni) 45

S Chanderpaul c Jadeja b Pathan 63

DJ Bravo c RG Sharma b I Sharma 8

DM Bravo c Singh b Harbhajan Singh 19

JE Taylor lbw b Pathan 21

D Ramdin c Harbhajan Singh b Nehra 29

DE Bernard c RG Sharma b Nehra 19

SJ Benn b Singh 7

LS Baker not out 0

Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 19, nb 2) 29

Total (all out; 48.1 overs) 319

Fall of wickets:1-65, 2-100, 3-151, 4-188, 5-224, 6-241, 7-250, 8-294, 9-318, 10-319

Bowling:RP Singh:7-0-44-1-6.28,A Nehra:7.1-1-49-3-6.83,I Sharma:5-0-38-1-7.60,RA Jadeja:7-1-34-0-4.85,YK Pathan:8-0-56-3-7.00,Harbhajan Singh:10-0-56-1-5.60,Yuvraj Singh:4-0-34-0-8.50

Related posts

• Chennai Kings Vs Punjab Kings: Dhoni upset with Chennai fielding (0)
• Match 3: West Indies Vs India: Dhoni helps India win (0)
• Sachin moves up the ODI Ranking (0)
• Kings XI Punjab Vs Mumbai Indians: Kings meet Indians (0)
• Shane Warne compares Yusuf Pathan with Symonds (0)

Defending champions India bowed out of the World Twenty20 after losing to hosts England by three runs in a key Super Eights match at Lord’s on Sunday.

India restricted England to 153-7 after electing to field in good batting conditions, but then fumbled in their reply to be stopped at 150-5 despite scoring 56 runs in the last five overs.

Needing 15 off the last three deliveries, Yusuf Pathan smashed Ryan Sidebottom straight for six off the first, but managed only a single of the next before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the last ball for four.

Dhoni (30 not out) and Yusuf (33 not out) added 63 for the unbroken sixth wicket after half the side was back in the pavilion by the 14th over with only 87 on the board.

India paid dearly for conceding 16 extras in England’s innings, including 14 wides as two deliveries from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh went for boundaries behind the wicketkeeper.

India needed to win to stay in the tournament after losing their opening Super Eights match against the West Indies at Lord’s on Friday.

England, who also lost their first match to South Africa, now face the West Indies at the Oval on Monday in a match that will almost certainly take the winner into the semi-finals along with the Proteas.

India slipped to 24-2 by the fourth over as Sidebottom, who replaced leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the England team, removed Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja took the total to 62-2 in the 11th over when Dmitri Mascarenhas broke through by having Gambhir caught at fine-leg by Stuart Broad.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed two wickets in four balls to reduce India to 87-5 by the 14th over.

Swann had Jadeja caught in the deep after the batsman, playing his first match in the tournament, plodded for 35 balls to make 25.

Yuvraj Singh, who hit the first ball he faced for a six, was stumped by James Foster in the same over after making 17 off nine balls.

Earlier, Kevin Pietersen top-scored for England with 46 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six, after sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with opener Ravi Bopara (37).

Harbhajan picked up three wickets, but England’s lower order retrieved the situation by adding 53 runs in the last five overs.

Pietersen and Bopara took charge after Luke Wright had fallen in the second over, top-edging a pull off R P Singh. The duo brought up their 50 partnership off 35 balls before left-arm spinner Jadeja broke the stand in his first over by bowling Bopara.

Jadeja then claimed Pietersen leg-before as the batsman attempted to sweep.

Harbhajan lured Owais Shah (12) to hole out to Jadeja on the mid-wicket fence before removing James Foster and Swann off successive deliveries.

Related posts

• Match 22: England Vs West Indies (0)
• Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers: Another chance for Chennai to prove (0)
• Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians: Mumbai ended their chance of reaching semi-finals (0)
• Match 2: West Indies Vs India: India lost by 8 wickets (0)
• NZ Vs India Second test Preview (0)

Defending champions Rajasthan Royals would be hoping to take a step closer to a semi-final spot when they meet table toppers Delhi Daredevils in the second edition of the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Delhi with 8 wins from 11 matches have consolidated their lead in the points table with 16 points and their entry in the semi-final is almost assured. Rajasthan are placed third with 13 points from 12 matches.

A win will give Rajasthan Royals a safe lead among the contenders for the last four stage. The team is fresh from their thrilling two run win over Mumbai Indians in their last match and needless to say will enter the Sunday’s clash high on confidence.

The Jaipur team under the Captain Shane Warne has played like a close-knit unit. Warne defied medical advice to play with a pulled hamstring against Mumbai Indians and admitted his old rivalry with Mumbai Captain Sachin Tendulkar tempted him to participate. The Australian won the contest on Thursday, picking Tendulkar in his impressive two-wicket haul but it is to be seen whether he will make himself available for the rest of the matches.

Rajasthan still need to be more consistent in their batting to make up for not so strong bowling attack. To win, Graeme Smith, Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan, and Naman Ojha all need to score with Delhi having much more depth in their batting line-up, starting with captain Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Tillakratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers.

Delhi’s bowling attack is equally potent and though the side lost to Kings XI Punjab in their last match, the fact that they succeeded in bringing the match to the wire while defending a low total only show its effectiveness.

There is also no dearth of options for Delhi, with bowlers like Glenn McGrath still waiting for their turn. Ferveez Mahroof played his first match against Kings XI Punjab.

For Rajasthan, Siddharth Trivedi and Johan Botha produced quality spells and with Warne and Pathan at the other end added variety to the attack.

However, what gives Rajasthan a slight edge is that they had won the solitary encounter with Delhi in this edition by five wickets.

Related posts

• ICC Award Nominations: Dhoni and Dilshan top nominations (0)
• IPL 2 – Semi-Final 2-Chennai Super Kings Vs Royal Challengers (0)
• Royal Challengers Vs Mumbai Indians: Bangalore looking to halt Mumbai Winning streak (0)
• Deccan Chargers Vs Kings XI Punjab: Deccan starts with high confidence (0)
• DLF IPL II: Awards and Honours (0)

With their inspirational skipper Shane Warne ruled out owing to a hamstring injury, Rajasthan Royals will be a lesser force when they take on in-form Mumbai Indians in a crucial Indian Premier League match on Thursday.

Warne’s hamstring injury means his much-anticipated face-off with Mumbai skipper Sachin Tendulkar, which was prevented by rain the last time, will not happen yet again.

Both the teams are tied on 11 points after 11 games but Mumbai is ahead on net run rate at the fourth spot and Thursday’s match might prove to be crucial in deciding the semifinal spots.

Rajasthan’s current form is not too encouraging and after the team lost to Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers in its last two matches, Warne’s imposing presence would surely be missed by the defending champions.

Mumbai, on the other hand, seems to have recovered from a hat-trick losses and have registered two back-to-back wins over Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab to put their campaign back on track.

The team’s batting looks solid with Tendulkar in sublime form and JP Duminy emerging as the middle order mainstay. Among others, Dwayne Bravo has also been among the runs while Ajinkya Rahane is in sparkling form.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s form, however, remains a concern and Tendulkar would expect the Sri Lankan to wriggle out of the bad patch on Thursday and play his natural, swashbuckling cricket.

Mumbai bowlers are not doing too badly and injured pace spearhead Zaheer Khan’s absence has not been felt much.

Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh have combined to lead the attack well, although the fiery off-spinner has complained that he is not aware of his role in the team.

In comparison, Rajasthan’s batting is too dependent on Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan although Naman Ojha, who was initially sent back, has turned out to be quite a surprise package.

However, the unavailability of pacers Kamran Khan and Amit Singh, both of whom were found guilty of having a suspect action, has taken the bite out of Rajasthan’s bowling attack.

And with Warne, known to surprise the opposition with unconventional and often successful bowling changes, missing from action, it would be interesting to see how Rajasthan react to tight situations in the match.

Related posts

• Sachin proud of Dhoni’s leadership (0)
• Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Chennai Kings badly need a win (0)
• Chennai Super Kings Vs Rajasthan Royals: Will Chennai improve fielding? (0)
• Deccan Chargers Vs Delhi Daredevils: Deccan win will guarantee them Semi-final spot (0)
• Deccan Chargers Vs Rajasthan Royals: Chargers eye return to winning ways (0)

S Badrinath smashed a brilliant unbeaten 59 and shared a crucial 89-run partnership with Mathew Hayden (48) to register Chennai Super Kings’ impressive seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

Chennai not only recorded their fifth win in a row but also beat the defending champions for the second time in the second edition of the event to go top of the points table. Chasing 141 to win, last year’s finalists, overhauled the target with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, riding on a disciplined bowling attack, Chennai had restricted Rajasthan to a modest 140 for seven.

The slow nature of the wicket at the De Beers Diamond Oval made the contest between the ball and the bat interesting and set up an exciting finish.

Hayden and Badrinath batted intelligently as stroke-making was quite difficult on the 22-yard-strip here. Badrinath supported Hayden well after losing two early wickets. The Tamil Nadu batsman hit Shane Harwood for one six and three fours in the 16th over to take the pressure off Hayden, who batted with determination from the start.

Hayden departed when he danced down to the wicket off rival skipper Shane Warne in the 17th over but was foxed by the big turn and stumper Naman Ojha uprooted the stumps.

Chennai needed 15 runs from 19 balls at that stage but Badrinath held his nerves and not only completed his third IPL fifty but also steered Chennai to victory. Badrinath hit nine fours and one six in his 41-ball knock while Hayden hit four fours and one six in his 44-ball essay.

Though Chennai did not lose too many wickets, the slow run-rate had made the job tough.

Like Royals, Chennai too struggled to make a quick start as the bowlers, especially spinners were getting purchase from the wicket.

Yusuf Pathan, who started the proceedings for Rajasthan, and Warne bowled some unplayable deliveries.

Siddharth Trivedi drew the first blood for the defending champions by trapping opener M Vijay (10) and then Amit Singh got rid of Suresh Raina (13).

Raina had hit Singh for a six and a four in that over and when the diminutive left-hander went for another big shot in the last ball, the miscued shot landed in the hands of Lee Carseldine at point.

Hayden, careful in his shot selection, did the bulk of the scoring in the first 10 overs and took Chennai to 67 for two during the strategic break.

Earlier, Chennai bowlers used the slow track brilliantly as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni shuffled them intelligently throughout the Royals innings, ending at 140 for seven.

Graeme Smith (30), Swapnil Asnodkar (26) and Ravindra Jadeja (27) were the main contributors for the defending champions.

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan (2-22) and Shadab Jakati (2-35) took two wickets apiece, capitalising on a brilliant start provided by their pacers. Naman Ojha, who anchored Royals’ last two wins, looked in hurry and paid the price. He went for a drive and was castled by Albie Morkel in the very first over of the match.

The Chennai pacers bowled a tight line and gave away just 25 runs in the first five overs. Dhoni shuffled his bowlers quickly and by the eighth over, six different bowlers had come into the attack.

Smith and Asnodkar slowly took their side to fifty-run mark, mostly scoring through ones and twos. Muralitharan broke the 53-run partnership when he trapped Asnodkar and sent back Smith when the South African captain dragged his feet out of the crease while attempting a sweep shot and Dhoni stumped him.

Ravindra Jadeja hit Shadab Jakati for consecutive fours and Yusuf Pathan finished off the over with a massive six to begin the fireworks.

However, both the batsmen departed while trying to press the accelerator button. First to go was Jadeja (27 off 19) who slashed one hard off Laxmipati Balaji but Suresh Raina took a brilliant low catch at point to send him back.

Pathan (7) started his walk back after finding Jacob Oram on the edge of the boundary while trying to hit Jakati out of the park. Captain Shane Warne hit an unbeaten 11-ball 21 late in the end to take his side to near 150-run mark.

Related posts

• Dhoni wins toss for Chennai, chose to field (0)
• Match 20: India Vs England: India out of T20 World Cup (0)
• Knight Riders Vs Chennai Super Kings: Knight Riders looking to bounce back against Super Kings (0)
• Delhi Daredevils Vs Mumbai Indians: Delhi fails to prove (0)
• Knight Riders Vs Kings XI Punjab: Weather makes them worry (0)

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.

Related posts

• Victorious Dhoni led Indian team returns home (0)
• Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals: Struggling Royals take on Delhi devils (0)
• Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals: Rajasthan hopes for semis spot (0)
• Mumbai Indians Vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Sachin and Jayasuriya gave dazzling open to the Team Mumbai (0)
• Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals: Crucial clash between Mumbai and Rajasthan (0)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Twenty20 World Cup team on Monday.

The selection committee, headed by Chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth, named Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain of the 15-man squad.

The other players included in the squad are Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and Irfan Pathan.

A preliminary meeting was held in Cape Town on April 24.

The selection committee said they had considered the players’ performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League as well before naming the squad.

However, despite his astounding performance in the IPL so far, Mumbai Indians’ Abhishek Nayar could not make it to the final list.

Other players who were expected to be included were L. Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajit Agarkar, Robin Uthappa, Joginder Sharma, S. Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla.

The T20 World Cup will start in London on June 5.

Related posts

• Victorious Dhoni led Indian team returns home (0)
• Bhajji sizzles with Allround skills as Chennai Slumps against Royalss (0)
• Dhoni wins toss for Chennai, chose to field (0)
• Gambir misses tri-series (0)
• Kings XI Punjab Vs Rajasthan Royals: Rajasthan Royals Lose to Punjab Kings (0)

Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne said on Saturday that it was team spirit that was helping the defending champions win close matches in the IPL.

A depleted Royals have won three of the seven matches they have played in the Twenty20 league. Barring the five-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils, the wins against Kolkata Knight Riders and Saturday’s three-wicket win here at the St. George’s against table-toppers Deccan Chargers have been close.

Against Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals won through the Super Over after the match ended in a tie while against Deccan Chargers they scampered home with just two balls left.

“The batting hasn’t been good in the first six overs. But it is the team spirit that is winning matches for us. From last year to this IPL our team spirit has been excellent,” said Warne.

Warne lauded his boys for showing incredible courage to pull off close matches. “We are peaking at the right time and hopefully will make to the semi-finals,” he said.

Asked why he promoted himself up the batting order, Warne said: “Our top order is not batting well. So I wanted Yusuf Pathan to come later on in the innings and finish off things. He is a good finisher and a clean hitter of the ball.”

Pathan hit a 14-ball 24 and picked up one for 19 to pick up the Man of the Match award.

“It was a good wicket to bat on and the ball was coming on nicely and made stroke playing easy,” he said.

Related posts

• Royal Challengers Vs Delhi Daredevils: RC set 150 target (0)
• Gilchrist wants sixes for charity (0)
• Rajasthan Royals dropped Kaif (0)
• Deccan Chargers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Chargers win in last ball (0)
• Champions League T20: Match 5: Deccan Chargers vs Somerset Sabres (0)