English players should opt for IPL: McCullum

London: New Zealand master blaster Brendon McCullum believes the Indian Premier League has more to offer England players than the big-money Stanford games.

McCullum has taken the shortest form of the game by storm, notching a staggering world record score of 158 not out from 73 balls in the IPL.

“I played with the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting in the IPL and you can't help but develop when you train alongside those guys,” he said.

“The England guys would benefit for that reason. Financial gains are part of it but the best part is the experience,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

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“We're not jealous of the Stanford games. The ball is in the player’s court - if you perform you can earn lucrative contracts from cricket,” he added.

The big-hitting batsman is convinced his time in India has helped him to develop his game. And he reckons England's finest should now do the same. And with reported earnings of 350,000 pounds from his Kolkata Knightriders deal, rather than the winner-takes-all element of the Stanford games, it is easy to see why.

“Scores like the one I got for Kolkata don't come around everyday but I know I have more of the same in me. I'd be disappointed if people didn't see us as joint favourites. Ok, England has the momentum but this is where we are most comfortable,” he said.

“We're quietly confident and have a great chance to turn around our tour,” McCullum added.

Symonds in another walking controversy

Sydney: Andrew Symonds is not a walker, but he also makes it a point to rub it in by acknowledging that he was out and it's for the umpire rule it.

The volatile Queenslander was involved in another walking controversy on the opening day of the third Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, when he was lucky not to have been given out by umpire Mark Benson after gloving Dwayne Bravo to wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin in Australia's first innings.

Benson refused to raise his finger and West Indian blood boiled and the Barbados crowd booed after Symonds' reprieve, reports The Australian.

It was a pivotal moment because Symonds, who was 14 at the time, went on to make 52 and lead a revival of sorts as Australia reached 226 for seven on a rain-reduced first day.

It was not the first time that Symonds, a confirmed non-walker, has been the beneficiary of a major umpiring blunder.

During the controversial Sydney Test last summer against India, Steve Bucknor ignored a blatant caught behind appeal when Symonds was 30. The Queenslander went on to make a match-turning 162 not out.

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle was refusing to let the Symonds incident sour a great day for his side.

"It's up to the individual what he wants to do at that particular time -- there is nothing we can do," Gayle said. "That's cricket.

"Sometimes it goes your way, there is nothing you can do about it, but carry on with the game."

Tribunal bans Shoaib for 18 months, fines Rs 7mn

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board's appellate tribunal on Saturday reduced the five-year ban on Shoaib Akhtar to 18 months, while imposing a hefty Rs seven million fine on the maverick pacer.

Tribunal head Justice (rtd) Aftab Farrukh announced the decision after a hearing in Lahore which was attended by the fast bowler.

Shoaib had originally been banned for five years by the PCB for several disciplinary violations on April 1 after he lambasted the board for denying him a central contract.

He had also alleged that PCB chief Nasim Ashraf asked for money to get him signed up for the lucrative Indian Premier League. He later withdrew the comments after being threatened with a Rs 200 million defamation suit by the PCB.

The pacer then appealed against the ban and the tribunal suspended the punishment for a month to allow him to play in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders.The tribunal resumed hearing last week and its members were divided on whether to uphold the ban, reduce it or lift it completely.

The reduced 18-month ban means that Akhtar would remain out of the national squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan.

Pakistan beat India to lift Kitply Cup

Dhaka: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates failed to climb the run-mountain as Pakistan shoved a 25-run defeat down India's throat to lift the cricket tri-series title here on Saturday.

Despite dominating the tournament with characteristic ruthlessness, the Indians failed when it mattered most and choked in the final to allow an under-pressure Pakistan avenge their league match defeat and run away with the silverware.

After twin tons by Salman Butt (129 retired hurt) and Younis Khan (108) propelled Pakistan to 315 for three, India faltered early in their chase and eventually folded for 290 in 48.2 overs.
Dhoni (64 off 59 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (59 off 56 balls) tried their best but their batting colleagues failed to convert the starts.

A strong start was pre-requisite for such a mammoth chase and with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (40 off 33 balls) in red hot form so far, India expected another solid foundation from the openers.

But law of averages finally caught up with Sehwag, who scratched around for his two runs before giving Shoaib Malik a simple catch off Sohail Tanvir at mid-off in the second over.

Rohit Sharma (24) joined Gambhir in the middle and kept India in the hunt with some fluent stroke-play. The duo seemed to have steadied the ship when Umar Gul came up with a two-wicket burst, removing both in successive overs.

Rohit's fluffed pull found Nasir Jamshed at deep backward square leg, while Gambhir cut it to backward point to the same substitute fielder to leave India reeling at 79 for three inside 13 overs.

Yusuf Pathan too could not convert and threw away his wicket after a run-a-ball 25, as did Suresh Raina (24) after the left-hander had put on 73 runs with Yuvraj. As long as Yuvraj was in the middle, India seemed right on course but Shahid Afridi had other ideas and he snared the left-hander in the 32nd over to jolt India. Yuvraj's 59-ball 56 included five boundaries, besides a six.

Dhoni and Irfan Pathan (28) kept India afloat for some more time but at the end of the day, it was simply not enough.

Earlier, Pakistan rode on a 205-run second wicket stand between Butt and Younis Khan to amass 315 for three.

With Pakistan Cricket Board chief Nasim Ashraf in attendance, Malik and his under-pressure teammates had extra reasons to put up a better show and they decided to take a slow but steady approach which clearly paid off.

The sedate start proved the lull before the storm and after Butt and Younis laid the perfect foundation for a big score, Misbah-ul-Haq threw his bat to good effect and chipped in with a 33-run cameo off just 21 balls as the side went past the 300-mark.
Dhoni used as many as eight bowlers, including Suresh Raina, but with little success.

After Shoaib Malik won the toss and decided to take first strike of the Sher-e-Bangla track, Pakistan decided to shun extravagance and keep enough wickets in hand to provide that late burst.

Butt curbed his natural aggression while Kamran Akmal (15) was straitjacketed. But with the first nine overs yielding just 29 runs, Akmal decided to break free and hit Irfan Pathan for a four but the pacer had his revenge in the next delivery as he sucked the batsman into tickling one behind the stumps where Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the catch. Butt had that fortune of the brave too as Rohit Sharma grassed one after the Pakistani had cut hard at a Praveen Kumar delivery while batting on 19.

Having found his feet, Younis stepped out to hit Virender Sehwag out of the park and he then slog-swept Piyush Chawla for a similar treatment to bring up the team's 150.

Though subdued compared to his elder partner, Butt helped himself to occasional boundaries as he cantered to his seventh ODI century, celebrating the feat by hitting Chawla over the ropes.

Younis too soon notched up his fourth ODI century, which came off 92 balls, but could add only eight more runs before offering a skier to Sehwag off Ishant Sharma to fall after a 99-ball knock which was studded with eight hits to the fence, besides three sixes.

Butt and Misbah then threw caution to the winds and went after the Indian bowlers, who, for the first time in the series, looked clueless. Butt eventually retired hurt in the 46th over but that was hardly a consolation for Dhoni's team as runs came thick and fast.

Gilchrist bowled over by IPL

Melbourne: Adam Gilchrist is amazed by the ever-increasing love for cricket in India and compared the Indian Premier League (IPL) next to Sydney Olympics."It was quite overwhelming to see an event capture the attention and mindset and imagination of a country quite like it," Gilchrist was quoted as saying in The Australian Friday."The only thing I can think of that was comparable was maybe the Olympics when they were in Sydney. But the Olympics was about two weeks, this was 45 days every night," said the former Australia vice-captain.Gilchrist, who retired from all cricket in Australia at the end of last season, could not believe the passion and interest of Indians in cricket could go to another level with IPL."It felt like that at 8pm the whole country would tune in no matter what the game was or who was playing. It was front page of the papers every day. The whole concept will be looked back on as a landmark in the history of cricket.""The great discussion at the moment is whether we carve out a window (in international cricket) for the IPL. I envisage that potentially, within 10 years, it could be more a case of trying to carve out a window for international cricket as this format becomes more of a staple diet," Gilchrist said.

Salman, acrobats, laser show lend glamour to IPL final

Mumbai: Though Shah Rukh Khan was not there, fellow Bollywood actor Salman Khan danced with a bevy of starlets to popular chartbusters amid razzmatazz, setting the tempo before the start of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) final between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday.

Salman, always a crowd puller, had the audience swaying as he performed to songs from his forthcoming film with an entourage of 24 dancers in the background. Kim Sharma, Shamita Shetty, Dia Mirza and Sameera Reddy also shared the stage with him at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul.

They also danced to the theme songs of the eight teams that participated in the first edition of the IPL.

His performance was followed by those from four trampoline acrobats, eight German wheels and eight German spinning wheels.

The multi-million-dollar IPL opened in Bangalore on April 18 with similar touches of glamour, leading to the 'cricketainment' that inaugurated the new chapter in the history of the game.

A laser show with 40 giant flames, followed by four para gliders and a fifth stunt man preceded the finale which had 16 dancers, all stunt artists.

Then it was the turn of the battery of IPL commentators, who made their presence felt in multi-coloured kurta-pyjamas.

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar led the team of commentators, which also had Ravi Shastri, Arun Lal, Damien Fleming of Australia and Rameez Raja from Pakistan.

Speeches from International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan, Indian cricket board president Sharad Pawar and IPL chief Lalit Modi over, it was time for folk dances.

Chennai vs Rajasthan Final Images

Rajasthan win inaugural IPL

Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings [Images] by three wickets (and off the last ball) in the final of the inaugural Indian Premier League [Images] at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Scorecard
Chasing a target of 164, Rajasthan began on a disastrous note, losing three wickets inside seven overs with just 42 runs on the board.
Niraj Patel (2) was cleaned up by Manpreet Gony in the fourth over and Swapnil Asnodkar (29) and Kamran Akmal (6) were dismissed in the space of three balls (of an Albie Morkel over), the latter needlessly run-out.
However, the in-form duo of Shane Watson (28) and Yusuf Pathan (56) put on 65 runs in just 45 balls for the fourth wicket in a partnership that brought Rajasthan back in the game.
Watson was impressive in his 19-ball knock, which had three hits to the fence, before he was cleaned up by a beautiful delivery from Muralitharan.
The Sri Lankan also snapped up Mohammad Kaif (12) off his final delivery (the last ball of the 17th over) and Morkel dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (0) with the very next delivery to brighten Chennai's prospects.
Rajasthan were precariously placed at 139 for six, needing 25 runs with 17 balls left.
Then the worse happened. Pathan, who surived three chances to post his fourth half century of the tournament, saw his luck run out finally.
Pathan, whose 39-ball knock contained three hits to the fence and four huge ones over it, was run-out to a direct hit by Suresh Raina.
But Rajasthan captain Shane Warne [Images] was not to be denied his moment of glory.
Rajasthan needed 18 runs off the last two overs and eight from the final over, bowled by Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Warne (9 not out) and Sohail Tanvir [Images] (12 not out) took their team home, the latter hitting a boundary off the last ball.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals [Images] used their bowling resources intelligently to restrict Chennai Super Kings to a modest 163 for five wickets.
Royals skipper Warne won the toss, asked the rival team to bat first and then captained the side imaginatively with his field placings and bowling changes, never allowing the Super Kings to settle down on a slow-pace track.
The Super Kings owed their score mainly to an enterprising 43 by in-form one-down batsman Suresh Raina, who faced only 30 balls while hitting two pulled sixes and a four.
The UP left-hander, back in the Indian one-day team, built on a decent start of 39 in 5.2 overs provided by Parthiv Patel (38 in 33 balls) and Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (16 in 14 balls).
But his dismissal in the 17th over, when he threatened to cut loose, derailed Chennai's plans for a more healthy total.
The most impressive bowler for the Royals was off-spinner Pathan, who grabbed three for 22 in two spells, while Watson accounted for the wicket of Raina.
The Super Kings, who had lost their two home and away ties earlier in the tournament against the same opposition, began their innings on a cautious note on a slow-paced track of low bounce on which the ball did not come on freely to the bat.
Parthiv and Sivaramakrishnan played it safe against Tanvir, who had grabbed six for 14 against them on May 4 at Jaipur.
Seeing the mood of the two openers, Warne removed the Pakistani left-arm pacer, the most successful bowler in the tournament, after only one over.
The run-rate perked up when Vidyut played an inside-out cover drive off Watson and then was lucky when his top-edge flew over the third man fence for a six.
Parthiv, coming into the match on the back of an unbeaten 51 last night in the semifinal against Punjab King's XI, was content to see off Tanvir by facing five dot balls and then hitting his first four. He was also lucky to see his top edge off Munaf Patel [Images] race to the fence.
Warne replaced Watson with Pathan after five overs, in which 39 runs were scored, and the move paid off immediately when Vidyut pulled a short ball for Jadeja to bring off a fine front-diving catch at mid-on.
Warne rung in quick bowling changes to unsettle the second wicket duo of Parthiv and fellow left-hander Raina, who had powered their team to a nine-wicket win over Punjab King's XI with an unbeaten century stand.
The 50 of the innings was raised in the seventh over and then Parthiv, after pulling off spinner Pathan for his fifth four, departed. He edged an attempted off-glide to wicket keeper Akmal who juggled with the ball before completing the catch.
In-form Raina, who made 54 not out against Deccan Chargers in his team's last preliminary phase tie and followed it up with 55 not out against Punjab, continued his good run by stroking the ball well. He was hardly troubled by the spinners and pulled the great Warne for a six.
Morkel (16) also pulled Warne disdainfully for a six into the stands in the 12th over after the first 10 had yielded 75 runs. The South African all-rounder also swung Pathan over mid-wicket for his second six before he got out in the same over, 13th of the innings.
In trying to repeat the shot he ballooned a catch to stumper Akmal who took a tumble over Mohd Kaif, who also went for the ball, while managing to hold on to the sphere to provide Pathan his third wicket.
The 100 came up in 80 balls after which Raina swung Siddharth Trivedi, bowling his second spell, for a six. Later skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] (29 not out in 17 balls) lofted Warne, bowling his last over, over the straight field for another six to take Chennai Super Kings to 117 for three with five overs remaining.
Raina fell in trying to clear the long off area and was caught just inside the rope by Jadeja after which Dhoni and Chamara Kapugedara added 20 runs before the latter holed out to the deep off Tanvir in the last over.
Dhoni, who hit a straight second six in Tanvir's last over, and S Badrinath (6) remained unbeaten at the end of the innings.
Rajasthan were without opener Graeme Smith [Images] and made two changes to the side which won the semifinal against Delhi Daredevils [Images] while Chennai retained the side that won them the semi final against Punjab King's XI.

Stage set for blockbuster finale

Match factsSunday, June 1Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)
Shane Warne's leadership has been the story of the IPL (file photo) © Martin Williamson

The Big PictureAs the summer blockbuster comes to an end, two of its biggest superstars clash in the finale in Mumbai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings, is the highest-paid player in this league but his counterpart in the Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has delivered better results; his success at this year's tournament would be the equivalent of the box-office returns of a Shahrukh Khan starrer.
A win for Dhoni would justify his US$1.5m price tag but would also be a last-minute twist to the fairytale ending that would hand Warne the trophy. Warne's dual role as captain and coach of Rajasthan has been the story of the season: an entire team costing less than two-and-a-half times Dhoni's price, whose owner's low-budget strategy even got the thumbs down from the IPL's chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, was moulded into a successful unit.
However, don't write off Dhoni just yet. His first stint as captain was at the World Twenty20 in South Africa, where an unfancied India claimed the title, and here his team were written off after the exodus of international stars, but Dhoni and Co have battled the odds to reach the final.
One factor in Chennai's favour is that Graeme Smith, whose batting has been the cornerstone of several Rajasthan innings, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Also, Rajasthan were routed by the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Sports Academy, the venue of the final, and Warne termed the surface "easily the worst of the IPL" as the ball stopped before coming on to the bat.
On form, Rajasthan are favourites and their confidence will be boosted by their two earlier victories against Chennai. However, after convincingly knocking out the formidable Kings XI Punjab in the semi-finals, Chennai won't be too worried about the underdog status.
Form (last five completed matches, most recent first)Rajasthan Royals: WLWWWChennai Super Kings: WWLLW
Watch out for ...
Dhoni v Warne: Both are unconventional captains. And both thrive in big-match situations.
Sohail Tanvir: Tanvir has been lethal in the tournament and Chennai are his favourite opponents - he has taken nine wickets in his previous two encounters against them.
Rajasthan's power-hitters v Muralitharan: Several of Rajasthan's big-strikers, including Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan, favour the arc between square leg and mid-on. How Muttiah Muralitharan handles the threat will be intriguing.
Team newsWarne termed the loss of Smith as "huge" but Kamran Akmal's presence softens the blow. Akmal's inclusion could force Mahesh Rawat, who was their wicketkeeper in the semi-final, to sit out. Niraj Patel, who has impressed in the limited opportunities he has got, could be drafted in to strengthen the batting order.
Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Niraj Patel, 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Shane Watson, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Shane Warne (capt), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.
Chennai are likely to retain their winning XI unless Dhoni decides to pick Joginder Sharma, who bowled that dramatic final over against Pakistan in the World Twenty20 final last year, over L Balaji, who had a poor outing in the semi-final.
Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 S Vidyut, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt) 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 S Badrinath, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Manpreet Gony, 9 L Balaji/Joginder Sharma, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Makhaya Ntini.
Stats and trivia
Fifteen of Sohail Tanvir's 21 wickets have come during the last five overs of an innings, a period during which he's conceded only 5.85 an over, the best economy-rate among bowlers who've bowled at least 20 balls between overs 16-20.
After a lacklustre run, Suresh Raina has peaked at the right moment - his unbeaten fifties in the previous two games have secured important wins.
7.91 - The average run-rate at the DY Patil Stadium, where three IPL matches have been held. The average run-rate of the tournament is 8.31.
Quotes"I would be lying if I say I am not feeling the pressure, but we are ready for it [the final]."Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Chennai's emphatic semi-final victory
"The wicket at the DY Patil has helped seamers more. It's a bit up and down. We have a well-balanced attack to do well there."Shane Warne fancies his bowlers' chances
"On form [Rajasthan] Royals are on a roll but Chennai can be dangerous as they proved against us."Tom Moody, Kings XI Punjab coach, sits on the fence when asked to pick the IPL winner

Can Chennai halt Rajasthan's juggernaut?

And so it is that the Indian Premier League's finale will feature the team that started off like an express train, and another that has enjoyed the smoothest ride through the six weeks. The wheels threatened to come off for the Chennai Super Kings after that 4-0 start, but they regrouped from the loss of their Australian contingent to stitch together the victories that have taken Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the threshold of another major Twenty20 triumph. The Rajasthan Royals were hammered in their opening game, but have since scripted the sort of fairytale that Eric the Eel and other underdogs could only dream about. Both demolished their semi-final opponents, and there will be no shortage of confidence on either side as two of the most intuitive leaders in the game face off for the sport's richest prize.
After thumping the Delhi Daredevils to take their deserved place in the final, Shane Warne had appeared quite indifferent when he was asked which team he would prefer to face. There was little doubt though that he expected it to be Kings XI Punjab. After all, of all the teams in the IPL, they had been most adept at absorbing pressure. The chase against Delhi in a game decided by Duckworth/Lewis had been timed to perfection, and they had also enjoyed a thrilling last-ball win against the Mumbai Indians.
But with Chennai reprising their early-season form, there was nothing majestic about the men from Punjab. With the stakes higher than ever, they took the pressure as well as a Coke can would a hobnailed boot. The established internationals like Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene were the main culprits, and Dhoni could afford to stick to the tried-and-tested script after initially springing a surprise by throwing the new ball Muttiah Muralitharan's way.
It helped that his pace bowlers were absolutely outstanding. On a pitch that offered plenty of bounce, Makhaya Ntini was always going to be a factor, and so it proved. But it was Manpreet Gony, the son of Punjab in Chennai yellow, that took the vital wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj, bowling a maiden along the way. Throughout the tournament, his accuracy and consistency have been eye-catching, and in favourable conditions, he excelled by not getting carried away.
Gony and Ntini, supported splendidly by the ever-impressive Albie Morkel, will face their sternest test against a Rajasthan team that has already beaten them twice. Graeme Smith's muscular hitting may be missing, but in Kamran Akmal, Warne has a replacement who certainly doesn't lack flair or hitting ability. Shane Watson will be desperate to emphasise his most-valuable-player status in the game that matters most, while Swapnil Asnodkar and Niraj Patel will be encouraged to adapt the no-fear approach that has served them so well thus far.
Shane Watson will be desperate to emphasise his most-valuable-player status in the game that matters most (file photo) © AFP

The key to the contest will be Rajasthan's bowling, the most varied and effective in the competition. Sohail Tanvir has been the best new-ball bowler on view, while the heavy ball that Watson bowls was far too much for Delhi's star-studded batting to cope with. Siddharth Trivedi's changes of pace have been tough to get away, while Munaf Patel has eased back into the national reckoning with the accuracy that first caught the eye.
And then, there's Warne, the piper calling the tune. The rave reviews that his captaincy has earned have slightly obscured the fact that he also has 19 wickets for the tournament. On a helpful pitch, like the one he got in the semi-final, no one can rip a legbreak quite like he does. The straighter one has also fetched him wickets, as has the aura that appears to intimidate some batsmen even before they settle into the stance.
Both teams have got superb performances out of their Indian contingents. Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and the remodelled L Balaji have excelled for Chennai, while Warne has inspired top-drawer efforts from Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf, Trivedi and Asnodkar. Warne was insistent that it was the seven Indian players who were the real key to success. "You expect the four foreign guys to do a job," he said. "But it's the local players that can be the difference between winning and losing."
Dhoni, who has led India to victory at the World Twenty20 and in the CB Series, has had a charmed life as leader so far. But in Warne, he's up against perhaps the greatest big-match player there's ever been. It should be some contest.

BCCI to felicitate Kapil's Devils on June 22

Mumbai: The Cricket Board will celebrate the silver jubilee of India's only triumph in World Cup by holding a felicitation function in New Delhi on June 22 and triumphant captain Kapil Dev will be invited for it, its chief Sharad Pawar said here today.

"The felicitation function for the members of the 1983 World Cup winning team will be held at Taj Palace in New Delhi on June 22," Pawar said here after a book launch programme.

"Yes, Kapil Dev will be invited to attend it as he was the captain," Pawar said when specifically asked whether the great all-rounder, who has aligned himself with the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League, will be invited for the function.

Two other members, who are connected with ICL, Madan Lal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, were also part of the history-making team on June 25 at Lord's.

Smith's non-availability is a huge loss: Warne

Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne today described as "huge loss" the non-availability of their opener Graeme Smith for tomorrow's Indian Premier League summit clash due a hamstring injury.

"It's unfortunate Graeme Smith has got injured. It's a huge loss for us. He's been in good form and one of the reasons for us being in the final. He's formed a successful opening combination with Swapnil Asnodkar, whom we call a Goa cannon," the leg spin legend said ahead of the tie.

"We have not yet decided who will open the innings tomorrow. We expect that person (either Kamran Akmal or Younis Khan) to step on to the plate and do well," he said.

Also read: Hamstring injury rules Smith out of IPL finals
Watson stars as Rajasthan Royals advance to IPL final

Warne said his team always focused on its own strengths rather than the opposition's and thus were not concerned who, from amongst Chennai Super Kings and Punjab King's XI, would line up against them at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to fight for the top prize of $1.2 million.

"Both Chennai and Mohali are excellent teams and whoever comes through will give us a tough fight. We don't believe in focusing on the opposition and prefer to focus on our own strengths."

"If we play like we have done so far in the tournament, including yesterday (against Delhi Daredevils) then the results will be in our favour," said the former Australian Test and ODI player.

Warne said the support he and his team got from the Mumbai crowd last night against Virender Sehwag's Delhi was fantastic and probably had something to do with the fact that Sachin Tendulkar is his close friend. "The support we got yesterday was fantastic. It was a wonderful feeling that the crowd was behind us. Yes, Sachin is a very good friend of mine and this is Mumbai. I hope the crowd would continue to support us tomorrow," he said.

Warne said that the wicket at DY Patil would favour the pacers more than the track he encountered yesterday at the Wankhede Stadium in the semi final.

"The wicket yesterday helped spinners a lot. The ball was turning square. But the wicket at the D Y Patil has helped seamers more. It's a bit up and down. We have a well-balanced attack to do well there", he said though Rajasthan had lost their previous tie there to Mumbai Indians.

Warne said he would prefer a spinner to return with figures of 2 for 35 rather than 0 for 22, but others may have a different opinion.

"I think if the spinner can chip in with some wickets and end up with say 2 for 35 after the pace bowlers have taken early wickets, it's better than finishing with 0 for 22. But others may think differently," he said.

Warne also had a dig at the England and Wales Cricket Board for not allowing its players to play in the IPL by saying they should not keep their head buried in the sand and instead, look at the reality. "The IPL is here to stay. I hope the ECB sees its bright future and not have their head buried in the sand. There's no doubt that IPL is the best way to sell cricket worldwide," the leg spin legend said.

Warne again reiterated that the IPL's duration, 44 days in the first season, should be shortened to 30 days in future.

"The IPL should be held over just four weeks, starting in April and ending on May 1. Then all the players can be given 10 days' break before plunging into international cricket," he said.

Warne again emphasised that a coach was needed at the junior level to develop the cricketers and not at the international level.

"A coach is needed for the development of players at the junior level and also at the domestic cricket level, but not at the international level where there's nothing to do about technique but everything about man management."

"I borrow (former Aussie captain) Ian Chappell's words to say that a coach at the international level is what transports players from hotel to ground and back," he said.

Warne calls for shorter IPL

Rajasthan Royals [Images] captain Shane Warne [Images] on Saturday suggested the Indian Premier League [Images] tournament be shortened to a month in the coming years.
"The IPL should be played for four weeks in April and the final on May 1. The ICC [Images] should make sure there is no international cricket during the period and all the international players should be available for the IPL," he said in Mumbai.
The current Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament is spread over 44 days between April 18 to June 1 with every team playing a minimum of 14 games on a home and away basis. Many believe the tournament is too long and called for a reduction in the number of matches, which was also agreed to by Warne.
Stats: Marsh, Tanvir emerge top
The former Australia leg-spinner also came down heavily on the England [Images] and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for not letting their players take part in the IPL this year.
"I think the ECB has been very silly. They are not realising the broader picture of the IPL," Warne said.
The 38-year-old coach and captain of the team revealed the secret behind Rajasthan Royal's brilliant run in the tournament. Having just four days with the squad before the start of the IPL, Warne said he along with performance coach Jeremy Snape and director of coaching Darren Berry worked day and night to get an idea of what his players were capable of.
"When we reached here we wanted a background of all the players through the local coaches which unfortunately we didn't get. We played two practice games straight away and watched every player in detail as to how they approached the game, their shot making, running between the wickets, fitness and other aspects," he said.
IPL: Who did well and who didn't?
And after such a fine showing by all the youngsters, Warne is all praise for them.
"The young guys are not scared of reputations, whether it is [Mohammad] Asif or [Glenn] McGrath. They will look to smack them out of the ground. These young guys are making me feel young. Watching the young guys taking on the best in the world and also do well makes me feel good," he said.
"Ravindra Jadeja is a rockstar. He will be the next superstar for India. Asnodkar is a terrific shot maker. Yusuf Pathan is finally fulfilling his potential and he has been rewarded with a place in the Indian ODI side. It makes me proud as the captain of the Royals," the Aussie added.
Warne said every member of the team -- whether it is the youngsters or senior international players -- get equal treatment and that has been important in helping the team bind as a unit.
"Everyone is equal. There is no superstar treatment for anyone. If [Shane] Watson is late, he will be spoken to and the same for Swapnil [Asnodkar]. All are equal in our team," he said.
Despite his team crushing all the opponents and storming into the finals, the Aussie legend reveals there is still more to do. "I am not satisfied yet. I want to see them become the first team to win the IPL."
Warne also said he is keen to open a spin academy in India on the lines of the MRF Pace Academy that grooms young fast bowlers.
"I am impressed with Dennis Lillee and the MRF Pace Academy. They have done a good job and helped develop fast bowlers in India. I am looking to set up same sort of spin academy to help young spinners. I am impressed with the likes of Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla [Images] and hope to help them in the future," the veteran said.
Contradicting reports that he is interested in making a comeback to international, Warne said: "I am happily retired and enjoying playing in the IPL. I am happy spending time with my kids. I am also doing business and playing more poker tournaments. I played in an era of Australian cricket when we were highly successful. I enjoyed my time in international cricket and now I am enjoying playing in the IPL."

Chennai beat Punjab Photos

Delhi vs Rajasthan Imgaes

Chennai Super Kings outclass Kings XI Punjab to enter final

Chennai Super Kings [Images] drubbed Kings XI Punjab [Images] by nine wickets in a lop-sided contest in Mumbai on Saturday night to storm into Sunday's final against table toppers Rajasthan Royals [Images].
Scorecard Images
After restricting the Punjab side to a meagre 112 for eight, the Chennai side romped home riding on a second wicket stand of 102 runs between opener Parthiv Patel (51 off 48 balls) and Suresh Raina (55 off 34 balls) at the Wankhede Stadium.
The best chance for Kings XI, after putting up a pathetic batting display on winning the toss, was to strike a few early blows.
They managed to dismiss opener S Vidyut cheaply for six to reduce Chennai to 14 for one, but then the left-handed combination of Patel and the more aggressive Raina took control of the proceedings.
Warne calls for shorter IPL
They made runs at a comfortable pace and raced past the finish line in 14.5 overs to complete a thumping victory.
Tomorrow's summit clash for the top prize of USD 1.2 million between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who had beaten Delhi Daredevils [Images] in an equally comprehensive fashion by 105 runs in the first semi-final last night, would be held at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Vidyut mistimed a pull off Irfan Pathan [Images] and put up a dolly catch to short mid wicket to bring in Raina, included in the Indian ODI team for next month's Bangladesh tri-series and the subsequent Asia Cup.
The UP batsman carried on his good showing in their last league tie with some attacking shots in the company of only a slightly more sedate Patel, who hit eight fours, and the duo carried on merrily towards the victory target.
IPL: Who did well, and who didn't?
Raina smote four sixes on the way to his half century, one of them off James Hopes which went over the roof of stadium, besides striking four fours to completely dominate the rival bowling attack.
Earlier, Chennai pace attack ripped apart the strong Punjab top-order batting and restricted them to a paltry total.
Everything went wrong for Kings XI Punjab after captain Yuvraj Singh [Images] opted to bat first on winning the toss and half their side was back in the dug-out with only 40 on the board on a seaming track.
Poor batting coupled with some good seam bowling undid the Punjab side.
Man of the match Makhaya Ntini [Images] and Manpreet Singh Gony rocked the high-flying Kings XI Punjab side with a double strike each which reduced Yuvraj Singh-led team to a pathetic 34 for four in the sixth over.
BCCI to felicitate Kapil's Devils
Ntini started the domination of the ball over the bat when he had James Hopes caught behind chasing an outswinger for two in the second over.
Then Gony dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in similar fashion, caught by wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to leave Punjab at a shaky 2 for 11.
Things became grimmer when Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh pulled Gony, who bowled an excellent four-over spell for figures of 2 for 14, straight to Muttiah Muralitharan at wide mid-on to leave them gasping at 28 for three.
But the biggest blow was when South African pacer Ntini dismissed Punjab batting mainstay Marsh in his third over.
Stats: Marsh, Tanvir emerge top
The left-handed opener from Western Australia attempted to pull a ball from wide of his stumps but only managed to get an under-edge that crashed on to the stumps to the absolute delight of the Chennai Super Kings players.
Down in the dumps, Punjab lost Irfan Pathan in a horrible mix up with Mahela Jayawardene [Images] who refused to respond to the former's call for a third run. The long throw from Ntini, who dived to stop a boundary, came handy for running out Irfan when he was stranded at mid-pitch.
Punjab, tottering at 40 for five at Pathan's dismissal, lost their sixth wicket when Jayawardene, with his poise upset at Pathan's run-out and open show of anger while walking back, tried to glide Albie Morkel and top-edged to Patel who grabbed his third catch.
Images: Chennai beat Punjab
At 45 for six there was a possibility of Punjab doing worse than what Kolkata Knight Riders [Images] had done (67 all out; the lowest score of IPL) against Mumbai Indians [Images] at the same venue on May 16.
This was averted with Wilkin Mota (25 off 26 balls) and Ramesh Powar [Images] (28 off 22 balls; 1X6; 4X4) leading the way by adding 35 runs for the eighth wicket.
The duo took advantage of some below-par performance by the Chennai team in the field to take the score close to 100 before Mota was out.
Powar helped boost the tally by creaming Balaji for three fours in the last over from which 14 runs were scored.
Ntini got 2 for 23 in his four overs bowled on the trot, Morkel ended up with 2 for 27 while Muralitharan, who bowled the first over of the innings, finished with 1 for 19

Akram backing India to win Asia Cup

Lahore: For ex-Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram, India are the hot favourites in the Asia Cup to be played in Pakistan from June 25 to July 6.

"Though Karachi's hot weather will be an additional rival for the participating teams in the Asia Cup, I see India as hot favourites for the event," the Dawn quoted Akram as saying.

This would be the first time Pakistan would be hosting the three-side tournament, including Bangladesh.

Speaking to reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday evening, he said he would like to coach Pakistan's national side if the PCB offered the assignment to him.

"I feel honoured if the PCB offers me any assignment as I believe the country gave me a lot and it is our duty to return to it. If the PCB offers me any assignment I will consider it but keeping in mind my other commitments. And if I have time I will be happy to make contribution for Pakistan cricket," he added.

Over the past few days, reports in the local press had suggested that the PCB was considering installing him as the new coach in place of Geoff Lawson.

About Lawson, who is currently in Australia on holidays, Wasim said no doubt Lawson's track record of 11 consecutive ODI victories was good, but added that the coach should reach Pakistan well before the team's departure to Bangladesh for the three-nation tournament to be held there from June 8.

Lawson is scheduled to return here on June 3 before Pakistan team leaves for Bangladesh, three days later.

On the occasion, Wasim also criticised the extended duration of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). "I have never seen such a long tournament in my life," he said.

He praised the performance of Pakistan's young all-rounder Sohail Tanvir in the IPL and added the bowler had a good future.

Yusuf Pathan, Ojha new faces in squad for tri-series

Mumbai: Baroda all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and young Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha were today rewarded for their impressive showing in the Indian Premier League by being named in India's 15-member cricket squad for for next month's tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

The national selectors also recalled talented Uttar Pradesh batsman Suresh Raina in the squad for both the tournaments, while ignoring senior pros Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, icon players in the ongoing IPL, for the second tri-series in succession. Sachin Tendulkar had already been ruled out of both the tournaments because of a groin injury.

The 21-year-old Raina, who last played a ODI in January, 2007, edged out other contenders like his Chennai Super Kings teammate Subramaniam Badrinath, Delhi's Shikhar Dhawan and Hyderabad's Venugopal Rao who have done well in the IPL.

The selectors have put a question mark on the ODI career of both former captains Dravid and Ganguly, who had earlier been dropped for the previous tri-series won by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side in Australia for the first time ever, by leaving them out of the limited overs loop again.

The teams for the June 8-14 triangular ODI event in Bangladesh, also featuring the hosts and Pakistan, and the June 24-July 6 Asia Cup in Pakistan were announced by Cricket Board's secretary Niranjan Shah after a selection committee meeting which lasted about one hour.

The selectors made five changes in the team that created history under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership by winning the tri-series in Australia for the first time ever in March. Tendulkar, who has not yet recovered fully from his groin injury that forced him to miss two home Tests against South Africa and the first seven IPL games for Mumbai Indians, the banned Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Dinesh Karthik and Manoj Tiwary were those left out of that squad.

Sending out a strong message, Harbhajan, banned by BCCI for five ODIs for slapping Sreesanth after the IPL game between his team (Mumbai Indians) and Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on April 25, was left out of the Asia Cup squad though he would have served out his ban after India's first two ties in Pakistan.
The thrust of the selectors seems clearly on youth with Yusuf, elder brother of Irfan, being 25 years of age and Ojha, 21. Raina, who has played 36 ODIs, is only 21.

Yusuf's performance as a hard-hitting top order batsman for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, after a lone appearance in the final of the T20 World Cup in South Africa against Pakistan which India won to be crowned the format's emperors last September, seems to have swung things in his favour.

The Baroda player can also bowl flat off breaks and has come into the squad for the utility value he brings to the side.

Ojha is not very experienced even at the first class level, having played only 30 matches, but the unavailability of the more experienced Murali Kartik, due to an injury sustained in the IPL, has giving him a chance to show his mettle at the international level.

With both Tendulkar and Ganguly not in the squad, Virender Sehwag and his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir, who is also in very good form, are the two specialist openers. The spin department lacks experience with young Piyush Chawla, who has been quite impressive in the IPL, and Ojha being the two specialist spinners.

The pace department, however, looks quite good with Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar having to share the pace load.

The team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Yuvraj Singh (Vice-capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, S Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, R P Singh, Piyush Chawla and Pragyan Ojha.

Kings XI confident of beating Super Kings: Yuvraj

Mumbai: Despite losing both their previous IPL matches to Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab were going into tomorrow's semi finals against the same opposition with a measure of confidence, team captain Yuvraj Singh and coach Tom Moody said today.

"It's a different ground (Wankhede Stadium) and circumstances are different. We are coming into the game with greater confidence and will be looking to do our best with ball, bat and on the field," the lanky Australia-born Moody said.

Yuvraj said the team had learnt valuable lessons from their losses to Chennai at home and in the latter's backyard (Chidambaram Stadium) and were keen not to commit the same mistakes.

"We will try not to make the same errors again and will see where the opposition falters and try and take advantage," the stylish left-handed batsman said.

"Our confidence is high with the way we are playing and if we execute our plans properly tomorrow, no doubt we can win," the King's XI skipper said.

Also read:
Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings are evenly matchedWe have the psychological edge: Wessels
About his own form with the bat, Yuvraj said the good run he had in their last game would stand him in good stead.

"I had some good form in the last game. It has come at the right time ahead of the semi finals," he said referring to his knock of 49 in 16 balls.

Yuvraj Singh backed his bowling attack by saying it had performed well barring the odd game.

"Our bowlers have bowled well. It's just that the wickets were flat. The attack might have faltered on one or two games, but our bowlers are doing a great job," Yuvraj said.

Yuvraj praised the batting of Shaun Marsh, who has accumulated nearly 600 runs in only ten games. "It's been great to watch him and he's an important member of the team. We hope he does well tomorrow also," he said about the Western Australian left-handed opener's superb show thus far.

Yuvraj also played down his earlier comments criticising the Mumbai crowd and said he was confident they would support his team in the semis.

"My comments have been blown out of proportion. I had only said (after the thrilling one-run win over Mumbai Indians team at this venue) that they should not criticize Indian players. The public here is good and I'm sure at least half of them will support us in our game".

Yuvraj sounded upbeat that many more youngsters would be working hard through domestic and international cricket to make it to the IPL.

"Lot of youngsters who could have come in had to go for international duty and I'm sure many would work harder to come in to the IPL next year," he explained.

Talking about the aspect of coaching in a T20 tournament, Moody said that it was not easy to improve the players' skills. "It's just about trying to get the players as close as possible to each other and getting them to play together. Most of the players have not even seen each other before and at times have seen them only on television. There's not enough time to up skills but you can only help with improving technique and innovation," the Kings XI coach said.

Moody said it was not proper to judge a coach's worth after only one year of IPL.

"It's not about the coach but about the players. It's just about creating the right environment about the players. You can't judge a coach in the first year of the IPL," he said, adding it would be ideal to do so after a couple of years.

Watson stars as Rajasthan Royals advance to IPL final

Shane Watson starred with bat and ball as Rajasthan Royals overwhelmed Delhi Daredevils by 105 runs in the first semi-finals of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday night. The Royals will now face the winner of the second semi-finals between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings on Saturday night in Sunday's final.

Watson and Yusuf Pathan scored half-centuries each as the Royals, who were asked to bat first, amassed 192 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs as none of the Daredevils' bowlers made an impression. The Royals were given a steady start by Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar as the duo put on 65 runs for the first wicket in just under seven overs.

Smith, who was hampered by a hamstring injury and had Mohammad Kaif running for him mid-way through his knock, started slowly, but then shifted gears as he hit five boundaries enroute to scoring 25 in 21 balls. Asnodkar was the more aggressive of the opening duo as he hit six boundaries and a massive six in his 21-ball knock of 39 runs. Farveez Maharoof then got the much-needed breakthroughs for the Daredevils as he dismissed Smith and Asnodkar in the space of three balls, and then accounted for pinch-hitter Sohail Tanvir (5) in the ninth over of the Royals' innings to finish with figures of 3-34 in the match.

Also read:
Rajasthan Royals favourites against Delhi Daredevils Yusuf Pathan, Ojha new faces in squad for tri-series

The Royals had to consolidate after the fall of three quick wickets, and man-of-the match Watson and Mohammad Kaif did that by adding 52 runs for the fourth wicket in under five over. Watson took the initiative back for his team as he hit two consecutive sixes in the 11th over of the innings bowled by V Yo Mahesh, who took a couple of wickets but conceded 50 runs in his four overs. Kaif's contribution to the partnership was only 12 runs and he was the fourth wicket to fall when he was clean bowled by Amit Mishra (2-37).

Watson and Pathan then stepped up the ante and the partnership was just starting to look dangerous when Mishra had the Australian all-rounder stumped by Dinesh Karthik as the Royals lost their fifth wicket with 155 runs on the board after 16 overs. Watson made 52 runs in only 29 balls, and his knock contained four hits to the fence and three over it. Yusuf who was named in India's squad for the Bangladesh tri-series and Asia Cup earlier in the day celebrated his call-up by hitting three boundaries and four massive sixes in his 21-ball knock of 45 runs before he was run out with only two balls left in the Royals' innings.

The Daredevils were never in the hunt as they lost wickets at regular intervals to be bundled out for 87 in 16.2 overs. Tillakratne Dilshan (33) was the only batsman to take the fight to the Royals even as wickets kept falling like nine pins at the other end.

Watson (3-10) started the slide by dismissing the Daredevils in-form top three batsmen -- Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan -- to leave the Delhi team reeling at 24 for 3 after 5.2 overs. Sehwag was well-caught by Tanvir in the deep, while substitute fielder Taruwar Kohli took a blinder to get rid of Gambhir (11) and Dhawan offered a straightforward catch to Ravindra Jadeja to leave the run-chase in shambles.

Munaf Patel then joined the party as he had Manoj Tiwary caught by Asnodkar at mid-on to reduce the Daredevils to 28 for 4. Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik then put together the best partnership of the innings -- 27 runs for the fifth wicket -- before the latter was caught by Mohammad Kaif to give Siddarth Trivedi his only wicket of the match. Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne (2-21) then dismissed Maharoof and Dilshan in the space of four balls to reduce the Daredevils to 76 for 7 in the 13th over.

Patel then returned to dismiss Mishra and Yo Mahesh in quick succession to finish with figures of 3-17 in his allotted four overs, before a smart piece of thinking by wicket-keeper Mahesh Rawat led to the run-out of Mohammad Asif to set off scenes of celebration in the Rajasthan Royals' dug-out.

CSA offers contract to IPL hit Morkel

Durban: Lauding Albie Morkel's "stand-out" performance in the Indian Premier League, Cricket South Africa has handed the lanky all-rounder a national contract that takes effect from next month.

Morkel joins fellow all-rounder Robin Peterson and batsman Neil McKenzie as the three new players awarded contracts by the national cricket body.

"His record earned him a contract with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and he has been a stand-out player in getting them through to the semi-finals," Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola said in a statement.

"His improving value to the Proteas is illustrated by his batting strike rate of 154.34 (213 runs at an average of 35.50) an d his bowling economy rate of 8.61 (11 wickets at 28.18) in this competition," he added.

The latest contracts bring the number of contracted players under Cricket South Africa to 18.

"After close examination of the talent available and the needs of the Proteas, it was felt that Neil, Albie and Robin would fill the identified gaps and should be drawn in as contracted players," Majola said.

"We are confident that they will add much value as CSA contracted players, and we look forward to the Proteas providing another highly successful season," he added.

McKenzie, coming into the team in the second half of the season for Tests against the West Indies, Bangladesh and India, finished top of the batting averages (621 runs at 77.62) with two big centuries against Bangladesh and India.

He also featured in the world record first wicket partnership of 415 with skipper Graeme Smith.

Peterson played in the Test series against Bangladesh and took his first five-wicket haul at this level and six wickets in the second Test overall.

IPL twice a year not a good idea, says Sehwag

New Dekhi: As the Indian Premier League authorities toy with the idea of hosting the cash-rich extravaganza twice a year from 2011, Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag warns it may lead to premature retirements among the top players. IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi, in a recent interview, said for the first three editions, IPL would remain an annual event but after that, he would like to see the Twenty20 league twice a year, starting in May and September.

Sehwag, however, is apprehensive about the move, which he fears may not augur well for the game. "I think having it twice a year might trigger premature retirements," he told reporters here today.

Sehwag believes the hype and hoopla around IPL notwithstanding, people still put international cricket ahead of the Twenty20 extravaganza and it would be difficult to squeeze in two IPL seasons in an already crammed international calendar. "I think before they think about introducing a second IPL in the same year, they would have to see the schedule.

The fact remains that people at large crave more for international cricket than IPL -- be it India vs Pakistan or England vs Australia. "I guess they would have to find at least four months to accommodate two IPLs, which would not be an easy task," Sehwag explained.

Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings are evenly matched

Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings have had contrasting paths to the semifinals of the Indian Premier League. While Yuvraj Singh-led Kings XI ensured their place in the knockout stage with some games left, the MS Dhoni-led Super Kings left it until their last game in the league stage to qualify for the semifinals.

Kings XI after a slow start in the league stage came into their own as they won 10 of their last 12 matches after ending up on the wrong side of the result in the first two encounters against the Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

On the other hand, the Super Kings who had a tremendous start to the IPL lost their way after the departure of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram as the team struggled to come up with the ideal playing XI.

The Super Kings though won both their league games against Kings XI and these two victories should give the Chennai side the psychological edge going into the semifinals on Saturday night, but based on recent performances and the composition of the squads, the teams look to be evenly matched as they look to book themselves a place in the final of the inaugural IPL.

The wins and losses in the league stages though important don't hold any water in the knockout stages as it comes down to which team plays better and is able to hold its nerve in the three-four hours that the game lasts.

For the record, Kings XI Punjab with 10 wins in their 14 league matches finished second in the points table, while Chennai Super Kings won eight of their games to finish third-best after the round robin stage.

Both Kings XI and Chennai Super Kings have terrific batting line-ups but the Punjab side has the edge in the bowling department with a balanced attack and the fact that three of their bowlers are in the top-10 wicket takers' list in the IPL indicates their ability to take wickets at regular intervals.

Also read: Road to the IPL semi-finals: Kings XI and Super Kings
Kings XI though have a better opening combination in Shaun Marsh and James Hopes as compared to the Super Kings' Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming. Marsh, who has been one of the success stories of the IPL, not only has won five man-of-the-match awards in the 10 matches he has played but also has the orange cap for being the leading run-scorer in the tournament.

During the course of his 115 against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday night, Marsh went past Delhi Daredevils opening batsman Gautam Gambhir's aggregate of 523 runs in the IPL. Marsh has now scored 593 runs with a highest score of 115 at an average of 74.12 and a strike rate of 139.85, and six of his 10 innings have been scores of 50 and above.

Even should Marsh and Hopes fail, Kings XI Punjab have the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, captain Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene and Luke Pomersbach to get them to a competitive total.

Sangakkara had to miss a few league matches because of a rib injury, but has been in scintallating form since he has returned to the playing XI, and the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper has scored 317 runs from eight innings with a highest score of 94 and a strike rate of 163.40.

Yuvraj has had a rather quiet tournament so far but gave an indication of the damage he can do in this format of the game on Wednesday night against Rajasthan Royals when he scored a blistering 49 runs in only 16 balls.

Hopes has been expensive with the ball, but has scored 219 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 153.14, while Pomersbach who has been dismissed only once in his five innings has 152 runs to his name at a strike rate of 153.53.

Kings XI bowlers S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan all feature in the top-10 wicket takers list with Sreesanth featuring second on the list with 19 wickets from 14 matches at an economy rate of 8.67.

Yuvraj has done well to show his confidence in Chawla, and the young leg-spinner has justified his skipper's faith by picking up 17 wickets at an economy rate of 8.31. Chawla has also enhanced his reputation through the IPL and has been marked for greater success by most cricketing experts who have been commentators at the IPL.

Irfan has been unable to take too many wickets in recent matches but still has 14 wickets to his name at an impressive economy rate of 6.65. VRV Singh has been a tad too expensive but has played a supporting act to the trio with 12 wickets from as many matches, and burly off-spinner Ramesh Powar who has done well in the limited opportunities he has got completes the balanced Kings XI Punjab bowling attack.

On the other hand, Super Kings captain MS Dhoni has consistently maintained that his team's strength is its batting and the bowling is Chennai's weak link.

And, looking at the figures one does feel that Dhoni has a point here because Manpreet Gony, who is the leading wicket-taker for his team has taken 14 wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 7.67 and strike rate of 22.2.

Albie Morkel with 13 wickets from 11 matches and L Balaji with 11 wickets from seven matches have bowled well in patches but have conceded over 8.50 runs per over. Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was expected to be the trump card for Chennai with the ball but he has managed to take only eight wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.92.

Dhoni would be hoping that his bowlers do a better job in the semi-finals and the final should the Super Kings get there.

With the bat, Dhoni and Suresh Raina who have both scored over 300 runs in the IPL have been the most consistent performers with the bat for the Super Kings, with Morkel, Patel and Fleming also chipping in.

Dhoni has made 385 runs in 13 innings at an average of 38.50 and a strike rate of 131.39, while Raina who hit the winning shot against Deccan Chargers that sent the Super Kings into the semis has scored 323 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 139.82.

However, the opening combination of Fleming and Patel has been unable to take advantage of the powerplay in the first six overs as can be gauged by the fact that while the former has a strike rate of 118.78 from 10 matches, India's former wicket-keeper batsman has scored his 213 runs at a strike rate of only 98.61.

Dhoni would do well to think of trying out a different opening combination in Morkel and Fleming for the semi-finals clash and move Patel lower down the order as a positive start would prove to be crucial in a knockout game.

The bowlers would also have to raise their game to either restrict the strong Kings XI batting line-up or bowl them out quickly should the Punjab side bat second.

The stage is set for a cracker of a contest and it is going to come down to the teams' ability to hold their nerves in crunch situations and not to get overawed by the moment. This match is too close to call, but I feel Kings XI Punjab go into the match holding a marginal edge over Chennai Super Kings.

Rajasthan Royals favourites against Delhi Daredevils

Despite the 41-runs loss to Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday night, Rajasthan Royals would be the favourites in the first semi-finals of the Indian Premier League against Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai tomorrow.

Shane Warne-led Royals have by far been the most consistent and well-oiled unit on display in the IPL and finished the league stage atop the points table with 11 wins from 14 matches.The Royals were thrashed by the Daredevils in their first match in the tournament, but since then have been a transformed unit under Warne's leadership as almost every member of the squad has contributed to their team's victories.

The Daredevils, however, have the Royals to thank for qualifying for the knockout stage as their place in the semis was assured only after the Rajasthan team defeated Mumbai Indians in a last-ball thriller on Monday night.

Also read: Road to the IPL semi-finals: Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils

Warne had himself acknowledged in the early part of the IPL that the Royals are a young and inexperienced team, but he added the squad has the desire to win at all costs. The legendary Australian leg-spinner has been well supported by South African captain Graeme Smith and the support staff in Darren Barry and Jeremy Snape as the Royals have run through superior opposition with ease in the tournament thus far.

Warne's astute leadership in the IPL has led to speculations in cricketing circles that he could well may be the best skipper that Australia didn't have. And, that could well be true based on how Warne has made the best use of limited resources at his disposal and made his team a force to reckon with. Every player in the Royals team from proven internationals like Smith, Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal to virtual unknowns like Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar, Siddarth Trivedi and Ravindra Jadeja have all chipped in to help their team's cause. And, even Munaf Patel who has in the past been accused of lack of speed around the field along with questions raised about his attitude, has surprised one and all by the commitment he has shown in the IPL throwing himself while fielding and for the most part bowling with probing accuracy picking up 11 wickets from 13 matches.

Smith, Asnodkar and Yusuf have all been devastating with the bat at the top of the order and Watson with his all-round performance has proved he can do wonders if he remains injury-free. Smith has played with maturity allowing Asnodkar and Yusuf to hit the big shots as he has focussed on ensuring the team doesn't lose too many early wicket. The South African captain is a naturally attacking batsman but in the IPL his strike rate of 121.99 reflects the type of knocks he has played. He is also one of the leading run-scorers in the IPL with 416 runs from 10 matches at an average of 52 and a highest score of 91. Asnodkar has scored 244 runs in seven innings but his strike rate of 127.08 doesn't quite reflect the damaging effect he has had on the opposition at the top of the order. Yusuf is the third-highest scorer for the Royals with 334 runs in 13 innings at an average of 27.83 and a strike rate of 182.51 and has also performed reasonably with the ball to finally break out of his younger brother (Irfan Pathan)'s shadow. Yusuf doesn't move his feet much and has a technique of his own, but when he hits the ball it usually goes a long distance.

Jadeja and N Patel have done well in the limited opportunities they have had in the middle, but Mohammad Kaif has been the biggest disappointment for the Royals. Kaif was the sole experienced Indian batsman in the line-up and would have hoped to do well in the IPL to stake a claim for a place in the national team but he has managed to score only 152 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 100.66. He would be hoping to make amends in the knockout stage as he is a vital cog in the Royals' wheel.

Watson has made a remarkable comeback to competitive cricket after yet another injury lay-off scoring 392 runs in 13 innings at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 149.04 apart from picking up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7.29. Warne has described Watson as the "player of the IPL" on at least a couple of occasions, and the all-rounder has done justice to that tag with some memorable performances.

With the ball Warne, Tanvir and Trivedi have contributed immensely to the team's cause with the captain taking 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 7.93 while the young Trivedi has given a good account of himself capturing 12 wickets from 13 matches. But, the standout bowler for the Royals has ben Tanvir, whose 21 wickets have come in only 9 matches at a strike rate of 10 and economy rate of 5.97. And, the Royals would be hoping that these players continue their impressive performances for a couple more matches.

The Daredevils, on the other hand have relied mainly on theirr top three batsmen -- Gautam Gambhir, captain Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan to post competitive totals on the scoreboard. The Delhi team's middle-order has failed to impress in most of the matches and looks highly suspect despite the presence of international stars like AB De Villiers and Shoaib Malik, and the Royals would give themselves a good chance of bundling out the Daredevils for a low score if they get these three batsmen early in the innings. Gambhir has continued his good form over the last year and has added to his stature as the best Twenty20 batsman in India enroute to scoring 523 runs in 13 innings with a highest score of 86 at an average of 43.58 and a strike rate of 143.68.

Sehwag has scored his 403 runs at a strike rate of 186.57 and an average of 36.63. The Daredevils captain has played some terrific knocks in the IPL and his team would be hoping that he plays a typical Viru-like innings on the morrow. Dhawan, meanwhile, has used the big stage well as he has given ample proof of his talent as well as his ability to cope with pressure situations. The young Delhi lad has 335 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 118.37 to show for his efforts in the IPL thus far and it shouldn't be too long before Dhawan is seen in national colours.

The Daredevils bowling attack has been well-led by the retired Australian pace great Glenn McGrath who has featured in all his team's matches taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 6.31. McGrath has shown that a year away from the game hasn't done a thing to his bowling form and miserly nature with the ball. He has been well supported by V Yo Mahesh (14 wickets in 10 matches) and F Maharoof (12 wickets in 9 matches), but the elbow injury to Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif has dented the Daredevils' attack to an extent. Pradeep Sangwan, one of the stars for India in the team's successful under-19 campaign earlier this year has impressed in patches.

Amit Mishra has been the lone spinner in the Daredevils' ranks to make an impression as not only has he taken nine wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.31, but is also one of the three bowlers to take a hat-trick in the IPL. Mishra would be expected to perform an important role with the ball tomorrow and it would be interesting to watch how Sehwag utilises his spin trump card.

The Daredevils would have to play exceptionally well to book their berth in the final of the tournamnet, while Rajasthan Royals will have to shrug off the loss to Kings XI Punjab and focus on doing the basics right if they want to feature in the last match of the inaugural IPL season on Sunday night.

Tough task for selectors in ODI squad selection

Mumbai: The national selection panel meets here on Friday to pick the team for next month's ODI tri-series in Bangladesh and the subsequent Asia Cup in Pakistan amid speculation that youngsters who have done well in the Indian Premier League might be given a chance.

The tri-series in Bangladesh will be held from June 8-14 and would be followed by the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The five-member selection panel led by Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar will also have to decide on the fate of senior players Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

The two former India skippers were not picked for the last ODI series played by India, the triangular series in Australia that India won for the first time by a comprehensive 2-0 margin over the reigning world champions in this format of the game.

A lot would depend on what ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wishes as also the inputs from coach Gary Kirsten. The duo is scheduled to attend the meeting at the Cricket Board's headquarters here.

The Bangalore and Kolkata teams led by Dravid and Ganguly failed to sparkle in the IPL and have been knocked out of the competition before the semi-final stage.

The two senior batsmen put up a mixed show with the bat, but what may tilt the scales against their inclusion could be the fact that both are not the fleetest of fielders as compared to younger rivals.

'I made the right choice in acquiring a franchise' - Mallya

Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, has responded to the widespread criticism he received for his remark that his biggest mistake was to trust Rahul Dravid with team selection, by expressing support for his team.
"I have read all the reports in the media over [the last] few days with considerable dismay. Matters are not only being blown extravagantly out of proportion but my initial comments in response to Charu Sharma have been twisted and turned in a bizarre manner," Mallya said. "The Royal Challengers is my team and I have full confidence in them. Admittedly, there are issues on team composition and non-performance but I hope that I can enjoy the legitimate privacy of sorting out issues within my own squad."
He was confident the team would get over its performance in this IPL season and come back stronger in subsequent editions. "I continue to believe that I made the right choice in acquiring an IPL franchise which will create great value going forward," Mallya said. "I like winning but losing round one doesn't mean that I have lost the fight."
Mallya's public statement came a day after Anil Kumble, India's Test captain and a member of the Bangalore team, said it was time the "people who matter" understood what sport was all about. Mallya had publicly criticised the team leadership - Charu Sharma, the sacked chief executive, and captain, Dravid - for the selection of the squad, which has performed poorly in the IPL.

No reward for coming first

In just over 48 hours, a team that lost nearly 50% of its league matches could be crowned champions of the inaugural Indian Premier League. A competition spanning six weeks, nearly as long as the much-criticised World Cup in the Caribbean, will finally reach its climax at two venues that none of the four semi-finalists call home. The Rajasthan Royals, perfect over seven games in Jaipur, go into their semi-final against the Delhi Daredevils with no reward whatsoever for that pristine home record. The fact that they won four more games over the regular season also counts for nothing. So, what sort of league are we talking about here?
Traditionally, there are two kinds. The classic variety, still found in European football, has the teams playing a fixed number of matches, home and away. The team that accumulates the most points is crowned champions. If there's a tie, goal difference settles it [England] or it goes down to your head-to-head record [Spain]. Either way, the best team invariably wins.
The second kind is the American league, and the dedication to Mammon dictates a convoluted finale that involves wild-cards and play-offs. Even there though, there's a sense of fairness, and reward for excellence during the course of the regular season. The teams with the best records get home-field advantage throughout the play-offs, and only in the case of American Football's Superbowl is the final game played at a neutral venue. The chances of a mediocre team coming through to upset a champion side are slim to non-existent, though once in a generation you'll get a Joe Namath or an Eli Manning inspiring a David outfit against the heavily favoured Goliath.
Unfortunately, the IPL offers no sort of protection to the best teams in the competition. Rajasthan and Punjab have clearly been the pick of the eight teams, and there would be no complaints at all if they were to contest the final. Instead, two teams, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi, who lost six of their 14 games could slip in through the back door thanks to the semi-finals being one-off games played at a neutral venue.
It doesn't help that the event was hopelessly compromised by the initial bidding process for the franchises. Whoever bid most [it happened to be Reliance shelling out $111.9 million for Mumbai] also won the right to stage the semi-finals and the final, while the second-highest bid won Vijay Mallya and the Bangalore Royal Challengers the opening game.
In the larger scheme of things, the opening ceremony, however many lasers, dancers or cheerleaders you muster up, is an irrelevance. That certainly isn't true for the semi-finals and the final. After beating Mumbai in Jaipur last Monday, Shane Warne was understandably worked up about the possibility of Mumbai sneaking into the last four. "If Mumbai sneak in, they get a home semi-final, despite having scraped through," he said. "I can't see any advantage for finishing on top.
"The top two sides should have home-ground advantage." No one, certainly no one that matters in the IPL, was listening though, and so it is that Rajasthan will play out their last-four clash 1000km removed from the passionate support that was such a factor in that perfect home run.
Warne's views were echoed by another antipodean legend, Martin Crowe, chief cricket officer of the Royal Challengers. If anything, his suggestion was even more radical. "With an eight-team format, I would look at the top team going into final and second and third-placed teams playing off on the home ground of the second-placed side," he said. "The Rajasthan Royals have won the league, they might get smashed in the semi and I think they deserve to be in the final. And with television, it's been condensed to have the semis and the final at one venue, back to back. That doesn't make sense to anyone except the television people."
Few events are perfect at the first time of asking, and we can only hope that this eyesore is fixed in time for next year. If not, you might just get the very ugly sight of a team that lost six or seven regular-season games walking away with the big trophy. Under the watchful gaze of the floodlight towers, that really would be daylight robbery.

'Dravid had the seventh best side to work with' - Crowe

Martin Crowe, Bangalore Royal Challengers' chief cricket officer, has said that "everything went wrong" with their campaign in the first season of the IPL and that they have to start afresh next year.
Crowe cited team composition, lack of preparation for key players coming out of a Test series, and poor practice facilities at the home ground as reasons for the poor performance. He also said that the team management, him included, had to share the blame and that the franchise had to bring in players with the skills required to excel in the Twenty20 format.
"There is no one or particular area that deserves more blame than anyone else," Crowe told Cricinfo. "People speculated at the start what type of team we were [a Test side] and that's the way it has turned out. We didn't have Twenty20 batsmen. The composition of the team, the fact that key players were coming out of a Test series and had just one day to prepare.
"Our facilities at the home ground were poor - we got the worst practice facilities that I have ever seen in 25 years of international cricket so preparing was even harder. That was acknowledged after two or three practice sessions. Venkatesh Prasad was unplayable. It was up and down and doing things. It's not the reason but it's a reason. As for the wicket in the middle, you can see by the scores."
Crowe said that the think-tank tried all combinations but nothing worked. "We as management also have to take blame. I am sort of involved in the three-year plan but I understand that I have been long way away from the goal. I accept that, with the changes made, I could be one of them. We got off on the back end of a [Brendon] McCullum whirlwind in the opening game and we didn't recover from it. We tried everything, every player in every combination simply because no one was putting the hand up. There is nothing to be proud of apart from, obviously, there has been some hard work that went in."
According to Crowe, the way forward was to recruit players who would be suitable to Twenty20 cricket. "Those in charge have a choice: They can start again, which is what I would do. I think you have to go in with a clean sheet and look at bringing players that would be suitable for IPL. Get as many new Twenty20 recruits as possible. Brijesh Patel is the CEO and it will be his responsibility to see who would be available and how he can build the resources within the side. We would get back Bracken but I guess we need to reduce the squad to 18 or 20, which most teams have realised."
Crowe felt Rahul Dravid grew as a Twenty20 cricketer, tried hard to adapt as a captain but "at the end of the day he had the seventh best side to work with". Crowe said it was Dravid's decision whether to continue as a captain next season.
"Rahul was very open, he knew his limitations being a 35-year old, he wished he were ten years younger but he went out there and gave 110%. You can see that in his batting, he tried his best on the field and sometimes in this sort of the game, for some one like Shane Warne it [captaincy] comes naturally and for some others it doesn't. Rahul is some one that would take due consideration of whether he is suited to continue or whether he needs it anymore. But I have no doubt that he would come back and make a contribution with the bat."
Crowe said franchise owner Vijay Mallya's decision to sack the chief executive Charu Sharma was the reaction of a "disappointed owner". "He was there from the start; he was fully involved and I think he ought to put it as a bad year and make a fresh start. I am sure he will make decisions accordingly to get us back into contention for the second year."
However, he said he didn't understand the sacking of Sharma. "That was something we never understood inside the team. That's a different issue. We don't know what that was about."
Crowe also felt the initial focus was too much on entertainment rather than cricket and that hit the team hard. "There was lots of emphasis on the opening ceremony; we were not allowed inside the stadium. We were practising under the trees in the back portion, those were the things we were dealing at the time and they didn't feel alright. It's all about momentum and we never got any momentum."