IPL 24th Match Highlights : Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings Highlights

IPL 23rd Match Highlights : Mumbai Indians Vs Delhi Daredevils Highlights

IPL 22nd Match Highlights : Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Kings 11 Punjab Highlights

IPL 21st Match Highlights : Deccan Hyderabad Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers Highlights

IPL 20th Match Highlights : Chennai Super Kings Vs Delhi Daredevils Highlights

Brett Lee earned $80,000 per scalp in IPL

Speedster Brett Lee returned home as the richest Australian cricketer, taking home a whopping $80,000 per scalp for his four wickets from as many games in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. The pacer was bought for $900,000 at auction and earned more than $320,000 for his brief stint with the Punjab side.

Captain Ricky Ponting, who went for a relatively modest $400,000 to the Kolkata ight Riders at the auction in February, has emerged as the highest-paid Australian batsman when earnings are worked out on a rupees-per-runs-scored basis. Ponting earned $3663 for every run, or $142,000 for the four games he played.

The World Cup winning captain, who made two golden ducks and scored just 39 runs for the tournament, admitted he would have liked to have scored more runs and that his impact "wasn't that great", according to 'The Australian'. Lee and Ponting were among the six players, who return to Australia to prepare for the Caribbean tour where they will earn almost $13,000 a Test and $5000 one-day internationals.

But despite the money part, Ponting was concerned that the dollars players were earning in the IPL could drift them away from their home teams. "There's a real danger there that international players might just see the glitz and glamour of this event and not want to play international cricket any more, which I don't think would be great for the game," Ponting was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.

All rounder Andrew Symonds was next in the line as his purse was heavier by $500,000 after playing just four appearances with the Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad. Symonds, who had a controversy-free tour of the sub-continent unlike last year, pocketed $3000 for each of his 161 runs.

Each player is understood to have been paid on a pro-rata basis for the games played and received 10 per cent of that amount for each game they did not play. Matthew Hayden ($134,000) and Michael Hussey ($125,000) both bring home more for two weeks' work than most Australians get for two years.

Simon Katich fetched only $200,000 at auction and earned just under $60,000 for his efforts. The New South Wales captain only played two matches.

Ganguly new to 20-20 captaincy, has to learn: Umar Gul

Sourav Ganguly's captaincy in the Indian Premier League is yet to impress his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Umar Gul, who reckons the the left-hander has to learn some more before he can emulate his success as India's ODI skipper.

Ganguly's Knight Riders lost their third successive IPL match after going down by 45 runs to Rajasthan Royals and Gul felt Ganguly was struggling to cope with the new format of the game.

"This format is new for Ganguly. He is finding it difficult. He has to learn a few more tricks. We also have to find the right combination and rhythm," Gul said.

Is sachin fit to play? Decision to be taken on May 4th

The struggling Mumbai Indians team have decided to wait till the day of their next Indian Premier League (IPL) match, against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday, to see whether captain Sachin Tendulkar is fit to play or not.

"Sachin had net practice today. There are still two more days to go for the match. We will take a call on his fitness on May 4. Today he batted all right. Hopefully, he gets all right before the next match," said team coach Lalchand Rajput after a practice session at the MCA's Bandra-Kurla complex.

The champion batsman, who turned 35 on April 24, aggravated a groin injury that he sustained during the tri-series Down Under when turning out for India against South Africa in the first Test at Chennai in March, and has not played for more than a month.

In his absence from the playing XI, the Reliance Industries-owned franchise team lost their first four ties before earning a maiden victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 29 at the Eden Gardens, and are languishing at the bottom of the eight-team league table.

Mumbai Indians were led by Harbhajan Singh in their first three matches, which were all lost.

The team was led by ace ex-South African all rounder Shaun Pollock in their last two matches following the booting out of Harbhajan from the IPL after he was found guilty of slapping India teammate S Sreesanth.

The Mumbai outfit have lost to Royal Challengers, at home, Chennai Super Kings and King's XI, away, and Deccan Chargers, at home, before putting it across Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata team, away, for their first points in the Twenty20 league.

We have put Harbhajan episode behind, says Mumbai Indians Coach Lalchand Rajput

Mumbai Indians team coach Lalchand Rajput today said the team had put the slap-gate involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth behind them and was trying to continue the winning momentum after clinching their first victory in the Indian Premier League.

"We have left it behind us. As you have seen in the previous match, the energy level of the team is high and they want to win the matches by focusing on cricket," said the former India opener, who too was fined 50 per cent of his match fees by the IPL authorities following the episode.

Harbhajan led the team in the first three games before being booted out of the tournament for slapping India teammate and King's XI Punjab bowler S Sreesanth after the third tie and Shaun Pollock took over the captaincy mantle with Sachin Tendulkar yet to recover full fitness.

Rajput felt that the team would now focus on maintaining the momentum achieved after winning against Kolkata Knight Riders two days ago at the Eden Gardens, their maiden victory in the Twenty20 league after four straight losses.

"When the starts are not good the end is generally better. That the team is gelling together is important. There are many games left. We have just started winning and the momentum will keep us going," he said.

On the inclusion of Manish Pandey, who batted at number three and made a duck against Kolkata, Rajput said that there would be some experimentation "with new players as the tournament goes on".

The Kiwi Kings depart

New Zealand begin their tour of England on May 15. A direct repercussion of this tour is that all the New Zealanders participating in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) will have to forfeit the rest of the tournament and head back for national duty. However, they will not be the only ones leaving the party prematurely as their neighbours, the Australians will also be leaving in order to prepare for their upcoming tour to the Caribbean.

Jacob Oram is one such member leaving his IPL squad, Chennai Super Kings, as he heads back to New Zealand. The loss may be more for Oram as he was on a winning streak with the Super Kings who are having an undefeated run in the series so far.

Talking about his final match against the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Monday, the New Zealander was elated that his side won the match convincingly after being in a spot of bother at one stage. He gave credit to his bowlers and rated the match as the team's "best win out of the four so far."

Skipper MS Dhoni will miss Oram's all-round services with the bat and ball. The tall Kiwi had words of praise for his teammates especially Michael Hussey who steadied the innings when wickets were falling all around him against Bangalore.

"He is an outstanding batsman and he has got a great head on his shoulders as well," said Oram about the Australian middle-order batsman.

He praised the performances of Bangalore bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Dale Steyn for the dilemma they put the Chennai side in early on, but said that it was the Dhoni-Gony duo that he would rate as the two factors that turned the match in favour of the Super Kings.

The IPL has clearly made a big impact on him and he is one player who will be eager to be back next year.

"It has been unbelievable, it really has! I know that we have heard that from a lot of people but it isn't just lip service from players around the world. The IPL has really blown away my expectations; the hype and the excitement around it, the crowds that we are getting, and the things that are being pumped into the tournament have been first class. I am a little disappointed that I have got to go now. I am on Test tour to England now but I am looking forward to playing in the IPL next year!" concluded Oram.

The Chennai Kings sans Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram next face the Delhi Daredevils on March 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chennai.

Harbhajan SIngh overstepped his line: Steve Waugh

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh feels that Harbhajan Singh paid the price for overstepping his line and was fortunate to have got a light punishment for that.

Ripping apart Harbhajan Singh for courting controversies regularly, former Australia captain Steve Waugh today said the offie was fortunate to have escaped with a minimum 11-match ban for slapping his India teammate S. Sreesanth. Terming Harbhajan Singh's indiscretion during an Indian Premier League match last week as 'unfortunate', Waugh said the offie paid the "price for overstepping the line".

"It's very unfortunate and not what you want to see. I think Harbhajan overstepped his line. He paid the price. I think he is a lot fortunate to have got 11 games," Waugh told newspersons on a visit to 'Udayan', a home for children of leprosy patients which he has been funding for the last eight years.

Waugh also had a word of advice for Harbhajan. "He has been controversial on a number of occasions. Now he should look at his own game and start playing cricket and not worry about other issues." He said the ongoing IPL, despite being a business venture, had the potential to help spread the game in unchartered territories like China and Malaysia and praised Board of Control for Cricket in India for drawing new spectators to cricket.

Waugh, however, felt Test cricket was 'supreme', as "at the end of the day, cricket is a game one wants to play for the country. Test cricket will survive the onslaught of market economy." On the England and Wales Cricket Board not allowing their players to take part in the cash-rich IPL, Waugh said no cricket board could afford to ignore the Twenty20 game. "I think the ECB will find a way so that their players are able to play in the IPL."

Rajasthan Royals go riding on their 4th Win in IPL

The home crowd at the Sawai Man Singh stadium had every opportunity to cheer for the native team. Kolkata Knight Riders chasing a total of 197 had a shaky start. With 3 wickets falling in first six overs, Royals showed their best in trying to break Kolkata's batting order. Royals' tasted thier fourth consecutive win, the first one where they batted firstand won the game by a subsatantial margin of 45 runs.

It was Sohail Tanvir who gave the Royals their first breakthrough when he bowled out fellow countryman Salman Butt by blowing his off-stumps.

The exit of stalwarts like Brendon Mc Cullum and Ricky Ponting had led to some changes in the batting order. Ajit Agarkar came at 3rd down, to add to the total's chase. After hitting 2 sixes and a single boundary, he was caught by keeper Rawat on Shane Watson's delivery. He made 20 runs. The next man in Hodge was simply unlucky as he was run-out when bowler Trivedi's hand touched the ball and hit the stumps while he was standing out of crease.

The last ball of twelfth over bought some controversy with it. Ganguly was caught by Smith off Pathan's ball, but he didn't leave the crease and pressurised the on feild umpire to refer the decision to the third umpire. Finally, the decision went in favor of the batsman. But, that was not of much help to Dada, as shortly, afetr completing his half century off 38 balls, was caught at long-on by Mohd. Kaif on Royals' captain Shane Warne's delivery. He contributed a total of 51 runs off 39 balls.

And after Saurav's departure, the downslide started for the Kolkata team. They started throwing their wickets to Royals' bowlers superb bowling.

One by one the wickets came tumbling down with the last wicket of Ashok Dinda being caught by Asnodkar on Watson's delivery. The rush to make the victory thiers as soon as possible was evident in the way, Warne and Asnodhkar raced and clashed to take the final catch. And,the Kinght Riders lost their third consecutive game by a big margin of 45 runs.

The Rajasthan Royals’ batsmen assaulted every bowler of Kolkata Knight Riders to the fullest and put a huge total of 197 for them to chase.

In the sweltering afternoon in Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh stadium, Shane Warne, captain and coach of Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to bat. To his disappointment, in his very first over, Ishant Sharma showed his mettle. With a great pace (145kmph), he clean bowled Graeme Smith, in the last ball of the second over. Smith faced 7 balls and could make only 2 runs. This was an early blow to the Royals who started slow . The score was 11-1 after two overs.

However, Mohammad Kaif (21), who came after the fall of Smith, tried his best to push the score further and hit some splendid shots; one of them was a huge six, he hit off Agarkar in the seventh over. Unfortunately, he was caught and bowled by Ajit Agarkar on the last ball of the same over. Together with opener Asnodkar he added 40 runs to the scoreboard.

Umar Gul double struck in the 12th over to put a break on Rajasthan’s run riot. He sent S Asnodkar (caught Hussey) and S Watson (LBW) back to pavilion giving the much awaited respite to Sourav Ganguly. While Asnodkar hit 60, Watson could not even open his account. The score at this point was 111/4.

The 24-year old right hand batsman from Goa, Swapnil Asnodkar (60), was the pick of the player today for the Rajasthan Royals. The batsman scored a superb half century in his first IPL match. He did not respect Ishant’s pace or Agarkar’s Yorkers (he hit Agarkar for three consecutive boundaries in the ninth over). He completed his 50 in 29 balls in the 10th over of the inning. The half century included eight fours and one six. Hussey took an easy catch off Gul’s bowling to end Asnodkar’s inning. He also had a 50-run partnership with Yusuf Pathan,

After Asnodkar’s departure, Pathan and Jadeja took the reins of the team. Jadeja added crucial 33 runs in 19 balls (three fours and one six), while Pathan completed his fifty in style hitting a six off Shukla’s bowling. He made 55 that included six fours and two sixes. Gul clean bowled him in the 20th over when the team’s score was 190 for 6.

Shane Warne made 7 and was cleverly run out by Umar Gul in the 20th over. Sohail Tanvir (2) and M Rawat (1) remained unbeaten.

Earlier Kolkata brought in Salman Butt, BJ Hodge, and Umar Gul while Rajasthan made two changes- they included SA Asnodkar and Sohail Tanvir as new faces

No plans to come out of retirement : Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath has not lost any of the tricks of his heydays and looks the same old menacing pacer but the Australian insists he has no plans to come out of his retirement from international cricket.

The former Australia spearhead continues to baffle fans with his clinical accuracy that continues to torment the best of contemporary batsmen and it was evident on Wednesday night when he claimed four wickets against Bangalore Royal Challengers to guide the Delhi Daredevils to a 10-run win, an effort that also earned him the Man of the Match award.

Enjoying every moment of it, McGrath, however, brushed aside speculation of a comeback. "Not at all. Four overs a match is just fine for me. I came here for 6-7 weeks of cricket and I'm happy where I am," said the Australian. "Twenty20 is a challenge for me but I think (Daredevils score of) 191 gave us a bit of extra room and they had to go for their shots," he said.

The Australian was in a genial mood as he addressed the post-match press conference along with skipper Virender Sehwag. Asked if he missed seeing the cheerleaders in their usual attire tonight, McGrath quipped, "No, I'm happily married."

Later, when Sehwag was defending Gautam Gambhir for the left-hander's altercation with Jacques Kallis, McGrath said, "My experience is the shorter the batsman, like Justin Langer, the more aggressive he is."

Sehwag took the opportunity to thank his bowlers and said it was a welcome break to see a bowler (McGrath) wins the Man of the Match. "Bowlers did extremely well and it's great to see a bowler win the award," he said. Apart from McGrath, Daniel Vettori impressed with his bowling at death and Sehwag could not thank the spinner enough.

Kings 11 Punjab Beats Deccan Chargers by 7 wickets

Chasing a modest target of 165, 20-20 debutant Shaun Marsh hit a classy 84 off 62 balls and shared a match-winning stand with Jayawardene (45) to romp home with seven balls to spare. Their combined score of 129 runs was cherry on the cake in their 7 wicket win against the Hyderabad team.

Kings XI’s new opening duo of Shaun Marsh and Ramnaresh Sarwan (15) gave a perfect start to the visitors’ chase, putting up 41 runs. However, Sarwan was runout in the 6th over and then Kalyankrishna (34/1) picked up the all-important wicket of Kumar Sangakkara (3) in the very next over to bring Chargers back in the game.

A 41-run stand between Marsh and skipper Yuvraj Singh (14) kept Kings XI on the track before Nuwan Zoysa took an easy catch off his own bowling to send Yuvraj packing. That was all Deccan Chargers’ bowlers could manage on the day, as some sensible batting display from Marsh and Jayawardene ensured Kings XI’s third win in the tournament.

Earlier, powered by Rohit Sharma’s blazing 75, Deccan Chargers piled up a competitive score 164 for eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Sharma was the star for the Chargers as he hit a quick fire 75 off 40 balls to give the hosts’ bowlers a competitive score to defend. Sharma’s magnificent knock was studded with 10 boundaries and two sixes.

Sent into bat, Deccan Chargers was stunned early by Irfan Pathan when he bowled Adam Gilchrist (6) in the fourth over. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla struck the second blow sending Herschelle Gibbs (7) home in the seventh over. He picked up the crucial wicket of Laxman to put the hosts under pressure at 67 for three in the ninth over. Sharma carried on his attacking game as wickets continued to tumble at the other end.

The new kid on the block Shaun Marsh showed a glimpse of his father Geoff Marsh, the legendary opening batsman for Australia, while he opened the inning for Kings XI. It was like history revisited, watching the debutant youngster playing the shots and making his strokes the way his father used to. Shaun was the pleasant piece of patience; he oozed confidence from the very first ball and promised that he is here to stay. While his companion walked in and walked out making their little or mediocre contributions, but, his consistency remained undisturbed. It was a show of young talent, both at work and display in both the innings, if it was Rohit Sharma who steadied a sinking boat for Chargers, then Shaun Marsh on the other side proved to be the bloke to look out for who scored 84 off 62 balls and guided Kings to a splendid victory by 7 wickets.

When the Chargers took crease, everybody was expecting a blitzkrieg from Gilly, the undisputed hero of the last match but the home crowd had to settle for less. The Australian batsman failed to give a repeat performance. Irfan Pathan bowled Gilchrist off his superb delivery, and the hitter could only contribute 6 runs off 6 balls. The swashbuckling batsman from South Africa, Herschelle Gibbs who made his debut in IPL with this match, failed to live up to his own along with people's expectations. He was the next man to go with a paltry 7 runs highlighted against his name.

So, far unsuccessful with his bat, captain VVS Laxman was expected to play the encore which he did by sensibly playing and giving a decent push to the team's score along with impressive youngster Rohit Sharma. Laxman scored a decent 48 off 34 balls before he lost his wicket to Piyush Chawla. Shahid Afridi, the flamboyant all-rounder from Pakistan started to show his trademark hard-hitting way by hitting a boundary and a six, before he could have become the damager, he was stopped abruptly by Gagandeep Singh in the twelfth over.

It was looking like that Deccan Chargers' train has gotten off the track, when the middle-order collapsed like an old building. But, there was still a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel in form of Rohit Sharma. The most consistent batsman for Chargers was consistency personified again this time when he single-handedly kept the hope of the home side afloat by punishing bowlers of the Punjab team. Rohit again showed that how apt he is for this nano-version of cricket. He remained unbeaten, his bat released 76 runs off 42 balls, which included 10 boundaries and 2 sixes, and helped taking his team's total to a modest 164.

ECB compares IPL to the Rugby World Cup

England and Wales Cricket Board has been left astonished by the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League's success and is comparing the billion-dollar Twenty20 extravaganza in scope and scale to the Rugby World Cup.

Chairman Giles Clarke, who witnessed the initial rounds of the IPL spectacle with his CEO David Collier, told the ECB's AGM at Lord's, in London, yesterday that his admiration for what has been achieved by the Sharad Pawar-headed BCCI is huge.

"You will be aware that in recent weeks David Collier, our outstanding Chief Executive, and I have been to India to witness, at first hand, the Indian Premier League. Our admiration for what has been achieved is immense. It was, as the Indians say, a great tamasha. There was light, glitz, glamour and music. We must congratulate them on establishing a tournament which has the same scope and scale that can be compared to the Rugby World Cup", he told the members of the ECB, according to a media release. "Those who were in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai will talk of a great spectacle and a great show," he added.

Clarke also said that his trip to India has helped in "forging great personal relationships with our great friends from the BCCI". These relationships, according to Clarke, had allowed him to return home with a clear mandate for the Champions League. "I am personally delighted that the excellent relations we have with the BCCI and Cricket Australia have made this possible," he explained. Significantly ECB's response has come at a time when no top English player is playing in the IPL due to a clash with its own county cricket programme.

Emerging media launches cricket development program

Indian Premier League's Jaipur Franchise owners, Emerging Media, has launched Rajasthan Royals Cricket Development program to train young cricketers.

Darren Berry, the director of coaching in the Rajasthan Royals, told reporters that the Development Programme will have Shane Warne to guide the youngsters from time to time.

Along with Darren, Jermy Snape and Harish Joshi will look after the coaching. The local incharge will be Harish Joshi who will report to Warne.

The former Ranji cricketer and Assistant coach of the Rajasthan Royals said that the five players of the Royals Squad who could not make it to the top-15 and few others from Cricket Star prgroamme of the Emerging Media would be trained here.

"These players will be like a reserve pool for Royals and would fill in if required," said Harish.

IPL under fire in Rajya Sabha

The ongoing IPL cricket extravaganza today came under fire in the Rajya Sabha with the opposition dubbing it as a "gladiators' contest" of Roman times. The reference was made by Leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh during a discussion on the Finance Bill.

Singh said that while a huge amount of Rs 4,500 crore was being spent on the cricket extravaganza, this money could have been used to build a new cement factory for meeting shortages.

"This is not cricket. This is the greatest divide between the rich and the poor. With that kind of money, you could have built another cement factory," he said.

We'll follow IPL's decision on Shoaib's entry: Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders today made it clear that it will abide by the Indian Premier League's decision on whether or not to allow Shoaib Akhtar to play in the tournament after his five-year ban was upheld by the PCB's Appelate Tribunal.

"We just want to be very careful that we observe all the guidelines and codes of the IPL," said Joy Bhattacharjee, Marketing head of the Knight Riders.

"Obviously, when we bid for him it means that as a player we wanted him as a part of us but before we do anything, we have already seen that the IPL has taken very strong decisions regarding code of conduct, so firstly we have to leave everything to their hands to decide what is best for the League and then of course think of taking things forward," he said.

Bhattacharjee also said the IPL could review their stance on Shoaib only after they receive an official communication from the PCB on the issue. "It is a question of when the Pakistan Cricket Board gives a formal intimation to us, that is the question that the IPL is looking at and only after those hurdles are crossed definitely we will be happy to review how we can put a foot forward in playing Shoaib," he said.

The appellate tribunal of the PCB today rejected Shoaib's appeal to revoke the five-year ban on him and upheld the suspension but allowed him to play in the IPL.

IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi had earlier said that a banned played could not be a part of the IPL.

We are not against Shoaib earning his livelihood : PCB

Pakistan Cricket Board today made it clear that they allowed the banned speedster Shoaib Akhtar to play in the Indian Premier League because they did not want to prevent the bowler from earning his livelihood.

PCB's legal counsel Tafazzul Rizvi said it may have appeared strange that while the PCB was not reducing the five-year ban on Shoaib for indiscipline, it was ready to allow him to play anywhere else, but the Board did not want to stop him from earning his livelihood.

"As the council of the Board, I told the tribunal today that we have no issues with Shoaib playing outside Pakistan. The ban is only limited to playing in Pakistan. We don't want to end the livelihood of any player," he said.

Rizvi said the Board had shown unusual patience, tolerance and a big heart with Shoaib despite his repeated allegations against the Board, its Chairman and fellow players.

"If anyone asks us for clarification, we will make it clear that the order has been clarified by the appellate tribunal. The order was not clarified before today but now it has received clarification. The Board has not opposed the decision and by doing so we have shown open heartedness," he said.

Rizvi added that it was now up to the Indian Premier League whether they use Shoaib's services or not. "If he follows their rules, regulations in India to earn his livelihood, it all depends on IPL and Shoaib. All Boards follow ICC code of conduct and so will Shoaib.

"If (IPL Chairman and Commissioner) Lalit Modi asks us, we will clarify our position, stance. We have no objection," he said.

Rizvi stated that the tribunal had adjourned its proceedings until June as it is not possible for the individual members to meet daily.

Rizvi said Shoaib's lawyer had argued for the stay application and wanted the PCB to suspend the order indefinitely but had that been done, the appeal would have been negated. By law the interim relief can never be the main relief.

He said the public apology made by Shoaib was one of the factors that were included in the interim order.

"An apology is always used on a mitigating factor in reducing, lessening the final saga, the final, sentence," he said.

Shoaib Akhtar won't be playing in IPL : BCCI Sources

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board has cleared Shoaib Akhtar to play in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders, the controversial fast bowler still cannot play in the Twenty20 League as per the Cricket Board's recent decision.

"Unless he is cleared to play for Pakistan, he cannot play in the IPL. This was the decision taken by the special general body of the BCCI at Bangalore before the start of the Twenty20 event," informed the BCCI sources.

Akhtar's appeal against the five-year ban imposed by the PCB for indicipline was rejected by a three-member appeal tribunal which, however, said he was free to resume his career overseas.

Farrukh Aftab, chairman of the appeal tribunal, has said that the temperamental pacer can play in the IPL promoted by the BCCI but cannot play for Pakistan internationally or nationally.

Akhtar was bought for USD 425,000 (approx Rs 1.7 crore) by the Kolkata franchise team owned by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.

Bangalore RC is not a Test squad in T20 : Rahul Dravid

Bangalore Royal Challengers may have sunk to their fourth defeat in five matches but skipper Rahul Dravid vehemently dismissed suggestions of them being a Test side in Twenty20 jersey.

Talking to reporters after their 10-run defeat against Delhi Daredevils, Dravid refused to buy the theory that his presence, along with the likes of Wasim Jaffer and Jacques Kallis makes it look more like a Test squad than a Twenty20 outfit.

"I don't think so. Twenty20 fates are decided in an over or two. Luck, and rub of the green are factors here," said the former India captain. "And it's not that our team does not have youngsters. If there is any missing link, I think we lack that X-factor," he said.

According to Dravid, Delhi bowlers made all the difference in Wednesday’s match. "I think the difference (between the sides) were (Glenn) McGrath's wickets, both upfront and in the later stage. (Daniel) Vettori gave next to nothing in his four overs, and (V) Yomahesh bowled tight too.

"Twenty20 matches are decided in one-two overs and we needed two big overs, which we just didn't get. Chasing 10 per over, we were right on track but could not eventually make it," he rued.

Dravid also defended the ploy to open with Praveen Kumar, which fell flat on its face with the player falling in the first over itself. "Chasing 10 runs per over, we had to send our stroke-players upfront. Praveen was sent up with this idea. If he could score 15-20 quick runs, things could have changed. There was nothing wrong with the strategy," he said.

Asked why the side kept out Misbah-ul-Haq despite the Pakistani's expertise in this format of the game, Dravid said, "It was difficult fielding all the foreigners. We needed an all-rounder because our bowling was not strong, so (Jacques) Kallis played. Ross Taylor would leave now and Misbah will definitely get his chance."

Dravid is also banking on Anil Kumble's return to bolster the attack. "I hope things would improve when Anil returns. Our fifth bowlers are conceding 50-odd runs. If Anil concedes a little less, it would help the side," he added.

Pakistan board won't force IPL to let Shoaib play

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it will not wield its influence to get banned pacer Shoaib Akhtar back in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

When asked about the IPL's decision to keep Akhtar out despite being initially contracted with the Kolkata Knight Riders, PCB legal counsel Tafazzul Rizvi said the board didn't have any jurisdiction on the matter.

"Look it is on their discretion if they want him to play. We cannot force anybody. But the PCB has shown a big heart in allowing him to play in the IPL despite the five-year ban on him. If they ask us we will tell them he is not stopped from playing anywhere outside Pakistan," Rizvi said.

The three-member appellate tribunal headed by Justice (retd) Farrukh Aftab yesterday rejected an application from Akhtar's lawyers to stay the ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the board.

But the tribunal said it had no objection to Akhtar playing outside Pakistan till the proceedings of the tribunal resume on the appeal filed by the fast bowler against the ban in June.

"We can't force them (IPL) to get a player inducted in any squad. We know now very well how particularly they are about discipline. And if he (Shoaib) gets there, he would have to follow their disciplines," Rizvi said.

The Indian Cricket Board and the IPL have yet to officially announce if they will allow Shoaib to play in the league for the Kolkata Knight Riders team.

The IPL had last month stopped Shoaib from joining his team because of the ban imposed on him by the PCB from playing for or anywhere in Pakistan .

Rizvi added that Shoaib, in his appeal, had not asked the tribunal to allow him to play in the IPL.

IPL 19th Match Highlights : Deccan Hyderabad chargers Vs Kings 11 Punjab Highlights

IPL 18th Match Highlights : Rajasthan royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights

IPL 19th Match : Deccan Hyderabad chargers Vs Kings 11 Punjab, match preview - Live ipl scores

Buoyant after registering their first win of the tournament, the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers take on Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League today with both the sides depleted due to the exit of their Australian imports.

The Chargers notched their first win in the tournament against Mumbai Indians on April 27 after losing three consecutive matches against Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals.

Captain VVS Laxman would be under considerable pressure to score on his gome turf. His highest score in the series so far has been 37.

The team will miss the services of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who has left for home to join his team for a training camp ahead of the tour of the West Indies. South African opener Herschelle Gibbs is likely to replace him.

In the absence of Symonds, retired Aussie star Adam Gilchrist, Laxman, Pakistani swashbuckler Shahid Afridi and Gibbs will shoulder the responsibility of making big scores for the team.

Gilchrist hit a scintillating century in the match against Mumbai Indians and the team banks heavily on him. Though Afridi is the highest wicket taker for the team so far, his batting has remained lackluster. Afridi's highest score in the series has been 10.

The Kings XI Punjab, meanwhile, has won two of the four matches it has played so far and looks strong with Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh, Simon Katich and James Hopes doing well with the bat. Irfan Pathan is the highest wicket-taker for the team but Brett Lee's departure will add to the pressure on Pathan and new-ball bowler S Sreesanth.

The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium is ideal for batting and the team chasing a target is expected to have an edge. PTI

Deccan Chargers probable Team: Adam Gilchrist (wk), VVS Laxman (capt),Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma, Shahid Afridi, Sanjay Bangar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, D Kalyankrishna.

Punjab probable Team: Kumar Sangakkara (wk), James Hopes, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Yuvraj Singh (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tanmay Srivastava, Irfan Pathan, Ajitesh Argal, Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth, VRV Singh.

IPL 18th Match : Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight riders match preview, live ipl score

The pink city of Jaipur is all set to witness a battle of wits between Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly when the Rajasthan Royals meet the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL tie at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Thursday.

The Rajasthan Royals, tagged underdogs before the start of the meet, are on a roll. Coach-cum-captain Shane Warne has turned the team into a well-knit side. “We are waiting for our fourth straight victory on Thursday,” Warne said. Though Warne refused to name his final eleven, Dmitri Mascarenhas, the only English cricketer in the IPL, is expected to replace Sohail Tanvir.

Warne has transformed his team from underdogs to frontrunners and hopes to continue the winning streak against the Knight Riders who have performed well below expectations in their losses to Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians.

There’s no doubt Sourav and Warne will hold the key to any excitement this match could generate. They will need to come good in their respective departments to make an impact.

With little time in hand to get used to scorching heat and ground conditions, the visitors may find the going tough in a day match. They are also hit by the loss of overseas players like New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who are leaving for their national assignments.

The form of Knight Riders' skipper Sourav Ganguly has also been a worrying factor and he has failed to make any impression so far. West Indian Chris Gayle apparently has also not recovered from his injury. The Knight Riders, however, will be strengthened by the inclusion of Salman Butt and Brad Hodge, their two new foreign recruits. PTI

Rajasthan probable Team: Graeme Smith, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson, Mohammad Kaif, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Salunkhe, Shane Warne (capt), Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel.

Kolkata probable Team: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Salman Butt, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Mohammad Hafeez, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda.

Bangalore Ipl team needs to Fight Back Before It’s Too Late

Bangalore Royal Challengers are eyeing on putting pressure on the opposition right from the beginning next match on. Rahul Dravid, the skipper who himself is not among runs says that they need to go for the kill from the very beginning. They will take on the Delhi Daredevils this evening and must win this game if they want to stay alive in the tournament.

A few overs decided the Bangalore match: M S Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings continued their winning streak by registering their fourth straight win in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL). However, their last victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers was a close finish according to their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"We held on to our nerves and it was a close finish. When we were batting, the ball was swinging till the 15th-16th over. Michael Hussey started to slog and I joined him. That was how we scored a competitive total of 178," Dhoni was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.

Commenting on his team's bowling attack, he said that the bowlers did not utilize the ball to optimize the swing till the 15th over.

"We started shining the ball from the 15th over onwards, that was an important factor in our win," he said.

Bangalore's Wasim Jaffer and Ross Taylor did a good job at chasing down the target in the first 15 overs. However, the hosts could not complete the task since they lost last seven wickets very quickly.

From hereon, the Chennai team will have to fill in for some of its outstanding players since this was the last match for Australians Mathew Hayden and Michael Hussey as well as New Zealander Jacob Oram in the first edition of the tournament. All three of them will leave for national commitments this week.

On their absence for future matches, Dhoni said that the team still has the options of utilizing the services of Stephen Fleming, Albie Morkel and Makhaya Ntini.

He was happy about the performances delivered by the bowlers considering the fact that their bowling combination is considered weak among the other teams in the IPL.

The Indian ODI captain lauded medium pacer Manpreet Gony who claimed three important wickets in the game comprising of opener Bharat Chipli, Protean Mark Boucher and opposition skipper Rahul Dravid.

"His strength is that he bowls in the right areas and waits for the batsman to take the risk." Dhoni said on Gony's performances.

In their next match, Chennai Super Kings will host Delhi Daredevils on May 2 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

I hope to play even better in the coming year: Ross Taylor

The Bangalore Royal Challengers are the second most expensive team in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) team auctions but their current showings in the tournament wouldn't impress themselves, leave alone others. In such times of disappintment, the only ray of hope has been explosive Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor.

Taylor has been his team's highest scorer thus far and the fact that he is leaving for national duty soon is helping matters. "I'm here only for a few games, trying to make most of the time here before leaving for England," says the attacking Kiwi.

For a person who has been to India for the first time, we wonder how this experience has been. "Yeah, it's the first time I've played in India. The excitement created by the IPL is great. I hope to come back next year and play even better for Bangalore."

Bangalore is going to lose a few players and gain a few owing to international commitments. Dale Steyn and Misbah-ul-Haq are joining the team. What does Ross think about the future Royal Challengers?

"We haven't played as well as we would've liked but Dale and Misbah are world class players. I'm sure that in time they'll go on to show their worth. We've got some more talented players who need some time to get in to the game and I'm sure they'll do well in the coming 10 or so games."

In the two substantially entertaining knocks that he has played, Taylor has ensured that the crowds get their money's worth. Against the Rajasthan Royals, he scored 44 runs off just 20 balls and 42 of those came off hits to the fence. Off the three sixes that he had hit then, one was a shot similar to that of compatriot Brendon McCullum's in the first match. An intended heave over mid-wicket off Sohail Tanvir's bowling took the edge and went over the third man boundary for six!

In the following match, Taylor's knock of 53 runs off 34 balls took the Royal Challengers to the brink of victory, only for the following batsmen to make a mess of the rest of the chase. Hence, it is very clear that this team jokingly called a Test match team in T20 outfits, will certainly miss the services of a naturally attacking batsman who has made significant contribution in the team's exploits so far.

The bangalore game was a tough one for us: Kepper Wessels

Kepler Wessels, coach of Chennai Super Kings, must be surely pleased with the current form of his team. After all, Team Chennai top the points table with eight points.

The tie against Bangalore Royal Challengers was a nerve-racking one for both the sides but finally the MS Dhoni-led Super Kings team was the eventual winner.

Wessels was "absolutely delighted" about his team's performance.

"It was a very tough game for us. We were sort of behind all the way through until the end. It was great to see how our players came through," he told one of our reporters.

He asserted that they were expecting an onslaught from Bangalore's bowling attack.

Commenting on the contributions by Dhoni and Michael Hussey, he said that their innings was the turning point of the game giving them a chance to capitalize.

On his team's winning streak, he said that they will try and give their best in every game of the tournament. "We can plan and execute well", he said.

He expressed that the Twenty20 extravaganza of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) was indeed an "awesome experience."

In a pre-match conference before their fourth win over the Bangalore team, the coach appreciated the bowlers' performances and informed that it is an area they have been working upon and improving constantly. He also said that the presence of South African Albie Morkel will boost the team.

When quizzed about the nonstop schedule of the IPL tasking players' fitness, he said, "It is tiring flying and travelling. We are very conscious of that. But our sports staff, fitness trainer and physiotherapist are good at managing the players on this front. We ensure that we get enough work done in between and also give the players enough rest."

He also indicated that Stephen Fleming will soon be a part of the playing XI as Mathew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram will not be available any more.

"We'll miss Hayden but we have some other good players coming in." he said when asked about how the team would cope up in the batsman's absence.

Ntini keen to play his first IPL game

Teams in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) are gearing up for the replacements they will have to make soon as a majority of the Australians and New Zealanders leave the tournament this week for national duties.

In the case of Chennai Super Kings, South African all-rounder Albie Morkel and pacer Makhaya Ntini have already arrived. While Morkel played in the last match against Bangalore, Ntini is expected to wait a little longer.

The Protean has no issues gelling with his Chennai teammates since he can "find his way in and out" comfortably.

Commenting on the bowling line-up of the Super Kings which was considered weaker in the initials legs of the tournament by many, the fast bowler hopes that the availability of his skills should make skipper MS Dhoni happier. He considers that with his and Morkel's presence, the bowling combination can be different.

He thinks that the bowlers in the team should "pull up their socks" and make things easier for the captain.

On the bowlers' role in the compressed format of the game, he said, "As bowlers, we should enjoy whatever we do in a Twenty20 (game). As bowlers, we have to make sure that we do our job and then the batsmen can take it through for us."

Expressing excitement about the Twenty20 extravaganza, he said he cannot wait any longer to play his first game in the league.

"It's one of the things we're here (for)... to get in and try to make yourself available... making sure where you can fit in the team and make a difference to your team," he added.

Time for Evaluation for Kolkata knight riders

It was a shock for the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, as they lost to a determined performance from the Mumbai Indians. For the visitors, it was their 1st win of the IPL. For the hosts, it is time to evaluate their options for the next few matches as Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, and David Hussey will soon leave for their respective countries. Sourav Ganguly and John Buchanan will have to draw from all their vast experience to turn the momentum back in their favor.

It's Disappointing to not win in Bangalore: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid has long been known to be one of the few genuine gentlemen that the game has produced. And being one, he knows well to acknowledge a good performance even if it has come against his own team.

"Dhoni played some great shots; not much you can do if you're being hit but we could've bowled better on one side of the wicket and restricted the bad balls. He played well and you've got to give him credit for that. He finished off the innings well with Hussey. The way we bowled and fielded, we shouldn't have been chasing more than 155 or 160," said Dravid after his side lost to Chennai Super Kings.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers are lying in the lower half of the table and one does wonder how the confidence is in the side.

"It doesn't feel nice to lose but at least we were in contention today. This was the kind of game we thought we should've won. But from now on, we have to keep improving, correct our mistakes and move forward. We can't afford too many mistakes now," the Royal Challengers' skipper said.

Since the inception of the T20 format, few stars have risen and tasted fame like Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has. With his international commitments being over, he was expected to play in the crucial clash against Chennai.

Dravid said, "It's tough to play too many foreign players because of the rule that allows teams to play only 4 of them per match. We've got many quality international players in our side but we can't fit them all in. We went in with what we thought was the best combination and I thought we got it right, just that we didn't finish the game well."

Dhoni's Super Kings have managed to astonishingly win all four of their encounters and one may attribute that to the skipper's tactical brilliance. The former Indian captain said, "I think they are playing some superb cricket, especially in the closing stages of the game. Against Mumbai they came pretty close, then against us. They looked like they were struggling at one point of time but they held their nerve. They've been able to finish close games and take it away from the opposition."

Bangalore is said to have passionate sports buffs and one has to admit that the support showered on the Royal Challengers is overwhelming. Dravid agrees, stating, "It's been a bit of a disappointment that this team hadn't been playing well in Bangalore. The crowd support has been fantastic with lots of people coming out to watch us. It was a good cricket match today. We weren't in contention in the previous two games but today we were very much in contention. Some good cricket was played by both sides, just that we ended up second best."

His personal form hasn't been up to his own high standards and experts may blame it on the format that doesn't suit his game. Knowing him to be the team man that he is, Dravid's supporters will know that he is more anxious about his team doing well than his own personal tally of runs.

IPL 17th Match Highlights : Delhi Daredevils Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers Highlights