Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Mumbai Indians Players (DLF IPL 2010)

BORN: 24 Apr 1973, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

TEAMS: MI

BATS: RIGHT-HANDED

BOWLS: RIGHT-ARM OFF/LEG SPIN

No one has ever captured the imagination of the cricket-watching public like Sachin Tendulkar has over the past two decades. His dedication and commitment towards the game remain unparalleled, and Tendulkar is certain to have almost all batting records against his name by the time he hangs up his boots. Success in the 20 over format seems to have eluded the Little Champion, both at the international level and in the IPL.

Though retired from International Twenty20, the master continues to play in the IPL with the hope of finding glory in the game's newest format. After two disappointing finishes in the IPL he didn't play for most part of the inaugural season because of injury and his team finished second last in the second season Tendulkar will be giving his all to guide the Mumbai Indians towards title glory.

ODI career of Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Indian Cricketers

The Indian team in the 2000s saw the use of Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper to ensure that the wicket-keeper spot didn't lack in batting talent. The Indian cricket establishment also saw the entry of wicket-keeper/batsmen from the junior ranks with talents like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik – both India U-19 Captains in the test squads. With Dhoni making a mark in the India-A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in 2004/05. Dhoni did not have a great start to his ODI career, getting run out for a duck on debut. In spite of an average series against Bangladesh, Dhoni was picked for the Pakistan ODI series. In the second match of the series, Dhoni in his fifth one-day international, scored 148 in Vishakapatnam off only 123 deliveries. Dhoni's 148 erased the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper, a record that he would re-write before the end of the year.

Dhoni had few batting opportunities in the first two games of the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (October–November 2005) and was promoted to No. 3 in the third ODI at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). Sri Lanka had set India a target of 299 after a Kumar Sangakkara century and in reply, India lost Tendulkar early. Dhoni was promoted to accelerate the scoring and ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India – an innings described in Wisden Almanack (2006) as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'. The innings set various records including the highest score in ODI cricket in the second innings, a record that still stands. Dhoni ended the series with the highest run aggregate (346) and was awarded the Man of the series award for his efforts. In December 2005, Dhoni was signed by BCCI to a B-grade contract, skipping the initial C-grade level due to his performance on the cricketing field.

India scored 328 in 50 overs with Dhoni contributing 68 in their first match of 2006 against Pakistan. However the team finished poorly, scoring just 43 runs in the last eight overs and lost the match due to Duckworth-Lewis method. In the third match of the series, Dhoni came in with India in a precarious situation and scored 72 runs off just 46 balls that included 13 boundaries to help India take a 2–1 lead in the series. The final match of the series had a repeat performance as Dhoni scored 77 runs off 56 balls to enable India win the series 4–1. In recognition of his consistent ODI performances, Dhoni overtook Ricky Ponting as number one in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen on 20 April 2006. His reign lasted just a week as Adam Gilchrist's performance against Bangladesh moved him to the top spot.

Two canceled series in Sri Lanka, one due to the withdrawal of South Africa from the Unitech Cup due to security concerns and the replacement 3-match ODI bilateral series against Sri Lanka washed due to rain,was India's prelude to another disappointing tournament – DLF Cup 2006-07. Dhoni scored 43 runs as the team lost twice in three games and did not qualify for the finals. India's lack of preparation showed in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy as they lost to West Indies and Australia, though Dhoni scored a half-century against West Indies. The story of the ODI series in South Africa was the same for both Dhoni and India as Dhoni scored 139 runs in 4 matches and India lost the series 4–0. From the start of the WI ODI series, Dhoni had played 16 matches, hit just two fifties and averaged 25.93. Dhoni received criticism on his wicket keeping technique from former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani.

Preparations for the 2007 Cricket World Cup improved as India recorded identical 3–1 victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka and Dhoni had averages in excess of 100 in both these series. However, India unexpectedly crashed out the World Cup after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dhoni was out for a duck in both these matches and scored 29 runs in the tournament. After the loss to Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by political activists of JMM. The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.

Dhoni put behind his disappointment in the World cup by scoring 91* against Bangladesh after India were left in a tight spot earlier in the run-chase. Dhoni was declared the man of the match for his performance, his fourth in ODI cricket. He was also later adjudged the man of the series after the third game of the series was washed away. Dhoni had a good Afro-Asia Cup, getting 174 runs in 3 matches at an average of 87.00, with a blitzkrieg 139 not out of 97 balls, a Man Of The Match innings, in the 3rd ODI.

Dhoni was nominated as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the series against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent India-England 7-match ODI series. Dhoni, who received a 'B' grade contract in December 2005, was awarded an 'A' grade contract in June 2007. And also he was elected as captain of Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Team for the World Twenty20 in September 2007. On 2 September 2007 Mahendra Singh Dhoni equalled his idol Adam Gilchrist's international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by catching 5 English players and stumping one. He led India to the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in South Africa with a victory over arch rivals Pakistan in an intensely fought final on 24 September 2007, and became the second Indian captain to have won a World cup in any form of cricket, after Kapil Dev. Dhoni took his first wicket and ODI wicket on 30 September 2009. He bowled Travis Dowlin from the West Indies. During the series between India and Australia, Dhoni hit an aggressive 124 runs in just 107 balls, in the second ODI, and a measured knock of 71 runs in 95 balls, along with Yuvraj Singh, saw India home by 6 wickets, in the third ODI.

Dhoni topped the ICC ODI Batsman rankings for several months continuously in 2009, it was Hussy from Australia who replaced him for the top spot in the beginning of 2010.

Dhoni had an excellent year in ODIs in 2009 scoring 1198 runs in just 24 innings at an astonishing average of 70.43. Dhoni was also the joint top-scorer in ODIs in 2009 along with Ricky Ponting, but the latter having played in 30 innings.

Domestic career of Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Indian Cricketers

Junior cricket

Dhoni was included in the Bihar U-19 squad for the 1998/99 season and scored 176 runs in 5 matches (7 innings) as the team finished fourth in the group of six and did not make it to the quarter finals. Dhoni was not picked for the East Zone U-19 squad (CK Nayudu Trophy) and Rest of India squad (MA Chidambaram Trophy and Vinoo Mankad Trophy). Bihar U-19 cricket team advanced to the finals of the 1999–2000 Cooch Behar Trophy where Dhoni made 84 to help Bihar post a total of 357. Bihar's efforts were dwarfed by Punjab U-19's 839 with Dhoni's future national squad teammate Yuvraj Singh making 358.[8] Dhoni's contribution for the tournament included 488 runs (9 matches, 12 innings), 5 fifties, 17 catches and 7 stumpings. MS Dhoni made it to the East Zone U-19 squad for the CK Nayudu trophy but scored only 97 runs in four matches as East Zone lost all four matches and finished last in the tournament.

Bihar team

Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in the 1999–2000 season as an eighteen year old. He made a half century in his debut match scoring 68* in the second innings against Assam cricket team. Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century against Bengal in the 2000/01 season in a losing cause. Apart from the century, his performance in the 2000/01 did not include another score over fifty and in 2001/02 season he scored just five fifty in each season in four Ranji matches. Dhoni's performance for the 2002/03 season in the Ranji Trophy included three half centuries in the Ranji Trophy and a couple of half-centuries in the Deodhar Trophy competition as he started winning recognition for his lower-order run contribution as well as hard hitting batting style.

In the 2003/04 season, Dhoni scored a century (128*) against Assam in the first match of the Ranji ODI trophy. He was part of the East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy for the year and contributed with 244 runs in 4 matches. In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni was picked over International cricketer Deep Dasgupta to represent East zone. He scored a fighting half century in the second innings in a losing cause.

India A team

He was recognized for his efforts in the 2003/04 season, especially in the ODI format and was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. Against the Zimbabwe XI in Harare Sports Club, Dhoni had his best wicket-keeping effort with 7 catches and 4 stumpings in the match. In the tri-nation tournament involving Kenya, India 'A' and Pakistan 'A', Dhoni helped India 'A' chase their target of 223 against Pakistan 'A' with a half-century. Stressing on his performance, he scored back to back centuries – 120 and 119* against the same squad. Dhoni scored 362 runs in 7 matches (6 innings, Ave:72.40), and his performance in the series received attention from the then captain – Sourav Ganguly and Ravi Shastri amongst others. However, the India 'A' team coach Sandeep Patil recommended Karthik for a place in the Indian squad as wicket-keeper/batsman.

Indian Premier League

M.S.Dhoni was contracted by the Chennai Super Kings for 1.5 Million USD. This made him the most expensive player in the IPL for the first season Auctions which was closely followed by Andrew Symonds. Dhoni is the present captain of the Chennai Super Kings team.

Playing style of Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Indian Cricketers

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON.

Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra. Dhoni had long hair which he has now shortened; he cut it because he wanted to look like his favourite film star John Abraham.He likes Bikes A Hummer to add to the four cars and 23 high-speed motorcycles already parked in his garage in Ranchi.He endorsing 15 brands form cloths to cold Drinks .And He is one of the highest income tax paid in last year Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali,(now the school is known as JVM , Shyamli,Ranchi) Ranchi,Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports.Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach.

Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard.

Personal life of Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Indian Cricketers

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi.[2] His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra.

Dhoni had long hair which he has now shortened; he cut it because he wanted to look like his favourite film star John Abraham.He likes Bikes A Hummer to add to the four cars and 23 high-speed motorcycles already parked in his garage in Ranchi.He endorsing 15 brands form cloths to cold Drinks .And He is one of the highest income tax paid in last year Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali,(now the school is known as JVM , Shyamli,Ranchi) Ranchi,Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports.Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach.

Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard.

Who is Mahendra Singh Dhoni ? - Indian Cricketers

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, born 7 July 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar now in Jharkhand is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian team. Initially recognized as an extravagantly flamboyant and destructive batsman, Dhoni has come to be regarded as one of the coolest heads to captain the Indian ODI side. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007–08 and the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 in which they beat Australia 2–0.

He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game and also led the team to their first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Dhoni also led team India to number one position in ICC rankings in test cricket for the first time. Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009. As of January 2010, Dhoni is the highest ranked ODI batsman on the ICC Rankings List.

Dhoni was named as captain of Wisden's first-ever Dream Test XI Team in 2009 and has topped the list of world’s top 10 earning cricketers compiled by Forbes.[1]. He was named as the captain of ICC World Test and ICC ODI teams for 2009.

Twenty20 career of Yuvraj Singh - Indian Cricketer

On 19 September 2007 against England in the ICC World Twenty20 Super 8 match held at Kingsmead in Durban, he hit 6 sixes off one Stuart Broad's over. This helped him to reach the fastest fifty ever in Twenty20 game, off just 12 balls and also the fastest in any form of international cricket.

This was the fourth time that six sixes had been hit in one over in senior cricket, the first time in Twenty20 cricket, and the first time in any form of international cricket against a bowler from a test playing nation. (Garfield Sobers and Ravi Shastri did it in first class matches, and Herschelle Gibbs did it in a 2007 Cricket World Cup match against Dutch bowler Daan van Bunge.) He has also hit the longest six of the tournament:119 meters off of Australian bowler Brett Lee and currently is the world's leading 20-20 batsman in terms of strike rate.Yuvraj was awarded a Porsche 911 car for his 6 sixes achievement by the Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Lalit Modi. Yuvraj also received Rs.10,000,000 (US$252,716) in cash from the BCCI for his splendid performance in the tournament.

Yuvraj also scored 70 runs off 30 balls and went on to claim the Man of the Match against Australia in the World Twenty20 semifinals at Durban.

He is the icon player and captain for Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab. They came second in the round robin phase of the tournament, but lost their semi-final to the Chennai Super Kings. On 1 May 2009, Yuvraj picked up his first hat-trick in T20 cricket against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead in Durban, the same ground where he hit his six sixes. He dismissed Robin Uthappa, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis. On 17 May 2009, Yuvraj picked up his second Twenty20 hat-trick against Deccan Chargers at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Yuvraj dismissed Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Venugopal Rao.

Test career of Yuvraj Singh - Indian Cricketers

Yuvraj made his Test debut against New Zealand in Mohali in late 2003 in front of his home crowd in Punjab due to the absence of regular captain Sourav Ganguly in the No. 6 position.He was omitted upon Ganguly's return but got another opportunity in the Test team in the 2004 Tour to Pakistan, when Ganguly was again injured. He scored his first Test century in a losing effort against Pakistan in the second Test at Lahore.

When Ganguly returned for the third Test, Akash Chopra was dropped and it appeared that the Indian selectors wanted to give him a regular place in the team. He was subsequently played as Virender Sehwag's opening partner, but after two poor matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, he was dropped in favour of Gautam Gambhir.

He was recalled to the Test team, batting in the No. 6 position for the away series against Zimbabwe in August 2005 after Sachin Tendulkar was sidelined with tennis elbow. He then retained his position in the Test team after Ganguly was axed following a row with coach Greg Chappell. He scored a second Test century in the third and final Test in Pakistan in the series in January 2006, which India again lost. However, Yuvraj has struggled subsequently in 2006, failing to pass 50 in six Tests against England (two, both at home) and the West Indies (four, all away from home). His injury in late 2006 allowed the return of former captain Ganguly to the team, who subsequently top-scored in the series.

Yuvraj was included in India's Test squad to face Pakistan in November 2007, but was not included in the playing 11 for the first test. Yuvraj was picked in the 3rd Test due to an injured Sachin Tendulkar. India were 61/4 before he and Sourav Ganguly made a 300 run partnership with Yuvraj recording his highest Test score of 169.

He had a very poor Test series against Australia in Indian tour to that country in 2007–08. After his poor showing in the first two Tests he was dropped for the remainder of the series.

Yuvraj scored 85* put on an unbroken partnership of 163 with Sachin Tendulkar to defeat England in the First Test at Chennai on 15 December 2008. It was the fourth highest successful run chase in history and the highest in India.

ODI career of Yuvraj Singh - Indian Cricketer

Early career

Yuvraj first came to attention when he captained the U-19 Punjab cricket team in the final of the Cooch-Behar Trophy against Bihar U-19s, in which he scored 358. He then gained selection for the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000, where he was part of a team lead by Mohammed Kaif which won the tournament. Yuvraj was subsequently selected in 2000 for the first intake of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

ODI career

Yuvraj made his One Day International debut against Kenya at Nairobi in 2000, at the ICC KnockOut Trophy. He showed his potential in his second ODI which was against the Australians where he scored a quickfire 84 off 82 balls against a quality pace attack consisting of bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. However, after a lean run of form, he was dropped for the one-dayers against Australia in India in early 2001, but returned later in the year and helped India to victory in a match in Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 98.

One of his most memorable innings was a partnership with Mohammad Kaif in the NatWest Series final against England in July 2002 which led India to victory.[9] He was selected and represented India at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. He scored his first century in his fourth season with the Indian team against Bangladesh in 2003.

After that he also scored hundreds against Zimbabwe and Australia, including a 139 off 119 balls at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In the Indian Oil Cup 2005, he made 110 (off 114 balls) (his third century) and an important partnership worth 165 runs with Mohammad Kaif, to become the man of the match against West Indies in the last match of the round robin league.

After reaching his century, he attracted attention by angry gesticulations to the Indian dressing room, which was postulated to be due to his clashes with team management - Greg Chappell had been appointed as the new Indian coach and he had criticised Yuvraj. He later praised Chappell's techniques.

Yuvraj had a good run of form late in 2005 and early in 2006, in the ODI format of the game. He was named as the man of the series in three consecutive series, against South Africa (joint with Graeme Smith), and then against Pakistan and England, in which he scored three centuries and four half-centuries in fifteen matches, which propelled him into the top ten of the ICC ODI batting rankings. During the Pakistan tour, at times when captain and vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag were absent, Yuvraj was the on-field captain, indicating that he may be seen as a potential captain. In the next series in the West Indies, Yuvraj hit two fifties in four games, even though India lost the series 4-1. His performance was recognised with his shortlisting by the ICC as one of four nominees for the Internation One Day player of the year award.

Yuvraj missed the first game in the series after that, the tri-series against Australia and West Indies in Kuala Lumpur, due to illness and after failing to reach double figures in the following two games, was axed for Mohammed Kaif in the last group match. He showed signs of returning to form in the Champions Trophy, hitting a restrained unbeaten 27 to guide India to victory against England in the opening game after he was recalled in place of Kaif, but a knee injury forced him out of the final group match. He subsequently missed the tour of South Africa and was in doubt for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, but made a faster than expected recovery to play in the ODI series against the West Indies in India in January 2007. He struck a fluent 95* from 83 balls in India's final match against Sri Lanka before heading to the World Cup.

At the World Cup, Yuvraj only managed one fifty against a lowly Bermuda and along with rest of the squad, was criticized for India's first-round exit. Nevertheless, Yuvraj kept his place in the side for the tours of Bangladesh and Ireland in 2007.

In September 2007, he was named as the ODI vice captain of Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the resignation of Rahul Dravid. He then scored 121 in a losing cause during India's One-day International series defeat at the hands of Australia before enjoying a return to form as India beat Pakistan 3-2 on home soil in November 2007 and he was named Man of the series. In the five matches, he scored four half-centuries, although he was fined after showing dissent in the final match in Jaipur.

In November 2008, he hit 138* from 78 balls against England at Rajkot, taking 64 balls to reach his century, which at the time was the second fastest by an Indian in ODIs, after Mohammad Azharuddin's century in 1988 against New Zealand came off 62 balls. After reaching 50 from 42 balls, he added a further 88 in the next 36 balls. He did so despite straining his back, which necessitated the use of Gautam Gambhir as a runner. This was followed by 118 from 122 balls and a 4/28—all his wickets being specialist batsmen—in the next match in Indore, earning him two consecutive man of the match awards.

Yuvraj Singh - Indian Cricketer

Yuvraj Singh, born 12 December 1981 in a Jat family from Chandigarh, India is a cricketer from India, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh.

He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 (ODIs) and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008.

At the 2007 World Twenty20 he hit six sixes in an over against England's Stuart Broad - a feat only performed three times previously in any form of senior cricket, and never previously in an international match between two Test cricket nations.

The IPL is set to unveil its two new franchises in Chennai

Two new owners for two new city teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket will emerge from a list of 14 probables on Sunday when the BCCI announces the names of the successful bidders. Stiff competition between the buyers however could make their deal over-priced with some experts pegging the winning bid at around $400 million, as against the base price of $225 million.

During the tender process held earlier this month, Videocon Industries and Adani Group are believed to have put in bids of around $250-275 million each. However, these bids were cancelled after the IPL governing council decided to call for a re-tender.

“It does not make sense to buy a franchise for more than $300 million because that’s financially unviavle. However, the competition among the bidders may push the acquisition cost up,” said Hiren Pandit, managing partner at GroupM, a leading globl media investment management firm.

The city franchises up for bids include Nagpur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Dharamshala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior and Visakhapatnam. Two cities which recieve the highest bids will emerge as the two new IPL teams that will participate in the league from the fourth season onwards.

Several interested parties had raised concerns over the pre-condition of bidders having a networth of $1 billion and producing advance bank guarantee of $100 million. Under the new tender process, the bidders are expected to pay a $10 million guarantee before the tender documents are opened. The winning bidders then pay 10% of their bid amount within 48 hours.

Sources close to the development said that the real competition is between Videocon group promoter Venugopal Dhoot in consortium with Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor who are is vying for the Pune franchise, Gautam Adani for Ahmedabad, filmmaker Priyadarshan along with Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan for a Kerela team and Sahara Group and Dainik Jagran, Jaypee Group and a consortium led by City Corporation’s Anirudh Despande for Pune.

Fourteen potential franchise owners are said to have bought the Rs 5 lakh tender document which have to be submitted by 10 am on Sunday, in Chennai. Following this, the IPL governing council will announce the winners.

Holder Deccan Chargers pulled off a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils

Holder Deccan Chargers pulled off a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils at the Barabati stadium here on Sunday night for its third straight win and moved to the second position on the points table of the IPL III.

Deccan Chargers had choked in the final stage of the match in the last season against the same rival but this time it was the Daredevils' turn to fumble after a fine start provided by David Warner (57, 33b, 3x4, 4x6) in a punishing innings.

AB de Villiers looked like taking charge before he fell to the guile of leg-break bowler Rahul Sharma.

Karthik (46, 27b, 4x4, 2x6) stepped up his attack but his men failed to keep the other end intact.

Andrew Symonds held a fine return catch to end the Delhi Daredevils captain's innings and removed Amit Mishra in the same over to effectively finish the DD innings.

Delhi lost to Deccan after winning the last four matches of the IPL played between the two so far. This is its third straight loss in five games.

Both teams made three changes each and the youngsters brought in did their duty well.

Rohit Sharma came good and with T. Suman lifted the Deccan Chargers to a respectable total through a 60-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Suman had some big hits as the innings was coming to an end. Though the run rate was not high in the last two overs, the total finally saw the team through in an important match.

Andrew Symonds was adjudged Man of the Match for his all-round effort (35 and three wickets).

The scores: Deccan Chargers: M. Mishra b A. Mishra 1 ( 4b), A. Gilchrist c Karthik b Ladda 24 ( 14b, 4x4, 1x6), H. Gibbs c Henriques b Nagar 31 ( 26b, 2x4, 2x6), A. Symonds c de Villiers b Henriques 35 ( 24b, 3x4, 2x6), Rohit c de Villiers b Nannes 45 ( 30b, 3x4, 3x6), T. Suman (not out) 29 ( 19b, 3x4, 1x6), Y. Venugopala Rao (run out) 1 ( 2b), C. Vaas (not out) 3 ( 3b); Extras (lb-1, nb-1): 2; Total (for six wickets in 20 overs): 171.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-44, 3-72, 4-103, 5-163, 6-168.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: A. Mishra 3-0-12-1, Nannes 4-0-39-1, Nagar 3-0-28-1, Ladda 2-0-20-1, U. Yadav 4-0-36-0, Henriques 4-0-35-1.

Delhi Daredevils: D. Warner (run out) 57 ( 33b, 4x4, 4x6), V. Sehwag c Gibbs b P. Ojha 3 ( 7b), AB de Villiers b Rahul 27 ( 26b, 2x4), D. Karthik c and b Symonds 46 ( 27b, 4x4, 4x6), M. Manhas c Suman b Rahul 8 ( 8b), M. Henriques c R.P. Singh b Symonds 11 ( 5b, 2x4), Y. Nagar b Vaas 1 ( 6b), A. Mishra c Gilchrist bt Symonds 0 ( 1b), U. Yadav (not out) 3 ( 4b), S. Ladda (run out) 0 ( 1b), D. Nannes (not out) 1 ( 2b); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-1): 4; Total (for nine wickets in 20 overs): 161.

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-85, 3-98, 4-112, 5-132, 6-156, 7-156, 8-158, 9-158.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vaas 4-0-21-0, R.P. Singh 3-0-31-0, P. Ojha 4-0-36-1, Rohit 1-0-7-0, Rahul 4-0-42-2, Symonds 4-0-21-3 .

Yuvraj Singh reverse swept Muttiah Muralitharan to give the visitors their first win in IPL III

The match of the tournament so far produced terrific twists and turns, then a tie and finally a Super Over, until Kings XI Punjab, almost no-hopers at one stage, pulled it off having to chase 10 runs in 6 balls against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Yuvraj Singh, who had found some form earlier, played an audacious reverse sweep off the fourth ball of Murali's Super Over to bring up the winning runs after Mahela Jayawardene had hit a six off the first ball.

This was after Chennai had managed 9 off their 6-ball eliminator, with Hayden dismissed off the second ball from Juan Theron.

The Punjab outfit would have been relieved to notch up their first win of IPL 3, and Chennai will be cursing themselves for having let slip a match they were in total control of at one stage. They were chasing a modest 137 and seemed well on course.

Delhi Daredevils bulldozed its way to victory with ample to spare

Virender Sehwag's heavyweight display fashioned Delhi Daredevils' triumphant march against a completely out of sorts Rajasthan Royals in the DLF-IPL III league match here on Monday. Set a target of 142 at a fraction higher than seven an over, the Daredevils bulldozed its way to victory with ample to spare.

Dimitri Mascarenhas's double strike that ejected Gautam Gambhir and T. Dilshan off successive balls did not deter the rampaging Sehwag from scoring 75 of the 99 runs that Delhi Daredevils tallied by the last ball of the 10th over.

Sehwag struck 13 big blows (eight 4s and five 6s); sufficient to guide his team to its second successive win of the tournament.

Pathan's failure

Sehwag's pyrotechnical display proved to be adequate compensation for Yusuf Pathan's failure with the bat. The game of cricket in any form can be at times very cruel. Though not every seat at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium was occupied, Motera was ready to witness another explosive knock from Pathan.

The rage of the competition because of his 37-ball century against Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium, the Baroda dynamite did not open his account. He faced five balls — one from leg-spinner Amit Mishra and four from Farveez Maharoof — and departed slogging Maharoof to A.B. de Villiers wide of long-on.

Pathan's dismissal in the last over of the power play altogether choked the supply of runs for Rajasthan Royals.

Eventually Royals was bailed out by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala's conventional approach. His last-ball boundary took him to 53 off 45 balls with five fours and one six. Himachal Pradesh's Paras Dogra promised much but fell at 29.

Aggressive intent

Openers Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith showed aggressive intent whipping up the big shots against Maharoof. Once Asnodkar and Naman Ojha fell, the Royals needed a big undertaking from either Smith or Pathan.

Daredevils leg-spinner Sarabjeet Ladda making a fine first impression in his quota of four overs.

The scores: Rajasthan Royals: S. Asnodkar c Dilshan b Nannes 5 ( 4b, 1x4), G. Smith c Sehwag b Sangwan 18 ( 17b, 4x4), N. Ojha b Mishra 24 ( 14b, 4x4, 1x6), Y. Pathan c de Villiers b Maharoof 0 ( 5b), A. Jhunjhunwala (not out) 53 ( 45b, 5x4, 1x6), P. Dogra (run out) 29 ( 26b, 1x4, 2x6), D. Mascarenhas (run out) 3 ( 3b), A. Uniyal (not out) 4 ( 6b); Extras (w-5): 5. Total (for 6 wkts in 20 overs): 141.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-45, 3-46, 4-50, 5-110, 6-115.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: Maharoof 4-0-32-1, Nannes 4-0-27-1, Mishra 4-0-34-1, Sangwan 4-0-20-1, Ladda 4-0-28-0.

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Smith b Mascarenhas 9 ( 8b, 1x4), V. Sehwag c Smith b Patel 75 ( 34b, 8x4, 5x6), T. Dilshan c Ojha b Mascarenhas 0 ( 1b), A.B. de Villiers c sub b Warne 15 ( 24b), D. Karthik (not out) 24 ( 26b, 2x4), M. Manhas 11 ( 10b, 1x4); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-5): 8. Total (for 4 wkts in 17.1 overs): 142.

Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-42, 3-99, 4-114.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Mascarenhas 4-0-31-2, Tait 4-0-27-0, Patel 3-0-32-1, Uniyal 2-0-25-0, Warne 4-0-22-1, Jhunjhunwala 0.1-0-2-0 .

Yotube(Youtube.Com/IPL) has started streaming

Yotube(Youtube.Com/IPL) has started streaming – webcasting IPL T20 cricket matches. The webcast on Youtube.com/ipl happens with a five minute delay in India. Thanks to this Youtube facility, cricket fans across the world can watch matches on any computer without paying anything for all 43 days of season. However this telecast is not available in the US.

About the quality of the webcast, one can find blue screen with a notice ‘We may be experiencing some technical difficulties. Please stay tuned.’ often during the match.

A viewer can switch camera angles and also use picture in picture service to enjoy two different camera angles simultaneously.

Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai captain, hailed Yusuf's knock as "special"

In cricket, two half-centuries can be more than a hundred.

Yusuf Pathan realised it the hard way as his century, the fastest in the Indian Premier League, could not stop the Rajasthan Royals from going down to the Mumbai Indians by four runs at the Brabourne Stadium here on Saturday.

Pathan’s 37-ball 100, studded with nine fours and eight sixes, seemed to put the Royals in sight of an improbable victory after being reduced to 66 for four at one stage, but the hosts’ total of 212 for six proved to be a little too much in the end.

The defeat must have rubbed salt in the wound of Yusuf since he got out in the most unfortunate way, run out by the bowler backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Perhaps it was a tribute to his awesome form that the Mumbai Indians could not dismiss him in any other manner.

The Baroda Bomber’s century, only the second fastest in the T20 format after Andrew Symonds’ 34-ball 100 in an English domestic match between Kent and Middlesex in 2004, overshadowed two other attacking knocks earlier in the day.

Saurabh Tiwary (53) and Ambati Rayudu (55) more than made up for the relative failure of the two big guns, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, with their entertaining partnership of 110 runs.

What Tendulkar failed to do to Shane Warne, the 20-year-old Tiwary did, and in breathtaking style. The left-hander first clubbed the leg-spinner for two fours in his second over and then perched him over the long on boundary in the following over.

Rayudu, back to the fold after a stint in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), also showed his class with reverse sweeps and fluent on-drives. But all that was consigned to the scorebooks after Yusuf’s innings.

Yusuf began with a six over the sight-screen off Dmitri Mascarenhas. He then had a hat-trick of sixes off Ali Murtuza before plundering 26 runs in the next over by R. Sathish.

The second six in that Sathish over was actually caught by Ryan McLaren at long off boundary, but the fielder had stepped over the ropes while taking the catch. Yusuf then tonked Jayasuriya for two sixes, the second of which brought up his century.

After his departure, Paras Dogra sustained the onslaught with two sixes and three fours off Sathish. That reduced the equation to 19 runs from 12 balls. Zaheer Khan then produced a tidy over, which left the Royals 12 away from the target before the final over by Malinga.

Dogra was run out scampering for a single, and Amit Uniyal inside edged a wild heave on to his stumps. It boiled down to nine runs from two balls.

Delhi Daredevils' five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match

Gautam Gambhir's grit made the decisive difference as the skipper scripted Delhi Daredevils' five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match at the PCA Stadium here on Saturday.

Leading the team for the first time in the competition, Gambhir did not let the fall of wickets at regular intervals affect his focus. The left-hander smashed a match-winning 72 before falling in the final over. By then, he had done his job.

Delhi seldom looked comfortable chasing 143 with partnerships failing to bloom for the better part of the innings. Eventually, the clinching factor turned out to be the fifth wicket stand of 61 between Gambhir and Mithun Manhas.

Gambhir's stroke selection and calculated approach stood out today. The Man-Of-the-Match hit a six and nine boundaries in his 54-ball tenure as he never allowed the asking rate to climb up. Manhas, too, did his job admirably with a 24-ball 31 with two boundaries and made sure Delhi got past the finish line.

Sreesanth's twin strike to send back Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan — both falling to well anticipated catches — in the second over of the innings made the host and its supporters optimistic. With the visiting team at 10 for two, the target of 143 had suddenly looked bigger.

Rescue act

Earlier, the host managed to survive a poor start and reached 142 for nine without the customary late flourish, thanks to the right-left combination of Ravi Bopara and and fit-again Irfan Pathan.

After four wickets, including that of skipper Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene, fell in the space of just five runs and seven deliveries, Bopara and Pathan counter-attacked with a 60-run fifth wicket stand in 7.1 overs.

Bopara's 56 off 48 deliveries, laced with a six and seven boundaries, was instrumental in keeping Kings XI's run-rate high. A pulled six off Maharoof was an early indication of Bopara's intent.

Pathan was effective as he played second fiddle to Bopara. He hit two fours in his 16-ball 21 before his dismissal triggered another collapse — four wickets falling for 12 runs.

The scores: Kings XI Punjab: R. Bopara c Manhas b Yo Mahesh 56, M. Bisla (run out) 2, K. Sangakkara c Sangwan b Maharoof 17, Yuvraj c Gambhir b Maharoof 4, M. Jayawardene c Karthik b Sangwan 0, I. Pathan st. Karthik b Dilshan 21, M. Kaif st. Karthik b Mishra 6, P. Chawla c Maharoof b Nannes 5, R. Powar b Nannes 3, S. Sreesanth (not out) 15, Y. Abdulla (not out) 0; Extras (b-8, w-5): 13; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 142.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-39, 3-44, 4-44, 5-104, 6-113, 7-113, 8-116, 9-132.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: Nannes 4-0-12-2, Maharoof 4-0-37-2, Sangwan 4-0-32-1, Mishra 4-0-23-1, Yo Mahesh 3-0-23-1, Dilshan 1-0-7-1.

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Jayawardene b Pathan 72, V. Sehwag c Jayawardene b Sreesanth 8, T. Dilshan c Bisla b Sreesanth 0, A.B. de Villiers (run out) 7, D. Karthik c Pathan b Abdulla 20, M. Manhas (not out) 31, F. Maharoof (not out) 1; Extras (lb-5, w-2): 7; Total (for five wkts. in 19.5 overs): 146.

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-10, 3-45, 4-79, 5-140.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Pathan 3.5-0-27-1, Sreesanth 4-0-24-2, Abdulla 4-0-30-1, Chawla 4-0-33-0, Yuvraj 3-0-11-0, Powar 1-0-16-0.

Kolkata Knight Riders produced an all-round performance to score a convincing seven-wicket victory

Kolkata Knight Riders produced an all-round performance to score a convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens here Sunday.

rs reached the target with four balls to spare, with openers Manoj Tiwari (50) and Brad Hodge (50) sharing a 101-run stand.

It has been a promising start for the Knight Riders, who finished at the bottom of the table last year. They have now beaten defending champions Deccan Chargers and runners-up Royal Challengers in successive matches.

In their first match against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai, Knight Riders had to fight back to win a close encounter. But in front of the huge local support Sunday, Knight Riders Sunday were clinical in their performance.

Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly's decision to put the opposition to bat was backed by the bowlers as they never allowed a partnership to flourish.

Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews took four wickets, giving away just 19 runs while left-arm spinner Murali Kartik took two for 22.

Jacques Kallis, opening the batting for Royal Challengers, made an unbeaten 65 off 52 balls with seven fours and a six. But with no support from the other end, they were quickly reduced to 35 for four.

Rahul Dravid (21) and Robin Uthappa (20) gave Kallis company for some time but both gave their wickets to Mathews.

Knight Riders made a good start to the chase with Hodge and Tiwary taking it away from the Royal Challengers.

The two combined to score 101 off 11.4 overs before Ganguly struck a 22-ball 23.

Tiwary took the attack to the opposition, hitting six fours and two sixes. Hodge played the role of a second fiddle, taking 45 balls for his half century that came with seven fours.

Though the match was stretched till the last over, the Knight Riders were in no real danger and comfortably crossed the victory line.

Deepika Padukone arrived in a blaze of lights and revved up the crowd

As opening ceremonies go, this was less than singularly impressive. The energy was conspicuously absent until Deepika Padukone arrived in a blaze of lights and revved up the crowd, but otherwise, this wasn’t quite the start the third edition of the IPL would have hoped for.

The teeming air-taxis that ferried anyone and everyone falling into the ‘big-wig’ category had triggered expectations of a grand welcome to the Twenty20 bash, but those expectations remained largely unfulfilled.

The DY Patil stadium wasn’t anywhere near filled to capacity by the time the dignitaries ascended the dais at 6.40 pm. That the biggest cheer during the one-hour show on Friday evening was reserved for when Sachin Tendulkar walked up to affix his signature on the MCC – Spirit of Cricket banner is indicative of exactly what the gathering thought of the act that followed.

Perhaps, in some ways, that’s how it should be, because the IPL is more about cricket than anything else. Having said that, this domestic competition with an international flavour has been touted as the coming together of cricket and entertainment or, as the tag-affixers like to call it, cricketainment. On that count, the opening ceremony barely passed muster.

Neither UB40’s Ali Campbell nor Bjorn Again, the ABBA Revival team that swayed to ‘Dancing Girl’ managed to enthuse the crowd with the first couple of acts after the eight skippers signed the Spirit of Cricket oath and the tournament was declared open by IPL chairman and commissioner Modi.

Indeed, the brief video collage that depicted the ‘Journey of IPL’ to the background score of Jai Ho was more compelling than the preceding ‘entertainment’ packages, though the crowd finally found its voice, and feet, when Padukone danced and twisted her way through ‘Twist’, among other numbers.

The highlight of the evening was a juggling act by hoola hoop artists armed with LED glow sticks who captured and retained eye balls, before making way for one final performance by Lionel Richie, whose ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ didn’t exactly bring the roof down. Bring on the cricket, we say!

IPL cricket matches is getting entertaining with each season

"Now I am getting nervous for the match. Hope I can sleep," King Khan tweeted 20 hours before his Kolkata Knight Riders took the field against defending champions Deccan Chargers in the inaugural match of IPL-3.

His top-order batsmen perhaps had a sleepless night as they made a hasty retreat to the pavilion before Angelo Mathews and Owais Shaw staged a spirited fight back even as the superstar, who never misses a KKR match, was conspicuous by his absence.

But the thousands in the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai where the match took place and those who checked out live cricket on multiplexes across city had their fill as cricket's largest extravaganza got off with a grand opening ceremony.

“The management on ground and the style in which the event was flagged off was outstanding. IPL is clearly getting bigger and better each year,” said Hiren Pandit, managing partner of media agency GroupM, who was in the stadium cheering Deccan Chargers.

“IPL is getting entertaining with each season, I enjoyed the buildup to the game,” yelled Shiv Datta, another Chargers supporter amidst the deafening roars of the crowd.

Reeba Shetty, meanwhile, was not too bothered about wickets and sixes. “Watching Lionel Richie performing Dancing on the Ceiling live in a stadium was a dream come true,” she said, although she thought the finale of the last season was better than this year’s opening ceremony.

If the atmosphere in the stadium was electric with an excited crowd chanting and cheering players and cheerleaders amid heavy security, the scene was somewhat more sober in multiplexes that entered the new world of live streaming of cricket on Friday with about 40% seats occupied.

But the big screen guys are excited about the opportunity and many of them are creating an in-stadium ambience with cheerleaders and even special food menu.

“We are also introducing a season pass wherein a person can watch his favourite team play till the semi final matches,” said an executive of BIG Cinemas.

PVR Cinemas will have face painters and DJs playing music in many of its theatres. “The screening of IPL matches will mark the beginning of a new trend that will help multiplexes to increase footfalls during lean days, Monday to Thursday,” said Gautam Datta, CEO of CineMedia, PVR.

Vishal Kapur, COO of Fun Cinemas, said it is expecting initial occupancies of around 40% and house-full shows for the semi finals and final.

UFO Moviez, which has the theatre rights, has tied up with 350 public venues and over 700 screens to supply a digital feed with no advertisements, its founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad said. The company has roped in United Spirits as partner for the public venues.

Pubs and malls, which are spending Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh for feed depending on the number of outlets and seating capacity, too are ready with special IPL menus and packages. “We have worked out interesting food and beverages packages around the IPL theme and we are marketing our pubs across the country as a place to watch IPL with an HD feed without advertisements,” said Rohan Jaitley of Bistro Hospitality, which runs TGIF out-lets in India.

The company has roped in sponsors like Coca-Cola and Adidas to be part of the IPL theme nights where it will offer packages ranging from Rs 699 to Rs 999.

Hotel chains like ITC-Welcomgroup and Taj Group are screening the matches at most of their restaurants and pubs. A spokeswoman for ITC-Welcomgroup said the chain is screening the matches across all its hotels, Dublin and Golf Bar with special packages.

Then there are those who enjoy cricket most at home. Mihir Bijur, for instance, has made it a ritual to turn his home into a stadium with his friends. “We get together to watch the opening match every season. We like the idea of making home our stadium, cheering and wearing jerseys,” he said.

Bangalore-based Sirish Chander, meanwhile, is planning to catch live action on the Internet. “I can’t leave work early to watch the match on television. So YouTube was a great option for me,” he said. Many cricket fans working late would agree.