Police lathicharge KKR fans in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Kolkata Knight Riders's victory celebrations at the Eden Gardens turned ugly when several fans who failed to enter the venue started shouting slogans and broke through the barricades, forcing the police to use force and lathicharge the crowd.
The fans near Gate No. 3 of Eden Gardens tried to enter the stadium to get a glimpse of the KKR players, but due to the packed venue failed to do so. Soon afterwards the fans started to turn violent and pulled down the barricades resulting in police action. But there has been no report of any person getting injured in the lathicharge.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the police to let those waiting outside to enter the Eden Gardens even though the stadium had more than 1 lakh people inside.
On Monday, Mamata had announced that she would felicitate the KKR team in Kolkata and added that the entry to the Eden Gardens for the celebrations would be free

Read More

I apologise for my misbehaviour at MCA: SRK

CHENNAI: An ecstatic Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan today apologised for his misbehaviour with the Mumbai Cricket Association officials at the Wankhede Stadium after a match against Mumbai Indians.
Surrounded by his wife and daughter and other kids, the Bollywood superstar said, "I want to apologise to the kids for my misbehaviour at MCA. I apologise to all who saw me differently. I shouldn’t have behaved in that manner. But today my team has won, so I guess, all you fans should forgive me. We have won at last."
He praised each and every player. "I am proud of Gautam and the boys. We made a video of families of all our players and saw Manvinder Bisla`s parents speaking about their son. They must be very proud and so am I. I want to tell the people of the Bengal, that now this team belongs to you."

Read More

Kolkata become IPL champions for first time

CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets with two balls to spare to win become the Indian Premier League champions for the first time.here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.on Sunday.
Chasing a big target of 191 runs, the Knight Riders achieved their victory in 19.4 overs after a hard contest in the final of the fifth IPL tournament.
Opener Manvinder Bisla top scored with 89 after Kolkata lost their captain Gautam Gambhir for two. He smashed five sixes and eight fours in his 48-ball innings.
He was followed by South African allrounder Jacques Kallis, who made 69 from 49 balls with seven fours and a six.
For Chennai, Australian pacer Ben Hilfenhaus claimed two wickets for 25
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahinder Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first.
His team piled up 190 for only three wickets in the allotted 20 overs with Suresh Raina (73) and Michael Hussey (54) and Murali Vijay (42) being the main scorers.
Pakistan’s premier sports tv channel Geo Super showed all the matches of this tournament including the final live from the venues in India.

Read More

Sourav Ganguly tips KKR to win IPL 5

KOLKATA: Rating Gautam Gambhir ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as far as captaincy is concerned, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Saturday put his money on Kolkata Knight Riders to win the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.
The Indian selectors might have lost faith in Gambhir who was removed from vice-captaincy ahead of the Asia Cup, but Ganguly named the Delhi opener as the skipper to lead his best XI also featuring Dhoni.
"Gautam Gambhir is the best captain of the IPL. I really liked the way he supported his players. He persisted with Yusuf Pathan as he delivered his best performance (for KKR) in two years," Ganguly said, referring to the allrounder's 21-ball 40 in their win over Delhi in the first qualifier.
The Dhoni-led Super Kings who play their third final in as many years may be the favourites on paper but Ganguly put both the teams at par and hoped the Knight Riders would win their first title in five years.
"I want to wish both the teams. But I want to see a new champion. I think KKR would win this time," he said.
"Gambhir would be equally confident on the field. They (KKR) are a pretty balanced side and have been consistent this season. They have the players to win matches."
Ganguly however said Gambhir would not have to prove the selectors anything.
"I don't think he would play with a mindset that he would have to prove something. The way they have performed this season is enough to inspire themselves for the big day tomorrow," Ganguly said.
The Bengal icon however said the core CSK players could be "role models" for any side.
"They have stuck to their side for five years with players like Dhoni, Vijay, Badrinath being the core of the side all these time. They can be a role model for any T20 side."
"I've always said Dhoni is unparallel in the short versions, though there would always be a question mark on him when it comes to Test cricket," Ganguly said.
The veteran said toss would play a crucial role at the Chepauk and also key would be the way Dhoni's men tackle mystery spinner Sunil Narine.
"Toss would be vital. I'm sure (Gautam) Gambhir would hope to win the toss and set a target. The whole game would change if Gambhir wins the toss.
"But at the same time, Chennai's 50 per cent job would be done if they manage to tackle Narine.
Ganguly's Best XI: Gautam Gambhir (c), Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cameron White, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lasith Malinga; Stand-bye: Virender Sehwag; Coach: Stephen Fleming.

Read More

IPL final today: Kolkata v Chennai

CHENNAI: Two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings will start as the overwhelming favourite in the Indian Premier League final against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday following two dominating performances in the playoffs that saw them seal a place in the final for the fourth time in five years.
Chennai packed off star-studded Mumbai Indians in the “Eliminator” - the equivalent of a quarterfinal - after just about scraping through to the four-team playoff. It then ran up the season’s highest total of 222-5 on Saturday to bat league topper Delhi Daredevils out of the contest in the second “Qualifier.”
Opener Murali Vijay hit 113 from 58 balls to help Chennai win by a huge margin of 86 runs at the Chidambaram Stadium.

Read More

SRK says sorry for smoking, to pay fine

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor and co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Shah Rukh Khan has pleaded guilty for smoking in public during a match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, said new reports.
The actor said he's ready to pay fine.
The actor was directed by a local court in Jaipur to appear before it on May 26.
A few days back, India's premier anti-tobacco watchdog, NOTE has expressed concern over superstar's arrogant behaviour with which he time and again decides to "trample" the law and smoke in public places.
Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication had said that Shah Rukh's recent smoking in a stadium at Rajasthan during IPL indicates 'his careless attitude towards his responsibilities as an influential personality.'

Read More

Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Daredevils to storm into IPL final

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings beat the Delhi Daredevils by 86 runs in the second qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012. With this win, they have qualified for their third straight final.
Delhi captain won the toss and put Chennai in to bat - a move that back-fired terribly. Murali Vijay's sparkling ton mauled the Delhi attack which was without Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan.
Bravo, Raina and Dhoni played cameos to support Vijay and extended Chennai's total to 222 for five.
Chasing 223, Delhi tweaked their opening combination as Mahela Jayawardene walked in with David Warner.
Delhi were jolted early when David Warner was caught at mid-off when he tried to play an extravagant stroke of his countryman Ben Hilfenhaus in the third over.
The move to demote Sehwag to number three didn't work as he was dismissed for one off the bowling of Albie Morkel.
Ross Taylor walked out to partner Jayawardene and they tried to ressurect the innings. They were involved in a 52 run partnership.
Taylor fell Dwayne Bravo in the ninth over when he was dismissed for 24 off 14 balls.
Meanwhile Jayawardene continued to fight and he brought up his fifty with a six off Ravichandran Ashwin. The slide continued at the other end as Andre Russell and Naman Ojha fell after brief outings.
The Sri Lankan skipper's fight came to an end when he was bowled by Ashwin for 55. That wicket effectively ended the Delhi challenge as they slipped to an 86-run defeat.

Read More

Indian court quashes FIR against IPL player Luke Pomersbach

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday quashed US national Zohal Hamid's first information report (FIR) against Indian Premier League (IPL) player Luke Pomersbach that he had molested her.
Justice ML Mehta quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings in the case after the parties informed the court that they had settled the case out of court.
The court recorded Hamid's statement that she did not want to pursue the case and wanted to go back home on Friday night.
"Since they resolved the dispute and wanted to go back to their homes, I quashed the FIR. They can go to their homes now," the court ordered.
Justice Mehta also rejected the argument of the state that the FIR should not be quashed keeping in view the gravity and seriousness of the offence.
Pomersbach was arrested May 18 after Hamid alleged that she had been molested in a five-star hotel in New Delhi. She also said that the Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) player had beaten her fiance Sahil Peerzada.
In a joint petition moved by Hamid, Pomersbach and Peerzada, it was said that they had reached a settlement Wednesday amicably without any pressure.

Read More

Cricket: Pietersen fined over Knight rant

NOTTINGHAM: Kevin Pietersen was fined an "undisclosed sum" by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday following a Twitter attack on former England batsman Nick Knight.
Last week, England batting star Pietersen took to Twitter to question the credentials of Knight, who averaged just 23.96 in 17 Tests with one hundred, as a Test match commentator for Sky Sports.

"Can someone please tell me how Nick Knight has worked his way into the commentary box for the Tests? Ridiculous," said Pietersen, who has 20 Test hundreds to his credit.

The ECB held a disciplinary hearing Wednesday, with managing director Hugh Morris and team director Andy Flower present, and opted to impose an undisclosed fine on Pietersen, part suspended for 12 months.

Pietersen's comments about Knight were especially sensitive, as Sky agreed in January a new four-year deal to show live international and county cricket believed to be worth at least #260 million -- the ECB's main source of income.

An ECB statement statement said: "Kevin Pietersen today (Wednesday) attended a disciplinary hearing convened by Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket and Andy Flower, England team director.

"The hearing considered recent comments made by Pietersen on Twitter to be prejudicial to the interests of the ECB and a breach of the England player conditions of employment in relation to clauses regarding public statements.

"Pietersen has been fined an undisclosed sum, part of which has been suspended for 12 months, in accordance with the terms and conditions of his England central contract."

Morris, himself a former international batsman, is wary of Twitter, once labelling its use by England players as "like giving a machine gun to a monkey".

Pietersen had previously run into trouble with the England management regarding Twitter after using the site to announce he'd been dropped from a one-day squad.

But Pietersen, speaking before this disciplinary hearing, said Tuesday he would not stop using Twitter.

"No, not at all, no. I won't stop tweeting, no."

The second Test between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge -- in which Pietersen is expected to play -- starts on Friday with England 1-0 up in the three-match series following a five-wicket win at Lord's concluded Monday.

Read More

IPL: Assault case against Aussie IPL cricketer 'withdrawn'

NEW DELHI: An American woman has decided to withdraw a molestation case against Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach after an out-of-court settlement was reached, a report said.
The 27-year-old batsman, who plays in the Indian Premier league for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, was last week granted bail by a New Delhi court following accusations he molested the woman and beat up her fiance.
The cricketer, who has played one Twenty20 international for Australia, denied the charges against him but faced a jail sentence if found guilty.
But a Press Trust of India report early Thursday said the woman's lawyers would seek withdrawal of the case at the Delhi High Court.
"Yes," Rajneesh Chopra, the woman's lawyer, said in a text message when asked whether she was withdrawing the case against Pomersbach, according to the PTI.
Pomersbach's arrest was headline news in Indian and Australian newspapers on Saturday with reports detailing the sensational allegations in the case and the chequered history of the money-spinning IPL.
Pomersbach has battled depression and drug problems and narrowly avoided a jail sentence in Australia after admitting assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest him for drink driving.
The alleged female victim, a 27-year-old from the United States, earlier told Indian media Pomersbach had "tagged along" with her and her Mumbai-based fiance and said the cricketer grabbed her while they drank together in a hotel room in the Indian capital New Delhi.
When her fiance asked Pomersbach to leave her alone, Pomersbach "turned around and started hitting him", she alleged.

Read More

Chennai knock out Mumbai in IPL Elimination match

BANGALORE: Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by a big margin of 38 runs in the Elimination match of the Indian Premier League season – V here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Chennai will now play the Second Qualifying Match against Delhi Daredevils on Friday at their home ground.
Chasing 188 to win, Mumbai openers Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith provided a good start of 47 but as soon Tendulkar was run out for 11, his team begin to collapse and lost wickets at regular intervals as they could reach 149 for nine in the allotted 20 overs.
Smith top scored with 38 in 22 balls with two sixes and five fours.
For Chennai, pace bowlers Dwayne Bravo of West Indies and Albie Morkel of South Africa claimed two wickets each for 10 and 31, respectively.
Earlier, Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh won the toss and put Chennai into bat who made 187 runs for five wickets in 20 overs.
Captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni made an unbeaten 51 off 20 balls with six fours and two sixes. Among other prominent scorers were Michael Hussey scored 49, Subramaniam Badrinath 47 and Bravo remained not out on 33.
Medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni captured three wickets for Mumbai

Read More

IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Daredevils to reach final

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders breezed into the final of the Indian Premier League after scoring a thumping 18-run win over Delhi Daredevils in the first Qualifier on Tuesday.
It was an interesting clash between the two IPL heavyweights but Kolkata emerged winner as they bowled with more discipline with each and every bowler taking at least one wicket.
Kolkata Knight Riders recovered from regular blows to post a fighting 162 for four after electing to bat and then stopped Delhi to 144 for eight at Subrata Roy Sahara stadium.
It is for the first time that KKR have made it to the summit clash in five editions of the league so far.
Yusuf Pathan, who was going through a lean patch so far, struck form just at the right time for Kolkata as his uneaten 40 and a crucial 56-run stand with Laxmi Shukla (24 off 11) in just four overs helped his side cross 150-run mark.
The top three KKR batsmen -- Gautam Gambhir (32), Brendon McCullum (31) and Jacques Kallis (30) batted well but could not convert the starts into big knocks.
Delhi too paid the price of not having big partnerships as they lost wickets intermittently. Pressure gradually grew and the lower-order batsmen failed to soak in that.
Mahela Jayawardene top scored for them with his 40 and for Kolkata Jacques Kallis (2/24) and Sunil Narine (2/24) shared four wickets between them.
Delhi still have a chance to make the final as they will play in second Qualifier on May 25 against the winner of the Eliminator, which will be plyed between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
For Delhi it was a forgettable start to the chase with both the openers -- Virender Sehwag (7) and David Warner (10) were dismissed within 13 balls.
Warner was bamboozled by a turning ball from Shakib Al Hasan which hit his pads before landing in gloves of McCullum. However umpire Billy Doctrove held the appeal.
Sehwag was out next ball when he chased a widish Balaji delivery and just managed an edge into the gloves of McCullum.
Jayawardene (40) and Ojha (29) added 59 for the third wicket to not let Kolkata build on the momentum. The Sri Lankan hit some majectic shots and Ojha too was impressive with his shots.
Rajat Bhatia broke the partnership by having Ojha caught at point and Iqbal Abdulla had Jayawardene stumped as the match again shifted in Kolkata's over.
Delhi surprisingly kept Ross Taylor behind in the line-up and sent Venugopal Rao ahead of him. Delhi needed 54 off the last five overs and Venugopal did not help their cause by taking 22 balls for his 13.
Taylor struck a towering six off Sunil Narine and now everything depended on him as Delhi required 33 from 12 balls.
However, the Kiwi fell while going for a big shot off Kallis. Negi and Mokel were out in the last over, in which they required 26 runs and it was all over for Delhi in this contest.

Read More

Ignore IPL critics and focus on play-offs: Akram

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain and bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, Wasim Akram on Tuesday slammed those criticising the Indian Premier League, saying that they were "jealous" of the cash-rich Twenty20 event's success and should be "ignored".
"It is sad to see people protesting against IPL. These are jealous people and should be ignored. Let's focus on the business end of the championship," Akram said.
The veteran of 104 Tests insisted that the Twenty20 tournament was a "great advertisement for pure entertainment".
Akram said that success makes many enemies and IPL was one glaring example of that.
"Only successful people have critics. In our culture, there is a tendency to run down a prosperous venture. Make no mistake, IPL is all about success. Every year it is making a positive statement and attracting the best in the world. We have had packed stadiums in almost every game. That's just great," the cricketer wrote in his column for 'espnstar.com'.
The fifth edition of IPL has been marred with controversies with a television channel alleging that fixing of matches was rampant in the tournament. KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was involved in a brawl with the Mumbai Cricket Association officials at the Wankhede stadium leading to his ban for five years from the venue.
The chorus against IPL got louder when Royal Challengers Bangalore's Australian recruit Luke Pomersbach was charged of molesting an American national at the team hotel here. If all these were not enough, Pune Warrior's cricketers Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell were detained by the police after a raid at a rave party.
However, Akram insisted that the controversies surrounding the IPL have in no way "dampened the spirit of the game".
"Any big event always brings along its share of concerns. Controversies may have surfaced but they haven't damped the spirit of cricket. Close matches have underlined the beauty of T20 cricket," he wrote.

Read More

SRK summoned for smoking during an IPL match

JAIPUR: Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has been served a summon by the Rajasthan police over a complaint alleging that the actor was seen smoking in public on April 8 in Jaipur during a match.
This was during the IPL match between the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. The court has asked the actor to be present for hearing on May 26.
The complainant had moved court on April 9, a day after the IPL match, alleging that despite a ban on smoking in public, the actor was smoking in front of thousands of cricket fans. He said the act sent out wrong signals as the actor is idolised by his young fans.

Read More

PCB chief to watch IPL final

KARACHI: Pakistan's cricket chief said Monday he had accepted an invitation to watch the Indian Premier League final next week and would use to visit to discuss reviving cricketing ties between the rivals.
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf said he had received an invitation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and would watch the IPL final on May 27 in Chennai, more than three years after ties were suspended.
"It is a positive step forward in further normalising bilateral cricket ties between the two countries," Ashraf told reporters in London.
"The invitation will allow me to undertake a two-day visit to India and I plan to use this visit to have informal discussions with the BCCI officials regarding chances of restoring bilateral cricket ties," he said.
The invitation is seen as the second major step towards reviving ties between the two cricketing powerhouses.
Ties were suspended in the wake of the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which were blamed on militants from Pakistan and left 166 people dead.
The BCCI earlier this month approved Pakistan featuring in this year's Champions League, a tournament between the top three IPL teams and winners from domestic Twenty20 champions from several other countries.
The moves followed a request by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a one-day visit to India last month.
Since taking over in October last year, Ashraf endeavoured to revive cricket between India and Pakistan but without receiving any positive response from the BCCI. However, Zardari's visit seems to have given the process some impetus.
The arch-rivals are due to play this year in the ICC (International Cricket Council) Future Tour Programme but India's hectic schedule is the biggest hurdle to the possibility of holding a series.
Ashraf said he remained optimistic.
"We are positive about it as we want to play India regularly in bilateral matches and we are willing to talk to them at every level to achieve this," he said.

Read More

IPL: Luke Pomersbach confesses to crime

NEW DELHI: The police claim that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player Luke Pomersbach has confessed to his crime in the molestation case. However, Luke can deny his statement in the court as a statement made before the police is not admissible in courts.
Reports also point to the victim's fiance being Siddhartha Mallya's friend, which is why he and the victim had gone to attend the party in the first place.
The police have identified Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player KP Appanna from the CCTV footage in connection with the molestation case involving his RCB teammate Luke Pomersbach.
The police have identified Appanna as the one who returned with Luke to the victim's hotel room. The police also say that it is possible that members of the team approached the victim after the match to withdraw the complaint.
Meanwhile, the statement of another person Moiz, who was present in the hotel room corroborates the complainant's statement.
The victim had complained that five people including three IPL players had threatened her. Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women is expected to send a notice to RCB team owner Siddartha Mallya for his tweets on the incident.
The victim has said that if the Kingfisher scion doesn't apologise, she will file a defamation suit against him.
A case under Sections 354, 323, 454 and 511 of the IPC was registered at Chanakya Puri police station in Delhi.
This is not Luke Pomersbach's first brush with law. Earlier he was jailed in a drunken driving case and also went to a rehabilitation centre for an alcohol problem.

Read More

IPL players, Bollywood stars among 100 held from Mumbai hotel

MUMBAI: According to Indian media Mumbai police on Sunday raided a top hotel where they held almost 100 people including Indian Premier League (IPL) players and Bollywood stars who were allegedly high on drugs.
Media reports had it that the police raided on a rave birthday party going on in a five-star hotel and arrested high profile figures from IPL and Bollywood.
“IPL player Rahul Sharma was among 100, arrested from hotel,” report said adding that cops also nabbed 19 foreigners.
"We found 58 men and 38 women at the rave party at Oakwood Premier Hotel on J R Mhatre Road near Juhu beach," said zonal DCP Pratap Dighavkar talking to media. Police seized around 110 grams of cocaine, besides Ecstasy tablets and marijuana.
The police said they would lodge two types of cases - one for possession and the other for the consumption of proscribed substances.
Around 100 youngsters have been sent to various hospitals for their blood and urine samples to be collected.
"The party was being held on the open terrace of the hotel. We acted around 8 pm on the basis of a tip-off. A decoy had been sent to the party and we acted after a green signal from him," an official said, adding that the police are trying to pinpoint the organizers of the party and who supplied the drugs.
"All those youngsters whose identities have been confirmed will be sent back home. If their blood and urine reports are positive for drugs, only then will they be called and taken into custody," said additional commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil, who supervised the raid informed media.
The drugs seized have been sent for analysis to the forensic science laboratory.

Read More

Mumbai crush Rajasthan by 10 wickets

JAIPUR: Mumbai Indians crushed Rajasthan Royals by a big margin of ten wickets with 12 balls to spare in the last league match of the Indian Premier League season – V here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 163, Mumbai completed their win without losing any wicket in 18 overs as openers Dwayne Smith of the West Indies and star Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar made 163 runs for the opening wicket partnership.
Smith scored an aggressive 87 from 58 balls with ten fours and three sixes while Tendulkar made a cautious 58 off 51 balls with six boundaries – both remained not out.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals made 162 for six in the allotted 20 overs after their captain Rahul Dravid won the toss.
Shane Watson top scored with 45, followed by Stuart Binny (30) and England’s Owais Shah (28 not out).
For Mumbai, medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni captured three wickets for 18 runs.
Geo Super televised this match live from Jaipur.

Read More

Deccan knock Bangalore out of race as Chennai placed in last four

HYDERABAD : Deccan Chargers shocked Royal Challengers Bangalore with a nine-run win in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal on Sunday. Now, this defeat ousted the Royal Challengers from the tournament and placed Chennai Super Kings in the last four. Chasing an easy target of 133, Bangalore could not resist against accurate bowling and alert fielding by Deccan and were restricted to 123 for nine in the allotted 20 overs. South African fast bowler Dale Steyn bagged three wickets for just eight runs and medium-pacer Ashish Reddy also took three for 25. The main scorers for Bangalore were Virat Kohli (42), Saurabh Tiwary (30) and West Indian Chris Gayle (27). Earlier, Bangalore captain Kohli won the toss and put Deccan into bat who made 132 for seven in 20 overs. South Africa’s Jean-Paul Duminy smashed 74 runs from 53 balls and struck five sixes and four boundaries. For Bangalore, seamers Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan captured three for 22 and two for 30, respectively. Pakistan’s premier sports tv channel Geo Super showed this low-scoring match live from Uppal, Hyderabad.

Read More

Kirti Azad begins hunger fast against IPL

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Kirti Azad on Sunday began a fast, demanding that the Indian Premier League, which has been a hit by a series of controversies, be scrapped.
Azad, who is also a BJP leader, began the hunger strike outside the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
He enquired shouldn't there be transparency and then went on to state that there is too much of politics in sports. I only hope that there is some sportsmanship in politics," Azad said while addressing the gathering.
Cricket is a religion in our country but it hurts when I get to know that youngsters want to play in IPL and not for the country," he added. Another former cricketer Vivek Razdan was also present at the venue.
Five domestic uncapped Indian players were suspended by the BCCI when a sting operation by a private TV channel implicated them in spot-fixing.
Within says of that, Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was involved in a brawl with the Maharashtra Cricket Association officials at the Wankhede stadium and was banned by the MCA from the entering the facility for five years.
After that, Royal Challengers Bangalore player Luke Pomersbach was arrested on charges of molesting an American woman. He was given bail by a Delhi court on Saturday but cannot leave the country until the investigation is complete.

Read More