Bangalore crash out, Chennai in play-offs in IPL

Dale Steyn produced a fiery pace bowling spell of three for just eight runs as DC knocked RCB out of the Indian Premier League with a nine-run victory in a tense match.

Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets

Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets, highest opening partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Smith 163 in IPL

Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers by 9 runs

Deccan Chargers defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine runs in their Indian Premier League match today. Deccan Chargers: 132 for seven in 20 overs South African allrounder JP Duminy cracked a strokeful 53-ball 74 as Deccan Chargers recovered from shaky start to post a modest 132 for seven against RCB in IPL.

KKR thrash Warriors by 34 runs to seal second place

Pune: Kolkata Knight Riders sealed the second place in the points table with a crushing 34-run victory over Pune Warriors in their final group league encounter of the Indian Premier League here on Saturday.

Ex India captain Kirti Azad begins fast against IPL

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Kirti Azad today began a fast, demanding that the Indian Premier League, which has been a hit by a series a controversies, be scrapped.

IPL preview: Mumbai Indians hope to seal playoff berth, RR to play for pride

Mumbai Indians would be looking to seal a playoffs berth and iron out minor flaws for the bigger battles ahead, while the Rajasthan Royals would play for pride when the two sides take on each other in their last league encounter of the IPL here tomorrow. Rajasthan Royals, who have not been consistent enough, bowed out of contention for the playoffs with a humiliating five wicket defeat against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad. They must be ruing their close defeats against Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings but are left with no other options but to play for pride against the formidable Mumbai Indians. Skipper Rahul Dravid has already proved that he is not a spent force and that too in the shorter version of the game which has never been his forte. He, along with Australian Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Ajinkya Rahane and others would like to prove a point with better performances. Mumbai are placed third with 18 points from 15 matches and Royal Challengers Bangalore have 17 points from 15 matches and they take on the lowly Deccan Chargers on Sunday in a day match. It will be a must-win situation for the visitors if RCB too wins. Mumbai Indians have a strong side featuring the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, South African Herschelle Gibbs, West Indian Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. Rohit is in good nick with a hundred under his belt but Tendulkar is yet to play a big knock in the competition.

Sri Lanka postpones IPL-style tournament

The inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League has been postponed to next year following the withdrawal of the Indian cricketers, the island nation's sports minister told

"The company which is organising (the tournament) said financially they are not in a shape to organise this without the Indian players," sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

Twelve Indian players were set to participate in the July 19-August 4 event modelled on the successful Indian Premier League (IPL) but were denied permission by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that eventually led to the tournament's postponement less than a fortnight before the proposed start.

Aluthgamage had earlier said the BCCI's opposition stemmed from their suspicion that former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who was sacked on financial irregularity charges, was behind the tournament.

Sri Lanka Cricket's media manager Brian Thomas said once the Indian players had withdrawn, it was difficult to go ahead with the event.

"We thought we can't do a tournament of this magnitude (in absence of the Indian players). It is not a financial issue, it's a logistical problem."

Aluthgamage said the league would be replaced by a domestic tournament.

"The board is meeting today to discuss this and they will have the tournament without the foreign players, similar to the one held last year."

West Indian Kieron Pollard, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori were among the foreign players recruited for the Twenty20 tournament.

Courtesy : Reuters

Chennai and Mumbai in same Champions League group

The Chennai Super Kings, led by MS Dhoni, the India captain, have been grouped with Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians for the Champions League Twenty20 (T20) tournament.

The September 23 to October 9 competition, which will feature 10 of the world's top T20 sides, will be played in two groups of five with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

The tournament will be played in the southern Indian cities of Chennai and Bangalore, as well as Kolkata in the east.

Chennai will host the final and a semi-final, while Bangalore will host the other semi-final.

Seven teams from India, Australia and South Africa have earned given direct entries, while six others will play off for the remaining three spots in a qualifying tournament at Hyderabad from September 19-21.

The qualifying event will have two pools of three teams with the top side from both advancing, along with the next best qualifier.

The Kolkata Knight Riders, Trinidad and Tobago of the West Indies and the Auckland Aces of New Zealand will be joined by two teams from England and one from Sri Lanka in qualifying.

The Super Kings are the defending champions.

IPL-4: Kings XI Punjab defeat Kochi Tuskers Kerala by 6 wickets

Dinesh Karthik smashed a quickfire 69 as Kings XI Punjab overcame initial and middle over stutter to thump Kochi Tuskers Kerala by six wickets to keep themselves in contention for a play-off berth in the Indian Premier League in Indore on Friday.

Chasing a stiff 179, KXIP made a struggling start with openers Paul Valthaty (17) and Adam Gilchrist (9) falling cheaply inside five overs for just 31 runs before Karthik and Shaun Marsh (42) helping their side win the match with seven balls to spare with a 111-run third wicket stand in 9.3 overs.

David Hussey (21 not out from 15 balls) finished the run chase in style with a six off Ravindra Jadeja as KXIP reached 181 for four in 18.5 overs to take his side to their fifth win in 11 matches.

Karthik smashed seven fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock while Marsh hit five fours and two sixes from 30 balls to set up the win on a batting-friendly pitch at the Holkar Stadium which was hosting the first IPL match.

Pacer RP Singh grabbed a superb 4/25 to threaten to win the match for KTK but the KXIP batsmen were up to the task.

With the win today, KXIP remained in contention for a play-off berth as they jumped to sixth spot with 10 points with three matches remaining.

KTK, on the other hand, were virtually knocked out of the tournament with 10 points from 12 matches. They have two matches remaining.

The KXIP opening stand yielded just 25 runs in 2.5 overs with Valthaty falling victim to R P Singh after making a promising start, hitting two sixes in consecutive balls in the third over.

Valthaty's middle stump was knocked off as the ball went through the gap between bat and pad. The KXIP opener, who faced 10 balls and hit a four and two sixes, failed once again after promising a lot early in the tournament.

Gilchrist, who was struggling in his 15-ball stay, departed with a soft dismissal as he holed out to Parthiv Patel and KXIP were 31 for two in the fifth over when he left.

One-down Marsh and Karthik, who came in at the fall of Gilchrist, however, revived the innings with a century-plus stand for the third wicket.

Marsh hit three fours in the sixth over bowled by S Sreesanth as KXIP were 49 for two after the first power play. Karthik then smote Vinay Kumar for a six and a four in consecutive balls.

Marsh and Karthik took calculated risk to find the boundaries as KXIP reached 84 for two at the halfway mark. The in-form Australian put the pressure on opposition side with two sixes off compatriot Brad Hodge in the 12th over with one sailing inches above a leaping Sreesanth as KXIP took 19 runs from that over.

As if competing each other, Karthik then reached to his third IPL fifty with a six off Jadeja and then followed it up next ball with another hit for maximum result to take 16 runs from the 13th over and bring down the askingrate to less than seven per over.

Just as KXIP looked like they would chase down the stiff target in quick time, Karthik departed with RP Singh removing him in the first ball of his second spell and his last over.

RP Singh removed Marsh five balls later, caught and bowled to give a twist to the match. From 142 from two, KXIP were 145 for four in the space of an over.

KXIP needed 30 from four overs but David Hussey got able support from Mandeep Singh (15 not out from 10 balls) to chase down the target.

Earlier, captain Mahela Jayawardene led from the front with a classy 76 as KTK post 178 for seven.

Opening with Brendon McCullum (32), Jayawardene held the innings together with a responsible 52-ball knock which was studded with eight fours and two sixes in KTK's 'home' match.

KTK made a rollicking start after being put into bat, with openers Jayawardene and McCullum stitching 93 runs in just 8.4 overs on a batting-friendly pitch.

At the halfway stage, KTK were 103 for one and they looked like crossing 200 only to fritter away the superb start and ended less than 180.

Jayawardene was run out in the last ball of the innings while running for a second as his side added just 75 in the second 10 overs while losing six wickets.

For KXIP, who made a fine comeback in the second part of the KTK innings, left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma was the most successful bowler with 2/32 while Ryan Harris, Shalabh Srivastava and Piyush Chawla took a wicket each.

Jayawardene and McCullum were in a punishing mood, hitting the KXIP bowlers all over the park in the initial overs on a ground which had short boundaries and fast outfield.

The duo reached to 50 in just 5.2 overs and KTK were 62 for no loss after the first powerplay of six overs.

Bipul Sharma finally gave KXIP the breakthrough in the ninth over removing McCullum, LBW after the batsman missed the line while playing a sweep shot. McCullum hit two fours and as many sixes in his 27-ball stay at crease.

Ravindra Jadeja (17), who came in at the fall of McCullum, smote Chawla for a huge six in the second ball he faced but was lucky to get a reprieve as he was dropped by Paul Valthaty at the slip in the third delivery.

KTK maintained their 10-run per over rate as they reached 103 for one after the halfway mark and Jayawardene reached to his fifty in style with a six off Chawla in the 12th over.

His fifty, third in IPL 4 from 12 matches, came from just 30 balls and studded with six fours and three sixes.

KTK lost momentum after the fall of the first wicket with Jadeja out LBW in the 14th over off Chawla and David Hussey (4) following suit after two overs, holing out to Shaun Marsh at midwicket.

Scoring rate dropped and despite Owais Shah's 12-ball 23, which was studded with two sixes and a four, KTK could not go past their highest total -- 184 for two against Mumbai --while batting first in the tournament so far.

Shah was run out in the penultimate over while going for a cheeky second run while Parthiv Patel was dismissed for a duck in the first ball he faced.

Sourav Ganguly back in IPL, signs up with Pune Warriors

After going unsold in the players' auction, former India captain Sourav Ganguly today made a dramatic return to the Indian Premier League by signing up for struggling franchise Pune Warriors as replacement for injured pacer Ashish Nehra.

"We were waiting for Ashish Nehra's fitness report and ultimately the report came yesterday. I was already in talks with Ganguly and we decided that the amount of experience that Sourav has in cricket will no doubt help the team. So we finalised Ganguly last night," Pune Warriors team director Abhijit Sarkar said referring to the finger injury that Nehra has been nursing.

Ganguly, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders for three IPL seasons captaining them in two editions, went unsold in the January players' auction despite a rather modest base price of $4,00,000.

The 38-year-old refused a mentor's role with KKR after that and there had been speculation of a possible comeback through another franchise.

The left-handed batman was first sought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala but their application was rejected by the IPL's governing council.

However, he signed on the dotted line for Pune yesterday, giving a major fillip to the side which has lost six matches on the trot after starting promisingly with a couple of back-to-back wins.

Shane Warne puts up a brave front despite the absence of Smith and Mascarenhas

Rajasthan Royals will be without opening batsman Graeme Smith (broken finger) and all- rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas (twisted ankle) going into their game against hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore at theMChinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
It leaves Shane Warne with the headache of picking right replacements. “They (Smith and Mascarenhas) are two important players. Their leadership in the team will be missed,” Warne said on the eve of the encounter.

However, as always the Rajasthan Royals skipper preferred to look at the positive side of the predicament he finds himself in. “There are 10 international players in our team to choose from. We have Adam Voges, Johan Botha and Damien Martyn joining us. We look at conditions and study the opposition before choosing our players,” Warne said.

The obvious lack of firepower will put the onus of scoring big runs on the carefree Yusuf Pathan. Warne, wisely, didn’t want to add pressure on his batting powerhouse. When asked if too much hinges on Pathan’s form, Warne said, “We have Paras Dogra, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala among others coming up with a good show. We have a very strong middle order. Dogra has played well in two tough situations. But Yusuf is one guy I would love to have in my team rather than in the opposition.”

Warne also played down his own lack of form in the early part of the tournament. “Even if you bowl not-a-bad ball you can still get whacked. That’s the nature of this game.”

Bowlers have a lot of room for innovation, Warne added. “From a captain’s point of view we have come up with different field settings. Other teams have copied us. We are looking
to attack.”

Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils by 98 runs

It was a forgettable outing for Delhi Daredevils after two consecutive victories in the IPL, but they would be taking solace from the way the under-scrutiny Feroz Shah Kotla pitch behaved.

The ball came on to the bat fairly well, always a welcome sign for a team loaded with attractive stroke-players, though on this day, they were left looking on helplessly as Mumbai Indians took advantage of batting first, notching up 218 for seven.

The progress of the Kotla turfs has been of much interest after the venue was handed a one-year ban from international cricket for offering an ‘unfit’ pitch for a one-dayer against Sri Lanka. The one used for this match was adjacent to the track played on then, and had been worked on by former player Venkat Sundaram in the intervening period.

The venue, which is set to host four matches of next year’s World Cup, is banned till December this year but is hosting matches of the IPL, considered domestic cricket. Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir’s decision to field first boomeranged as the Mumbai batsmen hit the highway straight away and his day did not become any better as he pulled a hamstring while fielding. The left-hander was sorely missed by the home side, who were bowled out for 120 in their pursuit of a challenging total.

It was the second consecutive victory for the Mumbai side, for whom Sachin Tendulkar and Saurabh Tiwary struck fine half-centuries.

Tendulkar gave the initial thrust, which was capitalised on by Jharkhand left-hander Tiwary (61) and Ambati Rayudu (34), the pair adding 71 for the fourth wicket. The left-right combination showed a penchant for big shots down the ground, their three sixes each propelling the score towards the 200-run mark. The
Delhi bowlers failed to put the brakes on the opposition, not helped the least by a rather indifferent effort by the fielders.
Tendulkar mustered 63 off only 32 balls. The record-breaking machine set the tone with a superb square-drive off Dirk Nannes and it was to be followed by a number of cracking shots on either side of the wicket. Dropped by Amit Mishra at point off other leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda on 35, Tendulkar completed his 50 off 31 balls and it took a superb diving effort from Yogesh Nagar, running in from long off, to help Mishra make amends by dismissing the master batsman.

Nagar, who had earlier brought off a brilliant one-handed catch at mid-off to dismiss Sanath Jayasuriya, ensured Tendulkar’s damages were restricted to 11 in terms of boundaries hit and he was the lone bright spot for Delhi on the field.

The Mumbai team could not use the services of West Indian players Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo like they would have anticipated, but they proved pretty useful in choking Delhi with their bowling.

Bravo’s dismissal of Virender Sehwag, caught at long-off, virtually decided the outcome of the match what with Tillakaratne Dilshan already out and Gambhir ruled out. Sri Lankan all-rounder Farveez Maharoof was the highest scorer for Delhi, clouting two sixes in his 28, but his dismissal in the 12th over reduced the side to 106 for six and it was only a matter of playing out time from then on.

The lower-order batsmen struggled to get into double-figures, even as Harbhajan Singh and Jayasuriya helped themselves to two wickets each with their slow stuff.

Anil Kumble book on photography provides a new 'angle' to Indian cricket

One thought Sachin Tendulkar is a hero but he did once turn into a ‘villain’. In fact a famous villain, and was caught on camera trying to chop off the hands of Anil Kumble. Sounds bizarre?

Well, former skipper Anil Kumble’s book, Wide Angle, showcasing his exploits with the camera, reveals just that.

In one of the team-building exercises held in Bangalore in 2008, the team enacted a scene from Sholay and Tendulkar played the role of ‘Gabbar Singh.’ Kumble was ‘Thakur’ with his hands tied.

The book, a compilation of pictures taken by Kumble during cricket tours, was released on Wednesday by Shane Warne and Kumble himself. The former India captain started taking a camera along with him since he was 17. He has captured some rare pictures that reflect a cricketer’s life beyond the cricket field.

“Anil has always been an avid photographer, and when I see the results in this book, they take me back. ...’as long as I am in the team, you will have no privacy,’ he would say, pointing to his camera and we would laugh. It was wonderful,” Sachin Tendulkar says in his foreword of the book.

Anil pointed out that he enjoyed clicking Javagal Srinath, Vinod Kambli, Venkatapathy Raju and Harbhajan Singh as they presented great off beat moments.

Kumble also managed to get some rare on-field moments, his favourite one being when Tendulkar got his 35th Test century in New Delhi. While cricket takes the centrestage in the book, there are also some amazing wildlife pictures. If one thought that Indian cricket was all about playing and shooting when not playing, Kumble provides a new angle about the Indian players.

Kings XI Punjab hopes to break even by 2011Kings XI Punjab hopes to break even by 2011

Indian Premiere League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab, which had committed USD76 million (Rs350 crore) as franchise cost for over ten years, hopes to break even by March 2011.

Apart from this, KXIP is also in talks with seven to eight companies for signing up more sponsorships for the forthcoming IPL season three.

"We are expecting to reach break even point by 2011," KXIP CEO Anil Srivatsa told reporters here today, refusing to divulge details about the actual losses made by the venture.

Srivatsa further said there was no cause of concern at this point of time, as none of the other franchise outfits had made profits.

"The fact is that nobody has earned any profit so far (in this Twenty20 cricket venture)... but there is no cause of concern," he said.

The second season of IPL in South Africa last year, coupled with the global slowdown had increased the cost for every franchise.

"The shifting of venue for matches in South Africa last year did add to cost burden, as some of the sponsors were not keen on holding matches in there. Besides, slowdown was another reason which impacted everybody," he said.

KXIP annually spends Rs70-80 crore on marketing, holding T20 matches and paying fees to cricketers.

"Out of the total annual cost of Rs70-80 crore, we pay Rs30-31 crore to our players, and also spend on having matches etc," said company's senior vice-president Arivnder Singh.

KXIP, which is also owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and industrialist Ness Wadia, is also in talks with few companies, including those in FMCG and telecom sectors for signing up sponsorships.

"We are in negotiations with 7-8 companies to sign up sponsorships ahead of next season of IPL this year," he said.

Currently, the companies that are sponsoring KXIP are Fly Emirates, Pepsi, Gulf oil, Reebok and UB.

Bangalore beat Delhi by 8 wickets, both sides out of CL T20

Bangalore Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils crashed out of the Champions League Twenty20 after the formers' eight-wicket victory over their Indian Premier League opponents here.

In a dramatic League B Super Eight match played last night at the packed Chainnaswamy Stadium, Ross Taylor smashed a blistering 65 off just 38 balls to help Bangalore surpass the target of 139 with nearly five overs to spare.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Anil Kumble led from the front by grabbing three wickets to restrict Delhi Daredevils to a modest 138 for six.

Bangalore were only playing for pride as they were already out of contention for a semifinal berth after Cape Cobras' victory over Victoria Bushrangers in another League B match yesterday.

The eventful day saw the first match being delayed by one hour and 40 minutes and reduced it to 17-over-a-side affair due to bomb scare.

The result of the second match between the two Indian Premier League sides meant none of them will play in the semifinals of the USD six-million tournament.

South African side Cape Cobras and Australia's Victoria Bushrangers made it to the semifinals from League B as both have collected four points each.

Delhi's last match at home against Cape Cobras tomorrow thus will be rendered inconsequential. Bangalore made a subdued start not wanting to take risk against Delhi opening bowlers Aashish Nehra and Dirk Nannes, who bowled consistently above 150 km per hour.

They also suffered a jolt in the second over as Manish Pandey retired hurt after a desperate lunge forward to reach the crease.

But, New Zealander Ross Taylor was in a punishing mood. He showed his intentions clear by hitting three fours off Glenn McGrath in the fifth over.

The actual run riot, however, began from towards the midway mark as he hit boundaries almost at will before he was out off Nannes for 65 in the 14th over. He hit six fours and our sixes in his 38-ball stay at the crease.

Taylor was though given life twice when he was on 18 and 32 -- the first by Nehra and then by Rajat Bhatia off his own bowling and Delhi had to pay a price for their mistakes.

The Kiwi hit two consecutive sixes off Amit Mishra in the 12th over and raised his 50 from just 29 balls from one such hit over the rope.

Bangalore were 68 for one after the 10th over but the run riot by Taylor and later by Dravid, who made unbeaten 32 off 26 balls (3X4; 1X6) and Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 24 from 10 balls included five fours, ensured that Bangalore reach 139 in 15.1 overs.

Dravid ended the match in style hitting Nehra for a six.

For Delhi, Nannes took two wickets for 19 from his four overs. Amit Mishra was the most expensive, conceding 59 runs without wicket from his four overs.Earlier, Kumble, who celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday, was instrumental in puttingbrakes on Delhi Daredevils who were on to a rollicking start after he put the opposition in after winning the toss.

For Delhi, Virender Sehwag top-scored with an explosive 47 which he made from 29 balls with the help of four fours and
a six. Dilshan contributed 20.

Delhi openers Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were intent to make Kumble pay for his decision by hitting a torrent of boundaries in the innings' initial overs.

The Delhi duo struck seven fours in the first five overs to take the score to 47 for no loss with Sehwag, who hit three consecutive boundaries off Praveen Kumar, contributing 31.

Sehwag struck two more fours off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fourth over but lost his opening partner Gambhir two overs later, edging a Dale Steyn delivery to Mark Boucher for 11.

Delhi lost way after the midway mark and once Sehwag was out in the 10th over, they failed to put up any worthwhile partnership.

Sehwag was going strong when he was out, holing out to Manish Pandey off Roelof van der Merwe at 77 for two.

Two wickets fell quickly, both claimed by birthday boy Kumble, which reduced Delhi to 91 for four in the 13th over.

Kumble introduced himself in 11th over and on his third ball dismissed Dinesh Karthik (2). Two overs later, he caught Dilshan off his own bowling to reduce Delhi to 91 for 4.

Owais Shah (17) and Manoj Tiwary (11) failed to contribute much.

I don't want to get into any trouble: Sreesanth

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth is back home in Kerala but the news that the Kerala Cricket Association has received a letter from the BCCI about his Level II offence left him shaken. Sreesanth was involved in a verbal tiff with Mumbai bowler Dhawal Kulkarni and was fined 60 per cent of his match fees during the Irani Trophy.

"I haven't seen this letter yet. I have tried my best to stay calm and cool on the field and that incident involving Kulkarni was an exception. I want to play as many games as I can and really don't want to get involved in such incidents," Sreesanth told

The fast bowler admitted that his performance in the past has been overshadowed by other things."I want people to talk about my bowling and my performance. I don't want to get into any trouble. I have been working hard and trying my best. I have paid the price for my Level-II offence and I won't do anything that earns me a Level-III offence," Sreesanth said.

Talking about what happened between him and Kulkarni, Sreesanth said that he did not "abuse" the Mumbai bowler.

IPL teams blown away

For the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Saturday's match against Delhi Daredevils was a dead rubber. However, Anil Kumble & Co. lit up the Diwali evening with a superb eight-wicket victory against Gautam Gambhir's boys. What this means is there will be no IPL team in the semifinals of the Champions League Twenty20.

Defending IPL champs Deccan Chargers were knocked out earlier in the tournament. The other two teams of League B -- Victoria Bushrangers and Cape Cobras -- are through to the last-four stage.

Taylor played a spectacular innings of 65 runs consuming just 38 balls including six boundaries and four sixes to pave the way for an RCB victory. But it was birthday boy Kumble who laid the foundation for his team with a phenomenal spell of 3 for 20 to restrict Delhi to 138 for six.

Chasing 139, RCB began slowly but steadily. Though openers Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey -- who retired hurt with the scoreboard reading 7 for no loss -- failed to make a mark, the evergreen Rahul Dravid and Taylor stitched together a crucial match-winning 93-run stand.

Taylor was dismissed with 31 still required but Dravid ensured there were no more hiccups. The veteran remained unbeaten on 32 finished off the game with a huge six over long-off. Virat Kohli, who replaced Taylor, starred with a 10-ball 24 studded with five spanking boundaries. Asked to bat, the Daredevils looked like they would breach the 180-run mark with ease. Openers Virender Sehwag and Gambhir got off to a flier.

Sehwag, in particular, was in devastating form as he sent the fielders on a leather-hunt during his knock of 47. However, Dale Steyn put the brakes on the flow of runs when he had Gambhir caught behind for 11. Sehwag continued his onslaught and looked good for his CL T20 second half-century. His stay at the wicket, was however, cut short when he holed out to Pandey at long-off. Viru's blistering knock came off just 29 balls including six boundaries and a six.

With both the openers gone and Kumble getting into action, things were about to turn from bad to worse for the Daredevils. In his very first over, Kumble got rid of Dinesh Karthik. In his next over, he had Tillakaratne Dilshan caught and bowled. The veteran leggie then dismissed Owais Shah, but more importantly, Van der Merwe and he put the brakes on the scoring rate. The two gave away just 40 runs in eight overs. A late burst by Manoj Tiwary and Rajat Bhatia helped Delhi post a total of 138 for six.

Andrew Flintoff in big demand

ANDREW Flintoff's declaration that he wants to play in Australia is likely to spark a fierce interstate bidding war for cricket's freelance gun for hire.

In an expansive interview in England overnight, Flintoff insisted one of his last remaining cricket goals was to play in Australia where his explosive all-round talents would attract a pot of gold.

"I'm hoping to play more for Lancashire and in the Indian Premier League. Another ambition is to play in an Australian domestic tournament," Flintoff said.

Flintoff recently joined Australia's Andrew "Roy" Symonds in becoming a freelance short-game player when he rejected a second-tier contract from the England Cricket Board.

The man they call Freddy is out of action now after knee surgery but states are already lining up to secure his services as a Twenty20 player in the 2010-11 Big Bash competition.

South Australia last night confirmed they were "aggressively pursuing" Flintoff and one of their key selling points was the relaxed lifestyle in Adelaide for Flintoff, his wife Rachael and young family.

"We have made no secret of the fact that we are after Flintoff and we have already talked to him on several occasions," a SACA spokesman said.

Queensland is another state that is in the market for Flintoff after already showing interest in the world's premier allrounder.

Bulls coach Trevor Barsby says he would love to have Flintoff on deck but one sticking point could be the price the allrounder would demand.

It is believed Flintoff is seeking a two-year domestic deal in Australia and he would be able to demand a base price of at least $120,000 in the Big Bash.

That payment may be topped up by Cricket Australia who would be just as keen to see Flintoff playing in Australia after claiming they wanted to turn the Big Bash into a "Bigger Bash".

Queensland Cricket boss Graeme Dixon confirmed the Bulls' interest in Flintoff but said they did not have a bottomless pit of cash.

Other states such as NSW, which has already shown a liking for big-name international stars after recruiting Kiwi Brendon McCullum last season, are also likely to join the race to secure Flintoff.

Flintoff also wants to continue playing one-day cricket for England and become the world's best limited overs cricketer at the next World Cup in 2011. He denies he has done anything wrong by snubbing the ECB's contract offer.

"I'm comfortable in what I've done," he told The Guardian in England.

"I know what I'm doing, sincerely. I'm in a good position to know when I can play, and when I can't. I'll never duck out of an England game."

Cricket set for Champions Trophy

Cricket's second biggest 50-over event, the biennial Champions Trophy, begins in South Africa on Tuesday, as the sport's top eight teams vie for glory.

The tournament was to have been held in Pakistan last year but was postponed and moved because of security concerns.

Two teams from two groups of four will form the semi-finals, with the final to be staged in Centurion on 5 October.

England face South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka but are without star men Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

Group A consists of holders Australia, India, Pakistan and the West Indies.

The England team were thrashed in the recent 50-over series against Australia, with only a narrow victory in the final match preventing them from becoming the first team to lose a series 7-0.

Without Flintoff and Pietersen their chances appear remote, and they begin with a daunting day/night contest against the talented Sri Lankans in Johannesburg on Friday.

Kumar Sangakkara's highly-regarded Sri Lanka side begin the competition against the hosts in Centurion (1330 BST start).

South Africa, the world's number one side, have not been in competitive action since the ICC World Twenty20 in England in June but skipper Graeme Smith said his side were ready to make an impact.

He said: "One of our major challenges as a team going into this tournament is our lack of games, but we have really focused hard in the last three weeks to train as well as we can by making it as competitive as possible.

"We have created a lot of scenarios and challenges which will best enhance our abilities.

"The guys are motivated and excited and I think we can use the freshness to our advantage by getting in and playing good cricket up front."

Counterpart Sangakkara was in optimistic mood as his team look to win the trophy for the first time outright, having shared the title in 2002 when the final and the reserve day against India was washed out.

In the last two months they have won a five-match series against Pakistan and won triangular series games with New Zealand and India, before losing in the final to Mahendra Dhoni's side.

"Everyone here is a professional unit and whether they have played recently or not won't matter because you are always in training and up to the challenge of playing," Sangakkara said.

"It is nice to have had a bit of cricket, but the only advantage of that is that we have been competing under pressure.

"Everyone in our team is confident, but our recent wins are not going to count for anything."

The popularity of the 50-over format of the game has waned since the introduction of Twenty20 and speculation about its future is rife, with a general air of apathy surrounding a second world tournament in the space of three months, following the ICC World Twenty20 won by Pakistan.

Lessons have been learned from the torturous 2007 World Cup, which comprised 16 teams and took more than six weeks to complete its 51 matches, with only 15 games over a far more sensible two-week period in this competition.

The loss of crowd-pullers such as Flintoff and Pietersen, plus India's cavalier opening batsman Virender Sehwag, is unfortunate, however, and some big-hitting, action-packed close contests are urgently needed if the event is to continue in the long term.

ECB backs world Test championship

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says it supports the idea of introducing a world Test championship.

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), had claimed that England and India were blocking the initiative.

But the ECB's only reservations are believed to be over the event's format.

"We are fully engaged with the ICC over proposals for a world Test championship and are supportive in principle," an ECB spokesman said.

Cricket's governing body has been looking into ways of increasing the popularity of Test cricket, whose future is threatened by the rise of the Twenty20 game.

In July, the MCC's world cricket committee recommended the introduction of a world Test championship, involving teams playing each other over a four-year cycle, culminating in semi-finals and a final.

The ECB are believed to be concerned about spreading the tournament over such a long period, during which the strength of the teams would vary enormously.

The plans could also lead to lucrative series against the likes of Australia, India and South Africa being shortened to accommodate matches against lesser Test nations like Bangladesh and New Zealand.

The proposed starting date of 2012 could clash with the London Olympics.

But the ICC is determined to push the plan through in order to give greater importance to every Test series.

"I would like to convince people that the way to ensure Test cricket survives is through a championship model," Lorgat told the Guardian.

"The only two countries who do not see the argument are India and England, but debate is growing all the time.

"The MCC seem to have come out in favour but when I met the ECB recently it was the wrong time to tackle them in detail. They were too high on the Ashes."

While Test matches in England regularly attract full houses, attendances in most other Test-playing nations have been falling.

There is also concern about the increasing ambivalence towards Test cricket among players from certain nations.

An MCC survey among professional cricketers around the world revealed players coveted a lucrative Twenty20 deal with an Indian Premier League team above any other achievement.

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff recently retired from Test cricket, and rejected an England central contract in a bid to maximise his earnings from limited-overs cricket around the world.

"There's no doubt a Test championship would be of great benefit," added Lorgat.

"Let's say you and your mate are South African and Australian - and India are about to play Sri Lanka. If the result impacts on your team's championship standing you are bound to be more interested."