Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians to win IPL 3

MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings were crowned Indian Premier League 3 champions after thumping Mumbai Indians by 22 runs in a thrilling summit clash on Sunday night.

Scorecard

Electing to bat, Chennai posted 168 for five, thanks to Suresh Raina's unbeaten 57 and then restricted Mumbai to 146 for nine to win their maiden IPL title in the grand finale at the packed DY Patil Stadium.

Chennai though had to spend some anxious moments towards the close of Mumbai run-chase with big-hitting Kieron Pollard threatening to almost singlehandedly win the match before he was out in the penultimate over for a 10-ball 27 which was studded with three fours and two sixes.

For Chennai, who have been playing in their second final after finishing runners-up to Rajasthan Royals in 2008, it has been a roller coaster ride having made it to the semifinal in their last league match.

Mumbai, who were playing in an IPL final for the first time, were the most consistent side in the tournament having won 10 of their 14 league matches, but they faltered at the final hurdle.

For Mumbai, captain Sachin Tendulkar, who declared himself fit for the grand finale after sustaining a right hand webbing split in first semifinal, top-scored with a 45-ball 48 which was studded with seven fours but he did not get enough support from his batting colleagues.

Tendulkar's 66-run stand from 58 balls for the second wicket with Abhishek Nayar was the only substantial partnership for Mumbai.

Left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati emerged the most successful Chennai bowler with two for 26 while Doug Bollinger, Albie Morkel, Muttiah Muralitharan and Suresh Raina took a wicket apiece.

Mumbai began their run-chase of 169 on a shaky note with opener Shikhar Dhawan failing to score the opening over from Ravichandran Ashwin and was out in the second over bowled by Bollinger for an eight-ball duck.

Mumbai struggled for runs before Tendulkar and Nayar took 10 runs from the fifth over by hitting a four each off Ashwin.

Tendulkar, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday, then smote Albie Morkel for two fours to take Mumbai to 33 for one after the first power-play.

With off-spinner Muralitharan introduced in the seventh over, runs came in trickles and he was unlucky not to have got Nayar with Matthew Hayden dropping the batsman when on eight.

Nayar struck two sixes in as many balls off Jakati in the 10th over to take Mumbai score to 58 for one at the halfway mark.

With the asking rate over 11 by the 10th over, Mumbai looked like pressing the accelerator but they lost two wickets in the 12th over with Nayar and Harbhajan Singh returning to the hut in the space of five balls.

Nayar was run out for a 26-ball 27 after being sent back by Tendulkar and Harbhajan, who was surprisingly sent up the order, was LBW to Raina for just one.

Mumbai's hopes almost ended with the departure of Tendulkar in the 15th over and the veteran batsman, who wore the orange cap for being the tournament top scorer, was out while trying to pushed the run rate, holing out to Murali Vijay off Jakati.

Saurabh Tiwary, who have been in fine form in the tournament, followed Tendulkar three balls later as he holed out to Raina off Jakati for a duck.

Mumbai needed 68 from the last five overs and JP Duminy's (6) departure in the 17th over did not help the Mumbai cause.

But big-hitting Kieron Pollard, who was surprisingly sent in number eight, raised hopes of a stunning victory for Mumbai by singlehandedly taking 22 runs from the 18th over bowled by Bollinger.

Mumbai needed 33 runs from the last two overs but a mix up led to Ambati Rayudu's run out in the fifth ball of the penultimate over and next ball Pollard was out to end Mumbai's dreams of winning the title.

Earlier, Raina took advantage of some sloppy catching by Mumbai Indians as he struck an unbeaten 57 to pilot Chennai Super Kings to 168 for five in the summit clash which was preceded by a 40-minute closing ceremony.

The left-handed Raina, who came one down on team score of 44, was dropped twice -- on 14 and 28 -- before making a crucial 57 not out in 35 balls embellished with three sixes and as many fours.

But for Raina's knock and his 72-run partnership with his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22 in 15 balls) for the fourth wicket, Chennai would have ended with a much lesser score.

Electing to bat, Chennai made a decent start with openers Matthew Hayden (17) and Murali Vijay (26) putting on 44 runs.

The Mumbai Indians bowling attack then put an effective shackle on the batsmen on a wicket that offered good bounce but on which the ball stopped a bit on the batsmen.

For Mumbai, tall Sri Lanka pace bowler Dilhara Fernando emerged the most successful with 2 for 23 while Zaheer Khan and Kieron Pollard picked one wicket apiece.

Openers Hayden and Vijay started cautiously and saw off one over each from Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga before stepping on the accelerator.

It was the left-handed Hayden, who has been struggling in the tournament, who started the attack by hoisting Harbhajan over long on for the first six of the match in the third over.

Vijay then pulled Zaheer Khan into the stands beyond the mid-wicket area and then punched Malinga exquisitely to the extra cover fence for a four.

Malinga was then square cut by Hayden and the duo looked all-set for a big stand.

But Vijay fell caught just inside the boundary line off a skier by Saurabh Tiwary off Fernando. His 26 came off 19 balls and included two sixes and a four.

From 44 for one, it became 47 for two when Hayden, who survived a close leg before wicket appeal off Zaheer earlier, tried to charge out to Kieron Pollard and mistimed a pull to be caught behind by wicketkeeper Ambati Rayudu.

Chennai progressed to 58 for two after 10 overs, sign that Mumbai have bounced back into the game.

Raina and S Badrinath (14) got together briefly before the latter got out, caught at fine leg for 14 off Fernando.

Then came the most fruitful stand of the innings between Raina and Dhoni. They put on 72 runs in 35 balls.

But after Dhoni fell in the 18th over, it was Raina -- who struck Pollard for two sixes in the 16th over in which the bowler conceded 29 runs -- who made sure that his team ended with a decent total.

Batting key to India's fortunes at T20 World Cup

NEW DELHI: India go into the World Twenty20 determined to avoid a second big failure in three years in the Caribbean with a solid all-round performance.

India, who suffered a humiliating first-round exit in the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies in 2007, need to show their depth in batting, especially after losing hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag to a shoulder injury.

With record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar not part of the T20 side since 2007, the onus will be on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh to put up a formidable batting show.

India were in a similar situation ahead of the last year's tournament in England, but the result was a big disappointment for their fans as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

They travelled to England just a few days after the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa, with coach Gary Kirsten citing "fatigue" as one of the reasons for the team's failure.

The limbs will be tired this time also as Indians played virtually non-stop cricket for more than a month in the recent IPL which ended five days before the Cup, but Dhoni downplayed the fatigue factor.

"We will be going into the Twenty20 fully prepared, though we will have very little time to refresh ourselves," said Dhoni.

"As professionals, we are always committed to giving our best. There can be no excuse for failure."

Former champions India are expected to clear the first hurdle having been drawn in the same group as first-timers Afghanistan and South Africa, with the top two advancing to the Super Eights.

Batting will be India's main strength, with Dhoni, Raina, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan all capable of dominating any attack with their exciting stroke-play.

The conditions in the Caribbean are likely to favour India more than those in England where their batsman often struggled, especially against short-pitched bowling, on seaming tracks.

India have named two newcomers, batsman Murali Vijay as Sehwag's replacement and paceman Vinay Kumar, after the players' impressive performances in the IPL.

The growing success of the IPL may suggest that India are keen only on the slam-bang version, but Dhoni's men have played just two T20 internationals since the World meet in June last year.

They lost the first match against World Twenty20 runners-up Sri Lanka by 29 runs before beating the same rivals by six wickets in the second match in December.

Twenty20 cricket may be all about batsmen trying to belt the ball out of the park, but there is still a room for quality bowlers to achieve success as was shown in the recent IPL.

India have effective seamers in Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra, who are capable of testing batsmen with variations. Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja also can curb stroke-makers with a tidy line and length.

India have so far won 10 of their 20 Twenty20 Internationals.

I will continue playing in IPL: Tendulkar

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar may have voluntarily decided not to play Twenty20 internationals but the senior batsman assured that he will continue playing in the Indian Premier League.

"It has been a very special tournament for us, barring today. Most likely I will be playing next year as well. It has been fun playing in the IPL. I have enjoyed a lot. I have always enjoyed playing cricket," Tendulkar said after his side lost by 22 runs to Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 3 summit clash.

Tendulkar said poor fielding has cost his side dear in the grand finale at the DY Patil Stadium, although their slow beginning in the run-chase was also to be blamed.

"A couple of important catches cost us. There is a saying that catches win matches. The start in the run-chase also was not up to the mark. We could have accelerated a little bit more," he said.

"Towards the end, Kieron Pollard came in with a fine effort but it was a bit late. We tried hard to accelerate the run-rate but it was one of those days when things did not click," he added.

Tendulkar also thanked the franchise owner, support staff, his teammates and the crowd for their support.

"I want to thank all the Mumbai Indians supporters. It's been a terrific journey. It's been an honour to be part of Mumbai Indians team. The support from team owners and staff have been tremendous," said Tendulkar who was honoured with the orange cap for ending the tournament as the most run getter.

He also congratulated Chennai Super Kings on winning their maiden title.

"Congratulations to Chennai for winning the tournament. They played better than us today," said the veteran batsman who turned 37 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited the team for playing as a unit and winning the title.

"Credit goes to the team, we were under pressure in the middle of the tournament, excited to lift the trophy today," Dhoni said.

"We were happy with the total, the Mumbai wicket supports the seamers and (Doug) Bollinger did well early, (R) Ashwin has been doing a superb job with new ball. We were able to create the kind of pressure to get wickets," he added.

Dhoni also feels that inclusion of two more sides in the tournament will only make the competition tougher.

"The IPL gets better and better, the benchmark keeps rising each year. The players will sweat more because of extra teams next year, the pressure will be on the office-bearers to make it further big," he said.

Man of the match Suresh Raina, who made a breezy 35-ball 57 in the final, said: "Our staff have put in lot of hard work. I'm really happy for the team. It's been a great year for us."

Is the BCCI chief afraid of truth, asks Lalit Modi

NEW DELHI: Indian Premier League commissioner and chairman Lalit Modi, who has been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said in the wee hours on Monday that he could not fathom why he was being kept out of the Governing Council (GC) meeting of the Indian Premier League scheduled a few hours later.

"Are they scared of truth?" asked Modi on the board president's move to bar him from attending the meeting.

Modi, who referred to the off-field happenings of the last few days at the IPL closing ceremony, sounded bitter and at the same time, combative when he said every decision of his was approved in the GC as well as by the board and accepted the responsibility for any error of judgment in discharging his duties as IPL chairman and commissioner.

Asked if he would still try to attend the meeting, Modi said that how could he do so when he has been suspended, adding that he would wait for his turn.

The outgoing chairman, however, said "no comment" when asked whether he would challenge the decision in the courts.

In his speech at the prize distribution, Modi received huge applause when he thanked the people of the country for making the IPL a great sporting event.

An emotional Modi added that the IPL is "clean and transparent".

Modi said that all decisions in the IPL in the first two editions of the tournament were jointly taken by the Governing Council.

"The recent happenings are only based on innuendoes, half truths and motivated leaks from all sides. I assure you all decisions are jointly taken by the GC and were approved by the general body in the first and the second year of IPL," said Modi from the presentation ceremony dais after the IPL final.

"I reassure you that if there is any flouting of rules and any irregularities, I take on the full responsibility," he added.

He asserted that he was "speaking as the IPL captain".

"I would like to assure you fans across the globe that the IPL is clean and transparent and I thank millions of fans for making it one of the best sporting leagues ever."

"We should not allow this brand to be diluted and with the support of the millions and millions of viewers across the globe. We have seen some talents emerging and should not allow its image to be diminished."

"IPL has faced many challenges this year, but we have faced these challenges head on."

Live updates: Steyn on a roll, Deccan lose three quick wickets

NEW DELHI: Deccan Chargers lost T Suman (0) and skipper Adam Gilchrist (0) in consecutive balls of the first over against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL encounter at VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur on Monday.

Scorecard

Earlier, Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble won the toss and decided to field against Deccan in Nagpur.

The Chargers are second from bottom, owing to a poor net run rate despite being tied on points with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Bangalore, on the other hand, sit behind table-toppers Mumbai Indians. They are tied on points with Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals but a better net run rate puts them above the two teams.

After suffering five back-to-back defeats, Deccan have fought back to stay in the hunt with wins over Bangalore and Chennai and they hope to maintain the trend.

Bangalore also suffered two consecutive defeats before putting it across Kolkata Knight Riders last night.

Bangalore and Deccan had clashed only a couple of days ago and Gilchrist's men had come out trumps despite chasing a competitive 184.

Teams

Deccan Chargers: AC Gilchrist (c/w), HH Gibbs, MD Mishra, TL Suman, A Symonds, RG Sharma, B Sumanth, RP Singh, PP Ojha, RJ Harris, Harmeet Singh

Royal Challengers Bangalore: JH Kallis, MK Pandey, CL White, RV Uthappa (w), LRPL Taylor, V Kohli, R Dravid, R Vinay Kumar, A Kumble (c), KP Appanna, DW Steyn.

Not far from being the World No.1: Saina Nehwal

NEW DELHI: India's badminton star Saina Nehwal said her decision to play in select international tournaments has worked wonders for her and the day is not far when she will be the World number one.

Saina, currently ranked sixth, said she was now participating in limited tournaments and is more focussed on winning titles.

The 20-year-old is the top seed in Badminton Asia Championships beginning here Monday and is supremely confident.

"I am playing in selected tournaments now and it has worked well for me. It is giving me adequate time to train and also spend quality time with my family. So when I go back to courts, I am fresh, focussed and well prepared to face the top players and the aim is to win every tournament," Saina told reporters on Saturday.

"This year the focus is to do well in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. If I continue like this, I can be soon be the number one, hopefully."

Saina, who will play Thailand's Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in the opening round, said playing at home will be an advantage. But there will also be pressure on her to live upto the expectations.

"Even the world's top player is under pressure to win every match. I think pressure will always be there when you are a top seed. The draw is tough. As of now, I am focussing only on the first match. I have trained really hard and I am quite confident of performing well.

"I am in good shape, probably the best in my career so far. The last four-five months have been good for me. I reached the semi-finals of All England Championship. My game has also improved a lot.

"It will be a tough competition. Players like Zhou Mi and Pui Yin Yip from Hong Kong will be strong contenders."

Saina also said that the Indian team was high on confidence ahead of the tournament.

"The Indian players have had some good results recently and they will hopefully do well here. Jwala Gutta and V. Diju have got the top billing in mixed doubles and they have a relatively easier draw, so I think they have a good chance of going up in the tournament."

Saina, however, said the media should give more coverage to badminton.

"We are doing so well as a team and this is the right time for the sport to get attention and grow in the country. If the young players do not get sponsorship now, it will be difficult for them to go to the next level."

RCB take on rejuvenated Kolkata

BANGALORE: Four defeats in five matches have hit Royal Challengers Bangalore's semifinal hopes and they would be desperate to bring their campaign back on track when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

Sitting pretty at one stage with four wins and eight points in five matches, RCB now have 10 points from as many games, showcasing how the team's fortunes took a turn.

They would have to win at least three matches to ensure that they are in the reckoning for the title, which eluded them in South Africa last season.

An invigorated Kolkata, with or without Sourav Ganguly, will not be an easy opponent to conquer in Saturday's contest at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

The former India captain had injured his right ankle during Wednesday's win over Delhi at the Eden Gardens. Though he has had an MRI done, the results are awaited.

Kolkata have gathered confidence from their win against the formidable Delhi Daredevils.

If the visitors from the East produce as powerful a sucker punch as Deccan Chargers delivered on Thursday night, the doors could possibly be shut on RCB's challenge in the third edition of the cash-awash league.

Though their batsmen failed to generate runs in the first half of the innings against Deccan, Anil Kumble is not much hassled about RCB's batting. It is the insipid performance of the bowlers that worries Kumble.

If Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn were expected to find inroads into the rival batting, they have failed to deliver.

Worse, they have conceded far too many runs in crucial situations, either bowling far too up or giving width for stroke play.

RCB could possibly bring in Abhimanyu Mithun for Steyn and play an extra batsman in Kevin Pietersen, who was rested in the last game.

Kolkata, who have garnered 10 points from 10 games, have been empowered by Brendon McCullum's return. The Kiwi, on his day, could be as destructive as Chris Gayle, Andrew Symonds, David Warner and Cameron White.

That he produced IPL's highest score (154) at this venue two seasons ago, should have the adrenalin flowing in McCullum's veins. The likes of Ashok Dinda and Manoj Tiwary have held Kolkata in good stead, chipping in with wickets and runs when it has mattered most.

With Kolkata string form in the past few matches, it will be interesting to see how RCB fare in their 11th contest this season.