Hashan Tillakaratne alleges match-fixing in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: The ghost of match-fixing has returned to haunt international cricket with former Sri Lankan skipper Hashan Tillakaratne claiming that his country has been rigging matches since 1992 and questioned the selections made in the World Cup final loss to India.

"I can tell this in agreement with my conscience. Match fixing is not something that started happening yesterday or today. According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992. I say this with great responsibility," Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka, claimed.

Tillakaratne, who led the side in 10 Tests during his tenure as captain between 2003 and 2004, stopped short of calling the World Cup final on April 2 a fixed match but had some reservations about selection.

"I am not saying that this match (The world cup final) was fixed. But anyway match-fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today," he was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Mirror'.

"Why were four players changed for this match? Those are questions that should be asked. Arjuna (Ranatunga) spoke about this, we who have played cricket talk about this. We were playing an entirely different side.

"Why was Mendis removed to put another spinner, Kapugedara was never among runs but he was chosen to replace Chamara Silva. It is not fair, is it?" he added.

Interestingly, Tillakaratne had first made these comments on match-fixing in a television chat show almost a week after teh World Cup final but his comments largely went unnoticed at that time.

Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Mahindanada Aluthgamage rubbished Tillakaratne's claims and said that his comments were totally uncalled for.

"I deny his comments and Hashan should show proof of match-fixing to the Ministry. If he gives us something in writing, we will look into it. I don't think any Sri Lankan player would do such a thing, they play for the country and they would never think of doing such a thin. These allegations are baseless," he said.

Aluthgamage said Tillakaratne is making these claims to defame the government as he is now a part of opposition United National Party.

Tillakaratne said people involved in fixing matches have been successful in burying the issue with money power but he vowed to expose them soon.

"There were threats of this issue being exposed during various times. But it was pushed down by giving money to various people. If the people who were responsible for that are listening to this, I state this today with great responsibility, I will shortly reveal the names of those responsible," Tillakaratne said.

The former Lankan skipper also doubted the timing of the selection of the World Cup squad.

"The World Cup team was selected on the (January) 7th. I questioned at a TV show why this team was picked on the day before the IPL auction. The IPL auction was on the (January) 8th. Then it was said that we have time when we pick the team before the IPL auction and it was said that we have enough time as there were ten more days. Those were the excuses given.

"Also at the provincial tournament on the (January) 11th, 12th and 13th, we had the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. If Sri Lanka Cricket conducted a tournament, we could have watched those tournaments and picked the team two or three days later. If that happened, I believe another two or three players could have replaced some of the players. I had my doubts whether it was the best team that was picked.

"In this country, there is a side which you don't know but I know. We discussed this. Inquire into this. Anyone can investigate this. Why was the team picked before the IPL?" he asked.

Tillakaratne said it was a vicious circle and the way things are moving, Sri Lanka would soon surpass Pakistan in terms of match-fixing.

"This has been happening since 1992 and I know all the people who are connected to it. I say this with responsibility. It is just like a relay. I run my lap and hand over the baton to you, you complete your lap and give it to another. This is a network. No one can ever go out of it and no one can come into it

"This situation was always there. When it came out from time to time, it was quietly swept under the carpet. If someone doesn't intervene and stop this menace, within another two-three years in this country, with these politics, with these corrupt administrators, I believe this country won't be second to Pakistan in the near future," he said.

Three Pakistani cricketers -- Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- were recently handed lengthy bans by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing.

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Rajasthan Royals spin a web around Mumbai Indians

AIPUR: It was a moment that had Rajasthan written all over it. Sachin Tendulkar stumped Dishant Yagnik (of Jaipur) bowled Ashok Menaria (of Udaipur). And it was a delivery that would have made Shane Warne proud.

That was the beginning of a rare Mumbai Indians batting failure after Warne decided to chase. Managing just 94 for eight on a slow turner at Sawai Mansingh Stadium against Rajasthan Royals, the Mumbai team knew they just had not done enough.

If the Royals batsmen started off the reply as if they were playing Test cricket, they can be pardoned. The wicket called for caution and they had a less than five-an-over chase.

A few good blows were enough to make up for the dot balls. Those blows duly happened, with Johan Botha throwing in a few in his 39-ball 45. With his stunning three-for-six earlier, the South African was clearly the most valuable player on the field on Friday.

The Royals achieved the target with seven wickets remaining and regained the second spot on the points table. Mumbai remain on top.

The talking point was of course Menaria's left-arm orthodox spin (delivered with a rather unorthodox action), which tempted Tendulkar to charge down the wicket. The ball fell just short and moved away enough to elude the batsman's slashing bat. Yagnik was swift enough to leave the 'God of cricket' stranded in no-man's land. It is not often that Tendulkar is foxed in such a manner. He was gone for seven and Mumbai Indians were struggling at 28 for two in the fifth over.

The best part for the home team was that their main bowlers -- Warne, Botha, Shane Watson and Siddharth Trivedi -- hadn't even bowled by then.

After Menaria, Warne played a remarkably economical hand before Botha came in to shatter whatever fight Mumbai Indians had left in them. Menaria had more to say before completing his quota. He dismissed dangerman Ambati Rayudu, caught and bowled for 11. The Udaipur lad finished with figures of two for 20, not bad for a batsman who bowls only if required.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Pune Warriors India by 26 runs

BANGALORE: A Virat Kohli special and a collective bowling effort aided Royal Challengers Bangalore for the second consecutive match in IPL 4 while a vastly-improved fielding show spiced up the proceedings as the home side eased to a 26-run victory over Pune Warriors at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.

With their third victory on the trot and their first on home turf, the Daniel Vettori-led side has now jumped to the second spot in the points table, with nine points.

At the halfway stage of the chase, Pune were 119 runs away from the 182-run target despite yet another vital contribution by Jesse Ryder (51, 34b) at the top of the tree. The other dangerman in the Pune ranks, skipper Yuvraj Singh (41, 23b, 2x4, 3x6), fell to Zaheer Khan in the 17th over and it was all over for the visitors.

The Karnataka pace duo of S Arvind and A Mithun made great impact with the former claiming an early wicket and the latter revving up high speeds under pressure. Vettori was yet again impressive with his economy while defending a challenging total, thanks to Kohli's pyrotechnics at the second half of the RCB innings.

The dashing youngster's come-what-may attitude was on full display as the RCB No. 3 enthused the home crowd with a fruitful late charge to set up a formidable 181/5 after Yuvraj had won the toss and elected to bowl. Kohli's 42-ball 67 (4x4, 4x6), crafted with those trademark pulls and silken cover drives, took the cake as the Delhi lad snatched the Orange Cap from maestro Sachin Tendulkar with an aggregate of 294 runs.

The young right-hander spliced up a crucial 66-run stand with No. 4 AB de Villiers (26) for the third wicket but the Delhi lad easily was the surprise aggressor between the two.

A maximum off leg-spinner Rahul Sharma set things rolling for Kohli in the 15th over but his now famous use of wrists in those audacious pulls was easily the spectacle for the connoisseur. Though he escaped a run out early in the innings, none of the Pune bowlers could trouble Kohli and ironically, his dismissal in the penultimate over of the innings came off a mistimed pull.

The goodly crowd watched the home team racing to 50 in just 5.4 overs despite two tight overs by new-ball bowler Alfonso Thomas (4-0-23-2). Chris Gayle (49, 26b, 4x4, 4x6) was his usual nonchalant self, mixing blind heaves with brutal strokes, Kamran Khan suffering the most when the big Jamaican connected well.

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Let Hashan Tillakaratne prove the allegations first: Mahela

KOCHI: Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene has urged his one-time teammate Hashan Tillakaratne to come out with substantial proof about the allegations of fixing matches since 1992 including the team composition for this year's World Cup final.

"People can say whatever they want. You need to prove the allegations," Jayawardene told the reporters on Friday.

Jayawardene refused to get into the details of the allegations stating that it is Tillakaratne who first needs to come out with substantial evidence of any kind of wrongdoing.

"I have no comments. Honestly, I just saw the news. We will have to wait and see what he has to say and what he has to come out with to be honest with you, no comments till then."

On the Kochi strip that saw Ishant Sharma creating a havoc just the other night, the Kochi Tuskers captain said," Wickets look okay. We are not the ones who are making the wickets. Our job is to go out and play. We will have a look tomorrow as well and see what is the best combination for that wicket and opposition and play that."

On his team's back-to-back defeats, Jayawardene said "If you see the entire tournament, in the last 7 matches we played, we kept changing the few things in the team according to opposition, and according to the conditions, that's how we have gone about and we will keep thinking in the same lines.

"If the last two outings were a bit disappointing, we need to concentrate on the processes and try and execute a proper game plan," he said.

When asked about the Kochi Tuskers defeating the formidable Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, while losing to bottom ranked Deccan Chargers at home, Mahela said," If you have a look at the points table, it's still very open. A couple victories can get you at the top."

About their opponents Delhi Daredevils, Jayawardene said, "There are some wonderful players in their list. They haven't executed few things properly in most of the games with close matches. I'm sure they are disappointed, when you are down they can be dangerous opponents.

"We have to make sure when we go up against them, that we handle those situations well and try and keep them in where we could control them from. They have some match winners and we have to be very careful about them."

Local lad S Sreesanth hasn't done well but coach Geoff Lawson defended the temperamental pacer.

"He has good pace and is a match-winner. He was a close to taking a wicket and that probably would have changed the match (against Deccan chargers)."

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Harbhajan resorts to unusual act to retain strike

JAIPUR: In an unusual act, Mumbai Indians off-spinner Harbhajan Singh intentionally did not complete the first run and returned to his crease after covering two-third of the pitch in a bid to retain strike during his side's IPL match against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.

With MI at a meagre 87 for eight with just three balls to go in their innings, Harbhajan hit Rajasthan Royals bowler Shane Watson towards deep square leg and then followed it up with a tactic which might have been prompted by his desire to retain strike but not exactly in line with fair play.

Harbhajan did not complete the first run by several yards. He just about crossed half the pitch and passed his partner Ali Murtaza and then turned back for the second run.

It was quite clear Harbhajan did it intentionally as he completed two-thirds of the first run and as much of the second.

Harbhajan got one run and the strike and he hit a six off the last ball to take Mumbai Indians to 94 for eight, their lowest total in IPL 4.

When the players trooped out for the dressing room at the innings break, Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne was seen throwing his arms around Harbhajan apparently discussing the incident.

Mumbai Indians are at the top of Fair Play Award table but they could lose some points after Harbhajan's act on Friday.

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Hashan Tillakaratne alleges match-fixing in Lanka

Dropping a bombshell, former Sri Lanka skipper Hashan Tillakaratne has claimed that match-fixing is common in his country since 1992 and promised to reveal names of those involved soon.

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka, made the sensational claim while appearing in a TV show.

"I can tell this in agreement with my conscience. Match fixing is not something that started happening yesterday or today. According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992. I say this with great responsibility," Tillakaratne said.

Tillakaratne, who was Sri Lanka's captain between April 2003 and March 2004, said people involved in the menace have been successful in burying the issue with money power but promised to expose them soon.

"There were threats of this issue being exposed during various times. But it was pushed down by giving money to various people. If the people who were responsible for that are listening to this, I state this today with great responsibility, I will shortly reveal the names of those responsible," he said.

Tillakaratne, who led the side in 10 Tests during his tenure as captain, stopped short of calling the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka a fixed match but had some reservations about the team selection.

"I am not saying that this match (The world cup final) was fixed. But anyway match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today," he said.

"Why were four players changed for this match? Those are questions that should be asked. Arjuna (Ranatunga) spoke about this, we who have played cricket talk about this. We were playing an entirely different side.

"Why was Mendis removed to put another spinner, Kapugedara was never among runs but he was chosen to replace Chamara Silva. It is not fair, is it?" a report in the Daily Mirror quoted him as saying.

The former Lankan skipper also doubted the timing of the selection of the World Cup squad.

"The world cup team was selected on the (January) 7th. I questioned at a TV show why this team was picked on the day before the IPL auction. The IPL auction was on the (January) 8th. Then it was said that we have time when we pick the team before the IPL auction and it was said that we have enough time as there were ten more days. Those were the excuses given.

"Also at the provincial tournament on the (January) 11th, 12th and 13th, we had the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. If Sri Lanka Cricket conducted a tournament, we could have watched those tournaments and picked the team two or three days later. If that happened, I believe another two or three players could have replaced some of the players. I had my doubts whether it was the best team that was picked.

"In this country, there is a side which you don't know but I know. We discussed this. Inquire into this. Anyone can investigate this. Why was the team picked before the IPL?" he asked.

Tillakaratne said it was a vicious circle and the way things are moving, Sri Lanka would soon surpass Pakistan in terms of fixing.

"This has been happening since 1992 and I know all the people who are connected to it. I say this with responsibility. It is just like a relay. I run my lap and hand over the baton to you, you complete your lap and give it to another. This is a network. No one can ever go out of it and no one can come into it

"This situation was always there. When it came out from time to time, it was quietly swept under the carpet. If someone doesn't intervene and stop this menace, within another two-three years in this country, with these politics, with these corrupt administrators, I believe this country won't be second to Pakistan in the near future," he said.

Three Pakistani cricketers -- Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- were recently handed lengthy bans by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing.

© PTI

Fletcher will be successful with India: Atherton

Former England captain Mike Atherton on Thursday predicted that Duncan Fletcher's stint with the Indian cricket would be successful, just like that of his predecessor Gary Kirsten.

The BCCI appointed Fletcher as India's coach for two years after Kirsten decided against extending his contract.

"Fletcher will be closer to his predecessor Gary Kirsten, who helped to take India to the top of the Test rankings, as well as winning the World cup, than to Greg Chappell, whose bruising confrontational nature proved to be calamitous," Atherton wrote in 'The Times'.

The former England skipper said since Fletcher will have some known faces around, he is unlikely to face any problem while doing his job.

"Kirsten is a protege of Fletcher's and India's most successful coach would have spoken highly of Fletcher's abilities, something that may have influenced the BCCI's decision.

"Already in place is another Fletcher charge, Eric Simons, the bowling coach whose tenure was extended on Wednesday, so ensuring that Fletcher has a friendly face when he starts in the job," Atherton said.

Fletcher is the fourth successive foreign coach that India has appointed, after the trailblazer John Wright, now in charge of New Zealand, followed by Chappell and Kirsten.

Meanwhile a report in the 'Guardian' said, Fletcher's main role will not be not much of "maintaining the performance of the star players but of bringing on the next generation, particularly bowlers, where there appears a dearth of emerging talent."

"Kirsten's success as national coach gave him absolute credibility with the players, administrators and supporters alike and his recommendation, which Fletcher's appointment appears to be, would carry consequent weight," the report said.

© PTI

I am available for WI tour: Harbhajan

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said that he would be available for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies but wasn't aware of the plans of other senior players.

"I have no idea from where the news (of senior players opting out of West Indies tour) have poured in. As far as I am concerned, I am available for the tour," Harbhajan said.

"As far others are concerned neither have I spoken to anybody nor has anyone spoken to me. We will be playing three Tests there and I don't want to miss any of those," he said.

Talking about the winning streak of the Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan said that he was happy the way things were going.

"I am happy with the way things have gone till now. We have been through rough patches but one player or the other has been able to pull us through. Like in the last match Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds batted well to help us to a reasonable score, which we defended successfully," he said.

Asked about the good form of Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne, Harbhajan said: "He is a great cricketer and the greatest spinner. I would be talking to him to get tips so that I can prolong my international career."

Harbhajan also praised his MI teammate Ambati Rayudu, saying that the Hyderabadi is a "special talent".

"It would also be a challenge for players like Rayudu to face a great spinner (in Warne). Rayudu is a special talent and we always knew that. He was unfortunately lost in between but lately he has been performing well. He is capable of filling in the big shoes of great Indian batsmen like VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid," he added.
© PTI

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Daredevils by 17 runs

NEW DELHI: It was bowlers' night out but Manoj Tiwary's day at the Ferozeshah Kotla as the Delhi Daredevils were undone by their own hand on Thursday. Languishing at the bottom of the table before the match began, the Devils chose to field on the latest local novelty - a greenish strip - and found their pacers coming to the party early against the Kolkata Knight Riders. It all seamed too good to be true as Irfan Pathan magically rediscovered his inswing and Umesh Yadav harried the batsmen with pace and bounce.


But their over-reliance on an underperforming top order and a continuing muddle with batting combinations ensured that Delhi couldn't chase down even 149, falling short by 17 runs as the match meandered into an unlikely battle of attrition instead of the frenzy of strokeplay it was supposed to be. The chase clearly centered around Sehwag and Warner and once that didn't pay off, there were no contingency plans in place. Delhi's dismal season veers from the bad to the woeful while the Knights have now shot up to second on the points table.

The result ensured sweet revenge for Delhi boy Gautam Gambhir's KKR as the goodly crowd found its affections split down the middle. Each KKR wicket was cheered, Gambhir's each move was greeted with roars and Delhi must have felt they were playing an away game. Even at the end, as one Delhi batsman after another got run out with panic setting in and Gambhir jumping in excitement, the confused cheering continued.

Ironically for Delhi, KKR's spinners Iqbal Abdullah and Yusuf Pathan played a key hand in choking the chase. Only a struggling and injured James Hopes (25 off 29 balls; 12x4, 1x6) offered brief resistance, and Yogesh Nagar and Venugopal Rao flailed wildly as the end neared, but once Brett Lee produced an exceptional run out, Venu was back in the hut and it was all over.

Sehwag's decision to bat with poise too didn't quite pay off, Jaydev Unadkat getting the prize wicket with a bouncer after Balaji had cramped Warner for room and dislodged Delhi's scary opening combine. Lee kept Warner quiet at the other end as Delhi began the chase but once Balaji started giving Sehwag room - the batsmen peppering the region between cover and point with savage drives and deft cuts - it seemed an early end was in the offing. It all unravelled fast with Sehwag's wicket.

The standout act of the day was easily KKR's Manoj Tiwary (62 not out; 47b, 2x4, 3x6), who proved his credentials on a fastish T20 track.

Cricketers up ad rates after World Cup win

NEW DELHI: India's top cricket stars have hiked their endorsement tags, hoping to cash in on the historic World Cup triumph, according to industry sources. But things haven't quite gone according to plan: advertisers are opting for IPL players who come a lot cheaper and have good brand value while the T20 league is on.

Industry insiders say Team India skipper MS Dhoni has been demanding Rs 10 crore per endorsement after having signed a deal for around Rs 6 crore just before the World Cup. Man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh's fee has reportedly jumped from Rs 2-2.5 crore to Rs 5 crore.

The agencies managing top cricketers confirmed to TOI that their clients' price tags had gone up after the Cup. However, Sachin Tendulkar's brand managers said the figures doing the rounds were exaggerated.

"We don't quote figures like this. Sachin is an exclusive brand and he doesn't sign for money. He balances his commercial and private life very carefully. But he is certainly at par with Dhoni," a spokesperson for his agency said.

Advertisers cited two reasons why no Team India player had bagged an endorsement after the Cup. One, advertisers felt the rates being demanded were too high. And two, with the IPL currently on, they could get three cricketers from any of the IPL teams for Rs 2.5 crore. Getting an individual cricketer for a higher amount would not bring proportionate returns, they felt.

If the advertisers do eventually match the fee being demanded, the value of top Team India players like MS Dhoni would be at par with Bollywood biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Dhoni would still be a notch lower than Aamir Khan, who commands the highest endorsement fee.

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Rajasthan Royals elect to bowl against Mumbai Indians

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne won the toss and elected to bowl In their IPL tie against Mumbai Indians in Jaipur on Friday.

It will a clash between the two ageless legends at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and it would be interesting to see if the Warne-led Rajasthan Royals could tackle a formidable Mumbai side under Sachin Tendulkar.

Mumbai Indians, who are tagged as hot favourites for this edition of the Indian Premier League, have been able to live up to their reputation by winning all but one of their six matches in the tournament.

The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have had a roller-coaster ride so far. Out of seven they have played, they won three and lost as many, while one match got abandoned due to rain.

And it is high time that Royals' batting line-up that boosts of Watson, Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Ashok Maneria, fire together and make an impact. Although, the batsmen have shown some firepower but they are yet to win a match for the team as a batting unit.

Led by batting maestro Tendulkar, Mumbai's batting has clicked extremely well in this competition. And with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Andrew Symonds, Kieron Pollard doing their job to perfection, Mumbai would hope for a cake-walk.

Teams (from): Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (c), Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Symonds, Davy Jacobs, James Franklin, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Aditya Tare, Ali Murtaza, Ambati Rayudu, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pawan Suyal, R Satish, Sarul Kanwar, Suryakumar Yadav, T Suman, Yuzvendra Singh Chahai.

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (C), Swapnil Asnodkar, Stuart Binny, Johan Botha, Deepak Chahar, Ankeet Chavan, Aakash Chopra, Aditya Dole, Nayan Doshi, Rahul Dravid, Samad Fallah, Faiz Fazal, Ashok Menaria, Sumit Narwal, Jacob Oram, Pankaj Singh, Amit Paunikar, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Raut, Dinesh Salunkhe, Pinal Shah, Amit Singh, Shaun Tait, Ross Taylor, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson and Dishant Harendra Yagnik.

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None of our plans are working, says a dejected Sehwag

NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag on Thursday conceded that it has become difficult for his team to reach the play-offs of the Indian Premier League after suffering a 17-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Delhi team lost their fifth overall match in the tournament to languish at the bottom of the points table with just four points from seven outings.

"It's difficult and pressure is on us. We have to pull ourselves and really bat and bowl in coming games," Sehwag told reporters at the post-match press conference.

But the skipper sounded optimistic and said they still have an outside chance of making it to the next stage.

"Nothing is impossible. We can still back ourselves from here on and if we win two three games from here on, then it's possible for us but yes it's quite difficult," Sehwag added.

Kolkata Knight Riders comprehensively beat Delhi to notch up their fourth win in the IPL while Delhi suffered their fifth loss in the tournament and their road to recovery from here on looks pretty bleak.

Sehwag added that he has to back his own performance in order to turn around Daredevils' fortune.

"I have only got one fifty in the seven games. So I need to look at my performance also. If I get going it will be difficult for other teams to come back," the Delhi skipper said.

"I'll have to shoulder the responsibility and need to stay at the wicket for 12-15 overs. It will be good for my team," he said.

Sehwag defended his decision to send Travis Birt ahead of in-form Y Venugopal Rao, saying, "We thought a left-hander would be a better option against left-arm spinner. But nothing seems to be going our way."

"None of our plans are working. T20 game is like that only. Probably we will send Venu and Naman Ojha up the order in the coming games," he said.

His opposite number Gautam Gambhir lauded his bowlers for defending a modest total like 148.

"We just played very well as a team. We bowled and fielded well. It just goes to show how desperate we were for a victory," he said.

"If we can continue like this, definitely it will help our campaign. I am satisfied with the all-round performance today."

About man-of-the-match Manoj Tiwary, who scored a 47-ball unbeaten 61 to help his team's cause when wickets were falling at the other hand, the KKR skipper said, "He set the game for us. Entire credit goes to him for setting the game for us. He played a good innings."

About KKR's fielding today, Gambhir said they saved 15-20 runs which meant that the opposition had to chase a score of around 160-165 runs.

"When you start defending the modest totals, it gives you confidence for the games ahead. We defended the target and it has acted like a confidence-booster for us," he said.

He also defended Yusuf Pathan, who has been off-colour in this tournament so far.

"He has hardly played enough. He is hitting the ball good and till the time, he sticks to our gameplan, he remains a very important member of our scheme of things," Gambhir insisted.

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