How do Mumbai and Kolkata teams measure up?

SWOT ANALYSIS

Mumbai Indians

Strength: It is the intimidating line-up of the Sachin Tendulkar-led squad that makes them look the strongest of the lot. Individually, Tendulkar, Symonds, Sharma, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan are match winners.

Weakness: Pressure. With so many big stars in the team, they have enormous pressure on them to do well.

Opportunities: With his last ball six, Ambati Rayudu should've gained a world of confidence against Knight Riders in the previous game. If Rayudu carries that confidence into the playoffs, MI will benefit a lot..

Threats: The team's batting - up the order - hasn't clicked the way MI would have wanted to. The batting order too hasn't been consistent with Symonds and Pollard continuously in the order.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Strength: To be fair to Gautam Gambhir's team, they've made it to the playoffs riding on a commendable team performance. KKR haven't banked on any individual to help their cause, which makes them so dangerous. To top it, Gambhir's captaincy has been inspiring for a team that was desperate to have a new leader.

Weakness: The biggest disadvantage for Gautam Gambhir in this tournament has been the lack of performance from his pace attack. Brett Lee hasn't figured among wickets much while Laxmipathy Balaji has been way too costly.

Opportunity: Yusuf Pathan is yet to make his mark in this IPL and he'll have his best chance in the playoffs. If Pathan gets going the way he's done in the past, no target would seem very high for the Knights.

Threat: Gambhir's team has to be wary of not letting away the initiative in the end overs.

KEY CLASHES

Kallis vs Malinga

Jacques Kallis will have to click up the order for Knights to get off to a good start and that will mean the South African having to deal with the lethal Lasith Malinga. The fast bowler has troubled batsmen from all teams this tournament and therefore, this is will be a mouthwatering contest to look forward to.

Rohit vs Abdulla & Yusuf

Rohit Sharma has been a vital cog in the MI batting line up while Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan have been KKR's highest wicket takers. The Wankhede will be humid enough for the dice to roll in favour of spinners and therefore, how Sharma deals with these bowlers will be crucial.

Tendulkar vs Gambhir

Both Tendulkar and Gambhir had said that peaking at the right time will be crucial for any team looking to stay right till the end. The time has come and from here, how the captains instill confidence in their team members will be the deciding factor. Tendulkar's experience versus Gambhir's flair will certainly be the talking point.

X-Factor

Mumbai Indians: James Franklin

The Kiwi pacer can wield the long handle and the Knight Riders will vouch for the mayhem he can cause after what he did to them at the Eden Gardens. Franklin not only swings the ball, but gets the odd ball to bounce with his seamless bowling action. The quickie will give the hosts the psychological edge after his Eden heroics.

M: 6, Wkts: 3, Best Bowling: 2-35, Avg: 29.66, Econ: 9.70

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shakib Al Hasan

At the start of the tournament KKR bowling consultant Wasim Akram had dubbed the Bangladesh all-rounder as a trump card in the side's hunt for its maiden IPL title. Shakib's more than a wicket-taking bowler with the guile to stymie the run rate in the middle overs. He hasn't set the stage on fire though with just 9 wickets under his belt.

M: 6, Wkts: 9, Best Bowling: 3-28, Avg: 16.77, Econ: 6.81

Likely Teams

Mumbai Indians: Suman, Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Rohit, Pollard, Franklin, Rayudu, Sathish, Abu Nechim, Price, Malinga

Kolkata Knight Riders: J Kallis, S Goswami, G Gambhir, M Tiwary, Y Pathan, Doeschate, R Bhatia, Shakib Al Hasan, B Lee, L Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla

Mumbai Indians:

Top three batsmen: Tendulkar, Rohit, Rayudu

Top three bowlers: Malinga, Munaf, Harbhajan

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Top three batsmen: Kallis, Gambhir, Pathan

Top three bowlers: Lee, Shakib, Abdulla

toi

Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore to reach IPL 4 final

MUMBAI: One wonders if MS Dhoni is a movie buff. If he is then jail breaks like Shawshank Redemption, Escape To Victory and the Great Escape must be the DVDs that grace his home theatre system.


His side, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending IPL champions, got out of jail in the first playoff against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to win by six wickets and two balls to spare to enter the final to be played in Chennai on Saturday. The second playoff between RCB and the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator between KKR and MI will throw up the second finalist.

Chasing 176, they seemed down and out, but Suresh Raina 73 not out (50 balls, 4x4, 6x6), the ultimate warrior and limited-overs finisher, played a great T20 knock and Albie Morkel 28 runs (10 balls, 1x4, 3x6) showed why he is so highly rated by his franchise to finish things off.

It all seemed very uphill for CSK after Zaheer Khan had got Mike Hussey out for a duck and S Aravind dismissed Murali Vijay cheaply.

Zaheer bowled a miserly first spell (3-0-11-1), but sadly, like the World Cup final, it was his second spell that turned out to be the spoiler as Raina carted him for two sixes off the 17th over and Dhoni struck another maximum to start the turnaround.

The southpaw then trained his guns on S Aravind as he belted the left-armer for three more sixes in the 19th over that went for 21. Earlier, Abhimanyu Mithun too went for 23 runs in one over.

With 12 needed off the last over from Vettori, Morkel hit a four, two and six off the RCB skipper to break Bangalore's hearts in a match worthy of a final.

Earlier, Virat Kohli negated the early loss of two of RCB's big-ticket overseas players - Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers - to take RCB to 176. The talented youngster showed why he was being touted him to be the next great Indian batsman as he struck a sublime and unbeaten 70 (44 balls, 5x4, 3x6).

The first playoff was billed as a clash between Super Kings vs Super Gayle. RCB have piggy-backed a ride into the playoffs on the big-hitting West Indian's solo effort. So prolific has the Jamaican been for the boys in red that there were murmurs about the team being a one-man army. 'Get Gayle, get RCB' seemed to be mantra. But though they might be guilty of overlooking the others, in the end Raina's blitzkrieg, which bettered Kohli's, took them home.

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Daniel Vettori (Capt.), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mohammad Kaif, Saurabh Tiwary, Luke Pomersbach, Sreenath Aravind, Abhimanyu Mithun, Zaheer Khan.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt.), Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, Subramaniam Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati.

toi

Mumbai Indians beatable, insists Gambhir

KOLKATA: It was almost as if Gautam Gambhir had anticipated the barrage of bouncers that would be hurled at him by the media after the heart-breaking last-over loss to Mumbai Indians, which cost Kolkata Knight Riders a top-2 finish in IPL 4.

The KKR captain wasted no time in going on to the front foot and dispatching all of those with disdain.

Sample a few exchanges.

Despite Sunday's defeat, you would be going into the playoffs with heads held high?

"Nothing has happened for which we have to keep our heads down."

Was it a mistake giving Balaji the final over?

"Who would you have given the ball to? I have a lot of faith in Bala, that's why I gave him the final over. Nine times out of 10, in such a situation when 21 are needed in the last over, he would do the job for us. It was one of those days."

Do you think you were about 10 runs short?

"We had a very good total on board... It was more than a par score at Eden."

What positives will you take into the playoffs?

"Everything we take are positives, except the last over. When you are among the four top teams among team, there must be more positives than negatives."

There were some questions that didn't irritate him, like how he rated James Franklin's and Ambati Rayudu's heroics.

"They are quality players... This is such a format that if you don't get things right, you will be punished."

Looking ahead to Thursday's Eliminator, which will again pit KKR against MI, Gambhir said: "The playoffs will be a different ball-game, there will be pressure on both sides as defeat will send them out. Today on the other hand, they (MI) had nothing to lose, while we had to win to clinch a top-2 slot," said the angry man of Indian cricket.

Asked if would be possible for KKR to bounce back from a demoralising defeat like Sunday's, Gambhir was practical. "We have to do things the hard way. But we know they are beatable, if we play good cricket."

toi

'Actor' Tendulkar allowed to claim tax deduction

MUMBAI: An Income Tax tribunal has allowed ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to claim deductions from his taxable income pertaining to earnings from modelling in advertisements.

The two-member tribunal, which gave its order on May 20, upheld the cricket legend's argument that he was an 'actor' while appearing in commercials.

Asha Vijayaraghavan, judicial member of the tribunal, and RK Panda, accountant member, gave the ruling on four appeals filed by the batting maestro against the verdict of chief commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) for assessment years 2001-02 to 2004-2005.

Tendulkar argued that he had claimed deductions under Section 80 RR of I-T Act on the ground that he was an 'actor' while appearing in advertisements. He submitted that the CIT (A) had wrongly held that he was not an actor as cricket was his principal profession.

Tendulkar further argued that he was a cricketer and not a professional actor. He submitted his appearances in advertisements made him an actor and thus he was entitled to deductions. Moreover, he argued that such deductions had been allowed to him earlier.

He cited cases of popular figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Tarun Tahilyani and Harsha Bhogale, who had also claimed deductions from their income through advertisements.

"In the present case, the assessee, while appearing in advertisements and commercials, has to face the lights and camera. As a model, the assessee brings to his work a degree of imagination, creativity and skill to arrange elements in a manner that would affect human senses and emotions and to have an aesthetic value," the tribunal held.

"No doubt, being a successful cricketer, it has added to his brand value as a model. But the fact remains that the assessee has to use his own skills, imagination and creativity. Every person, or for that matter every sportsman, do not possess that degree of talent or skill or creativity and face the lights and camera etc," the members said.

"We are of the considered opinion that the income received by the assessee from modelling and appearing in TV commercials and similar activities can be termed as income derived from the profession of an artist," they said.

Therefore, there is no bar on the part of the assessee to have its second profession as an artist apart from playing cricket, the tribunal noted.

"We accordingly hold that the amount of Rs 5,92,31,211 received by the assessee amounts to income derived by the assessee in the exercise of his profession as an artist and therefore entitled to deduction u/s 80RR of the Act."

The tribunal noted that Tendulkar had received an amount of Rs 19,92,27,085 as gross receipts from sports sponsorship and advertisements, which included an amount of Rs 5,92,31,211 received in convertible foreign exchange from ESPN Star Sports, Pepsico Inc and VISA.

The cricketer had claimed deduction u/s 80 RR amounting to Rs 2,08,59,707 on account of receipt of Rs 5,92,31,211.

toi

How the Bangalore and Chennai teams measure up?

Swot Analysis

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Strengths: Red-hot Gayle. His raw power and high-percentage connectivity apart, Gayle has put team's cause ahead of his ego. With the ball, skipper Vettori is one of the most consistent and frugal bowlers in IPL 4

Weaknesses: The middle order has failed to return anything meaningful. So, if Gayle fails, RCB are on the back foot. A decent pace-bowling all-rounder is missing so is the variation in attack.

Opportunities: With slower tracks in the offing for playoff matches, Syed Mohammad can form a two-pronged left-arm spin attack along with Vettori.

Threats: A Mithun's indifferent form has been a matter of constant worry, particularly his no-balls.

Chennai Super Kings

Strengths: The middle-order. Despite a couple of low-key performances, CSK have the depth in batting to wriggle out of difficult situations. They have the perfect mix of big hitters and sound run-makers and that's going to stand them in good stead

Weaknesses: Inability to adjust to 'away' conditions -- The Chepauk wicket has been tailor-made for their attack, where CSK have won all seven of their matches. But of the seven away, they have managed only two wins and that may just hurt them against RCB

Opportunities: Doug Bollinger and R. Ashwin are the two bowlers who really make the CSK attack lethal. While it's very difficult to hit Bollinger away both in the initial and slog overs, the canny Ashwin has the ability to take vital wickets

Threats: CSK looked clueless against Chris Gayle in Bangalore. Even Ashwin, who can take the ball away from Gayle, couldn't resist him. CSK will have to chalk out some plan to resist the marauding West Indian

X factor

CSK: R Ashwin

The off-spinner has been one of the most reliable bowlers around in the death overs. Dhoni will turn to him in pressure situations, and expect Ashwin to deliver more often than not. It would be interesting to see if Ashwin can get early the way he got Shane Watson during the World Cup quarterfinal.

M: 14, Wkts: 16, Best Bowling: 2-12, Avg: 21.18, Econ: 6.16

RCB: S Aravind

This left-arm seamer has impressed many people, including the likes of former India pacers Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, who also happens to be RCB's bowling coach. Aravind seems to be revelling under the guidance of Zaheer, and has been an integral part of the RCB attack this season with 16 scalps.

M: 10, Wkts: 16, Best Bowling: 4-14, Avg: 16.87, Econ: 7.29

Key Clashes

R Ashwin vs Chris Gayle

Ashwin loves the challenge of bowling to the big hitters with the field up in the powerplays and has the variations to trouble the best of the lot. Gayle, as has been seen is in murderous form. Expect him to try and play out the crafty offie and attack the medium pacers. Gayle would also be keen to keep an eye on the carom ball and keep his pads out of the way against it. This could well be a match-defining contest.

Zaheer vs Hussey

Well on the way to becoming one of India's greatest fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan can dismiss and work out left-handed batsmen even in his sleep. He has a good record against Hussey and his slower-knuckle ball has troubled the Aussie before. One can expect Hussey to stand outside his crease to negate Zaheer's movement. An arresting clash this.

Vettori vs Dhoni

Two inspirational captains. Two great leaders. While tactically, Dhoni may steal a march over the affable Kiwi, Vettori has come into his own and has won the respect of some of the biggest stars with elephant-sized egos in the team. Expect Vettori to bring himself on against the CSK skipper as he is a scratchy starter against slow bowling. Vettori also has one of the best arm balls in the business and against Dhoni, who has an extravagant backlift, it can be a handy weapon.

Venue blues: What to expect

After 3 World Cup and 7 IPL matches, the Wankhede track is worn out. It has lot of turn and bounce for spinners.

RCB:

Top three batsmen: Gayle, Kohli, de Villiers

Top three bowlers: Zaheer, Vettori, Aravind

CSK:

Top three batsmen: Dhoni, Raina, Badrinath

Top three bowlers: Ashwin, Bollinger, Albie Morkel

Track Record

CSK - M: 14, Won: 9, Loss: 5

RCB - M: 14, Won: 9, Loss: 4

Head to head (IPL 4): CSK: 1, RCB: 1

Head to head (overall): CSK: 4, RCB: 5

toi

Domestic players on IPL auction table next?

NEW DELHI: Keeping in mind the controversies which surfaced regarding the signing of domestic players for the IPL season this year, the BCCI is mulling bringing them into the auction pool in 2014.

This means all IPL cricketers will come under the hammer in a three-day affair instead of the existing two-day one.

Details of the mechanism are yet to be finalized, but sources said that domestic and IPL performances of these players in the next three years would be considered before listing them in different groups. Like other players in the competition, even uncapped players would get a base price in the auction.

Salaries of domestic cricketers have been pegged at Rs 30, 20 and 10 lakh according to seniority, which led to some dissatisfaction in leading domestic stars who wanted to bargain for better returns.

At the next auction now, they cannot bargain for more money and can't even arm-twist team owners to pay more. The players felt that if the top stars can bargain beyond their base price, they too can ask for much more unofficially. Now, they can't complain about missing out on big bucks.

IPL franchises have had skirmishes over uncapped players in the past, necessitating the move.

toi

Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 wickets

KOLKATA: Even before the first ball was bowled in the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens on Sunday evening, the second spot on the points table was for KKR to lose.


With Chennai Super Kings going down to Royal Challengers Bangalore in an earlier match of the day, KKR, with a better net run rate than CSK, had to win Sunday's match with a relatively decent margin to take the position ahead of CSK. But the Gautam Gambhir-led side failed to do so as New Zealander James Franklin played a dream innings, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat to give Mumbai Indians five-wicket victory.

Needing 21 runs to win in the last over, Franklin hit Laxmipathy Balaji for four consecutive fours. Ambati Rayudu facing the last ball, needed to hit at least a boundary for victory, after Franklin took a single on the fifth ball.

Rayudu did a Javed Miandad, hitting a huge six over the deep square leg to silence a capacity Eden crowd. The result meant the two sides, finishing three and fourth, will face off again in the playoff eliminator tie on Wednesday. CSK finished second, ahead of Mumbai, on better run rate.

If it was opener Jacques Kallis whose innings of 59 helped KKR post a challenging total of 175 for seven, the highest score at the Eden Gardens in this IPL season, Delhi lad Rajat Bhatia made an impact with the ball, removing Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar in three consecutive overs to restrict MI's run chase. Bhatia ended with three for 22 from his four overs.

It was again a batting collapse for MI but they finally managed to win after three successive defeats. Except for brief period when Harbhajan Singh and Tendulkar shared a 57-run second wicket stand, MI never really looked like capable of romping home.

Only Franklin thought otherwise. The Little Master, who played his first IPL match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, held fort at one end and played some glorious shots to the delight of the capacity Eden crowd. But he ran out of support and fell trying to clear the field.

Put into bat by MI skipper Sachin Tendulkar, the Knights were on the backfoot losing two quick wickets - that of opener Sreevats Goswami and Gambhir.

But local lad Manoj Tiwary, who is having a great IPL this season, once again took charge of the proceedings to take KKR out of the woods.

Just when he threatened to take the match away from the visitors, the Bengal Ranji Trophy skipper perished for 35 failing to beat a direct throw from Harbhajan Singh at short third man while trying to return to his crease.

The stage was thus set for senior pro Kallis to show the way and the South African all-rounder came up with a classic innings.

He played the typical waiting game in the initial overs, trying to gauge the pace of the wicket and playing second fiddle to Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Jacques Kallis, Shreevats Goswami, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan, Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla.

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (Capt.), James Franklin, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Rajagopal Sathish, Tirumalasetti Suman, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Harbhajan Singh, Ray Price, Lasith Malinga.

toi

Gayle takes Royal Challengers Bangalore to the top

BANGALORE: The success of Chris Gayle and Royal Challengers Bangalore went hand in hand on yet another occasion. But the home side's convincing eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings, which made them table-toppers in IPL 4 league stage, was not about Gayle magic alone.

The hard-hitting Jamaican scored his third half-century of the IPL edition, embellishing his unbeaten 75-run knock (50b) with six sixes and four boundaries but Chennai's agony was planted and watered way before, thanks to an impressive RCB bowling.

Even a blazing 40-ball 70 by CSK skipper MS Dhoni couldn't stop RCB from ensuring a straight tilt at the title clash in the playoff phase and also an assured spot in the next Champions League T20.

RCB skipper Daniel Vettori and pace ace Zaheer Khan returned to the eleven and more importantly made their presence felt to restrict the defending champions to 128/8 on a good batting track.

Three of the four CSK batsmen at the top of the tree gifted their wickets with loose strokes even as the discipline and attitude shown by Zaheer (2-19), Vettori (2-14) and S Arvind (2-20) ensured persistent pressure on the opponents.

Defending a small total, Dhoni tried the spin of R Ashwin first-up against Gayle and even placed an unorthodox straighter mid-on for the West Indian southpaw against pacers but couldn't halt the juggernaut.

After the one-match break, Zaheer looked fresher "physically, mentally and technically" as was mentioned by coach Ray Jennings on the eve of the match and the left-arm pacer struck rhythm right from the first ball.

The pace spearhead removed the in-form duo of opener Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina in successive overs during an inspirational first spell (3-1-10-2).

In between those strikes, RCB nudged ahead in the contest with the other left-arm pacer Arvind accounting for Murali Vijay in the fourth over.

By the sixth over, the CSK innings read a sorry 23/4 after Chennai's regular saviour S Badrinath perished at long-off in Vettori's first over. But RCB couldn't afford to relax, particularly after throwing away the advantage of a similar good start against Kings XI Punjab in their previous encounter.

The responsibility to resurrect the CSK innings was thrust on skipper Dhoni, not for the first time in the season. After splicing up a 42-run stand in company of Wriddhiman Saha for the fifth wicket, Dhoni reserved his best for last with yet another display of impeccable power-hitting.

The right-hander bludgeoned six of the seven sixes that spotted the CSK total, all big hits coming in the concluding half of the innings.

His penchant for the on-side while executing those maximums was noticeable but more noteworthy was the raw power he generated with the bat-swing.

toi

I am interested in a consultancy job in IPL: Warne

MUMBAI: Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who played his final competitive game on Friday, made it clear he won't be returning as a full-time coach for the Rajasthan Royals or any other team next season but said he was interested in a consultancy role.

"This is my last game, never say never but at this stage of my life I don't see myself playing a game again. I am certainly not coming back as full time coach," Warne said after bringing down curtains on his two-decade long career with a 10-wicket win over Mumbai.

"I won't be 100 per cent in the entire tournament. Definitely no point in being here for seven weeks if you are not playing. I may come in as consultant may be ten days prior or some time in between. If they are happy I will be here for a week or so. If not I am done with the tournament will watch it on the telly," he added.

Warne said his team Rajasthan Royals was the best in the IPL competition when everything falls in place.

"We showed that when we do fire we are the best team in the competition. Our batsmen fired at the top," said the 41-year-old Australian legend after the Royals finished their IPL engagements on a high though they couldn't qualify for the playoffs.

Warne said that the blistering knock of 89 by Shane Watson that flattened Mumbai who had a modest score of 133 to defend indicated his Australian compatriot was among the very best in the world.

"If Watson is not the best batsman in the world currently, I don't know who is? He's fantastic, you could argue if he is not he is among the top two batsmen in the world. He has already apologised to me for not doing it in the earlier games. He came away with his confidence high after scoring 180 in Bangladesh," he said.

Warne also rued that prior to Friday's game, the Royals played poorly at home and lost their qualifying hopes.

"We won six games, had a washout and did not play well in the last three or four games. Disappointed with the way we have played the last three or four games. But the way we played the last game we have showed we can turn it on. One or two games here or there, that would have fetched us 17 points," he said.

"Unfortunately our batsmen did not fire through the tournament. If (Shane) Watson had one more innings like that, Ross Taylor had one or two innings like that, we would have been first or second."

Warne was also proud of Rajasthan Royals' record in four editions of the tournament in which they stood second only to Chennai Super Kings in the number of matches won.

"I am really proud of the way our guys conducted on and off the field. We have won the second most number of games after Chennai in the four years. It's a tremendous record. I am proud of the way RR have played over the last few years. I am surprised myself at how well I bowled at the age of 41."

The 41-year-old cricketer also wanted the International Cricket Council to provide a clear window for the cash-rich T20 league.

"IPL is a fantastic tournament. ICC should say no international cricket for six weeks that would do away with all the sledging. IPL is good for Indian cricket, good for world cricket.

He recalled when the IPL was conceptualised no one really knew what to expect and also complimented former chairman Lalit Modi for making it a success.

"My best memory is 2008. No one knew what was going to happen in the IPL. No one knew what to expect with franchise teams, players' auction and so on. We were the first to introduce spin and others copied it. I am happy. We came up with innovative ideas. Lalit Modi did a great job," he said.

Going ahead Warne felt IPL could do with some innovations in the form of super rounds to allow more than four foreigners in the playing eleven.

"In South Africa (in 2009) I was tossing around with plans to have two super rounds with five foreign players somewhere in the middle of the tournament to help teams struggling and make the tournament more exciting. If people like it you can increase the super rounds to three with each round coming after four games," he said.

Talking about his future plans, the leg spin legend said that this was the happiest phase of his life.

"I would like to concentrate on my poker, being with my three kids and with Elizabeth (Hurley). I am happier than I have ever been. I have made a lot of friends and business wise I have 3-4 businesses with a few more in the pipeline," he said.

He also said he had plans to start an academy for spinners.

"I want to start a spinners' academy where anyone can come and train for free. I am looking out for sponsors."

toi

Rajasthan Royals crush Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets

MUMBAI: It was billed as a big showdown - the last encounter between the Sheikh of tweak Shane Warne and the batting genius Sachin Tendulkar - but it turned out to be an anti-climax.

The two did come face-to-face for two overs but seemed out of sorts. Tendulkar failed to force the pace, while Warnie couldn't get his big spinners going.

In the end, however, Warne emerged the winner with the Rajasthan Royals' batsmen making a mockery of Mumbai Indians' modest total of 133, rattling up the runs in just 13.1 overs without losing a wicket. It was just the perfect icing on their captain's farewell cake and only the fourth 10-wicket win in IPL history.

Shane Watson and Rahul Dravid made their bats blaze to make the night - it was the last meeting of two legends Sachin and Shane - their own. Watson bludgeoned the MI attack scoring a whirlwind 89 (47 balls; 9x4, 6x6) while Dravid gave him fitting company with 43 (32b; 6x4). It must have rankled Warne a bit that the Royals had to bow out of IPL 4 after such a cracking show.

Earlier in the evening, a wait of eight long overs came to an end for the Mumbaikars as saw Warne marked his run-up in his trademark style. To their delight, Tendulkar had by then already had his big share of two lucky escapes, surviving two lbw appeals off left-arm spinner Ankit Chavan in the second and seventh overs.

Tendulkar went on to score a sedate 35 but the skipper did steer his side out of the woods after opting to bat first. Mumbai Indians made one of their slowest start of the season producing only 20 runs in five overs losing two wickets.

It was only after the arrival of the classy Rohit Sharma, who made 58 (47balls, 5x4,1x6) that the scoreboard really picked pace with Warne conceding as many as 11 runs in his first over.

Rohit rose to the occasion with both grace and patience and displayed his full arsenal of strokes to push MI ahead. His partnership of 48 runs in 7.3 overs with Tendulkar set the tone for an otherwise pedestrian innings on track that offered turn.

Once Tendulkar departed, slashing straight to Watson at third man off Amit Singh, Rohit took charge but his best just wasn't enough.

Teams:

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (Capt.), James Franklin, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Andrew Symonds, Tirumalasetti Suman, Dhawal Kulkarni, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Lasith Malinga.

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Capt.), Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha, Ashok Meneria, Ajinkya Rahane, Ross Taylor, Pinal Shah, Ankeet Chavan, Amit Singh, Sidharth Trivedi.

toi

Making betting legal in India would help fight corruption: ICC

NEW DELHI: ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat believes making betting legal in the Indian sub-continent would help in monitoring the bookmakers and also "make the fight against corruption easier".

"If the industry was regulated you could actually work with them, monitor them better and everything would be legal so there is reason to go underground. So our view is if it was to be regulated it would make the fight against corruption much easier for us," Lorgat said.

Corruption in the game had come to light from time to time with the latest being the spot-fixing scandal which rocked international cricket last August in England, where three Pakistani cricketers were found guilty of being involved in the scam.

Lorgat said the ICC is now toying with the concept of 'mystery shopper' to ensure that such an incident doesn't occur again.

"We have a review ongoing at the moment, an external review, to see what we have learnt out of the last decade of this anti-corruption and security unit. We certainly don't want a repeat of last year's incident," he said.

"Having said that we thought it might be worthwhile to have an independent review to see what sort of recommendations or suggestions could come out that could improve the operations or the fight against corruption.

"One of the suggestions being mooted, is the concept of a mystery shopper. Meaning that we may well have people posing as a bookmaker, and approaching players to see if they report back to the anti-corruption and security unit, which is an obligation they have got," he added.

Asked what sort of reaction the ICC have received from the players on the mystery shopper issue, Lorgat said, "Well the players I haven't heard much from but I'm conscious of the fact that the players association, FICA, initially their response was not very supportive because they felt it was some sort of entrapment.

"But it's early days it was just a thought we had, let's see what the recommendations are and if we think it's a worthwhile idea we will engage with the players and the association to see if it's implementable."

Lorgat said he was confident that the players would support the idea.

"Absolutely, I think those are things we need to support. I'm confident that the majority of players are honest and play the game in the right spirit and they would have no reservations in supporting such a move," he said.

toi

Warne, spin genius with soap-opera life

SYDNEY: Shane Warne mixed legendary cricket deeds with lurid headlines away from the pitch in a career as bewitching as his famed wrong 'un.

Warne, who bows out of professional cricket aged 41 on Friday with the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals, was never one for half-measures throughout his extraordinary 15-year Test career.

The greatest leg-spinner of them all carved out a flamboyant lifestyle cast outside the mould of a traditional cricketing icon, often putting himself at odds with the game's purists.

Vainglorious Warne did things his way and will be remembered for his dalliances and forthright opinions as much as for his pioneering 708 Test wickets in a 145-Test career that made him the scourge of batsmen worldwide.

Warne is entrenched in Australia's sporting pantheon - in the eyes of many he is second only to cricket's immortal Don Bradman.

Yet his achievements are tempered for some by his penchant for a zesty private life, including a recent tabloid affair with British actress Liz Hurley.

But Warne's contribution to cricket is inarguable, notably after he resurrected the waning art of leg-spin, became the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets and delivered the most famous ball in the sport's history.

Warne posted inauspicious figures of 1-150 in his 1992 Test debut but knuckled down under spin guru Terry Jenner. Eighteen months later, Warne riveted the cricketing world with the "ball of the century" against England.

Warne's first leg-break delivery in an Ashes Test turned viciously to bamboozle England's Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993 that heralded the arrival of a cricketing superstar.

He was a master of mind games, targeting batsmen ahead of a series and warning he was working on a new mystery ball to bowl out his "bunnies" in the opposition line-up.

He gave a man-of-the-match performance when Australia won the World Cup in 1999, and is known for a sharp and inventive cricketing brain which saw him long touted as Australian Test skipper.

But even Warne himself once described his life as a soap opera, such was the litany of off-field controversies.

"Warney", also nicknamed " Hollywood", survived drug and bookmaking scandals and pursued an energetic love life which is widely thought to have cost him the Australian captaincy.

In 1998 it emerged that Warne and Australian team-mate Mark Waugh had been fined three years earlier for supplying information to an Indian bookmaker.

Warne was stripped of the Australian team vice-captaincy in 2000 after it emerged he had bombarded an English nurse with lewd text messages after meeting her in a nightclub.

A series of infidelities culminated in his very public break-up from his wife of 10 years, Simone, with whom he has three children.

And yet his performance in Australia's failed Ashes campaign in England in 2005 is regarded by some pundits as the pinnacle of his career, when he overcame his disintegrating marriage and a tabloid frenzy to take 40 wickets.

He also missed the 2003 World Cup in South Africa after he tested positive on tournament-eve for a banned diuretic - a weight-loss pill sometimes used to mask steroids - in a drug scandal which saw him banned for a year in 2003.

Warne returned to Test cricket in March 2004 but never again played international one-day matches, instead preferring to concentrate on the longer form of the game.

Warne was always sensitive about his weight and recently shed more than 10kg (22lbs) after dropping alcohol and fast food and replacing them with water and health shakes.

Warne continued playing after ending his Test career in January 2007 and scripted a title triumph with a rag-tag team in the IPL Twenty20 competition's first edition in 2008, highlighting his nous and motivational skills.

But his final season in charge of Rajasthan this year did not offer his hoped-for fairy-tale finale.

He started well, initially managing to fox batsmen with his turn and flight, but gradually lost his rhythm as even inexperienced youngsters began hitting him for sixes with ease and regularity.

Off-field troubles also spoiled his valedictory season.

He had an ugly spat with a local cricket administrator, a tiff with Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar, and appeared dejected in his final matches after criticising the pitch used at home games.

This week Warne was fined $50,000 over a row with the secretary of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, whom he berated in front of TV cameras over the choice of wicket.

Right to the very end, Warne's cricket career was never dull.

toi

Our focus is to move to second spot in IPL table: Gambhir

MUMBAI: Relieved to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Pune Warriors, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir on Thursday said his team would aim to win their next match and finish atleast in the second spot in the IPL points table.

Gambhir admitted he was nervous before their match against Pune and attributed their comfortable victory to the all-round display of his side.

"Very important two points today. It was a very important game and I was nervous, we had everything to lose today. We needed to be professional. We had come so close we couldn't afford to let it slip from here," he said.

"We needed to be up there, up the energy and if I am asking so much from the team I needed to have that first so I wanted to lead from the front and bring that intensity in the field.

"Credit goes to the entire team. We were never too keen on batting in a hurry for the Net run rate. It wasn't that kind of pitch," he added.

Asked about their next match against Mumbai Indians, Gambhir said, "We want to go out there and look to win the next game as they we would have a very bright chance of moving into the second spot in the table, so that's what we will focus on."

"Jacques' been doing a great job, his injury gave me an opportunity to open today. I want to give credit to the entire bunch of bowlers, everyone bowled well," he added.

Man of the Match, Yusuf Pathan, who scored 29 runs and scalped two wickets, said he was relaxed before the match.

"No tension ahead of the game. Gauti (Gautam) utilised me very well with the ball, I could get wickets and keep the runs down," he said.

Pune Warriors skipper Yuvraj said toss played a crucial factor and reckoned 140 would have been a good score in this pitch which turned a lot in the beginning.

"135-140 would have been a good score. Toss would have been vital, it turned a lot earlier in the first innings and not much in the second half. But credit goes to KKR they bowled according to a plan. we lost too many wickets in between," he said.

Yuvraj said he was giving the youngsters chance to bat up the order so that he can handle the pressure down the line.

"I am happy to allow youngsters bat ahead of me up the order. I have batted for India in tough situation and can handle the pressure," he said.

The left-hander said things didn't work out for his team once again and it was disappointing.

"It is difficult when you are out of reckoning and you have to play for your pride. Today again things didn't work for us, shots were going to fielders," he said.

Asked about Callum Ferguson whose two overthrows fetched Kolkata two boundaries, Yuvraj said, "All I could do when Ferguson's throws were going for four was smile, I think this is the best medicine in such situations and so that's what I did."

toi

Sreesanth's loss is Vinay Kumar's gain

CHENNAI: Sreesanth's ringtone says "I believe I can fly". But his performances of late haven't been upto the scratch and the Kerala paceman is now out of the Indian ODI side. R Vinay Kumar, on the other hand, has nothing of the flash and flair of Sreesanth. The hardworking Karnataka player, now an integral part of the Kochi Tuskers team, goes on performing day-in-day-out and despite bowling at a pace of 130, has worked his way back in the Indian One-Day side.

While Sreesanth has found himself in the middle of controversies even in this IPL, Vinay has just got on with his job. The Kerala player has lost his place in the team, too, once in a while, but the Kochi management has probably understood that it is something they have to live with. "We always wanted him to express himself. He is at his best when he expresses himself in his own way," Kochi's stand-in skipper Parthiv Patel said on Wednesday.

But one thing he didn't say is that Sree hasn't delivered what was expected of him. Vinay on the other hand, has been right on the money. "I do not try to do too many extravagant things... I always look to stick to my basics and I think that is paying the dividends," Vinay Kumar told the TOI on the sidelines of a Kochi practice session.

Vinay Kumar and Sreesanth are different people, both in terms of attitude and bowling styles. While Vinay works on subtle variations, swing and change of pace, Sreesanth is more of an attacking bowler who looks to experiment. That works for him on occasions, but in ODIs it goes against him too.

The World Cup final was a prime example when Dhoni played him ahead of R Ashwin, but the paceman disappointed. But Kochi's stand-in captain indicated that he is determined to get his rhythm back. "He is working hard at the gym. We all believe he can get back into the Indian team," Parthiv said.

Vinay Kumar, on the other hand, is looking to cement his place in the Indian team. "It was disappointing to miss out. But I had given a decent account of myself in the games that I have played. So I felt I can come back," he said.

toi

Kings XI Punjab crush Royal Challengers Bangalore by 111 runs

DHARAMSALA: It was supposed to be left-handed hatchet man Chris Gayle's party at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday. But another left-hander, commendably assisted by yet another southpaw, gate-crashed in such stunning, hair-raising fashion that the night became an ode to him, a monument to his legendary powers.


Adam Gilchrist needed one defining knock in IPL 4, one which would make his season and measure up to his stature. It came against table toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore, a blistering 106 off 55 balls which had eight fours and nine sixes, one of which went into the valley past the upper tiers beyond the mid-wicket boundary.

His second IPL ton and his record-shattering second-wicket stand with fellow Aussie Shaun Marsh, worth 206, took Kings XI Punjab to the season's highest 232/2.

And when Gayle was taken out by Ryan Harris for a duck in the second over of the RCB reply as the visitors chased an improbable target, the contest was as good as over. RCB meandered along to 121 all out in 17 overs to lose by a whopping 111 runs. A buoyant Kings XI, who won their fourth game on the trot, stay at fifth in the points table. They are breathing down KKR's neck and you cannot fault them for harbouring high hopes of making the playoffs. They play their last league game against Deccan Chargers on Sunday.

The Gilchrist-Marsh tango was the biggest in all T20 cricket, comfortably overshadowing the 186 Justin Langer and Cameron White put together for Somerset against Gloucestershire in 2006. Marsh (79 not out, 49b, 7x4, 5x6) was more than a good foil for his captain and played his part in the merciless dismantling of the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack.

It was a wet day in Dharamsala with intermittent drizzle threatening to disrupt the match which, thankfully, did not happen. But when the drizzle stopped, it began raining fours and sixes. Such was the ferocity of Gilchrist and Marsh's onslaught that one thought even the Dhauladhar and Shivalik ranges which encircle the scenic HPCA stadium would be quaking in fear.

It helped that RCB rested Zaheer Khan for the game. Without him, the bowling was easy fodder for Gilchrist and Marsh. New-ball bowlers JJ van der Wath and Charles Langeveldt went for 50 and 48 runs respectively while S Aravind and A Mithun too could not stem the tide.

toi

Time to trial VJD method instead of D/L?

MUMBAI: Ten years after an engineer from Thrissur in Kerala, V Jayadevan, first introduced his self-invented VJD method for weather-affected cricket matches, the formula may gain some kind of recognition at last.

The technical committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to call Jayadevan later this month to give an official presentation of how his system works and will take a call on it after understanding all its implications.

Senior cricketers have been asked for their views on Duckworth-Lewis and many have come forward giving it a thumbs-down in recent past. That, in turn, has encouraged certain ICC members to give the VJD method a fair hearing.

For Jayadevan, this is a huge and emphatic step forward to help introduce the VJD method to the world, especially because in the last ten years, all his efforts to do so have been in vain.

The Duckworth-Lewis Method, first introduced by two English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis in 1996-97, has been used by the ICC in all international matches officially since 2001 and no other system, including the VJD method, has been given a try. In 2005, the Duckworth-Lewis method was revised and updated and once again the VJD method was left in the cold without a hearing.

The D/L method — as Duckworth-Lewis is called — is a mathematical formula designed to calculate the target score for team batting second in shorter formats of the game interrupted by weather. Experts have generally accepted the D/L method to be fair and accurate in setting a target score, but it has not happened without controversies.

Experts say D/L's G50 rule — in which the possible target is calculated based on the whole 50 overs of play in the first innings — is the method's biggest weakness because it does not take into account the possibility of a team scoring less than the set score that is projected by the computer-generated program.

"When the interruption comes in the first innings, you have to find out a projected score through a more validated method. D/L does not provide that," says an expert. VJD's biggest strength, he says is: "It assumes various milestones in a match. The advantage is that the VJD model lies much closer to the actual situation than the D/L model."

The D/L is universally accepted and regardless of how players themselves view it, the model has stood the test of time. However, it is unfair if the concerned authorities have refused to give the other method — equally good and one that claims to be better in certain situations of the shorter format of the game — a fair opportunity to present itself.

"It is primarily the BCCI's responsibility to ask for a VJD presentation and forward it to the technical committee to study it," says the expert.

The technical committee of the BCCI, headed by Sunil Gavaskar, has studied the VJD method in the past and has recommended it to the BCCI, particularly asking that the method be introduced in the Indian Premier League. The Indian Board, however, has steadfastly refused to consider it. It gets worse because neither the BCCI nor ICC has even bothered to inform Jayadevan why the VJD has not been considered.

Asking Jayadevan to give a presentation of his model is the least the board or ICC can do. The first step has been taken in that direction.

toi

Dravid hopes to better 2006 performance in the West Indies

MUMBAI: Former captain Rahul Dravid is hopeful about the Indian cricket team improving upon its 2006 performance in the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

During the 2006 West Indies tour, the Indian team created history under Dravid's captaincy when they won a Test series in the Caribbean for the first time in 35 years.

"We won the series there last time around but I hope we will do better this time," he said on the sidelines of a promotional event on Tuesday.

"If the West Indies play their full strength side, they will be a tough team to beat. But it will be interesting to see if they have their full side."

Dravid became only the second Indian skipper, after Ajit Wadekar, to have won a Test series in the West Indies when he led India to a 1-0 victory in a four-match rubber in 2006.

Meanwhile, Dravid was confident that the last chapter in the rivalry between spin wizard Shane Warne and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, with the former announcing his retirement from the IPL, would be an engrossing one when Rajasthan Royals take on Mumbai Indians on Friday.

"Both are great players. If we see the history we will agree both are legends. It will be a good show by great cricketers. Every one will like to see such contests. Hopefully, there would be a good contest," he said.

The 38-year-old cricketer, who is part of the Jaipur outfit, said inexperience was the reason behind Rajasthan Royals' failure to make it to the playoffs of IPL 4.

"Look, our side has got a little bit of inexperience if you look at our game. There are 10 teams and at the end of the day other teams had probably more experienced players in this competition."

"We are not in a position to get to the play-offs. We have got some up and down performances. We have some youngsters doing well for us. We can improve next year," Dravid said.

He pinpointed Rajasthan Royals' Ashok Menaria and Ajinkya Rahane as the players to watch out for in the future.

"Happy to see some young players like Ajinkya Rahane and Ashok Menaria come through...they have shown a glimpse of what they can do. Rahane has done well for Mumbai in Ranji and domestic cricket while Menaria has done well for Rajasthan."

Meanwhile, South African Johan Botha, who was also present at the event, said he would be happy to succeed Warne as the Jaipur outfit skipper if he is asked to do so.

"I think when Warnie stops, a few guys could take over. If I get the opportunity, I will take it. But there are a lot of guys to take over like (Shane) Watson and Ross Taylor."

Asked about Gary Kirsten's chances of succeeding the outgoing South African coach, Corrie Van Zyl, Botha said, "I think honestly Gary has had a good time with the Indian team. If he takes over everone will be happy."

New Zealanders Jacob Oram, Ross Taylor and Rahane were also present on the occasion.

toi

Kings XI Punjab beat Delhi Daredevils by 29 runs

DHARAMSHALA: It was a must-win game for Kings XI Punjab and they did not disappoint fans at the picturesque HPCA stadium. Gilchrist's men rose to the occasion to beat Delhi Daredevils by 29 runs to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.


Their opponents, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom with nothing but pride at stake. Such teams tend to spoil other teams' party, but without their skipper and batting mainstay Virender Sehwag, they were always going to find the hosts too determined to be outwitted.

DD chose to chase a target on a bouncy pitch where the ball comes onto the bat and the outfield is fast. But such a plan can boomerang if you fail to keep the rival total in check. And that's what happened to them as KXIP, banking on a fluent century partnership between Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh, posted a healthy total of 170. DD did make an honest effort but the KXIP bowlers, led by UP trio of Piyush Chawla (3-16), Praveen Kumar and Shalabh Srivastava, proved handful for them.

KXIP with 12 points and two games in hand need to win their remaining matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore (May 17) and Deccan Chargers (May 21) to have a chance of sneaking into the last-four. It's an uphill task, especially against the rampaging RCB.

Not for the first time, it was the inform pair of Valthaty and Marsh who set up the strong KXIP total with some scintillating strokeplay. The two took the Delhi Daredevils bowling by the scruff of the neck, on a pitch with greenish tinge and good bounce. They were not overawed by the steep bounce Morne Morkle generated and hit out boldly to collect runs at a fast clip. Their 102-run second-wicket partnership came in only 11 overs and they were ready to cause more havoc but Irfan Pathan, producing his best spell in this IPL, removed them off successive deliveries.

The two had come together when Adam Gilchrist, not for the first time in this IPL, failed to get going. That was the crucial phase as had either of them had departed early, the rest of the batting would have come under tremendous pressure. Valthaty was in a belligerent mood reaching his third IPL half-century in only 38 balls when he clobbered James Hopes for a six and a four, with a total of 18 runs coming from the over.

Shaun Marsh took the cue and hammered left-arm spinner Sridharan Sriram for 25 runs in an over.

toi

Kochi Tuskers Kerala thump Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets

INDORE: Scores are settled now. Rajasthan Royals had beaten Kochi Tuskers Kerala in Jaipur in the first leg, and the Tuskers avenged the defeat in style by mauling the Shane Warne side at 'home' on Sunday.


The huge eight-wicket victory by Tuskers in their penultimate match at the Holkar Stadium meant Royals have now lost all hopes of reaching the playoff stage. They have now joined the 'losers' list of Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Deccan Chargers and the Tuskers.

Tuskers produced a clinical performance but their outstanding show was too late to save them from staying in the hunt for playoffs. Brad Hodge, known more for his batting prowess, produced one of the most impressive bowling performances of this edition to bag four wickets as Rajasthan Royals were bundled out for mere 97.

Thanks to Hodge's remarkable spell of 4-13, Kochi looked a completely different side compared to Friday when they lost a high-scoring encounter against Kings XI Punjab by a margin of six wickets at the same venue.

A couple of days back the same bowling attack, barring the exception of RP Singh, was thrashed mercilessly by the Dinesh Karthik and Company. But on Sunday, they were spot on from the word go.

Hodge made the day memorable for himself when he excelled with the willow too as Tuskers romped home in just 7.2 overs. He hammered an unbeaten 33 off just 17 balls and in the company of Parthiv Patel (21 not out) and knocked out the required runs with utmost ease.

Earlier, taking a cue from Adam Gilchrist, who had put the Tuskers in after winning the toss on Friday, Mahela Jayawardene decided to bowl first.

toi

Deccan Chargers wary of Munaf and Malinga

MUMBAI: Not without reason Mumbai Indians (game in hand) are perched atop the points' table along with the Chennai Super Kings. Two of their frontline bowling options - Lasith Malinga and Munaf Patel - have been in excellent form. Cricketing gurus and purists know what Malinga can do with his slinging action, but what has come as a refreshing change is the emergence of a fit Munaf Patel. The 6.3" towering speedster from a motley village in Bharuch had gained a notorious reputation of picking up injuries... almost at will. But since the start of the South Africa tour, prior to the World Cup, Patel has been injury free. Subsequently, he has been performing consistently, first for India and now for Mumbai Indians. Malinga (26) and Patel (17 wickets) occupy the top two slots in the highest wicket takers category in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Any fast bowler who bowls around the 135-140 mark is injury prone," Mumbai Indians' Director of Coaching Operations, TA Sekar told TOI.

"But there were some bowlers like Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar etc who mixed deliveries extremely well. They could bowl fast but at the same time, they had tremendous control over swing. This quality shaped their successful careers. Munaf has been injury free for a while because he is mixing things up. He is using variations to good effect," Sekar said, explaining the reason behind Patel not breaking down with an injury for such a long while.

Munaf has complimented Malinga very well. Together they have stifled the rival batting order by picking up crucial wickets on a regular basis.

"The most important thing about Munaf," observed Sekar, "is that he is bowling around the 130-135 mark.

"He used to be tear-away fast bowler. Now, though, he has cut down on his pace and is more of a line and length bowler. He has added a few variations to his bowling and that's helping him a great deal. Also, he has played three seasons for the Rajasthan Royals and has been in close contact with Shane Warne. I am certain he has picked up a few tricks from Warnie as well. For other technical support or guidance he keeps calling me regularly," Sekar said while bringing to the fore a technical aspect about Patel's bowling. "Munaf has a very simple bowling action. And because of his action, he manages to extract a little more bounce off the wicket than the others."

Mumbai Indians will face the lowly-placed Deccan Chargers at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. And skipper Tendulkar will hope that Munaf and his band of bowlers continue in the same vein.

Deccan Chargers' coach, Darren Lehmann, meanwhile admitted that his team has had some positives, but has failed to win a few important moments.

"It is difficult to explain why we are where we are. We have had some very good moments. But we have failed to win the moments that matter. We haven't lost a match very badly. The margin has been just about 10-odd runs. So yeah, it's difficult to explain."

Speaking about Patel, Lehmann said: "Munaf has been doing brilliantly of late. He has had a good World Cup for India and has continued in the same vein in this IPL for Mumbai Indians. He is a line and length bowler and has found consistency. Bowling isn't rocket science. It's just about executing plans and he is doing it admirably. He has a bright future ahead."

KEY CLASHES

Sangakkara vs Malinga & Munaf

Together, they have shared 43 scalps in 11 outings for Mumbai Indians. Lasith Malinga and Munaf Patel have been one critical factor why Mumbai have been so successful. Kumar Sangakkara knows if Deccan Chargers have to play spoilsport, he will have to bear the burden of batting.

Sachin vs Steyn

Two of the best exponents of their trades will make up for a mouthwatering contest when their teams lock horns at the Wankhede today. When it comes to batting, Tendulkar is on a different tangent. There's no one who has adapted to situations like the master-blaster in recent times. Steyn not only bowls his heart out, but gets reasonable bargain from even a dead surface. It will be interesting to see how the master tacticians will work out a game-plan to outsmart the other.

MI fielding vs Chargers fielding

On Friday, Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann admitted that his players have dropped a few crucial catches. That, perhaps, sums why Hyderabad is languishing at the bottom of the points' table. Mumbai have been exceptional in the field apart from boasting of an envious batting line-up and a fairly successful bowling unit. Rohit Sharma, Pollard and Symonds have held on to some breathtaking catches and have saved plenty of runs. Today's game could well be decided on who fields better on the day.

toi