IPL 2008 Points Table

IPL 2008 Points Table

Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR Chennai 3 3 0 0 0 6 +1.260 Rajasthan Royals 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.067 Delhi Daredevils 2 2 0 0 0 4 +2.988 Kolkata 3 2 1 0 0 4 +2.117 Kings XI Punjab 3 1 2 0 0 2 +0.241 Bangalore 3 1 2 0 0 2 -2.765 Mumbai Indians 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.268 Deccan Chargers 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.339

Harbhajan suspended from IPL

Temperamental off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was suspended pending his explanation for slapping his Indian teammate S Sreesanth at the end of an IPL match in Mohali on Friday night and appears headed for a severe punishment which can be a minimum of a ban for five Test matches or 10 one-day internationals.

Harbhajan was earlier given a show-cause notice by the BCCI which gave him time till Monday to explain his conduct but bowing to media and public outrage, he was temporarily suspended till the disciplinary hearing before Farokh Engineer, who was the Match Referee in the tie between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.

The suspension means Harbhajan Singh, who is the stand-in captain for the Mumbai Indians, will not be able to play for the team against Deccan Chargers on Sunday in Mumbai.

Announcing the suspension, IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said that based on prima facie video evidence as seen and reviewed by the match adjudicator and referee Farokh Engineer from the tapes provided by Sony & TWI, a decision has been reached to suspend with immediate effect Harbhajan Singh of the Mumbai Indians pending the inquiry into the incident on Monday, April 28, 2008.

"The inquiry into the incident at Mohali in the game between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians will now take place at the Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi on April 28th, 2008. A final verdict would be announced by the adjudicator Farokh Engineer post hearing at New Delhi", he said in a statement.

As per the ICC Code of Conduct, slapping a fellow player constitutes a level 4 offence and could lead to a life ban or a minimum ban of five Tests to 10 ODIs.

BCCI President Sharad Pawar said that he had told the IPL Chairman if there was prima facie evidence of wrong-doing on the part of any player, the IPL should take immediate action against the player.

Simaltaneously, he said, the IPL should give opportunity to both the players by hearing them and then take a final view. The IPL Committee will take a separate decision on Monday, he added.

The immediate provocation for Harbhajan's action last night appears to be Sreesanth saying "hard luck" to the off spinner who was in a bad mood following the Mumbai team's third successive loss.

Though Harbhajan, who had only recently escaped unscathed from a searing racial abuse row with Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, and his victim Sreesanth who cried bitterly on the field last night, tried to downplay the incident, the BCCI sought his explanation by Monday.

The IPL also asked the Match Referee and Adjudicator Engineer to hold an inquiry in Delhi on Monday when Singh would appear before him.

As the cricket world reacted with shock and condemned his behaviour, the Mumbai Indians brazenly announced late evening that Singh would captain tomorrow's match against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai in the absence of an unfit Sachin Tendulkar.

But shortly later, Modi's announcement came as a setback to the team which has already lost all the three matches in the tournament so far.

Katich guides Kings XI Punjab to victory over Delhi Daredevils

Mohali: Australian left-hander Simon Katich scored a confident 75 to steer Kings XI Punjab to an easy four-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here today.

This was second successive victory for the hosts in three days and first defeat in the tournament for the Delhi team.

Chasing a modest target of 159, the Aussie playing his second match, did not lose nerves despite losing his opening partner Karan Goel (1) and Kumar Sangakkara (4) and made the run chase look easy.

The 32-year-old was in total command hitting fluent shots, with pacers Farveez Maharoof and Mohammed Asif getting the stick.

Katich took just 52 balls to produce a scintillating knock, which was adorned with 11 boundaries and a six before running himself out following a mix-up with his skipper.

After Katich got out in the 14th over when the team score was 119, Yuvraj, who had come at the fall of Mahela Jayawardene (15), took his team to a smooth victory.

The skipper played a solid 40-run knock and hit the winning runs in the last over.

Mohammed Asif bagged two wickets while Glenn McGrath, Yo Mahesh and Shoaib Malik took a wicket each for Daredevils.

After crushing Rajasthan Royals in Delhi and Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad, Daredevils tasted their first defeat in the tournament.

Ball Sport

Rajasthan Royals defeat Bangalore Royal Challengers by 7 wickets

Australian allrounder Shane Watson hit a fluent unbeaten 61 to take Rajasthan Royals to an easy seven-wicket win with 2.5 overs to spare against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL tie played at M Chimnaswamy stadium.

After putting the visitors in the right track by restricting Bangalore to a modest 135 for eight by claiming two quick wickets, the Queenslander hit his second successive half century, both match-winning knocks, to help Rajasthan earn their third successive win in four matches.

Bangalore crashed to their second defeat and now has just one win in three matches.

He added a commanding 104 for the third wicket with South African skipper Graeme Smith 49 (42b, 8x4) to give no chance for the home team to make something out of its modest score.

Watson had hit a match winning half century against Deccan Chargers just two days ago. On Saturday, the Aussie was again at his fluent best and was in charge of the Rajasthan innings playing without taking risks in the beginning and then opened out in style. He hit 26 runs off a Praveen Kumar over, cracking five boundaries and a huge six in the 14th over of the innings to take the visitors to the doorstep of a comfortable victory.

Chasing a modest 136 to win, by and large a small total in view of even 200 that is now achievable in this league as shown by Royals themselves against Laxman’s men, Royals made a negative start losing Mahesh Rawat in the first over and then lost big hitter Yusuf Pathan (21) early with Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Kahan striking in tandem.

However, their success ended at that as the Australia-South African pair took the match away from Rahul Dravid’s men, who dished out a disappointing fare.

Earlier, the Royals bowlers stuck to a good line and made maximum use of the bouncy track to restrict Bangalore to 135 for eight, with Watson and Munaf Patel claiming two wickets apiece.

Royals skipper Shane Warne marshalled his bowlers very well as his batsmen gave him no hiccups what so ever in achieving the winning target.

Chennai Super Kings humilate Kolkata Knight Riders

Chennai: Pacing their chase to near-perfection, Chennai Super Kings strolled to their third consecutive win, drubbing Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League here Saturday.

After Jacob Oram's three-wicket haul that restricted Knight Riders to 147 for nine, the Super Kings, thanks to Matthew Hayden's second successive half-century (70b, 3 x 6, 6 x 4), cruised to victory that put them on top of the IPL leaderboard with six points.

The Super Kings batted sensibly taking no risks whatsoever and romped home with ease.

Hayden, who had made 81 in the previous game against Mumbai Indians, put on 66 for the first wicketwith Parthiv Patel, the highest opening stand in the tournament so far, to provide an ideal platform for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (43, 27b, 2 x 6, 3 x 4) to finish the game in style.

Given the relatively modest target, the Super Kings focussed on denying the Riders early breakthroughs and then had plenty in reserve to step up the pace when it was required with Hayden clubbing a few sixes.

Hayden and Dhoni added 86 runs for the unfinished second wicket even as the Knight Riders grew in frustration and started to spray the ball around.

Earlier, the Riders, having won both their previous two games, began promisingly with opener Brendon McCullum blazing away, but a twin strike by Oram broke the back of the Kolkata innings that never really recovered from these setbacks.

The Kiwi all-rounder returned with figures of three for 32, a far cry from his 0-37 and 0-53 in the two previous games both of which Super Kings won.

Oram first got rid of McCullum who top-edged a catch and off the very next delivery, out-of-form Ricky Ponting offered a tame catch with Riders on 32 in 2.4 overs.

Thereafter, it was an endless procession as the Riders batsmen in their anxiety to quicken the pace, fell to indiscreet shots.

Super Kings skipper Dhoni kept the pressure on, shuffling his bowlers and not allowing the batsmen to settle down.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan applied the brakes on the Riders, conceding just 12 runs in his four overs while Palani Amarnath picked up two crucial wickets, those of David Hussey and Md. Hafeez.

Barring Lakshmi Ratan Shukla (42, 33b, 1 x 6, 1 x 4), none of the other Riders batsmen looked comfortable on a pitch that had a bit of movement and appreciable bounce, but certainly no demons lurking under the surface.

Super Kings also fielded quite well, holding the catches that came their way and giving little away on the ground.

Rajasthan Royals defeat Deccan Chargers by 3 wickets

Summary Of the Match Rajasthan Royals: 217/7 (19.5 Ovs)		Last 5 Ovs : 55/4, RR : 11, 4s : 5, 6s : 3
Shane Warne*	22(9)
Pankaj Singh	4(3)
Result: Rajasthan Royals won by 3 wickets

Run Rate	11.13
Last Wicket	Dinesh Salunkherunout 1(1) - 195/7, 18.5 Ovs
Previous Overs	4 1 1 1 1 2 | W Wd W 1 . . 4 | L1 1 W 1 W N1 1 | 2 1 4 6 6

Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match for his 61 off 28 balls.

Symonds says "I probably bowled the worst over in the history of 20-20" after receiving the DLF Maximum Sixes award.

Warne: "This is a very good side, got a lot of skill. Really good spirit in the team. All credit to these guys, excellent side. We know what he(Yusuf) can do, we just want him to do it more often. Fantastic knock. I wasn't thinking at all(in the last over), just thinking of hitting them in the middle, tonight was our night."

Laxman: "We batted really well. They(Royals) played better than us. Not really disappointed. Full marks to Shane Warne, the way he batted. Once we get a win, we'll have a good run."

Stay tuned for the presentation...

We witnessed a great match yesterday but this has to be the best match of the tournament. Royals, who were touted as the weakest team of the tournament have become the first team to chase a 200 plus score successfully. Everyone contributed to the win-Smith and Yusuf with quickfire fifties, a blistering cameo from Kaif and Warne's finish was the icing on the cake.

19.5 Symonds to Warne, SIX!! full outside off, belted over extra cover for a superb victory!

19.4 Symonds to Warne, SIX!! long hop, he stepped out and absolutely tonks it over mid wicket, brilliant!

19.3 Symonds to Warne, FOUR!!, charges down and clumps a full toss down the ground, didn't get all of it but just about bisected long on and long off

19.2 Symonds to Pankaj Singh, 1 run, comes down the track and takes it on the full, driving it to long off

19.1 Symonds to Pankaj Singh, 2 runs, on middle and leg, swung away to deep square leg

Andrew Symonds to bowl the last over...17 needed off it

The second ball of the 19th over was a no-ball

18.6 RP Singh to Pankaj Singh, 1 run, guides it to gully for a quick single

18.6 RP Singh to Warne, 1 run

Pankaj Singh comes to the crease

RP Singh to Warne, out Salunkhe Run Out!! drives inside out to extra cover, Salunkhe backed up far too much but Warne wasn't interested and a decent throw from Laxman found him miles short! Salunkhe run out (Laxman) 1(1)

18.4 RP Singh to Salunkhe, 1 run, full delivery, driven back to extra cover, he fails to cling in on the follow through as they sneak a single

Dinesh Salunkhe comes to the crease

RP Singh to Jadeja, out Bowled!! Fast full toss, Jadeja creates room and tries to squeeze it out but the ball makes an awful mess of the stumps! Jadeja b RP Singh 1(3)

The Royals need a boundary or two here..

18.2 RP Singh to Warne, 1 run, full and angling in, he steps outside leg and square drives to point

round the wicket to Warne...

18.1 RP Singh to Jadeja, leg byes, 1 run, moves outside leg and swings, off the pad to gully

Laxman has a long chat with RP..

Rudra Pratap Singh is back into the attack

17.6 Afridi to Warne, FOUR!!, full outside off, sliced through gully, Afridi's pumped up, wont stop yapping away!

17.5 Afridi to Warne, no run, defended down the track

17.4 Afridi to Warne, no run, tries to late cut, misses

17.3 Afridi to Jadeja, 1 run, dropped!, slog swept to wide mid wicket where Kalyankrishna spills a straightforward catch after settling under it!

Shane Warne, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Afridi to Smith, out Caught by Kalyankrishna!! Smashes a full down Kalyan's throat at deep mid wicket! Smith c Kalyankrishna b Afridi 70(45) [4s-9 6s-2]

17.2 Afridi to Smith, wide, down the leg side

Ravindra Jadeja comes to the crease

Afridi to Kaif, out Caught by Symonds!! Steps outside leg and tries to clear long on, doesn't time it right and Symonds holds on to it easily! Kaif c Symonds b Afridi 34(16) [4s-2 6s-3]

Shahid Afridi is back into the attack

16.6 Vaas to Smith, 2 runs, dropped! overpitched and driven back powerfully, pops right out of his hand and ricochets down the ground

16.5 Vaas to Kaif, 1 run, swings and misses, the inside edge rolls away into the leg side

16.4 Vaas to Smith, 1 run, creates room and hammers a full delivery to long on, fielded on the bounce

16.3 Vaas to Kaif, 1 run, moves outside leg and pushes it to cover

Lot of field changes, the mid wicket falls back to wide mid wicket

16.2 Vaas to Smith, 1 run, dug in shorter, makes room and mistimes a slap to cover

Chennai Super Kings defeat Mumbai Indians by 6 runs

In a repeat show of the Twenty20 World Cup final, Joginder Sharma lived up to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's expectation and sent down a crucial final over as Chennai Super Kings pipped Mumbai Indians by six runs in a thrilling Indian Premier League tie here tonight.

Harbhajan Singh (28) and Abhishek Nayar's (45 not out) spectacular rearguard action had the Mumbai side needing 19 off the last over when Dhoni tossed the ball to Joginder.

The bowler conceded two fours in a row and bowled a no ball as well. But he kept his cool in the end and kept it tight as Mumbai Indians eventually finished on 202 for seven.

Chasing 209, Mumbai looked in dire straits with its top order firing blank. The Abhishek-Harbhajan duo, however, refused to give up and waged a grim battle.

They stuttered early in the chase with Luke Ronchi (2) falling cheaply and Sanath Jayasuriya (20) departing just when he was looking dangerous.

Robin Uthappa (43), however, took the Chennai attack by the scruff of the neck and milked 19 runs from a Jacob Oram over to spice things up.

Mumbai seemed back on the track but Joginder retained his penchant to rise on the occasions and castled Uthappa to deal a deadly blow. Uthappa's 36-ball knock included six fours and a six.

Shaun Pollock (17) too sizzled for a while and so did Dwayne Bravo (24). With the asking run rate skyrocketing, Harbhajan and Abhishek threw bat at everything that resulted in some lusty shots as well but it was too late by then.

Earlier, Matthew Hayden blasted 81 and featured in a century stand with Suresh Raina (53) as Chennai Super Kings amassed 208 for five.

With a 46-ball knock that was studded with 12 fours and two sixes, Hayden once again proved the thorn in the flesh for Harbhajan, who led the Mumbai side in absence of their regular captain Sachin Tendulkar, down with a groin injury.

Harbhajan, finally, found some solace when his direct throw caught Hayden short of ground towards the end of the innings.

Put into bat, the Chennai Super Kings got off to a rollicking start with Parthiv Patel (14) and Hayden putting on 34 runs in the first three overs before Ashish Nehra applied the brake.

Nehra had Parthiv caught behind and five runs later, Mike Hussey (5) too was back in the hut after dragging a Dhaval Kulkarni delivery onto his stumps.

In Raina, Hayden found an able ally and the duo scored at a brisk rate. Raina was fluent as he smote Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar over the ropes to keep pace with Hayden, who was his aggressive self at the other end as they put on a century stand. Special: English Premier League

Hayden, however, maintained the momentum and though Harbhajan pressed into service as many as eight bowlers, including himself, runs came thick and fast.

Dhoni (30) chipped in with a 16-ball cameo to take the side past the 200-mark.

Sehwag leads Delhi Daredevils to easy victory over Deccan Chargers

Virender Sehwag decimated the Deccan Chargers with a violent unbeaten 94 as Delhi Daredevils cantered to an easy nine-wicket win in the Indian Premier League here tonight.

Rohit Sharma's 36-ball 66 had propped up the Deccan Chargers to a modest 142 for eight after the hosts were reduced to 60 for five at one stage.


But with skipper Sehwag on fire, Delhi Daredevils overwhelmed the target in 13 overs losing just one wicket for their second victory in a row.

Sehwag's 41-ball 94* included 10 hits to the fence, besides six towering sixes. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (12) began with a flourish and even though the left-hander perished in the fourth over, runs came thick and fast with Sehwag on song.

Sanjay Bangar bore the brunt of Sehwag's wrath in his second over, which cost the bowler 23 runs and included two sixes and as many boundaries.

Sehwag was lucky to get a reprieve on 13 when Pragyan Ojha dropped him off Chaminda Vaas in the deep and later Adam Gilchrist made a mess of an easy stumping opportunity off Ojha.

Sehwag replied by scoring 30 runs off an Andrew Symonds over that read 4,6,4,6,4,6.

All along, Shikhar Dhawan (25 not out) was happy playing the second fiddle.

Earlier, Rohit’s belligerent 66 helped Deccan Chargers overcome a top order collapse and post a modest 142 for eight.

Rohit stood tall amid ruins to slam his maiden fifty in this format and his explosive 66 included six fours and four sixes before he holed out to Glenn McGrath off Rajat Bhatia.

Deccan Chargers skipper VVS Laxman's decision to bat first boomeranged with the hosts finding themselves in a hole with the score reading 45 for four inside 10 overs.

After the miserly McGrath conceded just one run in the first over, identical two-wicket bursts from Mohammad Asif and Ferveez Maharoof tightened the noose around the hosts.

Adam Gilchrist (8) flicked Asif effortlessly for a magnificent six before dragging a delivery onto his stumps and crisis compounded for the hosts who soon had skipper Laxman (2) back in the hut, courtesy Asif. To make it worse, Maharoof claimed two scalps - Y Venugopal Rao (14) and the danger man Andrew Symonds (12) - in as many overs to pin them down.

With the team in dire straits, much was expected from Shahid Afridi (2) but the Pakistani swashbuckler scratched around for seven balls before Bhatia caught him plumb in front as the hosts lost their top half for just 60.

Shane Watson guides Rajasthan Royals to win over Kings XI Punjab

Riding on a swashbuckling 49-ball 76 from Shane Watson, hosts Rajasthan Royals defeated Kings XI Punjab by six wickets in the IPL Twenty20 tournament played at Sawai Mansingh stadium.

The Australian all-rounder looked in terrific form as he blasted almost all Punjab bowlers at will clouting five sixes and as many fours. Watson was involved in two invaluable partnerships as he first put on 51 for the fourth wicket with Darren Lehman (17) and followed that with a 69-run stand for the unbroken fifth wicket stand with Ravinder Jadeja (36 not out).


Earlier, Royals captain Shane Warne produced a superb spell of 3 for 19 to restrict the Punjab side to 166 for eight.

The Australian spin legend's act of leading from the front overshadowed a chancy but strokeful half century by his opposite number Yuvraj Singh (57) who won the toss and decided to bat first.

The visitors would have been in a worse position had Yuvraj not been dropped twice when he was on 15 and 27, the first time off Warne and the second off Siddarth Trivedi.

Warne, however, removed Yuvraj, who was caught and bowled while trying to sweep the retired spin legend. Yuvraj struck six fours and three huge sixes in his 34-ball innings.

Warne also cut short Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara's explosive but short innings of 20 made from eight balls and studded with three fours and one six, besides removing opener James Hopes (16).

The other opener had promised a lot at the top of order with two huge sixes off Munaf Patel who, however, had the last laugh clean bowling the young Punjab batsman for 26 (3x4, 2x6).

India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla made a late flourish with an unbeaten 11-ball 24 to take to a competitive score.

For the Royals, Trivedi returned figures of 2-25 while Munaf took one wicket for 36 runs.

IPL 2008 Points Table

IPL 2008 Points Table

Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Kolkata 2 2 0 0 0 4 Delhi Daredevils 1 1 0 0 0 2 Chennai 1 1 0 0 0 2 Bangalore 2 1 1 0 0 2 Mumbai Indians 1 0 1 0 0 0 Deccan Chargers 1 0 1 0 0 0 Kings XI Punjab 1 0 1 0 0 0 Rajasthan Royals 1 0 1 0 0 0

Bangalore Royal Challengers Defeat Mumbai Indians By 5 Wickets

Mumbai: South Africa's Mark Boucher hammered an unbeaten 39 to ensure that Bangalore Royal Challengers defeated Mumbai Indians by five wickets with two balls to spare for their first win in the Indian Premier League here Sunday night.

Boucher smashed four boundaries and two sixes and was involved in a crucial 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket with compatriot Jacques Kallis (25, 24 balls, 1x6) to script a thrilling win at a fully packed and noisy Wankhede Stadium.

Mumbai Indians, opting to bat after winning the toss and crucially without an injured Sachin Tendulkar, posted 165 for six wickets in 20 overs and Bangalore Royal Challengers scored 166 for five wickets in 19.4 overs.

The win came as a big relief for Rahul Dravid's Bangalore side, which had lost their opening match to Kolkata Knight Riders at home Friday.

The match had all the ingredients of a tantalising contest - serious fight, some good batting, accurate bowling, electric fielding and acrobatic catching.

The match also threw up a few injuries. Mumbai Indians' Australian import Dominic Thornely had not even opened his account when he missed a Zaheer Khan express delivery and the ball hit his nose. He started bleeding and was immediately taken off the field.

When Bangalore batted, their West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul injured himself when he hit a ball straight into his exposed right knee. Having hit a boundary off the previous ball, the left-handed opener tried to repeat the act but the ball crashed against his knee and he fell on to the turf like a hot potato.

Although Chanderpaul was in acute pain, he carried on with the help of Vikart Kohli as his runner. But only off the third ball after the injury he flicked it straight into the hands of Abhishek Nayar and departed limping.

Mumbai clearly missed the experienced and the aura of Tendulkar, who skipped the game due to a groin injury. His absence meant that Harbhajan, who had little experience of leading, captained the side.

Robin Uthappa was the top scorer for Mumbai with an innovative 48 (38 balls, 5x4s, 1x6). He played some unconventional shots, particularly the one for which he went down on his knees and directed the ball over the leg slip, but with great results.

Uthappa was involved in the only substantial partnership of the innings. He and youngster Pinal Shah scored 51 off 7.5 overs at a rate of 6.51 runs per over.

Pacer Balachandra Akhil finally got rid of Uthappa by having him stumped by Boucher.

Opener Sanath Jayasuriya scored 29 off 16 balls (5x4s, 1x6) while Shaun Pollock made 28 not out (11 balls, 3x4s, 2x6s).

Pacers Zaheer Khan and Balachandra Akhil bagged two wickets apiece.

Unlike the hosts, all the top order batsmen Bangalore batsmen chipped in with useful contributions.

Openers Dravid and Chanderpaul raised 37 in just five overs and the captain was also involved in a 31-run stand with New Zealander Ross Taylor (23, 12 balls1x4, 2x6s) for the second wicket to build on the good work.

Kallis also batted well for his 25 and Kohli chipped in with a 14-ball 23 (3x4s, 1x6) before Boucher in the company of B. Akhil sealed the win.

Harbhajan took two for 36.

David Hussey steers Knight Riders Home

Kolkata: David Hussey played a crucial unbeaten knock of 38 to help Kolkata Knight Riders secure a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in a close Indian Premier League tie, marred by a power snag, here on Sunday.

Having skittled out the Chargers for a paltry 110 on a poor pitch, the hosts were tottering 21 for three at one stage before Hussey changed the script with an innings, which was a good mix of caution and flamboyance.

Hussey stitched together a 47-run fourth wicket stand with skipper Sourav Ganguly (14) to steady the ship before launching into an all-out assault to ensure his side's second consecutive win, with one over to spare.

The Aussie turned the game the Knight Riders way with his savage attack on Scott Styris in the 18th over, as he plundered a six and a boundary to bring his side close to victory.

Hussey brought up the winning runs with a straightfield six off Pragyan Ojha, after a 31-minute stoppage caused by a power failure.

The low scoring match in a format known for brisk run- rate could be ascribed partly to the strange behaviour of the wicket, which seemed under-prepared and two-paced, making it difficult for the willowers to go for shots.

The hosts innings got off on the wrong note, as Brendon McCullum (5) the destroyer-in-chief on the other day was dismissed cheaply when he lobbed an R P Singh delivery into the hands of Rohit Sharma at backward point.

Then Ricky Ponting was trapped leg before by Sri Lankan veteran Chaminda Vaas without opening his account.

It soon became 21 for 3 as the young Wriddhiman Saha (10) started his long trek back to the dressing room, becoming second victim of Vaas.

Skipper Ganguly and David Hussey then played cautiously as they sought to steady the tottering ship by building up a partnership.

Hussey began the assault in the 11th over, hoiking veteran pacer Sanjay Bangar over the extra cover ropes, before Ganguly also drove the bowler to the mid on pickets.

Andrew Symonds seemed to aid the Knight Riders' cause, as he bowled waywardly in the 12th over, giving as many as five wides.

Ganguly (14) went back in the 13th over, as he went for a huge shot off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, missed the line and saw his stumps shattered.

McCullum's unbeaten ton demolishes Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL opener

Bangalore: New Zealander Brendon McCullum hammered Twenty20 cricket's highest ever score, an unbeaten 158, as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Bangalore Royal Challengers by 140 runs in the opening Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Friday night.

McCullum was adjudged the Man of the Match for his breathtaking innings, during which he cracked 10 boundaries and 13 sixes in front of a boisterous crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Also present to cheer teams were their owners - Vijay Mallya of the United Breweries group for the home team and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the Koklata squad.

After being put into bat by Bangalore captain Rahul Dravid, Kolkata Knight Riders posted 222 for three wickets in 20 overs and then bowled out the hosts for 82 in just 15.1 overs.

It was a lucky day for McCullum, who also keeps wickets for New Zealand. He might not have opened the innings had the hard-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle arrived for the lung opener. But the 26-year-old right-hander grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he opened the innings with Ganguly (10) and raised 61.

McCullum was, in fact, involved in four successive 50-plus partnerships. He also added 51 for the second wicket with Australia captain Ricky Ponting (20), 60 for the third with David Hussey (12), also an Australian, and an unbeaten 50 for the fourth with Pakistani Mohammed Hafeez (5 not out).

All six Bangalore Royal Challengers bowlers got hammered badly by a rampaging McCullum.

And when the host batted, Kolkata Knight Riders simply pinned their batsmen down with their sharp bowling and sharp fielding. The Kolkata side took almost all the catches offered, except for the one dropped by Ponting.

Bangalore's miserable performance was evident from the fact that pacer Praveen Kumar, who had earlier in the evening bowled the first ball of the lucrative tournament, was the only batsman to reach double figures. He remained unbeaten on 18 (15 balls, 1x4, 2x6s). 'Extras' was the highest contributor with 19.

India discard Ajit Agarkar bagged three wickets for 25 while debutant pacer Ashok Dinda and Ganguly captured two wickets apiece.

The IPL has brought together some of the fiercest players from the world over. It was, for instance, unimaginable to have Ganguly and Ponting, who have contested many a battle for their countries and also the 2003 World Cup final, hug and embrace each other when Bangalore batted.

When Ganguly bowled Zaheer Khan, Ponting ran in and gave the former India captain a warm hug, sporting a big smile, while Shah Rukh Khan danced in the stands.

The match was preceded by a glamorous opening ceremony that contained fabulous fireworks.

The 45-day tournament will have 59 matches, with the final slated for June 1 in Mumbai.

England Players Not To Participate In Indian Premier League

Kevin Pietersen and other leading England players face potential collision with the ECB over their desire to cash in on the riches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year after Giles Clarke, the board chairman, said that participation would be a risk too far before the 2009 Ashes.

Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, accused Clarke of behaving like King Canute in his hardline stance against the competition, reiterated yesterday at the official launch of the new season, which begins at Lord's on Thursday. The inaugural IPL starts eight days later.

Speaking in The Times on Saturday, Pietersen described as “ridiculous” the fact that England-contracted players will not be involved and others have approached Morris to find out more about the tournament. But they will be unable to participate unless they are given a No Objection Certificate from the ECB.

Clarke appears unmoved by the strength of Pietersen's feeling or by the fact that a tour to the West Indies, scheduled to finish around the second week of March next year, would allow a month to recuperate if the IPL takes place at the same time in the calendar.
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“When I became chairman of the ECB people were talking about player burnout,” Clarke said. “The West Indies tour may be brought forward for the simple reason that we want a break before the Ashes series.” Asked about Pietersen, Clarke said: “I cannot see Peter Moores [the head coach] determining he wishes to release him. What would people say if a player was released to play in the IPL, got injured and could not play all summer?”

Saying that Pietersen was “not doing that badly” on the money front, Clarke added: “We are putting in place very significant payments to England sides for winning series. People who turn up exhausted after flying around playing IPL games are not necessarily in a position to help their fellow players to earn those significant rewards.”

Morris questioned the ECB stance. He said: “I can't see how that is sensible tactics when, if the players get frustrated and unhappy, they now have an alternative. You cannot fight the marketplace. We should look to capitalise and develop, not be King Canute.”
Dimitri Mascarenhas, who is not centrally contracted, will be the only Englishman in the first IPL. He said: “The franchises want the best players and they have got them from everywhere except England. I hope the ECB will listen because there is room for players to represent England and play in the IPL.”
Andrew Caddick, the former England bowler, suggested that some players may turn down the next central contracts. “Somebody may go to the IPL and back himself to get his England place back,” Caddick said. “I think that at least one England player will be involved within 12 months.”