Bangalore: Royal Challengers Bangalore find themselves in a do-or-die situation after two back-to-back losses to Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab. Not only do they have to beat Chennai Super Kings handsomely on Saturday, but they need Sunrisers Hyderabad to lose their last match on Sunday. A seven-wicket loss to KXIP on Tuesday meant sure shot play-off berths for Chennai, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, leaving three teams fighting for the final spot - Hyderabad, Bangalore and Punjab.
Going into the crunch game, Bangalore will be banking on their T20 superstars Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli to fire at home. With two losses and two victories in their final four games Chennai are yet to find their top gear and even RCB would look to erase the memories of their three losses in the last four matches. The Chinnaswamy Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Gayle with 504 runs out of his 680 coming here including that mind-boggling 175 not out against Pune Warriors.
Kohli continues to be strong at No. 3 and Cheteshwara Pujara has provided some solidity at the top, though his scoring rate is bit of a concern. The recent form of Moises Henriques has been a plus for RCB strengthening their batting, but it was their bowling that let the team down against KXIP. Zaheer Khan's return did not inspire the bowling much and even though Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat are taking wickets at regular intervals,
10:37 AM, May 18, 2013
Riffa: The Indian women's senior national team started their quest to qualify for the AFC Women's Asian Cup next year in style by getting the better of Bahrain in their own backyard here at the National Football Stadium on Tuesday (May 14, 2013). The match - first of the two Friendlies against the same opponent - ended 2-1. Pinky Magar and Kamala Devi scored for India in the 8th and...
10:42 PM, May 14, 2013
Mumbai: The Wankhede Stadium is all set to once again witness fireworks as two of the top-notch teams lock horns in what is expected to be a battle of the behemoths. Both Mumbai and Rajasthan have made it to the top four, and with nothing to lose, both teams would expect nothing less than a stiff test before their IPL 6 play-off campaign gets underway. There is nothing to choose...
07:48 PM, May 14, 2013
Dharamsala: An unprecedented rain that lashed the hill town and its surroundings might have left the organisers of the IPL worried with matches scheduled on May 16 and 18 but the ground-in-charge expressed confidence of getting the field ready even an hour after the rain stoppage. However, the ground in charge at the HPCA Cricket Stadium said that the field is totally covered and even if the rains continue till...
04:13 PM, May 12, 2013
Mohali: Known so far for the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium, Mohali is all set to get seven new sports stadia next month. "Mohali is all set to create a new distinction in the country with largest number of International sports stadiums per capita population with the completion of seven sports stadiums by June this year. The stadiums would be inaugurated on a single day that would also mark the...
09:54 PM, May 10, 2013
Dubai: The ICC has announced the schedule of warm-up matches to be played in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, to be staged at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Edgbaston and The Oval from June 6 to 23. The warm-up matches will be played from May 30 to June 4 at the three tournament venues. In line with previous ICC events, none of these matches will carry official ODI status. On May...
11:35 PM, May 09, 2013
Mohali: Following his team's eight-wicket drubbing at the hands of Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist attributed the loss to the "slow and dry" track at the PCA Stadium. Chasing 146 to win, Rajasthan raced home with an over to spare. After a strong start by Shaun Marsh and Gilchrist, the KXIP middle-order failed to build on it. "Yeah, we had that foundation laid, I think...
10:16 PM, May 09, 2013
Mumbai: After the Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray Tuesday demanded that Mumbai Cricket Association lift its five-year ban on actor Shah Rukh Khan from entering Wankhede Stadium. Khan's Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians were set to face off at the Wankhede Stadium here Tuesday and the star would miss the match if the ban is not lifted. Thackeray said it was...
12:03 PM, May 08, 2013
Mumbai: Chasing an uphill target of 171, Kolkata Knight Riders surrendered meekly to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday losing the tie by 65 runs to bow out of IPL 6 play-off race, effectively ending their title defence. With the tournament fast approaching its business end, it was must win match for Kolkata, but an opening stand of 93 runs between Sachin Tendulkar (48) and Dwayne Smith (47)...
11:39 PM, May 07, 2013
Hyderabad: It came as a shocker to many, seeing the mighty Chennai Super Kings falling like a pack of cards against Mumbai Indians, but having qualified for the IPL 6 play-offs the men in yellow would like to go into the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium looking to erase the horrible memories from Sunday. Chennai have already qualified, but they would want to make things difficult for Sunrisers Hyderabad who are...
09:37 PM, May 07, 2013
Hyderabad: On the eve of their match against defenders Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad's chief coach Tom Moody says the track at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here looked challenging but wasn't as bad as it looked statistically. "I am sure tomorrow (Wednesday) it is going to be on a new wicket again. I am sure it will be a good contest between bat and ball," Moody said. Sunrisers,...
09:06 PM, May 07, 2013
Jaipur: At 41 years and 212 days, little-known legspinner Pravin Tambe on Tuesday became the oldest debutant IPL history - having never played a single first-class match. Tambe, who hails from Maharashtra, was handed his IPL cap at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here and performed creditably by conceding 30 runs from four overs. It marked a rare occurrence where an IPL team handed a debut to someone at that age...
05:37 PM, May 07, 2013
Mumbai: Sources say that actor and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner Shah Rukh Khan will not be attending his team's match against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday night. Shah Rukh reportedly wants to avoid any distractions ahead of the crucial game. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Congress unit earlier in the day wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) asking them to allow Shah Rukh into the Wankhede Stadium for...
01:36 PM, May 07, 2013
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Congress unit has written to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) asking them to allow actor Shah Rukh Khan into the Wankhede Stadium for Tuesday's IPL match of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). KKR is to take on the Mumbai Indians but team owner Shah Rukh Khan can't attend the match after the MCA wrote a letter to the Churchgate Police station, asking them to keep him away from...
12:39 PM, May 07, 2013
Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association has informed a local police station to prevent Kolkata Knight Riders principal owner Shah Rukh from entering the stadium, when his team takes on Mumbai Indians in the city on Tuesday. "We wrote a letter to Marine Lines police station today asking them not to allow Shah Rukh Khan inside the stadium tomorrow (when Kolkata Knight Riders play Mumbai Indians). This was after the police...
11:30 PM, May 06, 2013
It would be a battle of unequals when a desperate Kings XI Punjab take on the formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore at PCA Stadium, Mohali on Monday. ...
09:41 PM, May 06, 2013
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell Johnson, who rattled the Chennai Super Kings top order with three wickets in an over, says that Sunday's big win has boosted their confidence for the business end of the tournament. Defending 139 for 5, Mumbai subdued Chennai to their lowest total in the current season, skittling them for a mere 79. "It was a very important game for us coming today obviously coming after...
10:30 PM, May 05, 2013
Mohali: The door is closing down slowly and gradually for Kings XI Punjab as they seek their fifth win of the season against a top-favourite Royal Challengers Bangalore in match 51 of the IPL 6 at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Monday. Punjab are still quite a distant away from the top four and a win is a necessary tonic to make things easier for them. However, it might...
08:42 PM, May 05, 2013
Mumbai: In was always going to need something dramatic to stop Chennai Super Kings' seven-match winning streak (the joint-best in the history of IPL) and Mumbai Indians benefited from an absolutely shambolic batting effort from the visitors to win by a humungous 60 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Victory ensured Mumbai remained in touch of the IPL 6 play-offs with the other three contenders, while CSK have two...
07:18 PM, May 05, 2013
