Kolkata: The threat of rain is looming over the IPL 6 final and the second qualifier to be held here, according to the Met department. It's been raining heavily in the city for the last few days as Rajasthan Royals, who eliminated Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday night at New Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla, prepare themselves to play Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier at the historic Eden Gardens on Friday night.
Bearing in mind the bad weather at this time of the year, the Indian Premier League management has already a reserve day in place for the final to be played between Chennai Super Kings and the winners of the match between Rajasthan and Mumbai Sunday.
"May 27 is the reserve day for the final... The reserve day was slotted keeping in mind the weather conditions in this part of the country at this time of the year... Other unforeseen circumstances were also taken into account," Cricket Association of Bengal treasurer Biswarup Dey said after the Eden Gardens was chosen to host the final and the second qualifier late last month.
The Eden Gardens is holding an IPL final for the first time. MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai have hosted the tournament final twice, while the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg has hosted it once....
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11:28 AM, May 23, 2013
London: An internet search for "Arjen Robben cuts inside" produces more than two million items, one of them a recent tweet declaring: "That was the 10,000th time Robben has cut inside and shot with his left foot - so predictable". Yet, when the Bayern Munich winger bears down the right in Saturday's Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund's defenders, if they follow in the misdirected footsteps of so many before them,...
11:11 AM, May 23, 2013
Rome: Czech Tomas Berdych snapped a run of 11 consecutive defeats by world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters before Rafa Nadal was stretched to the limit against David Ferrer on Friday. Berdych clawed his way back from a 6-2 5-2 deficit to stun the Serbian top seed 2-6 7-5 6-4 and set up a semi-final meeting with Nadal, who for the second week...
07:52 AM, May 18, 2013
London: After humiliation in the Champions League comes potential salvation in the Europa League for Chelsea, with Wednesday's final against Benfica offering the English team an eighth and final chance for silverware from a turbulent and grueling campaign. Chelsea have turned their season around after a turbulent end to 2012, when they became the first reigning champion to exit the Champions League at the group stage, Roberto Di Matteo was...
12:13 PM, May 15, 2013
Hong Kong: A transsexual woman won an appeal in a Hong Kong court on Monday to marry her boyfriend, forcing the government to rewrite marriage laws in the city. The Court of Final Appeal, by a majority of four to one, ruled that the appellant, identified only as W, was entitled to be included as a woman and was therefore eligible to marry a man. "This is a victory for...
04:00 PM, May 13, 2013
New Delhi: A haunting photo clicked by Bangladeshi photographer Taslima Akhter for Time magazine's LightBox section has gone viral. The photo shows an unidentified couple in a final embrace with half of their bodies buried in rubble and a trickle of blood running down one eye of the man like a tear drop. The photograph appears in this week's TIME International alongside an essay by David Von Drehle. The magazine...
03:17 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: Magnus Carlsen has expressed "deep disappointment" at world chess governing body FIDE's decision to award the World Championship final to Viswanathan Anand's hometown Chennai accusing them of "lack of transparency." "I'm deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground," Carlsen was quoted as...
08:42 AM, May 07, 2013
Barcelona: Bayern Munich advanced to the Champions League final for the third time in four years, routing Barcelona on 7-0 aggregate and setting up the first all-German final against Borussia Dortmund. Coasting from a 4-0 win in the first leg at home last week, Bayern beat Barcelona 3-0 Wednesday night in the second leg on goals by Arjen Robben in the 49th minute and Thomas Mueller in the 76th around...
02:03 AM, May 02, 2013
CNN-IBN's football expert Novy Kapadia reviews the Champions League semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night. ...
08:43 PM, May 01, 2013
Madrid: Borussia Dortmund survived a stirring Real Madrid fightback to book their place in the Champions League final on Tuesday when they conceded two late goals to lose 2-0 at the Bernabeu but went through 4-3 on aggregate. Real looked down and out before substitute Karim Benzema scored from close range in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos struck five minutes later but with the home fans going wild in...
02:11 AM, May 01, 2013
Madrid: There is no danger Borussia Dortmund will suffer from stage fright in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at Spanish giants Real Madrid, coach Juergen Klopp said on Monday. The Bundesliga side have a healthy 4-1 lead for the clash at Real's Bernabeu arena following their stunning victory in last week's first leg in Germany, when striker Robert Lewandowski scored all of Dortmund's goals. Klopp said his team's performance...
11:29 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Barcelona: Rafa Nadal moved closer to an eighth Barcelona Open title in nine years on Friday when he breezed through two matches to set up a semi-final against Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic. Chasing a fourth title of the year after returning from a seven-month injury layoff in February, Nadal recovered from a slow start on the clay at the Real Club de Tenis to beat Benoit Paire 7-6 6-2...
12:37 AM, Apr 27, 2013
Munich: Mario Gomez has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. It may come in one of the biggest games of the season. Gomez is expected to return to Bayern Munich's starting lineup against Barcelona for the first leg of Champions League semifinals on Tuesday after spending most of the season playing as back-up to Mario Mandzukic. Mandzukic is suspended for the game and Gomez is the logical choice to step...
12:23 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Monte Carlo:For the first time in nine years, the Monte Carlo Masters trophy belongs to someone other than Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard's record reign at the clay-court tournament finally ended Sunday as he lost 6-2, 7-6 (1) to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the final. Nadal won his 46 previous matches and the last eight titles at Monte Carlo - beating Djokovic in last year's final - and his last defeat...
08:33 PM, Apr 21, 2013
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08:49 PM, Apr 20, 2013
London: Manchester City reached the FA Cup final by beating defending champions Chelsea 2-1 in a free-flowing game at Wembley on Sunday to maintain their only remaining hope for a trophy this season. City dominated much of the first hour and went 2-0 up through goals by Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero, before Demba Ba pulled Chelsea back into the game with an acrobatic finish in the 66th. That led...
10:41 PM, Apr 14, 2013
Nyon: It's Spain vs. Germany twice over in the Champions League semifinals. Barcelona play Bayern Munich in a clash of teams ranked by UEFA as the two best in Europe. Bayern hosts the first leg. Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of their 1998 semifinal, when the Spanish side dethroned the reigning champions. Dortmund are at home first. Friday's draw featured four former European champions who have combined...
04:16 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Nyon: European champions Chelsea will play Basel in the Europa League semifinals, with the first-leg match in Switzerland. Fenerbahce will face Benfica, with the opening leg played in Turkey, after UEFA made the pairings on Friday. Chelsea aim to complete an unlikely double by lifting the second-tier trophy as the reigning Champions League winners. All four semifinalists began the season in the Champions League before being eliminated and dropping into...
04:07 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund's dramatic 3-2 Champions League quarter-final win over Malaga on Tuesday left the Germans dizzy with success while their opponents were fuming over the late winner. Former European champions Dortmund scored twice in stoppage time, including a controversial winning goal from defender Felipe Santana, that saw them complete a sensational comeback and advance to the last four for the first time in 15 years. Several Dortmund players in...
09:00 AM, Apr 10, 2013
Barcelona: Paris St Germain's strategy for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, second leg at Barcelona will not depend on whether Lionel Messi features for the La Liga leaders, PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday. The Argentine World Player of the Year strained a hamstring in last week's 2-2 first-leg draw in Paris but trained normally on Tuesday and it looks likely he will be available. The buildup to the clash...
03:29 AM, Apr 10, 2013
