Hodge's blitzkrieg drives Rajasthan to a thrilling win New Delhi: Brad Hodge showed how important a player he is in the shorter version of the game as his counter-attacking half-century helped Rajasthan Royals eke out a four-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla here on Wednesday.

When Hodge came to the wicket, Rajasthan were tottering at 57 for 5 in 10 overs chasing 133. And while rest of the batsmen from both sides were unable to adjust to the slowness of the pitch, Hodge not only played with relative ease but also translated his innings into a match-winning knock. He ended the game with two consecutive sixes off Darren Sammy, remaining unbeaten on 54 off just 29 balls. Rajasthan will now play Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier on Friday to book their date with Chennai Super Kings for Sunday's final.

The pitch used for Wednesday's encounter was much slower than that in the first Qualifier at the same venue on Tuesday, which Parthiv Patel (1) found out when he mistimed a length delivery from Vikramjeet Malik and was caught in the offside. Malik, who was drafted into the side for Pravin Tambe, struck again when he had Hanuma Vihari (1) caught at mid-on attempting an expensive pull.

It was time to consolidate and both Shikhar Dhawan (33) and Cameron White (31) had to mould their natural game. Dhawan hit his and the team's first boundary with a simple push to the wide of mid-off; White also made a conscious effort to 
11:43 PM, May 22, 2013

No direct link between bookie Vyas and Vindoo: Police New Delhi: There is no "straight link" between bookie Ramesh Vyas and actor Vindoo Dara Singh arrested by Mumbai Police in the IPL spot-fixing scandal unearthed by their counterparts in the capital, Delhi Police said on Wednesday. A senior official of Delhi Police's Special Cell said the case of their Mumbai counterparts have nothing to do with theirs in which 18 people, including three IPL players, were arrested. "There are...  
08:26 PM, May 22, 2013

IPL betting: Mumbai court rejects plea for police remand of bookies Mumbai: A local court on Wednesday remanded six bookies, associated with IPL betting syndicate, in judicial custody till June 5 after rejecting the plea of the Mumbai crime branch which sought their remand and reprimanding it for deficient probe in the case. "Despite ample opportunities provided, the investigating officer has not pointed out who has been cheated and why," Additional Metropolitan Magistrate MN Saleem observed, apparently referring to cheating and...  
07:42 PM, May 22, 2013

As it happened: Rajasthan Royals v Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 6, eliminator Live updates from the eliminator of IPL 6 between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Hyderabad are undoubtedly the surprise entry in the play-offs, but one has to say that they used their little resources to the maximum to move ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders - two sides far stronger on paper. Interestingly, Hyderabad beat Rajasthan in...  
07:11 PM, May 22, 2013

No one in the Indian cricket team is honest: ex-betting king Ahmedabad: In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, former betting king Dinesh Kalgi added fuel to the raging spot-fixing fire by making startling revelations, going to the extent of saying that no player in the Indian team is honest. Calling the spot-fixing that the three Rajasthan Royals players are alleged of as "amateurish", Kalgi said these are just small fish and what's happening is not new. "All that recently happened is...  
06:18 PM, May 22, 2013

Premature to say whether Sreesanth guilty or not: KCA Kozhikode: Kerala Cricket Association Wednesday said it was premature to say whether pacer Sreesanth, one of the accused in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, was guilty or not as a probe is currently going on into the whole issue. "It is too premature to tell anything about the probe on whether Sreesanth is innocent or guilty. Delhi police and BCCI's anti-corruption wing are probing the issue. Let the inquiry be over....  
05:56 PM, May 22, 2013

No communication from Sahara regarding pullout: BCCI New Delhi: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has claimed that it has not received any intimation from Sahara India, owners of IPL franchise Pune Warriors India, about its decision to withdraw from the IPL and discontinue its sponsorship of the Indian cricket team at the end it its existing agreement in December 2013. A media release from BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale on Wednesday said: "The BCCI has read in media...  
05:55 PM, May 22, 2013

Sreesanth owns a company to run 'betting houses' New Delhi: The noose around tainted India pacer Sreesanth was tightened on Wednesday with documents, which CNN-IBN has access to, showing that he owns a company called S36 Sports & Entertainment Pvt Ltd that ran 'betting houses'. Sreesanth, who is currently under police custody on charges of spot-fixing in the IPL and is being interrogated, owns 74 percent stake in the company while his former coach P Sivakumar holds the...  
05:28 PM, May 22, 2013

Read: Full copy of Sreesanth's sports company memorandum New Delhi: In what looks a clear conflict of interest, Sreesanth's alleged links to illegal activities has turned another corner with a legal document revealing the jailed Indian fast bowler had set up a company in September 2010 with interests in setting up a betting house, among other objectives. Article 1 of the memorandum, a copy of which is with Cricketnext, under section III (A) pertaining to the main objects...  
05:27 PM, May 22, 2013

Bangladesh player linked to IPL spot-fixing: sources New Delhi: Involvement of a prominent Bangladeshi player, who never played in the IPL, has now emerged in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, police sources told CNN-IBN on Wednesday. Investigation moved forward at a rapid pace on Wednesday when name of the BCCI president N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who is also the Team Principal and CEO of Chennai Super Kings, also surfaced - allegedly for illegal betting. But the involvement...  
05:01 PM, May 22, 2013

BCCI president's son-in-law to be questioned by police: sources New Delhi: The spot-fixing net has reportedly widened to trap BCCI president N Srinivasan's family, with sources telling CNN-IBN that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan will be questioned by Mumbai Police. Gurunath Meiyappan is the Team Principal and CEO of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings that is owned by his father-in-law Srinivasan. Vindoo Dara Singh - who has emerged as the Bollywood link to spot-fixing and was on Tuesday arrested...  
01:44 PM, May 22, 2013

Spot-fixing: Vindoo will come out clean, says brother Chandigarh: Brother of actor Vindoo Randhawa, who has been arrested for his alleged links with bookies, on Wednesday claimed that his sibling is not involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal. "I can never believe that he is involved in any way. Let investigations take place, Vindoo will come out clean," Amrik Singh told reporters at the airport here before leaving for Mumbai. Virendra Dara Singh Randhawa alias Vindoo, son of...  
01:12 PM, May 22, 2013

Dinesh Karthik fined five per cent of match fee for showing dissent New Delhi: Mumbai Indians` Dinesh Karthik was fined five per cent of his match fee for breaching the Indian Premier League Code of Conduct in the first qualifier against Chennai Super Kings here. Karthik admitted to the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.3) of showing dissent at an umpire`s decision during the match at Ferozeshah Kotla Ground last evening. For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match...  
12:37 PM, May 22, 2013

Honest policy behind Chennai's success in IPL, says coach Fleming New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has attributed his side's stupendous success in IPL to "loyalty in team selection and conservative approach" that has helped the 'Men in Yellow' make it to the fifth final in six editions of the cash-rich league. "We have shown consistency and loyalty in team selections. Moreover, the composition of our side and the kind of mix we have. The combination of selection...  
12:20 PM, May 22, 2013

Super duo Raina and Hussey set their sights on the final New Delhi: The architectures of Chennai Super Kings' win over Mumbai Indians on Tuesday night - Suresh Raina and Michael Hussey - have now set their sights on the team's fifth final in six years. Chennai, led by MS Dhoni, scored an easy 48-run win to advance to their fourth successive final in the league with Raina (82* off 42 balls) and Hussey (86* off 58 balls) playing their parts...  
09:51 AM, May 22, 2013

Vindoo Dara Singh reveals connection with a relative of CSK owner: Sources New Delhi: In another shocking turn of events, Vindoo Dara Singh, the Bollywood actor arrested on Tuesday in connection with spot-fixing in IPL 6, has admitted to being in touch with a relative of the owner of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, according to sources on Wednesday morning. Sources in the Mumbai Police said that they were now probing a Chennai link to the scandal that has rocked the world...  
08:33 AM, May 22, 2013

The IPL 6 Bench-warmers XI The sixth season of the IPL has reached its business end and the big boys are all set to fight it out for the coveted trophy. The likes of Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Michael Hussey, and Shikhar Dhawan ruled the roost in the league stages with others putting up their best supporting acts for their respective teams. But, like everything in life, the exciting of the...  
08:27 AM, May 22, 2013

Action against guilty even if it's a BCCI official, says Rajiv Shukla New Delhi: 10.11 pm: IPL chief Rajiv Shukla promises stern action against the guilty, saying no one will escape punishment, even if it includes a BCCI official. 6.50 pm: Income Tax department begins probe in IPL spot-fixing case. 6.44 pm: Lalit Modi tweets, "This spot fixing mess - is getting even worse. Srinivasan and family should immediately resign. They should be banned with immediate effect." 6.20 pm: Former betting kingping...  
08:17 AM, May 22, 2013

Spot-fixing: Police probe calls made to a Chennai number New Delhi: The probe into the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal is widening each day. Sources in the Mumbai Police now say that they are probing a Chennai link to the scandal. Sources say several calls made to a Chennai number are being probed. This comes a day after more drama unfolded in the scandal on Tuesday. Bollywood connections were established with actor Vindoo Dara Singh's arrest in Mumbai, while...  
07:37 AM, May 22, 2013

Chennai make fifth IPL final with big win over Mumbai New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings made their fifth final in six seasons when they defeated Mumbai Indians by 48 runs in Qualifier 1 of IPL 6 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Tuesday. While the win took Chennai directly to the final on Sunday, Mumbai still have a chance left as they will play the winner of Wednesday's Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. Mike Hussey...  
11:36 PM, May 21, 2013