IPL 2016: 'David' Warner slays 'paper Goliath' RCB

Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on the brilliance of David Warner once again to grab a 15-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Hyderabad on Sunday. Warner's destructive knock of 92 runs, off just 50 balls, guided the home side to a daunting total of 194, which they defended with gusto.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 194/5 in 20 overs (David Warner 92(50), Kane Williamson 50(38); Kane Richardson 2/45, Shane Watson 1/33) won against Royal Challengers Bangalore 173/6 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 51(28), AB de Villiers 47(32); Ashish Nehra 1/32, Mustafizur Rahman 1/34)

KL Rahul was back opening the innings alongside Virat Kohli after they unsuccessfully tried out Shane Watson in their last match. The 24-year-old made a promising start to his innings,and even overshadowed his more senior partner at the other end. Bengaluru were cruising along nicely at 42/0 when Warner brought on Mustafizur Rahman into the attack in the 6th over, and the Bangladeshi pacer dismissed the dangerous Virat Kohli for just 14 – his lowest score in a T20 innings this year.

However, that wicket did not dampen the spirit of Rahul as he went in all guns blazing. The stand-out shot in the first 10 overs of RCB's innings was a majestic pull shot from Rahul, off Barinder Sran, which deposited the ball into the stands over the deep square leg boundary. He was playing with an aggression you normally do not associate with someone who is labelled as a technically correct Test batsman. In fact, despite having AB de Villiers at the other end, it was Rahul who was hogging the limelight.

He brought up his half-century in the 10th over, off just 26 deliveries, but lamentably for RCB, he returned to the pavilion in the same over after edging one to the keeper, in his attempt to run the ball down to the third man.

De Villiers, whose catch was previously dropped by Ashish Nehra in the 6th over, once again got a reprieve in the 11th over this time through Deepak Hooda. As the required rate rose above 12, the South African upped his gear and went after Henriques in the 14th over and hit him for two consecutive sixes.

Nehra and Hooda breathed a collective sigh of relief in the 15th over when Kane Williamson did what they could not – took the catch of de Villiers. His dismissal, three short of another half-century, put Hyderabad firmly in the driver's seat.

De Villiers' dismissal slowed down the run rate considerably, and RCB were left to chase 22 runs in the final over, with Kedar Jadhav and Parvez Rasool at the crease. The duo fell short by 15 runs in the end, with Rasool getting out in the final delivery. With the win, Sunrisers Hyderabad jumped to fourth place in the points table, while RCBcontniued their poor run losing four out of the six matches in the season.

Earlier, Virat Kohli won the toss and for the first time, Royal Challengers Bangalore had the opportunity to bowl first. They came into this match on the back of a defeat against the Gujarat Lions, and Kohli announced four changes to their starting lineup. Varun Aaron, Parvez Rasool, Harshal Patel and Sachin Baby replaced Sarfaraz Khan, Stuart Binny, Yuzvendra Chahal and Iqbal Abdulla. Bangalore had strengthened their fast bowling attack in hopes of exploiting the wicket which had been affected by rain.

Hyderabad finally gave a game to Kane Williamson, while Barinder Sran and Ashish Reddy also returned to their lineup.

Shikhar Dhawan, who has recently shown signs of returning to form, started off well with a lovely straight drive off Shane Watson, and then a lofted drive over mid-on off Parveez Rasool. However, Kane Richardson picked him up in the fourth over, and once again Hyderabad were left to rely on their skipper David Warner to deliver the goods.

The Australian has been in scintillating form this and was fourth in the scoring chart at the start of this game with 294 runs in 6 innings – staggeringly, he has scored 36.28% of Hyderabad's runs so far in the tournament.

This time, he had a more reliable partner in Kane Williamson at the other end, and the duo produced a crucial partnership of 124 runs in just 73 balls. The warning signs were there early for Bengaluru, when Warner went after Harshal Patel in the sixth over and hit him for 16 runs – including a six over long-on off a free-hit.

Williamson was playing his part as well. He kept rotating the strike and chipped in with boundaries at regular intervals. In the 10th over, Warner brought up his fifth half-century of the season with a slap through the extra cover boundary off Rasool. As the innings reached towards its conclusion, Warner opened up his arms and took Richardson to the cleaners in the 15th over.

It started with his version of a helicopter shot over the deep midwicket fence for a six. Richardson tried a slower bouncer in the next delivery and Warner muscled it along the ground to the same part of the fence. The fourth delivery was a quicker bouncer and this time, Warner just guided it over the third man boundary for another six – he was toying with the bowlers at this point.

Eventually, Shamsi picked up Warner's wicket in the 16th over, not before the Australian had hoisted him for a massive six over long-on, and that led to a couple more wickets in quick succession. Moises Henriques provided the momentum Hyderabad were looking for at the end of the innings with a knock of 31 runs from just 14 balls, as they posted a daunting total of 194 runs.

IPL 2016: Gujarat Lions tame Delhi despite Morris' madness

Gujarat Lions managed to snatch a 1-run win from the jaws of defeat, despite Morris' trailblazing knock of 82 runs, from just 32 balls. Earlier, an opening partnership of 112 runs between Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum helped Gujarat post a challenging total of 172 runs in the first innings.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Lions 172/6 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 60(36), Dwayne Smith 53(30); Imran Tahir 3/24, Chris Morris 2/35) lost to Delhi Daredevils 171/5 in 20 overs (Chris Morris 82(32), JP Duminy 48(43); Dhawal Kulkarni 3/19, James Faulkner 1/23)

Delhi's opening combination has struggled to provide them with a good start so far this season. 24, 9, 11, 11 – these were the four opening stands they have had so far, and it does not make for a good reading. There was no anomaly tonight as well as Quinton de Kock's third opening partner in five innings – Sanju Samson – was dismissed with just two runs on the board.

Dhawal Kulkarni, like he did against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab, provided his team with an early breakthrough. The 27-year-old managed to extract late swing in the air – something which played a big part in Samson miscuing his shot. He dismissed the inform Quinton de Kock with a slower delivery, and an embarrassingly poor delivery on Karun Nair's pad got him his third wicket.

At 16/3, Delhi were in tatters, and Rishabh Pant - an 18-year-old making his IPL debut – and JP Duminy – who showed signs of returning to form against the Mumbai Indians – joined together to take the team out of the woods. The duo stabilized the innings with a 41-run partnership, but at the end of the 10th over the required run rate had risen to 12.20.

The match looked over for Delhi when Pant was dismissed by Faulkner, but it was as though the wicket broke something within Duminy at the other end. The diminutive South African went blitzkrieg, with a fierceness one, does not associate with a man of his stature, and he had a colossus in Chris Morris at the other end.

Morris was batting for the first time in the tournament, and after this innings probably the question would be, “why?”. The Pretoria's behemoth pummelled five sixes in his first 13 balls as he took James Faulkner and Pravin Tambe to the cleaners. From 58/4 in 11 overs, Delhi went to 116/4 in 15 overs, and all of a sudden the Feroz Shah Kotla crowd realized that they were witnessing something special.

Suresh Raina was forced to put his thinking cap on, and after all the years deputing MS Dhoni at CSK, one would expect him pick up some of this traits. Dhoni often gambles with the unknown when the conventional route fails. Raina did the same, he brought on Dwayne Smith into the action, and it failed spectacularly. Morris hit the West Indian for three consecutive sixes, each bigger than the previous one, and completed the fastest fifty this season in the IPL.

Duminy was dismissed in the first delivery of the 18th over, but that turned out to be a small ripple in the tsunami-like wave Morris had created, with Gujarat destined to sink.

Praveen Kumar bowled a tight penultimate over where he conceded just four runs, and Delhi were left to chase 14 runs off the last over. However, just like many South Africans before him, Morris stumbled in the final stage. He failed to get the big shots in the final five deliveries off Dwayne Bravo, and Delhi fell 1 run short of the Gujarat's score.

“We decided after our first game, that we will chase whenever possible,” said Zaheer Khan after the toss. That first game saw Kolkata Knight Riders bundle Delhi Daredevils for 98. Lesson well learnt for Zak you would think. But, he would soon want to unlearn the lesson as he was sent to the boundary four times by the Lions opener Dwayne Smith in an 18-run first over. Brendon McCullum joined the party in the third over, punishing Zaheer for two maximums as the Delhi captain conceded 32 runs in his first 2 overs. If that was bad for DD, it was going to get more ominous soon.

The Lions reached the fifty-mark in the fourth over, the fastest of the season. It was only a matter of time, one thought, before the more-experienced spinners were called up. But Zaheer insisted on sticking with pace, and by the time he finally saw sense after seven overs, the batsmen were set. McCullum soon reached his 50 off only 27 balls. Smith wasn’t to stay behind as he brought up his 50, taking one ball lesser.

But with the field spread out and the bowlers taking the pace off the ball, the run rate started to stall slightly. That was the opportunity for Imran Tahir. He rushed in a flipper to Smith, who never picked the line, to trap him in front of the stumps. After 3 overs of spin, Zaheer decided to mix it up and brought Chris Morris into the attack. A slower full toss left McCullum castled and skipper Suresh Raina came in, but his stint was cut short by Morris in the same over in typical Raina fashion. Short ball, dance down the pitch, mistime the ball, find fielder, walk back.

Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik were left to rebuild the innings, but from a score of 100 in 9 overs, Gujarat Lions only reached 128 in 14 overs. Wickets continued to tumble as Delhi looked firmly in command for the first time in the match. In the end, Faulkner and Bravo took the Lions to 172, making only 62 runs in the last ten overs.

Kapil Dev to be inducted into CCI's Legends Club

Established in 2003, the Legends Club honours famous Indian cricketers like Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain and one of the greatest all-rounders the game has seen, Kapil Dev, will be the sixth member to be inducted into the Cricket Club of India's Legends Club. This was announced by Legends Club president and former India batsman Madhav Apte here on Sunday.

Established in 2003, the Legends Club honours famous Indian cricketers like Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. The club gathers on the birthdays / birth anniversaries of these five cricketers and talk on certain topics of the game.

"At the last (Legends Club) committee meeting, it was decided to invite as the next legend and he has happily accepted the invitation," Apte said at the Legends Club evening to mark the 43rd birthday of Tendulkar.

While the Legends Club is currently restricted to cricketers, Apte said that the committee has recommended to the general body to consider names from other sports to be inducted into the elite club. "Badminton legend Nandu Natekar is the name that comes first from other sports to be considered from other disciplines. Many others will follow," Apte said.

Meanwhile, CCI president Kekoo Nicholson said that the main gate of the club will be named after late Rajsingh Dungarpur. "In the memorial meeting for Dungarpur, Sachin Tendulkar floated the idea of honouring Rajbhai by naming a gate after him and that he would want to be part of that ceremony. We will work out the dates to name the CCI main gate after Rajbhai according to Sachin's availability and also see if the Dungarpur family can make it to the occasion."

For the record, Legends Club is the brainchild of former Board of Control for Cricket in India president, Dungarpur. It was formed along the lines of England's Master's Club started by famous cricket commentator John Arlott in memory of Jack Hobbs when cricketers and cricket lovers got together and spoke on different topics of the game.

Most eagerly awaiting Tendulkar's biopic: Virat Kohli

MUMBAI: Indian cricket's poster boy, Virat Kohli, is eagerly looking forward to the release of the biopic of his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, the Test captain said after launching a new initiative to connect with his legion of fans.

"Everyone knows who I idolised as a kid. He will always remain my idol because of who I came into cricket. I am very eagerly looking forward to the biopic on Sachin Tendulkar. I have idolised him. That will be something which will be very interesting (to watch)," said the 27-year-old Kohli.

He was answering a question on which of the three soon-to-be released biopics on cricketers - Tendulkar, Mohd Azharuddin and India's current one-day captain MS Dhoni - was he keen to witness after releasing "Virat FanBox", conceptualised by Singapore-based start-up firm PrivyPlex.

Kohli, at the same time, said that he was also keen to see the other two bio-pics.

"I'm looking forward to all three, the one on MS which will be a different one, and on Mr Azhar as well," he added.

Kohli, however, refused to take any questions from the media on cricket or his personal life while also staying away from commenting on the controversy over Bollywood star Salman Khan's nomination by the Indian Olympic Association as the brand ambassador of the country's Rio Games contingent.

"That's not for me to comment on when I don't know the details. It won't be proper for me to comment on this platform," he flatly said.

"Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh and Olympic medalists - two-time podium-finisher Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt - have opposed the move of the IOA to nominate Khan as the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent to Rio yesterday.

When asked about his personal life and relationship with Bollywood starlet Anushka Sharma by a female scribe, Kohli retorted, "That's for none to know. I do not have to comment on it. How is your personal life and how is it going?"

"It's an important opportunity for the fans to interact with me and the content will also be most exclusive, not available on other social media platforms," said the cricketer about the digital initiative that connects him with the fans.

Costing Rs 16,999 annually, the 'Virat FanBox' claimed to offer a direct and unprecedented access to the star cricketer, both online and in real-life, and comes loaded with, among other things, a state-of-the-art smartphone carrying the cricketer's emblem, designed and manufactured by "Motorola".

IPL 2016: Parthiv-Rayudu show takes Mumbai Indians past Kings XI Punjab

Parthiv Patel’s 81 off 58 and Ambati Rayudu’s 65 off 37 helped Mumbai Indians defeat Kings XI Punjab by 25 runs at Mohali on Monday. Chasing 190 for a win, Kings XI Punjab came close to a win on the back of Glenn Maxwell’s 56 off 39 balls, but MI held their nerves to win the game in the end.

Brief Scores: MI 189/6 in 20 overs (Parthiv 81(58), Rayudu 65(37), Mohit 3/38) beat KXIP 164/7 in 20 overs (Maxwell 56(39), Marsh 45(34), Bumrah 3/26) by 25 runs

The last time Kings XI Punjab won a game in the IPL, they were chasing 153. Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra scored half-centuries that day against Rising Pune Supergiants. But this time, the total was 190, and the required run rate was 9.5 runs per over. A good start was a must to chase down the target, but it never arrived.

Krunal Pandya dropped Vijay in the third ball of the innings to return the gifts they received in the first innings. Vijay survived a run-out in the third over before whipping Tim Southee over the square leg for a massive six. However, the Tamil Nadu batsman’s luck ran out a ball later as his search for another maximum ended his innings. Southee pulled his length back after seeing the ball flying into the stands, and although Vijay jumped out of the crease, he only managed to sky the ball to give Buttler a catch. Vohra also followed suit shortly as he perished in the fifth over giving Buttler another catch.

At 32/2, Kings XI looked lost in the middle. But the power- packed middle-order of Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and David Miller gave them hope, at least on paper. Both Marsh and Maxwell started slowly with singles and twos initially before upping the ante by scoring 62 off seven overs. Although the score looked healthy at 102/2 at the end of 13 overs, Kings XI still needed 88 off 42 balls for a win.

Marsh and Maxwell deposited Harbhajan and Southee into the stands in back-to-back overs, but just before the end of the 15th over, Marsh fell to Southee to diminish Punjab’s hopes. Although some hope remained with Maxwell still at the crease, Bumrah removed the Aussie in the 18th over to finish off the match. Nikhil Naik, Axar Patel, and Mitchell Johnson also departed before the end of the innings to mark Kings XI's fifth loss of the season. 

Earlier, bottom-dwellers Kings XI Punjab welcomed reigning champions Mumbai Indians to Mohali for their sixth game of the season, having registered only one win in five. With the team struggling to find a winning combination, Kings XI skipper David Miller once again tinkered with the side, this time bringing in Mitchell Johnson and Pardeep Sahu for Kyle Abbott and Rishi Dhawan.

Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, continued their style of slow starts to the tournament and came into the game in a marginally better position than their rivals, with two wins from six games. Rohit Sharma kept faith with the same squad that suffered a defeat against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday. Kings XI won the toss and opted to field first after losing four matches in the tournament batting first.

7, 7 and 5 were the scores of Rohit Sharma batting first in this season of IPL, and he once again continued his terrible form batting first, this time getting out for a duck to Sandeep Sharma on the second ball of the innings. The opener tried to lace the ball through point, but only managed a thin edge on the ball to give Nikhil Naik an easy catch behind the stumps.

Sandeep Sharma’s swing was causing all sorts of problems for the Mumbai batsmen and they managed just 11 runs off his first three overs. However, Mitchell Johnson helped them in easing the pressure by conceding two boundaries in the second over before coming back in the fifth over to gift three more to the Mumbai batsmen. Johnson was in the mood as he gave Parthiv Patel an extra life in the fifth over by bowling a no-ball as Parthiv got caught at deep square leg. Parthiv again found the fielder the next ball, this time on the free-hit.

The left-hander made the most of the opportunity and formed a 137-run partnership with Ambati Rayudu for the second wicket. At the other end, Rayudu, who had been getting good starts in the tournament, made the most of his start this time and scored 65 off 37 balls to take the team forward. With Kings XI spinners giving freebies, Parthiv and Rayudu made merry in the middle and took the scoring rate, which was near five in the fifth over, to 8.41 by the 12th over. Apart from Sandeep Sharma, all the Kings XI bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the duo, who played some classical shots.

With the team in a comfortable position at 125/1 at the end of 14 overs, Rayudu decided to cash in on the bowlers and went after Axar Patel. Two flat hits over the long-on boundary followed, but his attempt to hit a third one cost him his wicket. But, Parthiv was not finished as, he along with Jos Buttler, cleared the ropes at will to take Mumbai Indians to 176/3 at the end of 18th over. Two quick wickets of Buttler and Parthiv, who made 81 off 58, stopped Mumbai's momentum, and they only managed 13 runs in the next two overs to end up at 189/6.

IPL 2016: Mishra’s four-star act propels Delhi to big win over Kings XI

Chasing 111, Delhi Daredevils strolled to an easy eight-wicket win over Kings XI on the back of Quinton de Kock's fifty at the Kotla. Earlier today, put in to bat, Kings XI's innings never took off as their batsmen fell to the spin magic of Amit Mishra, who picked four wickets for a miserly 11 runs

Brief Scores: Kings XI Punjab 111/9 in 20 overs (Vohra 32(24), Mishra 4/11) lost to Delhi Daredevils 113/2 in 13.3 overs (de Kock 59 (42), Samson 33(32), Sandeep Sharma 1/6)

111 was a simple score to chase, and Delhi decided to keep things simple. The run rate did not cross the six-mark until the eighth over as the hosts made a cautious start to their innings. Quinton de Kock and Shreyas Iyer batted out two event-less initial overs, but Iyer was caught behind early in the third over. Sandeep Sharma's first delivery was way down the leg side, but Iyer ended up nicking it to keeper Wriddhiman Saha, although snicko suggested he may have been unlucky to be given out.

After pushing the team to 12 off four overs, de Kock went for a sweep that was dropped by Murali Vijay at short leg in the fifth. De Kock punished the mistake with a four off the last ball and did not turn back after that. He sent Axar Patel to the ropes thrice in the eighth over to take Delhi into the six runs per over territory, and that was invitation enough for Sanju Samson. Samson, who had been slow to start with, sent Pardeep Sahu over the long-on ropes in the ninth over. Skipper Miller brought Maxwell on in the 11th over, in a desperate bid to get a breakthrough, but he began with a wide and was sent to the boundary twice in a row by Samson.

Miller brought on Aussie mate Mitchell Johnson, but Johnson was meted out similar treatment, this time from de Kock. After punishing Johnson with two consecutive boundaries, de Kock sent the last for a six – it was banged in short and was there to be punished, and de Kock punished it with a pull that sailed high over long leg.

Axar Patel eventually managed to end Samson's innings with a straight delivery that the batsman failed to read, and the ball struck the timber.

With only 10 runs needed, de Kock sent the first ball of the 13th over for a four. Coming in to strike, Negi finished proceedings with a violent sweep that crossed the midwicket ropes to give the hosts an eight-wicket victory over Punjab.

Earlier, Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan won the toss and elected to bowl in Delhi, making two changes to his side. Jayant Yadav and JP Duminy came in for Mayank Agarwal and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Punjab replaced Marcus Stoinis with Shaun Marsh, who wasn’t fit for the first game.

Zaheer started the innings with a tight over and that set the ball rolling. The game came to life in the second over, when a comedy of errors happened all across the ground to result in a runout for the away side. Pawan Negi’s slow left armer was lofted by Manan Vohra, but it went over to Zaheer Khan, who failed to grab it. In an attempt to capitalize on the misfield, the Punjab openers went for an extra run, only for Murali Vijay to get run-out off an excellent throw by Karun Nair.

After scoring only 23 runs in their first five, Punjab decided to go after World T20 hero Carlos Brathwaite in the last over of the powerplay, and Vohra ripped the West Indian apart, amassing 14 runs off the over. However, Amit Mishra’s first ball of the game sent Shaun Marsh packing in the very next over. The Aussie batsman charged down the pitch only to miss the turn and the length of the ball, and de Kock behind the stumps did the rest.

Amit Mishra, however, had no plans to loosen his grip on the KXIP batting and dismissed the dangerous Miller and Maxwell in the space of 4 deliveries to cripple Punjab further. On the first ball of the 9th over, Mishra bowled a googly. Miller, anticipating the ball to turn, attempted a sweep but the ball hit his pads, and Mishra’s appeal resulted in the umpire raising his finger. On the fourth ball of the over, Maxwell lofted a shot to long off where Brathwaite cupped a regulation catch to leave KXIP staring down the barrel.

Manan Vohra, though, had hung on through all the bloodbath at the other end, but Mishra made him his 4th wicket on the night, and after Duminy’s direct hit sent back Wriddhiman Saha in the 13th over, it looked like Punjab won’t even play their quota of 20 overs.

An unlikely cameo from Mohit Sharmaand Sahu’s last over fireworks ensured Delhi had a relatively-challenging 112 to chase.

David Miller's wicket was the turning point: Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra dismissed Miller and Maxwell in the space of four balls.

Amit Mishra's four-wicket haul at the Feroz Shah Kotla gave Delhi Daredevils their first taste of victory in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 33-year-old legspinner, who earned his 100th IPL cap on Friday (April 15), was brought into the attack right after the fielding restrictions were off and produced a magical spell that made the Kings XI Punjab middle-order look like a bunch of rookies.

Shaun Marsh, was the first to go, literally throwing his wicket away. Captain David Miller and Glenn Maxwell followed next, both in the same over, much like what unfolded in Mohali. To cap it off, Mishra got rid of their most stable bat, Manan Vohra, all in successive overs to leave the visitors reeling at 59 for 5 with about half the overs still left in the bank.

Mishra, beaming with pride after bagging the Man of the Match award for his second-best figures of 4 for 11, felt it was Punjab captain Miller's wicket that turned the game on its head. "Miller's wicket was the turning point, I feel. They were already under pressure (at that point) and their captain's wicket added to the pressure," said Mishra, before adding, "I'm very happy to get the Man of the Match as well as the Purple Cap (for the highest wicket-taker in the tournament) in my 100th IPL game."

Mishra admitted he had done his homework well to set up the dangerous pair of Maxwell and Miller. "I can't exactly describe, but I admit I did plan a bit and had seen some videos in advance. I had a word with Zaheer (Khan). The plan was to force them to play big shots and that would get us the wicket(s). I am happy it worked out well for us," Mishra said.

"You do get some clue when a batsman is about to go for his shots. What's more important is that, luckily, I was successful and got wickets off whatever I bowled tonight."

Mishra also acknowledged Zaheer's contribution in building the pressure on the Punjab line-up with his tight bowling spell of 3-1-8-0 in the powerplay overs. "The pressure he built was always going to be helpful. The batsman then wants to go after the spinners and that helped me. When the batsman plans to go after you, the bowler has a better chance of getting a wicket. That was exactly our plan tonight."

Pleased to have started their upward journey with a win at their home ground in Kotla, as he promised on the eve of the game, Mishra said the big win will boost the team's morale going ahead.

"It is good to win our home game. This will boost our team's morale. What matters is the way we are practicing and putting in all the hard work. This is just the starting. The focus now shifts to the next bunch of games. We're working on our batting, bowling as well as fielding and constantly looking for improvement."

Asked if would have liked an opportunity to bowl the fourth over and get a five-for, Mishra joked had it backfired, the fourth over could have spoilt his figures as well, before adding that he is content to have made a substantial contribution to the team's total.

"I could have been hit for three sixes as well, who knows! I'm happy with what I got tonight. What matters to me is that the team won and I had a significant contribution in that," Mishra signed off with a glee.

David Warner is a joy to watch: Matthew Hayden

David Warner is a joy to watch: Matthew Hayden 

The living room in our house comes alive every time he comes on to bat: Hayden

Matthew Hayden believes David Warner could become Australia's greatest ever opening batsman. The 29-year-old's career was at the crossroads on the eve of the Ashes in 2013 when he punched Joe Root at a Birmingham pub. Since that indiscretion, Warner swore off alcohol and his life seems to have become more stable with the unwavering support of his wife Candice Falzon.

His batting, too, has gone up a level as he has scored 3,238 Test runs and compiled 13 centuries since returning in the fourth Ashes Test in 2013. Warner's maturity was recognised by Australian cricket chiefs and he was subsequently named captain Steve Smith's deputy late last year.

"I think he can be the best (ever Australian opener)," Hayden, who is rated one of Australia's greatest openers after scoring 8,625 runs in 103 Tests, toldcricket.com.au on Friday (April 15). "He certainly knows now how to temper his performance and that's the hardest thing to learn. You can teach a lot of skills, but the mindset of a batsman is a mindset that takes time to learn.

"You have a look at all the players that have come out of the last era, with the exception of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, they've all been guys who have matured into their performance," said Hayden. "Davey (Warner) needed to mature as much as a person as he did a cricketer and he's done that. He's made that transition into a family life, into a solid member of the team and he's got the temperament to play across each format of the game.

"He's a joy to watch. The living room in our house comes alive every time he comes on to bat. It's stop, hold the phone and watch Dave play. He's brilliant," added Hayden of Warner who has scored 4,506 runs in 51 Tests at 50.06 - an average almost identical to the former great's career mark of 50.73.

From the moment he memorably eviscerated Dale Steyn in a Twenty20 international at the MCG in 2009, Warner seemed capable of becoming Australia's version of Virender Sehwag a player he unsurprisingly idolised and wanted to emulate.

Hayden, who was similarly destructive in his pomp, said the key to Warner's success was his sensible shot making and temperament. "He was challenged early by the mentality that you all get into when you're playing a lot of the shorter version of the game of hitting every ball," he said. "The secret to Test cricket is leaving the ball well. They're opposite temperaments. He's combined that skill of being able to know where your off-stump is, play straight for as long as you can but he's always naturally going to be aggressive."

Virat Kohli wants to be a great Test cricketer: Rahul Dravid

Virat Kohli is increasingly becoming the most important player in the Indian team, and the latest to shower praise on the Indian Test captain is former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid. Dravid pointed out that Kohli’s eagerness to become a great Test player makes him a special cricketer in the T20 era.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV , Rahul Dravid, who is donning the role of a mentor for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing IPL season, spoke about Virat Kohli, T20 cricket and more.

Dravid, who coached the India team in the 2016 U-19 World Cup, said that the greatest thing to learn from the 27-year old is his eagerness to excel in all formats.

"Virat and I had a lot of conversations. He wants to be a great Test player and knows that a player is respected more if he can perform in formats. The younger generation should learn from guys like Virat, Kane Williamson, Steven Smith, Joe Root who have been successful in all formats," Dravid saidabout the Indian Test team captain.

Dravid, who has been linked to the Indian coaching job, expressed his awe in seeing Kohli raise the bar every time and said that the World T20 player of the tournament takes his performance a notch up every time he bats.

“Every time I see him perform well, I think he can't raise the bar higher, but he does it!! Every time he plays a good innings, he does better in the next innings," he told NDTV.

When asked about the rising popularity of T20 cricket and the decline of the longer-format, Dravid said that the advent of T20 cricket can’t be ignored, but it needs to be balanced with the Test cricket.

"I hate to say T20 is the future of cricket. But it's a significant part of the future. ODI cricket started to subsidise Test, and now T20 should do that too," the 43-year old said.

IPL 2016: Late fightback by Ojha-Morgan takes SRH to fighting total

A late fightback from Eoin Morgan and Naman Ojha helped Sunrisers Hyderabad post a fighting total of 142/7 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad on Saturday. After batting first, the home side was struggling at 50/4 at the half-way mark, before Morgan and Ojha produced a 67-run partnership.

Brief Scores: SRH 142/7 in 20/20 overs (Morgan 51(43), Ojha 37(28), Umesh Yadav 3/28)

In the first doubleheader of the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Hyderabad in search of their first win of the season after suffering a 45-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening encounter. SRH brought in Barinder Sran in place of the injured Ashish Nehra, after the left-arm pacer picked up a groin injury in the last match.

Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, made four changes to the XI that suffered a defeat against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, with Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al-Hasan and Umesh Yadav coming in for John Hastings, Brad Hogg, Kuldeep Yadav and Colin Munro.

The home side won the toss and opted to make use of the fresh wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium. Morne Morkel made an instant impact or at least everyone thought he did. SRH skipper David Warner went for an ambitious pull off the front foot against the SouthAfrican, and skied to give Piyush Chawla a grab at it at square leg. The leg-spinner caught it somehow to start the celebrations, but the replays on the big screen showed Morkel overstepping and the home crowd were once again back on their feet to see Warner live to fight another day.

Although Warner survived a scare, there was no second life for his partner at the other end. Shikhar Dhawan jumped out of the crease against Morkel and lashed at it, only to edge it to Uthappa behind the stumps in the third over. The bad start became a horrible one, four balls later, as the skipper also walked back to the pavilion, this time, falling to Umesh Yadav’s cutter to give Suryakumar Yadav the catch at cover.

The procession to the pavilion continued as Moisés Henriques also followed his predecessors after Yadav trapped the right-hander in front of the stumps. The run rate crawled near the five-run mark as Gambhir introduced Narine and Chawla to add further misery to the SRH batting. Deepak Hooda’s resistance also ended in the tenth over, after he shoved one in the air straight to long-on.

With wickets falling thick and fast at the other end, Eoin Morgan took it upon himself to take the team out of trouble. The Englishman, who wentthrough a horrible run in the World T20, smashed Narine for two consecutive boundaries in the 13th over, before joining hands with Naman Ojha to dish out a similar treatment to Chawla in the next over. The counter-attack from the duo gave the home side the much-needed momentum in the last five, as SRH looked in a dominant position for the first time in the match. A total of 48 runs came in the last five overs as Morgan and Ojha took the team to a fighting total of 142/7 on the back of a 67-run partnership.

I want to play Test cricket: James Faulkner

I want to play Test cricket: James Faulkner

Faulkner, who has the nickname "the finisher" due to his propensity to guide Australia home with bat and ball.

James Faulkner, Australia's all-rounder, hopes to revive his career in whites soon and not be branded as a "one-Test wonder", as he is now. The 25-year-old played his lone Test in the dead rubber fifth Test of the 2013 Ashes despite being a mainstay in Australia's shorter formats.

Faulkner, who has the nickname "the finisher" due to his propensity to guide Australia home with bat and ball, reinforced his credentials with a Man-of-the-Match performance in the 2015 World Cup final.

"I'm a 'one-Test wonder' at the moment," he told cricket.com.au on Thursday (April 14). "I want to play Test cricket. I just need to get some big scores and get wickets. That's the only way you can force your way back in. Whether that's batting five, six, seven, eight, wherever it is I need to get runs. And bowling, it's always been stock standard with me, ever since I started," Faulkner said.

Due to his schedule in the shorter formats, Faulkner has been unable to play first-class cricket consistently but did gather valuable experience competing in last year's England County Championship.

Faulkner played seven matches for Lancashire in Division Two, taking 23 wickets at an average of 21. He scored 310 runs that included 121 against Surrey for his maiden first-class century. "It was a massive learning experience," Faulkner said. "I definitely enjoyed playing with the Dukes (cricket ball) over there. It was tough conditions, a lot different to back home. We had everything where I was playing at Lancashire; there was reverse (swing), there was spin, and all the other grounds there was a lot of swing and seam."

Faulkner said he had matured since being charged for drinking and driving in England last July. He registered a reading of 100 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, which is over the legal limit in the UK of 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres. Faulkner was handed a (AUD) $19,000 fine and was banned from driving in the UK for two years by a Manchester Magistrate. He was also suspended by Cricket Australia for four matches as a result.

"It's definitely the biggest mistake I've made so far in my life," Faulkner conceded. "It was definitely a wake-up call. A lot of it is just about growing up as a person as well. I've put it behind me and at the moment it's just about playing cricket and trying to play as well as I can."

Faulkner is, at the moment, playing for Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League 2016 after Rajasthan Royals was banned for a period of two years - a franchise he represented for two years since 2013. He was also a part of Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors India previously.

Pitches during India series were ridiculous: Quinton de Kock

Pitches during India series were ridiculous: Quinton de Kock

"(Not playing the Test series) saved my career. To be honest, some of those pitches looked ridiculous. I am glad I missed those Tests."

Like many of his South African teammates, Quinton de Kock too oscillated between cricket and another sport as a child. In de Kock's case, baseball was the sport of choice, which perhaps explains his need to smack everything out of the park with bat in hand. In a free-ranging chat with TOI, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, here playing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, talked at length about South African cricket, the need to establish his Test career and why AB de Villiers still has five years left in him. Excerpts...

You play so much of your cricket in India these days...

Yeah. I feel like moving in here.Over the last one year, I have played like seven months here in India, which is more cricket here than at home. But it's not too bad as we get to improve our game and prepare for tours.

South Africa's struggles against spin. But you have done better than others....

I am actually one of the worst players of spin. There's no way that Hashim, AB (de Villiers), JP (Duminy) and Faf (du Plessis) are not better players of spin. They got out to spinners. So what? If they get out to seamers, you can't say that they can't get the seamers away . Just because they couldn't do it in India doesn't mean they can't get on top of spinners. It's like Indian spinners are only good bowling in their country. Once they come out of their country, they don't perform as well. It's the same thing.

Does it hurt that you missed the Test series in India? It could have been a great opportunity to establish yourself...

After seeing the kind of pitches that were prepared, I was actually quite happy I wasn't playing. I think they saved my career. To be honest, some of those pitches looked ridiculous. I am glad I missed those Tests.

Is it a relief that you got that first Test hundred out of the way? You were running the risk of being stereotyped as a limited-overs players...

I always knew I would get a few hundreds in Tests. I like batting in four-day and Tests. I back myself to get more runs in that format than in T20s or one-dayers.

Youngsters swoon to the crazy things AB de Villiers does with the bat. But he is also capable of the grind. In the Kotla Test he dead batted for almost for two days...

I wouldn't do either of these things. I don't try playing those shots.That's his talent and there's experience behind that talent. I don't think I could have done what he did in a couple of Tests here. I would have played a couple slog sweeps, for sure. I don't try the other things he does. If you are brave enough to put your chin on the line while playing those laps, then good for you.

De Villiers had to convince the public he is committed to South Africa's Test cricket even as he signed a Caribbean Premier League contract...

It's tough for him because everyone back home is wondering if he is going to retire. His age and him signing up in T20 leagues have raised questions. I don't know why people do it. I think he still has five years in him.

You are now a senior player in the Daredevils set-up. Does all the experience gained here help when you go back to South Africa?

There's a lot of younger guys than me. Mind you, I am just 23. I am senior here because I have some experience.But I know when I go back to the Proteas, I am still a baby. I am not senior there yet with all those many big names there. But I am sure I'll start taking up that role soon.

You have a license to express yourself for South Africa, but so you have to curb yourself for Delhi, since you are the main batsman?

No. I just look forward to smack a few runs.

Want to be amongst top-10 wicket-takers this season: Mishra

Want to be amongst top-10 wicket takers this season: Mishra

Amit Mishra will play his 100th IPL game on Friday

Delhi Daredevils have been the perpetual under-achievers in the Indian Premier League's short history. Apart from the first couple of seasons, when they made it to the semifinals, and the 2012 edition where they were knocked out by finalists Chennai Super Kings, Daredevils' performances have seen a steep decline. In a bid to revive their fortunes, the franchise roped in the best of raw talent available at the player auctions and handed over the reigns of this young team to the experienced duo of coach Paddy Upton and mentor Rahul Dravid.

Their first game of the season followed a familiar script. However, ahead of their first home game, against Kings XI Punjab, legspinner Amit Mishra insisted that the team was keen to open its account in the points tally and that it couldn't have asked for a better venue to do so.

"We will have a positive approach," Mishra said on Thursday (April 14). "The preparations are going on well. We have been working hard at the nets. We are confident and we want to do well. A few matches may not go our way initially but we are going to go all out with an aggressive approach."

"I want to be in the top 10 wicket-takers this season," said Mishra, who would be playing his 100th IPL game tomorrow, before adding, "Delhi haven't done well in the last two years and we want to finish in the top-four and we are looking to start that journey from here in Delhi. We've been working hard and you can judge that from our practice sessions."

It is a battle of underdogs, but Mishra sees it as an opportunity for his team to get back to wining ways. And helping Delhi find their rhythm back is former Indian star Rahul Dravid, who chips in with valuable inputs for each of members.

"Rahul Dravid is a great player and respected by all. He shares his experiences and tells the batsmen what shots to play while keeping their styles and what suits their style of play. He tells the bowlers to go for the wickets, be positive and not worry about going for runs," Mishra elaborated.

"I can't say about Indian team, but Dravid has been a good coach (for us). He gives a lot of space to all and never speaks anything negative to any player. Everyone is very happy to have him around. Everyone respects him a lot," Mishra summed up.

Sachin Tendulkar: Achrekar made fitness training enjoyable for me

In a promotional event today, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about how coach Ramakant Achrekar made fitness training enjoyable for him and the importance of fitness in prolonging a cricketer’s career. He also discussed how mental strength plays an equally important role in an athlete's career.

While speaking to the media after being named the face of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Marathons, the master-blaster highlighted the importance of his coach, in making fitness training an enjoyable activity. "All I am trying to tell you here is my coach (Ramakant Achrekar) was instrumental in making me realise that fitness is going to be a key factor. But he made things enjoyable for me. I never once felt that why am I doing this.

"At the end of the day, my coach had to literally interrupt a net session and say, 'That's it, it's too dark, you'll get hurt'. And that's how he would stop our session. I didn't feel like running though after that. That is how I felt I became strong and it's not just about being physically fit," added the 42-year old.

Sachin also noted how fitness came to him naturally. "Fitness is from within. It's not about how you look. What the body is actually able to do. Without any doubt, with more awareness, more knowledge, I think the team is really, really fit," said Tendulkar.

However, the importance of mental strength couldn’t be overstated according to the batting legend. "Once you learn to push the boundaries, then it also makes you mentally strong. Because there have been times where I felt tired while playing international games. But it was the mental strength and training at a young age which sort of I could use and put that into practice," he said.

"So without realising I felt the foundation was becoming more and more solid for me and then after that there were number of marathon innings I played, at school level as well. When both Vinod (Kambli) and I created the world record, I scored 326 not out, bowled little bit and hopped across to play another match because there were two matches going on simultaneously in our school itself. So I went there and scored 178 not out again in that match, followed that with another triple hundred," concluded Sachin, with a beaming smile.

SLC delays Lasith Malinga’s departure to Mumbai Indians

SLC delays Lasith Malinga’s departure to Mumbai Indians
Malinga and the new SLC hierarchy have been at a standoff since the Asia Cup T20 in February.

 SLC chief Tilanga Sumathipala said that the current status of Malinga's fitness needs to be assessed before the Board decides to give him the NOC. (Photo: PTI/BCCI)

Colombo: Miffed with Lasith Malinga's attitude of picking and choosing tournaments, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is reluctant to give the fast bowler 'No Objection Certificate' to play for the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

SLC chief Tilanga Sumathipala said that the current status of Malinga's fitness needs to be assessed before the Board decides to give him the NOC.

"He can't go without our permission. If he defies us and go, he can only return after sitting on the bench," Sumathipala said.

Malinga and the new SLC hierarchy have been at a standoff since the Asia Cup T20 in February. The Board administration had asked Malinga to leave the captaincy before the World T20 last month in obvious annoyance.

Although Malinga made it to Sri Lanka World T20 team as a player, he once again opted out of the crucial tournament, citing fitness issues.

As a result, Sri Lanka was forced to play the tournament without their main bowler, which turned out to be one of the main reasons for the defending champions ouster from the World T20 in the first round itself.

BCCI paid whooping INR 50 crore as income tax for year 2013-14: Monthly spending disclosure report

BCCI paid whooping INR 50 crore as income tax for year 2013-14: Monthly spending disclosure report

New Delhi: The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) paid a whopping INR 50 crore as income tax for the year 2013-14, its monthly disclosure on spendings has revealed.

Giving details of spendings exceeding INR 25 lakh on its official website, the BCCI also revealed that it paid service tax of INR 2.74 crore.

India's Under-19 and A team coach Rahul Dravid was paid half of his professional fees during the month gone by and the figure for that stood at INR 1.30 crore.

Besides, the Assam Cricket Association in India's eastern state was paid INR 3.37 crore as part of its annual dues for the year 2014-15.

Likewise, the Cricket Association of Bengal has been given INR 6.75 crore as part of their dues, while the controversial Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) was reimbursed INR 29.22 lakh for holding the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy's league and knockout matches.

The Board also made payments to three Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises for the ongoing season.

The Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils have been given advance payments for the IPL which started 9 April.

The Punjab franchise (KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited) was paid INR 21.90 crore, while the Mumbai team (Indiawin Sports Private Limited) has been given 22.90 crore.

The Delhi team (GMR Sports Private Limited) has been paid INR 22.90 crore.

IPL 2016: Kohli and ABD steer RCB to emphatic win

Royal Challengers cruised to a 45-run win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening IPL match at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Asked to bat first, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli guided their team to a mammoth total of 227, and SRH fell well short of the target despite Warner's valiant attempt.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 227/4 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 82(42), Virat Kohli 75(51); Mustafizur Rahman 2/26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/55) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad 182/6 in 20 overs (David Warner 58(25), Ashish Reddy 32(18); Shane Watson 2/30, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/43)

Chasing a massive target of 228, the Sunrisers were off to a flyer. David Warner won the trans-Tasman battle against Adam Milne and hit him for a four and a massive six in the last two deliveries of the third over. SRH were 35/0 in 3 overs, and Virat Kohli threw the ball to Parvez Rasool in desperate need of a wicket.

Rasool, making his debut for RCB against his former franchise, delivered the goods. He knocked back Shikhar Dhawan's off-stump with a stunning delivery, which pitched on the middle stump and beat Dhawan comfortably.

However, that wicket did not deter Warner. He went after Harshal Patel in the fifth over and launched him into the stands in the third delivery, followed by a delicate flick down the fine leg boundary in the fifth ball.

The SRH skipper brought up his half-century, in just 21 balls, in style by hitting Yuzvendra Chahal for a six straight down the ground.

With Warner in rampage mode, Kohli brought on another Australian, Shane Watson, to the bowling crease, and the veteran did not disappoint. He dismissed Warner with a wonderfully disguised slower bouncer, and that opened up the gate for RCB to invade.

From 86/1, SRH went to 101/5 in the space of just 3 overs as the two spinners, Chahal and Rasool, spun a web around Hyderabad's middle order. The Sunrisers struggled to find the boundaries at will and the required run rate sky-rocketed through the roof. Hyderabad's weak middle-order, without their talisman Yuvraj Singh, was being exposed badly by the home side.

Ashish Reddy provided some resistance towards the end as he went after the spinners in a blazing knock of 32 runs, from just 18 balls, however, it proved to be too little, too late. The visitors fell 45-run short of the target, and started their campaign with disappointing loss.

Earlier, Sunrisers' captain David Warner won the toss, and decided to bowl first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Ashish Nehra started off brilliantly, as he kept troubling Gayle and Kohli with his swing and unanticipated pace. Bhuvneshwar Kumar continued Nehra's good work and kept taking the ball away from the left-handed Gayle. In his secon delivery, he pitched one outside the leg stump and knocked over the West Indian's stump – with a bit of a help from Gayle's thigh pad.

The wicket brought AB de Villiers to the crease, and the South African talisman lit up the stadium with some breathtaking stroke play. Ashish Nehra felt the full brunt of de Villiers as he dispatched the veteran pacer all over the ground – first with a pull shot through the mid-wicket, followed by a straight six over Nehra's head, and a couple of deliveries later he drove him on the up through the cover boundary.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken to the cleaners in the next over by the duo – including a square-cut by de Villiers which went for a six. At the end of the fifth over, RCB were 49/1, and looked well placed for a big score on the night.

To make matters worse for the Sunrisers, Ashish Nehra limped off the field after bowling the first delivery of the 11th over. The short boundaries also did not help Sunrisers' causes as even mis-hits kept crossing the ropes.

Finally, in the 16th over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed the Indian Test captain with a brilliantly bowled yorker. However, that brought Shane Watson to the crease, and the Australian hit Karn Sharma for three consecutive sixes!

Mustafizur dismissed de Villiers and Watson in consecutive deliveries in the 18th over, but even that did not stop the flow of runs as Sarfaraz Khan went blitzkrieg in the death overs. The 18-year-old scored 35 runs in just 10 balls, which included five boundaries and two huge sixes. That cameo pushed RCB to a score of 227 in their 20 overs.

IPL 9: Sunil Narine boost for Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata: In a big boost to the Kolkata Knight Riders, the West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine is all set to join the team ahead of their Indian Premier League match against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

"Narine is arriving tomorrow morning," a team official said.

However, it would be interesting to see who the mystery spinner will replace in the playing XI, given KKR's spectacular show in their IPL opener, where they thrashed Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets.

Veteran Australia chinaman bowler Brad Hogg made the best use of Narine's absence, returning with the day's best figures of three for 19 while forming a potent pair with legspinner Piyush Chawla, who claimed two for 21.

45-year-old Hogg had admitted during a promotional event that he was 'scared' of his place in the team as Narine might replace him.

"I was a bit scared before the match because if and when Narine comes my chances to play would be less. So I tried my level best," he has revealed.

Last season also when Narine was mired in suspect action and was unavailable for initial few matches, it was Hogg who had replaced him in the playing XI.

The Trinidadian, who has been cleared by ICC after his remedial action, had rushed back home after his father's demise.

Narine has been KKR's most successful bowler with 74 wickets from four seasons and was instrumental in team lifting two titles in 2012 and 2014.

Bravo's over turned the game on its head, feels Finch

Aaron Finch, Gujarat Lions' opener, felt Dwayne Bravo's second over of the spell - where the all-rounder accounted for the wickets of Kings XI Punjab's destructive batsman Glenn Maxwell and captain David Miller - tipped the scales in his team's favour during their tournament opener against the hosts in the Indian Premier League 2016 on Monday (April 11).

"It was the turning point in their batting innings, I think," Finch said in the post-match conference, after Lions scripted a five-wicket win on their IPL debut.

"When you've got two guys like Maxwell and Miller, with the firepower they have got and the six-hitting capability, I suppose, to get them both in the same over, to be able to have two new batters in to dry up (the runs) for a small period there was absolutely crucial."

Kings XI were cruising at 78 for no loss in the ninth over when Ravindra Jadeja got rid of both the set openers - Manan Vohra and Murali Vijay - in his successive overs. It was, however, Bravo's twin strikes in his second over to send Maxwell and Miller back in the hut in the space of three deliveries soon after, that strangled the hosts' innings. The West Indies all-rounder returned in the final over to add two more wickets to his credit and finish with career-best figures of 4 for 22.

"He's been absolutely brilliant for every team that he has played for. For the West Indies, here at Gujarat, even at Chennai (Super Kings) he was fantastic. He's someone who just keeps getting better and better with age and he's not slowing down. He brings so much to the table with bat, ball and field. Very happy that he is on our side," Finch gushed.

For a team that has been put together from scratch, it was a commendable start to the season. Except for probably the first over of their chase, when Brendon McCullum departed for a duck, Lions hardly put a foot wrong. If the bowlers leaked too many runs in the powerplay, Jadeja and Bravo's timely strikes more than made up for it in the middle overs to restrict Punjab to a sub-par 161. 

Finch, however, also credited the other bowlers - Praveen Kumar and James Faulkner in particular - for pulling the things back after the team had conceded 52 in the first six overs.

"Well, I would have liked for it (runs in poweplay) to be less, but at the end of the day you have to appreciate good cricket. And (Murali) Vijay played some beautiful shots out there. It was actually nice to watch, (and) if he wasn't getting so many runs, one would have been clapping but, it is just a part of the game.

"There are only two men outside the circle, so it is hard to defend with the new ball. And if you bowl any kind of width, it could travel quite a bit. The way the bowlers fought back - Praveen Kumar, Bravo and Faulkner - the way they bowled the last five or six overs was actually unbelievable and restricted it to a manageable chase," Finch added.

In a chase of 162, with an asking rate a touch over eight already at the beginning of the innings, losing a destructive opener like McCullum in the first over could have dampened the mood, but Finch said, looking at the larger scheme of things, it is a risk the team will have to be prepared for.

"We know how Brendon plays - it is risk or reward. I'm trying to do the exact same thing. It is just the part of the game where you are looking to get off to an absolute flyer with the bat. Especially on wickets like these that are really good, we wanted to make most of the new ball. That's the plan, and unfortunately, didn't work for Brendon today. But his records suggest that more often than not it does."

Finch's 47-ball 74 was instrumental in ensuring that the new entrants kick-start their campaign on a winning note and the 29-year-old was pleased to have contributed sufficiently. "You want to start a tournament well," Finch said, before adding, "It was disappointing to get out when I did but at the same time, to put us in a wining position like that was really pleasing."

What was indeed nerve-wrecking was facing countryman Mitchell Johnson in full flow, admitted Finch. "It gets the heart racing a little bit when you see Mitch at the top of his mark. He's terrorised me in the nets and in every game I have played against him in the past. It was just one of those days I guess. The wicket was really nice to bat on. But yeah, he is someone who does tend to keep me up at nights sometimes if you're playing against him.

Finch's wicket saw Jadeja being promoted up the order at No. 5 and the team's opener didn't rule out a possibility of that happening more often in the coming weeks.

"Whenever Jadeja has had a chance to bat up the order, he's done very well for his country and for his franchise as well. I think it could be something we could be seeing more often. It could (depend on) left-right combination, it could be a number of things. I thought the way he was striking was amazing. Unfortunate that he got run out there," Finch said, praising the left-handed all-rounder.

Gayle and Watson bury differences for RCB

Chris Gayle and Shane Watson, who will be playing together for RCB in the IPL, have decided to “move forward” burying their differences for the sake of the team. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Watson admitted about the “run-ins” the duo had in the past and opened up about their new partnership.

Gayle and Watson have had an acrimonious past with the pair crossing swords a few times. The pair first clashed during the Test match between West Indies and Australia at Perth, back in 2009, after Watson gave Gayle an angry send-off. Gayle later said in an interview that, “He (Watson) only looks big and strong but he's soft.”

The swashbuckling batsmen once again came against each other, earlier this year, with Watson speaking out against Chris Gayle’s controversial interview during the Big Bash League. “I know Chris Gayle fairly well so that sort of thing is expected,” Watson said.

But, the duo have patched up their differences after they became team-mates at Royal Challengers Bangalore. Speaking to the media on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Watson admitted that he and Gayle had a few run-ins in the past, but have buried their differences for the sake of the team.

“It's amazing how the world works and how life works. Chris Gayle and myself have certainly had a few run-ins throughout our international careers. The day I got picked up by RCB in the auction, I saw Chris during the PSL. That was the day we had to bury the hatchet (laughs), knowing that I was going to be playing with him.

"You're competing on the field...[and then] as soon as things change and you're on the same team, everyone puts everything aside and moves forward. I've always had the utmost respect for him as a player. So it's nice to get to know him personally off the field, and you move forward," Watson was quoted as saying by Sportstarlive.com.

Royal Challengers Bangalore will play their first match of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Tuesday.dry

Match No.2, IPL 2016: Robin Uthappa becomes 6th player to score 3000 runs in IPL

After 4 overs, Match No.2, IPL 2016: Robin Uthappa becomes 6th player to score 3000 runs in IPL Knight Riders are 36 for 0. Need 63 off 96.

Robin Uthappa becomes only the second KKR player to score 3000 runs. © IANS

Robin Uthappa becomes 6th player to score 3000 runs in Indian Premier League. Uthappa has been one of the heartening aspects of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over the years. The players to have scored 3000-plus runs are: Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. Uthappa was also the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2014. KKR would want him to continue his stellar performance and gain a foothold in the Playoffs. After 4 overs, KKR 36 are for 0 and are in total control of the chase. 

Earlier, captain Gambhir won the toss and elected to bowl first. It wasn’t an ideal start for KKR, as DD batsmen got off to a flying start by smashing 13 runs off the first over. It was Mayank Agarwal who scythed a good-length ball over extra cover and opened DD’s account. However, it was Quinton de Kock who took on the KKR bowlers and hit a six and a four of Umesh Yadav’s over. Despite the rampage, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir decided to keep Andre Russell into the attack. The decision paid off as Russell picked up 3 crucial wickets of Quinton de Kock, Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal in the batting Powerplay.

Captain Gautam Gambhir introduced the wily chinaman Bradd Hogg into the attack. He struck in his very first over and stumped Pawan Negi on 11. DD needed someone to use the long handle and scale up the run-rate. Enter Carlos Brathwaite. He scythed the very first ball on his IPL debut and hit a mighty maximum. However, he was trapped in front off Piyush Chawla’s googly in the same over. DD captain Zaheer Khan came at No. 11 and tried to lead the resurgence but failed to do so, as DD were bundled out for a paltry 98.

Clarke the ultimate professional, but Smith's more laid-back: Maxwell

Clarke the ultimate professional, but Smith's more laid-back: Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell, Australia all-rounder, has revealed innate differences in the leadership styles of Australia captain Steve Smith and his predecessor Michael Clarke. The 27-year-old, who is playing for the Kings XI Punjab in the current Indian Premier League (IPL), believes Smith was more affable and approachable than Clarke, whose captaincy reign from 2011-15 was stymied at times by a lack of cohesion within the team. 

After a rollercoaster period during Clarke's tenure, Australian cricket has been rejuvenated under the leadership of Smith and there is a prevailing positive feeling emanating from the camp. Australia has not lost a Test in 11 matches (including seven wins) under Smith, but did endure a disappointing T20 WC campaign exiting in the Super 10 stage. 

"Steve is quite laid back. He doesn't shy away from asking anyone to come to the bar for a drink, talk about the game or just chill out," Maxwell toldAustralian Associated Press. "He gets his back up when we aren't playing well and gives a decent spray but he's very outgoing and still one of the boys.

"Whereas, I think Clarke was the ultimate professional, tactically brilliant and everyone looked up to him. But he didn't really have that same personal side. For me as a young person, I sort of felt like he wanted to keep himself as the captain and make sure people knew that. There's no right or wrong way to go about it, they're all just trying to get the best out of people in different ways... and you still see bits of 'Pup' (Clarke) in Steve as well."

Maxwell also opened up about Australia's disastrous tour of India in 2013, where they were embarrassingly whitewashed in the four-Test series, starting the downfall for Australia's then coach Mickey Arthur, who was axed several months later on Ashes eve in England. Australia's tour was engulfed by the humiliating 'homeworkgate' scandal, where four players were suspended for failing to do a team task assigned by Arthur. 

"There was a fair bit of panic in 2013... it will be a little bit more relaxed and a bit more calm," Maxwell said of Australia's next tour of India, scheduled next year. "When there are on-field or off-field issues, they'll be dealt with a lot better. Everyone understands that now. It makes it a lot more easy to act like an adult if you get treated like one."

Maxwell was dropped for the Third Test that Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja were all suspended for. It was a surprising decision considering Maxwell was Australia's leading wicket-taker with 4-127 in their innings and 135-run defeat in the preceding Test. Maxwell was recalled for the fourth and final Test and, bizarrely, opened the batting and bowling in the second innings. In Australia's first innings, Maxwell batted at No.7. 

"Other than making my debut and taking my first wicket, I try to forget most of the other things about that tour," Maxwell said. "It was a bit of a disaster. It felt like everyone was sort of walking on eggshells. It wasn't enjoyable. I'd given everything. Took four-for and felt like I got better the more I bowled, so to get dropped hurt a fair bit. It was tough to deal with, especially then coming back for the last Test when I felt I didn't deserve to play. It was just a strange time."

Maxwell has only played one Test since, against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in late 2014, but hopes a stellar IPL could be the catalyst for selection in Australia's squad for their tour of Sri Lanka in July. 

"I'd love to be on that tour. It's one that I've looked at with a lot of interest," Maxwell said. "I was ready for the postponed tour of Bangladesh last year and I certainly feel as ready I can be for Sri Lanka."

Premier Futsal ropes in Virat Kohli as brand ambassador

Xavier Britto, chairman, Premier Futsal added, “It is our great pleasure to have India’s current favorite sportsman as the brand ambassador for our league."

MUMBAI: Premier Futsal, the recently announced futsal league, has roped in Virat Kohli as the league's brand ambassador. Kohli will lend his name to Futsal, the newer, shorter 5-a-side variant of soccer. 

Premier Futsal, the world's first multi-national team-based Futsal league, is set to take place in India from July 15th - 24th with each game split into two halves of 20 minutes each. 

Over 50 International Futsalers, from four Continents and 21 countries are expected to participate. The league, governed by the Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from international governing body, Asociacion Mundial de Futsal ( AMF), was launched in Mumbai last week in the presence of the founding team and FAI representative 

"We all grew up playing 5-a-side soccer. The combination of speed & flamboyance is what attracts so many people across the globe to watch & play the sport. Futsal is a fast and exciting sport. I am excited to be a part ofPremier Futsal and motivated to positively contribute to the development of this wonderful new sport in India," Kohli said on his association. 

Xavier Britto, chairman, Premier Futsal added, "It is our great pleasure to have India's current favorite sportsman as the brand ambassadorfor our league. We feel proud to share a common dream of promoting new sports in India with Virat. With him coming on board, we are confident of attracting the youth of India to come see Futsal and take it up as a career eventually."

Ben Stokes reveals 'complete devastation' after World T20 loss

Ben Stokes reveals 'complete devastation' after World T20 loss

Stokes' first four deliveries sailed for sixes off Brathwaite's bat.

Stokes was taunted by Marlon Samuels, the nonstriker, with whom he has a history of exchanges.Samuels ended up being fined 30% of his match fee for 'abusive and offensive' language.Stokes said that if given the chance to bowl the final over of a match again, he would not hesitate to grab the ball.

NEW DELHI: England allrounder Ben Stokes, who was hit for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite during Sunday's ICC World Twenty20 final at Eden Gardens, has spoken about how he felt as if "the whole world had come down" on him. Brathwaite's assault on Stokes won West Indies the match with four wickets and two balls to spare, leaving the bowler on his knees in tears.

The last over of the final in Kolkata began with West Indies, six wickets in hand, needing 19 runs. On strike was the 27-year-old allrounder Brathwaite, in his eighth T20I. England captain Eoin Morgan had foreseeably decided to bowl Stokes because in the semi-final, the pace bowler had taken a definitive 3/6 in his final two overs bowled at the death to New Zealand.

But in unbelievable scenes, Stokes' first four deliveries sailed for sixes off Brathwaite's bat, leaving England stunned.

"I thought, 'I've just lost the World Cup'. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to do. It took me so long to get back on my feet. I didn't want to get back up. It was like the whole world had come down on me. There weren't any good things going through my mind. It was just complete devastation," Stokes told the Daily Telegraph.

"For about 40 minutes at the end of the game I knew I just had to deal with it. I had to come back out on the field, collect my medal and listen to all the speeches. I knew the cameras would be all over me to see how I was. Obviously I was gutted but I did not want to show that. I wanted to keep my head up."

Stokes was also taunted by Marlon Samuels, the nonstriker, with whom he has a history of exchanges dating back to England's tour of the West Indies last year. After the World Twenty20 final, Samuels ended up being fined 30% of his match fee for 'abusive and offensive' language after Stokes was hit for the third of four successive sixes by Brathwaite. Samuels laid into Stokes, who turned and confronted him. When the winning hit was struck, Samuels threw off his jersey and headed towards the England dugout before he was pulled back by team-mates.

"Disappointment is the biggest emotion now," said the 24-year-old Stokes. "I remember getting the medal and thinking it's just a runners-up medal. You don't want it. It will be a little bit of motivation to make sure this does not ever happen again. So train 10 minutes longer every now and again to get better."

Stokes was quick to add that if given the chance to bowl the final over of a match again, he would not hesitate to grab the ball. "It is something I work at a lot. Some days they go well. Some days they don't. That was a bad day, but I won't be shying away from it," he said.

Sachin Tendulkar should be India's coach: Vinod Kambli

Kambli has been in news recently, following his willingness to coach the Pakistan National team in one of his earlier tweets

Sachin Tendulkar along with Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have backed Rahul Dravid for the Indian team coach post © IANS

Vinod Kambli believes Sachin Tendulkar should be the next coach of Team India. In a recent tweet, Kambli has asked BCCI to approach Sachin Tendulkar for the post of national team coach, due to his influence and quality in the cricketing world. Kambli has been in news recently, following his willingness to coach the Pakistan National team in one of his earlier tweets. Earlier, many people including Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar gave their vote of confidence for Rahul Dravidto be the next Indian coach. Following the end of Ravi Shastri’s tenure as Team Director, BCCI are looking for a new head for the National side. 

Sachin Tendulkar is a cricketing legend in all aspects. The highest Test’s and ODI run-getter, as well as the only player to score 100 centuries in International cricket, Tendulkar is widely regarded as the Greatest batsman of all time. He retired from all formats of the game in 2013, and currently works as the Mumbai Indian’s team ‘icon’. While Kambli, a former team-mate of Tendulkar in international and domestic level, bats him for the national team role, Tendulkar has other ideas.

He along with other prominent players like Ganguly and Laxman believe Rahul Dravid is perfect for the role. Dravid, who recently guided India Under-19 to World Cup final, is currently working as an ‘mentor’ with Delhi Daredevils. The BCCI have said they will consider Dravid’s candidature while finalizing the national coach

IPL 2016: The focus within the team is to get to a good start, says Rohit Sharma

Over the last couple of years Mumbai Indians have not had a good start, losing the first four games. This season their focus is to get to a good start.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday said his team would be looking to get off to a winning start this season and pick up an early momentum, something it missed in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League.

“Over the last couple of years Mumbai has not had a good start, losing the first four games. The focus within the team is to get to a good start. It’s very important to start the tournament well,” said Sharma ahead of defending champions MI’s opening tie against new IPL outfit, Rising Pune Supergiants, at the Wankhede Stadium on April 9.

In the 2014 edition of IPL, when the first half of the tournament was played in the United Arab Emirates because of the general elections in India, MI had started disastrously by losing their first five games, However, they managed to turn it around at their home venue, Wankhede Stadium. Thereafter they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator.

In the last season, Mumbai Indians lost five out of their first six games before they stormed to the summit clash. In the final, they defeated Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to win the title for the second time.

Sharma, whose form with the bat along with that of West Indian Lendl Simmons played a key role in the turnaround last season, said he would want to gain early momentum this year.

“T20 is a lot about momentum. To start off on a good note is very important. We have stressed on it. Over the last couple of years we did not start well, but we went on to win the title (in 2015). We don’t want to do that this year.

“Obviously it’s important to get some wins on board at the start and carry that momentum towards next game so that we are well placed. We want to start on a high note. IPL is a format where we have to take one game at a time,” said the skipper.

Sharma said that India’s limited over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had led suspended franchise Chennai Super Kings so successfully over the last eight years, too would be keen to start on a winning note while captaining Pune outfit.

Reflecting on the intense rivalry between the MI and the then CSK, Sharma said: “Along with MI, they have been one of the most consistent teams in IPL. The kind of quality they brought to the table was immense. Yes, we will miss them as a team. Everyone will miss playing against them as they were tough competitors.

“But it’s (Supergiants) a new team and some of them (old CSK players) are there, but obviously it won’t be the same. Knowing Dhoni, he will want to start off on a winning note. We will take this game as another game.

Sharma, who notched up 482 runs to end as MI’s second highest run scorer after Simmons’ 540 last season, said he intended to open the batting.

“A lot depends on what sort of balance is needed. We have spoken about it. I would preferably open the innings. I would like to start the innings and see after 4-5 games. We had got some exciting players in the auction.

“I am happy at the way things are turning out at practice sessions. It’s all about getting the right balance in the team. If that means coming down the order I will do so.”

Sharma also said that the team’s bowlers knew they needed to be aggressive when bowling on the batsman-friendly Wankhede tracks.

“When we play at Wankhede, we bowl with the new ball to take wickets and not just contain. They should be there to get the batsmen out. There’s not much offer from the pitch. Bowlers who have done that have been successful here.

“Batsmen always try to come hard and so there’s always opportunity to take wickets. Bowlers who have been aggressive have done well at the Wankhede. Preparation is the key when you play on a wicket which has not got much to offer to bowlers,” he explained.

Sharma feels his team knows how to counter the dew factor while defending a total.

“We play a lot of games with the dew coming down. Generally it does in the second half. We had played under those conditions and done well. Guys are used to these conditions, except the newcomers who will have to get adjusted. We have played here many a time and obviously this is our fortress and our home. We should know about the conditions better than others,” said Sharma.

Sachin backs Rio Olympics-bound boxer Thapa for a medal

Tendulkar, replying to a question asked by Thapa in a Twitter chat, wished the 22-year-old the very best for his second Olympics.

New Delhi: Shiva Thapa, the only Indian boxer to have qualified for the Rio Olympics so far, on Friday got words of encouragement from none other than cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, replying to a question asked by Thapa in a Twitter chat, wished the 22-year-old the very best for his second Olympics.

"Firstly, all the very best for the Rio Olympics. We are with you. We are supporting you. Don't think about the pressure. Just think about the process, results will follow," said Tendulkar.

"You have to stay positive and enjoy the game. Pressure is going to be there but if you try and live in the present, then pressures will take care of themselves. Good luck," he added.

Tendulkar was responding to a flurry of questions from fans on Twitter. "I am going to my second Olympics at Rio. How did you handle pressure when you played for India at World Cup?" Thapa had asked.

The world No.6 Thapa won the bantamweight silver at the Asian Qualifiers in Qian'an, China, to qualify for the Olympics in August.

Former India captain Anil Kumble and former England captain Michael Vaughan also had questions for Tendulkar.

While Kumble asked him when they could plan a trip together to a wildlife sanctuary, Vaughan asked Tendulkar whether the ball he bowled to him was the 'greatest delivery' he had ever faced.

Rohit Sharma one of the best players in the world, says Ricky Ponting

IPL 2016: Rohit Sharma one of the best players in the world, says Ricky Ponting

Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants are all set to open the account of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 on Saturday, April 9.

Ricky Ponting is the head coach for Mumbai Indians © Getty Images

Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants are all set to open the account of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 on Saturday, April 9. But ahead of the game, MI held special conference comprising of head coach Ricky Ponting and MI skipper Rohit Sharma at Mumbai. Ponting during the conference made a special mention about Rohit being the best batsman in the world and how his influence in the team has helped them to lift the trophy twice so far. Ponting also mentioned how the team loves to play at their home ground with immense love from the crowd. After Jos Buttler’s performance in World T20, he is also impressed with Buttler in particular. 

Two key players of MI were not seen during the World T20 2016 tournament due to injury and one due to controversy with WICB. The questions remained unanswered as to whether these players will be playing for MI on Saturday. Pointing cleared the air and mentioned Malinga looks unlikely to be back in the squad, while Pollard will be included for the selection.

As for all-rounders, Ponting is glad to have the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal together in the same franchise. He also gave a special mention to Jasprit Bumrah with regards to his bowling spells in T20 games against Australia, Sri Lanka and Asia Cup T20 2016 with Bumrah deserving every accolade for his innings. Ponting is happy coaching MI and loves to do so purely for the love of cricket and how it has been passion for him since the age of 10. Ponting has put aside all the news of coaching internationally as his main aim is to concentrate on his family.

Ponting was sceptical regarding T20 cricket hampering other formats of cricket, but with the way the teams are performing in other formats and are creating the base for T20 cricket, his opinion has indeed changed and feels all three formats are taken seriously and played on same level.

Malinga uncertain for early parts of IPL 2016

Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga’s availability for the initial part of the ninth edition of the IPL hangs in the balance after the pacer remained the only player not to join the Mumbai Indians’ preparatory camp. Earlier, Malinga had missed the World T20 after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Lasith Malinga, who is the all-time highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premer League with 143 wickets in 98 matches, could miss out on the initial part of the ninth season, according to a report in the Hindu. The Mumbai Indians have been going through their last minute preparations for the IPL at the Wankhede with all the players apart from Malinga present in the camp.

The Mumbai Indians management has not issued any clarification on the matter, but insiders in Sri Lanka Cricket told the Hindu that Malinga is likely to skip the initial phase of the extravaganza.

Malinga’s last match was in February against UAE in the Asia Cup, where he picked four wickets for 24 runs. The pacer missed the rest of the matches in the Asia Cup and stepped down as the captain after the debacle and also pulled out of the World T20 after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Despite the lack of clarity on the availability of the player, the Hindu is reporting that the franchise hasn’t sought any replacement for the player, which could be an indication of the player’s availability later in the season.

Australia to play pink-ball Tests against South Africa, Pakistan

Australia to play pink-ball Tests against South Africa, Pakistan  - report

Australia will play two day-night Tests against South Africa and Pakistan next southern summer in a revamp of home international scheduling, a report said on Thursday.

Following the success of the inaugural pink-ball Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last year, Cricket Australia will stage two more day-night Tests against touring nations South Africa and Pakistan, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Australia will face the South Africans under lights in Adelaide and Pakistan at Brisbane's Gabba ground, the newspaper said.

Cricket Australia is expected to finalise its international and domestic schedules for the 2016-17 season later this month.

Under scheduling changes, the Herald said the Gabba would forfeit its customary hosting rights to the first Test of the season and instead host the opening match of the Australia-Pakistan series in December.

The newspaper said the season would kick off with a Test at Perth's WACA Ground between Australia and South Africa in November.

The series against the Proteas will then head to Hobart, which has been retained as a Test venue amid competition from Canberra, before wrapping up under lights at Adelaide Oval.

Australia will then meet Pakistan in the day-night Test in Brisbane and complete the series with matches in Melbourne and Sydney over Christmas-New Year.

IPL 9: Kallis to stick to Bayliss's winning formula at Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL 9: Kallis to stick to Bayliss's winning formula at Kolkata Knight Riders 

Kallis, who is an integral member of the side since 2011 and their former mentor and batting consultant, has succeeded Bayliss after the Australian was appointed England coach last year. (Getty Images)

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders' new head coach Jacques Kallis on Thursday said he would not tinker much with the winning formula put in place by previous coach Trevor Bayliss, who guided the team to two IPL titles.

"There's an old saying if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Certainly, I will be sticking to that theory," Kallis said at KKR's first media interaction of the season, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The legendary South African all-rounder, who is an integral member of the side since 2011 and their former mentor and batting consultant, has succeeded Bayliss after the Australian was appointed England coach last year.

Terming this as natural progression, he said: "It started last season when I was a batting consultant and then Trevor got the English job, it gave me an opening. Venky (Mysore) and the guys at the KKR asked me to take up the role. I've been involved with KKR for six years now.

"I know the set up pretty well. It's a new and exciting challenge, something I enjoy. I see it as a natural progression from being batting consultant to taking over and keeping the consistency in KKR.

KKR has enjoyed tremendous success under the Aussie, who along with skipper Gautam Gambhir has brought on a winning formula, something Kallis would like to carry forward in the ninth season.

"I'm fortunate for the system is in place. It certainly will be unchanged. He was magnificent. He's shown how good he's after taking over the England job. He's doing wonderful for England. My coaching style would be similar to what his was."

Having played a key role in winning their maiden title in 2012, the veteran all-rounder took up the role of a mentor and batting consultant last season.

"Fortunately I worked as a player and then a filler coach so I got to know what works with the guys, most of whom are pretty much the same. Like I say I would not be changing too much but a couple of things to add to my own identity."

Ignored for the Indian team, skipper Gautam Gambhir has not played since his stint in the domestic T20 league for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January.

"Sometime coming in fresh and after a break is good. You have a good break away and come back fresh. I see it as a positive. It's certainly very positive and hopefully we will have a good season with him leading us from the front. All the guys are hitting well at the moment. I'm really impressed with the form they've shown. I hope exciting times are ahead."

Sunrisers Hyderabad sweat over Yuvraj Singh's fitness

Sunrisers Hyderabad sweat over Yuvraj Singh's fitness 

Yuvraj Singh hurt his ankle during the India-Australia game in the T20 WC.

With just five days to go for their opening clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad are sweating over the availability of star player Yuvraj Singh, who was bought for Rs 7 cr at the IPL auction.

Yuvraj twisted his ankle in a crucial T20 WC game against Australia on March 27 and was ruled out of the tournament. Sunrisers officials are tight-lipped about the development and indications are the southpaw could miss a couple of games. Yuvraj will also not be available for a scheduled press conference on Thursday (April 7) afternoon to unveil the new signings.

Yuvraj shared a picture on Instagram on Tuesday where he is seen lifting weights despite wearing a plaster on his right leg. The extent of his recovery and fitness is still a matter of speculation and that's a worrying factor for his new franchisee.

When contacted, team mentor VVS Laxman told TOI, "It won't be proper to say anything at this stage as we don't have any confirmation about Yuvraj. We are hoping to have a clear picture by tomorrow afternoon. We are hopeful that he will be with us from the first game itself."

SRH are hoping Yuvraj's presence will bolster the middle order, a problem area last season.

Mitchell Johnson talks about his relationship with Virat Kohli and IPL fan experience

The 34-year-old has picked up over 550 international wickets for the Baggy Greens.
Mitchell Johnson and Virat Kohli during an India-Australia test encounter

The former Australian left-arm pace bowler,Mitchell Johnson has mentioned about hisIndian Premier League experience, the frenzied IPL aficionados and his fascinating rivalry with the 27-year-old Indian test captain, Virat Kohli in a column for Fox Sports.

The 34-year-old cricketer from Queenslandhas picked up over 550 international wickets for the Baggy Greens in the 226 appearances (Tests and ODIs combined) that he has made for them.

He has been a part of the Indian Premier League since 2012 and has represented a couple of IPL teams namely, Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. Johnson will be flaunting his Punjab outfit this year as well in what might be the last IPL season of his career.

The Australian speedster has been quite successful in the Indian Premier League previously, picking up 49 wickets in the 38 matches that he has played with a career-best bowling figure of 3 for 27.

According to a recent column that he has written for Fox Sports, “I being a cricketer in India is unlike any other job in the world. The sheer number of fans here and the passion they have for the game makes the time I spend off the field in India almost as intense as the time I spend on it.”

“Don’t get me wrong – the supporters here are amazing and as players we appreciate their incredible commitment to cricket. I’ve always been understanding of what life is like in India and how different it is to Australia. It’s just that on occasions, things have threatened to get a little out of hand.”

The Kings XI Punjab man later backed his statement by saying, “After having a quiet meal with a couple of my Kings XI Punjab teammates in a Dharamsala restaurant, we began to make our way to the exit. As we walked down several flights of stairs people began to notice us, and seemingly within seconds there were people hanging off doors just to get a look at us.”

“Eventually, we made it to our car and there were just people everywhere. Things soon escalated and before I knew it I had people grabbing onto me, just trying to touch me. I had to whack their arms off me just to get into the car. Then they started shaking the car.”

Later he added, “It was a whole new experience and pretty crazy. However I want to make it clear the people that day had no intention of hurting me - they’re just so fanatical and so excited to see cricketers and this is the way they express that fanaticism.”

While talking about Virat Kohli and his rivalry with the charismatic Indian batsman, Johnson wrote, “We’ve had our differences and most of it stems from the 2014 Adelaide Test, when a ball I threw hit Virat on the body. I was legitimately trying to run him out but he didn’t like what I did.”

“When he made some comment in the media that night about having no respect for me as a player, that’s when I got really annoyed.”

“Having said that, Virat is the kind of player you’d want in your team. He’s a real fighter and to be honest he’s a bit like most of us were in the Australian team. We go pretty hard on the field, and he’s got that about him as well.”

“He’s a fiery character and he pushes the boundaries, just like I’ve always tried to do. Maybe that’s why we’ve clashed so often.”