Bracken falls off top spot in ICC Rankings

Johnson slips to fourth while Clark climbs four spots to 15^th; Michael Clarke drops one place to 15^th as Tamim Iqbal jumps to 35^th position in batting list

Australia’s Nathan Bracken has slipped off the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers following a relatively disappointing series against Bangladesh.

In three ODIs, the 30-year-old took just two wickets at an average of 29 and, such is the competitive nature of the rankings, that was enough to knock him off top spot. His place is taken by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

Vettori had surged to the top of bowling chart back in February before Bracken swapped places with the left-arm spinner following the second ODI between England and New Zealand at Birmingham on 18 June.

Bracken’s team-mate Mitchell Johnson has also slipped one place to fourth but fellow pacer Stuart Clark has jumped four places after picking up five wickets at an average of 9.20. He shares 15^th spot with the West Indies’ Daren Powell and Pakistan’s Iftikhar Anjum.

Shane Watson has returned to the top 50 after rocketing 14 places to share 40^th place with India’s Praveen Kumar.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has strengthened his status as Bangladesh’s premier bowler by climbing seven places to 27^th position while Saqibul Hasan has also jumped seven places to 39^th spot. However, fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has failed to defend his 36^th position and has dropped to 42^nd spot after a wicketless series.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, Australia’s stand-in captain Michael Clarke has dropped one place to 15^th after scoring 40 runs at an average of 13.33.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has risen 10 places to 35^th position but captain Mohammad Ashraful has slipped three places to 59^th.

India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads Australia’s Mike Hussey in the batting chart while England’s Andrew Flintoff heads the all-rounders’ category.

Bermuda has no answer to Burger’s spin

Namibia all but guarantees its place in ICC Intercontinental Cup final with 103-run win

Six second-innings wickets from leg-spinner JB Burger secured outright victory for Namibia against Bermuda in Hamilton on Saturday and has propelled the unbeaten Africans to the top of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 table.

The 27-year-old Burger bowled 20 overs in Bermuda’s second dig, finishing with figures of 6-56, including the all-important wicket of the home team’s top-scorer Stephen Outerbridge.

Captain Louis Burger used no fewer than nine bowlers in the fourth innings of the game in an effort to dismiss a determined Bermuda line-up. He eventually settled on JB and off-spinner Deon Kotze (3-31), who between them bowled the lion’s share of the overs and also took nine of the 10 wickets to fall.

Most Bermuda batsmen managed to get starts with seven progressing into double figures but only Outerbridge was able to capitalise on that. His contribution of 78 came off 117 deliveries and included nine fours before he was clean bowled by JB.

Bermuda was eventually dismissed for 195 as Namibia won the match by 103 runs.

This win puts Namibia top of the ICC Intercontinental Cup table and almost guarantees it a place in the final, which will take place later this year at a venue yet to be decided. With just three matches remaining in the tournament, there are still three sides that can book their place in the decider.

Col Egar dies aged 80

Cricket Australia the death of former Australian Cricket Board chairman and international umpire Colin Egar.

He died in Adelaide on Thursday at the age of 80 after a battle with illness.

CA chairman and fellow South Australian Creagh O’Connor paid tribute today to Egar’s life-long dedication and service to the game he loved.

“Col will be best remembered by cricket followers as an outstanding international cricket umpire who was involved in several historic moments on field,” Mr O’Connor said.

“But those of us who knew and worked with Col will also remember him with high regard for his selfless service to SA and Australian cricket as an administrator and volunteer, and as a manager of Australian touring cricket teams.

“He gave a lot to cricket and the Australian game is all the better for that”.

Mr O’Connor also paid tribute to Egar’s personal support of his own cricket administrative career and for his support of current CA deputy chairman and SACA director Jack Clarke, through his encouragement to both to take an interest in national cricket administration.

Egar was a pre-eminent figure in Australian cricket during the 1960s umpiring, in 29 of the 30 Tests held in Australia during the decade, making his debut in the famous Tied Test between Australia and the West Indies at Brisbane in 1960-61. Egar and Col Hoy stood in every match that series, earning the praise of West Indies captain Frank Worrell for calm and unobtrusive umpiring throughout the exciting series.

Mumbai Indians post third consecutive victory

The march of the Mumbai Indians appeared to be gathering steam as they beat league leaders Rajasthan Royals comprehensively in an effort to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

A solid bowling performance by (medium) pace quartet of Ashish Nehra, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dwayne Bravo and Rohan Raje saw the Mumbai Indians restrict the solid batting line up of the Rajasthan Royals to 103 all out in 16.2 overs. Only Swapnil Asnodkar (39) and Shane Watson (32) of the Rajasthan Royals offered any resistance with the bat to the Mumbai Indians quartet.

A solid start by Sanath Jayasuriya and Yogesh Takawle saw the Mumbai Indians post a sound 41 run opening stand. Robin Uthappa then made a quickfire 34 to see the Mumbai Indians coast to their third consecutive victory taking them to fifth position in the league standings. The action now shifts to the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi for game 28 of the DLF Indian Premier League between the Delhi Daredevils and the Chennai Super Kings.

Orange Cap Standings

Rohit Sharma of the Deccan Chargers continued to retain the Orange Cap today with a cumulative total of 258 runs. Delhi Daredevils Captain and opening batsmen Virender Sehwag was also firmly entrenched in the second position with a cumulative total of 247 runs. Sehwag’s Daredevil compatriot and opening bat Gautam Gambhir also retains his third position with a cumulative total of 225 runs. Shane Watson though of the Rajasthan Royals leapfrogged into fourth position with a battling 32 today taking his cumulative score to 208 runs, just above Kings XI Punjab stumper Kumar Sangakkara.

Vodafone appointed Official Telecom Partner of the DLF IPL

The DLF Indian Premier League announced that Vodafone Essar, one of India’s leading cellular service providers, has been chosen as the Official Telecom Partner for the league for a period of five years.

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said, "It is indeed a pleasure to partner with a pre-eminent global telecommunication brand like Vodafone. The company has a long standing association with sports globally, ranging from Formula 1 with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to the UEFA Champions League. I am certain the company's association with the DLF Indian Premier League as its official partner will prove to be mutually beneficial.

This association with Vodafone bears testimony to the success of the DLF Indian Premier League as has been witnessed in the last fortnight of fantastic cricket and further reiterates the fact the league is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricketing calendar."

Harit Nagpal, Director-Marketing and New Business, Vodafone Essar said, “We were always confident of the success of the new format of cricket as presented in the DLF Indian Premier League and had signed on as an exclusive media partner. We are now cementing our relationship with DLF Indian Premier League with this natural next step and we hope to create added value propositions for our customers through this association."

With this, tickets for the DLF Indian Premier League matches will now be available on Vodafone live! for Vodafone customers. Vodafone customers will also be able to participate in the Predict the Man of the Match contest and the winner will be announced as the Vodafone Winner of the contest, at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Earlier Leading sports broadcaster Sony Max & World Sport Group had bagged the DLF Indian Premier League's global media and production rights for USD$ 1.026 billion. DLF Ltd., India’s leading real estate company, is the league’s title sponsor, while Hero Honda, the country’s largest two-wheeler maker, won the Co-Sponsorship rights for the cricket extravaganza. PepsiCo India, one of the country’s leading beverage companies, has been the Official Beverage Supplier.

Kingfisher Airlines, the country’s only 5 Star Airlines certified by Skytrax, is the Official Airline and Umpire Partner for the league and the ITC Welcomgroup Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, has been chosen as the preferred hospitality partner for the league. Citi, the leading global financial services company, is the official bank of the league.

Two matches shifted from DY Patil to Wankhede

The Mumbai Indians' next two home matches (on May 14 against the Chennai Super Kings and on May 16 against the Kolkata Knight Riders) have been shifted to the Wankhede Stadium from the D Y Patil Stadium where they were originally scheduled to be held.

The final home league match against Kings XI Punjab will also be played at the Wankhede Stadium on 21st May, as per the earlier schedule.

Vijay Mallya sacks Royal Challengers CEO Charu Sharma

Vijay Mallya, upset over the dismal performance of Royal Challengers Bangalore team, cracked the whip and reportedly removed CEO Charu Sharma. Brijesh Patel has been appointed as the new CEO of Royal Challengers. According to reports, coach Venkatesh Prasad is also likely to get a boot soon. Dravid's Royal Challengers have disappointed everyone with their below par performance.

People have termed the team as a Test Squad and Dravid's captaincy has come under scanner. Mallya is expected to drop some players and replace them with a new set of players in order to revive the fortune of the team in the IPL.

Brijesh Patel (Profile)

The former India Test player and secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs the game in the franchise's home city.

Why Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth: Joke

Harbhanjan Singh was enjoying Match.
Youvraj Singh came and asked him, " Are you relaxing??"
Harbhajan answered '" No I am Harbhajan Singh !"
VRV Singh Came and asked the same Question.
Sardar answered " No No Me Harbhajan Singh"
Third one came and asked the same question Sardar was totally annoyed and decided to shift his place.
While walking Harbhajan saw Sreesanth enjoying the Match.
He went and asked him " Are you Relaxing?"
Sreesanth was much educated and answered "Yes I am relaxing."
Harbhajan slapped him on his face and said "Idiot, Sab tere Ko wahahn dhoond rahe hai aur tu Yahaan Aaram Kar raha hai."

Deccan Chargers post second win

Early league leaders, the Chennai Super Kings seem to be struggling to come to terms with the departure of their big-name stars the likes of Hayden and Hussey.

How else can one explain their third batting failure in succession, which was only compounded by an efficient bowling performance by the likes of Vijaykumar & RP Singh of the Deccan Chargers.

At 43-4 in the early stages of the game, the Chennai Super Kings always had their backs to the wall and it was only some big hitting by Albie Morkel and Manpreet Gony that helped the Kings post a respectable total of 144.

A half century (54 runs actually) by their stand-in Captain Adam Gilchrist and a solid 36 by Scot Styris saw the Deccan Chargers all but charge to their second win in the DLF Indian Premier League for the loss of 3 wickets.

The Deccan Chargers thus logged in their second victory with 7 wickets and a couple of overs to spare. Importantly, the game saw S. Anirudha (son of former Indian opener Krish Srikkanth) make his debut in the DLF Indian Premier League. Albeit with a score of a mere run it was a debut he will want to forget quickly and move on.


Orange Cap Standings

Rohit Sharma middle order bat of the Deccan Chargers recaptured the Orange Cap today from Delhi Daredevil Captain Virender Sehwag for his display with the bat. He now leads the Orange Cap standings with a cumulative total of 258 runs. Delhi Daredevils Captain and opening batsmen Virender Sehwag is now firmly entrenched in the second position with a total of 247 runs. Sehwag's Daredevil compatriot and opening bat Gautam Gambhir also retains his third position with a cumulative total of 225 runs.

Tanvir claims six wickets in IPL

Sohail Tanvir (6/14) has produced the best ever bowling figures in an innings in Twenty20. The five bowlers with six wickets in an innings in Twenty20 are:

Rajasthan Royals go top of the table

The Rajasthan Royals had a truly royal day on the field in Jaipur outplaying the Chennai Super Kings in both departments of the game. The 8 wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings took the Royals to the Top of the League table. Rajasthan’s Pakistani pace import Sohail Tanvir simply tore the heart out of the Chennai Super Kings batting line up with a superb six wicket haul. Opening bats Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar then made light of the Kings’ score with the Royals posting a 110 in the 14th over handing Chennai their second consecutive defeat in two games.

Kings XI Punjab canter to fifth win

Kings XI Punjab won their fifth consecutive game outplaying the Bangalore Royal Challengers with both bat and ball. Put in to bat on a seaming wicket, the Bangalore Royal Challengers offered meek resistance with their Captain Rahul Dravid playing a lone hand with a gritty 66 run knock.

The importance of Dravid's knock in his teams total of 126 is exemplified when one looks at the sorry scorecard of the Challengers which had five batsmen out for ducks and only two other batsmen crossing over to double figures.

Both the seamers in the Kings XI Punjab played their part, with Sreesanth picking up the opener Jaffer and then Cameroon White, while Irfan picked up the important wicket of the Indian under-19 captain Virat Kohli. Piyush Chawla then accounted for the likes of Misbah Ul Haq, Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan to restrict the Bangalore Royal Challengers to a paltry 126. Their fifth consecutive victory moves the Kings XI Punjab into the second position in the league table.



Orange Cap Standings



With Yuvraj Singh not troubling the scorers much today, the Orange Cap standing remained the same. Delhi Daredevils Captain and opening batsmen Virender Sehwag held on to the prestigious "Orange Cap" as the highest cumulative runscorer in the League with a total of 247 runs. Rohit Sharma of the Deccan Chargers was second with a cumulative total to 235 runs. Sehwag’s compatriot and opening bat Gautam Gambhir also retained his third position with a cumulative total of 225 runs.

Daredevils & Mumbai Indians fined for slow over rate

The Indian Premier League announced that it had fined the Mumbai Indians US $1000 and the Delhi Daredevils US $500 for a slow over rate for the game played in Mumbai on May 5th 2008.

The DLF Indian Premier League is being played as per the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules and is set to follow the guidelines in letter and in spirit. Thus, any team bowling a slow over rate would be fined US $500 per over, which would be decided by the match referee.

Ishant Sharma penalised for abusing ground equipment

The DLF Indian Premier League, announced that it had fined the Kolkata Knight Riders pace sensation Ishant Sharma 10 per cent of his match fees for abusing ground equipment.

Clive Lloyd, the match referee hauled up the India and Kolkata Knight Riders paceman under level 1…. 1.2 offence as per the ICC's Code of Conduct. This was after Ishant Sharma kicked down the stumps in the game between Punjab Kings XI and the Kolkata Knight Riders at Mohali on 3rd May 2008.

The DLF Indian Premier League is being played as per the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules and is set to follow the guidelines in letter and in spirit.

Punjab Kings XI, Bangalore win in IPL

Punjab Kings XI defeated Kolkata Knight Riders for their fourth successive victory in the DLF Indian Premier League but remained unchanged at the fourth spot in the points table after their game on Day 16 of the competition on Saturday.

The Knight Riders fell short by nine runs as they reached 169 for six while chasing the Punjab Kings XI's total of 178 for six in 20 overs.

In the day's first match, Bangalore Royal Challengers defeated the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers by three runs. With four points from six matches and two wins, the Bangalore team moved up to the sixth rung on the points' table.

Daredevils penalised for slow over rate

The Indian Premier League announced that it had fined the Delhi Daredevils US $500 for a slow over rate during the game played against the Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on 2nd May 2008.

The DLF Indian Premier League is being played as per the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules and is set to follow the guidelines of the game in letter and in spirit. Thus, any team bowling a slow over rate would be fined US $500 per over, which would be decided by the match referee.

Deccan Chargers & Kings XI Punjab docked for slow over rate

The Indian Premier League announced that it had fined the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab US$ 1,000 for slow over rate for the game played in Hyderabad on 1st May 2008.

Lalit Modi, Chairman & Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League also announced that any team bowling a slow over rate would be fined US $ 500 per over, which would be decided by the match referee.