IPL-2:MATCH-2:BANGLORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS VS RAJASTHAN ROYALS:DRAVID’S SOLID INNING PROVIDS VICTORY FOR BANGLORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS

The second match of the IPL again saw Lalit Modi spin the coin during the toss. Pietersen won the toss and he decided to bat first.
Rajasthan Royals got off to a dream start with Dimitri Mascarenhas picking up two wickets of two balls in the first over of the match. The New Zealand sensation Jesse Ryder had a disastrous IPL beginning, inside edging the ball to the keeper. Ross Taylor followed him the very next ball. He walked across his stumps and was bowled around his legs.
Pietersen and Uthappa looked like reconstructing the innings until Mascarenhas came back to claim his third wicket. Uthappa trying to put one over the long on boundary skied the ball to the keeper Rawat.
Before Dravid could settle down for a partnership with Pietersen, the English dasher headed back to the pavilion. Pietersen was caught brilliantly by Niraj Patel off Henderson's bowling after failing to keep a pull down.
The other side of the strategy break saw the Royals captain Shane Warne enter the bowling attack. He picked up a wicket in just his fifth ball, making Kohli out of his crease and bowling him with a flighted delivery. Akhil was soon to follow. He lost his wicket to the spin wizard who again got the better of the batsman with his flight.
While Dravid firmly stood his ground, fall of wickets on the other end did not get the Challengers going. Lusty blows at the end by Dravid and Vinay Kumar saw the Royal Challengers reach a score of 133. In pursuit of quick runs, Dravid departed after scoring a well carved 66.
The Challengers started off well with Praveen Kumar swinging the ball and picking up  Asnodkar. The South African captain Graeme Smith took the long walk back after edging a Praveen Kumar's swinging ball to the safe hands of Dravid in the first slip.
Jesse Ryder joined the action and he again picked up a wicket in his first over dismissing Niraj Patel. Ryder took his second wicket when he bowled Henderson. Tight fielding by the Royal Challengers resulted in the run out of Mascarenhas. At the call of Strategy break, Rajasthan were in deep trouble managing to score only 32 runs after losing half their side.
Post break, big hitting by Pathan and Jadeja kept the tempo up for Rajasthan after the required run rate crept above 10. Just when things were falling in place, the old war horse Anil Kumble struck. he removed Pathan and Jadeja of consecutive balls and ended the over with a double wicket maiden. Still not finished, Kumble's third over saw him dismiss the Royals captain Shane Warne and Munaf Patel. He finished off the Royals by dismissing the tail ender Kamran Khan. Kumble finished with a five-for, his figures reading 3.1 overs - 1 maiden - 5 wickets - 5 runs.
The Karnataka duo of Dravid and Kumble, assisted by tight fielding and good catching, won the match for the Bangalore Royal Challengers against the 2008 IPL champions - Rajasthan Royals.

Man of the match:

Rahul Dravid was given the award for his crucial innings of 66 runs.

Interesting facts:
Four bowlers (Mascarenhas, Warne, Praveen Kumar and Ryder) took wickets in their first over in today's match.
Kumble's bowling figures happen to be the most economical bowling in an IPL match.
Rajasthan could only score 58 runs which happens to be the lowest score in an IPL match.

IPL-2:1ST MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:MUMBAI INDIANS VS CHENNAI SUPERKINGS

VIDEO:IPL-2 SCHEDULE

IPL-2:1ST MATCH:MUMBAI INDIANS VS CHENNAI SUPERKINGS:Sachin Tendulkar played a captain's knock to guide Mumbai Indians to victory

 

 

 

 

The opening match of the IPL got underway after some anxious moments of gray clouds and rain - but nothing, not even the weather gods it seems - could spoil Lalit Modi's pet project, and the sun came out in the nick of the time to allow the match to proceed as scheduled.
It couldn't have been a better match up on paper. Two well-balanced teams, both fancied for the title, with two iconic leaders.

MS Dhoni won the toss and had no hesitation in putting Mumbai in, on a pitch that was expected to have something for the bowlers, especially early on.
Mumbai started off well enough, although a bit cautiously, with the experienced duo of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar having to negotiate movement and variable bounce off the pitch.
Tendulkar benefitted when Hayden dropped a sitter with the little master on 10, and Jayasuriya found the boundary with his trademark cuts and pulls.
It was Jayasuriya's Sri Lankan team-mate, Thilan Thushara, who provided the breakthrough for Chennai when he got Jayasuriya to chip one to Hayden at midwicket.

Shikhar Dhawan and Tendulkar then built a steady partnership, with Mumbai's intent obviously being to conserve wickets for a final onslaught.
Manpreet Gony however, had other ideas. He first got Dhawan with a top edged pull to give Dhoni at midwicket an easy catch.
Then he got JP Duminy with a brilliant reflex catch, when Duminy was too early into a full-blooded pull and only succeeded in hitting it of the toe end of the bat straight back to the bowler.

The next over had Joginder Sharma getting into the act, deceiving Dwayne Bravo with a slower one.
Mumbai were in a hole, but Abhishek Nayar came out with a spectacular cameo, during the course of which he slammed the first six - or rather the first DLF Maximum - off Andrew Flintoff, and promptly celebrated by taking two more sixes off that Flintoff over. His 35 off just 14 balls, ensured that Mumbai would cross the 150 mark.
They eventually ended up at a very decent 165 for 7, thanks in no small measure to Sachin Tendulkar anchoring the innings with a well made 59 not out.

Chennai began in disastrous fashion, with Lasith Malinga getting Parthiv Patel off the second ball of the match, playing  a delivery outside the off-stump for Tendulkar to take a fine tumbling catch.
Raina followed soon after, falling to Bravo - which was some consolation for the bowler, who had seen Hayden dropped by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah off a swirling top edge the previous ball.
Chennai had their most productive phase when Flintoff joined Hayden to forge a 52 run partnership off 7 overs. With either player capable of exploding and changing the game in a couple of overs, Mumbai needed a wicket and Harbhajan obliged. After a teasing first over, he got Flintoff - deceived by the doosra to offer a  return catch off the leading edge.

 
Harbhajan and Jayasuriya bowled well in tandem to restrict the runs, and the pressure of the big hits got to Hayden(44) who fell to Jayasuriya when Zaheer Khan took a fine catch, diving to his right.It was followed by Jacob Oram (eight) and Subramaniam Badrinath (nought) to leave Chennai at 109 for six. 
Dhoni played a lone hand, but ultimately against Malinga's reverse swing and Zaheer Khan's yorkers, the asking rate was too steep.  
Malinga's final over then also yielded six, including the wicket of Dhoni (36), as Mumbai ran out convincing winners.

Man of the Match:
Sachin Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten half-century under testing batting conditions, and also took a fine catch.

Turning Point of the match:
The 18th over of Mumbai's innings when Nayar smashed Flintoff for 3 sixes. The over cost Chennai 22 runs. They lost the match by 19.

Preview:1st match,IPL 2009:Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings:

  

Ground Reality and Pitch:

The home ground of the Cape Cobras, the Newlands will host the first match of IPL 2009. Nestled in the backdrop of the Table Mountains, the Newlands forms a picturesque setting for TV viewers as well as the 25000 spectators it can accommodate. 

The pitch has been known to favour spinners more than most other South African grounds. The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup saw Newlands play host to nine matches, with 7 of the 9 games being won by the side batting second. 

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: Last time around, the captain Tendulkar was absent for a major portion of the IPL. This time, he looks set to be there throughout the tournament, and what's more he's batting with the fluency of old, of the Tendulkar of the 90s. The bowling attack looks potent, with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh in prime form, backed by Dhawal Kulkarni and Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Kyle Mills and Dwayne Bravo to choose from among the foreign recruits. The batting top order - Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan - are all capable of turning in single-handed match winning performances. 

Chennai Super Kings: Led by the inspirational Dhoni, they came agonizingly close to winning the event last year. This team believes in performances counting for more than headlines and braggadocio, and have quietly and efficiently gone about their preparations. Their level-headed approach is reflected in their choice of players - a strong core of Indian batsman backed by carefully selected foreign imports. Badrinath, Raina and Dhoni form what is probably the best middle order in the IPL - keeping in mind the limit of only 4 foreign players allowed in the eleven. Add Mathew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff and Albie Morkel to the mix and you have an almost ideal batting line-up. Now if only they could find a reliable opening partner for Hayden. 

Players to Watch:

JP Duminy: The new boy-wonder of world cricket, he'll be out to justify his $950K price tag. He hasn't quite climbed the heights that he seemed to reach so effortlessly when South Africa toured Australia, but he hasn't slipped by much. Served a timely reminder of his clean hitting capacity in the fourth ODI against Australia, where his delightful 40 (off 25 balls) made the difference between a very good total and a formidable one. 

Ryan Mclaren: The dark horse in the Mumbai Indians lineup - he's an allrounder of immense potential. In all likelihood, he would have been representing South Africa in international cricket by now if his Kolpak issues could have been sorted out. On what looks like the only international platform he'll have for some time to come, expect him to come out with intent. 

Andrew Flintoff: With a joint highest $ 1.55 Million price tag, Freddie will be under pressure to deliver. However, the pressure should work positively for the all-rounder especially in this format, where his quick 20s and 30s would be of great value to the team. His bowling remains top class, and he should be amongst the more difficult bowlers to score off. 

Numbers game:

32 - The number of international centuries that separate Sachin Tendulkar and the combined total of the rest of the Mumbai Indians. There are several players who would be happy to score that many hundreds, Tendulkar has that many more than his entire team. 

31 - The number of sixes hit by Jayasuriya (the maximum by any player) in IPL '08. This works out to 2.2 sixes in every match. 

Sound Bites:

Every player becomes explosive in Twenty20 and I am no less. Watch out for my explosive batting - Harbhajan said when asked who were the most intimidating batsmen on the IPL roster according to him. 

I think we have the strongest side in the competition and I really believe that we can win this time - Matthew Hayden. 

Trivia:

Even though the Chennai Super Kings reached the finals in the last edition, their win-loss record was only slightly above average with 9 wins and 7 losses. 

McCullum replaces Ganguly as Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain

 

 

 

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum will lead the Kolkata Knight Riders for the second season of the IPL, which begins on Saturday in South Africa. He has replaced former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who led Kolkata during the first season of the IPL.

The move has cleared some doubt regarding the multiple-captain theory proposed by Kolkata coach John Buchanan. The team had been using different captains in each of their practice games in South Africa, but it is now clear the strategy has been done away with.

McCullum will also keep wicket and open the batting.

Ganguly is the third captain to have lost the captaincy after the IPL's first season. VVS Laxman was the first to go when the Deccan Chargers appointed Adam Gilchrist to lead the side, followed by Rahul Dravid making way for Kevin Pietersen at the helm for the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Kolkata will play their first game against Deccan on Sunday.

Aus regains the 2nd spot after winning the 5th odi

Haddin - scored a quickfire 66.

Australia gained some respectability with a 47-run victory over South Africa in Johannesburg but still lost the one-day series 3-2.

The hosts were set 304 to win after Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke helped them into a strong position and despite 82 from Herschelle Gibbs the Proteas crumbled in the latter half of their innings, collapsing from 213 for four to 256 all out with Mitchell Johnson taking three for 58 for the tourists.

Australia struck an important blow before skipper Graeme Smith (20 off 15) could get fully into his flow.

The left-hander waved at a wide Nathan Bracken delivery in the eighth over and got a healthy edge which Haddin did well to hold on to high to his left.

That brought veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis to the crease and he immediately set about his task in combination with Gibbs.

The pair were untroubled as they easily kept pace with the required rate in a 104-run stand that was brought to an end by a dubious lbw decision against Gibbs.

The 35-year-old attempted to sweep Nathan Hauritz while on 82 and while the ball rapped his front pad, he had made a stride down the wicket which could have offered some doubt about the decision.

Kallis followed for 64 off 69 balls, caught by Haddin off Bracken, and there was little in the way of resistance from the lower order with only AB de Villiers (15) managing double figures outside the top four batsmen.

Earlier, Smith won the toss and inserted the Australians who were looking to earn back some respectability having already conceded the series 3-1.

The tourists had not won since the opening match, but were soon on the front foot through Haddin (64 off 66) and Clarke (66 off 60) who made full use of the early powerplays to clear the in-field with regularity in their opening 127-run stand.

Both fell in quick succession but skipper Ricky Ponting (40 off 45) and rookie Callum Ferguson (41 off 33) picked up the pace to have the Australians at one point 191 for two after 31 overs and dreaming of a total in excess of 350.

But when both fell - to soft dismissals - all momentum the Australians built was soon lost.

Ponting's dismissal, caught at mid-on as he went in search of back-to-back sixes off the part-time spin of JP Duminy, prompted a collapse of four wickets for 23 runs in a four-over spell that left Australia on 246 for seven and with more than 10 overs still to bat.

Instead of loosing heart, they achieved the grand total of 303 runs,thanks to an unbeaten 57-run partnership between Michael Hussey (49) and Nathan Hauritz (24).

Duminy finished with figures of three for 48, while fellow spinner Roelof van der Merwe chipped in with two for 44 as the slow bowlers again restricted Australia.

After winning the 2nd ODI,Australia have regained the 2nd position in the ICC ODI ranking,which they lost to India.

Pak will not host 2011 world cup

Pakistan was stripped of its 2011 World Cup matches by the International Cricket Council on Friday as growing security concerns cast the Asian giants firmly into the sporting wilderness.
The decision came at an ICC executive board meeting here with the international body saying it had acted after noting the "uncertain political situation" in Pakistan.
Ijaz Butt, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, expressed his regret at the decision to AFP.
The 2011 tournament was to be held jointly by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as Pakistan, which was to have hosted 16 matches. 

ICC president David Morgan said that the deteriorating security situation was a worry, but that the country could be compensated for the loss of its World Cup matches.
"It is extremely regrettable that the Board has had to take this decision given the passion the people of Pakistan have for the game of cricket and for the World Cup," said Morgan.
"However, our number one priority was and is to deliver a safe, secure and successful event and the uncertainty created by events within Pakistan created a huge question mark over our ability to do just that.
"That was something we saw all too clearly with the delay over the decision of whether or not Pakistan could host the ICC Champions Trophy last year. The event ended up being postponed and we cannot afford a repeat of that uncertainty or any form of postponement for this event.
"By making this decision now we hope we can put a great deal of any uncertainty to one side and press on with our preparations which, given this is cricket's biggest and most high profile event within our range of tournaments, are substantial."
Even before the attacks on the Sri Lankan team, Pakistan had been a danger zone for foreign teams.
Australia, which postponed a tour of Pakistan in March last year, forced their hosts to shift the series to the United Arab Emirates. Those matches take place next week.
Last month, the ICC shifted the eight-team Champions Trophy from Pakistan to South Africa after several teams refused to play in the country, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are hunkered down.
Australia, who last visited the country in 1998, also forced Pakistan to play at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002, a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and the subsequent US-led invasion of Afghanistan, where Australian troops operate.

‘Time out’ will harm IPL

 

As it is, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is under a cloud with the tournament being ‘voted’ out of India. And now to add to the woes, the organizers have added an ‘innovation’ wherein there will be a seven-and-a-half minute break after 10 overs are completed during each innings. During this interval, the fans present inside the stadium will be kept busy by a live band while those watching the game on television will be exposed to three, separate two-and-a-half minute segments, not surprisingly two of them sold commercially.

While one of the three sections will feature mainstream advertising, the second will showcase special projects. Expect to watch a series of short films on African children and the importance of education. In the third segment, the sides will be shown taking drinks and discussing ‘tactics’ in an effort to make it seem like a legitimate ‘time out’. It is understandable that the organizers will have plenty of money using the ‘time out’. However, the poor viewers both at home and in the stadium are only expected to get frustrated.

One of the biggest reasons behind the success of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League was its fast paced, near non-stop action. Thus, all the ‘time out’ can do is harm the chances of IPL 2’s success.

2000 seconds of advertising space has to be crammed into every match. This literally means 40 seconds of advertising after every over and 60 seconds at the fall of a wicket. Don’t be surprised if you miss out on some crucial moments of a match owing to an advertisement by a major brand.

Biggies like Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke have already pulled out of the tournament and with the matches being held in South Africa, there will be a big question mark over the crowd support. The home and away advantage has already been affected following the change in venue. Having faced so many troubles one wonders whether the latest experiment is needed at the cost of viewers’ interest. Undoubtedly, the men behind IPL must be making more than enough money even during times of recession. By allowing the rapid-fire game to slow down, the organizers are risking turning a success formula into a disaster. IPL fans deserve better.

Sachin’s praise elevates Dhoni’s status

Everything Sachin Tendulkar says or does makes news and is taken very seriously by one and all. Hence  the little master has  praised the current India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will only elevate his status as a skipper in world cricket further. There is little argument over the fact that Dhoni is a great captain in the making. However, Sachin – who has played under various captains in the last two decades – coming out and praised someone who has taken over the post only six months back.

Paying tribute to Dhoni, Sachin has commented, “He is a balanced guy, is always on his toes all the time. Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him, and  he picked  lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain, his approach was pretty clear and not complicated.” The same points have been raised by a number of experts and commentators a number of times. However the fact that Sachin, who has been an integral part of the Dhoni-led winning combination in the longer version of the game, has said all this now gives full stop to all the talks.

DHONI-THE GREAT CAPTAIN

Not only has Dhoni impressed with his sensible, innovative captaincy but more importantly has also produced the desired results. Under him, India have won five out of seven Tests and drawn two. In ODIs, he has led India to 31 wins in 51 games – again an incredible record. India recently returned having created Test history in New Zealand – beating the Kiwis in their own den after 41 years.
Earlier, they also won the ODIs rather comprehensively. Prior to that, the Indian team had already rolled over Australia and England at home. Also, when the Pakistan tour was cancelled owing to security concerns, India went to Sri Lanka and won four out of the five one-dayers as well as a pulsating T20. All in all, it has been a great six months for Dhoni. They now head into the IPL, which will be followed by the T20 World Cup in England. The expectations would be sky high from the Indians over there as well; after all they are the defending champions.

Returning to Dhoni, he has also ensured that his batting does not suffer because of the dual wicket-keeping and captaincy responsibilities. True, the flamboyance has been curtailed to a large extent but the efficiency has only ascended. He has come to India’s rescue on nearly every possible occasion, Wellington being the latest example. That’s specifically why his performance with the bat as captain is significantly better than his overall record in both Tests and ODIs.

Finally, Dhoni has also proved to be a good man-manager. While he is open to take suggestions from veterans like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, he has fit into the role of an approachable, cool captain very well for those of his age like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. The best part of Dhoni’s captaincy though is his temperament.

Achievements under Mahi captaincy:

  Team India went on to win the inaugural T20 cricket World Cup 2007.

India manage First ever trilateral ODI series win in Australia in CB Series of 2007-08.

India manage First ever bilateral ODI series win in Sri Lanka (IDEA CUP 2008).

He captained Team India to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home versus Australia.India went on to win the coveted 4 match Test series(2-0).

Now Dhoni has done wonders on his first overseas tour of new zealand by winning both  ODI & Test series,which is the first ever series win in NZ by Indian team.

Since Dhoni has become captain Indian team is on the way of achieving No.1 spot in cricket rating.

IPL CRICKET TEAMS PARADE IN STREETS OF CAPE TOWN

for details,click the link below:

http://iplt20cric.blogspot.com/2009/04/ipl-cricket-teams-parade-in-streets-of.html

IPL games introduce 'strategy breaks' of 15 minutes

 

Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed Thursday that a 'strategy break' will be introduced for the forthcoming season in South Africa.

Games will now take longer with the introduction of a 'time out' but there will be no action at all during the added time.

Fans who have become accustomed to Twenty20 matches lasting just three hours are in for a surprise during the second season of the IPL - they will now last three-and-a-quarter hours. Part of the appeal of the shortest form of the game is the non-stop action but IPL games will now take longer and there will be no action at all during the added time.

The IPL are planning to market the added time as an 'innovation' by calling it a tactical 'time out' but the fact that each innings will now come to a halt for seven-and-a-half minutes after exactly 10 overs makes it neither tactical nor, indeed, practical.

The seven-and-a-half minute break will see the stadium crowd entertained by a live band while television audiences will watch three, separate two-and-a-half minute segments, two of which will be sold commercially. The third will show the teams taking drinks and discussing 'tactics' to add some validity to the argument for the 'time out.'

While one section will be compulsory, mainstream advertising, the other will be set aside for 'special projects'. Queen Rania of Jordan, well known for her agenda of social reform and progression, will lead the way with a series of short films aimed at African children expounding the importance of education.

The IPL can justifiably claim that the project is well intentioned and for a good cause. And at approximately $1million per episode, it's also very lucrative. There are 118 two-and-half minute slots for sale.

The second reserved for advertising.

Production teams have also been told that they need to fit 2000 seconds (around 33 minutes) of advertising into every match, a task described by a different member of the production team as "virtually impossible."

The reason also behind the 'strategy break'  was that players were going back and forth with messages and there was a lot of strategy being decided from time to time in last season of IPL.
So it’s going to tighten those extremely as far as overs are concerned, time of overs is concerned and time of play is concerned.
The league commissioner revealed that IPL will do so by imposing stiff financial penalties on fielding sides if they go over the time allocated for bowling their overs.
The first penalty for the captain is 20,000 dollars for a first offence.For the second offence the entire team gets penalised 20,000 - that's 220,000 (in total). For the third offence the captain gets banned for a game and the team gets penalised 360,000.

The IPL starts Saturday with a double-header at Newlands.

VIDEOES:SACHIN’S WAX STATUE

FIXTURES OF DELHI DAREDEVILS

 

Fixtures
vs King's XI Punjab on 19 April in Cape Town
vs Chennai Super Kings on 23 April in Durban
vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 26 April in Port Elizabeth
vs Rajasthan Royals on 28 April in Pretoria
vs Deccan Chargers on 30 April in Pretoria
vs Chennai Super Kings on 2 May in Johannesburg
vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 5 May in Durban
vs Mumbai Indians on 8 May in East London
vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 10 May in Johannesburg
vs Deccan Chargers on 13 May in Durban
vs King's XI Punjab on 15 May in Bloemfontein
vs Rajasthan Royals on 17 May in Bloemfontein
vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 19 May in Johannesburg
vs Mumbai Indians on 21 May in Pretoria

FIXTURES OF BANGLORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS

Fixtures:
vs Rajasthan Royals on 18 April Cape Town
vs Chennai Super Kings on 20 April in Port Elizabeth
vs Deccan Chargers on 22 April in Cape Town
vs Kings XI Punjab on 24 April in Johannesburg
vs Delhi Daredevils on 26 April in Port Elizabeth
vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 29 April in Durban
vs Kings XI Punjab on 1 May in East London
vs Mumbai Indians on 3 May in Durban
vs Rajasthan Royals on 7 May in Pretoria
vs Mumbai Indians on 10 May in Johannesburg
vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 12 May in Pretoria
vs Chennai Super Kings on 14 May in Durban
vs Delhi Daredevils on 19 May in Johannesburg
vs Deccan Chargers on 21 May in Pretoria

Fixtures of Kolkata Knight Riders

 

Fixtures
vs Deccan Chargers on 19 April in Cape Town
vs King's XI Punjab on 21 April in Durban
vs Rajasthan Royals on 23 April in Cape Town
vs Chennai Super Kings on 25 April in Cape Town
vs Mumbai Indians on 27 April in Port Elizabeth
vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 29 April in Durban
vs Mumbai Indians on 1 May in East London
vs King's XI Punjab on 3 May in Port Elizabeth
vs Delhi Daredevils on 5 May in Durban
vs Delhi Daredevils on 10 May in Johannesburg
vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 12 May in Centurion
vs Deccan Chargers on 16 May in Johannesburg
vs Chennai Super Kings on 18 May in Centurion
vs Rajasthan Royals on 20 May in Durban

FIXTURES OF RAJASTHAN ROYALS IN IPL

Fixtures:

vs Bangalore Royal Challenger on 18 April in Cape Town

vs Mumbai Indians on 21 April in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 23 April in Cape Town

vs King's XI Punjab on 26 April in Cape Town

vs Delhi Daredevils on 28 April in Pretoria

vs Chennai Super Kings on 30 April in Pretoria

vs Deccan Chargers on 2 May in Port Elizabeth

vs King's XI Punjab on 5 May in Durban

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 7 May in Pretoria

vs Chennai Super Kings on 9 May in Kimberley

vs Deccan Chargers on 11 May in Kimberley

vs Mumbai Indians on 14 May in Durban

vs Delhi Daredevils on 17 May in Bloemfontein

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 20 May in Durban

FIXTURES OF DECCAN CHARGERS IN IPL

Fixtures:

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 19 April in Cape Town

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 22 April in Cape Town

vs Mumbai Indians on 25 April in Durban

vs Chennai Super Kings on 27 April in Durban

vs Delhi Daredevils on 30 April in Pretoria

vs Rajasthan Royals on 2 May in Port Elizabeth

vs Chennai Super Kings on 4 May in East London

vs Mumbai Indians on 6 May in Pretoria

vs Kings XI Punjab on 9 May in Kimberley

vs Rajasthan Royals on 11 May in Kimberley

vs Delhi Daredevils on 13 May in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 16 May in Johannesburg

vs Kings XI Punjab on 17 May in Johannesburg

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 21 May in Pretoria

FIXTURES OF KINGS XI PUNJAB IN IPL

Fixtures:

vs Delhi Daredevils on 19 April in Cape Town

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 21 April in Durban

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 24 April in Durban

vs Rajasthan Royals on 26 April in Cape Town

vs Mumbai Indians on 29 April in Durban

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 1 May in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 3 May in Port Elizabeth

vs Rajasthan Royals on 5 May in Durban

vs Chennai Super Kings on 7 May in Pretoria

vs Deccan Chargers on 9 May in Kimberley

vs Mumbai Indians on 12 May in Pretoria

vs Delhi Daredevils on 15 May in Bloemfontein

vs Deccan Chargers on 17 May in Johanesburg

vs Chennai Super Kings on 20 May in Durban

FIXTURES OF CHENNAI SUPER KINGS IN IPL

Fixtures:

vs Mumbai Indians on 18 April in Cape Town

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 20 April in Port Elizabeth

vs Delhi Daredevils on 23 April in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 25 April in Cape Town

vs Deccan Chargers on 27 April in Durban

vs Rajasthan Royals on 30 April in Pretoria

vs Delhi Daredevils on 2 May in Johannesburg

vs Deccan Chargers on 4 May in East London

vs Kings XI Punjab on 7 May in Pretoria

vs Rajasthan Royals on 9 May in Kimberley

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 14 May in Durban

vs Mumbai Indians on 16 May in Port Elizabeth

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 18 May in Pretoria

vs Kings XI Punjab on 20 May in Durban

FIXTURES OF MUMBAI INDIANS IN IPL

Fixtures

vs Chennai Super Kings on 18 April in Cape Town

vs Rajasthan Royals on 21 April in Durban

vs Deccan Chargers on 25 April in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 27 April in Port Elizabeth

vs King's XI Punjab on 29 April in Durban

vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 1 May in East London

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 3 May in Johannesburg

vs Deccan Chargers on 6 May in Pretoria

vs Delhi Daredevils on 8 May in East London

vs Bangalore Royal Challengers on 10 May in Port Elizabeth

vs King's XI Punjab on 12 May in Pretoria

vs Rajasthan Royals on 14 May in Durban

vs Chennai Super Kings on 16 May in Port Elizabeth

vs Delhi Daredevils on 21 May in Pretoria

GIBBS' TON PROVIDES SERIES WIN FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Herschelle Gibbs made an emotional return to form as he hit a century which set up a series win for South Africa in the fourth one-day international at St George's Park on Monday. South Africa won by 61 runs to take a winning 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

It was South Africa's third successive one-day series triumph against Australia and ensured they would retain their world number one ranking in one-day cricket.

Gibbs hit 110 as South Africa made 317 for six after being sent in to bat on a slow pitch. Australia made a good start in reply, with Brad Haddin (78) and Michael Clarke (50) putting on 129 for the first wicket. But their innings lost momentum against the slow bowling of Roelof van der Merwe (three for 46) and Johan Botha (one for 48).

Fast bowler Dale Steyn took four for 44 to wreck the bottom half of the Australian innings as the tourists were bowled out for 256. Gibbs and AB de Villiers (84) put on 136 off 123 balls for South Africa's third wicket in a partnership filled with sparkling strokes and audacious running between wickets.
When he reached his 21st one-day international century Gibbs acknowledged the crowd then sank to his haunches and appeared to wipe tears from his eyes. It was the first major innings played by Gibbs, 35, since drink driving charges against him were withdrawn last month in return for agreeing to do 100 hours of community service.

Earlier in the season he spent time in rehabilitation for alcohol-related problems after his arrest last year. He made his runs off 116 balls with two sixes and nine fours.

Ponting's decision to send South Africa in to bat in a must-win game for Australia was influenced by a good record for teams batting second on the small Port Elizabeth ground, including a successful chase by Australia, who were set to make 327 in 2001/02. Australia had won four out of five previous matches against South Africa at the ground.

Haddin raced to a half-century off 41 balls as he and Clarke gave Australia an ideal start. Haddin appeared to target Johan Botha, the off-spinner who has bowled economically in two series against Australia, hitting two sixes in Botha's first over, which cost 14 runs. Botha was taken off and was hit for another six by Haddin when he returned four overs later. But in trying to hit another ball out of the ground he lofted a catch to long-on.

Van der Merwe took the next three wickets with his left-arm spin as the required rate climbed rapidly. Ponting hit four boundaries off Steyn in the first over of a batting power play in the 41st over but hit the last ball to midwicket to be out for 53, effectively ending his team's hopes.

Sachin's wax statue for Tussauds

Sachin Tendulkar on Monday came face to face with himself, as a new waxwork figure of the Indian cricket legend was unveiled in his home city of Mumbai after demand from the public.

The figure has been made to go on show at London's Madame Tussauds museum and is the first of an Indian sportsman at the world famous waxwork attraction. It shows Tendulkar, 35, in a familiar pose -- in full whites of the India team, batting pads, arm guard and gloves, holding his bat and helmet aloft in celebration.

"This was the way I celebrated when I passed the record," he told a news conference, referring to the moment last October when he broke Brian Lara's record for the most runs in Test cricket. "I saw the picture and it was a special moment, a very dear one to me."

Tendulkar, nicknamed the "Little Master" or "Master Blaster," described being immortalised in wax as a "great honour." "It's fantastic, fabulous," he added.

Liz Edwards, from Madame Tussauds, said it was the first time one of its wax figures had been launched outside London and had been designed to coincide with the start of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament this weekend. Tendulkar captains the Mumbai Indians in the competition, which has been moved to South Africa because of a clash with India's general election.

"Guests vote for wax figures to come in. Sachin's name was constantly coming up and we were delighted to work with him," said Edwards.

Buchanan clarifies multiple captains policy

The former Australian coach John Buchanan said that the four captain proposal for the Kolkata Knight Riders has been "misinterpreted" by the media and cricketers alike.

In an interview to a newspaper, the controversial coach mentioned "My four-captain policy has been misinterpreted by most people and I would just like to clarify it." "Basically I will not select a squad captain but will select a captain for each match," he added.

While quoting his proposal to the press at Kolkata last month, the coach was joined by the captain of the Knight Riders Sourav Ganguly, who had a clearly dejected outlook during the press meet.

Buchanan, while defending his four captain policy said that the captain would be selected on a match to match basis. "That captain will make all the normal decisions such as field placings and bowling changes. However, with a unique, fast-flowing and hectic game like Twenty 20, I feel there should be more decision-makers, more captains in the process to succeed, so one has to think differently," he said.

Buchanan mentioned that he was impressed with the quality of cricketers in the Knight Riders' quarters. Commenting on the squad for the second edition of IPL, Buchanan said "I really believe we have a balanced, exciting squad for the IPL. We will have Chris Gayle for seven games, Brendon McCullum for the whole series, while we also have Brad Hodge, who I believe is one of the best Twenty20 players in the world."