Sunday, March 28, 2010
Harbhajan sizzles to continue Mumbai roll
Mumbai: Harbhajan Singh for once stole the show from Sachin Tendulkar in a Mumbai Indians win as the Deccan Chargers lost by 41 runs on Sunday. The off-spinner blasted an unbeaten 49 off just 18 balls and then took three wickets including that of the dangerous Adam Gilchrist in the first over of the Deccan innings.The Deccan Chargers were bowled out for 131 runs in just 17.1 overs. Rohit Sharma fought a lone battle with a 28-ball 45 but the rest of the Deccan batsmen failed to get going. Rohit smashed three fours and two sixes but it was never going to be enough.
Chasing 173, Gilchrist fell to Harabhajan in the first over, thanks to a terrific reflex catch by Tendulkar at first slip. And after Herschelle Gibbs (27) and Andrew Symonds (one) perished, Mumbai had taken complete control of the game.
Earlier, Harbhajan turned it on with the bat in the last three overs of the innings to take Mumbai to 172-7. When Tendulkar perished in the 17th over for 55, Mumbai were struggling at 119-7 but Harbhajan's eight fours and two sixes helped Mumbai smash 52 runs in the last three overs at the DY Patil stadium.
After Gilchrist elected to field, Mumbai were unable to get any momentum going in their innings as regular wickets kept pegging them back. The in-form Tendulkar held one end up but had to play a sedate innings with the Mumbai middle order crumbling. Mumbai lost five wickets for just 29 runs.
However, the game changed when Tendulkar fell after hitting nine boundaries and Harbhajan came to bat.
RP Singh was the most successful bowler with the left-armer picking three wickets for 31 runs.
Naman Ojha made 80, his best IPL score. Rajasthan Royals 177 for 8 (Ojha 80, Jakati 2-30, Thushara 2-28) beat Chennai Super Kings 160 for 6 (Vijay 42, Tait 2-22) by 17 runs
Naman Ojha's bat, Yusuf Pathan's right arm and some steady nerves from the fast bowlers proved enough to flummox Chennai Super Kings and lead Rajasthan Royals to their fourth win in a row. Ojha's first half-century of the season, and best score in the IPL, propelled Rajasthan to a formidable total before a miserly spells from Yusuf, who also effected a direct-hit run-out and held two catches, Shaun Tait and Siddharth Trivedi choked Chennai as the "home" side surged to a 17-run victory in Ahmedabad.
In Yusuf and Michael Lumb, Rajasthan possess some awesome firepower, but the pair fizzled in hot conditions on an ideal batting pitch. Lumb, who scored crucial 40s in the last two games, fleetingly cut loose while Pathan followed his audacious 34-ball 73 in the last game with a single-digit score. Thus it was left to Ojha to shore up the innings. For the first four overs he was a spectator as Lumb led the charge, playing a series of shots in his 16-ball 30. At 47 for 1 after four overs, Rajasthan were off to a flier. At this stage Ojha was on 14. He was keen to play from his crease and more comfortable against medium-pace than spin, though each of his five sixes came against the slower bowlers, two against Muttiah Muralitharan. Ojha played superb shots off the back foot into the arc between cover-point and short third man that were hit with tremendous bat speed and put pressure on the boundary riders.
After the strategic time-out, Faiz Fazal fell, trying to launch Shadab Jakati's left-arm spin into orbit; that brought Yusuf to the crease with Rajasthan set up at 100 for 2 after 11 overs. The last time he walked out at this venue, Pathan clubbed eight sixes in an audacious innings. Today he batted six deliveries for eight runs, with just one four, before he got a leading edge off Jakati to cover.
Ojha, after crossing fifty, relied on two areas for the majority of his runs: that same arc square of the pitch when the seamers were on, and down toward long-on, when the spinners were in operation. Ojha struggled to hit the quicker bowlers down the ground or past cover and, trying to manipulate Thilan Thushara, he got a leading edge on an ugly paddle that short fine leg gobbled up.
Adam Voges fell just after for 20 from 19 balls as Chennai limited the damage at the end. Paras Dogra was run out trying to get Abhishek Jhunjhunwala on strike and, having got back on strike, Jhunjhunwala holed out to long-on. Shane Warne completed the hat-trick of wickets in the final over when he was run out without facing a ball. Chennai had bowled the last ten overs for 81 runs and seven wickets, but failed to take that momentum into their chase.
After bowling a four-run first over, Yusuf struck in his second when he made a difficult chance look easy: Matthew Hayden charged and drove back firmly but Yusuf stuck out his right hand and plucked the ball. Chennai regained some momentum through M Vijay, who looked in gorgeous touch during his 28-ball 42, but Yusuf then nailed a sharp direct hit from square leg.
Chennai's chances after nine overs still looked favourable. They had lost two wickets, but Rajasthan's bowlers had been let down in the field, with three chances going down, two off the dangerous Suresh Raina. Lumb failed to latch on to a pull off Tait and Ojha put down a chance on 12 when Raina looked to steer Warne.
The strategic time-out has favoured the fielding side this season and so it was here. Four balls after the break, the slow pace of Warne undid Raina, who looked to ping the deep midwicket boundary with a big swish but instead heard the ball crash into off stump. S Badrinath was beaten first up with a fizzing legbreak, with Yusuf at slip licking his lips, to conjure up visions of Warne in a different era. The squeeze was on.
Chennai managed just four boundaries in the next five overs, with Trivedi turning in another outstanding outing. His first three overs cost just 15 runs and he mixed slow bouncers with offcutters expertly. With Chennai needing 59 from 30 balls, Warne called on Yusuf for his final over and what an over it proved to be. He fired the ball in flat and quick and, after a wide, a leg-bye, a single and a dot, MS Dhoni was run out going for the second run. Rajasthan exploded in excitement.
That turned into trepidation as Morkel clubbed three successive sixes off Warne, but Tait struck with the bouncer to get Badrinath top-edging to Pathan and followed up with Morkel's wicket as he swung one to the deep. Tait's pace was just too hot to handle and for the third straight game he'd bowled a crucial spell. Trivedi bowled a tight last over to seal the win.
Rajasthan now have the same number of points as Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. They are scripting another memorable comeback.
One-year IPL ban on Ravindra Jadeja upheld
New Delhi: Ravindra Jadeja may have made the cut for the ICC World Twenty20 but his hopes of playing in the third edition of the Indian Premier League are over. The IPL's Review Committee, headed by Arun Jaitley, on Saturday upheld the one-year ban handed out to Jadeja for breaching player contract guidelines.
"Jadeja's ban upheld for 2010 season," Sundar Raman, the IPL's chief executive, said through Twitter. "Chairman Mr Jaitely filed the report, MI (Mumbai Indians) reprimanded,' he added.
Jadeja was in February banned from playing in this edition after he failed to renew his existing contract with the Rajasthan Royals and attempted to negotiate a new contract with the Mumbai Indians.
The Mumbai team has also been reprimanded for having tried to poach the all-rounder.
Collingwood keen on making his IPL debut
New Delhi: It is difficult to adapt to Twenty20 cricket immediately after playing Test cricket. But swift transition from one form of the game to the other has become part of a professional cricketer's life and England's Paul Collingwood is keen to make an early switch.
Back after playing a two-Test series against Bangladesh, Collingwood has little time to think as he tunes himself to the fast-paced Indian Premier League.
With his team Delhi Daredevils taking on Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, Collingwood is hoping to make his IPL debut and provide solidity to the inconsistent middle order.
"It is a great opportunity to play in IPL and get back to Twenty20 cricket," Collingwood said.
An additional motivation for Colligwood to play some IPL matches is to give himself a good practice before the World Twenty20 in West Indies.
"I will be leading the England side in World Cip Twenty20 in West Indies, so it is an opportunity to work on the mental aspect of my game and prepare for it."
"I have not played a single match yet. Hopefully, I will play this time. I can spruce up the middle order. I have done something similar in Bangladesh playing for England, and if I get a chance here my role will be similar."
He may not be regarded as the best of talents, but Collingwood is certainly a thinking cricketer and quickly adapts himslef to different conditions.
"Test cricket will remain the ultimate for me. It is a satisfaction to play the five-day game. But Twenty20 brings different challenges along with it. There are lot of skills required in T20. There are different dimensions to the game. You have to work hard on every ball. See how the fielding standard of every teams has gone up after Twenty20."
As for his own team Daredevils, Collingwood feels they are in the pack for a semi-final berth. Daredevils have won three matches and lost three so far.
"I wouldn't say we are in a bad situation. We have lost three games but there is a good spirit in the team after the last win (against Royal Challengers Bangalore). We need a few more wins and we will peak at the right time. You need to get the momentum going. I feel we have a good chance of making it to the semi-finals," Collingwood said.
Asked whether there will be any pressure on Delhi Daredevils as they have lost both their matches at home, Collingwood said: "I don't think there will be any mental block playing at home. It's basically about adapating to different situations. IPL involves lot of travelling, playing in different pitches."
"Kinght Riders have some talented players. (Chris) Gayle is their number one batsman and its is important for us to get him early. They have a match-winner in Shane Bond."
"We also have some good players in (Virender) Sehwag, (David) Warner, (Dinesh) Karthik. Everybody is in good spirit and looking to carry on the momentum."
On allowing more foreign players in the team: "It will make the game more exciting but the Indian youngsters will miss out. IPL gives an opportunity to the domestic players to play alongside the big names that can help in their development as a cricketer."
Quick wickets put Mumbai in control
Mumbai: Harbhajan Singh turned it on with the bat in the last three overs to swing the game in Mumbai Indians' favour against the Deccan Chargers on Saturday. The off-spinner smashed a 49 not out off just 18 balls to take Mumbai to 172-7.
When Sachin Tendulkar perished in the 17th over for 55, Mumbai were struggling at 119-7 but Harbhajan's eight fours and two sixes helped Mumbai smash 52 runs in the last three overs at the DY Patil stadium.
After Adam Gilchrist elected to field, Mumbai were unable to get any momentum going in their innings as regular wickets kept pegging them back. The in-form Tendulkar held one end up but had to play a sedate innings with the Mumbai middle order crumbling. Mumbai lost five wickets for just 29 runs.
However, the game changed when Tendulkar fell after hitting nine boundaries and Harbhajan came to bat.
RP Singh was the most successful bowler with the left-armer picking three wickets for 31 runs.
The Mumbai Indians have just lost one game in the tournament so far and are sitting pretty at the top of the points table. The Deccan Chargers, on the other hand, have been patchy and will be looking to bounce back after being thumped by Rajasthan Royals in their lost game.
The Chargers made three changes in their line-up with VVS Laxman, Rahul Sharma and Chaminda Vaas made way for Mohnish Mishra, Jaskaran Singh and Kemar Roach, who makes his IPL debut.
The confident Mumbai Indians left out wicketkeeper Aditya Tare to bring in Ambati Rayudu.
Punjab sink to new low as Kolkata win big
Mohali: Things went from bad to worse for Kumar Sangakkara's Kings XI Punjab as they lost their third successive game at home on Saturday. Chasing 184, Punjab made 144-6 to give a comfortable win to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The day belonged to Manoj Tiwary who bludgeoned an unbeaten 79 and then took a super catch to send back the dangerous Yuvraj Singh at the PCA stadium.
Punjab were never in the hunt with Kolkata striking in the first over and keeping a tight lid on the scoring from there on. Shane Bond trapped Ravi Bopara for no score and though Yuvraj Singh (24) belted a few blows, Kolkata were always in control. Especially after Yuvraj, who opened the batting, perished to Ajit Agarkar in the sixth over, Punjab never posed a threat.
Kumar Sangakkara (30) and Mahela Jayawardene (16) attempted to put up a fight but both eventually succumbed to the pressure. And by the time, Irfan Pathan came in the middle it was a little too late for Punjab.
Agarkar, playing his first game of the tournament, returned figures of two for 32 while Bond had figures of two for 24.
Earlier, The Kolkata Knight Riders finally batted like they were playing a 20-over game as Tiwary (79 not out) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (50) drove them to 183-5.
After Ganguly elected to bat, Chris Gayle got the Knight Riders off to a super start by pounding comeback man Brett Lee for 15 runs in the first over of the game. The Kolkata captain took over after Gayle fell for 14 and along with Tiwary added 79 runs in less than 10 overs.
Ganguly reached his fifty in the 14th over, his first in 16 IPL innings. His last half-century was in the inaugural edition in 2008. The southpaw smashed six boundaries and one six in his knock that ended when he tried to lift Irfan Pathan over long-off but was caught by Piyush Chawla.
David Hussey (three) failed to make a mark in his first game of IPL III as he was deceived by Chawla. However, Tiwary held one end up and reached his second IPL fifty and struck lusty blows in the end to power the Knight Riders to a formidable total. Tiwary belted eight fours and two sixes in his unconquered 47-ball innings.
The 39-run win escalated the Knight Riders to the fifth position in the points table.
Hayden's Mongoose finds takers in UAE
Dubai: The Mongoose bat may have yielded limited returns for Matthew Hayden in the Indian Premier League, but it is certainly gaining popularity among the cricketers in the UAE.
Cricket lovers are flocking the shops here and in Sharjah inquiring about the availability of the bat.
"Our showroom has already started selling Mongoose bat. Few bats have also been sold in our showroom's outlet in Wimbledon, England," Ali Anwar Jafri of the Sharjah Cricket Council and owner of AJ Sports said.
"I had flown in 20 Mongoose bats nearly six months ago but they had remained unsold. But now the demand is really high," Jafri told Gulf News.
"The power of every cricket bat has increased with manufactures making sure that the sweet spot is made thicker. Bats are now very light and not pressed and such bats are good for professionals but not for club level cricketers," said Jafri.
"Hard hitters want a lot of meat in the middle and I recently happened to see Yusuf Pathan's bat. It was unbelievably thick in the middle," he added.
Though such bats may not last long, professional cricketers do not mind using it because most of the bats are given to them by sponsors and they do not have to pay from their pocket.
"These bats may have lots of power but less longevity. The Mongoose bat is being sold for 300 dirhams (Rs 3,684) and UAE's hardest hitters are likely to use it in the coming tournaments," Jafri said.
Rajasthan vs Chennai: contrasting fortunes at stake
Ahmedabad: Turbo charged Rajasthan take on purring motor Chennai in what should be a lip-smacking clash in the day game of the double header on Super Sunday. Both the teams have witnessed contrasting fortunes in the last week and Chennai will hope that they can finally put one across to get their campaign back on track in this edition of the IPL.
Rajasthan have bounced back from nowhere and at a time when no one thought they could match the other teams. They still don't have Shane Watson and with injuries to Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas, most would have written them off. But their never-say-die attitude has seen them script quite a comeback. Shane Warne continues to be an inspirational leader and the local lads have put on a spectacular show. After all, when you hit rock bottom, the only place to go is up.
Both teams have everything to play for on Sunday. Warne knows the importance of continuing the winning momentum. They have already reached number three in the points tally and would not under any circumstance want to squander the advantage. Yusuf Pathan has again begun to strike from the middle of the bat, while Michael Lumb, Naman Ojha and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala have played handy knocks. Rajasthan's biggest turnaround factor though has been their innovative bowling and spot on fielding. They've caught the catches and not missed the throws at the stumps.
Their bowling has also got a much needed fillip with Shaun Tait back in his rhthym and Sidharth Trivedi and Yusuf Pathan bowling tight overs. Warne knows that he needs to hold on for another week, when Watson will join them after the Test series against New Zealand. Rajasthan suddenly again seem the team from the first edition.
And talking of the first edition takes us back to the final where Chennai ended up on the losing side. They would surely want to return the favour and put their campaign back on track. Losing tight games certainly hasn't helped their cause. And while much is expected from Matthew Hayden and his mongoose bat, one success in six games means the bat is certainly not one to be feared of.
Hayden's failure with the mongoose bat in the super over against Punjab also means that he has a couple of demons to get rid off. Will he chance this bat again on Sunday or will he go for the time-tested regular bat? This is a question he must think an answer off as a lot depends on him and the start he provides.
Chennai's weakest link though continues to be their bowling. Barring Muttiah Muralitharan, none of the others have been able to impress. Albie Morkel and L Balaji have performed in patches and both R Ashwin and Shadab Jakati have failed to tighten the screws on the opposition.
Rajasthan definitely have the edge and have their engines revved up. Chennai will have to drive hard to catch up and make their mark.
Acclimatisation in WI key for us: Gambhir
New Delhi: India's prospect in the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies will depend on how fast the team acclimatises there, according to star opener Gautam Gambhir.
"It's important how we adjust after reaching there. It's going to be the key and we have to go all guns blazing," said Gambhir, adding "We are hoping to put up a good show."
The left-hander said most of the Indian players would reach the West Indies having played in the Indian Premier League and that would stand them in good stead.
"We are already in Twenty20 mode because of IPL. So I think it will help us to play well there," the Delhi Daredevils players told reporters.
Gambhir, who missed the last few IPL matches because of injury, was happy that the Daredevils have bounced back in the tournament after three defeats on the trot.
"It's nice to get back the winning momentum. We started well in the tournament but after that lost the momentum. We hope in the coming matches we will improve our performance," Gambhir said.
Stats: Kallis leading run-scorer in IPL-3
Leading run-scorers:
| Player | Runs | Avg | SR |
JH Kallis (RCB) | 310 | 155.00 | 128.09 |
SR Tendulkar (MI) | 248 | 62.00 | 150.30 |
YK Pathan (RR) | 242 | 48.40 | 181.95 |
V Sehwag (DD) | 198 | 33.00 | 176.78 |
RS Bopara (KXIP) | 197 | 39.40 | 120.12 |
ML Hayden (CSK) | 196 | 32.66 | 155.55 |
SK Raina (CSK) | 180 | 45.00 | 141.73 |
MK Pandey (RCB) | 179 | 35.80 | 121.76 |
RV Uthappa (RCB) | 177 | 44.25 | 175.24 |
SS Tiwary (MI) | 171 | 34.20 | 144.91 |
Leading wicket-takers:
Bowlers | Wkts | Avg | Econ |
M Muralitharan (CSK) | 11 | 12.90 | 5.91 |
WPUJC Vaas (DC) | 8 | 15.00 | 6.66 |
R Vinay Kumar (RCB) | 8 | 17.25 | 7.66 |
A Mishra (DD) | 7 | 23.00 | 7.31 |
P Kumar (RCB) | 7 | 25.71 | 7.50 |
SW Tait (RR) | 7 | 20.71 | 7.56 |
L Balaji (CSK) | 7 | 27.28 | 8.95 |
Most sixes in IPL 2010:
Batsmen | 6s | Inns |
YK Pathan (RR) | 19 | 6 |
RV Uthappa (RCB) | 12 | 5 |
ML Hayden (CSK) | 11 | 6 |
AC Gilchrist (DC) | 9 | 5 |
SK Raina (CSK) | 9 | 6 |
V Sehwag (DD) | 8 | 6 |
A Symonds (DC) | 8 | 5 |
Spectators lap up Bollywood-IPL mix in Mohali
Mohali: It was a scintillating atmosphere amid Bollywood beats and dancing cheerleaders at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium on Saturday as Kings XI Punjab clashed with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with the fans letting their hair down irrespective of the match result.
Most of the spectators were only interested in enjoying the game and the atmosphere to the optimum.
"IPL is a totally 'paisa vasool' option that comfortably fits in our fast routine. Here so much of things are going on simultaneously. It's just like a fat Indian wedding full of colour and fervour," said Atul Agnihotri, a young engineer, who had come to visit the match along with his office colleagues.
Varun Gandhi, an ardent fan of KKR, said: "I really don't know that what is going on in the field as I am only busy in dancing since I have entered the stadium. It's all very entertaining and Ganguly hitting boundaries in the backdrop of maddening music is really relishing."
Nitin Pal, another IPL fan, said: "Whoever wins the game, it does not matter to us. We are taking at as a cricket carnival and we certainly want such matches to happen more frequently."
With huge presence of police officials, many cricket fans grumbled about the unwarranted security checks.
"We have to park our car at a long distance and had to walk at least four km on foot to reach the stadium. We do not know what is the need to deploy so many cops and police barricades here," said Saurabh Sharma, a student.
Ganguly : Before Saturday, it seemed that it's going to be three in a row for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Three very unsuccessful IPL campaigns. However, what started off brilliantly and then plummeted down exponentially got a fresh lease of life when Kings XI Punjab looked clueless against the confident Knights at the PCA stadium. This was perhaps Kolkata's most convincing victory in three years after Brendon McCullum's destruction of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first game of the inaugural season.
But it has to be said the Knight Riders look a different team this year and it's not just the purple jerseys or the absence of the erstwhile omnipresent Shah Rukh Khan. The Knight Riders look more focussed and it looks like they mean business (a different one from the previous two years).
For starters, for the first time their domestic players are coming good. Manoj Tiwary has been their star and finally the batsman is showing why he has been one of the most highly rated players in India. Murali Kartik is bringing his huge experience to good use.
This time in the foreign slots there is less stress on the stars. Owais Shah seems like a great buy from the Daredevils, who themselves could do with some stability in their batting. Angelo Mathews may just do what Shane Watson did for the Rajasthan Royals in the first year. Brendon McCullum is in the form of his life and his arrival in the first week of April is going to boost the Knight Riders further.
However, there was disappointment everywhere when Kolkata showcased perhaps two of the most insipid batting performances after winning back-to-back games this year. The two losses looked like Sourav Ganguly's men are going to do what they do best -- lose big and lose many.
Hopefully for every Kolkata fan, Saturday's win is going to change all that. Performances like this, will surely make them one of the top teams this year.
It's going to be IPL's most romantic dream if the Knight Riders go all the way this year. It is too early to make such predictions but if it happens, this would be IPL's biggest comeback story. And maybe Shah Rukh Khan's biggest hit.
Karachi: Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has joined the list of advocates supporting Sachin Tendulkar's inclusion in India's Twenty20 World Cup squad, saying the champion batsman's absence from the next month's event is a blessing in disguise for other teams.
Tendulkar, who quit the format along with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid in 2007, has been in red hot form in the IPL and it forced former as well as present cricketers, including Afridi to ask the right-hander to change his decision and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
"The way he has blossomed in the last few years, he is only getting better and better as a batsman. If he is not playing for India in the Twenty20 World Cup, it is certainly a big advantage for other teams," Afridi said.
"If Tendulkar had played in this World Cup, I am sure he would made big impact for India," he added.
Notwithstanding the hue and cry, Tendulkar has recently ruled out the possibility of returning to Twenty20 International cricket.
However, Afridi feels with age Tendulkar is getting better day by day and could be a destructive force in T20 matches.
"With every match he seems to be growing as a batsman and getting better. He is playing like a teenager. There is no sign of age affecting his game at all," the Pakistani all-rounder said.
"The biggest thing that he still enjoys playing the sport and he is hunger for runs has not died at all," he said.
"I think even in T20 cricket you need to bat properly and at times even playing out 20 overs is a big challenge for a team. You need to play orthodox cricket," Afridi noted.
Mohali: Kings XI Punjab skipper Kumar Sangakkara has been banned from their next match against Mumbai Indians because of the team's repeated failure to maintain the over-rate in the IPL.
Punjab were one over behind the required over-rate after allowances were taken into consideration in Saturday's match against Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL said in a statement on Sunday.
"It was Kings XI Punjab's third offence of the season, and under the IPL's code of conduct related to minimum over-rate offences, captain Kumar Sangakkara was fined $50,000 and each player in the team $20,000.
"Sangakkara is banned from playing in the team's next match, a clash against Mumbai Indians March 30."
Kings XI Punjab slumped to their fifth defeat last night when they went down to Knight Riders by 39 runs. They are the bottom-placed team with only one win in six matches.
New Delhi: Under pressure to bounce back in the IPL, Chennai Super Kings will breathing a sigh of relief as the side will get two Aussie reinforcements soon.
Middle order batsman Michael Hussey and left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger, who has replaced the injured Jacob Oram, will join the Super Kings team on April 3 following the conclusion of Australia's ongoing tour of New Zealand.
IPL CEO Sundar Raman confirmed on his Twitter page that Bollinger had indeed replaced Oram for the season, while Hussey has been a member of the Chennai side since the first season.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals also secured the services of Australian Aaron Finch, who joins the side after injuries to Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas, before sending back Damien Martyn.
New Delhi: Ravindra Jadeja may have made the cut for the ICC World Twenty20 but his hopes of playing in the third edition of the Indian Premier League are over. The IPL's Review Committee, headed by Arun Jaitley, on Saturday upheld the one-year ban handed out to Jadeja for breaching player contract guidelines.
"Jadeja's ban upheld for 2010 season," Sundar Raman, the IPL's chief executive, said through Twitter. "Chairman Mr Jaitely filed the report, MI (Mumbai Indians) reprimanded,' he added.
Jadeja was in February banned from playing in this edition after he failed to renew his existing contract with the Rajasthan Royals and attempted to negotiate a new contract with the Mumbai Indians.
The Mumbai team has also been reprimanded for having tried to poach the all-rounder.
Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals continued their confident run by posting an impressive 177-8 against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Opener Naman Ojha belted 80 off just 49 balls while Michael Lumb (30) and Adam Voges (20) smashed cameos to set the Super Kings a steep target. The Super Kings who have only two wins from their six games are desperate for a win.
Lumb and Ojha got Royals off to a super start by bludgeoning 47 in just four overs before the England batsman perished to Albie Morkel.
Ojha however did not allow the momentum to shift by keeping up the run-rate. Rajasthan reached their fastest 100 in IPL III.
Though Shakab Jakati and Muttiah Muralitharan pulled back things in the middle overs, especially with the wicket of the dangerous Yusuf Pathan, Rajasthan looked poised for a massive score.
But after Ojha fell in the 18th over, Chennai struck regularly as Rajasthan failed to up the ante at the death. The Royals lost five wickets in the last four overs including three in the last over.