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Ravi Shastri named India's interim coach for Bangladesh tour

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Ravi Shastri

New Delhi: Former captain Ravi Shastri was Tuesday retained as Director of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh starting June 10 as the BCCI continued its search for a new permanent coach to succeed Duncan Fletcher.

Shastri, who served as Team Director during the tour of Australia and the subsequent World Cup earlier this year, is a stop-gap arrangement for the short trip. Fletcher’s tenure had ended earlier this year after the World Cup.

“The BCCI wishes to inform that Mr. Ravi Shastri, former India Captain, has been appointed as Director of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh, starting on 10 June 2015,” BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement.

“Mr. Sanjay Bangar, Assistant Coach (Batting), Mr. B. Arun, Assistant Coach (Bowling) and Mr. R. Sridhar, Assistant Coach (Fielding), will assist Mr. Shastri during the tour. Mr. Biswarup Dey will be the Administrative Manager. Mr. Rishikesh Upadhayaya has been appointed as Logistics Manager for the tour,” he added.

Thakur said Shastri’s appointment was a stop-gap arrangement and the Board will name a permanent coach later. The full-time coach’s appointment will be done after consulting the newly-formed advisory committee of the BCCI, which comprises former greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

“This (the appointment of Shastri) is for the Bangladesh tour and future decisions will be taken after this,” Thakur said.

India will play one Test and three One-Day Internationals during the tour of Bangladesh. From June 10 in Fatullah, India will play the one off Test against Bangladesh, followed by three ODIs in Mirpur (June 18, 21, 24). The team will leave for this assignment on June 7 from Kolkata.

Shastri represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India and was part of the side, which lifted the 1983 World Cup.

Shastri had travelled with the Indian team to Bangladesh in 2007 as cricket manager after Greg Chappell resigned from the coach’s post following the World Cup debacle that year.

Under Shastri’s guidance earlier this year, the Indian team lost the Test series in Australia 0-2 after a fighting performance but went down tamely in the ODI tri-series that followed.

In the World Cup in March, the Indians, who were the defending champions, were ousted in the semifinal stage.

Yesterday, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman were inducted into the BCCI to guide the Board and the national team on various “progressive steps” needed for future challenges.

The BCCI said the three legends’ guidance will be sought in preparing the national team for gruelling overseas assignments besides strengthening the domestic structure.

The panel is due to meet on June 5 in Kolkata and its inputs will be sought while picking the new head coach, whose name could be out ahead of the July tour to Zimbabwe.

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday appointed former captain Ravi Shastri as the national team director for the upcoming tour to Bangladesh.

“The BCCI wishes to inform that Ravi Shastri, former India captain, has been appointed as director of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh, starting on 10 June,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement.

Sanjay Bangar, B. Arun, R. Sridhar will continue as the batting, bowling and fielding coaches, respectively.

One Test match and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) are scheduled for the tour.

(Agencies)

Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman join BCCI advisory committee

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Tendulkar Ganguly Laxman

Mumbai: Former batting stars Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman were on Monday included in the newly-formed cricket advisory committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur took to Twitter to confirm the news. “Gr8 start to the day! Conference call w/ legends @sachin_rt @VVSLaxman281 & Saurav Ganguly who will form @BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee,” he tweeted.

“I welcome & thank @sachin_rt Saurav Ganguly @VVSLaxman281 fr joining @BCCI. Privileged to hv yur guidance & support, as we start a new inning!,” he wrote.

Before the move, the BCCI on April 26 had said that the committee members “will share their recommendations on the overall conduct and development of the game”.

However, it is still not clear what roles the legends will play. It has been widely speculated that Ganguly will become the Indian team’s high-performance manager and it will be interesting to see who will be given that role.

The three former cricketers, who played for India 1989-2013 are expected to have their say on the selection of coaches and other matters for the development of cricket.

Interestingly, the BCCI is yet to appoint a new head coach following Duncan Fletcher’s departure and the absence of former captain Rahul Dravid from this committee, has fuelled further rumours.

Many feel that the inclusion of former Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman — who have played 447 Test matches among them, is certainly a big move as India head into a critical phase wherein their Test team will be captained by a young Virat Kohli, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni will continue to lead in the shorter formats.

Suicide blast during Pakistan and Zimbabwe cricket match near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore

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gaddafistadium-blasts-explosions-cricket

Lahore: A blast near the premises of Qaddafi Stadium on Friday—which took place during a one-day international match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe — was confirmed as a suicide attack by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, who said a sub-inspector lost his life while trying to stop the suicide bomber.

Talking to Geo News, Rashid said an attempt to attack the stadium was foiled by the gallantry of a police official, who lost his life while trying to stop the attacker near Kalma Chowk in Lahore. He added that six people were wounded in the incident.

The information minister praised the actions of Pakistan Broadcasters Association for “Covering up” the news while the cricket match was ongoing so as not to spread panic.

Local media had at first reported an explosion close to Gaddafi stadium but reports were taken off air after it was falsely asserted that the explosion was caused by an electricity transformer in the area.

Later, Punjab police’s IG Operations, while addressing a press briefing said two people — Sub-Inspector Abdul Majeed and a civilian Rizwan — were killed in the blast, DawnNews reported.

But the senior police official claimed that the blast happened inside a rickshaw and that forensic samples had been collected from the site to determine the nature of the explosion.

(AP)

Senior FIFA officials indicted on corruption charges

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US indicts 14 people as Swiss authorities announce criminal investigation into 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

FIFA

by Al Jazeera

Swiss authorities have arrested seven leading FIFA officials in Zurich on racketeering and bribery charges brought by the United States and announced they have opened a criminal case in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The arrested officials are among 14 people named in a 47-count indictment that was unsealed in federal court in New York City on Wednesday.

Among those charged in the indictment are FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner – the current and former presidents of CONCACAF (the continental confederation under FIFA headquartered in the US).

The 14 officials and executives were charged with a bribery and kickback scheme that spanned a 24-year period.

The Justice Department revealed that four individuals and two companies have already pleaded guilty, in a case that has rocked football’s world governing body.

“It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks,” US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter was not among the men arrested, FIFA spokesperson Walter de Gregorio confirmed. The governing body’s officials are in Switzerland for the congress as its gets ready to elect  its next president.

“The General Secretary and President have not been arrested,” de Gregorio said in a press conference. “FIFA welcomes this process as it initiated it last November, lodging a legal complaint with the federal attorney.”

“The 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be played in Russia and Qatar. One thing [arrests] has nothing to do with the other and the election will take place as planned.”

The US Department of Justice released a statement confirming the intensity of the investigation, saying that the bribes in question mounted to “well over $150m”.

“The defendants also include US and South American sports marketing executives who are alleged to have systematically paid and agreed to pay well over $150m in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments,” the statement said.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted, both abroad and here in the United States,” added US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

World Cup investigation

Separate to the US indictment, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) issued a statement saying it has “opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups”.

The OAG said it has seized data and documents from FIFA’s IT systems on Wednesday as part of its investigation.

“It is suspected that irregularities occurred in the allocation of the FIFA World Cups of 2018 and 2022,” the OAG statement said.

“The OAG and the Swiss Federal Criminal Police will be questioning 10 persons who took part in voting on the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as members of the Executive Committee in 2010.”

The US is expected to seek extradition of the officials who have been arrested.

Elections still on

FIFA called the arrest a “difficult moment” but said it would not derail President Sepp Blatter’s bid to win a fifth term in an election on Friday.

“It is certainly a difficult moment for us,” added De Gregorio.

“There was never such an idea to postpone the congress nor the election, one thing has nothing to do with the other.”

He said that Blatter was “not dancing in his office” following the arrests but remained “calm” and was prepared to cooperate fully with investigators.

Mumbai Indians lift second IPL title with a 41-run win over CSK

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Mumbai Indians second IPL

Kolkata: A far too superior Mumbai Indians crushed Chennai Super Kings under the weight of a daunting asking rate on Sudnay Ato lift the coveted Indian Premier League title for the second time, in a virtual replay of the final between the two sides in 2013 at the same venue Eden Gardens.

Put in to bat, Mumbai gave an awesome batting display to plunder 202/5, and then restricted Chennai to 161/8, finishing with a 41 run victory before a capacity 66,000 plus crowd at the iconic ground.

Chasing the tough target, Chennai Super Kings lost an early wicket and never quite seemed like taking up the challenge,virtually choking Aunder pressure as the asking rate kept mounting. In the end, the battle seemed quite one-sided.

Two years back, Mumbai had defeated Chennai by 23 runs to annex their maiden title at the Eden.

Mumbai now have evened with Chennai and Kolkata Knight Riders – each having been crowned champions twice.

Chennai began their reply on the wrong note, as Mike Hussey (4) departed cheaply, but Dwayne Smith (57; 48b, 9×4, 1×6). and Suresh Raina (28; 19b, 3×4, 1×6) set out to repair the damage and take the battle into the opponent camp with a 66-run second wicket stand.

However, veteran office Harbhajan Singh – on a high after his recall to the Indian team – showed the door to Smith, and that proved to be the turning point of the game, as CSK never got going after that.

Wickets tumbled, as Raina became Harbhajan’s victim in the tweaker’s next over, while Dwayne Bravo (9) and skipper M S Dhoni (18) also could not do much.

The dye was cast, and once Dhoni went back in the 16th over, with the score reading 124/5, it was all over. AA

For the winners, Mitchell Mcclenaghan (3/25), Lasith Malings (2/25) and Harbhajan Singh (2/34) were the main wicket takers.

Earlier, , the Mumbai Indians built their innings around two partnerships, as they set an asking rate of 10.15 for Chennai on a flat strip.

A rollicking 119-run second-wicket stand between opener Lendl Simmons (68; 45b, 8×4, 3×6) and skipper Rohit Sharma (50; 26b, 4×6, 6×2) took the team to a position of solidity after the loss of opener Parthiv Patel in the opening over itself.

Kieron Pollard (36; 18b, 2×4, 3×6) and Ambati Rayudu (36; 24b, 3×6) then forged a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket off only 40 balls to pile on the Chennai Super Kings bowlers’ misery.

Rohit, who has always found Eden a happy hunting ground, went on the offensive from the word go, smacking Mohit Sharma for 16 runs in the second over, before unleashing some exquisite strokes during his stay in the middle.

Caribbean Simmons also played with his characteristic flamboyance, but reached his half century with a somewhat lucky shot, an edge, as Pawan Negi only managed to get his hands to the leather before it slipped out. The batsmen ran two, and Mumbai were 98/1 at the halfway stage.

Dwayne Bravo finally broke the partnership by foxing Rohit with a slower ball. Mumbai were 120/3 in 12 overs.

Simmons returned in the very next delivery, yorked by Dwayne Smith.

Rayudu then joined Pollard, who belted Nehra for 23 runs in the 17th over, that included three sixes and one boundary.

For Chennai, Dwayne Bravo (2 for 36) was the most successful bowler.

(IANS)

IPL: CSK beat RCB by three wickets to reach final

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IPL

Ranchi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the sixth time as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by three wickets in the qualifier 2 of the Twenty20 tournament at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Put in to bat, two-time runners-up RCB could only manage a modest total of 139/8 with left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scoring with 41. Sarfaraz Khan also played a handy innings of 31. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he picked up 3/28 from his four overs.

In reply of the small target, two-time champions CSK were driven by a patient knock from veteran Michel Hussey, who scored 56 from 46 balls. The left-hander shared a useful 47-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) to help his side reach home with three wickets and a ball to spare.

With this win, CSK set up Sunday’s title clash with Mumbai Indians, who won the qualifier 1 against the same opponents on Tuesday.

Earlier, veteran pacer Nehra once again came good for CSK as he clinched 3/28 in his four overs, including the vital wickets of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (12) and explosive batsman AB de Villiers (1).

Nehra was well assisted by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended with brilliant bowling figures of 4-0-13-1, scalping Mandeep Singh (4). The duo did not allow the RCB batsmen to accelerate at all.

Though left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scored with 41, it wasn’t his usual innings as he played 43 balls and hit only two boundaries and three sixes.

Two important cameos from wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (28) and Sarfaraz Khan (31) helped augment RCB’s total at the end, but the top order failed to make an impact when it mattered the most.

Good bowling changes and field placements by CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also proved significant as Mohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo also clinched a wicket each to slow down the run rate and restrict RCB to 139/8.

During the chase, CSK also didn’t get a good start as their West Indian aggressive batsman Dwayne smith (17) pulled medium pacer Sreenath Aravind it to Mitchell Starc at deep square leg.

At this time, CSK were 21/1 in 3.1 overs and they could have lost their second wicket in the next delivery had Chris Gayle had not dropped Faf du Plessis, who edged to first slip in the very first ball he faced.

CSK had luck on their side on another occasion as RCB’s David Wiese induced an edge off opener Michael Hussey, who was then on 11, only for it was to be dropped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

However, du Plessis failed to grab the chance and went back to the dug-out after being bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the second ball of the 10th over. The South African right-hander made 21.

Two deliveries later, Chahal gave another blow to CSK by removing Suresh Raina (0). The Indian left-hander offered a catch to Wiese at long-off to leave CSK struggling at 61/3.

However, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking with ones, twos and odd boundaries before he played it to the hands of Harshal Patel off Wiese.

With 32 still required in 21 deliveries and skipper Dhoni not in his best of forms, it seemed RCB had a chance. But Dhoni and Pawan Negi (12 in six balls) ensured that they enter the final for the fourth time in the last five years.

Following this win, CSK proceed to the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday against 2013 champions Mumbai.

(IANS)

Rajasthan knocked out, RCB set up clash with CSK

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: An allround performance propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to an emphatic 71 run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) eliminator as the latter crashed out of the tournament here on Wednesday.

In reply to RCB’s formidable 180/4, the Royals were bundled out for a paltry 109 in 19 overs.

RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier 2, with the winner facing Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24 final.

Ajinkya Rahane ploughed a lonely furrow for the Royals with a 39-ball 42, as none of the other batsmen came up with any notable contribution, as Sreenath Aravind, Harshal Patel, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each for RCB.

Rajasthan were jolted early in their innings as inform batting allrounder Shane Watson (10) got out cheaply followed by the talented youngster Sanju Samson (5) who edged it to the keeper off a Harshal Patel delivery.

They could only manage to reach 40/2 in the powerplay as the willowers found it quite difficult playing the shots on the two paced strip.

Skipper Steve Smith (12), however, tried to anchor the innings but just as the Australian was getting into the groove, he lofted one straight down the throat of AB de Villiers at sweeper cover.

At the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were reeling at 68/3.

The wickets kept on tumbling as the Royals felt the scoreboard pressure with the asking rate going up after every dot ball.

Rahane perished in the deep while Australian allrounder James Faulkner (4) was out caught and bowled by Sreenath Aravind after he managed to squeeze one up in the air off his boots.

From 55/3 in 8.1 overs, the Royals collpased to 95/8 in the 16th over, as the innings never got going.

Earlier in the day, de Villiers top scored for RCB with a 38-ball 66, while Mandeep with his unbeaten knock of 54 from 34 balls was the other major contributor as the duo put together a 113-run partnership.

Choosing to bat on a two paced wicket, RCB were off to a steady start as both openers Chris Gayle (27) and Virat Kohli cautiously negotiated the bowlers who kept hurling at an impeccable line and length.

But both Gayle and Kohli fell in quick succession and thereafter youngster Mandeep helped RCB reach 60/2 at the halfway stage after runs were down to a trickle.

However, de Villiers who had been quietly picking up the ones and twos, finally broke the shackles as he clobbered left arm spinner Ankit Sharma for 19 runs in the 15th over, in turn bringing up the 100 for his side.

Mandeep joined in the act as the duo cruised along on high gears notching 37 from the next 18 balls, which included two huge sixes from de Villiers off Chris Morris in the 18th over.

Though the South African got run out, Mandeep ensured they had a formidable total on the scoreboard.

For the Royals, Dhawal Kulkarni (2/28) was the pick of the bowlers.

(IANS)

Harbhajan Singh returns to India’s Test squad after 2 years

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Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai: Sidelined for more than two years, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday returned to India’s Test squad for the cricket tour of Bangladesh.

Contrary to speculation about top players being rested, the five-member selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil decided to go with full strength squads for both the one off Test and the three ODIs starting June 10.

An injured knee has forced pacer Mohammed Shami out of the tour and the selectors have picked medium pacer Dhawal Kulkarni to replace him in the ODI squad. Kulkarni has played only four ODIs so far and has taken 8 wickets.

Harbhajan’s inclusion was the lone surprise in the Test side, which would be led by star batsman Virat Kohli after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from the format in January. Dhoni will, however, lead the ODI squad.

“Harbhajan has been discussed earlier as well. The selection committee has picked Harbhajan due to the strength of Bangladesh batting especially the number of left-handers they have. It was decided that Harbhajan should be there for these reasons. Captain Virat Kohli’s opinion was also taken on this,” Patil told reporters after the meeting that lasted little over an hour.

Harbhajan last played a Test for India in March 2013 against Australia in a home series. The 34-year-old is the third highest Test wicket-taker for India with 413 scalps to his credit in 101 matches.

The Squads:

ODIs: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni.

Tests: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhimaan Saha, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sahrma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.

(PTI)

Mumbai beat Chennai by 25 runs to enter IPL final

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Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians

Mumbai: A timely half-century by opener Lendl Simmons and some quality bowling helped Mumbai Indians secure a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 final with a 25-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday.

Simmons rose to the occasion as he scored 65 off 51 balls, which was followed by Kieron Pollard’s 17-ball 41 that helped Mumbai post a challenging 187/6.

In reply, Chennai lost wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 162 in 19 overs.

With this win, Mumbai entered the tournament’s final which will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 24.

Chennai will get a second chance to make it to the final. They will face the winner of the eliminator to be played on Wednesday between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the second qualifier in Ranchi on May 22.

Lasith Malinga (3/23), Harbhajan Singh (2/26) and R. Vinay Kumar (2/26) were the pick of the Mumbai bowlers.

Chasing 188 to win, CSK got off to the worst possible start losing opener Dwayne Smith without scoring off the fourth ball of the first over.

A full toss from pacer Lasith Malinga hit straight into Smith’s front pad which made it easy for the umpire to give the batsman out.

Incoming batsman Faf du Plessis looked in fine form right from the start. The South African along with opener Michael Hussey didn’t let the early wicket affect their scoring. With a couple of boundaries and sixes, CSK reached 46 in 5 overs.

But the very first ball of the sixth over brought the brakes in Chennai’s scoring as bowler Vinay Kumar got the vital wicket of Hussey (16). CSK were 46/2 in 5.1 overs then.

Suresh Raina and du Plessis took it from there to help the team reach a score of 86/2 in 10 overs.

But the over that followed saw the match swinging in the home side’s favour as Harbhajan Singh got rid of Raina (25) and skipper M.S. Dhoni (0) in successive deliveries to help Mumbai stay in the hunt.

Mumbai bowlers kept the bowling tight, making it difficult for the visitors to score.

Set batsman du Plessis (45 off 34 balls), looking to up the scoring rate, departed in the 14th over off the bowling of Jagadeesha Suchith.

It wasn’t over yet. Dwayne Bravo (20), Ravindra Jadeja (19), Pawan Negi (3) all fell thereafter.

Earlier, opting to bat, Mumbai got off to a modest start with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel taking their time to get settled in the first four overs, scoring just 22.

Simmons broke the shackles in the fifth over as spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was hit for two sixes. Thirteen runs were scored of the over.

The over of Ashwin set the momentum for the home side as both the openers kept on striking the ball sweetly to all parts of the park thus bringing up the team’s 50 in 6.2 overs.

Simmons, who is Mumbai’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing season, once again proved his worth as he made a mockery of the bowling, thus bringing up his half-century off just 38 balls.

The West Indian also became the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and J.P. Duminy to score five half-centuries in an IPL season for Mumbai.

A bowling change by skipper M.S. Dhoni worked wonders for CSK as Dwayne Bravo got Parthiv (35) caught at long off. Mumbai’s score was 90/1 in 10.4 overs.

Simmons (65; 51b, 3×4, 5×6) who was looking good for a big score fell soon after in the 14th over off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

Incoming batsmen, skipper Rohit Sharma (19), Hardik Pandya (1), Ambati Rayudu (10) too went back to the pavilion in space of four overs.

Kieron Pollard (41; 17b, 1×4, 5×6) chipped in with a late cameo to help Mumbai reach a challenging score.

(IANS)

RCB, Royals face off in IPL Eliminator

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: A battle royale is on the cards when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association International Stadium here on Wednesday.

The team which ends up second on the day will have to bid farewell to the eighth edition of the tournament and wait for another year to campaign for the coveted trophy.

The winner will face-off against the loser of Qualifier 1 — to be played in Mumbai on Tuesday — which will be either two-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) or 2013 winners Mumbai Indians — who have had an amazing turnaround in fortunes this season.

For both RCB and the Royals, the next game would be a distant thought as first they have to outdo each other in one of the fiercest contests of this summer with both teams boasting of immense firepower.

Speaking of batting, it came to the forefront for both teams in their last encounters of the league stage where the Royals had the better of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB blasted away a formidable challenge from the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The last game for the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers against the Delhi Daredevils was a washout.

Against the Knights, it was Australian all-rounder Shane Watson who stood strong for the Royals, clubbing his way to an unconquered 104 off just 59 balls while it was Kohli and burly Jamaican Chris Gayle who stole the limelight in the game against Sunrisers as the Royal Challengers chased down 81 runs in barely six overs in a rain-curtailed tie.

Getting to the playoffs has not been a cakewalk for either, with both managing to win only seven of their 14 matches apiece — and in two cases each shared the spoils in rain-marred matches.

Nonetheless, the Royals will look to do a repeat of the inaugural edition where they clinched the title when most experts had written them off while RCB will look to holding aloft the trophy for the first time.

It is hard to separate the two outfits from their head-to-head encounters with each side pocketing seven of the 15 clashes between them.

It might just require a Herculean effort from the big guns to make a difference and clinch the contest on Wednesday night. Will it be Gayle, Kohli or AB de Villiers for RCB or will Watson and Steven Smith do it for the Royals?

Given the unpredictability of this format, it might also push up an unlikely hero in the form of a bowler like Mitchell Starc or Chris Morris.

(IANS)

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