Hyderabad, March 30 Nasheman News : A whirlwind half-century by David Warner, coupled with cameos from Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 5 wickets in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) contest here on Friday.

Chasing a stiff 199 for victory, Warner (69; 37b, 4×9, 6×2) set the platform for Sunrisers along with Jonny Bairstow (45; 28b, 4×6, 6×1) before Royals reined in with some timely wickets to take the match down to the wire. 

Vijay Shankar (35; 15b, 4×1, 6×3) did his World Cup chances no harm by keeping Sunrisers in the hunt with some lusty blows, but with 12 needed off 12 balls, Rashid (15*, 8b, 4×1, 6×1) spoiled a brilliant 19th over by Jofra Archer whom he smashed for a four and six to win the game for the hosts with one over to spare.

Royals’ Sanju Samson, who earlier slammed this season’s first century, was left high and dry as Sunrisers completed their highest ever run chase.

Warner gave Sunrisers a flying start as the hosts raced to 69/0 after the Powerplay. 

Returnign to action after a year-long suspension due to his role in a ball tampering row, Warner brought up his 38th IPL fifty off just 26 balls.

Warner and Bairstow added 110 runs for the opening wicket before Ben Stokes cramped Warner for room with a well-directed bouncer which the southpaw pulled down the throat of Dhawal Kulkarni at the fine leg boundary.

Bairstow followed suit soon after Kulkarni made amends for dropping the England stumper-batsman on 44 with a sharp catch at long-off off Shreyas Gopal.

Vijay Shankar and skipper Kane Williamson (14) looked to continue from where the openers had left, with the former playing the aggressor’s role to perfection.

The duo stitched together 47 runs for the third wicket before both were removed in back-to-back overs by Jaydev Unadkat and Gopal, respectively.

New batsman Manish Pandey (1) was trapped in front soon after with Sunrisers needing 32 runs off 28 balls.

Yusuf Pathan (16*) and Rashid Khan then joined hands to take their team over the line.

Earlier, Royals rode on Samson’s brilliant unbeaten hundred to post 198/2.

Samson (102*; 55b, 4×10, 6×4) notched up his second ton in the competition while Royals’ skipper Ajinkya Rahane too cracked a fluent half-century (70; 49b, 4×4, 6×3) to help the hosts recover from a slow start. The pair added 119 runs for the second wicket.

Samson, who brought up his ton in the 20th over by hitting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a four, made the most of a reprieve when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Bairstow on 58 in the 17th over by smashing Kumar for 24 runs in the next over (6-4-4-2-4-4).

In the last over, Stokes (16* off 9) came to the party by smacking Kumar for two successive fours to get the home team close to the 200-run mark. Samson and Stokes were associated in a 64-run third wicket partnership which came off just 25 balls.

Bhuvneshwar (0/55) went for 43 runs in his last two overs as Royals scored 76 runs in the last five overs.

Royals lost Jos Buttler (5) early when the in-form England batsman tried to sweep Rashid Khan (1/24) only to lose his leg stumps in the process.

Rahane and Samson then took time to get going as the visitors could only manage 75/1 at the halfway stage.

But from there on, both batsmen accelerated at brisk pace and after Rahane departed in the 16th over, Samson took the Sunrises bowlers to the cleaners.

Brief scores

Rajasthan Royals: 198/2 (Sanju Samson 102 not out, Ajinkya Rahane 70) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 201/5 (David Warner 69, Jonny Bairstow 45, Vijay Shankar 35; Shreyas Gopal 3/27)

Bengaluru, March 29 Nasheman News :A livid Virat Kohli on Thursday stormed into the match referee’s room and hurled abuses at him following Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) home defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was marred by a glaring umpiring blooper that cost RCB dear, reports said.

According to a Times Now report, right after the presentation ceremony, a furious Kohli barged into match referee Manu Nayyar’s room and used abusive language to let his displeasure known.

As per the report, Kohli even told the match referee that he didn’t care if he was penalised for violating the code of conduct.

Needing 41 runs from 4 overs, RCB looked to be cruising against MI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru before Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga tightened the screws on the home team and won the game for MI by 6 runs.

But the game will be remembered for umpire S. Ravi’s failure to spot a no-ball off the final delivery of the match. With RCB needing six runs from the last ball to tie the game, Lasith Malinga bowled a dot ball, but replays showed it should have been a no-ball as he overstepped.

RCB skipper Virat Kohli made his displeasure known at the end of the game, saying that the teams were not playing club cricket and the officials needed to be more careful.

During the presentation ceremony, Kohli said: “We are playing at the IPL level and not playing club cricket. The umpires should have had their eyes open. That is a ridiculous call (last ball). If it is a game of margins, I don’t know what is happening. They should have been more sharp and careful out there.”

MI skipper Rohit Sharma too backed Kohli and said that these mistakes shouldn’t happen as they were game changers.

“I just got to know when we crossed the rope. Somebody told me it was a no ball. These kind of mistakes are not good for the game of cricket, it’s pretty simple. In the over before that, Bumrah bowled a ball which wasn’t a wide. Those are game changers. There’s a TV up there, they have to watch what’s happening. It is as simple as that.

“Players can’t do much. The only thing they can do is walk off and shake hands because it was the last ball. It’s disappointing to see that. I hope they rectify their mistakes like we do when we make mistakes,” Sharma rued.

Speaking to IANS, a senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India said the howler in Thursday’s match was waiting to happen since there have been no proper assessment and judgement.

“What you saw (yesterday) was a symptom and not the disease. It has been two years since the Umpires’ Committee functioned. The process that was followed earlier was that the umpires were assessed during the year by a panel of former umpires who were on the Umpires’ Committee.

“The committee members were also free to visit and see the assessment being done. All of that went out of the window once the Committee of Administrators (CoA) moved in lock, stock and barrel. Mistakes happened then too, but there was a system because of which the umpires were apprehensive since they were being judged,” the official said.

Mohali, March 29 (Nasheman News) With the ‘Mankading’ shadow still hovering over them, a deflated Kings XI Punjab will look to get their house in order when they take on Mumbai Indians in their first Indian Premier League (IPL) home game this season at the IS Bindra Stadium here on Saturday.

After beating Rajasthan Royals on the road in their opening fixture, a game infamous for Ashwin’s ‘Mankading’ Jos Buttler, Kings XI lost by 28 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.

Ashwin went for a lot of runs after he asked the home team to bat first, and looked out of sorts on the field too, making a silly mistake of allowing the team to have only three fielders inside the circle when Mohammed Shami castled Andre Russell towards the end of the first innings. It was called a no ball.

Russell went on to smash a 17-ball 48 as KKR scored 56 runs off 19 balls since the incident. Kings XI lost the match there and while chasing, were never in the game.

It will be hard for India Test off-spinner Ashwin to take his mind away from the controversy which got world cricket talking.

On Thursday, MCC clarified that Ashwin seemingly “paused too long” which was “not within the spirit of cricket”. This was a U-turn from their previous stance where the custodians of the sport said the 32-year old did not violate the ethics.

Punjab can draw heart from David Miller and Mayank Agarwal scoring half centuries in the last game, with Shami bowling really fast and exceedingly well.

The Chris Gayle factor is always there and though the Jamaican did not get as many runs as the team would have liked in the last game, the left-hander is always a threat to any opposition and can single-handedly win games.

Coming to Mumbai, the Rohit Sharma led side won a last-ball cliffhanger against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday night, a game marred by Lasith Malinga escaping a big last-ball no ball which the umpire missed.

RCB and India skipper Virat Kohli termed the incident as “ridiculous”, saying this isn’t club cricket. But Mumbai would, nonetheless, take heart from the victory and look to continue their winning run against Punjab.

Rohit got some runs under his belt but it was Jasprit Bumrah who once again showcased why he is the best bowler in white-ball cricket with his accurate stuff to choke RCB and AB De Villiers who was looking in ominous form.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin, Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Agnivesh Ayachi, Sam Curran, Chris Gayle, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karun Nair, Darshan Nalkande, Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul, Ankit Rajpoot, Simran Singh, Andrew Tye, Varun Chakravarthy, Hardus Viljoen.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Ben Cutting, Pankaj Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Siddhesh Lad, Evin Lewis, Lasith Malinga, Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Salam, Yuvraj Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Barinder Sran, Aditya Tare, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav and Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper).

[Nasheman news] Bengaluru Coming on the back of heavy defeats, both Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will look to get their act together and log their first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

Mumbai recieved a shot in the arm a couple of days back when their star pacer Lasith Malinga was cleared by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to take part in the IPL.

SLC had earlier announced that only those players would be eligible for selection in the World Cup squad, who would compete in the Super Provincial One-Day domestic tournament, slated from April 4 to 11.

The verdict had forced Malinga to make himself unavailable for MI’s first six matches.

However, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the SLC has changed its stance after a few calls by BCCI.

SLC Chief selector Ashantha de Mel said that Malinga’s place in the World Cup bound squad is guaranteed, so he is free to participate in the IPL.

Virat Kohli’s RCB, who are yet to win the IPL and regularly draw a lot of flak for that, were bundled out for 70, the sixth-lowest score in IPL history, in their first game of the this year’s league against Chennai Super Kings.

RCB lost the game by seven wickets after their bowlers did well to try and put up a semblence of a fight but it was never going to be easy with such a paltry total on the board.

Not only did the team management read the conditions wrong, the famed RCB batting line up were also guilty of poor shot selection.

Opening the batting, Kohli could manage just six, while AB de Villiers scored nine as barring Parthiv Patel (29), none of the batters reached double figures.

Against Mumbai Indians, who have the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan and Ben Cutting, Kohli would know that his team will have to bat much better.

One positive aspect from their forgettable last match was the way wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal bowled, conceding just six runs from his four overs and taking a wicket.

Moeen Ali was good too and so was Haryana’s Navdeep Saini.

Coming to the visitors, Mumbai were blown away by a Rishabh Pant blitzkrieg in their opening encounter. The dashing stumper-batsman smashed an unbeaten 27-ball 78 taking the Mumbai bowlers, including India teammate Bumrah, for a ride.

Skipper Rohit Sharma would hope his bowlers get their house in order ahead of the RCB game and treat the Delhi poor show as a one off. Mumbai’s batting, except veteran Yuvraj Singh (53), looked ordinary too.

Talking of sub-plots, the battle between Kohli and Bumrah would be one to watch out for, with both players being at the peak of their powers in recent times.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (Captain), AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Heinrich Klaasen, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi, Tim Southee, Akshdeep Nath, Milind Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Prayas Ray Barman, Kulwant Kejroliya, Navdeep Saini, Himmat Singh.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Ben Cutting, Pankaj Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Siddhesh Lad, Evin Lewis, Lasith Malinga, Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Salam, Yuvraj Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Barinder Sran, Aditya Tare, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav and Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper).

New Delhi, March 26 (Nasheman News) Kings XI Punjab skipper R. Ashwin might have called his decision to ‘Mankad’ Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in Jaipur on Monday as instinctive but the Royals weren’t impressed, with skipper Ajinkya Rahane, head coach Paddy Upton and brand ambassador Shane Warne making their displeasure known.

With the matter snowballing, even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that the captain should have maintained decorum and that even the match officials failed in their duty.

Speaking to IANS, a senior BCCI official said that only cricketing skills should be used on the pitch to dismiss batsmen and that gives out the correct message to those watching and learning.

“The match officials have failed in their duty with the handling of this issue. Buttler ought to have been adjudged not out if the laws were applied squarely to the situation. Ashwin also must understand that laws and the spirit of the game both have to be kept in mind. 

“A player is supposed to deceive the other with his cricketing skills and not with shady skills. If the batsman is taking advantage, deal with it in the right way – as a gentleman. Competitiveness is all very well but a standard of decorum ought to be maintained,” the official said.

Another official said that these things impact the popularity of the individual and criticism is bound to follow. 

“This mode of dismissal is akin to back-stabbing. That is why it will always be criticized. It gets you the result, but you surely won’t win a popularity contest this way,” he said.

But the official added that two wrongs don’t make one right and Buttler should have left what happened on the field and shaken hands with Ashwin after the game.

“Buttler not shaking hands with Ashwin after the game was also against the spirit of the game. Both these things are inexcusable where the spirit of the game is concerned,” the official said.

While skipper Rahane had said that he was hoping that the match referee would take note of what happened on the field, Warne was livid and made his disappointment known over social media.

“So disappointed in @ashwinravi99 as a captain and as a person. All captains sign the #IPL wall and agree to play in the spirit of the game. RA had no intention of delivering the ball – so it should have been called a dead ball. Over to you BCCI – this a not a good look for the #IPL,” he wrote.

He then pointed at how as captain it was Ashwin’s duty to set the standards for the rest of the team to follow. He also added how Ashwin will be remembered for this “low” act.

“As captain of your side – you set the standard of the way the team wants to play and what the team stands for! Why do such a disgraceful and low act like that tonight? You must live with yourself and FYI – it’s too late to say sorry Ashwin. You will be remembered for that low act,” he wrote.

He ended by asking if people would have approved it if Ben Stokes had done the same thing to Virat Kohli. 

Jaipur, March 25 (Nasheman News) Power-packed batting by Chris Gayle helped Kings XI Punjab post 183/4 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals, here on Monday.

Gayle was off to a slow start, taking his time to get his eye in before changing gears to smash the opponent bowlers all around the park. The West Indies star took just 47 balls to post 79 runs, hitting 8 boundaries and four sixes in his whirlwind innings.

It needed a blinder of a catch by R. Tripathi off Ben Stokes to finally stop the carnage.

Gayle’s departure slowed downed the run rate before Sarfaraz Khan scored a quick-fire 46 off 20 balls lower down the order to ensure a strong finish to the Punjab innings.

KXIP : 184/4 (Gayle 79; Ben Stokes 2/48) vs Rajasthan Royals.

Jaipur, March 26 (Nasheman News) His 47-ball 79 helped Kings XI Punjab register a 14-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game on Monday, but Universe Boss Chris Gayle is just getting started. Chief coach Mike Hesson wants Gayle to enjoy himself in the middle and the opener seemed to be doing just that at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

“This is a big ground and it is really important to score runs in the first game. I have been in a bit of form in the England series and it’s good to start off the IPL on a positive note. What was more important is that we got a win. We just keep getting better and better. Sometimes some people will write you off but it’s still early days and I’m enjoying my cricket,” he smiled.

While many people have spoken about how Gayle is slowing down and is in the last stretch of his career, the Windies batsman announced that the youngsters in the team have his back and they want to win the T20 league for the Universe Boss.

“Our youngsters have a lot to offer for the team, they want to win the IPL for the Universe Boss. Eventually they got a better wicket to bat on, but our bowlers did the job for us. Sarfaraz (Khan) got some runs today and it was really good,” he said.

Sarfaraz too made his pleasure known after hitting an unbeaten 46 off 29 balls. It has been a hard couple of years for the youngster after the initial stardom at the India U-19 level and then with Royal Challengers Bangalore, but the middle-order bat is looking to make this year count at KXIP.

“I have been working hard and I did whatever was in my hands out there. A long time coming, this innings, and I would like to continue to bat this way. I have never got to bat this high in the IPL and if I get chances then I feel like I can do this every time.

“This is a game of bluffs — I knew it wasn’t a slower one that the bowler was bowling, he bowled the normal one and I was ready for it and managed to play the ramp. The bowler bluffed me a few times, and I (bluffed) him a few times. My dad is also a cricketer and his feedback has helped me a lot in life,” he said.

Jaipur, Mar 26 : India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shocked almost everyone by running out England’s Jos Buttler by the means infamously known as ‘Mankading’ in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) versus Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP ) match in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Monday.

KXIP skipper Ashwin, who was bowling in the 13th over, saw Buttler, who was going good (68 off 42 balls), walking out of his crease even before the ball was released and the bowler stopped to take the bails off.

The field umpire referred the decision to the third umpire who was given the batsman out. A heated debate was seen between Buttler and Ashwin. This is the first time a player is out in this fashion in the IPL.

Reacting on this, in the post-match presentation, Ashwin said, “No argument to that (run out), it was pretty instinctive. I didn’t even load and he (Buttler) left the crease. It has always been my take on it, because it’s my half of the crease. We ended on the right side of it but those things are game-changers and batsmen need to be wary of it.”

“I don’t understand where the spirit of the play comes in this,” KXIP skipper added.

Ashwin drew a mix reaction over the run out. Australia’s legendary leg-break bowler Shane Warne took to twitter to express his disappointment over the run out.

“So disappointed in @ashwinravi99 as a Captain & as a person. All captains sign the #IPL wall & agree to play in the spirit of the game. RA had no intention of delivering the ball – so it should have been called a dead ball. Over to u BCCI – this a not a good look for the IPL,” Warne tweetd.

On the other hand, cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle came in Ashwin’s support.

“Lots of drama on the Buttler run-out. He was livid but the law and the advisory on it is clear. The bowler is within his right to run a player out at the non-striker’s end if he is out of his crease,” Bhogle tweeted.

Bengaluru, March 22 (Nasheman News) The curtain goes up on the all-new FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship on Saturday with the Sprint de Bengaluru 2019 giving a sneak preview into all the excitement that is in store this season.

The two-day event has already attracted over 40 teams and will create a record straightaway by introducing a separate class for ladies. They will be eligible for each of the categories in play, right from INRC, INRC 2, INRC 3, FMSCI 4WD to FMSCI 2WD.

The new promoters, Champions Yacht Club, have promised to change the face of motorsports in the country by laying out a world class fare at each of the six rounds and by bringing in international drivers.

“As our name suggests, our group Champions Yacht Club believes in producing champions. That is our mission as we step in to run the INRC,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Vamsi Merla.

“We will not only create the ideal platform for our drivers but also afford them international competition on world-class routes to help them get better,” he added.

The Sprint de Bengaluru 2019, organised under the aegis of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), will see the competitors vie for honours over six stages during the weekend. After many decades, Bengaluru will get to witness and enjoy night stages in an ambience that will seem like a carnival.

Interestingly, 250 competitors with valid FMSCI competition license have been covered for Rs 5 lakh personal accident cover and Rs 5 lakh medical expenses. In addition, 100 officials have also been covered for Rs 25 lakh (personal accident) and Rs 1 lakh towards medical expenses.

The teams will compete over 30 km of Special Stages after covering the liaison distance of 108 km. Fans can hope for a once-in-a lifetime experience in the event which will be held at the LG Champions Green County next to the Bangalore International Airport.

Mumbai, March 21 (Nasheman News) Filmmaker Kabir Khan, whose latest docu-drama titled “Roar of the Lion” revolves around the downfall of the Chennai Super Kings for match fixing, followed by their victorious comeback in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), says that corruption exists in all fields and cricket is no exception.

Asked if young players get influenced by power and money that the IPL offers and get involved in match fixing, Kabir told IANS here: “I think there is corruption in every profession… a grey area exists in every field, be it cricket, corporate, cinema…it is ultimately dependent on how an individual holds himself or herself.”

“Of course in cricket, when players are starting at a young age for an obvious reason… with IPL when they get exposed to huge money, attention and celebrity status, it is easy to lose control and get carried away.”

“Ultimately, more than an opportunity, it becomes more important how you are utilising the opportunity. If you conduct yourself right and stay focussed on your game, you will become a successful professional,” he added.

Many players earn celebrity status overnight thanks to the IPL.

Asked if becoming a celebrity cricketer is easier now, Kabir said: “I think becoming a celebrity itself is much easier these days. One can become a celebrity by writing a blog or travelling the world…but some get the fame of 15 minutes and some find a place in the history books…in their respective fields depending on their consistent contribution.”

“The IPL is, of course, one of the great platforms to find talent from the hinterland and they are getting the opportunity to play international cricket. But yes, unless your performance is consistent, you won’t be able to survive in the competition.”

The story of “Roar of the Lion” has already been reported by mainstream media.

Emphasising on the unique elements of the show, Kabir shared: “We have never seen Dhoni (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) opening up and talking about what he went through when the team got involved in the match fixing allegations and was banned for two years. During that time, Dhoni was completely silent.”

“Nobody knows how he dealt with the whole situation internally. I think that conversation makes the show different, makes it unique,” he added.

According to Kabir, the ban of the team was not only shattering for the players but also for the fans.

During the filming of the show, he interacted with some of the fans who had strong faith in CSK and said that the team will come back and again win the trophy.

“When the team came back… since the age group of the players was above 30, the new team was ridiculed by the media and fans of other teams. They called CSK as ‘Chennai Senior Kings’, ‘buddhe ki fauj’ etc. Despite all that, when the team won the 2018 IPL, their victory was the answer to all the criticism. That is why it is an inspiring story that deserved to be told,” said the filmmaker, who is also making a movie on the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

“Roar of the Lion” is streaming on Hotstar.