Mumbai Indians will face Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai @ 8 PM

In IPL cricket, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on table- toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pune on Sunday (May 13) at 4 PM, while Mumbai Indians will face Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai at 8 PM today.

On Saturday night Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Delhi Daredevils by five wickets. Star duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers shared a scintillating 118- run stand off 64 balls to script a victory.

Riding on Kohli’s 70 runs off 40 balls and de Villiers 72 not out off 37, Bangalore chased the target in 19 overs.Earlier, sent into bat, Delhi Daredevils scored 181 for four.

In another match, Kolkata Knight Riders comfortably beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs to stay in contention for a play-off berth.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

India’s Under-16 national football team will face hosts Serbia on Saturday (May 12).

India started the four-nation international tournament in Serbia on Wednesday, with a 2-1 victory over Jordan.

After conceding in the second minute of the match, India made a strong comeback in the 17th minute, thanks to a terrific finish by Ridge.

Rohit Danu scored India’s second goal nine minutes later which eventually proved to be the difference between the two teams.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

In IPL Cricket, Kings Eleven Punjab will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Indore at 4 PM and Delhi Daredevils will meet Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi at 8 pm on Saturday (May 12).

On Friday night, Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by four wickets in a thrilling encounter in Jaipur to keep their playoff hopes alive in the tournament.

Opting into bat, Chennai posted 176 for 4 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. In reply, Rajasthan Royals overhauled the target in 19.5 overs riding on Jos Buttler unbeaten 95 in just 60 balls.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

From the time he was dating actress Anushka Sharma to his wedding in Italy and even now — months after the two tied the knot — prying paparazzi and public scrutiny of Virat Kohli’s life has not stopped. India’s cricket captain and the icon of the country’s youth says it can get uncomfortable, but he is learning to deal with it.

Virat and Anushka, fondly called “Virushka” by their fans, dated for four years before tying the knot in an intimate affair in Tuscany, Italy, last December.

With celebrity status comes the baggage of being under the scanner all the time. Does he find it easy?

“The constant public scrutiny about my personal life can become a bit uncomfortable at times. However, I have learnt how to handle it. Celebrities are also normal human beings — just like any other person, and I feel people should let them have their space,” Kohli told IANS in an e-mail interview.

The 29-year-old Indian cricket team captain, who endorses multiple brands including Puma, says he keeps a good balance between his personal and professional lives despite his chock-a-block schedules.

“I keep a good balance between my personal and professional life. When I am with family, I try to completely switch off from cricket. I try to catch up with friends, watch a movie or go out for a drive. I like spending time with my dog,” he said.

However, he said when he is on a tour for cricket, he puts his “mind and heart into the next game”.

“It includes regular training for fitness and skills,” added the Delhi boy, who represented the city’s cricket team at several age-group levels before making his India team debut in 2006.

On his journey from domestic cricket to becoming India captain, Kohli told IANS: “It has been an incredible journey. I come from a humble background, and my journey towards where I am today started from a colony in West Delhi.

“The road to success was not easy and I have learnt to face challenges head on. I have come through the ranks of junior cricket, making my way to Ranji trophy and then the Indian team.”

The Padma Shri awardee cherishes being a part of the winning team during the World Cup in 2011, describing it as an “amazing experience”.

Kohli, who made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka at the age of 19, asserted that it was always his dream to represent India.

“From the very first day, my goal has been to play for my country, and this brings me immense pride. Standing on the cricket pitch, and seeing your countrymen cheer for you, is a happy feeling, and I enjoy every moment of it,” said the India team skipper, who also won the Arjuna Award in 2013.

With biopics on cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev gaining popularity in Bollywood, does he foresee a movie on his life?

“It is not something I have thought about a lot. And if there’s one ever made, I feel it will be more of a real account of my life than a biopic,” said the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, who has launched the first performance footwear from the brand One8 for Puma.

Kohli says with One8, he wants to make sports products better.

“My experience of playing the sport at the highest level helps me provide inputs to create superior products.”

He says it’s a shoe created for cricket enthusiasts and players alike as they are light and adaptive, designed in a way to enhance performance.

G.D. Birla “A” along with South Point High School and Ballygunge Siksha Sadan moved into the semi-finals of the senior girls division of the 46th All India Invitation School regatta rowing meet here on Thursday.

In the last-eight stage, G.D. Birla “A” defeated National High School West Bengal, Ballygunge Siksha Sadan beat National High Schhol CBSE and South Point outrowed G.D. Birla “B” in the Rabindra Sarovar.

In the semi-finals, Ballygunge Siksha Sadan will meet G.D. Birla “A” while South Point will take on the winners of the other quarter-final between St. Thomas and Delhi Public School to be held on Friday.

In the Junor Boys group Jatragachi Pranavananda High School “B” from rural areas from North 24 Parganas District and represented and by Reazul Mollah, Shibu Das, Sayeed Ali and Dhananjoy Mondal maintained their fine form and took their appointed place in the penultimate stage of the meet winning their race against Sebastian “A” comfortably.

Other junior boys team to enter the semi-finals are DAV Kolkata, last year’s winners Jatragachi Pranavananda “A” and La Martiniere Boys “A” who beat National High School CBSE “A”, National High School, West Bengal and National High School CBSE “B” respectively.

In the last four stage Jatragachi Pranvananda “A” will row against their school mates Jatragachi “B” and La Martiniere “A” will meet DAV Kolkata.

Rishabh Pant’s valiant century went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad made light work of Delhi Daredevils’ challenging 187/5 to romp home by nine wickets and consolidate their stay at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table.

The visitors overcame the early loss of opener Alex Hales (14) as the other opener Shikhar Dhawan (92 not out off 50 balls; 4×9, 6×4) and skipper Kane Williamson (83 not out off 53 balls; 4×8, 6×2) stitched together a 176-run second stand to demoralise bottom-placed Delhi’s spirited effort midway into the match.

With the loss, Delhi’s hopes of reaching the play-off are up in the smoke and can now only play the party spoilers in the cash-rich tournament.

Returning to his home ground, Dhawan started the chase by slamming pacer Harshal Patel for a boundary through point even as Williamson continued his glorious run with the willow this season.

The Delhi bowlers started losing the plot right after the powerplay when the right-left duo of Williamson and Dhawan propelled the Sunrisers to 51/1 before racing to 91/1 midway into the innings.

Dhawan used the flat Ferozshah Kotla track to the most, slamming the Delhi bowlers all over the park to bring up his half century in 30 balls before Williamson caught up with the southpaw to race to his sixth fifty of the season in 38 balls.

By now, Delhi had lost all hopes of a comeback as the Sunrisers duo handsomely outbatted the efforts of the hosts with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, Pant once again stepped up to the occasion with his maiden IPL century to rescue Delhi from a dismal start and help them post a challenging 187/5.

Involved in two avoidable run-outs, Pant compensated the miscommunication on the field with a blistering unbeaten 63-ball 128 which contained 15 boundaries and seven sixes, to arrest a careless start from the hosts.

Electing to bat, Delhi had themselves to blame for a sluggish start which saw them lose the opening duo of Prithvi Shaw (9) and Jason Roy (11) in consecutive deliveries before skipper Shreyas Iyer (3) departed off a silly run-out.

Fortunately for Delhi, the fall of three quick wickets did not affect Pant, whose purple patch with the bat continued and together with Harshal Patel (24 from 17 balls; 6×2) steadied the ship with a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket.

With five overs left in the innings, Delhi stared at some sort of respectability before another miscommunication between the batsmen ended Patel’s stay.

Pant, however continued his onslaught as he launched Shakib for a massive six to bring up his half century in 36 balls even as the out-of-form Glenn Maxwell (9) remained a mere spectator to the southpaw’s fireworks.

The Delhi stumper, who became the youngest to 1000 IPL runs, immediately moved into the 90s when he clobbered Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan for a four and a six off consecutive balls before treating Bhuvneshwar Kumar with disdain.

Pant then muscled pacer Siddharth Kaul’s full toss to the deep midwicket boundary to bring up his maiden IPL ton in mere 56 balls before slamming Bhuvneshwar for two fours and three consecutive sixes to milk 26 off the final over.

Brief Scores: Delhi Daredevils 187/5 (Rishabh Pant 128 not out, Harshal Patel 24; Shakib Al Hasan 4/27) lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad 191/1 (Shikhar Dhawan 92 not out, Kane Williamson 83 not out) by 9 wickets.

The Supreme Court will hear on implementation of constitutional reforms for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday (May 11).

12 out of the 37 state units, including North Eastern States, have submitted a common four-point suggestion to amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium.

The four points that the affiliated units want to be reconsidered are – one state one vote, cooling-off period, constitution of apex council, distribution of power and functions between elected representatives and professionals.

It may be recalled that during the last hearing on May 1st, the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra had instructed all the affiliated units of BCCI to file their suggestions with regards to clauses which they are finding practically difficult to implement.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

In IPL cricket, Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday (May 11). The match will begin at 8 pm.

On Thursday night, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets at Firoze Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.

Chasing 188 runs for victory, Sunrisers Hyderabad reached the target with 7 balls to spare and 9 wickets in hand.

Unbeaten Shikhar Dhawan scored 92 and Kane Williamson contributed 83 runs for Hyderabad.

Earlier opting to bat, Delhi Daredevils posted a challenging 187 for 5 in stipulated 20 overs.

Rishabh Pant smashed unbeaten 128 off 63 balls for Delhi. Hyderabad’s Shakib Al Hasan picked up two wickets giving away 27 runs.
Hyderabad now top the eight-team points table with 18 points, Delhi are placed at the bottom with just 6 points.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has apologised for the “lack of spirit” after his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost the match to Mumbai Indians at the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Shah Rukh, who co-owns the team with actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta, on Wednesday night took to Twitter to apologise to KKR fans.

“Sports is about the spirit and wins/losses don’t reflect that. But tonight as the ‘Boss’ I need to apologise to the fans for the lack of spirit,” he wrote.

On Wednesday, Mumbai Indians outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders by 102 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

On the acting front, Shah Rukh is currently busy with Anand L. Rai’s “Zero”, where he will be seen playing a dwarf.

The film also features actresses Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif.

Teenage wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, whose 21-ball 62 helped Mumbai Indians (MI) thrash Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a whopping 102 runs, credited the team’s backing for his success, saying it has helped him bat freely.

“It’s always good for a youngster to bat up the order and when your skipper and the franchise is backing you, it’s just about playing your game. I am comfortable batting anywhere,” Kishan told reporters at the post-match press conference on Wednesday night.

MI were 62 for 2 after nine overs when Ishan joined skipper Rohit Sharma at the crease. Rohit’s message to Kishan was pretty simple — “back yourself and attack”.

“Coach also said in the time-out that just be yourself, back yourself and that we needed some good hits today. Rohit bhai also said, ‘You can hit well, just look at the ball and get with the flow.’

“They knew if I remained there I could get a lot of runs. I just had to look at the ball till the last moment and keep it going,” the 19-year-old Jharkhand southpaw said.

It took Ishan 30 minutes to change the complexion of the game. From 72/2 after 10 overs, MI jumped to 144 in the 15th over.

Kishan and Rohit scored 82 for the third wicket in which the latter contributed just 18.

One of the highlights of Ishan’s innings came in the 14th over when he took on Kuldeep and smashed him for four successive sixes. The over saw 25 runs coming off it.

“Kuldeep is outgoing for me (bowls the delivery that turns away from me) but he loves to bowl the googly at me. I’ve played him earlier as well. So I knew he was trying to get the ball outside the off stump,” Kishan said about his plans to counter KKR’s left-arm spinner.

“My target was that if I get the ball in my arc, I would hit it out of the park. It was like ‘keep watching the ball’. If you get the ball, hit, otherwise you can go for a single as well. Rohit was batting with me, so there was no problem. I knew if I don’t score, he can cover up.”

MI have backed Ishan despite three ducks — two of them being first ball ducks — in the tournament so far.

In the early part of the tournament, he batted at No. 3 but has now been moved to No. 4 to accommodate Rohit in top three.

He started the tournament with a 29-ball 40 against Chennai Super Kings and then made 44 off 23 against Delhi Daredevils even as the team lost both the games. He knocked his first half-century off the season against Rajasthan Royals but the team slipped to another defeat.

Ishan was asked about state-mate and legendary former India captain MS Dhoni helping him.

“I also get lots of tips from Dhoni bhai. He’s a legendary player and keeps telling me that I can take time. I feel confident when these guys talk to me,” Ishan said.

MI, who are now in fourth position in the points table, take on struggling Rajasthan Royals next at home.

“Mumbai Indians love to bounce back,” Ishan said on the team stringing together three back-to-back wins on the spin after facing a series of reversals.

“When the team comes together and talk to each other, it’s about helping out each other. We know we have done mistakes in the previous matches. Now we are just backing and helping out each other. We are just thinking about one match at a time and putting up a good show.”