प्लेऑफ के लिए होगी राजस्थान-मुंबई के बीच जंग

मुंबई। इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग (आईपीएल) के सातवें संस्करण का अब तक का सबसे रोचक मुकाबला रविवार को वानखेड़े स्टेडियम में देखने को मिलेगा जब मुंबई इंडियंस और राजस्थान रॉयल्स प्लेऑफ में जगह बनाने के लिए लीग चरण के आखिरी मुकाबले में एकदूसरे के सामने होंगे।

मुंबई इंडियंस के लिए यह मैच करो या मरो से कम का नहीं होगा, जबकि रॉयल्स बड़े अंतर से हार से बचना चाहेंगे। फिलहाल अंकतालिका में रॉयल्स 13 मैचों के बाद 14 अंक हासिल कर चौथे स्थान पर हैं, जबकि मुंबई इंडियंस के इतने ही मैच में 12 अंक हैं।

रविवार का मैच अगर रॉयल्स जीतती है तो वह प्लेऑफ में पहुंच जाएगी। लेकिन अगर मुंबई इंडियंस यह मैच बड़े अंतर से जीत जाती है तो 14 अंक बटोरकर वह प्लेऑफ की दावेदार बन जाएगी।

प्लेऑफ में पहुंचने शर्ते :मुंबई इंडियंस यदि पहले बल्लेबाजी करते हुए 150 के आस-पास का स्कोर खड़ी करती है तो उसे रॉयल्स से यह मैच कम से कम 42 रनों के अंतर से जीतना होगा। वहीं अगर रॉयल्स पहले बल्लेबाजी करते हुए 150 के आस-पास का लक्ष्य निर्धारित करते हैं तो मुंबई इंडियंस को 15 ओवर तक इस लक्ष्य को हासिल करना होगा।

जाहिर है मुंबई इंडियंस के लिए राह ज्यादा कठिन है, लेकिन रॉयल्स को भी अपना सबसे बेहतर प्रदर्शन करना होगा। साथ ही इस माहौल में दोनों ही टीमों को अपनी रणनीति पर एक बार फिर से काम करने की जरूरत है।

दोनों टीमें जबरदस्त फॉर्म मेंराजस्थान रॉयल्स के जेम्स फॉल्कनर अपनी टीम के लिए तुरूप का पत्ता साबित हो सकते हैं। इसके लिए जरूरी है कि उन्हें बल्लेबाजी क्रम में और ऊपर भेजा जाए। फॉल्कनर इस समय बेहतरीन लय में भी हैं। साथ ही ब्रैड हॉज को भी आक्रामक पारियां खेलने में महारत हासिल है।

इधर मुंबई इंडियंस की ओर से लेंडिल सिमंस और माइक हसी की बल्लेबाजी पर बहुत कुछ निर्भर होगा। उन्हें अपनी टीम को एक ठोस शुरूआत देनी होगी जिसे रोहित शर्मा और कीरन पोलार्ड आगे ले जा सकें।

इस मैच के नतीजे के साथ ही यह साफ हो जाएगा कि कौन सी टीम प्लेऑफ में पहुंचेगी। इससे पहले तीन टीमें किंग्स इलेवन पंजाब, चेन्नई सुपरकिंग्स और कोलकाता नाइट राइडर्स प्लेऑफ में अपना स्थान पक्का कर चुकी हैं।

टीमें (संभावित) :

राजस्थान रॉयल्स : शेन वाटसन (कप्तान), अजिंक्य रहाणे, करुण नायर, संजू सैमसन, स्टूअर्ट बिन्नी, राहुल तेवतिया, ब्रैड हॉज, जेम्स फॉल्कनर, केविन कूपर, विक्रमजीत मलिक।

मुंबई इंडियंस : रोहित शर्मा (कप्तान), लेंडल सिमंस, माइकल हसी, कीरन पोलार्ड, अंबाती रायडू, आदित्य तारे, हरभजन सिंह, श्रेयष गोपाल, मर्चेट डे लांज, प्रज्ञान ओझा, जसप्रीत बुमराह।

IPL: यूसुफ पठान ने 15 गेंदों पर ठोके 50 रन, तोड़ा रिकॉर्ड

कोलकाता नाइट राइडर्स के यूसुफ पठान ने आईपीएल में सबसे तेज पचासा जड़ने का रिकॉर्ड अपने नाम कर लिया. सनराइजर्स हैदराबाद के खिलाफ आतिशी बल्लेबाजी करते हुए टीम को जीत दिलाने में अहम भूमिका निभाने वाले यूसुफ पठान ने 15 गेंदों पर अर्धशतक जड़ एडम गिलक्रिस्ट का रिकॉर्ड तोड़ा. यूसुफ ने 22 गेंदों पर 5 चौके और 7 छक्कों की मदद से 72 रन ठोके.

आईपीएल के सातों सीजन में ये अभी तक का सबसे तेज पचासा था. ये मैच पूरी तरह से यूसुफ के नाम ही रहा. यूसुफ को पारी की पहली ही गेंद पर बड़ा जीवनदान मिला था. अनिरुद्ध ने यूसुफ का कैच छोड़ा और इसकी कीमत हैदराबाद को मैच गंवाकर चुकानी पड़ी. अपनी पारी की पहली चार गेंदों पर सिंगल लेने के बाद यूसुफ ने परवेज रसूल की गेंद पर अटैक करना शुरू किया. यूसुफ ने रसूल और डेल स्टेन की गेंदों पर जोरदार शॉट्स खेले और छक्का जड़कर अपना अर्धशतक पूरा किया.

इससे पहले ये रिकॉर्ड गिलक्रिस्ट के नाम था जिन्होंने 2009 में डेक्कन चार्जर्स हैदराबाद की ओर से खलते हुए दिल्ली के खिलाफ 17 गेंदों पर 50 रन ठोक डाले थे.

Maheswary nominated again for Arjuna Awards

Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary, who has been stopped from receiving Arjuna Award under controversial circumstances on charges of dope violation last year, has again been recommended by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the coveted honour this year.

A top AFI official told PTI that Maheswary’s name has again been nominated for this year’s Arjuna Award on the ground that the Sports Ministry’s eligibility rule does not bar him from getting the coveted honour.

“Sports Ministry’s eligibility clause says that any athlete who failed a dope test conducted by a WADA or IOC accredited laboratory will be barred from getting the award.

But Maheswary’s case relates to a test conducted in 2008 while the NDTL got WADA accreditation in 2009 only,” the official said.

“So, we have recommended Maheswary’s name again for this year’s Arjuna Award. Let us see what the new government does this time,” he said.

Interestingly, this same eligibility rule (4.2) of the Sports Ministry for conferring Arjuna Awards was considered when the controversy over Maheswary being barred from receiving the coveted award cropped up in September last year.

The eligibility rule (4.2) for Arjuna Awards as amended on March 15, 2010 states that “sportspersons found positive for use of drugs banned by the International Olympic Committee in any laboratory accredited by the IOC will not be eligible for Arjuna Award”.

Maheswary also has the performance to show as he won a silver in the Pune Asian Championships in July last, besides winning a silver and a bronze in the Asian Grand Prix last year.

After a detailed investigation, the Ministry had come to a conclusion in September last that Maheswary was found to have used ephedrine during the 46th National Athletic Championships in Kochi in 2008 and hence he would not be conferred with the award.

The Ministry had said then that there was some doubt regarding the acceptability of the test sample from Maheswary.

It had said that the report of National Dope Testing Laboratory might not have been an acceptable ‘Adverse Analytical Finding’, and that the chain of custody of the sample might not have been sufficiently foolproof.

However, the Ministry had noted that Maheswary had never protested against the findings of the inquiry committee or the punishment awarded by the competent authority. His acceptance of the punishment, despite the flaws in collection and analysis of the sample, had made the punishment final.

A Kottayam-based organisation, Navalokam Samskarika Kendram had filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court seeking intervention in the Maheswary case and Sports Ministry had given its response after being issued notice by the top court.

Maheswary, on his part, said that he wanted to silence his critics by his performance.

“I am concentrating on my training at NIS, Patiala now. I want to answer my critics by doing well in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,” he said.

“I have been told by my friends that Sports Ministry has admitted before the Supreme Court that the WADA had doubted the dope testing procedure on the ground that the chain of custody of my urine sample was not foolproof. I am told that the Ministry said that even the IAAF did not lend any credence to the findings of my dope results.

“I am sad to hear all these, but I just want to move forward,” he said.

IPL 7: Rajasthan beat Kolkata on boundary count after tied Super Over

Abu Dhabi witnessed the most dramatic finish of IPL 7 on Tuesday when neither the customary 40 overs nor the Super Over could decide the winner between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, and in the end it was by virtue of a higher boundary count that Rajasthan were declared the winners.

At the end of 40 overs, both teams were locked at the score of 152, which pushed the match into a Super Over. But even that couldn't determine the winner with both Rajasthan and Kolkata scoring 11 runs each.

As per the tournament rules, boundary count was taken for each team during their innings of 20 overs, which settled the issue in Rajasthan's favour.

Rahane's innings had six boundaries and a six. The manner in which he paced the innings was praiseworthy. When Watson and before that Samson were going after the bowlers, he dropped anchor getting those singles along with odd boundaries as Royals reached 150 because of the Mumbai man.

Kolkata then were guided by skipper Gautam Gambhir's return-to-form 45 and late-order flourish by Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 19) and Shakib Al Hasan (29 off 18) to match Rajasthan's total with a couple off the last ball of the match.

The Super Over saw KKR scoring 11 runs with Shakib, Yadav and Manish Pandey being the three batsmen coming out to score the runs. Rajasthan then decided to chase with skipper Shane Watson and Steve Smith. They couldn't get the big shots going and were in a spot of bother needing three to win off the last ball; however, the duo held their nerves to score a couple off the final delivery to level the scores and win on boundary count.

Having set a target of 153 in 20 overs for KKR, the Royals bowlers kept their calm at the death as they restricted Gautam Gambhir's men to 152 for eight in 20 overs.

This was after a splendid penultimate over bowled by 'birthday boy' Faulkner (3 for 11 in 2 overs) in which he got the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav (31), Robin Uthappa (0) and R Vinay Kumar (0) when they needed 16 off the last two.

Suryakumar swept Watson for a six to signal his intent of chasing down tthe target and it was followed with a heave that went for boundary through third man region as he got equation down to 28 from three overs.

Shakib al Hasan then came to his own as he struck successive boundaries off Kane Richardson as KKR inched towards the target. Surya's cameo of 31 from 19 balls ended as he was comfortably pouched by Smith off Faulkner.

Faulkner then bowled Robin Uthappa, who was shuffling across the crease to expose his leg-stump and got Vinay Kumar (0) off the very next ball as four runs came off the 19th over.

Manvinder Bisla (3), playing his first match, was searching for the swinging deliveries. His ordeal ended when Richardson got one to cut back and the batsman played hard at it only to offer a catch to Karun Nair at first slip.

Jacques Kallis got a reprieve on 1 when he was caught behind off Shane Watson but it was adjudged a no-ball as the bowler was found overstepping.

However Kallis in his bid to prop up the rate was holed out in the deep off leggie Pravin Tambe with Steve Smith taking a well judged running catch.

Manish Pandey (19) had a nice little partnership with Gambhir but couldn't capitalise. After hitting Tambe for a six and boundary, he was done in by a flipper as he was struck on the pads rooted to his creas