Mumbai

IPL spot-fixing: Actor Vindoo Dara Singh arrested for alleged links with bookies

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Mumbai, May 21, 2013

Bollywood actor Virender (Vindoo) Randhawa, who is the son of late wrestler and actor Dara Singh, was among the three people arrested by the Mumbai Police on Tuesday in connection with the alleged spot-fixing scam in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

IPL spot-fixing: Vindoo Dara Singh arrested

Bollywood actor Virender (Vindoo) Randhawa, who is the son of late wrestler and actor Dara Singh, was among the three people arrested by the Mumbai Police today in connection with the alleged spot-fixing scam in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy told a press conference here that the others arrested today were Alpesh Patel, alleged to be a hawala operator, and Prem Taneja, who he said had links with bookies.

Mr Roy said the pollice had, during a search of Patel's premises, found cash worth Rs 1.28 crore.

He said the actor Vindoo, 49, who had attracted attention by winning the television reality show Big Boss in December 2009, was arrested for his alleged links to bookies arrested by the police and others wanted by the police in connection with the case.

The three were produced before a local magistrate, who remanded them in police custody until May 24.

Vindoo was seen on many occasions watching matches during the current season of IPL and also at some of the post-match parties.

With this, the number of arrests made by the Mumbai Police in connection with the case has gone up to nine.

On May 16, in a sensational development, the Delhi Police had arrested three players of Rajasthan Royals --- former Test player S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- from Mumbai for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing during matches of the ongoing season six of IPL. The Delhi Police also arrested 11 bookies from Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat and other places, including at least two who have played first class cricket in recent years. One of them, Amit Sngh, used to play for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy and for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL for four years.

Even as the Special Cell of the Delhi Police are continuing their investigations into the case, the Mumbai Police has also been pursuing its own probe in the matter.

On May 18, the Mumbai Police searched two rooms in a five-star hotel in the metropolis which were said to have been occupied by Sreesanth and his friend Jiju Janardhan, who has also been arrested by the Delhi Police.

Sreesanth was said to have occupied the room, different from the one that his team had booked for him and his teammates in another hotel.

From Sreesanth's room, the Mumbai Police recovered a laptop, an ipad, a mobile phone, cash, a data card, cricketing kit, clothes and a diary. From Jiju's room, they found an iPad, a mobile phone and some personal belongings, he said.

The Mumbai Police had also raided a premises in Kalbadevi area and arrested a bookie. They seized 92 mobile phones, 18 SIM cards, laptops, cash, television sets, satellite television dish antenna and accounts books from there. According to him, 30 of those mobile phones were used by the bookie to connect bookies in India with their counterparts in Pakistan and Dubai via conference calls.

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Renowned Swedish TT player Peter Karlsson to conduct camp in Mumbai

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Mumbai, May 21, 2013

Peter Karlsson. Photo Courtesy: ITTF

Renowed Swedish table-tennis player Peter Karlsson, who has been a member of Sweden's World Cup winning team four times between 1989 and 2000 and has won the World Men's Doubles title in 1991, will conduct a four-day training camp here from tomorrow.

As many as 120 players will attend the camp. They will be divided into groups of 30.

Karlsson, 44, will be helped by eight-time national champion Kamlesh Mehta and about six to eight other coaches.

The camp will be held at the University Pavilion, Marine Lines here under the aegis of the Mumbai City District Table Tennis Association and the Mumbai Suburban District Table Tennis Association.

"Peter Karlsson has been an inspiration to every budding table tennis player across the world," the organisers said. He is one of the top coaches of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

India's top player Soumyajit Ghosh has been training under Karlsson for the last two years and has shown remarkable improvement, they said.

The organisers said that the camp would be a rare opportunity for table tennis players in Mumbai and elsewhere to hone their skills.

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Don't want to get distracted: Rohit Sharma

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New Delhi, May 20, 2013

Rohit Sharma. Photo by Sandeep Shetty-IPL-SPORTZPICS

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma today said his team does not want to get distracted with the spot-fixing scandal and they are focussed on playing good cricket against two-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here tomorrow.

"We don't want to think too much about it (spot-fixing). We are all professional cricketers and we have an important task at hand. So we don't want to get distracted," said Sharma before a training session at the Feroze Shah Kotla.

The winner of tomorrow's match will qualify for the final on May 26 in Kolkata. The loser will meet the winner of Wednesday's eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier which on May 24 in Kolkata, which will decide the second finalist.

Mumbai Indians star Sachin Tendulkar still remains doubtful with the injury on his left palm. Tendulkar did not bat at the nets here and only bowled for a while.

"We are yet to take a call. We will decide on the morning of the match," said Sharma.

Sharma was happy with the way things have worked out for him since taking over as the Mumbai Indians captain from Ricky Ponting, who preferred to drop himself due to poor form.

"When it came to me it was like a big challenge. I was ready for it and it came at the right time. The captaincy wasn't a big surprise for me because I was the vice-captain for the last two years and was always kept in the loop when this captaincy came up. I am happy with the way things have worked out for me," he said.

Sharma said Mumbai Indians are confident of a good show against Super Kings, who have lost to them twice in the league stage.

"I am not doubting them, but they are a very good side. We have ben playing consistently and we have beaten them twice in the league stage. If we stick to our plans we can beat them again," he said.

Asked about Mumbai Indians' poor away record this season, he said: "I don't believe in home and away advantage. Even Chennai Super Kings don't have a good away record. It is all about playing good cricket. I think if we up the ante by at least 10 percent I think we will meet our target."

Sharma was all praise for spinner Harbhajan Singh and pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson for giving the Mumbai Indians crucial breakthroughs.

"I think Harbhajan and Johnson are among the top 10 in IPL. Johnson has been giving us the initial breakthroughs. Bhajji has been fantastic as well. We are looking forward to Bhajji to deliver with both ball and ball," he added.

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Mumbai Police search rooms in five-star hotel occupied by Sreesanth, Jiju

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Mumbai, May 18, 2013

Mumbai Police seize Sreesanth's laptop, ipad

As the Delhi Police continued their probe into the alleged spot-fixing scam in the ongoing sixth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), their counterparts in Mumbai today searched two rooms in a five-star hotel which were occupied by cricketer S Sreesanth and his friend, Jiju Janardhan, both of whom have been arrested in the case.

Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, bowlers of the Rajasthan Royals team, were arrested by the Delhi Police from Mumbai in the early hours of May 16.

The police also arrested 11 bookies from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and other places in connection with the alleged spot-fixing.

Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy said that, on the basis of information received, they searched two rooms in a five-star hotel in the metropolis, different from the hotel that Rajasthan Royals had booked for themseles, which Sreesanth and his friend had booked independently in their names.

He said the search revealed that both rooms had been lived in. From Sreesanth's room, they recovered a laptop, an ipad, a mobile phone, cash, a data card, cricketing kit, clothes and a diary. From Jiju's room, they found an ipad, a mobile phone and some personal belongings, he said.

Mr Roy said the Mumbai Police had also raided a premises in Kalbadevi area and arrested a bookie. They seized 92 mobile phones, 18 SIM cards, laptops, cash, television sets, satellite television dish antenna and accounts books from there. According to him, 30 of those mobile phones were used by the bookie to connect bookies in India with their counterparts in Pakistan and Dubai via conference calls.

The police also arrested another bookie today, he said.

Mr Roy said the interrogation of the first bookie had shown that he had contacts and financial transactions with some of the bookies arrested by the Delhi Police in the spot-fixing case.

Meanwhile, the Jaipur Police today said they would share with their Delhi counterparts call details of some 250 mobile phones that they had seized during raids in the city during the current IPL season.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police continued their questioning of the three arrested players and the bookies even as lawyers for the cricketers insisted their clients were innocent and had been framed.

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Indian students win $60,000 Grand Prize at Dell Social Innovation Challenge

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Mumbai, May 17, 2013

Shital Somani and Vaibhav Tidke with their Solar Conduction Dryer

Two Indian students from Mumbai -- Shital Somani and Vaibhav Tidke -- have won the $ 60,000 grand prize at the Dell Social Innovation Challenge (DSIC) 2013 for their project, a solar conduction dryer.

The dryer can help address the 20 to 30 per cent food spoilage rate for poor rural farmers through cost-effective dehydrators powered by solar conduction, Somani told the audience at Austin, Texas in the United States in her 90-second pitch.

Five finalists, shortlisted from more than 2,600 projects ideas that addressed issues impacting more than 110 countries, convened in Austin this week to compete for the cash prize as part of the DSIC.

The DSIC recognizes undergraduate and graduate students from around the world who envision, create and implement social innovation projects that help communities around the world.

The winning innovation will enable farmers to keep more of their crops and sell dehydrated fruits and vegetables as another income source, a press release from Dell said.

The other four 2013 finalists included:

-- Foot Soldiers: In second place, Foot Soldiers received $40,000 to sell affordable shoes for the 48 million Bangladeshi who cannot afford proper footwear and are thus at risk for various diseases associated with bare feet. The project will use rubber tires that are currently thrown away or burnt as Bangladesh's car population rises.

-- Good-Benefits.com: In third place, Good-Benefits.com received $20,000 to create a "401k for charity" by helping people make payroll contributions to tax-exempt micro-foundation accounts from which they can give funds over time to nonprofits. The project will help companies run simple, engaging workplace giving campaigns.

-- The final two finalists, Semka Biomedical Technologies and Citizen Power / Sunriding, received $10,000 each to launch their ideas. Semka, from Mexico, is developing a device capable of performing non-invasive tumor biopsies through blood extraction. Citizen Power, a German team, is building a peer-to-peer online social platform for crowdsourcing urban solar installations.

The five finalists participated in networking and mentoring opportunities with social innovation leaders and the final pitches to vie for the grand prize. They presented their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges comprising business leaders, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and the winner was selected following the pitches.

The DSIC identifies and supports promising young social innovators who dedicate themselves to solving some of the world's most pressing problems with their transformative ideas. The Challenge provides students with world-class teaching and training, as well as start-up capital and access to a network of mentors and advisers. Entries are judged on three primary criteria: clarity of the innovation and significance of social impacts potentials; demonstration of a high probability of success; and potential impact from winning DSIC.

"Two of the most powerful forces in the world are innovation and entrepreneurship. The Dell Social Innovation Challenge empowers students to become innovators and entrepreneurs. Through our competition, university students from any country are inspired to tackle the issues they are most passionate about and are equipped with the tools and training to bring their ideas to life. This year we will provide mentorship or seed funding to more than 250 teams whose projects span multiple issues, including health, energy, poverty, education and much more. Through our program students are able to create the jobs they want while building the world they want at the same time," said Suzi Sosa, DSIC executive director and associate director, RGK Center.

"Dell was founded in a dorm room, and the spirit of entrepreneurship runs deep in our company's DNA. We know that students can change the world, and we're excited to support them with technology, mentorship, networking and funding that can bring their ideas to life," said Trisa Thompson, Dell's vice president of corporate responsibility.

"Our Solar Conduction Dryer will act as a boon for the farmers and fishermen with poor access to electricity. The platform provided by DSIC will help us in scaling up our technology to reach the farmers and thus provide them with a revolutionary sustainable technology, to cope up with the agrarian crisis and prosper," said Somani.

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BCCI suspends cricketer Amit Singh, will meet Sunday to discuss spot-fixing

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Mumbai, May 17, 2013

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today suspended Gujarat medium-pacer Amit Singh, who was among those arrested by the Delhi Police yesterday in connection with the alleged spot-fixing scam during matches in the ongoing sixth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Singh, who also played for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL for four seasons, is said to have acted as a conduit between the players and bookies.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police had yesterday, in a move that has rocked the cricketing world, arrested three Rajasthan Royals players -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- from Mumbai for allegedly indulging in spot fixing.

The BCCI Working Comittee is also scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss the latest developments.

The BCCI has already suspended Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan, who were remanded for five days in police custody by a local court yesterday.

"The Working Committee will discuss, among other things, the fallout of the spot-fixing controversy in the ongoing IPL, in which three players have been arrested by the Delhi Police," BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

"Amit Singh, a registered player with the Gujarat Cricket Association, who has also been arrested by the Delhi Police, has been suspended by the BCCI, pending inquiry," he said.

Singh, who has played 20 first class games for Gujarat, played his last IPL match in May 2012. He had been reported at least twice for a suspect bowling action.

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Actor Sanjay Dutt surrenders in Mumbai court to serve out remainder of sentence

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Mumbai, May 16, 2013

Sanjay Dutt surrenders in Tada Court

Well-known Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt surrendered before a special court in Mumbai this afternoon to serve out the remaining three and a half years of his sentence in a case related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

Dutt was taken into judicial custody and later sent to the Arthur Road Jail for medical tests and other formalities.

Once all the formalities are completed, he will be shifted to one of the prisons in Maharashtra, most likely the Yerwada Jail in Pune, where he had served one and a half years of the sentence given to him some years ago.

Earlier, Dutt, 53, arrived at the court in a convoy cars which carried his wife and other members of his family and his relatives and friends, shadowed all along the route by scores of cameramen.

Among those present were his wife Manyata, sister and Lok Sabha member Priya Dutt, his brother-in-law Owen Roncon and their friend and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

There were chaotic scenes outside the court, with hundreds of cameramen and onlookers crowding around Dutt's car, making it difficult for him to get out of the car. His personal security guards and friends had a tough time keeping the crowds at bay and it was a considerable time before the actor emerged out of the vehicle and pleaded with the photographs to allow him to go into the building and surrender to the court.

The Supreme Court had on March 21 upheld Dutt's conviction under the Arms Act in the 20-year-old case but reduced his sentence from six years to the minimum of five years.

After spending about 18 months in jail earlier, he had been on bail since November 2007. The court had given him four weeks to surrender to a court as were the nearly 100 others whose cases were decided on the same day by it.

On a plea by Dutt, the court gave him an extra four weeks to surrender to enable him to fulfil some of his film commitments but an effort by some producers to get him more time to finish their movies did not work, with the apex court rejecting their application.

Dutt's lawyers also filed a review petition, which was turned down by the court. He now has the option of filing curative petition after surrendering before the Mumbai court and resuming his sentence. Some people have also filed mercy petitions on his behalf, and the Governor of Maharashtra and the President will take a view on them in due course.

Apart from deciding on Dutt's case, the Supreme Court had also on March 21 upheld the death sentence awarded to Yakub Memon for his role as one of the masterminds of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, in which 257 people were killed and 713 injured, but commuted the capital punishment given to 10 others to life sentence.

The 13 coordinated bomb blasts in the country's financial capital on March 12, 1993, which targeted places such as the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Air India building, were the deadliest terror attack in India that followed the communal violence in the metropolis in the wake of the destruction of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Dutt and the others in the case had been convicted and sentenced by the TADA court earlier.

Dutt, son of well-known actors, the late Sunil Dutt and the late Nargis Dutt, was convicted in November 2006 for illegal possession of a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle. He was, however, acquitted of the more serious charges of criminal conspiracy under the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Prevention Act, which is now defunct. While doing so, the court had taken into account Dutt's own statements that he had procured the weapons only for self-defence because of threats to him and his family in the circumstances prevailing in Mumbai at that time.

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BCCI suspends Rajasthan Royals players accused of spot fixing

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Mumbai, May 16, 2013

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today said the three Rajasthan Royals players -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- arrested by the Delhi Police today for alleged spot fixing in matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) had been suspended by it pending enquiry.

"The BCCI is shocked and saddened at the recent developments. The BCCI has zero tolerance to corruption. We will offer all cooperation to the Delhi police and all other authorities in their investigations in this matter," a statement from BCCI, the governing body for the game in India, said.

"The IPL Governing Council has met and decided that the cricketers found involved will be dealt with severely," it said.

The statement said that all information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if they are found guilty.

"The BCCI engages the services of the anti corruption wing of the ICC to educate and monitor players and support staff in prevention of corruption of any form in the game. In fact, it is wholly unfortunate that despite such education, best playing conditions and terms of engagement offered, some players seem to be indulging in such activity," the statement added.

Meanwhile, BCCI President N Srinivasan told mediapersons via video conference from Chennai that a few corrupt players did not mean that the entire IPL was also corrupt.

"One or two bad eggs here and there cannot sully the entire game. I don't think it is a case of players not having enough money. If at all, you can call it greed. We have to objectively examine what further steps can we take and how we can demonstrate that these things don't pay at all. I don't subscribe that the IPL is untenable," Mr Srinivasan said.

He said the BCCI would take all possible and necessary steps to end this kind of corruption. "We will enforce the severest punishment to the players if found guilty. What is shocking is that one Test and a Ranji player were caught. We cannot go into the detail right now as we do not have enough information. We just know that they have been arrested and the police have got evidence against the three. We have not seen the FIR yet. We would like to see the evidence and take further action," he said.

"We hoped that after the ban on five players last year, the message was sent out loud and clear. But as police have informed us, the bookie network is huge. We thought when we made an example last year, we thought the message was clear. But it is truly sad that this has happened. If there are bad seeds, they are there.

"We will take whatever steps are necessary for people to understand this is a very serious matter and you can get into a lot of trouble. But we must understand we are just the BCCI. If there is a criminal act, police has to take steps," Mr Srinivasan added.

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L&T Construction secures orders worth Rs 2542 crore in April-May

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Mumbai, May 16, 2013

Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) today said that its construction division had bagged new orders valued at over Rs 2542 crore across various business segments in April and May this year.

A press release from the company said its Building & Factories Business had bagged new orders worth Rs 1021 crores for the construction of residential towers, a cement plant and a factory at various locations across India, including additional orders from operating projects.

It said the Heavy Civil Infrastructure Business has secured new orders worth Rs 866 crores for the Kochi Metro Rail Project. The scope of work includes construction of an elevated viaduct, elevated stations including architectural finishing work of stations and connecting the viaduct and ramp to the depot on Alwaye-Petta line of the project.

In the Transportation Infrastructure Business, a new order worth Rs 315 crores has been received from Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited for the design and construction of 2x25 kV electrification, signaling, telecommunication and associated works for a double track railway line on the New Karwandiya-Durgauti section of the eastern corridor.

The Water & Renewable Energy Business has secured EPC orders worth Rs 148 crores from the Public Health Engineering Department, Rajasthan for a water supply distribution system for 97 villages at Tehsil Ladnu in Rajasthan.

Additional orders worth Rs 192 crores have been received for one of the operating projects under Power Transmission and Distribution Business, the release added.

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Sreesanth, two other Rajasthan Royals cricketers arrested on spot-fixing charges

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New Delhi, May 16, 2013

In a major development, the Delhi Police have arrested three cricketers of the Rajasthan Royals -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- for alleged spot fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League, among the most popular and lucrative of cricket tournaments in the world.

Sreesanth, 2 other players arrested for spot fixing

In a major development, the Delhi Police have arrested three cricketers of the Rajasthan Royals -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- for alleged spot fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) among the most popular and lucrative of cricket tournaments in the world.

The arrests were made from the team's hotel at Nariman Point in Mumbai last night after the Rajasthan Royals lost by 14 runs to Mumbai Indians in a crucial match. Some reports said Sreesanth was picked up from Delhi.

Along with the players, as many as seven bookies of Mumbai and three from Delhi have been arrested, sources said, adding that all of them were being brought to Delhi today for further interrogation and investigations. Top police officials indicated that some more arrests were likely.

The sources said the entire operation was carried out by a team from the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, which had been, on the basis of a tip-off, monitoring scores of telephones for the past few weeks.

According to the sources, the police suspect that there was spot fixing in at least three matches during the current season of IPL, which will move to the play-offs stage in a few days.

Spot-fixing involves the bowlers bowling a particular ball or over or a set of overs in a pre-determined manner or a batsmen playing a shot or his innings in a certain way, without necessarily affecting the final result of the match.

What has surprised most people is the fact that the arrests are of players from the Rajasthan Royals, which has put up an exceptionally good show in the current tournament and has already qualified for the play-offs among the top four teams. Moreover, the team is led by Rahul Dravid, one of the most admired and respected cricketers.

Ajit Chandila, S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan

"We have been informed that three of our players have been called in for investigation on spot fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game," the management of Rajasthan Royals said in a statement.

The arrests have also come as a major setback for the IPL, which has been attracting huge crowds for all matches at all venues across the country for the past few weeks.

The Rajasthan Royals franchise is owned by well-known actress Shilpa Shetty, her husband businessman Raj Kundra and Lachlan Murdoch.

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Mumbai beat Rajasthan by 14 runs, consolidate top spot in IPL

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Mumbai, May 15, 2013

Aditya Tare of Mumbai Indians plays a shot during their match against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League at Mumbai on the May 15, 2013. Photo by Vipin Pawar-IPL-SPORTZPICS

In a battle to remain among the top two, Mumbai Indians emerged winners as they beat 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals by 14 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

With both the teams assured of their places in the IPL play-offs, the battle was for a spot in the top two. Before today's match, Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were tied on 20 points each.

But with the win, Mumbai Indians only consolidated their position at top with 22 points followed by Super Kings (also 22) at second place and Rajasthan Royals (20) at third.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and in his bid to improve the team's net run rate decided to bowl first.

But it was not a wise call as Aditya Tare starred with a 37-ball 59 and Glenn Maxwell struck 23 as Mumbai Indians posted a competitive 166 for eight in 20 overs.

Rajasthan Royals failed to recover from the poor start and despite valiant knocks from Stuart Binny (37) and Brad Hodge (39) lower down the order they managed only 152 for seven in 20 overs.

Rajasthan were put on the backfoot right in the first over after Mitchell Johnson (2/23) scalped Dravid (4). The Rajasthan skipper tried to pull Johnson's bouncer that went to keeper's hand and the umpire gave him out. Dravid's reaction was stunning as he stayed there for a few seconds and vented his anger and frustration before walking back.

The top order suddenly collapsed and the visitors were soon struggling at 28 for four in the sixth over.

Pacer Dhaval Kulkarni (2/21) dismissed Ajinkya Rahane (4) and James Faulkner (14) while Johnson got rid of the talented Sanju Samson (4) in the fifth over.

Shane Watson (19) tried to take the attack to Mumbai Indians but his 16-ball innings, during which he hit two sixes, but he was dismissed after Kieron Pollard took a good running catch off Pragyan Ojha. Watson and Pollard exchanged some angry words from the sidelines and Dravid had to intervene to take Watson back to the dressing room.

With Rajasthan struggling at 88 for six, Binny and Hodge added 56 runs for the seventh wicket in 38 balls but it was not enough.

Earlier, a brilliant half-century by Aditya Tare helped Mumbai Indians set a challenging 167-run target for Rajasthan Royals.

With Sachin Tendulkar dropped due to an injury in his left palm, Mumbai Indians included Tare while giving Maxwell another chance.

Maxwell departed early in the fourth over after giving Mumbai a flying start with his 17-ball 23. Tare and Dinesh Karthik (21) consolidated the innings with their 76-run stand for the second wicket.

Rajasthan, however, pulled back things in their favour by bowling tightly in the death overs as only 34 runs came off in last five overs at the cost of five wickets.

Scoreboard:

Mumbai Indians

Glenn Maxwell lbw Watson 23

Aditya Tare c Watson b Cooper 59

Dinesh Karthik c Samson b Tambe 21

Rohit Sharma c Watson b Faulkner 14

Kieron Pollard run out (Cooper) 17

Ambati Rayudu c Samson b Watson 7

Harbhajan Singh not out 15

Mitchell Johnson c Hodge b Faulkner 2

Lasith Malinga run out (Watson/Faulkner/Yagnik) 1

Extras (lb 3, w 4) 7

Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 166

Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Maxwell, 3.2 overs), 2-101 (Karthik, 11.5), 3-108 (Tare, 12.4), 4-138 (Sharma, 15.5), 5-144 (Pollard, 16.4), 6-151 (Rayudu, 17.5), 7-164 (Johnson, 19.3), 8-166 (Malinga, 19.6)

Bowling:

Ankit Chavan 3-0-25-0

James Faulkner 4-0-32-2

Shane Watson 4-0-30-2

Stuart Binny 1-0-11-0

Pravin Tambe 4-0-38-1

Kevon Cooper 4-0-27-1

Rajasthan Royals

Rahul Dravid c Karthik b Johnson 4

Ajinkya Rahane c Malinga b Kulkarni 4

James Faulkner c Maxwell b Kulkarni 12

Sanju Samson c Ojha b Johnson 4

Shane Watson c Pollard b Ojha 19

Stuart Binny not out 37

Dishant Yagnik b Harbhajan Singh 10

Brad Hodge lbw Malinga 39

Kevon Cooper not out 7

Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 8) 16

Total (for seven wickets in 20 overs) 152

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Dravid, 0.5 overs), 2-22 (Faulkner, 3.4), 3-26 (Samson, 4.4), 4-28 (Rahane, 5.4), 5-58 (Watson, 9.1), 6-88 (Yagnik, 12.5), 7-144 (Hodge, 19.1)

Bowling:

Mitchell Johnson 4-0-23-2

Dhaval Kulkarni 4-0-21-2

Harbhajan Singh 4-0-29-1

Lasith Malinga 4-0-35-1

Pragyan Ojha 4-0-36-1

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Mumbai Indians make 166/8 against Rajasthan Royals

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New Delhi, May 15, 2013

Aditya Tare of Mumbai Indians plays a shot during their match against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League at Mumbai on the May 15, 2013. Photo by Vipin Pawar-IPL-SPORTZPICS

Opener Aditya Tare scored a well-made 59 as Mumbai Indians posted 166 for eight in their 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals in a crucial match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Tare, who came into the side in place of Sachin Tendulkar, made his 59 off 37 balls with the help of eight fours and a six.

Glen Maxwell, playing in only his second match of the season, made 23 with the help of three sixes. The opening pair put on 25 before Maxwell was trapped leg before wicket by Shane Watson.

Dinesh Karthik (21) and Tare added 76 before the former departed, caught by Sanju Samson off Pravin Tambe.

Tare was the next to go, seven runs later, caught by Watson off Kevon Cooper. Skipper Rohit Sharma hit two fours and made 14 and added 30 for the fourth wicket with Kieron Pollard before he was caught by Watson off James Faulkner to make it 138 for four in the 16th over.

The Rajasthan bowlers managed to put the brakes on the Mumbai batsmen towards the end, and the hosts were able to add only 34 off the last five overs.

Pollard, who ran riot in the last match, made only 17 today. Harbhajan Singh remained not out on 15.

For Rajasthan, Faulkner and Watson picked up two wickets each, while Tambe and Cooper got one each.

Mumbai Indians are currently placed second in the table with 10 wins from their 14 outings so far, just ahead of Rajasthan Royals, who also have the same number of points but with a slightly less net run rate.

Both teams have qualified for the play-offs but are going to make every effort to win this game and ensure a place in the top two of the league, which will get them two cracks at a place in the final.

Scoreboard:

Mumbai Indians

Glenn Maxwell lbw Watson 23

Aditya Tare c Watson b Cooper 59

Dinesh Karthik c Samson b Tambe 21

Rohit Sharma c Watson b Faulkner 14

Kieron Pollard run out (Cooper) 17

Ambati Rayudu c Samson b Watson 7

Harbhajan Singh not out 15

Mitchell Johnson c Hodge b Faulkner 2

Lasith Malinga run out (Watson/Faulkner/Yagnik) 1

Extras (lb 3, w 4) 7

Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 166

Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Maxwell, 3.2 overs), 2-101 (Karthik, 11.5), 3-108 (Tare, 12.4), 4-138 (Sharma, 15.5), 5-144 (Pollard, 16.4), 6-151 (Rayudu, 17.5), 7-164 (Johnson, 19.3), 8-166 (Malinga, 19.6)

Bowling:

Ankit Chavan 3-0-25-0

James Faulkner 4-0-32-2

Shane Watson 4-0-30-2

Stuart Binny 1-0-11-0

Pravin Tambe 4-0-38-1

Kevon Cooper 4-0-27-1

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Youth arrested for abducting, killing cousin to pay IPL betting debt

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Mumbai, May 15, 2013

Man kidnaps, kills 13-year old cousin to pay IPL debts

Police in Mumbai have arrested a 28-year-old man and his friend for allegedly kidnapping and killing his 13-year-old cousin, the son of a diamond merchant, yesterday to raise money to repay debts incurred in betting on the outcome of cricket matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Police said the youth, identified as Himanshu Ranka, and his friend, Brijesh Sanghvi, had incurred debts of about Rs 10 lakh in cricket betting.

The youth, who needed to raise money quickly to repay the debt, allegedly hatched a plot to kidnap his cousin, Aditya, for ransom but ended up killing him when they realised the police were on their trail.

Mumbai Additional Police Commissioner Krishna Prasad told mediapersons here today that Himanshu lured Aditya out of the house and, on the pretext of taking him for a drive, kidnapped him and handed him over to Sanghvi.

The boy's father Jitendra Ranka received a call seeking Rs 30 lakh in ransom, which he did not take seriously. But when the boy did not return till evening, he filed a complaint at the VP Road Police station.

According to Mr Prasad, Himanshu, who had returned home, informed Sanghvi of the police's involvement. Sanghvi panicked and allegedly killed Aditya by slitting his wrist, he said. He then allegedly burnt the body and dumped it near the expressway near Panvel in New Mumbai. The body was found this morning.

Mr Prasad said Himanshu, who had returned home after handing over the boy to Sanghvi, had accompanied Jitendra Ranka to the police station.

Jitendra Ranka suspected Himanshu's involvement when he noticed Aditya's slippers lying in the latter's car, in which they had gone to the police station, and informed the police.

"The complainant was called in at the police station when we did not get any update on the boy. The complainant came in the same car that was used in the crime. One of the slippers of the boy was found in the car," Mr Prakash said.

The police picked up both the accused and interrogated them. "The accused revealed the details of the crime based on which Himanshu and his friend were arrested. Himanshu took the child out of the house. The calls to the boy's home were made by Brijesh, the friend, and later on he carried out the crime," the officer added.

Police said the two youths had MBA degrees and were running their own businesses.

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Rajasthan Royals opt to field first against Mumbai Indians

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Mumbai, May 15, 2013

Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and chose to field first against Mumbai Indians in a crucial match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Mumbai Indians are currently placed second in the table with 10 wins from their 14 outings so far, just ahead of Rajasthan Royals, who also have the same number of points but with a slightly less net run rate.

Both teams have qualified for the play-offs but are going to make every effort to win this game and ensure a place in the top two of the league, which will get them two cracks for a place in the final.

Rajasthan Royals brought in the 41-year-old leg-spinner Pravin Tambe and left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan in place of Siddharth Trivedi and Vikramjeet Malik.

Sachin Tendulkar, who has not recovered from a tendon injury on his right hand, stayed out of today's match as did Dwayne Smith, his opening partner. Their places were taken by Aditya Tare and Glenn Maxwell.

The teams:

Mumbai Indians: Aditya Tare, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rohit Sharma (captain),

Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha

Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Brad Hodge, Dishant Yagnik (wk), Ankeet Chavan, Kevon Cooper, Pravin Tambe.

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Mittu Chandilya named as CEO of AirAsia India

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Mumbai, May 15, 2013

Low-cost carrier AirAsia India today its board of directors had appointed Mr Mittu Chandilya as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company effective June 1.

The Malaysia-based AirAsia had, in February this year, announced its plans to invest 49 per cent in a proposed Indian joint venture with Tata Sons Limited and Mr Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd.

A press release from the company said Mr Chandilya brings a unique mix of leadership experiences ranging from a successful entrepreneurial start-up, to country, regional and global leadership roles within multinational organizations and finally to high-impact management consulting experience.

His last assignment was as Principal and Head of Services practice in Asia-Pacific at Egon Zehnder, where he took leadership in the travel & hospitality segment where his primary focus was airlines and aviation.

"I am extremely pleased that the Board of Directors of AirAsia India has appointed Mr. Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of the Company. I am confident that Mittu will provide the leadership and bring to bear his entrepreneurial skills in successfully growing this new airline in the Indian aviation space," Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons Limited, said.

Mr Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia, said, “He is an outstanding young man with great entrepreneurial skills. He is very passionate about the LCC (low-cost carrier) business and possesses the crucial understanding on how our business model works. He came from a highly competitive industry and experienced different business temperaments by working in many parts of the world, so he’s perfect for the ever-volatile aviation business."

"India is an important market for us, and a CEO of Mittu’s stature and business acumen would definitely help us to attain significant market share and achieve rapid growth in India," he said.

Mr Chandilya said, "I am a native of Chennai, and I am excited about returning to India to revolutionize the air travel industry here. I am looking forward to being part of the dynamic AirAsia family, and most importantly, to bring a whole new meaning to the word ‘flying’ to consumers in India.”

Mr Chandilya grew up in India, Africa and the United States and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics (Dean’s List) with a distinguishing triple major from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, USA. He also has MBA degrees from INSEAD, France/Singapore and from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

At present, AirAsia through its operations based in Thailand and Malaysia already connect Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirapalli, Kochi and Kolkata to ASEAN destinations and beyond.

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John Wright all praise for Pollard and Sharma

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Mumbai, May 14, 2013

Mumbai Indians coach John Wright was all praise for star all-rounder Kieron Pollard and team captain Rohit Sharma.

Chasing a target of 179, Pollard struck a whirlwind unbeaten 66 off 27 and Sharma remained unbeaten on 20 as they rescued Mumbai from a precarious 99/3 and added 85 runs in just 37 balls that took the hosts to 184 with three balls to spare last night against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Wright was full of praise for the brilliant innings by the West Indies cricketer as Mumbai Indians registered their seventh straight victory on their home turf.

"What an amazing feat of hitting. I have never seen anything like that before. It was amazing and people all over the world watched that," Wright told www.iplt20.com.

Well-known Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer passes away

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Mumbai, May 14, 2013

Asghar Ali Engineer

Renowned Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer passed away here this morning after a brief illness, sources close to him said.

He was 73. He is survived by a son, Irfan, and a daughter, Seema. His wife had predeceased him.

The sources said the funeral would take place tomorrow morning.

They said he had been admitted to a hospital for about two months for treatment and had been discharged about a fortnight ago. He breathed his last around 8 am today at his residence in the Santa Cruz area.

Born on March 10, 1940 in a Bohra priestly family at Salumbar, near Udaipur in Rajasthan, Engineer received training in Qur'anic Tafseer, Hadiths and Islamic jurisprudence and also learnt Arabic from his father.

He did his B.Sc. (Engg) Civil from the Vikram University in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh and worked for nearly two decades as an engineer in the Bombay Municipal Corporation before opting for voluntary retirement to devote himself to the Bohra reform movement.

He wrote several articles on the reform movement in leading Indian newspapers and was unanimously elected as General Secretary of the Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977.

Mr Engineer has also done extensive work on communalism and communal violence in India.

Over the years, he came to be recognized as a distinguished scholar of Islam and was invited for international conferences on Islam by organizations and universities across the world as well as all over India.

In 1993, he founded the Centre for Study of Society and Securalism in Mumbai and was its chairman until his death.

He was honoured with the Right Livelihood Award (also called the Alternate Nobel Award) in December 2004 and the National Communal Harmony Award in 1997.

He was a member of the National Integration Council and had served as a member of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla from 2009-11.

Mr Engineer had published more than 60 books on Islam, Problems of Muslims, Muslim Women's Rights, Communal and Ethnic Problems in India, South Asia and Islamic state. He also used to publish a fortnightly Secular Perspective and the monthly Islam and Modern Age.

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Pollard's eight sixes take Mumbai Indians to 7-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad

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Mumbai, May 13, 2013

Kieron Pollard of Mumbai Indians hits a six during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League at Mumbai on May 13, 2013. Photo by Vipin Pawar-IPL-SPORTZPICS

Kieron Pollard pulverized the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers with an unbeaten 66, that came off just 27 deliveries and included eight sixes, as Mumbai Indians pulled off a seven-wicket victory in the 62nd match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Electing to bat first, Sunrisers posted an imposing 178 for three from their 20 overs, with opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scoring with 59.

Chasing 179 for a win, Mumbai Indians were 117 for three at the end of 16 overs, still needing 62 from the last 24 deliveries.

Just when Sunrisers appeared to be coasting to a win, Pollard changed all that in one over from Thisara Perera, in which he hit the bowler for four sixes and a four. Perera gave away 29 runs in that over.

With 33 required from 18 balls, Pollard put Amit Mishra to the sword in the next, hitting him for three sixes. That over yielded 21 runs.

Dale Steyn bowled yet another economical over, giving away only five runs in the 19th over, which left the hosts with the task of getting seven from the last six balls.

It was Perera again, and Pollard struck him for two more huge sixes to settle the issue with three balls to spare, taking the side to 184 for three in 19.3 overs.

Pollard's ruthless domination of the Sunrisers bowling fetched him the Man of the Match award and took Mumbai Indians to the top of the league with 10 wins from their 14 matches so far.

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who also both have 10 wins from 14 matches, overs but with lower net run rates, are placed second and third, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the fourth spot. Sunrisers Hyderabad are in the fifth place, with eight wins from their 14 outings so far.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders are in the sixth spot, followed by Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors.

The top four teams from the league will go into the play-offs.

At one stage, the hosts were struggling at 99 for three, but Pollard and skippper Rohit Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 20, added 85 off just 37 balls to see their side through.

The loss was a huge set-back for Surnisers play-off chances as they remained in the fifth spot with 16 points from 14 matches like fourth placed Royal Challengers but have a negative net run rate.

Opting to bat first, Shikhar Dhawan's stroke-filled 41-ball 59, studded with six fours and two sixes, and a cameo of a 23-ball 43 by skipper Cameron White took Sunrisers to a challenging 178 for three.

The Sunrisers bowling attack then turned on a disciplined performance but gave away the advantage in the death overs as the hosts scored 71 runs in just 27 balls thanks to Pollard's blitzkrieg that was studded with eight sixes and two fours.

Sunrisers got to a great start as pacer Dale Steyn did the damage early on as they tied down the flow of runs.

Ishant Sharma (1/32) struck early in the fourth over to get rid of opener Dwayne Smith, who had his middle stumps knocked over.

Sachin Tenulkar (38 retired hurt) and Dinesh Karthik (30) kept the chase alive with their 68-run stand for the second wicket. After 11 overs, Mumbai Indians were 82/1 and needed 97 runs from the remaining 54 balls.

Sensing urgency, Tendulkar launched himself into the attack, taking on leg-spinner Karan Sharma. Tendulkar smacked the first ball over the bowler's head for a four and in the fourth ball danced down the track to smack the bowler for a huge six over the long-on boundary.

But the crowd was stunned into silence, as Tendulkar retired hurt as he left the ground after facing some pain in his left palm. The break worked in favour of the Sunrisers, as Dinesh Karthik departed, caught by White at extra cover off the last ball of that over to leave Mumbai at 95/2.

Karan Sharma struck again in his next over to remove Ambati Rayudu (2) stumped by Parthiv Patel as Mumbai were in further trouble at 99/3.

It looked like the match had swung in favour of the vistors. But there was a twist in the tale as Pollard snatched the match from the grasp of Sunrisers with a breathtaking knock.

Rohit Sharma and Pollard hit Ishant Sharma for a six and a four, respectively, to take 13 runs in the 15th over. But Steyn bowled an exceptional 16th over, giving away just four runs that left Mumbai Indians needing 62 runs off 24 balls.

The 17th over from Thisara Perera robbed Sunrirers of what would have been a key win. Rohit slammed the first ball for a six over deep midwicket and Pollard hist the last four balls for a four and three consecutive sixes as 29 runs came off the over.

With 146/3 on board, Mumbai needed 33 runs off 18 balls. Pollard truned the heat of leggie Amit Mishra for three sixes that futher reduced the target to 12 off 12 balls.

Steyn gave away five runs from the penultimate over, but Pollar finished off things in style by hitting the two sixes off the first three balls in the last over off Perera, who went for 55 runs from just 3.3 overs.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Hyderabad did well to get to their highest total of the season. They got a good start with wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel scoring a 19-ball 26 and he added 38 runs with Dhawan for the opening wicket.

Patel was caught by Rayudu off Lasith Malinga at deep square leg. Dhawan, who had earlier smashed an unbeaten 55-ball 73 against Mumbai in the home leg, found an ally in next man-in Hanuma Vihari and the 73 runs for the second-wicket took the team past the 100-run mark.

Vihari made 41, inclusive of four fours. Dhawan's 59 was compiled off 41 balls and was studded with two sixes and six fours.

Later, skipper Cameron White made an aggressive 43 off just 23 balls with the help of three sixes and three fours.

Opting to bat first, Sunrisers got off to a decent start with Parthiv Patel, who made a breezy 26, and Dhawan adding 38 for the first wicket before the former was caught by Ambati Rayudu off Lasith Malinga in the fourth over.

Dhawan left in the 13th over, caught by wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik off Mitchell Johnson.

White and Vihari took the total to 166 before Vihari fell in the 19th over, caught by Johnson off Malinga.

The Mumbai Indians, who at one stage were staring at the possibility of a huge target, did well to restrict the visitors in the last five overs, in which they gave away only 47 runs.

While Malinga took two for 26, Johnson picked up one for 43.

Scoreboard:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Parthiv Patel c Rayudu b Malinga 26

Shikhar Dhawan c Karthik b Johnson 59

Hanuma Vihari c Johnson b Malinga 41

Cameron White not out 43

Thisara Perera not out 2

Extras (b 1, w 6) 7

Total (for three wickets in 20 overs) 178

Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Patel, 3.5 overs), 2-111 (Dhawan, 12.5), 3-166 (Vihari, 18.3)

Bowling:

Mitchell Johnson 4-0-43-1

Dhawal Kulkarni 4-0-42-0

Harbhajan Singh 3-0-19-0

Lasith Malinga 4-0-26-2

Pragyan Ojha 4-0-37-0

Kieron Pollard 1-0-10-0

Mumbai Indians

Dwayne Smith b Ishant 21

Sachin Tendulkar retired hurt 38

Dinesh Karthik c White b Karan 30

Rohit Sharma not out 20

Ambati Rayudu st Patel b Karan 2

Kieron Pollard not out 66

Extras (lb 1, w 5, nb 1) 7

Total (for three wickets in 19.3 overs) 184

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Smith, 3.3 ov), 1-94* (Tendulkar, retired not out, 11.4 ov), 2-95 (Karthik, 11.6 ov), 3-99 (Rayudu, 13.2 ov)

Bowling:

Dale Steyn 4-0-23-0

Ishant Sharma 4-0-32-1

Thisara Perera 3.3-0-55-0

Darren Sammy 2-0-15-0

Amit Mishra 3-0-36-0

Karan Sharma 3-0-22-2

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Three Additional Judges appointed to Mumbai High Court

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New Delhi, May 13, 2013

The President has appointed Mr Pradeep Narhari Deshmukh, Mr Ashok Iqbal Singh Cheema and Mr Sunil Balkrishna Shukre as Additional Judges of the High Court of Bombay.

An official press release said here today that the appointments, in that order of seniority, would be for a period of two years with effect from the date they join their respective office.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad post 178/3 against Mumbai Indians

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Mumbai, May 13, 2013

Shikhar Dhawan of Sunrisers Hyderabad in action during their match against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on May 13, 2013. Photo by Pal Pillai-IPL-SPORTZPICS

Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with 59 as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 178 for three wickets in their 20 overs against Mumbai Indians in the 62nd match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Dhawan was ably supported by Hanuma Vihari, who made 41, inclusive of four fours. Dhawan's 59 was compiled off 41 balls and was studded with two sixes and six fours.

Later, skipper Cameron White made an aggressive 43 off just 23 balls with the help of three sixes and three fours.

Opting to bat first, Sunrisers got off to a decent start with Parthiv Patel, who made a breezy 26, and Dhawan adding 38 for the first wicket before the former was caught by Ambati Rayudu off Lasith Malinga in the fourth over.

Dhawan and Vihari then took complete control of the innings as they added 73 for the second wicket. Dhawan left in the 13th over, caught by wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik off Mitchell Johnson.

White and Vihari took the total to 166 before Vihari fell in the 19th over, caught by Johnson off Malinga.

The Mumbai Indians, who at one stage were staring at the possibility of a huge target, did well to restrict the visitors in the last five overs, in which they gave away only 47 runs.

While Malinga took two for 26, Johnson picked up one for 43.

Scoreboard:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Parthiv Patel c Rayudu b Malinga 26

Shikhar Dhawan c Karthik b Johnson 59

Hanuma Vihari c Johnson b Malinga 41

Cameron White not out 43

Thisara Perera not out 2

Extras (b 1, w 6) 7

Total (for three wickets in 20 overs) 178

Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Patel, 3.5 overs), 2-111 (Dhawan, 12.5), 3-166 (Vihari, 18.3)

Bowling:

Mitchell Johnson 4-0-43-1

Dhawal Kulkarni 4-0-42-0

Harbhajan Singh 3-0-19-0

Lasith Malinga 4-0-26-2

Pragyan Ojha 4-0-37-0

Kieron Pollard 1-0-10-0

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Sunrisers Hyderabad opt to bat first against Mumbai Indians

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Mumbai, May 13, 2013

Sunrisers Hyderabad logo

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Cameron White won the toss and opted to bat first against Mumbai Indians in the 62nd match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Kumar Sangakkara, the regular skipper of Sunrisers, continued to remain on the sidelines due to poor form.

Mumbai Indians dropped Glenn Maxwell and brought back Kieron Pollard, while pace bowler Dhawal Kulkarni replaced Abu Nechim.

The teams:

Mumbai Indians: Dwayne Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma (captain), Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha, Dhawal Kulkarni

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Shikhar Dhawan, Hanuma Vihari, Cameron White (captain), Biplab Samantray, Darren Sammy, Karan Sharma, Thisara Perera, Dale Steyn, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma

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Mumbai Indians close in on a play-off berth, Pune suffer ninth consecutive loss

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Pune, May 11, 2013

Mitchell Johnson of Mumbai Indians bowls during their match against Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League in Pune on May 11, 2013. Photo by Pal Pillai-IPL-SPORTZPICS .

Riding on an all-round performance, Mumbai Indians closed down on a play-off spot with a comprehensive five-wicket win over last-placed Pune Warriors, who suffered their ninth consecutive loss in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium here today.

It was a disciplined bowling performance by Mumbai Indians, led by pacer Mitchell Johnson, that restricted Pune Warriors to a paltry 112 for eight in 20 overs.

Mumbai Indians then achieved the target, scoring 116 runs with seven balls to spare after losing five wickets. The chase did not get off well but a strong show by the middle-order helped them cross the line easily with more than an over to spare.

Skipper Rohit Sharma was the top scorer with 37 and Ambati Rayudu struck 26 off 23 balls.

Pune Warriors bowlers did well to reduce Mumbai Indians to 39/3 in the eighth over, but Rayudu and Sharma took them to within sniffing distance of a win with their 54-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Both Rayudu and Sharma departed when the Mumbai Indians were on the threshhold of victory, but Glenn Maxwell, the most expensive player bought this season, playing his maiden IPL match took the team home safely with an unbeaten 13.

Mumbai Indians jumped to the second spot in the table with 18 points from 13 matches while Pune Warriors remained at the bottom with just four points from 14 matches.

Electing to bat first, Pune Warriors lost both openers Robin Uthappa (11) and Finch in quick succession and were reduced to 25 for two within five overs.

Johnson turned on the heat early on by removing skipper Aaron Finch (10) in the third over caught by Dwayne Smith at short cover. Johnson was also exceptional at the death over and got Kane Richards (8) to finish with impressive figures of 2/8 from his four overs.

Speedsters Lasith Malinga (2/27) and Abu Nechim Ahmed (2/27) also came up with inspiring performances.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was also economical giving away just 14 runs from his four overs and picked up the important wicket of Yuvraj Singh, who was the top scorer with 33 off 29 balls.

With Pune struggling at 25/2, Yuvraj Singh and Manish Pandey (29) added crucial 59 runs in 60 balls for the third wicket to rescue the innings.

Yuvraj, who has been dropped from the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy due to poor form, looked like he had found his old touch. He hit a four and two sixes to entrall the crowd, but could not convert the good start into a big knock that was the need of the hour.

Yuvraj found an able ally in Pandey, who struck a run—a—ball 29, and it looked like Pune would get to a competitive total. But Pandey's dismissal in the 13th over triggered a batting collapse as, from 82/2, Pune slumped to 99/6.

Former skipper Angelo Matthews failed to open his account and was run out while attempting a non-existent single and Sachin Tendulkar’s direct hit found him short of crease and two balls later Yuvraj followed him to the pavilion. From 99/6, Warriors managed 112 for eight as Mumbai Indian bowlers were exceptional in the death overs.

Scoreboard:

Pune Warriors

Robin Uthappa lbw Malinga 11

Aaron Finch c Smith b Johnson 10

Manish Pandey c Rayudu b Malinga 29

Yuvraj Singh lbw Harbhajan Singh 33

Angelo Mathews run out (Tendulkar) 0

Abhishek Nayar c Harbhajan Singh b Ahmed 11

Kane Richardson c Harbhajan Singh b Johnson 8

Parvez Rasool not out 4

Bhuvneshwar Kumar c Smith b Ahmed 2

Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 1) 4

Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 112

Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Finch, 2.5 overs), 2-25 (Uthappa, 4.4), 3-84 (Pandey, 12.6), 4-85 (Mathews, 13.3), 5-85 (Yuvraj Singh, 13.5), 6-99 (Richardson, 17.3), 7-109 (Nayar, 19.3), 8-112 (Kumar, 19.6)

Bowling:

Mitchel Johnson 4-0-8-2

Abu Nechim Ahmed 4-0-27-2

Lasith Malinga 4-0-27-2

Pragyan Ojha 3-0-28-0

Harbhajan Singh 4-0-14-1

Glenn Maxwell 1-0-5-0

Mumbai Indians

Dwayne Smith b Dinda 0

Sachin Tendulkar c Pandey b Mendis 15

Dinesh Karthik c Pandey b Yuvraj Singh 17

Rohit Sharma c Dinda b Richardson 37

Ambati Rayudu c Mathews b Dinda 26

Glenn Maxwell not out 13

Harbhajan Singh not out 4

Extras (w 4) 4

Total (for five wickets in 18.5 overs) 116

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Smith, 0.1 overs), 2-25 (Tendulkar, 4.3), 3-39 (Karthik, 7.2), 4-93 (Rayudu, 15.6), 5-112 (Sharma, 18.2)

Bowling:

Ashok Dinda 4-0-35-2

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-0-12-0

Kane Richardson 3.5-0-24-0

Ajantha Mendis 4-0-15-1

Yuvraj Singh 4-0-21-1

Parvez Rasool 1-0-5-0

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Tewari presents Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Pran in Mumbai

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New Delhi, May 10, 2013

Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewar presenting the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to veteran actor Pran Kishan Sikand, in Mumbai on May 10, 2013.

Tewari presents Dadasaheb Phalke award to Pran

Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Manish Tewari presented the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award - the top honour in Indian cinema - to veteran actor Pran Sikand at his residence in Mumbai today.

The 93-year-old actor, popularly known as Pran, could not travel to Delhi to receive the award personally at the National Film Awards ceremony on May 3 due to his age and health constraints and Mr Tewari flew down to Mumbai to personally present it to him

The veteran actor was presented the coveted award, comprising a Swarn Kamal, a citation, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs.

Pran was chosen for the award, named after Dadasaheb Phalke, the pioneer of Indian cinema, for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the industry during a nearly six-decade long career in which he acted in more than 400 films.

He is the 44th winner of the award, which is conferred annually by the Government of India.

Pran acted as a villain in scores of movies in the early part of his career, but then made a very successful switch to character roles, starting with the role of "Malan Chacha" in Manoj Kumar's Upkar in 1967.

"It is an honour for me to present this award to Pran saab in person, in the Centenary year of the Indian cinema," Mr Tewari said, adding that Pran was one of the most deserving persons to get the award.

The Minister was accompanied by I & B Secretary Uday Kumar Varma and senior officials of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The award was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dasaheb Phalke.

Movies in which Pran has done memorable roles include Azaad, Madhumati, Devdas, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, Ziddi, Munimji, Amar Deep, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Aah, Chori Chori, Jagte Raho, Chhalia, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai and Zanjeer.

Born in 920 in Old Delhi, Pran started his career way back in 1940. He first ventured into photography but a chance meeting with a film producer got him his first role in a film called Yamla Jat.

In 2001, the Government of India had honoured Shri Pran Sikand with the Padma Bhushan.

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Ponting's presence in Mumbai Indians dressing room is a big positive: Karthik

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NetIndian News Network

Mumbai, May 8, 2013

Dinesh Karthik

Mumbai Indians' prolific scorer Dinesh Karthik feels that though Ricky Ponting is not among the playing eleven, the legendary Australian's presence in the dressing room makes a lot of difference.

Ponting was appointed the captain at the start of the season, but dropped himself after a poor run with the bat.

Karthik said the biggest reason behind the team’s consistency this season – eight wins from 12 games – is Ponting.

"Ponting is the biggest thing to have happened to Mumbai Indians. He has this aura about him and he brings in a lot of positive energy in the team. Some of the things that he says in team meetings and some of the points he brings to the fore is really hair-raising," Karthik told www.iplt20.com.

Mumbai Indians thrash Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs

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Mumbai, May 7, 2013

Sachin Tendulkar of Mumbai Indians in action during their match against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League at Mumbai on May 7, 2013. Photo by Vipin Pawar-IPL-SPORTZPICS

Mumbai Indians thrashed defending champions by 65 runs in a rather one-sided encounter in the 53rd match of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai Indians posted an imposing 170 for six in their 20 overs, with opener Sachin Tendulkar falling two short of a half century and his partner Dwayne Smith making 47.

They then bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders for 105 runs in 18.2 overs, to register a comprehensive victory over the defending champions with 10 balls to spare.

Chasing 171 for a win, the Knight Riders never got into stride and never seemed in with a chance throughout their innings.

Jacques Kallis topscored for KKR with 24 while Debabrata Das made 23. Opener Manvinder Bisla (17) and Yusuf Pathan (13) were the only other batsmen who got into double figures.

They lost skipper Gautam Gambhir (0) off the fourth ball of the innings, with just one on the board. Bisla and Kallis took the total to 38 before the former left in the 7th over.

Much rested on the shoulders of Yusuf Pathan, but he could not settle down and left with the score at 54. From then on, it was a steady procession back to the pavilion and the rest of the proceedings were only of academic interest.

For the Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh bagged three for 27, while Mitchell Johnson and Pragyan Ojha picked up two wickets apiece.

There was lot of hype surrounding the match, which was seen as a grudge match for Knight Riders, whose star owner Shah Rukh Khan has been banned from entering the Wankhede Stadium by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for alleged misbehaviour with security guards during his last visit to the stadium.

Had it not been the case, Shah Rukh would have witnessed another insipid performance by his boys with skipper Gautam Gambhir leading the way.

It was in fact a great spell by Australian speedster Johnson that put Knight Riders on the defensive from the word o. Johnson found his swing early on and struck with the fourth ball of the innings that surprisingly did not swing and Gambhir just managed an inside ege on to his stumps.

Johnson almost had Manvinder Bisla (17) caught at first slip in his next over but Harbhajan made a mess of what would have been a straight forward simple catch. Johnson's first spell read 3-0-12-1.

He came back in his second spell to pick up the wicket of 10th man Sunil Narine (3) and Lasith Malinga wrapped up the tail by rattling the stumps of Lakshmimathy Balaji.

Left arm spiner Ojha struck in his consecutive overs - first he had Bisla stumped by Karthik and in the next over he castled the dangerous Yusuf Pathan, who sruvived 10 balls for his five runs.

Soon Knight Riders were left struggling at 54/3 and in the 10th over, Harbajan sent back Jacques Kallis (24) holing out to Abu Nechim Ahmed at long-off.

Earlier, Tendulkar and Smith provided the home team with a good start, putting on 93 for the first wicket after skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. Tendulkar made the best use of the field restrictions in the initial overs and hit eight fours in his 48 off 28 balls. He was chosen Man of the Match. Smith hit seven boundaries in his 47.

But they lost their way a bit in the middle overs and were reduced to 144 for six in 18.3 overs, before a brilliant cameo by Dinesh Karthik, who came in at number three and stayed unbeaten with 34, helped them post a reasonably good total.

Karthik and Mitchell Johnson, was unbeaten with 10, added 25 runs in the last over.

Karthik compiled his 34 off 18 balls and hit two sixes and three fours, while Johnson had one six in his 10.

Sharma shone briefly to make 16 off 11 balls with the help of a four and a six.

For KKR, Ryan McLaren took two for 60, while Iqbal Abdulla and Rajat Bhatia claimed one apiece.

For the Knight Riders, it was a continuation of their poor form in this tournament, suffering their eighth loss in the season.

With today's defeat, the defending champions' hopes of booking a play-off berth is all but over as they are languishing in the seventh place with eight points from 12 matches, ahead of only Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors.

Mumbai Indians snatched the second place from Rajasthan Royals and almost have a foot in the play-offs as they have 16 points from 12 matches.

Chennai Super Kings continue to lead the table. Rajasthan Royals are in third place, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the fourth, Sunrisers Hyderabad in the fifth and Kings XI Punjab in the sixth spot.

Scoreboard:

Mumbai Indians

Dwayne Smith c McLaren b Iqbal Abdulla 47

Sachin Tendulkar b Bhatia 48

Dinesh Karthik not out 34

Rohit Sharma c Morgan b McLaren 16

Kieron Pollard c Narine b McLaren 4

Ambati Rayudu run out (Balaji/Bisla) 0

Harbhajan Singh run out (Pathan) 0

Mitchell Johnson not out 10

Extras (lb 1, w 10) 11

Total (for six wickets 20 overs) 170

Fall of wickets: 1-93 (Tendulkar, 12.6 overs), 2-99 (Smith, 13.3), 3-130 (Sharma, 17.1), 4-134 (Pollard, 17.5), 5-135 (Rayudu, 17.6), 6-144 (Harbhajan Singh, 18.3)

Bowling:

Lakshmipathy Balaji 3-1-7-0

Ryan McLaren 4-0-60-2

Sunil Narine 4-0-29-0

Jacques Kallis 3-0-21-0

Iqbal Abdulla 4-0-30-1

Rajat Bhatia 2-0-22-1

Kolkata Knight Riders

Manvinder Bisla st Karthik b Ojha 17

Gautam Gambhir b Johnson 0

Jacques Kallis c Ahmed b Harbhajan Singh 24

Yusuf Pathan b Ojha 13

Eoin Morgan c Sharma b Ahmed 5

Debabrata Das c & b Harbhajan Singh 23

Ryan McLaren run out (Sharma/Karthik) 1

Rajat Bhatia c Malinga b Harbhajan Singh 4

Iqbal Abdulla not out 6

Sunil Narine c Karthik b Johnson 3

Lakshmipathy Balaji b Malinga 0

Extras (lb 9) 9

Total (all out in 18.2 overs) 105

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Gambhir, 0.4 overs), 2-38 (Bisla, 6.1), 3-54 (Pathan, 8.3), 4-58 (Kallis, 9.5), 5-77 (Morgan, 12.2), 6-89 (Das, 13.6), 7-89 (McLaren, 14.1), 8-97 (Bhatia, 15.6), 9-104 (Narine, 17.4 ), 10-105 (Balaji, 18.2)

Bowling

Mitchel Johnson 4-0-13-2

Abu Nechim Ahmed 3-0-18-1

Pragyan Ojha 4-0-23-2

Lasith Malinga 3.2-0-15-1

Harbhajan Singh 4-0-27-3

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