Tuesday 30 April, 2013

Led by the dynamic Virat Kohli, RCB crushed Hyderabad by 19 runs on Monday and the RCB skipper will hope that his men don't lose the plot and stick to the basics.

KKR, on the other hand, will look to get back to the winning habit when they take on a formidable RCB unit. It is important that the team, heavy relying on Sunil Narine's services, perform well as a unit.

When will they fire?

A question on every lip- when will Yusuf Pathan and Manvinder Bisla fire? Manvinder Bisla, hero of the final last year, has looked all at sea in the middle. The aggressive right-hander is finding it difficult to lay a platform for the middle-order to capitalise on. Yusuf Pathan, on the other hand, is yet to make an impression.

As far as the Royal Challengers Bangalore are concerned, they need to get their act right at the top of the order. The opening combination still remains a worry as they are yet to lay a solid platform. Chris Gayle, despite a match-winning knock in the RCB's opening fixture, is yet to show ominous signs.

Fresh additions:

Brendon McCullum, who postponed his trip to fully recover from a hamstring injury, joined the Kolkata Knight Riders unit on Wednesday and is available for selection for the RCB tie. The right-hander's inclusion will definitely bolster a misfiring KKR batting.

Formula One remains a tough sell in China

When it was added to the calendar nine years ago, the Chinese Grand Prix was supposed to give Formula One a path to a vibrant new market that offered access to millions of racing fans and big name sponsors.

It hasn't worked out that way.

The race, which takes place this weekend in Shanghai, has struggled to fill the stands in recent years, and F1 found that Chinese viewership fell steeply last year. Sponsors also have been slow to sign on to the series with only a handful of Chinese companies endorsing any of the 11 teams.

"I'm worried about China," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told The Associated Press.

"The potential is huge, the importance is massive and we must make it successful there," he said. "But we haven't done enough to say, 'Hey, we are here and come have a look.' F1 improves with knowledge. It's a complex sport and you have to go out there to promote interest, promote the knowledge and the enthusiasm for the sport."

The Chinese market at first would seem an ideal match for F1.

It is the world's largest market for motor vehicles and has a growing middle class flush with money to spend on the latest exotic trend. There are also plenty of Chinese companies looking for international exposure, and F1 is desperate for new funding to offset the losses of several big names including ING and Credit Suisse due to the global financial crisis.

The growth of the series has been hurt by the fact China has one of the youngest fan bases of any country, with 10 percent of fans under 16 and a quarter under 25. As a result, the young fans often don't have the nearly $500 for a three-day pass to the races — or for that matter money to spend on F1 merchandise, according to Frankie Mao, a Shanghai-based journalist who covers F1 for Sohu.com.

"At the end, it is all about culture of motorsport in China," Mao said in an email. "We have fans, but they are young and can't afford the high expenses of luxury goods and F1 is luxury. China does have rich people. They love sport cars but they don't understand what motorsport really is."

Whitmarsh and other team principals also said the series has suffered from its failure to reach out and educate fans from the moment it arrived in 2004. Unlike basketball or football, F1 requires an understanding of the latest technology and often the arcane rules that can decide a race.

"If you take a new product into a new market, ordinarily you have a marketing plan and you advertise," Whitmarsh said. "We've put ourselves outside of Shanghai and we expect them to come and find us. We need to work a little harder. We as a sport are a little big arrogant. We're F1. We arrive and people will want to come to see us. But China doesn't need us."

Sehwag will never play for India again: Boycott

Saying he would be missed in international cricket, Geoffrey Boycott feels Virender Sehwag will never play for India again. Sehwag was recently dropped from the Indian Test squad against Australia and did not figure among the probables for the ICC Champions Trophy in June this year.

Boycott paid tribute to one of the world's best entertainers but was categorical when he told ESPNcricinfo that Indian selectors are unlikely to include the Delhi veteran any time soon.

"Some retire themselves and some are retired by the selectors. Whatever it is, this hurts. Sehwag will never play again and I think India is going the right way," said Boycott in his weekly show.

Boycott gave Indian selectors thumbs up for giving fresh batsmen a chance and felt building for the 2015 World Cup was important. "Age is not a barrier but it’s all about performance," Boycott said indicating Sehwag didn't deserve to be in the scheme of things considering his run with the bat.

The former England batsman, known for his classical approach to batting, rated Sehwag as an "effortless stroke maker" with a range of strokes that typified the "man's happy-go-luck" nature.

"He (Sehwag) wasn't a slogger and his free-flowing batting will never be forgotten," said Boycott, who added: “I would have loved to bat with him because the bowlers would only focus on him and I would make 20-30 runs without getting noticed."

At best, Boycott feels, Sehwag will play a few Indian Premier League matches "and then face away." "Most of them do but Sehwag was brilliant and he will never be forgotten," said the Englishman.

today's match

Thu Apr 11

16:00 local | 10:30 GMT 12th IPL - Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders

M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Thu Apr 11

20:00 local | 14:30 GMT 13th IPL - Pune Warriors vs Rajasthan Royals

Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Sunday 7 April, 2013

matchs

Sun Apr 7

16:00 local | 10:30 GMT 6th IPL - Pune Warriors vs Kings XI Punjab

Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Sun Apr 7

20:00 local | 14:30 GMT 7th IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

ipl

Rajasthan royals beat Delhi Daredevils by 5 runs in a stuing match.......

Pages

Tuesday 30 April, 2013

Monday 29 April, 2013

Sunday 28 April, 2013

Thursday 25 April, 2013

Monday 22 April, 2013

Saturday 20 April, 2013

Friday 19 April, 2013

Maria Sharapova

Oh boy! Three SIXES in a row. Perera surprises the Sunrises of Hyderabad. SRH wins over Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets at 127- 5. Lovely match. The match ended in last over! Magnificent batting by Perera!The viewers go Gaga over their win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Thursday 18 April, 2013

Wednesday 17 April, 2013

Tuesday 16 April, 2013

Sunday 14 April, 2013

Friday 12 April, 2013

Thursday 11 April, 2013

IPL 2013: Exciting RCB, KKR contest on cards

Formula One remains a tough sell in China

Sunday 7 April, 2013

Oh boy! Three SIXES in a row. Perera surprises the Sunrises of Hyderabad. SRH wins over Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets at 127- 5. Lovely match. The match ended in last over! Magnificent batting by Perera!

The viewers go Gaga over their win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.