Katrina Kaif, Akon bring curtains to IPL

Johannesburg: From Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan to Akon’s smash hits, the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League at the New Wanderers here on Sunday night showcased the diverse cultures of South Africa and India.

Senegal-born American singer Akon sang his popular number Smack That, while the fusion of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram bhajan with African drums created a magical aura at the Bull Ring at the New Wanderers.

It was Brand India all over at the 40,000-capacity stadium, where the Deccan Chargers lifting the IPL crown after a heart-stopping final against Royal Challengers Bangalore.Johannesburg: From Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan to Akon’s smash hits, the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League at the New Wanderers here on Sunday night showcased the diverse cultures of South Africa and India.

Senegal-born American singer Akon sang his popular number Smack That, while the fusion of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram bhajan with African drums created a magical aura at the Bull Ring at the New Wanderers.

It was Brand India all over at the 40,000-capacity stadium, where the Deccan Chargers lifting the IPL crown after a heart-stopping final against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

From Jai Ho to Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram and Vande Mataram, the IPL closing ceremony gave South Africans a taste of Indian culture. The ceremony was better planned as compared to the inaugural, which was put together in a short span of time after the tournament was moved from India to South Africa.

Bollywood glam girl Katrina Kaif danced to the English version of Jai Ho of Slumdog Millionaire fame sung by the Pussycat Dolls, while the winner of Miss IPL Bollywood Dune Kossatz matched steps with Akon.

Jugglers took centre-stage and put on a jaw dropping performance as they literally juggled with fire, while a group of drummers rocked the New Wanderers with fire on their drum sticks.

British reggae musician Eddie Grant kept everyone on their toes with his popular tracks. Grant performed his anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Joanna and also Walking on Sunshine to bring down the curtain on the 37-day IPL extravaganza that has greatly strengthened ties between South Africa and India.

Adam Gilchrist named Golden Player of IPL

Johannesburg: Roll of Honour of the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Winners: Deccan Chargers (Rs 4.8 crore)

Runners-up: Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs 2.4 crore)

Fair Play Award: Kings XI Punjab

Man of the Match (final): Anil Kumble (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

DLF Golden Player of the League (Player of the Tournament): Adam Gilchirst (Deccan Chargers)

Orange Cap winner (highest scorer): Matthew Hayden (Chennai Super Kings)

Purple Cap winner (highest wicket-taker): Rudra Pratap Singh (Deccan Chargers)

Under-23 Player of the league: Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers)

Royal Challengers threw IPL away: Mallya

Johannesburg: Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya believes his team goofed it up in the last five overs and served the IPL title on a platter to the Deccan Chargers here on Sunday.

Struggling to digest the six-run defeat in the see-saw final, Mallya said, “I’m proud that we reached the IPL finals. We were cruising to victory in the 15th over but lost the plot in the last five overs.”

With Anil Kumble leading from the front, the Bangalore outfit did well to restrict the Deccan Chargers to 143 for six but faltered in their chase to fall seven runs short of the victory target.

“We were not beaten by six runs, we gave the match away by six runs,” Mallya said.

Deccan take IPL title after heart-stopping win

Johannesburg: Deccan Chargers completed an extraordinary journey from being at the bottom of the table last year to win the second edition of the Indian Premier League, defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in a pulsating final at the New Wanderers here on Sunday.

There was no lack of excitement and heartbreak in the title clash as the 37-day, 59 match tournament ended with a fitting finale between last year’s bottom two sides.

Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble used his guile and experience to claim four wickets and restrict the formidable Chargers to 143 after winning the toss. Herschelle Gibbs top-scored for Chargers with an unbeaten 53 while Andrew Symonds contributed 33.

The Challengers, who were coming on the back of five successive wins, were never on the top of the chase and lost wickets at regular intervals. They lost five wickets in the last six overs and finished at 137-9.

Andrew Symonds (3-18), Pragyan Ojha (3-28) and Harmeet Singh (2-23) all chipped in with the ball.

Ross Taylor (27) held the Bangalore innings together at a difficult time, but two successive blows by Symonds tilted the scales in the Chargers favour. Challengers needed 45 off 36 balls at that stage.

Taylor holed out to Venugopal Rao in the deep and Virat Kohli was out to a brilliant piece of stumping by Gilchrist.

Harmeet Singh Singh, in the next over took out Mark Boucher, who gave a straight catch to Gibbs at point.

Robin Uthappa (17) kept the team in the hunt and Challengers needed 27 off the last two overs.

Uthappa and Vinay Kumar took 12 runs off the first five balls of Ryan Harris, before the latter was out to a brilliant catch by Harmeet at long leg.

RP Singh kept his nerve in the last over and Uthappa could hit only one four off the fifth ball, but it was all over for Chargers by then.

Earlier, Challengers’ in-form opening pair of Manish Pandey (4) and Jacques Kallis (16) were out cheaply.

Kallis hit Ryan Harris for two fours befire dragging a R.P. Singh delivery onto the stumps.

Van der Merwe (32) meant business straightway, hitting Harris for two sixes but Ojha, who has been in impressive form through out the tournament, then dismissed Pandey and Merwe.

Taylor and Dravid looked to build a partnership by adding 22 runs, but Dravid went for a paddle shot and was bolwed by Harmeet Singh.

Earlier, Challengers were off to a great start as Kumble, opening the attack, bowled for a duck the dangerous Andrew Gilchrist, who had single-handedly crushed Delhi Daredevils in the semifinals.

Tirumalsetti Suman fell to a good running catch by Pandey off Vinay Kumar in the fourth over.

Symonds was dropped on five by Rahul Dravid in the slips, but could not do much and became Kumble’s second victim.

Gibbs smashed three boundaries and two sixes in 48 balls while Symonds faced 21 balls and cracked four boundaries and a six. The pair shared a third wicket stand of 40 runs to bring the Chargers back on track.

Kumble removed Rohit Sharma for 24 and Venugopal Rao for a duck in the 17th over.

Lalit Modi plans to stage IPL twice a year

London: With the Indian Premier League proving a smash hit in its adopted home in South Africa, the organisers of the Twenty20 razzmatazz are mulling a second and shorter version of the event in the same calendar year at an overseas location.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi told The Daily Telegraph that the success of the second IPL has prompted the organisers to explore untapped territories like United States and Canada and the League’s Governing Council would discuss the issue after the tournament ends in Johannesburg on Sunday.

“The potential is huge,” Modi said.

“We have turned the challenges and adversities in moving to South Africa into an opportunity. It is fans who determine if you are successful or not and they have come out in force here. It has shown that the tournament can be in any region, in any country. This opens up many different opportunities for us,” Modi was quoted as saying by the daily.

The IPL mastermind made it clear that India would host the first season and it’s only for the second season in the same calendar year that a foreign destination would be considered.

“The IPL will be based in India, but the second season we are planning gives us the chance to see if a market exists and we are seriously looking at what we can do with it,” Modi said.

“America throws up challenges but the format we have developed works. It is an opportunity for families to spend a day out. Apart from watching great cricket they have an enjoyable evening out. That will work anywhere,” he said.

“Before this tournament we did not know if we could do it. But we do know now. We have to satisfy an appetite across the world and build a fan base across the world,” Modi added.

Modi said the Indian cricket board (BCCI) would be in touch with its English and South African counterparts but ruled out the prospect of any country hosting back-to-back events.

“We will talk to the England and Wales Cricket Board, and South Africa are natural allies who want us to come back every year. The public and the boards want us but it is not realistic to come back to the same place every year.” While a second IPL in the same calendar year jeopardises Test cricket’s survival, Modi beg to differ.

“People who say we cannot work alongside Test cricket just don’t understand. You don’t need everyone available all the time. You don’t need all countries to be free.

“In England the Premier League runs at the same time as the Spanish and Italian leagues. We can do the same. They can run concurrently. To do that we must showcase and produce our own stars,” Modi said.

“England are playing the West Indies now so those teams are out but not Australia, South Africa or uncapped England players. That is where the misunderstanding is taking place,” he added.

Rohit named best under-23 player of IPL

Johannesburg: Deccan Chargers’ batsman Rohit Sharma has been named as the best Under-23 player of the second Indian Premier League which concludes here on Sunday.

Rohit was selected unanimously for the award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, by former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and M A K Pataudi, the adjudicators of the award.

The 22-year-old right-hander from Mumbai won the award by virtue of the 333 runs he scored in the league stages of the Twenty20 tournament at an average of 27.75 and a strike rate of 119. Apart from his brilliance with the bat, Rohit also shone with the ball, having taken 11 wickets at an average of 11.45, including a hat-trick.

“It is a great honour to be named the Under-23 Success of the League. I’ve been pleased with my form in South Africa, it has been a fantastic competition and I have really enjoyed it,” an elated Rohit said.

“To be recognised for my achievements by three of the living legends of Indian cricket is a great thrill for me,” he added.

Impressed with Rohit’s performance, IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said, “Rohit’s performances have helped light up the IPL.

He is without doubt one of the best young cricketers in the world, and has a very exciting future with both Deccan Chargers and India. I congratulate him on becoming the Under-23 Success of the League.”

Resurgent Royal Challengers shock Super Kings

Johannesburg: Lusty hitting by Virat Kohli (24 not out) and Ross Taylor (17 not out) powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to a six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings and into the final of the Indian Premier League here on Saturday.

The duo hit a couple of sixes each towards the end to set up title clash with Deccan Chargers after youngster Manish Pandey (48 off 35 balls) and experienced Rahul Dravid (44 off 39) set the tone with a 72-run partnership for the third wicket.

Chasing 147 for victory, Bangalore, who finished second from bottom last year, put themselves in all sorts of trouble as Jacques Kallis (9) and Roelf van der Merwe (2) were back into the pavilion with just 22 on board.

But Pandey picked up from where he left off in the last match. The 19-year-old, who scored an unbeaten 114 against Deccan Chargers — the first century by an Indian player in the IPL — timed his shots to perfection as Royal Challengers gradually picked up steam.

At the other end Dravid too semed to be enjoying himself as he found the boundaries on both sides of the wicket.

Together they almost took the game away from last year’s runners-up before a rush of blood brought an end to the youngster’s innings that included seven fours.

Dravid played some exquisite shots before Muttiah Muralitharan put an end to his innings.

With the wicket slowing down, boundaries were hard to come but Kohli and Taylor ensured there were no further hiccups as they put on 39 runs off 22 deliveries to wrap up the match with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, Bangalore bowled well to restrict Chennai Super Kings to 146 for five.

Electing to field after winning the toss, Bangalore picked up wickets at regular intervals to tie down Chennai after they had threatened to set a huge total with Parthiv Patel (36) and Matthew Hayden (26) going great guns at the top of the order.

Parthiv was the more aggressive of the two, hitting Jacques Kallis for three fours in his first over and then picking up a couple of boundaries each off Praveen Kumar and R Vinay Kumar.

In between, a rather subdued Hayden picked up a couple of boundaries and the duo brought up 50 in just 32 balls.

But just as Hayden was looking to break free, his innings was cut short by Vinay, caught by Pandey at long off.

Parthiv followed soon after, Kallis trapping him in ront of stumps and ending his 27-ball innings that included seven hits to the fence.

The twin blows put the breaks as Dhoni (28 off 30 balls) and Suresh Raina (20 off 19) struggled against some disciplined bowling.

Raina fell trying to up the tempo and Dhoni followed suit as Chennai failed to cross the 150-run mark.

IPL promises spectacular grand finale

Johannesburg: Bollywood superstars Katrina Kaif and Shilpa Shetty will join reggae icon Eddy Grant and R&B singer Akon on stage Sunday as the glitzy Indian Premier League (IPL) wraps up in Johannesburg.

The closing ceremony after the five-week Twenty20 extravaganza will take place after the last ball is bowled in the glamorous tournament’s final with a fireworks display topping the showcase.

“We believe we have put our best forward foot forward and it’s going to be a spectacular show,” IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman told AFP Thursday.

The show tops a tournament that was moved to South Africa over fears of insufficient security in India due to date clashes with general elections.

“It’s our way of saying thank you (to the fans). This is our humble way of thanking them and getting them to the field of play, to the stadium, to watch something beyond cricket,” Raman said.

The line-up at the sold-out match includes Indian percussionist Shivamani, a performance by Indian and South African drummers and the crowning of the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa.

The presentation ceremony for the 2009 season winners and runners-up will follow the entertainment. The IPL’s eight cricket teams are owned by some of the biggest Bollywood stars and richest people in the world, including Bollywood giants Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Shetty.

Khan is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars and owns the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Shetty is co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals and a former winner of Celebrity Big Brother.

Fellow actress Zinta is part-owner of the Kings XI Punjab franchise. Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani is the head of the fourth-richest family in the world, and owns the Mumbai Indians through his conglomerate Reliance Industries.

Gilchrist special fires Deccan into IPL final

Centurion: Adam Gilchrist blasted a 17-ball half-century and led the Deccan Chargers to a shock win over the Delhi Daredevils in the first Indian Premier League semi-final at Centurion Park on Friday.

Gilchrist finished with 85 off 35 balls, hitting five sixes and ten fours, as the Hyderabad-based Chargers stormed to a six-wicket victory against the tournament favourites with 2.2 overs to spare.

It was the first time in five matches that Deccan had been able to beat Delhi, who posted 153 for eight after being sent in.

That target soon looked easy as Gilchrist went on the rampage, hitting the fastest half-century in the IPL’s short history.

Gilchrist hit five successive boundaries off fellow-Australian Dirk Nannes in the first over of the Deccan innings.

Herschelle Gibbs was bowled playing a reckless shot against Ashish Nehra in the next over but Gilchrist continued his assault, hitting 15 off an over from Pradeep Sangwan, then 13 off Nehra as the total raced to 56 off four overs.

Tillekeratne Dilshan managed an economical over of off-spin, conceding only three runs but Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag was smashed for 25 runs in his only over, including three successive sixes by Gilchrist, one from a free hit following a no-ball.

Gilchrist was third man out when he top-edged an attempted big hit against leg-spinner Amit Mishra to backward point off the last ball of the tenth over with the total on 102.

Amid the carnage handed out to the other bowlers, Mishra took three for 19 in his four overs.

Deccan made a great start when Ryan Harris dismissed both Delhi opening batsmen for no runs in the first over.

But Sehwag (39) and Dilshan (65) counter-attacked in a third wicket stand of 85 and Delhi were on target for a challenging total before they lost four wickets for eight runs off the last seven balls of the innings.

Harris finished with three for 27.

Chennai win dims Punjab’s semi-final hopes

Durban: Muttiah Muralitharan led a disciplined spin attack as Chennai Super Kings qualified for the Indian Premier League semi-finals with a 24-run win over Kings XI Punjab here on Wednesday.

The Sri Lankan off-spinner finished with 2-8 off four overs as Chennai restricted Punjab to 92-8 after posting 116-9.

Delhi (18 points) and Chennai (17) have made it to the semi-finals, while Punjab await the result of Thursday’s match between Deccan and Bangalore as the three teams now have 14 points apiece. The top four sides advance to the semi-finals.

Defending champions Rajasthan Royals (13 points), Mumbai Indians (11) and Kolkata (seven) are already out of the race.

Man-of-the-match Muralitharan was superbly backed by off-spinners Suresh Raina (2-17) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-13). The trio conceded only 38 runs off 12 overs.

Australian Luke Pomersbach top-scored with 26 in Punjab’s dismal batting display in their last match.

Punjab earlier put in an impressive bowling performance to restrict Chennai to a modest total, with fast bowlers Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan taking two wickets apiece.

Australian paceman Brett Lee also prevented the Chennai batsmen from scoring freely, conceding only 16 in his four overs.

Chennai added 40 for the opening wicket off just 4.5 overs through India’s Parthiv Patel (32) and Australian George Bailey (15), but lost their way after the openers’ dismissals. Raina was the other main scorer with 20.

Sreesanth got two wickets in three balls when he had Subramaniam Badrinath (four) caught by Pathan at mid-on and then bowled skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for two.

Pathan removed New Zealander Jacob Oram (17) and Ashwin (eight) to finish with 2-32.