Buchanan vows to make Knight Riders the best franchise
New Delhi: It may be all over for Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but their Australian coach John Buchanan has vowed to make them the "best team" in the coming seasons.

At the launch of his book "If Better is Possible", Buchanan made it clear that every team should have its history and Knight Riders will create its own and also set benchmarks.

"I want to develop the team as the best franchise team. We are also looking for the right people and talent. There is the Bollywood aura but then we don't have history. We are the ones to initiate and set benchmarks," he said.

The Knight Riders made a brilliant start in the IPL but lost way after the departure of key players Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting. Buchanan, however, feels that it was Knight Riders' failure to perform well in the first six overs that was the main cause of their downfall.

National teams do not need coaches: Warne
Chennai: Shane Warne was anything but ambiguous when he declared with typical finality that national teams do not need coaches, but teams at the first-class and domestic levels need them.

While virtually dashing any speculation about taking up a coaching assignment with a national team, Warne was responding to a query about his dual role as coach and captain of the Rajasthan Royals.

"I am basically a captain who is helping out the team by putting my first-class experience to good use. But otherwise, coach-cum-captain is just a title. I am lucky to have guys like Jeremy Snape and Darren Barry who work things out in the backroom," said Warne who is here for the game against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

We have done our job, time to pray: Sehwag
New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag said the team had done their job after beating Mumbai Indians here on Saturday in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match and now was the time to pray for a semi-final berth.
Daredevils, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, placed third, fourth and fifth respectively in the IPL standings, are fighting for two semifinal spots with the top two teams, Rajasthan Royal and Kings XI Punjab, already making the cut.

Man of the Match Dinesh Karthik said he was happy to help his team win the crucial game.

Warne all praise for top-order batsmen
Chennai: Despite four changes in the team, Rajasthan Royals managed to win against Chennai Super Kings here on Saturday night and that reflected the depth of their talent, according to skipper Shane Warne.

Speaking to the media after beating Royals by 10 runs, Warne said: "Till the 14th over, I thought Super Kings might yet win the game with about an over to spare. But the wicket of Parthiv Patel was crucial and it helped us get back into the game."

Warne was all praise for his three top-order batsmen, Graeme Smith (91), Swapnil Asnodkar (41) and Kamran Akmal (53 not out), saying they laid the foundation for a big total.

"I am happy that Kamran came good with the bat tonight as we might push him up to open the innings since Smith will be missing our next match due to a hamstring injury," said Warne.

Jaipur juggernaut keeps rolling with 10-run win
Chennai: Sohail Tanvir bowled a sensational final over as Jaipur waved off a strong Chennai challenge to notch up a 10-run victory at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Saturday.
The Pakistan fast bowler took two wickets including the dangerous Albie Morkel as Chennai were unable to pull off a victory in a game that never pronounced a favourite till the very end.
Morkel, the South African left-hander, threatened to take the game away with a blistering 71 from 40 balls that had six fours and four sixes, but Chennai fell apart with the early fall of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12) and a bevy of wickets.
Chennai, who still need another victory to seal their spot in the semi-finals, suffered an early setback chasing 212 with the fall of Stephen Fleming, but recovered with a brilliant counterattacking partership between Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina, as Jaipur captain Shane Warne's ploy of opening with spinner Yusuf Pathan flopped.
Raina clobbered a majestic 24-ball 45 that dominated the second

Gambhir becomes first IPL batsman to amass 500 runs
Indo Asian News Service
Last Updated: May 19, 2008 23:55:12
Bangalore, May 20: Gautam Gambhir, with his 39 in Delhi Daredevils' five-wicket win over Bangalore Royal Challengers Monday night, became the first player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to score more than 500 runs.
Gambhir has scored 504 at an average of 45.81 in 12 matches. Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag is second in the list with 385 runs at an average of 38.50. Shikhar Dhawan became the third batsman from Delhi Daredevils to amass 300 runs or more in the competition.

Mumbai vs King's XI: Engrossing tussle on cards
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mumbai Indians, on a roll with six successive wins under their belt and thirsting for revenge for their previous loss, take on second-placed Punjab King's XI on Wednesday