Explosive T&T storm into the semis

Adrian Barath brought up a power-packed 63 as Trinindad & Tobago breezed into the semifinals after pipping the Eagles by 24 runs. The unbeaten Trinadad side amassed 213/4, the highest score of the tournament, leaving the Eagles with an almost impossible task of achieving the target in 14.2 overs to qualify for the semis. The South African side tried their best but fell short of the target by 24 runs.

Needing 16.5 runs per over, the Eagles got off to a daring start by gathering 72 runs in the first five overs, but the task was just too much to manage.

Rilee Rossouw hit a scintillating 44 off just 19 balls and the following batsmen too fought their heart out but Eagles ultimately could manage 189 for five in 20 overs. Morne van Wyk (25), Boeta Dippenaar (33) and Dillon du Preez (35) batted skilfully in their belligerent knocks but their effort proved insufficient to knock down the target.

New South Wales Blues had already qualified from League A after beating Somerset earlier in the day.

Opting to bat, Adrian Barath and william Perkins walked out to open the innings for T&T. Barath came in to the side after an injury ruled out Darren Bravo's chances. Playing his first match, Barath was edgy to begin with, but soon found his rhythm and was at his destructive best. He played second fiddle in the 66 run partnership with William Perkins for the opening wicket and stepped on the accelerator in his 76-run stand for the 2nd wicket with Lendl Simmons, who hit a quick-fire 40 off 25 balls.

Perkins, who has been in ominous form, yet again began solidly by hitting Victor Mpistang for a four and a six in the very first over of the match. The youngster Barath too got into action, with a hard slash off D du Preez which managed to clear the ropes at third man and then hit Ryan McLaren for two boundaries.

Barath entertained the Hyderabad crowd with his array of shots finding the boundaries at a regular rate, before being bowled by Dillon du Preez. Barath hit four fours and an equal number of sixes while Perkins decorated his innings with three fours and three shots over the ropes. The openers made the most of the power-play as they amassed 64 runs in the first six overs.

Thandi Tshabalala, the off-spinner, brought a huge relief for his side when he bowled Perkins. However, his joy was short-lived as the next man in Lendl Simmons hit was off the mark with a massive six and then packed the next ball to the boundary. Barath and Simmons kept punishing the bowlers and by the 11th over the Caribbean side had scored 100 runs. Barath steered Alan Kroger to third man to get to his fifty and Simmons hit the same bowler for two more boundaries to raise their fifty-run partnership.

Ryan McLaren provided the breakthrough when he disturbed the timber of Simmons but by the Trinidadian's job was done as he had cracked six boundaries and a six before his dismissal. Kieron Pollard then came up with a 23-run cameo following which Navin Stewart brought on a scintillating 11-ball 33 at number five which resulted in the Caribbean team posting the highest score of the tournament. Stewart put on a remarkable show of power-hitting in the 19th over when he thumped du Preez for 26 runs, pitilessly hitting him for three sixes and two fours, powering T & T to 213/4.
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Preview: NSW vs Somerset

New South Wales Blues will have to forget the Trinidad & Tobago nightmare and get their act together if they desire to stay alive in the tournament as they take on the Somerset Sabres in a must-win League A match of the inaugural Champions League.

NSW's campaign in the Twenty20 event was dealt with a severe blow by Trinidad batsmen Kieron Pollard as he made a sensational 18-ball 54 to not only fashion an unimaginable four-wicket win over the Australian side, but also take his team a step closer to a semifinal spot. The Australian side not only have to beat Somerset by a good margin, but their fate will also hang on the outcome of the last League A match between Trinidad & Tobago and the Diamond Eagles.

On the other hand, for Somerset the match is only of academic interest as they are already out of contention for a semifinal berth having lost to the Diamond Eagles.

But the English county, who have had a far from impressive outing in the event so far, would be desperate to prove a point or two by drawing the curtains to their campaign on a winning note.

One of the positives for NSW is the return to form of their explosive opening duo of Philip Hughes and David Warner.

Hughes and Warner seemed in ominous form against the Caribbean side, sharing 121 runs for the first wicket to set the platform for the big total. The NSW middle-order is also pretty balanced with the likes of Moises Henriques, captain Simon Katich, and Ben Rohrer in its rank. However, what will be of major concern to Katich is the team's bowling department, which was considered one of the best in the tournament till their forgettable outing against Trinidad & Tobago. The likes of Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark and Nathan Hauritz completely failed against the Caribbean side as they could manage only three wickets in the match. Henriques' confidence as a bowler was completely shattered by Pollard as he hammered the medium pacer to all parts of the ground.

But Lee and company will have to pull up their socks and unleash fire from the word go against the toothless Somerset batting line-up to help NSW's cause.

For Somerset the tournament so far has been an emotional roller-coaster as nothing went in their favour after the victory against the Deccan Chargers. Their problems were further compounded when Marcus Trescothik left for home in the middle of the tournament citing a stress-related illness.
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Match Preview: Eagles versus T&T

Unconquered and amazing, Trinidad & Tobago will look to carry on their unbeaten run and seal a semifinal spot when they clash with the equally impressive Diamond Eagles in their second and last League A match of the Champions League.

Kieron Pollard's exploits with the bat down the order have immensely benefited the Caribbean side in the Twenty20 tournament as he has twice played destructive knocks to contribute to his side's impressive run in the event.

Pollard single-handedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the NSW Blues last night when he hammered an 18-ball 54.

Dwayne Bravo is on a wicket-taking spree and his military medium pace has proved to be quite effective as he had already bagged 10 wickets, the highest so far in the tournament.

Apart from Pollard, skipper Daren Ganga, Denesh Ramdin, William Perkins and Darren Bravo are gradually getting into the groove and are peaking just at the right time.

On the bowling front, apart from Dwayne Bravo, Sherwin Ganga, brother of skipper Darren Ganga, was brilliant against New South Wales as the off-spinner played a crucial role in stemming the run flow.

South Africa's Eagles, on the other hand, brought about the ouster of English county Somerset and this has made the semifinal tussle in League A quite interesting.

Whoever wins the match between Eagles and Trinidad & Tobago is certain to be through to the next stage, while the remaining spot would be a battle between the losing side and New South Wales.

Since losing their first match against NSW, the Eagles have gradually lifted their performance, winning consecutive matches.

Either of the openers -- Rilee Rossouw and Morne van Wyk -- has clicked in one or the other match and if they get along together, things can be very difficult for any rival team.

Ryan McLaren has been quite useful down the order but skipper Boeta Dippenaar is due for runs.

Cornelius de Villiers has been excellent with the ball for the Eagles and has provided breakthroughs at vital moments
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Gibbs opted out due to security scare - Puttick

Cape Cobras captain Andrew Puttick confirmed that Herschelle Gibbs opted out due to the security scare which preceded their game against Victoria in Bangalore. The game was delayed after an Under-22 cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir, staying at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) complex in the Chinnaswamy Stadium, was detained in connection with the suspected presence of explosives at the venue. He was subsequently released after questioning, and the authorities gave the go-ahead for the match to take place. "It was his personal decision," Puttick said of Gibbs' decision to stay back. "He felt he was not mentally up for the game after what happened."

It was not a surprise that on a day when a security scare delayed the game, not one player was asked anything about cricket in the post-match press conference. The game was a relatively dull affair with Victoria unable to play at their optimum level, and all questions revolved around how the scare affected the teams' preparation.

Puttick said it was left to the individual players to make up their mind about whether to play. "There was lots of confusion initially," he said. "It was a really a difficult situation as there were lots of reports flying around. As for Gibbs, we as a team respected the decision. If you are not comfortable, then there is no use playing."

Cape Cobras didn't let Gibbs' absence affect them, and were mentally switched on for the game from the first over where they picked two key wickets. "I am really proud about how the guys turned up today and were able to focus quickly," Puttick said. "I didn't have to say anything special to the team; maybe we all thought what more can happen, 'let's just go and play the game.'"

Cape Cobras coach, Shukri Conrad, added that there were a few team meetings before it was agreed that a majority would play.

Victoria's captain Cameron White didn't directly blame the episode for the below-par performance, but said it wasn't the ideal preparation. "We don't know whether it affected our performance or not. But it wasn't ideal," he said. "We didn't even know whether we were going to ground at one point. We just got the news from the TV initially but were quickly given a briefing later.

Obviously we were reluctant to come at one point of time but once our security company gave us the full details and assured us about the security we decided to come to ground. We will have sit down in the next couple of days and see whether we let the incident affect our focus."

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Cobras win after security scare

Henry Davids smashed an unbeaten half-century as the Cape Cobras eased to an eight-wicket victory over the Victoria Bushrangers in the Champions League Twenty20 in Bangalore.

The start of the second-round match was delayed by close to two hours due to a security scare, but play eventually got under way with the match reduced to 17 overs.

Useful contributions from Andrew McDonald (29), Cameron White (24) and Aiden Blizzard (22) helped Victoria reach a decent 125 for five, but the Cobras' reply was emphatic.

Opening batsman Derek Brand (29 off 15) got his side off to a flying start and Davids made easy work of the chase, clobbering seven fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 69 as the Cobras coasted to victory with an over to spare.

The result ended the Royal Challengers Bangalore's hopes of going through to the semi-final.

Hours before the start of the match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a player from Jammu and Kashmir's under-22 team was questioned by Bangalore City police after security devices suggested the presence of explosive material in a bag in his room.

The Jammu and Kashmir team have been in Bangalore for a domestic tournament and staying on the stadium premises.

Police later decided there was no cause for concern, and Bangalore City police announced the man had been released without charge and the match would go ahead.

M R Pujar, the Additional Commissioner for Police, Law and Order and Security, said on Saturday: "Following a regulation security sweep of M Chinnaswamy Stadium this morning, police were called to investigate a suspicious bag. A young man was taken for questioning by police but he has subsequently been released without charge.

"Police and security experts have checked the stadium twice, as well as the suspicious bag, but nothing of concern has been found. As a result, the stadium has been given the all-clear for tonight's matches to proceed."

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NSW favourites to bounce back

Match facts

Sunday October 18
Start time 16.00 (10.30 GMT)

Big Picture

Somerset have depended on Trinidad & Tobago's enterprising style of play to get this far in the Champions League. They would have been eliminated if T&T had not beaten Deccan Chargers in the group stage, and they would have been knocked out had Kieron Pollard's haymaker not flattened New South Wales in the second round. At the moment ,Somerset only have an outside, and mathematical, chance of making the semi-finals and that will again hinge on T&T beating Eagles in the final match of League A.

All four League A teams are in the running for semi-final berths, although in varying degrees. T&T are the most comfortably placed, with four points and a healthy net run-rate, but should they lose to Eagles after NSW beat Somerset, then three teams will be tied on four points and it will come down to which side has the better net run-rate. That scenario, however, excludes Somerset who can go through only if they beat NSW and the Eagles lose, leaving T&T on six points and the rest level on two each, before being separated by net run-rate. If NSW win on Sunday, their semi-final berth wont be set in stone but they'll have an extremely strong chance.

Leaving the permutations aside, Somerset's task is both simple and difficult - they need to beat NSW, by a margin as large as possible. It's a formidable challenge for, apart from the quality of their opponents, Somerset have problems of their own. Their batting order, depleted by Marcus Trescothick's departure, has failed to fire: they've scored 157 for 9, 106 and 132 for 8, and their top-scorer, Zander de Bruyn with 64 runs, is No. 18 on the tournament list. Their bowling has been reasonably efficient, but not outstanding, and they will need their batters to give them an above-average total to defend against a powerful NSW line-up.

NSW stormed into the second round after two convincing victories in the first and were on the verge of another success against T&T until Pollard blitzed them. They are a formidable side despite losing three first-choice players - Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Nathan Bracken - even before the tournament began. They possess a strong batting unit: Phillip Hughes is the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 146 runs at 73 (after Ross Taylor and JP Duminy), while David Warner and Moises Henriques are in the top ten. Their bowling attack has been the best in the tournament. It took an astonishing 18-ball 54 from Pollard to beat them. Can Somerset produce something as extraordinary?

Watch out for...

Wes Durston came into Somerset's XI only because Trescothick flew home and he was their best batsman in the loss against the Eagles. Batting at No. 7, Durston had the advantage of unfamiliarity and he cracked 57 off 32 balls to lift a flagging innings. He won't have that unknown quality against NSW though and will be challenged to repeat his performance.

Craig Kieswetter, the 21-year old batsman, came into the tournament having scored over 1000 runs in the first-class season for Somerset. He's been disappointing so far in India, though, aggregating only 17 runs after three matches. He was given the added responsibility of opening in Trescothick's absence against Eagles, in addition to his wicketkeeping duties, and it's likely he'll be asked to do the same against NSW.

The Hughes-Warner opening combination added 121 against T&T, the highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament. Both left-handers are capable of sending the new ball speeding to the boundary and they do a fine job of setting up the innings for the long-handled skills of Henriques. NSW's batting has been so accomplished that their captain, Simon Katich, has batted only once in three matches.

Brett Lee and Doug Bollinger have consistently given NSW excellent starts with the new ball. Lee's taken only a wicket in each of his games but his economy-rate - 3.54 per over - is staggering and would have been excellent in a one-day international, never mind a Twenty20 thrash. Bollinger has conceded only 4.66 an over and an economical and incisive start on Sunday could dash Somerset's hopes
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Taylor's blitzkrieg sends Delhi packing

Bangalore were knocked out of their semi-final bid when Cobras outclassed Victoria earlier in the day. RCB then turned the tables on Delhi by defeating them by 8 wickets, knocking the Daredevils out of the semi-final reckoning. Birthday Boy Kumble did the damage with the ball with his spell of 3/20. Ross Taylor then came up with an explosive innings of 65 off just 38 balls, powering the Challengers to victory. Ross Taylor was declared the Man of the Match for his efforts with the bat.

It was disappointment for the Bangalore crowd as the Cape Cobras' win over Victoria resulted in the ouster of the home team. On the other hand, Delhi had a good chance of qualifying for the semis, provided they convincingly won against Bangalore and Cobras. With nothing but pride to play for, Anil Kumble won the toss and opted to field.

Sehwag started off in the way he is best known for, hitting Praveen Kumar for 3 boundaries in succession in the second over. The Delhi Dasher, as usual, kept finding the ropes at a regular rate, not giving the Bangalore seamers any leeway. Gambhir was lending him good support, nudging around for singles and giving his senior partner most of the strike. However, the opening partnership came to an end, two short of the fifty run mark when Dale Steyn got the better of Gautam Gambhir in the 6th over, dismissing him for 11. It could have been a double treat for Steyn but for Praveen Kumar who put down the new-man Dilshan the very next delivery.

There was another opportunity for the Bangalore team to see the back of Dilshan. However, Virat Kohli missed out on an easy run-out chance, giving the hard-hitting Lankan his second breather. There was yet another missed chance when Uthappa failed to hit the stumps which would have found Sehwag short of the crease. However, that did not prove to be costly as van der Merwe struck to get the all-important wicket of Sehwag, dismissing him for 47.

Along came the Birthday Boy and he shook Delhi off its feet. Celebrating his 39th birthday, Anil Kumble bagged his first wicket by trapping Dinesh Karthik leg-before. He was not finished by any means as he rocked Delhi further with the crucial wickets of Dilshan and Owais Shah, reducing the Daredevils to 117/5 after 17 overs.

Bhatia managed to score some runs towards the end before Praveen Kumar picked up Tiwary off the last ball as Delhi wound up their innings at 138/6. Kumble's spell was the stand-out performance as the 'Old Warhorse' finished up with figures of 3/20.

The Bangalore chase took a hit in the second over when Manish Pandey, suffering from cramps, had to walk off the field since the new rules say that a runner cannot be employed on event of a player suffering from cramps, which meant that Rahul Dravid had to come out to bat. The RCB innings suffered another blow when Dirk Nannes struck in the 4th over to dismiss Robin Uthappa for 9. This brought Ross Taylor to the crease who decided to employ the aggressive approach. Taking the attack to Glenn McGrath, the Kiwi hit him for 3 fours in the 5th over.

While Dravid was his steady self, Ross Taylor was in the attacking mode as the pair tried to get Bangalore closer to the target. Taylor had a lucky break when Ashish Nehra put down a sitter off Mishra's bowling. However, that did not deter Ross Taylor from restricting his stroke making. While some of his hits crossed the boundary ropes, some fours came courtesy of edges down to third man. Dravid too had his share of luck when Rajat Bhatia put down an easy return chance. Once again in the tournament, the poor fielding of the Indian teams and their inability to hit the stumps showed them in bad light.

Ross Taylor made optimum usage of the let-ups by sending Delhi on a leather hunt. He hit Amit Mishra for two sixes and a four in the 12th over, bringing up his fifty in the process. The Taylor blitzkrieg finally came to an end when Dirk Nannes struck for the second time, castling the stumps of Taylor. However the Kiwi had done enough damage with his 38 ball 65, helping Bangalore to a position where they just required 31 to win off 41 balls.

While Kumble had a memorable outing earlier in the day, Amit Mishra had a forgettable one. The leggie was never given respite as Virat Kohli took toll of him, hitting him for 3 fours and a six off his final over. Mishra finished off with figures of 0/59. It was then all over for the Daredevils when Rahul Dravid hit Nehra for a six, taking Bangalore to victory with 29 balls to spare. Dravid remained unbeaten on 32 while Virat Kohli played a quick-fire innings of 24.
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Victoria look to consolidate against Cobras

Bangalore: Virtually through to semi-final after a comprehensive win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, Victoria Bushrangers would strive to consolidate their position when they take on Cape Cobras in a Champions League match here on Saturday.

Victoria put up an all-round performance to overcome the Bangalore team by seven wickets on Thursday and would confirm their berth in the final-four stage if they defeat the South

Africans in the league-B encounter.

On other hand, Cobras who have entered second round as the Group C topper after beating both the Royal Challengers and Otago Volts, would like to maintain their victorious journey in the 12-team event.

Skipper Andrew Puttick, who has cracked a century and figuring second in the list of highest run getters in the USD six million tournament, would be the mainstay of Cobras' batting order.

But the captain would also rely heavily on the likes of middle-order batsman J P Duminy and experienced Herchelle Gibbs for some timely contributions in tomorrow's match.

Duminy had scored an aggressive 52-ball 99 in his side's five-wicket victory over Royal Challengers in the tournament opener, while skipper Puttick had left Otago stunned with his

breezy 62-ball 104 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, experienced Brad Hodge and David Hussey would lead the Victoria batting department with the trio of captain Cameron White, Aiden Blizzard and Andrew McDonald also have to chip in with the bat.

The Bushrangers looked a promising outfit when they went off to a winning start in the tournament, beating Delhi Daredevils, but soon lost their rhythm and suffered a 15-run

defeat at the hands of otherwise inexperienced Wayamba Elevens of Sri Lanka.

However, the Australians are now back in their elements and the Proteas should brace up to negotiate a stiff challenge from the side, which was considered by many as one of the

title contenders.

Teams (from):

Cape Cobras: Andrew Puttick (C), Derek Brand, Ryan Canning, Henry Davids, Jean-Paul Duminy, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Herschelle Gibbs, Claude Henderson, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard

Levi, Justin Ontong, Vernon Philander, Francois Plaatjies, Stiaan van Zyl, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt.

Victorian Bushrangers: Cameron White (C), Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Clint

McKay, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade.

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Eagles prevail in a thrilling encounter

Excitement and Heartbreak - that was the mood of two different teams. The Eagles and Sussex battled it out in a well-fought match that saw the 'Super' over being employed. The South African side managed to pull one off from the brink of defeat. Although the Eagles dominated for most part of the match, a determined Sussex outfit gave them a good run for their money before faltering at the 'Eliminator' stage.

First Innings: The Champions League was the stage for multiple do-or-die encounters in the past couple of days. While Bangalore emerged victorious against Otago to move to the next round, Wayamba, despite their win against Victoria, were unable to qualify. In yet another must-win scenario, Eagles and Sussex were ready to cross swords. Bolstered by the return of their captain Michael Yardy, Sussex won the toss and opted to bat.

Luke Wright and Chris Nash, coming out to open, had a quiet start for the first couple of overs, before Wright opened up, thumping Cornelius for a six and a four off back to back deliveries. However, the bowler had the last laugh, castling the stumps of Luke Wright in the same over. His opening partner departed the very next over, falling to Dillon du Preez. Cornelius was not finished yet as he held on to a superb catch from Hamilton Brown off his own bowling to scalp his second wicket.

It was then upto Ed Joyce and Dwayne Smith to shoulder the responsibility of weathering the storm. But that was not to be as Mpitsang struck in the 8th over to dismiss Dwayne Smith. Joyce then tried to string together a partnership with Yardy before Bailey struck to dismiss the Sussex captain, reducing the side to 74/5.

Following the dismissals, Joyce and Gatting got together as they tried to consolidate the innings. But the pitch was again on the slower side, making it hard for the duo to find the boundary. Towards the latter overs, Joyce tried to get a move on but was run-out during the process. Gatting and Chawla managed to score some boundaries in the penultimate over, but Gatting, in pursuit of quick runs, departed in the final over as Sussex finished off at 119/7.

Second Innings: In reply, the Eagles started off in a professional manner, playing for singles and putting away the bad deliveries. Then the big hits started coming with Rossouw going on the offensive, trying to cash in on the powerplay overs while Adrian McLaren played the second fiddle, giving his left-handed partner most of the strike. While the Sharks missed out on a couple of opportunities, the South African side took full advantage of it, piling on the runs at a steady pace. During the process, Rossouw registered his half-century, putting his side in control.

The Sharks tried different bowling combinations attempting to get a break-through and they finally managed it when Piyush Chawla struck in the 12th over to trap McLaren leg before, bringing the 72 run stand to an end. The Indian leggie struck again dismissing van Wyk for 2 and he finished off his spell with figures of 2/17.

The proceedings slowed down for the Proteas team, with the spinners operating in tandem. Hamilton Brown then provided the much needed break-through with the dismissal of the captain Dippenaar, making the task a bit more tedious for the Eagles. The match then tilted in favour of the English County when Rossouw fell to Brown on 65, leaving the Eagles requiring 12 runs off the last over.

More drama was in store as Arafat was given the ball for the last over. After 3 singles of the first 3 deliveries, Ryan McLaren got a thick inside edge off the fourth ball which made its way to the boundary. And then the fifth was a dot, leaving Sussex requiring 5 runs off the last ball. In another twist, McLaren smashed one over mid-wicket, taking the match to the Super Over.

The 'Super Over': The 'Eliminator' stage of the match began with Arafat bowling to Rossouw and Ryan McLaren. It was a good over from Arafat but for the six scored by Rossouw, as the Eagles managed 9 runs. The mini-chase began and ended on a wrong note for Sussex as Cornelius hit the stumps twice dismissing Dwayne Smith and Hamilton-Brown off the first two balls as the Eagles pulled off a victory. It was heartbreak for the Sharks who fought well to make a match out of it following a powerful opening stand by the Proteas.
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Wright to replace Pattinson in Victoria squad

Right-arm fast bowler Damien Wright will replace allrounder James Pattinson in the Victorian squad for the remainder of the Champions League Twenty20 after being cleared by the tournament's technical committee. Pattinson, 19, suffered a fractured left thumb at training at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi on Monday morning.

Ironically, Pattinson had replaced Wright in the Victoria squad ahead of the tournament after the 34-year-old was ruled out with a calf strain. Wright though, still travelled with the team to India as a bowling coach and will now available for selection in Victoria's next game, against Wayamba on Tuesday.

The Australian Twenty20 Big Bash runners-up are in a good position to qualify for the next stage of the tournament, having beaten Delhi Daredevils in their opening game. A loss to Wayamba, though, will see the qualifiers from Group D decided on net run-rate.

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Somerset blown away by T&T

The side from Trinidad and Tobago was the last of all the teams to take the field in the Champions League. On the one hand, this could have been looked at as an advantage in the sense that they had the time to study their opposition and the conditions better than the others, but on the other, it could have been a disadvantage, since the other teams were already match-fit and battle ready, while T&T would have to hit the ground running.

For about the first 5 overs of the innings, after Darren Ganga had won the toss and opted to bat, it looked like the late start had done the team good. However, in true West Indian style - i.e. in an absolutely unpredictable fashion - Trinidad and Tobago went from being 43/0 in 4.4 overs to being 60/4 in 6.2 overs. They had lost 4 wickets in 10 balls but also scored 17 runs in between. Perhaps the cricketers from the land of rum and reggae ought to moonlight as pendulum clock makers.

The opening partnership was good, with William Perkins blasting away and Lendl Simmons giving good support. Simmons made 22 off 19, while Perkins made 20 off 11, but none of them converted their starts to better scores. Both fell within 3 balls of each other, and there was nothing to "Bravo" about in Darren and Dwayne Bravo's brief stays in the middle. Darren made 9 off 3, while Dwayne departed for a golden duck - and two of the cricketers who Trinidad had looked up to for providing both solidity and explosive power in the middle had gone in the blink of an eye. Captain Ganga was guilty of the same crime as the openers - he had gotten off to a good start but was out for 23 off 18 balls to leave his side at 90/5 after 11 overs. The batsmen continued to keep the score-board moving by playing the attacking brand of cricket that the players from the Caribbean are known and loved for, but the continual loss of wickets hurt them as there was nobody to up the ante in the last few overs. However, a late flourish at the end from Sherwin Ganga who made 17 off 8 balls and Denesh Ramdin, who was the only batsman to apply himself and who held the innings together making a run-a-ball 39, ensured that Trinidad and Tobago ended up with a competitive total of 150/9.

It was still short of what they might have ended up with given the rush of wickets at the start, but considering that Somerset had chased a similar target against Hyderabad with some difficulty, only to squeeze through off the last ball of the match, Trinidad would have felt they were in with a chance to win the match at the innings break. The total was such though, that Somerset would have felt the same way about their chances of chasing it.

However, that seemed like a tall order just 6 overs into the chase as by then the Somerset scorecard read a sorry 28/3, having lost the key wickets of captain Langer, his opening partner Trescothick and the No.3 Craig Kieswetter, who didn't stay long enough at the crease for someone to make a crack about his name. Just to drive home the point about their pendulum-like performance, Dwayne Bravo turned it on while bowling, first getting Trescothick with one that moved away to kiss the edge of his bat, then making Krieswetter hole out to his half-brother. At the other end, Sherwin Ganga got Justin Langer in his first over, and the heat was truly on Somerset with a mounting asking rate and with their batting mainstays gone. Bravo's first spell read an outstanding 2-0-8-2. Trinidad then choked the runs and didn't let up the pressure, as the Somerset batsmen folded without fighting without their main batsmen to guide them. Spinner Dave Mohammed had a good outing picking up 2/18 off his 4 overs, while Sherwin Ganga also picked up a couple of wickets to return with 2/16 off 3 overs. But the star of the day was undoubtedly Dwayne Bravo who returned to pick up 2 more wickets in his second spell and ended with figures of 4-0-23-4. For Somerset, the only batsman to stand tall was Zander de Bruyn who remained on 43 not out off 39 balls, even as batsmen fell like nine pins all around him. Somerset were not even spared the ignominy of being bowled out, finishing on 106 all out to lose by 44 runs.

Somerset had struggled to beat Hyderabad and were comprehensively beaten here. The only practical way in which they could qualify for the second round would be if Trinidad and Tobago go on to beat Hyderabad. However if Hyderabad beat T&T, then it will come down to net run rates, which for Somerset, is underground.
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Match Preview: Hyderabad vs Somerset

Ground Reality and Pitch:

With a seating capacity of 40,000, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, formerly known as the Visaka International Stadium, is located in the Uppal region of Hyderabad. Having gone through its share of controversies such as the naming of the stadium and the ground being deemed unfit to host a Australia-Mumbai match, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, now with the state of the art facilities, is capable of staging the big matches. The pitch here has seen a mixture of low-scoring and high-scoring encounters, suggesting that it would be an equal contest between bat and ball.

Temperatures: Min-22 C Max-29 C | Conditions: Partly Cloudy

Team Updates:

Hyderabad: The home team, led by a swashbuckling batsman and an inspirational captain in Adam Gilchrist, go into the match as clear favourites. Boasting a powerful batting line-up and a relatively good bowling attack, the Deccan Chargers would look at not following the routes of fellow IPL teams but hope to start the tournament on a winning note. The Hyderabad side is a well-balanced unit With both the batting as well as the bowling department having players of international stature. The Chargers staged a dramatic turnaround to win the second edition of the IPL and would be looking to replicate the form as they aim at being the Champions of Champions.

Somerset: Captain Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick are the two big players who the team would bank upon during the match.Although not many give the English county a chance, the Somerset team has the fire power to upstage any major side. The team had a good outing during the Twenty20 Cup before losing to Sussex in the finals. A determined side that they are, Somerset would look at going one step further during the Champions League.

Players to Watch:

Symonds and Trescothick: Both these players a making a come-back of sorts. While Trescothick is is touring the sub-continent after a long time, Andrew Symonds would be playing for the first time against an international side ever since his ouster from the Australian team during the World T20. Both players have a point to prove and would look to cash in on the CL as the ideal platform.

Trivia:

Never has a home side been victorious while playing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. While India played two ODI matches at this stadium and lost on both occasions, the home team Hyderabad lost all their matches played here during the 2008 season of the IPL.

Sound Bytes:

I am glad that we are playing against Deccan Chargers first actually. They are the champions of IPL. That would give us an indication of how close we are. We come from a very successful English summer. So we have confidence: Justin Langer captain of the Somerset team.
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Thomas helps Somerset clinch a last-ball thriller

The Deccan Chargers followed the same route as its fellow IPL teams by losing the first game of the Champions League. Asked to bat first, the Deccans, although maintaining a good run-rate through out their innings, kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Same was the case with Somerset but fighting innings from Hilderth and Thomas contributed in a thrilling finish as Somerset clinched a victory off the last ball. Alfonso Thomas, for his allround efforts, won the Man of the Match.

First Innings 'Explosive start', the term becomes clich�d whenever Adam Gilchrist wields the bat. It was no different this time as Gilchrist tore apart the Somerset seamers, giving them no room to settle down. VVS Laxman was equally punishing, scoring the boundaries at a regular rate. However, things soon took a turn. The Gilly show came to an end when the Deccan captain, attempting to pull Alfonso Thomas, top edged the ball to the keeper's hands. Soon to follow was Suman, who made his way back thanks to a sharp catch from Trescothick at first slip.

While the run-rate was always on the higher side, the wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Symonds was the next man to depart, after holing out to Hilderth off Trego's bowling. At the other end was VVS Laxman, who was producing an innings contradictory to his style of play. Instead of a show of wristy craftsmanship, the Hyderabadi was raging along like a tempest. But his innings came to an end on 46 when Tergo tricked him with a slower delivery and castled the stumps.

It was then upto Rohit Sharma and Scott Styris to resurrect the innings. The duo, after nudging around for singles for a while, began to counter-attack. However, they perished in quick succession during their pursuit of quick runs. Venugopal Rao produced a cameo towards the latter overs, dealing in fours and sixes. But his quick-fire knock of 22 off 12 came to an end in the 19th over giving Ben Phillips his third wicket. Hyderabad managed to end their innings at 153/9.

Second Innings: The Somerset chase began steadily with Trescothick starting off with a string of boundaries, making the best use of the powerplay overs. However, his outing was soon ended by RP Singh when an attempted pull went to the hands of the keeper Gilchrist. Langer and de Bruyn then launched an attack on the Deccan seamers, dealing in regular boundaries. While there were a few occasions when the batsmen were a touch lucky, that did not deter the pair from playing their shots.

Though there was this flurry of boundaries, Adam Gilchrist pursued with RP Singh and his decision paid off when the seamer struck in the 6th over, dismissing de Bruyn and Langer in quick succession. Ojha was not to be left behind as he brought about the dismissals of Kieswetter and Suppaih. With the rain coming down, it was imperative that the Sabres did not lose more wickets. But that was not to be as the Somerset team, from a position of 50/1 were reduced to 99/7.

Hildreth then took over the responsibility of trying to put Somerset in the hunt for the chase and did a good job about that. There was more drama in store when Fidel Edwards, coming into bowl in the 17th over, bowled a beamer off his first delivery and was removed from the attack as he had bowled one earlier during the start of the innings. Hildreth showcased his fighting spirit, getting the crucial boundaries and putting the team in a commanding position. With good support from Thomas, Hildreth got the team to a stage where they required 14 runs off 12 balls. RP Singh was brought in to bowl the 19th over and he gave away 9 runs in his over.

Scott Styris was chosen to bowl the last over and what came by was a dramatic finish. The first ball resulted in a wicket going down - that of Hildreth. Max Waller came in to face the second ball and got no run off it. Was it a twist in the tale - that was the question when the third ball saw Waller caught and bowled by Styris, leaving Somerset requiring 5 runs of 3 with 1 wicket remaining. The cool-headed Thomas then came up with a boundary, and another of the last ball, taking Somerset to victory by one wicket.
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'Outsider' Arafat on familiar turf

"I'm alone here," Yasir Arafat said with a smile, sitting comfortably on his bed in a Delhi hotel. Part of the Sussex Sharks squad for the Champions League Twenty20, Arafat has the distinction of being the first Pakistan cricketer to play in India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year escalated tensions between the countries. Cricket became an immediate, and inadvertent, victim with the Pakistan players not allowed by their government to take part in the second edition of IPL.

Yet Arafat had a smooth entry into India; he said he got his visa at the Indian High Commission in London - where he was playing county cricket - without any fuss. "The Champions League organisers helped with a letter and I got it immediately," Arafat told Cricinfo. "The PCB gave me the permission immediately."

Arafat, 27, may be inundated with non-cricketing questions as he moves around but, having made a memorable Test debut in India a few years ago, the Pakistan bowler is relaxed. "It is a good feeling," he said. "There is no pressure, I am here to enjoy Twenty20 cricket."

He admitted that, in a way, he was an ambassador for Pakistan and believed cricket could once again form a bridge to de-escalate tensions between the countries. And his confidence is based on his conversations with the Indians he meets - in the media, administration and even the common man - who all fondly reminisce about the hospitality showered on them by the people of Pakistan on their trip across the border during India's historic series in 2004.

Arafat picked a five-for in his very first-innings, in the Bangalore Test of the 2007 series, and followed it with a strokeful 44 in the same drawn game. Yet it is not the cricketing memories he talks about on his return: Not many know that his ties with Delhi are pretty old, and that he's coming back to the capital after 22 years. "I studied at St Giri School in Chanakyapuri till the second standard. I went there today to relive the memories," he said.

The family stayed in Delhi during his father's stint at the Pakistan High Commission. "Abbu (father) was in the visa section and the family still talk fondly about Delhi," said Arafat. "The first thing my family wanted me to do was to visit the school." Interestingly, a senior teacher, who has been working at the school for three decades remembered Arafat's elder brother Imran. Arafat also managed to sneak out to Nehru Place, and plans to visit the Taj Mahal, Qutb Minar and the pilgrimage centre of Ajmer Sharief. The senior Arafats, who stay in Rawalpindi, continue to reminisce till this day about their day trips to all these places.

"Based on the scheduling and the team's progress I would like to visit the sites that were our favourite," Arafat said.

Asked about the match-fixing allegations surfacing after Pakistan's exit in the recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy, Arafat said the reports and the people perpetuating such stuff were only there to "demoralise" Pakistan cricket.

"The attitude of countries in the subcontinent towards a loss is negative," Arafat said. "Definitely, reports such match-fixing is always demoralising. The boys were playing and working hard and even spent Eid in South Africa and despite all the sacrifices they make fingers are still pointed at them."

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Eagles and NSW captains unhappy with Kotla pitch

Captains of both Diamond Eagles and the New South Wales teams criticised the newly-laid Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, saying it was far from being an ideal strip for Twenty20 cricket.

Although Eagles captain Boeta Dippenaar accepted that his team did not play their best cricket, he feels the wicket had a role in the South African side's 53-run defeat at the hands of NSW in the opening Group B match of the Champions League.

"We didn't play well, we didn't adapt to the conditions well and I must say the conditions were really tough. The bounce wasn't great, particularly when you are coming from lively South African conditions."

"The wicket wasn't close to what we have played in the three practice games," Dippenar said in the post-match press conference.

Asked whether he was aware that the Kotla pitch was a newly-laid one, the Eagles captain said, "Yeah, we were aware that it was a newly-laid wicket. We knew it will play slow but not as much as it has played today."

The Eagles' bowlers did a decent job of restricting the formidable NSW batting line-up to a modest 144 in the low and slow pitch, but Dippenaar feels his bowlers bowled well in patches and gave 20 runs extra to the NSW.

"120 was a good score in this wicket. Our bowlers at time bowled well and at times they were wayward," he said.

His NSW counterpart Simon Katich, who made a classy 53 today, echoed similar feelings and said playing shots from the onset in such a wicket was difficult.

"We won the toss but we were quite not sure how the wicket was going to play. Initially, it was difficult to play shots but once we got the start, it became easy," the left-hander said.

"To be honest whenever you play Twenty20 cricket wickets are always good, but today it was low and slow."

He said once they have put on 144 on the board, they were confident of winning the match.

"After the first six overs we felt 140-150 is a good score in this wicket," Katich said.

The NSW skipper feels with international experience of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and David warner up its rank, the Australian side has a edge over other sides in the cash-rich tournament.

"We do have a lot of international guys in our team but we don't play as much Twenty20 cricket as England does. But to have Lee upfront and Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and David Warner with plenty of plenty of experience behind them it is always an advantage to us.

"We've quite a few options in the bowling department," Katich said.
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McKay stars as Victoria cruise past Delhi

Victoria were a disciplined bunch of cricketers as they cruised past Delhi, winning comfortably by 7 wickets. Clint McKay was the star of the day as he picked up Sehwag, Owais Shah and Dilshan to restrict Delhi to a score of 98. McKay went on to win the Man of the Match award.

Delhi looked an upbeat side with Sehwag back in the reckoning after his long injury lay-off. Gambhir, donning the captain's hat, won the toss and witnessing the result of the first match, opted to bat without hesitation. It was a delightful sight for the crowd at the Kotla to see Sehwag and Gambhir walk out to the middle after a gap of about 5 months. True to his nature, Sehwag got the fans onto their feet right from the first over, scoring back-to-back boundaries off Harwood.

The excitement was short lived as Gambhir and Sehwag departed and soon to follow was Owais Shah. There seemed to be a pattern in these dismissals with Gambhir falling in the 3rd, Sehwag in the 5th and Owais Shah in the 7th over. Dinesh Karthik broke the symmetry by getting out in the 8th over, after an indecisive call resulted in his run-out, leaving Delhi tottering at 47/4. Clint McKay was having a great time. After taking a blinder off his own bowling to send Sehwag back, McKay scalped his second by inducing Owais Shah to edge the ball to the keeper.

Dilshan and Manhas then took over the responsibility of repairing the Delhi innings. The duo played cautiously, squeezing singles and rotating the strike. While there were many throws which missed the mark, the running between the wickets hardly seemed to improve. More trouble was in store for the Daredevils when Dilshan, coming down the track was bowled by McKay, becoming the the Victorian's third victim. Manhas, who was struggling after pulling his hamstring, was soon relieved of his misery, getting out to Harwood on 25.

The final over saw one of the best shows of athleticism when Rob Quiney came up with a diving effort, stopping a Mishra hit from going over the boundary ropes and restricting it to just a single. McDonald then ended picking up a couple of wickets in the last over as the Bushrangers restricted the home team to 98/8.

Chasing a paltry target, the Victorian openers Brad Hodge and Rob Quiney got off to a cautious start as the pitch was playing on the slower side with indifferent bounce. After seeing through the initial period, Quiney opened up and struck some lusty blows. Hodge, on the other hand was more sedate, happy to give the left-hander most of the strike. Quiney took toll of Mishra, hitting him for a four and six off consecutive deliveries in the 8th over. However, the leg-spinner had the final say, bowling the left-hander out for 40. Dilshan struck the very next over, bringing about the dismissal of Hodge. At the halfway stage, the Bushrangers were 60/2.

Rajat Bhatia was introduced into the attack in the 13th over and he reinforced his captain faith by getting the wicket of David Hussey. Cameron White and Blizzard then ensured that there were no further hiccups. Piling on the runs at a decent pace, they duo played professionally taking the team closer to the target. Blizzard then finished it with a six off Bhatia taking the Bushrangers to a comfortable 7 wicket victory.
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Dashing Duminy dooms RCB

Jean Paul Duminy batted like there was no tomorrow, powering the Cape Cobras to victory. His knock of 99 not out off just 52 balls out-shined the fifties by Ross Taylor and Robin Uthappa earlier in the day. Duminy, desperately unlucky to miss out on a deserving hundred, hit 8 fours and 5 sixers in his sparkling innings.

First innings: Following an action-packed opening ceremony featuring the likes of Shaggy, Jamelia and the Shaolin Monks, Anil Kumble won the toss and opted to bat. Kallis and Uthappa, opening the innings for Bangalore, got the team off to a steady start, before the former fell to his South African colleague Langeveldt on 8, outside edging the ball to the hands of the keeper Canning. This brought in Rahul Dravid at number 3 who got off the mark with a classic ondrive, reliving the glorious days of old-school cricket. Uthappa, on the other hand, was living dangerously, with a couple of mistimed shots landing short off the fielders and another such attempt resulting in Langeveldt putting down a tough chance. In the process Langeveldt had to walk off the field after falling awkwardly and injuring his shoulder. Luck seemed to be on Bangalore's side once again when Rahul Dravid was put down by Davids on 15 off Zondeki's bowling. However, the duo hung on and took their partnership past the fifty run mark. At the halfway stage, Bangalore were 69-1.

Robin Uthappa reached his 50 with a six off Zondenki but fell the very next ball thanks to a sharp catch from Herschelle Gibbs at point. Soon to depart was Rahul Dravid, run-out yet again after a mixup with Virat Kohli. Kohli started off well with a couple of boundaries helping Bangalore cross the 100 run mark but became the next man to go, after a flashy bit of stumping from Canning off Henderson's bowling.

It was then time for the Ross Taylor blitzkreig at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Taylor toyed around with the Cobra bowlers, with booming sixers and fours travelling all around the park. Manish Pandey was giving him good support, playing for singles and giving the Samoan most of the strike. Taylor brought up his fifty off the last ball of the innings with a top-edge going over the keeper's head for a boundary. Taylor remained unbeaten on 53 off just 24 balls, helping Bangalore to a formidable total of 180/4. Taylor's innings included 4 fours and 4 sixers.

Second innings: Chasing a steep target, the Cobras had a disastrous start after Praveen Kumar struck in the first over to bag the vital wicket of Herschelle Gibbs, dismissing him for a duck. A hint of out-swing saw Gibbs edging the ball to the safe hands of Mark Boucher. More success was in store for the Royal Challengers when the Cobras captain Puttick became Praveen's second victim after a leading edge was pouched by Kohli at Point.

However, the early wickets did not deter Duminy or Davids who took the attack to the seamers. Dealing in boundaries and sixers, the pair frustrated the seamers, especially Kallis, who let out verbal volleys at Duminy. JP Duminy might have believed that he had his share of luck when Ross Taylor put down a sitter of Kumble's bowling. However, that was not the way it turned out - the ball caught the cable which was wired to the fly cam and the umpire declared it a dead ball. Davids was looking set for a good score, whacking back-to-back boundaries off Vinay kumar. But the bowler had the last laugh, when Davids fell to Vinay on 27, cutting a back of length delivery straight to Kohli at point. The next man to go was Ontong, bowled by van der Merwe for 19.

Meanwhile, Duminy, with his 'no-nonsense' approach, was keeping the Cobras' hopes high, taking them closer to the target. He went on to reach his fifty with a reverse sweep to the boundary off Anil Kumble. Canning gave him good support, playing for singles and twos and rotating the strike. With towering sixers and sweetly timed boundaries, Duminy was taking the game away from the Challengers. The 50 partnership for the fifth wicket came in the 18th over which ended with the Cobras requiring 18 runs to win off the last two overs. The Challengers claimed the wicket of Canning in the 19th over, after the right-hander departed, holing out to Anil Kumble, giving Praveen Kumar his third scalp. However, that turned out to be only a consolation wicket as Duminy, with a flurry of boundaries, took Cobras to the last over, requiring 9 runs for victory. He hit a massive six and then took a single off the penultimate ball. Kleinveldt finished it off with a boundary, leaving a heart-broken Duminy stranded one short of a deserving hundred.

Turning Point of the match:

Duminy, on 74, came down the track to Kumble and and hit a low drive back to him. The ball travelled to the left of Kumble, who dived at it but could not cling on to the catch and Duminy went on to power his team to victory with an unbeaten 99. Although it was a tough chance, Kumble, in hindsight, would have hoped he had pulled that one off.
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CL kicks off with a dazzling ceremony

The inaugural edition of the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 tournament kicked off with a dazzling opening ceremony marked by laser shows and musical performances by reputed international stars at M Chinnaswamy Stadium here today.

Reggae singer Shaggy, Grammy winner Chaka Khan, British pop star Jamelia and Shaolin monks from China set alight the star-studded opening ceremony as thousands of spectators thronged the stadium to have a glimpse of the spectacle.

The proceeding started with skippers of the twelve participating teams exchanging flags and taking the "MCC - Spirit of Cricket" before leaving their hand prints in clay, as an attestation to play the game within the spirit of cricket.

"It is an incredible moment. I hope this champions league helps the game to grow and expand. The birth of this new concept could not have been possible without the support of the different Cricket Boards," Champions League Commissioner Lalit Modi said.

After the inaugural speech, twelve world-renowned Japanese drummers took centreAmerican R&B singer-songwriter Yvette Marie Stevens, better known as Chaka Khan, then entertained the audience with her hit single "I Feel For You".

Then there were the acrobatic cube artists showing their feat followed by the Shaolin monks from China who displayed Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Chi Kung movements in an adrenalin-packed sequence, surrounded by the agile Kalaripayattu artists.

Shaggy then enthralled the audience with his song "Feel the Rush", which was the official anthem for the mascots of the Euro 2008 football tournament. His performance was accompanied by a multi-coloured laser show and eight wind dancers.

British singer-model Jamelia also enthralled the crowd with her super hit song "Superstar".

In the grand finale, all the artists converged onto the field to a synchronised segment of lights, laser, concert sound and a display of fireworks that illuminated the sky and brought an end to the spectacular opening ceremony.
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Yogesh Nagar replaces Vettori in Delhi squad

Injured left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori was today replaced by Yogesh Nagar in the Delhi Daredevils squad for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 tournament starting here today.

The Champions League Technical Committee today okayed the change in the Daredevils squad, which will play their first match against Victorian Bushrangers tomorrow in front of the home crowd at Feroze Shah Kotla ground.

Vettori, a key member of Daredevils' spin department, is nursing a hamstring injury suffered during the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The Daredevils had earlier replaced injured Paul Collingwood with Glenn McGrath.

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Delhi eye McGrath for Vettori

Delhi Daredevils are set to include Glenn McGrath in their Champions League Twenty20 squad as a replacement for Daniel Vettori. The New Zealand captain had to pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy final against Australia on Monday with a hamstring injury he had aggravated during the semi-final clash against Pakistan. McGrath has already been alerted and is expected to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday pending the organisers' approval.

Delhi Daredevils' chief operating officer Amrit Mathur said two names, including McGrath's, had been sent to the tournament's technical committee. The second, Yogesh Nagar, was a replacement for England allrounder Paul Collingwood, who returned home after the Champions Trophy with a buttock strain. "We have sought the approval from the organisers to replace the injured players and have given the names of McGrath and Nagar, who were part of the original squad of 20," Mathur told Cricinfo.

Delhi have lost three overseas players in less than a week - South African batsman AB de Villers was the first to pull out due to a back injury, followed by Collingwood and now Vettori.

Collingwood's non-participation was confirmed through a press release from the ECB's medical team today. "The scan revealed a grade-two tear and Paul has been withdrawn from the forthcoming Champions League in India in which he was due to play for Delhi Daredevils," the release said.

McGrath's return could be interesting given his absence from competitive cricket since the semi-final of the inaugural IPL in May 2008. Though he was part of the Delhi squad in the second IPL in South Africa, the team management was wary of playing him because of fitness concerns. Peeved at being ignored, the former Australian fast bowler had even spoken about not returning for the third IPL season next year, a comment he claimed he never made.

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