Ganguly Calls Time on IPL

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has decided not to play in next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) and to retire from the game.

Ganguly, 40, said that to continue playing would be "very tough for the body".

Considered one of India's most successful captains, Ganguly quit international cricket in 2008 but continued playing in the IPL.

He scored more than 18,500 runs in Tests and one-day internationals.

"I had a wonderful time playing in the IPL for five seasons. It gave me a chance to keep playing top-class cricket even after quitting international cricket. But I can't go on forever," Ganguly told The Times of India.

He was contracted to play next year for the Pune Warriors.

After retiring from international cricket he continued to play in tournaments such as the IPL and Ranji Trophy for his home state West Bengal.

Ganguly's decision will bring to a close the former captain's 21-year career, during which he led India to the 2003 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Australia.

Wisden ranked him the sixth greatest one-day international batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Dean Jones and Michael Bevan.

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IPL's Deccan Chargers for Sale

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India's cricket board is seeking buyers for the troubled Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Deccan Chargers, according to an advertisement issued by the owners of the team.

Bids for the team, which won the championship in 2009, will be accepted and the buyer announced next week.

Media reports suggest that the sale of the team has been prompted by a financial crisis facing its owners.

The IPL is considered to be the world's showcase for Twenty20 cricket.

Top Indian and international players take part, contributing to what is the world's richest cricket tournament.

The newspaper advertisement put out by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), the owner of Deccan Chargers, on Thursday said bids would be invited and the new owner announced on 13 September.

The chairman of DCHL said in an interview earlier this month that he was keen on selling the team to tide over a financial crisis.

"We will sell our cricket team Deccan Chargers, which will sort out most of the immediate requirements," T Venkatram Reddy told the Economic Times.

DHCL is one of India's biggest media groups with major interests in the newspaper business.

After winning the championship in 2009, Deccan Charges have performed erratically - the team finished eighth among nine teams last season.

In 2009, Rajasthan Royals, another IPL team, sold a stake in the franchise to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and UK-based businessman Raj Kundra.

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Kolkata Overpower Chenai in IPL Final

IPL Suspends Five Players

Indian cricket officials have suspended five players pending an inquiry into corruption allegations against them.

The move came after a sting by undercover TV reporters purported to show the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers agreeing to bowl no-balls and spot-fix matches.

The cricketers are also heard alleging that team owners often paid them large sums of money illegally.

One of the players has said the allegations against him are false.

He said he plans to sue the India TV channel, which broadcast the footage on Monday night.

The scandal is the latest to affect cricket. Last year three top Pakistani players were found guilty of involvement in a betting scam.

The decision to suspend the five Indian players - who are all uncapped and play for a variety of teams - was taken after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) saw footage from the India TV "sting" operation.

"We have no tolerance towards any form of corruption," BCCI chief N Srinivasan said.

"We will ensure that the integrity of the game is protected. BCCI believes in the integrity of the game."

Former ICC anti-corruption chief Ravi Sawani will lead the inquiry into "the involvement of players in illegal activities or activities against the interests of the BCCI and the game", a statement said.

The fifth season of the IPL, which is considered to be the world's showcase for Twenty20 cricket, is currently under way in India.

Top Indian and international players take part, contributing to what is the world's richest cricket tournament.

But these allegations are the most serious to hit the popular tournament after IPL founder Lalit Modi was removed from all involvement in Indian cricket amid allegations of corruption and nepotism in 2010. He denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

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Gayle Leads Bangalore to Win

Chris Gayle smashed 82 not out to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore to a nine-wicket win over Mumbai Indians and top the list of run-scorers in the Indian Premier League this season.

Gayle now has 515 runs to overtake Virender Sehwag (468) after hitting six sixes and five fours in 59 balls. Bangalore restricted Mumbai to 6-141 at Wankhede Stadium and then scored 1-142 in 18 overs.

Gayle, who was dropped on 21 by West Indian compatriot Dwayne Smith off Harbhajan Singh, added 94 in an unbroken second-wicket stand with captain Virat Kohli (36 not out).

He struck three consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and perfectly executed the pull shot off the pace bowlers.

"We knew we had to see off (Lasith) Malinga early on and then build the innings," Gayle said.

"We were expecting two overs upfront from him but he bowled three."

Earlier, seamer Vinay Kumar and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan came up with timely wickets after Mumbai had been sent in to bat.

Opener James Franklin (1) and Rohit Sharma (0) fell cheaply to Kumar. Franklin slashed at a delivery and was caught by Zaheer Khan at third man, while Sharma was trapped lbw three deliveries later as Mumbai was reduced to 2-2 in the second over.

Sachin Tendulkar hit three successive fours off Kumar in his innings of 24, and Dinesh Karthik scored 44 from 39 balls to steady the innings.

The win lifted Bangalore to fourth in the nine-team league with six wins, five losses and one no-result from 12 games.

Mumbai remain third with seven wins and five losses from 12 outings.

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Gambhir in Knight Riders Win

Captain Gautam Gambhir struck a solid 63 to take Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable five-wicket victory over two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Gambhir hit one six and six fours in his 52-ball knock as Kolkata scored 5-140 in 19.4 overs after restricting Chennai to 5-139 at the Chidambaram Stadium.

Apart from Gambhir, South African Jacques Kallis also contributed to the win. After bagging the key wickets of Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo, he produced a useful knock of 26 and figured in a 70-run second-wicket stand with Gambhir.

The win ensured Kolkata stays in second place with six wins, three losses and a no-result from 10 games. Chennai has four wins, five losses and a no-result.

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Deccan Chargers Rain in Kolkata

The Deccan Chargers are finally off the mark in this season's Indian Premier League after their fixture with the Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned without a ball bowled.

A torrential downpour at Eden Gardens meant no play was possible with much of the pitch underwater, the wind and rain in Kolkata even causing some boarding to collapse from the side of the stadium's police control room.

The start was initially delayed in the hope of conditions improving, before the decision was taken to call the match off.

The outcome meant a point apiece, though Deccan remain bottom of the table. The Knight Riders could have gone above leaders Delhi had they recorded a victory on home turf.

KP Fires Daredevil Ton in Delhi

A masterful century from Kevin Pietersen ensured that the Delhi Daredevils kept their winning run going. They registered a five-wicket win over the winless Deccan Chargers at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. 

Chasing 158 to win, the Daredevils lost opener Naman Ojha (1) in the very first over. 19-year-oldVeer Pratap Singh got the better of the right-hander. DD skipper Virender Sehwag (7) was the next to go as he nicked one straight into first slip’s welcoming hands off a Dale Steyn delivery. The Chargers were rampant in the early overs, and it only got better for the winless visitors. 

Mahela Jayawardene (6) couldn’t quite get his innings going as Daniel Christian got the Sri Lankan veteran to mistime one straight to Kumar Sangakkara at wide mid-off. Ross Taylor’s 13-run stint in the middle was abruptly halted by a direct hit from Shikhar Dhawan. 

At 65 for four, the Daredevils were desperately searching for some inspiration. And it came in the form of Kevin Pietersen. The dashing right-hander was the lone man standing between victory and defeat for the Chargers; and Bharat Chipli was eventually made to rue dropping Pietersen on seven. The aggressive Englishman’s brilliant 103* along with Yogesh Nagar’s 23* ensured that the Daredevils won with five wickets in hand. 

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara’s luck with the coin continued as he won the toss and elected to bat. But unfortunately, the Sri Lankan’s good fortune didn’t extend to the game. The left-hander edged a Morne Morkel delivery straight up in the air to leave the Chargers on 10 for one in the third over. But fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan continued his good form with the bat to blunt the home side’s bowling attack. Parthiv Patel too exuded confidence as his quick fire 45 helped the Chargers grab the early advantage. 

Dhawan’s (44) confidence got the better of him after he tried an audacious reverse sweep only to be caught plumb in front off a Shahbaz Nadeem delivery. The young left-arm spinner was at it again after he dismissed Parthiv, who found the fielder at deep square-leg. JP Duminy (4) couldn’t continue his good form as he eased one into the short mid-wicket fielder’s hands to give Nadeem his third wicket. The Daredevils slowly got back in the contest with those quick wickets and some good bowling from Morne Morkel. Bharat Chipli was the last man standing; his 17-ball 25* pushed the Chargers to a reasonable 157 for eight in 20 overs.

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Gayle Six Breaks Fan's Nose

West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has visited a female spectator who suffered a broken nose after being hit by one of his sixes as she watched from the stands at an Indian Premier League match.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore opener smashed eight sixes, including five in a row off leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, during an explosive innings that helped his team beat Pune Warriors on Wednesday.

Gayle said on Twitter that after learning one of his strikes had hit the fan, named only as Tia, and broken her nose he decided to go and visit her.

"Her 1st word to me is to Chill, She's fine!" he wrote.

"She was thrilled to meet Gayle, who also presented his medal (for hitting maximum sixes in the match) to her," RCB manager Avinash Vaidya told AFP, saying the girl was thought to be aged about 10.

The left-handed opener, who was named man of the match, cracked a 48-ball 81 in a magnificent display of power-hitting to help Bangalore surpass Pune's challenging total of 182 with six wickets to spare in a last-ball finish.

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Rajasthan Royals Top IPL

Rajasthan Royals moved top of the Indian Premier League with a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Chasing 197 to win, the Royals started well as captain Rahul Dravid (42) put on 62 with Ajinkya Rahane (44), but wickets from the Chargers spinner Amit Mishra, who took three for 32, pegged them back in the middle overs.

England's Owais Shah scored just 12 but Brad Hodge powered his way to an unbeaten 48 in just 21 balls alongside Ashok Menaria (22) to help Rajasthan score 74 in the last six overs.

Hodge's six boundaries and two sixes were backed by some late hitting from Johan Botha (14) and Dishant Yagnik (nine not out), and saw the Royals complete the chase with just two balls left.

The Chargers were earlier thankful to a 94-run opening stand between skipper Kumar Sangakkara (44) and Shikhar Dhawan (52) that was broken by Hodge halfway through the innings.

Dhawan fell soon after, caught by Hodge off Siddharth Trivedi, but the scoring was taken over by JP Duminy (58 off 26) and Daniel Christian (29 off 19). The duo combined for 88 runs, as Duminy smashed five sixes including a final over that yielded 18 off Amit Singh.

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Daredevil Pietersen Drives Delhi

Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils won one-sided games in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Pace bowler Lakshimpathy Balaji's haul of 4-18 helped Kolkata score a 42-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, their first win of the tournament.

Meanwhile, England batsman Kevin Pietersen smashed a quick 43 not out to guide Delhi to an eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi.

Kolkata scored 8-165 and restricted Bangalore to 9-123, South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis coming up with a fine double of 22 and 2-7 with the ball.

Captain Gautam Gambhir (64) and Manvinder Bisla (46) were the other main performers apart from Balaji.

For Delhi, a spate of run outs helped restrict Chennai to 8-110, Delhi scoring 2-111 in only 13.2 overs.

Pietersen Defends IPL Decision

Kevin Pietersen has defended his decision to play in the Indian Premier League, arguing that it will help him deal better with the unique conditions in the sub-continent.

While his England team-mates enjoy a break after Sri Lanka, Pietersen has a contract with the Delhi Daredevils.

He said: "I can just spend hours in the nets - I see it as an opportunity to just improve my playing of spin bowling and improving my technique."

England tour India later this year.

Pietersen, 31, will likely be back on Test duty for England against the West Indies in May.

He has already been on two tours with his country this year - to the United Arab Emirates where England played Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka.

But rather than being concerned about the toll the busy calendar can have, Pietersen - who clubbed a superb 151 and 42 not out in England's eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second Test - sees it as a chance to stay in form and enhance his technique.

"The great thing about the IPL is we go there and today, tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday... I can just spend hours in the nets," he said.

"I think it's a massive bonus, I'm very lucky."

Clarke Joins IPL Pune Warriors

Australia Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke has agreed to play in this year's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Sourav Ganguly-led Pune Warriors.

The Warriors, who will be making their second appearance in the Twenty20 competition, will be without regular captain Yuvraj Singh, who is battling cancer and see Clarke as the ideal replacement.

The 30-year-old Clarke, who has played 80 Tests, 212 one-dayers and 34 Twenty20 internationals, had shunned the IPL during the first four seasons.

South Africa batsman Graeme Smith, Australia leg-spinner Steve Smith and Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews are other prominent foreign players in the Pune team.

Ganguly Suggests Clarke IPL Bound

Michael Clarke's staunch resistance to the Indian Premier League may be nearing its end, with Pune captain Sourav Ganguly suggesting his side is close to signing the Australia skipper.

Clarke has been one of the highest profile cricketers to avoid the riches of the IPL for all four seasons of the Twenty20 competition.

He didn't nominate for this season's auction, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given the green light for Pune to sign players outside this method.

Indian daily newspaper The Telegraph reported Ganguly was talking up his franchise's chances of signing Clarke at a promotional event.

"We're on the verge of signing (Michael) Clarke ... however, he will be available from May," Ganguly said.

Australia's tour of the West Indies means Clarke's availability will be limited.

The fifth season of the IPL starts on April 5, while the Caribbean Test series is scheduled to end on April 27.

The Pune Warriors will have a total of seven matches left in the IPL's regular season after April 27.

Australia's next assignment following the West Indies is a handful of one-day fixtures in the UK, starting with a match against Ireland on June 23.

Clarke spoke about the possibility of taking part in this year's IPL back in October 2010, noting it would be strong preparation for the 2012 World T20 tournament in Sri Lanka.

However, he later retired from T20 internationals in January last year.

All Out at IPL Auction

Seven England players and Ireland batsman Kevin O'Brien all failed to attract bids at the auction for this year's Indian Premier League.

James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Luke Wright all remained unsold.

The top sale was India's Ravindra Jadeja to Chennai for £1.26m ($2m).

Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan, Paul Collingwood, Michael Lumb and Dimitri Mascarenhas are already under contract to IPL franchises.

They may be the only English players involved in the 2012 competition.

The IPL - which runs from 4 April until 27 May - clashes with the end of England's Test series in Sri Lanka which finishes on 7 April, and the start of the home series against West Indies, which begins in late May, so the availability of Pietersen, Broad and Morgan for the Twenty20 event is likely to be restricted.

Players only available for part of the tournament are paid a "pro rata" proportion of their salaries.

In a shock development before the auction, Sahara announced it was withdrawing its sponsorship of the Pune franchise and the India national team.

It is not yet clear whether Pune will be able to take their place in the nine-team IPL, although Sahara said in a statement that the players would be paid.

As well as all-rounder Jadeja, the other million-dollar players in Saturday's auction were Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene who cost Delhi Daredevils £885,000($1.4m), and India seamer Vinay Kumar, who went to Royal Challengers Bangalore for £632,000 ($1m).

Among the more surprising purchases was inexperienced West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine, who was snapped up for £443,000 ($700,000) by Kolkata Knight Riders.

The tournament was first staged in 2008.

ENGLISH PLAYERS IN IPL 2012

Stuart Broad* (Kings XI Punjab, bought for $400,000 in 2011)

Paul Collingwood* (Rajasthan Royals, bought for $250,000 in 2011)

Michael Lumb (Deccan Chargers, bought for $80,000 in 2011)

Dimitri Mascarenhas* (Kings XI Punjab, bought for $100,000 in 2011)

Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders, bought for $350,000 in 2011)

Kevin Pietersen* (Delhi Daredevils, transferred from Deccan who bought him for $650,000 in 2011)

*missed 2011 IPL season with injury