Chennai Super Kings Storm into IPL SEMI-FINALS

MS Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath smashed half-centuries as Chennai sealed a six-wicket IPL victory over Mohali at Dharamsala.

Shaun Marsh made Chennai pay dearly for lapses in the field as he smashed an unbeaten 88 and, with excellent support from Irfan Pathan (44 not out) and Kumar Sangakkara (33), powered Kings XI to a formidable 192 for three.

In reply, Badrinath (53) and Suresh Raina (46) kept Mohali in the hunt before Dhoni (54 not out) finished off the chase with a couple of towering sixes.

The victory, with two deliveries to spare, lifts Chennai to second in the table and their superior net run rate all but assures them of a place in the semi-final later this week.

Mohali signalled aggressive intent at the start and maintained the tempo thanks to some poor fielding from Mohali.


Mahela Jayawardene smashed Sudeep Tyagi for two sixes in the first over and went on contribute 21 in an opening stand worth 34 before Tyagi took an outstanding catch at the mid-on to remove the Sri Lanka batsman.

Albie Morkel, however, put down a far more simple catch from Marsh in the next over while the batsman was on 10, a missed opportunity which proved costly for Mohali.

Marsh and Sangakkara rebuilt nicely and got Mohali close to the 100-run mark with a 56-run stand for the second wicket.


Sangakkara found the boundaries regularly and had looked in supreme touch until he went down on one knee to swipe off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin across the line, missed completely and was bowled.

Yuvraj Singh's cheap dismissal then gave Mohali a glimmer of hope, but Pathan quickly closed the door with a solid batting performance which helped Mohali to a strong total.


Marsh, who was dropped again at the start of the 19th over, put on 99 with Pathan and en route reached his seventh IPL half-century with a towering six off Raina.

Ramesh Powar then gave Mohali a strong start in the field by removing Matthew Hayden for five in his second over with the new ball.

Powar struck again in his next over to get rid of the other opener, Murali Vijay, but Raina and Badrinath revived the chase with a 62-run stand.

Raina hit three sixes and five fours and perished attempting a big shot off Juan Theron in the 10th over, but Badrinath forged on and together with Dhoni kept Chennai in contention.


Badrinath fell just after reaching his half-century and the Super Kings were left needing 45 from 20 deliveries at that stage.

Dhoni, however, upped the tempo and unleashed an array of attacking strokes as Chennai raced across the line

IPL CHEERLEADERS- CONTROVERSY

It was only going to be a matter of time before a self-righteous Indian politician's underwear bunched up in manufactured rage or TRP hungry television channel whipped up a fake controversy over the Washington Redskins cheerleaders.

Although there are some predictable criticisms from the usual suspects among the country's moral police, so far the extent of protest seems remarkably subdued in a tradition-bound nation. While one cannot guarantee that it would remain so, it is possible that the 'outrage' over the cheerleaders would not amount to anything much.

Cheerleading comes to India at a time when its movies have significantly demystified the female body with its many raunchy songs in which girls dress and dance far more provocatively than what was on display at the Indian Premier League's Twenty20 game in Bangalore. In the past decade or so the inelegantly named "item numbers" in Hindi movies have immunised the young against any possible shock. The amount of crotch grinding and artless suggestiveness that Hindi movie starlets engage in some of the "item numbers" far surpasses anything that the cheerleaders might do.

Those who know about cheerleading in the US would know that while at some level it is undeniably voyeuristic, its moves and choreography are by no means designed to be titillating. It is true that cheerleaders wear clothes that barely leave anything to the imagination, but the overriding appeal of cheerleading is athletic rather than erotic.

The introduction of American style cheerleading seems inevitable as cricket is acquiring some of testosterone of American football. Sure it was once a game where every cover drive or a leg glance was applauded by indolent British lords and lesser aristocrats from the sidelines. Every time they harrumphed, a retinue of their servants went scurrying about to bring them tea and sandwiches.

Those who know about cheerleading in the US would know that while at some level it is undeniably voyeuristic, its moves and choreography are by no means designed to be titillating. It is true that cheerleaders wear clothes that barely leave anything to the imagination, but the overriding appeal of cheerleading is athletic rather than erotic.

The introduction of American style cheerleading seems inevitable as cricket is acquiring some of testosterone of American football. Sure it was once a game where every cover drive or a leg glance was applauded by indolent British lords and lesser aristocrats from the sidelines. Every time they harrumphed, a retinue of their servants went scurrying about to bring them tea and sandwiches.


Now cricket is a glamour sport where fetching and well-endowed young women with supple bodies vigorously cheer from the sidelines. The purists may feel offended that the game is cheered by women who do not know a bat from an umpire, but that is the nature of evolution. It is as much entertainment as it is a sport. What would the purists rather have - empty stands for a five-day test match or a full-house for a three-hour game of unbridled excitement? If cheerleaders can bring in more spectators, cricket will be the better for it.

Cheerleading, like beauty pageants, is an institutionalised celebration of the female form in the US. It is impossible to find a cheerleader who is not desirable. But beyond the obvious, it requires a fair degree of athletic skills, particularly when it comes to tumbling. Cheerleading is almost a part of the school curriculum. Young girls begin to train for this art form which is somewhere between gymnastics and dancing. Done well and with finesse, it looks rather easy. But, in fact, it can be very demanding physically.

Cheerleading as an attractive sideshow to football games has been in existence since the 1880s in America. It acquired most of its contours of today, including its rhythmic yell, in 1894 when an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota called Johnny Cambell, bored of sitting quietly in the bleachers, started yelling "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!" from the sidelines. It has since gone on to become an increasingly well-defined physical activity, which involves dancing, tumbling and a whole lot of other tricks.

Some 115 years after it was introduced in the US, cheerleading has come to India thanks to Twenty20, the tarted-up version of the more staid Test and one-day cricket. It is just as well because in the new "cricket on crack", as the Twenty20 version is so illustratively called, the actual game seems incidental. A young beer swigging spectator in Bangalore said in his just acquired fake American accent on ABC News, "They are hot. They are rockin'. I want their numbers." Two more young men chimed in, "They are drop-dead gorgeous. To be honest, we are ardent cricket fans. But today we did not see a single ball of cricket."
They did not have cricket on their mind. They had the cheerleaders on their mind with their bright red pompoms, yellow bikini tops, shorts and white high-heeled boots. It was an erotic fantasy come true. Unless you are differently inclined, who does not like girls with taut bodies in tight outfits and high-heeled boots flailing their limbs? Vijay Mallya, the ever-glad-eye owner of the Royal Challengers team, has understood that in order for his latest business to be attractive, he has to have attractive people selling it.

Although it may still offend the sensibilities of some, the changing trend of popular tastes suggests cheerleading could strike roots in India. Of course, like everything else it is bound to be Indianised, which might mean less skin than in the US.

Kolkatta vs chennai

With back-to-back victories, Kolkata must be raring to go against Chennai in their IPL match today.
By Kashinath Bhattacharjee
His decision to promote Virender Sehwag to the opening slot had made history, a benchmark for a captain's thinking ability. Now Sourav Ganguly is at it again. He is trying to do the same with Manoj Tiwary. For Sehwag, it was in the longest version of the game and for Manoj, it is in the shortest version. But the impact is the same! Manoj, too, had never opened in his entire cricketing life except on one or two club matches, before he was instructed to do the same for Kolkata by Sourav.
The most important thing is, the Kolkata captain does not believe in giving only one chance. If the experiment fails, the temptation to discard the option is the order of the day. Probably, Sourav cannot forget those four years from 1992 to 1996 when he was thrown out of the international circuit after only one match at Brisbane in 1992. He faced it. So, he realizes the pain. And, he believes, there should always be a second chance. When life has no problem in providing one second chance, why should not he?
"Believe in yourself, believe in the team" is his motto. So, Manoj Tiwary, the 24-year-old got the opportunity to open the innings at his home ground and made the most of it by claiming the man of the match award through his 29 ball 50 against Bangalore, on Sunday. Now he is raring to go after the Chennai bowlers. The confidence of the captain is really infectious for all his teammates.
Against Chennai, Manoj and Brad Hodge will open the innings again. And for Chennai, there is no Dale Steyn or Jacques Kallis to open the bowling attack. The young Indian talent, Sudeep Tyagi and the South African Albie Morkel will share the new balls. In fact, that is an area of concern for Chennai since none of them impressed in their first match against Hyderabad.
Stephen Fleming, the thinking brain behind the Chennai team, however, declined to agree. "In the sub-continent, even a bowler with 150-160Km does not make a difference. Spinners can cause havoc and in that area, who's better than Muttiah Muralitharan? We have him with us. He is raring to go, too. Then there is Aswin and Raina, too, can bowl some overs. So, we are happy."
With the arrival of Shane Bond, Kolkata versus Chennai seems to be a battle between Kolkata bowlers versus Chennai batsmen. Although he had reached Kolkata on Monday morning, Bond might get a nod from the team management who are keen to make it three out of three. And Bond might be another trump card for Dada and CO.
But, the problem is, who to drop among the foreigners if Bond is to be included in the playing XI? Kolkata is running short on batsmen. So, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah are certainties. Angelo Mathews now is untouchable. Only option is Langeveldt. If that happens, they would again play a bowler short ie back to square one.
Yet, Bond can get the nod keeping in mind his devastating effect on the opposition. Initially, he had joined the Rebel Indian League in 2007. The best fast bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee in the New Zealand will be eager to make a difference in his debut match at the Indian T20 Championship as well as on his first outing at Eden.
Both the Kolkata opening bowlers will have to re-ignite themselves for an old battle against the mighty Matty Hayden. His new bat and determination to prove his worth to the team is making the battle an interesting one. Murali Vijay is labelled as a player ‘from the BCCI president's cabinet' who earns regular calls from national selectors in case of injuries to the first XI players. He has a proven record in the longer versions. However, his credentials in T20 are yet to be proved.
Suresh Raina has been a hit in international circuit while Badrinath has done the same in domestic matches. How these two young Indians batsmen excel against the Kolkata bowlers, Chennai captain MS Dhoni will be concerned.
The most interesting battle will, however, be the ex and present Indian captains. Kolkata still believes, Dhoni did not want Sourav in the one day team. There was a time when Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, was unceremoniously treated by the Eden crowd over Sourav's removal from the national team. It was such an issue that when the Indian team reached Mumbai from Kolkata, some of the teammates were forced to remark that they had ‘reached home'!
For Dhoni, however, the enmity with Dada's army in Kolkata is not at the same intensity level. But how can one deny the undercurrent?
That sets the perfect tone for the match billed as ‘Captain courageous versus captain cool'.