Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by 39 runs

MOHALI: After a few stutters, the Sourav Ganguly-led Kolkata Knight Riders put their IPL campaign back on track with a convincing 39-run victory over Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.

Both sides, languishing at the bottom of the table, were desperate for victory but it was the Knights who pulled it off comfortably in the end, first putting up a challenging 183/5 on the board and then successfully stifling the Kings strokeplayers.

Yuvraj Singh, Manvinder Bisla and Kumar Sangakkara all got starts but against a disciplined KKR attack, the Kings innings failed to gather any momentum and they finished at 144/6. It’s a huge blow for the Punjab team, which is struggling for form this season.

KKR, meanwhile, will take heart from the manner in which their bowlers and batsmen rose to the task. Apart from a disciplined performance from Shane Bond and the seamers, their star of the day was Manoj Tiwary, whose whirlwhind 75 off just 47 balls put KKR in a strong position.

Tiwary also hit 21 runs with the help of two sixes and two fours off Irfan Pathan’s last over to perk up the KKR total.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly (50; 40b, 6x4, 1x6) too chipped in as the duo added 50 runs in 42 balls for the third-wicket partnership after two early dismissals. Both found it difficult to get going initially but as it turned out, it was enough to get KKR past the Kings.

With runs not coming at the desired pace, Ganguly tried to accelerate the run rate but after his dismissal, Tiwary upped the ante and the last two overs fetched 30 runs for the visitors.

Chris Gayle (14; 12b, 3x4) gave a rollicking start to KKR as he hit 15 runs off Brett Lee in the very first over. For Punjab, Brett Lee and Vijayant Malik, the two new faces, could not dent the opposition as both of them went wicketless. Sailabh Srivastava, along with Irfan Pathan, scalped two wickets each.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (Capt.), Chris Gayle, Manoj Tiwary, Mandeep Singh, David Hussey, Angelo Mathews, Wriddhiman Saha, Shane Bond, Ajit Agarkar, Ashok Dinda, Iqbal Abdulla.

Kings XI Punjab: Kumar Sangakkara (Capt.), Ravi Bopara, Manvinder Bisla, Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Shalabh Srivastava, Brett Lee, Karan Goel, Vikramjeet Malik.

Modi's questioning a 'big step forward': SIT chief Raghavan

GANDHINAGAR: The questioning of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the Gulbarg riots post-Godhra is a "very big step forward" in trying to understand and unravel the mysteries in the case and the SIT will submit its report to the Supreme Court on or before April 30, its head R K Raghavan said today.

Declining to go into details of the questioning of 59-year-old Modi, he maintained that former CBI DIG A K Malhotra, who grilled the Chief Minister in two sessions yesterday, "looks relaxed" and said he has confidence in the officer's abilities.

Raghavan said he was happy that the Special Investigation Team, appointed by the Supreme Court, could get the Chief Minister for questioning and that it will have to appreciate the evidence before making any comments on the issue.

"It is a very big step forward in trying to understand and unravel quite a few mysteries in the matter...I am happy that we were able to get the CM for questioning. I have to appreciate the evidence," Raghavan told a TV channel.

Raghavan said that the petition of Zakia Jafri, wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed along with 68 others in the Gulbarg Housing Society riots in 2002, was the SIT's "bible" and questions broadly related to it.

"I have greatest concern for the victims and I have never failed to take my eye away from justice. I am conscious of the sacred trust given by the Supreme Court," the SIT chief said.

Raghavan said broadly, he and Malhotra had discussed the questions to be put to Modi but he has not yet discussed the answers with him. "He (Malhotra) looks fresh and relaxed. I have not spoken to him (about the answers)."

Asked why he did not question Modi, Raghavan said as the chief of SIT, he does not meet the witnesses or the accused and it is a job done by the investigating officer or the inquiry officer.

"It is a good old practice that is followed by CBI...the director never does the examination. I have brought in this practice here. It is a fair and healthy practice," he said.

Asked whether the SIT will call Modi again for questioning if needed, he said, "I have to look at the evidence that has been collected. I have to look at what he had told Malhotra."

He said the SIT has the right to recall if there were "gaps" and that applied to any witness. "I broadly knew what the questions were going to be. Actually we sat down, had a session. We broadly agreed on what we should quiz him on."

Replying to a question, he said he will not go into details of the questioning. "I respect the functional authority of the investigating officer. I cannot say do this or do that," the SIT chief said.

Asked if the questioning went beyond Gulbarg riots, he said he would not like to go into details. "Our bible is Zakia's petition."

On whether 62 questions were put to Modi, he said it seems an "imaginary figure".

"Let him (Malhotra) give his report. I won't breath down his neck. The fact that I have brought in Malhotra shows I have tremendous respect for him."

To a question about the delay in SIT doing its job and allegations of bias, Raghavan said one must understand that he had kept away all Gujarat officers (in Modi questioning).

"They (the SIT officers) have done a good job. Let the court give its verdict," he said.

Asked when the SIT report would be submitted to the apex court, Raghavan said, "I am reasonably confident that I will meet the deadline of April 30...we will submit it on or before April 30."

Asked whether the Chief Minister fully cooperated in the questioning, Raghavan said, "The fact that he came we are happy. There has been an active dialogue.

"Malhotra seems satisfied. I suppose it was a satisfactory interaction between the Chief Minister and Malhotra," he said.

On whether he was under any political pressure, Raghavan said, "Do I look like a man under pressure? I am relaxed. (I was under) absolutely no pressure. I am doing my duty."

He also declined comment on a question whether an FIR will be registered on the basis of questioning of the Chief Minister on Zakia's petition.

PCB bans Younus and Yousuf

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf have been banned from the national cricket team after the recent catastrophic tour of Australia, the cricket board said on Wednesday.
Two other players Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik were banned for a year by the six-man committee set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to investigate the December-February tour, in which Pakistan lost the Test series 3-0, the one-day matches 5-0 and the only Twenty20 match.
The committee blamed infighting between Yousuf and Younus for the disastrous results, and recommended they “should not be part of the national team in any format.”
PCB's legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi explained the ramifications for Khan and Yousuf.

“They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on,” he said, adding that the PCB had stopped short of imposing a so-called life ban.
“A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that. They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad.
Malik and Naved were also fined (P) Rs. 2 million, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was handed a fine of (P) Rs. 3 million and Umar Akmal was fined (P) Rs. 2 million. Shahid Afridi was fined (P) Rs. 3 million for ball-tampering during the one-day series against Australia.
The Inquiry Committee comprised PCB Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari, Board member Wazir Ali Khoja, Director of Cricket Operations Zakir Khan, and team managers Yawar Saeed and Rizvi.
The players who were handed suspensions and fines appeared before the committee while other team officials — coach Intikhab Alam, assistant coach Aaqib Javed, the then manager Abdul Raqeeb, physiotherapist Faisal Hayat and analyst Mohammad Talha — were also interviewed.
The committee also looked into the manager and coaches reports of Pakistan's tour last year to the UAE for a one-day series against New Zealand, its Test series in New Zealand and the disastrous tour of Australia.

BJP denies divisions over Women's Reservation Bill

The Bharatiya Janata Party denied today that it was divided over the women's bill that seeks to reserve a third of all seats in the country's legislatures for women.
Govt ready for all-pary meet

Tamil Nadu rediscovers Hindi, makes history

Tamils began protesting against Hindi as early as 1938. The Congress, which had come to power in the then Madras Presidency under C Rajagopalachari, had made Hindi compulsory in schools. Tamils saw this as a cultural invasion that could render their mother tongue a secondary language on their own territory. Life has come full circle for Tamils. Today, Hindi is the most popular third language for the younger generation to learn across the state.

Budget unlikely to reduce MAT: Experts.

The forthcoming Budget is unlikely to reduce the minimum alternate tax (MAT), which is the minimum tax that companies pay on book profit, according to leading tax experts.

India clinch a thriller; beat SA by 1 run
A nail-bitting, nerve wrecking first one-dayer came to an end with India grabbing a 1-run victory against South Africa on Sunday.