Actual IPL will start now: Dahiya

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Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Vijay Dahiya on Friday said that the tournament has become more intense and interesting now with very little separating the teams in the IPL standings.

"If you look at this year's IPL, it looks like it is starting from now. Eight games have gone and every team is neck and neck. It all comes down to who travels well," Dahiya said on the eve of their return leg match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. If you look at the points table right now, nobody is running away with the points. It s good to be in the first two right now, but it all comes down to what kind of cricket we play in the rest of the tournament," he said.

IPL 5: RCB take on KKR in an exciting tie

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Kolkata: One more interesting game of IPL 5 is on the cards as the hosts Kolkata Knight Riders come one-on-one against Royal challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens in second of the double-header on Saturday. The two teams are equal on points, and since the previous match for both was washed away due to rain, they will like to score over each other moving into the latter half of the league phase.

The two teams look pretty similar on paper with nine points in their kitty, with Kolkata doing a little better when we look at the net run rate. But when it comes to performance, of late, Bangalore have been more consistent than Kolkata, mainly due to their top guns finding form. Chris Gayle's big hits are back in business and AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan have looked pretty settled after an indifferent start, especially in Bangalore's last win over Rajasthan Royals.

Chennai: While Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist ruled himself out of Saturday's Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Chennai Super Kings here, the hosts are on a much happier platform as they enjoy a lot of selection options as admitted by their coach Stephen Fleming.

Gilchrist, who looked to be in good touch in the initial stages of the tournament before pulling up short with a hamstring injury, said he would be out of action for an indefinite period.

Australia win Test series against West Indies

Roseau: Michael Clarke took five wickets as Australia won the third and final Test against West Indies by 75 runs at Windsor Park on Friday. West Indies fought to the end with captain Darren Sammy, with 61, and last man Shane Shillingford, on 31 not out, hitting their highest Test scores.

After resuming on 173 for five, West Indies were bowled out for 294 just before lunch to give Australia a 2-0 series win. They had won the won the first Test in Barbados by three wickets while the second match in Trinidad was a rain-hit draw.

Clarke, who has yet to lose a Test as captain, took five wickets in an innings for only the second time in his career, the last being a sensational six for nine in Mumbai in 2004. Australia started the final day with spin from both ends.

Rajdeep Sardesai on Sachin Tendulkar as MP

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Hello and welcome to DRS. My personal video blog, which gives me an opportunity to talk cricketing matters with the visitors of Cricketnext.com and IBNLive.com. This week let's talk about something that seems to be agitating a lot of us: Sachin Tendulkar's decision to accept the nomination to the Rajya Sabha. It has attracted contrasting opinions. There are some who believe that Sachin Tendulkar is taking the first tentative step towards a career in politics. Others are calling it a Congress conspiracy to offset the damage which various corruption scandals have done to the party, and there are some who believe that this is Sachin preparing for life after retirement.

IPL 5: Dominant Delhi hammer Mumbai by 37 runs

New Delhi: Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen (50 not out) continued their dream run with the bat while Umesh Yadav, Irfan Pathan and Shahbaz Nadeem picked up two scalps each as Delhi Daredevils brushed aside Mumbai Indians by 37 runs in an Indian Premier League match at Feroz Shah Kotla here on Friday. The hosts continued their domination at the top to reach 12 points from eight games, while Mumbai Indians stayed seventh with 8 points from as many games.