Indian Premier League

Mumbai Indians just lost their way towards the end of their IPL tie against Kings XI Punjab and consequently lost it by 1 run at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Interestingly, there were five run outs in this match with three coming off in the last over. Batsmen to fall short of the crease were Dwayne Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Ashish Nehra, Siddharth Chitnis and VS Yeligati.

After posting a target of 190 runs, Kings XI Punjab thought they had enough on the board. But, Mumbai batsmen had other ideas.

Jayasuriya started off in his usual style and quickfired 21 runs before Sreesanth caught him plumb. Dwayne Smith (20) came after his departure and added 45 runs with Tendulkar but a throw from Yuvraj at mid-off saw him short off the crease.

Mumbai captain and opener Sachin Tendulkar then took control of the innings and hammered 65 runs. Abhishek Nayar also joined the party and made quick 27 runs before leg-spinner Piyush Chawla took his wicket.

After Tendulkar fell, Pollock and Uthappa followed him soon. Chitnis hit some big shots but failed to carry his side home.

But what really was worth the money of this match was the last over by VRV Singh. Not that he picked any wicket but it showed what pressure can do. After two run outs, Mumbai needed 4 runs off 2 balls. Yeligati and Fernando added two runs. They required two runs off the last ball. Yeligati ran but Yuvraj threw himself on the stumps, of course with ball and then ecstatic Kings XI players ran all over the ground.

Earlier, after put in to bat, Kings XI Punjab made 189 runs at the loss of four wickets with the help of the knocks from Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach.

‘Man of the Match’ Shaun Marsh continued with his purple patch as he not only slammed a half-century but also built a 133-run partnership with Luke Pomersbach before Siddharth Chitnis removed him for 81 runs. Shaun Pollock caught him at the long on.

Luke Pomersbach who was playing a second fiddle to Marsh, took over after his fall and scored unbeaten 79 runs.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh’s poor run with the bat continued as he fell for just 7 runs. Chitnis picked him as his second victim after Marsh.

With this win, Kings XI Punjab become the second team to make it to the semi-finals after Rajasthan Royals.

CHANDIGARH: There is little to cheer about the latest IPL controversy surrounding cheerleaders already pilloried by some blinkered quarters for showing too much skin. This time it’s about the colour of skin.

Just before the April 19 inaugural T20 encounter between Team Mohali and Team Chennai, a racially tinged incident on the sidelines was quietly unfolding. Two ‘dark-skinned’ cheerleaders from London have claimed that they were told to sit out and not take the stage because they weren’t white.

The two girls were reportedly seen sobbing outside the grounds. They claimed that officials from Wizcraft International Entertainment, the event management company hired by the Mohali team franchisee, had asked them to leave the Mohali stadium.

The two victims of alleged racism - Ellesha Newton and Sherinne Anderson - are on record saying that when asked why, they were being asked to leave, some Wizcraft employees simply told them it was because of the colour of their skin.

Fierce Performance Production, a company with offices in Mumbai and London, brought a team of 12 cheerleaders to root for Team Mohali. Director of the company, Jorge Aldana, confirmed the incident and said the two girls were allowed to perform only after he waded in and took up the matter with Wizcraft officials.

On Tuesday, Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizkraft, the event management company hired by the Mohali team franchisee, refuted the allegations.

“No such incident took place on April 19. They are totally fabricated and seem to have been raised with some ulterior motive. We had a contract with the cheerleading team in question for the first two matches. All payments have been made and we have nothing to do with them anymore,” he said.

When contacted, Punjab Cricket Association treasurer, GS Walia, said, “We aren’t aware of any such incident.”

Team Mohali CEO Neil Maxwell couldn’t be contacted for comment. Other cheer teams -such as the Washington Redskins, brought in by Team Bangalore -have African-Americans on the squad. But this is the first time colour has become an issue.

“Stopping anyone from performing on the basis of colour of skin is not only illegal but unconstitutional. If such a thing has happened, especially against women coming from abroad, it should be condemned and action taken against those at fault,” said Manjeet Sandhu, district secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of All-India Democratic Women’s Association.

A day ahead of their crucial tie against the Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings XI skipper Yuvraj Singh said he was not very worried about the run of good form the opposition was having over the last six games.

“Mumbai may have won six games on the trot but before that they had lost four matches back to back. I am more concerned about how my team plays,” Singh said here.

Punjab coach Tom Moody also said that their team needed just one victory, hopefully against Mumbai on Wednesday, to be assured of a place in the semi finals.

Punjab who are second in the league table with 14 points take on Mumbai who trail them by two points.

The devastating form Mumbai Indians opener Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya in the last few games would be a cause for concern ahead of Wednesday’s tie, Singh said.

“Sanath Jayasuriya is in form and there are three to four other batsmen in the team who we will have to watch out for.

In Twenty20 one batsman can change the game and we will have to look to get them out early,” he said.

The team has made plans to tackle the Mumbai opening combination of Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, Singh said.

“However, I am more worried about what will happen to the Mumbai Indians if our players Shaun Marsh and James Hopes form a partnership,” Singh added in a lighter vein.

The Wankhede pitch, which has aided pace bowlers so far, was unlikely to do so tomorrow since the match was to be played in the late afternoon and would not have too much bounce, he said.