Tendulkar, Durani felicitated at BCCI awards

	Sachin Tendulkar was named India's cricketer of the year at the BCCI awards © AFP

Sachin Tendulkar has been named India's cricketer of the year at the BCCI awards in Mumbai, while former allrounder Salim Durani, who helped shape India's maiden Test win in the West Indies in 1971, received the lifetime achievement award.

Tendulkar scored 1,064 runs in ten Tests between October 2009 and September 2010 - the period for which the awards were presented - at an average of 82.00, besides scoring one-day cricket's first double-hundred.

Durani, a left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner who played 29 Tests between 1960 and 1973, was renowned for his six-hitting prowess. He bowled India to victory over England in 1961-62, picking up eight and ten wickets in wins in Calcutta and Madras. Almost a decade later he was instrumental in India's victory over West Indies in Port of Spain, claiming the big wickets of Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.

India's World Cup-winning team and support staff were also honoured at the awards. Talking about the achievement, India captain MS Dhoni said his team did well to capitalise on the home advantage during the World Cup. "When you play for the country, the one thing you want to win is the World Cup," he said. "It is a proud moment for all of us. We exploited the conditions really well."

Karnataka's Manish Pandey picked up the best batsman in domestic cricket award, having scored 882 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches, while fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun, who claimed 47 wickets in the competition, was named best bowler. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Opportunity for fringe players - Raina

	The tour of the West Indies will be a test for India's stand-in captain Suresh Raina and new coach Duncan Fletcher© AFP

The absence of several senior players for the upcoming tour of the West Indies provides an ideal platform for fringe players to shine on the international stage, Suresh Raina, India's captain for the limited-overs leg of the Caribbean tour, has said.

"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket," Raina told the media ahead of the team's departure for the West Indies. "I am happy with the side, as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan, all of whom have done well in first-class cricket."

Raina, has led a similarly second-string Indian side in the past, for a tri-series Zimbabwe in May-June 2010, though India performed poorly on that tour, losing both matches against the hosts and one against Sri Lanka.

This time, India are without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, who have all been rested, in addition to the ill Yuvraj Singh, and the injured duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for the lone Twenty20 and the five ODIs that follow. MS Dhoni will take over the captaincy from Raina for the Tests, and Zaheer will return, but the other seniors will miss the Test leg as well.

Raina said he has learnt a lot about the art of captaincy from Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni, and was prepared for the challenge.

"West Indies have players like Gayle missing, but it will be a challenge for us," Raina said. "There's always pressure and we have done well under pressure. It's for us as players to execute the plans of the coach well. We have to play our natural game."

The tour will be the first assignment for India's newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher, who said he was a supporter of the rotation policy. "While I was in England [Fletcher coached England between 1999 and 2007], I started the rotation policy resting senior guys," Fletcher said. "I was heavily criticised by the English authorities. It's important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future."

He said he looked forward to working with the youngsters, but cautioned against complacency. " Any team playing at home is difficult to beat. We should not be complacent. There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters.

"Yes, we would like to beat England in England and Australia in Australia. But the first job is the tour of the West Indies. It's very important not to look too far down the road. India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have."

He also said that the club versus country debate is something that just has to be dealt with. "That's the way it is in modern day sports. We have to ensure that all the players are fit enough."

India's tour of the West Indies kicks off with a T20 game on Friday in Port of Spain. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

I've not had time with my kids, says Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar tells MiD DAY that his children wanted him to be with them during their holidays which is why he opted out of test series in West Indies

Sachin Tendulkar spelt out the reason for him opting out of June-July's three-Test series in the West Indies.

"I just want to spend some time with my family. I have not had time with my children. If I don't spend time with them now (during their school holidays), I would have to wait for one more year to do so. The kids (daughter Sara and son Arjun) are very thrilled because we hadn't discussed this with them, so they didn't know anything. It was a surprise for them," he told MiD DAY yesterday.




"I could make out that they wanted me to be with them because of their school holidays coinciding."

Tendulkar was rested for the one-day series against the West Indies, but when it came to the Test series, he requested the Board to leave him out. He will be available for the tour of England involving four Tests and a one-day series.

No one can stop the theories though. The batting genius laughed at one about him not going to the West Indies because he wants to get his 100th international century at Lord's, a venue that will host the 100th India vs England Test (July 21-25) and the 2000th game in the history of Test cricket. "How can you plan such things?" he asked.

Respected West Indies writer Fazeer Mohammed connected Tendulkar's Caribbean absence to the state of the game in the region. "But there was obviously something missing that made India's batting maestro determine that a month in the Caribbean and the prospect of a couple really big innings was worth passing up. Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was the sense of occasion. Maybe it was both.

"To put it bluntly: milking our bowlers on the way to a 100th senior international hundred in a near-empty
stadium would have been the equivalent of Barcelona defeating Manchester United on a Sunday morning at the Aranjuez Savannah with ten men and two dogs in attendance and two vagrants sleeping at the back of the pavilion," Mohammed wrote in the Trinidad Express.

Earlier, Tendulkar stated: "As I have been playing continuous cricket over the last 10 months which started during the Sri Lankan series in July 2010, I had requested the Cricket Board to allow me to spend some quality time with the family as it coincides with my children's holidays and hence will not be available for the series in the West Indies. I would appreciate everyone's understanding of my decision and look forward to be back shortly post the series."

Post 2000, Tendulkar has been part of Test series wins in England, Pakistan and New Zealand but when it came to the 2005-06 Test series victory in the West Indies, he was injured. So, in all probability, he will end his career without experiencing a Test series triumph in the Caribbean.

That could be a regret, but only just, considering what he said a few years ago: "Getting married and having kids ” nothing matches that." Courtesy: MiD DAY

French Open: Sania-Elena in semis, Bopanna-Qureshi quarters

Paris: India's Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina of Russia shocked top seeds Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy to enter the women's doubles semifinals of the French Open tennis here Monday.

Seventh-seeded Sania and Elena won 6-0, 7-5 in 66 minutes.

They now play the winner of the match between fourth-seeded Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond and fifth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Maria Kirilenko of Russia.

Earlier, India's Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan stormed into the men's doubles quarterfinals.

The fifth-seeded India-Pakistan pair defeated Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan and Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-3, 7-5.

They now play top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan of the US who overcame stiff resistance from Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili and Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 7-6(6), 7-5. — IANS

Dismay in Pakistan over Afridi quit shock

KARACHI: Pakistani greats expressed dismay Tuesday at Shahid Afridi's shock decision to quit international cricket, as officials said the "doors are open" for the influential all-rounder's return.

Former captain Rashid Latif urged the government to resolve the problem of the national team losing top players after Afridi, who was stripped of the one-day captaincy after a spat with authorities, retired late Monday.

"His decision to retire, after people like Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf left, should be treated as a serious issue and I demand the Pakistan government to form a committee and solve this," said Latif.

Ex-skipper Wasim Akram, under whom Afridi developed in the 1990s, called the development "sad" and said Pakistan had become a standing joke in cricket circles.

"It is sad and will hurt Pakistan cricket badly," Wasim told AFP. "Just last month Afridi was showered with praise after he took Pakistan to the World Cup 2011 semi-final, given cash awards and suddenly this happened.

"Wherever I go people ask me what's happening in Pakistan cricket. They laugh at us and I am left embarrassed," he added. "I think even the best doctors do not have a treatment for Pakistan cricket."

Afridi, 31, stood down from international duty after a row with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over critical comments about coach Waqar Younis after this year's World Cup, when the team reached the semi-finals.

"I am dejected and hurt and whatever I said about the coach it was in the best interest of the team," he told AFP from London.

"I will not play under this set-up of the PCB which has treated players roughly," he added.

Younis relinquished the captaincy after the 2009 Champions Trophy while Yousuf announced his retirement last year, a decision which he rescinded later. Both had tangled with the PCB.

The body's chairman Ijaz Butt insisted Afridi, known as one of cricket's most destructive limited-overs batsmen, would be welcomed back if he chose to reverse his decision.

"To retire from cricket is Afridi's decision," Butt told a local television channel. "We have not stopped Afridi from playing and the doors are open for him."

Afridi, who retired from Tests last year, was already hugely popular for his muscular batting and leg-spin, and had won rave reviews for uniting Pakistan after last year's spot-fixing scandal and taking them to the World Cup semis.

The big, bearded Afridi is known for hitting the fastest ever one-day century, off just 37 balls against Kenya in 1996, in his first international innings aged just 16. He also holds the record for most one-day sixes (289).

"As Pakistan captain Afridi should not have made his differences with coach public and should have solved them without coming to the media, and the PCB has also not tackled this fairly," said Wasim.

But another former captain, Moin Khan, laid the blame squarely at the PCB's door.

"This is a mistake of PCB administration," said Khan. "Afridi never took any names while he criticised the policies and Board took note of that, why no one in the government taking notice of PCB's actions of last three years."

Fans on the street backed Afridi, who was known to empty stadiums when he was given out.

"Afridi has taken a good decision," said Ali Nayyer, a student at Karachi University. "PCB has mis-treated him and they should be removed so that Afridi returns, we love him." — AFP

French Open: Sania enters doubles quarters, Bhupathi exits

Paris: India's Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina defeated the Spanish pair of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1 6-4 to qualify for the women's doubles quarterfinals of the French Open tennis here Sunday.

The Indo-Russian duo will now face top seeds Gisela Dulko of Brazil and Italian Flavia Pennetta, who defeated the Italian pair of Sarra Errani and Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-2 in their third round match.

Another Indian, Mahesh Bhupathi, however, bowed out of the mixed doubles event when he and his Chinese partner Jie Zheng lost 6-4 3-6 7-10 to Australian Rennae Stubbs and Brazilian Marcelo Melo in the second round.

Earlier, Bhupathi and Leander Paes crashed out of the men's doubles in the second round. —IANS

Vijay stars in Chennai's successful title defence

Chennai Super Kings 205 for 5 (Vijay 95, Hussey 63) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 147 for 8 (Ashwin 3-16) by 58 runs

	M Vijay's 95 knocked Bangalore out of the contest © AFP

Match Meter CSK M Vijay and Michael Hussey put on 56 for 0 in the Powerplay and continue with the mayhem during a 159-run stand CSK R Ashwin knocks out Chris Gayle for a duck in the first over of the chase CSK Shadab Jakati traps AB de Villiers in the seventh over CSK Suresh Raina removes Virat Kohli in the 10th over Advantage Honours even

What would have been on Chennai Super Kings' wish list before this final? 1) Win toss on a slow pitch. 2) Great start by the openers. 3) Remove Chris Gayle for a duck. PS: While we are it why not knock out AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli cheaply? They got all that. Chennai produced a near-perfect game and mauled Royal Challengers Bangalore to lift their second IPL trophy.

M Vijay has rarely converted his starts this IPL and Michael Hussey hasn't sparkled in the previous few games. So what they do on the day of the big finale? They amass a sizzling 159-run partnership to launch Chennai to a massive total at the Chidambaram Stadium. R Ashwin then derailed the chase by packing off Gayle for a duck in the first over. Game over.

It was the ease with which the runs flowed and the calm manner in which they were accumulated by the Chennai openers that caught the eye. There were several big shots but nearly all of them were in conventional zones. There was just one bad shot in the first 14 overs. Just one. In the 10th over, Vijay had just played a nonchalant flick that sailed just clear of a lunging Luke Pomersbach on the deep-midwicket boundary. He then tried to slog the next ball across the line and edged it to the leg side. The reaction of the players reflected their awareness of the need to keep adrenalin in check: Vijay shadow practiced a straighter arc of the bat and Hussey rushed across to have a long chat.

For the duration of the partnership, which lasted 14.5 overs, they complemented each other with contrasting approaches. Hussey punctuated his bunts, chips and drives with the occasional big hit - the highlight was a monstrous heave off Syed Mohammad that crashed into the roof beyond wide long-on. Vijay went the other way. He punctuated his flamboyant on-the-up hits with quieter punches for singles and twos. They both ran between the wickets hard and fast and the scoring-rate never flagged. Vijay grew increasingly tired but it was Hussey who fell first, swatting a full toss from Mohammad to long-on. By then, they had laid a great platform.

It was Vijay who started the mayhem off the final delivery of the second over with a special shot. It was a short-of-length delivery with little room for maneuvering, or so it seemed, but Vijay wafted it on the up and through the line for a flamboyant six over long-on. Hussey pulled the next delivery, from Zaheer Khan, over the backward square-leg boundary to launch the assault. They repeated that double-dose of sixes again. Hussey swung the final delivery of the fifth over, bowled by Mohammad, over the midwicket boundary and Vijay lifted the next ball, from Chris Gayle, over long-on. Chennai reached 56 for 0 in six overs and kept going from strength to strength.

They started their bowling in the same way. Ashwin just needed three deliveries to remove the chief thorn in their path. The first two turned sharply away from Gayle before the third swerved in from round the stumps and skidded on to collect the edge from an attempted cut. de Villiers reeled off a few big shots but was trapped by Shadab Jakati and Suresh Raina had Kohli lbw to sew up the game for Chennai.

In contrast Bangalore slipped on the little things that matter on this stage. In the Powerplay, there were three instances of fielders succumbing to adrenalin rushes and indulging in needless throws; one, from Saurabh Tiwary, even went to the boundary. Pomersbach could have done a better job in seizing that chance from Vijay in the 10th over, and S Aravind messed up an opportunity to run out Hussey in the 12th over. Vijay, the non-striker, had called Hussey for a risky single and Aravind, the bowler who picked up the ball at short mid-on, flung it wide at the non-striker's end. There was another instance in the 11th over when the bowler, Mohammad, flung himself full stretch to his right but couldn't hang on to a difficult chance offered by Vijay. It was that kind of day. Things just didn't go right for Bangalore and everything went according to script for Chennai. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Paes-Bhupathi suffers shocking defeat at French Open

Paris: India's doubles exponents Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi failed to get a measure of Australians Stephen Huss and Ashley Fisher and bowed out 6-7(7), 4-6 of the second round of French Open men's doubles here Saturday.

The third-seeded Indians could not break the Australians even once during the 92-minute clash. Huss and Fisher, on the other hand, were nimble-footed and sharp with their groundstrokes. They dominated the frequent net sparring and also served better, double-faulting only once in the entire match while the Indians had four of them.

In the first set, both teams served strong to enforce a tie-breaker. The Indians had two set points but failed to convert. A superb backhand volley by Huss gave the Australians their first set points and they sealed the set when Bhupathi's forehand sailed long.

Huss and Fisher carried the momentum in the second game and broke Paes' serve in the seventh game. They soon served out the set and the match.

The third-seeded Indian pair had been the champions here twice--1999, 2001. They split in 2002. They reunited this year in Chennai Open in their quest to win the only Grand Slam missing from their cabinet, the Australian Open. They reached the final in Melbourne but lost to Bryan brothers.

After their split, Paes won here for the third time with Czech Lukas Dlouhy in 2009. —IANS

Chris Gayle carries Bangalore to final

Royal Challengers Bangalore 185 for 4 (Gayle 89, Agarwal 41, Munaf 2-27) beat Mumbai Indians 143 for 8 (Tendulkar 40, Vettori 3-19, Aravind 2-27) by 42 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Chris Gayle was devastating once again © AFP

Match Meter RCB Mumbai make wrong decisions Putting Bangalore in, Mumbai open with Abu Nechim, Chris Gayle takes 27 off the first over. RCB Gayle and Agarwal loot Mumbai Gayle and Mayan Agarwal plunder the Mumbai bowling attack with a 113-run opening stand in 10.4 overs. RCB Gayle and Aravind interrupt a flying start Gaye stifles Mumbai with a two-run third over, and S Aravind follows it up with wickets in back-to-back overs. RCB Syed sclaps the big one With Sachin Tendulkar looking dangerous, J Syed Mohammad bowls a big spinning delivery to have him stumped and reduce Mumbai to 68 for 3. RCB The final nail A spectacular catch by Abhimany Mithun at the long-on boundary sends Kieron Pollard back. Game over. Advantage Honours even

In Jamaica the term criss is used to suggest everything is all right. Royal Challengers Bangalore may as well rename him Criss Gayle. For with Gayle, they criss. Gayle fell 11 short of his third century this IPL, but for 15 overs he played so much above the game that the 37 that came in the five after his exit didn't look far off par on this surface. Mumbai struggled to replicate Gayle's impact except with the new ball when they got off to a flying start. Gayle came on then to stifle the openers with a two-run over. The pressure resulted in wickets, everything was criss again, and Bangalore were in the final of the IPL.

When batting, Gayle was assisted by Mayank Agarwal, his 20-year-old opening partner yet to make first-class debut, who scored 41 off 31 in a 113-run opening stand. Gayle will be the first one to concede, though, that he couldn't have found a more accommodating opposition. To begin with, Mumbai Indians opted to bowl on a track where sides batting first have won six out of seven games this season. Then they refused to take the bull by its horn, throwing the new ball to Abu Nechim as opposed to Lasith Malinga. It can be argued that they succeeded in the previous game with Dhawal Kulkarni bowling the first over, but surely against a side as heavily reliant on Gayle as Bangalore they would have unleashed their best bowler right away.

Nechim can still argue he hardly bowled a bad ball in that first over, but he still went for 27. The first of the boundaries came off an edge past slip, the second burst through Sachin Tendulkar at mid-off. Nechim, though, bowled length, and Gayle took six, two and four off the rest of the over. Agarwal played his part, foiling Mumbai's other strategic move of bowling Harbhajan Singh to Gayle. Gayle faced only one delivery in Harbhajan's two overs at the start, with Agarwal dominating the strike and hitting big, down the ground and with the turn, taking 20 runs.

More friendliness followed from Mumbai as Malinga dropped Agarwal at square leg. At 57 for 0 after four, it became a Gayle show. Malinga bowled one good over full of slower ones for just one, but Gayle had his way with the rest of the bowlers. Only Rohit Sharma escaped his wrath, but Agarwal tucked into him with a four and a six. The beauty of the partnership was obvious: the right-hand batsman took care of the offspinners, Gayle everything else. The best of Gayle revealed itself in the 10th over, when Nechim was almost through a decent comeback over for four runs. The last ball, though, hardly left the ground, and yet crashed into the sight screen. Gayle was on 61 off 32 then, Bangalore 111.

Rohit dropped Agarwal in the next over, but made amends two balls later. Gayle, however, was not through, and went on to suggest that maybe he didn't need any shielding from Harbhajan, smacking him for back-to-back sixes over midwicket. Munaf, who held his own along with Malinga, eventually got rid of Gayle with a slightly slower one, and patted Gayle's back as he walked back. All of a sudden, slower balls started working, the ball started gripping the surface, inside edges appeared, and the batting seemed like hard work. Just how well Gayle batted was further driven home.

Despite the early wickets, Tendulkar, through cricketing shots and some improvisation, kept Mumbai's fans interested with 40 off 24, but ICL returnee J Syed Mohammad produced one sharp offbreak across Tendulkar to get him stumped. Kieron Pollard, who often teases the fans in such chases with late but insufficient hitting, was spectacularly and coolly caught by Abhimanyu Mithun on the edge of the long-on boundary. With the Mumbai dugout right behind him, Mithun stood with his feet six inches inside as the Mumbai extras made way for him, stretched over the boundary and completed the catch one-handed to shut the door on Mumbai. The filmstar Mithun, known for his outlandish stunts, would have been proud. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Gambhir out of entire WI tour

S Badrinath and Abhinav Mukund have been included in the Test side on the back of strong domestic performances © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India's already-depleted squad for the tour of the West Indies has suffered further setbacks: shoulder injuries to Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh's respiratory infection, and Sachin Tendulkar's wish to spend time with his family have ruled the four players out of the whole trip. Cheteshwar Pujara missed out on a chance to cement his place in the Test side as a knee injury picked up during an IPL game made him unavailable.

Expectedly, a number of uncapped players and those trying to make comebacks got their chance. Suresh Raina got a second chance at ODI captaincy in Gambhir's absence (MS Dhoni was rested for the limited-overs leg of the tour), and Manoj Tiwary and Shikhar Dhawan got a chance to add to their one ODI cap each. S Badrinath made a Test comeback, but the bigger news remained the uncapped players in the Test squad: Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund, who is almost certain to open with his Tamil Nadu team-mate M Vijay.

Mukund, a 21-year-old left-hand batsman, has impressive first-class numbers to back him: an average close to 60 over 40 matches and 13 centuries, including a triple-ton. Vijay has been an automatic choice as Test opener every time either Gambhir or Sehwag is unavailable. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman provide the experience in the middle order, which leaves Kohli, Raina and Badrinath fighting for the two remaining slots.

Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, who were picked inexplicably ahead of Abhimanyu Mithun for the South Africa tour, got the boot, making way for Munaf Patel and an extra spinner in Amit Mishra. Pragyan Ojha, who was part of India's Test squad to South Africa but missed all ODI cricket since, returned too. Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh, though, remained the likely first-choice attack.

Parthiv Patel replaced Wriddhiman Saha as Dhoni's wicketkeeping cover in the Test squad, not least because he can open the innings should Mukund struggle or should the team management not consider him ready to debut.

As expected, the selection meeting in Chennai, attended by the new coach Duncan Fletcher, was a long affair lasting more than two hours. The timing of the Test selection is surprisingly early: the first Test begins on June 20, and the selectors could have waited longer to see if any of the injuries or illnesses could have neared healing. The long recovery period associated with the injuries to Sehwag and Gambhir would have been a factor. And because of the pneumonitis in his left lung, we will never know if Yuvraj would have been considered for a Test comeback, on the back of his World Cup heroics.

In all, India are without Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Gambhir and Ashish Nehra for the ODIs. They will also have to do without Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Pujara for the Tests.

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt), VVS Laxman (vc), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

Limited-overs squad: Suresh Raina (capt), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (vc), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Can Mumbai reduce Gayle to a sideshow?

Match facts

Friday, May 27, Chennai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

	"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages ... fasten your seat-belts for another show" © AFP

Big Picture

In the circus that is IPL 2011, Mumbai Indians have been the trampoline artistes. They soared through the first half of the season, putting more than daylight between themselves and the rest. Then they lost steam, and began hurtling towards terra firma. At one point they even had to deal with the possibility of missing the play-offs, but almost inevitably, they bounced back with two nerve-shredding wins against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Trampoline acts are fine, but can get repetitive after a while. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore have provided real entertainment in their corner of the circus, led by the ringmaster Chris Gayle. He has done everything for them - he has twirled his whip to tame the wildest bowling attacks, and he has juggled batting and bowling duties without breaking a sweat, all without losing the inimitable strut and swagger that are part of his persona. He has rarely failed to entertain this season, and Chepauk will love to be regaled one final time on Friday evening. If Gayle's still in town on Saturday, though, they won't be rooting for him. Chennai Super Kings are already in the final, and will have the crowd behind them for the big game.

This virtual semi-final can best be seen through the prism of various mini-battles that will make up the contest: the battle of the tenses - the present, Tendulkar v the future, Kohli; the battle of the storms - Gayle v Blizzard; and the battle of the coloured caps - Gayle v Malinga. On a flat track, and in humid conditions that could herald a dewy night, the battle that matters most could be when the coin is spun.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: LWLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLLL

Team talk

Mumbai, like the rest of us, will be surprised by the fact that James Franklin has been their batting saviour for two games on the trot. Aiden Blizzard's form is good news, but the continued struggle in the middle order isn't. Kieron Pollard's strongest suit seems to be his fielding, and Mumbai should mull bringing in Andrew Symonds for him.

The silver lining in Bangalore's defeat in the first play-off was the manner in which their batting stood up after Gayle's early exit. Still, questions need to be asked about the role of Saurabh Tiwary and Mohammad Kaif in the lower middle order.

In the spotlight

In Bangalore's previous game, a television commentator requested Virat Kohli to smile more often than he swears and frowns. Kohli promised to do so, but less than an hour later he was back to his swearing best, when a fielder fumbled off his bowling. Regardless of his demeanour, Kohli's batting has put a smile on his fans' faces in the last couple of years. Bangalore coach Ray Jennings says being passionate and fiery is an innate part of Kohli's personality, and that should not be meddled with. Yet, tantrums don't sit well with someone touted as a future India captain.

Like Kohli, Rohit Sharma is another upcoming batsman whose attitude has come under more scrutiny than his ability. If temper is Kohli's problem, Rohit's is temperament. Rohit's woes were best captured by his shocking run-out in the eliminator against Kolkata. In moments such as those, it is tough to believe that Rohit is completely switched on at all times when he is on the field. He will be watched closely in the remainder of the IPL, and when he gets his opportunity in the West Indies.

Prime numbers

• Franklin, Blizzard and Harbhajan Singh have better strike-rates than the more celebrated batsmen in the Mumbai line-up - Sachin Tendulkar, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit, Pollard and Symonds
  

• Tendulkar has hit more fours (60) than anyone else this season. Kohli is third on the list with 54.
  

• Gayle has smashed 39 sixes so far this season, well ahead of MS Dhoni, who is second with 21

  The chatter

  
  

  "Ambati Rayudu is a youngster and you let him react the way he does. He will mature. You just let him be. Harbhajan Singh has also always been aggressive. We have had characters in tennis like McEnroe ... We need characters like that in cricket."
  Sachin Tendulkar might not be a fiery character on a cricket field, but he sure likes to see some fire. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.