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Sehwag's ton leads Punjab into final as Raina's blitzkrieg goes in vain

May 31, 2014

May 31: For 37 minutes, each and every Kings XI Punjab player, official, owner and fan had his or her heart in the mouth.

Chasing a mammoth target of 227, Suresh Raina batted like a man possessed, and virtually every ball he touched raced to the boundary or over it.

In 25 balls, he whacked 87 runs, helping Chennai Super Kings score 100 for two in six overs.

Sehwag RunsThe neutral Mumbai crowd was up on its feet, basking in the awesomeness of Raina's knock and Virender Sehwag's preceding ton.

None of the Kings XI pacers – Mitchell Johnson, Sandeep Sharma and Parvinder Awana – was spared as Raina pulled, flicked and lofted his way to 12 boundaries and six sixes.

Thanks to his assault, Chennai scored 9, 18, 9, 20, 11 and 33 in the first six overs.

But off the first ball after the Powerplay, Punjab captain George Bailey took matters into his own hands.

A slight bit of hesitation from Brendon McCullum and Raina allowed him enough time to pick up the ball in his left hand at cover, swivel, change hands and throw down the stumps with a direct hit at the striker's end.

A diving Raina couldn't make it.

Punjab were back in the hunt. And they stayed there by exerting even further pressure through their fielding.

The pressure paid off as none of Chennai's four overseas batsmen could support Raina's knock. In the end, the task was too big even for the amazing finishing talents of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

He tried his luck, was even bowled off a no-ball by Johnson, but couldn't pull it off. Punjab won by 24 runs to make their first IPL final, and set up a rematch with Kolkata Knight Riders who beat them in the first Qualifier on Wednesday.

Of course, the pressure of a mountain of runs also contributed to Chennai's downfall, and for that, Punjab had to thank Virender Sehwag.

The legend rolled back the years to hit just the second century of this IPL, and put up crucial partnerships with Manan Vohra (110 for the first wicket), and David Miller (63 for the third wicket).

Glenn Maxwell failed to set the Wankhede Stadium alight, hitting just one six in an intriguing minibattle with Ashwin but falling to a top-spinner off the very next ball. Till Sehwag was dismissed off the first ball of the penultimate over, Punjab were looking invincible.

The fact that they scored just 15 off the last 11 deliveries could've hurt them on the flattest of tracks at this small ground.

But thanks to Bailey and that run-out of Raina, they were able to hold on and stay in the hunt for their maiden IPL title.

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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: No foreign player will be available for this year's IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday, casting fresh doubts on the fate of the event.

"The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government's directive, they can't come till April 15," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The government issued fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of novel coronavirus in the country.

India has reported 60 positive cases in the outbreak which has led to over 4,000 deaths globally.

The fate of the IPL itself will be decided on March 14 at the event's Governing Council meeting in Mumbai. "All decisions will be taken by the GC in Mumbai," the source said.

Having the IPL, starting March 29, played in empty stadiums is an option being explored.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Colombo, Aug 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed his interest in playing the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled to start from August 28.

Pathan is among 70 foreign players to have shown interest in playing the LPL, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It is believed that Pathan has taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take part in the competition. 

BCCI doesn't allow active players to participate in other T20 leagues but Pathan announced his retirement in January this year.

Former swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also played in a foreign league last year. He played for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan will now be put in a player draft unless one of the five franchises choose him to be a marquee player. The details of the draft, and the franchise owners, are yet to be finalised and announced. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is also waiting on some government clearances even as it decides on franchise owners. The five franchises will represent Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

On Monday, SLC Executive Committee granted approval for the tournament.

"The 23 match League will be played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will participate in the League," SLC said in a statement on Monday.

Sri Lanka has controlled the spread of COVID-19 better than many other cricket-playing nations.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Northamptonshire, Jul 31: Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez has tested positive for coronavirus, and as a result, he will miss the British Grand Prix.

The Racing Point driver was absent from the circuit on Thursday after self-isolating following what his team called an "inconclusive" test. Perez then re-tested later in the day and it returned positive.

Formula 1 is following a strict testing regime as part of the safety protocols put in place when racing resumed earlier this month, and this is the first time a driver has tested positive.

"Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities," Formula 1 and the FIA said in a statement.

"With the assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined," the statement added.

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