So that is another defeat for Bangalore. They have just not found the rhythm and proper combination in this league so far. On the other hand, Punjab have picked up like anything. They have gelled beautifully and have won their fifth match on the trot. It was the third lopsided affair in a row and we expect that this momentum shifts soon because at the end of the day one wants to see nice close matches. Tomorrow we have a match between Chennai and Hyderabad.

Match No: 25
Teams: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Toss Kings XI Punjab
Result: Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets
Man of the match: S. Sreesanth
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The latest player to visit the match referee is Ishant Sharma. The Kolkata Knight Riders pacer has been fined 10% of his match fee for abusing ground equipment in their match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday in Mohali.

In a press release, the DLF Indian Premier League said that Ishant kicked down the stumps. Clive Lloyd, the match referee hauled him under Level 1.2 offence as mentioned in ICC’s Code of Conduct.
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The controversy over allotment of tickets for Kolkata Knight Riders’ home matches doesn’t seem to end: West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty Monday said his department was not satisfied with the ticket distribution.

As a mark of protest, the sports ministry has returned all tickets for the Twenty20 match to be held at Eden Gardens Thursday to the IPL franchise Red Chillies Entertainment of film star Shah Rukh Khan.

“We have been deprived of our share of tickets. Red Chillies Entertainment, which is in charge of the ticket distribution of Kolkata Knight Riders matches, has given us a lesser share of tickets this time. So we have returned all the tickets for the Knight Riders match versus Bangalore Royal Challengers,” Chakraborty told reporters.
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Minutes after landing in the country, controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he was looking forward to a fruitful stint in the Indian Premier League and thanked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan for his support.

“I am happy to be in India. I am looking forward to play in the IPL and play my role for my team,” said Akhtar, who landed at around 1600 hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Lahore and was mobbed by reporters and shutterbugs to cause a melee of sorts.
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Match NO: 25
Teams: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab

Preview:
Bangalore pulled off a thriller this weekend against the bottom ranked Deccan Chargers but in Kings XI Punjab they have a tougher opposition. After losing their first two games, Punjab has won four on the trot to occupy the third position on the points table. Bangalore meanwhile need to build on the momentum they’ve gained from the last victory and will have to be at the top of their game to topple Punjab.

Mini-battle: It would be interesting to see how Yuvraj and Zaheer, who debuted together in the 1998 Champions Trohy, face off. Yuvraj has got a lot of starts in the tournament but hasn’t really managed to convert them to substantial scores. Shaun Marsh has impressed in the two chances that he’s got but how he fares against the likes of Steyn and Kumble remains to be seen.
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Kolkata Knight Riders lost their fourth straight game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Mohali’s Kings XI Punjab defeating them here on Saturday night, but their skipper Sourav Ganguly feels the side is still not out of the semi-final reckoning in the Twenty20 tournament.

“Our fourth straight loss in the tournament was owing to missed chances. We lost the game in a certain situation,” Ganguly explained.
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Sri Lankan spearhead Chaminda Vaas has taken a short break from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be with his wife who has given birth to their third child here.

“We are blessed with a boy, our third child,” Vaas told reporters here on Sunday.

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Shoaib Akhtar may have been cleared to play in the Indian Premier League but former players say the maverick pacer will find it tough to make an impact in the Twenty20 league as months of absence from the cricket field has robbed him of match fitness.

The beleaguered pacer, whose five-year ban was suspended on Saturday for a month by the appellate tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has bowled just 18 overs and played one competitive match since mid-December last year.
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