A high-octane contest between two well-balanced sides is on the anvil when table toppers Rajasthan Royals take on the confident Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-finals of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Friday.

The two teams, which finished first and fourth in the preliminary 56-game phase of the Twenty20 league, look evenly matched ahead of what promises to be a top-drawer stuff in front of a capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium.
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They may have been a flop in the Indian Premier League but Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly cannot be called a spent force as the veteran trio still has 2-3 years of international cricket left in them, say former Indian Test greats.

Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians), Ganguly (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Dravid (Royal Challangers Bangalore) are the captains and icon players of their teams.

After their failure to lead their teams to the semifinals questions are being raised about their utility at a time when younsters like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Yousuf Pathan have strongly made their case by performing in the IPL.
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Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Super Kings opener, will not be available for his team’s remaining matches as he is heading back to New Zealand for the birth of his child. Chennai have qualified for the IPL semi-finals and will now have to find a replacement opener for Fleming before Saturday.

However the Chennai management have decided not to sign on an overseas player as Fleming’s replacement. “We thought about it but there isn’t sufficient time to get a new player,” VB Chandrashekhar told Cricinfo. “We have Chamara Kapugedera in our ranks and will give him some opportunities instead.”
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