Battle of Pathan brothers, Bollywood queens

The 15th match of the DLF Indian Premier League 2009 at the Newlands, Cape Town, featuring Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had a couple of additional flavours besides offering the usual glamour and entertainment.

It brought head-t-head in the field two of the most talented all-round cricketers of the world who were brothers. Irfan Khan Pathan was playing for Kings XI Punjab while Yousuf Khan Pathan was doing duties for Rajasthan Royals.

Off the field it was a one-to-one contest between the two Bollywood queens, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, the owners of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively. The third Bollywood personality owning a team in the IPL is the legendary Shah Rukh Khan, who is right there in South Africa to support his Kolkata Knight Riders
All About Latest Sports Action: Battle of Pathan brothers, Bollywood queens

Dazzling Dilshan blows Bangalore away

Port Elizabeth was set to play host to a key match for Bangalore taking on the Daredevils from Delhi. The Challengers captain Pietersen won the toss and he chose to bat first. While Dravid was away on a paternity leave, Bangalore included Boucher, Appanna and Akhil in the team. Delhi also made two changes in the team. Mithun Manhas and Amit Mishra were included in the playing eleven.

Bangalore again got off to a shaky start after losing the openers Kallis and Uthappa in quick succession. While Kallis was out for a duck in the first over of Nannes, Uthappa was dismissed by Nehra in the second over. The Bangalore captain Pietersen was joined by Taylor and together they started the rescue work. While Taylor was taking time to settle in, Pietersen looked in good touch, hitting the balls from the middle of his bat.

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Match Preview of Kings XI Punjab & Rajasthan Royals

Ground Reality and pitch:
Following a rain dominated day, Newlands plays host to another T20 day-nighter of the Indian Premier League. After the Chennai-Kolkata match was abandoned due to rain, cricket fans would hope for clear skies when The Kings XI Punjab face the mighty Rajasthan Royals.
Having rained all day on Saturday, the moisture in the pitch would provide assistance for the seamers. However, the recent games played here have also seen the batsmen scoring well, getting their teams to totals in excess of 150. A interesting contest between bat and ball is in store at the Newlands.
Team Updates:
Kings XI Punjab: Beaming with confidence after their first victory against Bangalore, the Punjab team would look to extend their good form when they face Rajasthan. A line-up without the top performer of 2008 - Shaun Marsh and the lightning fast Brett Lee, Punjab would hope for the in-form Bopara to fire again while banking on the likes of Sangakkara and Jayawardene to be amongst runs when battling Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Royals: Upbeat about their 'Super Over' performance and their ability to maintain cool in the death, Rajasthan would look at more wins in their kitty to reestablish their position as champions. Though the batsmen and bowlers of Rajasthan have not had great starts in the recent matches, The 'Spin Wizard' Warne's confidence in the team's young blood paid off when Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan pulled off a victory from the brink of defeat. More performances such as these would take Rajasthan to the top half of the points table.
Contests to watch:
Pathan vs. Pathan: The brothers from Baroda would draw swords against each other in today's match, much to the delight of the Newlands crowd. While the older Pathan, Yusuf is carrying the tag of a 'Super Over Hero' to the match, Irfan's three wicket haul against Bangalore helps him match up to his brother. The allround skills of both brothers would be put to test when they face-off at the 'Lords' of South Africa.
Yuvraj vs Warne: After a spate of failures with the bat, Yuvraj hit form at the right time. Having scored the winning runs against Bangalore, Yuvraj would hope for another successful stint with the bat. However, he has to excercise extra caution while facing the 'King of Spin'. Meanwhile, the wily Warne would have his numerous tricks up his sleeve while bowling to Yuvraj, who is known to be an average player of spin.
Numbers Game:
100: The six hit by Yuvraj against Bangalore took the IPL tally of sixers to 100.
18: The number of runs hit by Yusuf Pathan during the 'Super Over'
Sound Bytes:
The first 'Super Over' had to happen to spice up the tournament - Warne commenting on the 'Super Over'.
We decided not to lose a wicket to Kumble so it was just a question of slamming it at the end - Bopara after winning the man of the match.

Hilarious Interview with Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon"

In a world far far away.

Interviewer: Today we have an exclusive. An interview with the universe - famous coach of the Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon" and the owner of the team known simply as "The Bad Shah". Also sitting nearby is the Kite Rider's associate coach Mr. Pukanon (Junior), the Kite Rider's assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's friend), the associate assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's cousin thrice removed ) and mm...this other gentleman here whose name I didn't quite catch.

Mr. Pukanon (coach) [turns towards interviewer]: Frankly, I have no idea as to who that guy is.

The Bad Shah: [Hushed whisper] What do you mean you do not know who that guy is? I have been paying him $500,000 for the last two seasons. I always thought he was someone from your side of the baraat.

Mr. P: [Ignoring the Bad Shah]: Yes

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Match Preview of Bangalore Royal Challenger vs Delhi Daredevils'

Ryder has surprisingly been left out while Praveen Kumar who had sprained his ankle in the last game also has been dropped.

Bangalore Royal Challengers (Playing XI): Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen(c), Virat Kohli, Balachandra Akhil, Mark Boucher(w), Vinay Kumar, Pankaj Singh, KP Appanna, Anil Kumble

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag(c), Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mithun Manhas, Dinesh Karthik(w), Daniel Vettori, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes, Amit Mishra

Rahul Dravid will not be playing today. He has returned home on paternity leave as his wife is expecting their second child. Its unlikely that he should return to the tournament.

Team changes: Bangalore have made three changes. Akhil, Appanna and Mark Boucher come in to the side. While Delhi have left out Tiwary and Salvi, Mithun Manhas and Amit Mishra come in.

Bangalore Royal Challengers have won the toss and decided to bat first
Pitch: Danny Morrison and Kepler Wessels think it is one of the best surfaces in the whole tournament so far. Should be a run feast. So expect loads of entertainment.

The Conditions
Port Elizabeth has hosted only one match so far in the tournament, and that was won comprehensively by Chennai when they thrashed a hapless Bangalore.
The pitch might have some assistance for the bowlers, but only at the start. As the day progresses, expect it to ease out.
The captain who wins the toss would probably look to bat first.