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Mumbai: There’s good news for cricket fans in the eastern part of the country – IPL comes home to Cuttack this season.

The city known for its temples, architecture and history will now be one of the exciting venues where the IPL’s third season unfolds.

On March 19 and March 21 the town will play home venue to the Deccan Chargers in two breath-taking contests.

Defending champions Deccan Chargers will go all out to retain the tag of IPL title-winners against the turbo-charged Kings XI Punjab and the deadly Delhi Daredevils respectively.

Deccan Chargers will play out the rest of their home games in Navi Mumbai and Nagpur.

The two Cuttack games have been woven into the schedule to give Deccan fans a chance to catch their heroes in action as close to home as possible.

For the locals, it will be a great chance to see two gripping IPL contests at this fascinating venue, rich with history.

Revised Deccan Chargers home games schedule

19th March: Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, Cuttack

21st March: Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, Cuttack

28th March: Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, Navi Mumbai

5th April: Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, Nagpur

10th April: Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings, Nagpur

12th April: Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Nagpur

After the Indian Premier League (IPL) rescheduled two matches of the Deccan Chargers in Cuttack, the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) is getting geared up to welcome the IPL at Barabati Stadium.
This will be the first time that the state association will host IPL and OCA is eyeing a windfall from these matches.
'We never expected to host IPL matches. The entire management would be done by IPL including the sale of tickets. We will only lend the ground facility. But we will certainly gain from these matches,' Ashirbad Behera, OCA secretary told IANS.
'We hosted an ODI (India vs Sri Lanka) just two months back so we are rather happy and prepared to host IPL,' he added.
Cuttack, a non-IPL franchisee city, got the chance to host the matches after the Hyderabad-based franchisee Deccan Chargers picked Barabati Stadium as the venue terming it as their 'catchment' area.
As per the revised IPL schedule released for the third edition, Deccan Chargers would meet Kings XI Punjab on March 19, and Delhi Daredevils March 21 at Barabati Stadium.
Commenting on the controversy of cheerleaders last time, Behera said: 'Cheerleading is part and parcel of IPL. So cheerleaders will perform during the matches.'
The OCA had scrapped its idea to have sari-clad cheerleaders perform during the last ODI following opposition from the Kalinga Sena, a regional political outfit.

Source: Yahoo! News

All rounder Shane Watson, who has always craved for the appreciation of the hard-marking Australian public, has found love in the form of appreciation from people and securing his spot in the team.
Watson believes that during his breakthrough summer he has not only earned the right to open the batting in Tests on a permanent basis, but also has worked his way into the affections of a previously sceptical Australian public.
The Allan Border medallist senses that the same people who doubted his injured body would ever stand up to the demands of international cricket, who sniggered when his naked emotions spilled over with every setback, have finally warmed to him in recent months.
"That was the thing that compounded what was going on in my mind; what people thought of me, how I was, probably, in the end, under-achieving," The Age quoted Watson, as saying.
"One nice thing that has come out of this summer is to feel that really nice support and appreciation, because that is why I play.
"You want to try and entertain and get people enjoying what you do. I've really sensed it this summer, it's getting warmer and for me, as a person and a cricketer, that is the thing I really wanted, because it's what you work so hard for. At times it has been very overwhelming, the support I have been given," Watson said.
So confident is Watson that he can handle the workload, he intends to join Rajasthan for a handful of games in the Indian Premier League after Australia's tour of New Zealand and before the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

Source: Yahoo! News

REUTERS - Scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the second and final test between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
South Africa first innings 296
India first innings 643-6d
South Africa second innings (6-0 overnight)
G. Smith lbw b Mishra 20
A. Petersen c Badrinath b Harbhajan 21
H. Amla not out 45
J. Kallis c Dhoni b Mishra 20
A. Prince not out 0
Extras (nb 5) 5
Total (for three wickets; 34 overs) 111
Fall of wickets: 1-36 2-54 3-111
To bat: AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, D. Steyn, W. Parnell, M.
Morkel, P. Harris.
Bowling (to date): Zaheer 6-0-32-0, Harbhajan 12-3-27-1, Ishant 8-1-36-0 (nb 4), Mishra 7-3-15-2 (nb 1), Sehwag 1-0-1-0.
South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0.

Source: Yahoo! News

Replying to New Zealand's mammoth 553 for seven declared, Bangladesh replied in strong fashion, scoring 408 and also claimed the wicket of New Zealand opener B J Watling in the first Test being played at the Seddon Park here.
Watling was run out for one in a disappoitning start to their second innings.
Bad light forced the players off soon after with New Zealand 9-1.
That gave them a commanding lead of 154 from whcih they should win this test.
But Wednesday was Bangladesh's day after Mohammad Mahmudullah scored a century to stall the home side with some stubborn batting.
Bangladesh fought hard to successfully avoid the follow-on as they chased New Zealand's 553-7.
Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan added 145 for the seventh wicket.
The pair batted throughout the middle session as they applied themselves to frustrate New Zealand with a stubborn stand that also had its share of fluent strokes.
It provided a Bangladesh record partnership for any wicket against New Zealand but was ended just after the break when Chris Martin had Shakib Al Hasan caught behind for 87.
Mahmudullah carried on the fight moving through to record his maiden century and finish with 116 before he was trapped lbw by Daniel Vettori.
Earlier five wickets fell in a productive opening session for the Black Caps with pace bowlers Martin, Tim Southee, Martin and Daryl Tuffey playing their parts and spinner Vettori chiming in as well.

Source: Yahoo! news

India picked up the prized wicket of Graeme Smith as South African batsmen battled through a rain-truncated opening session to reach 39 for one at lunch of the fourth day of the second cricket Test here Wednesday.
Needing to score 347 to save an innings defeat, the visitors still need 308 runs to make the hosts bat again in the crucial Test which would not only decide the series but also the top slot among Test nations.
India had scored 643 for six declared in reply to the tourists' first innings total of 296.
Amit Mishra got rid of Smith (20). Alviro Petersen (17) and Hashim Amla (2) were in the middle at the Eden Gardens where heavy overnight rains delayed the start of the day's play by 93 minutes with 13 fewer overs to be bowled.
The match, slated to have an early start at 8.57 a.m. to accommodate five extra overs that were not bowled on the third day Tuesday, could not take off on time due to the wet outfield.
Under very overcast conditions, the umpires Ian Gould and Steve Davies carried out two inspections at 9.30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and decided on a delayed start at 10.30 a.m.
The pre-lunch session saw the South Africans resume at the overnight score of 6/0. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni employed a pace-spin combination for most of the morning.
Offie Harbhajan Singh got some turn and bowled to a disciplined line as Smith and Petersen played cautiously.
Medium pacer Zaheer Khan stuck to a line on or outside the off stump and induced an edge from Petersen in his third over as the opener slashed at an away-going ball but V.V.S. Laxman failed to reach despite diving full stretch at second slip.
Amit Mishra plotted Smith's dismissal in the penultimate over before lunch with a top spinner that beat the batsman and hit his frontpad in front of the wicket.
The city was lashed by 15.5 mm of rainfall since Wednesday night and the met office has forecast more rain during the day.

Source: Yahoo! news