Legends clash in marquee match-up

Just for a moment, abandon all affiliations and consider the sheer magic in the following line: Tendulkar c Dravid b Warne. If that happens, irrespective of the runs against Tendulkar's name, it will be the most poetic entry to ever make its way into a cricket scorecard. The beauty of the IPL is that it offers the possibility for something this special. The tragedy of Twenty20 is that it offers a really miniscule window of opportunity for the stars to align. 


Shane Warne v Sachin Tendulkar: Delighting cricket fans since 1992

Will Warne get to bowl even a single ball at Tendulkar in Jaipur? Will he entice Tendulkar with loop and guile? Will Tendulkar just play him out and look to go after the faster bowlers? Or will Warne play defensive and bowl outside the leg stump? Will Tendulkar respond with those murderous slog sweeps against the spin, that made headlines when Australia toured India in 1998? Will Tendulkar perish first ball, edging a sharp legbreak, hurtling fast past the lone first slip? Will Dravid leap across and snap it one-handed the way he has done so often to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh? Even if you are the biggest critic of the IPL, this is not a game you want to miss.

And now for a moment, take your minds off the legends who will clash on Friday. The teams are not evenly matched. Mumbai Indians are muscling their way through the group stages, crushing opponents with their unmatched depth. Kochi Tuskers had to play out of their skins to hand them their only defeat, and Rajasthan Royals will have to do likewise if they are to shock Tendulkar's men. In Shane Watson and Ross Taylor, they have players capable of producing the kind of high-impact performances on which Twenty20 upsets are founded. Johan Botha and Dravid are the prime-movers of the side, soaking the pressure and ensuring things go according to Warne's grand plans. But if Rajasthan are to make a dent on Mumbai's record, they will need their unknowns - Siddharth Trivedi, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Menaria and co. - to stand up.

Form guide (most recent first)

Mumbai: WWWLW (first in points table)
Rajasthan: WLLLW (fifth in points table)

Team talk

Mumbai might have finally moved past their James Franklin obsession. Davy Jacobs adds spark to balance Sachin Tendulkar's stability at the top of the order. T Suman might come in for R Sathish, who has struggled to fit with the side's requirements. Rajasthan are expected to stick to their winning combination.

Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Ajinkya Rahane, like fellow domestic giant Cheteshwar Pujara, has struggled to make an impact in the IPL. Their teams have also been guilty of wasting their abilities, by pushing them too low down the order. Elsewhere, S Badrinath has been prolific for Chennai thanks to getting opportunities at Nos. 3 and 4. Will Warne promote Rahane against Mumbai, incidentally his Ranji side and former IPL team?

Abu Nechim has the ability to surprise batsmen with an extra yard of pace. He also has the knack of producing extra lift from a length. Will Shane Watson look to tame him with his emphatic pull shots?

Prime numbers

• In six matches, Kieron Pollard has got to bat in only three innings, has faced only three balls, and is yet to score his first run
  
• Shane Warne has moved past Pragyan Ojha and is now second in the all-time highest IPL wicket-takers list. RP Singh, with 56 wickets, is three ahead of him

The chatter

"This will be the first time I'll play against Sachin. I'll try to have a word with him. It would be great, if I can pick up some tips from him."

Ashok Menaria is excited at the prospect of playing against Tendulkar

TV ratings remain flat for IPL

Through IPL 2011, ESPNcricinfo will be tracking TV ratings using the TAM People Meter, India's leading TV ratings system. This is the second installment in the weekly series
The Sachin Tendulkar effect has resulted in decent ratings for Mumbai Indians' matches 

The 2011 IPL continues to struggle to attract viewers compared to last season, with ratings down 21.99% on average for the first 26 games across six key markets. The drop was even steeper over the last ten games, with ratings falling by 27.08%. The likely culprits are cricket fatigue and a lack of familiarity with the teams, say media experts.

The average Television Viewer Rating (TVR), a time-weighted figure which accounts for time spent watching by viewers and the number of viewers, was 4.46 across the cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, down from 5.72 in 2010, according to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Media Research, the leading television ratings agency in India. The ratings are the lowest for the first 26 games since the tournament began in 2008.

For the 10 games beginning with Pune Warriors beating the Delhi Daredevils on April 17, and ending with Delhi scoring 231 in their crunching defeat of Kings XI Punjab on April 23, the average rating per game was just 4.20.

Sridhar Ramanujam, who heads brand consulting firm Brand-Comm, says India's sensational World Cup triumph is finally taking its toll. Ramanujam said he had recommended the IPL to his clients as a safer bet than the World Cup because television viewership for international cricket "is directly rated to India's performance and non-performance." India, however, went on a dream run to lift the World Cup. "[It had] everything you could hope for as a die-hard Indian cricket fan," Ramanujam told ESPNcricinfo. "Beating Australia in the quarter-finals. Beating Pakistan in the semi-final. Everything was at an all-time high. So after the World Cup, what?"

Ramanujam also believes the lack of outstanding games so far in the tournament has contributed to the decline in ratings, saying that aside from a few memorable performances from Paul Valthaty and Lasith Malinga, none of the games have caught his imagination.

Mumbai Indians, who currently sit atop the points table, continue to be the strongest draw for fans, partly because of the Sachin Tendulkar factor and partly their winning streak. Mumbai's game against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai posted a 6.70 TVR, the third-highest rating so far, with 16.9 million turning in to watch Rohit Sharma and Harbhajan Singh deliver victory to the home side on Good Friday. But even the Mumbai Indians' ratings have suffered in comparison to last season, falling from an average TVR of 6.74 (over six games) to 5.29 (over five games).

For Hiren Pandit, Managing Partner-Entertainment, Sports and Partnerships at Group M, a prominent media buying agency, the continued popularity of Mumbai Indians suggests that the ratings are more likely a product of the confusion caused by players changing teams rather than cricket fatigue.

"My take is the teams have changed. Now because teams have changed, I think people are still figuring out who plays for whom. You are so used to a Yuvraj [Singh] playing for Kings XI but now he plays for Pune. So that is where to the problem lies"

Pandit expects ratings to pick up again as fans come to grips with all the changes but Ramanujam thinks the ratings will continue to suffer until the semi-finals, saying, "basically, it is overkill and too much of a good thing".

Gautam gives players lots of space: Tiwary

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Manoj Tiwary feels that Gautam Gambhir's willingness to give each and every member of the team a "lot of space" makes him stand out. 

"Gautam is an innovative captain. He comes up with lot of ideas and makes it a point to discuss it with the players. He tries to understand each and every player's game and gives them a lot of space," Tiwary told PTI on Wednesday. 

When asked that how he had benefitted from his interactions with Gambhir, the Bengal captain said, "Everyone knows how good a player of spin bowling Gambhir is. He gave some useful advice about how my footwork should be against the spinners." 

About team's principal owner Shah Rukh Khan, Manoj said that the locket he presented to each and every player after coming back from Ajmer Sharif will be a "treasured possession" for him. 

"He presented us with a locket after coming back from Ajmer Sharif. It was a gesture that touched our hearts. For me, it will be a treasured possession as it is gifted by someone of his stature." 

He is trying to make a comeback to the Indian team, but Tiwary doesn't want to put pressure on himself by thinking about it. 

"My first focus is to win matches for KKR. I don't want to think too far ahead. My job is to perform and that's precisely what I am trying to do. I felt bad that twice (against CSK and Kochi Tuskers Kerala) I couldn't finish off matches. But I have learned from my mistakes and would like to rectify that in coming matches." 

About the CSK game, Manoj said, "My mistake was that I didn't have a look at the number of deliveries left and went for an extra big hit. Against Kochi, I tried to reach to the pitch of the ball a bit early. It does hurt when you fail to finish off games." 

Rudolph eager for second stint

Jacques Rudolph, the South Africa batsman, is "very ready" for a second stint in international cricket. Rudolph, who has played 35 Tests and 45 ODIs for South Africa, has completed his first season of domestic cricket since returning to the country from the United Kingdom, with great success.

Jacques Rudolph last played for South Africa in 2006

Rudolph, 29, topped the run charts in the SuperSport Series, was the Titans' second highest run-scorer in the MTN40 and their leading run getter in the Pro20. He also captained the franchise and although they were not able to secure any silverware, he was praised for his mature leadership. He appears a changed man to the fidgety one who left the country four seasons ago, when he seemed bereft of confidence and plagued by insecurity.

"Looking back over the last nine or 10 years, I've learnt a lot," Rudolph told ESPNcricinfo. "There were a lot of character building things that happened in my career and I'm in a good space at the moment."

Rudolph last represented South Africa in 2006, playing his last ODI in February against Australia and his last Test in August against Sri Lanka. His career, which started off promisingly in both formats, hit stumbling blocks that quickly became insurmountable boulders. He seemed to have given up on international cricket when he signed for Yorkshire and for four years, Rudolph was just another talent who opted out of South African cricket. His showing with the bat did not go unnoticed though and, after a season at the Eagles as their overseas player, was welcomed back to the Titans, where he started his cricket.

He said the county experience was well timed because it happened "mid-career" and it mellowed him, gave him perspective and helped him develop as a cricketer. "I'm far more relaxed now as a cricketer than I was before I played county cricket," Rudolph said. It's an attitude of being laidback but precise and Rudolph applied it in his playing and in his captaincy. "That's my philosophy with the leadership at the Titans this season. Don't stress too much, because that rubs off on the players."

With South African cricket once again coming under fire for its inability to deal with pressure, especially after the quarter-final exit in the World Cup, Rudolph's new-found calm would be welcomed in the national set-up.

Unlike some of his counterparts he did not flinch when he said, "We do carry this tag of chokers," when assessing what went wrong at the ICC event. "Some people think it's fair, others think it's unfair. I think, to a degree, that it's unfair. But, in pressure situations, we just haven't been able to go through."

Rudolph has had to deal with pressure in varying degrees, from the political to the cricketing, in his career and now believes he can bring that experience to the highest level again. "I have that ability and confidence secured," he said.

The talk has gone as far as to suggest that Rudolph may become the future captain of the national side, but he isn't thinking that far yet. "My first priority is to try and get back into the team and to establish myself in all three forms of the game."

PCB asks ICC to 'investigate' Sutherland comments

The PCB has taken umbrage at remarks made by Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland about the Justice Qayyum commission on matchfixing and asked the ICC to "investigate" the comments.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has questioned the implementation of Qayyum recommendations

In a recent story on corruption in cricket in the Age, Sutherland said that the spot-fixing scandal of last summer, after which three Pakistani players were banned for five years, might not have happened had the PCB acted properly in the aftermath of the Qayyum commission, whose recommendations were released in 2000.

''Ask yourself whether Pakistan Cricket Board actually went through and implemented those recommendations," Sutherland said. "Well, I can't say for sure but I would have big question marks about whether those things would have happened last year if those recommendations had been fully implemented,'' said Sutherland.

The statement has irked current and former officials in Pakistan alike. "We felt it was totally unnecessary to make the remarks," a senior board official told ESPNcricinfo. "We have sent a letter to the ICC asking them to investigate his statement and come back to us. We have implemented that report in toto and are disappointed that it is being brought up again now when the PCB has done so much to fight corruption and set things right. It was not needed."

Much the same line was taken by Tauqir Zia, the board chairman at the time of the Qayyum commission. "James Sutherland should not give any irresponsible statement in the press as one of the key officials of Cricket Australia," Zia told Dawn. "And as far as the matter is concerned, I believe I took all the measures to ensure 100 per cent implementation of all the recommendations of Justice Qayyum."

Sutherland's comments are not new and as a CA spokesman confirmed, have "been his position in public discussion for a long while." In fact, that position appears to be the same one taken by Qayyum himself. Immediately after the spot-fixing scandal emerged last August, Qayyum said the PCB had not been "strong enough" in implementing some recommendations in his report. Incidentally, in 2006, Qayyum had alsoadmitted to ESPNcricinfo that he had been lenient on some of the players because he had a "soft corner" for them.

In the report, a number of recommendations were made. The main ones involved banning for life players such as Salim Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman, and fining a host of others, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saeed Anwar. Some of these players, such as Akram, were prevented from holding any positions of responsibility in or around the team, as was Mushtaq. The legspinner was an assistant coach of the Pakistan side in 2006-07 when Bob Woolmer was coach and Inzamam the captain, against the recommendations of the report. He is now on the coaching staff of the ECB, with the England team.

One of the key recommendations Qayyum complained was not fully implemented was having players declare all their assets publicly at the start of their career and then do so annually thereafter. One board official admitted that this "hadn't been followed up on in the years after the report" but it had been done since and that, in any case, "it is difficult to make a case of corruption purely from assets coming into an account."

In all, nearly 30 recommendations, some specific to the cases then but a number of longer-term ones as well, were made by the commission which is the report itself], including calls for a tighter code of conduct on players and that an independently-headed Review committee be set up to investigate all cases of possible corruption in the future.

Malinga thanks IPL for comeback

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has said that he was not looked after by his country's board after his career-threatening knee injury and it was the IPL that helped him get his career back on track. Malinga, who announced his retirement from Test cricket last week, injured his knee in early 2008, and didn't play for Sri Lanka again till August 2009. He played a few List A games in Sri Lanka in early 2009, but it was his performance in the 2009 IPL, during which he took 18 wickets for Mumbai Indians, that brought him back into the limelight.

"Because of the IPL I got a chance to come back to the national team," he said at a media conference in Colombo. "After the injury nobody looked after me and I was not offered a contract. The 2008 interim committee did not care for my well-being. But thanks to the IPL I didn't lose anything but I improved my cricket a lot. I'm saddened the way I was treated but not disappointed."

Malinga had announced his Test retirement after Sri Lanka Cricket questioned his decision to declare himself unfit for their upcoming Test series in England, while continuing to play in the IPL. On Tuesday, Malinga reiterated his stand that he was fit enough to play only the shorter formats of the game, and explained the gravity of the injury he sustained three years ago.

"I'm not injured but I'm not physically fit to play Test cricket after my injury. If I play in a Test match it would take a longer period for me to recover. The time taken to recover after playing Twenty20 and 50-over cricket is much less.

"My doctors in Australia had said that mine was a rare type of injury and that I would not be able to play again. But thanks to president Mahinda Rajapaksa's private physician Dr Eliyantha White who treated me, I was able to play for the national team again."

In response to criticism that he had chosen the IPL for its riches, Malinga said his retirement from Tests had nothing to do with money. "The Test retirement was never about money. I can't be a commentator, coach or umpire. But I can bowl well and get wickets. It's unfair to say money was the root cause of my decision."

Malinga, who played for his country in 30 Tests, is only the third Sri Lanka bowler to take 100 Test wickets (101) after Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Chaminda Vaas (355 wickets). He said he rued not being able to play Tests but it was necessary to take that step in order to elongate his career.

"I'm very much delighted to play for my country but unfortunately I have to retire from Test cricket. I don't hope to play for longer than maybe another three or four years. I will work with full dedication to represent my country in the 2012 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup."

Malinga returned to Sri Lanka on Monday to have talks with the Sri Lankan cricket officials and selectors. He is due to fly back to Mumbai on Tuesday night to re-join his IPL franchise.

Kochi's chance to capitalise on Deccan's weaknesses

With a bowling attack that seems to be currently operating with just two men and a batting line-up that has collectively made two half-centuries in six games, it's no surprise that Deccan Chargers find themselves in last position in the table. Apart from Amit Mishra and Dale Steyn, the rest of the bowlers have struggled to attack as well as contain. Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha have together conceded 254 runs for four wickets, and big signing Daniel Christian has been taken for more than nine an over.

Ravindra Jadeja: striking at a fair clip

Their leading run-getter Kumar Sangakkara has had several starts but a top score of 49, Christian has been almost as disappointing with the bat as he has been with the ball, and JP Duminy hasn't got going. The fact that Deccan lack a top-class Indian batsman was always going to test them; their domestic batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Bharat Chipli and Sunny Sohal haven't inspired the same confidence as a member of the national side would have.

Deccan's opponents on Wednesday, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, return to their base for the first of two home games after having their three-match winning streak halted by Shane Warne on a tricky Jaipur pitch with unpredictable bounce. They should find the Nehru Stadium surface more to their liking and would want to capitalise against a misfiring Deccan outfit.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kochi: LWWWL (seventh in points table)
Deccan: LWLWL (tenth/last in points table)

Team talk

Kochi have some decisions to make since Brendon McCullum is expected to recover from his shoulder injury in time for the Deccan game. Both Thisara Perera and Muttiah Muralitharan played against Rajasthan Royals as McCullum missed out. Now there will be place for only one of the duo. Raiphi Gomez has done little with the bat, and his seven overs have leaked 78 runs. With Kedar Jadhav being wasted down the order, Kochi could look at giving Sreesanth or Ramesh Powar a game in place of Gomez.

Harmeet Singh didn't do too badly in his only game of this IPL, against Delhi Daredevils, and Deccan could consider bringing him in for Ojha. Duminy or Michael Lumb should replace the woefully out-of-form Cameron White. Deccan also continue to bench Rusty Theron, persisting with Christian.

Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

They are close friends on the field and off it. One handed the national captaincy to the other and became his deputy. When the other resigned after the World Cup, the now-deputy followed suit. Sri Lankan cricket in the new millennium has been synonymous with Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, two of the best batsmen and sharpest brains in the game. Contrasting personalities - one flamboyant and articulate, one polished and perceptive - they are proud competitors, and their face-off as opposing captains could be an interesting battle of wits. They might even sit down together and dissect the game over a drink after it's done.

Prime numbers

• Amit Mishra and RP Singh are the only bowlers from the two sides to have conceded less than seven an over this season (min. two games). Mishra is also Deccan's highest wicket-taker, with eight from six matches
• Ravindra Jadeja has the best strike-rate this season among the two teams: 151.40, which is also the sixth-best in the tournament (min. 100 runs)

The chatter

"I guess he is our enemy tomorrow."
Finally, Mahela Jayawardene finds himself and Kumar Sangakkara on opposing sides