Day	Date	Time	Match
Sat	18th Apr 2009	2 PM	Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings
Sat	18th Apr 2009	7 PM	Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sun	19th Apr 2009	2 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab
Sun	19th Apr 2009	7 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Mon	20th Apr 2009	7 PM	Chennai Super Kings Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Tue	21st Apr 2009	3 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Tue	21st Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians
Wed	22nd Apr 2009	7 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Deccan Chargers
Thu	23rd Apr 2009	3 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Darevils
Thu	23rd Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
Fri	24th Apr 2009	7 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab
Sat	25th Apr 2009	3 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Decan Chargers
Sat	25th Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Sun	26th Apr 2009	3 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils
Sun	26th Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals
Mon	27th Apr 2009	3 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings
Mon	27th Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
Tue	28th Apr 2009	7 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals
Wed	29th Apr 2009	3 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Wed	29th Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians
Thu	30th Apr 2009	3 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils
Thu	30th Apr 2009	7:30 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
Fri	1st May 2009	3 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Fri	1st May 2009	7:30 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sat	2nd May 2009	3 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals
Sat	2nd May 2009	7:30 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings
Sun	3rd May 2009	3 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab
Sun	3rd May 2009	7:30 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians
Mon	4th May 2009	7 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers
Tue	5th May 2009	3 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab
Tue	5th May 2009	7:30 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Wed	6th May 2009	7 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians
Thu	7th May 2009	3 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals
Thu	7th May 2009	7:30 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings
Fri	8th May 2009	7 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians
Sat	9th May 2009	3 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab
Sat	9th May 2009	7:30 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals
Sun	10th May 2009	3 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sun	10th May 2009	7:30 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils
Mon	11th May 2009	7 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers
Tue	12th May 2009	3 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Tue	12th May 2009	7:30 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
Wed	13th May 2009	7 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers
Thu	14th May 2009	3 PM	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings
Thu	14th May 2009	7:30 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Fri	15th May 2009	7 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils
Sat	16th May 2009	3 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians
Sat	16th May 2009	7:30 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers
Sun	17th May 2009	3 PM	Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers
Sun	17th May 2009	7:30 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils
Mon	18th May 2009	7 PM	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings
Tue	19th May 2009	7 PM	Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Wed	20th May 2009	3 PM	Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Wed	20th May 2009	7:30 PM	Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab
Thu	21st May 2009	3 PM	Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils
Thu	21st May 2009	7:30 PM	Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Fri	22nd May 2009	7 PM	Semi Final 1
Sat	23rd May 2009	7 PM	Semi Final 2
Sun	24th May 2009	7 PM	Finals

Read more ...

India pulled off a brilliant 3-1 victory over hosts Malaysia to clinch the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament here in Ipoh. It was India’s fourth Azlan Shah victory. The earlier wins had come in 1985, 91 and 95.

Arjun Halappa won the man-of-the match award and rightfully so. Arjun was brilliant on the right flank and created almost six to seven moves.
Sandeep Singh won the top scorer award with seven goals in the tournament.

For India the scorers were Arjun Halappa, Prabhjot Singh and Shivender Singh. For Malaysia the goal came through Azlan Misron.

After an indifferent tournament with some dreary draws and tough wins, India for the first time played without a cluttered mind. They were creative in the midfield and a special word of praise for Gurbaz Singh who initially tore apart the Malaysian defence with his breathtaking moves on the right flank. It was later that Ignace, Sardara and Arjun dominated the Indian midfield.

Dilip Tirkey playing his 406th match was his old self. Rarely did he lose a ball or missed a tackle and in the second half, he snatched a ball away from Malaysia’s Kelvinder Singh and on the line dribbled past three Malaysian forwards to clear it. It would be a win that Dilip would remember forever.

Malaysia seemed to have learnt their lessons well from the 0-3 defeat to India in the league phase. They attacked from the word go, using both the flanks and a sturdy midfield propped it up well. India was rattled in the initial minutes as the defence found itself stretched. After the first five minutes, India settled down, killed the pace of the game and started their own build-up.

It was a Tushar Khandekar move that set up the opening goal. Tushar picked up the ball in the midfield and sent Arjun Hallappa through. Arjun’s pass found an overlapping Prabhjot who cut past two defenders and gave the ball back to Arjun on the left flank. Arjun’s tap towards the goal went in off Malaysian defender Baljit Singh’s stick for India to lead 1-0.

Malaysia refused to be drawn into their own defensive shell. They came out and took the game to the Indians attacking with zest and fervour. The reward came in the 11th minute when a goalmouth melee saw Azlan Misron crack the ball into the Indian goal as the packed Azlan Shah stadium came alive with the beating of drums.

Malaysia earned their first penalty corner a minute later and Sandeep Singh was struck on the wrist by the flick. Sandeep was off the pitch for five minutes as he needed an ice pack and came back with his wrist bandaged.
The counter-attacking continued from both the sides. Gurbaz was the fulcrum for India as he made stunning moves from the right flank, overlapping constantly and giving the Malaysian defence a torrid time.

With Ignace moving to the central midfield, India started to mount dangerous moves. In the 20th minute, Ignace gave a through to Gurbaz on the right whose shot cut through the Malaysian defence and found Prabhjot whose tap entered goal. India led 2-1.

The scoreline could have easily been up another goal in the 29th minute when after a Malaysian defence lapse, Prabhjot had the ball and ample space to take a hard shot but the ball sped past the post.

The Indian attacks continued as Ignace, Gurbaz and Sardara Singh turned on the power in the midfield. India earned their first penalty corner in the 31st minute but Sandeep’s flick went wide off the mark. With two minutes left for the break, Tushar’s cracking shot from the right flank was missed by both Shivender and Prabhjot.
At the break, India led 2-1.

Malaysia had a super opportunity in the 39th minute when Sandeep Singh made an error while passing and gave it away to Azlan Misron with only the goalkeeper Baljit Singh behind him. Baljit charged out and made a brilliant save diving to the right to swat the ball away.

Two minutes later India attacked on the right flank as Arjun Hallappa raced down and his reverse shot was taken on the pads by the Malaysian goalkeeper. But Shivender picked up the rebound and in a flash shot in for India to lead 3-1.

Any other opponent would have probably caved in under the sheer pressure of the Indian midfield but Malaysia showed enormous courage and counter-attacking power to keep the Indian defence constantly back-pedaling.

Another attack into the Indian half gave Malaysia their second penalty corner but Baljit Singh saved by diving to his right and deflecting the ball away.

Malaysia had a chance to cut the scores down when Pakistan umpire Zulfiqar Haidar gave a penalty corner even when it was clear that the ball had been cleanly stopped by Prabodh Tirkey on the stick. But Baljit again saved the Malaysian flick by taking the ball on the glove and deflecting it.

The Indian team did a lap of honour and carried Dilip Tirkey off the field, dedicating this Azlan Shah victory to the veteran defender who was playing his 406th match.

India held the ball in the remaining minutes rotating the pass around the midfield and creating moves on the flanks as time ran out on the Malaysians. Read more ...

Apr 11, Ipoh (Malaysia), Skipper Sandeep Singh scored two goals as India pipped arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in a do-or-die round robin match to enter the final of the five-nation Azlan Shah hockey tournament here today.
Sandeep, leading goal scorer for his side in the tournament, continued his rich form and struck twice in the 28th and 60th minutes to seal the victory for the Indians in the crucial tie at the Azlan Shah Stadium.

For Pakistan, Mohamed Saqlain reduced the margin in the 50th minute.

With this win, India sealed their place in tomorrow's final with eight points in their kitty and will take on hosts Malaysia in the summit clash.

Malaysia drew 1-1 with New Zealand in the last round robin match.

Sandeep led from the front in the crucial encounter against the traditional rivals, sounding the board on either side of the break and then ensuring that India does not succumb to their perennial habit of conceding late goals.

After 28 minutes of mid-field scramble by both the sides, India finally took the lead through Sandeep from a penalty stroke to go into the breather with a 1-0 lead. Read more ...

A new benchmark has been set for eating the world's hottest chilli in two minutes. An Indian mother has broken the Guinness World Record after eating 51 Ghost Chillis, the world's hottest chilli in two minutes.

The feat was accomplished in front of British chef Gordon Ramsay who could not manage to eat one. The woman, Anandita Dutta Tamuly, 26, said she felt terrible as she managed to eat 60 in a previous local event.

Anandita Dutta Tamuly completed her eye-watering feat in two minutes, to the astonishment of Gordon Ramsay, who was monitoring her record attempt.
Anandita Dutta Tamuly And for some inexplicable reason, 26-year-old Mrs Tamuly then went on to smear handfuls of seeds from the fiery bhut jolokia chillies into her eyes as the crowds gasped in horror.
Bhut Jolokia (capsicum frutescens), a chilli native to Assam, is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world’s hottest chilli pepper.

The discovery by Paul Bosland, a Regents Professor in horticulture at New Mexico State University, was recognised by the Guinness World Records in a testimony saying Bhut Jolokia, belonging to the Capsicum Chinese family and native to Assam, was the hottest of all spices. Read more ...

Much awaited India's first ever bimetallic Rupees 10 coin is now issued and available for sale on some auction websites, but the rate of this coin is very high in comparison to its denomination due to the uncertain number of issued coins. Some coin sellers claims that this coin is a limited edition. But official information is not yet available on number of mintage but some sources indicates that around 25 million coins of Rupee 10/- issued in this fiscal. A recent press release from Reserve Bank of India mentioned that there will be two themes of Rupees 10 coins

1. Unity in Diversity
2. Connectivity and Information technology

Details of New Issue

* Metal : Outer Ring - Aluminum and Bronze , Inner Ring : Nickel and Copper
* Denomination : Rupees 10 /-
* Weight : 7.71 gms
* Diameter(Outer) : 27 mm
* Theme : Unity in Diversity
* Year : 2006 as on Coin
* Obverse : Ashoka's Lion Capitol and Denomination(in Figures) in Center , Year 2006 below it.
Reverse : Cross and Denomination in Words

Coins can be issued up to the denomination of Rs.1000 as per the Coinage Act, 1906. Read more ...

For the first time, Wisden has selected a Test XI, which recognises the best Test cricketers and endorses Test cricket as the highest, most skilled form of the game.

The criteria for selection were: the best 11 to play a Test match, no matter the opposition, guided by performances in 2008, and taking into consideration the amount of Test cricket they played in the year, the quality of their opponents and that indefinable blend of class and form.

The selectors were Ian Bishop, the fast bowler who played 43 Tests for West Indies; Ravi Shastri, who played 80 Tests for India, initially as a left-arm spinner and later as an opening batsman; and Ian Smith, who kept wicket for New Zealand in 63 Tests. Shastri and Smith also captained their countries briefly, while Bishop regularly led Trinidad & Tobago. All three now watch cricket around the world as television commentators.

Unlike other selection panels, this one is an open forum and we can see the reasoning. In the case of six players, the selectors were unanimous. In three cases, there was a 2-1 majority. In the other two, the three selectors each voted for a different player and the editor - as convener of the panel - had the casting vote.

Sadly, Pakistan did not play a Test match during the whole year, which ruled their players out of consideration.

The opening pair were unanimously agreed to be Virender Sehwag and Graeme Smith, the two leading Test run-scorers of 2008. Sehwag was also named Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year. Read more ...

Chairman and managing director, Biocon

Trained in Australia as a brewer, she founded Biocon in 1978 to make industrial enzymes with a small Irish company, Biocon Biochemicals. Now a top-20 global biotech company, Biocon makes drugs, including insulin and anti-cancer treatments, and its chairman is the dean of India's rapidly growing biotech industry. Donates half of her dividends to fund hospitals and a health insurance program for poor villagers. Has won the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors. Read more ...

Chief minister, Uttar Pradesh

In the running to be prime minister, from her perch as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. In 1995, at 39, she was the youngest politician elected to the post and was also the first Dalit (India's lowest, "untouchable" caste) to head a state government. Commands a large following and goes simply by Mayawati. In 2007 she shrewdly built an alliance with Brahmins, and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which she heads, has started to increase its national presence. Some say she could trail-blaze again as India's first Dalit prime minister. Read more ...

President, Indian National Congress Party

Gandhi, the Italian-born leader of India's most powerful political party, the Indian National Congress Party, has by now assumed the role of elder stateswoman. Although she
remains firmly at the head of the country's ruling party, a rising star, known by the single name Mayawati, is challenging Gandhi's position as the country's most powerful woman. Mayawati has aligned herself with the nationalist Hindu BJP party and joined its members in vociferously opposing Gandhi's party's historic agreement with the U.S. on nuclear cooperation. Read more ...

Indian captain Jhulan Goswami speaks during the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 welcome ceremony at Luna Park on March 5, 2009 in Sydney, Australia.


Jhulan Goswami is currently the Indian Women's cricket team captain.She born 25 November 1983,in Nadia, Bengal, India.

Jhulan Goswamiis an all round cricketer who plays for the Indian national women's team, Bengal Women, East Zone Women as well as the Asia Women XI women's cricket team. On February 01, 2009, she was appointed to lead the team for the upcoming world cup.

An integral part of the team, Jhulan is noted for both her batting and bowling (right arm medium) capabilities. She has a Test bowling average of less than 20. In the 2006-07 season she guided the Indian team to first test series win in England. She bowls at an unbelievable speed of 130-135 km/h, which is even on par with the male counterparts.
She won the ICC Women's Player of the Year 2007.
She bowls with a smooth, easy run up and has formed a strong new-ball partnership with Amita Sharma. Goswami's strength lies in the fact that she generates movement off the pitch when she lands the ball on the seam and is now the fastest female bowler in the world, bowling at 120kph. Such pace seemed unlikely when she used to play tennis ball cricket with the lads as a young teen. "They asked me to stop bowling at them and just go and bat. It was then that I made up my mind to bowl fast." That she did - and she's been helped by Dennis Lillee at the MRF pace academy in Chennai.

She also has the ability to get the ball to bounce an extra bit every now and then and this surprises the best of batsmen. She plays for Air India with Mithali Raj and was named vice-captain for India's tour of England in 2006, during which she helped India to the Test series win, including their first victory against England, making a fifty as nightwatchman in the first Test at Leicester and taking her career-best match figures of 10 for 78 - 5 for 33 and 5 for 45 - in the second Test at Taunton. Such feats made her the player of the series and also recognition at the Castrol Awards in Mumbai in September, where she received a Special Award. Further to that, she won the ICC Women's Player of Year in 2007 - a year no Indian male player bagged any individual award.

Goswami had a good outing at the Quadrangular tournament in Chennai in February-March 2007 taking 11 wickets at 20.99 from seven games. After that haul she needed only four more to become the fourth woman to reach 100 wickets in ODIs and she got to the landmark in May 2007 at the Asia Cup in 2008.

She is now the second highest Indian women's wicket-taker behind Neetu David. Goswami was part of the Asia squad for the Afro-Asia tournament in India in June 2007. In October 2008 Goswami replaced Mithali Raj as the Indian captain for the tour of Australia. Read more ...