Johannesburg will host IPL semi-final and final, after all

May 22nd, 2009 CENTURION - Adam Gilchrist struck Delhi Daredevils like a hurricane to power Deccan Chargers into the finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the SuperSport Park here Friday. Deccan Chargers, who finished right at the bottom of the table in the inaugural IPL last year, rode on skipper Gilchrist's 85 off 35 balls to win the first semi-final by six wickets, chasing 154 with 14 balls to spare.

May 9th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan Saturday threw a counter punch at the International Cricket Council (ICC) by serving it with a legal notice on its decision to move the 2011 World Cup matches from this country over security fears. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters in Lahore that the PCB challenged the ICC's decision to strip Pakistan of its status as a World Cup co-host.

April 17th, 2009 CAPE TOWN - Wanderers hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, including the second semifinal and the final, is still in doubt as the organisers and the local cricket association have not been able to resolve the issue of VIP suites at the Johannesburg stadium. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has reportedly even threatened not to use Wanderers, the largest stadium in the country with 10,000 more seats than any other venue.

April 11th, 2009 BATON ROUGE - India's Harsh Mankad and his American partner Scott Oudsema advanced to the doubles final but Somdev Devvarman and Treat Conrad Huey of Philippines faltered in the semi-final in the $50,000 ATP challenger tennis. Mankad and Scott overcame a late challenge from German Benedikt Dorsch and Australian Marinko Matosevic to win 6-3, 7-6 (10) here Friday.

April 10th, 2009 BATON ROUGE - India's Somdev Devvarman and Phillipines' Treat Conrad Huey have shocked third seeds Todd Widom and Michael Yani to storm into the semi-final of the $50,000 ATP challenger tennis. Somdev and Huey beat the American pair 6-3, 6-4 and next play top seeded Americans Rajeev Ram and Bobby Reynolds.

March 28th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has outlined the alternative to the 'home-away' pattern of matches, which featured at the inaugural series, for the second edition to be played in South Africa from April 18. None of the participating teams will be based at any of the eight cities that will host matches in the series.

March 21st, 2009 NYON - Holders Manchester United and FC Porto were drawn against each other in the Champions League quarter-finals in draw made at UEFA headquarters here. German champions Bayern Munich face a tougher task in the form of Spanish Liga leaders Barcelona while last year's finalists Chelsea take on English Premier League rivals Liverpool in a European competition for the fifth season in succession.

February 16th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - Chairperson of the 2010 Local Organising Committee Irvin Khoza, raising doubts on Johannesburg's ability to host the 2010 football World Cup opening ceremony, said Durban is the ideal city to host it. 'I wish the opening ceremony would be hosted here in Durban but that decision doesn't lie with me.

February 16th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - The chairperson of 2010 Local Organising Committee said that Durban and not Johannesburg is the ideal city to host the opening ceremony of the 2010 football World Cup. 'I wish the opening ceremony would be hosted here in Durban but that decision doesn't lie with me.

February 16th, 2009 LAUSANNE - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said that a Swedish wrestler would not get back a medal he won last year at the Beijing Olympics. Ara Abrahamian, who won a bronze medal in the middleweight Greco-Roman wrestling competition in Beijing, caused a scandal at the victory ceremony when he took off his medal and placed it on the floor and walked away from the ceremony, which was still in progress.

February 14th, 2009 ROTTERDAM - India's Leander Paes and Czech Lukas Dlouhy knocked out fourth seeds Julian Knowle of Austria and Andy Ram of Israel 6-2, 7-6(4) to enter the final of the World Tennis Tournament. The second-seeded Indo-Czech pair saved three of the four break points and broke serve three times in the 73-minute match.

February 12th, 2009 BANGKOK - Unseeded Indian Sania Mirza stormed into the semi-finals of Pattaya Open, overpowering sixth-seeded Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 7-5, 6-4 here Friday. Sania beat world No.41 Tamarine in an hour and 45 minutes to set-up a semi-final clash with eighth seed Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, who upset second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-4, 6-1.

January 21st, 2009 CHENNAI - India entered the final in the boys section while the girls went down in the semi-finals of the Asian Junior Squash championship at the ICL Academy courts here Thursday. India defeated Korea 2-0 in the boys semi-final clash and will take on Malaysia who got past Hong Kong 2-1.

January 9th, 2009 CHENNAI - India's new tennis sensation Somdev Devvarman reached the final of the ATP Chennai Open after his Swiss opponent Rainer Schuettler withdrew from the semi-final due to a wrist injury here Saturday. Somdev thus became the first Indian to make the finals of ATP Chennai Open and in Sunday's title clash will play the winner of the second semi-final between Marin Cilic and Marcel Granollers.

January 9th, 2009 CHENNAI - India's Somdev Devvarman, having received a walk-over in the semi-finals Saturday, has said he will give it his best shot against third seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia in the final of the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open tennis Sunday. 'I don't want to get ahead of myself, but keep it simple.