IPL loses Rajasthan Royals

Earlier IPL star Shane Warne says that he’s disappointed after his Rajasthan Royals were knocked out of the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

The defending IPL champs lost by four wickets to Kolkata at Kings-mead, meaning they cannot make this year’s semi-finals.

“It’s really disappointing but we were just not good enough the whole tournament,” Warne, the Royals captain, said.

Laxmi Shukla hit an unbeaten 48 while South African Charl Langeveldt took three wickets to lead Kolkata to victory with three balls to spare. After a disciplined fielding performance to restrict Rajasthan to 9-101, Kolkata stammered in reply at 6-45 and it seemed as though Rajasthan would surely enter the semis.

But man-of-the-match Shukla cracked three boundaries and two sixes in 46 balls, and shared a match-winning unbeaten stand of 57 with Ajit Agarkar, who was 13 not out.

In the day’s other game, Chennai Super Kings successfully defended 9-116 to beat Kings XI Punjab by 24 runs and join league-leading Delhi Daredevils in Friday’s semi-finals.

Super King’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni loaded praise on Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan after his man of the match display.

The Sri Lankan off-spinner finished with 2-8 off four overs.

“I think Muralitharan put pressure on the opposition nicely. They just wanted to play him through because the target was not big and I think that was a mistake,” said Dhoni.

“Because on this kind of track, even the best of spinners, you want to put pressure on them.”

Muralitharan was excellently backed by off-spinners Suresh Raina (2-17) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-13). The trio conceded only 38 runs off 12 overs.

Australian paceman Brett Lee had an impact preventing the Chennai batsmen from scoring freely, conceding only 16 in his four overs.

Chennai added 40 for the opening wicket off just 4.5 overs through India’s Parthiv Patel (32) and Australian George Bailey (15), but lost their way after the openers’ dismissals. Raina was the other main scorer with 20.

CPP decided Manmohan Singh as their leader

Manmohan Singh was today re-nominated as Congress Parliamentary Party leader by party chief Sonia Gandhi to head the new government.

Gandhi named 76-year-old Singh as the CPP leader to lead the government at a CPP meeting in the Central Hall of Parliament and this was collectively approved by the members among thrashing of desks.

Fresh from the stunning victory in the Lok Sabha polls, the meeting saw Gandhi, who was re-elected the CPP chairperson, telling Congress workers to put the party before self, remain disciplined and united to emerge even stronger in the future.

Velupillai Prabhakaran shot dead

The Sri Lankan army on Tuesday said Velupillai Prabhakaran’s body has been found.

“Prabhakaran’s body was found near Nandikadal lagoon (in the No Fire Zone),” military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He said Prabhakaran was in uniform and there were bullet injury on his head.

Military officials, giving details of the encounter in which the LTTE chief was killed on Monday, said that Prabhakaran and his two top commanders, Pottu Amman and chief Soosai, drove out of their hideout in an unbreakable vehicle accompanied by his armed cadres in an ambulance.

They tried to drive through the security barrier of army, activating a 2-hour battle, which ended when troops targeted the vehicle with a rocket and later took out the bodies.

Prabhakaran’s body, the officials said on Monday, bore burn marks apparently due to the direct impact of the rocket on the vehicle which was carrying the LTTE chief.

2009 Election Results

Election 2009 Results

      Alliance                              Win                          Lead                    Seat Change

UPA	262	0	80
NDA	157	0	-14
Third Front	67	0	-36
Other Parties	30	0	7
Fourth Front	27	0	-37