16 SPORT SATURDAY 20 MAY 2017 Mumbai Indians Rally Kazakhstan: Must-win race storm into IPL final Bangalore for defending champion Abdulla IANS runal Pandya's unbeaten 30-ball 45 helped Mumbai Indians record Aatau City, Kazakhstan FIA T2 Ka facile six-wicket win over Kolk- The Peninsula Adel Abdulla in action during ata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian a desert rally in this file photo. Cross-Country Premier League (IPL) second qualifier atari driver Adel INSET: Saudi Arabian driver Rally World Cup clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Hussein Abdulla and championship leader Yasir Bangalore yesterday. knows that nothing Saeidan in action during an Positions after round 4 Mumbai, who finished on 111/4 in 14.3 short of victory will earlier stage of FIA T2 Cross- 1. Yasir Saeidan (SAU) 140pts overs, will now take on Steve Smith's Ris- Qbe sufficient if he is Country Rally World Cup. 2. Mansoor Al Helai (ARE) 91pts ing Pune Supergiant in the final on to stand any chance of retain- 3. Adel Abdulla (QAT) 50pts Sunday. ing his title as Saudi Arabian 4. Ahmed Al Shegawi (SAU) 36pts Earlier, Mumbai leg-spinner Karn driver Yasir Saeidan arrives 5. Mohammed Al Harqan (QAT) 30pts Sharma took four wickets to bowl out on the shores of the Caspian 6. Ahmed Al Malki (SAU) 27pts KKR for a paltry 107 in 18.5 overs. Sea to take part in the inau- 7. Emil Khneisser (LEB) 24pts Karn (4/16) was brilliant on the night gural Rally Kazakhstan with 8. Marat Abykayev (KAZ) 18pts taking the wickets of Sunil Narine (10), a commanding 49-point Gautam Gambhir (12), Colin de Grand- championship lead. homme (0) and Ishank Jaggi (28) to derail The event gets underway Rally Kazakhstan Presi- KKR's innings. in Aktau City tomorrow. dent Marat Abykayev and Brief scores: Minor problems and per- fellow countrymen Kirill Kolkata Knight Riders: 107 (Surya- sistent misfortune sees Chernenkov and Pavel Logi- kumar Yadav 31; Karn Sharma 4/16, Abdulla arriving in Aktau City nov will also be hoping for Jasprit Bumrah 3/7) trailing Saeidan by 90 points podium finishes on their Mumbai Indians: 108 for 4 (Kru- after a non-finish at his home home event. Abykayev lies nal Pandya 42 not out, Piyush Chawla event in Qatar with the QX eighth in the points’ standings 2/34) Rally Team Nissan last month. after his second position in Second place in Dubai was the He and French navigator firmly on course to win back have not made the trip to Cen- Baja Russia back in best result so far this season Sébastien Delaunay will use a the title for series production tral Asia because of logistical February. for the Doha-based driver, Nissan Patrol Y62 prepared by cross-country vehicles that he difficulties. That means the After weeks of dry We don't have time although he has set several TOK Sport. lost in the FIA appeal court son of the experienced Abu weather, heavy rain has fastest stage times. The Toyota Land Cruiser after the 2016 season had fin- Dhabi driver Yayha Al Helai lashed the area in the last few to think negative, “I know that this rally is driver, Saeidan has been a ished. Frenchman Laurent will not be able to challenge days, but the forecast is for just so important,” said Adel. model of consistency this sea- Lichtleuchter will co-drive. Saeidan and could well fall brighter, warmer weather says Mortaza “I have to win, simple as son and victories in Baja Mansoor Al Helai features into the clutches of Adel during the six days of com- that. I need the 50 points. I Russia, the Abu Dhabi Desert on the original entry list issued Abdulla if the Qatari enjoys a petition. In a compact route have to close the gap at the Challenge and the Qatar by the Automotorsport Fed- good run through the western of around 2,500km before Dublin top. There are plenty of events Cross-Country Rally and third eration of the Republic of deserts of the eighth largest the finish in Aktau City on AFP left yet, but it has not been my position in the Dubai Interna- Kazakhstan, but the Emirati country by land mass on the May 27, over 1,850km will be year so far.” tional Baja have put the Saudi and navigator Khalid Al-Kendi planet. timed against the clock. angladesh captain Mashrafe Mor- taza is happy to go straight back into Baction today as the Tigers go in search of their first win in the Tri-Series in Dublin. Barnes, Hahn share After their first game in the one-day Sharapova to play international tournament, a warm-up for next month's Champions Trophy in Eng- land, against Ireland was rained off, they lead at Byron Nelson lost to New Zealand by four wickets. Wimbledon qualifiers But they have less than 36 hours before they face Ireland again at Dallas Paris testing positive for then newly-banned heart Malahide. AFP Reuters condition drug meldonium at the 2016 Aus- "It means we don't have time to think tralian Open. The Court of Arbitration for negative thoughts after this loss, we have ames Hahn (pic- aria Sharapova will probably have Sport (CAS) reduced the sanction to 15 to regroup and take positive things into tured) fired a bogey to win 10 matches to claim a sec- months, saying she was not an "intentional the game against Ireland," said Mortaza. Jfree six-under 64 to M ond Wimbledon title this year after doper". "Playing Ireland in Ireland is always take a share of the lead deciding yesterday not to request a wild- The US-based player called her pun- difficult, so we have to be careful and not with fellow American card for the championships. ishment "unfairly harsh" saying she had make the mistakes we made in the first Ricky Barnes after the The 30-year-old returned from a not realised meldonium, a product she had match." first round of the USPGA 15-month doping ban last month and has used legally for much of her career, had Bangladesh enjoyed a much better Tour's Byron Nelson failed to gain a high enough ranking for been added to the World Anti-Doping start against the Black Caps, putting on 72 tournament yesterday. automatic entry into the 128-strong main Agency (WADA) banned list. for the first wicket in 15 overs but they lost Hahn, who is seek- draw. Her comeback has been aided by wild- their way in the middle overs and were ing his third win on the Set to enter the top 200 on Monday, cards in Stuttgart, where she reached the restricted to 257 for nine at Clontarf. Tour, tallied six birdies however, she is eligible to play in the qual- semi-finals, Madrid and Rome. "We are not far away, three batsmen with no bogeys at the ifying event the week before in Several players have voiced their dis- got in and got out and next time we must Four Seasons Resort Roehampton, where she would need to approval at Sharapova's return, most correct the mistakes," said Mortaza. course. survive three rounds just to take her place noticeably Canada's Eugenie Bouchard Matt Kuchar, Jho- in round one at the All England Club. who said Sharapova should have been nattan Vegas of Russian Sharapova, the 2004 cham- banned for life, calling her a "cheater". Venezuela, Jason pion and former world number one, Bouchard beat Sharapova in Madrid. Karthik recalled for Kokrak and Cameron announced the news on her website. Sharapova will have to break new Tringale are two "Because of my improved ranking after ground if she is to win Wimbledon this Champions Trophy strokes back after the first three tournaments of my return, year as no qualifier has won the women's carding 66s. I will also be playing ...in Roehampton, and singles title. New Delhi World number one will not be requesting a wildcard," said American Alexandra Stevenson came AFP Dustin Johnson, Bud Sharapova, who has received a wildcard closest when she reached the semi-final Cauley, Brooks for the Wimbledon warmup event in in 1999 before losing to Lindsay icketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Koepka, John Huh, Birmingham. Davenport.avenpot. Karthik has earned a recall to Sean O'Hair, Ryan Sharapova could havehave securedsecured a placeplace WIndia's one-day international Armour and Peter Mal- in the Wimbledon mainain draw by right had squad for the upcoming Champions Tro- nati were tied for seventh after Amateur champion, went on she reached the semi-finalsi-finals at thethe ItalianItalian phy, replacing injured Manish Pandey, the shooting 67s. an up-and-down ride, as his Open in Rome, but shehe withdrew injured country's cricket board said. Scores in the afternoon scorecard featured eight bird- during a second roundd matchmatch against Mir- Karthik was included in the 15-man averaged more than two ies and two bogeys. jana Lucic-Baroni. squad yesterday after Pandey sustained strokes higher than the morn- "I played solid, kept the "I have already startedtarted getting treat- a side strain during a practice session with ing group, as winds swirled hole in front of me even though ment on the injury I sustainedsustained a fewfew daysdays the Kolkata Knight Riders for the ongo- around the Texas course. I didn't hit many fairways," ago in Rome, and willl begin my prepara-prepara- ing Indian Premier League Twenty20 Hahn, whose last win was Barnes said. tion as soon I get better,"tter," thethe five-timesfive-times tournament.