Washington, May 10: President Asif Ali Zardari has said India is not a threat to Pakistan and it is facing danger from the terrorists inside the country.
"Well, I am already on record. I have never considered India a threat," Zardari said in an interview on the PBS news channel's popular show "Newshour With Jim Lehrer" on Saturday.
This is the first time a top Pakistani leader has publicly said that India is not a threat to his country; a fact which the Obama administration has been trying to convince Zardari and the Pakistan Army for quite some time now.
"I have always considered India a neighbour, which we want to improve our relationship with. We have had some cold times and we have had some hard times with them. We have gone to war thrice, but democracies are always trying to improve relationships," Zardari said while responding to a question about "which being the greatest threat to Pakistan – India, or the militants."
Last month, at a White House press conference held on the occasion of his 100 days in office, Obama had said such a believe against India by the Pakistani establishment was "misguided".
It is believed that both Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in their meetings with Zardari this week impressed upon him that Pakistan should no longer consider India as a primary threat and rather concentrate its energies on fighting terrorism inside the country.
However, there has been no official word from the Obama administration in this regard so far after the meetings.
While responding the question about moving troops from Indian border to the tribal areas of Pakistan to fight the war against terrorism, Zardari said: "Pakistan has already done so."
In an interview to the CNN on Friday, Zardari had said Pakistan has already move troops from the Indian border and would do more based on the requirement.
"The fact is that we have moved more troops today and yesterday and the day before. We moved them according to the requirement.
"We already have 125,000 personnel there. So when we need to replace them, we need to improve upon their strength, we do that," Zardari said in response to a question.
NDA exhibits strength and unity in Punjab.
NDA exhibits strength and unity in Punjab
Ludhiana, May 10: The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday showed off its strength and unity with a grand rally in the industrial city of Ludhiana, Punjab.
The rally is being attended by key NDA allies, including BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani, party president Rajnath Singh, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Prakash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao among others.
The election rally is being seen as a show of strength by the BJP to reaffirm that the NDA is intact in the run-up to Wednesday's fifth and last phase of the 2009 General Elections.
The rally, being described as "historic" by the BJP and alliance partner SAD in Punjab, is also being attended by JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi.
Chief Ministers of other BJP-ruled states were also expected at the rally.
The NDA rally is in favour of Akali Dal candidate from here, GS Galib, who has been a Congressman for nearly five decades before shifting to the ruling SAS in Punjab recently.
Nitish Kumar's presence in the rally could also influence scores of votes of migrants from Bihar who are settled in this city.
The attendance of TRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao has also added weight to the rally. TRS was part of the UPA government for most part of its tenure and had electoral understanding with the Left and Telugu Desam Party for the current elections. But today’s move may hit the Third Front’s plans.
257 civilians killed, 814 injured in Lankan attack
COLOMBO: A government health official says at least 257 civilians have been killed and 814 wounded in a massive artillery barrage fired by Sri
Lankan forces into the northern war zone.
The military denies launching the attack, saying it was only using small arms in its effort to wipe out the rebel group.
Physician V. Shanmugarajah says it is feared that many more are dead and already buried by relatives in the attack that began late Saturday and lasted until early on Sunday.
The doctor who works in the war zone called the situation ``overwhelming.''
200 militants killed in Swat; victory ahead: Pak
Kota, Pakistan: Pakistan's military ordered people out of parts of the Swat valley on Sunday, temporarily relaxing a curfew to enable civilians to flee an intensifying offensive against Taliban militants.
Pakistan hopes to stop a growing Taliban insurgency with its offensive in the former tourist valley 130 km from Islamabad after US criticism that the government was failing to act against the Islamist militants. Nearly 200 militants have been killed in the fighting in recent days, according to the military. The figure could not be independently confirmed.
Hundreds of thousands of people have left Swat in the past week and in all about 500,000 are expected to get out. They join 555,000 people displaced earlier from Swat and other areas because of fighting since August. "We have ordered the civilian population in four districts to vacate the areas," said Nasir Khan, a military spokesman in the region.
"They have seven hours to leave because we have to strike militant hideouts there," he said. The army went on a full-scale offensive on Thursday after the government ordered troops to flush out militants from the Taliban stronghold.
Fighting had picked up in previous days, triggering a civilian exodus but concern has been growing about the fate of those still trapped and unable to move because of the curfew.
The lifting of the curfew for seven hours on Sunday triggered a new flood, although residents said transport was hard to come by as the military was not letting vehicles into the valley.
"Everybody wants to get out of this hell," Zubair Khan, a resident of Mingora, the valley's main town, said by telephone. "Some are driving out while many are just on foot. They don't know where they're heading but staying here just means death."
Helicopters and warplanes targeted militant hideouts in Mingora and other areas in Swat on Sunday, the military's Nasir Khan said, adding he had no information about casualties.
Guerrilla tactics
"It's a tough battle. They're operating in small groups. They don't fight a pitched battle but we're closing in on them, squeezing them and have cut their supply lines," he said.
Nasir Khan said vehicles had been stopped coming in to the valley because the military feared the militants might try to send in reinforcements. Vehicle operators were demanding ever higher fares to take people out, residents said.
"There are few vehicles and drivers are asking higher fares," said teacher Mohammad Shahnawaz said. "How can I take my kids, wife and old mother to a safer place? Nobody thinks of humanity, money is their religion."
Many of the displaced stay with relatives or friends or rent places to stay, but aid agencies and officials fear if the situation is protracted they will join tens of thousands in camps, further straining resources.
The World Vision aid group said conditions in camps were "intolerable" despite the coordinated efforts of the Pakistani authorities and aid agencies.
"We may not be able to meet the most basic needs of the refugees as quickly as they are arriving in the camps if it continues at this pace," Jeff Hall, a deputy director for World Vision, said in a statement.
Separately, security forces killed 24 Taliban insurgents in a clash in the Mohmand region on the Afghan border on Saturday night after militants attacked a paramilitary camp, a paramilitary force official said.
US confirms 2,254 swine flu cases, 281 reported in Canada
Washington/Ottawa:US health officials said on Saturday that swine flu was continuing to spread in the country, with the number of confirmed cases rising to 2,254, with 104 people hospitalized. The cases were confirmed in 44 of the nation's 50 states and the capital Washington but health authorities were now focusing on the characteristics of the new virus and on developing a vaccine, said Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mexico is at the epicenter of the global A(H1N1) epidemic, with 48 deaths recorded there compared to two US deaths, but the United States has overtaken its southern neighbor to become the country with the most number of patients.
"I know that in every state, it's really easy to focus on the numbers, but I think right now, the numbers don't tell us as much as the trends," said Schuchat, CDC's interim deputy director for science and public health.
Canada confirms 281 swine flu cases
The number of cases of swine flu confirmed in Canada rose to 281, after the country's first A(H1N1) death was reported a day earlier in Alberta province. There were four new cases reported in Alberta, while another 19 were confirmed in British Columbia. Ontario had 14 new reported cases and Quebec one.
Authorities said all the new cases reported on Saturday were mild, like most of the cases to date in Canada.
A woman in her 30s from a remote area of western Alberta province was the first person to die from possible swine flu complications in Canada, health authorities said Friday. So far there have been 56 cases confirmed in Nova Scotia; three on Prince Edward Island; two in New Brunswick; 16 in Quebec; and 76 in Ontario; one in Manitoba, two in Saskatchewan; 46 in Alberta and 79 in British Columbia.
Show of strength: NDA CMs to come together
Sunday, May 10, 2009 (New Delhi ) :With few days left for the last phase of polling, every front - be it the UPA, the NDA or even the Third Front are all out to show their strength. And to prove that the NDA is united while the UPA is in disarray - chief ministers of NDA-ruled states will participate in a rally in Ludhiana.
NDA's largest ally, the JDU, the Assam Gana Parishad, Om Prakash Chautala's INLD, Ajit Singh's RLD, and NDA's oldest ally Shiv Sena will participate in the rally on Sunday.
The leaders who will be seen include, Narendra Modi, Nitsh Kumar, Shivraj Chauhan, Prakash Singh Badal, Raman Singh, Dhoomal, Khanduri, Yeddiyurappa.
Together they are expected to talk of the good governance of the NDA to drive home - the point that it, the NDA, is emerging as a more profitable alliance. On display in the rally will be the latest entrant, the Telegana Rastriya Samiti - the Andhra based party.
Azam Khan weakening party: Mulayam
Rampur: After maintaining studied silence on the Amar Singh-Azam Khan spat that brought the bitter infighting within the Samajwadi Party (SP) to the fore, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said "Khan was weakening the roots of our party".
At an rally here, the SP chief trained his guns at his one-time closest lieutenant Khan for Friday declaring war against Amar Singh, the party general secretary and Mulayam's Man Friday.
"Azam Khan was weakening the roots of our party and what he has been doing clearly falls in the category of anti-party activity," Mulayam Singh told the rally at Swar town, about 30 km from the Rampur district headquarters.
Mulayam Singh's open attack on Khan made it amply evident that he had eventually made up his choice between his two close lieutenants. He also made no secret of his decision to side with Amar Singh, who on Friday issued yet another veiled threat to quit the party if Khan was allowed to go scot free.
Speaking about the candidature of film actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada, which is at the root of the virtual street fight betwen Khan and Amar Singh, the SP chief said: "What Azam Khan seems to overlook is the fact that Jaya Prada had been awarded the party ticket by me, and that too, after Azam Khan himself recommended her name."
"I wonder if some kind of jealousy was at the root of the ongoing trouble because the fact remains that Azam Khan was earlier all for Jaya, for whom he had campaigned aggressively during the last elections, when she won from here."
Much of Mulayam Singh's 40-minute address was devoted to the bitter Amar-Azam feud.
"I never speak so long at any election rally but because I need to apprise people of many facts, I was compelled to make such a long speech," he said.
Amar Singh, however, kept himself away from Rampur on a day when Mulayam Singh campaigned here.
However, Jaya Prada went about harping on the beaten track - highlighting how pained she was on account of Khan's tirade against her.
"I have always regarded him as an elder brother," she maintained, adding: "I am really agonised to find that the hand to which I gave my bouquet was throwing brickbats at me."
Mulayam Singh's open tirade against Khan gave rise to speculation that Khan may exit the SP to join the Congress.
The proximity between Khan and the Congress became visible for the first time when Congress nominee Begum Noor Bano, with whom Khan could not see eye to eye until not very long ago, called on the latter's hospitalised supporters, who were allegedly beaten up by Amar Singh's men in a recent clash.
India faces risk of another 26/11 type attack
Washington, May 10: With Pakistan's "jihadist Frankenstein monster" forcing its army to remain focused on India, a retired CIA expert on South Asia has warned of a serious risk of another Mumbai-style attack on the country.
Noting that the post-Mumbai era of significant tension between India and Pakistan has not come to a close yet, Bruce O. Riedel says, "there is a serious risk of another Mumbai-style attack."
This "would ratchet up tensions and make the Pakistani army even more determined to keep 80 percent of its manpower focused on India rather than on the threat posed by the internal jihadist problem," he said in an interview with Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank.
There are a few tentative signs of Pakistan realising that its army and the intelligence service has created a "jihadist Frankenstein monster", said Riedel who chaired a special rask force to develop President Barack Obama's policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"But it is far from clear that they acknowledge that the existential threat to Pakistan's freedoms comes from within" he said. "I think the army remains focused on the external threat posed by India."
"Of course, here the 'Frankenstein' [monster] is a self-fulfilling prophecy because extremist groups, in this case Lashkar-e-Taiba, attacked India last November in Mumbai," said Riedel, now senior fellow at Brookings Institution, another think tank.
Suggesting that tension between New Delhi and Islamabad is back to a very high level, the expert said: "In that sense, the 'Frankenstein' (monster creates) the conditions for the army to be focused on India."
Riedel also warned of "a real possibility of a jihadist state emerging in Pakistan sometime in the future. And that has to be one of the worst nightmares American foreign policy could have to deal with."
A growing coalescence of jihadist militant groups, not just in the tribal areas, but in the Punjab and in the major cities including Karachi "is threatening the very survival of the Pakistani state as we have known it," Riedel said.
Describing Pakistan as "a base of operations for repeated attacks on India going back to the hijacking of an Indian aircraft in 1999," he said:
"Indians feel that they have put out the olive branch on more than one occasion and instead of a reciprocal response, they've gotten more terror."
India has shown remarkable restraint over the years, but "there has to be some point at which India's tolerance is pushed too far, he said. "Of course that's exactly what the jihadists want."
"They want the situation constantly boiling on the India-Pakistan front that diverts the Pakistani army away from them, providing them (Islamic militants) the conditions that allow for them to grow and fester in Pakistan," Riedel said.
As the "situation remains dire" in Pakistan, he said "it is crucial for Congress to pass the five-year USD 7.5 billion economic aid package for Pakistan without too many conditions on the bill, so that "we can send a signal to Pakistan that we're in this for the long haul and that it's not a conditions-based relationship."
Indian Business news
Anti-offshoring, H-1B cap may affect business: Infosys
NEW YORK: Expressing concerns over the possible measures by foreign countries, especially the US, to restrict off-shoring and movement of work
visa-holders, Indian IT bellwether Infosys has said that such steps could adversely impact the company's business.
The Obama administration has restricted the hiring of H-1B visa-holders by companies bailed out by the Federal government and recently announced a plan to end tax incentives for American entities generating jobs overseas.
Both moves are expected to impact the Indian IT sector, whose major chunk of revenues come from the US.
Infosys has said that in the prevailing economic environment, there could be a change in the existing laws or the enactment of new legislation, restricting "offshore outsourcing" or imposing restrictions on the deployment of work visa holders at client locations.
Such actions "may adversely impact our ability to do business in the jurisdictions in which we operate, especially with governmental entities," the IT firm said in its annual filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nearly 60 per cent of Indian IT-Business Process Outsourcing industry caters to the US companies, according to latest figures. India's BPO industry employs over 17 lakh professionals.
Every year, a major chunk of the Indian professionals receive H-1B visas, which is basically a working visa for highly skilled people. In the previous fiscal year, nearly 8,200 Infosys employees held H-1B visas.
Moreover, Infosys has pointed out the possibility of private sector companies working with these governmental entities, being restricted from outsourcing projects which are related to government contracts.
These firms could even face "disincentives if they outsource
certain operations", the filing noted.
Many foreign governments mainly in the US and the UK have pumped in billions of dollars into companies battered by the financial turmoil. In return, these administrations have snapped up significant stakes in those bailed out firms.
"Equity investments by governmental entities in, or governmental financial aid to, our clients may involve restrictions on the ability of such clients to outsource offshore or otherwise restrict offshore IT vendors from utilizing the services of work visa-holders at client locations," Infosys said.
Infosys has expressed concern that restriction on deployment of trained people at client locations could require the company to seek local talent. In such a case, the "local resources may only be available at higher wages," it said.
"Any resulting increase in our compensation, hiring and training expenses could adversely impact our revenues and operating profitability," the firm said.
Yahoo in news
SAN FRANCISCO: Four months into her fix-it job at Yahoo Inc, Chief Executive Carol Bartz has worked through an impressive checklist.
The 60-year-old executive has moved swiftly to rebuild the Internet company to her specifications, upending the organizational structure, replacing executives and cutting costs including 675 jobs, or 5 per cent of the workforce.
Analysts say that is exactly the kind of shake-up needed at Yahoo, which has seen its sales growth slow and its market share overtaken by Google Inc in recent years.
For Yahoo's ranks, still shell-shocked from deep cuts in 2008 -- including 1,600 axed jobs -- the hope that Bartz brings is increasingly mixed with a dose of fear and uncertainty. Yet broad support remains for Bartz despite the tough talk, canceled holiday parties and forced vacations that have come to define her era.
"We are all sort of wanting to believe in her because we really want to see Yahoo turned around," said one Yahoo insider who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. "But it still doesn't make it any less scary when you don't hear about what's coming up."
With a new round of layoffs under way, and a steady stream of Yahoo sites getting axed, anxiety within the ranks has been exacerbated by what some say is a growing sense of secrecy. Bartz' famous penchant for tight lips, which initially showed in her emphatic displeasure toward news leaks, is increasingly evident in other aspects of Yahoo's operations.
The informal flow of information once common within the company has come to a halt. "Everything is on a need to know basis," the Yahoo source said.
Maruti to launch Ritz on May 15
MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki on Saturday said it will be launching its premium compact car Ritz on May 15 in Delhi in straight competition with its other premium compact car Swift.
"Ritz will directly compete with Swift. In the past, when we have launched cars in the same segment, it has helped the market to grow," Maruti Suzuki's managing executive officer, I V Rao, told reporters here.
"With the launch of Ritz, our customers would have two cars to choose from in the same category," he said.
Ritz and Swift would compete with Fabia, Getz, UVA and i20. Swift has been estimated to have a market share of 75% in the compact car segment.
In the next couple of years, seven new cars are being planned to be launched in the compact car segment by various car makers.
Swift, launched four years ago, has been a successful product of Maruti. At present, Maruti sells about 10,000 Swifts a month, Rao said.
The company has put up a new assembly line for Ritz at its factory in Gurgaon.
Last year, Maruti launched Swift in the European market. It makes Swift at a plant in Hungary.
Tata pips Google, MS in reputation
New York, May 10: They may not be as big as their global peers in terms of revenue and profits, but Indian companies are top of the lot in terms of their reputation, as per a study that has ranked Tatas as more reputed than the likes of Google, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, GE and Walt Disney.
Noting that the world looks to "corporate India to find trust, admiration and good feeling," the US-based brand and reputation management consulting firm Reputation Institute has named five Indian firms among the top-50 in its annual list of the world's most reputed companies.
While the global list has been topped by Italy's chocolate maker Ferrero, Sweden's retailer IKEA, and Johnson & Johnson in the US, the Tata group has been ranked 11th.
Among Indian companies, Tatas are followed by SBI (29), Infosys (39), Larsen & Toubro (47) and Maruti Suzuki (49th).
There are 22 other Indian companies on the list of 600 largest companies, ranked in terms of their reputation.
"Corporate India has the best reputed companies. Of the 27 Indian companies ranked among the 600 largest in the world, almost 90 per cent received scores above the global mean, with five ranking among the Top 50," the Reputation Institute said in its annual study for 2009.
'India to lose 7 mn of its manpower by 2015'
New Delhi, May 10: India may lose over seven million of its productive workforce annually from 2009 to 2015 to lifestyle and chronic diseases like strokes, diabetes and cardiac arrest, resulting into a national loss of USD 160 billion during the period, said an Assocham-PwC study.
The country has already suffered a loss of USD 90 billion between 2005 and 2008 on account of loss of lives of people in the age group of 35-60 years to the lifestyle diseases.
At present, 53 per cent of all deaths result from the chronic diseases. This number is likely to go up to 66 per cent by 2020.
The employees resorting to over work "to retain their jobs", transitional phase of the Indian economy and the stressed working environment would all combine to see a quantum leap in the number of those suffering from hypertensions, the paper said.
At present, the number of people suffering from hypertension is estimated at 65 million, it said.
"Due to tensions arising out of transitional liberalisation and current stressed working environment in private and government sectors, the number of people suffering from hypertension in India is expected to see a quantum leap of over 135 million in the next six years," Assocham President Sajjan Jindal said.
With India being world's second largest producer of tobbaco the problem of cancer diseases is also getting aggravated.
There is a need for people to adapt healthy eating habits
, reduce tobacco intake and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it said.
However, the government alone cannot prevent the spread of chronic diseases. India's private sector has an important role in its prevention, the paper said.
India's total health care expenditure is less than 3 per cent of its GDP against the world average of about 9 per cent.
Only the US had more number of companies in the top-50 (17 companies), the report noted. In terms of overall presence also, the US had five times the number of companies in the list than India.
The list is made on the basis of admiration, trust and good feeling that consumers have towards a company.
Other Indian companies on the list include – Hindustan Unilever (70th rank), ITC (96), Canara Bank (103), HPCL (112), Indian Oil (113), Wipro (117), Reliance Group (133), Mahindra & Mahindra (138), Bharti Airtel (164), Bank of Baroda (175), BPCL (176) and Punjab National Bank (178).
The report did not clarify whether the Reliance group means the Mukesh Ambani Group or Anil Ambani group of companies.
The report revealed that corporate trust is higher in the emerging markets, while companies in industrialised markets are trusted less.
"Proportionally, the largest companies in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) enjoy a stronger emotional connection with consumers than the largest companies in the industrialized world," it added.
Out of the 289 companies from the US, Japan
, the UK, France and Germany, 45 per cent have reputations below the global average, while only 34 per cent of the 142 companies from BRIC nations have below-average reputations, with Chinese companies dragging down the BRIC average substantially.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China saw the largest gain in reputation, 16.38 points from 2008 to 2009, while AIG lost the most reputation capital with a drop of 27.52 points.
Internet giant Google has been ranked at the 23rd position, while Microsoft grabbed the 30th rank and Walt Disney was at 21st place. Nokia is at 45th, PepsiCo is 46th and GE is ranked 50th.
In 2008, Toyota and Google were number one and two, they now rank 59th and 23rd, respectively.
SAIL in pact with Siemens to upgrade technical skills
New Delhi:The country's largest steel producer, SAIL, has entered into an agreement with engineering major Siemens for upgrading technical skills of its human resource and for bringing down the maintenance cost.
On Friday, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between SAIL's Management Training Institute, Ranchi, and Siemens for a period of two years, SAIL said in a statement.
"Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has undertaken a massive modernisation plan for expansion and technological (upgrading). In order to operate these modern plants equipped with state-of-the-art technology, a lot of efforts are being made to upgrade the competence of its workforce," the statement said.
It said the agreement is aimed at enhancing safety standards in work, ease in adoption of new technology and improving equipment availability to support higher growth in production and reduction in the cost of maintenance.
"The advantage of this MoU is that all concerned technical personnel of SAIL plants and units can get trained with the help of a single commercial terms and conditions, which will greatly facilitate the process of training," SAIL said.
The company is undertaking expansion at its steel plants to almost double its overall capacity to 26.3 million tonnes by 2010-2011.
IPL News
Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan by 7 wickets
KIMBERLEY: Matthew Hayden says that the art of batting in Twenty20, from a risk point of view, is how you minimize it and thereby maximize your chances of getting the result you want. He calls it pre-meditation and that, Hayden insists, is a huge part of the game.
That he understands it so well in his own way and has been able to capitalize on it so well could probably be the biggest reason why he’s currently wearing the IPL’s Orange Cap.
On Saturday, he added 48 more to his aggregate in the tournament so far, taking his overall tally of runs to 426. In the process, he delivered another innings of quality that his teammates have been relying on throughout this tournament.
While Hayden did his bit and left, stumped off Jaipur skipper Shane Warne’s bowling, his innings was later overshadowed by Chennai’s own S Badrinath who smashed an impressive half-century.
Badri picked on Warne and all others, hitting a six that went over fine leg, a late-cut boundary that missed the third man and shots all over the mid-field that left Jaipur helpless. In short, it was an innings of remarkable quality and innovation that sealed the match in his team’s favour.
No matter how good the pitch is for batting, walking in second here could be depressing given the way conditions affect play in Kimberley. It gets cold, windy and there’s the dew factor to contend with.
It was precisely the case for Chennai when they walked in to chase Jaipur’s total of 140 runs. The required run-rate at the beginning was exactly seven. By the end of first six overs (powerplay), it rose to 7.8, by the 10th over it was still lurking around there.
But with Hayden and Badrinath standing out there, minimizing risks, maximizing chances, there was no opportunity left for Warne’s men.
Earlier, a slow start with the bat and quick fall of wickets towards the end didn’t allow Warne’s team to set up a target to the extent they would have liked.
In fact, Mahendra Singh Dhoni did enough to keep Graeme Smith tied down, letting him get way with 30 runs from 33 balls.
Desperate Mumbai eye revenge against Bangalore
PORT ELIZABETH: Aware that another defeat will bring their semi-final hopes crashing down, a desperate Mumbai Indians would settle for nothing
less than victory in a crucial Indian Premier League match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
While Mumbai Indians will be in search of an elusive win, the Royal Challengers will be eyeing a return to winning ways and move to the top half of the table.
With just three wins out of nine matches, the Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians are second from bottom in the eight-team event and would be eyeing revenge against the Royal Challengers, who humiliated them by 9 wickets in their earlier encounter.
The morale of the Mumbai outfit is at its lowest after losing three consecutive matches and from here on it would be a Herculean task for Tendulkar's boys to pick themselves up and set things right.
What has been a matter of concern for Mumbai is the batsmen's inability to put up decent totals on the board.
Boasting the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Tendulkar, JP Duminy and Dwayne Bravo, Mumbai would be eyeing a big score tomorrow but for that to happen, they will have to do away with their middle over blues.
Mumbai Indians bowling, however, looked impressive in all the outings so far.
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