Newsfile: May 4

Sangakkara asks overseas players to step up: As Deccan Chargers make a bid to close the gap between them and the other teams on the points table, captain Kumar Sangakkara has said the foreign signings in the team have to help ease the burden on the local players. "Overseas players need to understand their responsibilities and absorb the majority of the pressure,” he said on the eve of Chargers game against Chennai Super Kings. “Overseas players have to share the responsibilities, and the younger Indian players should be allowed to play freely, enjoy their game, find their places in the side and get that self-belief."

Michael Hussey picks Dravid as favourite: Chennai Super Kings batsman Michael Hussey has said he admires Rahul Dravid the most among the India players. “[Sachin] Tendulkar, too, is a great player but I like Dravid the most for the way he approaches the game,” he said. “It’s his guts, determination and never-say-die attitude that make him stand out. He had done it for years, scored runs everywhere he played ... And he is such a humble human being.”

No big profits for Royals – owner: Raj Kundra, Rajasthan Royals’ co-owner, has said his franchise is interested in promoting Indian talent, rather than just raking in the profits. "We are not making much of the profits but we are certainly not making any losses as well,” he was reported as saying by PTI. “We are not only concerned about making profits but we are committed to promote the Indian talent. It was Yusuf Pathan in the first edition, then it was Ravindra Jadeja and now it is Ajinkya Rahane.”