The lead changes hands
Sambit edges ahead, courtesy Raina
Cricinfo staff
21-May-2009
Updated at 11.30am
Suresh Raina has done it for Sambit Bal, who moves into pole position ahead of Ian Chappell after eight days of relentless pursuit.
It was the no-show by Ian's trump Matthew Hayden that cost him dearly. Sambit on the other hand, decided to go with Yuvraj Singh as trump, who fetched him 72 points.
But the player who made the difference for Sambit was Raina. An all-round performance from him meant that he netted a crucial 90 for Sambit, allowing him to slip ahead of Ian by 53 points.
"It's a reward for perseverance," Sambit says. "Raina has been the key to my campaign. He was only one who could have got me ahead of Ian, because the rest of our teams are more or less the same.
"But I am reading too much in to it. It's still a very close game and now it's it's down to choosing the right trump."
We're into the final few games of the tournament and it will be interesting to see what twists and turns lie ahead, not only on the field but in the Star Wars league as well.