Rearview Mirror

If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:

IPL - Mumbai underlined their credentials as the team to beat with a resounding performance against the Deccan Chargers. After a steady opening stand between Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs, Mumbai lost three wickets for no runs in six balls to be a somewhat precarious 4/70 in the tenth over, with Tendulkar and Pollard back in the change room. Amit Mishra did most of the damage, finishing with the fine figures of 2/14 from his four overs. However, Mumbai's batting depth came to the fore, with Rohit Sharma (56 from 34 balls) and Andrew Symonds (44 from 33) combining for an unbeaten 102 run partnership to get Mumbai to 172 - helped by 40 runs from the last two overs from Steyn and Christian. In reply, Deccan were never really in the hunt, hitting just one six as they finished 37 runs short of Mumbai's total. Once again, test retiree Lasith Malinga was Mumbai's star weapon, and man of the match, finishing with the stunning figures of 3/9 from four overs, with a catch and a run out into the bargain. Malinga now has 16 wickets in the tournament at an average of just nine runs per wicket, and an economy rate barely above six runs an over.

Now in second place on the wicket taking list is another test retiree, although one who played his last test more than four years ago and never played Twenty20 for his country. Shane Warne took 3/16 from four overs to lead Rajasthan to an easy eight wicket victory over Kochi. Warne's ongoing success at the age of 41 will continue to cause angst in Australia as his home country continues to search for a credible successor. 

EPL - Manchester United moved a big step closer to the title with a 1-0 win over Everton, as in-form Javier Hernandez's 84th minute winner left them six points clear of Chelsea with four matches to play. Arsenal's faint hopes were snuffed out over the weekend with United's victory and the Gunners conceding a 90th minute winner in a 2-1 loss on Sunday at Bolton Wanderers. Chelsea's resurgence continued, with a 3-0 win over West Ham taking them three points clear of Arsenal. Fernando Torres finally registered his first goal for Chelsea after 15 hours of anguish. At the other end of the table, West Ham, Wolves and Wigan are currently in the three relegation slots, with Blackpool and Blackburn the most nervous teams above them.    

Football - in Spain, Barcelona edged closer to the title with a 2-0 win over Osasuna, while Real Madrid stayed alive in the title race, and provided plenty of value for money for the crowd with a 6-3 win over Valencia. Whether Real would be awarded the La Liga trophy even if they won the title must be in doubt after they managed to destroy the Copa Del Rey trophy after winning the cup midweek over Barcelona with an injury time winner from Ronaldo. Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the team bus - under its back wheels. Pieces were recovered at the scene, and a replica is currently being displayed while the jeweler who made the trophy tries to work out if the original can be salvaged.   

NBA - the first round of the playoffs reached decision time with the New York Knicks being the first team sent packing as the Boston Celtics completed a series sweep with a 101-89 win on Sunday. Oklahoma City could sweep the Denver Nuggets when the teams meet in game 4 on Monday. Miami missed their chance to sweep the Sixers as Philadelphia rallied for an 86-82 win in game 4, and the Indiana Pacers were able to pull their series back to 1-3 with a win over Chicago. Orlando Magic shot 2-23 from three-point territory to lose 85-88 and trail Atlanta by 3-1 in their series, while Portland and Dallas are tied at 2-2, struggling San Antonio trail the Memphis Grizzlies 2-1, and the LA Lakers disappointed again, falling to a 2-2 tie with the New Orleans Hornets after going down 93-88 on Sunday night.

NHL - the Chicago Blackhawks, defending champions, clinched a 4-3 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks to force a decisive game 7 in Vancouver, as they continue their unlikely rally from 3-0 down in the series. Washington, Nashville and Detroit have already won through in their series. 

AFL -Three games remain in round 5, including the blockbuster Anzac Day match between in-form Collingwood and Essendon. However, the big news of the round was the stunning comeback debut win for the Gold Coast Suns in their match with Port Adelaide Power. Richmond also tasted victory for the first time this season with a seven goal to two last quarter enough to overcome North Melbourne. Carlton had a tough fight before overcoming Adelaide and St Kilda failed to impress in a narrow victory over Brisbane.