The Indian Premier League 2009 - IPL 2009

Rohit Sharma eager to take his IPL form into T20 World Cup

2009-05-18T02:52:00.000-07:00

Rohit Sharma, who pulled off an improbable victory for Deccan Chargers against Kolkata Knight Riders Saturday, said his good performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will boost his confidence ahead of next month's Twenty20 World Cup.

Sharma's unbeaten 32 off 13 balls saw Deccan Chargers romp home with six wickets while chasing 161 in their must-win IPL game.

"Knocks like this would obviously boost my confidence going into the T20 World Cup. There is still some time left for the World Cup. We have some time to prepare it," said Sharma who has struck two half-centuries in the tournament.

Chargers needed 21 off the last over from IPL debutant Mashrafe Mortaza and Sharma kept his composure to hit two sixes and as many fours.

Sharma said he knew that Mortaza was under pressure after being hit for a four in the first ball.

"I knew that 21 runs in one over were not going to be easy. But when he (Mortaza) bowled a no-ball and I got a four, then I knew that it's easily possible because the wicket was good the ball was coming on nicely. If you hit the boundary off the first ball, the pressure is back on the bowler. I thought I must take full advantage," he said.

"Mortaza didn't start off that well and was under pressure. We decided to have a go. We had wickets in hand so that was not a problem."

"I knew that he would bowl right in the blockhole. So there was a certain plan that I decided and it came off very well."

[the artical was orgiginally published at http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200905171751.htm]

Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals - Statistical highlights

2009-05-18T02:24:00.000-07:00

Statistical highlights of Sunday's Indian Premier League match between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in Bloemfontein.

With four dismissals (2 catches and 2 stumpings), Dinesh Karthik has equalled the record for most dismissals in a match in the IPL. The first two players to achieve this feat were - Yogesh Takawale for Mumbai vs Rajasthan at Mumbai on May 7, 2008 and Morne van Wyk for Kolkata against Bangalore at Durban on April 29, 2009.
Munaf Patel (23 not out) has posted his best IPL score.
Patel's unbeaten knock of 23 off 10 balls is the highest by a No.11 batsman in the IPL, surpassing Makhaya Ntini's 11 off 12 balls for Chennai against Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur on May 4, 2008.
Dinesh Karthik has performed exceptionally well in the IPL 2009. His batting average of 41.33 (248) is the second best after Abrham de Villiers' 67.50 for Delhi Daredevils .
AB de Villiers is the second player after Matthew Hayden (546) to complete 400 runs in the IPL 2009, aggregating 405 at an average of 67.50, including one century and three fifties, in 12 matches.
Villiers' unbeaten 79 off 55 balls is his second best innings in the IPL - his highest being an unbeaten 105 off 54 balls against Chennai Super Kings at Durban on April 23, 2009.
Tillakaratne Dilshan's run-aggregate of 329 at 41.12 in 12 games is the second best after Villiers for Delhi Daredevils.
De Villiers has received the Man of the Match for the second time in the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals' 14-run defeat is the ninth out of 28 played so far in the IPL. They have won 18 apart from a "tie" - winning percentage 64.29.
Rajasthan Royals have won six and lost six out of 13 played. One of their games was abandoned due to rain.
Delhi Daredevils have registered their second victory in five games against Rajasthan Royals. Their first win over Rajasthan Royals was by nine wickets in the 2008 edition of the IPL at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi last year.
Delhi Daredevils is the first team to post nine wins in the IPL 2009. With a 14-run win, they have 18 points and are on top of the points table.
The aforesaid win is Delhi's 16th out of 25 played in the IPL - winning percentage of 61.54.
Graeme Smith has posted his second duck in the IPL 2009.
Aavishkar Salvi (2/19) has registered his best IPL performance.
Johan Botha (37) has recorded his best innings in the IPL.

[the articel was originally published at http://cricket.rediff.com/report/2009/may/18/statistical-highlights-delhi-rajasthan.htm]

Chennai seek to cement semi-final berth

2009-05-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

Big Picture

As the race for a place in the semi-finals intensifies, the entertainment value of the last few games has shot up drastically, with the audience treated to a series of last-over thrillers. Teams that began shakily have now emerged serious contenders while some that were resting easy at the top have been made to regret their slip-ups. But amid the unpredictability, there have been constants.

Kolkata Knight Riders have had a horrendous tournament and have been out of the running for some time but now they've even squandered the opportunity to determine who makes it to the top four, throwing away hard-won advantages to concede improbable victories. On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have been highly consistent and now have their best chance of ending any mathematical possibility of not finishing in the 'safe zone'.

Chennai are currently placed second and will confirm their qualification for the semi-finals if they beat Kolkata. If they lose though, they'll face the frustrating prospect of having to rely on the outcome of their final league game against Kings XI Punjab, and possibly net run-rate to see where they finish. Kolkata have another chance to dent some hopes, but their torrid run combined with a recent tendency to be excessively generous to their opponents at the death means Chennai will have few fears.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Chennai - WLWWW
Chennai's march in the competition was boosted by a run of five-successive wins, ended by Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban. However, a win over Mumbai Indians in their previous game made up for the blip, taking them to the brink of qualification. Their opening combination has been a worry. Matthew Hayden has been prolific, but has lacked support from the other end. The first-wicket has averaged 21.7 in the last six games, as M Vijay, Parthiv Patel and S Badrinath have struggled to bat long enough. Suresh Raina is Chennai's second-highest run getter but has managed one half-century in 11 games and 48 runs in his last three. Hayden's too far ahead to catch up, but Raina ought to make a greater impact at No.3. Their bowlers have proved reliable throughout, successfully defending targets in four of their last six games, and giving Bangalore a serious scare despite their batsmen posting just 129.

Kolkata - LLLLL
Of their last seven losses, four have been decided in the final over and the last two have been the most agonizing. Kolkata showed signs of revival, with their batsmen, especially the foreign recruits, stepping up. Brad Hodge, Morne van Wyk and David Hussey have each justified their induction and even their captain, Brendon McCullum, shrugged off his poor form, carting 84 against Bangalore in Centurion. But it was their fast bowlers who let them down badly after the spinners had put them in strong positions. Ajit Agarkar and Ishant Sharma fed Ross Taylor full tosses and he punished them to snatch an unlikely win for Bangalore. Bangladeshi fans desperately waiting for Mashrafe Mortaza's appearance were in for a nightmare. Their star player was unable to prevent Deccan Chargers from knocking off 21 required for a win in the final over and earned the dubious distinction of bowling the most expensive spell in the IPL this year.

Watch out for

MS Dhoni - His leadership has been impressive, and so has his batting. Dhoni has moved himself around considerably in the middle order, and backed up his two half-centuries with some cameos, proving effective at the death. With Hayden dominating the top order, Dhoni has been the stand-out player in the middle. He's been involved in four 50-plus partnerships in the last seven games, two each with Hayden and Raina, batting out till the end of the innings to string a favourable result each time.

David Hussey - Kolkata missed him for much of the IPL, but Hussey made an immediate impact upon his return from the UAE, providing the innings a major boost with two quickfire 40-plus contributions. He helped Kolkata almost double their score after the 15th over, clattering a 17-ball 43 against Deccan, and must ideally play a greater role with his offspinners, especially when the pace attack has proved his team's undoing.

Teams

Parthiv Patel opened for Chennai against Mumbai after sitting out for five matches, but suffered a first-ball duck. He could, yet again, make way for M Vijay, though Chennai may still give him another go. Jacob Oram has made just one significant contribution with the bat this IPL, and his average of 15.50 is disappointing. In eight matches, he's only bowled two full spells, and if his team wishes to strengthen its batting, George Bailey could be drafted in.

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Parthiv Patel/M Vijay, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 MS Dhoni, 5 S Badrinath, 6 Jacob Oram/George Bailey, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Sudeep Tyagi, 9 Shadab Jakati, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji.

Kolkata's predominant concern in their previous couple of games has been their bowling. Agarkar has been their most expensive bowler - among those who've played five or more games - conceding 9.73-an-over, and Kolkata may look to bring in Ashok Dinda in his place. Mortaza's hammering at the hands of Rohit Sharma, much to the disappointment of those who so eagerly awaited his IPL debut, could cost him his place, and the team may want to induct Charl Langeveldt, whose inclusion in the XI is long overdue.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 Brad Hodge, 4 David Hussey, 5 Wriddhiman Saha, 6 Yashpal Singh, 7 Charl Langeveldt/Mashrafe Mortaza, 8 Murali Kartik, 9 Ajit Agarkar/Ashok Dinda, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Shoaib Shaikh.

Stats and Trivia

Chennai have averaged 37.2 per wicket in the Powerplay, scoring at 8.45 runs per over. Kolkata haven't done as well, averaging 23.61 per wicket and scoring at 6.43 an over
Balaji is the only bowler from the two teams in the list of the top ten wicket-takers in the competition, with 13 from 10 games at 18.92
Hayden has struck 21 sixes in the competition, the second-highest in the IPL this year, after Adam Gilchrist. He's followed by Raina with 17

Head-to-head record

The previous game between the two teams was washed out in Cape Town. Chennai emerged victors in both contests last year, with Hayden and Dhoni combining to complete a nine-wicket win in the first. In the second, Makhaya Ntini took 4 for 21, including a hat-trick, and the Chennai openers did well enough before rain intervened to win the match by the D/L method.

[the article was originally published at http://content.cricinfo.com/ipl2009/content/story/404794.html]

Four bookies caught betting on IPL matches

2009-05-18T02:09:00.000-07:00

With the IPL-II on in South Africa the crime branch of district police nabbed four bookies from Aashiana on Friday for betting on the
tournament matches. Police recovered from them cash over Rs 50,000 along with 11 cellphones, television sets and diaries having records of the bets made by them and their clients.

Those arrested identified themselves as Vikas Gupta of Sector M in Aashiana along with Ashish Kumar, Mahesh Kumar and Sandeep Srivastava. Police said that Vikas owns a canteen in model wine shop while Ashish and Mahesh worked for Vikas by maintaining records of the bets made and Sandeep is a generator mechanic.

All of them were caught from Vikas's house in Aashiana. During the interrogation, they told police that they were engaged in the betting business and were betting on the tournament as well as the sensex.

SP crime, Nidhi Sonkar said the gang worked for its kingpins in New Delhi and Mumbai and those nabbed made around Rs 20,000 a month. The gang used code words to communicate and the word for betting used by them was KL (khai lagai).

They said that they noted down the amount that was at stake in the betting and if a person won the bet he was given nearly nine times of the amount that was on stake while the money lost by others involved in the betting was taken by those arrested.

They were running the betting racket from the past few months. Investigations were on with regards to the others who might be involved with them in the crime.

[the article was originally published at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Four-bookies-caught-betting-on-IPL-matches/articleshow/4543571.cms]

Katrina Kaif joins fans in cheering Royal Challengers

2009-05-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: As the Royal Challengers team battles it out in South Africa, the team got a boost from actress Katrina Kaif, the team’s brand ambassador, at an event organised for the Royal Challengers fans in Mumbai.

Kaif, who is an aficionada of the Red Battalion, joined the fans of the team in Mumbai to cheer the Royal Challengers before its match against the Chennai Super Kings. Katrina applauded the team’s efforts so far and sent her best wishes to the players for all their future matches.

She said, “It has been a great pleasure for me to be a part of Royal Challengers. The team has been performing well this season and I wish them all the best for the rest of the tournament. I would like to thank our fans and enthusiasts for their immense support and undeterred faith in the team and players. I will continue to cheer the Royal Challengers for every match they play.”

Kaif also gave away merchandise, hampers and prizes to the ten lucky fans who won an online and on-ground contest to join her at this event.

United Spirits president, MD VK Rekhi said, “We have a huge fan base here in Mumbai who have supported the Royal Challengers throughout the IPL season. We wanted to offer them an exceptional level of engagement and experience on behalf of the brand. The live match screening with Katrina is to engage the fans and institute a personal communication between them and their favourite team.

"Through this initiative, we also look to invoke more support for the team aligning with Katrina Kaif."

She will be cheering for the Royal Challengers across the country with Mumbai following the screenings in the hometown Bangalore and then Hyderabad.

[the article was originally published at http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/headlines/y2k9/may/maymam52.php]

Sehwag : "Not easy to take the pressure"

2009-05-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Virender Sehwag was in high spirits after his team snatched an unlikely win against Team Hyderabad on Wednesday. It was extremely relaxing for him to close in towards a semifinal berth and that was evident in what he said.

According to Sehwag, IPL is probably more demanding than international cricket and a win like this helps the team to relax quite a bit. "I feel the pressure in IPL is more than international cricket," the dashing batsman said without mincing any words.

"After a loss in the IPL, there are bound to be meetings with the franchisee owners where you have to explain where you went wrong. That is not at all easy," he explained what an international player in the IPL has to go through.

"It’s better we win more, so that we don’t have to face these meetings," the Team Delhi skipper added. Sehwag hasn’t played quite a few games due to an injury and that has helped him take a few days off. "I had been to the Sun City, relaxed a bit, and of course, bought some diamonds," he said sounding relaxed after the nerve-wracking match against Team Hyderabad.

According to Sehwag, what is helping Team Delhi win despite the tremendous pressure is their balance. "It’s all about the balance. If you see, it’s not just one person who is performing. There have been many players who have won man-of-the-match awards for us and that’s why we’re still on top," Sehwag added.

The 30-year-old however made it clear that the race for the semis was still wide open. "All the teams have talented players and the table is pretty wide open. We’re not taking anything for granted as yet," Sehwag said.

For Team Hyderabad though, it was a crushing defeat and their coach Darren Lehmann was clearly struggling to come to terms with it. "It’s an unfortunate loss. And it’s unpardonable to lose seven wickets for 12 runs," a hurt Lehmann said.

[the article was originally published at http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4531841.cms]

Bangalore RC, Rajasthan Royals earn thrilling wins in IPL

2009-05-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

It was a royal special at Kingsmead as Bangalore Royal Challengers and Rajasthan Royals pulled off thrilling wins in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Bangalore beat Chennai Super Kings by two wickets to move into joint fourth position with Deccan Chargers and revive their hopes of reaching the semifinals next week.

Rajasthan cut it even closer in the second match, clipping Mumbai Indians by 2 runs when Mumbai needed four runs from the final over with three wickets in hand.

Rajasthan, the defending champion, rose to third in the eight-team table, while Mumbai slipped to sixth.

Delhi Daredevils lead the Twenty20 tournament with 16 points, followed by Chennai and Rajasthan on 13, but with Chennai enjoying a better run rate.

Mumbai looked like climbing to third with a victory when it needed four runs from the last over to over to overhaul Rajasthan's 145-7. But Mumbai, at 142-7 was all for 143 with a ball to spare.

"All credit to the guys," Rajasthan captain Shane Warne said. "It is these last games that show the spirit of your group. We just wanted to put up a good performance and not worry about winning or losing. But the guys came and showed the desperation and spirit in the side."

Warne, with 3-24 in four overs, was named man of the match, but pace bowler Munaf Patel led the attack in the last over.

He trapped Dhawal Kularni for 1 on the second ball, and Chetanya Nanda was run out for a duck on the third by a throw from Yusuf Pathan to make it 142-9. Harbhajan Singh came in and scored a single, leaving Mumbai needing three runs off the last two balls.

Lasith Malinga played on the off side and set off for a single, but Warne scooped it up and threw to Patel to run him out at the non-striker's end to end the drama.

"I felt towards the end there was a bit of panic and that cost us the game," said Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar, who was trapped by Warne for a 30-ball 40.

Bangalore's Vinay Kumar hit the wininng runs in their game with two balls to spare. Set a relatively easy target after bowling out Chennai for 129, Ross Taylor hit 46, sharing a 56-run fourth wicket stand with Virat Kohli (38 off 35 balls) to set up Bangalore nicely after a slow start.

Taylor fell with five runs needed off the last five balls and two wickets in hand.

Kumar then guided his team home in a nervous finish, benefiting from a misfield that allowed a boundary.

"It was a great effort," said Bangalore captain Anil Kumble, who took 2-12. "The bowlers were brilliant and the fielding was brilliant but we struggled a bit at the end. (Jacques) Kallis was brilliant up front .. .everyone contributed."

South Africa allrounder Kallis took 2-18 in four overs including a maiden. Kumar claimed 2-30 in three. The IPL's leading runscorer Matthew Hayden topscored for Chennai with 60.

Today, Kings XI Punjab plays Delhi.

[the article was originally published at http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=949564&lang=eng_news]

"Sticky Something' could be KKR Captain for IPL-3

2009-05-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Fake IPL blog or FIP has an interesting quote in reference to the captainship of the team. The blog reads,” News from our camp is that Sticky Something has verbally confirmed his availability to Dildo for next season depending on certain conditions. The idea is to declare him captain in a few months, and then let him build his team and support staff.

Here, ‘Sticky Something’ is an indication towards the Australian Captain Ricky Ponting, who chose to stay away from the IPL this time, in order to give himself rest for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and the Ashes in England.

Coach John Buchanan’s future in the Kolkata Knight Riders team also seems bleak. The FIP further says, “Director of Operations and Coach, who till 3 weeks ago were the most important designations in our squad, will now be part of the support staff. Sticky will also oversee a local talent scout after their tour of England later this year. Nobody knows Lordie's role next year.
Apart from the captaincy, the blog also puts an end on all the talk to SRK disinvesting his stake in the team. The mystery blogger tersely writes, “The team's not getting sold in a hurry, I can tell you this much.”

The Fake IPL Player blog’s popularity has soared to dizzying heights and the blog conducted an exclusive poll, wherein the readers were asked whether they wanted to have the identity of the anonymous blogger revealed. A large number of voters wanted the FIP to reveal his identity.

[the article was originally published at http://sports.in.msn.com/ipl/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3011020]

IPL 09 : Celebrity owners on a sticky wicket

2009-05-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

There appears to be a strong inverse relationship between the celebrity status of the owner of an IPL team and its performance. Whether this relationship is also causal will be known after a few years.

However, as the table below suggests, the biggest celebrity without doubt is Mr Shah Rukh Khan. His team has the lowest score of three points.

Last year, in IPL-1, it was the Rajasthan team whose owner was not well known. It went on to win the tournament.

This year the team was taken over in part by Ms Shilpa Shetty who became a celebrity after her encounter with the late Jade Goody. Its performance has since declined.

The Bangalore team, which is as star-studded as a team can be, did badly last year but has improved its position this year. Mr Vijay Mallya, its owner, is known for his singular lifestyle, and is a global celebrity, not merely an Indian one. Mr Mallya’s Formula One team, Force India, is also near the bottom of the Grand Prix standings.

Mumbai stands somewhere in-between. Mr Mukesh Ambani, though as well known in urban India as Mr Barack Obama in the US, is not quite what can be properly described as a celebrity. His team has thus median points.

The Chennai team, on the other hand, is owned by the unassuming and unsung India Cements. It is at No 2 place with 13 points.

But it is really the Delhi team that proves the point beyond dispute. Its owner, GMR, is the least well known of all, and it has the highest number of points.

In 2008, after the 14 matches that lead to the semis, there was only one celebrity-owned team in the top four, Punjab. The bottom four had two celebrity-owned teams – Bangalore and Kolkata. Mumbai was in the middle like this time.

A former cricketer close to the current Indian team and also many of the players say that the key difference may lie in the interference factor. “You have to leave it to the coach and captain, you know, to decide things. The game is won mainly by on-field tactics, not off-field strategies.”

“I don’t think star status has much to do with it,” says Mr Anirban Das Blah of Globosport. “It comes down to the ability and focus of the owner which is not necessarily linked to being a star.”

In football, where there are not many celebrity owners, it is the reverse. Mr Silvio Berlusconi owns AC Milan, which is doing quite well. So is Manchester City, which is owned by a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and member of the UAE’s Cabinet. Another celebrity is Mr Franz Beckenbauer, who is part-owner of Bayern Munich.

[the article was originally http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/05/15/stories/2009051552090100.htm]

Official Google Blog: A planetarium in your pocket

2009-05-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

A planetarium in your pocket

“Raj must have my nail marks on his arms”

2009-05-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

If you don’t know anything about cricket but still go ahead and buy an IPL team (strictly to stay in the news and make some moolah), what can you do to make it look like you are crazy about the game? Lace your words with plenty of emotion, of course!

That’s exactly what Shilpa Shetty is doing, apart from flashing an unwavering smile constantly. So now we’re all suffering from an emotional overdose. Just see the sentiments and words she’s been throwing at us...

“It’s terrible to play against a friend’s (Shah Rukh Khan) team but all’s fair in love and cricket, I guess” Shilpa’s blog.

“Obviously it’s a game and we all want to win. However, there is a lot of camaraderie between us. We care for each other and even party together” On how much she, Preity and SRK love each other.

“I did go to meet Shah Rukh on the field but he had already left. Actually, it’s quite awkward to meet someone you know especially when you have won and the other person has lost. But then, we have been friends for too many years to let anything like that come between us” After Rajasthan Royals beat the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“But as we won, I was standing on a chair, screaming and shouting with two people trying to hold me. Raj must have several nail marks on his arms” After winning against the Delhi Daredevils.

“It was a fun day... Graeme (Smith) taught me how to bat and Shane (Warne) taught me how to spin the ball! We played for a bit and after I ran four times between the wickets I was gasping for breath” Shilpa’s blog.

We are sure you can’t bear the torture anymore, so we’re stopping right here!

[the article was originally published at http://www.masala.com/11981]

Mumbai Indians v KXP: Statistical Highlights

2009-05-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Statistical highlights of the Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.

# While chasing, the eight-wicket win is Mumbai Indians` first in the 2009 edition of the IPL.
a victory over Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians are placed fourth in the points table.
XI Punjab have lost six matches out of 11 played.
Sohal (43 off 23 balls) has recorded his highest IPL score, surpassing the 30 off 17 balls against Deccan Chargers at Kimberley on May 9, 2009.
-Paul Duminy (2/15) has registered his best bowling performance in the IPL, eclipsing the 1 for 15 against Delhi Daredevils at East London on May 8, 2009.
Tendulkar`s unbeaten 41 off 29 balls, is his highest score in his last seven innings in the IPL.
Bravo (70 not out off 59 balls) has registered his highest score in the IPL, bettering the 64 not out off 53 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at Kolkata on April 29, 2008. The said innings is his third fifty in the IPL.
(4-0-9-1) has received his first Man Of Match award in the IPL for his excellent economical figures.
Indians have posted their fifth victory in the second edition of the IPL. Their eight-wicket win is their first in four matches against Kings XI Punjab.

[the article was originally published at http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=20196]

Murdered for watching IPL match

2009-05-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

In an incident reported from suburban Andheri here on the night of Sunday May 10, an enraged father killed his son for watching the IPL cricket match on television, against his wishes.

The policemen said, Sandesh Kamble (24), who has been pursuing a course in computer repairs, was watching IPL match on television, after attending classes. His father Meghnad Kambale, 60, who returned home at around 10.30 pm, was irked by this sight. He asked Sandesh to switch off the television. After Sandesh refused to obey, Meghnad got involved in a verbal altercation with his son. Thereafter, he repeatedly warned his son to either switch off the television or face consequence thereof.

As Sandesh continued to defy his instructions, Meghnad turned livid, rushed to the kitchen, brought out a knife and stabbed his son in the chest. Thereafter, he came to his senses and carried his son with the help of other family members to a private hospital nearby. However, the youngster was declared brought dead.

The policemen arrested Meghnad and booked him for murder. They also conducted a test to determine as to whether he was drunk at the time of committing murder.

[the article was originally published at http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=59816&n_tit=Reason+for+Murder%3A+Watching+IPL+Cricket+Match!]

Fans vote for 'Fake IPL Player' identity

2009-05-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Even as the general elections head towards a climax, there's another poll unfolding — in cyberspace.

Between Saturday and Monday evening, nearly 29,000 readers of fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com — an Indian Premier League (IPL)-related blog that has spawned a cult following within the country and the Indian diaspora — have cast their vote to decide whether the mystery writer should reveal his identity or not.

The unknown blogger may not have turned out even once for his Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, his rib-tickling posts have endeared him to thousands of fans, and attracted coverage by prestigious newspapers such as Britain's The Telegraph and The Independent.

"You rock, dude", is one of the most common refrains among fans, an overwhelming bulk of whom now wants to know who the cricketer-writer is, or if he is a cricketer in the first place, given his "mastery" over the English language.

Interestingly, the poll process has been initiated by the blogger himself, who goes by the moniker FIP (Fake IPL Player) and describes himself as a no-hope bench-warmer in a team that is at the bottom of the IPL heap with three measly points from 10 outings.

The voting follows a May 9 post headlined "It's decision time folks", where FIP wrote: "I had mentioned (in an earlier piece) about my decision to reveal my identity at the end of IPL... Whether FIP's identity should be disclosed or not, or how it should be taken forward, is as much as your decision as mine. I am putting up a poll on the right side. Pls take a few seconds to make your decision."

Alongside the post, FIP put up six categories, against any of which the blog's fans are required to mark their votes:

Yes, stick to your word man (to reveal his identity)

Yes, I'd like to see your a** kicked

No, let it (identity) remain a mystery

No, I fear for your safety

No, I want this to continue

Who cares a f***?

Till a little before 8 p.m. on Monday, nearly 19,000 blog fans or 64 per cent of the total "voters" till then had plugged for the faceless writer's identity to be revealed.

Wrote a fan under the pseudonym "Anonymous", echoing thousands of others: "of course! want your identity to be revealed. be a sport man! ppl wl love u all the more!"

There are others who noted his "celeb status", and advised him to hire a consultant to guide his career post-cricket, while another — clearly a die hard groupie — appeals rather plaintively: "If you reveal your identity and get your a** kicked, how can you do this next year?"

The popularity of the posts, most of which have attracted over 500 comments, stem from FIP's wicked wit, tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendoes, juicy details of players' drinking binges or womanising, and outrageous nicknames for fellow cricketers, the support staff, team owners including Shah Rukh, and IPL bosses and commentators.

Wrote he after a particularly humiliating loss that fuelled talks of staff sackings: "While our fielding coach was busy browsing naukri.com, our Throwing Coach accusingly glared at our wicketkeeping coach every time Skipper and Buddhiman Baba (Brendon McCullum and Wriddhiman Saha, both wicketkeepers) had their slip-ups in the outfield."

Then, not contented with taking a dig at these two coaches, FIP went for chief coach John Buchanan, referred to as "Bhookha Naan" in the blog: "I am waiting for the day Bhookha blames global warming for our performance."

Understandably, FIP's team management is livid, but the readers find the blog "awesome". Little wonder that the online edition of Britain's Telegraph newspaper ran a story under the headline "Fake IPL Player lights up Kolkata Knight Riders camp in South Africa".

And light up it has, and promises to do so for at least four more days —when polling ends.

[the orginal article was orginally published at http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200905121411.htm]

Indian Premier League's SMS game withdrawn

2009-05-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

The controversial SMS game introduced in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which triggered strong criticism that it promoted gambling, was discontinued on Tuesday with organizers taking note of reservations expressed by sports minister M.S. Gill and many former cricketers.

The organizers decided to stop the game with immediate effect.
“There was no formal complaints about the game but the sports minister’s views were taken into account and the organizers have withdrawn the game,” said Rajiv Shukla, a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India official and a member of the IPL executive board.

Gill had last week denounced the SMS game in which fans made ball-by-ball predictions for cash prizes, saying it amounted to gambling.

“This is viewed as ‘openly encouraging gambling and betting’, which official bodies do not resort to, even in countries where betting is legal; all this ‘to make money and enlarge their TV viewership base’,” the minister said in a statement.

[the article was originally published at http://www.livemint.com/2009/05/12223828/IPL8217s-SMS-game-withdrawn.html]

Turning up the IPL heat

2009-05-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

After three weeks of frantic, non-stop cricket, the battle for semi-final spots in the 2009 Indian Premier League is starting to take shape and Wednesday's key clash between leaders Delhi Daredevils and the Deccan Chargers at Kingsmead (4.30pm) is going to be keenly contested.

After a week's break, it's Durban's turn again to host the IPL circus with Wednesday's match followed by a double-header on Thursday. The final double-header will take place in Durban on Wednesday next week, completing a grand total of 16 matches in Durban - the most held in any of the eight venues.

Victory for the Delhi franchise, who also have a game in hand, would go a long way to confirming their position in the top four but the top of the table is so congested that a win for the Chargers would take them level on points with their opponents.

In such a tightly contested competition only one of the eight franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders, are out of contention for the semis.

Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir has been deputising, pretty successfully, as the team's captain in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag. One of the points of interest for another big crowd at today's match is whether big-hitting opener Sehwag will be fit to return and, if he does, who will make way for him?

Up until now Australian David Warner has played the big-hitting role at the top of the order.

Another fascinating development is that Glenn McGrath, who, despite being valued at $350 000, has yet to play a game in this year's tournament - easy money for him although it is no doubt frustrating for the most economical fast bowler in world cricket.

Perhaps the lean, lanky paceman, who retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup, is being kept out of the side by his compatriot Dirk Nannes.

Durban fans will again be keen to see the prolific AB de Villiers who has struck 271 runs for his team at an average of 67.75, the best of the tournament.

By contrast the Deccan Chargers have had a topsy-turvy time, winning their first four matches and then losing four of the next five. They will be hoping to continue the form they showed in their last match when they thumped 2008 champions the Rajasthan Royals by 53 runs.

After a sizzling start Herschelle Gibbs has suffered a big slump in form and was dropped for the match against Rajasthan. He hopes to return to action at Kingsmead, one of his favourite run-making grounds.

On Thursday the double-header will feature the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Chennai Super Kings in the early match, with the 4.30pm clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals.

The pitch for all three matches will be the Test strip which provided some high-scoring matches last week. Former Kingsmead groundsman Phil Russell, who is helping with pitch preparation, predicted the surface would be a "belter" although a little slow because of the weekend rain.

[the article was originally published at http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=4&art_id=vn20090513064429456C804418 by Patrick Compton]

Taylor trumps McCullum in IPL cricket battle

2009-05-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ross Taylor triumphed in the battle of the New Zealanders against Brendon McCullum Tuesday as Bangalore defeated Kolkata by six wickets in an Indian Premier League thriller.

McCullum struck an unbeaten 84 at Centurion Park as bottom team Knight Riders reached 173-4 from 20 overs only to be passed by Royal Challengers, who made 176-4 in 19.2 overs with unbeaten 81-run Taylor the hero.

Friend and foe praised Taylor after one of the most exciting finishes in the five-week Twenty20 tournament as teams chase a top-four finish and a place in the semi-finals next weekend.

"Ross was fantastic and took the game away from us after I thought our total would be good enough to secure victory," said McCullum of official man-of-the-match Taylor.

Bangalore and South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher added: "The innings of Ross was as good as it gets. We were under a lot of pressure to win and he pulled us through."

Taylor said: "The innings was a relief as I have been struggling in the IPL this season. I desperately wanted to repay the faith shown in me by the coaching staff."

McCullum struck two sixes and 10 fours as he stayed at the crease from start to finish of a Kolkata innings that gathered momentum in the second half after labouring to 69-2 by the 10-over 'tactical break'.

The Kiwi also pulled off the catch of the tournament so far to send South African Jacques Kallis packing after his opening partnership with Kiwi Jesse Ryder had yielded 58 runs for Bangalore.

Ryder departed five runs later and after Bangalore were in run-rate trouble for several overs, Taylor let loose and his five sixes and seven fours steered the team home.

Victory lifted Bangalore two places to fifth on the eight-team standings, one point behind defending champions Rajasthan Royals with three round-robin fixtures to play.

[the article was originally published at http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i-I_msWqBUYF9CCK6D_L93pRCnzA]

Fake IPL blogger: All Rubbish?

2009-05-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

My editor mailed me the other day asking me to do a piece on the "big buzz" of IPL-2, the 'fake player' blog. So, here I go, though, heart of hearts, I would rather stay off this, but then, the Editor's wishes are my command!

The TG (Today's Generation) simply loves this fake player blog going by the eyeballs and responses. I wasn't aware of this blog until a couple of weeks back when a friend mentioned it and urged me to take a look which I did at the first opportunity.

My initial reaction was one of shock at the content, the language and the sheer gossip. Truth to tell, I quite enjoyed the racy style of writing, but then, I said to myself that the blogger, who obviously has had good education, could have put the skill to better use than indulge in innuendos.

The internet offers unparalleled and convenient anonymity that this blogger has willfully exploited without a care in the world. However, I am sure, with some diligence, the blogger's code can be cracked and the writer identified. But then, it depends on how much credence you wish to subscribe to the blogger's writings. Some of my journalist friends, who are clued into the murkier side of cricket, have already speculated on the identity (some claim they have) of the blogger. A theory doing the rounds is that this blogger is not even part of the KKR team!

In any case, the blogger has said he (I presume it's a male) would identify himself on conclusion of the IPL. He has even cleverly put up a poll seeking the reader's votes on whether he should disclose his identify or remain anonymous. The poll also offers a few other choices that I would rather not mention here!

I do not like to get judgmental, but for the sake of this article, here are some of my thoughts:

One, the blog caters to our base instincts and voyeurism since the posts talk about the nocturnal activities of not just the players, but also the commentators and a few others who are closely involved in the IPL.

Two, the blogger dwells on team meetings, telephone calls, personal equations within the team without identifying the persons he mentions. Rather, he has tagged these persons with nicknames through which you can easily identify these worthies provided of course, you are clued in on the subject.

Three, the blogger has not cloaked himself in morality and in fact, justifies his "disclosures" by saying he is giving what the reader wants while being unmindful of the fact that in doing so, he is ratting on his mates. That, to me, is absolutely unforgiveable act of treachery and breach of trust (if you are serious about team sport, then you will know what I mean). I can sense a lot of bitterness that is never far from the surface.

Four, how much of truth is there in these posts? The blogger himself admits that he got his "facts" wrong on a few occasions, but attributes it to a deliberate ploy on part of the management just to prove the blogger wrong!

In conclusion, I would say that this blogger has succeeded in opening a can of worms. To be honest, I have never been a great fan of the KKR whose coach, John Buchannan has been as much responsible for the team's downfall as any player with his crazy theories and ejecting Ganguly from captaincy. Perhaps, it is time he junked his laptop.

The point is that these issues, as well as his own personal grouses (whatever they are), have provided the 'fake blogger' ammunition to fire the gun from an anonymous shoulder.

To say the least, this 'fake blogger' thing is likely to remain a mystery as to the identity of the author and his motives. Personally, it is a 'time pass' and one of those 'True confessions..' variety. But if you have a taste for such writings and snippets, then by all means, enjoy!

Having said that, I pray that this blog is not a harbinger of low-class e-journalism. Old fashioned you might call me, but I would like some sanctity (or what is left of it) of this game that I dearly love to be preserved and cherished.

[the article was originally published at http://sify.com/sports/cricket/ipl/iplfullstory.php?a=jflqCBfbdaa&title=Fake_IPL_blogger_All_bakwaas&scategory=Twenty20&event=IPL_2009]

South Africa coach Micket Arthur worried about SA cricketers

2009-05-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

South African cricket coach Mickey Arthur is worried about his players suffering burnout ahead of next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in England because of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I have it in the back of my head all the time that the boys could burn out during the IPL before the tournament (in England),” Arthur told the Afrikaans weekly Rapport here.

“The last thing I want is to take a team that is burnt out to England. That is why I am in regular contact with them and plead with them that they should condition themselves in a way that will ensure that there is still petrol in the tank for the tournament in England.”

Arthur said he was very proud of the performance of the South African players in the eight IPL franchise teams: “They are among the big stalwarts in their respective teams.

“I have been particularly impressed by the way in which they have taken on the responsibility to win the matches for their sides.”

Arthur appealed to his players to give him their best for just three weeks more in the England series, after which they could “go and relax for two months and forget about cricket altogether”.

[the article was originally published at http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/south-africa-coach-worried-about-cricketers-ipl-burnout_100191061.html]

Kings XI, Mumbai Indians in a must-win situation

2009-05-11T04:47:00.001-07:00

Both Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab are in a must-win situation as they face each other in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Centurion Park here Tuesday.
The two teams have to win all their four remaining matches if they want to make the semi-finals. But Mumbai Indians will also be looking to avenge their three-run loss to Kings XI Punjab in their previous encounter April 29.

Both the teams have come back to their winning ways after having lost their past few matches.

Mumbai Indians comprehensively defeated Bangalore Royal Challengers Sunday and will be hoping to carry forward the winning momentum.

South African Jean Paul Duminy, the Man of the Match against Royal Challengers, said that Mumbai Indians will be looking for a win against Kings XI.

“It has been a good experience so far. But there are few more games that we need to win now. Hopefully, we can carry forward this winning momentum to the coming matches. I am happy that I contributed to my team’s cause,” said Duminy.

Mumbai Indian’s chief mentor Shaun Pollock said that the team is planning to take each game at a time.

“We know that if we don’t win all the matches then we will be out of the tournament. Our future is in our hands. We have to play matches against top five teams of the tournament. We would like to take each game at a time. At some stage in the tournament every team faces such situations,” said Pollock.

Mumbai Indians are one of the most balanced side in the IPL. With greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in their batting line-up, they also have Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga in the bowling department. Zaheer, who missed the last match, is expected to be back in the side.

Kings XI Punjab also have a good batting line-up but their bowling and fielding hasn’t been up to the mark. The return of Australian speedster Brett Lee has, however, bolstered their bowling attack.

Lee, who is making a comeback from an injury lay-off, was the best Kings XI bowler in their win against Deccan Chargers Saturday. He also wielded the bat sensibly to take his team to a win with one ball to spare.

Kings XI coach Tom Moody said: “The competition’s particularly close. We obviously welcomed back Brett Lee; he made us a little more potent at the top with some pace. And he also showed his skills down the order to be able to finish the game (with a victory). His energy in the game was important.”

Moody, however, is not happy with the quality of cricket his team has played so far in the league.

“We haven’t played particularly played good cricket so far. And we look forward to improving every game we play,” he said.

The coach is worried about his bowlers’ inability to deliver in the death overs.

“So that’s something we need to address seriously. It is a good time for players to reflect and work on the areas that we need to polish up on,” Moody maintained.

[the article was originally published at http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/kings-xi-mumbai-indians-in-a-must-win-situation-preview_100191066.html]

Will McCullum resign as captain of KKR ?

2009-05-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

Will Brendon McCullum live up to the claim he made and resign as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the DLF Indian Premier League? Well, that's what he was asked after yet another loss to Delhi Daredevils. here are his answers.

On resigning: At the moment, all that I am focusing on is the next few games. Trying to do whatever I can, try as hard as I well possibly can to get something going. I was proud of today's effort, I thought the guys tried worked real hard. Disappointing that we didn't win, but I thought the effort and intensity on the field with the ball was fantastic. So if we can get a score of around of 120 it was great too. I know I mentioned that a couple of games ago and that is something that I have got to look at. Work out with the coaching staff next year, what the goal is. But whatever happens I will be totally committed to Kolkata Knight Riders and helping to get us get some results in the future that we all are immensely proud of.

On whether it is bad luck or bad execution: (Brendon actually, you called him Brian, KKR Director of Cricket John Buchanan tells the journalist) Brilliant.. a bit of both. When things are going for you, you get the luck. Things obviously aren't going for us at the moment. And we are not getting the luck go our way. There are other areas that come into play. Tonight we were little bit unlucky to be three down early on. I think it was obviously frustrating to lose an early wicket, the manner in which it was lost. And I guess it put us on the back foot. Little things like that..nicks going between the slips, having the fielder at third slip rather than first slip. Just little things like that..that doesn't seem to go your way. When you are hoping that it would. I think we can play better, that's for sure. In terms of luck, it is certainly not going our way at the moment.

On why KKR have slipped this time: It's hard to put your finger (on any one thing). We haven't played well at all..I guess consistently well across the board during each game. We get our batting going well and our bowling and fielding lets us down. We get our bowling going well and our batting lets us down. We are not consistent across all the areas of the game. Certainly not because of lack of trying, guys out there trying as hard as we possibly can. Unfortunately things aren't going our way. But we have just got to stay up, stay as hopeful, and I guess be as committed and positive as what we can do. At some point it will swing, you don't stay down forever. You just got to keep getting up and, at some point, luck and results will swing our way. I guess hopefully that's sooner rather than later. But we have just got to stay buoyant throughout.

[read more at http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22283&Itemid=60]

Questions over Amit Singh's bowling action

2009-05-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

For the second time in a week, Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Amit Singh has been reported for a suspect bowling action.

Amit had been reported by umpires K Hariharan and Daryl Harper after Rajasthan's match against Bangalore on Thursday, but was included in the side to play the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday because he can continue to play until proven guilty of having an illegal action.

However the on-field umpires from the weekend clash in Kimberley, Gary Baxter and Kumar Dharmasena, reported the right-armer's action.

Video footage was then obtained and examined before the two officials, along with third umpire Amiesh Saheba, decided that further investigation was necessary under the Laws of Cricket section 24.3.

IPL organisers confirmed in a statement on Sunday that they have now referred the matter to the Rajasthan team management and the tournament's technical committee as per the Laws of Cricket.

He is the second Royals bowler to be cited during the IPL after doubts were raised over Kamran Khan's action.

[The article was originally published at http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,18305,6575_5312966,00.html]

Chennai Super Kings defeats Deccan Chargers

2009-05-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

Splendid top order batting, combined with devastating bowling, helped Chennai Super Kings record its third win on the trot as it outclassed Deccan Chargers by 78 runs in an action-packed Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match here on Monday.

Chennai Super Kings had posted an impressive 178 for three after opting to bat.

Deccan Chargers never recovered after a catastrophic start and was bundled out for 100 in 14.4 overs.
Counterattack

Had there not been a counter-attack by Dwayne Smith (49) and Rohit Sharma (21), Deccan Chargers would have slumped to a more humiliating defeat.

Deccan Chargers had no idea that a disastrous start was waiting for it as its top three batsmen — Adam Gilchirst (0), Herschelle Gibbs (0) and V.V.S. Laxman (0) — went back without bothering the scorer.

From here, Smith and Rohit revived the innings with a dramatic 72-run stroke-filled partnership, but could not finish it off for their side.

Shadab Jakati excelled for Chennai Super Kings, picking up four wickets, but it was the pace duo of Albie Morkel (two for 24) and Sudeep Tyagi (one for 9) who set the platform for an exciting win.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/06/stories/2009050656371900.htm]

Gayle joins calls for IPL window

2009-05-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has joined a growing band of international cricketers calling for a permanent window for the Indian Premier League.

Gayle leads the West Indians' defence of the Wisden Trophy at Lord's this week, having only been in the country since Tuesday morning due to commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders.

"There should be a window for the IPL where all players should be available, so that everybody can get the chance to be amongst and play against the best," said Gayle. "Make it just like a World Cup event, so that everybody gets a fair share of it."

Both the 29-year-old and Fidel Edwards were participating in the second season of the IPL as were England trio Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara, all of whom were back on these shores by last Friday.

Next year's IPL has been shifted to start in March, which will at least avoid a clash with the English domestic season, and staging it in a slot away from international scheduling appears to be the only way to preserve the pre-eminence of Test cricket.

Gayle was originally scheduled to join up with his colleagues over the weekend but requested to play another match for Kolkata Knight Riders, which meant he did not report to the team hotel until 48 hours before the start of Wednesday's first npower Test.

"We all knew this situation would happen. Basically it was a tour which was slid in," said Gayle, referring to the fact West Indies are deputising for Sri Lanka, who could not guarantee a full-strength side.

"We were all due at the IPL, so with it coming upon us we discussed the situation with the board members and they gave us permission to be back at a certain, particular time.

"It is nothing new, so people should not be surprised. No one is bigger than the game, so I asked for permission to come back a day later."

[the article was orginally published at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jNQcT4KzGGIYJvBLWKYZjWZWu8uA]

Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha guide Rajasthan to victory in IPL

2009-05-06T02:09:00.000-07:00

Openers Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha scored half-centuries while pace bowler Amit Singh took an impressive 3-9 on Tuesday to steer the Rajasthan Royals to a 78-run win over the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.

Smith top-scored with 77, hitting 12 boundaries and a six, while Ojha faced 51 balls and struck five boundaries and five sixes for his 68 runs as Rajasthan reached 211-4, scaling the 200-run mark for the first time in the 2009 IPL series.

Punjab managed 133-8 in reply.

Smith and Ojha batted solidly to put on 135 for the first wicket, often coming down the wicket to the Punjab opening bowlers, offspinner Ramesh Pawar and pace bowler Irfan Pathan. There was little swing as expected at Kingsmead and the seam bowlers in particular fell short on length.

Smith and Ojha capitalised, mainly on the leg side, with Sree Santh and Yusuf Abdulla both costing 44 runs without a wicket.

"For them to play the way they did and set the tone was fantastic," said Rajasthan captain Shane Warne said of his openers.

Rajasthan then kept up the pressure when it came to bowling, with Singh taking two wickets in the first over. The 27-year-old right-armer got the very first ball to lift sharply for Sunny Sohal to offer a nick behind to Warne in the slips.

Singh struck again with his last ball of the over when Karan Goel, on one, mis-hit a shorter delivery and was caught at square leg by Shane Harwood.

Siddharth Trivedi then bowled Simon Katich (10) with a full toss which was inside-edged into the stumps to leave Punjab on 25-3 in the fifth over.

Kumar Sangakkara, who was dropped on one run by Warne, made another 10 before he was stumped by Ojha off Yusuf Pathan. Ten runs later Mahela Jayawardene, who added nine runs, was caught by Trivedi in the deep off Shane Harwood in the eighth over.

A sixth wicket stand runs between Yuvraj Singh (48 off 37 balls) and Irfan Pathan (19 off 17 balls) made sure Punjab's score was respectable.

Warne, who took 2-38 in his three overs, broke up the partnership when he trapped Pathan in front in the 14th over. Warne got his second wicket when Piyush Chawla came down the wicket in search of a boundary, only to be caught by Ravindra Jadeja at long on for six.

Yuvraj was the last wicket, top-edging a delivery from Amit Singh to square leg where Harwood took the catch in the 19th over.

"We bowled badly," said Yuvraj. "We didn't stick to our plans and didn't get the breakthroughs. We bowled badly at the death and gave away too many runs."

[the article was orginally published at http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=940178&lang=eng_news]

Andrew Strauss challenges IPL batsmen to rise to Test challenge

2009-05-06T02:07:00.000-07:00

Andrew Strauss has challenged his IPL batsmen to prove they can switch from sloggers into battle-hardened Test men in the blink of an eye.

England's mammoth summer of cricket begins today at Lord's, and captain Strauss has his fingers crossed that Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, and Ravi Bopara can forget the IPL extravwithout aganza and remember what it takes to score a Test ton.

All three have only just returned from a stint in South Africa at the transplanted IPL and will try to prove that a lack of preparation and game time in English conditions won't get in the way of Test success.

"For the guys who've come in from the IPL to Test cricket their mindset the key," said Strauss, who is seeking payback against the West Indies after the series defeat in the Caribbean this winter.

"If they get that right then they'll perform well and at the moment it seems like they're in a good place.

"For the Twenty20 World Cup it was fantastic they were there, but for this Test series, it's important they put all that to the back of their minds and concentrate on what they are good at, Test cricket-wise.

"But they are all good experienced players and there is no reason why they can't do that. You don't want Test cricket to be devalued in any way, shape or form.

"There's a line there, and we certainly wouldn't want our players to be arriving two days before a Test."

Strauss was clearly giving West Indies captain Chris Gayle a nudge in the ribs for his 11th-hour arrival in England for the tour having stayed at the IPL to play in an extra match.

Gayle pitched up at Lord's on Monday having landed that morning to enjoy a blearyeyed net session which he claims did just the trick to get him ready for today's game.

Traditionalists will suggest his claims are nothing more than bravado, yet should he turn on the style at Lord's, then it will go a long way to prove the modern cricketer can have his cake and eat it.

Gayle said: "I'm good and I feel ready to go. Practising the day I got back wasn't difficult because you set your mind to do these things and it was good to have a hit and get a feel of everything so that I'll be ready for the game."

For Strauss the challenge this week is to bring an end to a rotten run of 14 series a win in the first Test match, and whether his men have been to the IPL or not he is demanding a ferocious start.

New head coach Andy Flower admitted in the Caribbean that it was a statistic that bothered him and he would be out to do things differently as a result.

The suggestion is that England players have been too relaxed before. Not this time if Strauss and Flower have anything to do with it.

Strauss added: "It is something we're mindful of and any thoughts of easing into the Test match summer, have to be avoided at all costs.

"A lot of that depends on our mindset and how we arrive at the ground in the morning and we want to put that record straight.

"We had good chats with the players and it looks like most of the guys have hit the ground running this season."

[the article was originally published at http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/2009/05/06/fired-up-or-burned-out-115875-21335716]

Gautam Gambhir scores sixth ton in IPL

2009-05-06T02:01:00.000-07:00

Following are the statistical highlights from the game between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders:

— The 58-run partnership between Morne van Wyk and Brendon McCullum was Kolkata's best for the opening wicket in the IPL 2009. The pair surpassed the 57-run partnership between Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle against Kings XI Punjab at Durban.

— Kolkata raced to their hundred in 14.2 overs, which is their fastest in IPL 2009. They had taken 15.2 overs for their 100 against Rajasthan Royals at Cape Town and also against Mumbai Indians at East London.

— Morne van Wyk (74) posted the highest score by a Kolkata batsman in IPL 2009, beating Brad Hodge's 73 against Mumbai Indians at East London on May 1.

— The maiden by Amit Mishra was the first by a Delhi bowler in IPL 2009

— Kolkata Knight Riders (154-3) posted their highest total in the IPL 2009, just beating the 153-3 against Kings XI Punjab at Port Elizabeth on May 3.

— Delhi Daredevils kept intact their record of not losing a wicket in the very next over after the strategy-break.

— Gautam Gambhir (71 not out) made his highest score in IPL 2009 and his sixth fifty in all IPL games.

— Delhi Daredevils provided the third instance in IPL 2009 of a side winning a match by nine or more wickets.

[the article was originally published at http://cricketnext.in.com/news/stats-gambhir-scores-sixth-ton-in-ipl/40611-27.html]

IPL launches new mobile lottery.. Its not betting says Modi

2009-05-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

The Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday launched a controversial SMS game asking fans to predict the scores of a live match. The winners will get cash awards.

According to the rules of the game, the entrant will have to send the runs that will be scored off every ball of the next over (for example 3 2 4 2 6 6, like in a lottery ticket) and the people guessing six, five or four numbers in the sequence correctly will get a percentage of the kitty generated by the total number of people playing at that time. The minimum prize money for every over is Rs 10,000 and will increase after that, depending on the entries received, at Rs 5 per SMS.

While the early reaction from experts is that this is a form of online cricket betting, which is illegal in India, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi denied it. Its only about texting. Anyway, there is a lot of texting going back and forth, discussing the game. This is very similar to that, discussing the game amongst friends, he said.

The person in the stadium has no idea what the people are predicting. Its very difficult to fix the outcome of an over. I think, maybe one in a million. We have checked it out and looked at it very carefully. If that was to happen, we would shut it out absolutely, without doubt.

When contacted on Tuesday evening, an International Cricket Council (ICC) media officer said that the governing body had not heard about the game, but would anyway have no say in the matter because the ICC has no direct involvement in the IPL. The BCCI had, prior to the start of the tournament, refused to pay the $1.2m fees asked by the anti-corruption unit of the ICC, and the second edition of the IPL is not under the surveillance of the games governing body.

The game, 6UP, will be available only to Indian mobile subscribers starting from Wednesdays matches.

[the article was originally published at http://cricket.expressindia.com/news/IPL-launches-new-mobile-lottery--it-s-not-betting--Modi/455083]

Gilly is a good captain says RP Singh

2009-05-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

And now, the young medium pacer is making his presence felt in the ongoing IPL 2 in South Africa, becoming one of the leading wicket takers in the tournament. Hardly surprising, considering that he was the bowler with the second highest number of wickets in his kitty in the inaugural T20 World Cup, also played in SA. So, what is the secret of his success? Laughing aloud, he says, “Just keep it simple and follow the basics.” As an
afterthought, he adds, “It is important to identify the weak points of the batsmen.”

And will a good IPL season mean a recall to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup? “I don’t know about my chances. I’m just working on my deliveries and trying to be accurate. I’m utilizing the time to become a better bowler,” he says. But he also knows that luck plays a role. “You need luck,” says the player, who knows how difficult it is to make a comeback in Team India: “I was not in the team for the New Zealand series. Out of a population of 100 million, only 15 make it to the team!”

Coming back to the IPL, RP Singh’s squad, Team Hyderabad, is doing well. “We are hoping to play in the finals,” says the bowler. What surprises many, is the transformation his team has undergone since last season. He reasons, “The players are the same. We are working as a tightly knit unit. Last year, we lost some close games. This year, we managed to win even in tight situations.”

But has a change in captaincy made a difference? “Gilly is a good captain. We follow a plan. He has vast experience and it is working to our advantage.” Playing under Adam Gilchrist sure is a boon for the Team India bowler: “Gilly said I have the talent to succeed. I need to be more accurate so that I can serve India for as long as I can.” Encouraging words, for sure!

So, did life change for him after IPL Season I? RP Singh quips, “More than the IPL, life changed for me after the T20 World Cup. Suddenly, I found fame and money coming my way.” But the bowler from UP has managed to keep a cool head. “I have not changed as a person. I’m humble and will stay true to my roots,” justifies RP Singh.

The eligible bachelor is all smiles when you ask him about marriage proposals. “Yes, shaadi ke offers keep coming,” he smiles coyly, adding, “But right now, I’m focussing on my game. My parents won’t pressurise me to settle down because they know that cricket takes up all my energy and time,” RP Singh signs off. Well, that explains the impressive statistics on the field!

[the article was originally published at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Gilly-is-a-good-captain-RP-Singh/articleshow/4482811.cms]

IPL committee advises rehab for Kamran

2009-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Indian Premier League (IPL) technical committee, on Sunday, recommended a two-week rehabilitation for Rajasthan Royals pacer Kamran Khan who has been reported for a suspect bowling action.

According to an IPL release, the technical committee, comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Lalit Modi, met in Johannesburg on Sunday to review the left-arm pacer’s action (as reported in Monday’s Late City edition).

The committee was also joined by Anurag Thakur and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi from India, via a conference call, after Rudi Koertzen and Gary Baxter reported Kamran for a suspect bowling action after the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals match at the Centurion on Thursday.

After the match was over, footage was obtained and examined by all the three umpires, including TV umpire Amish Saheba, and it was decided that further action was necessary under the Laws of Cricket, section 24/3, that governs the game. The matter was then referred by the IPL to the Rajasthan Royals team management and the technical committee, as per the Laws of Cricket, that govern the game.

Kamran, who has yet to play a first-class game, has been hailed by Royals captain Shane Warne as sensational.

[the article was originally published at http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090505/jsp/sports/story_10915629.jsp]

Jakati shines again for Chennai in IPL cricket

2009-05-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati picked up 4-22 as Chennai Super Kings thumped Deccan Chargers by 78 runs for their third win on the trot in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

Jakati removed top-scorer Dwayne Smith (49) and Rohit Sharma in the space of four balls to help Chennai restrict Deccan to 100 all out in 14.4 overs in a one-sided contest at Buffalo Park here.

The 28-year-old unheralded bowler from Goa had also turned in a match-winning performance in Chennai's win against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni earlier led the batting charge with an unbeaten 58 while tournament's leading run-getter Matthew Hayden slammed a 26-ball 43 to take Chennai to an imposing 178-3.

The win propelled Chennai to the top of the points table while Deccan slumped to their third defeat in a row.

Deccan's chase began on a disastrous note as they lost their explosive openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs inside the first two overs.

Albie Morkel snapped up Gilchrist off the first ball of the innings when he trapped the Deccan skipper plumb in front while Suddep Tyagi accounted for Gibbs.

Morkel returned to dismiss Venkatsai Laxman (0) in his next over but was unlucky not to claim Smith whose easy skiers were dropped twice in a row by clumsy Chennai fielders.

Smith, who also survived a crazy mix-up at the crease, briefly sustained Deccan's hopes, putting on 72 runs for the fourth wicket with Sharma (21).

But Deccan's fate was sealed once Smith was trapped leg-before by Jakati. The West Indies' all-rounder slammed five sixes and two fours in his 23-ball knock.

[the article was originally published at http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gda0hEjtKC3zWR6MNQdM-GPL3fxw]

IPL teams may list on the stock market!

2009-05-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Like gladiators, cricketing stars from across the globe are battling it out for their respective Indian Premier League teams in the IPL T20 Cricket Tournament. The competition is on the cricket field today, but the day is not far away when it might move to the stock markets.

The huge success of the IPL has heralded a new innings in the history of Indian cricket. A huge money spinner, the two-year-old IPL is worth a whopping $2 billion, according the United Kingdom-based brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

"The IPL brand alone has a value of over $311 million. The brand can certainly create long-term value with its strong intrinsic strength and foundation. The IPL is just like any company today and it holds a long-term shareholder value. In 2-3 years, the IPL clubs may get listed on the bourses just like the popular English Premier League football teams," says Unni Krishnan, Country Manager, Brand Finance India.

This innovative form of the cricket has attracted a huge fan following across the globe. The IPL is a now a product with a 'made in India' tag and a huge brand value.

[the article was originally published at http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/may/05/slide-show-1-ipl-teams-may-list-on-stock-market.htm]

Kolkata lad wins it for Bangalore

2009-04-30T01:12:00.000-07:00

Kolkata lad Shreevats Pratyush Goswami did it for Bangalore. The wicketkeeper batsman of the Bengal team played a huge part in securing for Royal Challengers only their second victory in the tournament.

Ironically, the team to suffer was the one from his very own backyard, the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Goswami had warmed the bench for the best part of IPL 1 and was played in three games. But in his debut game against Delhi Daredevils, Goswami had created a fine impression both in front and behind the wickets. He had struck a superb 52 off just 42 deliveries with 7 fours and a six as well for his miniature frame. Unfortunately for him, Royal Challengers lost the match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. After four straight defeats and just one win from five games, Royal Challengers wrung in a lot of changes to their playing eleven. While Robin Uthappa cooled his heels, Goswami and the other 19-year-old Manish Pandey were out in the middle.

[the article was orginally published at http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Kolkata+lad+wins+it+for+Bangalore&artid=tr4bIWHcvCE=&SectionID=Aw|qo8JJkxA=&MainSectionID=Aw|qo8JJkxA=&SEO=Manish+Pandey,+Shreevats+Pratyush+Goswami&SectionName=||WM0BI9WGM=]

IPL restrains Shilpa Shetty from voting

2009-04-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has flown to India from South Africa to cast his vote in the 2009 general elections. Actress Shilpa Shetty regrets that she won't be able to exercise her franchise this time because of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

'I just regret the fact that I won't be in India to cast my vote; I really wanted to this time. Elections have to be taken seriously if you are a responsible citizen. Unfortunately with the unexpected turn of events and the IPL being shifted to SA it's become difficult. I would not miss voting for anything otherwise,' the actress posted on her blog shilpashettylive.com.

'But to all those Indian citizens who want the best for our country, now is the time to make the decision, don't waste your democratic right to choose. Vote!' she added.

Shilpa is the co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals team of the IPL.

[the article was originally published at http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=je4mkmgjgee&title=IPL_restrains_Shilpa_Shetty_from_voting&?vsv=TopHP3]

Pietersen happy to leave on a high

2009-04-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

Durban (PTI): Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Kevin Pietersen, who played his last game of this IPL on Wednesday, said it was a great feeling to sign off with a victory and hoped his side can carry forward the momentum in the remainder of the tournament.

Under Pietersen, Royal Challengers started their IPL campaign on a fairytale note, beating defending champions Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural match of the high-profile event.

Thereafter, the Bangalore outfit lost four successive games only to return to winning ways defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets.

"Yeah I'm very happy. Came and won the first game, didn't go quite as planned in the middle but to go back now winning the last game feels great. Hopefully, the boys will carry forward from here and use the momentum for the rest of the tournament," said Pietersen, who will return home to join the national team for the Test series against the West Indies starting next week at Lord's.

"But in this form of the game, still there is lot of work to do. We just need to play as well as we can," he added.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200904292201.htm]

Delhi looks to foil Deccan's charge today

2009-04-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

For the past year-and-a half, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have become synonymous with success. However, they have failed to make their presence felt in the IPL so far, which is surprising given how prolific they've been. "We have been doing well for the last one-and-a-half years, so I think we were bound to fail some time," said Sehwag.

Point taken, but they will need to get into the groove as the Delhi Daredevils next face the Deccan Chargers, a team riding high on the back of its openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs. They have been the most prolific and consistent opening pair in the league so far, keeping the Chargers a notch above the rest. "It's just going well for us. We have brought in quite a few changes in the team, and they seem to be working for us," said Gilchrist.

The amiable Australian, however, didn't agree that Gibbs and he gave the Chargers an edge over Delhi. "We all know how dangerous Sehwag and Gambhir can be. We are wary of them and they have the middle order clicking for them. So we just can't afford to entertain these thoughts," he said.

The middle order, especially AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan, have been exceptional, given that they've had to absorb the failure of the openers and then place their team in a winning position. "It's a good sign for the team that every time someone is doing the job for us," Sehwag said, placing his finger on individuals coming good at different times.

The defeat against the Rajasthan Royals would have surely driven home the point that the Daredevils can't afford another flop show from the openers.

The teams don't seem to have worries about their bowling. The Delhi bowlers might have had a few nightmares in the wake of Yusuf Pathan's brutal hitting on Tuesday, but it was clear that no attack could have stopped him, given the way he was middling the ball.

Brace up for what is going to be a cracker of a match.

[the article was oringially published at http://www.hindustantimes.com/highpl/storypage.aspx?id=ffb1d738-a064-4abe-870d-55972eb4c661&category=Chunk-HT-UI-IPLSectionPage-TopStories]

Punjab struggle to 119-8 against Mumbai in IPL

2009-04-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

Kumar Sangakkara top-scored with an unbeaten 45 not out as King Kings XI Punjab limped to 119-8 against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier league on Wednesday.

Lasith Malinga was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai, taking 2-12 from his four overs.

Sangakkara was the only batsmen to make a real impression against the Mumbai attack, with opener opener Karan Goel the next highest scorer with 12.

Goel was the first wicket to fall, stumped by wicketkeper Pinal Shah after missing a ball from Harbhajan Singh in the fourth over.

Punjab failed to add to its score and were reduced to 2-18 when Ravi Bopara (6) was caught in the slips by Sachin Tendulkar off Dwayne Bravo.

Captain Yuvraj Singh (10) then failed to clear long-on with a low stroke off JP Duminy and was caught by Zaheer Khan.,

Mahela Jayawardene was also caught at long on for seven by Shikhar Dhawan, reducing Punjab to 4-52. Irfan Pathan was the next to fall, suprised by Zaheer Khan's extra bounce, and caught in the deep by Dwayne Bravo for seven.

Malinga got his first wicket when a ferocious inswinger hit Wilkin Mota (5) on the pads and found the stumps.

Two balls later Malinga clean bowled Piyush Chawla with a full delivery for 5.

Ramesh Powar was run out in in the last over by Shah for 10.

[the article was oringially published at http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=934773&lang=eng_news&cate_img=145.jpg&cate_rss=news_Sports]

T20 has nothing to do with age says Tendulkar

2009-04-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

DURBAN: Old pros have certainly put up some of the best performances of the IPL so far and Sachin Tendulkar believes that Twenty20 format has nothing to do with age as it is thought to be by many.

Tendulkar has himself led the way for Mumbai Indians along with Sanath Jayasurya while the performance of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly in the IPL have given further strentgh to the batting maestro's claim.

''I don't know who says that it's a young man's game.

Clearly, he doesn't know much about cricket. It's a cricketers' game so it really doesn't matter whether you are young or old.

It is a cricketer's match,'' Tendulkar told the official IPL website (iplt20.com).

Both Tendulkar and Jayasuriya, who is pushing 40, handed out a stern lesson to one and all in Mumbai Indians' win against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Both the batsmen also put up the highest opening partnership of the tournament. Just earlier in the day the other senior pros, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs showed just why they are still feared.

Tendulkar showed the way to Mumbai Indians in their last match with a match-winning 68 against Knight Riders which included a lot of power hitting and innovation as well.

The cheeky shot that he played off Chris Gayle certainly showed that age has nothing to do with this format. He scooped the ball from close to the short third man and got himself a boundary.

''That was an innovative stroke. I wouldn't say it is the most innovative one ever that I have played. But it was something different,'' said Tendulkar.

He shared a stand worth 127 with Jayasuriya and was all praise for his old comrade.

''It's fantastic, even last year I enjoyed batting at the other end and it was fantastic. He has got excellent hand-eye co-ordination, very quick feet, very quick hands. Needless to say that he is one of the best strikers in the world.

The rate at which the master blaster was going against the Knight Riders, a century was very much on the cards but the Mumbaikar does not have any regrets.

''I am not playing for 100s, I am playing for the team.

And, if I score a hundred even better for the team. The idea is not to chase a 100. If it comes my way it's fine.
''As long as my contribution is there for the team, that is what matters. If it has helped us to get to a good total, I am a happy person.''

[the article was originally published at http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/04/29135911/T20-has-nothing-to-do-with-age.html]

Steyn out of IPL for another week

2009-04-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg: The Royal Challengers, battling in the IPL (Indian Premier League) here with just one win after five games, will be without pacer Dale Steyn until next weekend as he nurses a broken thumb.

The Royal Challengers will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the first of a double header in the IPL at Sahara Kingsmead Stadium in Durban Wednesday in an attempt to move from the bottom of the log.

But they will continue to be without Steyn, who failed to appear in the last three Challenger games in the series after suffering the injury during the match at Cape Town last Wednesday in which his side succumbed to the Deccan Chargers.

While the injury was kept a secret until now, informed sources within the South African cricket squad said it was "a blessing in disguise" that Steyn was injured, as two weeks recovery time will allow him a much-needed break.

The Challengers though, will want Steyn back as soon as possible as coach Ray Jennings and captain Kevin Pietersen are under pressure to perform.

The encounter with the Kolkata Knight Riders will be the last game for Pietersen in the tournament as he has to return to England for the home series against the West Indies.

South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is widely being touted to take over the Challengers' captaincy.

[the article was originally published at http://sify.com/sports/fullstory.php?a=je3o51cjhad&title=Steyn_out_of_IPL_for_another_week]

English players left lagging as IPL innovators lead the way

2009-04-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

"Watch ball, hit ball." This was as profound as Virender Sehwag's masterclass got the other day when he was asked for some advice by Paul Collingwood, his Delhi Daredevils team-mate here in South Africa. For adherents to the G Boycott school of batting, the mantra will come as a disappointment. But for England's players at the Indian Premier League and way, way beyond, it may just be the most useful snippet they will ever hear.

To be an English hack in South Africa these last few days has been - give or take a few breaks for food and sleep - to enter into conversation about the problem with Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen. (Poor old Colly hasn't even made it on to the field; neither have Owais Shah or Graham Napier.) Theories have abounded. So here's another. And it's unlikely to be patented any time soon.

The Slower Ball Theory states that English cricketers are flummoxed by innovation. Flintoff himself admitted his only variation was to bowl a bit quicker and duly flew home for an operation on Friday with IPL figures of 11-0-105-2 after AB de Villiers had taught him a painful lesson about predictability in Durban. Pietersen is less culpable, being England's innovator par excellence, but even he was undone when Kings XI Punjab's Yusuf Abdulla gave him a slower one last week. The result: caught at extra cover second ball for a duck.

This was the tournament that was supposed to show the world how badly the IPL had missed the English in 2008. That was the theory, anyway. But all we've had to show so far is Ravi Bopara's sparkling 84 against Pietersen's Bangalore. When he told this column last night that "I've learned how to open the batting in Twenty20 cricket", the pessimism was briefly stalled. But not for the first time in the history of the limited-overs game, England are being left behind.

Whether or not the Spin would currently be walking around South Africa proudly waving the cross of St George if England's players had been made available for last year's IPL is another matter. The suspicion of otherness, so inherent in English cricket, may have been ingrained decades ago. And it goes hand in hand with the tendency Collingwood picked out when we chatted two nights ago in Port Elizabeth.

"I keep asking Sehwag, 'What's going on technically in your mind when the bowler's running in? Are you saying, I've got to get this right?' And he says: 'No, no, no, watch ball, hit ball.' In England we think about our feet being in the right place, hands going through. We over-complicate it." Hallelujah for the honesty.

But the indoctrination is endemic. In his recently published diary of the 2008 season, Pavilion to Crease ... And Back, the Nottinghamshire batsman Mark Wagh recalls asking his former Warwickshire team-mate Brad Hogg "about his pre-delivery movements". He goes on: "Should I go back and across or press with the front foot?" Hogg, the former Australian left-arm wrist-spinner, replies: "Not a clue, mate, sorry." Wagh's conclusion? "It's funny how aiming to middle every ball causes the rest of your game to fall into place."

Very few possess either the lightning-fast reflexes or eagle eye of Sehwag; even fewer can combine them. But that is no reason for England to play their one-day cricket as if they are knocking it about on a Sunday afternoon at Bath in the John Player League. If Flintoff's latest injury is a worry, then his failure to develop a variation other than quick/quicker is damning. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the only format of the game in which Flintoff is a consistently world-beating bowler is 50-over cricket. In Tests, he lacks penetration; in Twenty20, imagination. Only in ODIs, where batsmen are still allowed a measure of caution, do his back-of-a-length heavy balls pull their weight.

Pietersen's problems here have been less symptomatic. Perhaps he's falling prey to the other English disease of sheer nervous exhaustion. But where was his customary trademark bravado when he was poking and prodding at Pragyan Ojha in Cape Town last week? On Sunday Pietersen insisted he was learning lessons about Twenty20, but England need him to learn them fast. Without him on top form in the World Cup in June, England's chances go from slim to non-existent.

Really though, if they do perform well, they will be bucking a trend. Bopara did it during his 59-ball innings last week, when he provided an object lesson in how time a Twenty20 innings and play the percentages. But can the rest follow? As we've done so many times in the past, it's little more than a case of hoping for the best. Or at least not the worst.

[the article was originally published at http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/apr/28/ipl-england-kevin-pietersen-cricket]

Google Enhances SMS Search in India

2009-04-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

Google India has updated its SMS Search functionality to add more content -- namely IPL related stuff and commodity prices in a bid to attract more users.

Launched back in 2007, the service went through a similar update last year with the SMS number being changed to 9-77-33-00000. The best part of this service is that you do not need to pay premium charges for each SMS sent.

As for the new SMS keywords, SMS 'cri' to 9-77-33-00000 for varied content on cricket in general; send 'cri IPL' for instant IPL scores, 'cri IPL ' (for example 'cri IPL knight riders') for your favorite team score and 'cri ranji' for domestic match updates. SMS 'price gold', 'price oil', or 'price cotton' to know the MCX spot prices for these commodities. To learn more, sms 'help commodity' to 9-77-33-00000.

There is also this nice little time finder service if you want to know what the time is it "now" in a city of your choice. Simply SMS 'time ' to 9-77-33-00000. For example, 'time new york' and you will receive your answer within seconds.

Those looking for train related details of Indian railways, the service has been enhanced to provide seat availability and fare information as well. For example, to check the seat availability for April 24 on train #1018, going from Bangalore to Mumbai, simply SMS 'train avail 1018 Bangalore to Mumbai on 24-04' or if you want to know the fare for sleeper class, SMS 'train fare 1018 Bangalore to Mumbai for SL'. To learn more, SMS 'help train' to 9-77-33-00000.

You might want to visit http://www.google.co.in/sms for more. If SMS is what you prefer, key in 'help' and send it to 9-77-33-00000.

[the article was originally published at http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Google_Enhances_SMS_Search_in_India/551-101484-547.html]

Super Kings will win IPL : Gony

2009-04-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

He took 17 wickets from 16 matches in the inaugural Indian Premier League season. He belongs to the team that missed the IPL crown by a whisker last year. Strong-built, tall and a match-winner, he's none other than - Chennai Super Kings' Manpreet Gony.

The cash-rich twenty20 tournament gave him a platform to show his mettle to the cricket pundits and he finally, made his debut in Tri-Nation Series in Bangladesh in 2008.

CricketNDTV.com caught hold of him while he was rushing to the team party in Port Elizabeth and talked about Chennai's chances of winning the title this season and what he thinks of Andrew Flintoff's arrival in the side.

Were you satisfied with your performance in the opening match though Chennai lost it?
Yes, I am quite satisfied and I am feeling good about my performance. Winning and losing is just part of the game.

Last year your team was runner-up. What do you think are your prospects this season?
We will win the title this time.

Does the inclusion of Andrew Flintoff makes any difference to the side?
Definitely. He helps the boys in the fielding and bowling department. And especially, he gives me tips to improve my bowling.

If given a chance, what is that one thing you would want to change in the team so that it could fetch you the 2008 title?
Nothing really, it wasn't really in our destiny I guess but we will win it this time.

Do you think IPL can facilitate your selection for the Twenty20 World Cup squad?
Yes, certainly. I am working very hard for it.

What is team's greatest strength?
Our all-round performance.

[the article was originally published at http://cricket.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtvcricket/ipl09/news_story.aspx?ID=INTEN20090091984&keyword=interview]

Mumbai Indians beat Knight Riders by 92 runs

2009-04-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

Port Elizabeth: Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya turned on their charm and made mockery of Twenty20 cricket being a young man's game as both posted breezy half-centuries to guide Mumbai Indians to a 92-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar's 45-ball 68 was laced with six boundaries and four sixes, including one that went over the park.

His opening partner, the 39-year-old Jayasuriya scored 52 off 32 balls with four sixes and two boundaries as the Mumbai Indians raced to 187 for six at St George's Park.

Knight Riders opening pair of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum needed to match the veteran duo but disappointed as the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side capitulated for 95.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly and Australian Brad Hodge staged a brief fightback but once their 54-run partnership was brought to an end by Abhishek Nayar, it was one way traffic as Lasith Malinga ripped through the tail.

Ganguly topscored for the Knight Riders, with a 30-ball 34, hitting a six and three fours while Hodge scored 24 off 22 balls with the help of three boundaries.

Earlier, it was the right-left combination of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya that did all the damage.

[the article was originally published at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sachin-jayasuriya-guide-mumbai-indians-to-187/451813]

Deccan Chargers is the team to beat now

2009-04-27T01:47:00.000-07:00

Three matches into the Indian Premier League’s second edition, Deccan Chargers have accomplished what they couldn’t in the whole of last year’s campaign - three wins.

If last year they resembled a cluster of super stars terribly presumptuous of their potential, playing as if the whole concept of team-effort was superfluous, they have displayed considerable efficacy and swagger this time around.

So what exactly catalysed this riposte? Not that the whole side was dispensed off and a bunch of motivated players, humble and unassuming ala Royals’ script, have conjured this turnaround.

The fulcrum had been more or less the same, only that all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Andrew Symonds and Darren Lehman as the coach are missing.

The most noticeable change was their redesigned strip.

Their acquisitions this year - West Indians Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith - hardly had any bidders in the transfer market. But both have been quite handy so far. Edwards set the tone for their campaign with his unnerving pace, though errant, against Kolkata Knight Riders. Importantly, he has harmonised canny opening salvos with RP Singh, on whose head rests the Purple Cap with eight wickets.

Though deemed extremely talented, RP couldn’t quite cement his place in the national side. Bursts of waywardness coupled with injury had retarded his progress and he subsequently missed the New Zealand tour.

But in South Africa, RP had been disciplined without compromising on his pace.

While his ability to procure seam movement both ways and hit the deck hard had seldom been scrutinised, his improved yorker makes him an even more effective bowler.

So if Edwards doesn’t get you, RP will. That no opening pair has managed to survive the first two overs against them, underscores their worth.

Equally impressive had been their opening batsmen Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs, both marauding match-winners. Maybe, only Delhi Daredevils’ Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir can be termed equals in terms of ability, but not experience. While Gilchrist was amongst the runs last year as well, Gibbs striking form has made a world of difference to DC. Last year, he squeezed only 167 runs in nine innings, a tally he certainly seems to overhaul in IPL 2 (already has 114 runs).

Making a discernible difference to his side’s fortunes is left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who spun them to a 12- run win over Mumbai Indians, considered a pre-tournament favourite. Besides his slight variations in pace, he has been unhesitant to toss the ball, and thereby extracted sufficient turn to trouble batsmen.

While Rohit Sharma seemed to regain silken touch, Dwayne Smith struck a breezy 35 off 22 against Mumbai to underline his value. If VVS Laxman, Ravi Teja and Y Venugopal Rao, can chip in with runs, Chargers can consolidate on their blustery start to the IPL.

[the article was originally published at http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Deccan+Chargers+the+team+to+beat+now&artid=e7SqpYqVJo0=&SectionID=Aw|qo8JJkxA=&MainSectionID=Aw|qo8JJkxA=&SEO=Fidel+Edwards,+VVS+Laxman,+Dwayne+Smith,+Ravi+Teja&SectionName=||WM0BI9WGM=]

Punjab beats Rajasthan by 27 runs in IPL

2009-04-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

Kings XI Punjab produced a fine bowling and fielding performance to beat defending champion the Rajasthan Royals by 27 runs in an Indian Premier League match Sunday at Newlands.

After batting first and scoring 139-6, Punjab's bowlers restricted Rajasthan to 112-7 bowling a full length and swinging the ball sharply.

South African pace bowler Yusuf Abdulla was the pick of the bowlers with 3-21, while allrounder Irfan Pathan and spinner Piyush Chawla both chipped in with two wickets apiece.

Rajasthan were on the backfoot as early as the second over when Swapnil Asnodkar (3) was caught by Ramesh Powar off a delivery from Pathan.

Graeme Smith (2) then edged a swinging Pathan delivery to wickekeeper Kumar Sangakkara to leave Rajasthan on two wickets down with just nine runs on the board.

The only two Rajasthan players to make any real impression with the bat were Ravindra Jadeja, who made 37 off 44 balls before he was bowled by Abdulla, and captain Shane Warne who struck an unbeaten 34.

Warne was clearly unimpressed with his team's effort.

"We haven't found the right combination," Warne said. "the blokes at the top are not doing a good job. We've got to find a solution. The bowlers are not firing."

His opposite number Yuvray Singh praised Sangakkara, who struck 60 _ including seven fours and one six _ and Irfan Pathan, who scored 39 off 33 balls for lifting Punjab to a respectable total.

"We needed a partnership and those two gave us that," he said. "We defended the total nicely too."

Punjab had slumped to 4-48 before Sangakkara and Pathan came to the rescue.

[the article was originally published at http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=931499&lang=eng_news&cate_img=145.jpg&cate_rss=news_Sports]

Shah Rukh takes an IPL break to vote

2009-04-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will take a break from following his Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League tournament being played across South Africa to cast his vote in the Indian elections.

Having politely declined earlier offers to join political rallies of any South African parties in the run-up to the elections here last Wednesday, which was overwhelmingly won by the African National Congress (ANC), Khan will head back to India on Wednesday, together with his family, wife Gauri and children Aryan and Suhana.

Khan had reportedly been approached by ANC leaders in Durban prior to the first IPL games there a few days before the elections here. Other IPL team owners Preity Zinta of the Kings XI Punjab and Shilpa Shetty of the Rajasthan Royals had reportedly also declined offers to appear at political rallies.

Zinta said they had to maintain their political neutrality, just as they did in India.

None of the Bollywood stars would comment on the political mantle that has been assumed by one of their ilk, Sanjay Dutt, who is embroiled in a controversy with his participation in the Indian elections. Dutt had been widely publicised as putting in an appearance at an ANC rally in Durban last month, but failed to appear, citing personal problems.

Unlike South African citizens abroad, who this year were allowed to cast their votes at missions there after potential voters won a high court appeal in this regard, Indian citizens abroad cannot vote, except for diplomatic staff.

Mission officials here were also not sure whether the players in the IPL teams would be allowed to cast their ballots here, but the consensus appeared to be that this would not be permitted.

Khan said he had warned his team that if they did well in his absence, he would return; if not, he would be shouting at them from India.

[the article was originally published at http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090091882]

IPL-II has warmed up nicely

2009-04-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

The IPL-II has now warmed up nicely. At least six of the eight teams could have a real shot at the title and this implies suspense which is essential to any good sporting event.

The laggards are Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore and unfortunately, both only have tougher days ahead.

Knight Riders would lose Chris Gayle on his national duty and that means the face of the team’s batting is gone.

Brendon McCullum hasn’t been the same free-spirited batsman since being the captain but then he is always looking over the shoulder to see how many hands are up for the challenge in his absence.
Inspirational leadership

Lightweight batting needs inspirational leadership, such as Shane Warne provides to his team regularly.

In bowling too, a lot has come to rest on Ishant Sharma who hasn’t been his normal self. There are tough days ahead for KKR.

Royal Challengers is licking its own wounds. Kevin Pietersen is criticised for its ills and that is understandable since he is the most expensive buy of the tournament.

Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis are alright but they need a Hulk Hogan of a striker in their ranks.

Of the rest, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Dardevils and Deccan Chargers inspire confidence.

All these four teams have an allround balance and that matters. Names such Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Harbahjan Singh, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Pragyan Ojha figure in these teams and that is virtually India’s ODI line-up!

These men are worth their weight in gold.

Even their foreign buys are incredible: Sanath Jayasuriya and Lasith Malinga for Mumbai; Matthew Hayden and Muttiah Muralitharan for Chennai; A.B. de Villiers and Daniel Vettori for Delhi and Adam Gilchrist and Fidel Edwards for Hyderabad have been awesome.

All these teams have solid opening bowlers and batsmen and that tell us something about successful teams in this format.

With Andrew Symonds joining the Chargers ranks soon it will be one team to keep an eye on.
Dark horses

Punjab and Jaipur ought to be the dark horses. Punjab, for it has such incredible batting talent as well as two new ball bowlers who can take the best by surprise.

Yusuf Abdulla has no international reputation but try telling this to his domestic opponents in South Africa and they would vouch he is the best going around in T20 circuit.

Irfan Pathan doesn’t inspire fear but unfailingly picks up important wickets.

As for Jaipur, never write it off. It has this uncanny ability to throw up stars out of nowhere. Kamran Khan can be the fizz of this tournament.

The team will only look up when Graeme Smith starts flexing his muscles.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/26/stories/2009042651161800.htm]

Will SRK be forbidden from watching IPL?

2009-04-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's
smoking act during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match April 21 has not gone down well with the anti-smoking lobby which is trying to ensure that television footage of celebrities smoking should not be broadcast.

The National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) said in a statement that its counterpart South African National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) is lobbying with the official broadcasters to ensure that footage of smoking, especially by celebrities, should not be broadcast.

"We have sent the details to Supersport, who are the official broadcasters of the IPL and the NCAS is in the process of soliciting an agreement that they will not show anyone smoking," NCAS's convener Peter Ucko informed NOTE.

NCAS has said that television footage showing icons smoking dangerously increases the chances of children and other non smokers picking up the habit as they try to emulate their heroes.

NCAS, in its letter to NOTE, further said that while smoking in public places is still not banned in South Africa, the department of health there was very active in lobbying for the concept of no smoking in public places.

"If Khan does it again we will ask the management to caution him, or we will seek his removal from the stadium," the press note states.

The NCAS has also assured that they would lobby with the chief executive officer of the Wandereres stadium Alam Kourie to enforce the 'no smoking in enclosed areas' law.

"We have also asked the stadium management to make no smoking announcements through the match and during drinks breaks."

[the article was originally published at http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090091806]

Fake IPL player blogger vanishes

2009-04-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

The mole who created ripples in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by spilling out the juicy dressing room gossip of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has suddenly stopped posting his missives after his blog made waves in the media.

The last time he had made a posting on fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com was Wednesday, after it was reported that the blogger had been identified as an insider in the KKR camp and could be a former player.

"We had a team meeting but hardly anything of note was discussed. Looks like things are secret until the mole is caught. Most guys in contention have been asked to be prepared. Lordie was there in the meeting, although he didn't speak much," the blogger said in his last posting.

The blog has become hugely popular among fans and players as it provides inside information about KKR and also about the IPL parties.

The writer, who claims to be a fringe player in the KKR team, says: "I am a perennial no-hoper. And have no hopes of getting a match in the IPL."

"The team is full of super stars and all I do is bowl a bit, bat a bit, and field like a maniac. But, there's one thing I do very well. Serve drinks. And that's what I am expecting do in South Africa. And throughout the IPL, I will be bringing to you the 'aankhon dekha haal', right from inside the dressing room, meeting room and players' bedrooms," he had written in his first posting Saturday.

Since the first day of the IPL, the blogger has poured out interesting tidbits, including information about team meetings.

The blogger has also given nicknames to cricketers - Lord Almighty (Sourav Ganguly), Calypso King (Chris Gayle), Sheikh of the Tweak (Shane Warne) and Kaan Moloo (Ajit Agarkar).

The popularity of the blog made the KKR team management start a witch hunt for the mole, to the extent of banning laptops and Internet connections from hotel rooms.

KKR team director Joy Bhattacharya said in a statement: "There is a blog spot which purports to be from a member of the KKR entourage. Poison pen writing of the dirtiest variety, but far too many factual errors."

[the article was originally published at http://sify.com/sports/cricket/ipl/iplfullstory.php?a=jeyrnOcdcej&title=IPL_player_blogger_mysteriously_vanishes&scategory=Twenty20&event=IPL_2009]

IPL boss Lalit Modi, must explain trip abroad

2009-04-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

An Indian court has ordered Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi to explain why he has left the country without its permission.

Mr Modi, who is accused of cheating and forgery, is on bail. He is in South Africa for the IPL's second tournament.

He denies charges that he failed to give money to victims of last year's Jaipur bomb blasts as promised.

The IPL was moved to South Africa for security reasons because its timing clashed with India's general elections.

Mr Modi says a large part of the promised $1.18m has already been given to the government and that only a small amount remains to be paid.

Controversial

Justice SP Pathak of Rajasthan High Court asked Mr Modi why his bail should not be cancelled.

According to the complaint filed by a Rajasthan-based group, Nagrik Morcha, Mr Modi promised the money to then Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje for the victims of last May's Jaipur blasts. The group, which is opposed to Mr Modi, says the entire amount was never deposited.

Mr Modi's lawyer had argued in court that more than $1m had already been deposited with the government.

The court gave bail to Mr Modi on the condition that he would not leave India without prior permission.

Mr Modi is a deeply ambitious, colourful and controversial character who is known for his brashness.

He moved the star-studded, multimillion-dollar IPL's second season to South Africa after concerns over security in India, because of a clash of dates with the general elections.

[the article was originally published at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8016272.stm]

The Fake IPL Player blog

2009-04-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

It’s an insider’s job — someone who’s not in favour with the current management. It has to be an Indian. But it could or couldn’t be a player. There are many names which come to mind on the basis of the language — Akash Chopra, Murali Kartik or Ajit Agarkar. The person is very good with the language so that’s also an indication.

Fmr India team member & Ranji player

It could be written by someone who is in the thick of things. It could also be someone from the management who isn’t happy with the decisions taken right now. But I guess, a player would not be jeopardizing his career by writing such blogs. The fact that he mentions his brother could also be a distraction — the brother could be an uncle or friend in India. From the lingo, it could be someone who’s been in England as the names used to refer to the players are British. It can also be a player-turned-commentator.

Ashok Malhotra FMR cricketer & national selector
I have no clue about the blog. I am sitting miles away and I’ve no clue about what is going on in the KR camp. I played my cricket on the field and never knew what happened off it. So I’m unable to comment on it. It can also be a marketing ploy, but who knows?

Sambaran Banerjee FMR cricketer & National Selector
People are talking about players who might have done it, but we’ve to keep in mind that even support staff attend team meetings along with the players and interact with team members. Nobody seems to be questioning them.

Sourasish Lahiri
Player, Knight Riders
I was with the team last year. I know the kind of brainstorming that happens during team meeting and the kind of ideas seniors exchange. The entire affair is confidential. I don’t think any player is involved as he knows that once caught, his career will be over. Maybe, some other person, closely associated with the team is doing it deliberately.

Snehasish Ganguly, FMR cricketer & elder brother of Sourav Ganguly
I don’t how this can happen in the presence of the team owner, coach and captains. I don’t think people associated with the team are doing it. Maybe, someone else is at fault. It’s up to the team owners to find who’s responsible..

Ex-Bengal cricketer who is closely associated with Knight Riders
This is nothing but a marketing strategy of Knight Riders. They are doing it in an a well-planned manner. Things are not so easy that a player can write a blog and the team owner, coach and captain will have no clue about it. The team is reaping huge benefits from it.

A FMR Bengal cricketer & columnist
One has to remember that betting is extremely popular in South Africa. Obviously, this kind of blog will help those associated with the betting industry. We might not know now the amount of money generated by this ‘fake player’s blog’ concept. But in future, this might be just another money making model for the team. This is nothing but a well-chalked out marketing strategy.

Utpal Chatterjee Coach, Bengal cricket team
Players are earning big bucks from the IPL. They don’t need to earn extra. And players will never do it without informing the coach, media manager and team owners. It’s a publicity stunt.

PS: A source close to Knight Riders suggests that the media agency and the team owners are behind this.

[the article was originally published at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Fake-IPL-Blog/articleshow/4440300.cms]

IPL cannot afford to be complacent on corruption threat: ICC

2009-04-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

Indian Premier League's refusal to take the ICC's help in dealing with the threat of match fixing is not much of a concern for the governing body but it has warned that the cash-rich Twenty20 event remains very vulnerable to corruption.

"The board has consistently said it cannot afford to be complacent (about the risk of corruption in Twenty20 cricket)," ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat told 'Cricinfo'.

"We are mindful that with Twenty20 cricket there is great excitement and money. Put those ingredients into a pot and there is a higher concern," he added.

The IPL has hired private staff to deal with possible wrongdoings at the event underway in South Africa and Lorgat said the ICC doesn't have any issues with it as the home board, the BCCI, is fully responsible for ensuring that the event remains corruption-free.

"It is not dissimilar to county cricket, in that it is a domestic tournament, and the onus for matters such as anti-corruption and doping lie with the home board," he said.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200904241240.htm]

IPL turns the tables

2009-04-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

The going up to now in the IPL has been great. This year the points table seems to be absolutely reversed. Deccan Chargers who were at the bottom of the table last year have climbed up the tables and are heading the list with 4 points. Though these are early days the indications for the Deccan Chargers seem to be good.

Rajathan Royal is finding the going a bit tough as they rely too much on Indian players. These Indian players are not familiar with South African pitches.

The less said about Bangalore’s Royal Challengers the better. Delhi and Chennai are doing well as expected. Kolkata seems to have too many lose ends and their internal fights seem to bring them down.

Mumbai Indians with veterans like Sachin Tendulkar and Jayasurya are tipped to be the surprise favorites. Though nothing can be said with confidence, one thing is for sure, and that is a tough fight is on among the best teams in IPL2.

[the article was originally published at http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=38505]

IPL is still not a stunner

2009-04-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

The second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in its first week and if one goes by the TV ratings the Twenty20 showpiece has failed to generate the kind of interest it did last year.

The IPL, which coincides with the general election in India, has opened with lower TV ratings as compared to last year.

A survey conducted by viewership rating agency Television Audience Measurement (TAM), revealed that the TRP ratings of the two matches on the opening day of the IPL II, was at lowly 5.55 and 5.54 percent, respectively, as compared to last year's figure of 8.21.

But what has added to the lower ratings have been boring finishes and the rain.

Unlike last year, matches have hardly been exciting due to low scores on bowler friendly South African pitches and the rain has also proved to be a dampner. Outcome of two matches have had to be decided by the Duckworth-Lewis Method while one match was washed out due to rain.

The only close match in the league so far has been the opener, where Mumbai Indians defeated last year's finalists Chennai Super Kings by just 19 runs.

The highest victory margin was Chennai Super Kings' 92-run win over Bangalore Royal Challengers Wednesday.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindustantimes.com/highpl/storypage.aspx?id=66dec93e-6664-40a1-9950-7c996fa7ac47&category=Chunk-HT-UI-IPLSectionPage-TopStories]

Dada is a dude for Knight Riders says Shah Rukh

2009-04-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

Sourav Ganguly may no longer be the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, but team owner Shah Rukh Khan feels the former Indian skipper is still a "dude" and pivotal in the side's scheme of things in the on-going IPL.

"Dada is fantastic and there is no two ways about it. He does not need to prove it to anyone how great as a player he is. We know it in KKR. He's the main cog of our team. He's the guy the team centres around," Shah Rukh said in praise of Ganguly.

"(Brendon) McCullum, (Chris) Gayle, Brad (Hodge), David (Hussey), Ishant (Sharma), (Ashok) Dinda, Laxmi Ratan (Shukla) all feel the support from him, feel his intelligence, feel his winning ways. Dada is a dude," said the Bollywood superstar.

Shah Rukh also felt that Ganguly's two wickets for 24 runs tilted the match in his team's favour against Kings XI Punjab.

"Against Kings XI Punjab he was amazing with those couple of wickets. When Dada came on and got those two early wickets it changed the match in our favour and after that also he sort of kept them quiet and scared. I think that made a lot of difference," he was quoted as saying by IPL official website.

Shah Rukh said it was too early to start celebrating after his team posted its first win in two games by beating Kings XI Punjab.

"It's good for the team that it has started coming together. Our top-order whether it's Ishant Sharma (in bowling) or Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle (batting) all are coming good together. We did not play too hot on the first day. I think the first match would be considered as a practice match and we are working on the mistakes committed on day one. The team is working together and that's what makes me feel a little more firm and good. But there is still a long way to go," he said.

Shah Rukh had a tough choice when asked who he thinks is bigger hitter between Chris Gayle or Brendon McCullum. "It is very difficult to say that. With Gayle we have a bet that he has to send one ball from South Africa to Kolkata and with McCullum we have that he has to send one back to New Zealand. We'll find out who is going to win. "I think both have their different strengths. Gayle has this timing and strength, McCullum has all timing and bliss.

McCullum is more like (Virender) Sehwag who times the ball whereas Gayle has got this strength like Yuvraj Singh. You can't really choose between them, they are both fantastic and when they both get going it is fantastic to watch."

[the article was originally published http://cricket.expressindia.com/news/Dada-is-a-dude-for-Knight-Riders--Shah-Rukh/450418/]

Laxman will play a huge role says Gilchrist

2009-04-23T04:24:00.000-07:00

Cape Town: VVS Laxman's bat might not have done the talking so far but Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist remains unperturbed and said the Hyderabad would bounce back and play a huge role in the upcoming matches.

Laxman, who was the captain in the first edition of the Indian Premier League, scored just 10 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders and five in yesterday's match against Bangalore Challengers but Gilchrist said he was not at all concerned.

"Look I have got no concern there. His innings today showed plenty of intent. He is as keen as anyone else to make sure that he plays his role in this team. It's early days and I have got no doubt that he can play a huge part in us going forward," Gilchrist said.

The former Australian wicketkeeper also lavished praise on his deputy Rohit Sharma and pacer RP Singh, saying the two have donned the role of senior players in the team very well and are leading by example.

"Look Rohit as he did last year in the IPL what a world class player he is. He has been contributing to India in a very solid manner for a few years now. So too, RP. He has come back well from injury, RP. In the months leading up to a few tours for India he was out injured. He has come back really strongly. His work ethic at the moment is just fantastic."

"In fact, all the boys are just working really hard on extra fitness, extra training. So that's really pleasing. That's what we wanted to do, just to lift our tempo a little bit," Gilchrist said.

"So those two guys as senior players though they are young men. They have senior roles in the team. It's nice to see them leading and the other players following," he said.

Tagged as laggards last year, the Chargers have started off with a flier in the second IPL and Gilchrist said they have worked on certain areas to clear the chinks in their Armour.

"There are a number of things that we identified that we needed to fix. I won't go into great detail into them. We have worked hard in certain areas," he said after the 24-run win against Bangalore Royal Challengers yesterday. We have started with a very impressive performance in the first game. We have backed up again here probably not quite convincing. But certainly positive signs so we will just keep training to replicate those things in the next game," he added.

[the article was originally published at http://cricket.expressindia.com/news/laxman-will-play-a-huge-role-gilchrist/450424/]

Delhi Daredevils opt to bat against Super Kings

2009-04-23T04:16:00.000-07:00

DURBAN: Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag won the toss and opted to bat against Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Kingsmead here Thursday.

This is a crucial tie for both teams, especially for the Chennai Super Kings as they have lost a match to the Mumbai Indians on opening day.

The Daredevils have a win against Kings XI Punjab in their first match, which had been marred by intermittent rain.

[the article was originally published at http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Delhi+Daredevils+opt+to+bat+against+Super+Kings&artid=nn7RTV1rMGw=&SectionID=Aw|qo8JJkxA=&MainSectionID=ngGbWGz5Z14=&SectionName=||WM0BI9WGM=&SEO=Daredevils,%20super%20kings,%20IPL]

Shah Rukh dreams of victory lap with IPL trophy in Kolkata

2009-04-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan admitted his team Kolkata Knight Riders is under a lot of pressure to perform due to the multiple-captaincy controversy in the second edition in Indian Premier League (IPL).

Shah Rukh said a fan following in a city like Kolkata also adds to the pressure. He hopes to win the IPL trophy this time around for Kolkata and take out a victory march in the city.

"I know the team is under a lot of pressure after the multiple captains, the choice of captain and all that. At the moment the team is under a bit of disarray, but we will stick together. We have started doing it," Shah Rukh said after KKR logged their first points, beating Kings XI Punjab by 11 runs via D/L method.

"My team is under more pressure because it is owned by a film star and then you have such fan following, the backing of a city that supports you one night and gets angry the next night."

"But I know they understand and they love the team. I am waiting for the day when I will go around Kolkata with the IPL trophy. I am sure the day will come," he said.

KKR coach John Buchanan's multiple-captain theory has brewed up a heated debate as Ganguly was replaced by Brendon McCullum as the new captain.

Shah Rukh hailed Ganguly as the most important member of his side.

"He has been a great player for the country. I hope he emerges as the player of the tournament."

Asked about the difference between cricket and acting, Shah Rukh said there are no 're-takes' on the field.

"The decisions have to be taken in split seconds so lot of time we are hoping that it is right. It is very difficult in the middle."

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindustantimes.com/highpl/storypage.aspx?id=eff01fce-3385-465a-a8c5-6c10120516f1&category=Chunk-HT-UI-IPLSectionPage-TopStories]

Rajasthan Royals look to strike form against a rejuvenated KKR

2009-04-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

Defending champions Rajasthan Royals will look for a quick turnaround in their fortunes, while a rejuvenated Kolkata Knight Riders would aim to carry on the winning momentum when the two sides clash in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

Without big stars in their ranks, the Royals have a tough task at hand after the thrashing in their campaign opener and second game against Mumbai Indians being washed out.

Shane Warne's side started its campaign by restricting Bangalore Royal Challengers to just 133 with the legendary spinner leading from the front but that total proved to be a mountain for the Royals as they were bundled out for just 58, the second lowest IPL total.

The Rajasthan youngsters failed to get the measure of another legendary figure in Anil Kumble who throttled them with a five-wicket haul.

In that match, the highest score by any Rajasthan batsman was 11 and they would be itching to leave behind that nightmare by coming good against Knight Riders who have also not done anything exceptional as yet.

Knight Riders, on the other hand, got over their first match disappointment, with a nine-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday.

West Indian Chris Gayle exhibited his awesome batting prowess while Sourav Ganguly rolled his golden arm to great effect to compensate for his batting failure in the first match.

Warne would expect a better show from his batsmen as their opponents have a strong batting line-up.

"It is pretty disappointing. As champions we wanted to impose ourselves. We were exceptional in bowling and fielding but batsmen could not do well," Warne has said.

"Shot selection was really bad. I think the top 3-4 batsmen could have shown sensibility and played sensible shots. But I promise to come back strong," Warne had said after their first match defeat.

Knight Riders' captain Brendon McCullum, on the other hand, insisted that all was well in KKR camp after the captaincy row.

"It was a nice result after the first match defeat and we bounced back at the right time to gain some momentum. Sourav bowled exceptionally well. In Twenty20 one has to think quickly and I am happy that my decision to bowl him paid rich dividends," he had said.

More than the outcome of the match, it will be an intriguing contest between Warne and Gayle. Warne would also came face to face with old foe Ganguly and the fans could be in for a treat.

[the article was originally published at http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1249713]

Flying high - Shilpa Shetty

2009-04-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

Now that the much awaited IPL has started in full swing, can Bollywood be far behind! Even though the cricket
tournament isn't being held in India this year, it just hasn't failed to dilute the Indian populace into a frenzied sports driven mania. One can only wait and watch the 'resultant' of the marriage of Bollywood and cricket.

One such initial 'resultant' is in the form of the latest issue of Hi Living, which has got Shilpa Miss Long Legs Shetty, on the cover. Keeping up with the extreme pace of the game, Shilpa drapes herself in some exquisite clothing, thus raising the temperatures on field as well as off it! One must say that, the Shetty girl has really gone all out to promote her team Rajasthan Royals, with a music video et al.

Making this month's issue of Hi! Living a must read is Shilpa Shetty and her style quotient that can give the even the most glamorous of the models a run for their moolah!

[the article was originally published at http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/2009/shilpa-shetty-hi-living-220409.html]

I am loving every bit of the IPL - Shilpa Shetty

2009-04-22T04:34:00.000-07:00

A lot is happening in Shilpa Shetty's life. After 'looting' UP-Bihar, she is all set to win over South Africa in the second season of the Indian Premier League.

On the personal front, Shilpa has finally made her relationship with Raj Kundra official.

Trans World Features correspondent Sreya Basu caught up with the actress, as she talked cricket.

IPL 2 has just started. Let's not talk about who will win and who won't. Just tell us, what is more difficult -- being a Bollywood actor or the Queen of the Rajasthan Royals?

Queen! Sounds so majestically good (giggles). Believe me, I never thought in this way. I always enjoy multi-tasking and being a part of Rajasthan Royals is a completely new experience for me. I am loving every bit of it.

As for my acting, nowadays I really don't have to grind myself for acting. After all, experience bhi toh koi cheez hoti hai!.

[the article was originally published at http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/apr/21sd1-shilpa-shetty.htm]

Chennai Super Kings win by 92 runs against Royal Challengers

2009-04-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

After facing defeat in their IPL opener, Chennai Super Kings bounced back in style as they beat Royal Challengers by 92 runs in their IPL T20 match at Port Elizabeth.

Electing to bat first, Chennai Super Kings made 179 at the loss of 5 wickets with the help of quickfire knock of 65 runs from the blade of Matthew Hayden. In reply, Bangalore were bundled for just 87 runs in 15.2 overs with Dravid falling as the last man for 20 runs.

Defending the total, Chennai Super Kings bowler MS Dhoni struck in the first over to dismiss Royal Challengers opener Praveen Kumar for a duck. A slower delivery that followed two bouncers, had the leg-stump uprooted.

Jacques Kallis did some repairing work but his outing did not last long and he fell prey to his compatriot Albie Morkel for 24 runs. He caught him plumb with a delivery that was straight and full.

Ross Taylor, who was struggling to break free, threw away his wicket in frustration as a he lofted a ball from 'Freddie' Flintoff and the all-rounder caught him off his own bowling for just 1 run.

Muttiah Muralitharn struck twice in his same over to get rid of the Bangalore skipper Kevin Pietersen and Robin Uthappa. While he trapped KP in line for a naught, Uthappa was foxed by a beauty and was stumped by keeper Dhoni for 20 runs.

Virat Kohli was looking good when Dhoni's safe bet Joginder Sharma struck to send him back for 11 runs. He was caught by S Badrinath. Two balls later, Murali claimed Rajesh Bishnoi with his 'doosra' as his third victim. A flighted delivery had the debutant play it. He went for the shot but could not execute it properly and was taken by L Balaji at long-on.

Balaji soon rewarded himself with the wicket of Vinay Kumar, with the luck surely swung in his favour. Vinay wasted a fulltoss from Balaji as he chipped it directly to Hayden at midwicket. Balaji also had Dravid as the last Bangalore wicket. Dravid was looking to clear the square leg fence but found Flintoff in the deep.

Muralitharan, who dug the grave for Challengers, claimed Dale Steyn as his fourth wicket and walked away with the 'Man of the Match' trophy.

Earlier, the Chennai openers Hayden and Parthiv Patel gave a flying start to their side and added 106 runs for the first wicket with Patel contributing 30 runs. The duo looked to continue the slaughter, but soon after the strategy break after 10 overs captain Kevin Pietersen introduced himself to break the deadly partnership.

KP bowled a fuller and straighter delivery that crashed into the stumps as Patel failed to get behind the line of the ball. The petite batsman from Gujarat struck two fours and a six.

Hayden went the next delivery as he fell short of his crease while responding to Suresh Raina's call. Dravid collected the ball quickly and uprooted the stumps with a good throw.

The former Australian giant slammed a 22-ball fifty, which was his third of the IPL tournament with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes.

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni then joined Raina in the middle and added 38 runs for the third wicket. He was on 16 runs when a leg-cutter from Praveen Kumar did him in. He failed to connect it correctly as the ball took a thick edge of his bat and R Bishnoi took a simple catch at long-off.

Raina fell as Praveen's second victim as he lofted a slower delivery from his UP teammate and was taken successfully by Kohli at long-on for 28 runs.

Albie Morkel, the fifth Chennai batsman, fell to his compatriot Dale Steyn for just 5 runs off the last ball. Morkel tried to make a room to play a quick and fuller delivery from Steyn was his reaction was slower than the ball as his bat hit ground after the ball crashed into the stumps. Flintoff remained unbeaten on 22 runs.

[the article was originaly published at http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage/ndtv/id/spoen20090091315/story.html]

Daredevils, the second IPL team to register 10 wicket win

2009-04-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

Delhi Daredevils with their victory over Kings XI Punjab became the second team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to register a 10-wicket win.

Daredevils Sunday also became the first team to post a 10-wicket win in the second edition of the IPL.

The following are the others stats of the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab:

Vettori (3 for 15) recorded his best bowling figures in the IPL, surpassing the 1/19 against Bangalore on April 30, 2008.

Vettori has been adjudged the MOM for the first time in the IPL.

Delhi Daredevils' victory Sunday is their first in three IPL games against Kings XI Punjab.

With their ten-wicket victory, Delhi Daredevils have won eight out of 15 IPL matches contested.

Gambhir's aggregate of 549 runs in the IPL is exceeded only by Shaun Marsh (616).

Karan Goel (38 off 21 balls) posted his highest innings in the IPL, surpassing the 26 off 21 balls against Rajasthan at Jaipur on April 21, 2008.

Ravi Bopara and Karan Goel were associated in a 67-run stand for the first wicket - Kings XI's best for the first wicket against Delhi. The stand is the best for Kings XI for any wicket against Delhi.

Kings XI (102 sixes) became the first team to register 100 sixes in the IPL.

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200904201622.htm]

Kings XI, KKR look to get IPL campaign on track

2009-04-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Thoroughly outplayed in their opening matches, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab will lock horns on Tuesday hoping to haul their Indian Premier League campaign back on track.

Ravaged by injuries that have denied them the services of star players like Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee and S Sreesanth, the Yuvraj Singh-led Kings XI were handed a 10-wicket drubbing by Delhi Daredevils in their rain-truncated opening match on Sunday.

On the same night, Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders were beaten by eight wickets by last year's bottom-placed Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.

"I want this nightmare to end," said Shah Rukh after the thrashing.

Kolkata, it seemed, were yet to recover from the pre-tournament furore over captaincy, at the end of which Sourav Ganguly was replaced by New Zealand's Brendon McCullum at the helm.

McCullum couldn't have asked for a worse start to his stint but remained optimistic about the team bouncing back in the coming matches.

"It is a long tournament and we will bounce back," he insisted.

Kings XI, on the other hand, are trying to cope with the injury blows that have left them severely depleted.

Last season's highest scorer Marsh, along with tearaway pacer Lee, were out of contention even before the tournament and adding to their woes is the non-availability of all-rounder James Hopes, who is on national duty.

Sreesanth too has been left with the job of promoting the team from the sidelines as a back injury keeps him out of on-field action.

Against a balanced Delhi, Kings XI's batting struggled to hold up and bowling was such that Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir took just a little over four overs to get past a 54-run target that was set for six overs in the rain-shortened game.

The Mohali-based team's batting relies heavily on skipper Yuvraj and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom didn't contribute much in the lost match.

Yuvraj, however, remained hopeful of a turnaround.

"We are happy with the start, off course we can take some positive out of it and we have enough games coming up, so looking forward to that," he said.

[the article was originally published at http://www.hindustantimes.com/highpl/storypage.aspx?id=2e3cdbef-06d9-483f-a96a-301b13e8b282&category=Chunk-HT-UI-IPLSectionPage-TopStories]

Durban's sumptuous IPL buffet

2009-04-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

While all the glitz, glamour and the razzmatazz may have been reserved for Sahara Park Newlands at the weekend for the official opening of the 2009 edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), South Africa's version of Mumbai-Durban - is eagerly awaiting its turn as the action switches to Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Tuesday.

It's going to be sizzling and very entertaining (even though rain is forecast) according to Cassim Docrat, chief executive of KwaZulu-Natal Cricket, whose venue is being used by the megabuck-loaded Board of Control for Cricket in India for a competition that has turned the cricket world upside down and inside out.

The purists may be squirming and spewing because Twenty20 cricket has taken over the limelight from what had first been traditionally reserved for Test cricket, then the one-day 50-overs game.

But they were the same people who despised the 50-overs game when it hit the scene, thanks to the Kerry Packer circus in the early days.

Now they will need to take it in their stride because the Twenty20 format is here to stay and the officials of the IPL will be dishing out entertainment that has rarely been seen in the world of cricket.

"It's going to be magic," Docrat said. "While the entertainment side of the circus is a key element - it's important because it creates the hype - the cricket is the main part of the whole exercise. All I can say is that one has to be there to enjoy it and soak up what the IPL stands for."

The Kings XI Punjab meet the Kolkata Knight Riders at 12.30pm followed by the defending champions Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians at 4.30pm. Yuvraj Singh was the man who blasted England's Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over, while posting an unbeaten 58 off just 14 balls at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.

Also in the Kings XI Punjab are Kumar Sangakkara, an exciting and very polished Twenty20 batsman, Ravi Bopara, the England star who has excelled in the short format lately, and Nashua Dolphins Yusuf Abdulla, who signed a contract just recently and will be a great help in the local conditions for the Punjab outfit

Then there's Sourav Ganguly, who may have retired from the international scene but is still a larger-than-life role player in the Kolkata Knight Riders outfit which also includes Brendon McCullum, bought for $700 000 in the auction in 2008 and who smashed a sizzling 158 not out in the opening game at the 100 000 packed Eden Gardens last year.

West Indian Chris Gale, who on his day can be devastating once he gets into the mood, Australian David Hussey, who excels in this form of the game, and South Africa's "swinging" specialist, Charl Langeveldt.

The Mumbai Indians come along with Sanath Jayasuriya who smashed the most sixes last year - 31 in total and had a strike rate of 121.82 in the inaugural tournament, plus the world's batting legend, Sachin Tendulkar, left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, who returns after being banned last year for slapping Sri Shreeshanth of the Kings XI Punjab - all from the rejuvenated Indian national squad.

The other internationals in their side are the rising star JP Duminy, who was bought for almost $1-million in the 2009 auction, Sri Lanka's Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, West Indian Dwayne Bravo, Kyle Mills of New Zealand and Bangladesh's Muhammad Ashraful.

The defending champions, Rajasthan Royals, may not have the best outfit of all, but their leader - Shane Warne, the former Australian star - has made the mediocre squad believe in themselves and his way of captaining the team has worked wonders.

The players to look forward to are Yusuf Pathan, an all-rounder of class, Tyron Henderson, who comes into the squad at a hefty R675 000 price tag, Dimitri Mascarenhas of England, India's Munaf Patel, Justin Langer of Australia, South African captain Graeme Smith, and the man who surprised all with his inspirational performances, Siddharth Trivedi.

The Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians matches are just for starters, but the Sahara Stadium Kingsmead buffet for the remainder of the week is spectacularly sumptuous.

On Thursday, the Chennai Super Kings, runner-up last year, arrive with South Africa's Albie Morkel, the flavour of the month in limited overs cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suresh Raina and Michael Hussey.

Their opponents, Delhi Daredevils move into Durban with the star cast which includes Virender Sehwag, Paul Collingwood and Gautam Gambhir, who reigned supreme in New Zealand for India in the Test and One-Day International arena. And on Friday the man whom everyone in South Africa loves to hate, Kevin Pietersen, arrives with the Bangalore Royal Challenge and will be in toe with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Mark Boucher, Roelof van der Merwe - all South Africans - and Rahul Dravid, Praveen Kumar and the exciting Virat Kholi.

[The article was published at http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=17&art_id=vn20090420111920762C660975 by Iqbal Khan]

Mandira Bedi's new look for IPL 09

2009-04-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

During the last IPL, Mandira Bedi sported a bob cut complete with red streaks.

She had told us then, “This is the first time that I’ve cut my hair so short. I was a little hesitant to get them chopped, for I’m a Sardarni.”

Guess she was really happy with what the mirror told her. For, she’s gone and done it again – and this time too, it is her friend and hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani, who has styled Mandy’s ‘IPL’ look.

Says Sapna, “This time I’ve given her a still shorter cut – but a lot of fringes on the forehead. Since she is going to be away for a month, I thought the cut would be easy to maintain.” But those red streaks will not be there. “Red streaks fade away too quickly and start looking bad,” explains Sapna.

[credit : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Mandiras-look-in-IPL-/articleshow/4425784.cms]

A weekend of the cricket veterans

2009-04-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

The South African pitches and conditions will expose the batsmen's limitations in the 2009 IPL. The four games on the weekend underlined the fact that even in T20 format, there is no substitute besides class and experience. It was the veterans who showed the way and set the trend for the competition.

The best moments over the weekend matches were Dravid's six, Sachin's shot over cover, Vetteori's spell and Warne's guile that mocked at the batsmen. Never mind that Warne's Rajasthan Royals lost, but in those four overs, he provided salvation from the boring sixes and boundaries, the same was for Kumble and Vettori. Of course, there was the slinging Malinga making a statement for the quick bowlers, but frankly this IPL is likely to show a lot of surprises.

The point is that if you take a simplistic perspective of cricket as it being just a sport and there is more to life, then you might enjoy the offerings, though it is only in between the commercials on the television. Most people i know have strong reservations over the break after 10 overs, for it takes away the momentum and continuity. The organizers can justify the gimmick saying they would like to earn as much as they spend.

Watching the likes of Sachin and Dravid was indeed a pleasure. While a big innings from Sachin is always to be expected in any format, Dravid was revelation to those who believed that he is a misfit for T20 cricket.

Dravid was intent on making a strong statement to his detractors as this was so evident in his celebration on reaching 50. It is a pity that Dravid would soon be flying back home to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

The other two veterans who batted, Kumble could barely hide his blushes after the performance.

All the eight teams were not prepared for the very English conditions in Cape Town with all the rain and the moisture, and hence the pronounced movement off the deck. There was something for the spinners too.

Of the eight teams on the weekend,Royal Challengers, Mumbai Indians and the Deccan Chargers were the most improved lot whereas these same teams were at the receiving end last year.

[credit : http://sify.com/sports/cricket/ipl/iplfullstory.php?a=jeuoeNdhfeg&title=Weekend_of_the_veterans&cid=14602148]

Raj targets IPL players

2009-04-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lying low for several days after his arrest in February, Raj Thackeray - the flamboyant chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is making a comeback - leading his party into their first Lok Sabha election.

At a rally organized for MNS candidate, Ranjit Shirole, in Pune, Raj spoke in his characteristic style.

"They are conducting the IPL matches during elections. Are the Indian players not voters? They have taken away the players' voting right and expect others in the country to vote,” he said.

Raising his voice yet again against north Indian migrants to cities in the state, Raj called upon his supporters to elect a leader with the cause of Maharashtra at heart.

However, NCP chief and Prime Ministerial aspirant Sharad Pawar didn't find favour with the MNS chief.

"If I understand the politics Sharad Pawar plays, I will quit politics. No one understands what he's doing. Why should we support Pawar as Marathi PM? Did he suddenly realise he was Marathi?" he said.

After repeatedly being dismissed as a gimmick politician, Raj Thackeray has finally made an appeal for votes in Maharashtra's cultural capital.

It is believed that though the party may not produce an MP in these elections, Raj's main aim is to get a substantial number of votes and make his presence felt in major cities of Maharashtra.

[credit : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/raj-is-back-this-time-targets-ipl-players/90678-37.html]

Kings XI set 105 run target for Delhi Daredevils

2009-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Karan Goel scored a quickfire 38 as Kings XI Punjab made 104 for 7 wickets in 12 overs against Delhi Daredevils in the third match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Newlands.
Daniel Vettori picked up three for 15 in the match which was shortened to 12 overs per team due to wet field because of rains and drizzle since morning.

Game has now stopped due to rain again.

IPL Miss Bollywood South Africa contest

2009-04-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

Cape Town: The hunt for a filmstar during the second edition of the Indian Premier League got underway here in style with Raeesa Goga and Jasmita Chauhan handpicked to represent Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2009 Miss Bollywood South Africa contest.

Raeesa and Jasmita won the beauty contest from among thousand of fans gathered during the opening matches at Newlands here on Saturday.

The Miss Bollywood SA contest is a search for a South African beauty with star qualities from among the crowds during the matches.

The winner will be offered a role in a Bollywood movie and a free business class trip to India apart from 50,000 rand in cash.

A total of 50 winners will be picked up from the crowd from each of the eight venues.

With every IPL match having a designated home team, the Miss Bollywood SA winner of that game will be associated with its side.

[ credit : http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1248938]

To win Delhi Daredevils need to score 105. Rain stops play

2009-04-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Kings XI Punjab score 104 runs for 7 wickets.
Delhi Daredevils need to score 105.

Rain stops play temporarily.

Tendulkar - I will not take anything for granted

2009-04-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Cape Town: They might have made a resounding start to their IPL campaign with a convincing win over last year's runners-up Chennai Super Kings, but Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar is not ready to take things for granted and wants to build on the good start.

Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten 59 to script his team's victory in the opening match of the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza, said, "The start is good but it is still a long way to go. I won't take anything for granted."

Tendulkar, who was adjudged Man of the Match, said the initial overs were difficult for batting and lavished praise on Sanath Jayasuriya and Abhishek Nayar for adjusting well.

"When I lost the toss, I realised there was a dampness in the wicket. The first 6-7 overs were difficult and later on Abhishek Nayar came and played a terrific innings and my job basically was to just be there and play till the end and guys on the other end played their strokes," he said.

On being asked what could be a decent total on the South African wickets, Tendulkar said anything around 150 would make a good fight.

"Looking at about 145-150 would be a decent total. Don't look at 180 plus but if you can get into 150-160 then it could be a good total," he said.

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200904182280.htm]

Surprise wins for Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians

2009-04-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Cape Town: Bangalore Royal Challengers crushed defending champions Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians did the same for runners-up Chennai Super Kings to give a astounding start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday.

Mumbai Indians had a disastrous start in the inaugural tournament losing first four matches last year beat Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs in the opening match of the IPL.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers team, led by skipper Kevin Pietersen, annihilated Rajasthan Royals by a massive 75 runs though they had finished last in the inaugural edition.

The 3 Indian veterans of cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, led the way for their teams, using their experience of playing on bowler-friendly wickets.

Sachine Tendulkar's 59 off 49 balls was the highlight of Mumbai Indians, whose total was 165 for seven wickets.

The Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga (3-15), and Sanath Jayasuriya (2-34) restricted Chennai Super Kings to 146 for seven wickets.

In the second match, Dravid, who was replaced by Pietersen as Bangalore Royal Challengers captain, struck back, hitting 66 and guiding the team through a difficult phase to reach 133.

Rajasthan Royals, who had a fairytale inaugural season, were all out for the lowest IPL score of 58 runs with Kumble picking five wickets.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl under cloudy skies, after a delayed start appeared spot on as Tendulkar and his opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya (26) had an unconvincing start. Jayasuriya was run out, ending the 39-run opening stand.

It turned out to be a forgettable debut for Andrew Flintoff, who was on the receiving end of Abhishek Nayar's onslaught. Nayar made a quickfire 35 off just 14 balls and hit Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over.

While chasing, Chennai Super Kings suffered the first set-back as Malinga got opening batsman Parthiv Patel with the second ball of the innings.

Matthew Hayden (44) played carefully but as the innings progressed he found his touch. The retired Australian opener fell while chasing a wide Jayasuriya delivery to Zaheer Khan.

Flintoff (24) and Dhoni (36) tried their best but could not see their teams through.

Tendulkar was guarded in his assessment of the team's performance.

"I am glad that we have started well, but I don't want to take anything for granted. It's too early in the tournament and it's same for the other teams also." he said.

The second match started on a exciting note with Dimitry Mascarenhas (3-20) dismissing Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor in the first over in successive balls.

Royal Challengers were soon left tottering at 52/4 before Dravid, a master of these conditions, summoned his class to anchor the innings. His 48 balls for 66 had eight fours. Pietersen added 32.

"I am in good touch after the tour on New Zealand. Conditions here are ideal for a player like me. You have to play good cricketing shots when the ball is moving. I played few balls to set myself in the middle and then played strokes," Dravid said.

The Rajasthan Royals were sloppy in their run-chase with the batsmen getting out to poor shots. Praveen Kumar (2-7) swung the ball to create trouble for the batsmen. Ryder soon joined in (2-14) to leave Rajasthan Royals at five for 28 runs. They could never recover from such a disastrous start.

Kumble, who bid farwell to international cricket last year, running through the middle-order and tail in a flash, picking 5-5.

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne said it was an "embarassing" beginning."We are the champions and we should have backed ourselves. Bangalore had a bad last year and they came out firing. Chasing a low score, we should have won with couple of overs left. The shot selections of our batsmen were bad."

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200904190384.htm]

Rajasthan’s royal skipper - Shane Warne

2009-04-16T05:38:00.001-07:00

As good as he was with the ball in hand in crunch situations, it was as a captain that Shane Warne turned out to be a game-turner. By far, he was the most perspicacious of the eight IPL captains in the league’s inaugural year. He is, arguably, the best captain Australia never had; or, to be precise, the best captain it chose not to have, writes Nirmal Shekar.

After it was all over, after a team that was written off at the start of the tournament had scripted a fairytale finish worthy of blue-blooded cricketing royalty, when you looked back on it all, the irony was inescapable.

Last year’s inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament was a stage made-to-order for strapping young twenty-somethings with over-sized adrenal glands — men such as Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma, to name only two.

What chance of triumph and glory would the merciless actuarial table of T20 cricket have given an ageing troubadour looking forward to his 39th birthday in a competition as frenzied and skill-flattening as the Indian Premier League?

These questions seem obvious until, of course, you come up with the protagonist’s name. Then, suddenly, the pieces fall in place magically and all illogic disappears like morning dew on a clear summer day.

For, rules that apply to ordinary mortals, even the ones that apply to the good and the great, don’t hold good in the case of Shane Warne.

Aged 38, well past his prime and after having retired from international cricket, you’d have thought Warne might have been an expensive misfit in a T20 championship. Yet, this was the man who turned out to be the single most influential figure in the hugely successful first year of the League.

It was a bit like a reluctant Jose Carreras descending on a Hard Rock concert stage and stealing a march over Kid Rock, Metallica and Oasis.

As good as he was with the ball in hand in crunch situations, it was as a captain that Warne turned out to be a game-turner. He is, arguably, the best captain Australia never had; or, to be precise, the best captain it chose not to have.

By far the most perspicacious of the eight IPL captains in the league’s inaugural year, Warne revelled in his role even as his under-rated team, Rajastan Royals, written off as the weakest side in the competition a week into the event, surprised everyone with a string of high-quality performances leading up to a dramatic last-ball victory over Chennai Super Kings in the final.

At $400,000, Warne was by far the best value-for-money player in the competition. But then, the virtues that the great Aussie brings to the field can hardly be represented purely in dollar terms.

There is no putative algorithm for successful leadership, especially in sport, an area of activity that makes room for a wide array of personalities at the top. However, Warne surely possesses a rare mix of attributes that turned him into a genius as a captain. A natural risk taker who backs his instincts, Warne was a hugely inspirational figure, standing on whose shoulders the Royals scaled regal heights.

As in life, in sport too, the best of leaders make things happen instead of waiting for things to happen. And there was no captain quite as pro-active as Warne in the IPL last year.

“Genius is not replicable. Inspiration, though, is contagious and multi-form,” wrote the late David Foster Wallace in Play.

If indeed genius were contagious, everyday reality would be a much more life-enhancing for a lot of us average blokes. But life does offer, from time to time, the illusion that another man’s genius can rub off on us. This is especially so in a cooperative venture like team sport.

Eons before modern civilisation, hundreds of thousands of years before management gurus came up with their mantras and business schools started flourishing, successful alpha males led hunter-gatherer bands through persuasion rather than coercion with ‘collaborative decision-making’ being the norm.

Even in pre-historic times, surely, there is unlikely to have been one successful brand of leadership. For, human personality differences are not exactly a modern phenomenon.

But goal-directed cooperation in the context of modern professional team sports has made way for a fascinating variety of helmsmen, not the least in cricket where the quality of leadership matters so much more than in a sport such as football or hockey. From the imperious Douglas Jardine down to the Socratically wise Mike Brearley and from an awe-inspiring Don Bradman down to a lovable larrikin such as Warne, the game has been able to fit in a range of personalities in leadership roles.

“Broken marriages, conflicts of loyalty, the problems of everyday life fall away as one faces up to (Jeff) Thomson,” wrote Brearley.

Thommo’s lethal pace apart, an English captain may have had to deal with quite a number of other vexing issues in that era. If this is true of almost all captains at all times then the brash new age of Twenty20 cricket — which has robbed on-field decision makers of valuable time — has come to favour the instinctive leaders.

Then again, apart from the speed and quality of Warne’s on-field decision-making, it was what the Aussie genius brought to the Rajasthan Royals’ dressing room that may have made a huge difference in the end.

“You can divide leadership into two aspects,” Brearley said in an interview to The Times (London) a few years ago. “One is telling, ordering even, having a clear idea of what you want and getting people to do it. You might call those masculine qualities.

“And there are the more feminine qualities you might call receptivity. This is consulting people, finding out what they think, their feelings, whether they have different ideas you can learn from.”

Ask any Rajasthan Royals player and he would be willing to swear that Warne blended those two aspects of leadership wonderfully well.

If a leader, as Napoleon said, “is a dealer in hope” then Warne brought hope in lorry loads to the Royals’ camp.

“Some people had branded us underdogs but we had self-belief,” said the charismatic Australian spinner midway through the 2008 tournament.

It was a rare brand of self-belief — instilled in them by their heroic captain — that saw young players such as Ravindra Jadeja, Siddarth Trivedi and Swapnil Asnodkar come up consistently with nerveless displays on the big stage.

“The best part about the IPL is, as well as having four or five different cultures in your team, unearthing some of the young Indian players,” Warne told BBC Sport after last year’s final.

If Warne enjoyed the process of uncovering new talent, then there is little doubt that every one of those young Indians simply adores the great man and will always cherish the days they played alongside one of the game’s greats.

Looking back, it is a bit of an irony that all this celebration of Warne’s imaginative leadership and his ability to inspire youngsters and help them raise their levels should have come after his retirement from the international game.

For, Warne did lead Australia in 11 One-Day Internationals in the late 1990s when Steve Waugh was injured and his team won 10 of those matches. And he might have gone on to lead his country in many more matches but for what the Australian Cricket Board described as “a catalogue of reckless conduct.”

It is a ‘catalogue’ that the Royals’ management is unlikely to take into account as the great man and his boys set out to defend their title in South Africa. For Warne — flawed, sinning, warts and all — may well be irreplaceable.

[credit : http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20090418500700400.htm]

Tendulkar can make it happen for the Mumbai Indians in IPL-2

2009-04-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

Indians will be looking to a fully-fit, in-form Sachin Tendulkar to make them serious contenders in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), beginning here Saturday. They will take on Chennai Super Kings in the first match.
The most expensive of IPL teams, owned by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, missed iconic Tendulkar in the first seven matches of the inaugural edition due to a groin injury. But his timely presence was inspiring for the team to recover remarkably from a disastrous beginning and reach within striking distance of the semi-final.

Mumbai Indians lost the first four matches under the captaincy of Harbhajan Singh, who was banned for the rest of the IPL for slapping teammate S.Sreesanth. They bounced back to win six matches in a row with Shaun Pollock leading from the front.

The star firepower of Sanath Jayasuriya, Pollock and Dwayne Bravo lifted the team from the dumps. Youngsters Abhishek Nayar and Dhawal Kulkarni, too, played a crucial role in reviving the team’s fortunes.

Mathera marauder Jayasuriya will be a month shy of 40, making him the most aged player in the tournament, but he will be as dangerous as ever. Last year he sprang back to form, scoring 514 runs to become the second highest scorer in the tournament.

This year, he will have a fulltime partner in Tendulkar and seeing the two open the batting will be one of the highlight of the tournament.

Pollock will be doing the job behind the scene as a coach. Former India player Praveen Amre and Jonty Rhodes are the other two coaches of the team.

Zaheer Khan, who was exchanged with Bangalore Royal Challengers’ Robin Uthappa, will be a big bonus to the team. He will lead the attack with fiery Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga.

Mumbai Indians made a smart buy in South Africa’s latest batting sensation J.P Duminy at the auction. Duminy was bought for a whopping US$950,000. They also got Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful and New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Mills besides trading Ashish Nehra for Shikhar Dhawan from Delhi Daredevils.

They will count on a strong line-up of allrounders in Bravo, Ryan McLaren, Duminy and Essex’s Graham Napier, who hit a world record 16 sixes, cracking 152 against Sussex in a T20 match.

Squad: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilhara Fernando, Dwayne Bravo, Luke Ronchi, Saurabh Tiwary, Rohan Raje, Ajinkya Rahane, Pinal Shah, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yogesh Takawale, Lasith Malinga, Jean-Paul Duminy, Kyle Mills, Mohammad Ashraful, Graham Napier, Jaydev Shah, Ryan Mc Laren, Shikar Dhawan, Chetnya Nanda, Raheel Shaikh, Jude Singh.

[credit : http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/in-form-tendulkar-can-make-it-happen-for-mumbai-indians-in-ipl-2-profile_100180588.html]

Chennai Super Kings - A sure shot to the semis

2009-04-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

A powerful side with multi-dimensional cricketers, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will seek to exorcise the ghosts of IPL-I.

CSK finished at the wrong end of a humdinger against Rajasthan Royals in the final. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men have the ingredients to make a serious bid for the title again.

Dhoni is an inspirational captain and leader; he remains calm during tense moments without any dip in his levels of intensity. He can get his men to rally around him or hold the lower order together with a blend of determination and flair.

The expensive acquisition of Andrew Flintoff — the formidable all-rounder was bought at a whopping $1.55 million — will make the side stronger. With his natural bounce from a high-arm action and sizzling yorkers, Flintoff will provide the bowling cutting edge.

He can impose himself on the game — in any format — with his speed, control and movement and is a telling striker of the ball. Flintoff, however, will not be available for the last and crucial stretch of the competition.

While someone such as Flintoff is impossible to replace, the captain and coach of the team Stephen Fleming are not short of depth in the ranks.

Albie Morkel, among the biggest strikers of the ball in contemporary cricket and a bustling fast medium bowler, can be influential in this format. And he would comprehend the conditions in South Africa well.

If fully fit, Jacob Oram’s heavy-hitting and handy seam bowling will add to the side. Given its wealth of talent, CSK could face difficulties in selecting only four overseas players for a game.

Off-spinning wizard Muttiah Muralitharan will be hard to leave out of the eleven even for matches on seamer-friendly conditions. Home boy Makhaya Ntini can be effective with his cut and bounce even if his pace has dropped by a notch or two.

Matthew Hayden, an outstanding success last season, has since retired from international cricket. Yet, given his levels of motivation and commitment, it would be hard to bet against him at the top of the order.

Michael Hussey has pulled out of the league phase but CSK has plenty of meat in its batting. The left-handed Suresh Raina, who used IPL as a platform to resurrect his international career, is a busy batsman with a fine range of strokes. George Baily, an aggressive batsman from down under, is another option for the side. S. Badrinath contributed usefully last season.

Sri Lankan left-arm paceman Thilan Thushara provides variety to the attack. M.S. Gony, a success story in IPL-I, and Lakshmipathy Balaji could be effective in the South African conditions.

CSK appears a certainty for the last four stage. The final steps will test the side’s resolve.

[credit : http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20090418501200900.htm]

Stability will be the key in IPL

2009-04-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

John Buchanan and Sourav Ganguly’s distinctive personalities have collectively courted controversy with the multiple-captains theory and its subsequent evolution into the concept of a single captain and multiple strategists. And then there’s team owner Shah Rukh Khan.

As Kolkata Knight Riders struggles with individuals, the team will look to better its run from last year when the early promise shown wasn’t fulfilled.

Brendon McCullum’s pyrotechnics last year got the IPL off to a dream start. The New Zealander has looked in great touch in the just-concluded series against India. The explosive Chris Gayle will be available for part of the league, and should do the bulk of the scoring with McCullum and Ganguly.

Ishant Sharma, a supporter of Buchanan’s multiple-captains idea, is expected to be the side’s bowling mainstay. Ajantha Mendis’ impact in this format on South African wickets remains to be seen. “He’s only got four overs, so batsmen are going to have to take risks against him, which is an advantage bowlers like to have, especially slow bowlers if they are not reading them that well. Mendis is one of our lead bowlers and we’ll be relying on him through the tournament. It will be pretty exciting,” said Buchanan.

Knight Riders’ most effective weapon could be South African swing bowler Charl Langeveldt. Langeveldt’s knowledge of the conditions would help his team, especially in venues like Durban which aid swing bowling. “I was always impressed with him as an opening bowler for South Africa for a number of years. We were looking for a lead bowler and he knows South African conditions and has performed well domestically over here,” said Buchanan.

The side’s biggest challenge lies in stability. Conflicts over captaincy and strategies could prove disruptive. Twenty20 is a limited format with respect to time, and when quick decisions are called for, the side will require a single captain’s decisiveness.

[credit : http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20090418501801300.htm]

IPL and South Africa defuse stadium suite row

2009-04-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

The Indian Premier League has reached a compromise with South African cricket provinces over the allocation of corporate suites, ending a row which threatened the tournament. Indian officials originally demanded full control of hospitality boxes at every match to accommodate special guests as a non-negotiable requirement of host stadiums. In return for surrendering boxes, suiteholders were promised free stand tickets, food and beverages for every IPL match at their stadium, but the offer was rejected with some threatening to lock their suites. However, Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola claimed today that parties have found a resolution. "We've come to some sort of an agreement," he confirmed. "We're close to finalising the details and confident that everything is going to run smoothly." Majola declined to reveal full details, saying his organization would do so in a statement to be released tomorrow.

[credit : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ipl-and-south-africa-defuse-stadium-suite-row/446815]

Priyanka to root for KKR in IPL II

2009-04-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

Amethi, Apr 14 (PTI) Her busy campaign schedule for the general elections notwithstanding, Congress' star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi will cheer for Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in the second Indian Premier League starting April 18 in South Africa.
"I guess so, yes," Priyanka said when asked whether she would support Kolkata Knight Riders during the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament that was shifted out of India owing to a clash of dates with elections.

Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Hyderabad-based team Deccan Chargers in their opening match in Cape Town on April 19.

"Yes," she told NDTV when asked whether she backed the team because it is owned by Shahrukh Khan.

Priyanka, her husband Robert and brother Rahul Gandhi had attended Kolkata Knight Riders match during the inaugural edition of IPL last year.

Incidentally, Kolkata Knight Riders play a match on April 23 when elections are scheduled to be held in Amethi, a constituency represented by Rahul Gandhi.

[credit : http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/B0D0B4C6781A424065257598003FA1AD?OpenDocument]

IPL a 'thank you' to SA, says Khan

2009-04-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

Bringing the Indian Premier League (IPL) to South Africa is a means of saying "thank you" to South Africa for its hospitality and warmth over the years, says Kolkatta Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan.

Fondly known as the Tom Cruise of Bollywood, Khan lands in Cape Town on Tuesday in time for the league at the weekend. His team has already been training in Bloemfontein for two weeks.

The Kolkatta Knight Riders, owned by Khan, Indian businessman Jai Mehta, and his Bollywood actress wife, Juhi Chawla, is one of the eight teams participating in the IPL this year.

Khan, 43, has made several trips to Namibia and South Africa, visiting Joburg, Durban, Cape Town and, more recently, Sun City, but this trip will be special because it will be his first visit "with the kids". He is expected to arrive with his wife, Gauri Khan, son Aryan and daughter Suhana.

The family would stay for a few weeks, mostly in Cape Town, he said.

He said he was really looking forward to the tournament.

"South Africans are such warm people, very welcoming, very open and friendly."

He said the tournament was significant for his team because the whole team would be in town, unlike last year when some players did not take part.

"We're hoping to see some of the wildlife and we're really looking forward to meeting some of the people again... and drink some good South African wine," he said.

He was expecting some competition, but the team were aiming to make the top six and hoping to secure a position in the top four teams of the tournament.

"But South Africans won't need to worry - as an actor and as a film-maker I can assure you we will put on a good show."

Despite his claim to fame as a Bollywood legend Khan has always had deep roots in sport, particularly cricket. He recalls a stint as a "good" wicketkeeper when he was 19.

Khan said he had been working on many projects, mostly to do with sport, because as a teenager he was involved in many sporting codes, including hockey and cricket, which took priority.

"Many youngsters never really had access to these sports. In our country you can't really make a career of it. So I wanted to create something that my son could be involved in one day. When I was young playing cricket wasn't really considered a profession, so I really wanted to create a platform for young people to develop their skills and talents. I look at it as a part of my social responsibility."

Given that his name Shahrukh means "face of the king", it is not surprising the star is currently the top actor in India, according to Internet critics.

Khan has won several awards for his outstanding performances in Darr, in 1993, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, in 1995, Dil To Pagal, in 1997 and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, in 1998. He owns three production houses in India, Red Chillies Entertainment and Idiot Box, and runs the Dreamz Unlimited production company with co-star Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza.

So what about Slumdog Millionaire?

Khan, who turned down a role in the movie, said he personally wanted to make the movie.

"I've said it's not an Indian film, it's a foreign film, and how India is portrayed in the movie is not the point of the film. The film is not about the country. But it was very well done. I think it turned out far better than if I had done it."

[credit : http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=17&art_id=vn20090414114913610C245954]

Mumbai Indians - Team Preview

2009-04-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

Performance in IPL 2008

Mumbai had a disastrous start, losing their first four games to Bangalore, Chennai, Punjab and Hyderabad but bounced back remarkably well before ultimately failing to make it to the semi-finals.

After four successive defeats, Mumbai won their next six games on the trot - the best streak of the tournament- as they appeared to peak at just the right time.

Mumbai will rue their 1-run defeat to Punjab since it not only ended their winning streak but also their hopes of a semi-final berth as the team seem to lose momentum. Two more defeats followed before Mumbai beat lowly Bangalore to finish in fifth position.

Who's in, who's out

Mumbai shopped for South African sensation Jean-Paul Duminy in this year's auction and splashed out an eye-popping USD 950,000 to acquire the stylish southpaw.

New Zealander Kyle Mills (USD 150,000) and Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful (USD 75,000) were part of their signings.

Mumbai was also involved in two swaps, trading Robin Uthappa for Zaheer Khan with Bangalore and Shikhar Dhawan for Ashish Nehra with Delhi. Jaydev Shah was also added to the roster while Dwayne Smith, Dominic Thornely and Ashwell Prince were released from their contracts. Shaun Pollock will not return as a player after taking up the role of the coach.

Mumbai also signed Graham Napier and Ryan McLaren, both prolific all-rounders in the English Twenty20 competition.

Players to watch out for

Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar is loved the world over and will be cynosure of all eyes in South Africa as well. He missed the inital games last season but is expected to be available for the entire duration this time around. Not only has he been among the runs for India, he has amassed his runs in a manner which reminds us of the Tendulkar of the nineties. Tendulkar on song will be vital to Mumbai's success.

Graham Napier: The cricket world stood up and took notice of Napier's talent after he blasted a 52-ball 158 for Essex in a Twenty20 game. He scored runs heavily and quickly last season and is a decent medium pacer, capable of bowling the yorkers in the death overs.

Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan has led the Indian attack superbly in all conditions in recent times. Zaheer will enjoy the conditions in South Africa and his recent form suggests that batsmen will find it difficult against him.

Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan scored consistently for Delhi, notching up four fifties in last year's IPL and Mumbai will be hoping he picks up from where he left off. A batsman in the classical mould with shots all around the wicket, Dhawan is the ideal number three.

Trivia

Dhawal Kulkarni of Mumbai bowled 3 wides in a row in his last over against Chennai, thus becoming the first bowler to have such a dubious record.

Sanath Jayasuriya of Mumbai Indians, the oldest player in the IPL, holds the record for the most sixes - 31.

Sanath Jayasuriya hit more fours than anyone else in the IPL. He hit a total of 57 boundaries.

Mumbai won their match at home against the Kolkata with a staggering 87 balls to spare, the highest margin in terms of balls remaining in IPL 2008.

Mumbai Indians used as many as three captains - Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar - in the 14 games they played.

Tendulkar holds the record for the most number of catches in an IPL match with 4 catches in the match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth after Mumbai lost to Kings XI Punjab in a tense game following which Harbhajan was banned from the remainder of the tournament.

5 of the Mumbai Indians batsmen got run out in the game against the KKR. This is a record of a sorts for the IPL.

Current Squad

Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo (WI), Shikhar Dhawan, Jean-Paul Duminy (SA), Harbhajan Singh, Dilhara Fernando (SL), Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Zaheer Khan, Ryan McLaren (SA), Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga (SL), Kyle Mills (NZ), Graham Napier (ENG), Chetanya Nanda, Mohammad Ashraful (B'desh), Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohan Raje, Luke Ronchi (AUS), Jaydev Shah, Pinal Shah, Rahil Shaikh, Yogesh Takawale, Saurabh Tiwary

Coaches

Head Coach: Shaun Pollock (SA)

Assistant Head Coach: Pravin Amre

[credit : http://www.cricbuzz.com/component/latest_cricket_news/Story/12957/team-preview-mumbai-indians]

IPL braces up for White Mischief

2009-04-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: England star Kevin Pietersen will have a bunch of "naughty' and "hottie" cheerleaders rooting from the sidelines when he makes his Indian Premier League debut on Saturday.

Pietersen, bought by the Bangalore Royal Challengers for a record $1.55 million, will clash with good friend Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals on the opening night in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Royal Challengers, owned by flamboyant liquor and airline tycoon Vijay Mallya, had hired the Washington Redskins cheerleaders for the inaugural IPL season last year in India.

The scantily-clad girls obviously failed to inspire as the Royal Challengers finished seventh out of eight teams in the glitzy Twenty20 tournament.

So Mallya dropped the Redskins and hired 24 members of the US-based Varsity cheerleader group for the second season, renaming them the "White Mischief Gals".

"A little bit naughty, a little more hottie and a lot more mischievous," a Mallya company release said of the group, named after his 'White Mischief' brand of vodka.

"Necklines plunging, hemlines rising, they are all set to let the mercury soar, higher than any of the sixes that come from the blades of Kevin Pietersen."

The cheerleaders, the release added, have been "specially trained in flirty acrobatic skills for a scintillating on-field performance."

The use of cheerleading squads last year provoked complaints from some conservative quarters in India.

The Mumbai Indians forced their cheerleaders to don pants instead of skirts after protests from political parties.

The White Mischief Gals will travel across South Africa for all Royal Challenger matches during the five-week tournament, offering fans "flirtatious messages and tips," the statement said.

Pietersen will only enjoy their support for the first two weeks, as he is due to return to England in early May to prepare for the Test series against the West Indies.

[credit : http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ipl-braces-up-for-white-mischief--in-pics/39941-18.html]

Mandira Bedi goes strapless

2009-04-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

Small screen's diva Mandira Bedi is back with a bang! Well the pretty lady who shot to fame through Cricket is returning to cricket. In 2003 during the world-cup series Mandira had become a household name and she was more so popular for her sizzling outfits (as they say so - her noodle-strap blouses / dresses) almost mixing cricket and glamour.

Seems like this time the lady, who will be hosting the popular cricket show 'Extra Innings' for IPL series, the T-20 event, is planning to go one step further. If the current reports are to be believed than Mandira at the recently held IPL Press meet went ahead saying, obviously in good humour that they believe in raising the bar, as they can see her strapless (this time). Probably hinting about her would-be appearance in the show.

Well Mandira, people are waiting with bated breath, probably not for the 4s and 6s but watching you.

[credit : http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/09/apr/14-ma-n-dira-bedi-goes-strapless-040912.asp]

Underworld death threats for IPL boss

2009-04-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

The IPL's South African security firm have stepped up their protection of tournament chairman Lalit Modi after reports surfaced in the Indian media of an alleged death threat from the Indian underworld.
CRICKET IPL Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi - 0

According to the media reports, an aide of wanted Indian criminal Dawood Ibrahim has targetted Modi for a variety of reasons, including Modi's refusal to pay an unspecified extortion amount, shutting the door on Pakistan players in the tournament and shifting the IPL to South Africa.

The tournament's change of location could reportedly cost the gang - commonly referred to as D-Company - millions of dollars in re-organising their betting operations.

Bob Nicholls, who jointly heads security outfit Nicholls & Steyn, said the agency has moved to tackle the threat to Modi.

"We are aware of it and we have taken the necessary precautions... I'm not going into any details," Nicholls said of the threats to Modi's life. Local police have reportedly increased the security cover for Modi's Mumbai residence.

The Times of India reported that Modi's name figured on a hitlist issued by Chhota Shakeel, Ibrahim's aide, which was revealed to police officials after they arrested a gang-member in Karnataka last month.

But Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, reported that security agencies had intercepted a phone call from the gang, the transcript of which shows that orders have been issued to target Modi either in India or South Africa during the IPL.

A copy of the intelligence report which highlights the threat was forwarded to Mumbai police commissioner's office on March 24, according to the paper.

Modi himself refused to comment on the issue.

Nicholls & Steyn have been entrusted with managing the IPL's security in South Africa, and Nicholls had said last week that the lack of time, the crime rate in South African cities and the elections in the country on April 22 were some of their main challenges.

[credit : http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14042009/58/underworld-death-threats-ipl-boss.html]

2009 IPL Venue Guide

2009-04-13T02:35:00.000-07:00

Newlands, Cape Town
Capacity: 25000
England have Lord's, Australia have the MCG, India have Eden Gardens and South Africa have Newlands. It could be the location, or perhaps the backdrop of Table Mountain, maybe it's the Oak trees or the brewery next door, but Newlands has that special something.

References to 'The New Lands' date back to early colonial maps in 1656 and 1661 when the Dutch deleted settlement located at today's Cape Town city centre literally spread out into new lands where the current suburb of Newlands is located.

Over the past five years numerous changes have been made to the ground - large portions of the grass embankments have been replaced by pavilions, increasing the seating capacity. This has slightly taken away from its former splendour, but the view remains and renovations to the outfield done last year should improve the playing surface.

Malcolm Speed, former ICC CEO and gardener extraordinaire, says of the ground: "Cape Town is my favourite city in South Africa. The Newlands Cricket ground, sitting at the foot of Table Mountain, is a world cricket icon."

Kingsmead, Durban
Capacity: 25000
Kingsmead is located in the humid city of Durban - home to six kilometres of wonderful sandy beaches, which attract plenty of surfers.

The ground used to be the venue for the Boxing Day Test, but the powers-that-be decided to move it to Port Elizabeth because of a drop in spectator numbers - most of them were probably on the beaches or just suffering from Christmas Day hangovers, and who can blame them?

The ground occupies a special place in South African cricket history - Graeme Pollock scored the last of his seven Test centuries here, an epic 274 that inspired a crushing innings and 100-plus run thumping of the Australians.

Of course Gary Kirsten went one better than Pollock in 1999 when he equalled Darryl Cullinan's South African record Test score of 275 against England.

Kingsmead also hosted the timeless Test against England in 1939. The match lasted from March 3-13 and was only called off over fears that the English players would miss their ship home.

Groundsman Wilson Ngobese caused a major stir in 2006 when he attempted to repair a damaged area of the pitch by hammering a dry piece of bulli into a small hole that had appeared in an area comfortably outside the line bowled to either right or left handers. This, according to the laws of the game, is illegal.

The Wanderers, Johannesburg
Capacity: 34000
The New Wanderers ground, situated in Illovo, Johannesburg, became the third cricket venue in the city after the Old Wanderers Stadium and Ellis Park (which serves as the city's main rugby union stadium).

The ground was completely redeveloped following South Africa's readmission to international cricket in 1991 and further renovated for the 2003 World Cup, when it played host to the final between Australia and India.

Known as 'The Bullring' for its rotund design and intimidating atmosphere, the Wanderers is part of a greater sporting complex that is steeped in history, although the clubhouse was recently rebuilt after being gutted by fire in 2004.

The new clubhouse is similar in design to the original and contains an excellent stash of memorabilia, while the bar offers some of the cheapest drinks you'll find.

The ground sports an archetypal South African wicket - hard and dry with plenty of bounce - which often provides lots of seam movement up front.

But while the Wanderers is often generous to seamers, the wicket can also be a great batting strip. Undeniable proof of this came in March 2006 when the ground played host to the most remarkable one-day international game in history, as South Africa successfully chased down Australia's world record total of 434 for four.

SuperSport Park, Centurion
Capacity: 20000
One of the more fledgling stadiums in South Africa, it has been described by numerous skippers as "one of the grounds with the best players' facilities in the world".

A vast majority of the ground is covered with grass embankments for family-friendly spectatorship, occasionally broken by more structured seating area mainly made up of a pavilion at the North end. Beach Cabana-type chalets have been built looking down on the grass area for the more corporate-inclined viewers out there.

Known for being one of the faster pitches in the South Africa, it also furnishes plenty for batsmen partial to the quicker stuff. It has never been seen as turn-friendly, with numerous would-be spinners having to chase leather all over the park.

Says former South African coach Ray Jennings: "It's no ordinary ground. The wicket changes character. That obviously plays on their minds, especially if they've not played at Centurion much before. That's a clear advantage South Africans have there."

It is rated one of the 10 best grounds in the world by Indian legend Kapil Dev and usually provides the canvas for a humdinger contest between bat and ball.

St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Capacity: 19000
St George's Park is located right in the heart of the Eastern Cape's 'Friendly City', which also goes by the name of 'The Windy City' because of the blustery conditions.

Situated a stone's throw from the Eastern Cape's beautiful beaches, the ground symbolically occupies the central park. The ground is also famous for its brass band, which dates back as far as 1867.

Lesser known interesting facts about St George's Park include: it was the venue for the first Test to be played outside of England or Australia, the ground hosted the first women's international Test, it staged the last Test before South Africa's expulsion from world cricket, South Africa won their first ever Test series win against Australia here, the first Rebel Test was hosted here.

Buffalo Park, East London
Capacity: 15000
The home of Border cricket hosts limited stands but adequate player facilities. Buffalo Park has night cricket lights. It is in the process of long-term development, but remains remarkably picturesque.

OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein
Capacity: 20000
Formerly known as Goodyear Park and Springbok Park, it is a well-designed venue incorporating a couple of hefty stands and plenty of grass-laden banks.

The ground hosted its first ODI in December 1992 when South Africa breezed through an eight-wicket win over India.

It boasts top-flight lights and when the grassy banks become colourfully filled with fans, a carnival atmosphere prevails. The OUTsurance Oval is a mere 10-minute walk from the hub of Bloemfontein.

De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley
Capacity: 11000
The venue has two ends which unimaginatively go by the names of North and South stand and boasts plenty of grass embankments.

England seamer Mark Ealham once managed figures of five for 15 in 10 overs against Zimbabwe at the turn of the century.

The ground hosted three matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup and was formerly known as the De Beers Country Club and the Kimberley Country Club.

[credit : http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,18305,6575_5182612,00.html]

Flintoff eager to play in IPL

2009-04-13T02:32:00.000-07:00

Flintoff, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a record $1.55 million, has had several niggling injuries, the latest of which was a hip problem that ruled him out of the final Test and first two One-day Internationals in the West Indies.

"I have missed so much cricket through injury that I don't want to miss any more," Flintoff was quoted as saying in the Guardian.

"I've not played a lot of Twenty20 cricket and I'd like to play more. I'm not saying the money is not very appealing, but there's a lot more to it. I spent several weeks working very hard at my fitness when I came back from the West Indies and, hopefully, that will stand me in good stead come the summer," he said.

England will host West India May 6 and then will have Australia for the Ashes series in June.

[credit : http://sports.in.msn.com/ipl/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2495974]

Terror attacks and IPL impacting multiplex business

2009-04-13T02:29:00.000-07:00

Up till now, Bollywood has largely been recession proof, a point proven repeatedly ever since the Great Depression of the 1920s. It seems that economic tumult brings out the inherent escapism in all and sundry and movie ticket sales skyrocket during bad times.

The story has turned chilling this time round, at least in India. Big Cinemas has incurred a net loss of Rs 8.77 crore in Q3 FY09, a drastic fall compared to net profit of Rs 2.20 crone in Q3 FY08 (figures are only for the theatre business).

The other leading cinema chain PVR too is breathing heavily. Its net profit has declined by a whopping 68 per cent the latest quarter. Ask the company and they blame it on the one time deferred tax payment made during the time.

But even after adjusting for this amount, their effective net profit has dipped by 23.4 per cent. Now given that these two are the biggest players in the Indian multiplex market, cornering a chunk of the about 700 screens in the country, the drops in profitability speak volumes about the slowdown effect.

But there's more to these depressing numbers than meets the eye. Pramod Arora, group president, PVR Ltd., is at pains to dismiss the theory that it is the slowdown effect which is spilling red on their balance sheets.

"If you ask whether the slowdown has affected my occupancy, I would say No. Has it affected my ticket prices ? Not really, because my average ticket prices (ATP) remain the same," he says, clarifying that "Instead it is the fear of terror attacks and the IPL tournament that have hugely impacted my business."

As per their calculations, PVR's occupancies have fallen by 4.5 per cent annually due to the terror attacks and 1-1.5 per cent due to the IPL tournament. Besides, the lack of a strong content pipeline in the last quarter has added to the multiplex owners' woes.

This does not mean that the slowdown has not cast its gloomy spell on the multiplex business. However, the effect is less on the B2C business and has impacted the back-end more. New projects are being delayed, shelved or even defrayed in some cases.

The problem stems from the quagmire that commercial real estate developers find themselves in due to lack of sufficient funds. Malls and other entertainment projects are being delayed for as long as two years. The situation is troublesome for both PVR and Big Cinemas.

Take Big Cinemas, the business model of the Anil Ambani promoted group is based on volumes. Big Cinemas is the largest player in the Indian multiplex segment with around 430 screens across India, Malaysia and US.

The strategy was that they would aggressively expand and have a huge presence over the next few years, later leveraging the network to generate extensive volumes. This cash intensive model is now being derided by experts as a cash non-efficient model (as with every new multiplex their profits went down).

But Anil Ambani & Co. had not anticipated the global economic meltdown. "Controlling cost will be very important in these tough times. Players will have to do away with unnecessary and illogical expansion plans," says Anand Shah, analyst, Angel Trade.

Be that as it may, optimists are of the view that the slowdown is a blessing in disguise for the industry. When the economy was thriving with a GDP growth rate of over 9 per cent, people entered the multiplex business expecting to cash in on the upturn in the mall culture and the ever expanding consumer spending's on weekend outings.

Some non-serious players will perhaps now have to backtrack on their ambitions. So is an exciting round of mergers and acquisitions on the cards ? "Yes. The slowdown has clearly separated the boys from the men. The boys are going down under, the men can adopt some of the boys, so that is where you can see some mergers happening later." quips an exultant Arora.

There are other benefits too. "The cost of acquiring new property, which was unreasonably high a year ago, is available at the right price today," says Gaurav Sinha, an analyst with a Delhi- based research firm.

Multiplex owners therefore feel that the slowdown has actually brought an equilibrium for them, as they are getting right properties at the right cost now. And by the time these new properties will be completed, the economy, they hope, will be back on track.

Wishful thinking or judicious investment, call it whatever, but there are problems galore in store. Another big challenge that is staring the multiplex industry in its face is the rippling after effect of the over expansion drive in recent years.

Thanks to the lethal combo of ambition and aggression, most multiplex guys have concentrated their expansions in clusters. This has also hit occupancies and profitability. Success is 99 per cent perspiration and 1 per cent inspiration.

Apart from the terror and IPL issues, the multiplexes today are facing revenue sharing problems with the film producers. Last week, after the two Khans, Shah Rukh and Aamir, came together to demand Fair rights for Friday nights, multiplex owners and film producers have failed to resolve their dispute.

The dispute is over the producers demand of a 50 per cent share from ticket sales from day one, irrespective of a how a film performs. So far, they got 48 per cent of the revenue from multiplex ticket sales for the first week, after which their share dipped depending on how a film fared.

Mukesh Bhatt, chairman of the United Forum for Bollywood Producers, says the multiplex owners are being "rigid and stubborn." There has been no meeting between the two parties even after the entire film fraternity, including the two Khans, showed solidarity on the issue on Tuesday.

PVR's Arora referred to the revenue-sharing dispute between the two sides as "a small tiff in a marriage." He, however, refused to quantify the impact of the strike on the multiplex business.

[credit : http://www.indiaretailing.com/news.aspx?topic=1&Id=3636]

Ishant supports Buchanan's multiple captaincy idea

2009-04-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Giving a thumbs up to John Buchanan's multiple captaincy idea, Kolkata Knight Riders pace spearhead Ishant Sharma said the innovative theory could actually help his Indian Premier League side do well in the second season.
Ishant supports Buchanan's multiple captaincy idea
Sourav Ganguly was not amused with the idea but Ishant said there was no harm in having four captains as their different ideas could help the team overcome last year's failure.

"Sourav Ganguly is a good captain but sometimes you need new ideas which Buchanan theory can generate," he said.

"Buchanan is a very good coach and bit of support from other players can turn the things around for KKR," he said.

The lanky fast bowler said his IPL side will miss the services of experience Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar.

[credit : http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2929100]

Mosaic: bringing diverse perspectives together

2009-04-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Official Google Blog: Mosaic: bringing diverse perspectives together

No Election ads during matches - Political parties to miss on IPL popularity pie

2009-04-12T08:19:00.001-07:00

New Delhi (PTI): Efforts of political parties to encash on the popularity of the IPL have suffered a setback with the league management making it amply clear that it will not allow telecast of any political advertisements during the second edition of the mega cricket event.

Chairman of BCCI's Finance Committee Rajeev Shukla said IPL Governing Council has decided to ban advertisements by political parties and there will not be any "rethinking" on the issue.

"The IPL Governing Council in its meeting in Goa decided not to entertain any political advertisements and we are not going to reconsider it," Mr. Shukla, also a member of the IPL Governing Council, told PTI here.

Mr. Shukla's comments came in response to reported efforts by major political parties to get the restrictions lifted on the telecast of political ads during the matches beginning April 18.

An official of the IPL broadcaster, Multi Screen Media, refused to comment on the development but admitted that it would definitely affect its revenue generation.

On whether a section of the Congress and BJP leaders had requested IPL to reconsider its decision, Mr. Shukla, also a Congress MP, said: "It was a unanimous decision and the BJP's Arun Jaitley was also present in the governing body meeting."

[credit : http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200904121607.htm]

Oriental Insurance expects about Rs 3 cr premium from IPL

2009-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: The sole insurer of the much-hyped Indian Premier Leauge (IPL), state-owned Oriental Insurance Company Ltd today said it expects
about Rs 3 crore premium from the second season of T20 cricket tournament.

Owners of most of the teams have taken insurance cover for personal accident, terrorism as well as loss of baggage for their members, Oriental Insurance Company Chairman cum Managing Director M Ramadoss said.

"There are slight increase in the premiums this year... we expect premium to be around Rs 3 crore from various types of insurance cover that we are providing to players and organisers," he said.

The premiums have gone up in the range of 5-10 per cent depending on international conditions and reinsurance charges, he said.

The reinsurer for Oriental Insurance is the UK-based Lloyd's.

Insurance companies distribute the risk on large covers by going in for re-insurance.

Of the 8 teams playing in IPL beginning on April 18 in South Africa, he said the sum assured and the premiums vary from players to players.

Concerned at the security of the cricket teams, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shifted the second edition of the event to South Africa.

[credit : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Insurance-news/Oriental-Insurance-expects-about-Rs-3-cr-premium-from-IPL/articleshow/4391361.cms]

IPL ideal for World T20 preparation: Yuvraj Singh

2009-04-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Mumbai : Flamboyant Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh sees the second edition of the Indian Premier League in South Africa as the perfect dress rehearsal for cricket playing nations ahead of the World Twenty20 Championship in England in June.

"The IPL has come at the right time to help all (countries) to prepare for the T20 World Cup. It will give all the players lot of practice as each team will play at least 14 matches.

It's going to get better, the World T20 Cup (because of IPL)," the left-hander told reporters here today.

Yuvraj, who is the captain of Kings XI Punjab, co-owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, was here along with the latter to announce Emirates association with the Mohali-based outfit as its official team sponsor.

Yuvraj, who did not have a successful Test series in New Zealand which India won 1-0 to rewrite history in Kiwi soil after 41 years, said the Kings XI would play similar to what they dished out last year en route the semi-finals in the first edition of the cash-rich T20 league.

"We won 8-10 games (actually ten out of 14 before losing to Chennai Super Kings in the semi-finals on May 31,2008) last year. We will play in a similar fashion," he said.

He, however, refused to be drawn into a debate on the controversial multiple captaincy theory put forth by Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan.

[credit : http://sports.indiainfo.com/article/0904112026_sport_yuvraj/336559.html]

Yuvraj Singh : IPL ideal for Cup preparations

2009-04-12T07:54:00.002-07:00

Mumbai: Yuvraj Singh said on Saturday that the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting on April 18, would be the ideal preparation for the World Twenty20 to be held in England in June.

“The IPL has come at the right time, before the world championships. Each team has 14 games before the semi-finals and final, and it would be a good practice for everybody,” Yuvraj, captain of Kings XI Punjab, said at a press conference here.

He, however, refused to be drawn into a debate on the controversial multiple captaincy theory put forth by Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan.

“No comments. I do not want to say anything about other teams,” Yuvraj said

He also refused to single out any side as the Kings XI’s main rivals, saying all eight teams were good. “I don’t want to single out any team. There are lot of good teams,” he said.

Yuvraj felt the performance of fast bowlers would be a key factor in the coming IPL as the wickets in South Africa are faster than the Indian pitches where the first edition was played.

“The conditions will be different this year. The wickets will be fast and fast bowling will be important and their performance would be crucial,” he said.

Kings XI Punjab owner Preity Zinta said the absence of Australian speedster Brett Lee, who is set to miss most part of the league due to national commitments, would not be felt.

“We have Burt Cockley, a young Australian who can bowl at 140 kmph. He will be our mainstay in the fast bowling department. We have a lot of aces up our sleeves,” the Bollywood actress said.

“Lee is available (for part of the tournament). We have to go there and see what is the best balance,” he said.

Yuvraj also revealed that he went through an emotional turmoil during the first one-day International on the recent tour of New Zealand.

The Punjab player said that the news of the terrorists’ attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers on March 3 in Lahore while he was at the crease in Napier, had left him a shaken man.

“I was batting with Mahendra Singh Dhoni when one of our teammates passed on the news. My hands started shaking and I couldn’t bat,” Yuvraj said.

Yuvraj was run out for two in that match. The impact of the terror attack, however, would remain a conjecture.

The Kings XI Punjab captain would meet the Lankan cricketers for the first time after the attack when he flies to South Africa to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next week. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, two of the players who were wounded in the attack, are the Yuvraj’s teammates in the Mohali-based side.

“I had spoken to Sangakkara and Mahela (Jayawardene) after the match. Thankfully, they were safe. I am looking forward to playing with them,” the middle order batsman said.

[credit : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090412/jsp/sports/story_10809302.jsp]

IPL, CSA yet to resolve hospitality dispute

2009-04-12T07:47:00.001-07:00

Durban: The organisers of the Indian Premier League and Cricket South Africa are yet to resolve the hospitality suites dispute at eight venues which will host the matches of the Twenty20 tournament.

The controversy arose following uncertainty over whether the owners of the suites will be allowed free entry there during the IPL matches.

Cricket South Africa CEO, Gerald Majola, said in a statement that everything was being done to resolve the problems.

"Cricket South Africa is in discussions with the DLF Indian Premier League and the cricket boards at the eight venues that will be hosting Season 2009 of the league in South Africa," he said.

"CSA will look to uphold the interest and rights of all stakeholders. Discussions are in the final stages of an amicable resolution for all parties concerned and CSA is confident that this matter will be settled soon," he added.

Majola, however, said CSA is not in a position to comment further and a statement will be issued after the conclusion of the discussions.

The venues where the IPL matches will be played are in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Kimberley.

The IPL is set to kick off in Cape Town on April 18.

[credit : http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ipl-csa-yet-to-resolve-hospitality-dispute/39872-27.html]

Venkatesh Prasad hoping to ‘study’ foreign players during IPL

2009-04-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, April 12: India’s bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad believes that the upcoming IPL Twenty20 tournament in South Africa will present an opportunity for him and the Indian team members to study and decipher the technique of foreign players, which will help strengthen India’s chances in the Twenty20 World Cup to be held later this year in England.

"Most of the international players will look to use the IPL as a launchpad for the World Twenty20 and you have to be smart here. It`s all about how much of information you want to share and how much information you can gain from others. I am sure there will be a lot of people who would like to know a lot about the Indian team. So I need to be very clear about how much of information I would like to share with others, even if they are from your own IPL team,” Prasad told a cricket website.

"At the same time, I would like to pick the brains of players like Freddie Flintoff, Ntini, Morkel or even Stephen Fleming (Chennai`s head coach) in terms of how the New Zealand guys go about their business in a Twenty20 situation," the former Indian bowler added.

Prasad also said that the conditions this time around will be different than last year and it would be interesting to see how the foreign coaches cope up with the challenge.

"I really don`t know if the domestic players would be able to understand what the foreign coaches are saying. I am not very sure about that. I am not criticising anybody here. But the fact is the way we play our cricket is completely different. So I don`t know how coaches who don`t know how we play our cricket are going to manage.”

"In India, the whole approach is slightly different; for instance, we use much more of our wrists than anybody else, we play more by instinct. We take most of our decisions out there (on the field). You might have a plan, but you also need to go out there and use your mind in terms of assessing the situation and dealing with it," he said.

[credit : http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=19374]

Flintoff dismisses IPL fitness fears

2009-04-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff does not believe playing in the Indian Premier League will have a detrimental effect on his performances for England because of the amount of cricket he has missed in the last year.

The 31-year-old has had several niggling injuries, the latest of which was a hip problem that ruled him out of the final Test and first two one-day internationals in the West Indies.

It has been suggested Flintoff should be wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes this summer, but the all-rounder told Radio Five Live's Sportsweek: "I don't know about that. I have missed so much cricket through injury that I don't want to miss any more."

He added: "I've not played a lot of Twenty20 cricket and I'd like to play more. I'm not saying the money is not very appealing, but there's a lot more to it.

"I spent several weeks working very hard at my fitness when I came back from the West Indies and, hopefully, that will stand me in good stead come the summer."

Other England players, notably Kevin Pietersen, have said the rigours of a long winter away have taken their toll, and Graeme Swann even likened the events of the last few months to an episode of Eastenders.

Flintoff's Caribbean tour may have been interrupted by injury but he was involved in the debates following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and he insists missing home is normal.

"It's been a tough winter all round," he said. "Going to India before Christmas with everything that happened, and coming home and going back, was testing for everyone.

"There have been lots of things going on. These are long tours. We are proud to play for England but people have got things at home as well and families who you desperately miss when you're away. When you come to the end of a trip, of course people are looking forward to getting home and seeing people you haven't seen for a long time."

[credit : http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5htaIVkR2IEzK5akTlrzJcmZZ-Q6g]

Entertainment industry braces for Rs 200cr loss due to IPL, elections

2009-04-09T05:28:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: With the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament and coming general elections set to dominate media space for the next 45 days, the entertainment industry is expected to lose up to Rs 200 crore worth of business in April-May.

This is primarily due to non-availabilty of significant content across media platforms like television, multiplexes, home video, and theatre, among others.

No new films will be released in this period, partly due to the ongoing tussle between multiplexes and Bollywood producers. This may result in a loss of about Rs 150 cr for the major multiplex chains, that otherwise would have hoped to get some returns by running new films every Friday, said a film trade expert from Mumbai.

By industry estimates, at least 80 per cent of box office collections for Bollywood films comes from the 850-odd multiplex screens in the country. Last year, the gross box office collection for Bollywood films during IPL season stood at about Rs 110 cr, the lowest for these in the 2008 calendar year. This year, the multiplexes have already factored in the months of April and May as the period when returns may be the lowest for this calendar year.

However, Joydeep Ghosh Roy, general manager, marketing and sales, PVR Cinemas, says there are always lean periods for multiplexes, when theatres run on lower occupancy and blockbuster films are not released. "We can always run special festivals on our screens. Plus, there are films in the pipeline, including the Hollywood films that will keep coming even in April and May...On an annual basis, we do tend to make up for it from the good months, like the December-January period when Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi were playing on 95 per cent theatre occupancy."

Also, there are few takers for about 15 films lined for release on DVDs, say the home video companies. This may lead to a loss of about Rs 20-30 cr for these companies.

Says Hiren Gada, director, Shemaroo Entertainment, a company that releases films on DVDs and on home videos: "From 2006-07 to the current fiscal, the home video and DVD segment has witnessed a drop of 10-15 per cent in terms of value. We get a sense from the market that consumers are not too keen on spending on DVDs and home video, specially in the next two months." Shemaroo will, however, release the DVDs of Slumdog Millionaire, Billu and Chandni Chowk to China very soon.

With general elections also overlapping with the IPL season, advertisers have divided their ad budgets between SET MAX, the host channel for IPL, and a clutch of news channels that will air election-related programming, leaving no room for ad spends on any other genre of television channels.

Media planners put this perceived monetary loss to entertainment channels due non-availability of additional ad spends at about Rs 20 cr for the period.

[credit : http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2712244]

Indian game for the iPhone

2009-04-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

With the Indian Premier League II set to start from April 18 in Durban, South Africa, cricket fever has gripped Indians around the globe once more.

Little wonder then that Indiagames, a Mumbai-based gaming company, chose this season to launch 'Cricket Super Sixers' for iPhone users abroad.

Cricket Super Sixers is a 3D fast-paced game for iPhone users in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

The company plans to start off with cricket followed by Bollywood games developed in India. Indiagames sees a huge opportunity in tapping these markets.

The game's launch will coincide with that of the IPL. Being the first Indian company to publish titles on the iPhone, Indiagames has an aggressive plan and hopes to release over 20 titles in the next six months.

"We are in all probability the first Indian company to publish titles on the iPhone. Starting with cricket, Indiagames will launch more games on based on Bollywood movies," says Vishal Gondal, chief executive officer, Indiagames.

Calling the iPhone App Store a very competitive marketplace, with thousands for free and paid applications made by hundreds of developers, he says, "It is important to build a very high quality product and target the right category."
More than 6,000 games are now available on the iPhone's App Store.

iPhone: Gamers' delight

The company plans to cash in on iPhones, which offer an excellent interface for gaming. Stepping into a new platform, Indiagames see a huge opportunity in this space as there are many people in the US, who are keen on playing these kind of games on iPhones.

"iPhone is an exciting handset, which has changed the mobile gaming scene throughout the world. It has made other handset manufacturers to think about their products again and make more user friendly experience like the iPhone. One of its main features is the use of the touch screen, which has been fully utilised in this cricket game," explains Srinivasan, Indiagames' lead programmer for the Cricket T20 Super Sixers game.

The iPhone's popularity and its touch screen experience make it a good avenue for gaming, feel gamers.

The game of cricket

The player can slash and slide across the screen and play the favourite cricket shots. The game offers real life player animation with the game based in Durban. Using your fingers, you can play the favourite cricket shots with gesture controls.

You can play over 25 different shots including square cut, cover drives and the hook shot. The company believes that the user experience would make the game a big hit. The game also features online leaderboards where the user can upload his score to see where he ranks with other players in the world.

"The 3D graphics, cutting edge proprietary technology (ICE 3D), real life player animations for the true cricket experience and a game in South Africa's Durban Stadium, one of the current venues of the IPL tournament and the T20 mode of play makes the game different and exciting," says Gondal.

A money spinner?

"Its too early to predict revenue figures but we are pricing the application only at $0.99 and feel that at price and the entertainment value the game will deliver," Gondal says.

The company plans to initiate online and social media marketing to popularise the game, besides spending on mobile marketing. The company will be will be showing banner advertisements to people visiting various mobile sites for cricket score updates

"Developing the game for the iPhone was easy, thanks for Apple to designing a great developer-friendly product. It took us about a month to develop this game. We could develop this game in such a short time with the help of the proprietary ICE 3D platform," adds Srinivasan.

[credit : http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/09/an-indian-game-for-the-iphone.htm]

Red FM to partner Mumbai Indians again

2009-04-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Red FM's Mumbai station is partnering the IPL team Mumbai Indians for the second time in a row. As the official radio partner of Reliance Industry’s Mumbai Indians for the second season of DLF IPL, Red FM will give eight ‘Fadu fans’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch some exciting matches of the Mumbai Indians live in South Africa.

Starting 13 April, Red FM has planned a treasure hunt for the tickets. As a run up to the matches, for a period of four weeks eight locations in the city will be identified and the RJs will give on-air clues to bring the listeners closer to the final location of the tickets. The clues will be devised to crack the code format with a password. Listeners from all over the city will be invited to call in with their estimates and guesses to the location of the ticket. Finally they would have to give the ‘password’ to the person who holds the ticket and only then can they win it. The listener who reaches the location first wins. Red FM OBs will be stationed on locations to capture the excitement and the confusion amongst the listeners. Two tickets to South Africa are up for grabs every week and all of Mumbai has a chance to win. All one has to do is stay tuned in to Red FM and solve all the clues.

Commenting on this first of its kind initiative, Anuj Singh, National Marketing Head and Station Head (Mumbai), Red FM, said, “Cricket is one of the main pillars of Red FM’s programming and who better than Mumbai's No.1 station to partner with Mumbai's home team! Like RED FM, the Mumbai Indians too exemplify the essence of the city and we are thrilled to continue our association with the team. Mumbaikars have the spirit to bring in the excitement and energy into the game. In an ultimate show of support Red FM had turned to Blue FM last year, this year too with our treasure hunt panning across the city, Mumbai will be the playground for the Mumbai Indians Fadu Fan!”

Red FM has planned a very innovative 360 degree campaign across on-air, on-ground and multimedia. The different phases of the campaign will be unveiled in different stages, maintaining listener curiosity and involvement throughout the series.

Last year, in a first of its kind brand integration, Red FM turned to Blue FM for a whole day for the Mumbai Indians. For the first time in the history of radio, a radio station changed its brand name, identity and jingle to support a cricket team. Red FM also won two WOW awards for excellence in events and experiential marketing for the initiative.

[credit : http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/red-fm-partner-mumbai-indians-again]

Captain Warne arrives in South Africa

2009-04-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne arrived in South Africa on Thursday for the second season of the Indian Premier League.

Warne hasn't played any cricket since leading his team to victory last year but appears to be fit and ready for the challenge this season.

The Royals play a warm up game against the South African domestic Twenty20 champions Nashua Cape Cobras this Saturday and their first match is against the Bangalore Royal Challengers on the April 18 at Cape Town.

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