Latest IPL News

Has Team India Squandered its Home Advantage by hosting IPL Periodically?

2014-03-22T06:30:00.003-07:00

What you have got right is the stats. They say that, after the IPL we have not done really well. So you have the stats to back you up on that. But I don’t think it’s for the IPL to be blamed if you say we have not done well after IPL?

We are going to have seventh season of IPL in April this year. But the first leg of the tournament will be based in Sharjah, UAE. This is one of the most paid paper view event that takes place every year. With international players from almost all countries except Pakistan (for obvious reasons) for allowed to participate in this event it is a tournament that gets most revenues through advertisements. Yes it is true that we have now been accustomed to seeing this slam-bang tournament and twenty20 format has been a big hit. But have you ever wondered what this tournament has done to Indian cricket.

Earlier when any team used to travel India they always had tough times accumulating to the climate and temperature in this country. But now with most of the international players participating in IPL the temperature and climate aspect has been negated. The most obvious reason for that being players have become quite used to the slowness and lack of bounce in the Indian conditions. They can now practice effectively during their IPL stints and then come back to tour India for a test and one day series. So; while the Indian team was a lion at home and a mere sheep in abroad conditions now it has turned itself into the situation where they are easily tackled in the home conditions. An English team tours India who are not very accustomed to playing spinners lose the first test match badly and then turn things around to win the test series. This is a big blow to the supremacy of Indian cricket especially if the home conditions are concerned.

The greatest of all the things was the manner in which India lost the test series. Guys like Kevin Petiersen, Eoin Morgon, etc. have already taken part in IPL. In fact; due to their IPL exposure they were able to score freely in India. So now the question is whether team India has lost the firm grip that it once had in home conditions. The answer to this lies in the shortest format of the game. With four over spells of bowlers there is hardly anything to do for a bowler especially an Indian bowler as he cannot take wickets. If a guy like Lasith Malinga and Dale Steyn can get wickets at will in India why can’t Indian bowlers. Whenever team India goes abroad they are always questioned whether they have bowlers to take 20 wickets. So the ultimate question is by letting foreign players get exposure of home conditions is the Indian team grooming new talent or ploughing its own grave. The other major question is whether twenty20 is the future of cricket. Are we not going to see test cricket which is considered to be the ultimate test of batsmen and bowlers as the ultimate hurdle for quality batsmen.

My major concern is that with so much of money at stake in twenty20 tournaments when a hitter like Chris Gayle can become a nomad and travel to different countries to represent their twenty20 tournaments are we seeing new brand of cricketers developing? Home advantage used to be a big plus for the home team but now with cricket becoming a global sporting game this home and away format has little importance. I can imagine a situation where the Indian team in the distant future will start losing their home test matches as well.

Once that is done and dusted; the dawn of Indian cricket will not be too far. So the best thing for the Indian team would be to concentrate on their brand of cricket by having home conditions advantage at their disposal. They can always play the twenty20 tournaments but not India. This is a very serious issue which needs to be resolved very quickly. Due to this quick-fix format we have already lot quite a few test series in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Even losing the one-day series in these tours was the most disheartening thing especially after being titled as the world champions in the year 2011.

Series	Year	Winner	Margin of Victory
India in Sri Lanka Test Series	2008	Sri Lanka	2-1 (3)
Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	2008/09	India	2-0 (4)
England in India Test Series	2008/09	India	1-0 (2)
India in New Zealand Test Series	2008/09	India	1-0 (3)
Sri Lanka in India Test Series	2009/10	India	2-0 (3)
India in Bangladesh Test Series	2009/10	India	2-0 (2)
South Africa in India Test Series	2009/10	drawn	1-1 (2)
India in Sri Lanka Test Series	2010	drawn	1-1 (3)
Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	2010/11	India	2-0 (2)
New Zealand in India Test Series	2010/11	India	1-0 (3)
India in South Africa Test Series	2010/11	drawn	1-1 (3)
India in West Indies Test Series	2011	India	1-0 (3)
Pataudi Trophy (India in England)	2011	England	4-0 (4)
West Indies in India Test Series	2011/12	India	2-0 (3)
Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	2011/12	Australia	4-0 (4)
New Zealand in India Test Series	2012	India	2-0 (2)
England in India Test Series	2012/13	England	2-1 (4)
Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	2012/13	India	4-0 (4)
West Indies in India Test Series	2013/14	India	2-0 (2)
India in South Africa Test Series	2013/14	South Africa	1-0 (2)
India in New Zealand Test Series	2013/14	New Zealand	1-0 (2)

I am not against twenty20. It is one of the most entertaining formats which has to be played especially in Olympics. But to make a league match scenario and a tournament of 60 days is a bit too harsh on today’s cricketers. The best thing would be to play the tournament outside India so that the home advantage is not lost and India can at least win their home tournaments.

I know many of you might be against this as you enjoy IPL. Even I, being a cricket enthusiast, am very happy to have the thrill and shrill in 3 hours’ time. But if Indian team does not win any matches in India; it would be a big disappointment for us as fans of Indian cricket. So something has to be foregone in order to make team India the unbeatable force that each and every Indian wants to see. Please share your thoughts and comments with us.

India team without MS Dhoni is just like a knife without sharpness

2014-03-22T06:24:00.001-07:00

There was lot of anticipation when Indian team went to Bangladesh for their cricketing stint in the recently concluded Asia Cup. The most happening debate was the leadership skills of Virat Kohli in the absence of MS Dhoni. It has to be note that he was the lone batsman that has shown the temperament of scoring big runs in tours of South Africa and New Zealand. Now that the dismal tours have ended it was the right moment to see whether he can showcase his talent as a captain in the Asian tournament. Lots of new players were there in the set up but the absence of MS Dhoni made a major void to fill. With newcomers coming into the team at the expense of experienced players like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yousuf Pathan it was bad news for the Indian team from the start. But it also gave seasoned campaigners like Dinesh Karthik to make their presence felt before the world cup to be played in New Zealand, Australia.

With two of the five cricketing nations being “minnows”; it was apt for the Indian fans to hope for a win against either Sri Lanka or arch-rivals Pakistan. Lot of things were said about the leadership qualities of Virat Kohli. There is no looking back at Virat Kohli, the batsman. We all know he is the next best thing that has happened in the cricketing fraternity after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar. He has even been compared to the great Vivian Richards; but his leadership skills were put to laser sword in this tournament. Virat Kohli’s captainship skills are good but can be improved. But he has shown glimpses of turning into a great leader in the two matches that were played against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It is a completely different matter that he was not able to convert the close matches into victories. But if we look at the changed fielding restrictions after the year 2012 to defend the scores of 264& 245;then to take the opponents to the 50^th over was something to be seen. There were couple of close calls; but in the end the bottom-line is India lost.

But the question is how can Indian team consider this tournament as inconsequential when teams like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and to an extent Afghanistan are looking at this tournament as a big opportunity to acclimatize in Bangladesh conditions. If MS Dhoni would have been there the scenario would have been a lot better. We all know MS Dhoni is recognized as a world-class finisher in the cricketing fraternity. Some of the matches showed how dearly Indian team missed his services. There were times when the score would have been up by 20-30 runs by his mere presence. Furthermore; there is no question that if he would have been there it would have been a great chance to get much needed match practice before the World T20 to be held in the same country. The advantage with Indian team is that BCCI has all the cards in the meetings with ICC. BCCI gives all the advantage to the Indian team by providing them an opportunity to fare better of their opponents in the same location where World T20 is going to be held. Now if MS Dhoni decides to rest in this situation it has to be said that the end purpose of participating in this event is foregone. We all know MS Dhoni can turn a match at its head; if he is given an opportunity with the help of his much wanted unorthodox helicopter shot. His leadership skills are also something which India missed in the concluded Asia Cup.

One more thing that was learnt was the fact that Indian bench strength is very weak. These cricketers do not have the passion to succeed at international level. MS Dhoni has at least been able to withhold the opponents in sub-continent conditions. After the disappointing tours of South Africa and New Zealand; it was opportune time for the Indian team to look good. Even if it was in the sub-continent conditions; these are the same conditions where Rohit Sharma showed his prowess by scoring double century against West Indies. With the likes of Yuvraj Singh andSuresh Rainato be a part of World T20; it would be another run feast for Indian cricket team. That is the least an Indian cricket fan can expect. MS Dhoni is one of the coolest captains that we have seen for a long time and hoping against hope the one thing that we are expecting is to turn the tides towards the Indian side in this mega event.

These statistics do not show the importance of MS Dhoni as a finisher. He usually comes at the fag-end of the innings and elegantly finishes off the game with style.

Batting Performance Analysis

	Matches	Innings	N.O.	Runs	HS	Avg.	S/R	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct
ODI	243	215	64	8,046	183	53.28	89.22	9	54	625	-	224
Tests	82	129	15	4,391	224	38.52	59.85	6	28	475	-	220
Twenty20	43	40	16	772	48	32.17	114.88	-	-	53	-	22
IPL	96	84	25	2244	70	38.03	141.22	-	13	169	89	66

Let me rest my case by saying that Indians had a better chance of winning or at least being in the finals of Asia Cup let alone by his batting prowess. In his leadership; India has won two major world tournaments World T20 in the year 2007 and then World Cup in the year 2011. Let us hope that this time around with his batting skills and leadership prowess; he can turn it around to bring the World T20 this year and World Cup the next year.

The Ever-increasing Popularity of Cash Rich Crop of BCCI - IPL despite Marring Controversies

2014-02-09T11:48:00.001-08:00

Cash Rich Crop - IPL

When Indian Premier League popularly known as IPL was inaugurated in the year 2008 I was very excited to see how this new format will fare. To be honest it has lived up to the expectations to some extent. I have already seen 6 IPL seasons pass by and lots of things have changed (off-the-field controversies) but the tournament still exists and is one of the popular events regularly watched by millions of cricket fanatics around the globe. One man’s dream - Lalit Modi of bringing together players from various different playing nations was earlier laughed at and was even considered a crazy idea. But since then we have seen the demand for T20 cricket and tournaments happening around the globe that have made this format and tournament alive. Let me enumerate the top controversies that have made a mark during the last 6 seasons of Indian Premier League (IPL) along with my reactions:

· Since the year 2008 Indian Premier League popularly known as IPL commenced. In the initial years Lalit Modi acted as IPL chairman as he was the brain behind the IPL tournament. But BCCI found him guilty of “alleged acts of individual misdemeanours" on 25^th April 2010. This included a wide range of financial impropriety, from rigging bidding deals related to the IPL, offering bribes, betting and money laundering. “My question is he acted as IPL chairman for 3 long years and then was asked to vacate the place. How can BCCI guarantee whether he did not favour a particular team and did not affect the results of any of the matches conducted during his tenure as IPL chairman?”

· In the inaugural IPL tournament April 2008 Mumbai Indians’ stand-in captain Harbhajan Singh slapped Kings XI Punjab’s S Sreesanth after losing a match in Mohali. A sobbing Sreesanth was caught on camera. After investigations, BCCI handed Harbhajan an 11-match suspension. This was a big shocker. Since the purpose this game was to bring players from different teams together but that was all ruined. The other fact is cricket is always considered a Gentlemen’s game. Having shared the Indian dressing room for couple of years this was a disheartening thing because I have always considered that being in Indian team is the most important team than an IPL team. When you hit your fellow country sportsman like this what kind of message are you giving to the cricketing fraternity?

· On 14 May 2012 Indian Premier League encountered another defying blow as an Indian News channel India TV aired a string operation which accused 5 players including TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Jadav, Shalabh Shrivastava (Kings XI Punjab), and Abhinav Bali (Dehli) involved in spot fixing. Among them Mishra was caught on tape saying that franchisees paid them black money and that he had received 15 million (US$240,000) from the later, among which 12 million (US$190,000) was black money. He was also suspended from his team. My point is with so much of money riding on the tournament and various heavy weight industrialists backing their teams this was ought to happen. But my point is if these players are paid well they would never go such a thing. As they were uncapped players the whole point of betrayal of trust was never there. But in case if any top international player was caught red-handed the entire stuff would have been a lot different. Then I would have lost trust from the tournament.

· In IPL 5 Luke Pomersbach was arrested for allegedly molesting a US woman of Indian origin. This was probably the first instance where a cricketer was caught doing something that was not expected from a gentleman. It was a bad brand advertisement for such a big tournament.

· On 16 May 2013, 3 players of Rajasthan Royals team were arrested by Delhi Police on charges of spot fixing. The three players were S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan & Ajit Chandila. On 24 May 2013 Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of BCCI president N. Srinivasan was arrested in Mumbai by Mumbai Crime Branch in connection with illegal betting. This was a big blow especially for a cricket fanatic like me. If cricketers like S. Sreesanth and son-in-law of N. Srinivasan were involved in spot fixing then there is a whole lot more than what is seen from naked eyes. I cannot believe that a guy like Sreesanth who is so aggressively while bowling can do such a thing because this is a national disgrace for the cricketers. Let alone this fact that I for one decided not to watch IPL after getting the news.

But what are the odds of this tournament to lose the popularity? I don’t see that happening soon because of the high-adrenal rush that this quick format provides. You get to see a lot of action in 3 hours much like the enjoyment you get after seeing a movie. Seeing international players from different teams rub shoulders with each other for example; Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen together batting in a match is a treat to watch for every cricket fanatic. Involvement of cheerleaders adds lot of glamour and gives sex appeal that was missing in the earlier part of tournaments held in India; and even cricketers like to be cheered.

Moreover when we see fours, sixes, and wickets so quickly it adds to the overall anxiety and there is lot of tension, suspense, emotions involved within each and every cricket fan. Believe me when you are cheering for a team you tend to back them with whole heart. The other thing is the finger tickling combo of cricket and Bollywood with the spiced up fashion, parties, gossips, entertainment which is a rarity to see but we can only see during an IPL tournament. The excited face of Shahrukh Khan, owner of Kolkata Knightriders Team when he goes wholeheartedly with his team; and who can forget his Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re dance after Kolkata Knightriders won IPL 5 tournament!! When you see celebrities come up to support teams it has its own charm. The other thing is fresh talents can come up and showcase their talent on big stage.

The negative thing about IPL is the fact that IPL tournament is conducted during the exams of children. What good would it do if it conflicts with the whole idea of supporting education and children which were done while the tournament was shifted to South Africa? The overdose of cheerleaders, Bollywood stars and highly subsidised rich individuals have all made the wrong showcase points for a tournament that could have been a lot better. One question that comes in my mind is why does IPL tournament does not partner with leading NGOs as a part of their media strategy. This way they can also perform some CSR activities for the poor people. The other thing is we have always had the debate that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. But no one has been able to justify the exorbitant prices that the international players get during auctions and the domestic players hardly get their reserve price met. These are some of the questions that have often been raised but have never been analyzed in an in-depth manner.

In couple of months we will see the commencement of new season of Indian Premier League - IPL 7. Let us hope that the controversies remain at bay and we enjoy an interesting brand of cricket for at least the younger breed of cricketers do need an international stage like IPL to showcase their talents rather than the regular Ranji Trophy matches.

========================================================================

Feel free to post your comments and feedback about IPL to - Mr. Asrani (Author)

List of sold players in IPL auction:

2013-02-08T02:04:00.001-08:00

List of sold players in IPL auction:

Ricky Ponting - $400,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $400,000)
RP Singh - $400,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Johan Botha - $450,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $300,000)
Michael Clarke - $400,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $400,000)
Luke Pomersbach - $300,000 to Kings XI Punjab (base price $50,000)
Phillip Hughes - $100,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $100,000)
James Faulkner - $400,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $100,000)
Glenn Maxwell - $1,000,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $200,000)
Moises Henriques - $300,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Abhishek Nayar - $675,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $100,000)
Thisara Perera - $675,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $50,000)
Jesse Ryder - $260,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $100,000)
Darren Sammy - $425,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Jaydev Unadkat - $525,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Pankaj Singh - $150,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $50,000)
Ravi Rampaul - $290,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $50,000)
Manpreet Gony - $500,000 to Kings XI Punjab (base price $200,000)
Fidel Edwards - $210,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $100,000)
Sudeep Tyagi - $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Dirk Nannes - $600,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $200,000)
Nathan McCullum - $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Ajantha Mendis - $725,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $50,000)
Jeevan Mendis - $50,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $50,000)
Chris Morris - $625,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Sachithra Senanayake - $625,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders (base price $50,000)
Christopher Barnwell - $50,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price 50,000)
Nathan Coulter-Nile - $450,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $100,000)
Ben Laughlin - $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Kane Richardson - $700,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $100,000)
Jacob Oram - $50,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $50,000)
Quinton de Kock - $20,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $20,000)
Dan Christian - $100,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Akila Dananjaya - $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Clint McKay - $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Jason Holder - $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Ryan McLaren - $50,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders (base pirce $50,000)
Kushal Perera - $20,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $20,000)

The big, fat IPL auction: 37 players were bought, $11.89 million was spent in just a few hours

2013-02-08T01:59:00.001-08:00

The economy across the world continues to struggle but the Indian Premier League and its franchises just seem to buck the recession every year.

On Sunday, at the sixth auction, the nine teams spent a combined total of $11.89 million (Rs.64 crore approximately) on purchasing 37 players, as against 25 players at last year's event.

This increase of 12 players was surprising, given that they will all be on one-year contracts since this is the final year of the IPL's three-year cycle of player deals. Next year all the players, except the limited number the franchises choose to retain, are expected to return to the auction pool and the teams will be rebuilt from scratch.

Glenn Maxwell, the young Australia all-rounder, commanded the biggest price at the auction - a whopping $1million (Rs.5.31 crore) - from the Mumbai Indians.

Maxwell, the 24-year-old righthanded batsman who appeared for the Delhi Daredevils last year and had a base price of $200,000, benefitted from an aggressive bidding war between Mumbai and the IPL's latest entrants, Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Mukesh Ambaniowned franchise sealed the deal after the Sun TV-owned franchise stopped at $975,000.

Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis was the second-biggest earner, being picked up by the Pune Warriors for $725,000, while No.3 on the list was little-known Australian pacer Kane Richardson, who the same franchise spent $700,000 on.

Adelaide-based Richardson, who has played just one ODI for Australia, had what seemed to be a rather unrealistic base price of $100,000. But thanks to a bidding war between Pune and Chennai Super Kings, he will be laughing all the way to the bank.

An even bigger surprise was South African all-rounder Chris Morris, who has played a solitary T20 and yet was picked up by Chennai for over 31 times his base price of $20,000. Morris, known in local circles as a Lance Klusener in the making due to his hard hitting and seam bowling, fetched $625,000.

"I have never in my life seen this much money," Morris was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "I suppose one of the things I'd like to do is give my parents anything they should like and spoil them a little bit."

Sri Lankan off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake (base price $50,000) also hit paydirt, getting snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for $625,000, as did uncapped Aussie Nathan Coulter-Nile, who got $450,000 from Mumbai.

The 'marquee' players in the auction, Australia captain Michael Clarke and his predecessor Ricky Ponting, were bought quite surprisingly at their base prices, $400,000 each, by Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians respectively. South African all-rounder Johan Botha (base price $300,000) was picked up by the Daredevils for $450,000, while Rudra Pratap Singh, whose base price was a lowly $100,000, got four times the amount to join Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Indian pacers Jaydev Unadkat ($525,000; base price $100,000) and Manpreet Gony ($500,000; base price $200,000) also hit the jackpot with RCB and Kings XI Punjab grabbing them respectively at the gigantic Rajendra Hall of the ITC Grand Chola hotel.

The most expensive Indian, expectedly, was Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar (base price $100,000), whom Pune Warriors bought for $675,000 after a brave challenge, particularly from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Nayar was in terrific form in the Ranji season gone by, with his 900-plus runs and wicket-taking medium-pace bowling playing an integral part in Mumbai's 40th Ranji Trophy victory.

Only about one-third of the 108 players available were picked up, and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said that was only to be expected. "It was not a full-fledged auction. The franchises this time only wanted to fill the places in the squads. It's not like it has gone down and all. Next year we will have a fullfledged auction when there will be over 350 to 400 players up for grabs," Shukla said.

The limited number of slots and money left under the salary cap restriction of $12.5 million each forced the teams to approach the auction with specific strategies in place.

While the Daredevils wanted allrounders - and bought Jesse Ryder, Johan Botha and Jeevan Mendis -teams like Pune and Hyderabad were attempting to fill out their rosters with the best available players.

The franchises were also clear that they didn't want any wicket-keepers. So, all 10 of them who formed the third set went unsold. They included England's Matt Prior (base price $200,000). However, at the end of the auction, Hyderabad bought South African Quinton de Kock for $20,000.

2012-03-26T10:46:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/fjssc

Amitabh Bachchan Salman & Priyanka To Up the Glam In The IPL 5 Opening Ceremony

2012-03-26T06:15:00.001-07:00

IPL Season 5 Opening Ceremony Hosted By Big B Amitabh Bachchan

Kareena Kapoor adds flavour to IPL 5 opening night

Big B commented on Twitter, the social networking site used by most celebrities that it will be a

great honor to meet the various teams of IPL and their captains who he had watched only on television. He also stated that he is quite nervous but is also very enthusiastic about hosting the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League this year. The sixty nine year old superstar was hospitalized for two surgeries in his abdomen last month and was on a break to recover physically. Apart from Big B, other Bollywood celebrities participating in the Indian Premier League’s opening ceremony this season are Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan who will be performing in this mind blowing event.

This year the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League is hosted by the Big B of the Bollywood

industry, the legend himself – Mr Amitabh Bachchan. The opening ceremony of IPL 2012 will be held in

Chennai on the 3rd of April and the series of matches will start from the 4th April. The opening

ceremony of this mega event which was much awaited will be held at the YMCA College of Physical

Education situated in Chennai. Like rest of the previous seasons of Indian Premier League, this year

also people will witness the blend of Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities in the opening ceremony,

starting at 7.30 pm in the evening.

From the legendary Amitabh Bachchan to the mind-blowing Prabhudeva, from the sultry Priyanka Chopra to the charismatic Salman Khan, and from the melodic Colonial Cousins to Katy Perry -- Opening Nite will have them all. Kareena will add her own brand of ebullience to this all-star ensemble, making this an unforgettable evening and the perfect way to start a summer of exciting cricket.

We all know IPL 5 is going to start on 4 April 2012 and the opening match with be played in Chennai. Also, one day before the match, opening ceremony will be held in chennai on 3 april. So, Finally IPL 5 schedule is out and this is most awaited tournament this year in 2012. Apart from IPL 5, KBC season 6 is also going to start in this year and most probably it is going to start in July – August. So, this year, it’s full be excitement.

Vijay & Siddharth Malya, Katrina, Deepika and Shilpa @ IPL

2012-03-26T04:19:00.000-07:00

Previous IPL WInners Teams With Trohpy, Who Will be The Win of IPL 2012 ?

2012-03-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Winner_2011 Chennai Super Kings

Winner_2010 Chennai Super Kings

Winner_2009 Deccan Chargers

Winner _2008 Rajsthan Royal

IPL auction set for February 4

2011-12-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

The player auction for the 2012 IPL will be held on February 4, the governing council has announced. The players from the Kerala franchise Kochi Tuskers , which was terminated earlier this year, The venue is yet to be announced. will be part of the auction.

Should any of the Kochi players fail to attract the bid, their salaries will be covered by the IPL through the franchise's bank guarantee worth Rs 156 crores that has been encashed by the BCCI. Among the leading players that will be part of the auction are Muttiah Muralitharan, Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene and Ravindra Jadeja.

The governing council also decided that the first window for trading players will be between December 15 and January 20, with a shorter window after the auction. There is no financial cap on trading, though each franchise can add only a maximum of 4 players to their squad through trading.

A huge sand cake for Sachin's birthday!

2011-04-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik Friday began sculpting a huge cake and 38 bats in sand on the beach of his home town Puri as a birthday gift to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who turns 38 Sunday. Pattnaik said this is a special year for Sachin because of India's victory in the cricket World Cup."That is why I am creating the bats and a big colourful birthday cake to pay tribute to the legendary cricketer," he said. Pattnaik said he and the students of his Golden Sand Art Institute have already started work on the sculpture which will be ready for display on Puri beach, 56 kms from Bhubaneswar, by Saturday evening. "I will send the photographs of this sculpture to Sachin," the artist told IANS over phone. Pattnaik, who has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the globe and has won many prizes, said they are using 20 tonnes of sand for the sculture.

Sachin's decision should be respected: Sanga

2011-04-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

With reports emerging that Sachin Tendulkar may not play against Deccan Chargers in the IPL on Sunday in view of the worsening condition of Sathya Sai Baba, DC skipper Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday said one should respect the iconic batsman's decision.

"If Sachin does not play on Sunday because he is worried about Sathya Sai Baba, his decision should be respected. You should always show a support towards personal decisions," Sangakkara said.

"There are many followers of Sai Baba in Sri Lanka too and they are also anxious. So I think it's a personal decision and should be respected," he added. Mumbai Indians skipper Tendulkar on Saturday joined the thousands of devotees praying for a speedy recovery of Shri Sathya Sai Baba, whose condition continues to remain very critical.

Asking his fans to pray for the well being of Satya Sai Baba, Tendulkar, an ardent follower of Sai Baba, tweeted, "I m praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health."

The panel of doctors attending on the spiritual guru today said that his vital organs were showing minimal response to treatment and he continues to be in same critical state of health.Sangakkara also wished Sachin, who turns 38 on Sunday, a very happy birthday in advance.

"I wish him a very happy birthday," the Sri Lankan added.

Aamir, Bachchans at Sachin's birthday bash?

2011-04-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

There's a probability that the actors may be present at a birthday party being organised for Sachin Tendulkar...

There's news that with India having won the World Cup and with the IPL going great guns, the Ambanis - Nita and Mukesh Ambani - are keen to throw a birthday bash for the Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who deserves every kind of applause.

News has it that Nita and Mukesh Ambani will throw a small bash for him and felicitate him in their own little way. "They are planning to hold a party. We don't know how lavish it will be. But they are yet to ask Sachin. He's a very private person and may want to spend his special day with his family."

If the Ambanis do throw a bash for him, a few Bollywood celebrities are expected. " Aamir Khan and the Bachchans will surely be on the list. The Ambanis may even invite the fellow owners of other IPL teams - so that'll have Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra on the guest list, too. But nothing is certain as of now. The Mumbai Indians team will of course be there in full force," we are told.

So let's wait and watch, what kind of a blast this Master Blaster will have on his special day.

24th april sachin's birthday is now WORLD CRICKET DAY ?

2011-04-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hereafter, we may celebrate ‘World Cricket Day’ on April 24th, Master Blaster Tendulkar’s birthday. The International Cricket Council is rumored to celebrate Sachin’s birthday as the ‘World Cricket Day.’

You may also be interested in: 10 Must-know facts about Sachin Tendulkar.

For any cricketer, Sachin he is the perfect role model. Tendulkar has carried the expectations of a nation of 1.2 billion people since his debut as a 16-year-old in 1989. He holds the record for most runs in tests (13,447) and one-day internationals (17,598) and most centuries in tests (47) and ODIs (46).

Ageless Tendulkar turns 38, Sachin cancels b'day bash, prays for Sai Baba

2011-04-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 38 on Sunday, has decided not to celebrate his birthday and remains doubtful for the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Deccan Chargers here in view of the worsening condition of the spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba. Tendulkar is an ardent devotee of the 85-year-old Baba, whose condition is very critical.

Tendulkar said he is praying for Baba's quick recovery.

"I am praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health," Tendulkar said on Twitter.

The Mumbai Indians' captain did not arrive with the team on Saturday for the match against Deccan Chargers here on Sunday but is expected to come later in the day, according to sources in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

He is, however, uncertain for the match and has also decided not to celebrate his birthday, sources said.
"He may stay away from Sunday's match so that he can visit Puttaparthi, the pilgrim town in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, in case of any eventuality," sources said.

Tendulkar, who has visited Puttaparthi on several occasions to seek Baba's blessings, had planned a party in the hotel to celebrate his birthday. The Mumbai Indians' management and HCA officials had even made some arrangements for the party.

Delhi beat Pune to register 1st IPL-4 win

2011-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Delhi beat Pune to register 1st IPL-4 win

Yuvraj Singh's all-round show went in vain as Delhi Daredevils defeated Pune Warriors by three wickets in a high-scoring Indian Premier League clash to record their maiden victory in the fourth edition tournament here on Sunday. Chasing an imposing target of 188, Delhi romped home with four balls to spare as David Warner (46), Virender Sehwag (37) Venugopal Rao (31) and Aaron Finch (25) shone with the bat. Earlier, opener Jesse Ryder (60) and skipper Yuvraj (66 not out) struck half-centuries to help Pune Warriors amass an imposing 187 for five.

Yuvraj then took four wickets and it looked that his team will go on to score its third successive win but the Delhi batsmen refused to buckle under pressure of chasing a massive total and came out victorious.

Yuvraj though was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. The visitors started splendidly with a 75-run opening stand between Warner and skipper Sehwag but a flurry of wickets reduced Delhi to 120 for five and they appeared to be heading towards another defeat.

Venugopal (31 in 20 balls) and Finch (25 in 12 balls) then raised a crucial stand of 47 runs in 4.1 overs for the sixth wicket to put them on the doorsteps of a fine victory. James Hopes (13), who has stayed on to play in the IPL in spite of the death of his father back home in Australia, completed the victory in style by smashing Jesse Ryder for a six and a four in the first two balls of the final over.

Twenty runs came in the 18th over bowled by Shrikant Wagh that swung the match Delhi's way.

Earlier, after being invited to bat by Delhi, Ryder took full use of two reprieves by Ashok Dinda in bludgeoning his way to 60 off only 27 balls. He hit five huge sixes and as many fours.

During his stay, Ryder added 54 runs in 6.2 overs for the second wicket with Mithun Manjas (20 in 18 balls).

Yuvraj, who came in at the fall of Manhas' wicket, struck a quickfire 66 not out in 33 balls, with five massive sixes and four fours, to give Pune the impetus towards the end.

The skipper put on 41 runs in just 17 balls for the unfinished sixth wicket with Wayne Parnell (10 not out). The Delhi bowlers, after having allowed Pune to go on a rampage in the first ten overs, came back strongly in the second half of the innings till Yuvraj smashed Ashok Dinda for 26 runs in the final over to undo the visitors' good work in the period after Ryder's dismissal.

Yuvraj carted Dinda for three on-side sixes, two of them off successive balls, and a four, to finish the innings on a high. On a good batting track the Warriors, who had chased successively in their first two games, began their innings on a confident note.

Daredevils' ploy to open the bowling with part-time off-break bowler Venugopal nearly paid dividends but for Dinda's late reaction to latch on to Ryder's mistimed pull. The fortunate New Zealander then whacked the bowler for two successive sixes to set the Pune on course. Fourteen runs came off Rao's opening over and as expected, was replaced by Irfan Pathan.

Dinda drew first blood when he had Graeme Smith caught at third man in his second over.Pathan, after a good first over, was hit for a four and a six by Ryder in successive balls in his next.

Umesh Yadav, back in the team after being omitted for the previous game, was then slammed for 21 runs.

Ryder looked a man in total command as he cut and pulled the wayward bowler for three successive fours to help the team reach 50 in 32 balls. Having watched Ryder smash left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem for a six, Manhas did a repeat against James Hopes before the Australian exacted his revenge by having the Delhi player caught at midoff for 20. Ryder, on 46, pulled Nadeem hard and straight to the deep mid-wicket fence, where Dinda dropped a sitter to give the batsman his second life.

The Kiwi accepted it gleefully and smacked the next ball over long-on for his fifth six to reach his half century in only 24 balls. Ryder swung the bowler for another four to the square leg fence before holing out to Aaron Finch. After that, Daredevils fought back in the next five overs to arrest the run-rate.

At the end of the 15 over, Pune were 128 for five but in the next, Irfan conceded 13 runs.

Mohnish Mishra, who played a match-winning 21-ball 37 in the previous game against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, failed to get going and fell cheaply to Dinda.

What followed after that was total carnage as Yuvraj took the Delhi bowlers to the cleaners.

The flamboyant left-hander swung Dinda over midwicket for his first six, then slammed him over long-on before pulling him over midwicket to spoil the bowler's figures.

Celebrity & Team Owners of IPL

2011-04-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Celebrity & Team Owners of IPL in Colorful Action

Are bhagvan ko pranam karte hai "NAMAJ nahi padte" Koi to samjao?

2011-04-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

JUST 4 FUN ((Just Kidding)

Ganguly to make IPL comeback with Kochi?

2011-04-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

Former Indian and Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly is once again linked to make a sensational comeback in the IPL with Kochi franchisee, sources have told CNN-IBN.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who are making their IPL debut this year, is keen to take Sourav Ganguly on board seven days after the kick-off for the fourth season of the IPL.

Ganguly is likely to be included as a replacement player for Kochi Tuskers after Steve Smith was ruled out of the tournament. And if Ganguly dons the orange, the Kolkata icon will debut for Kochi against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on April 20. So the KKR fans, who were shouting in anger when KKR dropped Ganguly, are sure to have a jaw-dropping scenario when their favourite son sits in the opposition dug-out.

Ganguly, along with Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer and Punjab pacer VRV Singh were the only three Indian players to remain unsold at the end of the two-day auction that took place in January in Bangalore.

Kochi has made worst possible start in this edition losing both their matches.

SriLankans players May leave IPL early for England tour

2011-04-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Colombo: Sri Lankan cricketers participating in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) have been asked to return home early to prepare for the national team's tour of England that gets underway on May 14.

Ten Sri Lankan cricketers are contracted to various franchises, two of which are being led by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the islanders' two senior-most players.

The Sri Lankans are scheduled to leave for England on May 10 and the IPL-contracted players have been requested to return home at least by May 5 to prepare for the tour. The IPL ends on the May 28. "On a recommendation made by the national selection committee, I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour," Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told PTI on Tuesday.

"When contracted players of Sri Lanka Cricket represent other tournaments, they should make sure that their priority lies with the national team and this will be strictly adhered to in the future," Aluthgamage added.

The move by the Sri Lankan government is in complete contrast to the one that was taken three years ago when it cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow the players participate in the hugely popular Twenty20 league, which had started in 2008.

The government's decision at that time attracted severe criticism from both the media as well as several former players, including 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. Besides Deccan Chargers skipper Sangakkara and Kochi Tuskers Kerala captain Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Pradeep are some of the Sri Lankan players involved in the fourth season of the IPL.

As the list features match-winners like Malinga and Dilshan besides Sangakkara and Jayawardene, owners of the respective franchises would be hard-pressed to find replacements for these players.

Lalit Modi to sue Giles Clarke

2011-04-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

London: Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), is being sued by former IPL chief Lalit Modi for libel over an email he sent last year to Indian cricketing authorities warning of a plan to set up a rebel Twenty20 league in England.

"Clarke faces two separate libel actions: one from Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League, and the other from IMG, the international sports marketing firm, both of whom deny they were involved in any plan to set up a rebel Twenty20 league in England," according to a report in The Daily Telegraph Saturday.

The alleged plan called "Project Victoria" worth &pound1.2 billion ($1.87 billion) will be a key part of a libel case to be heard in England's High Court this summer between some of the most powerful figures in the sport, the report said.The libel claims will be heard at a high court trial in July, which is set down for a month and expected to cost Two Million pounds.

Documents lodged at the high court show Clarke's defence will allege IMG and Modi held discussions with leading English counties over a secret plan to introduce an IPL-style Twenty20 competition involving franchises rather than counties.

Modi and IMG counter that defence by claiming Clarke has lied in court documents in a "desperate attempt to exculpate himself," a claim Clarke denies. The email that provoked the libel claims was sent by Clarke to the president of the Indian cricket board, Shashank Manohar, although IMG contends it was also copied to members of the ECB board and other officials. It was subsequently leaked to the media. Clarke denies being responsible for the leak to the media.

Hugs 'N Bugs @ IPL

2011-04-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Humm......No Comments :)

Celebrity @ IPL

2011-04-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Latest IPL News

2011-04-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Cartoon on IPL After World Cup

IPL4 Opening Ceremony Captain of all Team with Amin

Symbol of Cricket Lovers

CSK vs KKR (Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders)

2011-04-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Raina

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Aniruda Srikkanth

CSK Cheers After Winning

Jacques Kallis Fav. Style

Kolkata Knight Riders bowler cheers after wicket

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Manoj Tiwari dives to stop a shot

Morket Play Shot

Suresh Raina Looking a ball