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Best News Extracted from the Internet for Cricket Crazy Fans

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ATN acquire Asia Cup rights in Canada

Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN), which broadcasts to Canada’s three million people of South Asian, East Asian and Arabic heritage, has acquired exclusive broadcast rights in Canada for cricket’s Asia Cup 2008, in a deal with ESPN Star Sports.

The competition, hosted in Pakistan, begins on June 24, and features teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE and Hong Kong. The matches will be broadcast live and rebroadcast on ATN channels CBN and ATN Cricket Plus. The six teams are split into two groups of three, from which the top two progress to a second group stage. The top two teams from the second group stage contest the final.

source : www.sportbusiness.com

Sreesanth to sit out of ASIA CUP

India medium pacer Manpreet Gony will keep his place in the one-day side for the Asia Cup after Sri Sreesanth was ruled out due to injury.

Sreesanth, who played for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, suffered a side strain in their final league match against Rajasthan Royals.

He was replaced by Gony for the recent tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh, but has now failed a further fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Although Gony joined the team just before India's first match against Pakistan in the one-day tournament in Dhaka, he did not play a match and has yet to make his one-day debut.

Pakistan will host the Asia Cup, which will take place from June 24 to July 6 and also includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

source : The Press Association

Pakistan beat India, lift Kitply Cup

An all-round performance helped Pakistan beat India by 25 runs to clinch the Kitply Cup one-day tri-series here Saturday. For Pakistan, centuries by Man of the Match Salman Butt (129 retired hurt) and Younis Khan (108) helped it pile a formidable 315 runs for the loss of three wickets in their allotted 50 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

In reply, India gave a tough fight but were bowled out for 290 runs in 48.2 overs. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni waged a lonely fight with his brilliant 64 after his deputy Yuvraj Singh (56) departed the scene.

It was a good toss to win for Pakistan and captain Shoaib Malik wasted no time in opting to bat to exploit the excellent batting conditions. The Pakistan batsmen responded well and despite losing wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal early in ninth over played cautiously to stabilise their innings.

Akmal’s loss brought experienced Younis in the middle and he along with Butt added fluency to the Pakistan’s innings. Both batsmen went on to go past the century mark as they smacked Indian bowlers all over the ground for their 205-run second wicket partnership.

Dhoni did try to shuffle his bowlers and tried as many as eight bowlers but to no avail.

Even the move to bring young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla backfired as he ended up being the most expensive Indian spinner in an ODI, conceding 85 runs in his 10 overs. Only Irfan Pathan proved to be effective snapping two wickets for 59 runs.

Even the wicket of Younis in 42nd over and Butt’s getting retired hurt didn’t arrest the flow of runs, with Misbah-ul-Haq accelerating the damage making a quickfire 21 ball 33.

India got off to a bad start losing Virender Sehwag for two in the second over. Gautam Gambhir (40) and Rohit Sharma (24) tried to build the innings. But their 59-run stand was broken after Rohit mistimed a hook off Umar Gul and was caught by substitute Nasir Jamshed in deep-backward square leg.

A 59-ball 56 by Yuvraj kept India in the hunt but he too couldn’t convert his innings into a big one that could save the team. Dhoni made a last ditch effort to take India through but started losing partners at the other end.

With nine chips down, Dhoni charged Shahid Afridi in the 49th over with a huge six before being caught at deep mid-wicket.

Source : www.thaindian.com

India beat Bangladesh, to play Pak in final

Powered by an unbeaten century by Gautam Gambhir India on Thursday defeated Bangladesh comprehensively by seven-wickets in the last league match of the tri-series to set up a summit clash against archrivals Pakistan on Saturday.

Set 223 to win, India overhauled the modest target with 14.5 overs to spare as the demolishing Indian opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir scorched the Sher-e-Bangla stadium with thundering shots all around the park.

Sehwag (58), who hit a blazing half-century, put up 85 runs in just 10 overs for the first wicket along with Gambhir, setting a firm foundation for the convincing victory.

Earlier, Raqibul Hasan hit a brilliant 89-run knock to steer Bangladesh to 222 all out in 49.5 overs, after electing to bat on a good bating track. India emerged as superiors side in the tournament, finishing the league match engagements with two victories in as many matches and qualified for the final in style.

Pakistan by virtue of their win against Bangladesh entered the summit clash, slated for Saturday.

It was Gambhir's second successive hundred against Bangladesh and fifth overall, which was studded with 13 boundaries and one shot over the fence. After Ferhad Reza and Mashrafe Mortaza failed to stop merciless Delhi duo, skipper Mohammed Ashraful introduce young Dolar Mahmud into the attack in the 10th over. However, Ashraful had no idea what was in store for Mahmud as the Najafgarh marauder creamed him for 22 runs, hitting him for two extra-cover sixes and two leg-side boundaries.

In the process, Sehwag completed his 27th One-day half century consuming just 27 balls, though he succumbed on the last ball of the over while trying to hook Mahmud for another big shot. Gambhir, who did not get much strike earlier, had reeled off three boundaries in a Reza over, before Sehwag unleashed a flurry of strokes.

source : cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India defeat Pakistan by a record margin of 140 runs

Praveen Kumar continues to impress with the new ball in one-dayers.

Man of the Match in the last ODI India played — against Australia — Kumar produced another outstanding performance to bowl India to a 140-run rout over Pakistan in the Kitply Cup here on Tuesday. This was India's biggest margin of victory by runs against Pakistan.

Pakistan, chasing 331, were undone by Praveen’s opening spell of four for 42, slipping to 81 for four by the 13th over. They were bowled out for 190 in only 35.4 overs, with leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (4 for 40) running through the tail.

The Indian bowlers were ably supported by their fielders. The first wicket, of Salman Butt, fell after Rohit Sharma pulled off a brilliant catch at short point.

Rohit's effort was yet another example of the importance of having fresh legs in the outfield.
Earlier, Delhi mates Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir put on a century partnership of 155 in 21.3 overs to lay the foundation of a massive total.

Sehwag (89, 76b, 13x4, 1x6) was cautious to begin with, allowing the in-form Gambhir (62, 62b, 6x4) to dictate.

Gambhir was dropped twice by Younis Khan at slip, on 4 and 29. At the other end, boundaries poured at Sehwag’s will.

Pakistan's choice of four medium-pacers, adding Rao Iftikhar to their attack at left-arm spinner Fawad Alam's expense, bore no fruit.

Sehwag, too, was lucky when Kamran Akmal floored an outside edge off Iftikhar when he was on 43.

Unperturbed, Sehwag carried on with the carnage. Left-arm medium-pacer Wahab Riaz, who impressed against Bangladesh two nights ago, could do precious little after breaking the opening partnership, removing Gambhir and Sehwag off successive overs, bounce doing the trick.
It was Riaz again who was the centre of attention at the death when he was removed from the attack for bowling his second full toss above the waist.

It was not understandable why Yusuf Pathan was sent at number four when more reputed batsmen were waiting in the dressing room. The momentum was lost for a brief period as the debutant half-brother of Irfan Pathan, making it a rare case of brothers playing in the same ODI for India, looked lost in his maiden visit at this level. He did not last long either as did Rohit Sharma before Yuvraj Singh's swashbuckling 54-ball 55 (3x4, 3x6) and Dhoni's cameo brought India back on track.

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Kitply Cup - Triangular International Series in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In what could be a warm up before the final, India and Pakistan clash with each other after a long time on 10 Jun in Bangladesh in the Kitply Cup.

The Indian team is overworked with the recently concluded IPL. The Pakistan team is returning after a long rest.

India and Pakistan ODI Cricket matches have traditionally been the nation’s frenzy. The matches played at neutral venues used to attract best TRPs. Sharjah days can be fondly remembered.

The players to watch in the match are many. India is without Sachin Tendulkar and Sreesanth. Yusuf Pathan is likely to debut after the brilliant showing in the IPL. Wahab Riaz is to be watched for Pakistan. It is going to be an exciting encounter.

source : http://www.newsline365.com/

Rajasthan Royals are IPL 2008 champs

Yusuf Pathan's phenomenal all-round act helped Rajasthan Royals win the Indian Premier League 2008 in a thrilling last-ball finish against Chennai Super Kings. After an absorbing 44-day period, the outcome of the tournament was fittingly decided off the last possible ball, as Rajasthan chased 164. You couldn't chose between two teams in a last-ball finish. MS Dhoni had had a phenomenal run in these last over finishes but his luck ran out on Sunday night at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

With one run needed off the last ball, on strike was Sohail Tanvir, Rajasthan's best bowler in the IPL, and his captain Shane Warne. Laxmipathy Balaji had the ball; he banged it in and Tanvir pulled it past mid-on for four. The Royals, who were everyone's underdogs in the beginning, won by three wickets to wrap up a remarkable campaign.

Yusuf Pathan the hero

In what must be one of the finest all-round performances in recent times, Pathan turned the match on its head twice --- first with the ball, then with the bat.

Chennai were off to an assuring start. Parthiv Patel and S. Vidyut added 39 for the first wicket when Pathan struck. In fact, he went on to take the first three wickets, bowling his stump-to-stump spin.

Then, with Rajasthan under the burner at 42-3 Pathan struck a characteristically brutal 56 (39 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) to bring his team at the doorsteps of a famous win. When Yusuf was run out by a blinding direct hit from point by Suresh Raina, the Royals needed 21 from 14 balls.

The Kapil Dev moment

A pivotal moment in the game was the introduction of Muttiah Muralitharan in the 11th over. Pathan was in unfamiliar territory, having to defend more than attack. But he tried to break free against Murali and mistimed his loft. The ball hung in the air and Raina ran back from midwicket to long on. He got to the ball, cupped it, let it slip, caught it again, and finally dropped it.

Twenty-five years ago, Kapil Dev had memorably hung on to a similar catch to turn another final on its head. After Raina's miss, Pathan went into overdrive and that, in the end, was the difference between the two sides.

After benefitting from that drop, Yusuf had two other chances --- both equally difficult. On 33, Manpreet Gony couldn't close his hands on a catch that came to him on his follow through. Later in the innings, Balaji dropped a similar catch off his bowling.

source : ndtv.com

The Semifinal Schedule

1st Semi-Final:

Delhi Daredevils v/s Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai - May 30, 2008 (20:00 local, 14:30 GMT)

2nd Semi-Final:
Chennai Super Kings v/s Kings XI Punjab at Mumbai - May 31, 2008 (20:00 local, 14:30 GMT)

Final:
at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai - Jun 1, 2008 (20:00 local, 14:30 GMT)

Kings XI Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals

Mohali, May 28 (PTI) Shaun Marsh notched up his maiden IPL century to power Kings XI Punjab to a massive 221 for three against Rajasthan Royals in their last league match here today.
The left-handed Australian was in a furious mood and punished all the rival bowlers to all corners of the park as he produced a scintillating 115-run knock off just 69 balls.

His amazing century, sixth of the tournament, was studded with 11 fours and seven sixes.

Marsh went back to the hut in the last over while trying to smash Shane Watson for a big shot.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh's late blitzkrieg helped the team get past 200 run-mark. He hit a blazing 16-ball 49-run cameo before getting run out on the last ball of the innings.

The Punjab southpaw smashed two four and half a dozen sixes, including three consecutive in Siddharth Trivedi's over and shared a 80-run stand with Marsh for the second wicket.

Earlier, Marsh together with opening partner James Hopes (51), who hit an elegant half-century, provided a rollicking start to the Punjab team after being sent in to bat by rival skipper.

Together they put up 133 runs for the opening wicket, which was best for the Kings XI Punjab in the tournament.

Marsh was at his best as he displayed an array for mesmerising shots all around the park.

The left-handed Aussie played furious cut shots, elegant straight and cover drives, fierce pulls and raced away to his sixth half-century of the tournament in just 27 balls.

He pulled leg-spinner Dinesh Salunkhe for a boundary on the leg side to get to his fifty and in the process became the highest run-getter in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals could manage 180 for the loss of seven wickets with contributions from Neeraj Patel (57) and Yusuf Pathan (39). Piyush Chawla captured three wickets giving 35 runs.

source : www.ptinews.com

Rajasthan win toss and elect to field against Punjab

MOHALI: The Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and elected to field against the Kings XI Punjab here on Wednesday at the Punjab Cricket Association ground.

This is the last match (56th) of the first edition of the Indian Premier League prior to the semi-finals.

Shane Warne gets a rest and Watson leads Rajasthan today. They have decided to go with only three overseas players. Younis Khan gets his first game and his Pakistan team-mate Kamran Akmal gets in too. Mahesh Rawat, the reserve wicketkeeper, is in the team too.

Punjab have given Mahela Jayawardene a rest and brought in Luke Pomersbach. Wilkin Mota gets a chance too.

source : www.geosuper.tv

Drug rap returns to haunt IPL boss Modi

Lalit Modi

The high profile commissioner of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, was convicted of possessing drugs, kidnapping and assault in the US during his days as a university student. The conviction came after Modi confessed to committing the offences before a North Carolina court.

In his defence, Modi’s lawyers say he did not serve the two-year jail sentence as he was let off on probation, and the Durham County Court did not give a final decision on his sentencing for drugs possession.

The Supreme Court has been hearing a petition challenging Modi’s position as a cricket official since 2005. But the case has acquired urgency lately after the petitioner asked for a quick resolution, either way.

Despite repeated attempts to contact him for a response through calls and SMSes, and despite explaining the story to him on SMS, Modi, though polite, indicated he would not comment.

Documents available with HT show Modi had pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine, abduction and assault in the state of North Carolina in 1985.

These documents are included in the petition being heard by the Supreme Court, challenging Modi’s election as president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association on the grounds that its rules do not permit anyone convicted of a criminal offence to hold the post of an office-bearer. The petitioner is Kishore Rungta, who was defeated by Modi in the elections.

If the court upholds the petitioner’s plea, Modi’s position as vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India may also become untenable.

In 1985, General Court of Justice, Durham County, had charged Modi with kidnapping, assault and possession of 400 grams of cocaine, court documents show. He then entered a ‘plea bargain’, which is permitted under the US law and allows a reduced punishment without a trial if the accused confesses to his or her crimes.

“Since the case was reported in the press, in order to avoid further publicity, embarrassment, protracted litigation in a foreign country, heavy costs and consequent intervention with his academic career, he entered into plea bargaining,” Modi’s lawyers wrote in a submission to the Supreme Court.

The Durham County Court accepted Modi's plea bargaining application and found him guilty of kidnapping and assault. The court sentenced him to two years imprisonment and fined him $10,000.

On Modi's request, the court placed him on a five-year probation, asking him to undergo 100 hours of community service. The decision on sentencing for possession of drugs was deferred for five years on the condition that a $50,000 cash bond was deposited with the court. This is a normal practice in North Carolina for first-time offenders.

Modi moved the court again in 1986 -- after graduating from Duke University -- seeking permission to move to India on health grounds. The court ordered: "As a fact the defendant has been hospitalised. His doctors indicate that a return to his home in India would facilitate his recovery… The said probation be modified to unsupervised probation. As a condition, the defendant is to perform 200 hours of community service by 1990. He may return to his home…"

Modi's lawyers say the US court did not pass any final judgment on the drugs charge in the next five years and the cash bond was also discharged. North Carolina rules allow first-time offenders in drugs cases to be given the benefit of deferred sentences.The issue of Modi's conviction has been haunting him regularly. A public interest litigation in the Mumbai High Court in 2007 challenged his election as BCCI vice-president on the same ground. (See accompanying box)

Though the court refused to unseat Modi, it asked the BCCI "to implement stringent regulatory measures so that those involved in criminal cases, not just illegal drugs but other serious charges have no place in administration".

There are no indications so far that the BCCI paid any heed to the Bombay High Court's suggestions.

source : www.hindustantimes.com

Dilshan's wedding gives Daredevils a break from IPL tension

New Delhi (PTI): The agonising wait for Rajasthan Royals' last-ball win over Mumbai Indians that booked them a place in the IPL semifinals turned out to be quite enjoyable for the Delhi Daredevils, who found a perfect getaway from the tension at teammate Tillakaratne Dilshan's wedding here on Monday night.

The 31-year-old Dilshan got married at a city hotel on Monday night and the Daredevils came out in full force to wish the Sri Lankan all-rounder and his bride.

The marriage was conducted under Hindu rituals and turned out to be a refreshing experience for the team's other foreign recruits.

"It was mesmeric. The music, the clothes that they wore, the atmosphere was completely a new experience for me. I had a good time," said Australian pacer Brett Geeves.

And while they were enjoying the wedding, the Daredevils' happiness was doubled by the arrival of the news that Rajasthan beat Mumbai in a last-ball humdinger.

Needing three runs of the last ball, Rajasthan benefited from a misfield and a spilt run-out chance to romp home and continue with their winning streak.

The Daredevils' hearts would have definitely skipped a few beats during the close match but Dilshan's wedding made sure that the team found a getaway from the tension.

source : www.hindu.com

Shoaib to appear in dope test along with contracted players

Karachi (PTI): Though Shoaib Akhtar is not among the contracted player of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the maverick pacer has been told to appear in a dope test along with national team members.

PCB's decision to ask Shoaib, despite he not being a contracted player of the Pakistan board, undergo the test comes on the heels of media reports claiming syringes were found in his bag before his departure for the Indian Premier League.

While there is nothing extraordinary with the contracted players being put through a dope test, the decision to ask Shoaib too undergo it has created a stir.

Shoaib is already fighting a five-year ban for his comments against the board. He was granted one month reprieve by an appellate tribunal to allow him play in the IPL.

Akhtar's ban, which disallowed him playing anywhere in Pakistan or for Pakistan, will be reinstated from June 4 when appellate tribunal resumes hearing on his appeal against the ban imposed by the board.

Questions are being asked whether this has something to do with reports that custom officials had allegedly found large quantity of empty syringes in his luggage at the airport before leaving for India.

No board official was available to confirm or deny the development as the officials are in Colombo for the Asian Cricket Council meeting, but sources say the pacer would undergo the test even if he is under ban.

Akhtar tested positive in 2006 for taking a banned substance and was banned for two years along with Mohammad Asif but later the ban was overturned after an inquiry panel upheld his appeal.

source : www.hindu.com

Ness Wadia in controversy with Punjab Police

Latest in the series is the on going tussle between the Punjab Police Senior Superintendent of Police Mr RS Khatra and Ness Wadia. It is learnt that the Punjab Police Officer has filed a complaint against Ness Wadia for using derogatory language with him and alleging the Punjab Police of selling tickets for IPL matches and allowing unofficial entry into the stadium to hundreds of persons without tickets. Ness Wadia is also learnt to have accused the Punjab Police of stealing liquor bottles and T Shirts from the Punjab team.

IPL is a private body and the deployment of such a large police force for security duties can anytime come under the scanner. Approximately 1000 police personnel are known to have been deployed in the Mohali Stadium. However the Punjab Police is already one up on this issue. They are learnt to have already floated a bill of Rs 18 Million as charges for security. In a letter to the Mohali Deputy Commissioner the Punjab Police has asked for the payment of the charges by the PCA and IPL immediately. They have also stated that no security will be provided for the next match if the charges were not paid.

In view of the security situation in the country this is a fine recipe for disaster. The issue needs to be resolved above parochial interests of both the parties in the interest of the game and the nation.

source : www.newsline365.com

SRK upset with IPL, says he pays his team to win

New Delhi: It seems like Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan has not got over the fact that he was warned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to stay away from the dugout even after Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi clarified on the issue.

Sounding miffed at being treated as a 'bookie' Shah Rukh said," I have paid my players to win. Will I pay them now to lose? This is illogical. The IPL has set its set of rules & regulation and I am a law-abiding person. But why pick on me? Other team owners are seen near their players. Is it because I am a celebrity & vulnerable?"

On Thursday, Shah Rukh sent a SMS to his team saying that he would boycott the remaining matches of the IPL till the League clarified the code of conduct and cricketing authorities.

The superstar on Sunday had also expressed disappointment with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit for barring him from going to the team dugout and dressing room.

The Anti-Corruption Unit officials had cautioned Shah Rukh about going into the dressing room and the team dugout during the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.

source : www.ibnlive.com

Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers, storms into Semis

Kings XI Punjab gripped their confidence and spirit for the semi final as they thrashed out Hyderabad Deccan Chargers by six wickets at the Punjab Cricket stadium, Mohali.

Chasing a formidable target of 176 runs the KingsXI displayed some excellent batting performance with bringing the fastest fifty of the tourney with in 3.5 overs. Sangakkara’s cameo fifty of just 25 balls, the 2nd fastest of IPL, coupled with aggressive batting of Marsh lift the score board to 84 in just 7.4 overs. Marsh scored 60 of 46 balls.

Yuvraj and Pomersbach sent back to pavilion cheaply while Jayawadhane and Piyush Chawla put the finishing touch to beat the chargers in the last over of the game. For Deccan Chargers Ojha grasped 2 wickets while Styris and Rohit Sharma shared 1 wicket each.

Earlier The Deccan chargers had got a firm start as both the openers Adam Gilchrist and Gibbs seemed to be in good touch today and added 79 runs in the 1st wicket stand before Gibbs departed in the 1st ball of the 11th over.

In the first 5 overs Deccan chargers were looking to be much comfortable, but the introduction of spin by Yuvraj in the 6th over ceased the run rate of Hyderabad. Both the spinners Power and Chawla bound the Hyderabad batsmen. The Partnership was broken by Gagandeep Singh who bowled out Gibbs(44 of 34 balls) while Gilchrist left the pitch with 50 runs of individual score after getting bowled in power’s powerful delivery.

The deccan chargers had not really charged up as far as run rate was concerned even though they had not lost more wickets. Then it was again Rohit Sharma who lifted the scoring rate of the Chargers with firing 50 of just 27 balls that helped Hyderabad to get a competitive total of 175 runs what they got with sparing just 4 wickets.

Sreesanth, Chawla, VRV Singh and Power all shared one wicket each while Power was the pick amongst all with excellent figures of costing just 20 runs in his 4 overs

source : www.odishatoday.com

Current Points Table as on 21st May 2008

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Rajasthan	11	9	2	0	0	18	+0.950	1708/201.1	1586/210.2
Punjab	11	8	3	0	0	16	+0.436	1779/200.2	1741/206.1
Chennai	12	7	5	0	0	14	-0.209	1892/225.0	1837/213.1
Mumbai	11	6	5	0	0	12	+0.663	1633/193.1	1649/211.4
Delhi	12	6	6	0	0	12	+0.350	1822/213.3	1855/226.4
Kolkata	12	5	7	0	0	10	-0.167	1670/223.0	1544/201.4
Bangalore	12	3	9	0	0	6	-1.317	1690/235.4	1914/225.3
Deccan	11	2	9	0	0	4	-0.463	1742/210.0	1810/206.4

Source : cricinfo.com

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings is the Chennai based franchise of the Indian Premier League. The team is led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, currently the highest-paid IPL Player, and coached by Kepler Wessels. The M.A.Chidambaram stadium (often referred to as Chepauk) is the Super Kings' home ground.

Franchise history

The Chennai Super Kings are a part of the eight club Indian Premier League. The franchise is owned by India Cements, who paid US$91 million to acquire the rights to the franchise for the next 10 years. Mr. N. Srinivasan who

is the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of India Cements Ltd., is the defacto owner of the Chennai Super Kings, by means of his position within the company. He is also the treasurer of the BCCI.

Former captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, is the brand ambassador for the franchise, and former Indian opener V. B. Chandrasekhar is the Chief Selector. The star ambassador for the team is the Kollywood film star, Vijay. Film actress Nayantara was initially appointed as a co-brand ambassador, but was later fired as she was unable to meet the commitments of regular match appearances.

Etymology

The name "Super Kings" honours the rulers of the golden era of Tamil culture. The team logo, a Lion, was the insignia of the Pallava dynasty which ruled Southern India including the areas that constitute present day Chennai. In terms of branding, the name "Super Kings" possibly refers to 'Coromandel Super King cement', a brand of cement promoted by the India Cements Group. There is also another side to the story which says that South Indian business man Chetan Babu's cigarette brand "Super Kings" has sponsored the team to acquire the naming rights.

Incidentally the Chennai based team playing in the ICL (the rebel league) are called the "Chennai Superstars".

Players

Chennai Super Kings are one of the three franchises with no icon player. The lack of an icon player benefited the Super Kings during the bidding as they managed to bid successfully on two (Dhoni & Muralitharan) of the six A listed players.

Sponsorship

the team is currently sponsored by Aircel and Reebok.

Administration and Coaching Staff

• Owner - India Cements Ltd.
• CEO - TBA
• Ambassadors - Kris Srikkanth and Vijay
• Chief Selector - V. B. Chandrasekhar

Coaches:

• Head Coach - Kepler Wessels
• Assistant Coach - TBA
• Physiotherapist - Tommy Simsek
• Physical Trainer - Gregory King

source : wikipedia

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore (also referred to as RCB) is the team representing the city of Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, the inaugural Twenty20 cricket tournament to be held in India. The team is owned by the liquor magnate Vijay Mallya, the chairman of UB Group. Brijesh Patel is the CEO of the team and Rahul Dravid, the captain of the team is the Icon Player. Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, is the CCO (Chief Cricketing Officer) of the management team.

Franchise history

Indian Premier League is a cricket tournament being organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI - the governing body for cricket in India), and backed by the International Cricket Council. For the inaugural tournament to be held in Apr-Jun 2008, the BCCI had finalised a list of 8 teams who will be participating in the tournament. The teams representing 8 different cities of India, including Bangalore, were put up on auction in Mumbai on 20 February 2008 and the Bangalore team was won by Vijay Mallya, who paid US$111.6 million for it. This was the second highest bid for a team in the IPL, next only to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries' bid of $111.9 million for the Mumbai. Bollywood actresses Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone, and Sandalwood film stars Ramya and Upendra are the brand ambassadors of the team

2008 IPL Season

Despite the large amount of money spent and buzz around the team, the franchise experienced some turbulent times very early on in its existence. The team won only 2 of its first 10 matches in the Inaugural IPL Season. In addition, the composition of the team was heavily criticized for resembling a Test Team more than a Twenty20 squad. As a result of these issues, the CEO of the team, Charu Sharma was unceremoniously sacked only months into his position. The owner of the franchise, Vijay Mallya later blamed team captain Rahul Dravid as one of the main causes of the team's poor performance. Mallya cited Dravid's poor captaincy, his inability to adapt to the T-20 format and differences between them over team selection during the player auction. The team eventually failed to enter the semifinals.

On top of the team's poor performance, the team also had their struggles off the field. On 16 May 2008, it was reported that Praveen Kumar, one of the team's strike bowlers, physically assaulted a doctor in his hometown of Meerut. It is alleged that at the time, Praveen was inebriated and being very difficult. Charges have yet to be imposed by the BCCI.

Etymology

Vijay Mallya wanted to associate one of his top-selling liquor brands, either No. 1 McDowell's or Royal Challenge with the team. The latter was chosen, hence the name. The jersey colours of the team are red and golden yellow, the same as the Karnataka state flag, and the logo consists of the RC emblem with "Royal Challengers Bangalore" in standard format.

Theme Song

A theme song called "Thakkath Geete" has been composed in support of the Red & Yellow team, with the help of TV9.

Players

The players in the team (except for Rahul Dravid, who was the Icon Player), were selected in an auction conducted by BCCI on 20 February 2008. South Africa's Jacques Kallis at $900,000 became the costliest player to be selected to play for the Royal Challengers. This meant that Rahul Dravid, being the Icon Player would be paid $1,035,000 (15% more than the highest bid player in the team). Other players selected included the Indian Test cricket captain Anil Kumble along with his team-mates Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan, West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Aussies Nathan Bracken and Cameron White, South Africa's Mark Boucher (Wicket Keeper) and Dale Steyn.

Administration and coaching staff

Front Office:

• Owner - Vijay Mallya
• CEO - Brijesh Patel
• CCO - Martin Crowe
• Ambassadors -Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Ramya, Upendra ^[15]

Coaches:

• Head Coach- Venkatesh Prasad
• Assistant Head Coach- Vijay Bharadwaj
• Physiotherapist- TBA

source : wikipedia

Kings XI Punjab stop Mumbai Indians with thrilling one-run victory

Mumbai, May 21 (PTI) Kings XI Punjab halted Mumbai Indians' winning streak with a thrilling one-run victory off the last ball in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium here today.

In a thrill-a-minute frenzied final phase of the match, the home team - chasing the visitors' 189 for four - were dismissed for 188 after losing their last six wickets in three overs and one ball in a dramatic change of fortunes.

Seemingly cuising to a comfortable victory with captain Sachin Tendulkar (64) on song, Mumbai Indians suddenly lost the plot and a clutch of wickets - mostly to run-outs and the list included their skipper - to end up on the losing side.

From 159 for three in 16.5 overs, the home team slumped to 188 all out when last man Vikrant Yeligati was run out at the non-striker's end by a superb piece of fielding by Punjab XI skipper Yuvraj Singh when two runs were needed off the final ball.

Five batsmen were run out in the innings and among those the most crucial dismissal was Tendulkar's who got mixed up with Robin Uthappa's yes-no call and was stranded out of the crease at the non-striker's end.

Mumbai Indians lost Shaun Pollock and Uthappa quickly and the loss of three wickets in just seven balls unnerved the rest of the batsmen who took enormous risks and failed.

Taking the centre stage after the fall of the swashbuckling opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya (20) in the third over, Tendulkar played the anchor role to hit 12 fours in 46 balls before being run out off the last ball of the 17th over.

source : Press Trust of India (PTI) www.ptinews.com

Pakistani minister is Kolkata Knight Riders fan!

Islamabad, May 21 (IANS) Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is in a sombre mood as Kolkata Knight Riders - his favourite team for which Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar plays - has little chance of making it to the semi-finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament. “The team I was rooting for has been knocked out,” said the Oxford-educated Qureshi in one of the lighter moments at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee after their talks Wednesday.

Knight Riders, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, lost to Rajasthan Royals in a match Tuesday that virtually sealed the fate of the team in the tournament that blends cricket, glamour and big money in a stirring entertainment show.

The team, however, has a slim statastical chance of making it to the finals.

“India has revolutionized cricket through IPL. It’s being keenly watched in Pakistan,” Qureshi said, confirming stories of the IPL fever in Pakistan.

The IPL has fired the imagination of cricket-loving Pakistanis, too.

And it’s not just when five Pakistani cricketers are playing in IPL matches that Pakistanis turn on their TV sets. They are equally enamoured of Indian cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

source : www.thaindian.com

Return my England cap or I'll join IPL, threatens Bopara

LONDON: England's middle order bat Ravi Bopara has threatened to join the Indian Premier League if selectors don't reward his good form with a recall to the national side.

The 23-year-old player of Indian origin, who had earlier claimed refusing a "six-figure sum" offer from one of the IPL franchises said he would reconsider his decision if he fails to stage a comeback to the side by the next season.

"The decision I made (not to join the IPL) was just based on this season. I don't know what my decisions will be in the future, but if things continue as they are, and the offer comes along again, then I'll have a think about it, and if things haven't change for me with regards to England then I may have to reconsider my options," Bopara was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.

Earlier this month, the youngster claimed turning down an IPL offer in order to concentrate playing for Essex to brighten up his chances of a comeback to the national side.

"The England team picked itself for this summer. They'd won the series in New Zealand and the batsman in particular were doing well, I understood that and knew I had to prove myself again to get back into contention by playing four-day cricket for Essex and doing well, which is happening for me right now," Bopara said.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

IPL: Rajasthan Royal beat Knight Riders by six wickets, book semi-final berth

Continuing their winning streak, Rajasthan Royals became the first team to book a semi-final spot after beating Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in an Indian Premier League match at Eden Garden on Tuesday night.

Chasing 148, Rajasthan were in trouble as they losed 4 important wickets with 69 runs on the board. However yousuf Pathan launch counter attack to finish the match in style. He hammered 48 runs off just 18 balls and shared unbeaten 81-run stand with Mohammad Kaif, took them to victory with 21 balls to spare.

The defeat leaves Kolkata nearly out of the running in the race for semi-final spots, and they will now have to win their remaining two matches and hope other results go their favour.

source : www.odishatoday.com

IPL controversy a day

The IPL tournament has been a boon of sorts for those TV news channels prone to embellishing their fare with what they term as ‘Controversial Breaking News’, the latest being that Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR) franchise-owner Shahrukh Khan has been told that, as per the ICC anti-corruption code, he cannot sit in the players’ dugout during a match.

The tournament coverage itself began with the ‘Breaking News’ that Shoaib Akhtar might not play for the KKR after being banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Once his participation was cleared with the ban being suspended, news channels ‘broke news’ on other IPL fronts.

The slapping of King’s XI Punjab bowler Sreesanth by Mumbai Indian stand-in skipper Bhajji kept news channels busy for days. Visuals of Sreesanth weeping were followed by ‘Breaking News’ on first the IPL enquiry and then the BCCI enquiry.

Then there was ‘Breaking News’ on the sacking of the Bangalore Royal Challengers’ CEO, followed by ‘exclusive’ interviews with him and then the franchise-owner. Then there was ‘Breaking News’ on foreign players not being paid, with a TV anchor talking about the Aussies “complaining again”. If TV anchors didn’t get their salaries on time, would they keep quiet!

Getting back to the latest ‘Breaking News,’ Shahrukh’s response has been that, irrespective of ICC’s anti-corruption code, he wants to sit in the dugout since he is not corrupt and would like to boost his players’ morale — one wonders what role KKR coach Buchanan plays!

IPL commissioner Modi has given in and said one franchise-owner per team can sit in the dugout. But, then, Indian VIPs are unlike John Major who, when he was PM of the UK, would quietly watch cricket at the Oval in his capacity as a committee member, without any fanfare. Major even wrote an article on “Why cricket is more important than being PM?”

source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Australia to launch Indian-style Twenty20 league

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland yesterday confirmed plans for Australia to host its version of the Indian Premier League as early as the 2009-10 season.

Sutherland said CA wanted to upgrade its two-week Big Bash domestic Twenty20 competition, and one way to tap into the game's latest cash cow would be to follow the lead of the IPL.

As revealed in the Herald Sun last week, CA is considering allowing teams to be privately owned franchises with salary caps and overseas talent to ensure lucrative TV coverage appeals internationally.

"In our review, leading into the 2009-10 season we will be launching our own Twenty20 competition that we believe will really significantly enhance what already is a good, strong KFC Big Bash competition," Sutherland said.

CA is frustrated that it does not share in the spoils of the IPL, despite providing some of the competition's drawcards.

There is a possibility governing boards will receive a handout if the IPL finds an exclusive spot in the international fixture next year.

This would mean nations would need to be reimbursed for missing out on revenue from Test and one-day international series.

But a sure way to tap into the Twenty20 boom is to host a major tournament, which England is also considering in conjunction with billionaire Allen Stanford.

"We are under no illusions that our market is a different size.

''We need to tailor our product to our market, but we still see a tremendous benefit of being able to play Twenty20 that will bring new people to the game," Sutherland said.

Speaking at the launch of next summer's international program, Sutherland also said:

THE traditional New Year's Test in Sydney, against South Africa, will begin a day later than usual on January 3 so players would have more rest after the MCG Test.

A TWENTY20 "Champions League" tournament featuring the two best teams from Australia, England, South Africa, India and Pakistan could still be held later this year.

CRICKET Australia was working with the CSIRO to find a ball suitable for staging Test cricket at night.

source : www.news.com.au

Jannat cashes in on IPL

Evidently all the cricket based drama is not taking place on the field but at the box office too. At least the Bhatts would have you believe it.

Their latest film Jannat, based on India's favourite sport cricket is doing better than anyone expected.

It is a welcome break from their string of flops. "Yes after long past season we won this time. It feels great," said Mahesh Bhatt.

"Last year was a low phase," said the lead actor Emraan Hashmi.

And while we may consider this a "silly point" the reason they're thrilled is that in the midst of the IPL, Jannat actually managed to get in the crowds.

"Jannat wins on IPL," said Emraan Hashmi. "If IPL has place under the sky, Jannat too has made its presence felt," said Mahesh Bhatt.

The Bhatts are best known for cashing in on controversies. So, why shouldn't they cash in on cricket too!

Source : ndtvmovies.com

Deccan Chargers

Deccan Chargers is the franchise that represents the city of Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. The team is led by V.V.S. Laxman and coached by Robin Singh, presently the fielding coach of the Indian cricket team. There is no Icon Player for the team.

Franchise History

The Deccan Chargers franchise is owned by Deccan Chronicle. The media group acquired the franchise from IPL for $107 million on January 24, 2008. Group M later picked a 20% stake.

Players

The Chargers were among the most aggressive bidders during the first Indian Premier League player auction. The franchise added a lot of explosive power in batting by acquiring some renowned big hitters like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi, Scott Styris and Herschelle Gibbs. In addition to all these players, the franchise also includes the Indian test player V.V.S. Laxman, who is a Hyderabad local. They are also employing the services of well-known pacers R.P. Singh, Nuwan Zoysa and Chaminda Vaas. It's been announced by the franchise that Laxman will captain the side during the tournament.

V.V.S. Laxman was supposed to be the Icon Player for the Deccan Chargers, but this meant that the players mentioned above could not be bought as Icon Player's earn 15% more than the next highest earner in the team. However, VVS Laxman relinquished his Icon Player Status, and instead of earning $1 million like other Icon players he earns $375,000, which allows the team to buy the big names and still remain under the salary cap.

Etymology

The Deccan Chargers are represented by a charging bull, the mascot for the chargers which signifies strength, power and aggression while the red and gold bands on the flag stand for dominance and victory.

Administration and Coaching staff

Front Office:

• Owner - Deccan Chronicle
• CEO - J Krishnan
• President - J Krishnan
• Manager - Vijay Mohan Raj

Coaches:

• Head Coach - Robin Singh
• Assistant Head Coach - Kanwaljit Singh
• Team Manager - Shishir Hattangadi
• Physiotherapist - TBA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shane Warne takes Royals to top of IPL

Shane Warne has moved to the top of the Indian Premier League wicket-taking charts, claiming three scalps to guide the Rajasthan Royals to a 65-run win over Bangalore in Jaipur.

The legendary Australian legspinner's 3-23 off four overs took his tally to 14 wickets in 10 matches, while helping restrict Bangalore to 9-132 off 20 overs chasing Rajasthan's handy 1-197.

Queensland's Shane Watson continued his phenomenal form in the lucrative tournament, smashing an unbeaten 46 off 26 balls for the Royals, though his innings proved more of a support role to man of the match Graeme Smith's 75 not out off 49 balls.

India stalwart Rahul Dravid, much-maligned for his slow scoring in Test cricket, hammered six sixes and six fours in a 36-ball 75 not out to lead Bangalore but he had little support.

Victoria captain Cameron White was quiet for Bangalore, scoring 10 off 16 deliveries, while not being called upon with the ball.

In today's other match, Queensland allrounder James Hopes claimed 2-2 in a stunning one-over spell as Kings XI Punjab defeated Delhi Daredevils by six-runs in Delhi.

The Daredevils batted first and rocketed to 4-118 off 11 overs thanks to an explosive, unbeaten 51 off 26 balls from India opener Virender Sehwag before rain stopped play.

The match was reduced to 11 overs a side and West Australian Luke Pomersbach scored a quickfire 25 not out off 12 balls in the chase, sharing an unbroken 63-run partnership with Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (36no off 17).

When the rain came again and eventually brought an end to the match, Kings XI were 3-94 off eight overs and ahead of the required run-rate under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Interestingly, Jayawardene hit a six over mid-on off the last ball before the final stoppage which ultimately proved the difference.

Had it been a dot ball, the match would have ended in a tie.

Source : Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Indian Premier League to conduct dope test on players

NEW DELHI: Chairman Lalit Modi said that Indian Premier League will conduct a random dope test on the players participating in the Twenty20 tournament. After a report in the Nation , which claimed that Shoaib Akhtar was questioned about a large number of syringes in his baggage prior to leaving for Mumbai earlier this month at the Karachi airport, the IPL commissioner announced that the test will be conducted in 2 to 3 days.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board has played down a report in a section of the media that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was questioned at the Karachi airport.

A report in the Nation said that prior to boarding the flight to Mumbai en route to Kolkata the custom officials had questioned Shoaib on an inordinately large supply of syringes in his luggage-reportedly as many as three dozen in number.

The fast bowler, who is playing for Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League, told the custom officials that he needed the syringes because he was a diabetic, the report said.

The first time one has heard off the fast bowler suffering from this ailment. When a senior official of the board was asked about the incident, he said it was no big deal as the syringes were empty and contained no substances.

Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer also showed ignorance over the medical history of Shoaib saying he would have to check up to find out if the fast bowler was a diabetic.

But he made it clear that Shoaib had gone to India to play in the IPL and currently he was under the preview of the IPL rules and regulations.

When reminded about Shoaib's past record of having tested positive for a banned substance, nandrolone in 2006 with team-mate Mohammad Asif, Naghmi said the IPL was recognised by the International Cricket Council but it was not an ICC event.

"I don't thing it is a big deal. The syringes were empty and first we have to confirm if the report has got all the facts right. There is no question of the Pakistan Board contemplating any action against Shoaib for this," he said.

Shoaib is playing in the IPL after the three-member appellate tribunal, hearing his appeal against the five-year ban imposed on him, suspended the ban for a month to allow him to play in the cash-rich Twenty20 competition.

Source : timesofindia