thecricketscores

McCullum saves the day for tottering Kiwis

2008-05-16T03:26:00.000-07:00

Brendon McCullum led a New Zealand fight back against England with a run-a-ball 97 to help his side to 208 for six when bad light ended the first day's play of the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.

McCullum, who had seen New Zealand's top order fail again as they slumped to 109-5 at tea, on a day where rain meant there was no play before lunch, put on 99 for the sixth wicket with Jacob Oram.

But three runs short of what would have been the wicket-keeper's third Test hundred, McCullum was bowled between bat and pad by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.

Once more he'd fallen just short of a century at Lord's, having scored 96 in the corresponding Test here four years ago. In all he hit two sixes and 13 fours, after coming in when New Zealand were in dire straits at 41-3.

At stumps, Oram was 23 not out and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori unbeaten on five. Earlier pace bowler James Anderson, after England captain Michael Vaughan had won the toss and decided to field first in overcast, seamer-friendly conditions, took three wickets for 27 runs in his first 10 overs.

"It's bitter-sweet," said McCullum. "I'm obviously disappointed not to have made a hundred and still be at the wicket at the moment. "Last time I got quite nervous in the nineties, this time I felt quite calm. In the end, I just missed a straight one."

Assessing the state of the match, he added: "Credit to the bowling team. But for us it's not a bad day either. With the overhead conditions the way they were, there was a chance we might have been rolled over.

"If we had been out for 150, there was only one team that could have won the game. To be 208 for six and, arguably, with our two best batsmen at the crease is not a bad position.

"If we can get to 300 that would be a fantastic effort after losing the toss on that wicket," said McCullum, whose side were playing their first Test since the retirement of former New Zealand captain and No 3 batsman Stephen Fleming. McCullum, 26, is renowned as a dynamic one-day batsman.

Pointing fingers easy, says Kumble

2008-05-16T03:25:00.001-07:00

India’s Test captain Anil Kumble has come out in defence of his Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid after their dismal run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and criticism by team owner Vijay Mallya .

“What’s unfortunate is that, invariable, everyone starts pointing fingers at the captain. So it stands all the more to reason that people within the camp then stand up and say ‘we believe in you and your team’. That’s what’s most important in this kind of situation,” Kumble wrote in his column in Hindustan Times.

Bangalore have lost seven of their first nine matches and Mallya, apart from sacking CEO Charu Sharma , blamed Dravid for the team selection.

“I do understand that the IPL is different and there is a corporate look and feel to the whole concept. But having said that, at the end of the day, it is a cricket match - one that a cricketer does not want to lose,” he wrote.

“As players, we go through various ups and downs in our careers, there are phases when nothing one does is wrong and there are others where the same things that come so naturally to you seem like alien concepts. But as cricketers, we also know the bad times will pass, that we will pick ourselves up and bounce back,” wrote Kumble, conceding that Bangalore had lost the plot in this year’s IPL.

“It might be somewhat late for this tournament and that’s unfortunate, but we have a bunch of proven quality players and nothing can take that away.”

Clash of giants at Wankhede Today

2008-05-16T03:14:00.001-07:00

This is a clash between two titans (Sachin and Sourav). This is a battle between two resurgent teams in Indian Premier League. This is a war between battle hardened veterans (Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Shaun Pollock, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shoaib Akhtar). This is a cricket match between two teams with strongest fan bases. This IPL T20 match is crucial for both teams to strengthen their semi-final chances.

Shoaib Akhtar stunned cricket analysts with a superlative performance on his favourite Eden gardens ground against Delhi Daredevils. But Mumbai should be careful against Ishant Sharma as he rarely gives you width to the stroke players unlike Shoaib Akhtar.

Batting: Mumbai has clear edge in batting with so many ideal T20 batsmen who can score quick fire 20-30 runs if necessary. How long Kolkata will depend on David Hussey and Sourav Ganguly? If those two batsmen fall cheaply, Kolkata may not score even 100 runs. Mumbai should try to exploit this weakness. Kolkata needs to promote exciting wicketkeeper Saha as opener to utilise power play overs.

Bowling: Both teams are looking even in this department. But Mumbai has slight edge due to presence of high quality all-rounders. Ashish Nehra should bowl consistently like Shaun Pollock to trouble Kolkata in the early overs. As long as Kolkata picks Akash Chopra, opposition is always in safe position.

Fielding: Kolkata is exceptional in fielding against Delhi.

Match timings: 8 PM – 11 PM at Wankhede stadium.

Interesting battle:
1. Sachin Tendulkar-Sanath Jayasuriya Vs Shoiab Akhtar: If Shoaib can able to repeat his last match performance against Mumbai, Kolkata win is certain. But experienced openers may utilise his pace to score some easy runs. I am expecting 2003 World Cup performance from Sachin Tendulkar.

Verdict: Mumbai has edge over Kolkata due to its strong batting and useful all-rounders. To defeat Mumbai, Kolkata batsmen especially Salman Butt should play along with Ganguly-Hussey. But after seeing Mumbai performance against Chennai, I am feeling sorry for Kolkata.

Probable squads:

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Thornley, Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Shaun Pollock, Yogesh Takawale, Ashish Nehra, Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (Captain), Salman Butt, Akash Chopra, David Hussey, Shukla, Saha, Shoaib Akhtar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Hafeez/ Taibu, Iqbal Abdulla and Ashok Dinda.

Amit Mishra destroyed Hyderabad hopes

2008-05-16T03:11:00.000-07:00

Amit Mishra helped Delhi to beat Hyderabad by 12 runs in a high scoring IPL T20 thriller at Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi batsmen set an imposing target of 195 runs but Hyderabad hard hitters fought valiantly till the last over. Amit Mishra single handily took the match away from Hyderabad with a hat-trick in the final over. Mishra earlier took the vital wickets of Gibbs and Afridi when Hyderabad was going strong. Weak bowling of Hyderabad cost them this match but Hyderabad batsmen impressed everyone with their never say die attitude. Delhi audience enjoyed a wonderful match and their team improved semi-final chances with this win.

IPL Statistics and records:
1. Delhi leg spinner Amit Mishra took the second hat-trick in IPL. Balaji of Chennai Superkings took the first hat-trick in Indian Premier League.

2. Gautam Gambhir is leading the “Orange cap” race with 425 runs in 10 matches Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are in second and third places with 332 and 331 runs.

3. Shaun Marsh is leading averages with an unbelievable average of 98.33 from 5 matches.

4. Amit Mishra took 5 wickets for 17 runs in his 4 overs. Best figures by a spinner in Indian Premier League.

5. This is the first win for Delhi in the last 5 matches and Hyderabad is out of IPL Semi-final reckoning.

Toss: Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to field first as batting is their strength.

IPL T20 Score:

Delhi Daredevils: 194/4 in 20 overs.
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: 182/9 in 20 overs.

Man of the match: Amit Mishra. No spinner dominated the match in IPL as he did today. Marvellous performance from this leg spinner in a match where Legend McGrath went for 42 runs in his 4 overs.

IPL T20 match Review:

Highlights of Delhi innings:

1. Virender Sehwag succeeded in scoring second successive duck out.
2. Vijay Kumar is once again at his economical best. He is “McGrath of Hyderabad”.
3. Sarvesh Kumar made his IPL debut and bowled much better than Vaas and Zoysa.
4. IPL helped many bowlers (Balaji, Ashish Nehra, Gony, Dinda and Sangwan etc) to catch the eye of selectors but it RP Singh omission from one day squad is almost certain.
5. Gautam Gambhir is marched ahead of rivals for orange cap as he scored 79 runs while rivals Gilchrist and Sehwag failed. But Rohit Sharma
6. Shikhar Dhawan once again played beautiful knock and if I were Indian selector, Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Badrinath are my automatic choices among younger lot. Indian selectors get huge opportunity to build good team for 2010 cricket world cup with these youngsters. Will they do it?

Highlights of Hyderabad innings:
1. Glenn McGrath took the crucial wicket of Adam Gilchrist.
2. I expected a lot from Mohammad Asif. He is one of the biggest failures in IPL along with Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Misbah-Ul-Haq etc.
3. Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi played sensational shots in the first 6 overs.
4. Good captaincy from Virender Sehwag. His gamble paid off. He brought in spinner Amit Mishra and Afridi went for shot too early and paid the price. Afridi innings came to an end. He scored 33 runs in just 14 balls with two 6’s and three 4’s.
5. Amit Mishra changed match course. He took vital wicket of Herschelle Gibbs who looked in ominous form. Did you see the two superb sixers of Gibbs in McGrath’s over?
6. Amit Mishra – 2 overs; 6 runs; 2 wickets. Exceptional performance against biggest hitters in the game. Can Rohit Sharma save the match?
7. Rohit Sharma is on fire. He scored 19 runs in Rajat Bhatia’s over with 2 massive sixers and one four. Hyderabad needs another over like this to win this match.
8. I can’t understand why players like Scott Styris, Akash Chopra and Stephen Fleming are playing in IPL. They are not suitable for IPL T20 Cricket. When will these teams realise this?
9. Maharoof turned the match by taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma who looked to take the match away from Delhi. Hyderabad is in big trouble. Styris is wasting balls in this big scoring match. Rohit Sharma played unnecessary shot at crucial stage of match. Sharma scored 35 runs in 18 balls with two sixers and three fours.
10. All the Hyderabad big hitters started well in this match but fell at crucial time. Huge target and mounting run rate made them to take huge risks.
11. Mohammad Asif bowled another bad over and Hyderabad batsmen scored 15 vital runs. Hyderabad needs to score 43 runs in 3 overs.

Verdict: Delhi ended their losing streak with a fine performance in this match. But Delhi is relying too much on their top order. Whenever its top order clicks, Delhi wins. If not, Delhi loses. They need to find a solution for this problem. I can’t able to understand why Delhi picked Mohammad Asif ahead of Pradeep Sangwan and Yo Mahesh.

Why Hyderabad hadn’t picked Ravi Teja, Sarvesh kumar and Vijay Kumar in the first round matches? Why Hyderabad is sending opener Ravi Teja at no.6? Why they are picking players like Scott Styris who can neither bowl well nor hit big shots?

Answer: They are not practicing enough to find the potential in their young recruits. In the first round matches, they picked Arjun Yadav to satisfy his father and Hyderabad Cricket Association president Shivlal Yadav. What benefits will Coach Robin Singh get for this generosity? Wait and see. Just compare the performances of teams under Indian coaches with the teams under foreign coaches. It is not due to lack of ability but due to .... Have you got my point.

Mumbai hope to turn into Super Indians

2008-05-15T02:43:00.000-07:00

Mumbai coach Lalchand Rajput is aiming for a berth in the semifinals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after their resounding win over Chennai on Wednesday.

“I think Sachin Tendulkar’s return has given us a real boost. The team is brimming with confidence, which is a very good sign for us after a shaky start in the tournament,” said Rajput, who was India’s cricketing manager earlier this year.

Tendulkar made his debut in the IPL after missing the first seven matches due to a groin injury, but it was Sri Lankan left-hander Sanath Jayasuriya who stole the show against Chennai with a quick-fire 114 not out off 48 balls that enabled them to hammer the opposition by nine wickets.

“If we continue to perform the way we did on Wednesday, our road to the last-four stage will become easy,” Rajput told Cricketnext.com on Thursday.

“Sachin is a great motivator. His presence on the field made a lot of difference. He plays according to the team’s needs. When Sanath was going great guns, Sachin didn’t mind playing second fiddle as his priority was to ensure a solid start,” Rajput added.

“Things don’t always go according to plan and we found ourselves in such a situation in the beginning of the tournament. Thankfully for us, Sanath has struck form at the right time. Our bowling, spearheaded by Shaun Pollock and Ashish Nehra, too has been improving by the day. Dhaval Kulkarni has shown a lot of promise and hopefully our combined effort will help us rise from our current sixth position on the points table,” he added.

Refusing to comment on Harbhajan Singh, Rajput said the team was not thinking of a replacement at the moment.

“Right now our focus is on the next match against Kolkata. We are banking on youngsters to do a containment job and let us see how it goes from here-on,” the former Test opener said.

Jaipur's foreign stars mull pull-out from IPL

2008-05-15T02:41:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Foreign players of the Jaipur IPL team have expressed their concern over participating further in the tournament following the serial blasts in the city.

"All of them, including captain-cum-coach Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, and coaching director Darren Berry refused to return to Jaipur from Goa, where they are holidaying," the team's assistant coach Harish Joshi said from Jaipur. "We had a lengthy chat with them and it has been explained to them that if they don't return for the match, it would send a wrong signal on the part of the organisers."

"(However) they have agreed to return to Jaipur on Thursday," he further added.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has ruled out a shift of venue after a series of blasts killed more than 60 people and left several others injured. The side is to host Bangalore on Saturday.

It was not known whether Modi spoke to these players individually but the franchise owner Manoj Badale, now in London, is likely to have summoned the necessary officials.

Shane Warne's brother Jason in Melbourne was also worried about the situation in India. "I saw the news on TV and we are certainly concerned. I am yet to receive a call from Shane."

Darren Berry, the team's coaching director, told an Australian paper about his and the foreign players' apprehensions on staying on in India.

"(There's) a real option of getting on the plane and getting out of here. We are not comfortable at all. This is an extremely uncomfortable situation," Berry was quoted as saying by Macquarie National News.

Simply Sanath; Chennai massacred

2008-05-15T02:35:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Sanath Jayasuriya is one of those batsmen who have destroyed many a bowling attack, and his pride must have been hurt with his pretty sedate show in the Indian Premier League so far.

He repaired all that tellingly against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, as he blasted 114 not out off just 48 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to a sensational nine-wicket win.

The Sri Lankan veteran hammered 11 sixes and nine fours, and scored at an astounding strike rate of 237.5.

Sachin Tendulkar's debut in the IPL was sedate, as the Mumbai skipper was dismissed for just 12 runs.

Earlier, S. Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought Chennai back from the edge of almost certain defeat to pose a teaser for Mumbai, as they reached 156-6.

Dhoni and Badrinath were involved in 95-run partnership which carried Chennai to a pretty decent total, which looked impossible at one stage. Badrinath scored a fine 53, while Dhoni scored 43 not out.

Shaun Pollock bowled four overs for just nine runs.

Sachin Tendulkar returned to serious cricket, and won the toss against Chennai Super Kings, deciding to field first.

Teams: Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Dominic Thornley, Dwayne Bravo, Shaun Pollock, Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rohan Raje, Ashish Nehra.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Stephen Fleming, S Vidyut, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Chamara Kapugedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Manpreet Gony, Joginder Sharma, Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Can Gilchrist save Hyderabad IPL?

2008-05-15T02:33:00.001-07:00

Favourites Delhi Daredevils will take on Hyderabad Deccan Chargers at Feroz Shaw Kotla ground in New Delhi. Hyderabad hopes solely depend on their captain Adam Gilchrist. Even Rohit Sharma is playing consistently; he is not a match winner like Gilchrist. Hyderabad needs to change their batting order in order to win this match. Shahid Afridi should play in this match and Gibbs should come lower down the order as he is looking uncomfortable against moving ball. Hyderabad top order needs to play carefully against Glenn McGrath.

Delhi Daredevils will try to win their match against Hyderabad to raise their hopes for Semi-final spot whicl almost unlikely. Famed Delhi top order was brutally exposed by Shoaib Akhtar in the last match. Sehwag and Gambhir will try to restore their pride by capitalising on the weak Hyderabad bowling. Delhi is looking strong over Hyderabad in all departments. If opposition can take top order wickets as Kolkata did, Delhi will be in trouble.
Hyderabad should remove Scott Styris and believe in youngsters. Gilchrist should properly utilise and guide youngsters like Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja and Vijay Kumar. Delhi lost previous four matches due to individual brilliance. So Hyderabad hopes lay on Adam Gilchrist individual brilliance. Venugopal Rao all-round brilliance in the last match is a ray of hope for Hyderabad. If Gibbs and Afridi regain their form, Hyderabad may surprise Delhi.

Probable teams:

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Ravi Teja, Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas/Zoysa, RP Singh, Vijay Kumar, Sanjay Bangar and Pragyan Ojha.

Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, De Villiers, Shikhar Dhawan, Rajat Bhatia/Mohammad Asif, Farveez Maharoof, Dilshan, Amit Mishra, Pradeep Sangwan, Glenn McGrath and Yo Mahesh.

Verdict: Delhi is strong favourite against Hyderabad but recent form of both teams is not convincing and Delhi is relying too much on Sehwag and Gambhir. Either Mumbai or Kolkata will go to semi-finals if Delhi will not take things seriously. I don’t have any hopes on weak Deccan Chargers bowling.

Sachin-Sanath combo set to take centrestage

2008-05-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

With six points, Mumbai still have some work to do to repair the damage of their early losses. For the last week they have had a chance to rest and perhaps rejoice. Now, with the return of Sachin Tendulkar and a dream opening pairing with Sanath Jayasuriya complete, Mumbai have an air of confidence about them.

"At this moment we know who are in contention and those are the teams which we have to beat for sure," Tendulkar said ahead of his team's home clash against Chennai.

But Tendulkar's challenge won't end just with the bat. He will take over from Shaun Pollock as captain, and expects to slip easily into that role.

"I will just have to go out there and with the help of other senior players, I will have to get into that groove, because it's not going to be easy to get in straight away. But I'm prepared for all those challenges," he added.

But while Chennai will be wary of Tendulkar's return, they are themselves functioning like a well-oiled machine now. With two victories in their last two games, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have the momentum with them, not that the skipper buys into that theory.

"In Twenty20 you can't really say much, because you get momentum by the sort of start you get in the game. So it's not whether you are winning four or five games regularly. It's all about what kind of a start you get and how you can really look to capitalise on that," Dhoni says.

Expect a full house at the Wankhede to see their hero on his return to the playing arena.

Shoaib's carnage conquers Kolkata

2008-05-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

The Rawalpindi Express signalled his arrival in the DLF Indian Premier League with a four-wicket blitz that left Delhi gasping. More than this win, Shoaib's arrival has given a lot of hope to Kolkata as they look ahead to a semi-final berth.

It was an emotional moment for Shoaib Akhtar, one he had been waiting for a long time. After waiting in the sidelines for more than four months, Shoaib Akhtar was out to prove a point, and he couldn't have done it in a more spectacular style as he brought Delhi down with an inspired spell.

"I just wanted to win the game. I have no points to make to anybody," Shoaib said after his sensational debut in the IPL.

Kolkata captain Sourav Ganguly also heaped rich praise on the tearaway fast bowler. "He came to the country with lots (of things) happening behind him. But he showed a lot of character."

Akhtar is no stranger to Kolkata or to the Eden Gardens. He came into the limelight here with a sensation burst when he removed Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar with consecutive balls in a Test in 1999. This time he played as one of their own and the Kolkata crowd embraced him with open arms.

"For me, my team is the most important thing. Kolkata is my home team. Eden Gardens is my home ground," he gushed.

The win takes Kolkata to fourth place on the leader board with 10 points from five wins in nine matches. But more importantly, Shoaib's performance has meant that Shah Rukh Khan's team suddenly has a weapon to instill fear in the opposition camps over the next few weeks.

Watson seals tense win for Rajasthan

2008-05-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

Shane Watson first used the uneven bounce of the Jaipur pitch to keep the Delhi Daredevils in check and then acted as if it didn’t exist to bludgeon 74 off 40 balls and maintain the Rajasthan Royals’ 100% record at home.

Shane Warne’s strategy of winning the toss, inserting the opposition in and restricting them to a total that his batsmen then chase with ease is getting predictable.

But it’s also what is keeping the Rajasthan Royals at the top of the points table, with their seventh win of the tournament coming against a side that struggled to match them on the field on Sunday night.

Though Delhi fought hard to defend their total, the match was more or less decided in the first innings when Rajasthan’s bowlers checked the run-scoring to the extent that Delhi didn’t hit a six till the 18th over.
The Rajasthan Royals bowlers lent excellent support to Shane Warne’s strategy of winning the toss and inserting the opposition as they restricted Delhi to 156 in Jaipur. It could have been a lot less but for some clean hitting by Farveez Maharoof towards the end of the innings. Delhi’s strong batting order came unstuck as the Rajasthan bowlers, backed by their fielders, bowled disciplined lines and did not give the batsmen many opportunities to get boundaries. The pitch helped as well, as the bounce was not always even.

Shane Watson was the first to inject doubt and uneasiness in to the Delhi openers’ minds when he used the short ball to repeatedly beat their bats. Gambhir leaned out to reach for one that lifted from back of a length and swished wildly in the air. Sehwag’s attempted pull off another short one from Watson narrowly missed the edge.

The two openers managed to nudge singles, run hard for twos and go for the occasional boundary but Watson had prevented them from breaking loose. Though smiling through his first spell, Watson had words with Gambhir, but it was Sehwag who fell following the chatter. He tried to cut over point but didn’t get enough elevation and was caught by Mohammad Kaif for 17. For six overs after Sehwag fell - during which period Shikhar Dhawan was run out and Gambhir bowled - Delhi did not score any boundaries.

Dimitri Mascarenhas, who went for 12 runs in his first over, came back in his second spell to get the wickets of AB de Villiers and Dinesh Karthik in the same over. He finished with figures of 4-0-29-2 in his only IPL match this season and completely justified his selection. Munaf Patel varied his length and bowled to his field to choke the runs during the middle overs. Siddharth Trivedi managed to get movement off the seam and troubled Gambhir before knocking over his off stump.

It was only in the 16th over that Delhi crossed the 100-run mark and it wasn’t till the 18th that Delhi managed their first six.

Rajasthan’s commitment to keep the runs in check was exemplified by a dive by Watson to reduce a certain four to two runs after de Villiers stroked the ball through extra cover. Watson, fielding at mid-on, ran sideways towards the ball, threw himself towards the ball and got his left hand around it just before it raced past him. Even Munaf, one of the more sluggish fielders in the Indian side, was in the thick of things, trying to throw down the stumps and diving to save runs.

The last three overs fetched a much-needed 47 runs, with Maharoof hit Warne for four sixes off Warne’s last over, to give Delhi’s bowlers something to bowl at.

Rajasthan Royals 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Yusuf Pathan, 3 Mohammad Kaif, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Niraj Patel, 6 Dimitri Mascarenhas 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shane Warne (capt), 9 Mahesh Rawat (wk), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.

Delhi Daredevils 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Amit Mishra, 8 V Yomahesh, 9 Glenn McGrath, 10 Farveez Maharoof, 11 Pradeep Sangwan.

Shane Warne most successful captain-coach in the IPL

2008-05-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Having led his team to 7 wins in 9 outings in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL), Shane Warne is sitting pretty as the most successful captain-coach in the IPL. His brilliant strategies have seen the Rajasthan Royals go from a lacklustre team at the start of the tournament to one of the first teams to secure a Semi Final berth.

In the post match press conference after the match against the Daredevils, Warne appreciated his wards' efforts and spoke about how the strategies devised by his team have come off.

He started off by lauding Shane Watson's efforts saying that his match-winning innings of 74 (off 40 balls) was what turned the tide in favour of his team. He termed the Aussie allrounder's innings as "the most valuable innings of the tournament".

He also said given the quality of batsman in the Daredevils' ranks, restricting them to 157 was a good effort by his boys and conceded 170 was par for the course on that wicket.

Warne took full responsibility for letting the Daredevils off the hook; the 19th over of the Daredevils' innings, bowled by Warne, cost him 27. Farveez Maharoof smashed the blonde leggie for four sixes to help Delhi past the 150-run mark.

Terming that over as a ‘small mishap', the Royals' skipper quickly clarified that all his other ploys worked perfectly.

Talking about the strategies he had in place to contain Sehwag and Gambhir, Warne said that the Rajasthan Royals had studied the two Delhi openers closely and had devised a strategy to contain the flamboyant openers. He said, " We know Sehwag and Gambhir like to hit square, they like the pace so we thought if we have Dimitri Mascarenhas bowl medium pacers up front, it would be difficult for them as they like the ball coming on to the bat faster."

He added that Delhi played well, but was proud that his side fought back strongly to avenge the defeat that was handed to them by Sehwag and co. when the two sides met in their opening encounter of the IPL.

"Look, all in all I was very happy," concluded the Australian spin wizard, content with seeing his team sitting pretty at the top of the points table.

The Royals next face the last-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore after a 5-day break.

IPL is only going to get bigger and better: Styris

2008-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Deccan Chargers haven't had the best of starts in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) placed at the lower end of the points table but the experience has been "great" for New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris.

In an exclusive interview, Styris talks about his IPL team and the memories he will take back to Kiwi land.

"The IPL's been great so far. We're all gelling as a team. There are a lot of good guys in the team. We're all working hard. We're all working as team. We've just got to start performing on the field," said Styris.

His team has been at the receiving end of seven matches in their nine played so far, so the chances of them making it to the next round seem bleak.

About taking losses in the stride of the game, the New Zealander who cites Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe as his idols said that after you have a game that goes wrong you should just throw it away and start afresh. He added that there's no time to worry about defeats in this format of the game and one should just concentrate on doing the basics well from the next game.

About the multi-national and local players all sharing the dressing room, Styris cited it as a wonderful experience saying, "It's been a great experience sharing the dressing room with other players. We've got players from many different countries which is even better. We're not only learning about the players and themselves but a little bit about their cultures and where they're from."

According to Styris, it's the international bonding and learning that makes the IPL a great experience.

He said that he enjoyed both Twenty20 cricket as well as one-day internationals and was practical in adding that both formats of the game have their respective place in the scheme of things to come.

He felt that given the success of the IPL in its inaugural year, things are only going to get bigger and better in the coming years as all the players are taking the game very seriously.

"Everyone's going to try and score runs and take wickets and play well and I'm no different," concluded the Black Cap all-rounder.

The Deccan Chargers next face the Delhi Daredevils for a chance to salvage some pride in the tournament on May 15 at their opponent's home ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla at Delhi

Kolkata bank on Shoaib to keep Delhi down

2008-05-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Logic says never change a winning combination. Kolkata have won their last two games but may just turn that line of thinking on its head for this one, and unleash the latest Knight in their armour, Shoaib Akhtar, who has been waiting desperately for a go since touching down.

"A fit Shoaib, or even almost a 90 per cent fit Shoaib will be perfect for anyone. But again, at the same stage, we don't want to rush him in the competition," Kolkata coach John Buchanan says.

Delhi have suddenly got the task of finding a way to stop a dramatic slide. From being unstoppable to three straight defeats, Virender Sehwag's men have been on opposite ends of the wheel of fortune already, and know now that more slip-ups will cost them dear.

"When you look at the table, this game is very, very important. The next few fixtures against these teams could well determine the last spot in the semi-finals," says Greg Shipperd, the Delhi coach.

"When you look at the table, this game is very, very important. The next few fixtures against these teams could well determine the last spot in the semi-finals," says Greg Shipperd, the Delhi coach.

With both Ganguly and Sehwag on level terms with eight points each, the match promises to be a close one. While Delhi have hit a slump, Kolkata are enjoying a winning streak.

Misbah unluckily on hit wicket.

2008-05-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

Misbah badly walked back on his stumps and was out hit wicket.
The Challengers threatened to get going for the briefest of periods. Misbah-ul Haq, whose name has been thrown around in Bangalore's much publicised recent problems, looked like he would turn their team's fortunes around. Having clobbered his way to 21 from 7 balls.He was worried of his hit wicket and be tensed during match

McGrath begins training with Delhi Daredevils

2008-04-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

Glenn McGrath, the former Australian fast bowler, heads a list of international cricketers who have arrived early in India to take part in practice sessions with their respective franchise teams for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament starting on April 18.

McGrath, who retired from international cricket last year, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night and attended fielding drills on Wednesday morning with Delhi Daredevils, the franchise that bought him for US$ 350,000 at the players’ auction in February. Delhi’s support staff, including the Victoria coach Greg Shippard has also arrived for the IPL.

"What has amazed us here is the kind of commitment McGrath has shown already," TA Sekar, the cricket manager of Delhi Daredevils, told Cricinfo. "Almost as soon as he landed last night, he enquired about the practice sessions and insisted that he would start from this morning itself. You would have expected him to take some time to settle down first."

While McGrath joined Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, who also landed in Delhi this week, the seven other franchises were expecting many of their big signings to reach India over the coming weekend. The Hyderabad franchise was expecting its Australian players, Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, to reach on April 12; Jaipur hoped Shane Warne, its captain and coach, would arrive on April 13; Mumbai and Kolkata will start assembling their line-ups on April 11.

Among the others who have arrived are New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris and Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa for Hyderabad. While most of the franchises started practice sessions with domestic players, the Indian and South African Test players will join their teams almost immediately after their bilateral series ends on April 15.

Some of the Sri Lankans, who are currently in the West Indies, are expected to start arriving on April 16. Dimitri Mascarenhas, the lone England player in IPL, is expected to land much later due to personal commitments and may even miss one or two games for Jaipur, a team representative said.

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IPL winners to get $1.2 million

2008-04-09T04:04:00.000-07:00

The total prize money for the Indian Premier League tournament this year has been fixed for US$3 million. The winning team will take away Rs4.8 crore ($1.2 million) while the runners-up will get Rs2.4 crore ($600,00).

In comparison the prize money on offer for the World Cup last year was $5 million, the Indian Cricket League spent $1 million while Stanford20/20 tournament gave out $2.5 million in prize money this year.

The rest of the IPL prize money is divided in to Rs1.2 crore for the two semi-finalists, Rs Rs 80 lakh ($200,00) for the fifth runner-up, Rs70 lakh for the sixth, Rs50 lakh for the seventh, Rs40 lakh for the eighth.

Apart from that the Player of the Tournament, picked by Ravi Shastri, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sunil Gavaskar, will receive Rs10 lakh.

Indian Premier League - IPL 2008 Match Schedule

2008-04-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

IPL 1st Match
18th Friday April 2008
Bangalore team (Royal Challengers) v IPL- kolkata team.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

IPL 2nd Match
19th Saturday April 2008.
Mohali Team v Chennai Super Kings .
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali .
Chandigarh.

IPL 3rd Match
19th Saturday April 2008
Delhi Daredevils v IPL Jaipur Royal
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 4th Match
Sunday 20th, April 2008
Mumbai indians v Bangalore Royal Challengers.
TBC, Mumbai.

IPL 5st Match
Sunday 20th, April 2008

IPL- kolkata team v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 6th Match
Date : Mon 21st, April 2008.
IPL Jaipur Royal v IPL Mohali Team
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 7th Match
Tue 22nd April, 2008.
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v Delhi Daredevils
TBC, Hyderabad .

IPL 8th Match
Wed 23rd April, 2008.
Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai indians
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 9th Match
Thursday, 24th April, 2008.
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v IPL Jaipur Royal
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

IPL 10th Match
Fri 25th April, 2008

Mohali Team v Mumbai indians
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

IPL 11th Match
Sat 26th April, 2008.
Bangalore Royal Challengers v IPL Jaipur Royal
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

IPL 12th Match
Sat 26th April, 2008.
Chennai Super Kings v IPL- kolkata team
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 13th Match
Sun 27 th April, 2008.
Mumbai indians v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
TBC ,Mumbai .

IPL 13th Match
Sun 27th April, 2008.
Mohali Team v Delhi Daredevils
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali , Chandigarh.

IPL 14th Match
Mon 28th April, 2008.
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings .
Bangalore .

IPL 15th Match
Tue 29 th April, 2008.
IPL- kolkata team v Mumbai indians
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 16th Match
Wed 30th April, 2008.
Delhi Daredevils v Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 17th Match
Thursday 1st May 2008
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v IPL Mohali Team
Hyderabad .

IPL 18th Match
Thu 1st May, 2008.
IPL Jaipur Royal v IPL- kolkata team schedule
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 19th Match
Fri 2nd May, 2008
Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

IPL 20th Match
Sat 3rd May, 2008
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Hyderabad .

IPL 21th Match
Sat 3rd May, 2008
Mohali Team v IPL- kolkata team.
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali , Chandigarh.

IPL 22th Match
Sun 4th May, 2008
Mumbai indians v Delhi Daredevils
Mumbai .

IPL 23th Match
Sun 4th May, 2008
IPL Jaipur Royal v Chennai Super Kings
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 24th Match
Mon 5th May, 2008
Bangalore Royal Challengers v IPL Mohali Team
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

IPL 25th Match
Tue 6th May, 2008
Chennai Super Kings v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 26th Match
Wed 7th May, 2008
Mumbai indians v IPL Jaipur Royal
Mumbai .

IPL 27th Match
Thu 8th May, 2008
Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings .
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 28th Match
Thu 8th May,2008
IPL- kolkata team v Bangalore Royal Challengers
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 29th Match
Fri 9th May, 2008
IPL Jaipur Royal v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 30th Match
Sat 10 th May, 2008
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Mumbai indians
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

IPL 31 Match
Sat 10th May, 2008
Chennai Super Kings v IPL Mohali Team
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 32th Match
Sun 11th May, 2008
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v IPL- kolkata team.
Hyderabad .

IPL 33th Match
Sun 11th May, 2008
IPL Jaipur Royal v Delhi Daredevils
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 34th Match
Mon 12th May, 2008
Mohali Team v Bangalore Royal Challengers
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali , Chandigarh.

IPL 35th Match
Tue 13th May, 2008
IPL- kolkata team schedule v Delhi Daredevils
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 36th Match
Wed 14th May,2008
Mumbai indians v Chennai Super Kings .
Mumbai.

IPL 37th Match
Wed 14th May,2008
Mohali Team v IPL Jaipur Royal
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali , Chandigarh.

IPL 38th Match
Thu 15th May, 2008
Delhi Daredevils v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 39th Match
Fri 16th May, 2008
Mumbai indians v IPL- kolkata team
Mumbai .

IPL 40th Match
Sat 17th May, 2008
Delhi Daredevils v IPL Mohali Team
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 41th Match
Sat 17th May, 2008
IPL Jaipur Royal v Bangalore Royal Challengers
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 42th Match
Sun 18th May, 2008
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v Mumbai indians
Hyderabad .

IPL 43th Match
Sun 18th May, 2008
IPL- kolkata team v Chennai Super Kings .
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 44th Match
Mon 19th May, 2008
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Delhi Daredevils
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

IPL 45th Match
Tue 20th May,2008
IPL- kolkata team v IPL Jaipur Royal
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 46th Match
Wed 21st May,2008
Mumbai indians v IPL Mohali Team
Mumbai .

IPL 47th Match
Wed 21st May,2008
Chennai Super Kings v Bangalore Royal Challengers
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 48th Match
Thu 22nd May,2008
Delhi Daredevils v IPL- kolkata team
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 49th Match
Fri 23rd May, 2008
Mohali Team v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali , Chandigarh.

IPL 50th Match
Sat 24th May, 2008
Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai indians
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

IPL 51th Match
Sat 24th May, 2008
Chennai Super Kings v IPL Jaipur Royal
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

IPL 52th Match
Sun 25th May, 2008
Bangalore Royal Challengers v IPL Hyderabad-Deccan
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

IPL 53th Match
Sun 25th May, 2008
IPL- kolkata team schedule v IPL Mohali Team
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

IPL 54th Match
Mon 26th May, 2008
IPL Jaipur Royal v Mumbai indians
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

IPL 55th Match
Tue 27th May, 2008.
IPL Hyderabad-Deccan v Chennai Super Kings .
Hyderabad .

IPL First Semi Final
Friday, 30th May, 2008
Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.

IPL Second Semi Final
Friday, 31st May, 2008
2nd Semi-Final, Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
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IPL cricket frenchises

2008-04-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Mumbai team for USD 111.9 million - Mukesh Ambani (Reliance India Limited)
IPL Team Mumbai Indians Schedule

Bangalore team for USD 111.6 million - Dr.Vijay Mallya (United Breweries)
IPL Bangalore team (Royal Challengers) schedule

Kolkata team for USD 75.09 million - Actor Shah Rukh Khan/Juhi Chawla/Jay Mehta (The Bollywood Fire Power)
IPL- kolkata team schedule

Mohali team for USD 76 million - Ness Wadia/Preity Zinta (The Wadia Group)

Delhi team for USD 84 million - GMR Holdings (Currently incharge of Delhi Airport Renovation)
IPL Team Review - Delhi Daredevils schedule

Chennai team for USD 91 million - Mr.Srinivasan (India Cements)
IPL Chennai Super Kings Team

Hyderabad for USD 107.01 million - Deccan Chronicle (The Media Group)

IPL Hyderabad-Deccan Team schedule.

Jaipur team for USD 67 million - Emerging Media Group (UK based)
IPL Jaipur team Schedule

Quite a huge money has been invested for the teams.The initial bidding price was set at USD 50 million.

Finally the much awaited bidding took place and of the 77 contracted players, 75 were signed by the teams. All that is left is only the sheer action-packed summer weekends.Can’t hold on till April 18th.Each team went through this entire process just like playing Sudoku - had to pick the best possible combination of the lot for the right spot.

All that is on offer for us fans is a star studded Indian Domestic Tournament with World’s top players- Ah!!!Had been dreaming of this for quite sometime now (Inspired by the English county). The 44 day event has loads on offer for the Cricket frenzy nation.

The sheer magnitude of money being dished out has its own good. This attracts all the top players to try out their hand for this event. This also ensures that there is proper infrastructure and standards for the game to take place in the best of the entertaining ways.

All that we have to do is sit back and be treated. Talks are on that another 8 teams are in line for the coming year.I’m still wondering whether they’ll have enough players to fit in.For now there are a total of 8 teams.

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IPL Chennai Super Kings Team

2008-04-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

With no iconic player from this city, the Chennai Super Kings did an unthinkable job by being the highest bidder in the competition outplaying RIL’s Mumbai for M.S.Dhoni. With a good expertise of knowledge about the game in the city, it will surely be a crowd-puller in this part of the country. Even if they had chosen some other player as its icon, the Chennai team would have had the full support of its crowd. Rather I see that move only in the view of striking better sponsorship deals.
The Chennai Team was brought by Mr.Srinivasan (Also BCCI Office-Bearer) for USD 91 million, representing India Cements. The Team has been named as ” Chennai Super Kings “.

Jacob Oram - No doubt that he’s one of the best all-rounders in the current Cricket era. He has been an outstanding performer for New Zealand in the past few years. He is very well-known for his ability to strike the Cricket ball as clean as a whistle. He has played some breath-taking innings for his country (Still I remember his innings against Australia that he played at No.6). He’s also an equally good fielder. Can’t ask for a complete player like him. His experience could prove handy for the Chennai Super Kings. At USD 675,000, he’s such a note-worthy player. Look out Chennaites (If he’s available though). He’s a good finisher of the ranks o Chris Cairns.

Albie Morkel -He is from South Africa and is shaping up into a pretty good All-Rounder. Though his ability to hit the ball cleanly may look appealing, his ability to bowl quick and extract good bounce can’t be let alone. In his short International tenure, he has done well to capture the hearts of people with his ability. At USD 675,000, Chennai Super Kings of a Bowler who can trouble the Batsmen with his pace and bounce. Be careful, don’t ever under-estimate his ability with the Bat.

Suresh Raina - Ex-Indian Coach Greg Chapple regarded him as one of the best players in the country. He is electric in the field. His batting is also flawless. He can play the dual role of re-building the innings as well as shifting gears to up the tempo. He is also a handy Off-Spinner and can be quite effective in stemming the run-flow. His ability to play both spin and pace with sheer command makes him one of the most talented youngsters in the Indian Cricket. At USD 650,000, the Chennai Super Kings have made sure that they have an electrifying Multi-Utility player in their ranks who can last the entire season.

Muttiah Muralidaran - The name speaks for itself. One of the living legends of the game and with the leading test wickets under his belt, the Chennai Super Kings have done a good job securing him. His experience could prove very crucial. T20 format will be challenging for Murali too. But he’s the one who enjoys challenges and would love to dominate the Batsmen even in this format. He’s being paid USD 600,000 for his stint here. Wake up youngsters, make the most of him.

Matthew Hayden - Probably one of the finest openers that the game has seen, he is not afraid of playing his shots. He boasts of holding the record for the fastest century in World Cup history. He can prove very dangerous at the top and can turn the tables single handedly. He’s also a very good fielder despite his build and age. At USD 375,000, Chennai Super Kings have struck a perfect deal.

Stephen Fleming - He is one of the good guys of International Cricket and has already announced his retirement at the Internationa level. He is one of the most influencing personalities on the field. He is a specialist at the slips and is also the most experienced Captain at the big stage. Again his experience could be very handy and he alongside Matty Hayden can tear apart any opposition on a given day. With the experience he brings in, he’s worth every penny of USD 350,000 that the Chennai Super Kings are paying him.

Michael Hussey- One of the most consistent players in the current generation of Cricketers. He’s aptly called Mr.Cricket for his consistency.He’s a very solid player and can play dual role, either consolidate the line up when the top order fails or play aggressively. He’s also pretty good inside the circle. He will be a tricky customer to bowl to.He’s very good against the quicker bowlers.The Chennai Super Kings have signed a decent deal with him priced at USD 350,000.

Parthiv Patel -He is one of the upcoming talents in Indian Cricket. He cam into the International scene quite briskly and left with the same pace because of his improper work behind the stumps. But he has come quite a long way from there on. He has become all the more improved player and has started to play some quick-fire scintilating knocks. At USD 325,000 Chennai Super Kings have ensured that they have aback up for M.S.Dhoni who is quite capable behind the stumps and also with the Bat.

Joginder Sharma -He was a member of the victorious Indian T20 team and he was the one who bowled the last over against both, Australia and Pakistan. He did well to take up the responsibilty then. He’s looked at as an All-Rounder. But he has a lot to prove at this level. Still a rookie. That can work in his favour as there won’t be too much pressure on him. Chennai Super Kings have done well to get him at USD 225,000 and will surely exploit his plus points in due course which would benefit him also.

Makhaya Ntini -This South African Player has performed very well in many crunch situations. Everyone knows about his ability with the ball. He’ll provide the fire power that we need with the ball. He is very good either opening or at the death overs.He’s a cool customer and can keep the Batsman hoping on any surface. At USD 200,000 you can’t ask for more.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni -He’s the new face of Indian Cricket and he is the highest paid player in the IPL tournament. He’s been paid a whomping USD 1.5 million for his appearance in the matches. He should make sure to convert those apperances into stunning performances. He has improved his game behind the stumps and has grown more mature these days. If given proper starts by the top order, you can count on him to make sure that the oponents are torn to pieces. He brings this Multi-Dimension into the team. As far as I’m concerned I still feel that its quite a gamble. Whatever be the scenario, he’ll surely bring in fans and also sponsors along. Well planned Chennai Kings.
Kepler Wessels (Former South African Captain) is all set to done the role of the Coach of the Chennai Super Kings team. The team looks quite balanced on paper. All of them are proven performers and you can put your money on this team for some breath-taking performances. The team is estimated at USD 96,925,000. The fans will back this team and they have to perform accordingly to satisfy this Cricket crazy Metropolitan.

India Cements Limited (ICL), franchisee of the Chennai Indian Premier League (IPL) team, unveiled the logo for the team today and named the team as "Chennai Super Kings: Fearless Entertainers who will play to win".

The function held in Chennai witnessed the presence of veteran Indian cricketers like Sivaramakrishnan, W. V Raman and Chandrasekar.

During the function, former Indian captain Krishnamachary Srikkanth was named as the brand ambassador of the team.

Speaking on the occasion, Srikkanth said, "I am very happy that ICL had taken over Chennai Super Kings team. It’s a great feeling to be a brand ambassador. Chennai have knowledgeable cricketers and so Super Kings will be a lovely team."

The owner of the team reiterated faith in his team’s caliber to deliver the best.

"We want a solid team. We have been in cricket running teams for the last 40 years and we have won local championships many times so we have experience and will get a good blend," said N. Srinivasan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, ICL.

Over 80 international cricketers are expected to feature in a player "auction" in Mumbai on Wednesday with each franchise allowed a cap of 5 million dollars.

The eight franchises, who spent over 718 million dollars to get the team rights, will be present at the auction.

They are Mumbai team (Mukesh Ambani), Bangalore (Vijay Mallya), Kolkata (Shah Rukh Khan), Chandigarh (Preity Zinta), Jaipur (Emerging Media), Hyderabad (Deccan Chronicle), Chennai (India Cements) and Delhi (GMR Group).

While each team will be allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players, only four will be able to play in the XI.

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IPL Bangalore team (Royal Challengers) schedule

2008-04-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

The team from the garden city lead by Rahul Dravid could have rather been called as the ” Big Daddy’s ” of the IPL tournament. Just look at the signed players and you’ll find it all are very experienced ones and are at their exit phase. The team lacks that youth fire power which the other teams have. Even Rahul Dravid admitted that they would have been well off had they brought in Robin Uthappa in their squad. Yet you can’t neglect this side as they are equally capable as other teams in the tournament.

Rahul Dravid (icon)
Jacques Kallis (US$900,000)
Anil Kumble (US$500,000)
Cameron White (US$500,000)
Zaheer Khan (US$450,000)
Mark Boucher (US$450,000)
Dale Steyn (US$325,000)
Nathan Bracken (US$325,000)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000)
Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000)

As for the team, it was brought by one of the giants in the bidding, Dr.Vijay Mallya, being the second highest bidder next to Mukesh Ambani. The team was brought for USD 111.6 million, just USD 0.3 million behind the Mumbai Indians team. Let has have a look at the squad.

Jacques Kallis - He is one of the prolific All-Rounders that the game has ever seen. He has dominated games with both Bat and the Ball for most of his career. He is also a very atheletic fielder. He has this ability of playing these match-winning innings and can turn the table around on his own. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 900,000.

Anil Kumble - He is now the third highest wicket taker in Tests just behind Muttiah Muralidaran (Chennai Super Kings) and Shane Warne ( Jaipur). It would be a pleasure to see all these compete against each other. Anil Kumble is high on confidence after his good show as Captain of this Indian team. He has improved as a Batsman too. He will bring in his own share of crowd to the stands when he plays. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 500,000.

Cameron White -He is an unknown quantity in International Cricket though he has played a few matches for the Australian side. But his domestic record speaks a lot about his ability. He is a genuine All-Rounder and he is specially devastating with the Bat. He brings that juice in the batting line up that the Bangalore Royal Challengers need. He was brought for USD 500,000 by the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Zaheer Khan - He is one of the better Bowlers that our nation has produced. Even he put up a decent show against England, Pakistan and Australia. He can pick wickets like a bunch of carrots and also has this nature of getting injured frequently. That is a big question mark. If fit, he can trouble anyone on a given day. He also has this ability to hit the big shots when needed. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 450,000.

Mark Boucher- He is one of the finest Wicket-Keeper Batsman that the game has seen. He has the second highest tally of dismissals, just a few behind the just retired Adam Gilchrist. He is a devastating lower order Batsman and has this habit of finishing games with ease. His wicket-keeping skills can’t be questioned at all. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 450,000.

Nathan Bracken - After his recent show at the CB series, he will surely be high on confidence. He is a specialist bowler in ODI’s for Australia. He is a very tricky Bowler. He has this ability to read Batsmen’s mind and can take the game away with his uncanny Bowling. He can seriously check the run flow at one end for sure. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 325,000.

Dale Steyn - He is the new face of South African pace attack. He bowls at a very good pace and can extract enough bounce to trouble the Batsmen even on unresponsive wickets. He is very aggressive on the field and in recent past has been picking up wickets at will and can be quite lethal opening the Bowling for this team. He was brought for USD 325,000 by Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul - He is a tricky customer. He has played a few astonishing knocks wherein he would out pace Chris Gayle. But off late he hasn’t been scoring quick. But there’s no doubt that he can re-write the script and play his natural game. There is no shortage of experience and he is very athletic as well. If he gets going, anything can happen. He was brought for USD 200,000 by Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Wasim Jaffer -He is a fine Test Batsman. But I doubt his skills at this form of the game. He is not so very agile nor flexible enough to Bat anywhere. He can bring in this solidity to the team when wickets tumble. He was brought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 150,000.

Rahul Dravid - He is the back bone of the entire team. His stats speaks a lot. He has this ability to Bat anywhere and adjust according to the needs. He can play aggressively or consolidate the line up when required. His 63 ball 92 against the English during his last visit is a very good example. He is very orthodox and that makes him very dangerous player as he is also technically strong. When it comes to technique, he is the best that the World has ever seen. He is the Icon for his Hometown and you can expect a big fan club to follow him. He is worth USD 1.035 million.
This team boasts for a very potent Bowling line up. But if they can get their act with the Batting, they can mesmerise any opponent in the competition. The team is likely to be coached by Venkatesh Prasad. The team is till now priced at a whomping USD 116,435,000.
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IPL Jaipur team Schedule

2008-04-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

A city well-known for its Castles and Palaces is now here to compete with a Team in the first phase of IPL. The team hasn’t signed many players but boasts of some of the best in the Business. The team will be lead by the Legendary Leg Spinner Shane Warne. What better than he’ll also be the Coach of this team. A dual role? Lets see whats going to happen. But still the team’s Icon Player is the talented Mohammed Kaif.

The team was brought by Emerging Media group for USD 67 million. The team was criticised for not having spent very less during the first round of bidding. Lets see how the team lines up.

Greame Smith - He is one of the best Batsmen in the current era. He has played some good innings which tells a lot about him as a player and also as a leader. He has inspired South Africa to some huge victories, specially the World Record Chase against Australia. He is a very good opening batsman and a good fielder. His Off-Spinners can be exploited too. He was brought for USD 475,000 by the Jaipur team.

Yusuf Pathan - He is an unknown quantity in International arena. He made his debut in the T20 World Cup Finals against Pakistan. He’s a renowned Big-Hitter in the Domestic circuit and can be very handy with his offies. He was brought by the Jaipur team for USD 475,000.

Shane Warne - The name itself brings jitters in the batsmens’ stomach. He is, without doubt, the best leg spinner that the game has seen. He has proved himself on all the grounds that he has played on. He is a very good leader and has loads of experience which can prove quite handy. He is also pretty good with the bat and is also expected to coach his IPL team. Nice Ploy I would say. He was brought by Jaipur team for USD 450,000.

Munaf Patel - He has never been a constant number in the Indian ranks. He is good with the ball but is poor on the field and with the bat. That is his major drawback. But he can sometimes win matches single handedly with the ball. He is inconsistent and that can be a cause of concern. He was brought by Jaipur team for USD 275,000.

Younis Khan - He is one of the most agile batsman I’ve seen. He can shift gears as and when he requires and can play some long innings too. He is a good finisher and also very good in manufacturing shot. He is very good player of reverse-sweep. He too has lots of experience and that can help the cause. He was brought by Jaipur team for USD 225,000.

Justin Langer - He is one of the best Test Batsmen that the game has come across. He is very consistent and again has loads of experience. He has played lots of T20 for his state team. He can be devastating at the top and provides that comfort for the middle order. He was brought by Jaipur team for USD 200,000.

Kamran Akmal - He is the Pakistani Wicket-Keeper. His skills as a Keeper has always been a point for argument and I’m surprised that this team doesn’t have a back up. He is very good with the bat and is quite capable of playing the big shots. Once he gets going, its difficult to stop him. But the question is “Will he?”. He was brought by the Jaipur team for USD 150,000.

Mohammed Kaif - He has been named as the Icon for his team. He was a good Batsman and a prolific fielder for India. But he was dropped due to his poor show with the bat. He can strike form easily and when he does that, he’s dangerous. He has the knack of pacing his innings beautifully. He is being paid USD 675,000 by the Jaipur team.
The team lacks something but is full of experience. The Bowling looks very week and will remain a major worry. They should have gone in for more Bowlers and also a back up for Kamran Akmal as well. I’m totally unhappy with the way the team has shaped up. The total value of the team stands at USD 69,925,000.

Two cities that I thought deserve IPL teams and didn’t get are Ahmedabad and Kanpur. The latter is one of the five "traditional centers" and has been hosting test cricket for almost 60 years now. UP has also been doing well in the Ranji and has quite a few people in the Indian squad - the catchment would’ve been so much better. The only problem with the Green Park is that there are no floodlights. One hopes that they are installed in due course and this city is allotted an IPL team.

The catchment areas for each team were announced recently. And it turns out that three out of four teams in the Jaipur catchment area are from Gujarat! So what prevented Emerging Media to bid for Ahmedabad then? The Motera is floodlit, and more importantly two of the four semifinalists in this year’s Ranji were from Gujarat, thus providing a real catchment (though one other state has been tagged on to each winning ground as catchment area, it isn’t too natural. Dhoni will never feel at "home" in Kolkata.). Also, from my perception, Ahmedabad has a much better cricket "culture" compared to Jaipur.

It would’ve been more understandable if the group that owns Jaipur had some kind of a connection with Rajasthan. However, there doesn’t seem to be any - the group is almsot wholly foreign - which makes matters of their choice even more perplexing. Were they put off by Ahmedabad because both Ambani brothers were bidding there? In any case, since the highest 8 bidders got teams (removing duplicate ownership), it is clear that what Emerging Media paid for Jaipur was more than what ADAG offered for Ahmedabad. Why didn’t they have enough sense to bid for Ahmedabad also?

All in all it seems to be a decision that completely misses out of the situation on the ground. I’m sure Emerging media would’ve been advised by some bankers/consultants who have absolutely no clue about the cricket situation in India, who would’ve used factors such as population, proximity to Delhi, etc. to pick Jaipur as the better winner. As mentioned earlier, I’m sure that one game where Jaipur got record revenues (due to good revenue management practices) would’ve also helped.

Two points before I close. Firstl, does anyone have data regarding the failed bids for the IPL teams? What Anilbhai etc. bid? If anyone does, please share it with me.

Second, the players’ auction is scheduled for Feb 20. Players have been split into classes (fast bowlers, spin bowlers, keepers, etc.) and their names will be drawn in random order, and the bidders should bid for the guy whose name just got picked. Wonder if it’s the most efficient process.

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IPL Team Mumbai Indians Schedule

2008-04-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

Reliance Industries which owns the IPL Mumbai through its subsidiary Reliance Retails hopes to start earnings returns from its investment in IPL Mumbai in about 3 years time. That is the gestation period. Money will come mainly from team sponsors and ticket sales said a spokesman for the team.

Initially the costs will be higher but once the things are in place we can start earning profits.

IPL Mumbai will be known as Mumbai Indians.
Finally, the most expensive team in IPL - the IPL mumbai team has a name - Mumbai Indians. This was announced today at a promo event to announce the name and unveil the logo. The logo incidentally is a Sudarshan chakra and team colors are blue.
Sachin Tendulkar was present at the function and said he would enjoy opening with Sanath Jayasuriya.
What a player to be on your team as an Icon? Can’t ask for more in this Cricket Crazy Nation. Sachin Tendulkar is all set to lead this Mumbai Indians Team. The Team was brought for a whomping USD 111.9 by the competition giants Reliance India Limited led by Mukesh Ambani. The city will have loads of close followers all over the country just for one name - ” Sachin Tendulkar “.

Sanath Jayasuriya -He’s probably the one of the best Batsman in World Cricket. He can single handedly turn matches for you. Though he’s old, he’ll give cent percent on the field. In a format where slow bowlers have done reasonably well, his left arm spin Bowling can prove handy. The Sri Lankan marauder was brought by Mumbai Indians for USD 975,000.

Harbhajan Singh - One of the best bowler that our country has produced. he has been an Under-achiever. He is capable of bowling tight and also playing big shots while batting. He has been playing some jaw-dropping innings in the recent past. You can always look out for something with this vibrant personality in your team. He was brought by Mumbai Indians for USD 850,000.

Robin Uthappa - He is one of the stand out players in the current Indian team. He is electric in the field ( and off it too). He can hit the Cricket ball as hard as anyone in the International scene. He is naturally aggressive. He can win you matches single-handedly. He can play such shots ( like walking down the track and hitting Brett Lee out off the park when he was bowling at over 150 kmph ) that you’ll be left to sit and wonder about. He was brought for USD 800,000.

Shaun Pollock -He has done a lot to not have known him. If you speak about cricketing blood, he is a very fine example of that genre. He is an incredible bowler and a very useful lower-orderBat. He is a Captain’s delight. He can be so very consistent and has the habit of picking wickets in bunches thereby stopping run-flow. He was brought for USD 550,000 by Mumbai Indians.

Lasith Malinga- He is the new poster boy of Cricket. With his characteristeic hair and bowling style, he is recognised by any Cricket follower. In his short span in International Cricket, he has troubled almost all the Batsmen that he has bowled to. His toe-crushing target are barely playable. He can pick up wickets quickly as can bowl at alarming pace. He was brought by the Mumbai Indians for USD 350,000.

Loots Bosman - He is a prolific T20 player in South African County team. He has played some knocks that are barely thinkable. He is a specialist Batsman and can score those quickfire twenties and thirties very easily. He is a low ranked player. He was brought by Mumbai Indians for USD 150,000.

Dilhara Fernando - He is the third Sri Lankan in the side. He has this ability to bowl quick and keep the batsmen hopping on the crease. He is a wicket-taking bowler and has a very well-disguised slower one. His ability to mix up his slower ones and yorkers needs credit. He was brought by Mumbai Indians for USD 150,000.

Sachin Tendulkar - The name and stats speaks for itself. I’ve had enough writing about this genious. He has to prove a point in this format though. He’s being paid USD 1.121 million by the Mumbai Indian team and will lead the side. Just think of this. He and Sanath Jayasuriya will be opening the batting, the deadliest ever opening combination that you can think off in this tournament.
The Coach of this team might be Lal Chand Rajput and the total worth of this team is USD 116,846,000. They have some good youngsters in the State team to back these big names. A serious threat in the competition for sure.

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IPL Team Review - Delhi Daredevils schedule

2008-04-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

Delhi Dare Devils will play totally 14 league stage matches. Feroze Shah Kotla is the home ground for the Delhi DareDevils.The Delhi DareDevils will play seven matches at home - Delhi and the rest of the matches in 7 other cities which have IPL teams.
The IPL Tournament which is set to kick-off on 18th April will see non-stop excitement till the end of the tournament. Once the tournament starts the eight ipl cricket teams including the Delhi DareDevils team will start playing their league matches and be crisscrossing through the country to the 8 cities to finish playing their assigned matches. Kingfisher Airlines has been chosen as the official DLFIPL airlines and teams including
Delhi Dare Devils will be flying Kingfisher Airlines to reach their venues.
At the end of the 56 game league games stage if Delhi DareDevils has secured enough points to top the table or be atleast in the top 4 teams of the event then they will be play in the Semis at Mumbai and if they win that they will play in the finals again to be played in Mumbai.
Delhi DareDevils are going into the tournament with a strong line-up of batsmen, wicket keeper, bowlers and support staff. They also, have a strong backing from their team owners who are pouring millions into this event to make it a mega success. Already the buzz around the Delhi DareDevils team is reaching a high point. Almost everyday some new development or announcement about the team composition.

Though Virender Sehwag was keen to get into the bidding rounds, the GMR Holdings somehow managed to convince the Delhi dasher to lead his home team and henceforth be renowned as its iconic player. The team will bank upon local support from the audience and are quite good on paper. Let us check out the squad and talk about the cost of the team also.
We know that the Delhi Team was brought for USD 84 Million. They’ve named the team as “Delhi Daredevils”.

Gautam Gambhir - After his outstanding display at the T20 World Cup in South Africa (September 2007 to be precise), everyone knows what he is capable of. There was no doubt thathis home team would rope him in at any cost. They brought him for USD 725,000. This shows the kind of trust they have on this new found hero. With his ability to pace his innings quite easily and the ability to shift gears as he wishes makes him a tricky customer. Of late he has been in tremendous form and has been quite consistent. He’s also pretty good on the field.

Manoj Tiwary - The Delhi team has gambled here by picking this lad. He doen’t have so much experience at the big stage and didn’t seem to be too comfortable against the likes of Lee in the tour Down-Under. Though he played just one game, he neveer looked impressive. He is a good Batsman and quite a handy leg-spinner. But is he worth that whomping USD 675,000 ??? I doubt. I feel they’ve spent too much on an unknown quantity.

Mohammad Asif - With his ability to bowl at any given condition, either with the new ball or the old ball, he has been the best find for Pakistan Cricket. He bowls at a genuine pace and can be very dangerous on any wicket. The Delhi Daredevils have done a good job in getting this pacer at USD 650,000 - quite a good bet I must say.

Daniel Vettori - He has been a proven product in International Cricket and is respected by all his opponents. He is on a high after being named the New Zealand team Captain. He is also very good on the field and also a mature Batsman. You can count on him for some big shots or also to consolidate the innings. He deserves a lot and the crowd here are bound to give him his share. Well Dan, be prepared to interact with the fans who will follow you all the way and support you. He was brought for USD 625,000 which I feel is quite nominal for the talent he has.

Dinesh Karthik - This Chennai lad was brought for USD 525,000 by the Delhi Daredevils and hence will have to move to Delhi soon. We know his capabilities as a Batsman, Fielder and a Wicket-Keeper. Thus the team can boast of a International level Wicket-Keeper. He is quite electric in the field and has the talent to turn games around in this format. Look out people!!!

Shoaib Malik - The Pakistan Skipper is one of my favourite players and I have admired him for the sheer dimension he has brought to the game. Though he is a good Batsman, his ability with the ball and on the field can’t be neglected. At USD 500,000, he’s worth every penny. He can be quite tricky with his off-spinners and his ability with the bat is well-known. He is a treat to watch.

Glenn McGrath - The name says it all. By far the Best Fast Bowler of the past decade. He’s not express quick. But if your talking about containing the Batsman with accurate bowling, then Glenn McGrath is the answer. He has troubled every Batsman that he has ever bowled to. At USD 350,000, the Delhi again bagged a perfect deal. But I’m still wondering what took them so long to pick him that he had to be waiting in the reserve pool. Were you guys sleeping? Remember guys, he would be available for the entire schedule unlike many other players.

AB de Villiers -He is by far the find of the South African team. He has proved his worth with his quick fire knocks. He also has the Jonty Rhodes kind of standard on the field. At USD 300,000 he is one of the players to watch out for when this team takes the field.

Tillakaratne Dilshan - He is one of the modern faces of Sri Lankan Cricket. He has this multi-talent and you can call him a complete player. He can pace his innings very well and is also a good finisher. A very good middle-order bat and a handy off-break Bowler, he’s worth that USD 250,000 which has been paid to him.

Farveez Maharoof -He is the second Sri Lankan player in the team. He has this knack of picking up crucial wickets and breaking partnerships. His change of pace is well-disguised. He has this ability to play big shots lower down the order. He is quite mean in giving away runs as well. At USD 225,000, the Delhi Daredevils couldn’t have asked for more.

Virender Sehwag - Being the icon player he is priced at USD 833,750, 115% of his team’s most paid player. We know about his ability to tear apart the opposition attack on any given day. He is also quite handy with his offies as well. But he’ll be known for his sheer brilliance with the bat. He along with Gautam Gambhir can be a deadly-duo at the top of the order.
Thus we can see that this team is quite well-matched and has a good mix of youngsters with experience and also old war-horses who can still be at their best. There is no point arguing this. All they have to look in is to fit in pretty good youngsters and also another back-up Wicket-Keeper. Greg Shipperd, the Victorian State-Team Coach has been appointed as the Head Coach of Delhi Daredevils.The team is now worth USD 89,658,750.

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IPL Hyderabad-Deccan Team schedule.

2008-04-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Hyderabad -A city of varied culture and the land which has given rise to many sporting stars like Mohammed Azharuddin, V.V.S.Laxman, Sania Mirza etc. . The team was brought by the print media group - Deccan Chronicle for USD 107.1 million.
After the confusions they had initially about their icon player, they’ve decided against Laxman and Andrew Symonds has taken the role. Just like
Chennai Super Kings did, Hyderabad has also gone in full fledge to buy Andrew Symonds, the second highest bid player in the auction. Let us have a look at the team.

R.P.Singh - He is one of the new found faces of Indian Pace Bowling. He is very good with the ball as he has this uncanny nature of swinging the cherry both ways. He aslo looks very seducive with his action as it doesn’t look as pacy as it gets to the other end. He’s a skidy customer but yet can surprise the Batsmen with the bounce that he can extract. He did well during the T20 World Cup. He has been brought by the Hyderabad team for USD 875,000. Quite a good ploy to get him in.

Rohit Sharma - He has been one of the best players in the just concluded CB series down-under. Evenwhen he made his International debut during the T20 World Cup, he played a couple of match-winning knocks which showcased his calibre. He is electric in the field and is a handy player to have in the team as he can shift gears and manage his innings properly. He was brought by Hyderabad for USD 750,000.

Adam Gilchrist - The name itself triggers terror in the heart of the Bowlers around the World. He might have retired from his International duty. But it is our privilege to have him here to continue his good work at this format. He can tear apart any attack with such an ease. He’s simply unstoppable once he gets going. His exploits behind the wicket is exemplary. I’m eagerly waiting to see him back in action again after his lay-off. He was brought by Hyderabad team for USD 700,000.

Shahid Afridi -
Even this name strikes terror in the Bowler’s heart. But his inconsistency can be a key factor.The player of the T20 World Cup was a perfect fit for this man. He can bowl his quickish leg-breaks as well. He has the highest Strike -Rate for the year 2007 in ODI’s at about 170 runs per 100 balls. In the T20 World Cup, it rose upto 197 runs per 100 balls. He can spell devastation with both Bat and Bowl. He was brought by Hyderabad for USD 675,000.

Herschelle Gibbs -He is a big match player.You can always count on him for big scores. Again, he has all the time in the World to hit the ball out of the park as and when he wants. He is simply one of the best fielders around in International Cricket. He can take the game away single-handedly. He was brought by Hyderabad for USD 575,000.

V.V.S.Laxman - He is one of the classy Batsman that the world has ever seen. He plays some stylish shots which ropes in admirers around the World. He has this habit of building partnerships but lacks the ability for big shots. He’s a slow mover and has been often critisised for his fielding. He has to prove a lot in this format. He has been brought by Hyderabad for USD 375,000.

Chaminda Vaas - He is one of the most brilliant Bowlers that Sri Lanka has produced. He can swing the ball both ways and has a very good slower one. He can make sure that runs are cut off when he bowls. He keeps on trying in the field. He also has the ability of playing big shots and can clear the field consistently with ease. He has been brought by Hyderabad for USD 200,000.

Scott Styris - A man capable of changing things around. He is very good with the bat and his ability with the ball makes him special. He can don both the roles and perform exceedingly well. His current form is the only cause of concern. But his ability as a player can’t be neglected. He was brought by Hyderabad for USD 175,000.

Nuwan Zoysa -He was very good when he first broke into the International scene. He used to extract good pace and bounce due to his height. He was later troubled by injuries and has been out of the Sri Lankan squad for quite sometime now. He has this habit of picking up wickets at regular intervals. He was brought by Hyderabad for USD 110,000.

Chamara Silva He is one of the new finds of Sri Lankan Cricket. He is very consistent with the bat and is also a good finisher. He can take a game away from the opponents with getting noticed too much. He bats lower down the order and provides that extra cushion for his team . He is a very good fielder and he was brought by Hyderabad for USD 100,000.

Andrew Symonds - He has done lots on the field for the World to recognise him. He is very good in all departments of the game. He can shift gears easily and can strike the cricket ball as clean as a whistle. His presence will itself bring energy into the team. His fielding stands out. He is such a player who can deliver under any situation. He is the second highest paid player and is brought by Hyderabad priced at USD 1.35 million.
This team looks quite capable of turning the tables around. But I feel they lack the cushion of a slow bowler. Other than that the side looks pretty balanced and has all the other aspects of the game well covered.The team is stacked up with the best big-hitters that the game has seen in modern times. The Coach for this team will be Robin Singh. The team is valued at USD 112,895,000. The logo looks very good, denoting the brute force that team possesses of.

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IPL- kolkata team schedule

2008-04-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

IPL Kolkata team is one of the 8 teams that will play in the Indian Premier League.

Owned by the King of Bollywood - Shah Rukh Khan and his co-star of many movies Juhi Chawla and their company Red Chillies Entertainment the IPL Kolkata will be one of the star attractions of IPL tournament no doubt because of Shah Rukh Khan.Saurav Ganguly has been approached by Shah Rukh Khan to lead the IPL Kolkata Team.Rumours doing the rounds are that the IPL Kolkata team will be known as Night Riders or Knight Riders. It has not be confirmed yet.Sponsors are lining up to be associated with this team because they want piggy ride on Shah Rukh’s popularity.Other players who might be in the team include Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi.IPL Kolkata will play the inaugural match of the IPL tournament against IPL Bangalore.

Team: Kolkata Knightriders
Owner’s Name: Red Chillies
Captain: Sourav GangulyCoach: John Buchanan
Home ground: Eden Gardens

Saurav Ganguly (India)- Sourav Ganguly, the icon player of the Kolkata IPL team said that he was happy with the players won by the Kolkata franchise. After returning from the landmark auction for the bidding of players in Mumbai, he said, "Our team was not short on batting. We dont need too many batsmen in Twenty20 matches and i get satisfied with the team we have got".

Ishant Sharma (India) - Ishant Sharma born September 2, 1988, in Delhi, India. He played for Indian under 19 team and plays for Delhi in domestic in Indian domestic cricket.He has a high arm delivery action and is able to move the ball in both directions. He has shown is talent in CB series in Austraila and was in great form. He destroy Austrailan batting line up in early overs so that other ballers can capitalize on that.
At the age of 18, Ishant Sharma was called to join the Indian squad for the tour of South Africa but because of some issue he had to wait little longer to represent Indian Cricket team. He debut in test aganest Bangladeshat Dhaka, May 25-27. After that he debut ODI aganest South Africa at Belfast, Jun 29, 2007. Ishant Sharma’ Twenty20 debut was aganest Australia at Melbourne, Feb 1, 2008.
During this short time, he has shown great deal of promice and he is the next big fast baller for India. His recent form has been acknoledge by winning bid of $950,000 by bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan for his franchise Kolkata in the player auction for the IPL twenty20.

Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) -The five-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not affect Shoaib

Akhtar’s Indian Premier League (IPL) participation and the maverick pacer will play in the multi-million dollar

twenty20 series, BCCI vice-President and IPL chairman Lalit Modi said today.

"It is extremely clear in our player policy that the respective player will have to get an NOC from his home

country for joining the league. The home country can either issue or deny the NOC. In Shoaib’s case, it has not

been denied," IPL Chirman and Commissioner Lalit Modi told reporters today.

Akhtar was handed a five-year ban yesterday for repeated indiscipline, virtually bringing the curtains down on

his international career.

However, the PCB has given him the go ahead to play in the IPL.

Akhtar has been signed by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s franchisee team Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of

USD 4.25 lakh. The first season of IPL begins on April 18.

Ricky Ponting (Australia) -Most of Australia’s one-day squad signed on the dotted line ahead of this week’s

player "auction" but there were some notable absentees, including Clarke, Johnson, Brad Haddin, Stuart Clark

and Jason Gillespie.

The Australians were only cleared to play in the tournament this week after their national body reached an

agreement with IPL over a sponsorship dispute which had threatened their participation.

Ponting had said he feared players would turn their backs on their national teams if they were prevented from

joining the IPL.

He called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to create a separate window for the tournament to avoid a

clash with regular international tours.

International cricket has already been hit by a series of high-profile retirements in the past month involving

players who have signed with the IPL or the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

McCullum told the Dominion Post. "When I was signed for US$700,000 I was obviously blown away and having

slept on it, it’s a great feeling and it’s nice to get the recognition."

McCullum was the biggest winner from New Zealand while Oram picked up $675,000, Daniel Vettori $625,000,

Fleming $350,000 and Scott Styris $175,000. The paper reported Fleming texted "Sorry, can’t at the moment, at

the bank" when asked for an interview. He later said he was "just pleased to get picked up". "I saw the amounts

of money being thrown around and I thought: `Wow, I hope they keep trading.’ It was incredible to be involved

in."

Oram was speechless when his amount came through. "I was expecting nothing like what I went for," he said.

"Dan was first up and I was happy for him. I was hoping I’d be somewhere close to him, I always thought he

would be top dog."

The participation of Oram, Vettori and McCullum will be limited in the first year because their tour of England

begins on April 27, leaving them only a handful of chances to participate in the inaugural event.

"The players realise where their priority lies," Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, said. "It

might hurt them in the pocket in the first year but the following two years are clear for them." There are no

problems for Fleming, who has retired, while Styris has stood down from Tests and will be available for all of

Hyderabad’s matches.

Chris Gayle (West Indies) - A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first

senior tour - to England in 2000 - where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But

a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the

crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even

the thriftiest of opening bowlers. In a lean era for West Indian cricket - and fast bowling in particular - Gayle’s

pugnacious approach has become an attacking weapon in its own right. His 79-ball century at Cape Town in

January 2004, on the back of a South African first innings of 532, was typical of his no-holds-barred approach.

However, Gayle’s good run ended when England came calling early in 2004, and he averaged 26 against their

potent pace attack - Steve Harmison, in particular, fancied his chances against Gayle, dismissing him four times

in seven innings, as a lack of positive footwork was exposed. But men with little footwork often baffle experts,

and after returning to form with an uncharacteristic century against Bangladesh, he exacted his revenge on

England’s bowlers with a battering not seen since Lara’s 400, before coming within a whisker of emulating Lara

himself, with a career-best 317 against South Africa in Antigua. In the disastrous 2005-06 tour of New Zealand

he led the batting in the three-Test series, piling 235 runs - no other West Indian touched the 200-run mark. He

also bowls brisk non-turning offspin, with which he has turned himself into a genuine one-day allrounder.

Maturing quickly, he has become a consistently prolific scorer in the ODIs.

David Hussey (Australia) - Australian cricketer David Hussey is flattered but embarrassed to know that he

attracted a higher price than his star compatriots such as captain Ricky Ponting and Brad Hodge at the players’

auction for Indian Premier League franchises.

Hussey, who has been purchased by Kolkata franchise for $625,000, said he initially thought the price was a

joke as it was 300,000 Aus dollars more than Ponting and 250,000 Aus dollar higher than legend Shane Warne.

"It was indescribable. I got told and then sat and said ’Are you taking the mickey out of me?’ They said it was

genuine... It’s just remarkable. It’s very flattering," Hussey said.

But he was surprised that his Victorian teammate Brad Hodge, who has more international experience, was

overlooked.

"I just don’t understand it. He’s one of the best Twenty20 players in the world, no question. His record for

Lancashire and for Victoria is second to none. It doesn’t make any sense at all," he said.

"I’m very surprised and I sort of feel a bit embarrassed. I think he (Hodge) is a better Twenty20 player than

myself and he’s been overlooked. But I’m sure when the second round comes, when top-up players are required

he’ll get picked up. He’d have to," he was quoted as saying by the ’Herald Sun’.

Hussey said his brother Mike, an established Test star for Australia who has been rated at$381,000 by the

Chennai franchise of IPL, was stunned to know the difference in their prices.

"He actually sent me a text message this morning and said, ’I can’t believe you’re worth double what I am,’"

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IPL Mohali- Team Review

2008-04-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Irfan Pathan - He is supposed to one of the best All-Rounders in the Indian Team. He is among the top 15 in World Cricket too. His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him a tricky customer. His ability with the bat is also pretty good. He can build the innings or go hard at the opponents when required. The cause of concern is that he is not in his best rhythm. The best part is that he is a refined bowler now and has been getting back his swing. He was brought by Mohali for USD 925,000.

Brett Lee- No guesses why Preity Zinta was so keen on having Bree Lee in her team. He is a match-winning Bowler. He can rip through any batting order and for now, he is the quickest one. His outswingers can entice any top-class Batsman. He too has the ability with the Bat and can play some staggering shots. His stats is there for the proof. He was brought by the Mohali Team for USD 900,000. He is one of my favourite Cricketers.

Kumar Sangakkara - Another potential match winner. He can take games away without much fuss. He can dominate attacks as he wishes and is one of the best Wicket-Keepers in operation. He brings such a calming influence to the field which would make even the toughest of run chases, easier. He was brought by Mohali Team for USD 700,000.

Shantakumaran Sreesanth - He is the one among the new crop of Indian pacers. I don’t think he needs anyintroduction. Hehas done enough for the World to notice him. But he has to develope to make sure that he focusses it to improve his game. He has the potential to pick wickets in bunches but can give away runs too. Preity Zinta was also very keen on bagging him just because his presence itself would bring in the excitement to the game. He was brought by Mohali Team for USD 625,000.

Mahela Jayawardene- Another proven customer. He is one of those prolific Batsman who can make sure that run scoring is not tough. He can score quickly as well as hold the innings together simultaneously. One thing I love about this player is that he is very good in taking calculated risks. His experience can be quite crucial. He was brought by Mohali team for USD 475,000.

Piyush Chawla - He is one of the budding Cricketers. Being a leg spinner, he might take sometime to settle in. But he has proved his worth already. He bowls with such control. Just look at his performance in the previous tour of England. He is supposed to be the next in line after Anil Kumble retires. I must say that proper effort has been taken to groom him well. He was brought by Mohali Team for USD 400,000.

Ramnaresh Sarwan - If you think that this team still needs that extra bit of the “THING” then here he is. Another match-winner and a prolific fielder. He has taken West Indies to the target many a times even when the top order had collapsed. You can expect some fire-works from him in this format. He can strike the ball cleanly. He was brought by the Mohali Team for USD 225,000.

Simon Katich- Here comes the Australian Professionalism. He can be considered as an All-Rounder. His ability with the Bat doesn’t need any mention. He is also a useful left arm Chinaman bowler. He can bowl those decisive spells in short bursts. He is an agile player capable of playing at any number. He was brought by the Mohali Team for USD 200,000.

Romesh Powar - He is a good spinner. But I still see him as the only jinx in the armoury. His fielding is a big question mark and his batting is a mystery. In this format, every player must be able to contribute in all the departments. He’d rather warm the benches on most occations. But may get a nod if his Bowling is in a good rhythm. But still I feel that he is not suited for this format. He was brought by the Mohali Team for USD 170,000.

Yuvraj Singh He is the Icon player of this team. He is capable of everything from big hits to electifying fielding. His slow left arm bowling may also play a crucial part. He can rip through any Bowling attack. His 666666 will be a sweet memory for his team mates a nightmare for the opponents. He is capable of repeating the show again. Barring his current form, everything suits this man. He is the apt player for such a format. He is being paid USD 1.064 million.

This team, as I said, looks balanced. The team is to be coached by Tom Moody. They are a potential threat. The team is valued at USD 81,684,000.

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