IPL 2: Team Preview : Delhi Daredevils

Delhi may now no longer have the services of their Pakistani duo in the name of Shaoib Malik and Mohammed Asif, but the team looks even more dangerous after their imports in the likes of Australian opening batsman David Warner and the England Duo of Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood.Warners sensation T20 debut for Australia against South Africa proved his worth for the Delhi daredevils side. Having played these games in South Africa might help his cause. Delhi also have all rounder Allan McDonald, who too debuted for Australia in the recent T20 matches, and left-arm fast bowler Dirk Nannes, an out-and-out Twenty20 specialist.



Delhi were in great form last year and made it to as far as the semi finals when they lost to Chennai Super Kings in a one-off match. Gambhir and Sehwag put up partnerships that no teams had answer to. There was no one way to get them out, The only way the duo lost their wickets were to run outs most of the time. When the opponents eventually succeeded in picking them, In walked Shikhar Dhwan who played even better than the duo. sadly, Shikhar Dhawan will play for the Mumbai Indians side this year, leaving an open spot for Develliers to walk in and continue his form with the bat. Glenn McGrath continued to live up to the reputation, while Daniel Vettori who said that he was happy to be in Sehwag's side as he will not have to bowl to him will bring in his experience.


Dilshan and Collingwood could prove useful with both bat and ball, as Amit Mishra spinned a web around the batsman last year. Ashish Nehra, Yo Mahesh and Pradeep Sangwan will be battling for the second and third seamers spot with the foreign players. With most of their foreign players free for tournament, the only headache for Delhi could be getting their XI right.

Probable XI: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Tillakaratne Dilshan/ Owais Shah, 4 Manoj Tiwary/ David Warner, 5 AB de Villiers/ Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Rajat Bhatia/ Paul Collingwood, 7 Daniel Vettori 8 Amit Mishra/ Ashish Nehra, 9 Farveez Maharoof/ Yo Mahesh, 10 Dirk Nannes/ Pradeep Sangwan, 11 Glenn McGrath.





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Test Cricket: Wisden Test XI for 2008

If the world wasn't surprised by India making inroads into the test arena, The latest announcement of the Wisden test XI brings in more surprises. Five Indians make it to the list of 11 test cricketers in the WISDEN TEST XI FOR 2008. When i read the news story in the news papers this morning, I was happy to see the inclusion of five indians but had to raise a few eyebrows about the selection of few other players. Taking a look at the team for the second time makes me realize that the selection is based on the batting order in which they line up. Each one of them has been the best in the world throughout the year 2008 for their respective teams.. Read on as we discuss the team and the players..



THE WISDEN TEST XI OF 2008
Opening the batting for the Wisden Test XI will be the dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag who with his batting skills overshadowed all the critics in 2008. The man has already scored two triple hundreds and 9 out of 10 test centuries over the score of 150. The aggresion that he brings into the team and the rate at which he scores his runs put team India in winning situations more often than not. No wonder he became the obvious choice for No.1 spot in the batting order.

At No. 2 is the South African captain Graeme Smith. He played some courageous knocks over the last year. Who can forget the scene of watching him walk on to the pitch on the last day of the Adelaide test bandaged all around his body. Smith walked into batting with a fractured rib and broken right hand to help his team save the last test. South Africa lost the test, but won the series 2-1. Smith won more accolades than ever for his effort with the bat thro the series. He led the South African team to the number one spot in both Test and one day rankings, therefore deserves his spot at no.2 in this team.

Most important position in any batting order is no.3. This one went to the Austrlian Captian Ricky Ponting. Not in the best of form with the bat through 2008, and with his captaincy over the year, Ricky took the suprise third spot in this team. Gautam Gambhir who scored over 1100 runs in the last year with an average of above 70 could have been an ideal choice for this spot, but like i said, the choices are depending on where these batsman and bowlers play in their respective teams.. Given that no other No.3 batsman around the world did better than Ricky Ponting in the test side, Ricky won this spot hands down.

At No.4 is the Little master, Sachin Tendulkar. He has played well through out the year and has been one of the success stories for India's run through the test arena over the last year. Known to trouble the opposition by his batting, Sachin Tendulkar spelled disaster for the kiwi side as he picked some quick wickets in the last inning of the last test match in the recently concluded test series in new Zealand which India won 1-0. The man does magic with both ball and bat, If there was a vacant spot for No.4 in this team, Sachin Tendulkar should be the obvious choice.

The costliest player os season 2 of the Indian premier League (IPL), Kevein Peitersen takes the surprise No.5 spot in the team. If i thought the team was picked based on the regular batting order, this proves me wrong. My personal choice for this spot would have been Austrlian batsman Micheal Hussey or South African new-born JP Duminy. Both these players have proved to be the success stories for their sides during the last year. Not to forget Jesse Ryder, he could have well made to this team had he played more games during the season.

Only west Indian to make it to the side this time is Shivanarain Chanderpaul at No.6. If West Indies has done well in the test series in 2008 it's because of this man and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Chanderpaul makes the cut for his witty style of batting and his ability to change gears at will.

No prizes for guessing who should be the captain of this team. Team India captain Mahinder Singh Dhoni has been named the captain of his side for his consistent performance with the bat and his ability as a captain. Ex-Cricketers from around the world are all accolades for Dhoni and his style of leading the team. If ever there was a reason for India's success in 2008, Dhoni is just one of them. Dhoni has been slated to bat at No.7 for the Wisden Test XI.


Fourth Indian on the list and at no.8 in this team is Harbhajan Singh. Having picked 16 wickets, most by a bowler in the recent test series against New Zealand Harbhajan becomes the lone spinner in this wisden XI. I can't think of any other spinner who has out done Harbhajan in the wickets department. He bats at No.8 in this side.

Mitchell Johnson leads the Australian pace bowling attack in the absence of Brett Lee. The Australian-Slinger as they call him has picked wickets consistently through 2008 and has been the only bowler to stand out with performances in the absence of the experienced bowlers. His ability with the bat puts him at No.9.

At. No.10 is the South African quickie Dale Steyn. A reason for South Africa's success in Australia. Dale Steyn picked up crucial wickets even on the flattest of batting tracks all through 2008. His recent 4 for in the second one day against Australia who were at one stage 20 for 5 finds the 10th spot in the Wisden XI.

The last spot in the team, and a well deserved one goes to Zaheer Khan of India. Zaheer has never looked back since his comeback to the team in 2006. Three years after his comeback Zaheer continues to bowl with the same pace and accuracy, only spilling more poison into every delivery. If Ishant Sharma has been a revelation for team India, Zaheer has been the man who's led him from the front. Zaheer takes the most deserving 11th spot in the team.

The 12th man was not announced, But my choice would simply have been Gautam Gambhir who has remained consistent through out the year and has continued to show his skills with both offensive and defensive style of batting.





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England In West Indies: 5th ODI Preview : Match on

With the series hanging in balance at 2-2, the decider one day between England and West Indies was still in doubt. The West Indies Cricket Board had been locked in crisis talks with the Players' Association, with the threat looming, not only of a boycott of Friday's fixture, but - going forward - a mass withdrawal from the tour of England which commences later this month, and clashes head-on with the lucrative Indian Premier League. Chris Gayle in a statement with the media cleared all doubts, "The Final ODI will be played at St.Lucia" said Gayle.


West Indies would have had to make 11 team changes if the controversy wouldn't have ended. Thanks to the decision by the players, it was down to only one. Tall, Left arm Orthodox bowler Suleman Benn has been named in the playing 11 in place of Nikita Miller who hurt his back trying to smash the ball out of the ground off a free hit during the last match. His omission was something of a surprise to England, given his starring role in the Jamaica Test victory, as well as two Twenty20 triumphs, starting with the Stanford Superstars in Antigua last year.

West Indies Playing 11: 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Lionel Baker, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.

As for england, there couldn't have been a possible change, their bowlers did well in the last match, the batsman have been doing well. Pietersen and Flintoff will play in the final ODI, after doubts were raised of whether they would be fit as both were nursing injuries on the hands. Pietersen was forced to leave the field after the injury while Flintoff require heavy strapping to continue in the match. Scans revealed no fractures or significant damages to the fingers allowing them to be a part of the series decider.

England 11 (Which hopefully will eb unchanged) 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Owais Shah, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson.


It's been an exciting series so far. WI could have led the England team in the sixes department with a score of 23-3, but thanks to complex logic of the Duckworth Lewis England managed a win in the second match after rain forced play to abandon the match. The series is tied at 2-2 and if the weather stays good, we should have a exciting finish with both teams playing for reputation over the other. Do join me for review later this week.

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England In West Indies: 4th ODI Review: England level the series 2-2

29 March 2009: England's captain, Andrew Strauss, seized on an unexpected opportunity to haul his side level in their ODI series against West Indies, with the decider still to come in St Lucia next week,as he defied his unglamorous reputation to crack 79 from just 61 balls in a rain-readjusted run-chase in Barbados. Strauss's scintillating display included nine fours, four of which came in consecutive deliveries from Lionel Baker, and their second six of the series off Darren Sammy, as England easily hunted down their 20-over target of 135, after West Indies had earlier posted a competitive 50-over total of 239 for 9.



For large tracts of the afternoon, it seemed as though the match was destined to finish as a soggy washout. Heavy clouds rolled over Bridgetown to delay England's run-chase and leave West Indies with an apparently unassailable 2-1 lead in the series. But then the sun broke through at 4.30pm - the last possible moment of the match - and Strauss emerged from the pavilion to take personal responsibility for this one-off shot at redemption. By the end of the fourth over, England were 41 for 0 and the captain had made 32 of them from 17 balls. It may not have been as emphatic as Chris Gayle's assault in Friday's third ODI, but the effect on the match was identical.

The game-changing moment came from the final ball of the second over, as Fidel Edwards offered too much width and was slapped violently past point. That shot gave Strauss all the confidence he required, and before the next over was complete Baker had been carved over the covers, past backward point, through midwicket and over the slips, all for four. Baker's five maidens in Friday's fixture had been instrumental in stifling England's ambitions, but this time he limped from the attack having conceded 24 runs in two overs.

Strauss survived one significant let-off when, on 39, he edged Kieron Pollard low to Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps but was reprieved, perhaps fortuitously, by the third umpire. Undeterred, he brought up his fifty from 41 balls, before climbing into Darren Sammy with a four over the covers and a flat driven six over wide long-on. Ravi Bopara, hitherto an unnoticed sidekick, then added England's third maximum of the series - a monstrous heave over midwicket that resulted in a lost ball - before holing out to Nikita Miller for 35 from 39 balls one delivery later.

Fittingly, it was left to Strauss to wrap up the match with a dab for four through third man with nine balls to spare. His effort was all the more impressive, as his team's two most potent 20-overs cricketers, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, were both nursing injuries after incidents in the field. Pietersen succumbed to a mysterious back spasm after bowling five deliveries at Shivnarine Chanderpaul and would not have been able to bat any higher than No. 7, while Flintoff required heavy strapping on his left thumb after spilling a low return chance from Dwayne Bravo, and would only have batted if required.

It was a stinging shot from Bravo that caused the damage, a full-blooded drive from a wholehearted cricketer who produced arguably his most authoritative innings since returning from ankle surgery. His spanking innings of 69 from 72 balls hoisted West Indies from an uneasy 145 for 6 in the 35th over, after Dimitri Mascarenhas had banished the memory of Friday's 24-run over with the superb figures of 3 for 26 from 10. Flinging the bat with abandon, quite literally on one occasion as he top-edged a Stuart Broad beamer for six and lost his grip in the process, Bravo cracked 50 runs in the final five-over Powerplay to lift his team back towards the ascendancy.

With Steve Harmison recalled (for the sixth time since September) in place of Gareth Batty, England relied on an all-seam attack, and found good pace and carry from another lively surface. For the first 12 overs of the innings, however, the only carry that mattered was the distance by which Gayle was clearing the boundary. On Friday he clubbed eight sixes in 43 balls, and today he carried on clearing the ropes with gusto, adding five more maximums in a 39-ball 46. After a relatively measured start, Gayle launched the second ball of Broad's second over into the stands at midwicket, and though he was desperately fortunate to survive a loud appeal for lbw next ball, the shackles had been broken.

Flintoff, England's go-to man in times of crisis, was flogged first-ball over long-on, just as he was in the Jamaica Test at the start of the tour, and Gayle repeated the dose in Flintoff's third over, this time over third man. Harmison also felt the full wrath of his blade, as Gayle dispatched another length ball over long-on, before Broad finally ended the fun, but not before he'd been belted for another six, this time over the covers. One ball later, Broad pulled his length back a fraction, and Matt Prior pouched a steepling top-edge as he jogged around to point.

Gayle's opening partner, Lendl Simmons, also got in on the act, in particular with a lofted pull off James Anderson, and by the end of the innings, West Indies' sixes tally for the series had clicked along to 23 in four games. But Simmons was badly run out for 29 when Ramnaresh Sarwan sold him a dummy while sizing up a second run to square leg, before Sarwan himself played on to Flintoff, who found extra bounce from a good length to dislodge the bails via an angled block into the crease.

Chanderpaul and Ramdin re-established West Indies' position in an unfussy partnership of 43 in 10.3 overs, a stand that was most notable for Pietersen's bizarre injury. Earlier in the week, he had made some uncomplimentary remarks about Chanderpaul's "selfish" play, in particular his regular absences from the field between batting stints. Chanderpaul had the last laugh in that regard, when Pietersen pulled up with a back twinge, and sloped ignominiously to the dressing room in search of treatment. It was his last sighting of the match.

ScoreCard and Post Courtesy: CRICINFO






Three balls after that incident, however, England climbed into the ascendancy, courtesy Mascarenhas. Ramdin ran out of patience and holed out to a back-pedalling Flintoff at mid-on; Chanderpaul, after a rain-break, feathered an attempted steer to third man into Prior's gloves, then it was back to Flintoff's bucket-like hands, as he reached spectacularly over the boundary's edge at deep midwicket to collect a top-edged pull from Pollard. There was some suspicion that Flintoff's left boot had brushed the rope as he completed the catch, but the replays were inconclusive, and Pollard departed for a seven-ball duck.

Though Bravo ensured against a total collapse, even his late-innings fireworks paled compared to the top-order heroics that Strauss conjured up for England. Somehow, England are not merely surviving in this series, on this evidence they are thriving. Gayle might want to think again about his planned boycott of the fifth ODI. All of a sudden there is a series at stake. Wonders never cease.

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PS: This post is courtesy CricInfo and nothing has been modified. I din't get to watch the match to review this. Hopefully, there will not be days when i'll have to post some more copies.
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England In West Indies: 3rd ODI Review : WI win after Humiliating innings from England

March 27,2009:Dwayne Bravo, A man whose return to the WestIndies team has already sparked the members of the team took 4 wickets to dismiss England for a humiliating 117 all out in 41.3 overs. Fidel Edwards took 3 While Pollard and baker chipped in with 2 and 1 wicket respectively. Mascarenhas scored 36 in what was a below par batting performance from the touring side. Earlier, West Indies won the toss and elected to filed after a delayed start due to rain.



The match was reduced to a 44 overs per side affair as England kept losing wickets at the start of play. First it was Strauss who handed a catch to Gayle in slips off Edwards, then it was Bopara who handed a catch to Sarwan off Edwards. England at 17-2 off 6.4 overs never really took off. They lost Pietersen soon to bravo who handed a catch to Pollard. Owais shah soon followed as he lost his wicket in the very next over to baked out caught by darren Sammy. Flintoff returned after a long time but was out for a duck and survived only 6 balls before he was out caught by Edwards off the bowling off Bravo.

Wickets kept tumbling as Collingwood was out lbw to bravo leaving England at 54 for 6 off 19 overs. Mascarenhas joined Prior who could only add 14 to the partnership after Prior went to Pollard scoring only 7. Broad followed Prior 2 balls later out caught behind to Pollard. Batty and Mascarehas restored some pride taking england past the respectable 100 run mark. But the Duo could only last as long as 116 when Batty was out caught by Sammy off Bravo. He scored 17 off 47 before he lost his wicket. Mascarenhas tried hard, but lost his wicket and England's 10th to edwards caught by Bravo in the deep. England all out for 117.

WestIndies started in blistering fashion as Chris Gayle scored some fantastic runs to take WI past 50 in the 6 over off the match. Gayle would have wanted to long till the end, but lost his wicket when he was on 88 bowled to a straight Anderson delivery. With WI at 98 for 1 and most of the job already done, Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Simmons did the mop p job and took Wi to victory in the 15th over. WI Lead the 5 match ODI series 2-1.

Score Card Courtesy: CRICINFO






Andrew Strauss , the England captain, has said his team's defeat in the third ODI against West Indies in Barbados was "pretty humiliating and fundamentally pretty embarrassing". West Indies dismissed England for 117 and then routed them by eight wickets after chasing down the target with 176 balls to spare."There are 11 guys in that dressing room right now feeling pretty down on themselves," Strauss said. "It wasn't a contest, we didn't play well. There wasn't enough thought in the way we batted, but we have to take it on the chin."We didn't react well to the wicket. We all made the same mistakes. The crucial thing is you learn from your mistakes but, if we're honest with ourselves, we have done that kind of thing batting wise too often."

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England In West Indies: 3rd ODI Preview: Flintoff to return

With the five match one day series tied at 1-1, England would be wanting to thrust their authority on West Indies in an effort to take lead in the series. Good news came their way, when Andrew Flintoff was declared fit for the third ODI to be played today in Barbados, West Indies. Flintoff returns after recovering from the hip injury that forced him to miss the final two Tests of last month's 1-0 series defeat.



With the series squared at 1-1, Flintoff's return will be a boost for England after they were comfortably outplayed during their 21-run loss in the second match in Guyana. He had been close to selection for that game, having undergone intensive treatment since flying home for a week after the third Test in Antigua.

"I've bowled as near to 100% as I probably can do in a net because playing in a match brings a bit more out of you," Flintoff told reporters in Barbados. "I've been bowling for the last week, bowled 10 overs over the previous two days and done my training and work. I was close to playing on Sunday but we erred on the side of caution and I'll definitely be fit for Friday."

Flintoff will probably return in place of either Steve Harmison or James Anderson, even though both men showed impressive form during the second match. Another alternative would be to rest Gareth Batty, the specialist spinner.

England Captain Andrew Strauss would want his team to put up a better bowling and batting performance in this match after they lost by 21 runs in the previous match. The top 6 need to score a lot of runs and given the flat batting tracks in West Indies, A score of 300 is a below par score. Flintoff's presence will affect the way the team plays on the ground, but the man may not be in full power as he is just returning from injury. Flintoff will be wanting to get some bat on the ball and score some runs as the rest of the team will have to take winning responsibilities.

Uncapped Barbados batsman Dale Richards and Trinidad fast bowler Ravi Rampaul have been included in the West Indies squad for the third and fourth one-day internationals against England. Richards, an opening batsman, replaced Devon Smith who did not play in either of the first two ODIs. He was also in the squad for the first Test against England but had to withdraw because of a foot injury. Rampaul replaced the Daren Powell who has been out of form during the contests against England. Powell took only six wickets in the five-Test series at nearly 70 apiece and took 1 for 27 in five overs in the first ODI. Rampaul, who had played 30 ODIs, last appeared for West Indies on the tour of South Africa in early 2008.

Expect a close finish this time around as the teams meet each other in Barbados tonight. Match starts 7.30PM IST. Do come back for more news, reviews and previews.





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IPL 2: Pietersen and Flintoff to lose millions by IPL's delayed start

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are set to lose over a million dollars after the IPl was announced to start week later. Both players are now busy playin against the WestIndes with the series tied at 1-1. Andrew flintoff is said to return in the next match starting tomorrow. He was earlier sidelined on the bench following a back strain. Kevin Pietersen was sold to Royal Challengers in bidding carried out to add new players to the already available pool of international players. Pietersen was bought for about 8 million dollars roughly about Rs.7.25 Crores ranked as the costliest player of the tournament. Flintoff cam running second when he was sold for just a million rupees less to the Chennai Super Kings.




Rule changes came about for the second season of the IPL to make things more interesting. Each franchise is now allowed to have 10 international players as against 8 in the last season. lalit Modi announced this considering the fact that most Pakistani players refused to play in the IPL which led to a setback to teams like Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkatta Knight Riders who banked on these players. This rule change was of course announced well before the bidding process.

Amonsgst the other popular players selected are Tyron Henderson and Mashrafee Mortaza who went to the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkatta Knight Riders respectively. More drama was seen when Priety Zinta, owner Kings Punjab XI and Juhi Chawla, associate owner for the Kolkatta Knight Riders went about the proceedings raising stakes in million dollars for Mashrafe Mortaza. he was finally sold to the KKR for a whooping Rs.2.5 Crores. Hopefully Mortaza will provide as much entertainment during the matches as he provided during the bidding.

What makes IPL an interesting affair is the kind of rules it has. Player Transfers is a onfusing yet interesting rule where in a Team management can either suspend or terminate the contract with the player for the next season. A player suspended by a team continues to belong to the team until his three years with the team are complete as per the contract. A player if terminated from the team is put up as a potential player to be bought or transferred to another team at a certan cost. No player transfers have been seen so far, it will be interesting to know who gets transferred at what price:) For now IPL2 is set to start on April 18th in South Africa and hopefully it will provide the same entertainment as the first season.

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IPL2: Player Reactions - IPL2 Moves to South Africa

Ex captain of South Africa, Shaun Pollock is a very happy man after hearing the news about SA being confirmed as the host for the second edition of the IPL. Shaun Pollock plays for Mumbai Indians team and most of his team members are already preparing for the tournament in South Africa.

Sachin Tendulkar, captain of the Mumbai Indian team feels that the it will not be the same as playing in India. "It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India," he said. "We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same. It was a good concept to play home and away matches. This is something that the teams will miss this time around. Wherever we play, we hope to have the same fervour that we had had last season." said Sachin.

Steyn and Smith of South Africa who are currently busy playing host to the South Africans are happy to learn that the IPL governing body decided to hand them an opportunity. They promised good cricket and a bigger support from the crowds. More player reactions inside..


Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain, also said that this season was going to be different from last year. He also hoped that the Indian players would be allowed to take their families to the IPL because they would have just returned from a long tour of New Zealand. "It is sad that the IPL won't be held in India. But we have to go ahead with it as it is the decision of the board," Yuvraj said. "As we would be returning home from New Zealand after a long tour, we hope we are allowed to take our families along.



Mutaih Muralitharan is happy that the matches are still on as he recovers from the attack on the team bus during their tour to Pakistan. The SriLankan players are int he recharge mode as they prepare getting back to the nets as they get ready to participate in the IPL. "I'm glad that the matches are still being played even when there were number of problems in front of the IPL working committee", Cricket had taken a back seat after the terrorist attacks on the SriLankan player in Pakistan. " We have to move on and Cricket should never stop" added Murali.

Jayawardene and Sangakaara along with other Srilankan players have confirmed their availability. Amongst other News, Lalit Modi confirmed that the Pakistani players will not be participating in the tournament following their board's disapproval of the IPL. Players who played in the ICl, a rebel league to the IPL have also been taken back into the national side and have been named in the squad for a one-day seris against Australia in Abudhabi this year.

The Indian Players should be happy with the announcement of delay in the start which allows them to have a breather in already busy schedule ahead of them. Many other young cricketers who will be a part of the IPL will use this as a opportunity to play and perform in a foreign country, A chance that they would have only gotten playing for the National side. The shifting of venue to outside of India could prove as a blessing in disguise for most of these youngsters and the BCCI as this gives them opportunity to enhance their local talent.

So hows does a fan base build when city based teams from India play in South Africa? The only hope for BCCI and the IPL will be that South African Spectators turn up to see a Greame Smith play for the the Rajasthan Royals and Shaun Pollock celebrate a wicket with Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians. It will be a dilemma for most of these spectators too, hopes BCCI. Everybody loves cricket, be it in India or South Africa, Cricket emerges winner.


The players will be missing out on the local support, but were also excited about the fact of feeling different on a different soil playing amongst a neutral crowd. The organisers of the IPL were forced to shift the tournament out of India after the government said it could not guarantee adequate security for the matches because the tournament would clash with general elections in the country in April-May. The decision to shift was taken after the IPL schedule was reworked several times and finally it was confirmed to be hosted in Sauth Africa a week later starting April 18th as against what was decided as April 10th.


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IPL2: And the Award Goes to...

The 30 day game came to an end after Mr. Lalit Modi, commissioner IPL announced South Africa as the venue to host the second edition of the world popular Indian Premier League. Elections in India forced moving the IPL out of India. South Africa edged past England to be named the host of 2009 IPL, the decision came after meeting between the IPL Committee and CSA. In a press conference hosted by the two parties in Johannesburg on Tuesday, CSA chief Gerald Majola said that he was happy that the Indian board and the organizers of IPL gave South Africa an opportunity to host the honorable tournament. The IPL also announced that the final schedule of 59 matched and the host venues will be chalked out shortly. The Tournament however will start a week later beginning from April 18 as planned against April 10 2009. More news follows...


The tournament will commence on April 18, a week later than initially scheduled, and a day after the one-day series between South Africa and Australia ends. Sources said Johannesburg, Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town would be the host venues. Most news paper reports suggest Durban may play host to the opening and closing ceremonies given the presence of a larger Indian population. Logistically Jo'berg should be a great venue to start the tournament, Official news are yet to arrive and all these reports are just speculations.

Modi also thanked the ECB for lending their support in times when they needed and informed the Media that the only reason SA was chosen as the venue was because of the pleasant and predictable weather. April- May is the cold and wet season in England and if you had to go by some past history, 60 percent of the IPL matches would have been washed out if played in England, Good decision Mr. Modi.

Franchisees however presented mixed reactions, Mumbai Indians are already practicing in SA under the watchful eyes of Shaun Pollock who is more than happy for his team. "Who knows the conditions better than me?" asked pollock in a television interview when asked about what his reactions were about IPL in SA. Mumbai Indians now posses what can be call the home advantage in teh experience of Pollock. Royal Challenger owner Mr. Vijay mallaya said that he was disappointed to learn about IPL in SA,"I was hoping that we go to england than SA" said Mallay in a television interview. Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Priety Zinta are happy as long as the tournament is on. Rajasthan Royals team owners, Emerging media, are still hopeful of the IPL being hosted in India. If not the complete tournament at least the finals.

Muttiah Muralitharan, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said it was the right decision for the league because "the game must go on, else cricket would die". Team India would be disappointed as it had already suggested moving IPL to England given that they are to play the T20 world cup following the IPL in England. The players now have build fitness for traveling as the team will now go to SA for the IPL, England for the T20 world cup in June and then back to the West Indies for a test and one-day series with no break in between.


With the decision now made, the real work begins. Security arrangements - which forced the tournament out of India - will need to be arranged, and an estimated 400 players and officials will require visas and accommodation. In all, 59 matches will be held over a five-week period ending on May 24. "It is very important for world cricket that this tournament is staged, but ultimately it is a matter for the BCCI where it is staged,"

Mr. Modi also informed the media about the 2 reasons why the delay in the start was made. One, They have to now put together the logistics for hosting a event of world class quality, the security arrangements for over 100 + players traveling to the country for the tournament, Movement of players from one location to the other in between matches, The fact that now more Indian fans will travel to SA for the tournament is itself a big security issues for the SA government. Two, "The players need to rest", By players he meant the national cricket team which is currently in NZ getting ready for the next test match, The 1 week delay will allow the team members to recharge for the tournament and the series ahead of them.

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IPL2: NRI-PL?

In an official statement given to the press and Media, The working committee of IPL announced moving this year tournament to a place outside India. England and SouthAfrica have been penned as the the front-runners to host the second season of the Indian Premier league (IPL) after inconclusive negotiations of the board with the Indian Home Ministry and various state governments to shift the tournament outside of India.

The venue and the new schedule will be announce on toady, the 23rd of March. Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said the tournament had been relocated “because of the extraordinary situation existing this year.” The 45-day tournament clashes with the forthcoming general elections in India and there had been concerns over security.
This statement came after a never ending game of ‘Yes’ ‘No’ politics played by the central and the state governments over the issue ended, Thanks to the Maharastra state government which pulled out at the last minute asking for fresh dates post the polls. The IPL committee in the last meeting with the Home Ministry had submitted over about 40 possible schedules only to be rejected. With only about 15 days to go for the tournament the organizers will now need to work day and night to get things better than the last season.

Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive, said South Africa was ready to host the tournament if needed. He expected to have “positive discussions” with Indian officials in this regard over phone on Monday. CSA has sidelined five venues to host the event and is now waiting for the official call from the IPL working committee with exact requirements. CSA also confirmed availability of all the necessary infrastructure and promised a larger turnout of people to watch the matches as the timezones were not much different.

Mr Lalit Modi, who was also present at the press conference confirmed that the matches will be played at 4PM IST (Indian Standard Time - 10.30 AM GMT) and 8PM IST so that the Indian Public will not miss out on the action. He also ridiculed all doubts about whether the semi-finals and the finals will be played in India. “The semis and the finals cannot and will not be hosted in India as this would add more stress amongst the players who will be preparing for the ICC world twenty20.” ICC world Twenty20 begins June 6 2009 in England.

The ECB said it had received a request from the Indian board and the IPL and was examining the possibility of hosting the tournament. The board however showed lesser interest than the counter-part (CSA) issuing a statement that said that the temperature now in England is not suitable for playing cricket. “It’s very cold to play Cricket” said CEO of ECB. The boars however said that they were in discussions with the IPL committee and will not back out to help BCCI as they have had a very healthy relationship in the past.

What’s the loss? The franchisees stand a bigger loss after the tournament was moved out of India. The first major setback is the ticketing sales, Each franchisee will lose Rs.5 crore per match just for the ticket sales at their respective venues. Adding to further financial burden will be the newly incurred travel expenses. But they should be thanking all their luck as if at this point, if the tournament stood canceled, The franchisees could have been in a bigger hole. Sony however should gain from this, increased television viewership and more ad’s. I hope the BCCI instructs Sony or reccomends some rules for airing ad’s.We don’t want a 5 ball over or an interuption in the screen at a crucial point in the match.

Explaining the decision to move out, N Srinivasan, the BCCI general secretary, said the Indian board was not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the tournament’s second edition. “It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the IPL in another country,” he said. It just did not happen, The government kept complaining about security and the board kept trying. Sooner than Later, the BCCI had to decide an alternate venue given the money around the tournament. People who watched the matches on TV should not be complaining, It’s just people like me who went into the stadiums and cheered the teams who will lose our on some fast-paced Cricket action. Given the specuations that were going around, I’m still thankful that the tournament is taking place. Hopefully the tournament will live up to the expectations specially after the controversies surrounding the start of the season.
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Official Statements, Coutesy: CricInfo

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Kunal
PS: This post is a part of my personal blog located @ IPL2: NRI-PL?

wef 1st April 09: all Sports posts will be a part of this blog exclusively. Keep visiting for full coverage of all IPL matches including reviews and Previews.

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IPL2:MODI-fied

I will probably be sued for stealing the title, the credits for the title goes to the creative team at NDTV 24X7 who had a special named ‘IPL: Modi-fied, an exclusive interview with Mr. Lalit Modi the chairman of the IPL committee after announcing a go ahead received from the Indian government.

“We are not Pakistan, We are a Safe Country” said Lalit Modi when asked about hovering doubts over security issues with the players traveling to India to be a part of the highly rich season two of the Indian Premier league. “Centralized security will be provided to all the players”, ” The organizers will be completely responsible for player security” pointed out Modi. The IPL will go about as decided.. i.e. Starting April 10 thro May 24 2009… The EPL(English premier league) does not stop or gets rescheduled when there is an election in England.. We leave it to the people to choose what they want to watch.. The only changes will probably be with the dates and the venues, which is expected to be out by the end of the week..

Modi clarified the use of centralized security forces which include a combination of private and state government security agencies for monitoring teams, players, officials, venues and grounds. This statement came after discussions with team owners and the state government representatives who were called in to voice their concerns. Modi also confirmed the use of new venues, of which 3 have been confirmed as Ahmedabad, Dharmashala and Vishakapatnam for use during the election days. Modi also said that Mumbai will play host to both the opening and closing ceremonies of this season. Rajasthan Royals team owners, Emerging Media, showed disappointment regarding the change in plans as they were prepared to play host to the opening ceremony, match. “All preparations have been made and now we will have reschedule everything.. we are disappointed.. It’s how cricket works..” said co-Owner of Rajasthan Royals. Modi clarified that it was more to do with the infrastructure of the stadium at Jaipur than any other personal problems with RCA (Rajasthan Cricket Association) where he was politically removed as the member of the working committee.

After attacks in Pakistan, Many players had voiced concerns over playing in the IPL, Modi stated that it was the players personal choice.. however he is constant communication with these players and assuring them of full security when in India. Modi was sure that all players including the Srilankans who were shaken up by the attacks will attend the IPL. “I have personally spoken to all the members of the srilankan team, they are all set and geared for the tournament.. Obviously they have been shaken up but they are coming.” said Modi.

Modi also said that the security arrangements will be similar to the one after the Mumbai Attacks when the England team returned to India for the test series. Modi also said that the security budget has increased to up to 10 times, and the fact about having a centralized security during the IPL was decided way back in October even before the Mumbai Attacks ever took place. Earlier, The team franchisee’s were responsible for the security and movement of players from one city to another, by making it a centralized system, the security will be enhanced and this will also help monitor it better.

About the venues, He informed that he is in constant communication with the other venue boards confirmation of which is to be received by the end of the week. He confirmed Ahmedabad, Vizag and Dharmashala as the confirmed venues for hosting the matches, the number is still a question. Jaipur and Chennai will host less matches than what they were scheduled to be after both state governments voiced the problem of availability of the security personnel. Chennai will play host to only 5 games, which includes the 2 semi finals and 3 host matches said Modi. Wonder why the Chennai government backed out.. Disappointing :(

The only day when there will no matches is the Counting day (May 10) of the elections. Matches earlier scheduled on the voting day will move out of the state or rescheduled to another day pointed out Modi also stating that people watching at home will be no short of entertainment. Overall, it’s going to be good for the game of cricket, more so for the Indian subcontinent. By not postponing the IPL, Indian board has given good signs to world cricket, and even positive signs averting any disasters when hosting the Cricket World Cup in 2011.

A revised schedule is reported to be arriving at the end of the week.. I will post it as soon as it comes.. For now, fingers crossed, I hope there are no attacks what-so-ever.. coming from external terrorist organizations or internal organizations (the parties contesting the elections). All we hope is for a good game of cricket and a closely contested election :P

Kunal

PS: The Original to this post is posted on my personal blog a month back @ IPL-MODI-fied
w.e.f 1st April 09: All new posts on cricket ans sport will be exclusive to this blog. Read the Full Story...