IPL 2: Shilpa Shetty : New Owner.. New Cheerleader.. New Begining

Shilpa Shetty, The hot young bollywood actress who now is a 12 percent stake holder in Rajasthan Royals, the champions of the inagural season of the IPL, will be hoping for a repeat performace form the side as the first batch of 9 players arrived in Johanesburg. This bacth includes Mohammed Kaif, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja who expressed that sentiment before departing for South Africa for the second edition of the IPL. Both Kaif and Yusuf agreed that the pressure would obviously be there because of their fairy-tale like victory in the inaugural season last year.



Kaif said that they will have to treat the tournament as a new beginning to nullify all the pressure that is upon them as defending champions. "It will be a fresh start because last year we played in India, the conditions suited our bowlers and the batsmen and fielders supported them well," Kaif said. "But this is a new start." Adapting to foreign conditions will be another key factor to the team and kaif agreed as he indicated that the bounce and pace of wickets in South Africa are not the same as they are in India.

South Africa has always hosted good batting tracks which also has good pace and bounce for the bowlers which helps keep the match alive. SA had successfully hosted the inaugural season of the T20 world championships 2 years back and none of the matches could be called low scoring. The only thing that the teams will be missing thsi time around is the local support, but what we see from watching the current matches between SA and Australia, the crowd support is very high and there are one or two Indian flags amongst the crowd, always. If not for the players, the spectators may flood the stadiums to catch Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta, Shilpa Shetty in action :P

The presence of Smith in the team will help the team in performance. Smith brings in experience playing on South African conditions and the form that he carries playing host to the Australian team now. He will also be assisting Shane Warne as the vice captain of the team and the addition of Tyron Henderson will give the additional boost. However the team will miss the services of Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir who played a major part in the win last year both with the bat and the ball. The Pakistan Player contracts were suspended after the refusal of the Pakistan cricket board to participate in the IPL following the attack in Mumbai.

"We are going to miss some key players: Tanvir did really well last season and his four overs were something special every game," Kaif said. "Kamran Akmal did his job well whenever given the chance, both behind the stumps and with the bat. We have some new players this season so I'm looking forward to meeting the entire squad."


Yusuf said Tanvir was just one of the building blocks of Rajasthan's success and this year the team would need to move ahead in his absence. "Having won the championship will help us," Kaif said. "That and the youngsters having done well last season will also help. That was the secret to our success. In this format the opposition will look for the new players they don't know about and that helped last year for us." Jadeja, who hit headlines with his power cameos last year, said the responsibility is now on players like him to remain consistent. "The key player will be that one who will start well, remain consistent and then perform well in the main games as the tournament progresses."

Addition of Shipla Shetty will add to the glamor quotient and the players will want to perform really well to receive hugs and kisses from their owner, specially after they saw Priety Zinta throw a few at her players in the last season :P Jokes apart, There will be battles fought both on and off the field as to which team has the best looking owner this season :P





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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.

Do comeback for more News, Previews and Reviews.

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IPL 2: England Vs South Africa?

Indian Premier League is now more of a battle between England and SouthAfrica, not on the cricket field but off it. Four Indian Officials from the BCCI including Mr. Lalit Modi are already in SouthAfrica talking to the officials at ECB(England Cricket Board) and CSA (Cricket South Africa) for hosting the event in their respective countries.
As I write this post there are plans being sketched out by these officials to ensure that the matches are on schedule and live up to the expectations of the fans. Earlier, in a press conference hosted by BCCI (in India), Mr. Lalit Modi confirmed moving the IPL season 2 to either England or South Africa after 40 re-worked schedules were rejected by the Indian Home Ministry over Lok sabha elections commencing shortly.
The tournament will begin on April 10 and conclude on May 24, as scheduled earlier. Sources told TOI England was the first choice. With England Cricket Board CEO Giles Clarke saying ECB was willing to host IPL, ‘‘it’s 99.99% England,’’ a top BCCI official said. Courtesy : IPL-T20 (Official Website)
Apart from ensuring that Indian fans would still be able to watch the event on prime time TV, England would also offer the advantage of the sizable Indian population settled in England providing a ready made audience at the stadiums. Besides, it would provide perfect practice for the T20 World Cup, The Indian camp has already suggested hosting the IPL matches in London allowing the team to practice on these grounds and will getting used the conditions. India will be defending their world title with 11 other teams in the T20 world cup scheduled to be held in England starting June 6 2009.
Both venues have their plus and minus points, but England appears to be emerging as the country of choice even though IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is reportedly inclined more towards South Africa, whose cricket board chief Gerald Majola he shares a close rapport with.
For England
- Large Indian Population settled in England will fill up venues.
- No problem in getting matches to start at Indian prime time (4pm & 8pm IST)
- Perfect practice for T20 World Cup (starting June 6 in England, 2 weeks after IPL)
- Venues within driving distances, will cut costs for organizers and suit fans
- Cheap and good air connectivity from India
Against England
- Higher hotel costs
- ECB could face opposition from Sky TV as IPL will clash with England-WI series, for which Sky has exclusive telecast rights.
-Cold Weather conditions. Most Cricket matches in England are hosted in the summer which is generally called as the ‘English Summer’, The weather in England in unpredictable during the winter.
For South Africa
- Venues and hotels will cost less
- Warmer weather will suit more players
- Timings not a problem
Against South Africa
- Travel from India and between venues costly and tiring
- Filling up stadiums could be difficult. BCCI would also keep in mind that a larger Indian turnout was seen during the last years T20 World cup in SA, venues like Durban, Johannesburg have already registered record number of spectators during Indian matches.
The Franchisees
The franchises will now need to gobble up more money, about 20-25 % more for expenses but the franchisees hope of making more money out of it this time given that there will be a larger Indian Audience glued to their television sets across the country. The Franchisees each earned about rs. 27 Crore from the television right alone in the last season which is expected to double with the tournament moving out of India.
Given that the T20 World cup is just round the corner in England, The chips seem to be going towards England. A News paper Story also indicates the Tournament being Hosted in SA as r. Lalit Modi opted to fly to SA before England. Lalit Modi also shares a good raport with CSA’s CEO. Reports on Monday night suggested that Cricket South Africa was willing to walk the extra mile to make the event a success and had also assured the BCCI of government support to make that happen. “We still feel that South Africa is a better bet for the IPL when it comes to weather, TV timings and logistics,” a South African official said. Hopefully we will hear an official announcemnet soon.
IPL Season 2 promises to be a better and a bigger affair that what faired up the last time. With more international players added to the already full bag of experienced international and national players expect a tournament full of excitement and entertainment.
Join me for full coverage of the IPL 2 story soon.
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PS: This post is a part of my personal blog @ IPL2: England vs SouthAfrica?
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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.
Join me for more action and Updates.

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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IPL 2: Coming Soon?

With the continuing ‘Yes’ ‘No’ politics from the government, a deadlock still lies over whether the most awaited Cricket tournament of the year would even begin? Lalit Modi, Commissioner IPL, is still confident that the revision of dates will be accepted by all concerned parties and that the tournament will begin on the decided dates. The Tournament still hangs in balance of the coming Lok Sabha elections in India with concerns over security, Home minister, Mr. P Chitambaram has already suggested moving the IPL to later dates in the year.

The anger of the government has increased after it learnt that none of the states were even notified or consulted before the revised dates were submitted. TamilNadu does not want any matches to be hosted, Bangalore wants matches only after May 14th, Ahmedabad, nagpur, Jaipur and Chandigarh have requested black out days, Delhi and Mumbai have asked for additional para military forces. With the busy schedule of all international teams, the doubt about whether the second season of the IPL would ever take place this year still hangs in balance. Lalit Modi on the other hand remains optimistic on this front and hopefully he’s proven right.

Another rejection of the schedule by the government is almost certain to lead to the tournament’s cancellation this year, since there is no other window for the six week event in an overcrowded international cricket calendar. Postponing the tournament from its original April 10 to May 24 window has already been rejected by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, with the eight franchisees having already gone ahead with their merchandising and ad campaigns.The tournament also cannot go beyond the scheduled date of May 24 because players need sufficient time to prepare for the forthcoming World Twenty20 Championships which commences in Great Britain on June 5. A way out is to drastically shorten the event by holding as many as three matches in a day and move some of the matches to smaller venues so that there is a relatively less dependence on the security forces.

IPL has suddenly turned into the Indian ‘ Problem’ League, with more problems coming IPL’s way, Sony Entertain-ment Television has dragged the Indian Premier League to the Bombay high court over the termination of its contract to broadcast the 2009 edition. Even I’m not sure about what the actual dispute is, It’s something to do with the production rights, see News for more.

What happens if the tournament stands ‘Cancelled’?
Sony loses about Rs. 250 Crores as it has already stated production, and marketing for the tournament. Ad bookings for the slots during the matches have also been booked. In case the tournament is called off, Sony will have to return the sponsor’s money and stands for a big loss. The franchisees lose well over their worth for the team, IPL governing body loses a few hundred crores for not hosting the tournament, more so the reputation of the board. A net loss of what is expected to be over Rs. 800 Crores.

They are all going to be out of Jobs

In Other News: South Africa welcomed the decision of the ICC to move this year’s Champions Trophy to SA. The ICC board approved the recommendation of its Chief Executives’ Committee to shift the event from Sri Lanka, which had been selected the host after strife-torn Pakistan was stripped of the rights, due to security concerns. This decision came after ICC learnt that there were problems relating to the weather in SriLanka during the time Champions Trophy will be played. Wanderers in Johannesburg and Centurion have been identified as the preferred venues for the event, scheduled from September 24 to October 5.

World twenty20 Championship begins on June 6th 2009 in england which will be soon followed by chmpions trophy 2009 in September. Expect More entertainement if the IPL starts as per schedule. It’s going to be a season full of entertaining world cricket. Enjoy and keep coming back for more.

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Kunal

PS: This is posted on my personal blog earlier. IPL 2: Coming Soon?

I'm making a switch to Blogger for all my sports blogs which i will update regularly. wef April 1 09, All sports posts be exclusive to this blog alone.

PS: Don’t forget this man.. He’s has only one source of Income.. IPL.. S Sreesanth.. Sobbing Sreesanth ( :’(

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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
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