Match facts Friday, May 9, 2008 Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT) The Big Picture The last time these teams met, Shane Warne smashed 16 off three balls in the last over to swing an unlikely victory for Rajasthan. Their fortunes have been contrasting since then; Rajasthan had a run of four straight wins before losing to Mumbai on Wednesday while star-studded Deccan have been patchy with a couple of wins among the losses. Deccan have the edge coming into this match following their win over Chennai on Tuesday and need a few more if they are to make the top four. Rajasthan, despite their strong position will no doubt be jolted after being rolled over for 103 - a tournament low - by Mumbai, inside just 17 overs, before losing by seven wickets. But this time they play at home, where they are yet to lose a game, and they will want that trend to continue and hence reclaim their position at the top of the table.
Tournament position Deccan Chargers P7, W2, L5, NRR -0.011 Rajasthan Royals P7, W5, L2, NRR +0.436
IPL form (last five matches) Deccan Chargers LWLLW Rajasthan Royals WWWWL Watch out for ...
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Showing posts with label Indian Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Premier League. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2008
Preview - Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers
Charged-up Kolkata win tight battle
Kolkata Knight Riders v Bangalore Royal Challengers Toss Kolkata Knight Riders, who chose to bat first Result Kolkata Knight Riders won by 5 runs Player of the match SC Ganguly (Kolkata Knight Riders) Desperately seeking points after a string of losses the Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers, two of the IPL's struggling but high-profile teams, produced a fascinating, if low-scoring, contest that was decided in Kolkata's favour off the penultimate ball. Their second encounter lacked the batting heroics of the first but there was plenty of brilliance in the field and with ball in a rain-shortened match that ended way past midnight. The day began with Kolkata celebrating the birthday of its greatest son, Rabindranath Tagore, and ended with a crowd of thousands, braving a typical seasonal thundershower, delighting in the exploits of its current favourite as Sourav Ganguly led with the ball to revive his side's hopes in the tournament. Ganguly had limped to a run-a-ball 20 with the bat, but his miserly spell - 3 for 7 from three overs - choked a stumbling chase of 130 in 16 overs that, despite a flurry towards the end from Mark Boucher, was always behind the eight ball. It was Ganguly's canny bowling, after Brad Hodge produced a superb direct hit from backward point to get rid of J Arunkumar, that perhaps decided the outcome. Bangalore's top order failed to keep pace and Ganguly, clearly charged up by the occasion, struck a huge blow by bowling his opposite number Rahul Dravid. By the time Ganguly was done Bangalore needed 78 off 36 balls, a near-impossible task. Cameron White and Boucher played good hands, the latter almost pulling off a win, but Bangalore's top order had left them with a bit too much to do. White cut loose to take 15 runs off the 11th over from Laxmi Ratan Shukla, eight came off the next from the next from Ashok Dinda, and another 15 off Umar Gul kept them in line with the asking-rate. Ishant Sharma just gave five off the 14th, and when White was run out backing up too far at the non-striker's end by Murali Kartik, it seemed a done case. Boucher, whose 26 had needed 30 deliveries, then scored 24 off just 10, but Bangalore still fell five runs short. Bangalore's top-order mess needs to be addressed, but their effort in the field after Kolkata decided to bat was heartening. Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, came in to bolster a struggling top order but didn't make much of an impact, lbw to Dale Steyn, and Hodge fell pulling Zaheer Khan. If he looked smooth with the ball, Ganguly wasn't as much with the bat. Off the mark with an uppish drive for four and tangled by a short one from Praveen Kumar, he nudged around for 20 and was the first of two run-outs in Kolkata's innings, White pulling off a direct hit. The going had been slow for Kolkata, and David Hussey tried to step it up, lofting a Praveen slower delivery over long-off, before placing the following delivery through extra-cover. He launched Anil Kumble for two consecutive sixes, but a good throw from Steyn cut him off. Tatenda Taibu got his first game but went early, top-edging Steyn, who then picked up a third when Shulka chopped onto his stumps. An embarrassing goof-up delayed play ahead of Steyn's final over, the 14th of the innings, with only one bowler allowed to bowl four. The scorers and umpires mixed up the two Kumars, and had R Vinay with four overs bowled and Praveen with one, instead of three and two. Dravid, taking the walkie-talkie from one of the on-field umpires, pleaded his case and Steyn finally got to bowl. Wriddhiman Saha and Murali Kartik added 34 quick runs, the highest partnership of the innings, and Kolkata finished on 129. That proved just out of reach for Bangalore, who have now lost six of eight matches. |
Chennai triumph in last-ball thriller
Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings Toss Chennai Super Kings, who chose to field first Result Chennai Super Kings won by 4 wickets (with 0 balls remaining) Player of the match MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) Partisan fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla were treated to a cracker of a match as the Chennai Super Kings pulled off a dramatic last-ball win, sneaking past Delhi Daredevils' total of 187 for 5 by four wickets. Chennai's chase veered from the authoritative to the bumbling but they kept their nerves and put an end to their three-game losing streak, thanks largely to some fearless hitting right through the order. Chennai recovered somewhat to restrict the hosts to under 200 after Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan added a record third-wicket partnership of 121 and that, in hindsight, proved critical before a thrilling chase helped them get back to their winning ways. Chennai were given a 62-run start inside seven overs with S Vidyut, promoted to open in place of Parthiv Patel, batting purposefully. Both Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif were unusually off-key in their first overs and Vidyut handled the short and full deliveries admirably, stepping out to meet the ball. Asif's first over went for 15, with Vidyut taking two fours and Stephen Fleming playing a gorgeous cover drive, and the sixth over, bowled by Yo Mahesh, cost 20 with both openers clubbing the width. Vidyut fell for 40 from 23 balls, attempting another pull but Fleming, finding rhythm after three poor innings, kept the momentum with Chennai. Initially a watchful spectator with Vidyut cashing in on some short-pitched stuff, he played some eye-catching square-drives and cuts. Shoaib Malik bowled a poor line and Fleming kept McGrath busy at square leg with powerful sweeps. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni keeping the ball along the grass, Fleming went for his shots except that a flat hard drive found AB de Villiers at cover. Suresh Raina steered a simple catch to backward point four balls later and Chennai failed to score a boundary for 16 deliveries. Albie Morkel made up with 25 off a Virender Sehwag over, swung into motion by three consecutive sixes, but the bowler had his revenge of sorts with a direct hit from mid-on sent Morkel running on his way to the pavilion. Dhoni threatened to seal the deal with a sensible hand but Yo Mahesh returned to snap up two wickets in the 19th over - one down to a stunning catch from de Villiers, running in from long-on - and that left Chennai with 15 to get off six balls. Sehwag gave the task to Malik and it proved a disaster. Manpreet Gony slogged the first ball over midwicket for six, a wide followed, easing the pressure further, and a thick edge past the wicketkeeper sent the crowd into silence. A single to mid-on set the stage for S Badrinath, who tied the scores with a chip over the covers for two, and won it with another over mid-on. The afternoon began with two of Delhi's most reliable top-order batsmen welcoming Dhoni's decision to field first - for the first time in the tournament - with a record 121-run stand in 12.4 overs after early trouble. Sehwag flickered with whips off the pads and a ramrod-straight drive before a crushing yorker from Gony breached his defence. Morkel, sharing the new ball in Makhaya Ntini's absence, produced a pearl to clean up de Villiers first ball to make it 46 for 2 in the sixth over. Gambhir bottom-edged Muttiah Muralitharan's first delivery narrowly past off stump and between Dhoni's legs for four and was offered a freaky slice of luck a couple balls later when Murali's flick back onto the stumps dislodged the bails a fraction too late. Loosening his shoulders after that last reprieve, Gambhir nudged to fine leg, flicked over midwicket, and flat-batted through the covers. A massive six over mid-on raised Gambhir's fourth IPL half-century from 35 balls and earned him back the orange cap from Sehwag, and he proceeded to drill three consecutive fours in the 15th over to jack the run rate up near nine. He fell trying to steer one past backward point, for a 49-ball 80, and Dhawan fell shortly afterwards for a 46-ball 59 in the penultimate over. Delhi's decision to bring in Manoj Tiwary over Rajat Bhatia cost them a fifth bowler, and that hurt them plenty. |
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mumbai bowlers shock Rajasthan
Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals Toss Mumbai Indians, who chose to field first Result Mumbai Indians won by 7 wickets (with 29 balls remaining) Player of the match A Nehra (Mumbai Indians) Mumbai's medium-pacers bowled a clever mix of bouncers, slower balls and cutters to restrict Rajasthan to a 103, the lowest first-innings total of the IPL, on a two-paced pitch at the DY Patil Stadium before some sensible batting sealed a hat-trick of triumphs for the home team. In what was their second successive upset victory, after taming Delhi on Sunday, Mumbai prevailed over the table leaders yet again. The pitch wasn't conducive to stroke-play: balls stopped, kept low and batsmen didn't find their timing easily. The experienced trio of Shaun Pollock, Ashish Nehra and Dwayne Bravo were canny with their variations but it was impressive to see the unheralded duo of Dhaval Kulkarni and Rohan Raje break the back of Rajasthan's line-up. Sachin Tendulkar wasn't fit for today's game but he had the satisfaction of seeing a wicket fall almost every time the commentators cut to have a word with him. He was particularly thrilled with the performance of Kulkarni and Raje, young turks who utilised the conditions perfectly. Nehra finished as the most effective bowler, adding two tailenders to Yusuf Pathan's wicket early on to finish with 3 for 13; Bravo showed the power of the slower ball; and Pollock yet again proved the value of experience. The fact that the Mumbai wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale pouched three skiers, when top-edges ballooned off the bat, showed the slow nature of the surface. Even Mumbai's batsmen weren't fluent with their strokeplay but a few lucky breaks ensured a comfortable victory. Shane Watson struck twice - taking the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya who pulled one to deep square leg - and Shane Warne struck with his very first ball, removing Takawale with a slider. However, Robin Uthappa's 34 was enough to take Mumbai past the finish line. The match, though, was decided by the end of Rajasthan's innings. Pollock, whose decision to field first appeared to be a bold one, nipped out Graeme Smith early though even he would have been surprised at the manner of the dismissal. Smith backed away, took a stride out of his crease, missed an in-cutter from Pollock and kept walking. Had he looked back, he would have seen Takawale fumble the ball but the fact the he kept going allowed an easy stumping. It was only the 53-run stand between Swapnil Asnodkar and Watson that made some sort of recovery for Rajasthan. Both batsmen put away loose balls and Watson even showed the value of hitting straight against the spin of Sanath Jayasuriya. It took an injudicious swipe from Watson to end the stand - Bravo working him out from around the wicket - and what followed was a forgettable collapse. Raje forced Mohammad Kaif and Asnodkar to go for big shots and had them caught in the deep, while Kulkarni removed Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Warne with short balls. Jadeja top edged while going for the pull and was athletically caught by Takawale, while Warne's attempted slap through the off side ended in an easier skier for the wicketkeeper. The tail didn't have much of a chance against the slower balls - indicated aptly by a tantalising one from Bravo that ended the innings. It was Rajasthan's first defeat in six games and they slipped to second place, behind the Kings XI Punjab, in the points table. |
Monday, May 5, 2008
Punjab make it five wins in a row
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab Toss Kings XI Punjab, who chose to field first Result Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) Player of the match S Sreesanth (Kings XI Punjab) The Kings XI Punjab proved why they are one of the tournament's best all-round sides by extending their winning spree to five, after beating the Bangalore Royal Challengers comfortably by six wickets in a low-scoring encounter. After their bowlers used a seaming pitch to send Bangalore crashing to a paltry 126, their batsmen chased it down easily to send Punjab into second place, behind the Rajasthan Royals on net run-rate. One of the reasons for Bangalore's woeful struggle in the tournament is the batting, and today was no exception. Rahul Dravid played the lone hand with a battling 66 and his knock stood out in a sorry scorecard which had five ducks, just two batsmen crossing double figures and three run-outs. The constant reshuffling of the batting order reflected their weakness, none more so than at the top of the order, as their fifth opening combination in seven matches walked out to bat. It was a good toss to win for Yuvraj Singh, who gave his bowlers an early crack on a seaming track. Sreesanth was lethal in the first over, sending back a wobbly Wasim Jaffer with his stock delivery, the away swinger, before getting his next delivery to nip back in sharply to slice Cameron White in half and take the middle stump. The situation was tailor-made for Jacques Kallis to script Bangalore's recovery act but a reckless call by Virat Kohli led to his dismissal. At 19 for 3, Bangalore had the dubious distinction of scoring the least at the end of five overs. If Sreesanth was making life difficult at one end, breaking free at the other end wasn't easy either. Irfan Pathan's inswingers cramped the right-handers for room, while VRV Singh kept them guessing by hitting the deck outside the offstump and getting a few to rear up. Dravid and Kohli eased the nerves with a stand of 54 as the innings slowly picked up in pace. The one glaring glitch for Punjab was the fielding and the biggest culprit was VRV, who wasn't agile enough on a quick outfield. It rubbed off on his bowling as he conceded three fours in an over. Dravid pulled the first to deep square leg, creamed the next through the covers to bring up his fifty, before flicking the third past midwicket to go past the highest score by a Bangalore batsman. He then scooped the same bowler over extra cover for a flat six before mistiming the following delivery to third man. Piyush Chawla was the most penetrative among the lot, trapping Misbah-ul-Haq and running through the lower order to finish with 3 for 25. Though Bangalore had a paltry total to defend, on a seaming pitch, one would have given them a slender chance. Despite possessing lethal new-ball bowlers like Dale Steyn and Zaheer Khan, the early breakthroughs didn't come and the seamers were guilty of spraying it too wide, allowing the batsmen to drive through the line and beat the gaps with ease. Bangalore had early success, sending back the out-of-sorts James Hopes in the second over, courtesy a brilliant reflex catch by White at cover. Ramnaresh Sarwan feasted on some wayward fare by Zaheer, crunching boundaries through the offside. Two quick breakthroughs by Praveen - sending back Sarwan off a bouncer and Yuvraj Singh with an away swinger - made things interesting. However, the in-form Shaun Marsh played a steadying hand and ensured there were no further hiccups. By the time he was dismissed - bowled through the gate by Zaheer - Punjab were only 21 away from victory and they coasted home with ten balls to spare. |
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Tanvir bowls Rajasthan to first place
Rajasthan Royals v/s Chennai Super Kings Toss Chennai Super Kings, who chose to bat first Result Rajasthan Royals won by 8 wickets (with 34 balls remaining) Player of the match Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals) A red-hot spell from Sohail Tanvir during which he took 6 for 14 - the best figures in Twenty20 cricket - decimated the Chennai Super Kings for 109 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. That reduced what was a clash for top spot in the Indian Premier League into a one-sided rout as the Rajasthan Royals chased down the smallest target of the tournament to win their fifth consecutive game, with eight wickets in hand. Tanvir exploited the seamer-friendly conditions, there was swing and bounce, and gave Rajasthan a perfect start, nailing both openers for ducks in the first over. Parthiv Patel played across the line and missed an incutter first ball and Stephen Fleming fell in similar fashion four deliveries later. Both those wickets were to balls that came into the left-hander but Tanvir picked up his third with the one that went away and induced an outside edge from S Vidyut in his second over. Chennai were reeling at 11 for 3 and Rajasthan's dominance was emphasised by a rare sight in Twenty20 cricket - a slip cordon populated by three fielders. Fourteen runs came off the fifth over, bowled by Siddarth Trivedi, and when S Badrinath played an orthodox square-drive and a flick to get take boundaries off the sixth, Chennai seemed to be recovering. However Watson, who used the bouncer effectively, took a simple return catch after Badrinath top-edged a miscued pull. Chennai had been pushed further back just when they were taking half a step forward. With Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the two highest run-getters in Chennai's line-up, batting together a competitive total was gettable. However, Rajasthan captain Shane Warne further dented Chennai's hopes when he won the battle against his opposite number Dhoni: his first ball pitched outside leg and spun right across Dhoni's off stump and two deliveries later, a flighted leg break took the outside edge to Graeme Smith at slip. Rania and Albie Morkel staged a recovery of sorts after Chennai were reduced to 44 for 5. After played out a few economical overs, Morkel slog-swept Warne for two fours through square-leg and swatted a straight six in an over that cost 17. Yusuf Pathan even dropped a sitter at long-on to give Raina a reprieve but the batsman didn't capitalise, holing out to Tanvir at long-off soon after. Just as in his first spell, Tanvir struck with the first delivery of his second as well, this time Morkel was bowled as he slogged across the line. The tail found Tanvir's skiddy pace and immaculate line to hard to negotiate and Chennai were dismissed in the 19th over, a drastic fall in batting fortunes after the departure of Australians Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey. If Chennai were to make a match of it, they needed to take every chance coming their way. Joginder Sharma, though, spilled a simple chance at mid-off when Makhaya Ntini, after starting off with a maiden, had Smith miscuing a pull. Twenty one extras, the second highest conceded in the tournament, didn't help their cause either. Swapnil Asnodkar, full of confidence after his Man-of-the-Match performance on his IPL debut in the previous game, pummelled his first ball straight back down the ground for four and slammed Manpreet Gony for consecutive boundaries in the fourth over during a fluent 32. At the other end, Smith was skipping down the track and muscling boundaries square of the wicket, and when a wayward seventh over from Morkel cost 14 runs, Rajasthan had raced to 58 for no loss. It wasn't until this stage, after the horse had bolted, that Chennai brought on their best bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, but the task of bringing Chennai back into the contest was beyond him. Rajasthan lost a couple of wickets but, with the help of some lusty blows from Pathan and Watson, the target was overhauled with 5.4 overs to spare. After winning their first four matches, this was Chennai's second consecutive loss and the huge margin of defeat meant that they slipped to fourth place in the space of two days. |
Pollock leads Mumbai's shock win
Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils A magnificent all-round performance by Shaun Pollock produced the biggest upset of the tournament as Mumbai Indians - languishing with just one win in five games - pipped the fancied Delhi Daredevils by 29 runs in a gripping contest at the DY Patil Sports Academy stadium. Requiring a modest 163 for the fifth win, Delhi's much-vaunted batting line-up collapsed for a paltry 133. One player influenced this result more than any other. Pollock has had a mixed tournament so far, but here he was immense in every aspect. With the bat, he came in to bat in the 15th over, when Mumbai were languishing at 112 for 5, and blasted 33 off a mere 15 balls, including 22 off the penultimate over, which changed a below-par total into a competitive one. He then returned with the ball and sent down four metronomic overs, conceding just 16 for two wickets. In his second over, he nailed Shikhar Dhawan, and then returned for a second spell to dismiss the dangerous Shoaib Malik. Add a catch to dismiss Virender Sehwag, and some inspired captaincy moves, and there was no doubt about who the Man of the Match was. Delhi's strength has been their top-order batting - their top three have been in outstanding form - but here, two of them were back in the hutch after 14 deliveries, and the rest failed to measure up. On a slow pitch, both Gautam Gambhir and Dhawan mistimed drives on the up, and after three overs, the scorecard read a sorry 6 for 2. To make matters worse, Sehwag struggled to get the strike, facing just seven deliveries in the first six overs. AB de Villiers and Sehwag mounted a mini-revival, but when de Villiers was unluckily run out backing up too far, it was the first indication that the day was going to belong to Mumbai. Sehwag, though, wasn't about to give up too easily. He continued to struggle to get to the striker's end, but when he did, he made it count: Pollock was slashed over point for a huge six, Dwayne Bravo's slower one was heaved over the bowler's head, while Sanath Jayasuriya was greeted into the attack with two brutal sixes over long-on and midwicket, the first of which gave him the orange cap for the tournament's highest scorer. The next ball he faced was his last, though, as Pollock brought off a smart catch as Sehwag miscued a low full-toss off Dominic Thornely. From there, it was a matter of holding their nerve, and Mumbai did that expertly. The bowling was spot-on, and the fielding showed an urgency which clearly demonstrated how much they wanted this win. Nothing exemplified the new-found spirit more than Ashish Nehra diving full-length at the long-on boundary to bring off an amazing save in the 16th over. Shoaib Malik and Dinesh Karthik both threatened a fightback, but Mumbai weren't to be denied today. Pollock returned for a second spell and immediately had Malik scooping one to long-on as another batsman was defeated by lack of pace, while Pollock's golden touch then brought another success, as he tossed the ball to Bravo, who trapped Karthik plumb in front with his first ball. Nehra, the other stand-out bowler in the game, then took two wickets off two balls to seal the contest. At the halfway mark, though, it seemed Mumbai's 162 would be inadequate. The absence of Sachin Tendulkar hit them hard again, especially against a new-ball bowling attack which had Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif. Yogesh Takawale, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper from Maharashtra who opened the innings, struggled to get the ball off the square, putting additional pressure on Jayasuriya. For a brief period, though, he responded magnificently. After starting off with a glorious cover-drive off McGrath, he flicked and lofted Asif for three fours. Yo Mahesh was greeted with a flicked six over square leg and a four to fine leg off successive balls. That, though, was as good as it got, as Takawale skied to third man, and Jayasuriya charged once too often and lost his off stump. Those two wickets in the space of three balls pegged back Mumbai, and they struggled to recover. The one feature that ran through the Mumbai innings was their tendency to lose wickets every time they seemed to be snatching the momentum. Robin Uthappa struck successive sixes over long-on and midwicket, only to throw it away by attempting a cheeky scoop over fine leg. Dominic Thornely, who returned to the team after recovering from the blow to the eye off Zaheer Khan a couple of weeks ago, picked off Rajat Bhatia for a straight six before falling next ball, bowled while attempting a wild slog. The reckless approach continued, as Abhishek Nayar moved to leg and missed a quick one from Sehwag, while Bravo lofted the fourth ball he faced straight to long-on. With the innings falling away alarmingly, it needed a quick blitz from Pollock to lift Mumbai to a somewhat respectable total. The 19th over - bowled by the lacklustre Asif - disappeared for 22 as Pollock smashed him straight, over extra cover, and over square leg for three sixes. A total of 162 still seemed below par, but that was before an inspired Mumbai Indian team took the field. |
Mumbai Indians v/s Delhi Daredevils
Big-city clash may miss biggest star Match facts Sunday, May 4 2008 Start time 16.00 (local), 10.30 (GMT) The Big Picture The age-old Ranji rivalry gets a twist: Mumbai, so dominant in recent domestic cricket, are bottom of the IPL table, and the most expensive franchise are clearly struggling. Delhi, the current Ranji champions, are on top and looking a good bet to go all the way. Mumbai are faced with twin headaches: protecting themselves from a rampaging assault by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, the IPL's most explosive opening pair and among the top run-getters in the event, and overpowering the nagging accuracy of Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif and their backup team of Yo Mahesh, Rajat Bhatia and Farveez Maharoof, who combine to make Delhi the most fearsome bowling attack. Mumbai's cause isn't helped by the fact that Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to play. But they must bank on carrying forward the confidence and teamwork they displayed at Eden Gardens in their last match, where they had their maiden victory. Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock once again, will hold the key in what promises to be a contest of aggression against bowling intellect. Watch out for ... ... Sehwag v Pollock and Jayasuriya v McGrath + Asif + Yo Mahesh is on the menu for Sunday late afternoon. Sehwag has already got a 34-ball century at the ground in a corporate Twenty20 event, so he will look forward to repeating the feat. Team news Despite Tendulkar playing a practice game on Friday the team management is still sweating over his fitness. Pollock said on Saturday that Mumbai might stick to the combination that won in Kolkata, indicating Tendulkar's unavailability. The one change, perhaps, could be allrounder Musavir Khote replacing Manish Pandey, who got a duck. Mumbai (probable) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Shaun Pollock, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Pinal Shah (wk), 8 Musavir Khote, 9 Dilhara Fernando, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni. McGrath was seen holding an ice pack to his right shoulder after completing his spell mid-way into the Chennai game on Friday. Considering Delhi are top of the points tally, they might even give him a break and offer fellow Australian Brett Geeves his second game. Delhi (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shikhar Dhawan, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Yo Mahesh, 9 Glenn McGrath, 10 Pradeep Sangwan, 11 Mohammad Asif. IPL form Mumbai Indians: LLLLW Delhi Daredevils WWLWW Stats and trivia Gambhir was the second-highest run-getter in the ICC World Twenty20 with 227 runs in seven matches. Pradeep Sangwan was the leading wicket-taker for Delhi in his debut Ranji season, with 33 wickets Loots Bosman was the first to score a century in South Africa's Pro20 competition Quotes "No strategy works if one batsman or one bowler gets going." Sehwag, the Delhi Daredevils captain "We will take the confidence of the last game into this game and hopefully we will put them under some pressure. They (Daredevils) obviously have some top players and their top order has performed well." Shaun Pollock, Mumbai Indians captain. |
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Mohd Yousuf restrained from playing in IPL
An arbiter on Saturday passed an interim order restraining Pakistani player Mohammad Yousuf from participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), an Indian Cricket League (ICL) lawyer said. "Justice (retd) Dr B P Saraf passed an interim order restraining Yousuf from participating in IPL in any manner," said ICL's lawyer Hitesh Jain. Jain said now there would be a final hearing, which is likely to commence in July. Yousuf and ICL are caught up in legal wrangle, as the Essel Group-bankrolled ICL alleged that the player breached his earlier contract with them and signed up for the IPL. The dispute then landed before arbiter Dr Saraf who, on December 15 last year, restrained Yousuf from playing for any rival league till further orders. Though Yousuf signed up for IPL, he was not picked up by any of the IPL franchise teams. Advocate Jain said Saturday's order was a first of its kind in Indian sports. "It is significant for IPL too," the ICL laywer said. At this stage, no penalty has been imposed on Yousuf, but the arbiter may contemplate such action at the time of the final decision, he added. |
Bangalore won by 3 runs
Kumble came into bowl the final over as Hyderabad required 20 runs from it. Bangar started off with a single. Yadav then added another single. Bangar then scored two consecutive sixes. Bangar then added another single. Yadav then managed to score just a single of the last ball. Bangalore won by 3 runs in a breath taking encounter. Zaheer Khan was then brought back and he removed Styris on the first ball as he played across the line and was caught in front. The new man in was Sanjay Bangar, who was immediately off the mark. The new man is Yadav who takes a single via a leg bye. Zaheer then ended the over with a dot ball. Hyderabad were 137/6 after 19 overs. Steyn then continued his spell as Afridi was then removed of the first ball as he went for another big one. The new man in was Scott Styris. Laxman then took a single of the next ball. Styris was then off the mark with a drive in the cover region. Laxman then added another single to the total. Styris then added another single to the total. Laxman was then caught in front by kumar as he was given lbw. Hyderabad were 132/5 after 18 overs. Kallis then cama back into the attack as Sharma scored a boundary of the first ball and then scored another huge six of the next ball. Sharma then added another single to the total. Laxman then added another single to the total. Sharma was then hold out in the deep as he went for another big one. The new man in was Afridi and he was off the mark immediately as Hyderabad were 128/3 after 17 overs. Steyn was then brought back into the attack as he started off with a dot ball. Sharma then stole a quick single. Laxman then added another single to the total as he missed out on a pull. Sharma then charged down the track but missed it completely for another dot ball and then added another single to the score. Laxman then finished the over with a dot ball. Hyderabad were 115/2 after 16 overs. Zaheer Khan was then brought back into the attack as Sharma scored a single of the first ball. Laxman then added another single to the total. Kallis then came back into the attack and Laxman scored a single of the first ball. Sharma then added another single to the total. Laxman then played out a dot ball. Laxman then finished the over with a boundary over mid-wicket as Hyderabad were 105/2 after 14 overs. Kumar then continued as Laxman scored a single of the first ball. Sharma then played out two dot balls. Kumar then bowled a bouncer as Shama allowed it to pass. Sharma then scored a huge six over the mid-wicket region and then finished the over with another dot ball. Hyderabad were 97/2 after 13 overs. Kumble then continued as Laxman scored three boundaries in the over as Hyderabad were starting to build some momentum. Hyderabad were 90/2 after 12 overs. Kallis then continued as Sharma took a single of the first ball via leg bye. Laxman then scored a boundary of the next ball. Laxman then added another single to the total. Kumble then came back as Sharma flicked him for a single in the mid-wicket region. Laxman then scored a single after playing out two dot balls. Kumble then bowled a wide down the leg side. Sharma then finished the over with another single. Hyderabad were 63/2 after 10 overs. Kallis was then introduced into the attack and he started off with a dot ball. Sharma then played out another dot ball. Sharma then took a single via a bye as he completely missed the ball. Kallis then bowled a nasty bouncer as Laxman just let it go. Laxman then scored another single. Sharma then finished the over with another single. Hyderabad were 57/2 after 9 overs. Kumar then continued as Sharma scored a boundary of the first ball. He then scored a single of the next ball. Laxman then placed a ball for another single. Sharma then cut a ball to the boundary to keep the runs coming. He then played out a dot ball. Sharma then finished the over with another single. Hyderabad were 54/2 after 8 overs. Kumble was then introduced into the attack as Laxman scored a single of the first ball. Sharma then added another single of the next ball. Laxman then added another single to the total. Sharma then smashed a huge six of the next ball and then ended the over with another single. Hyderabad were 43/2 after 7 overs. Praveen Kumar was then brought into the attack and he removed Gibbs of is first ball as he was caught in the cover region. The new man in was Rohit Sharma, who started off by playing a dot ball. Laxman then finished the over with another single. Hyderabad were 33/2 after 6 overs. Gibbs then faced Steyn who started off with a bouncer. Gibbs then scored a boundary of the next ball and then played out two dot balls. Gibbs then played out another dot ball and then scored a single of the final ball. Hyderabad were 31/1 after 5 overs. Khan then continued as Laxman then played out a dot ball. Laxman then flicked a ball for another single. Gilchrist then smashed a ball back to the bowler for another dot ball and then flicked the ball to the boundary. Khan then removed Gilly on the naxt ball as Jaffer caught him inches from the boundary. The new man in was Gibbs, but he was not on strike as Laxman ended the over with another boundary. Hyderabad were 26/1 after 4 overs. Steyn then continued his spell as Gilchrist played out two dot ball and then scored a single of the next ball. Laxman then played out a dot ball. Laxman then flicked a ball to the boundary. Laxman then finished the over with another single. Hyderabad were 17/0 after 3 overs. Zaheer Khan then came on to bowl the next over and Laxman scored two runs of the first ball. Laxman then played out a dot ball. Laxman then played out another dot ball. Laxman then sliced a ball to the third man area for another single. Gilly then finished the over with another single. Hyderbad were 11/0 after 2 overs. Steyn came on to bowl the first over for the Bangalore team and he started off with a wide and Gilchrist then took another single via leg bye. Laxman then took a single of the next ball. Gilly then played out a dot ball. Gichrist then scored the first boundary of the Hyderabad innings and after the 1st over they were 7/0. Afridi then continued as Boucher scored a single of the first ball. Dravid then added another single to the total. Boucher flicked a ball in the deep for another single. Dravid went for an ambitious cut but missed it and then played out another dot ball. He then finished the over with another single. Bangalore were 130/5 after 18 overs. Styris was then brought back into the attack as he started off by giving away two singles. Dravid then added another single on the next ball. Boucher then played out a dot ball. Boucher then tried to cut for another dot ball. He then finished the over with another single. Bangalore were 126/5 after 17 overs. Ojha was then brought back in the attack and he started off with a dot ball. Boucher then added a single to the total. Dravid then swept a ball for yet another single. Boucher even tried the sweep for a boundary. He then placed a ball in the deep for another single. Dravid then finished the over with another single. Bangalore were 122/5 after 16 overs. Afridi then came into ball the next over and then removed Misbah-ul-haq on the first ball as he caught him in front of the wicket to get him lbw. The new man in was Mark Boucher and he was immediately off the mark with a single. Dravid then added another single to the total. Boucher finished the over with yet another single. Bangalore were 114/5 after 15 overs. After a steady start the Bangalore team lost their opener Chipli as he was cleaned up by the RP Singh. Virat Kohli then joined in and he and Wasim Jaffer again anchored the innings and build a partnership to anchor the Bangalore innings. After some quick runs and easy singles the Jaffer was then hold out as he again skied another ball but was hold out in the cover region by Gibbs. Banagalore were two down as Jacues Kallis came in the middle. Bangalore were 85/2 after 11 overs. The Hyderabad team won the toss and elected to bat first as the Bangalore team have brought in Misbah-ul-haq and Hyderabad have also brought in Herchele Gibbs. In a tie of the two bottom sides, the match between Bangalore and Hyderabad is very crucial for both the teams as both the teams have registered only one victory and they will were both looking to add another win to their belt. |
Friday, May 2, 2008
PCB chief files defamation suit against Akhtar
Banned pacer Shoaib Akhtar's never-ending woes have been compounded further with Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Nasim Ashraf on Friday slapping a Rs 220 million defamation suit against him. Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal counsel for Ashraf, filed the suit in a civil court in Lahore headed by Judge Hina Muzaffar. The court will begin hearing the case from Saturday. Shoaib ban upheld The defamation suit has been filed against Shoaib for making allegations on a television show that the PCB Chairman had demanded money from him and other players for allowing them to sign contracts with the lucrative Indian Premier League. Shoaib later retracted his claims and also made an unconditional apology before the appellate tribunal hearing his appeal against the five-year ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the board. Shoaib apologised for causing "grief and pain in particular to the Chairman of the board with the unsubstantiated and damaging allegations against him". Rizvi said the filing of the defamation suit was a natural process of law. As you are aware that we had already served a legal notice on behalf of Chairman PCB on Shoaib Akhtar for the defamation and defamatory statements he made on TV against the Chairman, Rizvi said. |
IPL, ICL great for Indian cricket, says Kallis
NEW DELHI: It's taken a Jacques Kallis, Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year, to finally mention IPL and ICL in the same breath. His team, Bangalore Royal Challengers, might be struggling in the tournament, but a day after losing yet another game - this time to the Delhi Daredevils - Kallis was all praise for India's new T20 leagues. "The IPL and (rebel) ICL will turn out (to be) immensely beneficial for Indian cricket. It's giving their younger players, some of whom have yet to establish themselves in even domestic cricket, a chance to rub shoulders with icons of the game in dressing rooms. It's an immense advantage. If this had happened when I was younger I would have benefitted immensely," he said. The all-rounder, however, was at a loss to explain what, apart from money, the established stars of the game were gaining. "The crowds have been very good," was all Kallis mustered, before the astute observer in him took over: "I think T20 is the future of cricket. At three hours, it's even shorter than a baseball game. But I honestly don't know how long the One-day format will survive." Kallis has been a vocal critic of player burnout and the ICC's frenzied Future Tours Programme, but on Thursday it was his SA and Bangalore team-mate Mark Boucher who took up the cause, saying: "The IPL is huge even in SA. This tournament needs to be on schedule. I've seen quite a few ICC officials here who agree the tournament is an unqualified success. If so, they need to make it good for the players. Maybe the ICC and the player unions can sit down for a chat." We're not a Test team: Dravid Stung by four losses in five games and a team boasting of Test stalwarts who have struggled to adapt, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid said his team would have to recoup to bounce back in the IPL. Pointing out that the squad had been unlucky so far - they lost to Team Chennai by 13 runs and to Delhi Daredevils by 10 - Dravid said, "I think we lack the X-factor. I don't agree we're a Test team in T20 clothing. “We almost pulled it off against Chennai and Delhi. I think our fifth bowler is giving away too many runs. Misbah-ul Haq is also waiting, he will also get a game." Backing his skipper, Kallis said: "Leading a side in T20 is the most difficult job because you have no time to react. Our openers haven't clicked. It's frustrating. But Dravid is as good as anyone I've played under." |
'England needs IPL version by 2010'
'England needs IPL version by 2010' England needs its version of the Indian Premier League in place within two years or risks missing the boat, Texan billionaire Allen Stanford said on Thursday. Stanford, who has offered a multi-million pounds investment proposal to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said he envisaged international teams playing alongside counties in the new competition. "If I was doing this (alone) I would bring it in next year," he told Reuters in an interview. Indian Premier League coverage "If the ECB do not get this programme in place by 2010 they have missed the boat. That is the latest they can possibly be." ECB officials have dismissed suggestions the new competition, a response to the lucrative IPL which has attracted players from across the globe, will operate with city franchises rather than the traditional county teams. The board are expected to announce details of their plans by the end of the month. Stanford, who owns several companies in the Caribbean and already finances a Twenty20 event on the islands, said the ECB model could combine franchises and county sides. "I think the county format gives you the best structure," he said. "It has been there a long time. It works...it is the basis it (the new league) builds from. "Now (it is a question) whether you build on that county structure and take that into a city structure which may be on some people's minds from a commercial aspect. "You might have say Kent v Liverpool or something like that and maybe create more rivalry." Stanford said international teams may also play a role. TV REVENUE "Absolutely. That brings the crowds in, that makes it international, brings television revenue in, I think that is a given," he said. While urging the ECB to move fast over the new league, he said he was pleased the board had not rushed in too quickly. "English cricket sometimes works slower than the rest of the modern sports world does but sometimes that is good, as long as you don't move too slow," he said. Stanford said the IPL had been created too quick and was sure Twenty20 was ready to go global. "With the right money, organisation and goals in place it can be an Olympic sport within a 10-year span," he said. "We want to be the dominant team sport in the world, we want to bring it to the U.S., take it into markets where it hasn't been before and take it back into markets like the UK. "It is now in the modern era." As part of his proposals to the ECB, Stanford has suggested a game between England and an all-star West Indies team in Antigua on Nov. 1 with a $20 million, winner-takes-all purse, an unprecedented prize in cricket. |
Twenty20: The Page 3 of Cricket
The Indian Premier League has rammed home a new meaning to the notion of a 'generation gap'. Taking my 13-year-old son to watch the Delhi Daredevils playing their first game at the Kotla was meant to be an exercise in family bonding and, also, a chance to get my teenager to savour the joys of the sport. Sitting in one of the spiffy new corporate boxes, we had the added pleasure of legendary Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee for company. As Lillee poured his wisdom on the game, I could sense my son getting restless. "I want to be on television dad, like all my friends, with a placard cheering a sixer. Whats the point in coming to the game if you don't come on TV!" was his candid confession. While I groped for a response, the hospitality executive was more helpful: "Why don't we take you to the seats near Akshay Kumar, am sure the camera will focus on that area!" My son was delighted, I had got my wake-up call: Move over Lillee, Akshay Kumar, one of cricket's new mascots is here. With the emergence of IPL, cricket is now firmly part of the 'celebrity culture' that dominates our urban planet. Watching the Kolkata Knight Riders seems to be as much about the ability of Sourav Ganguly as it is about the larger-than-life presence of Shah Rukh Khan and entourage. Me-too Mohali has Preity Zinta to lift the spirits, Bangalore has Vijay Mallya and Katrina Kaif to raise the glamour quotient, Mumbai has Hrithik Roshan to add a little bit of spice, while Delhi has Akshay's machismo to draw in the crowds. Cheerleaders, film stars, fireworks, event managers, and yes, twenty two players in coloured clothing hitting lots of sixes: the purists may be alarmed, but the fact is that 'cricketainment' is finally a recognised industry. This is a mini-revolution that was waiting to happen. After all, Indian cricket has always been the ultimate form of mass entertainment , but was still managed like an old economy family firm. The players were brands, but couldn't quite encash their brand value. Someone needed to end the dichotomy: the ready manner in which the IPL has been embraced by fans, sponsors and the cricketers is proof that there was a yearning for changing the rules of the game. In particular, the infrastructure at most of the grounds has significantly improved with the advent of the new league. Comfortable seating, much-needed floodlights, sparkling outfields, large scoreboards: going to a cricket match might actually turn out to be a pleasurable experience if sponsor money is ploughed back into improving the facilities across stadiums. Morever, the globalisation of sport offers endless opportunity: watching the genius of Shane Warne co-exist with the energies of young talents from Rajasthan has been the highlight of the IPL so far. And yet, the euphoria of having discovered a new world of cricket cannot be at the cost of certain enduring traditions: sport is ultimately about a deep emotional connect between players and fans and not about transient pleasures derived from being part of a three hour extravaganza. There is almost something sacred about this relationship which cannot be diluted by flashy music videos, glamorous cheerleaders and even more magnetic film stars. When on field tension is matched by off the field hype, when the camera focuses relentlessly on the stars and the dancers instead of the cricketers, then questions must be raised about the direction the sport is headed. In a sense, Twenty20 is to cricket what Page 3 is to journalism: fast, exciting, but also, often vacuous and titillating. Test cricket is a bit like the editorial page: serious, but at times, somnolent. If page three and page one can co-exist, why cant 20-20 cricket live with the other forms of the game? Dont forget, when 50-over cricket took off in the late 1970s, there were similar apprehensions expressed over it destroying the five day match. In the event, test cricket has proved remarkably resilient: the recent India-Australia test series saw large crowds and even better cricket being played. Just as page three has been given its due space in journalism, shouldn't the newest form of the sport be also given its moment in the cricketing sun? It should, but with a clear rider: Page 3 cricket must not be allowed to become page one sport. A decade ago, when the colour supplements began to emerge across newspapers, many saw the reporting on the party circuit as a much-needed 'break' from the often grim whirl of daily news. With a section of urban India slowly discovering the joys of a leisure society, it was felt that journalism needed to reflect this emerging reality. Page 3 was born out of this desire for change, much as Twenty20 cricket has emerged because of the pressures of a lifestyle that places a premium on time. Watching a five day cricket match that could conceivably end in an honourable draw is seen as a luxury that today's generation can ill afford. Similarly, a 1,500 word special report on hunger in rural Bihar or a lengthy editorial on India's strategic challenges were viewed as unsuited to the changing tastes of the reader. A decade later, Page 3 has slowly but surely crept its way to page one: there is almost a breathless excitement with which we report on the world of glitz and glamour. Shah Rukh Khan's six-pack is headline news, so is Sunjay Dutt's marital status. Khan and Dutt can at least claim to be big stars. A Google search revealed, for example, an incredible 458,000 entries in the name of item girl Rakhi Sawant. Television channels don't just ask her questions on who she met at which party, but she's even debated female infanticide statistics. A professor's love triangle in Patna college becomes an endless soap on news television, but the same channels will scarcely report on Bihar's worst ever floods. Is it any surprise then that there is so little journalistic space devoted to what is surely the biggest news story at the moment: the growing food crisis across the globe. When the mind is numbed, the head can scarcely be held high. Twenty20 cricket faces the same dilemma: what might have started off as a harmless 'distraction', threatens to become the staple diet. Across the cricketing world, there is a clamour for more: after all, this form of slam-bang cricket will bring in new audiences, and more revenues. But, on the flip side, it could also lead to a 'dumbing down' of the sport severely damaging some of cricket's unique elements , on and off the field. Will young batsmen now be coached only to play power cricket, without facing upto the technical and mental challenges that the art of batsmanship throws up? With short boundaries and only four overs in a match per bowler, will any young bowler really learn the craft of bowling? And more worryingly, will franchisee sport 'commodify' players and reduce their commitment to a 'nationalist' ethos (as has happened with most American sport)? Indeed, as "made for television" sport takes over from the "real thing", we need to draw a Lakshmanrekha that will ensure that the sanctity of cricket isn't destroyed forever. Bollywood, in particular, already exercises a hegemonic influence over contemporary popular culture, virtually trampling over all else. Item numbers threaten traditional dance forms, 'Indipop' on FM blares over classical music, television soaps draw audiences away from stage, even book release functions often need a film star to light up the evening. It would be a pity if cricket's new czars saw Shah Rukh's presence in the dressing room to be as essential a measure to judge their success as that of a Sachin on the pitch. |
'IPL cricket takes precedence on the box'
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has caught the imagination of cricket enthusiasts, and no matter how much the purists try to justify that this is not cricket, the masses will continue to watch and support this format of the game. SuperSport has a winner, it's one of their best buys in recent months and they are reaping the benefits as the viewership figures have undoubtedly gone through the roof. This is entertainment at its best and all those who have been knocking the IPL will one-day eat their words like they did when one-day cricket was introduced to the international arena. Friday's game is between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Dare Devils in Chennai (4.15pm on SS2), and Saturday's there's a double header with the Royal Challengers at home to Deccan Chargers in Bangalore (12.15pm on SS2), and the Kings XI Punjab up against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali (4.15pm on CSN and SS2). On Sunday, the Mumbai Indians meet the Delhi Dare Devils in Mumbai (12.15pm on SS2 and 1pm on CSN) while the Rajasthan Royals entertain the Chennai Super Kings in Jaipur (4.15pm on SS2 and 6pm on CSN). Cricket is not the only entertainment for television viewers this long weekend. There's rugby in the form of the Vodacom Super 14, and the Sharks, who lost two in a row, will need to redeem themselves on Friday when they meet the Crusaders (91.5am on SS1 and M-Net). If you've missed it then catch it on the Hi-lites channel. There's a full programme of the English Premiership with the pick of the games of the weekend being the Manchester United v West Ham United clash at Old Trafford on Saturday (1.30pm on SS3), and on Sunday Arsenal v Everton (2.15pm on SS3 and SS8) and Liverpool v Manchester City (4.30pm on SS3) will attract a lot of attention. Closer home it's the weekend of the Nedbank Cup semifinals. On Saturday Black Aces meet Free State Stars in Pretoria (2.30pm on SS4), while on Sunday AmaZulu take on Mamelodi Sundowns in Potchefstroom (2.30pm on SS4). There is a boxing world title fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Steve Forbes from California (3am on SS7 and SS8) on Sunday morning, plus there's the MotoGP from Shanghai (5.45am and 7am on SS2). |
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Shoaib's five-year ban upheld
Shoaib Akhtar's international future was left dangling in limbo after the appellate tribunal set up to hear his appeal against a five-year ban upheld the ban, but only temporarily, deciding instead to revisit the appeal in June. The decision is given an even stranger hue because it allows Shoaib to play outside Pakistan - the Indian Premier League (IPL) for example - even though the league maintains that he will only be allowed to play if his ban on playing for Pakistan is removed. Justice (retd) Aftab Farrukh, the head of the three-man tribunal, said the main hearing into Shoaib's appeal against the ban would now take place in June and that the ban on playing in or for Pakistan would stay in place until then. "We have seen Shoaib's track record and believe that he has not learnt any lesson. He flouted discipline of the board, he harmed the chairman of the board and fellow cricketers and above all sentiments of the nation," Farrukh said. "We considered every aspect of the decision of the disciplinary committee and think that they banned Akhtar on grounds of indiscipline and there was no victimisation." There had been concerns from day one of the appeals process, particularly because Farrukh had expressed great reluctance in heading the tribunal. Soon after he was appointed, Farrukh told a local TV channel that he didn't have the time to take up this case, a situation seemingly borne out by today's verdict. Meanwhile, Shoaib's position with the IPL remains unclear. While the PCB clarified that he is free to play in the IPL, a league spokesperson told Cricinfo that their position of not allowing him to take part in the tournament "remains the same" as of now. The IPL had decided to bar Shoaib from the tournament in "the interests of international discipline" after the PCB's initial decision to hand him a ban. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Kolkata Knight Riders, the team that bought Shoaib for US$425,000, said they will abide by the IPL stand. To further muddy matters, Shoaib's lawyers have said they will push for a hearing date earlier than June if the IPL doesn't let him play. "After this interim order we hope that the IPL will allow Akhtar to play in the IPL but if they don't we will press for an early hearing of the appeal than the set date of June," Abid Hasan Minto told reporters. With both international cricket and the IPL ruled out, one option for Shoaib would have been the Indian Cricket League. The unofficial league does not fall under the Indian board - and has an all- Pakistan team in its Twenty20 tournament. However, its business head, Himanshu Mody, confirmed to Cricinfo that the ICL was not in talks with Shoaib. The tribunal's decision comes just a day after Shoaib apologised to the PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, in the second of three hearings. On April 1 the board banned Shoaib from playing cricket, for and in Pakistan, for violating the players' code of conduct by publicly criticising the PCB and various policies. Shoaib filed an appeal against the ban claiming that he was being "victimised" and then went on a media rampgage in which he accused the board chairman of various financial wrongdoings. Shoaib's ban took into account that he was already on two years' probation for hitting Mohammad Asif with a bat before the start of the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007. That offence saw him fined 3.4 million rupees ($52,000 dollars) and banned for 13 matches. |
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Stage set for IPL opening
Even the official communication from the organisers speaks of April 18 as D-Day, and you can rest assured that it has nothing to do with the Normandy beaches and the heroes of June 6, 1944. After months of hype, auctions, billion-dollar TV-rights deals and the threat of a media boycott, the Indian Premeir League (IPL) is poised to emerge from the chrysalis. One of the first things you see going into the Chinnaswamy Stadium just after 4pm on Thursday is a svelte figure gliding across the outfield in balletic fashion, waving a white scarf as she moves from long-off to deep extra-cover. One of her compatriots tiptoes across the grass in the opposite direction, a white parasol in her hand. A third is wearing long black gloves more appropriate for The Age of Innocence than a Bangalore summer. All of them will be part of an elaborate opening ceremony on Friday evening, along with the most unusual sight. More than a decade after Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins sang to us of a Bullet with Butterfly Wings, the IPL’s first venue will witness stilt-walkers striding round the ground flapping flowing capes that feature the home team colours, red and yellow. Under lights, they’re likely to look like gigantic butterflies straight out of a scene from Pan’s Labyrinth. There are huge cables connecting the stadium roof to the playing square, with a giant bubble and acrobats also part of an opening ceremony that’s leaving nothing to entertainment chance. For the first time in their lives, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, former India captains and now rival skippers in the IPL, will walk out for the toss in a stadium plunged into darkness. Minutes after a “short, sharp and sweet” opening ceremony to launch the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament, the organisers are planning to switch off the floodlights before the first match between Dravid’s Bangalore Royal Challengers, the hosts, and Ganguly’s Kolkata Knight Riders, the visitors, which begins at 2000 local time. “Then, the spotlights will come on, and focus on the two skippers as they walk out for the toss,” Charu Sharma, the Royal Challengers’ chief executive, told Cricinfo. “We are pushing to have the toss under spotlights and are waiting for permission from local authorities, considering the number of people who will be there at the stadium when the lights will be switched off. This is something that has not really been tried before,” he said. After the toss, a couple of players from the fielding side will be “miked up” to chat directly with the TV commentators during the match. “Another attraction for the TV audience, but this has been done before, I guess,” Sharma said. However, the “most poignant moment” of the 45-minute opening ceremony starting at 1830, Sharma said, would be when all the captains gather mid-pitch to jointly read out a pledge reaffirming the IPL’s faith in the spirit of cricket. “There will also be speeches by Ray Mali, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman.” The rest of the ceremony will be a “slick” blend of fireworks, the stilt walkers, aerial gymnasts, performers in the bubble suspended over the ground and some Bollywood glitter with the presence of Shah Rukh Khan, also the co-owner of the Kolkata team, and Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Mohali franchise. “Shankar-Ehsan-Loy (the Bollywood music directors) will be the central performers who will keep the crowd enthralled throughout the ceremony even as the other performers go through their acts,” Sharma said. Bangalore is also banking on 12 cheerleaders from the Washington Redksins, the ‘First Ladies of American Football’, to draw more fans to the stadium. “The entire exercise is to have the right balance of glamour and cricket,” said Sharma. “Usually, cricket is not associated with such ceremonies, and this will be a novelty. At the same time, we would not want the genuine cricket fan to get frustrated waiting for the game to start. Our aim is to present a spectacle that’s short, sharp and sweet, which reflects the spirit of the IPL.” The Bangalore franchise, owned by business tycoon Vijay Mallya, is playing a key role in organising the opening ceremony on their home ground in association with the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the IPL. On the eve of the game though, the players - “There are no players, only warriors” says one of the official posters - were almost peripheral, with the home team practising at the B Ground next to the National Cricket Academy. The team logo and posters featuring the stars - Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Khan and Mark Boucher - are ubiquitous though. Even the steps leading up to the pavilion have been painted in the team colours, with the crest staring down at you from all corners of the ground. There is even a red-painted tunnel leading from the dressing rooms to the ground, a la Anfield or Old Trafford. Even Kolkata have made their presence felt, a couple of thousand kilometres away from their Eden Gardens stomping ground. “Be scared, be sh*t scared,” says a poster on nearby MG Road. Ganguly and Ishant Sharma stare at you, sporting Reservoir Dogs faces. The last time one saw a similar spectacle unfold before a sporting event was in the build-up to one of sport’s greatest events, the UEFA Champions League final. For most of the fans that congregated at the Ataturk Stadium that night though, the music, lights and dance were a mere distraction from the waves of nausea and anticipation that assail you before the main event. Having won Test matches against Australia and played in a World Cup final, it seems unlikely that Dravid and Ganguly will walk out thinking of it as the game of their lives…blackout or not. |
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