Sanjay Manjrekar in favour of SA as IPL venue

The orignal source of this article is espnstar.com.


Referring to the 2003 World Cup final venue, the Wanderers in Johannesburg also known as the Bullring, the former Indian batsman said: "You can get intimidated with 30,000 people staring down at you from a height."

Sanjay Manjrekar said the Super Sport Park in Pretoria is a venue where any cricketer would love to play.

"Super Sport Park has the best player facilities in the world. And the best aspect of this ground are the grass embankments where watching a match and enjoying with family comes as a package," Manjrekar said.

Another venue which he spoke about was Kingsmead in Durban: "It is one venue where all the teams would want to get the large Indian support on their side."

Durban, it may be recalled, is the venue where Yuvraj Singh smacked England's Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in game in the World Twenty20 Championships.

Manjrekar backed Kings' XI Punjab to go the distance in the second edition of the IPL because of their consistency.

"Kolkata Knight Riders had a splendid start with Brendon McCullum but failed at the consistency level."

Talking about Mumbai Indians he said: "I think Sanath Jayasuriya was amazing, almost as if he was reborn and JP Duminy has turned out to be a great buy considering that he would be playing at home."

Manjrekar opined Delhi Daredevils have the most explosive opening combination in the IPL in Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Mumbai Indians May Strike a Record Sponsorship Deal with Idea Cellular for IPL

IPL team Mumbai Indians is mighty close to finalise a record sponsorship deal with telecom giant Idea Cellular worth between $2 & 3 million for the 2nd season of IPL.

"We have almost finalised the deal. It is the biggest in the Indian premier league so far," a Mumbai Indians spokesperson said.

The MI spokesperson said that the deal, if and when signed, would be worth $2 million for preliminary matches played by Mumbai Indians and would go up to $3 million if the team reaches the semi finals and final.

However, a spokesperson for Idea said it was too early to give details about the proposed deal with Mumbai Indians.

"We are still at the negotiation stage and it's premature to talk about figures", he said.

Meanwhile, the Reliance Industries-owned Mumbai Indians team is continuing its negotiations with the Cricket Club of India to play all its home matches at the Brabourne Stadium, the Mumbai Indians spokesperson explained.

"We are still in talks with the CCI authorities and the response has been quite positive. We don't want to say anything more at this point", he said.

If the talks are successful, MI would play all their seven home matches at the Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai.

In the first (2008) IPL Season, their home matches were split between the Wankhede Stadium and D Y Patil Stadium.

Brett Lee earned $80,000 per scalp in IPL

Speedster Brett Lee returned home as the richest Australian cricketer, taking home a whopping $80,000 per scalp for his four wickets from as many games in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. The pacer was bought for $900,000 at auction and earned more than $320,000 for his brief stint with the Punjab side.

Captain Ricky Ponting, who went for a relatively modest $400,000 to the Kolkata ight Riders at the auction in February, has emerged as the highest-paid Australian batsman when earnings are worked out on a rupees-per-runs-scored basis. Ponting earned $3663 for every run, or $142,000 for the four games he played.

The World Cup winning captain, who made two golden ducks and scored just 39 runs for the tournament, admitted he would have liked to have scored more runs and that his impact "wasn't that great", according to 'The Australian'. Lee and Ponting were among the six players, who return to Australia to prepare for the Caribbean tour where they will earn almost $13,000 a Test and $5000 one-day internationals.

But despite the money part, Ponting was concerned that the dollars players were earning in the IPL could drift them away from their home teams. "There's a real danger there that international players might just see the glitz and glamour of this event and not want to play international cricket any more, which I don't think would be great for the game," Ponting was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.

All rounder Andrew Symonds was next in the line as his purse was heavier by $500,000 after playing just four appearances with the Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad. Symonds, who had a controversy-free tour of the sub-continent unlike last year, pocketed $3000 for each of his 161 runs.

Each player is understood to have been paid on a pro-rata basis for the games played and received 10 per cent of that amount for each game they did not play. Matthew Hayden ($134,000) and Michael Hussey ($125,000) both bring home more for two weeks' work than most Australians get for two years.

Simon Katich fetched only $200,000 at auction and earned just under $60,000 for his efforts. The New South Wales captain only played two matches.

Ganguly new to 20-20 captaincy, has to learn: Umar Gul

Sourav Ganguly's captaincy in the Indian Premier League is yet to impress his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Umar Gul, who reckons the the left-hander has to learn some more before he can emulate his success as India's ODI skipper.

Ganguly's Knight Riders lost their third successive IPL match after going down by 45 runs to Rajasthan Royals and Gul felt Ganguly was struggling to cope with the new format of the game.

"This format is new for Ganguly. He is finding it difficult. He has to learn a few more tricks. We also have to find the right combination and rhythm," Gul said.

Is sachin fit to play? Decision to be taken on May 4th

The struggling Mumbai Indians team have decided to wait till the day of their next Indian Premier League (IPL) match, against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday, to see whether captain Sachin Tendulkar is fit to play or not.

"Sachin had net practice today. There are still two more days to go for the match. We will take a call on his fitness on May 4. Today he batted all right. Hopefully, he gets all right before the next match," said team coach Lalchand Rajput after a practice session at the MCA's Bandra-Kurla complex.

The champion batsman, who turned 35 on April 24, aggravated a groin injury that he sustained during the tri-series Down Under when turning out for India against South Africa in the first Test at Chennai in March, and has not played for more than a month.

In his absence from the playing XI, the Reliance Industries-owned franchise team lost their first four ties before earning a maiden victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 29 at the Eden Gardens, and are languishing at the bottom of the eight-team league table.

Mumbai Indians were led by Harbhajan Singh in their first three matches, which were all lost.

The team was led by ace ex-South African all rounder Shaun Pollock in their last two matches following the booting out of Harbhajan from the IPL after he was found guilty of slapping India teammate S Sreesanth.

The Mumbai outfit have lost to Royal Challengers, at home, Chennai Super Kings and King's XI, away, and Deccan Chargers, at home, before putting it across Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata team, away, for their first points in the Twenty20 league.

We have put Harbhajan episode behind, says Mumbai Indians Coach Lalchand Rajput

Mumbai Indians team coach Lalchand Rajput today said the team had put the slap-gate involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth behind them and was trying to continue the winning momentum after clinching their first victory in the Indian Premier League.

"We have left it behind us. As you have seen in the previous match, the energy level of the team is high and they want to win the matches by focusing on cricket," said the former India opener, who too was fined 50 per cent of his match fees by the IPL authorities following the episode.

Harbhajan led the team in the first three games before being booted out of the tournament for slapping India teammate and King's XI Punjab bowler S Sreesanth after the third tie and Shaun Pollock took over the captaincy mantle with Sachin Tendulkar yet to recover full fitness.

Rajput felt that the team would now focus on maintaining the momentum achieved after winning against Kolkata Knight Riders two days ago at the Eden Gardens, their maiden victory in the Twenty20 league after four straight losses.

"When the starts are not good the end is generally better. That the team is gelling together is important. There are many games left. We have just started winning and the momentum will keep us going," he said.

On the inclusion of Manish Pandey, who batted at number three and made a duck against Kolkata, Rajput said that there would be some experimentation "with new players as the tournament goes on".

Harbhajan SIngh overstepped his line: Steve Waugh

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh feels that Harbhajan Singh paid the price for overstepping his line and was fortunate to have got a light punishment for that.

Ripping apart Harbhajan Singh for courting controversies regularly, former Australia captain Steve Waugh today said the offie was fortunate to have escaped with a minimum 11-match ban for slapping his India teammate S. Sreesanth. Terming Harbhajan Singh's indiscretion during an Indian Premier League match last week as 'unfortunate', Waugh said the offie paid the "price for overstepping the line".

"It's very unfortunate and not what you want to see. I think Harbhajan overstepped his line. He paid the price. I think he is a lot fortunate to have got 11 games," Waugh told newspersons on a visit to 'Udayan', a home for children of leprosy patients which he has been funding for the last eight years.

Waugh also had a word of advice for Harbhajan. "He has been controversial on a number of occasions. Now he should look at his own game and start playing cricket and not worry about other issues." He said the ongoing IPL, despite being a business venture, had the potential to help spread the game in unchartered territories like China and Malaysia and praised Board of Control for Cricket in India for drawing new spectators to cricket.

Waugh, however, felt Test cricket was 'supreme', as "at the end of the day, cricket is a game one wants to play for the country. Test cricket will survive the onslaught of market economy." On the England and Wales Cricket Board not allowing their players to take part in the cash-rich IPL, Waugh said no cricket board could afford to ignore the Twenty20 game. "I think the ECB will find a way so that their players are able to play in the IPL."

No plans to come out of retirement : Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath has not lost any of the tricks of his heydays and looks the same old menacing pacer but the Australian insists he has no plans to come out of his retirement from international cricket.

The former Australia spearhead continues to baffle fans with his clinical accuracy that continues to torment the best of contemporary batsmen and it was evident on Wednesday night when he claimed four wickets against Bangalore Royal Challengers to guide the Delhi Daredevils to a 10-run win, an effort that also earned him the Man of the Match award.

Enjoying every moment of it, McGrath, however, brushed aside speculation of a comeback. "Not at all. Four overs a match is just fine for me. I came here for 6-7 weeks of cricket and I'm happy where I am," said the Australian. "Twenty20 is a challenge for me but I think (Daredevils score of) 191 gave us a bit of extra room and they had to go for their shots," he said.

The Australian was in a genial mood as he addressed the post-match press conference along with skipper Virender Sehwag. Asked if he missed seeing the cheerleaders in their usual attire tonight, McGrath quipped, "No, I'm happily married."

Later, when Sehwag was defending Gautam Gambhir for the left-hander's altercation with Jacques Kallis, McGrath said, "My experience is the shorter the batsman, like Justin Langer, the more aggressive he is."

Sehwag took the opportunity to thank his bowlers and said it was a welcome break to see a bowler (McGrath) wins the Man of the Match. "Bowlers did extremely well and it's great to see a bowler win the award," he said. Apart from McGrath, Daniel Vettori impressed with his bowling at death and Sehwag could not thank the spinner enough.

ECB compares IPL to the Rugby World Cup

England and Wales Cricket Board has been left astonished by the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League's success and is comparing the billion-dollar Twenty20 extravaganza in scope and scale to the Rugby World Cup.

Chairman Giles Clarke, who witnessed the initial rounds of the IPL spectacle with his CEO David Collier, told the ECB's AGM at Lord's, in London, yesterday that his admiration for what has been achieved by the Sharad Pawar-headed BCCI is huge.

"You will be aware that in recent weeks David Collier, our outstanding Chief Executive, and I have been to India to witness, at first hand, the Indian Premier League. Our admiration for what has been achieved is immense. It was, as the Indians say, a great tamasha. There was light, glitz, glamour and music. We must congratulate them on establishing a tournament which has the same scope and scale that can be compared to the Rugby World Cup", he told the members of the ECB, according to a media release. "Those who were in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai will talk of a great spectacle and a great show," he added.

Clarke also said that his trip to India has helped in "forging great personal relationships with our great friends from the BCCI". These relationships, according to Clarke, had allowed him to return home with a clear mandate for the Champions League. "I am personally delighted that the excellent relations we have with the BCCI and Cricket Australia have made this possible," he explained. Significantly ECB's response has come at a time when no top English player is playing in the IPL due to a clash with its own county cricket programme.

We'll follow IPL's decision on Shoaib's entry: Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders today made it clear that it will abide by the Indian Premier League's decision on whether or not to allow Shoaib Akhtar to play in the tournament after his five-year ban was upheld by the PCB's Appelate Tribunal.

"We just want to be very careful that we observe all the guidelines and codes of the IPL," said Joy Bhattacharjee, Marketing head of the Knight Riders.

"Obviously, when we bid for him it means that as a player we wanted him as a part of us but before we do anything, we have already seen that the IPL has taken very strong decisions regarding code of conduct, so firstly we have to leave everything to their hands to decide what is best for the League and then of course think of taking things forward," he said.

Bhattacharjee also said the IPL could review their stance on Shoaib only after they receive an official communication from the PCB on the issue. "It is a question of when the Pakistan Cricket Board gives a formal intimation to us, that is the question that the IPL is looking at and only after those hurdles are crossed definitely we will be happy to review how we can put a foot forward in playing Shoaib," he said.

The appellate tribunal of the PCB today rejected Shoaib's appeal to revoke the five-year ban on him and upheld the suspension but allowed him to play in the IPL.

IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi had earlier said that a banned played could not be a part of the IPL.

IPL 19th Match Highlights : Deccan Hyderabad chargers Vs Kings 11 Punjab Highlights

IPL 18th Match Highlights : Rajasthan royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights

Bangalore Ipl team needs to Fight Back Before It’s Too Late

Bangalore Royal Challengers are eyeing on putting pressure on the opposition right from the beginning next match on. Rahul Dravid, the skipper who himself is not among runs says that they need to go for the kill from the very beginning. They will take on the Delhi Daredevils this evening and must win this game if they want to stay alive in the tournament.

A few overs decided the Bangalore match: M S Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings continued their winning streak by registering their fourth straight win in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL). However, their last victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers was a close finish according to their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"We held on to our nerves and it was a close finish. When we were batting, the ball was swinging till the 15th-16th over. Michael Hussey started to slog and I joined him. That was how we scored a competitive total of 178," Dhoni was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.

Commenting on his team's bowling attack, he said that the bowlers did not utilize the ball to optimize the swing till the 15th over.

"We started shining the ball from the 15th over onwards, that was an important factor in our win," he said.

Bangalore's Wasim Jaffer and Ross Taylor did a good job at chasing down the target in the first 15 overs. However, the hosts could not complete the task since they lost last seven wickets very quickly.

From hereon, the Chennai team will have to fill in for some of its outstanding players since this was the last match for Australians Mathew Hayden and Michael Hussey as well as New Zealander Jacob Oram in the first edition of the tournament. All three of them will leave for national commitments this week.

On their absence for future matches, Dhoni said that the team still has the options of utilizing the services of Stephen Fleming, Albie Morkel and Makhaya Ntini.

He was happy about the performances delivered by the bowlers considering the fact that their bowling combination is considered weak among the other teams in the IPL.

The Indian ODI captain lauded medium pacer Manpreet Gony who claimed three important wickets in the game comprising of opener Bharat Chipli, Protean Mark Boucher and opposition skipper Rahul Dravid.

"His strength is that he bowls in the right areas and waits for the batsman to take the risk." Dhoni said on Gony's performances.

In their next match, Chennai Super Kings will host Delhi Daredevils on May 2 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

I hope to play even better in the coming year: Ross Taylor

The Bangalore Royal Challengers are the second most expensive team in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) team auctions but their current showings in the tournament wouldn't impress themselves, leave alone others. In such times of disappintment, the only ray of hope has been explosive Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor.

Taylor has been his team's highest scorer thus far and the fact that he is leaving for national duty soon is helping matters. "I'm here only for a few games, trying to make most of the time here before leaving for England," says the attacking Kiwi.

For a person who has been to India for the first time, we wonder how this experience has been. "Yeah, it's the first time I've played in India. The excitement created by the IPL is great. I hope to come back next year and play even better for Bangalore."

Bangalore is going to lose a few players and gain a few owing to international commitments. Dale Steyn and Misbah-ul-Haq are joining the team. What does Ross think about the future Royal Challengers?

"We haven't played as well as we would've liked but Dale and Misbah are world class players. I'm sure that in time they'll go on to show their worth. We've got some more talented players who need some time to get in to the game and I'm sure they'll do well in the coming 10 or so games."

In the two substantially entertaining knocks that he has played, Taylor has ensured that the crowds get their money's worth. Against the Rajasthan Royals, he scored 44 runs off just 20 balls and 42 of those came off hits to the fence. Off the three sixes that he had hit then, one was a shot similar to that of compatriot Brendon McCullum's in the first match. An intended heave over mid-wicket off Sohail Tanvir's bowling took the edge and went over the third man boundary for six!

In the following match, Taylor's knock of 53 runs off 34 balls took the Royal Challengers to the brink of victory, only for the following batsmen to make a mess of the rest of the chase. Hence, it is very clear that this team jokingly called a Test match team in T20 outfits, will certainly miss the services of a naturally attacking batsman who has made significant contribution in the team's exploits so far.

The bangalore game was a tough one for us: Kepper Wessels

Kepler Wessels, coach of Chennai Super Kings, must be surely pleased with the current form of his team. After all, Team Chennai top the points table with eight points.

The tie against Bangalore Royal Challengers was a nerve-racking one for both the sides but finally the MS Dhoni-led Super Kings team was the eventual winner.

Wessels was "absolutely delighted" about his team's performance.

"It was a very tough game for us. We were sort of behind all the way through until the end. It was great to see how our players came through," he told one of our reporters.

He asserted that they were expecting an onslaught from Bangalore's bowling attack.

Commenting on the contributions by Dhoni and Michael Hussey, he said that their innings was the turning point of the game giving them a chance to capitalize.

On his team's winning streak, he said that they will try and give their best in every game of the tournament. "We can plan and execute well", he said.

He expressed that the Twenty20 extravaganza of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) was indeed an "awesome experience."

In a pre-match conference before their fourth win over the Bangalore team, the coach appreciated the bowlers' performances and informed that it is an area they have been working upon and improving constantly. He also said that the presence of South African Albie Morkel will boost the team.

When quizzed about the nonstop schedule of the IPL tasking players' fitness, he said, "It is tiring flying and travelling. We are very conscious of that. But our sports staff, fitness trainer and physiotherapist are good at managing the players on this front. We ensure that we get enough work done in between and also give the players enough rest."

He also indicated that Stephen Fleming will soon be a part of the playing XI as Mathew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram will not be available any more.

"We'll miss Hayden but we have some other good players coming in." he said when asked about how the team would cope up in the batsman's absence.

Ntini keen to play his first IPL game

Teams in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) are gearing up for the replacements they will have to make soon as a majority of the Australians and New Zealanders leave the tournament this week for national duties.

In the case of Chennai Super Kings, South African all-rounder Albie Morkel and pacer Makhaya Ntini have already arrived. While Morkel played in the last match against Bangalore, Ntini is expected to wait a little longer.

The Protean has no issues gelling with his Chennai teammates since he can "find his way in and out" comfortably.

Commenting on the bowling line-up of the Super Kings which was considered weaker in the initials legs of the tournament by many, the fast bowler hopes that the availability of his skills should make skipper MS Dhoni happier. He considers that with his and Morkel's presence, the bowling combination can be different.

He thinks that the bowlers in the team should "pull up their socks" and make things easier for the captain.

On the bowlers' role in the compressed format of the game, he said, "As bowlers, we should enjoy whatever we do in a Twenty20 (game). As bowlers, we have to make sure that we do our job and then the batsmen can take it through for us."

Expressing excitement about the Twenty20 extravaganza, he said he cannot wait any longer to play his first game in the league.

"It's one of the things we're here (for)... to get in and try to make yourself available... making sure where you can fit in the team and make a difference to your team," he added.

Time for Evaluation for Kolkata knight riders

It was a shock for the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, as they lost to a determined performance from the Mumbai Indians. For the visitors, it was their 1st win of the IPL. For the hosts, it is time to evaluate their options for the next few matches as Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, and David Hussey will soon leave for their respective countries. Sourav Ganguly and John Buchanan will have to draw from all their vast experience to turn the momentum back in their favor.

Younis Khan to Join Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan team franchise CEO Fraser Castellino said the Pakistan batsman Younis Khan will be arriving on May 8. Castellino said that the Pakistani player was allowed to stay back due to some personal reasons.

"We had allowed him to stay in his country for a little longer. Now he will be here on May 8 after the Mumbai match," he said.

The right-hander will be available for the May 9 home match against the Deccan Chargers.

Younis, along with other Pakistan players, were busy in a one-day series against Bangladesh. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was rushed in through a chartered flight for the second match on April and few days later Sohail Tanveer too joined the team.

Issue over Shoaib's IPL play Continues

If Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer, has the last word, Shoaib Akhtar may not be able to take part in the ongoing IPL despite being allowed to play by the PCB. The BCCI has disallowed Shoaib from playing in the IPL tournament in view of Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to ban him for five years.

The PCB’s disciplinary committee had earlier allowed pacer Shoaib Akhtar to play in the IPL as well as in the county cricket. Climbing down from his confrontational stand against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Monday agreed to accept any disciplinary action taken by the board.

Akhtar left everyone surprised at the first regular hearing of the appellate tribunal which is hearing his appeal against the five-year ban imposed on him by PCB by agreeing to its disciplinary action.

A statement read by Akthar's lawyer said: "I (Akhtar) would like to apologise from the bottom of my heart for any grief or embarrassment that may have been caused to the nation, particularly to the PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf. I have resolved to alter my habits to refrain from such incidents in future and I will obey the PCB rules and regulations," the statement said.

The 32-year-old paceman was banned earlier this month for breaching the players' code of conduct by publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he was not offered a central contract in January. Shoaib can still not play for Pakistan as he is serving a five-year ban.