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.

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".

The Kiwi Kings depart

New Zealand begin their tour of England on May 15. A direct repercussion of this tour is that all the New Zealanders participating in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) will have to forfeit the rest of the tournament and head back for national duty. However, they will not be the only ones leaving the party prematurely as their neighbours, the Australians will also be leaving in order to prepare for their upcoming tour to the Caribbean.

Jacob Oram is one such member leaving his IPL squad, Chennai Super Kings, as he heads back to New Zealand. The loss may be more for Oram as he was on a winning streak with the Super Kings who are having an undefeated run in the series so far.

Talking about his final match against the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Monday, the New Zealander was elated that his side won the match convincingly after being in a spot of bother at one stage. He gave credit to his bowlers and rated the match as the team's "best win out of the four so far."

Skipper MS Dhoni will miss Oram's all-round services with the bat and ball. The tall Kiwi had words of praise for his teammates especially Michael Hussey who steadied the innings when wickets were falling all around him against Bangalore.

"He is an outstanding batsman and he has got a great head on his shoulders as well," said Oram about the Australian middle-order batsman.

He praised the performances of Bangalore bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Dale Steyn for the dilemma they put the Chennai side in early on, but said that it was the Dhoni-Gony duo that he would rate as the two factors that turned the match in favour of the Super Kings.

The IPL has clearly made a big impact on him and he is one player who will be eager to be back next year.

"It has been unbelievable, it really has! I know that we have heard that from a lot of people but it isn't just lip service from players around the world. The IPL has really blown away my expectations; the hype and the excitement around it, the crowds that we are getting, and the things that are being pumped into the tournament have been first class. I am a little disappointed that I have got to go now. I am on Test tour to England now but I am looking forward to playing in the IPL next year!" concluded Oram.

The Chennai Kings sans Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram next face the Delhi Daredevils on March 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chennai.

Emerging media launches cricket development program

Indian Premier League's Jaipur Franchise owners, Emerging Media, has launched Rajasthan Royals Cricket Development program to train young cricketers.

Darren Berry, the director of coaching in the Rajasthan Royals, told reporters that the Development Programme will have Shane Warne to guide the youngsters from time to time.

Along with Darren, Jermy Snape and Harish Joshi will look after the coaching. The local incharge will be Harish Joshi who will report to Warne.

The former Ranji cricketer and Assistant coach of the Rajasthan Royals said that the five players of the Royals Squad who could not make it to the top-15 and few others from Cricket Star prgroamme of the Emerging Media would be trained here.

"These players will be like a reserve pool for Royals and would fill in if required," said Harish.

IPL under fire in Rajya Sabha

The ongoing IPL cricket extravaganza today came under fire in the Rajya Sabha with the opposition dubbing it as a "gladiators' contest" of Roman times. The reference was made by Leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh during a discussion on the Finance Bill.

Singh said that while a huge amount of Rs 4,500 crore was being spent on the cricket extravaganza, this money could have been used to build a new cement factory for meeting shortages.

"This is not cricket. This is the greatest divide between the rich and the poor. With that kind of money, you could have built another cement factory," he said.

Shoaib Akhtar won't be playing in IPL : BCCI Sources

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board has cleared Shoaib Akhtar to play in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders, the controversial fast bowler still cannot play in the Twenty20 League as per the Cricket Board's recent decision.

"Unless he is cleared to play for Pakistan, he cannot play in the IPL. This was the decision taken by the special general body of the BCCI at Bangalore before the start of the Twenty20 event," informed the BCCI sources.

Akhtar's appeal against the five-year ban imposed by the PCB for indicipline was rejected by a three-member appeal tribunal which, however, said he was free to resume his career overseas.

Farrukh Aftab, chairman of the appeal tribunal, has said that the temperamental pacer can play in the IPL promoted by the BCCI but cannot play for Pakistan internationally or nationally.

Akhtar was bought for USD 425,000 (approx Rs 1.7 crore) by the Kolkata franchise team owned by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.

It's Disappointing to not win in Bangalore: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid has long been known to be one of the few genuine gentlemen that the game has produced. And being one, he knows well to acknowledge a good performance even if it has come against his own team.

"Dhoni played some great shots; not much you can do if you're being hit but we could've bowled better on one side of the wicket and restricted the bad balls. He played well and you've got to give him credit for that. He finished off the innings well with Hussey. The way we bowled and fielded, we shouldn't have been chasing more than 155 or 160," said Dravid after his side lost to Chennai Super Kings.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers are lying in the lower half of the table and one does wonder how the confidence is in the side.

"It doesn't feel nice to lose but at least we were in contention today. This was the kind of game we thought we should've won. But from now on, we have to keep improving, correct our mistakes and move forward. We can't afford too many mistakes now," the Royal Challengers' skipper said.

Since the inception of the T20 format, few stars have risen and tasted fame like Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has. With his international commitments being over, he was expected to play in the crucial clash against Chennai.

Dravid said, "It's tough to play too many foreign players because of the rule that allows teams to play only 4 of them per match. We've got many quality international players in our side but we can't fit them all in. We went in with what we thought was the best combination and I thought we got it right, just that we didn't finish the game well."

Dhoni's Super Kings have managed to astonishingly win all four of their encounters and one may attribute that to the skipper's tactical brilliance. The former Indian captain said, "I think they are playing some superb cricket, especially in the closing stages of the game. Against Mumbai they came pretty close, then against us. They looked like they were struggling at one point of time but they held their nerve. They've been able to finish close games and take it away from the opposition."

Bangalore is said to have passionate sports buffs and one has to admit that the support showered on the Royal Challengers is overwhelming. Dravid agrees, stating, "It's been a bit of a disappointment that this team hadn't been playing well in Bangalore. The crowd support has been fantastic with lots of people coming out to watch us. It was a good cricket match today. We weren't in contention in the previous two games but today we were very much in contention. Some good cricket was played by both sides, just that we ended up second best."

His personal form hasn't been up to his own high standards and experts may blame it on the format that doesn't suit his game. Knowing him to be the team man that he is, Dravid's supporters will know that he is more anxious about his team doing well than his own personal tally of runs.

Union Minister Ramadoss criticises Indian Premier League

Castigating the Indian Premier League (IPL) for promoting surrogate advertising of alcohol products, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said he would take up the matter with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Asked what he thought about the IPL promoting surrogate advertising, he told reporters on the sidelines of a report release function here that the Supreme Court has already made some observations on the issue.

The minister added that he would take up the matter with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. "I will definitely request them," he said.

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya got a relief from the Supreme Court yesterday which rejected the petition seeking to restrain the cricket team owned by him for the Indian Premier League (IPL) from playing the tournament under the banner of 'The Royal Challengers'.

The petition filed by a Faridabad-based resident, Kishan Kumar Aggarwal, had alleged that under the garb of 'The Royal Challengers Bangalore Team', the United Breweries Group was seeking to promote its brands of liquor.

The Health Ministry had earlier written to the I&B Minister seeking a ban on surrogate advertisements of tobacco and alcohol products following which an ordinance had been brought by the government banning such commercials.

Free tutions in the Delhi Daredevils' camp in IPL

Indian Premier League may not have pleased the purists but has clearly blurred borders and thrown up scenarios where Glenn McGrath is teaching Pradeep Sangwan tricks to tame Aussie batsmen while A B de Villiers shares first-hand knowledge on how to blunt Dale Steyn.

A peep into the Delhi Daredevils' practice reveals a new world altogether, where nationalities take a backseat and the motley crew of players go into a huddle and sweat under the harsh sun as they prepare to take on Bangalore Royal Challenge in their next IPL encounter tomorrow.

Former pacer and a key cog in Daredevils think-tank T A Sekar could not praise McGrath enough when he talked about his influence in the side.

"He is always there to help the youngsters. He is talking to (V) Yomahesh, Sangwan and even (Sri Lankan pacer) Ferveez Maharoof. If you saw the last match, you would remember how McGrath was trying to cool Maharoof who was getting some stick.

"All in all, it has been a learning experience for the youngsters in the side and it's up to the lads to make the most of the opportunity," Sekar, who has shaped many a bowling career during his stint at the MRF Pace Foundation, said here today.

Rajat Bhatia came forward to vouch for McGrath's assistance and said, "It has been a great experience. He is such a great guy. There are plenty of things you can learn from him and it's not just about bowling but also your attitude and temperament."

Rivalry with Indians will persist in IPL says Andrew Symonds

Gaurav Kalra: You are now not only one of the world's most gifted cricketers but also one of the world's richest cricketers. The Hyderabad paid a lot of money to get you over here.

Andrew Symonds: Yes, the auctioning system was obviously the first of its kind and it threw some sort of an amazing results and obviously it was one of those.

Gaurav Kalra: After the auction , Ricky Ponting in a Press Conference said that we are now expecting Andrew Symonds to pay for the drinks every time we go out.

Andrew Symonds: The morning after the auction, the boys came to me to pay the bills.

Gaurav Kalra: And have you started paying them? Because I also read somewhere that Ponting even said that 'when we go out, Symonds is not someone who takes out the wallet very easily.'

Andrew Symonds: (laughs). Ya, that is ok! I think I will have to live with that I suppose.

Gaurav Kalra: So, the money is still staying in the pocket?

Andrew Symonds: I won't be spending any on Ricky now.

Gaurav Kalra: Let's talk about the money thing a bit. It is funny how so much of money became a part of this process. And inevitably so, because it is such a public process. Was there a sense of nervousness in the players' minds, such as 'guess, what I am going to be worth of or I wonder what it is going to be like.'

Andrew Symonds: I wasn't because I had no idea what was going to happen. So, I just went to bed, then woke up and found the news that different figures had been dealt out to different players, all different types and from different countries. It was quite interesting but a lot of it didn't make sense. Did it?

Gaurav Kalra: Ya, a lot of it didn't make sense. But was at any time any fear cropped up that it might cause discomfort in the dressing room?

There was one line of thinking that said that some of it doesn't make sense as you yourself agree and even some of the Indian players also felt that way.

Was there ever a fear that maybe in an Australian dressing room some might have felt that 'Oh! this just doesn't add up'?

Andrew Symonds: Not really because the players weren't responsible for any of the bidding. It wasn't like we negotiated our contracts. So, there was no problems with us because it was a bidding from outside.

Gaurav Kalra: OK! What are you going to do with all this money? You are known to be a bit of a wild guy. So, you may be buying a boat or a beach in Brisbane. What are you thinking to doing with it?

Andrew Symonds: I love fishing, so I will probably buy some fishing nets.

Gaurav Kalra: You will have a lot of them with so much money.

Andrew Symonds: My life won't change. It will be the same. It is just I suppose it gives you that stability, knowing that you can pay your bills.

Gaurav Kalra: We have talked a bit about the money but there was a reason as well. There was a lot of thinking going on and one of the reasons was that people wanted multi-skilled cricketers and they don't come more multi-skilled than Andrew Symonds. Was that something that came to

your advantage? You can bat, you can bowl - spin, medium pace, you can catch like anybody in the world. Does that all add up?

Andrew Symonds: Ya! It gives the captains more options. The all-rounders go for more money as they are multi-skilled. So, it helps in T20 because if you can't get runs, you can always contribute with the ball and then filed also as well as you can.

Gaurav Kalra: Is there pressure now? Everyone says that we have paid a lot of money for Andrew Symonds, so he better come up and perform for us in the IPL?

Andrew Symonds: My attitude to cricket and sport is - if you give your best that will be all. And I will be doing that and hopefully I will be able to put some results on the board for the boys.

Gaurav Kalra: Can we talk a bit about the team? First of all I want to ask you that playing alongside Gilly (Adam Gilchrist), whom you just bid a

very emotional farewell in Australia, who was retiring from Test and the One-Dayers. Then again immediately being a part of the dressing room with him, can you tell us a bit about that.

Andrew Symonds: A part of the excitement I suppose was actually in having a teammate in the dressing room on the Chargers' soil. And it being Gilly made it a lot more comfortable. I wasn't coming into the team role sort of completely but now that he is there. And Gilly being really good with the other people, so he will be great with the young players and it will here for the full season. So, he can do a full job - he can start, and hopefully skill some of the younger players up and watch them develop throughout the competition.