Ban on bowler Akhtar upheld but free to play abroad

Ban on bowler Akhtar upheld but free to play abroad

LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) — A Pakistani appeals committee on Wednesday temporarily upheld a five-year ban imposed on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar but said he was free to play cricket outside the country.
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.
"Shoaib Akhtar can play anywhere outside Pakistan. The disciplinary committee did not restrain him from playing anywhere in the world," retired judge Aftab Farrukh, the head of the three-member tribunal, told reporters.

Akhtar has expressed a desire to play in a domestic cricket tournament in India.
Farrukh said the main hearing into Akthar's appeal against the ban would 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," he said. Akthar this week tendered an unconditional apology to the public, the PCB and his teammates in an apparent attempt at mitigation.

The fiery paceman, who has a history of discipline problems and injuries, hit out at the PCB in January after he was excluded from a list of 15 contracted players and was then hauled up before a disciplinary committee. He was already on two years' probation for hitting teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat a few days before the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September last year.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcRUWhDW6nzsbEZxcDzuYZd69PTQ

IPL takes the life out of cinema, theatres, TV

IPL takes the life out of cinema, theatres, TV
30 Apr, 2008, 2146 hrs IST, PTI

MUMBAI: The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) matches have virtually taken the life out of cinema theatres and television programmes. With Yashraj films much-talked about 'Tashan' hitting the dust at the box office, theatre owners say that their revenues have also been hit bad time. "The evening shows have been affected due to the matches. Otherwise too, we had high hopes on 'Tashan', but it is such a bad film that it found no takers in the first week itself," said a spokesman for Eros theatre here. "We are screening 'Khuda Kay Liye', 'U me aur Hum' and Marathi film 'Ghartyasaathi Saare Kahi' these days.

In fact, the Marathi film is drawing a satisfactory crowd," he added. A Liberty cinema spokesman, while talking to PTI, agreed IPL had affected weekend shows. "At present, I am screening a film called 'Sirf' which is an extremely bad one. Normally on Saturdays and Sundays, my 810-seater theatre is full. Last week, there were only 150 people," he said. Even Shah Rukh Khan's new game show 'Kya Aap Pachvi Paas se Tez hain' on Star Plus could not manage to get attention of the cricket crazy audiences. Star Plus sources said the fresh Television Audience Measurement (TAM) ratings are expected in a day or two.

However, till April 22, the IPL dominated the TAM ratings. Howver, Zee TV said that their prime time shows have not suffered the IPL onslaught. The IPL matches came as a breath of fresh air for television audiences bored with saas-bahu sagas and reality shows. Says Mahesh, a banker who is mighty pleased that the television remote is now in his hands. "I normally come home by 1930 hrs. Hence, I can see all matches which start at 2000 hrs. Both me and my children enjoy the matches. Besides, every match ends in three hours. So it makes viewing more interesting," he said. "It is such a relief from soaps and song and dance programmes which have dominated television for quite some time.

IPL has come as a refreshing change as it is a new concept. It was so surprising that crowd at Wankhede stadium did not acknowledge Rahul Dravid's batting when his Bangalore team took on Mumbai in the IPL encounter," said Ankita, a media professional. However, homemakers, not to be left behind are catching up on their favourite soaps in the afternoons. "I too watch the matches with the rest of my family. Since it is only for three hours and get over by 2300 hrs, I don't get bored," said Sunita, a homemaker. Even television producers admit that they have lost a chunk of viewers to IPL. They feel that IPL is a temporary phase and they will get back their audiences once the tournament is over.

Gambhir and McGrath do the star turn for Delhi Daredevils

Gambhir and McGrath do the star turn for Delhi Daredevils
Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir’s exuberance and Glenn McGrath’s experience propelled Delhi Daredevils to a 10–run victory over Royal Challengers in the DLF-Indian Premier League here on Wednesday.
This was Challengers’ fourth defeat in five outings, while Delhi was winning its third match in four.
Delhi Daredevils rode on Gambhir’s brilliant innings to present Royal Challengers with a target of 192 but the Bangalore team came a cropper. McGrath, with three wickets in his first spell of three overs, effectively ended the match as a contest.

Man of the Match McGrath finished with four wickets even as Jacques Kallis (54, 44 balls, 6 x 4, 1x6) offered some resistance to reduce the margin.

Gambhir slammed 86 off 54 balls with 11 fours and a six and his 98-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan meant that Royal Challengers, which opted to field, had a task on hand.Sensational assault
The ambience was electric and Sehwag matched it with a sensational assault that fitted his image as Royal Challengers was shattered in the span of a mere five overs at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
The start was delayed by 11 minutes due to the official broadcaster losing satellite link. The cheer girls were also withdrawn by the franchisee even as the Royal Challengers paraded its Washington Red Skin cheerleaders along the boundary.

On a night when almost every seat at the arena was occupied even before the first ball had been bowled, Gambhir showed the way with a calculated attack that actually inspired Sehwag.
Gambhir was unsparing even as Dale Styen bowled quick. The ball travelled faster and in all directions too as Gambhir tore the South African fast bowler with a flurry of shots. He picked the line early enough to scatter the field, leaving Rahul Dravid a frustrated man.
Sehwag took over from Gambhir and mauled Zaheer Khan by smashing him clinically for two sixes and two fours, as effortless as ever.

Zaheer had reason to feel bitter because he had not bowled bad deliveries. Sehwag was looking ominous when he was run out for 24 off 12 balls.
Gambhir was outstanding. His form was reflected in the ease with which he found the gaps. Like Sehwag, he too picked on Zaheer when the latter came on for his second spell.
It was tough to set a field for Gambhir who was not averse to taking the aerial route and his job was made easy by the fast outfield.

There was no respite for the Bangalore bowlers. Dhawan took over with a flourish that marks his style, caning the bowlers with some disdainful strikes square of the wicket. In the company of Gambhir, he grew in confidence to play some daring shots all around.Dhawan’s effort
Dhawan’s blazing effort matched Gambhir in terms of quality. He hit the ball harder and longer, his 50 coming off 32 balls, four less than Gambhir.
It took a grand effort from Dravid to end Dhawan’s innings (four fours and three sixes) when the Challengers’ skipper took a low catch at midwicket.

The scores:
Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Praveen b Zaheer 86, V. Sehwag (run out) 24, S. Dhawan c Dravid b Kallis 50, S. Malik b Styen 6, D. Karthik b Kallis 2, M. Tiwari (not out) 11, R. Bhatia (not out) 8; Extras (lb-2, nb-1, w-1) 4; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs) 191.
Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-151, 3-159, 4-167, 5-179.
Royal Challengers: Styen 4-0-29-1, Zaheer 4-0-42-1, Praveen 4-0-24-0, Vinay 2-0-25-0, Kallis 4-0-39-2, Kohli 1-0-11-0, Joshi 1-0-19-0.

Royal Challengers: Praveen Kumar c Dhawan b McGrath 6, W. Jaffer c Yomahesh b McGrath 10, R. Taylor c Dhawan b McGrath 29, J. Kallis b Vettori 54, R. Dravid c Sehwag b McGrath 38, M. Boucher (not out) 31, V. Kohli (not out) 1; Extras (b-1, lb-10, nb-1) 12; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs) 181.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-46, 3-48, 4-135, 5-162.
Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-29-4, Asif 4-0-42-0, Yomahesh 4-0-28-0, Vettori 4-0-19-1, Bhatia 1-0-14-0, Malik 1-0-8-0, Sehwag 2-0-30-0.

Harbhajan replies to BCCI notice

As per this calculation, the player, termed 'Turbanator' by the Aussie press, stands to lose Rs 2.671 crore -- or close to Rs 25 lakh per match -- for the 11 outings he will miss following the verdict by IPL match referee and former Test stumper Farokh Engineer.
It must rank among the costliest-ever slaps in world history, and certainly a record-setting one in cricket!
The lone consolation, if it can be called so, is that the man who handed out the punishment also hailed him as the best-ever off-spinner India has produced.
One wonders what legendary predecessor Erapalli Prasanna, Engineer's one-time teammate and pal, would make of the statment, not to speak of another great who's among Harbhajan's staunchest critics -- Bishen Singh Bedi!

Source: http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/apr/28crore.htm

Umpire Saheba suspended for two IPL matches

29 Apr 2008, 2021 hrs IST,PTI

MOHALI: IPL Governing Council member IS Bindra on Tuesday slammed umpire Amish Saheba for commenting on S Sreesanth's on-field behaviour in the media and said he should have mentioned it in his report on the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians last week. Bindra said Saheba, who was suspended for two IPL matches for his remarks reported in a Mumbai newspaper, had not submitted any report to match referee Farokh Engineer or the IPL on Sreesanth's conduct. "The umpires are not supposed to give their reports to the media, but there is a set procedure through which they can report to the match referee or IPL," Bindra said. "There is a prescribed proforma which umpires are supposed to fill and report in case they want to report on any incident. To my knowledge, the umpire in question has not submitted any report to the match referee or IPL co-ordinator," Bindra said. Saheba had reportedly told a Mumbai newspaper that "Sreesanth abused the Mumbai Indians (led by Harbhajan Singh) relentlessly throughout the game and was warned twice" by him and the "other umpire, Pakistan's Aleem Dar." On the slapping incident, Bindra, who is also the ICC's Principal Advisor, said, "It's a bad episode. There are no two opinions about that, but we should move forward. "This kind of behaviour is not acceptable. We have maintained that spirit of the game is equally important, if not more than the letter of the law," Bindra said. Bindra said Harbhajan, who was banned from the remaining matches of the IPL and lost 100 per cent of his match fees after being found guilty of slapping pacer Sreesanth, has been counseled on several occasions in the past. "We have been counseling him in the past. I always counseled him in Australia recently (in the Andrew Symonds episode). When Sourav Ganguly was removed, he (Harbhajan) had given a statement. We remain in constant touch with him..," Bindra said. Asked if any action could be recommended against Sreesanth as well, Bindra shot back that there was no proof of the Kerala pacers guilt. "It is a hypothetical situation. Till yesterday, nobody has reported anything and Harbhajan has already accepted his mistake."

'Big mistake on my part'

29 Apr 2008, 0044 hrs IST,Indranil Basu,TNN

NEW DELHI: Harbhajan Singh, after being banned for 11 IPL matches for slapping Sreesanth on the field after the game between Mumbai Indians and Team Mohali last Friday, admitted that what he had done on the field was a "big mistake". "I want to say that what I have done on the field wasn't right and I have been punished for it. It was a big mistake. I am thankful to the cricket board for supporting me and hope to come back strongly after serving my ban. And I also hope everyone will support me the same way as in the past," he said. But what provoked Harbhajan to take such a drastic step? "There wasn't any provocation during the match. Sreesanth has been warned by the match-referee for his behaviour in the previous matches and there is nothing beyond that. Now Harbhajan can appeal against the ban," Modi said. Harbhajan, however, has said he will not appeal. The off-spinner said, "I accept the decision of the IPL match-referee. I didn't want to complain after what I did on the field. As I have said before, it was a big mistake on my part to lose my cool." When asked what Harbhajan wrote in his reply to the show cause notice, Modi said, "He has pleaded guilty." But sources in the IPL said that the temperamental cricketer did not have any other option. Sources also said that when the hearing started, Engineer told Harbhajan, "How could such incidents happen on the field? A player should avoid situations that could spoil his image."

Bhajji should have been banned for a year: Lele

29 Apr 2008, 0021 hrs IST, Saibal Bose,TNN

JAIPUR: Although many feel the 11-IPL match ban on Harbhajan Singh for slapping Sreesanth might be a little harsh, former BCCI secretary JY Lele feels the Punjab off-spinner has got off lightly. Lele, who was at the helm when Harbhajan made his Test debut, says the bowler is perhaps the most undisciplined cricketer in the world. “Even during his debut series, he fought with the board,’’ Lele told TOI on Monday. ‘‘I clearly remember how he would land up at our Mumbai office demanding reimbursement for a flight he never made.’’ Apparently Harbhajan, after making his debut against Australia in Bangalore in 1998, travelled with the Indian team to Mumbai for the next match and demanded that he be paid the air-fare for a Jalandhar-to-Mumbai trip. ‘‘As per the rules, every player was entitled to air-fare from his residence to the venue where he was expected to join the team,’’ Lele explained. ‘‘However, he wanted the equivalent of air-fare from Jalandhar to every Test venue.’’ Although Harbhajan’s demand might have been a result of ignorance, his behaviour did not go down well with the board officials. And that was not the last time that Harbhajan’s ways has ruffled feathers. ‘‘I can talk of many such instances when Harbhajan has caused trouble for the board,’’ Lele said. The former secretary feels the off-spinner should have been banned for at least one year. ‘‘It doesn’t really matter to him whether he plays in the IPL or not. "Slapping Sreesanth was a serious offense and the board should have taken a tougher step.’’ Lele even termed that incident as the saddest day in Indian cricket. ‘‘I have never heard anything like this and I don’t think I will ever in the future.’’ Harbhajan’s former team-mate Nayan Mongia, however, takes a contrasting stand. ‘‘Both the players have made up after the fight and I think even we should forget about it,’’ Mongia said. ‘‘It happened in the spur of the moment and Harbhajan is paying the penalty for that. I do think the 11-match ban is a strong enough punishment.’’ The former India wicketkeeper in fact, feels the board should have taken a lighter view. ‘‘It was a tough match and Harbhajan perhaps found his team’s third straight loss difficult to digest.’’ Mongia, however, would not compare Harbhajan with Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar. ‘‘They are two different characters and I don’t think we should talk about the two in the same breath.’’

Harbhajan Singh slaps Sreesanth

Harbhajan Singh 'slaps' Sreesanth

Subhash Rajta / Amol Karhadkar , Hindustan Times

Mohali, April 26, 2008

Harbhajan Singh is back in the limelight for the wrong reasons. After the racial slur drama, Harbhajan, leading the Mumbai IPL team, allegedly slapped paceman S. Sreesanth, who represents Mohali, after the IPL match on Friday night.

The incident happened when the teams were shaking hands at the end of the match. Sreesanth broke into tears and his teammates had to console him and take him to the dressing room.
An eyewitness confirmed to HT that Bhajji did slap Sreesanth. But there’s more than one version. One version said a friendly tap on Sreesanth’s cheeks triggered an altercation. Another said Sreesanth repeatedly abused Bhajji provoking him.

Immediately after the fracas, Mohali captain Yuvraj Singh walked up to Harbhajan to have a chat with him. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and ICC's principal advisor I.S. Bindra also had a word with the off spinner. In the post-match conference, asked if there was an incident involving Sreesanth and him, Harbhajan said: “Can we talk cricket?”

However, Yuvraj confirmed that there was an ugly incident, without revealing what exactly happened. “It was unacceptable and ugly. But Harbhajan came to the dressing room and spoke to Sree. I am sure he apologised,” Yuvraj said. When asked what exactly happened, Yuvraj looked at coach Tom Moody, and said: “Should we tell them?” Moody said: “At the end of the day, players shake hands. But what we saw was something you don’t want to see.” A Mohali spokesperson said they would lodge an official complaint with the IPL governing council on Saturday.

Sree's 'hard luck' remark irked Bhajji
NDTV CorrespondentSaturday, April 26, 2008 (Mohali)

Sreesanth wept on the field after Harbhajan Singh slapped him on Friday night during an IPL match.It all happened after Kings XI Punjab won their first match of the DLF Indian Premier League beating the Mumbai Indians.Viewers were left puzzled when they saw Sreesanth weeping copiously and being comforted by his teammates.

At first it seemed he was overcome with emotion after his team's victory. But it now turns out that Harbhajan had slapped Sreesanth.He later apologised. Yuvraj Singh confirmed at the post-match press conference that it was an ugly incident off camera.Reports suggest Sreesanth had said, "hard luck" and this provoked Harbhajan.Harbhajan Singh took a defensive stand and refused to answer any question related with the incident."I'm here to talk cricket, I'm here only to talk cricket," said Harbhajan at the press conference.

Sreesanth just wants to let bygones be bygones and has moved on. He seemed keen on underplaying the unpleasant exchange with his Indian teammate."I won't really call it a slap, more like the handshake was in the wrong place. I told him, I'm OK with it, I'm fine with it. Maybe, next time I meet him in Mumbai, I'll give it back on the field," said Sreesanth, Member, Kings XI Punjab.The BCCI is yet to respond to the incident.

Indian Premier League 2008

Indian Premier League 2008

IPL Game Schedule
April 19 : Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi
April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai;Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata
April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur
April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad
April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai
April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad
April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali
April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai
April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai;Mohali v Delhi at Mohali
April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore
April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata
April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.
May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur
May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.
May 3: Hyderabad at Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali
May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur
May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore
May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai
May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai
May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata
May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur
May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai
May 11: Hyderabad v Kolkata at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Delhi at Jaipur
May 12: Mohali v Bangalore at Mohali
May 13: Kolkata v Delhi at Kolkata
May 14: Mumbai v Chennai at Mumbai;Mohali v Jaipur at Mohali
May 15: Delhi v Hyderabad at Delhi
May 16: Mumbai v Kolkata at Mumbai
May 17: Delhi v Mohali at Delhi; Jaipur v Bangalore at Jaipur
May 18: Hyderabad v Mumbai at Hyderabad; Kolkata v Chenna at Kolkata
May 19: Bangalore v Delhi at Bangalore
May 20: Kolkata v Jaipur at Kolkata
May 21: Mumbai v Mohali at Mumbai; Chennai v Bangalore at Chennai
May 22: Delhi v Kolkata at Delhi
May 23: Mohali v Hyderabad at Mohali.
May 24: Delhi v Mumbai at Delhi; Chennai v Jaipur at Chennai
May 25: Bangalore v Hyderabad at Bangalore; Kolkata v Mohali at Kolkata
May 26: Jaipur v Mumbai at Jaipur
May 27: Hyderabad v Chennai at Hyderabad
May 28 and 29: Rest days
May 30: First semi-final at Mumbai
May 31: Second semi-final at Mumbai
June 1: Final at Mumbai

IPL Teams
Team: Bangalore Royal ChallengersOwner’s Name: Vijay Mallya
Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Rahul Dravid (icon) - 15% moreAnil Kumble - $5,00,000Jacques Kallis - $9,00,000Zaheer Khan - $4,50,000Mark Boucher - $4,50,000Cameron White - $5,00,000Wasim Jaffer - $1,50,000Dale Steyn - $3,25,000Nathan Bracken - $3,25,000Shivnarine Chanderpaul - $2,00,000

Team: MumbaiOwner’s Name: Mukesh Ambani
Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Sachin Tendulkar (icon) - 15% moreHarbhajan Singh - $8,50,000Sanath Jayasuriya - $9,75,000Shaun Pollock - $5,50,000Robin Uthappa - $8,00,000Lasith Malinga - $3,50,000Dilhara Fernando - $1,50,000Loots Bosman - $1,75,000

Team: KolkataOwner’s Name: Shah Rukh Khan
Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Sourav Ganguly (icon) - 15% moreShoaib Akhtar - $4,25,000Ricky Ponting - $4,00,000Brendon McCullum - $7,00,000Chris Gayle - $8,00,000Ajit Agarkar - $3,30,000David Hussey - $6,75,000Ishant Sharma - $9,50,000Murali Kartik - $4,25,000Umar Gul - $1,50,000Tatenda Taibu - $1,25,000

Team: Delhi DaredevilsOwner’s Name: GMR Holdings
Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Virender Sehwag (icon) - 15% moreDaniel Vettori - $6,25,000Shoaib Malik - $5,00,000Mohammad Asif - $6,50,000Dinesh Karthik - $5,25,000AB de Villiers - $3,00,000Farveez Maharoof - $2,25,000Tillakaratne Dilshan - $2,50,000Manoj Tiwary - $6,75,000Gautam Gambhir - $7,25,000Glenn McGrath - $3,50,000
Team: Chennai Super KingsOwner’s Name: India Cement

Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
M.S.Dhoni - $1.5 millionMuttiah Muralitharan - $6,00,000Matthew Hayden - $3,75,000Jacob Oram - $6,75,000Stephen Fleming - $350,000Parthiv Patel - $3,25,000Joginder Sharma - $2,25,000Albie Morkel - $6,50,000Suresh Raina - $6,50,000Makhaya Ntini - $2,00,000Michael Hussey - $3,50,000
Team: MohaliOwner’s Name: Preity Zinta & Ness. Wadia

Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Yuvraj Singh (icon) - 15% moreMahela Jayawardene - $4,75,000Kumar Sangakkara - $7,00,000Brett Lee - $9,00,000S.Sreesanth - $6,25,000Irfan Pathan - $9,25,000Ramesh Powar - $1,70,000Piyush Chawla - $4,00,000Simon Katich - $2,00,000Ramnaresh Sarwan - $2,25,000
Team: JaipurOwner’s Name: Emerging Media

Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
Shane Warne - $4,50,000Graeme Smith - $4,75,000Younis Khan - $2,25,000Kamran Akmal - $1,50,000Yusuf Pathan - $4,75,000Mohammad Kaif - $6,75,000Munaf Patel - $2,75,000Justin Langer - $2,00,000
Team: HyderabadOwner’s Name: Deccan Chronicle
Players - Bid Amount (figures in USD):
V. V. S. Laxman (Captain) - $375,000Andrew Symonds - $1,350,000R. P. Singh - $875,000Rohit Sharma - $750,000Adam Gilchrist - $700,000Shahid Afridi - $675,000Herschelle Gibbs - $575,000Chaminda Vaas - $200,000Scott Styris - $175,000Nuwan Zoysa - $110,000Chamara Silva - $100,000

ABOUT Indian Premier League (IPL) IPL 20:20

The BCCI launched the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the lines of football’s English Premier League and the National Basketball League (NBA) of the US.

The IPL is a professional Twenty20 cricket league created and promoted by the BCCI and backed by the ICC. The Twenty20 league is set to debut in April 2008, with eight teams comprising a minimum of 16 players each. The league will last for 44 days and will involve 59 matches.

The IPL works on a franchise-system based on the American style of hiring players and transfers. These franchises were put for auction, where the highest bidder won the rights to own the team, representing each city.

The auction for the same took place on January 24, 2008 and the total base price for the auction was $400 million. The auction went on to fetch $723.59 million.

The Mumbai franchise owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was the most expensive franchise - fetching $111.9 million closely followed by Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries which paid $111.6 million for the Bangalore franchise .

Media house Deccan Chronicle won the Hyderabad chapter of the IPL for $107 million, while India Cements’ Chennai franchise cost $91 million.

Bollywood also made its presence felt with two of its leading stars bagging the ownership of their respective teams - Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla’s Red Chillies Entertainment buying out Kolkata for $75.09, while Preity Zinta and her beau Ness Wadia bought the Mohali team for $76 million.

GMR , the infrastructure development group which who are involved in a project for revamping the Delhi airport, bagged the ownership of the Delhi team for $84 million and the Emerging Media , consisting of its CEO Fraser Castellino, Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch and other investors won the rights for the Jaipur franczhise for $67 million.

IPL Teams:

1) Bangalore Royal Challengers: The Bangalore team was bought by Vijay Mallya’s UB Group for $111.6 million to own the team for 10 years. ‘Icon player’ Rahul Dravid is the captain of Bangalore Royal Challengers. Team India’s bowling coach, Venkatesh Prasad is the coach of the team.

2) Kings XI Punjab: The Mohali team was bought by Bollywood diva Preity Zinta, her industrialist beau Ness Wadia, along with renowned industrialists Karan Paul and Mohit Burman for $76 million for a period of 10 years. ‘Icon player’ Yuvraj Singh is the captain of Kings XI Punjab. Australia’s Tom Moddy is the coach of the team.

3) Chennai Super Kings: The Chennai team was bought by India Cements for $91 million to own the team for 10 years. Team India ODI and T20 skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain of Chennai Super Kings. Former South Africa cricket team captain Kepler Wessels is the coach of the team.

4) Kolkata Knight Riders: The Kolkata team is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta for $75.09 million for a 10-year period. ‘Icon player’ Sourav Ganguly is the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders. Australia’s John Buchanan is the coach of the team.

5) Deccan Chargers: The Hyderabad team was bought by Deccan Chronicle, a media house, for $107 million for a 10-year period. Team India’s Test player VVS Laxman is the captain of Deccan Chargers. India’s fielding coach, Robin Singh is the coach of the team.

6) Mumbai Indians: The Mumbai team is owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited for $111.9 million for a period of 10 years. ‘Icon player’ Sachin Tendulkar is the captain of Mumbai Indians. Former Team India manager, Lalchand Rajput is the coach of the team.

7) Delhi Daredevils: The Delhi team is owned by GMR Holdings for $84 million for a period of 10 years. ‘Icon player’ Virender Sehwag is the captain of Delhi Daredevils. Australia’s Greg Shipperd is the coach of the team.
Rajasthan Royals: The Jaipur team was bought by UK-based company Emerging Media for $67 million to own the team for a period of 10 years. Former Australian spin bowler Shane Warne is both the captain and coach of Rajasthan Royals.

More on IPL:

* Title Sponsorship Rights: On February 13 2008, Indian real estate developer DLF Universal secured exclusive rights to the IPL title sponsorship worth Rs 200 crore (over $50 million) for five years.

* Television Rights: On January 14 2008, it was announced that a consortium consisting of India’s Sony Television network and Singapore-based World Sports Group secured the rights of the IPL. The record deal has a duration of ten years at a cost of $1.026 billion.

* On February 20 2008 , the auction of 77 players took place in Mumbai. Team India ODI and Twenty20 skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds emerged the costliest Indian and overseas players respectively.

* Each team will play the other seven teams home and away, the top four teams at the end of the group stages will proceed through to the semi-finals. The first match is slated for April 18 between Team Bangalore and Team Kolkata.

* Team Composition: All teams must have at least four players from their respective Catchment Areas and four Under-22 players. The players from Catchment Areas could be an iconic player, a Ranji player or an U-22 player.

Each team can buy a maximum of eight overseas players but only four would be able to take the field in a match.

Source: http://premierleaguecricket.in/about/

T20 History

English cricket has for long had a fuddy-duddy image. The traditional stereotype is of the elderly ex-Army type in blazer and tie snoozing off in the Lord’s pavilion after a heavy lunch.The Marleybone Cricket Club and their home of Lord’s do indeed continue to display the stiff upper lip so typical of the British Establishment. But the land where cricket was born should also be credited with bringing in revolutionary ideas.

It was in 1963 that the first domestic limited overs competition, the Gillette Cup, was launched in England with each side bowling 60 overs.

Five years later came the John Player League and now the quota was reduced to 40 overs. England also staged the inaugural limited-overs World Cup in 1975 and that was a grand success. Now, English cricket has another feather in its cap. For it was the first to launch a 20/20 competition in 2003 and just four years later the inaugural 20/20 World Cup gave a much-needed shot in the arm to world cricket after the fiasco of the 50/50 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Stuart Robertson, the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) marketing manager at the time is widely credited with being the brains behind the concept. But it was a close thing.

According to Robertson, the idea of a 20/20 competition was first raised in 1998 against the backdrop of an alarming drop in attendances at cricket grounds around England. But the idea was abandoned before being resurrected in 2001.

Finally, in April 2002, it was approved by the narrow margin of 11-7 among the 18 voting county teams.
Average attendances had dropped to 1,200 per game and it was hoped this would double in the first year of the new event. Instead, it simply skyrocketed.

On July 13, 2003 the inaugural Twenty20 Cup was launched and crowds averaged 5,000, which is impressive considering the small grounds around England. It rose higher the following year and Lord’s was packed to capacity (27,500) for the Middlesex v. Surrey match. That was the seal of approval it needed. If Lord’s, the bastion of cricket tradition, could warm to the new concept, the rest of England would surely follow.

Initially, the pop groups and carnival atmosphere were a big draw, bringing in family groups. But as the game evolved, the need for such side acts diminished and today in England, at least there are passionate fans that are more interested in the cricket rather than the entertainment.

Soon, other countries introduced domestic 20/20 competitions and it began to take off all over the cricket world.

The first T20 International was played at Eden Park, Auckland on 17 February 2005 with Australia beating hosts New Zealand by 44 runs. But the players were yet to accept it as a legitimate form of cricket and the whole game was played in a lighthearted carnival atmosphere with the Kiwis turning up in their vintage beige outfits of the 70s and in retro hairstyles.

The Aussies had their nicknames on the back of the shirts, something they continue to do, much to the annoyance of Sunil Gavaskar among others! There was nothing lighthearted though about the first T20 World Cup staged with such fanfare and success in South Africa. The ICC learned from their mistakes at the 50/50 World Cup earlier in the year and unlike in the West Indies, allowed the festive South African spirit its full reign at the venues. It was a party atmosphere all right, but the cricket was played in deadly earnest and there were some great contests.

India’s first match against Pakistan was a tie, necessitating a bowl-out while on the opening day of the tournament hosts South Africa beat the West Indies despite Chris Gayle recording the maiden T20I century.
Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over against England set the tournament alight and it all climaxed magnificently with India beating Pakistan by five runs in a pulsating final at Johannesburg.

Twenty20 cricket had indeed arrived and is here to stay.

- Gulu Ezekiel
Source: http://www.sparklive.in/sports/196/t20-history