IPL announces its schedule to IPL-2 hosted at SA

Cape Town will host the opening ceremony and the first match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 18 while the Wanderers Stadium will host the final on May 24.

The semi-finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 league.

In a double header on the first day, champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers while the evening game will be contested between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.

Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth will be the 8 hosts for the 59 games.

Durban, which has a large South Asian community has been allotted the most games - 16 while Centurion in Pretoria will play host to 12 games.

The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the tournament.

Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.

Two matches each have been allocated to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley. Matches will start at 4 pm IST (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm IST (4.30pm local time). There are a total of 10 double headers (two matches back-to-back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.

Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)

April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban

April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg

April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban

April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth

April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban

April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria

April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban

April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban

May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London

May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban

May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria

May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London

May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein

May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban

May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban

May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley

May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria

May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg

May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban

May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria

May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg

May 24: Final at Johannesburg.

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IPL security budget has gone up 10 times: Modi

NEW DELHI: The opening ceremony of the second season of IPL will be held at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai said IPL commissioner Lalit Modi while addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Fire dancers will perform in opening ceremony which will be 30 minutes long, the IPL chief said.

Modi, while unveiling the new logo for IPL second edition said, Ahemdabad and Vishakhapatnam are the two new cities that will host the IPL matches, while confirmation is still awaited from Dharamshala and Nagpur.

Modi said IPL has the highest concentration of world class players.

Modi added that despite recession, IPL has contracted revenue of Rs 10,790 cr this year and $15 million spent on second IPL auction.

Modi informed that 7 Mumbai Indian matches will be played at Cricket Club of India.

"Players security last year was the responsibilty of the team. This time security will be managed centrally", Modi said adding that IPL is working closely with the state governments on the security aspect and security budget has gone up 10 times from the last season, which will take foolproof measures.

Source: http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/IPL_security_budget_has_gone_up_10_times/articleshow/4249055.cms

Modi gets a Court boost

JAIPUR: In a shot in the arm for Lalit Modi, the Jaipur Bench of Rajasthan High Court stayed the operation of the 'new constitution' that the anti-Modi faction in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) had got passed recently.

Justice Ajay Rastogi passed this order on a petition filed by Shriganganagar Cricket Association alleging that the changes in the constitution could be made only during an AGM if it was approved by two-third majority. A notice of 30 days has also to be given before any such change is made in the constitution.

The court also directed the petitioner to file an appeal under the Rajasthan Sports Act, 2005, before the state's sports secretary by February 16. Thereafter, the sports secretary is to take a decision on the matter within two weeks.

Recently, RCA president Modi and secretary Subhash Joshi got mired in a bitter battle over control of the cricket body.

Many now view this as a vendetta on the part of the Gehlot government to corner the high-profile cricket administrator for his alleged proximity to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Joshi, claiming support of several district cricket bodies, declared elections on February 22. However, going by the court order, this can now be done only after the sports secretary decides on the matter, which means that polls can only be held in March at the earliest.

Along with declaring elections, Joshi filed a claim before the Registrar of Societies on the 'new constitution'. In 2005, two sets of constitutions had been drafted and submitted to the Registrar of Societies.

One was by Deva Ram Choudhary who was the convenor of the ad hoc committee formed by the state government to draft the constitution.

The other was by Rajendra Singh Rathore. The Registrar of Societies recognised the one submitted by Rathore. But Joshi now claimed that Choudhary's was the correct one.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Modi-gets-a-Court-boost/articleshow/4114992.cms

IPL auction in Goa on February 6th

The player auction for the second season of the Indian Premier League(IPL) will be held in Goa on February 6, this was announced to the media by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi on Friday.

During next month's auction franchises will have the opportunity to purchase current international players to fill the remaining slots for overseas players in their squad.

"I know that all the franchises are putting in a lot of work to ensure that their playing squads are even better than last season. The second players' auction at Goa on February 6, will be an opportunity to sign some experienced internationals to complete their playing squads," Modi said.

"Following the Goa auction, I believe that we will have most of the world's top cricketers registered to play in the DLF IPL. But, I am particularly pleased to see franchises investing in the Gen-Next of World Cricket with the addition of many top young players," he said.

The tournament will run from April 10 - May29.

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IPL teams can trade players next year: Modi

New Delhi: IPL franchises will be able to trade players early next year ahead of the 2009 season, Lalit Modi, Chairman of the hugely successful tournament disclosed on Sunday.

"There will be a transfer window open early next year just ahead of the 2009 season to enable franchises trade players and bring in the ones they require," he confirmed.

Stating that he had been "overwhelmed" by the success of the Twenty20 competition, Modi also disclosed that certain innovations would be introduced in the tournament.

"One of the innovation to be introduced next year would be orange neon ball. This would, however, depend on how successful the trials of the same are," he said.

"This year we already introduced the Orange and Purple Cap innovations and the Kingfisher Team Fair Play award and will look at continuing with this tradition of innovation in the subsequent leagues," he added.

Modi said the second season of IPL was not possible before the 2011 ODI World Cup, to be co-hosted by the Asian cricketing nations.

"The second season as of now is a very distant possibility and will not take place definitely until after the 2011 World Cup given the FTP commitments of the Test playing nations and India.
"By then, I firmly believe, IPL would have already established itself as a major event and carved a niche for itself on the international cricketing calendar."

"Importantly, though when the second season does materialise in the future it will not be a full-fledged season like the recently concluded inaugural season. It could, for instance, be a knock-out league or a format which we will evolve in due course of time."

Modi also made it clear that IPL was India's domestic event and could not be co-hosted by two countries like India and Pakistan.

"No, the IPL is, as the name suggests, a domestic cricket league, featuring the best of international and Indian talent. It will not be co-hosted in conjunction with any other country.
"I am certain that the success of the league will spawn a whole host of similar leagues around the world. Once that happens, it would be our endeavor to see that top two teams from each of the countries play in the Champions League, along the lines of the one being played in football currently."

On the success of IPL, Modi said it was beyond his expectations.

"To say that the inaugural season of the IPL has exceeded my expectations and those of the BCCI would, to simply put it, be an understatement," Modi said.

"I have been truly overwhelmed by the success of the Indian Premier League. In fact, the global response to the competition has been simply unbelievable, to say the least.

"I had imagined the IPL being huge in terms of spectator interests in India, but what we have achieved and the global interest that a domestic league has generated have been beyond my wildest imagination," he said.

"The IPL has gained large viewerships in Australia, South Africa, South East Asia, the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) and the Americas."

The inaugural edition of IPL, contested by eight teams non-stop for 44 days and telecast live by a private television channel during the prime time, gripped the cricket lovers, reportedly exceeding the popularity of TV serials and Bollywood films.

"Not to mention the TRPs that we have garnered in India which are quite frankly staggering to say the least. The success of the league is further exemplified in the Set Max's revenue market share of the top nine Hindi entertainment channels," Modi said.

"And all this because we have had some of the best cricketers from around the world... frankly I could not have envisaged a more successful inaugural season than this year," he added.

"Imagine the likes of Swapnil Asnodkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Niraj Patel, Abhishek Nayyar (state-level players) and Yusuf Pathan getting mobbed by fans for their performances in the league."
On the revenue did BCCI generate though the IPL, Modi, also the Cricket Board President, said he had not information on that.

"I don't know the exact nature of revenue the IPL has generated for the BCCI as of now…However, we have at all junctures through out the IPL process attempted to be as transparent as possible in terms of the financials and so have communicated these publicly at all time and so you could also do some back of the cuff calculations to derive a number," he said.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/ipl-teams-can-trade-players-next-year-modi/32039-13-2.html