The IPL governing council on Sunday decided to move out the semi-final matches of the Twenty-20 tournament from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai due to security concerns. The decision was taken in the wake of the two low-intensity bomb blasts that occurred outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday ahead of the clash between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians. The announcement regarding the same was made by the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi who emphasized that the IPL governing council was not ready to take any chances and wanted to ensure the safety of players and spectators. He added, "the incidents were assessed by local police and the IPL’s security agency as being of a minor nature but they have forced our hand.” Modi said in his statement that the decision of changing the venue is naturally disappointing for the people of Bengaluru but has been taken in consideration of the tournament’s best interests and the interests of its many varied stakeholders. He further said, “While reluctant to relocate the semi-finals at such short notice, yesterday's incidents have made it clear that the current environment in Bangalore prevents us from continuing with our original plans." Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, the IPL commissioner asserted that the semi-finals and finals of DLF IPL 2010 will be successfully contested and provide a fitting finale to a remarkable tournament in spite the minor hiccup. The minor explosions that took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday minutes before the start of the match left atleast eight people with injuries and resulted in delaying the match by an hour. Besides the twin blasts, two other bombs were procured later in the evening which were defused … [Read more...]
Harbhajan fined after outburst against Suman
Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh has been fined USD 15,000 for abusing Deccan Chargers batsman Tirumalasetti Suman in last night's IPL match in Mumbai. Suman was dismissed caught and bowled by Harbhajan, after which the bowler gave him an invective-ridden send-off. IPL chief executive Sundar Raman said Match Referee Gundappa Viswanath found Harbhajan guilty of level 1 offence and fined him USD 15,000. "Harbhajan fined USD 15K by the referee. Found guilty - level 1 offence," Sundar Raman wrote on his twitter page. Harbhajan was in his element in the match, smashing an 18-ball 49 to lift Mumbai to a good score, and then snaring three wickets to help them defend 172. His all-round performance was enough to win the Man of the Match award. Harbhajan's fine is the first disciplinary action taken on a player during this IPL. During the course of the tournament, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara have been slapped with fines for the failure of their sides to complete their overs on time. Kings XI Punjab emerged as a repeat offender, as a result of which their captain Sangakkara was handed a one-match ban. "It was a heat-of-the-moment act. We needed a wicket at that stage and Harbhajan is always high on adrenaline. Let's not make an issue of it," said the IPL franchise's director (cricket) TA Sekar here today. Sekar said his team respected the IPL and the fine would be paid but he was not clear whether the franchise would pick up the tab or the errant player for the breach. Harbhajan's latest discretion, however, pales in comparison to his violent outburst in the inaugural edition of the IPL when he had slapped Kings XI Punjab pacer S Sreesanth to incur fine and ban from the … [Read more...]
IPL: The Injury League
The third edition of the Indian Premier League is very well getting itself christened as the Injured Players League or the Injury Prone League. With the tournament heading its halfway mark, it is not just the action-packed excitement of the game that is making all the news but also the not-so-welcome trend of injuries to the players that is attracting the headlines. Almost all the teams have faced the same fate as far as the injuries to the players are concerned with Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils being the worst hit teams. Here’s a quick look at the list of injured players in the season three of the IPL so far- Gautam Gambhir: The Delhi Daredevils received a major setback when its skipper Gautam Gambhir managed a reasonably serious hamstring injury while fielding during the match against the Mumbai Indians on March 17 which forced him to stay out of the IPL action. Wayne Parnell: The South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell, representing the Delhi Daredevils, got ruled out of the IPL after having sustained a groin injury during a warm-up session and had to return home without playing a single game. Graeme Smith: It came as a twin blow for the Rajasthan Royals when two of its key players Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas got injured during their clash against Delhi Daredevils in Ahmedabad on March 15. The South African captain fractured his right middle finger while diving to take a brilliant catch of Virender Sehwag which brought to an end his IPL campaign. Dimitri Mascarenhas: The English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas incurred an ankle injury while getting back into the crease in time during the Royals' innings in the Ahemdabad encounter. He is ruled out of the entire IPL action. Yusuf … [Read more...]
Sangakkara banned for slow over-rate
By: Meenal Johari (Agra) The already languishing team of Kings XI Punjab was dealt with a further blow after their fifth loss in the tournament on Saturday when the captain Kumar Sangakkara received a ban for one match due to the slow over-rate of his side. The declaration regarding the ban was made by IPL chief executive Sundar Raman on his Twitter page as "KXIP slow on over rate again tonight. Sanga (Sangakkara) banned for 1 game" shortly after Kolkata Knight Riders’ thumped a comprehensive victory over Kings XI Punjab in Mohali. This was the third time round in just six matches of the tournament when Sangakkara was found guilty of not completing the overs on time. The captain was earlier found guilty for falling short of the completion of overs on time along with three other captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir after the first three games of the third edition of IPL where each of the captains faced a fine of $20,000. The second offense brought a fine of $40,000 for Sangakkara, being a repeat-offender, on March 24 following the clash against the Rajasthan Royals where each of the Punjab team-members also received a fine of $10,000 for the same reason. Falling at the hands of the IPL’s strict policy in dealing with the captains for slow over-rates for the third time invited a harsh punishment for Sangakkara which resulted in a ban for one match. For a team seated at the bottom of the points table with five defeats in six games and struggling hard to climb the rungs of the points table, this one-match ban for their captain shall definitely add to Punjab's woes which is all set to face the table-toppers Mumbai Indians in their next IPL encounter this season on March 30. … [Read more...]
IPL News: March 21: Deadline for 2 new teams
2 new IPL teams will be revealed on March 21. 14 franchisees are in contention for those 2 slots. March 20 is the last date to deposit a cheque of $1 crore as a bank guarantee. Major industrial houses like Adani group, Jaypee group, Videocon and other financial houses are vyeing for those 2 crucial franchisees. Schedule: March 20: Last date to deposit bank guarantee.March 21, 10 AM: To submit bidsMarch 21, 11 AM: Bids will be opened and winners will be revealed. So, 10 teams will play in IPL 2011. Good news to Dish TV subscribers. You can now watch IPL matches at a discount at PVR theatres in 10 cities (Delhi, Vadodara, Latur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Raipur and Aurangabad. Breaking news: Delhi lost to Chennai. Missing of Gautam Gambhir seems to have destroyed fortunes of Delhi Daredevils . Chennai played exceptionally well despite loss of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mathew Hayden and Suresh Raina played wonderful knocks. Sehwag played a good innings. But, to win games, you need team effort. Priyanka Chopra will host IPL special show in Colors channel. Akshay Kumar is out. Kings XI Punjab: Bad news. James Hopes will completely miss IPL 2010 due to injury but Brett Lee will be available at latter stages. … [Read more...]
IPL 2009 auction: Latest news updates
50 players will go under hammer on February 6 for the 17 slots in this auction for Indian Premier League contracts. Due to the availability of limited slots, some players may not even get any bids due to their steep price. Franchisees kept their plans close to their chest. According to sources, Bangalore is trying hard for Kevin Pietersen while Kolkata and Hyderabad badly needs a strike bowler. IPL franchisees may not slash their cash carelessly in this round of auction. There will be no mid-season replacements in IPL 2009. New IPL rule: In case of a tie, both teams will play a one over eliminator to decide match result. New IPL plans: IPL authorities are planning to extend the scope of the clubs beyond their cities. Rajasthan may play some matches in Ahmedabad while Kolkata may play in Dhaka. Chennai IPL may play some games in Colombo while Mohali may be allowed to play in Lahore in tensions between India and Pakistan subsides. IPL Auction statistics: 1. Total players available: 50 2. Slots available: Just 17. 3. Total amount to be spent: $13.59 million IPL Vs Pakistan: Total players barred by Pakistan board: 10 Players released from IPL contracts: Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Mohammed Hafeez. Retained Pakistan players: Umar Gul, (Knight Riders), Misbah-ul-Haq (Royal Challengers), Kamran Akmal and Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals). But they will not play in IPL 2009 edition. But IPL authorities allowed franchisees to pick replacements for suspended Pakistani players after the auction. Kolkata and Bangalore can pick a player each while Rajasthan can buy 2 players after the auction as Pakistan player replacements. … [Read more...]
IPL transfer window is in dull mode
The Indian Premier League (IPL) transfer window was open on December 22nd and will close on January 22nd. Those players who played in the first edition of the IPL are only eligible for transfer during this transfer window. 8 franchisees are eligible to buy or sell cricketers in this period. IPL franchisees cannot transfer a player without the consent of cricketer. But transfer window failed to create expected enthusiasm among the franchisees. These was not any list was announced on December 28th. 1st list: December 28th 2nd list:January 5th 3rd list: January 12th IPL franchisees can opt for swapping of cricketers on mutual terms. Bangalore franchisee already told about selling of 3 foreign players. Auction for the 2nd edition of the IPL will be held on February 6th. Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen are hot targets. Likely selling targets: 1. Shoaib Akthar (Kolkata Knight Riders) 2. Rohit Sharma (Hyderabad Deccan Chargers) – Mumbai interested in buying him. 3. Jacques Kallis (Bangalore Royal Challengers) 4. Shahid Afridi (Hyderabad Deccan Chargers) 5. Robin Uthappa (Bangalore Royal Challengers) 6. Ramnaresh Sarwan (Mohali IPL) 7. Herschelle Gibbs by Hyderabad 8. Makhaya Ntini by Chennai Likely buying targets: 1. Robin Uthappa by Bangalore Royal Challengers 2. Zaheer Khan by Mumbai. Bangalore may not sell him. Dale Steyn and Zaheer Khan bowling combination will be an asset for Bangalore Royal Challengers. 3. Rohit Sharma by Mumbai 2008: Year of Indian Premier League. No … [Read more...]
IPL 2009 news: Player trading starts from December 22
Transfer window for IPL 2009 will commence from December 22nd and will end on January 22nd. Player Auction for IPL 2009 will be held on February 6 for the new players, those that did not feature in the IPL 2008. Indian Premier League Twenty20 Cricket tournament will commence from April 10 onwards. Squads will not be allowed temporary replacements from 2009 onwards to cover partial unavailability of a player during the season. The only temporary replacements allowed will be in the situation where a player is completely unavailable for a whole IPL season. Franchises were allowed to purchase replacements if their international players had to represent their national teams during IPL 2008. About Money: The 2008 salary cap will cease to have effect and no unused amount of the 2008 purse can be used in 2009. There will be no cap on player fees payable to players acquired by the franchises during the trading window. The trading window is only for players who were part of the IPL in 2008. New rules of IPL trading: 1. Maximum number of international players in each squad would be10 but number of international players in the playing eleven would remain at 4. 2. If more than one franchise is interested in buying the player, the ‘selling’ franchise shall negotiate with all interested franchises. The ‘selling’ franchise shall have the discretion as to which offer to accept. Negotiations between two franchises should be only with regard to the player fee payable. 3. Franchises shall have opportunities during the trading window to trade players - either by offering to sell a player via trade or expressing an interest to acquire a player - prior to any trading discussions the player's consent must be … [Read more...]
Indian Premier League news and TV ratings
Indian Premier League Cricket (IPL T20) news: 1. Indian Cricket board agreed to meet rival organisers of Indian Cricket League. ICC asked BCCI to resolve the issue with ICL. If the talks succeed, it will allow ICL players to play International Cricket. New Zealand and Bangladesh are the biggest beneficiaries if the ban on ICL players was lifted. Can we Shane Bond again in action? 2. Sri Lankan Cricket Board will send a team to finalise a $ 40 million deal with the Indian Premier League. This deal will last for 3 years which will allow Sri Lankan players to participate in IPL T20 Cricket matches without interruption. 3. TV Ratings: According to MAP ratings, ongoing Indian Cricket League (ICL) failed to match the TV Ratings of 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL attracted an average TVR of 4-5 while ICL garnered meagre 0.2-0.4 TVR despite broadcasting in Zee Sports and Ten Sports (ZEE has control over most of cable people. India-Australia test series attracted a TVR of 0.5-0.7. Indian Premier League will attract more viewers due to more awareness, timing and due to DTH spread. 4. Surrey is holding discussions with IPL organisers about the feasibility of conducting 1 or 2 IPL matches at Oval Cricket stadium if ECB gave no objection. 5. Sensational Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis will play for Rajasthan in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy. According to new rules, each state can rope in one International player to increase competitiveness in the domestic tournament. Old warhorse Muttiah Muralidharan will play for Bengal Ranji team. Visit my blog on Champions League T20 Cricket. … [Read more...]
Harbhajan Banned for 5 One days only
Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh was banned for 5 ODIs only by BCCI disciplinary committee. Harbhajan Singh was already banned from Indian Premier League by IPL authorities. Off spinner will miss Bangladesh series and Asia cup (two matches) due to this ban. Cricket analysts expected 10 match ODI ban or 5 test matches ban for controversial spinner. 3-member disciplinary committee was headed by BCCI president Sharad Pawar banned Harnhajan for 5 ODIs only as he pleaded for clemency. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni strongly supported off spinner in his news paper column. Harbhajan Singh slapped Mohali pace bowler Sreesanth after the post match handshake. According to unofficial reports, Harbhajan was provoked by Sreesanth throughout the match and controversial spinner unable to restrain his emotions. BCCI appointed one-man Nanavati commission to conduct enquiry on the “Slapgate” episode and didn’t recommend any punishment in his 14-page report.BCCI president warned him that if he repeats his mistake, he will be banned for life time. Harbhajan already lost 3 crore rupees due to IPL ban and he was charged with ICC level-4 offence. Australian captain Ricky Ponting asked for life ban while his nemesis Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne came in support of Harbhajan and requested BCCI not to punish him for life time. … [Read more...]
Recent Comments