Amit Mishra leads DareDevils to victory

Gautam Gambhir on way to his 79 at the Kotla on Thursday. (PTI)

New Delhi: Unsung leg-spinner Amit Mishra came up with a spectacular hattrick in the last over as Delhi DareDevils returned to winning ways in a 10th round IPL at the Kotla Thursday.

With Deccan Chargers raising visions of giving a good chase to the DareDevils score of 194 for four, Mishra turned out to be the stumbling block for the fearsome Hyderabad batsmen, who launched an all out attack from the very beginning.

Mishra, who gave two crucial blows in the middle overs by removing Afridi (33 in 14 balls) and Gibbs (22) in the middle overs, made the biggest impact towards the end to give his team a 12-run win.

The Chargers were 180 for six at the end of the 19th over and everyone hoped for a nail-biting finish. But Mishra had other ideas as he removed Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh in the first three deliveries of the dramatic final over. This was Deccan’s eighth defeat in the tournament.

Mishra joined Laxmipathy Balaji (Chennai Super Kings) to take the second hattrick of the tournament.

The Chargers started the chase in great fashion as Adam Gilchrist and Afridi struck 20 runs in the first two overs before the Australian was sent back by compatriot Glen McGrath.

Thereafter, Afridi, Gibbs and Rohit Sharma kept on the run chase but for Mishra’s guile. The young spinner first removed an increasingly dangerous Afridi, and then got rid of Gibbs to break the backbone of the Chargers innings.

Enjoying a fabulous run in the tournament, Rohit looked set to take on the rival bowlers. But he was bowled around the legs by Farvez Mahroof to bring an end to Hyderabad’s chances.

Later, Venugopal Rao made some effort to revive the innings but he never looked like a serious contender to turn the match around.

Earlier, the Delhi top order once again came good to pile up 194 for four against a toothless bowling attack that could offer little resistance to inform batsmen like Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan.

The two Delhi left-handers, who failed in their last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, left a lasting impact on the cheering spectators with a 133-run second wicket partnership after skipper Virender Sehwag was dismissed in the first over.

Though Sehwag’s exit came as a big relief for Deccan Chargers, their joy was shortlived as Gambhir and Dhawan launched on onslaught that resulted in both the batsmen racing to half centuries in no time. While Gambhir slammed 79 in 48 deliveries with the help of seven fours and three well struck sixes, Dhawan remained unbeaten on 68.

Won't go to India if not allowed to play in IPL: Shoaib

OUT IN THE COLD: Pakistan's banned fast bowler arrives to face the tribunal at Pakistan Cricket Academy on Monday.

Banned pacer Shoaib Akhtar says he is keen to play in the Indian Premier League but getting the nod to play in the twenty20 venture would not stop him from pursuing his appeal against the five-year ban imposed on him.

"I am waiting for the IPL order myself as I am keen to play some cricket. But if I don't get permission to play for the Kolkata team I have no intentions of going to India in any capacity," Shoaib said.

Shoaib told Pakistan’s Geo TV that he would continue to fight his battle to clear himself regardless of whether he gets a chance to play in the Indian Premier League or not.

Shoaib is awaiting a final word from the governing council of the IPL on whether they are ready to allow him to play for the Shahrukh Khan owned, Kolkata Knight Riders team.

The three-member appellate tribunal headed by Justice (retd) Farrukh Aftab yesterday rejected an application from Shoaib's lawyers to stay the ban imposed on him by the PCB.

But the tribunal said it had no objection to Shoaib playing anywhere outside Pakistan till the proceedings of the tribunal resume on the appeal filed by the fast bowler against the ban in June.

Rajasthan score win in IPL

Shane Warne has launched a scathing attack on Sourav Ganguly in the Indian Premier League, claiming the former Indian skipper wasn't playing in the spirit of the game when he refused to walk, after he was caught in the deep.

Warne led the Rajasthan Royals to their fourth straight win, pushing the team to equal top of the competition.

They beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by 45-runs, with the coach and captain grabbing one wicket and fellow Aussie Shane Watson taking 2 for 22.

But Warne was ropeable when Ganguly stood his ground after South African captain Graeme Smith claimed a catch at deep midwicket.

The leg spinner got his revenge shortly after, Ganguly was dismissed off Warne's bowling during the next over.

Meantime, West Australian Shaun Marsh was the star for the Kings XI Punjab in their 7-wicket win over the Deccan Chargers.

He smashed 84 from just 62-balls.

PL, ICL great for Indian cricket, says Jacques Kallis

NEW DELHI: It's taken a Jacques Kallis, Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year, to finally mention IPL and ICL in the same breath. His team, Bangalore Royal Challengers, might be struggling in the tournament, but a day after losing yet another game - this time to the Delhi Daredevils - Kallis was all praise for India's new T20 leagues.

"The IPL and (rebel) ICL will turn out (to be) immensely beneficial for Indian cricket. It's giving their younger players, some of whom have yet to establish themselves in even domestic cricket, a chance to rub shoulders with icons of the game in dressing rooms. It's an immense advantage. If this had happened when I was younger I would have benefitted immensely," he said.

The all-rounder, however, was at a loss to explain what, apart from money, the established stars of the game were gaining. "The crowds have been very good," was all Kallis mustered, before the astute observer in him took over: "I think T20 is the future of cricket. At three hours, it's even shorter than a baseball game. But I honestly don't know how long the One-day format will survive."

Kallis has been a vocal critic of player burnout and the ICC's frenzied Future Tours Programme, but on Thursday it was his SA and Bangalore team-mate Mark Boucher who took up the cause, saying: "The IPL is huge even in SA. This tournament needs to be on schedule. I've seen quite a few ICC officials here who agree the tournament is an unqualified success. If so, they need to make it good for the players. Maybe the ICC and the player unions can sit down for a chat."

We're not a Test team: Dravid
Stung by four losses in five games and a team boasting of Test stalwarts who have struggled to adapt, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid said his team would have to recoup to bounce back in the IPL. Pointing out that the squad had been unlucky so far - they lost to Team Chennai by 13 runs and to Delhi Daredevils by 10 - Dravid said, "I think we lack the X-factor. I don't agree we're a Test team in T20 clothing.

“We almost pulled it off against Chennai and Delhi. I think our fifth bowler is giving away too many runs. Misbah-ul Haq is also waiting, he will also get a game." Backing his skipper, Kallis said: "Leading a side in T20 is the most difficult job because you have no time to react. Our openers haven't clicked. It's frustrating. But Dravid is as good as anyone I've played under."

IPL frenzy may hurt Bollywood box office

MUMBAI: IPL’s overwhelming response in terms of ratings may hurt Yashraj Films, considering it’s next big release Tashan, releasing 25 April will be pitted against this newly-popular form of cricket. The estimated Rs 30-crore movie, trade analysts and leading multiplex operators feel, may struggle to garner a big audience due to matches scheduled in the afternoon and prime time. This will have an impact on the 3 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm shows, which are the key drivers at the box office. Also with Friday, Saturday and Sunday becoming critical in terms of revenue exploitation, distributors are tense considering the cricket frenzy. Last weekend, while no major films were released, Ajay Devgun’s directoral debut U Me aur Hum fell to the 15-20% occupancy level, resulting in the trade branding it a flop. It had witnessed a poor opening at 30-35%. The Rs 25-crore film may bring in only Rs 9 crore through ticket sales. If one accounts for all the other exploitation rights, the film is expected to make a loss of Rs 8-9 crore. On the other hand, Krazzy 4 which opened with a 70% occupancy level, fell drastically to 20-25% in terms of collections towards the end of its first week. The grand IPL launch also did not help, despite no new release this week. The Rs 10 crore film is expected to make close to Rs 7-8 crore at the box office and a further Rs 5 crore via other rights such as satellite, music and the home market, resulting in a small profit of Rs 3-4 crore. The negative rub off on revenues of movies at the box office may extend to the Big B-starrer Bhootnath releasing on 9 May, which is the next big ticket movie in the offing. In the overseas market, U Me Aur Hum has beaten Krazzy 4, unlike the domestic box office. Krazzy 4 grossed close to Rs 3 crore in 3 days in the overseas markets as opposed to U Me Aur Hum clocking Rs 6 crore in the same period. The majority of these revenues came in from North America and UK. According to Tam Media Research the inaugural match in Bangalore between Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders and Vijay Mallya’s Bangalore Royal Challengers on Friday fetched a rating of 8.21, with 12.5-million people tuning in to watch the match. The following two matches played between Chennai Super Kings Vs Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals Vs Delhi Daredevils, clocked 4.97 TRP and 5.58 TRP, respectively. As the matches move into the second stage shortly, Bollywood is indeed going to face stiff competition from the cricket-cum-entertainment bonanza that IPL seems to offer. The year has been dry for Bollywood, with only the Saif Ali Khan-Bipasha starrer Race putting up a good show. Bollywood has yet to see a mega blockbuster film at the box office in 2008.

Subhash Ghai slams IPL!

The Indian Premier League rage is only growing by leaps and bounds! Not just cricket lovers but the T20 Cricket tournament has also managed to get the Bollywood stars and their followers get hooked on to the entertaining form of Cricket!

Amidst all this hype and hoopla, one Bollywood filmmaker who begs to differ as far as his take on IPL is concerned is none other than showman Subhash Ghai!

“I agree I am not a cricket fan but I know that it is a sport which has to be given the stature of a sport! IPL has made cricket into a business and nothing else, however cricket has become a business all over! IPL is a real match between money makers and not cricketers”, said Ghai.

He further jokingly added, “You’ll be surprised to know that inspite of the fact that I don’t follow cricket much, three of my films have been named after renowned Cricketers... Kalicharan, Vishwanath and now Yuvraj!”

We probed the filmmaker as to which sport fascinates him more than cricket and he excitedly replied, “Football and cinema are my two passions... these two are my only love.”

Kolkata Knight Riders, has tied up with the online gaming venture of Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA group

Shah Rukh Khan has tied up with Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA group (Reuters Photo)

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Kolkata Knight Riders, has tied up with the online gaming venture of Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA group to host a cricketing zone on the team's official website.

Commenting on the tie up, the spokesperson of the online gaming portal Zapak.com said the reason to choose Shah Rukh was in keeping with the hugely popular film star's background as an avid online gamer.

The move aims to create a community of Kolkata Knight Rider's fans. The company also said that it would be spending Rs one crore on the marketing initiatives and the tie up projects for co-branding. The portal would be supplying content for the IPL team's website.

Presently, there are only two games hosted on the website and eight more would be added. The company may add more games after seeing the response to the hosted games. The games can be accessed absolutely free on the website.

Speaking on the partnership, Shah Rukh Khan said, "We were looking for someone who could capture the essence of cricket and at the same time promote Knight Riders as the best IPL club. Zapak.com with their custom-built games around Knight Riders will give the gamers an opportunity to feel and be a part of Knight Riders."

The online company already hosts 18 cricket based games on its portal, and claims to have recorded more than 80,000 users playing cricket on its website everyday.

Kolkata Knight Riders is a franchise of the Indian Premier League. It was bought by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jai Mehta. The team is led by former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and coached by former Australian coach John Buchanan.

Knight Riders are the toughest competitor in the league: SRK

Buoyed by back-to-back victories in Indian Premier League (IPL), the Kolkata Knight Riders are confident of keeping up the momentum to win the gruelling tourney.

Both skipper Sourav Ganguly and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose Red Chillies Entertainment owns the side, feel that the good start augurs well for the team.

"We have started well and hope to continue this trend," Ganguly said. Echoing Ganguly, the matinee idol said, "We have to continue to do well in the coming matches."

The team crushed Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore Royal Challengers by 140 runs in the tournament lung opener on Friday and followed it up with a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers captained by VVS Laxman on Sunday.

Asked to name the team which he considered the toughest competitor for the Knight Riders, Shah Rukh promptly replied, "We are the toughest competitor for all other teams". But our coach has told the players that they have to deliver the best to succeed in the tournament. The team has to work hard. I have got a bunch of boys who are honest, sincere and die hard," he said at the launch of the official timewear for his side.

On whether he was nervous when his team was losing wickets quickly, he said, "I never feel nervous. Sometimes I feel sad and sometimes I become sentimental. I want them (the players) to do their best."

Team co-owner and filmstar Juhi Chawla as also all members of the Kolkata Knight Riders were present at the programme held at a hotel in Kolkata.

Kolkata, April 21: Shah Rukh Khan the badshah of Bollywood seems to be very excited for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. The star-studded team has already won two matches it has played so far and Shah Rukh believes that his team has potential to beat all the teams put together.

Shah Rukh Khan who acquired Indian Premier League’s Kolkata team to the amazement of all and sundry seems to be very deeply involved with the functioning of his team. He must be under a lot of pressure as the best bowler of his team Pakistan’s Shoib Akhtar has been barred from playing IPL matches due to his differences with his board.

He says that he is here for winning and not for losing the series. He is also putting all his star power to create interest for audience. His performance at the beginning of Sunday’s match in Kolkata seems to have won him many more fans.

Shah Rukh himself said, “I love winning - whether it's IPL matches or films or a game of carom with my kids or the entire world. I believe my victory is God's assurance that I really worked hard”.

He went on to say that “we are the toughest competition for the other seven teams. Why one team at a time-put all the seven teams on one side and see how the Knight Riders battle it out against them”.

The badshah of Bollywood also added that "Kolkata Knight Riders is my dream personified. I always wanted to be a cricketer. Now it's through my team that I am fulfilling my dream. I am possessive about my team. When my boys are playing I am worried throughout about their comfort. It's like seeing Aryan (son) take part in a race and praying that he wins unhurt”.

Brendon McCullum's 158 leads Kolkata to inaugural IPL win

Captained by Sourav Ganguly, Kolkata Knight Riders amassed a huge 3-222 from their 20 overs, with New Zealander Brendon McCullum smashing 158 from just 73 balls.

Ponting hit 20 from 20 deliveries and fellow Australian David Hussey 12 from 12.

In reply, Bangalore Royal Challengers - featuring Australians Cameron White and Ashley Noffke - were all out for 82.

A crowd of 55,000 in Bangalore were also treated to a huge fireworks display and an appearance by cheerleaders from NFL team Washington Redskins.

Match 02- Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings

Kings XI probables

Yuvraj, Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Brett Lee, Irfan Pathan, James Hopes, Sreesanth, Tanmay Srivastav, Piyush Chawla, Ajitesh

Super Kings probables
Dhoni, Matt Hayden, Muralitharan, Mic Hussey, Jacob Oram, Manpreet Gony, Parthiv Patel, Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Vidyut, L Balaji

Indian Premier League Opening ceremony watch online

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IPL opening ceremony

It will probably be for the first time in their lives that Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, former India captains and now rival skippers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will walk out for the toss in a stadium plunged in darkness.

Minutes after a "short, sharp and sweet" opening ceremony on Friday to launch the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament, the organisers are planning to switch off all lights at the Chinnaswamy Stadium before the first match between Dravid's Bangalore Royal Challengers, the hosts, and Ganguly's Kolkata Knight Riders, the visitors, which begins at 20.00 local time. "Then, the spotlights will come on, and focus on the two skippers as they walk out for the toss," Charu Sharma, the Royal Challengers' chief executive, told Cricinfo.

"We are pushing to have the toss under spotlights and are waiting for permission from local authorities, considering the number of people who will be there at the stadium when the lights will be switched off. This is something that has not really been tried before," he said.

After the toss, a couple of players from the fielding side will be "miked up" to chat directly with the TV commentators during the match. "Another attraction for the TV audience, but this has been done before, I guess," Sharma said.

However, the "most poignant moment" of the 45-minute opening ceremony starting 18.30, Sharma said, would be when all the captains gather mid-pitch to jointly read out a pledge reaffirming the IPL's faith in the spirit of cricket. "There will also be speeches by Ray Mali, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman."

The rest of the ceremony will be a "slick" blend of fireworks, stilt walkers, aerial gymnasts, performers in a bubble suspended over the ground and some Bollywood glitter with the presence Shah Rukh Khan, also the co-owner of the Kolkata team, and Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Mohali franchise. "Shankar-Ehsan-Loy (the Bollywood music directors) will be the central performers who will keep the crowd enthralled throughout the ceremony even as the other performers go through their acts," Sharma said.

Bangalore is also banking on 12 cheerleaders from the Washington Redksins, the 'First Ladies of American Football', to draw more fans to the stadium. "The entire exercise is to have the right balance of glamour and cricket. Usually, cricket is not associated with such ceremonies, and this will be a novelty. At the same time, we would not want the genuine cricket fan to get frustrated waiting for the game to start. Our aim is to present a spectacle that's short, sharp and sweet, which reflects the spirit of the IPL," Sharma said.

Bangalore Royal Challengers, which is owned by Vijay Mallya, the business tycoon, is playing a key role in organising the opening ceremony on their home ground in association with the local cricket association and the IPL.


Indian Premier League - 1st match
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Bangalore, Apr 18, 2008

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, on 18 April 2008 - d/n

Bangalore Royal Challengers squad:
Dravid (C), Abdur Razzak, B Akhil, KP Appanna, J Arunkumar, wicketkeeperMV Boucher, S Chanderpaul, B Chipli, wicketkeeperSP Goswami, W Jaffer, SB Joshi, JH Kallis, Z Khan, V Kohli, P Kumar, A Kumble, Misbah-ul-Haq, AA Noffke, DT Patil, DW Steyn, LRPL Taylor, R Vinay Kumar, CL White

Kolkata Knight Riders squad:
SC Ganguly (C), S Kaul, AB Agarkar, RB Banerjee, A Chopra, DB Das, CH Gayle, DJ Hussey, Iqbal Abdulla, M Kartik, SS Lahiri, wicketkeeperBB McCullum, Mohammad Hafeez, RT Ponting, CA Pujara, WP Saha, Salman Butt, I Sharma, LR Shukla, wicketkeeperT Taibu, Umar Gul, Yashpal Singh

IPL all set for launch

It's show time, folks, on the cricket field.

The days of 'white-flannelled fools' are long over. Cricketers with rock star image have taken over the arena and nearly 100 international cricketers, commanding unheard of playing fees, have descended on India for the launch of the world's richest cricket league - the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The first of the 59 matches starts on Friday at Bangalore amid hoopla and unprecedented public attention in a cricket-crazy nation that is obsessed with the glories and disasters of the game.

The league will be a giddy cocktail of sport, entertainment and business and aims to take cricket to a level never been attempted before.

Nonetheless, it will be trial by fire for the Indian cricket board's intrepid vice-president, Lalit Modi, who conceived this league against universal scepticism.

The multimillion dollar Twenty20 tournament, sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), will feature eight city teams -- Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad. There will in all be 59 matches on home and away basis, very similar to the football leagues in Europe.

"The real city centric rivalry between teams can pull the crowd to the IPL matches and players have to show genuine commitment towards their respective teams," said Modi.

"It's not going to happen overnight, it will take years; creating emotions and rivalry is a real challenge for us," he added.

The present ruling group in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been advocating a marketable high-profile inter-city tournament for years, but they could not do much as it was in opposition. Once Zee Telefilms launched the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), roping in World-Cup-winning India captain Kapil Dev, Lalit Modi and former Board president Inderjit Singh Bindra quickly conceived the IPL concept. Thus the IPL was born.

Modi, known as an aggressive marketing man, was the main brain behind the formation of the IPL and he flooded the cricketing world with dollars and lured all the top stars to be a part of this league. Bindra quietly worked to get ICC sanction for the mega event.

"We want the IPL to be one of the icon brands in the world and we are going to push everything that is required to achieve that," he said.

Cash factor

Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, started the cash flow by selling the TV rights to Sony-World Sports Group (WSG) for a whopping $1 billion.

Then came the auction for the team franchises, where Bollywood's rich and powerful and some of the biggest business tycoons lined up to buy the teams' rights for a 10 year-period.

Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries shelled out $111.9 million for Mumbai, liquor baron Vijay Mallya spent $106 million for Bangalore, Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan got Kolkata for $75.09 million.

Eight teams were bought as dollars flowed like champagne.

This was followed by another first in auction - cricketers were bought and sold, reminding one of cattle fairs of yore.

The owners dug deep into their pockets to bid for 78 international stars. India's one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the highest price tag, a whopping $1.5 million, and was bought by Chennai. Australia's Andrew Symonds was next in line and he went to Hyderabad for $1.35 million.

Entertainment factor

The entertainment quotient of the league got the celluloid touch. While Shah Rukh will shake a leg at his team Kolkata Knight Riders' matches, Akshay Kumar will show his stunts for the Delhi Daredevils, dancing superstar Hrithik Roshan will do his jig for the Mumbai Indians and Bollywood diva Preity Zinta will cheer for her team Kings XI Punjab.

To woo youngsters, the India Cements-backed Chennai Super Kings has also roped in two popular stars Vijay and Nayantara as its brand ambassadors.

"The whole concept of the IPL will be successful if people come to the stadium," said Rakesh Singh, marketing head, India Cements.

"So, we signed up the two most popular stars of youngsters. Vijay is the SRK of the south, if you want a comparison," he added.

But there is more to that, the show before the inaugural match Friday is also going to be a Bollywood-studded event. According to IPL sources, Katrina Kaif, who's now one of the top paid actresses of Bollywood after dishing out four hits last year, is set to perform. So is Zayed Khan, "who is popular with young folk".

The marketing honchos of the IPL have each spent already Rs.80-100 million in promoting their teams by designing team logos, tuning theme song and picking the right brand ambassador.

With millions already spent and more likely to be shelled out over the next couple of months, the IPL is an unparalleled gravy train.

Shah Rukh Khan hopeful of Shoaib playing in IPL

IPL Kolkata Knight Riders team is still hopeful that Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar would be able to play the first match of the Indian Premier League, actor and owner of the team Shah Rukh Khan said.

"I am still hopeful that he will be able to play in the first game," Khan said at a function in a suburban hotel.

The Indian Premium League starts on April 18.

The actor also announced the team's association with mobile phone company Nokia whose logo would be the central logo on the team's jersey.

"Even if he (Akhtar) can come midway through the tournament, I would like him to play," the actor said.

Akhtar has been slapped with a five-year ban by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for violating the players' code of conduct.

The actor said he had spoken with team coach John Buchanan and captain Sourav Ganguly who had assured him the team would be a balanced one even in Akhtar's absence.

"I believe the tribunal is hearing the appeal the day after tomorrow and we are hopeful that the PCB gives him an NOC (No Objection Certificate) and he can play," Khan said.

Despite reports that initial ticket sales at stadiums, where the Indian Premier League matches would be played, were not good, Khan said he was hopeful that they would improve.

"In this case, unlike films, the tickets for the matches will sell even on the day and day before the match. Hopefully, sales will be better in the coming days," Khan added.

IPL Match schedule

2008	April 18	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Bangalore
2008	April 19	Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings at Mohali
2008	April 19	Delhi DareDevils v Rajasthan Royals at Delhi
2008	April 20	Mumbai Indians v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Mumbai
2008	April 20	Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers at Kolkata
2008	April 21	Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab at Jaipur
2008	April 22	Deccan Chargers v Delhi DareDevils at Hyderabad
2008	April 23	Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians at Chennai
2008	April 24	Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals at Hyderabad
2008	April 25	Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians at Mohali
2008	April 26	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Rajasthan Royals at Bangalore
2008	April 26	Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders at Chennai
2008	April 27	Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers at Mumbai
2008	April 27	Kings XI Punjab v Delhi DareDevils at Mohali
2008	April 28	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings at Bangalore
2008	April 29	Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians at Kolkata
2008	April 30	Delhi DareDevils v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Delhi
2008	May1	Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab at Hyderabad
2008	May1	Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders at Jaipur
2008	May2	Chennai Super Kings v Delhi DareDevils at Chennai
2008	May3	Deccan Chargers v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Hyderabad
2008	May3	Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders at Mohali
2008	May4	Mumbai Indians v Delhi DareDevils at Mumbai
2008	May4	Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings at Jaipur
2008	May5	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab at Bangalore
2008	May6	Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers at Chennai
2008	May7	Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai
2008	May8	Delhi DareDevils v Chennai Super Kings at Delhi
2008	May8	Kolkata Knight Riders v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Kolkata
2008	May9	Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers at Jaipur
2008	May10	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Mumbai Indians at Bangalore
2008	May10	Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab at Chennai
2008	May11	Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad
2008	May11	Rajasthan Royals v Delhi DareDevils at Jaipur
2008	May12	Kings XI Punjab v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Mohali
2008	May13	Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi DareDevils at Kolkata
2008	May14	Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings at Mumbai
2008	May14	Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals at Mohali
2008	May15	Delhi DareDevils v Deccan Chargers at Delhi
2008	May16	Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders at Mumbai
2008	May17	Delhi DareDevils v Kings XI Punjab at Delhi
2008	May17	Rajasthan Royals v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Jaipur
2008	May18	Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad
2008	May18	Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings at Kolkata
2008	May19	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Delhi DareDevils at Bangalore
2008	May20	Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals at Kolkata
2008	May21	Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab at Mumbai
2008	May21	Chennai Super Kings v Bangalore Royal Challengers at Chennai
2008	May22	Delhi DareDevils v Kolkata Knight Riders at Delhi
2008	May23	Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers at Mohali.
2008	May24	Delhi DareDevils v Mumbai Indians at Delhi
2008	May24	Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals at Chennai
2008	May25	Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers at Bangalore
2008	May25	Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab at Kolkata
2008	May26	Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians at Jaipur
2008	May27	Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings at Hyderabad
2008	May30	First semi-final at Mumbai
2008	May31	Second semi-final at Mumbai
2008	June1	Final at Mumbai

Sachin excited about leading IPL team

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said he was looking forward to the challenge of leading Mumbai Indians in the high-profile Indian Premier League starting on April 18.

"It is going to be a challenge. I was not expecting it (to captain the Mumbai side). Mukesh Ambani spoke to me and he wanted me to lead the side. I have accepted it and I am looking forward to it," he said.

Tendulkar did not believe his side is one of the weakest in the eight-team league and said he was happy with the composition of the team.

"I am happy with the team. It has a nice blend of seniors and juniors, it is a terrific team. Who says we have a weak side, let the tournament start and everybody will know," he told NDTV.

The master batsman was also happy that he got feisty tweaker Harbhajan Singh in his side and said the 'turbanator' would be an asset to the team.

"He is a world class player, I am happy that I have got him. Anybody who has played for more than 10 years for his country should be a terrific player."

When asked about the prospect of facing India team-mates like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni in the IPL, Tendulkar said it would be a new but exciting experience.

"It will be a strange experience, playing against somebody who are next to me in the dressing room. It is a club system, it will be a new experience. It will be exciting for players as well as spectators."

Indian Premier League 20:20 Cricket - Rajasthan Royals

Indian Premier League 20:20 Cricket - Mumbai Indians

Indian Premier League 20:20 Cricket - Kolkata Knight Riders

Indian Premier League ticket information

Bangalore Tickets
Online booking: http://www.ticketpro.in/ipl/buy_tickets.html
Hotline Numbers: All India: 99101 18888, Bangalore: 99002 38888

Chennai Tickets
Ticket pricing details: http://www.chennaisuperkings.com/ticket/ticket.aspx
Buying: Tickets available from April 11th noon at M.A. Chidambaram stadium, chepauk, Chennai

Delhi Tickets
Online booking: http://www.kyazoonga.com/delhidaredevils/default.aspx
Hotline Numbers: Call 011 4307-1010 to book tickets
Tickets also sold at box-office in Ambedkar Stadium.

Hyderabad Tickets
Online booking: http://www.deccanchargers.com/node/835
Hotline Numbers: For all queries on Online Ticketing, please call 040 66250311 between 7 AM and 10 PM on all days.
Tickets available at ICICI Bank Branches
From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 12(Twin Cities only)
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 13 and 14 (All Locations)
ICICI Branch Locations: http://www.deccanchargers.com/node/841

Jaipur Tickets
Online booking: http://www.ticketpro.in/ipl/buy_tickets.html
Hotline Numbers: All India: 99101 18888, Jaipur: 99283 38888
For information on Corporate Hospitality, contact: Amit Mehta: +91 99809 99900
or Kaunain Mechant: +91 99809 99983

Kolkata Tickets
Online booking: http://www.ticketpro.in/ipl/buy_tickets.html
Hotline Numbers: All India: 99101 18888, Kolkata: 98677 48888

Mohali Tickets
Online booking: http://www.ticketpro.in/ipl/buy_tickets.html
Hotline Numbers: All India: 99101 18888, Mohali: 98768 48888
For all enquiries on Corporate Hospitality tickets call Wizcraft no. +91 99309 09996.

Mumbai Tickets
Online booking: http://www.kyazoonga.com/mumbaiindians/default.aspx
Hotline Numbers: call 022 4064-7500 to book tickets

Check Out Official Indian Premier League website

The official Indian premier league website is live. It is ‘Powered by Cricket.com.’ The website is neat featuring, news, downloads, blogs, photos, and fantasy cricket. It might not be so flashy as other franchisee websites. Wonder… 50 million USD for this website ??? Fantasy cricket link goes to facebook application. I thought they would do something like ESPN-Star Super selector. A bit disappointed with the official website.

Check out: http://www.indianpremierleague.com

Explosive Delhi Daredevils

NEW DELHI, (IANS): If the Indian Premier League is all about flamboyance and showbiz, Delhi Daredevils have in their skipper Virender Sehwag everything wrapped up in one explosive package.

The marauding opener apart, the squad pales in comparison with the star value of some of the other franchises. The GMR-owned team might not boast of top stars but they have roped in some bright youngsters from domestic circuit and that could make a huge difference in the Twenty20 version as it demands high levels of energy and athleticism.

Among the foreign recruits, Daredevils' biggest catch is South African A B de Villiers and New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. AB is going through the form of his life and would be the player to watch in the tournament. Vettori is one of the world's best spinner at present and he will play a big role in the competition as he is handy bat too.

As Vettori rightly put it, any of the eight teams with quality Indian players will have an advantage. Since there is a cap on the number of international players in the team, the Indian support cast will play a major role. The Indians will be the real strength of the side.(AFP Photo)

glamourous Mumbai Indians

MUMBAI, (IANS): For sheer glamour quotient, Mumbai Indians are matchless. Their captain Sachin Tendulkar's stature is enough for Mukesh Ambani to rake in profits in the first year itself, having spent $111.9 million to buy the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 side - the costliest of the eight teams auctioned.

While every team would like to be the champion side, winning just the first prize of $1.2 million might not have been the top priority of the business tycoons and Bollywood stars who have invested millions of dollars in the IPL. But for coaches, captains and players, cricket will surely come first. It is no different with the Mumbai Indians.

Although money is no problem for the Mukesh Ambani's Reliance group, no businessman would like to splurge without adequate mileage from investment in return.

An indication as to which way the Mumbai Indians are headed in the tournament can be had April 20 when they play Chennai Super Kings.(Reuters Photo)

Kolkata Knight Riders all set for battle

Knights all set for battle
Kolkata, (IANS): Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla may have bought the Kolkata Knight Riders for the seventh lowest price at the eight-team auction, but the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian Premier League (IPL) side has variety, all-round look and bench strength to take on any team in the Twenty20 competition.

Business partners, Shah Rukh and Juhi and Jay Mehta, should be mighty pleased with the way they went about the auctions. They first bought the franchise for $75.09 million for a 10-year period and then raised a team that has some of the best batsmen and bowlers of the present era besides India's most successful Test captain.

With hard-hitting batsmen like Chris Gayle of West Indies and Australia captain Ricky Ponting and a bowling attack that has Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar and Indian pace sensation Ishant Sharma, Kolkata is capable of taking on any side in the tournament.(Reuters Photo)

Indian Premier League could seriously damage international cricket: Wasim Akram

The lucrative IPL, which starts from Thursday, has already stirred controversy with high profile players willing to retire to feature in the multi-million dollar bonanza. “I fear the IPL can be a serious distraction and destruction if the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn't intervene because it involves huge money and players are ready to abandon international cricket,'' Akram said. The Twenty20 competition, promoted by the Indian cricket board and featuring stars from around the world, lines up eight teams bought by franchises which selected their players via auction last month. The tournament marks the first time that international cricketers will put aside national allegiances to play for privately-owned and city-based teams. “The ICC should have foreseen the danger 10 years ago because the ICC and cricket boards of countries earn billions of dollars with players getting a small percentage, so such a thing was bound to happen,'' Akram said. “Had players been paid properly by the ICC and the boards they would not have joined such leagues. Now there has come a stage where players are willing to opt out of international cricket, which is dangerous.'' Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-day matches during an illustrious career for Pakistan, said he hoped new ICC chief Haroon Lorgat, who will replace Malcolm Speed in June, would tackle the problem. “The new ICC chief executive seems a level-headed man and I hope he finds a solution,'' he said. Akram also said that huge interest in Twenty20 was a potential danger for 50-over one-day cricket. “Test cricket will stay on as it is but I think the ICC will have to find some ways to keep the 50-over interest alive,'' said Akram who holds the world record of most one-day wickets with 502. “Overs 20 to 40 are starting to prove boring for fans - even I would not watch the middle overs if players like Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi aren't batting,'' he said. Akram further criticised the IPL authorities for their strict media guidelines, which have forced international agencies to boycott the event. “In a culture like ours no event can get off without media coverage,'' Akram said. “I see these restrictions as odd, unwise and hope they relent because people want to see pictures and coverage in print.''

Vishwanath, Javagal Srinath and S Venkatraghavan will be match referees for the forthcoming IPL matches

Mumbai: Former India cricketers — Gundappa Vishwanath, Javagal Srinath and S Venkatraghavan will be match referees for the forthcoming IPL matches, according to the IPL director Dheeraj Malhotra.

"We have also decided to hire the services of some international match-referees for this inagural major domestic event and accordingly they have been approached," he further added without disclosing their names.

Former Pakistani referee Talat Ali is believed to have been one of the invitees as referee, it is learnt here. Talat Ali is now acting as a manager for the Pakistan cricket team. He has served on the ICC panel of match referees in the past.

Former India opener Vishwanath also served on the ICC panel whereas Srinath is now the member of the ICC's referee panel.

The other members on this ICC panel are Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Alan Hurst, Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama and Mike Procter. Few from these list are also invited for the IPL matches.

Don't cover IPL if they don't want Media: Kapil

In light of the restrictions imposed on media organisations by the Indian Premier League, former captain Kapil Dev has hinted that the press should not to cover BCCI's multi-million dollar venture if the IPL does not lift the curbs.

"If they (IPL) don't want, don't cover it," Kapil told reporters in Panchkula on Friday night on the sidelines of the first final of the Indian Cricket League's Twenty20 tournament between Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes.

Kapil's comments came when mediapersons asked him about accreditation norms put forward by IPL authorities, though he went on to add that it was "unfair" for him to give a "judgement for somebody else".

"As a cricketer, I wish them luck," said Kapil, the chairman of the ICL's Executive Board.

He hit out at the BCCI for allegedly bending rules when it "suits them".

Kapil said many players in the Indian Test side, flouting the Board's own rules, were busy attending various launches in connection with the IPL, which starts its first Twenty20 championship later this month.

Another senior ICL functionary, Kiran More said the Indians looked jaded in the Ahmedabad Test.

"How many turned up for the net practice session tells the story. The players were already too tired by attending the launches," More claimed.

Near to 50% Australian cricketers players want to retire for IPL !!!

Nearly half of the Australian cricketers contracted with their board are willing to give up their international careers for playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or its rival Indian Cricket League (ICL), a survey conducted by the country's Players' Association has revealed. According to the survey, the findings of which were reported by the Sydney Morning Herald today, 47 per cent of the national players and 49 per cent of the state players responded in 'yes' when asked if they were willing to give up international cricket for playing in the rival Twenty20 leagues in India. "Whilst it is surprising that players would want to quit international cricket to play in a lesser competition, the players' responses highlight how much the pressure, difficulties of so much time away from families, and the restrictions and obligations associated with being an international cricketer can affect their desire to continue playing international cricket for a long period of time," Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The ACA survey also revealed that the players were dissatisfied with Cricket Australia and 80 per cent of them wanted a change in its style of functioning. Almost two thirds of the respondents also condemned ICC's decision to remove Steve Bucknor from the Test series against India after the Jamaican's bloopers during the infamous Sydney Test infuriated the visitors, who threatened to abandon the tour at one point. A whopping 93 per cent of the players surveyed said they wished to continue playing cricket after retirement and Marsh felt the only way to prevent a mass exodus was to make room for IPL in the international calendar. "Cricket needs to carve a window out of the Future Tours Program for IPL, ICL or any other Twenty20 event that emerges, so that players won't be lost to international cricket. "Cricket has the choice as to whether it competes or co-exists with these leagues and if it chooses to compete it may well lose many of its players," he said. However, CA chief James Sutherland felt creating a window for IPL would eat into the seasons of several teams. "These are major issues for everyone to consider before they jump at a window," Sutherland said.

Hrithik Roshan and Katrina to perform for IPL

April 9, 2008 (Sawf News) - Unsure of viewer interest in cricket matches that do not involve national teams, IPL team owners are desperately banking on the presence of movie stars in the stadiums to give fans enough reason to part with their money to view the match.

Hrithik Roshan is not only filming a promotional video for Mukesh Ambani's IPL team - Mumbai Indians he will cavort with the team members in the stadium to the beats of the team's anthem, reports HT.
Similarly, Katrina Kaif, besides featuring in music video with Deepika Padukone to promote Vijay Mallya's Bangalore IPL team - Royal Challengers, will perform at the opening ceremony with Zayed Khan, reports Mumbai Mirror.

Akshay Kumar, who is promoting GMR Group's Delhi Daredevils has already committed to being on the field

"You'll find me in the stadium for every match, encouraging my team, cheering them on, and waving to them from the field," he told the press recently.

India Cement, who owns Chennai Super Kings plans to bring Tamil stars Vijay and Nayantara on to MA Chidambaram Stadium to ensure it is filled to capacity of 50,000.

Shah Rukh Khan, not surprisingly, is ahead of the pack in using Bollywood to ensure Eden Gardens has its capacity crowd of 88,000. Besides his own charismatic presence he is trying to get bongshell Bipasha Basu and Rani Mukerji to be in the stadium to cheer Red Chillies Entertainment's Kolkata Knight Riders.

So far Preity Zinta has resisted the temptation to give a filmi flavor to the Kings XI Punjab.

While there can be little doubt that the presence of popular film stars on the field and in promotional videos will snare viewer interest, it remains to be seen to what extent and for how long.

S-Max will be launching new campaign to promote Indian Premier League.

Television channel Max will be launching its new campaign, designed by TBWA, to promote its broadcast of the DLF Indian Premier League.

The BCCI’s league cricket format is expected to change the game and its presentation forever; as they’d say in Hindi, it’s expected to be the baap of all entertainment. Working around that idea, the TBWA team created the 75-second, ’70s Bollywood-style film to pitch the DLF IPL as ultimate entertainment on TV.

“The idea was to sell DLF IPL more as entertainment than cricket, considering it would be aired during prime time and was pitched against popular programming of saas bahu and mythological serials on general entertainment channels,” said Mr Rahul Ghosh, Creative Director, TBWA.

ICL’s offering prize money higher than IPL

The Indian Cricket League announced a prize money corpus of Rs 3.24 crores on Tuesday for its upcoming ICL 20s World Series 2008 in Hyderabad, starting on April 9.

The winners stand to gain Rs 1.25 crore and the runners-up will be richer by Rs 75 lakh while the third-placed side will pocket Rs 50 lakh.

That’s not all, for there are prizes to be won in the preliminary stage as well. While every team winning a match in the league phase stands to gain Rs 10 lakhs and the man of the match will be richer by Rs 2 lakhs.

On the face of it, though the money being offered by the ICL might seem quite less compared to the moolah being offered by the Indian Premier League — Rs 12 crore — but a closer analysis proves to the contrary.

While the World Series is a seven-day affair (April 9-15) with just one match being scheduled per day, the IPL is spread over 44 days and features 59 matches. Going by these numbers, the IPL prize money for a week would be Rs one crore 90 lakh approximately — much less than what the ICL is offering.

Himanshu Mody, the business head of Zee Sports, said, “We have started earning good revenue, hence the lucrative prize money. “In fact, all our advertisements on air have been sold out; this tournament too will be a huge success like the 20s Challenge.”

The tournament promises to be another blockbuster with Inzaman-ul Haq leading the formidable Pakistan team, while Chris Cairns will be captaining the star-studded ICL World team. R Sathish will skipper the ICL India team.

Shah Rukh Khan is in dilemma

Shah Rukh Khan will soon host a new quiz show Panchavi Pass (Reuters Photo)

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan, the proud owner of the Kolkata Indian Premier League (IPL) team 'Kolkata Knight Riders', is in a dilemma. Will he perform on the field at the IPL event, or will he be best placed with his antics in a studio for his new television show Panchavi Pass ? The dates of both shows clash. Advertisers who have been kept out of the IPL arena are gearing up and cornering time slots on Panchavi Pass .
( Watch: SRK bach in the hotseat!)

IPL's 44-day cricket bonanza flags off on April 18 with 59 T20 matches. Panchavi Pass (PP) is SRK's new quiz show on Star Plus, which begins on the same date. It is to be telecast 8 pm onwards over the weekend. While Star Plus has signed on Airtel as the presenting sponsor for PP, while Airtel's competitor Vodafone is on board as presenting sponsor for IPL, to be telecast on Sony. This has initiated a battle of sponsorship between the broadcasters as SRK endorses Airtel too.

Despite the lukewarm response to SRK's Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Khan and Star are gearing up for PP. The show is an adaptation of an international television game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Incidentally, Bulldog Media and Entertainment has licensed the format from the owner, Mark Burnett Productions. Synergy Adlabs is to produce the show in India.

The prize money on PP is Rs 5 crore, while that of IPL is several times more. Media agencies buying air time slots told TOI that PP will be set in a classroom-like ambience with five and 10-year-old kids as part of the audience. If a contestant is stuck, he can refer to the audience who will act as his classmates. Cut to IPL. In this case, cricket on field will follow only after entertainment antics of fellow Bollywood personalities, and sizzling 'item numbers', both on and off field.

England cricketers want to play in the Indian Premier League

The chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association said a solution must be found or "money will talk".

"The value of the cricketer has just increased through what is happening in the IPL," Morris told BBC Sport.

"It's perfectly natural for the PCA to want our members to take advantage of that - it's a unique opportunity."

Morris was replying to comments made earlier by Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

"We are not interested in people playing in the IPL," Clarke said, before adding that he would not change the domestic calendar to suit the Indian league.

The ECB supremo also said he was "not getting any pressure" from players eager to sign up for an IPL franchise.

IPL chairman Lalit Modi, however, told BBC Sport that England's top players are keen to feature in the lucrative Twenty20 series.

There is a very real threat from what IPL cricket could do to the England team by decimating it of its stars PCA boss Sean Morris

And he said he would be happy to move his season forward to accommodate England's big names, who would all be attractive to IPL teams.

The billion-dollar competition, which has attracted players from every leading cricket nation apart from England, runs from 18 April to 1 June, clashing with the English season.

Any English cricketer wishing to compete in the IPL, or any other overseas league, requires ECB approval.

So far, Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, who has played one-day and Twenty20 cricket for England, is the only Englishman to sign up for the league.

But on Thursday, New Zealand allowed five players, including skipper Daniel Vettori, to miss the start of their tour of England so they can play in the IPL.

India star VVS Laxman will skipper the IPL's Deccan Chargers

Modi believes England players are also keen on the IPL, and vice-versa.

"I know a lot of them are interested but we don't want to conflict with the English season," said Modi, who is also vice-president of the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India.