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