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

Try these links to watch Live Online Indian Premier League matches

Try the following links:

1. http://iplt20.com/
2. http://fudgetv.com/
3. http://channelhaven.com/
4. http://ipl-cricket-live.blogspot.com/
5. http://ipl-live-cricket-streaming.blogspot.com/


Tags :Indian Premier League Live Free Online, IPL watch online , Watch IPL cricket Live, Live Streaming video online, links,live online ipl indian premier league,

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