Sachin's Wax Statue

SRK tells Gavaskar: T20 is not your game

Reacting to Sunil Gavaskar's harsh criticism of Kolkata Knight Riders' head coach John Buchanan's idea of having multiple captains during a match, team owner Shah Rukh Khan jumped to his rescue, asking the former Indian captain to stay away from his team's affairs.

"I respect Mr Gavaskar--his knowledge about cricket is a billion times better than me," Shah Rukh told CNN-IBN. "But this is an era where Mr Gavaskar has not indulged in, nevertheless his knowledge about the game does allow him to make comments."

The Bollywood superstar added, "This is a new format that's being tried out. Please give it some breathing space. I am the owner of the team, I bought it. If he wants to implement something then let him buy a team."

In his column in Sunday's Hindustan Times, Gavaskar said that the Indian media gave undue importance to Buchanan, who he said is a failed first-class cricketer making a living telling international players to do what he couldn't do.

"To comment on his multiple skipper theory is to give it the importance it doesn't deserve but what does require comment is how he has got his Queensland pals lucrative jobs with KKR," he wrote.




"They have a very big support staff which includes his son and most of them are from Queensland. The owners - poor souls - have little idea that they are being milked."

Buchanan's multi-captain theory - of having three or four captains in a single Twenty20 game, drew criticism from a majority of cricket pundits, as well as Kolkata's regular captain Sourav Ganguly, although Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting thought the idea was worth experimenting.

IPL Story in South Africa -- hit or flop show ??

The cheerleaders will be there as will the best players in the world and all the entertainment of a glitzy T20 carnival.

"We will be playing flavour of India and carnival of India all across the tournament," says IPL Chief Lalit Modi.

The tournament may have moved out of India but there will be no shortage of crowds flocking to see the games the double header to kick off the IPL in Cape Town has already been sold out.

IPL bosses have smartly priced tickets at very affordable rates. The lowest ticket is available at just about 70 Indian rupees and the most expensive ticket will set you back by just a shade over 1000 rupees.

"We have taken IPL sto South Africa to ensure that we deliver once in a lifetime experience to the South African fans. Not only the game of cricket will be interesting, but also the bollywood, the entertainment and the local performances that go along with it," says Sundar Raman

And in a bid to maximize commercial time on television, it has been agreed that there will be a 5 minute break after every ten overs allowing the broadcaster to fit in more advertising.

The break may upset the momentum of a game but teams concede that this format needs to consider the demands of Indian television audiences.

"Obviously this is a great event for the Indian crowd. Not only Indians in South Africa but also across the globe," says TV co-ordinator, John Buchanan

So whether you are watching at home or at the stadium it promises to be quite an African safari.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Controversy

The first game of the Indian Premier League is less than three weeks away but the Kolkata Knight Riders camp is buzzing with controversy and confusion more than cricket. The IPL team is still unsure about who will be their captain for the tournament.

Sourav Ganguly was in Mumbai on Tuesday for a meeting with team owner Shah Rukh Khan and coach John Buchanan. The meeting was held at Shah Rukh Khan's home.

Last week, Buchanan threw the cat among the pigeons when he announced an ambitious plan to experiment with multiple captains during the course of a game.




There was further confusion brewing in the Kolkata camp after Shah Rukh Khan tried to play down the controversy over the captaincy issue.

Shah Rukh walked the ramp in the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai and told the media that it was a matter of miscommunication that had caused the captaincy issue to spiral up into a matter of greater proportions.



"I think there is a lot of over-reaction and rumors about he's been removed from captaincy.But that is completely untrue," said Khan.

Clearly a lot can happen when you get India's biggest movie star, India's most celebrated captain and a maverick coach together!

IPL Final Schedule

Defending champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers in the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Newlands, Cape Town April 18.

A glittering opening ceremony will be held at Newlands before the match.

The first semifinal of the 37-day tournament will be played in Centurion, Pretoria May 22.

Wanderers, Johannesburg will host the second semifinal May 23 and also the final and the closing ceremony May 24.

Following is this year's IPL schedule:

April 18: Opening ceremony followed by Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings (Newlands, Cape Town)

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers (Newlands, Cape Town); Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab (Newlands, Cape Town)

April 20: Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

April 21: Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians (Kingsmead, Durban); Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban)

April 22: Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings (Kingsmead, Durban); Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers (Newlands, Cape Town)

April 23: Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

April 24: Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers (Wanderers, Johannesburg)

April 25: Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings (Newlands, Cape Town); Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians (Kingsmead, Durban)

April 26: Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab (Newlands, Cape Town); Royal Challengers v Delhi Daredevils (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

April 27: Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians (Newlands, Cape Town); Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers (Kingsmead, Durban)

April 28: Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

April 29: Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban); Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban)

April 30: Delhi Daredevils v Deccan Chargers (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria); Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 1: Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab (Buffalo Park, East London); Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban)

May 2: Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers (Wanderers, Johannesburg); Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

May 3: Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban); Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders (Buffalo Park, East London)

May 4: Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

May 5: Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban); Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals (Kingsmead, Durban)

May 6: Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 7: Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria); Royal Challengers v Rajasthan Royals (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 8: Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians (Buffalo Park, East London)

May 9: Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab (Outsurance Park, Bloemfontein); Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

May 10: Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils (Buffalo Park, East London); Royal Challengers v Mumbai Indians (Wanderers, Johannesburg)

May 11: Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals (Outsurance Park, Bloemfontein)

May 12: Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria); Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 13: Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils (Kingsmead, Durban)

May 14: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals (Kingsmead, Durban); Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban)

May 15: Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils (De Beers Diamond, Oval, Kimberley)

May 16: Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians (Wanderers, Johannesburg); Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

May 17: Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils (De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley); Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers (Wanderers, Johannesburg)

May 18: Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 19: Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers (Wanderers, Johannesburg)

May 20: Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban); Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban)

May 21: Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria); Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 22: Semifinal 1 at Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria

May 23: Semifinal 2 at Wanderers, Johannesburg

May 24: Closing ceremony followed by final (Wanderers, Johannesburg).

IPL Tested !! Get Set Go...

Looks like the Indian Premier League is all set to unfold. The letters of clearance that were required for the Season 2 of the popular Twenty20 cricket series to kick off are out.

The letters that show most states giving their go ahead to the series, even offering state security for the matches – an issue of contention between IPL and Government given the General Elections schedule.


The only exception is Maharashtra which has given the series a conditional go-ahead.

Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor says the city police are ready to provide security as long as matches do not coincide with polling days.

He has also requested the cricketers stay at the Cricket Club of India instead of five-star hotels .

However, the state seems divided on the issue with Director-General of Police (Elections) Suprakash Chakravarty saying that the IPL should be held only after elections are over.

Chakravarty said the security forces would be severely constrained in view of the Lok Sabha elections during the period the IPL is proposed to be held.

The DGP has sought postponement of the IPL to sometime in May, or after the three-phased elections in the state are completed.

Justifying the proposal to postpone the league, Chakravarty said even if there were no elections in cities of Maharashtra where IPL matches are scheduled, the security forces would be on protection duties, which is very strenuous.

IPL 2009 Schedule

Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi cleared any doubts about the holding of the tournament, saying the governing body of IPL was working on a revised schedule.

"We want to assure all our fans and sponsors that the IPL is on. There are lot of speculations. There is no question of IPL moving to any other country," IPL Chairman and Commissioner Modi told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium.

Modi, who is also the Vice-President of the Indian Cricket Board, said that the IPL is working on a revised fixture and it will be decided soon. He also said that the IPL will also come up with a security plan next week.

"We are rescheduling the fixture and we are touch with all the state associations. It is a cumbersome process and can't be done overnight. We will shortly have a new schedule out," he said.

Modi, however, made it clear that there won't be any matches on the day of the counting - May 16.

"There won't be a match in a city also on election day. We are working on it and we have also 14 cities available and we have to shortlist eight from them," he said.

After the meeting of the IPL Governing Council Modi said, "We are extremely grateful and thankful to the Home Minister (P Chidambaram) who has assured us that security will be provided for IPL matches. We will shortly have a new schedule out. The IPL is on."





Chidambaram had told reporters in Hyderabad that India was safe enough to host cricket tournaments and that the Government will provide security provided the tournament's schedule is re-worked to ensure that they do not overlap with the election dates.

State governments have expressed their inability in providing security for the IPL, which coincides with the Lok Sabha elections.

However, Chidambaram clarified his stand saying, "I did not say IPL should be postponed. IPL and election schedules are overlapping. I don't blame the IPL management at all. They finalised their dates earlier. But once the Election Commission announced the election dates on Monday, I saw that the election and IPL schedules were completely overlapping."

Last Years Schedule : IPL 2008



PROBABLE IPL VENUES:

Mumbai

Delhi

Jaipur

Kolkatta

Bangalore

Hyderabad

Chennai

Mohali

Ahmedabad

Indore

Rajkot

Baroda

Vizag

Cuttack

Sachin's World Record

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who on Friday surpassed West Indian Brian Lara's record of 11,953 Test runs, said he had converted challenges to success.

"People sometimes throw stones and you convert them into milestones," Tendulkar said after creating the new record.

"It is definitely the biggest achievement in 19 years of my career. It can't happen overnight. The journey has been fantastic with ups and downs. It was a process of success," he said.

"I wanted to shift the focus on cricket and not think of the record. But whoever I meet they keep on reminding me (of the record)."

Asked what he decided to do before coming to bat today, Tendulkar said, "I knew I need 15 runs to get past Lara's record. But I had decided to keep it simple, concentrate on just watching the ball."

ICC 2008 Awards.....What's New ??

Winners list ICC Awards 2008:

Cricketer of the Year Award: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn (South Africa)

ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)

International T20 Performance of the Year: Yuvraj Singh (India)

Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)

Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

ICC Woman Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (England)

Spirit of Cricket Award: Sri Lanka

Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel

ICC Test Team of the Year: Graeme Smith (South Africa), Virender Sehwag (India), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Kevin Pietersen (England), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Brett Lee (Australia), Ryan Sidebottom (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka).

12th man: Stuart Clark (Australia)

ICC ODI Team of the Year: Hershelle Gibbs (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Younis Khan (Pakistan), Andrew Symonds (Australia), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Brett Lee (Australia), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Nathan Bracken (Australia),

12th man: Salman Butt (Pakistan)