IPL T20 Indian Premier League T20 cricket, IPL T20 Indian Premier League kolkata knightriders Shahrukh, India Cricket Match, IPL T20 Indian Premier League
Mumbai: Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will be telecast live at multiplexes in the country.
IPL 2009
Announcing this here Tuesday, IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said tendering for the telecast rights at multiplexes is in the process.
"It is an ongoing process and we have invited bids from the multiplexes. However, the multiplexes in the city in which the match is played will not show it live. For instance, a match in Mumbai can't be shown there," he said.
Images: Sachin`s ten most significant knocks | India in New Zealand 2009
Modi also said the IPL is planning to have commentary in various languages to attract local fans. "A person in Chennai can listen to the commentary in Tamil," he said.
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) In a desperate bid to save the Indian Premier League's second edition, its organisers have sent a revised schedule of the high-profile event to the home ministry, which will now decide whether security can be arranged for the Twenty20 tournament. The tournament has come under a cloud of uncertainty in the wake of the deadly terror attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore and the general elections in India which coincide with the league that starts April 10.
After a series of meetings, the IPL organisers have re-drawn the schedule of the tournament taking care that no matches are held on polling days in the cities hosting the games. "We have taken care to ensure that host cities are not alloted a match two days before and after the polling day.
We have submitted the schedule to the home ministry. It is upto them now to advice us," a top IPL source said.
The IPL officials are not meeting the Home Ministry officials for the time being. "We will have a meeting if they call us to seek certain clarifications or for any other matter," he added.
The organisers are not in favour of postponing the tournament as it may lead to massive financial loss for the franchise owners as well the tournament itself. PTI.
LAHORE, Pakistan – At least a dozen men ambushed Sri Lanka's cricket team with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers Tuesday as they drove to the stadium ahead of a match in Pakistan, kiling six policemen and a driver.
The attackers struck as a convoy carrying the squad and match officials reached a traffic circle 100 yards (meters) from the main sports stadium in the eastern city of Lahore, triggering a 15-minute gunbattle with police guarding the vehicles.
Seven players, an umpire and a coach were wounded, none with life-threatening injuries.
The assault was one of the worst terrorist attacks on a sports team since Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The attackers melted away into the city, and none was killed or captured, city police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said. Authorities did not speculate on the identities of the attackers or their motives, but the chief suspects will be Islamist militants, some with links to al-Qaida, who have staged high-profile attacks on civilian targets before.
The bus driver, Mohammad Khalil, accelerated as bullets ripped into the vehicle and explosions rocked the air, steering the team to the safety of the stadium.
The players — some of them wounded — ducked down and shouted "Go! Go!" as he drove through the ambush.
The attack reinforced perceptions that nuclear-armed Pakistan is veering out of control under terrorist assault. It will end hopes of international cricket teams — or any sports teams — playing in the country for months, if not years.
Sri Lanka had agreed to this tour — allowing Pakistan to host its first test matches in 14 months — only after India and Australia backed out of scheduled trips over security concerns.
Tuesday's attack came three months after the Mumbai terror strikes that killed 164 people. Those raids were allegedly carried out by Pakistan militants, and the assault in Lahore resembled them in many respects. Both were coordinated attacks, used multiple gunmen, apparently in teams of two, who were armed with explosives and assault rifles and apparently had little fear of death or capture.
Authorities will also consider possible links to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger separatist rebels who are being badly hit in a military offensive at home, though Sri Lankan military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the group was not likely responsible.
Authorities canceled the test match against Pakistan's national team, and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered his foreign minister to immediately travel to Pakistan to help assist in the team's evacuation.
A special flight is expected to bring the players home in the early hours of Wednesday, according to a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry official.
TV footage of the attack showed at least two pairs of gunmen with backpacks firing from a stretch of grass and taking cover behind a small monument before moving on. It was taken from the offices of a Pakistani news channel overlooking the site of the ambush.
"These people were highly trained and highly armed. The way they were holding their guns, the way they were taking aim and shooting at the police, it shows they were not ordinary people," said Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province. "This is the same style as the terrorists who attacked Mumbai."
An Associated Press reporter saw police handling what looked like two suicide jackets. Officers also recovered two backpacks apparently used by the attackers before fleeing, as well as walkie-talkies.
"It is a terrible incident, and I am lost for words," said Steve Davis, an Australian who was to have umpired the match.
Lahore police chief Rehman said "between 12 and 14 men" took part in the assault and they resembled Pashtuns, the ethnic group that hails from close to the Afghan border, the stronghold of al-Qaida and the Taliban. He said officers were hunting them down.
Two Sri Lankan players — Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana — were being treated for bullet wounds in a hospital but were stable, said Chamara Ranavira, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission.
Umpire Ahsan Raza was hit in his abdomen, medical Superintendent of the Services Hospital, Mohammad Javed, said.
Team captain Mahela Jayawardene and four other players had minor injuries, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board said. Ranavira said British assistant coach Paul Farbrace also sustained minor injuries.
Haider Ashraf, another police officer, said six policemen and a driver of a Pakistan Cricket Board vehicle were killed.
Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said little could be done to stop such an attack, saying "there is never enough security to counter a well organized and determined terrorist group."
The Dubai-based International Cricket Council condemned the attack. But ICC President David Morgan told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the organization had no role in deciding on whether Pakistan was safe enough for a tour since Sri Lanka and Pakistan agreed to the match.
One militant group likely to fall under particular suspicion is Lashkar-e-Taiba, the network blamed for the Mumbai terror attacks in November, in which 10 gunmen staged a three-day siege targeting luxury hotels, a Jewish center and other sites.
In the past, India and Pakistan have blamed each other for attacks on their territories. Any allegations like that will trigger fresh tensions between the countries, which are already dangerously high.
On a day when the Hussey brothers did the winning act for Australia, India found their answer in the two Pathans, with Yusuf and Irfan scripting a thrilling three-wicket win in the one-off Twenty20 game. Set a challenging 172 for victory, India seemed to have botched up the chase when Sri Lanka’s spinners reduced them to 115 for 7, but then came the last twist in an evening which had several: a 59-run partnership off 25 balls, and India were home and dry with four balls to spare, ending the tour with four wins in five games.
The Twenty20 game is designed to thrill, and this game did it in ample measure: there were 345 runs scored in 39.2 overs, with 11 sixes and 32 fours. The most important of them, though, came late in the evening from the Pathan brothers, after it seemed Sri Lanka’s spinners had spun the match irreversibly in their favour.
From an utterly dominant 81 for 2 after eight overs, India lost their next five wickets for 34 runs as Malinga Bandara, the legspinner, and Sanath Jayasuriya turned it around with a mix of fine bowling and some curious shot selection from the Indians. With Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja all back in the hutch and the asking rate an imposing 11.40 an over, Sri Lanka were well on their way to an incredible come-from-behind victory.
Enter the Pathan brothers. Yusuf had already made a name for himself in the IPL, and here he decided to remind the Sri Lankans of his prowess before the second season which starts later this year. The second ball he faced, from Bandara, was smashed over extra cover, the next one disappeared behind the sightscreen, and two balls later, another hit vanished over wide long-on. The requirement had come down to 40 from four overs.
That forced Tillakaratne Dilshan to abandon the idea of bowling more overs of spin, but when the fast bowlers returned, Irfan was ready to join in the fun. Lasith Malinga was carved over extra-cover for a one-bounce four, Dilhara Fernando was clubbed over midwicket for six, before the coup de grace was finally delivered off Malinga with a meaty blow over midwicket. Game, set, and match for the Pathan brothers.
Till that amazing turnaround, the match had gone pretty well for Sri Lanka and for first-time captain Dilshan: he won the toss - something that has been as rare as a victory for Sri Lanka in this series - starred with the bat despite a shaky start with a busy 61 to lift his team out of a mid-innings slump, and then, doing the job of makeshift wicketkeeper, even managed a sharp catch to dismiss the fluent and in-form Yuvraj. When he did make mistakes, lady luck still smiled on him: Irfan dropped a sitter in the first over when Dilshan was 0, but when Dilshan missed a chance from Raina on 28, it only cost his team seven runs.
It was with the bat, though, that Dilshan made his biggest contribution, getting to his first half-century in this format. Sensibly, he played the second fiddle to the rampaging Jayasuriya, contributing just 18 in an opening partnership of 59. Thereafter, he assumed the role of senior batsman, flaying through the off side, running hard, and pushing the score along with some support from Chamara Kapugedera. Ishant Sharma, who redeemed himself somewhat with a fine last over, and Zaheer were pasted all over the park by a marauding Jayasuriya and Dilshan as 53 came in the first five overs.
At that stage, a total of around 200 was well on the cards, but Sri Lanka lost the plot completely in the middle overs, scoring just 36 between the sixth and 12th overs, as Jehan Mubarak did his best to neutralise the momentum his team had got from Jayasuriya’s early blitz. Eighty-two came from the last eight, which ensured Sri Lanka had a reasonable total to defend, but Dilshan will still rue the sloppiness of his bowlers. There were seven wides in the first six overs, and ten in all, and Dilshan was left screaming at his bowlers and wringing his hands in despair.
His spinners brought his team back into the contest, just as India’s had, but the ultimate difference was the last three overs of both teams: Sri Lanka score 19; India made 30.
Vijay Mallya & the Royal Challengers in Consultation at the IPL Player Auction at Goa.
Panaji, Goa: Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League today kicked off in earnest with the IPL Player Auction at Goa. With a mere nine weeks to go, all the eight franchisees utilized distinct strategies to pick – up the players that formed a tactical fit for the playing squads. The highlight of the auction though was the historic bids for the two Englishmen at US $ 1.55 million for all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Kevin Pietersen from the Chennai Super Kings and the Bangalore Royal Challengers which should make them the highest paid players in the League. Another player that saw multiple bidding and a distinctly higher final auction price of US $ 950,000 compared to his reserve price was South African batsman Jean Paul Duminy, who will now turn out for the Mumbai Indians. Bangladeshi pace bowler Mashrafe Bin Mortaza though was the surprise package at the auction going for a final bid of US $ 600,000 to the ShahRukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders.
Expressing satisfaction on the way the Auction went Mr. Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier Leaguesaid,"This was a very strategic auction with each franchisee knowing exactly what they wanted in terms of international talent to strengthen their playing squads. I look forward to the prodigious talents of Pietersen and Flintoff making their debuts in Season II for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai. I am certain now more than ever that fans across Indian and indeed the world are in for an exciting second season."
Season II will see 5 Englishmen, 2 South Africans, 2 Bangladeshi’s, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, 3 West Indians and 1 Sri Lankan make their debuts in the DLF Indian Premier League in 2009. A grand total of US $ 7.65 million was bid for the 17 new Indian Premier League debutants as below……
Season II : IPL Player Auction at Goa on February 6th 2009
1)
Kevin Pietersen
England
Batsman
1,350,000
1,550,000
Bangalore Royal Challengers
2)
Andrew Flintoff
England
All rounder
950,000
1,550,000
Chennai Super Kings
3)
J P Duminy
South Africa
Batsman
300,000
950,000
Mumbai Indians
4)
Tyron Henderson
South Africa
All rounder
100,000
650,000
Rajasthan Royals
5)
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza
Bangladesh
Bowler
50,000
600,000
Kolkata Knight Riders
6)
Ravi Bopara
England
All rounder
150,000
450,000
Kings XI Punjab
7)
Shaun Tait
Australia
Bowler
250,000
375,000
Rajasthan Royals
8)
Paul Collingwood
England
All rounder
250,000
275,000
Delhi Daredevils
9)
Owais Shah
England
Batsman
150,000
275,000
Delhi Daredevils
10)
Jesse Ryder
New Zealand
Batsman
100,000
160,000
Bangalore Royal Challengers
11)
Kyle Mills
New Zealand
Bowler
150,000
150,000
Mumbai Indians
12)
Fidel Edwards
West Indies
Bowler
150,000
150,000
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers
13)
Jerome Taylor
West Indies
Bowler
150,000
150,000
Kings XI Punjab
14)
Thilan Thushara
Sri Lanka
All rounder
125,000
140,000
Chennai Super Kings
15)
Dwayne Smith
West Indies
All rounder
100,000
100,000
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers
16)
Mohammad Ashraful
Bangladesh
Batsman
75,000
75,000
Mumbai Indians
17)
George Bailey
Tasmania
Batsman
50,000
50,000
Chennai Super Kings
Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League is set to kick off on April 10th, with the Final to be played on May 24th, 2009.
The Indian Premier League today announced a final list of 43 players nominated by the eight franchises for the Second Player Auction to be held at Goa on February 6th 2009.
As per the guidelines set by the Governing Council for the DLF IPL 2009, each Franchisee will have a maximum purse of US $ 2 million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers best suited for their team’s strategies.
FINAL LIST OF PLAYERS NOMINATED FOR SECOND PLAYER AUCTION Goa, February 6th 2009
Sr. No Player Reserve Price
AUSTRALIA 1 Aaron Bird 45,000 2 Brett Geeves 45,000 3 Bryce McGain 50,000 4 Daniel Harris 50,000 5 Dominic Thornley 50,000 6 George Bailey 50,000 7 Jonathan Moss 50,000 8 Michael Clarke 1,000,000 9 Michael Dighton 85,000 10 Michael Hill 50,000 11 Phil Jacques 100,000 12 Shane Harwood 75,000 13 Shaun Tait 250,000 14 Steven Smith 75,000 15 Stuart Clark 250,000
BANGLADESH 16 Mashrafe Bin Mortaza 50,000 17 Mohammad Ashraful 75,000 18 Shakib Al Hasan 75,000 19 Tamim Iqbal 50,000
ENGLAND 20 Andrew Flintoff 950,000 21 Kevin Pietersen 1,350,000 22 Luke Wright 150,000 23 Owais Shah 150,000 24 Paul Collingwood 250,000 25 Ravi Bopara 150,000 26 Samit Patel 100,000
NEW ZEALAND 27 James Franklin 50,000 28 Jesse Ryder 100,000 29 Kyle Mills 150,000
SOUTH AFRICA 30 Gulam Bodi 100,000 31 J P Duminy 300,000 32 Morne Van Wyk 100,000 33 Tyron Henderson 100,000 34 Yusuf Abdullah 25,000