IPL auction set for February 4

The player auction for the 2012 IPL will be held on February 4, the governing council has announced. The players from the Kerala franchise Kochi Tuskers , which was terminated earlier this year, The venue is yet to be announced. will be part of the auction.

Should any of the Kochi players fail to attract the bid, their salaries will be covered by the IPL through the franchise's bank guarantee worth Rs 156 crores that has been encashed by the BCCI. Among the leading players that will be part of the auction are Muttiah Muralitharan, Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene and Ravindra Jadeja.

The governing council also decided that the first window for trading players will be between December 15 and January 20, with a shorter window after the auction. There is no financial cap on trading, though each franchise can add only a maximum of 4 players to their squad through trading.

A huge sand cake for Sachin's birthday!

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik Friday began sculpting a huge cake and 38 bats in sand on the beach of his home town Puri as a birthday gift to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who turns 38 Sunday. Pattnaik said this is a special year for Sachin because of India's victory in the cricket World Cup."That is why I am creating the bats and a big colourful birthday cake to pay tribute to the legendary cricketer," he said. Pattnaik said he and the students of his Golden Sand Art Institute have already started work on the sculpture which will be ready for display on Puri beach, 56 kms from Bhubaneswar, by Saturday evening. "I will send the photographs of this sculpture to Sachin," the artist told IANS over phone. Pattnaik, who has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the globe and has won many prizes, said they are using 20 tonnes of sand for the sculture.

Sachin's decision should be respected: Sanga

With reports emerging that Sachin Tendulkar may not play against Deccan Chargers in the IPL on Sunday in view of the worsening condition of Sathya Sai Baba, DC skipper Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday said one should respect the iconic batsman's decision.

"If Sachin does not play on Sunday because he is worried about Sathya Sai Baba, his decision should be respected. You should always show a support towards personal decisions," Sangakkara said.

"There are many followers of Sai Baba in Sri Lanka too and they are also anxious. So I think it's a personal decision and should be respected," he added. Mumbai Indians skipper Tendulkar on Saturday joined the thousands of devotees praying for a speedy recovery of Shri Sathya Sai Baba, whose condition continues to remain very critical.

Asking his fans to pray for the well being of Satya Sai Baba, Tendulkar, an ardent follower of Sai Baba, tweeted, "I m praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health."

The panel of doctors attending on the spiritual guru today said that his vital organs were showing minimal response to treatment and he continues to be in same critical state of health.Sangakkara also wished Sachin, who turns 38 on Sunday, a very happy birthday in advance.

"I wish him a very happy birthday," the Sri Lankan added.

Aamir, Bachchans at Sachin's birthday bash?

There's a probability that the actors may be present at a birthday party being organised for Sachin Tendulkar...

There's news that with India having won the World Cup and with the IPL going great guns, the Ambanis - Nita and Mukesh Ambani - are keen to throw a birthday bash for the Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who deserves every kind of applause.

News has it that Nita and Mukesh Ambani will throw a small bash for him and felicitate him in their own little way. "They are planning to hold a party. We don't know how lavish it will be. But they are yet to ask Sachin. He's a very private person and may want to spend his special day with his family."

If the Ambanis do throw a bash for him, a few Bollywood celebrities are expected. " Aamir Khan and the Bachchans will surely be on the list. The Ambanis may even invite the fellow owners of other IPL teams - so that'll have Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra on the guest list, too. But nothing is certain as of now. The Mumbai Indians team will of course be there in full force," we are told.

So let's wait and watch, what kind of a blast this Master Blaster will have on his special day.

24th april sachin's birthday is now WORLD CRICKET DAY ?

Hereafter, we may celebrate ‘World Cricket Day’ on April 24th, Master Blaster Tendulkar’s birthday. The International Cricket Council is rumored to celebrate Sachin’s birthday as the ‘World Cricket Day.’

You may also be interested in: 10 Must-know facts about Sachin Tendulkar.

For any cricketer, Sachin he is the perfect role model. Tendulkar has carried the expectations of a nation of 1.2 billion people since his debut as a 16-year-old in 1989. He holds the record for most runs in tests (13,447) and one-day internationals (17,598) and most centuries in tests (47) and ODIs (46).

Ageless Tendulkar turns 38, Sachin cancels b'day bash, prays for Sai Baba

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 38 on Sunday, has decided not to celebrate his birthday and remains doubtful for the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Deccan Chargers here in view of the worsening condition of the spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba. Tendulkar is an ardent devotee of the 85-year-old Baba, whose condition is very critical.

Tendulkar said he is praying for Baba's quick recovery.

"I am praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health," Tendulkar said on Twitter.

The Mumbai Indians' captain did not arrive with the team on Saturday for the match against Deccan Chargers here on Sunday but is expected to come later in the day, according to sources in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

He is, however, uncertain for the match and has also decided not to celebrate his birthday, sources said.
"He may stay away from Sunday's match so that he can visit Puttaparthi, the pilgrim town in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, in case of any eventuality," sources said.

Tendulkar, who has visited Puttaparthi on several occasions to seek Baba's blessings, had planned a party in the hotel to celebrate his birthday. The Mumbai Indians' management and HCA officials had even made some arrangements for the party.

Delhi beat Pune to register 1st IPL-4 win

Yuvraj Singh's all-round show went in vain as Delhi Daredevils defeated Pune Warriors by three wickets in a high-scoring Indian Premier League clash to record their maiden victory in the fourth edition tournament here on Sunday. Chasing an imposing target of 188, Delhi romped home with four balls to spare as David Warner (46), Virender Sehwag (37) Venugopal Rao (31) and Aaron Finch (25) shone with the bat. Earlier, opener Jesse Ryder (60) and skipper Yuvraj (66 not out) struck half-centuries to help Pune Warriors amass an imposing 187 for five.

Yuvraj then took four wickets and it looked that his team will go on to score its third successive win but the Delhi batsmen refused to buckle under pressure of chasing a massive total and came out victorious.

Yuvraj though was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. The visitors started splendidly with a 75-run opening stand between Warner and skipper Sehwag but a flurry of wickets reduced Delhi to 120 for five and they appeared to be heading towards another defeat.

Venugopal (31 in 20 balls) and Finch (25 in 12 balls) then raised a crucial stand of 47 runs in 4.1 overs for the sixth wicket to put them on the doorsteps of a fine victory. James Hopes (13), who has stayed on to play in the IPL in spite of the death of his father back home in Australia, completed the victory in style by smashing Jesse Ryder for a six and a four in the first two balls of the final over.

Twenty runs came in the 18th over bowled by Shrikant Wagh that swung the match Delhi's way.

Earlier, after being invited to bat by Delhi, Ryder took full use of two reprieves by Ashok Dinda in bludgeoning his way to 60 off only 27 balls. He hit five huge sixes and as many fours.

During his stay, Ryder added 54 runs in 6.2 overs for the second wicket with Mithun Manjas (20 in 18 balls). 

Yuvraj, who came in at the fall of Manhas' wicket, struck a quickfire 66 not out in 33 balls, with five massive sixes and four fours, to give Pune the impetus towards the end.

The skipper put on 41 runs in just 17 balls for the unfinished sixth wicket with Wayne Parnell (10 not out). The Delhi bowlers, after having allowed Pune to go on a rampage in the first ten overs, came back strongly in the second half of the innings till Yuvraj smashed Ashok Dinda for 26 runs in the final over to undo the visitors' good work in the period after Ryder's dismissal.

Yuvraj carted Dinda for three on-side sixes, two of them off successive balls, and a four, to finish the innings on a high. On a good batting track the Warriors, who had chased successively in their first two games, began their innings on a confident note.

Daredevils' ploy to open the bowling with part-time off-break bowler Venugopal nearly paid dividends but for Dinda's late reaction to latch on to Ryder's mistimed pull. The fortunate New Zealander then whacked the bowler for two successive sixes to set the Pune on course. Fourteen runs came off Rao's opening over and as expected, was replaced by Irfan Pathan.

Dinda drew first blood when he had Graeme Smith caught at third man in his second over.Pathan, after a good first over, was hit for a four and a six by Ryder in successive balls in his next.

Umesh Yadav, back in the team after being omitted for the previous game, was then slammed for 21 runs. 

Ryder looked a man in total command as he cut and pulled the wayward bowler for three successive fours to help the team reach 50 in 32 balls. Having watched Ryder smash left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem for a six, Manhas did a repeat against James Hopes before the Australian exacted his revenge by having the Delhi player caught at midoff for 20. Ryder, on 46, pulled Nadeem hard and straight to the deep mid-wicket fence, where Dinda dropped a sitter to give the batsman his second life.

The Kiwi accepted it gleefully and smacked the next ball over long-on for his fifth six to reach his half century in only 24 balls. Ryder swung the bowler for another four to the square leg fence before holing out to Aaron Finch. After that, Daredevils fought back in the next five overs to arrest the run-rate.

At the end of the 15 over, Pune were 128 for five but in the next, Irfan conceded 13 runs.

Mohnish Mishra, who played a match-winning 21-ball 37 in the previous game against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, failed to get going and fell cheaply to Dinda.

What followed after that was total carnage as Yuvraj took the Delhi bowlers to the cleaners.

The flamboyant left-hander swung Dinda over midwicket for his first six, then slammed him over long-on before pulling him over midwicket to spoil the bowler's figures.

Celebrity & Team Owners of IPL

Celebrity & Team Owners of IPL in Colorful Action

Are bhagvan ko pranam karte hai "NAMAJ nahi padte" Koi to samjao?

JUST 4 FUN ((Just Kidding)

Ganguly to make IPL comeback with Kochi?

Former Indian and Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly is once again linked to make a sensational comeback in the IPL with Kochi franchisee, sources have told CNN-IBN.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who are making their IPL debut this year, is keen to take Sourav Ganguly on board seven days after the kick-off for the fourth season of the IPL.

Ganguly is likely to be included as a replacement player for Kochi Tuskers after Steve Smith was ruled out of the tournament. And if Ganguly dons the orange, the Kolkata icon will debut for Kochi against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on April 20. So the KKR fans, who were shouting in anger when KKR dropped Ganguly, are sure to have a jaw-dropping scenario when their favourite son sits in the opposition dug-out. 

Ganguly, along with Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer and Punjab pacer VRV Singh were the only three Indian players to remain unsold at the end of the two-day auction that took place in January in Bangalore.

Kochi has made worst possible start in this edition losing both their matches.

SriLankans players May leave IPL early for England tour

Colombo: Sri Lankan cricketers participating in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) have been asked to return home early to prepare for the national team's tour of England that gets underway on May 14.

Ten Sri Lankan cricketers are contracted to various franchises, two of which are being led by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the islanders' two senior-most players.

The Sri Lankans are scheduled to leave for England on May 10 and the IPL-contracted players have been requested to return home at least by May 5 to prepare for the tour. The IPL ends on the May 28. "On a recommendation made by the national selection committee, I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour," Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told PTI on Tuesday.

"When contracted players of Sri Lanka Cricket represent other tournaments, they should make sure that their priority lies with the national team and this will be strictly adhered to in the future," Aluthgamage added. 

The move by the Sri Lankan government is in complete contrast to the one that was taken three years ago when it cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow the players participate in the hugely popular Twenty20 league, which had started in 2008.

The government's decision at that time attracted severe criticism from both the media as well as several former players, including 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. Besides Deccan Chargers skipper Sangakkara and Kochi Tuskers Kerala captain Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Pradeep are some of the Sri Lankan players involved in the fourth season of the IPL.

As the list features match-winners like Malinga and Dilshan besides Sangakkara and Jayawardene, owners of the respective franchises would be hard-pressed to find replacements for these players.

Lalit Modi to sue Giles Clarke

London: Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), is being sued by former IPL chief Lalit Modi for libel over an email he sent last year to Indian cricketing authorities warning of a plan to set up a rebel Twenty20 league in England.

"Clarke faces two separate libel actions: one from Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League, and the other from IMG, the international sports marketing firm, both of whom deny they were involved in any plan to set up a rebel Twenty20 league in England," according to a report in The Daily Telegraph Saturday.

 

The alleged plan called "Project Victoria" worth &pound1.2 billion ($1.87 billion) will be a key part of a libel case to be heard in England's High Court this summer between some of the most powerful figures in the sport, the report said.The libel claims will be heard at a high court trial in July, which is set down for a month and expected to cost Two Million pounds.

Documents lodged at the high court show Clarke's defence will allege IMG and Modi held discussions with leading English counties over a secret plan to introduce an IPL-style Twenty20 competition involving franchises rather than counties.

Modi and IMG counter that defence by claiming Clarke has lied in court documents in a "desperate attempt to exculpate himself," a claim Clarke denies. The email that provoked the libel claims was sent by Clarke to the president of the Indian cricket board, Shashank Manohar, although IMG contends it was also copied to members of the ECB board and other officials. It was subsequently leaked to the media. Clarke denies being responsible for the leak to the media.

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