The IPL: A Distraction? View and Counter View

So Ricky Ponting decides to choose country over the Indian Premier League and we all clap our hands in admiration? He cites a packed cricket schedule and cries off the IPL and we are supposed to nod and sympathize? Not quite. We bring you a special report on the divergent views of this conundrum.

Although the concept of club and country events being concurrent is a new one from cricket, it is pretty well established in other sports such as soccer for instance and those players seem to able to manage both with ease, indeed they are expected to juggle both effectively seeing the staggering amounts they are paid, which are regularly reported in the sports news. Cricketers simply need to get used to this new reality of cricket.

Ponting had to have known about the playing schedule of this team before hand, so why make a commitment for the Indian Premier League and then back out citing reasons that already existed? This seems a little insincere to do after the contract is finalised. And to call the IPL a ‘distraction’ seems a tad too convenient. The excuse of “Oh we played badly because we were so very sidetracked by the IPL auction in Goa that we could not concentrate on the game where we were representing our country” seems rather thin.

Not only thin, it is decidedly unprofessional! Surely we are talking about professional cricket players, not about children here, who cannot concentrate on their veggies at meal times because they have been promised a lollypop afterwards! Problem is people are wont to blame money as the root of all evil and are happy to paint as a bad guy anyone who holds out blandishments of money.

And yet when you look at the way things panned out, you do wonder if there is really something to the idea that Indian Premier League is a distraction? Consider the sequence of events as evidence by recent cricket coverage: when the IPL auctions in Goa were concluded on the 6th of February, wherein many of the English players fared extremely well; make a killing really!

Well that was swiftly followed by a mortifying defeat of the English team at the hands of the West Indians. Coincidence? Maybe; but there could well be a connection: imagine the situation in the English dressing room, all contemplating the Indian Premier League with mixed feelings, with some players fetching record amounts, some doing moderately well and some remaining unsold. There would be varying degrees of elation, disappointment, and yes, even envy! Distracting? Yes! Cause for disharmony and unease between the players of the team? Likely, don’t you think? Resulting in poor performance and ultimate defeat? Well it does not seem that unlikely…

So there is the Cricket360 degree view and counter view of this problem. Your thoughts?

Source: www.cricket360.com

Lalit Modi denies rumours about IPL

Rejecting stories floating out of the rumour mills that the global media rights holder and a few more partners are ditching the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lalit Modi, Chairman made an emphatic statement here on Friday.

“All the partners including, Sony Television/ World Sport Group (WSG) are with the IPL. In fact they have already paid whatever money they were committed to. We receive hundreds of payments and not a single partner has defaulted.

“The IPL is a jewel in the crown of Sony Television; it’s a top cricket property for the broadcaster. Personally, I feel sad that Kunal Dasgupta has quit the company as CEO. He liked the concept of IPL and was the architect of developing the property for Sony,” Modi said

Last year Sony/ WSG had won the IPL media rights for $1.026 billion for a 10-year period, with $108 million pared for promotional activities.

IPL’s other partners are DLF (title sponsor for the first five years at $50 million), Hero Honda (associate sponsor at $22.5 million for the first five years), Pepsico (pouring partner for the first five years at $12.5 million), Kingfisher Airlines (umpires’ partner for the first five years at $26.5 million) and Vodafone Essar (telecom partner for the first five years at $25 million). Citi is the official banking partner.

With regard to the on-air sponsorship dispute involving Sony, Big TV and Airtel, Modi said: “these are business issues and we are jointly addressing it. We are in the process of resolving the issue.

“Let me say again that none of the IPL partners have left or have told us they are leaving. In fact, corporates have approached IPL at multiple prices. I cannot give the names of the corporates until the agreement is signed.”

Not to miss Ponting

“Ricky Ponting had given sufficient hints that he will not be taking part in the IPL season 2. I would like to reiterate that the ICC’s FTP is paramount. The IPL is not dependent on a handful of foreign players.

“The IPL has a natural window and it was a success last year because cricketers played their part at different times of the event.

“Some players were available right through the competition,” said Modi.

“This year we have allowed a maximum of 10 overseas players, although only four can play in a match,” he added. — Special Correspondent

Source: www.hindu.com

Tait Scares Royals while Flintoff Scares Kings in IPL

Even before the season has begun, the scare of injury has reared its head. It has happened with Rajasthan Royals whose key bowler Shaun Tait has been hit with an injury and there might be a probability that he may miss the second season of the Indian Premier League. The same has happened in case of Andrew Flintoff, who was the highest paid player for the IPL season 2 and is a prized possession of IPL Season 2.

The prized acquisition of Rajasthan Royals may not be able to play at all, and this is causing nightmares in the management team of the RR’s. It has been reported that he has been Tait has been hit with a hamstring injury, and as a result of this injury he may not be able to play in the Indian Premier League Season 2, which is going to begin from April 2009. He is a prized possession as RR’s have paid $375,000 to make him a part of their team.

Tait suffered hamstring injury while playing against New Zealand, and there are reports, which are ominous, as they suggest that he might not be, match fit by April. He is an injury prone bowler as a matter of fact, and one wonders whether Rajasthan Royals had taken this into consideration while selecting him.

As a result of his injury, Tait was not included in the squad of the South Australia for a game against Queensland. It has also been reported that it would be a long time before he would be in a position to start even light training. As per the reports emanating from Australia, Tait has not been responding to treatment so far. He is now hinging his hopes on playing the Indian Premier League by taking the treatment of having his own blood injected into the affected area, which is a painful process. Surprisingly, officials of Rajasthan Royals are totally oblivious of this development.

Injury to Flintoff would also be scary for the Chennai Super Kings, as he has been paid the maximum prize for making him a part of the team. If one has to believe the reports emanating from West Indies, English board has asked for replacement of Flintoff and Ravi Bopara may be joining English squad in a short time.

Flintoff is also a cricketer who is quite prone to injury and he was making his comeback after a long lay off. Fast bowlers these days are suffering quite a lot of injury owing to the heavy engagements, which are taking quite a lot of toll on their body.

The IPL Sponsorship Saga: End in Sight?

The back and forth drama of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) sponsorships continues even as World Sport Group (WSG), the London-based sports management company that holds the Indian Premier League global media rights is looking for an early resolution to the problem. According to the cricket news on the issue, there are sponsors who are withdrawing their backing, the deal with Big TV has fallen thru, the head of Sony India quitting, and there are many problems that currently beset the IPL with less than two months to go before the actual tournament starts.

The IPL however seems to be in denial mode as seen from statements issued in the cricket news by the CEO as well as chairman of Indian Premier League. ‘‘I want to make it amply clear that all our sponsors and partners are still on board. They have all paid as per the schedule. In fact, a lot of other sponsors have approached us and are willing to pay more than our existing ones,’’ said Chairman Lalit Modi.

IPL CEO Sundar Raman insists that there is no issue with Sony for WSG to settle and reportedly said, ‘‘Sony is a partner and we have a deal with them. A ground partner has raised an issue. We are still awaiting Sony’s clarification on those charges. They have not yet reverted.” According to a Sony official as well, there is no issue since there is a back to back deal for 10 years.

The IPL sponsorship as it stands has some of the older players who have pulled out however; newer alliances also have been forged. Like last year brands like Nike, Adidas Reebok, Nokia, Hero Honda and MasterCard are either sponsors or partners with the different teams of the Indian Premier League. Coca Cola has recently made a deal with SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders.

Apart from individual sponsorships the other thing that Franchises agree is more important is the finances of the IPL itself and the money from that central pool since there is pretty much unanimity of this point that the entire revenue model of the Indian Premier League largely depends on the central sponsors. ‘‘The money coming in from the central pool, the revenue model which feeds on television rights and title sponsorships, has to continue smoothly. It is like a cascading effect, where if one party decides to delay the payment, the after-effect of it multiplies. It’s like my employer delays my salary, I pay my grocer late and grocer pays the wholesaler late and so on... In these times of financial crunch, that’s what is dangerous for any business.’’ a franchise official was quoted as having said.

So the general perception is that as long at the central sponsorships revenue coming in from Sony-Max and DLF remain smooth, there won’t be too many problems.

Rajasthan CM steps in for Jaipur Matches

The war of words between the President of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), Lalit Modi , and the present political dispension in Rajasthan got more entangled today, when for the first time Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stepped in and gave the statement that he would personally see to it that the matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) would be conducted in Rajasthan.

The pressure tactics does not seem to be working for the Commissioner of Indian Premier League (IPL) and the President of RCA, Lalit Modi. He ha threatened that the matches of IPL which have been scheduled for Rajasthan may have to shifted outsides testate if the present political dispension in the state did not stop his harassment.

The CM of Rajasthan had given a statement saying that the state government does not have a role to play in what ever is happening in the RCA. For conduction of matches, the CM pointed that all the facilities that were extended by the state during the previous rule of the government would be extended by his government as well. He also commented that the on-going turf war of different factions is not an issue that has got any relevance for the government. The role of the government in facilitating organization of the matches is to provide the logistical support and the state would not be found lagging on that count.

People of Rajasthan, who are crazy of cricket, would not be deprived of any opportunity to view the matches on account of any extraneous circumstances. Modi had earlier threatened to shift Indian Premier League matches out of Jaipur, alleging the state government was harassing him.

The State of affairs in RCA was gravitating to such levels that may be the state government; more so, the CM had to step in to clarify the stand. After all it was the name of the state which was getting tarnished, and no government would have liked to get flake for a sports event which has a ground swell of support form the public. More so, in an election year, it can always become an emotive issue, as cricket is a subject which has emotional attachment with the people in the country.

Modi is trying to create a pressure to possibly wriggle out of the situation in which he has landed, by using his power that he derives from being the Commissioner of the Indian Premier League, but it may not work, as the game cannot be a held or not conducted on account of personal choices of an individual, even though ha may have single handedly been responsible for making it one of the biggest market success in history.

Andrew Flintoff under pressure over IPL

But that could be as nothing compared to the tsunami of pressure for him to rest raher than play in the IPL coming his way from the public after Ricky Ponting set the country before cash debate rolling on Thursday.

Australia's captain, along with several other leading Aussies, played in last year's IPL. Since then, their own stock, and that of Australia, has declined so rapidly that they lost home Test and one-day series to South Africa. Stung by the defeat, Ponting has decided to take this year's IPL off to concentrate on playing for Australia.

But would England's players destined for IPL consider doing likewise? Not if the response of one player is typical. He said: "Ponting can do what he likes. I'm playing in IPL, end of story."

If that sounds unpatriotic, the reality of playing for England these days is a non-stop slog of matches and tours for which the England and Wales Cricket Board must take much of the blame. After all, the quickest way to grow the game's revenue in recent years has been to enhance TV deals by playing ever-increasing amounts of cricket, a process that has proceeded unchecked for 10 years.

At first players countered by warning of burnout, but with money now to be made by playing yet more cricket, a hard-nosed attitude has taken hold.

Once again the ECB are not without fault, and had they not made such an issue over IPL participation last year, and let us not forget the ill-fated Stanford venture was part of keeping their best cricketers away from India's Twenty20 moguls, then the players would probably have been less bullish now about taking part.

The Board's other option, and one many former England cricketers feel they should have taken, was to have handed players, especially those dithering over signing their central contracts, an ultimatum: "You can play in IPL but while it takes place when it does [April and May], if you do you won't play for England."

Don't forget, most of the best-paid players made their name playing for their countries and any deciding to forego that privilege would soon lose their cachet, and therefore their earning power, within IPL.

With the Ashes imminent, injury is likely to be an emotive matter with regard to IPL, which is why Flintoff, who will discover the extent of any damage to his right hip on Saturday, is keeping his own counsel.

But the thought of him playing extra cricket, and IPL is an add-on, albeit a highly lucrative one, must run contrary to England's best interests for this summer's Ashes and World Twenty20.

What now seems obvious is that any player in need of rest or recovery from injury must be removed from any decisions about going to IPL. However grown-up Andrew Strauss's wish to hand responsibility to the players sounds, when there is big money involved cricketers, like most people, can quickly lose their moral compass.

According to assistant coach, Andy Flower, the decision to withhold players from the IPL will be made by Hugh Morris in conjunction with the new team director, a post that was advertised yesterday on the ECB website and one Flower will probably apply for.

"Fred is injured now but there is still quite a way until the IPL, so we will have to monitor that," Flower said. "I haven't seen the reasons for Ponting's decision but as far as our guys are concerned they are committed to doing the IPL. But if there are any injury problems Hugh Morris and the new director of cricket will have to make a decision closer to the time."

The loss of Flintoff for the Ashes would be a crushing blow, though at one-down with two Tests to play they could do with him here in Barbados for next week's fourth Test especially as off-spinner, Graeme Swann, is now also doubtful with a sore right elbow.

Swann, who took eight wickets in England's last gasp attempt to win the match, felt the problem during the West Indies first innings where he took five for 57.

It was one of the reasons Strauss gave for not making his opponents follow-on. But if it was painful then, a further 39 overs in the West Indies second innings, as England came within a wicket of levelling the series, will have exacerbated it to the point that Monty Panesar might be back sooner than he thought.

Pietersen, Flintoff main picks as Clarke pulls out of IPL

Australian Vice-captain Michael Clarke was tipped as another hot property at the auction until he made himself unavailable for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament for the second consecutive season, citing his attempt manage the workload in view of the busy international calender.

IPL Governing Council has set the stakes far higher this year for the marquee players with Pietersen's base price being USD 1,350,000 and Flintoff attracting USD 1,000,000. Clarke was also tagged USD 1,000,000.

The benchmark was set in IPL's inaugural year in 2008 when, in a stunning steal in the first round itself, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) purchased current India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a staggering USD 1.5 million to set the tone for the rest of the high-profile proceedings held in Mumbai.

With most of the top cricketers already in the kitbag of the eight respective franchises, who also have a reduced amount of money in hand, this year's auction is expected to be a little less frenetic. Barring CSK, all the other franchises have an amount less than the cap of USD 2 million set by the IPL's Governing Council to spend at the auction, it was learned.

Mumbai Indians (MI) could be interested in the top cricketers but have to do with an available budget of USD 1.7 million to do their bidding.

The Sachin Tendulkar-led franchise had already spent USD 300,000 on West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and thus have only a reduced amount in their kitty for the auction.

MI have also swapped with Delhi Daredevils Asish Nehra for Shikhar Dhawan and with Bangalore's Royal Challengers Robin Uthappa for Zaheer Khan to bring in more balance to their team.

CSK and Punjab Kings Eleven seem to be interested in roping in Flintoff while Royal Challengers, who did not do well last season and finished seventh, are reportedly keen on picking up Pietersen to add meat to their batting.

No England cricketer was in the list of players during the February 20 auction in 2008.

The Englishmen available for auction this year are: Pietersen, Flintoff, Paul Collingwood (USD 250,000), Luke Wright (USD 150,000), Owais Shah (USD 150,000), Ravi Bopara (USD 150,000) and Samit Patel (100,000). A total of 15 Australians, highest from any country, are to be auctioned off. The list also includes well-known names like Stuart Clark (USD 250,000), Shaun Tait (USD 250,000) and Phil Jacques (USD 100,000).

Incidentally, no player from Pakistan is in the auction list.

Clarke chickened out fearing no takers for him: Modi

Indian Premier League Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi today retaliated to Michael Clarke's last-minute withdrawal from the second season of IPL, saying the Australian vice-captain feared remaining unsold.

Clarke, who preferred to take rest and spend time with family instead of playing in the IPL ahead of the busy international season, was tagged a whopping USD one million for tomorrow's auction where now 42 players, including England's Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, will go under the hammer.

"I don't think anybody is ready to pay that kind of price," Modi said.

"The reality is in front of him. He didn't want to be unsold in the auction and so decided to pull-out," an upset Modi told 'NDTV'.

"We asked him to reduce price but he was unwilling," he added.

Clarke had given a miss to the inaugural season of the IPL as well owing to a hectic international commitment.

Modi, however, said the IPL had this year waived off penalty for last moment pull out.

"Unfortunately, he pulled out earlier and there was penalty in the first year but this year we have waived off the penalty and I don't think we will be able to move forward like this."

"We will discuss the matter in our governing council and have the answer by this evening," he added.

Clarke says no to IPL 2009

"I won't be going to the IPL," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press on the eve of second season auction to be held in Goa, India.

Clarke, who has also given a miss to the inaugural edition of the lucrative tournament, understood the IPL would be a good preparation for the World Twenty20 Championships to be held later this year but the batsman said he wanted to utilise the time for a much-needed break from cricket.

"The lead up to the Twenty20 World Championships is the IPL so it's good preparation so it does not surprise me that a lot of players are going."

"(But) The most important thing for me is we've only got a couple of weeks off, we've got a very busy schedule. With me, with my body and time with my family, I want time off this year," he said.

"It's a wonderful thing for cricket, it's definitely improved Twenty20 cricket, its played a part in improving one day cricket," he added.

Clarke had attracted a reserve price of whopping $1 million in the list of 43 foreign players nominated by the eight franchises for tomorrow's auction. As many as 10 members of Australian cricket team and four retired greats will take part in the players' auction.

Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds are among the high-profile stars while the ex-players include Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.

Others are Nathan Bracken, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Brett Lee and Cameron White.

Symonds in horns of IPL-baggy green dilemma

The troubled cricketer, banned from touring South Africa after his latest disciplinary dramas, will be available for Australian selection again at the time the IPL is about to start in April.

Symonds will be 34 this year and, at best, may have 18 months of international cricket ahead of him considering his troublesome knee is causing him increasing problems, reports The Australian.

Friends say it would hardly be the shock of the century if he chose 1.5 million dollars for six weeks' work in the IPL ahead of playing for an Australian outfit that currently doesn't want him.

Symonds' IPL franchise - the Deccan Chargers – came in last in the 2008 competition and would be delighted to have the all-rounder for as long as possible.

However Symonds' manager Matt Fearon claims that Symonds is giving indications that he wants to play for Australia again.

"From every indication and the brief conversation I have had with him, he is committed to cricket and the process he is going through at the moment. He has made it very clear his first love is playing cricket for Australia but schedule permitting... I am sure he would enjoy any time he gets in the IPL,” Fearon was quoted, as saying.

"He feels ready to play cricket but understands that that will not currently come about (for Australia)," he added.

With Symonds ordered back into a counselling and rehabilitation program overseen by a team of psychologists, Test skipper Ricky Ponting hopes he can again be seen in Australian colours.

But Ponting yesterday endorsed the decision by the Cricket Australia board to stand Symonds down from international cricket - and claimed the all-rounder now had to make his own decisions for the future.

"I can totally understand the decision that's been made. It wasn't a decision for the team, it was Cricket Australia along with his counsellors that basically came to that decision. As we know, with his counselling, it's a work in progress. It's all down to him now. He's got to work out for himself whether it's really what he wants to do," Ponting said.

Source: ANI

Collingwood defends decision to play in IPL

Collingwood, who has a reserve price of 175,000 pounds in Friday’s auction, knows he could risk injury or burn-out in the quest for big bucks. But he insists the money and desire to play Twenty20 cricket against the best in the world outweigh those fears.

The auction is due to start in Goa at 5 am UK time.

Collingwood said: “I think I might be awake! I’m excited to be involved. I saw the auction last year on TV and it looks a real spectacle."

“From a players’ point of view, you want to be in the best tournaments and there’s no doubt the IPL is one of the best. It is also a chance to earn a few bucks, I’m not going to hide away from that. I’m 32 and have only a small window to earn these amounts. So you won’t turn down these opportunities,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

Source: ANI

England cricketers in IPL auction row with ECB

Pietersen and other England players taking part in the IPL auction have been asked to pay 10 per cent of their auction price to the counties, the Telegraph reports.

Opposition to the arrangement has hardened over the last fortnight with Sean Morris, CEO of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), warning of a wedge being driven between the players and the ECB.

"When you look at the world's top cricketers, around 60 per cent already say that they are more loyal to their IPL franchise than they are to their own clubs and national boards," Morris said.

"Why is England the only country in the world whose players have to pay this sort of money?"

"The thing that really concerns the players is what happens to that money. Since it is the rest of the Lancashire team who are missing out because Flintoff is not there, it would make sense if those players were the ones who benefited. But the fact is that this 10 per cent will just disappear into another county black hole," Morris claimed.

This is not a good time for relations between England's top players and the England and Wales Cricket Board to become strained. Any distractions surrounding the IPL auction – which will be held in Goa on Friday – could hinder Andrew Strauss' chances of getting off to a winning start in his latest spell as captain.

Source: ANI

Modi hails Shilpa for picking up stakes in Rajasthan Royals

Expressing his happiness, IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said, "I am extremely happy to welcome Shilpa and Raj into the IPL family and I am even more thrilled that the Indian Premier League has proved once again that it is a prudent investment opportunity even in these unprecedented times of global economic crises."

The 11.7 per cent stake which has been acquired by Shilpa and Raj places the overall valuation of the Rajasthan Royals at nearly $140 million, which translates into an astronomical figure of 3733 per cent capital appreciation for Emerging Media.

"In my view this is probably the highest appreciation for any franchise, in the history of modern day sports", Modi said.

Modi also said that the IPL had emerged as a notable investment vehicle in these times of economic downturn.

"The Indian Premier League is thus emerging as an investment destination of choice in the present economic environs and am certain will also set a very positive trend for our other franchises to unlock value of their own teams.

IPL deprived Pak players want altered central contracts

The players, many of them seniors, want to have a meeting with PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt on the financial terms offered to the players because of the changed circumstances.

"Among the leading players, Shoaib Akhar and Shoaib Malik have signed their contracts the rest are junior players or not regular members of the national side. But 13 of the players are reluctant to sign the contracts now," one source said.

The source said the feeling among senior players including Younis Khan, Misbah-ul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul was that the Board needed to support the players who would lose a lot financially because of the IPL ban.

Panesar misses the IPL bus

Nineteen English players had made the initial list of 111 but only seven of them, including star cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, have managed to make the cut in the final list of 43.

According to a report in leading daily the 'Daily Telegraph', Panesar alongwith pacer Steve Harmison and batsman Ian Bell were ignored as none of the nine franchises was ready to put money on them.

List of England players who made the revised list: Andrew Flintoff ($ 950,000), Kevin Pietersen ($ 1,350,000), Luke Wright ($ 150,000), Owais Shah ($ 150,000), Paul Collingwood ($ 250,000), Ravi Bopara ($ 150,000), Samit Patel ($ 100,000).

Pietersen, Clarke have costliest base price at IPL auction

England's charismatic all rounder Andrew Flintoff's base price has been pegged at USD 950,000 in the auction for which a final list of 43 players nominated by the eight franchisees to go under the auctioner's hammer was announced by the IPL today.

As per the guidelines set by the Governing Council for the DLF IPL 2009, each franchisee will have a maximum purse of USD 2 million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers best suited for their team's strategies.

A total of 15 Australians, four Bangladeshis, seven Englishmen, three New Zealanders, five South Africans, four Sri Lankans and five West Indians would go under the hammer, the IPL said.

The first IPL auction last year saw current Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni being bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping USD 1.5 million, setting the benchmark for a tumultuous day of auctioning of top players from around the world.

Shilpa Shetty buys stake in Rajasthan Royals

Shetty and Kundra, a UK-based entrepreneur, are reportedly set to invest #15.4 million in the team, which is led by Australian spin legend Shane Warne and has international stars like South African skipper Graeme Smith and Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson in its fold.

"They have bought an approximately 12 per cent stake in the team," Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale told reporters here.

Shetty thus becomes the third Bollywood star after Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta to buy a stake in IPL teams.

While Shah Rukh owns Kolkata Knight Riders, Preity has a stake in Kings XI Punjab, the semi-finalists last year.

Shetty said she would have a role in the team's promotional activities this year. "I will be promoting the team. Perhaps a music video will also come," she quipped.

Franchises disappointed with Pak players' absence from IPL

On Monday, Pakistan barred its players from travelling to India for IPL because of "security concerns".

The BCCI and IPL officials, Niranjan Shah and Lalit Modi said the absence of Pakistani players would not make a difference to the league's following. But the franchises felt otherwise.

Joy Bhatacharya, the team leader of the Kolkata Knight Riders team for whom Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez played last season, said the team would miss the Pakistani flavour this season.

"We were like a family. Shoaib and Umar are not only good cricketers but popular among their team-mates as well at the Knight Riders. We will surely miss them a lot," he said.

Similar feelings were expressed by Amrit Mathur, the CEO of Delhi Daredevils.

"We are going to miss the Pakistani players because they were key members of our team," Mathur said.

"Shoaib Malik in fact was a very important member of the side and very cooperative we will miss his presence. One would have liked Pakistani presence in the IPL," he said.

Fraser Castellino, the CEO of Rajasthan Royals, said he was disappointed but nothing could be done if the government didn't allow Pakistani players to play in the IPL.

"Definitely we will miss someone like Sohail Tanvir who performed so well for us or even Kamran Akmal. It means we have to reorganize our team and plans for the new season," Fraser said.

Another team official said Pakistani players had added value to the IPL but the league would continue to prosper without them.

Niranjan Shah said there was nothing the Indian board or IPL could do since the players were not allowed to travel to India by their foreign ministry.

But most of the former Pakistani players supported the government decision pointing out that in current scenario it was better to avoid going to India.

"It would be wise if our players are patient and wait for relations to improve between the two countries," former Test captain Rashid Latif said.

Elections will impact IPL, says Modi

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi told reporters on Monday that the dates for the tournament were announced before the general elections were set and it has put the league in a difficult situation.

"It is indeed a difficult situation but the opening (April 10) and the closing (May 24) dates will remain fixed," Modi said.

Modi, who is also the vice-president of the Indian cricket board, said the organisers will prepare a tentative schedule and wait till the final election dates are announced.

"The problem will be when a polling or a counting date clashes with the date of the match in the respective city. This will have a big impact on us. So, we are making a tentative schedule and taking necessary steps to handle the issue," he said.

He also said that some investor has shown interest in buying stakes in Bangalore Royal Challengers, but declined to name anyone.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

IPL crucial for England to win Twenty20 World Cup: Samit Patel

Patel has enjoyed a whirlwind 12 months, culminating in a place in the big-money IPL auction on February 6.

Dehli Daredevils have registered their interest, but the left-arm spinner could be snapped up by any of the cash-rich franchises when he goes under the hammer.

And while he is vying with 110 other international players for a deal, Patel has revealed his true motivation for wanting to play.

“I see the IPL as a massive learning curve for me. I can play against the best in the world, bring that information back here and share it with teammates. I get four weeks out there. Delhi put me in the auction, but it’s not necessarily where I’ll end up. These are exciting times for English cricket. The World Twenty20 will be massive. For us to win that, we’ll have to learn from the IPL,” The Sun quoted Patel, as saying.

The fact Patel is being looked at by the Indians is testament to the youngster’s drive last season.

As well as an England call-up, the 24-year-old has been nominated for the British Asian Sports Personality of the Year.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

IPL won't affect Ashes build-up: Ponting

Heading into his fifth month of international cricket without a break, Ponting denied there was too much cricket, but questioned the tightly packed scheduling of Test series with New Zealand and South Africa this summer.

He dismissed suggestions the IPL would have any significant impact on Australia players, claiming they would only be able to play the last two weeks of the six-week tournament in May.

Following the South Africa Test and one-day tour, which is scheduled to end in mid-April, Australia are likely to have a five-match one-day series against Pakistan at a neutral venue which would run well into May.

Ponting wondered how many players would withdraw from the IPL after more than eight months of constant cricket and with the World Twenty20 kicking off a four-month tour of England in June that will also include five Tests and seven one-day matches.

"It's a fair way away," Ponting said of the IPL. "We're all going to have to make a judgment call closer to the time the IPL comes around."

"We might only be able to play the last two weeks and a lot of the franchises we play for might have no chance of making the finals. There's all those sorts of things that need to be taken into consideration and worked out between the player and the franchises I guess."

Vice-captain Clarke was still undecided on Thursday night about whether to enter the IPL auction next Friday as his management attempted to work through some outstanding contractual problems.

Clarke, who did not participate last year because of personal issues, has a reserve price of USD one million for the auction should he enter. Australia's most expensive signing remains Andrew Symonds at USD 1.47 million.

Meanwhile, reports from India indicate England players will be competing with the vice-captain for the franchises' money.

Kevin Pietersen has a USD 1.3 million reserve price and Andrew Flintoff has a USD 900,000 reserve price.

The franchises have a budget of USD two million each to spend in the auction and at least two have shown interest in Clarke this summer.

114 foreign cricketers for IPL auction

From South Africa's new batting sensation JP Duminy to Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke and England's Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, the auction will see an array of stars up for the auction for the second edition of the tournament that will kick off on April 10.

Australian players will lead the charge with 27 in the fray that include Clarke, Bradd Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Bradd Hogg, Shaun Tait and Jason Krejza among others.

England follows next with 21 players including Pietersen, Flintoff, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Shaun Udal, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan and Owais Shah.

Fifteen players from Sri Lanka and 13 South Africans, are also in fray as are Pakistan players Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria, Mohd Hafeez and Yasir Arafat.

"As per guidelines set by the Governing Council for the IPL 2009, each franchisee will have a maximum purse of USD two million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers best suited for their team's strategies," according to a release from the organisers.

Players from Bangladesh, the West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe too have enlisted themselves for the auction.

"The enthusiasm and interest displayed by players from all around the world to participate in the second season of the league has been truly overwhelming," IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said in a statement.

"Clearly the DLF Indian Premier League has set new standards in helping uncover and hone some exciting new talent, that have gone on to gain international recognition, all of which augurs well for development of world cricket. "We are extremely happy with the interest the league has garnered globally and look forward to the action at the second player auction in Goa," Modi said.

List of players up for second auction:

Australia: Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Mark Cameron, Peter Forrest, Lee Carseldine, Doug Bollinger, Michael Dighton, Jason Krejza, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley, Shaun Tait, Ashley Noffke, Bryce McGain, George Bailey, Michael Hill, Travis Birt, Chris Swan, Michael Klinger, Ben Edmondson, Aiden Blizzard, Mark Cosgrove, Adam Voges, Shane Harwood.

England: Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Robert Key, James Foster, Tyron Henderson, Sajid Mahmood, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan, Luke Wright, Kevin Peterson, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Ed Joyce, Dominic Cork.

Sri Lanka: Thilina Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Mahela Udawatte, Dammika Prasad, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weereratne, Jehan Mubarak, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Malinga Bandara, Malinda Warnapura, Michael Vandort, Prassanna Jayawardane, Upal Tharanga, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

South Africa: Gulam Bodi, Rory Kleinveld, Charles Langeveldt, Ashwell Prince, JP Duminy, Martin Van Jaarsveld, Roelof Van der Merwe, Andre Nel, Neil Mckenzie, Yusuf Abdullah, Paul Harris, Johan Botha, Morne Van Wyk.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Rajin Saleh, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mohammad Junaid Siddique, Ziaur Rahman, Mahumudullah Riyad, Nadif Chowdhury, Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Raqibul Hasan, Tamim Iqbal Khan.

New Zealand: Mark Gillespie, Tim Southee, Jesse Ryder, Jeetan Patel, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, James Franklin.

Pakistan: Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria, Mohd. Hafeez, Yasir Arafat.

West Indies: Sylvester Joseph, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Andre Fletcher, Kieron Powell, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Smith, Kemar Roach.

Zimbabwe: Vusi Sibanda.