No Deccan Chargers in Indian Premier League

Deccan Chargers, the champions of second edition of Indian Premier League, is unlikely to feature in the next edition of the cash-rich league which may force the BCCI to lookout for a prospective buyer in the next few days.

"The IPL governing council members will be meeting on September 4 where a concrete decision regarding the future of Deccan Chargers will be taken. As of now, there is very little chance that DC will be playing in IPL VI as it is unable to resolve the financial problems. The Board will have to find a new buyer for the team," a top BCCI official toldPTI today.

In June this year, the Deccan Chronicle group had appointed Religare Capital Markets Ltd to advise it on selling of Deccan Chargers following approach "by multiple parties evincing interest in acquiring stake in the company's IPL team".

However, according to investment banking sources, financial liabilities of the franchise owner pushed away the prospective buyers and the matter has been intimated to the cricket board.

"None of the investors were really interested to buy a team with financial liabilities. Now, the owners have intimated the BCCI about their inability to sell the team. The BCCI has reportedly told them that they would now auction the team," a reliable source in investment banking sector informed.

The formal announcement will come within a few days but BCCI is likely to get a suitable replacement as many business houses are interested in buying a team.

"Obviously, for a new investor, the advantage will be that he would get a set team and also can buy a few more players. The BCCI will encash the bank guarantee and pay the salaries of the players," the Board official said.

The Deccan Chronicle group had acquired the franchise for USD 107 million (approximately Rs 588 crore) in 2008.
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IPL loses its title sponsor

The Indian Premier League has lost its title sponsor after real estate giant DLF declined to renew its five-year deal, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.
‘We have just stepped off the IPL,’ DLF group executive director Rajeev Talwar told the Press Trust of India.
‘Sponsoring the IPL over the last five years was a strategic decision wherein we wanted to establish our brand presence across India as the leading real estate player.
‘We believe that we have been able to achieve the desired objectives to a great extent.’
DLF reportedly paid $50 million to be the title sponsor of the glitzy Twenty20 league for the first five years, a deal which ended with the 2012 edition in March-April.
The last date for renewal of the contract was July 28, Talwar added.
There was no immediate comment from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which owns the IPL.

Who love IPL?(2)

Who love IPL?

for Pune, Kochi $ 703m

The financial might of the IPL was on display again on Sunday when Pune and Kochi became the league's two new franchises, being sold for a value in excess of the original eight franchises combined.

The Sahara Group, the biggest patron of sports in the country, became owners of the Pune franchise after offering a staggering US$370m. The other new franchisee is a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World, which bid US$333.33m for Kochi. There were three other qualified bidders, including Adani Enterprises and VC digital solutions Pvt Ltd (Videocon), who were in the fray to become part of the IPL, which will be heartening for any existing franchise owners looking to offload their stake.

"It only shows there is no recession for the IPL and it is on the upswing," Lalit Modi, the league's commissioner, said after announcing the new franchises in Chennai.

Sahara, who have been sponsoring Indian cricket for the past 15 years, had bid for the same amount for three cities, but ultimately chose Pune over Ahmedabad and Nagpur. "When we considered the cities, in terms of infrastructure and logistics, Pune came first," Abhijit Sarkar, the head of Sahara's corporate communications, said. "Ït is also close to Mumbai - the commercial capital of India - and Aamby Valley (an upmarket township owned by the Sahara group)."

Ajay Shirke, president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and a prominent businessmen from Pune, said he was obviously happy about Pune being rated as the most popular venue at the auction with three out of the five bidders preferring Pune as their home base over the rest of the 11 cities.

"MCA has always maintained that we will support all bids that are made for Pune," Shirke, who was present at the auction venue in Chennai, told Cricinfo. "That only increases Pune's association with cricket manifold.

"What they [the bidders] would have kept in mind was the market of Mumbai and Pune are nearby. Then there are private cities like Lavasa and Aamby Valley, which are about 20 kilometres from the ground."

According to Shirke, the Sahara franchise would have its home ground situated on the outskirts of Pune city, in Gahunje, which is on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The ground construction is already underway with Shapoorji Pallonji being the main contractors.

He was confident that the ground would be ready in time for the IPL's fourth season when Sahara would unveil its team. "The construction work has already started and it should be ready by March 2011," Shirke said.

While Sahara have a long history of sports sponsorship and are a high-profile corporate group, little is known about the winners of the Kochi franchise. It is a consortium with five partners - the Rendezvous group, Parini developers, Anand Shah Estate, Anchor Earth Private Limited and Film Waves. Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor was involved in bringing together the group, but has no stake in the franchise.

In fact, Tharoor clarified to Cricinfo that he had no stake in the Kochi franchise and that his role was limited to encouraging the consortium that bagged the team. "My role consisted only of encouraging and blessing the venture, and steering it to Kerala," he told Cricinfo.

"Tharoor was involved in facilitating and trying to get a team for the state," Modi confirmed. "He is an ardent fan of cricket and he has been trying to get people from Kochi to bid for it. I think his involvement ends there."

Modi said the tournament's organsiers would provide the Kochi franchise a home ground till the Kerala Cricket Association completes construction of its new stadium. "Kerala Cricket Association is in the process of building the infrastructure and as when the stadium is ready teams will play there," he said. "But till the structures are ready, the IPL will provide them with an alternate venue."

Speaking to reporters, Shailendra Gaikwad of Rendezvous World Sport said, "We have closely been following every development within the IPL, right from the inaugural year. Today, I am very happy for our consortium of Rendezvous World Sport and the people of Kochi as we finally have a team to call our own in this amazing city-based sports franchise"

While the huge money offered by the new franchisees shows the health of the IPL, Modi said there were no plans in the near future to further increase the number of teams involved. "We also have no plans to expand further immediately. In fact I don't foresee an expansion in many, many years to come but then you never know."

The IPL will now feature 10 teams and - if the current format is retained - a total of 94 games, from the existing 60. After the first season in 2008, the league has already expanded its reach to other centres such as Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Dharamsala.

The franchise auction process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after the bidders and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses.

Sourav fined $20,000 for slow over rate

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly has been fined
$20,000 for slow over rate during the team’s opening match win against defending champions Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Knight Riders were assessed to be three overs behind the required rate at the end of the match. Under the IPL’s code of conduct, match referee Andy Pycroft fined Ganguly.

Knight Riders, who were placed at the bottom last year, stunned Chargers by 11 runs here Friday.

More at : Sourav fined $20,000 for slow over rate http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/sourav-fined-20000-for-slow-over-rate_100334275.html#ixzz0ieesG8SD

IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders

Having worked with him at Middlesex, I recognise this as typical Buchanan: he is always looking to challenge received wisdom and shake things up. Sometimes his thinking can be insightful; at other times it just causes problems. In this case, I think it might have been unwise to challenge Ganguly, the Knight Riders’ captain and leading run-scorer last season. He is not known as the “Prince of Kolkata” for nothing.

In 2008, the Knight Riders started spectacularly, when New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum teed off in the opening match in Mumbai. But after that they suffered four consecutive defeats as their batting struggled to reproduce the same level of quality. As for their bowling, it was too reliant on the excellent Umar Gul, who averaged fewer than 16 runs per wicket. Without Gul and Shoaib Akhtar — both ruled out by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s tough stance on the IPL — the Knight Riders must find new ways of getting people out.

Fortunately, two lesser performers of the 2008 season have matured greatly in the past 12 months. Despite attracting a huge $950,000 bid, Ishant Sharma was a disappointment last year, but he has since turned himself into one of the world’s most respected young bowlers. His inswing, delivered from a high action and with canny variations in pace, will present batsmen with an unusual challenge.

Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan mystery spinner, had played just three one-day internationals when he was brought on board last year, which may explain why he was selected for only a single IPL match. Yet since then, he has been a revelation, averaging 23 runs per wicket in Tests and a scarcely credible 13 in one-dayers. Not bad for a bloke whom the Knight Riders signed originally as a replacement.

With McCullum available for the whole season, and Chris Gayle, of the West Indies, hoping to play in the IPL for the first time, Kolkata will have extra, top-order artillery. With openers like these, they are bound to unleash further pyrotechnics from time to time. But their biggest challenge will be to maintain form over the long haul. Their owner, the Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, will expect nothing less.

Key man: Brendon McCullum

Likely starting XI: Brendon McCullum (wk), Chris Gayle, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Cheteshwar Pujara, Debabrata Das, Moises Henriques, Laxmi Shukla, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Ajantha Mendis.

Indian Punters League cashes in on IPL-3

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) frenzy catches up with cricket fanatics, action elsewhere (behind closed doors) is churning out big money as well — with some estimates pegging the amount at around Rs 5,000 crore per match.

According to sources, the bookies have changed the way they operate. Given the large number of games being played, the operators are opting for weekly settlement with punters, instead of the daily system preferred earlier.

The settlement cycle also depends on a punter’s credit worthiness. But bookies say that on days when two games are being played it becomes very difficult to find time. So, they opted for a longer settlement cycle.

Betting being illegal in India, most of the bookies are using the confines of their cars, instead of operating from hideouts in buildings, as they are mobile and can evade the police easily. Giving them company are mobile phones, with some meant for outgoing calls only, and laptops to keep track of scores and other developments on the field.

There is more to it. Traditionally, punters used to organise bets on who would win. Now, there are several options: If you go for a ‘session’, you have to put your money on number of runs scored in a session (innings). For example, if a team scores between, say, 150 and 180 runs, the punter will make money. If a team falls short of the 150-run mark, or manages to go past 180, the bookie takes the cash.

The other option is ‘gala’ in bookie-speak. This form of betting typically starts from the 12th over and requires people to predict how many runs would be scored over the next few overs. If, say, someone bets on a team scoring 19 runs in three overs and the batting team manages to score up to 19 runs, the punter makes the money. In case the team scores 20 or more runs, the bookie walks away with the cash.

There is a third variation — ‘khadda’ — where no one is willing to take a bet since the outcome is hard to predict. Here, it is the bookies who are involved and it’s the “insiders” who decide. “This is more of an exception and not the rule as no one wants to lose money,” said a bookie.

The betting odds are decided by a ring of leading bookies who decide the rates, which is then communicated to the others over the phone.

For those looking to play straight, there is the traditional form of betting as well. Bookies said Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders are seen as the hot favourites in IPL-3. As a result, someone betting one rupee on these four teams will get less in return. In contrast, the odds on a Rajasthan Royals win are 1:2.

Similarly, betting on Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist is considered to be less rewarding as these players are seen to be match winners.

Modi planning overseas IPL tournament

With the IPL’s return to India being heralded as a huge success IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is already planning to stage another overseas IPL tournament.

Although the idea is still in the planning stages England, America and the Middle East have already been pin pointed as possible locations.

"This is just a proposal at the moment. The idea is to begin with exhibition matches overseas. It all depends on how the British, North American and Middle Eastern TV viewers react to this year's IPL,” Modi told the Times of India.

”Based on that, there could be a short IPL played outside India in the future," he added.

Last years IPL was held in South Africa after Modi decided to move the tournament because it clashed with local elections in India.

Deccan Chargers survived a late assault from Irfan Pathan

Deccan were cruising at one stage when Punjab had been reduced to 68-6, but Irfan Pathan raised his team's hopes with a stunning onslaught of 60 from 29 balls. The left-hander, however, fell on the first ball of the final over in which the team needed 19 runs.

Pathan cracked five sixes and three fours in his knock but it didn't prove enough as his team slumped to its third straight defeat in the competition.

Chasing 171, Punjab were set back early in their innings when Manvinder Bisla was run out for a duck, before captain Kumar Sangakkara was sent back by fellow Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas for no score.

Opener Ravi Bopara kept Punjab in the hunt but kept losing wickets at the other end, with Yuvraj Singh falling for four before Mahela Jayawardene and Adrian Barath were sent back cheaply as well.

Vaas' opening spell broke the back of the Punjab batting in which he took two wickets while every other Deccan bowler picked up a wicket each. Andrew Symonds starred for the Chargers with both bat and ball. It was also the first instance that Deccan had beaten Punjab in the IPL in five meetings.

Earlier, the Chargers threw away a cracking start to post 170-7 as the IPL staged its first game at at the Barabati stadium.

Andrew Symonds was the top-scorer with 53 but Deccan failed to build on a perfect launch pad set up by captain Adam Gilchrist, who scored 33 from just 12 balls after Punjab captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bowl.

Gilchrist's wicket was followed by an unfortunate incident for the Chargers, who lost opener VVS Laxman to injury. The batsman got his by a wayward throw while trying to make his ground while taking a run.

Herschelle Gibbs and Symonds, however, kept the Chargers on track for a big total as they cruised to 100-1 at the halfway stage. But Yuvraj Singh's introduction undid their good work as Gibbs fell for 23, before Rohit Sharma was run out in the same over.

Deccan kept losing wickets in the second half as they only managed 70 runs in their next 10 overs.

IPL may get 6 bidders for 2 new teams

The base price of $225 million is still a dampener for prospective bidders who have picked up the tender document for bidding for the franchises of two new teams for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL)“Not more than six investors are expected to place their bids for the new teams,” a BCCI source told Business Standard.

The minimum bid price ($225 million) is almost double the figure of the most expensive IPL team — the Mumbai Indians — owned by Mukesh Ambani, who had paid $111.9 million in 2008. There were 16 bidders for the 8 franchises in the first season.

According to sources, Videocon, Jaypee Associates, Sahara, Adani Group and a conglomerate in the construction business from Pune will be placing bids. IPL will be accepting the bids for the two new teams on March 21 at 10 am. The bids will be opened and the winner will be declared at 11 am on the same day.

IPL had invited bids for the franchises for two new teams in February and was supposed to declare the winners on March 7, however, it had to modify its tender norms after it suffered a setback receiving only two bids for the two teams on offer. Most of the prospective bidders who had bought the ITT had raised concerns on the stiff financial terms of the earlier tender.

IPL later made three major changes in the new tender: the $100 million (Rs 460 crore) performance guarantee as stipulated in the first ITT was brought down to $10 million (Rs 46 crore). The amount should be submitted 24 hours before the bid. The winning bidder will have to submit a bank guarantee, which will be 10 per cent of the bid amount, within 48 hours of winning a franchise. In the earlier tender it was 100 per cent of the bid amount.

The most important change was the withdrawal of the networth clause. In the earlier tender it was $1 billion (Rs 4,600 crore). “Essentially, we have gone back to 2008 when bidding for the existing franchises was held. But, since the values have gone up, the performance guarantee has also gone up from $5 million to $10 million,” IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had said.

Rajasthan Royals made a losing start

Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals made a losing start to their South African campaign when they lost by 27 runs against the Cape Cobras in an Indian Premier League warm-up match at Newlands Saturday.
Both teams were well below strength, with the Royals fielding only four of the players who won the IPL last year and the Cobras missing most of the men who won the South African Twenty20 final earlier in the season.
‘It’s disappointing to lose but it was a great opportunity for some of the guys to show what they can do,’ said Warne.
‘Everything we wanted to get out of this game we got although the batting was a bit disappointing.’
Opening bowler Amit Singh bowled impressively to take three for 15 as the Cape Cobras made 142 for eight.
The home side were struggling at 34 for four and 65 for five but prospered through some hard hitting by lower order batsmen Richard Levi (36), Vernon Philander (26) and Rory Kleinveldt (23).
Kleinveldt took four for 34 when the Royals batted to clinch the man of the match award.
Royals’ Australian opening batsman Bob Quiney made a hard-hit 34 off 22 balls but the rest of the batting crumbled. Warne’s 21 was the second-highest score.

IPL for Shakib

Bangladesh and world's top all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan may join the Bangalore Royal Challenge as a replacement for left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL).

Although Shakib was not available to make any comment a sources close to the Bangladesh Cricket Board said that it's matter of time before the official announcement will come from the franchise.

The number one ranked all-rounder in ODIs will be the third Bangladeshi after captain Mohammad Ashraful and his deputy Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to join the IPL if it is officially confirmed.

Razzak played for the Bangalore Royal Challenge as the lone Bangladeshi player in the IPL last year. But the left-arm spinner is now going through a rehabilitation programme after being called for suspect action during the home series against New Zealand in November.

Shakib was one of the four Bangladeshi cricketers who were up in last Friday's IPL auction but much to the surprise of many in-form left-hander failed to entice a buyer along with dashing opener Tamim Iqbal.

Mashrafee, Ashraful get picked for IPL, Sakib left out

In the most dramatic bidding for players in the Indian Primer League to date, Bangladesh vice-captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders at a whopping $600,000 in Goa on Friday.
Bidding on Mashrafee had started with a base price of $50,000 but his figures kept climbing steadily with the Kings XI Punjab hot on the heels of the Knight Riders before the Kolkata side roped him for 12 times his starting price.
Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful rode on his luck to win a contract at a time when it seemed the auction was well over. Mumbai Indians snapped him up at his base price $75,000.
Sakib al Hasan, the world’s top ranked all-rounder in ODIs, however, did not get a buyer surprisingly. Also unsold was opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, the other Bangladeshi player on the auction.
Initially there were no bids for Mashrafee either. But just before the hammer went down, Kolkata made a bid for $50,000. It was the start of the most dramatic sale at the auction that lasted nearly half an hour.
Kings XI Punjab entered the race almost immediately and the price started climbing up by $10,000 with every call. The raises were slow and the bidding went on and on and on. Kolkata touched the $500,000 mark first and Punjab went further to $550,000.
To the utter disbelief of everyone present, Kolkata, raised their call to $600,000 and at this point the tug of war between two best-looking film actresses of India Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta for the Bangladesh pacer ended.
Juhi, the co-owner of Knight Riders, was calling for her team accompanied by coach Buchanan while Preity was calling for her King XI side alongside partner Ness Wadia. Preity was clearly frustrated, and later revealed that she was desperate to have Mashrafee on her side.
‘(Masharfee) Murtaza is a great player, an all-rounder and we wanted him. But you win some, you lose some,’ Preity later told reporters.
Mashrafee’s price was a record in the IPL. His price increased by 1100 per cent than his base price. Indian pacer Ishant Sharma held the record previously with $950,000 -575 per cent higher than his base price, also from Knight Riders last year.
...
Like his other team-mates on auction, Masharfee bin Murtaza was also reluctant to speak publicly about his Indian Premier League prospect before the auction in Goa on Friday.
But to the close circle he had revealed at least two facts. The first one was a recent phone call from Shahrukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders and the second was a promise made by Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh.
Last year Mohammad Rafique had claimed to have gotten a call from Shahrukh, which later proved to be a false as the Knight Riders never came up with any offer for him publicly and the Bangladesh spinner went on to join the Indian Cricket League.
Mashrafee was careful to talk about his call from Shahrukh, but everyone close to the all-rounder knew that King Khan had in fact requested him to withdraw his name from the auction.
Shahrukh promised to take him in the squad as a replacement of Pakistani players. But Mashrafee humbly turned down the request and decided to try his luck. He knew for sure that at least Kings XI will be bidding for him as promised by Yuvraj last year.
Unlike Rafique, Mashrafee proved correct in his claims as both Shahrukh’s Knight Riders and Yuvraj’s Kings XI, made an intense bidding for him that lasted nearly 30 minutes and took his price to an astounding $6,00,000