IPL News (29th April 2009)

• RCB beat KKR: Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Kolkata Knight riders in a challenging clash of the underdogs of IPL. The opening partnership between Shrevats Giswami and Jaques Kallis made the foundation for RCB to chase a modest target of 139.
  

• Gony expresses confidence of winning: Chennai Super Kings bowler Manpreet Gony has said that his team's all round good performance this year will definitely win his team the title in IPL2. Last year they missed it by a whisker when they were knocked out in the semis.

• IPL gave boost to my career: Amit Mishra, the Delhi sensation believes that IPL has given him the necessary boost to his cricketing career as a leg spinner. He could find a prominent place in the Indian test team after the retirement of Anil Kumble and he made his presence felt clearly.

• Ganguly does not miss captaincy: Yeah ! Thats right. He is satisfied with his earliler captaincy assignments. And why not; the KKR are performing really badly under the current skipper, Brendon McCullum.

• Age not a factor in IPL: Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has said that IPL is not a purely youngster's game. It is a cricketers game. Age is not a bar here. He has gone further to say that those who consider IPL as young man's game know nothing about cricket. The recent performances of Sanath Jayasurya, Shane Warne and Sachin himself stands testimony to the little master's ststements.

• Former cricketers want Ganguly as captain: Former cricketers have said that Ganguly should be revoked as captain of the ever struggling Kolkata Knight Riders as the present captain, Brendon McCullum is struglling to lead the team and make a mark. The formers feel that Ganguly has the ability to take the pressure off KKR and bring them the all needed respite from the current turmoil.

• "Fake" IPL blog makes KKR go frenzy: And the turmoil for the KKR has not ended with defeats, hick-ups and break-ups. The all new Fake IPL Player Blog is all the buzz in the internet and the blogging community. Blogging has rendered so much power to the user that he can express whatever he wants to. With "Bhookha Naans" and "Dildos", this blog receives thousands of visitors everyday and comments ranging from 100-1500.

Other cricket news (28th April 2009).

• Pak loses host status: Pakistan has lost its status as a host for World Cup cricket to be held in 2011. This reasons cited for this decision is of course the uncertain political situation and Taliban invasion.
  

• India gets Lion's share in WC 2011: India gets amajor share in the hosting of ICC World cup 2011 as all matches to be held in Pakistan has been distributed amongst other venues in the subcontinent and India has the largest number of venues in the region. Given these, this does not come as a surprise and was expected. After all its the matter of money because of the multi billion cricket 'industry' in India.
  

IPL 2009 Highlights - Match 5 (Chennai Superkings Vs Royal Challengers).

Chennai Superkings innings:

Chen-blor-1
by whatra

IPL 2009 Highlights - Match 4 (Kolkata Knightriders Vs Deccan Chargers).

Kolkata Knightriders innings:




Deccan Chargers innings:

IPL Season 2 Schedule.

Date	Day	Teams	Venue	Time
18-Apr-09	Saturday	Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings	Cape Town	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
18-Apr-09	Saturday	Rajasthan Royals Vs Royal Chalengers	Cape Town	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
19-Apr-09	Sunday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Kings XI Punjab	Cape Town	4 p.m. to 7p.m.
19-Apr-09	Sunday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Cape Town	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
20-Apr-09	Monday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Royal Challengers	Port Elizabeth	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
21-Apr-09	Tuesday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
21-Apr-09	Tuesday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Mumbai Indians	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
22-Apr-09	Wednesday,	Royal Challengers Vs Deccan Chargers	Cape Town	8 p.m. to 11p.m.
23-Apr-09	Thursday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Delhi Daredevils	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
23-Apr-09	Thursday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Rajasthan Royals	Cape Town	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
24-Apr-09	Friday,	Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
25-Apr-09	Saturday,	Mumbai Indians Vs Deccan Chargers	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
25-Apr-09	Saturday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Knightriders	Cape Town	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
26-Apr-09	Sunday,	Royal Challengers Vs Delhi Daredevils	Port Elizabeth	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
26-Apr-09	Sunday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Rajasthan Royals	Cape Town	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
27-Apr-09	Monday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Chennai Superkings	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
27-Apr-09	Monday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Mumbai Indians	Port Elizabeth	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
28-Apr-09	Tuesday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
29-Apr-09	Wednesday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Royal Challengers	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
29-Apr-09	Wednesday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Mumbai Indians	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
30-Apr-09	Thursday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Delhi Daredevils	Pretoria	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
30-Apr-09	Thursday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Chennai Superkings	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
1-May-09	Friday,	Mumbai Indians Vs Kolkata Knightriders	East London	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
1-May-09	Friday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Royal Challengers	Durban	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
2-May-09	Saturday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Rajasthan Royals	Port Elizabeth	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
2-May-09	Saturday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Chennai Superkings	Johannesburg	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
3-May-09	Sunday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Kings XI Punjab	Port Elizabeth	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
3-May-09	Sunday,	Royal Challengers Vs Mumbai Indians	Johannesburg	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
4-May-09	Monday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Deccan Chargers	East London	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
5-May-09	Tuesday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Kings XI Punjab	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
5-May-09	Tuesday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Kolkata Knightriders	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
6-May-09	Wednesday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Mumbai Indians	Pretoria	8 p.m.to 11 p.m.
7-May-09	Thursday,	Royal Challengers Vs Rajasthan Royals	Pretoria	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
7-May-09	Thursday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Chennai Superkings	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
8-May-09	Friday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Mumbai Indians	East London	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
9-May-09	Saturday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Kings XI Punjab	Kimberley	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
9-May-09	Saturday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Rajasthan Royals	Kimberley	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
10-May-09	Sunday,	Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers	Port Elizabeth	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
10-May-09	Sunday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Delhi Daredevils	Johannesburg	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
11-May-09	Monday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Deccan Chargers	Kimberley	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
12-May-09	Tuesday	Royal Challengers Vs Kolkata Knightriders	Pretoria	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
12-May-09	Tuesday	Mumbai Indians Vs Kings XI Punjab	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
13-May-09	Wednesday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Deccan Chargers	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
14-May-09	Thursday,	Royal Chalengers Vs Chennai Superkings	Durban	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
14-May-09	Thursday,	Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
15-May-09	Friday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Delhi Daredevils	Bloemfontein	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
16-May-09	Saturday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Mumbai Indians	Port Elizabeth	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
16-May-09	Saturday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Deccan Chargers	Johannesburg	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
17-May-09	Sunday,	Kings XI Punjab Vs Deccan Chargers	Johannesburg	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
17-May-09	Sunday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Delhi Daredevils	Bloemfontein	8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
18-May-09	Monday,	Kolkata Knightriders Vs Chennai Superkings	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
19-May-09	Tuesday,	Delhi Daredevils Vs Royal Challengers	Johannesburg	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
20-May-09	Wednesday,	Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knightriders	Durban	4 p.m.to 7 p.m.
20-May-09	Wednesday,	Chennai Superkings Vs Kings XI Punjab	Durban	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
21-May-09	Thursday,	Mumbai Indians Vs Delhi Daredevils	Pretoria	4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
21-May-09	Thursday,	Deccan Chargers Vs Royal Challengers	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or will start the later of 45 minutes after stumps on the first game
22-May-09	Friday,	Semi Final 1	Pretoria	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
23-May-09	Saturday,	Semi Final 2	Johannes burg	8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
24-May-09	Sunday,	FINAL	Johannes burg	8 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Source: IPL site).

Australia Vs Pakistan (Cricket stadium photos).

Dubai cricket stadium: This is where Pakistan vs Australia matches are gonna be held from 22nd April 2009. Have a look at this marvelous structure.....

Other cricket news (15th April 2009).

• MS and Bhajji in controversy: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and spinster harbhajan Singh are in soup over the Padma Shree issue. They were expected at the Rashtrapati Bhawan (Indian president's residence) for receieving the prestigious Padma Shree awards. They both were busy in ad campaigns. Whilst Harbhajan has cited family issues for his giving the award ceremony a miss, response from Dhoni is awaited.

• BCCI supports MS and Bhajji: India's cricket board BCCI has come in defence of both the players over the Padma Shree row. The board has said that they must have not been informed about the ceremony or must have been busy. But there seems to be anguish amongst cricket fans about "the insult caused by both to the sanctity and prestige of the award".
  

Cricket highlights (India Vs New Zealand - 1st ODI).

Place: Napier.

Moments of the match.

India set huge target for the Kiwis.



Sehwag - batting.



Sachin Tendulkar - shots.



Revised playing conditions.

Cricket highlights (India Vs New Zealand - 5th ODI).

Place: Auckland.

Indian innings.



New Zealand innings.



Presentation.

Special offers / discounts (13th April 2009).

• Exhibition cum sale "New Jewellery Collection 2009" @ Taj Coromandel by Surana Jewellers of Jaipur. Ph: 0141-2372544 / 542.

• Chithirai Thiruvizha - Special disounts on Tata Indica Vista @ Concorde Motors, Chennai - Ph: 64541912 / 13. Anna salai, Chennai: 28606038 / 2485.

• Chithirai Thirunal - Special discounts on textiles @ Pantaloons, Spencers Plaza, Mount Road, Chennai.
  

• Tata Nano bookings open from April 9th to 25th @ "West side" New Delhi - 25729760. Centre Stage mall, Noida - 0120-2517759. Pacific Mall, Ghaziabad - 0120-2778511. Ambience Mall, Gurgaon - 0124-4665470 / 71.

• Rs 50/- off @ Dash and Splash water park, Chennai - Bangalore highway - 9841907322 / 27156200 / 6211.

• Pay for 1 Shirt and get 5 @ Koutons family store, T Nagar, Chennai. Ph- 45011212.

• Summer sale- 20 % off on furniture @ Home
  

Food festivals (13th April 2009).

• Dosa and Idli festival @ Sanjeevanam Veg health Restaurant. Ph: 9094011546 / 10519.

• Star city hotel presents "Laughing Buddha"- The restaurant serving Indo-asian cuisine. Weekend buffets @ Rs.299/-. Banquet hal for 10-400 pax. Ph: 9840586990 / 28155050.

Cricket highlights (India Vs New Zealand - 2nd T 20).

Place: Wellington.

India innings.



New Zealand innings.

Cricket highlights (India vs New Zealand - 1st T 20).

Place: Christchurch.

New Zealand innings.



Indian innings (Dhoni bowled by Butler).

IPL News (9th April 2009).

• Lee and Symonds to miss IPL2: Australian pacers Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds will miss multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League because they will be playing for their national team against Pakistan in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They are expected to lose at least around 50% of the money that they would have earned from IPL had they played there.

• IPL moves of multiplexes too ? There is all probability of this hapening as the stalemate between bollywood film producers and film theates and multiplexes over this issue is far from ending. Only the final big matches may be shown.
  

Other cricket news (9th April 2009).

• India creates history yet again: India created history as it defeated New Zealand in their own land in the test series by 1-0. It is believed that the right combination of experienced and the youth that is the factor that helped India apart from good captaincy and good team-effort. This is after 41 years that India is winning a test series against Kiwis in Kiwiland.

• Heroes return to heroes welcome: The Indian cricket team returned home to a heroes welcome after a successful one-day and test series against New Zealand.

• Team leaves to SA for IPL2: The Indian team doesn't have much sort of breather after their superb win in Kiwiland. Its now time to head for SA for IPL.
  

Special offers / discounts (6th April 2009).

• Wedding bonanza @ Cotton County: Flat 80 % off on Shirts, Pants, Denim, Women wear, Kids wear. Ph: Chennai - 9884968268. Coimbatore - 9842277866. Salem - 9994920143. Palakkad - 9842277866. Rayachoty - 9440695743. Tirupati - 9885393555.

• 70 to 80 % off on all garments @ Koutons: Chennai - 45011212. Coimbatore - 0422 2540300. Erode - 0424 3245530.

• The 2009 Lingerie and Innerwear sale: Flat 5 - 20 % off. Ph: 43539585 / 42126968.

• 25 % off and free gold and silver coins for Akshaya Tritiya @ ORRA: Ph: 42106338.
  

IPL News (6th April 2009).

• Strategy break in IPL2: IPL season 2 might have a strategy break after every 10 overs apart from all usual breaks.

• Pakistani players may sue IPL: 5 Pakistani players may sue IPL. Because of India-Pakistan dispute, the did not get a chance to play in the IPL. Now that it will be held outside India in South Africa, they are demanding their incusion into IPL or a payout against the same.

Live-in concerts (6th Aprill 2009).

General concerts / Drama:

• Chocolate Krishna: Crazy Mohan's new drama. Ph: 9941018686.

• "Maadhu + 2': Crazy Mohan and Maadhu Balaji's twin comedy drama. Ph: 9841052165.

• "Play the game" at Island grounds: In association with Tamil Nadu tourism. Ph: 9940052222.

• Chennai Flower show, Lifestyle show, Education show, Landscape show, Building and interior show- all these @ YMCA ground, Royapettah, Chennai. Ph: 42089287 / 09790533355.

• "Chinmaya Cool Camp": Games, Festivals, Creativity @ Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Anna Nagar from 9 am to 5 pm. Ph: 9884529114.
  

Food festivals (6th April 2009).

• Verandah evening special: Host of dishes unlimited everyday @ just Rs. 350 @ Taj Connemara. Ph: 66000000.

• Fish Thali From 12 - 4 pm @ Kattumaram, Alwarpet (Opp. Park Sheraton Hotel Out gate).

• Corporate Lunch @ "Absolute", Nungambakkam, Chennai for Rs. 790 (all inclusive) form 12 - 3 pm. Ph: 42955555.

• Vaigai Restaurant: Fine taste deliered on time @ G N Chetty Road, T Nagar, Chennai. Ph: 42606790.

Other cicket news (6th April 2009).

• India on the verge of victory: India has all the edge for a victory against New Zealand in the third test at Wellington. India already have a lead in the series at 1-0 after winning the first test and drawing the second one. It is notable that India has already created history by winning the one day series against New Zealand.

• Record for Rahul: Rahul Dravid, the "Great Wall" of India has created a world record in the number of catches category. He has 183 catches so far which is the maximum by anyone in the test cricket history. he has played 134 test matches so far. Carry on dravid......
  

Live-in Concerts (27th March 2009).

General concerts / Drama:

• Ek Shyaam Shaayari Ke Naam (An evening with the poets): Organized by Jeevan Hospitals on Saturday 28th March at 6 30 pm at Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Harrington Road, Chetpet. (In support of Children with Blood cancer and Thallasaemia).

• Chocolate Krishna: Crazy Mohan drama on Friday at 7 pm @ Vani Mahal, G N Chetty Road, T Nagar Ph: 9884152200.

• Paint Massacre: @ Island Grounds. Ph: 9940052222 / 9962558345.

Carnatic Vocal concerts:

• 4:30 PM – Sumathi Narayanan (Vocal), Chandran (Violin), Shyamsundar (Mrudangam) @ Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashram Hall, Near Baby Nagar, Velachery (Nadha Sudha) **Free**

• 6:00 PM – Ramya Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Sravanam Hall, TTD Information Centre, Venkatanarayana Road, T. Nagar **Free**

• 6:15 PM – T.S. Pattabhiram Pandit (Vocal), M.A. Sundaresan (Violin), Bangalore Arjun Kumar (Mrudangam), G. Guruprasanna (Khanjira) @ Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam, 5, Thiagarajapuram, Mylapore (Laya Laavanyaa Fine Arts Foundation) **Free**

• 6:15 PM – Revathy Krishna (Veena – Thirai Isayil Sa Ro Ga Ma) @ Youth Hostel Lawns, 2^nd Avenue, Indira Nagar, Adyar (Hamsadhwani) **Ticketed**

• 6:30 PM – Trichur Dilip Kumar (Vocal), Rahul (Violin), B. Ganapathyraman (Mrudangam) @ Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashram Hall, Near Baby Nagar, Velachery (Nadha Sudha) **Free**

• 6:30 PM – Raji Gopalakrishnan (Vocal), R. Hemalatha (Violin), B. Sivaraman (Mrudangam), Nanganallur Swaminathan (Ghatam) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust) **Free**

• 6:30 PM – Seerkazhi Jayaraman (Vocal), V.V. Srinivasa Rao (Violin), Trichur C. Narendran (Mrudangam), Srirangam Kannan (Morsing) @ Swamy’s Hall, 236, R.K. Mutt Road, Near Rani Meyyammai School, Mandaveli (Shanmukhapriya) **Free**

• 6:30 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal), Kumbakonam M.R. Gopinath (Violin), Trivandrum R. Vaidyanathan (Mrudangam), K.V. Gopalakrishnan (Khanjira) @ Sringeri Bharathi Vidyashram, Venkatanarayana Road, T. Nagar (59^th Vardhanthi/ Rama Navami 2009 Festival) **Free**

• 6:30 PM – Anuradha Suresh Krishnamurthy (Vocal), M.A. Krishnaswamy (Violin), Melakkaveri K. Balaji (Mrudangam), Madipakkam Murali (Ghatam) @ Sri Varasiddhi Vinayakar Mahalakshmi Temple, West Mada St., Srinagar Colony, Saidapet (Sree Ramanavami Celebrations) **Free**

• 6:30 PM – Seetha Rajan (Vocal – Concert on Vivadi Ragas), Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli (Violin), J. Vaidyanathan (Mrudangam) @ Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, The Music Academy, TTK Road, Royapettah (The Music Academy) **Free**

• 7:00 PM – A.K.C. Natarajan (Clarinet) @ Smt. Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, Near Mandaveli MRTS Station, Jeth Nagar (Raja Annamalaipuram Bhaktha Jana Sabha) **Free**

• 7:00 PM – P.B. Srirangachari (Vocal), Anayampatti G. Venkatasubramanian (Violin), S. Venkatasubramanian (Mrudangam) @ Sri Ramanjaneya Trust, 98, GST Road, Tambaram Sanatorium.

(Courtesy: Ramsabode)

Food Festivals (27th March 2009).

• Southern Spice by Taj Coromandel. Hidden Treasures of Tamil Nadu from 27th March to 4th April. Ph: 66002827.

• GRT Grand Anytme: Variety of cuisines anytime of the day. Ph: 28150500.

• Special Ugadi Offer: 10 % disconts on food bill. Vaigai Vegetarian Restaurant. Ph: 42606790 / 9942958389.

Special Offers / discounts (27th March 2009).

• Great March offer by Style Spa furniture: Bedrooms from Rs.28308. 25% off on Sofa. Ph: Egmore - 28528731. Anna Nagar - 26261828. T Nagar - 28156620. Velachery - 22551929.
  

• 30% discount on all slimming and beauty packages by VLCC: Alwarpet - 24671918. Velachery - 45114015. Anna Nagar - 43016661. Adyar - 4269520. Poonamallee High Road - 26680828.

• VIBA Loom Sale for Ugadi: Cottons, Sarees, Salwars. Alwarpet - 24357116.

• Mega sale of Shoes and Leather items: Ponds Exports, G N Chetty Road, T Nagar. Ph: 28345528.

• S K Electricals - Ugadi Secial sale of Fans and Water Heaters. Ph: Parrys - 25369714. T Nagar - 28152551. Adyar -24421687. Purasaiwalkam - 42661027. Vadapalani - 23623205. Tambaram - 22260402. N S C Bose Road - 42165824.

• Murugan Induction Cookers: $40 % discount on MRP under exchange offer. Mob: 9884075186 / 9176667826.

• India Imports and Manufacturers Trade Fair: @ Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam from 10th to 13th April 2009. Mob: 9840834846 / 9841517729.

• Viveks Ugadi Special sale: Discounts on ACs. Adyar - 42952500. Anna Nagar - 42952700.Anna Salai -42952900 . Mylapore -42952100 . Nanganallur -42952800. Purasaiwakkam - 42952200. Tambaram - 42952600. T Nagar - 42952300. Vadapalani - 42952400.

• Wavetel's Ugadhi Sale: Exchange Mela. 50 % off on select models. Buy 1 get 2 Free on select models. Ph: 39144444.

• Furniture Mega Sale @ Zuari Furniture: 60 % off. Till 31st March. Ph: 9176151384 / 7 / 9940194497.

• Suchitra Kolkata Sarees: Exhibition @ Vimonisha Art Gallery, Nungambakkam. Mob: 09359912044. Today and tommorrow.

Other cricket news (25th March 2009).

• Nel retires: Andre Nel on Wednesday announced his retirement from international cricket after an outstanding career for both the Proteas Castle Test squad and Standard Bank ODI cricket in which he took more than 100 wickets in both forms of the game. Nel has signed to play for Surrey in the England county season. Nel took 123 wickets in 36 Tests for South Africa at an average of 31.86. He took five wickets in an innings on three occasions and 10 wickets in a match once. He played 79 ODIs and took 106 wickets at 27.68 with an economy rate of 4.63. He took five wickets in an innings once and four wickets in an innings three times. Currently he has 381 first-class wickets.

Other sports news (25th March 2009)

• CHESS - Anand draws with Topalov, loses sole lead: World champion Vishwanathan Anand played out two draws with Bulgarian world number one Veselin Topalov in the ninth round to surrender his sole lead in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here on Wednesday.

• TENNIS - Nadal wins Indian Wells ATP Masters title: World number one Rafael Nadal crushed Scotland's Andy Murray 6-1, 6-2 to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters series title.

• TENNIS - Sania slips to 100th spot in singles: An average outing at Indian Wells tournament cost Sania Mirza 13 places in the WTA rankings and the Indian ace now stands yet again on the verge of dropping out of top-100. With 646 points in her kitty, Sania stands at 100 in the singles and at 87, a loss of 16 positions, in the doubles in the list issued by WTA on Monday.

IPL News (25th March 2009).

• IPL2 in SA: It's final. South Africa has been chosen to host the IPL Season 2. According to IPL chairman Lalit Modi, it is the conducive weather conditions in South Africa as compared to that of England during April-May that has led him to make such a decision. The tournament will begin on 18th April 2009.
  

• IPL destinations: These are six: Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.There are opinions expressed by some that the team named after Indian cities would not be very popular in a foreign country and none of these teams will get the feel of playing in their home destination.

• Ganguly sidelined or dethroned? Problemaic challenges never seem to end for Kolkata Knght Riders captain Sourav Ganguly as he has been virtually dethroned from that post. The decision was taken by coach John Buchanan. In their joint press conference, Ganguly expressed his contention over the move. Buchanan proposed a model of multiple captaincy wherein there will not be one captain in particular for the team. Instead there will be many captains for a single match. Buchanan explained his stand by highlighting that the move was not to sideline Ganguly, but was to enable him to concentrate on batting when he is batting and fielding or bowling when he is doing the same. Names of New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum, West Indies captain Chris Gayle and Australian Brad Hodge are doing the rounds for the captain's role.

• Sony, WSG get IPL broadcasting rights: Multi Screen Media (MSM), formerly Sony Entertainment Television, and World Sports Group have been signed as the official broadcast partners for the DLF Indian Premier League in a fresh nine-year deal running through to 2017.

IPL News (23rd March 2009)

• IPL shifted out: In what is called a very big blow to Indian fans, IPL2 will be held outside India because of problems in scheduling matches because of elections. Now Indian fans will have to travel outside India to watch a tournament which is known to be purely domestic purely Indian. There is also an opinion that this may affect India's image as a safe sports venue.

• BCCI-Guv blame game: The blame game between the BCCI and government has started with Home minister P Chidambaram lashing out at BCCI for deciding to hold IPL2 outside India. BCCI has put the blame on government for the same. It is not only these two between whom there is such a tiff, even the politics on this issue has started with the ruling an opposition parties engaging in similar blame game.

• Home minister reiterates stand: Home minister Mr. P Chidambaram has reiterated his stand on security that India is any day a safe destination for sporting activities.

• Eng, SA possibles: England and South Africa are the possible next venue-head for the troubled tournament series. England seems to be a hot favorite as of now. Lalit Modi is yet to receive proposals from both the cricket boards.
  

IPL News (19th March 2009)

• AP says no to IPL: Andhra Pradesh government has not given clearance to IPL2. It's formal that iPL wil not be held in Andhra Pradesh.

• Jaipur not in IPL's revised schedule: Jaipur is not included in IPL's schedule submitted to the Home Ministry. So, as per the schedule, no matches are to be played in Rajasthan.

• Rajasthan Government Hits at Modi: Home minister of Rajasthan has hit out at IPL chairman lalit Modi saying that the Rajasthan givernment was never consulted. He went to add on that Modi had cheated the people of Rajasthan.

• Modi rubbishes allegations: Lalit Modi has rubbished allegations by Rajasthan Home minister calling them baseless and rubbish.

• IPL CEO says- Jaipur's exclusion inevitable: CEO of Indian PremierLeague, Mr. Sundara Raman said that for the schedule to satisfy all the criteria, the exlcusion of Jaipur from IPL2 was inevitable. He also said that the revised schedule has been submitted to the home ministry. He expessed hope that this schedule will be cleared.
  

• Karnataka clears IPL: Police commissioner, Bangaore has approved all the security arrangements for IPL. So, IPL will be held in Bangalore.

• Mallya confident about IPL2: Bangalore Royal Challengers team owner Vijay Mallya said that he was confident about IPL season 2 hapening.

• Delhi police expresses security concerns: Delhi police, yesterday voiced its concerns over IPL being held in Delhi. It said that security cover cannot be given for the elections and IPL at the same time.
  

Other cricket news.

• SA Champions trophy host: ICC (International Cricket Council) confirmed that South Africa will be the host of this year's tournaments. It is interesting to note that this series was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan.

It will be held from September 24th to October 5th. ICC chief expressed his hope that the
tournament will be a grand success.

• India has the edge: It's India in commanding position as of now in the first test being played in New Zealand with just a run of trail. India has already won the one-dayer 3-0.
  

• Sehwag in top 10 and Sachin in top 20: Sehwag has moved to the top 10 spot in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings after the ODI win in Kiwiland. Yuvraj rose to his career best 3rd spot in the same ranking. Yuvi is in the fufth spot in the all rounder rankings.

IPL News (16th March 2009).

• Get state nod: Home ministry earlier this day made its stand tougher by asking IPL to consult the individual state governments before conducting IPL season 2. A postponement would be very disadvantageous for IPL as the next available dates for playing are the same period next year with this year having a crammed schedule.

• Sony pulls up IPL: Sony TV has filed suit against IPL to put a stay on IPL's aproaches to any other broadcasting house. Earlier IPL was looking for better and prospective oprions in this regard.

Other cricket news (12th March 2009).

• India wins the ODI series in New Zealand. This is the first ever win in 43 years. This was the match of records. Sehwag hit the fastest ton in 60 balls (Indian record) and he partnered with Gautam Gambhir to create a new record of the first ever team in ODI history to not to have lost even a sngle wicket even after making 200 runs.

• Kumar Sangakkara replaces Mahela Jayawardena as Sri Lankan national cricket team captain.
  

IPL News (12th March 09)

Blow to IPL schedule: Andhra Pradesh police says that it is not possible to hold IPL matches during polling days as the police forces would be needed for providing security for the elections. The same has been expressed by Andhra Pradesh government to home minister Mr. P Chidambaram.

IPL News (6th March 2009)

• India safe: Home minister Mr. P Chidambaram said that India is a safe venue for cricket matches.

• Matches to be played in Rajsthan are most likely to be shifted to a different date.

• Decision on IPL match rescheduling is likely next week.

• Rescheduling unavoidable: Home minister PChidambaram said that rescheduling of IPL matches is inevitable because of the security concerns because of the elections overlapping.

• IPL, a domestic affair: IPL chairman Lalit Modi has rubbished reports and speculations of a possibility of IPL matches being held outside India. He asserted that IPL is an Indian tournament and a domestic affair and will only be played in India.

• Possible Lashkar link to attack: There is a possible link of terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba in the attcck on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore near Gaddafi stadium. Reports in Pakistan are ruling out possibilities of involvement of Sri Lanka based LTTE and RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) of Indian intelligence.

• IPL duration the same: IPL supremo Lalit Modi has confirmed that theh duration of the second edition of IPL will be the same as was decided before. Only dates for some matches will be changed.

• No matches during counting day: Lalit Modi told that there would be no matches during the day on which votes will be counted. He said that whilst there can be matches during the election time during non-voting days, counting will be on nationwide. Thus the decision.

• Grateful to government: Modi said that he is grateful to government and home minister P Chidambaram for assuring security for IPL matches. He also ruled out the postponment of IPL tournament and said that there will be only some rescheduling.
  

IPL News (20th February 2009)

• Ponting quits IPL: Ricky Ponting, the member of the Kolkata Knight Riders team has decided to pull out from the Indian Premier League. He said that his hectic schedule is the reason behind this.
  
  
• Relief for Modi: Supreme Court today, gave the green signal for Rajasthan Cricket Assembly elections. This gives some relief to IPL supremo Lalit Modi. Earlier there was a allegations against Modi that the donation announced by IPL for the cause of the victims of Jaipur blasts did not reach the concerned. The judgement will allow Modai himself to contest in the elections. The elections are scheduled to be held from March 1st.
  

• "No issue with the sponsours": Lalit Modi has denied of any pull-out by any of the sponsours of the second edition of IPL. He further said that the issues between BIg TV, MSM and Airtel will be sorted out.

• Foreign players' pulling out wont affect: This is what Lalit Modi said on the recent pulling out of foreign players liike Ponting - "The pulling out of one or two players will not affect the IPL which is much bigger. The players are also chosen by the teams based on their FTP (Future Tours Programme of the International Cricket Council) commitments, The IPL is structured around the FTP. It's designed in such a way that even while teams have a maximum of ten foreign players only four can play a time,"

IPL News (Earlier).

• Mohammad Asif is banned for 1 year from IPL with effect from September when he was found guilty of consuming drugs during the last edition of IPL.

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