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IPL begins under a shadow of doubt
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Re-instate me as BCCI chief: Srini
Indian boxers off to good start in World Youth
Mumbai Indians take on KKR in opener
BCCI units might be richer by Rs 15 crore after ICC revamp
50-plus Major winner round the corner?
India fight back to draw 3-3 against Dutch club
Djokovic strolls into third round; Tsonga fights through
Michael Phelps coming out of retirement
Sachin joins MI in training
Ronaldo to miss Cup final against Barca
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IPL begins under a shadow of doubt
Chandigarh, April 15 For the viewer, though, the sanctity of the sporting performance is of the supreme importance. There is no inherent worth in someone striking a leather ball with a piece of wood; the athleticism and the integrity of an honest contest make sport valuable. But the spot-fixing scandal of IPL 2013, and the involvement of team officials in betting and in the cover-up operation, has dealt a big blow to the credibility of the tournament.
It's difficult to believe that the Indian Premier League's tattered image would be made whole in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi and Dubai, of all places. Sharjah in the UAE was supposed to be the den of vice and corruption, due to which India stopped playing in Sharjah in 2001. But over the last month or so, hopes of a clean-up of the IPL have been revived; essentially, that happened due to the thorough investigation of the spot-fixing scandal by the Mudgal Commission, and the removal of N Srinivasan as the BCCI president on the orders of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court took another step that delighted and cheered Indian cricket fans — Sunil Gavaskar was installed the BCCI President for IPL-related issues. Gavaskar, the man who fought valiantly for the national team, inspires faith in fans as they find it difficult to separate on-field and off-field personas of a sports star. Gavaskar himself had been part of the BCCI establishment, and he will again be dependent on the BCCI to earn a living as a commentator when his stint as BCCI-IPL president is over. Will he and Parikh fulfil the hopes they've raised? They must address these key issues, among others, if that is to happen: Conflict of interest
N Srinivasan, the BCCI president who has “stepped aside”, owns an IPL team, Chennai Super Kings. BCCI vice-president Ravi Sawant has said that Srinivasan should never have been allowed to buy an IPL franchise. Gavaskar and Parikh must remove this gigantic conflict of interest
situation. Equality
In the past, several franchisees have alleged that IPL auctions have been manipulated in a way that certain players were available only to certain franchisees. A case in point was the sale of Andrew Flintoff to CSK in 2009, which was allegedly manipulated with the help of then IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi. Justice
In 2010, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were terminated because of breaking the shareholding and ownership norms that allegedly threatened to “shake the very foundation of the tender process”. But the Chennai Super Kings team transgressed in a much more serious manner as its Team Principal, Meiyappan Gurunath, was found guilty of “betting and passing team information” for the purpose of betting. Will Gavaskar ensure that CSK is terminated, too? Breaking IPL salary cap
It's an open secret that the bigger, richer teams get around the IPL salary cap rule by paying certain players more than is recorded in a team's total purse. Also, there have been arbitrary rules made by the big teams the others had to follow. For instance, in 2010, seven of the 10 IPL teams were opposed to the player retainership rule introduced that year. They wanted all players to be auctioned. However, since three big/rich teams wanted this rule in place (in order to retain players like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni), it was rammed through. Country vs Club
In the past, Sunil Gavaskar has repeatedly criticised Indian players for lack of commitment and for focussing on money from the IPL; he has also said that players miss matches in domestic cricket to remain injury-free in the IPL. Now Gavaskar is in a position to rectify that by ensuring that players focus on playing for India and not chase money. Private ownership of teams/players conflicts with the needs of the national team, for all experts agree that T20 cricket hinders the Indian national team. It's a delicate balance, money for individual businesses vs national sporting interest. Gavaskar must ensure that the national team's interest doesn't
suffer. The country's highest court has placed enormous faith in Gavaskar to streamline the IPL, clean it up and restore the faith of the fans. This won't happen by token decisions like removing the logistics manager of the team (who was an India Cements employee) or by ensuring that controversies are swept under the carpet. IPL needs deep cleansing, substantive change. Backed by the Supreme Court, Gavaskar and Parikh are in a position to become massive agents of change rather than remain mere figureheads. |
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Chennai Super Kings
Strength: MS Dhoni and the unchanged core remain their biggest strength. While the batting looks pretty solid, the Chennai Super Kings perhaps have the best spin attack comprising R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Samuel Badree.
Weakness:
They don't have tried and tested Michael Hussey at the top this time. The calm and solidity the Australian provided would be difficult to match for Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, their new openers. Player to watch out for
Samuel Badree: Coming off a fantastic run at the T20 World Cup, the leg spinner could prove to be an ace in the CSK pack. Record: They are the only team to win the title twice, finished runners-up last time. Mumbai Indians
Strength: The defending champions look well-balanced, both in batting as well as bowling. The presence of all-rounders like Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson and Harbhajan Singh gives envious depth to their batting-ling up. Weakness:
While the first XI looks pretty good and solid, the bench looks a little inexperienced with quite a few greenhorns. Besides, they will be without Sachin Tendulkar for the first time in the tournament. Player to watch out for
Kieron Pollard: The tall West Indian all-rounder is destructive with the bat, economical with the ball, and brilliant on the field. Record:
They came close quite a few times before winning the IPL last season. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Strength: They have arguably the most destructive batsmen with the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli in their line-up. If Yuvraj, bought for Rs 14 crore, finds some form, they would be a nightmare for any attack. Weakness:
The team has all their bases covered, except for spin. They of course have Muralitharan but the old magician may find it a little hard to keep up with the rumble and tumble of the format. Player to watch out for
Chris Gayle: He has a few records to set straight after a below-par performance in the T20 World Cup. And a desperate Gayle could be bad news for the bowlers. Record:
Yet to win the title, played the final in 2010 and 2011. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Strength: It has to be their stifling attack, spearheaded by Dale Steyn. Last time too, they restricted the opposition to a total of 120 and thereabouts most of the time, making life so much easier for their batsmen. Weakness:
There's something missing in their batting. They have David Warner, Aaron Finch and Shikhar Dhawan at the top, but lack muscle in the middle and lower middle order. Darren Sammy can't get them across the line every time. Player to watch out for
Darren Sammy: Besides being a handy bowler, the West Indian skipper has the ability to stay calm under pressure and produce big hits as and when required. Record:
They finished fourth in their debut season last year. Kolkata Knight Riders
Strength: They have a strong bowling with pacers like Morne Morkel, Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav etc. Leading the charge, however, will be Sunil Narine from the West Indies, arguably the best T20 bowler. Weakness:
They don't have much firepower in their batting line-up. Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis are good but they can't be as destructive as, say, Chris Gayle or Virat Kohli. Player to watch out for
Gautam Gambhir: The feisty left-hander would be desperate to turn in a good show. Out of the Indian side for some time, he will look to put in the best possible performance to get back in reckoning once again. Record:
They won in 2012 but had a poor outing last year. Rajasthan Royals
Strength: The ability to come good despite not having many big names in their ranks remains their biggest strength. The unknown names keep doing the job for them, and the team keeps punching above its weight. Weakness:
They won't have Rahul Dravid leading the side this time, who did a fantastic job after taking over their reins from mercurial Shane Warne. It will not be easy for for Watson to live up to the standards set by Warne and Dravid. Player to watch out for
James Faulkner: The Australian all-rounder will be a vital cog in the Royals’ wheel. He did a fine job last year and the Royals will be expecting an encore from him. Record:
They won the inaugural edition and made play-offs last year. Delhi Daredevils
Strength: They have a good mix of Indian and foreign players, especially batsmen. Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, JP Duminy... the batting looks pretty solid for the new-look Daredevils. Weakness:
They have built the team from a scratch this time. So the players could take a while to gel and understand their roles. Besides, KP is new to captaincy in the IPL and may take some time to settle down. Player to watch out for
Kevin Pietersen: The flamboyant KP, who has been sacked recently by England, will be out to prove a point to his detractors. Record:
They have never progressed beyond the play-offs and finished at the bottom
last year. Kings XI Punjab
Strength: Kings XI have one of the most explosive batting line-ups this season. Along with Virender Sehwag and South African David Miller, the Australian trio of Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey and Shaun Marsh gives Kings a strong look. Weakness:
They look slightly short on spin, with Murali Kartik being the only spinner of any repute in the side. Another spinner could have made their attack a little more balanced. Player to watch out for
Mitchell Johnson: He's the best bowler in the world on current form. His pace and bounce will test batsmen even though he will get to bowl a maximum of just four overs. Record:
They made the semifinals in the inaugural edition but faltered in the group stage each time thereafter. |
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Re-instate me as BCCI chief: Srini
New Delhi, April 15 On March 28, the SC had appointed Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav as the joint chiefs of BCCI as an interim arrangement following an offer from Srinivasan to step aside as the Board president, pending adjudication on the allegations against him. In an affidavit filed in the SC ahead of the hearing tomorrow, Srinivasan said the circumstances under which he had made the offer had completely changed and he now realised that the apex court had asked him to step down on the basis of the allegations made against him by senior advocate Harish Salve, who argued for Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB), and a suspended police officer who had claimed to have unearthed IPL betting and match fixing. Salve had contended that Srinivasan had tried to protect Meiyappan by telling the SC probe committee, headed by retired Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul
Mudgal, that his son-in-law was a mere cricket enthusiast and had no role in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), an IPL team led by Team India captain MS
Dhoni. This cover-up attempt amounted to corruption. “I have not stated anything to the probe committee which even remotely suggests that I was trying to cover-up acts of alleged betting or fixing. Parts of the report of the committee were being twisted out of context,” Srinivasan
contended. Srinivasan also rebutted the allegations by IPS officer G Sampath Kumar that top BCCI officials, who had interfered with the police probe into match-fixing, were behind his transfer and suspension. The officer’s baseless charges were merely an attempt to wriggle out of the investigation into complaints of corruption against him, Srinivasan said. He further contended that “I was not the subject matter of the probe” by the SC panel which had acknowledged this and “yet for reasons best known to them (panel) found it necessary to place this issue in court as part of the main
report.” Srinivasan said he was not the owner of Indian Cements Ltd, which had bought CSK, and was only a share-holder. He also alleged that former BCCI presidents, including IS
Bindra, had tried to implicate him in their statements to the SC panel. “It would be most unfair if such statements of people who have an axe to grind, form the basis of comments made against me in the report,” he said. “In these circumstances, I would respectfully submit that there is absolutely no reason why I should not be permitted to resume my office as elected president of BCCI unless and until this Hon’ble Court conclusively finds material suggesting that I had interfered with the investigations,” he said. Further, there was no provision in the BCCI to have interim presidents as the SC had done by appointing Gavasakar to look after IPL and Yadav to deal with other Board affairs, he pleaded.
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Indian boxers off to good start in World Youth
New Delhi, April 15 The Championships are doubling up as a qualifying tournament for the Youth Olympics, slated from August 16 to 28 in
Nanjing, China. The winners for India today were Nikhat Zareen (51kg) in the women’s competition, while Sathish Kumar (56kg) and Shyam Kakara (49kg) advanced in men’s
event. Nikhat, who had won a silver medal at the previous edition of the event, sailed past Turkey’s Istik Neriman 3-0 and will now be up against Korea’s Sukyeong Lee, who got a bye in the first
round. Sathish out-punched Hungary’s Nandor Csoka 3-0 in his campaign-opener. He will face Cuba’s Javier Ibanez in his next bout. Late last night, Shyam Kakara (49kg) pummelled UAE’s Abdulla
Almulla. Kakara won the bout via Technical Knock Out (TKO) in the second round. Almulla was declared unfit to continue the bout after coming in for severe thrashing from the Indian pugilist. Kakara will now be up against Sri Lanka’s Ishanka
Withrana, who got a first-round bye. Earlier, Asian silver-medallists Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Neel Kamal Singh (75kg) were among the fours Indians who were handed first-round byes. Manjeet (69kg) and Manju Bombariya (75kg) are the other Indians to get byes. The youngsters, all in the age bracket of 17 and 18, will have to reach at least the semifinals of the world event to make the cut for the Youth Olympics. India had won a couple of silver medals and a bronze in the previous edition in
Yerevan, Armenia. The Indians are competing under the International Boxing Association
(AIBA) flag due to the termination of the Indian Boxing Federation following its failure to comply with the world body’s directives on holding elections.
— PTI Boxing ad-hoc committee to meet on April 17
New Delhi: The IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee, which was formed earlier this month to manage the affairs of Indian boxing following IABF’s international suspension, will meet on Thursday here to discuss team selections for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, besides the conduct of National Championships. The ad-hoc committee, which has the approval of the International Boxing Association
(AIBA), will be attended by its president Tarlochan Singh, national coach GS
Sandhu, India’s representative at the AIBA Kishan Narsi, Rakesh Gupta, Kuldip Vats and Mehtab Singh. “The committee will discuss the team selection, coaching and training requirements of the Indian boxers keeping in mind the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games this year. We would also be discussing holding of national and zonal championships during our first meeting,” Tarlochan Singh told The Tribune. “The ad-hoc committee has been formed to look after the interest of Indian boxing so that our boxers don’t suffer. CWG and Asian Games are very important events in any athlete’s life. We are here to give full cooperation to our boxers,” the veteran administrator added.
— TNS |
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Mumbai Indians take on KKR in opener
Abu Dhabi, April 15 Defending champions Mumbai Indians, captained by Rohit Sharma, will square off against 2012 winners Kolkata Knight Riders, led by veteran opener Gautam Gambhir, in the event-opener at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here. The razzmatazz, which has made IPL a magnet for both the fans and the cricketers world over, is not expected to just vanish because of the unsavoury scandal but the organisers have promised to tone down the glamour bit. To start with, there would not be any opening ceremony this year; instead a gala dinner has been planned for the teams where KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan is expected to perform. But when the curtains go up on perhaps the most popular domestic cricket tournament in the world, focus will also be on the off-field matters in the backdrop of the ongoing Supreme Court monitored investigation into the betting scandal in which some big names of the league have been implicated. Fans lap it up
Even though UAE is foreign land, finding a fan-base for the tournament has not been much of an issue due to the huge expat population which has shown its support to the event by buying off tickets within a few days of them going on sale. The United Arab Emirates has reached fever pitch with the first four games of the season, as well as the double header in Dubai on 25 April, already sold out. There are, however, still plenty of tickets available for the weekday games.
— Agencies Today’s match KKR vs MI Live on Set Max, 8pm
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BCCI units might be richer by Rs 15 crore after ICC revamp
New Delhi, April 15 With the ICC clearing the ‘Position Paper’, which provides more revenue to India, England and Australia, the BCCI top brass has decided that the money earned through the new ‘Revenue Model’ will be put back into the game through the various affiliated units. The money will be an additional amount apart from the regular grant and money from TV sponsorship rights that the associations have been getting all along. “As per the new ‘Revenue Model’, the BCCI gets 21 percent of the profits. We have been told by the top office-bearers that state units stand to gain an additional amount of approximately Rs 15 crore which can be used for development of the game and infrastructure at the grassroots level,” a senior BCCI official said. While N Srinivasan is set to take over as the chairman of the ICC Board, questions are being raised as to what will happen if he finally does not sit on the chair. “Look, while this decision to distribute the ICC earnings was intimated by Srinivasan at an earlier board meeting, it is BCCI’s turn to select the chairman of the ICC Executive board for a period of two years between 2014 and 2016. But even if Srinivasan is not representing India, whoever goes will have to implement what has been a consensus decision. Since it has been discussed with the members, I don’t think there is a chance of any rollback from the decision,” the source added. As of now, the state units get anything in the range of Rs 27 to Rs 35 crore.
— PTI |
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50-plus Major winner round the corner?
Augusta, April 15 American Julius Boros is the oldest winner of a ‘Big Four’ event, having triumphed in the 1968 US PGA Championship at the age of 48, but his record has been in danger of falling several times in recent years. Greg Norman went close in the 2008 British Open at Birkdale at the age of 53 and Tom Watson was nearer still in the same championship at Turnberry a year later, agonisingly missing out to fellow American Stewart Cink in a playoff at the age of 59. Couples, Langer and Jimenez have featured prominently on major leaderboards in recent seasons and it came as no surprise when they all mounted a title challenge at Augusta National on Sunday. Langer and 1992 Masters winner Couples are seasoned campaigners on the Champions Tour and the American said their successes on the senior circuit was a big help when it came to mixing it with the young guns. “The Champions Tour is tough but when you’re winning all the time you feel like you’re doing well when you come over on to this tour,” the 54-year-old Couples said after finishing 10 shots behind Masters champion Bubba Watson. “It would be like winning the lottery to win this thing but you never know.” The 56-year-old Langer fared even better at Augusta, a closing 69 securing a share of eighth place, eight strokes adrift of Watson. Langer said the veterans had sent out a statement after six 50-plus competitors made the cut at the opening major championship of the season. Asked what kind of statement, he replied: “What do you think? I think everybody can figure that out. There are a lot of good over-50 players. We can compete at the highest level and even on a very, very long golf course like this one.” — Reuters
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India fight back to draw 3-3 against Dutch club
New Delhi, April 15 HGC, the 2010–11 winners of the Euro Hockey League (hockey’s equivalent of the UEFA Champions League), scored the opener in the 6th minute and doubled the lead in the 24th to go 2-0 into halftime. India fought back in the second half as they restricted HGC from doing any further damage. India turned the tables in their favour when Rupinder made no mistake in converting a penalty corner in the 50th minute, followed by a field goal through Thimmaiah in the 56th minute. Raghunath’s successful penalty corner in the 63rd minute helped India take the lead, but HGC levelled the score a minute later. India’s defence and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh proved their ability to be at par with the Dutch club, which got 10 penalty corners but managed to convert only two. India will now take on Belgium in their next match late Wednesday. This tour is in preparation for the FIH World Cup to be held at The Hague from May 31 to June 15. |
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Djokovic strolls into third round; Tsonga fights through
Monaco, April 15 Djokovic, bidding to become the first player to achieve an Indian Wells-Miami-Monte Carlo Masters treble in the same season, ended his opponent’s ordeal on his first match point with a volley at the net, having broken five times and saved four break points. Djokovic, who last year ended Rafael Nadal’s eight-year reign in the principality, has won the last four Masters events he has played, prevailing in Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami. Earlier, Frenchman Michael Llodra beat Polish 16th seed Jerzy Janowicz in first-round action and French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga struggled to secure a third-round spot in a 6-4 1-6 6-4 defeat of German Philipp Kohlschreiber. Bops-Qureshi in pre-quarters Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi overcame a stiff resistance from Julian Knowle and Vasek Pospisil before moving into the pre-quarterfinals. The Indo-Pak pair battled past the Austrian-Canadian combo 7-6(2) 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes in the opening round. — Agencies
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Michael Phelps coming out of retirement
Toronto, April 15 The American, who has not competed since the 2012 London Games, will headline an April 24-26 meet in Mesa, Arizona, with fellow Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky, USA Swimming said in a statement on Monday. Phelps’s return to the pool touched off a wave of excitement on social media that added more fuel to speculation that the 28-year-old is planning to compete in Brazil, but his longtime coach did little to fan the flames. “I don’t think anybody knows,” Bob Bowman said when asked if Phelps’s return to competitive swimming was a step toward swimming at the 2016 Olympics. “Certainly he has done some training and gotten into decent physical condition and thought it would be fun to try some racing and we will find out next week how that goes. I don’t think we can really call it a comeback yet. We’ll see how next week goes and take it from there. But (Rio) is a possibility since he decided to consistently train.”
— Reuters |
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Sachin joins MI in training
Abu Dhabi, April 15 Tendulkar seemed to be itching to have a hit in the nets. The legend padded up and had a half-an-hour session at the nets. He looked a picture of concentration, and practised as if he would take the field in tomorrow’s opener. He also did his customary knocking, facing throwdowns from a member of the support staff. “It was a lesson for the youngsters in the manner Sachin went about his drills. If someone thought he wanted to hit a few balls for fun, they were mistaken. His drills were just like it used to be before a match,” said an MI source. Tendulkar also keenly watched Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard at the net session and was seen talking to chief coach John Wright.
— Agencies |
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New Delhi, April 15
Gavaskar roped in Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) chairman Deepak Parekh as his special advisor for IPL-7, raising hopes of a thorough clean-up of the tournament. 
