In what is supposed to be a grand opening ceremony to the new form of cricket that is Indian Premier League, it has been decided that only the captains of the eight teams will be present in the Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18.

“The logistics don’t allow for all teams to gather in one place,” stated the IPL CEO Sundar Raman. Of course, team officials and owners are also expected, along with some of their respective brand ambassadors.

India’s Only five star airlines – Kingfisher Airlines have become the Official Airline for the Indian Premier League. The partnership agreement states that Kingfisher Airlines will extend its world-class, award-winning hospitality to all teams of the DLF – IPL and BCCI officials.

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said, “I am very pleased to have the country’s premier 5 star airline Kingfisher Airlines join us as our Official Airline Partner. I am certain that the cricketers and officials alike will enjoy the 5 star hospitality of the airline while flying the good times across the country getting from one match to another. Their decision to extend the association beyond being umpire partners further bears testimony to the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League is here to stay and is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricketing calendar.”

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman & CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said, “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the DLF Indian Premier League as the official airline partner. Our multi-year agreement with the DLF Indian Premier League is further testimony of our commitment to Indian sports. I am certain that all the players and officials of the DLF Indian Premier League will undoubtedly enjoy our hospitality and fly the good times during the forty-four days of intense competition. The DLF Indian Premier League is a highly innovative concept and the Twenty20 format will undoubtedly take cricket’s popularity to a new high. I welcome all DLF IPL guests to sit back, relax and enjoy the Kingfisher experience.”

Indian Premier League has distracted the attention of Indian people from the huge defeat which India suffered at the hands of South Africa’, said former South African captain Kepler Wessels. “The way India lost would normally have caused far more of an outcry than it has, but the IPL has distracted people from that,”
Wessels, who will be coaching the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, was speaking at a programme organized by broadcaster SuperSport. The broadcaster has acquired the rights to televise all 59 matches in the IPL series to sub-Saharan Africa and nearby islands.

Almost half of Australia’s contracted cricketers would consider quitting international cricket to play in the new Indian Twenty20 leagues.

The figure is contained in a survey of the country’s elite players conducted by the Australian Cricketers Association, and raises the possibility that some players could choose not to renew Cricket Australia contracts and instead maximise their earnings in the Indian Premier League.

Asked whether they would consider early retirement from international cricket to play in either the IPL or its unsanctioned competitor, the Indian Cricket League, 47 per cent of players contracted to Cricket Australia and 49 per cent of state players answered “yes”.

Source : stuff.co.nz

“The teams have players from different backgrounds. There are local players as well as international stars along with youngsters. They will have to gel as a team in this short period and that will be a challenging task for any coach,” said Delhi Daredevils coach Greg Shippard.

“IPL is a new concept. The players will have to bond together, develop a team relationship and play as a unit,” he added.