Due to the recovery of explosives in Bangalore and few live bombs outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday, the Indian Premier League has announced that two semifinals which were scheduled for M Chinnaswamy Bangalore would now be held at DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.

“While reluctant to relocate the semi-finals at such short notice, yesterday’s incidents have made it clear that the current environment in Bangalore prevents us from continuing with our original plans,” IPL commissioner Modi said on Sunday.

“The incidents were assessed by local police and the IPL’s security agency as being of a minor nature but they have forced our hand. This decision is naturally disappointing for the people of Bangalore but has been taken with the tournament’s best interests, and the interests of its many varied stakeholders, in mind,” Modi added.

So now, all the three matches i.e 2 semi finals and one final will be held DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.

In a new twist to the IPL controversy, today the lawyer of Sunanda Pushkar, the woman who owes a stake of Rs 70 crore in IPL Kochi team has told TV channels that her client has decided to surrender the stake as she is very disturbed and distressed due to the recent controversy.

Ashish Mehta who is Sunanda Pushkar’s lawyer, read out a statement to the channel on behalf of Sunanda Pushkar – “I am a professional with 20 years of experience. Given the deeply unpleasant publicity, I can no longer find the enthusiasm required to associate myself with any IPL activity in the foreseeable future.”

In other developments, Shashi Tharoor met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at 7 Race Course Road residence and had told his side of the story. Now his fate hangs in balance as Prime Miniser will take decision on his ministerial berth today.

Lalit Modi who is in Dubai to attend an ICC meeting said that this battle is not between him and Tharoor or between Congress and BJP. He also assured that he will try to solve this problem as soon as possible so that fans enjoy the upcoming seasons of IPL.

Today, Saturday 17 April 2010, just before the IPL match between RCB and MI, a blast near Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore occurred causing huge panic in and around the stadium. The blast occurred just 30 min before the match causing delay in the start of the match. Initially reports suggest that it was a mild generator blast but later it was confirmed that it was a blast done to cause panic. Home minister has sorted for a inquiry and all round check up was done by police before giving the the green signal to players to start the match. As per some media reports, more explosive was found by police near the Kumble stand but additional forces and state police had done a thorough search and now the play has begin.

Indian Premier League which got booster with the presence of Bollywood has actually not been convert the hype in results. Three big names of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty own Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively and none of these team is able to make into semifinals comfortably, though KKR and RR still are hopeful thanks to the mathematical calculations which could help them seek through.

If we see the previous record of IPL season 1 and season 2, none of the teams owned by Bollywood have been able to win. Rajasthan Royals won the first edition but at that time, Shipla Shetty was not associated with them.

In the third edition of IPL, the biggest disappointment was Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab. They had some very big names but none of them could perform when it mattered the most and thus they were the fist team which was ousted in this edition.

Shilpa Shetty’s Rajasthan Royals got to a disastrous start and then bounced back but the inconsistency has prevailed and thats why they are in dire straits now. They have to win the match and then wait do all sorts of calculations so as to hope for a place in semi finals.

King Khan’s Kokata Knight Riders started this season extremely well and fans hoped that this time the fortune will change and Shahrukh will have somthing to cheer about. But as on this day, the future hangs in balance as they have to wait for all matches to end and thus see if they qualify on the basis of net run rate.

So overall, Bollywood’s association with cricket has not been so fruitful in terms of performance of teams so far but yes when we talk about entertainment and glamor, we cant resist BOLLYWOOD!

The game which changed the outlook of CRICKET, Indian Premier League or IPL is marred with yet another controversy and this time its a very serious one. As per reports, IPL Kochi franchise has alleged that the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi has offered them $50 million as bribe to to “quit the game and get out” of the Kochi Franchise. Modi on the other hand has rubbished the charge and is exploring legal options to sue Kochi franchise.

Satyajit Gaekwad, CEO of Rendezvous Sports World, owner of IPL Kochi yesterday made shocking claims on Indian television channels. He said “One week after the bid was declared in favour of the Kochi team, the investor from Rendezvous Shailendra was called by Mr Modi and told that you would be given $50 million if you just quit the game and get out,” Gaekwad told CNN-IBN.

On the other hand, when Modi was asked about the allegations of bribe he told “I can’t bribe somebody to give me the franchise because I am not a bidder in the first place. There is no reason for me to give them the bribe because automatically, it would lead to the cancellation of the tender and it would lead to a new tender. So I don’t know where they are coming up with this imaginative figure.”

As the issue of Kochi is becoming murkier day by day, the tax officials have also started an investigation about the funds used to buy the team.

“The Directorate General of Investigation in Kochi had discussed this issue with senior officials in New Delhi yesterday and the department has ordered a probe into the issue,” a spokesperson for the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Shashi Tharoor Row
Today the parliament session begins and opposition BJP and Left have joined hands to raise huge hue and cry on the links between Shashi Tharror and a lady named Sunanda Pushkar. Shashi Tharoor who is a minister in MEA is being asked to step down from the ministerial position unless he is cleared of all chargers. Congress on the other hand is exploring options to set aside this controversial issue where as BJP and left would not let it go as easily.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh when asked about Tharoor’s resignation has said that he will look into the matter as right now he dont have all the facts with him. He assured of an action if required.