Shilpa knows how to make right use of her blog. Apart from promoting her team Rajasthan Royals, she is also offering clarifications about the news reported in newspapers. It was reported that Shilpa will tie the knot in October but the actress claims that she has marriage on her mind with beau Raj Kundra but is yet to decide the date.

She said, “I am looking forward to getting married sometime after October…But haven’t thought of a month or a date.” Shilpa’s extremely content the way things are happening in her life. After foraying into IPL with Rajasthan Royals, Shilpa has recently launched her beauty spa and is also working on her Indo-Chinese project, Desire. “It is difficult to concentrate on everything at a time that’s the reason I have kept my production on hold.”

Coming to her marriage Shilpa says, “I will be more than happy to make an official announcement the day we are ready to make one but for now the congratulatory calls can be kept on hold. My hands are quite full right now juggling so many things.” She signs off.
Source – movies.indiatimes.com

Last year’s IPL champions Rajasthan Royals have tied-up with Tata Consultancy Services as their technology partners for a period of three years.

TCS’s Global Marketing Head, Jayant Pendharkar, told a media conference today that Rajasthan Royals’ champions status as well as the importance they give to technology were some of the reasons they were preferred from among the eight IPL teams in fray for season 2 of the IPL commencing on April 18.

“Over the years TCS have partnered sports events. We are connected with the Ferrari team, NBA and the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon,” he said.

“One of the reasons for choosing Rajasthan Royals is their champion status and we like to deal with champions. The second reason is the importance they give to technology,” Pendharkar said.

“TCS will help Rajasthan Royals with analysis of player performance, simulation and other things,” he said, adding that TCS logo would be embossed on the caps and helmets of the Jaipur IPL franchise owned by Emerging Media.

Rajasthan Royals Vice Chairman Ranjit Barthakur revealed that this year the IPL first edition champions have roped in a total of nine sponsors which was more than in 2008.

Both Pendharkar and Barthakur refused to divulge the financial details of the three-year deal between TCS and Rajasthan Royals.
Source – cricketnext.in.com

The Rajasthan Royals claimed the inaugural Indian Premier League title last year when they beat the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in the final in Mumbai.

The team is led by legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who is also the coach.

Warne is the only non-Indian captain in the competition. South African captain Graeme Smith and fast bowler Morne Morkel, as well as Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and Australian all-rounder Shane Watson are some of the stars who play for the Royals.

Smith topped the batting averages for Rajasthan last year, scoring 441 runs in 11 innings at an average of 49. Watson scored the most runs (472 in 15 innings) at an average of 47.2 and a strike rate of 151.76.

Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir picked up the most wickets for the Royals and was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 22 wickets in 11 games. Warne followed closely with 19 wickets in 15 matches.

The Emerging Media Group owns the side that won 13 of their 16 games in 2008.

Rajasthan Royals squad: Shane Warne (Aus), Abhishek Raut (Ind), Ahad Malek (Ind), Amit Singh (Ind), Anup Revandkar (Ind), Ashraf Makda (Ind), Atul Sharma (Ind), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Eng), Dinesh Salunke (Ind), Gajendra Singh (Ind), Graeme Smith (SA), Kamran Akmal (Pak), Lee Carseldine (Aus), Mahesh Rawat (Ind), Mohammad Arif (Ind), Mohammad Kaif (Ind), Morne Morkel (SA), Munaf Patel (Ind), Naman Ojha (Ind), Niraj Patel (Ind), Paras Dogra (Ind), Paul Valthaty (Ind), Pratmesh Salunke (Ind), Pushkarraj Chavan (Ind), Raiphi Gomez (Ind), Ravindra Jadeja (Ind), Robert Quiney (Aus), Shane Harwood (Aus), Shane Watson (Aus), Shaun Tait (Aus), Siddharth Chitnis (Ind), Siddharth Trivedi (Ind), Sohail Tanvir (Pak), Srideep Mangela (Ind), Swapnil Asnodkar (Ind), Tyron Henderson (SA), Yusuf Pathan (Ind).
Source – thetimes.co.za

Live cricket in cinema halls sounded exciting but unbelievable before the advent of India’s Twetny-20 extravaganza. But like many things that were considered impossible before, but made possible through Indian Premier League, live cricket in the multiplexes throughout India became a reality too! With IPL going overseas this year, a large section of the audience hoped to catch it on the big screen! But as the things turned out yesterday, this seems to be remote possibility for cricket loving crowd in India-here is why.

It is a fantastic idea to watch the live cricket twenty20 matches on the big screen when you fail to manage a ticket to the stadium or can’t hop to another city to watch your favorite match live. And with IPL traveling to foreign lands this year, theater owners were dreaming of a higher income potential form the screening of the matches, as very few would be lucky enough to travel all the way to South Africa for catching up with their favorite tournament. But that is not going to be the case; thanks to a demanding Sony, who in turn had to cough up extra bucks amounting to millions to retain the broadcasting rights. “It didn’t work out. That’s all I know about the matter,” an Indian Premier League official was quoted responding to cricket news media. This year, the initial response from the theater owners was great with big names such as UTV, PVR and Group M there contending for the theatrical telecast rights. But the excitement soon died out following an expensive and impractical terms of Sony that involved a very expensive contract that will be valid for only one year. INOX vice-president (distribution and programming) Utpal Acharya said, just like the previous year, this year too, INOX had approached Sony for the theatrical rights. But Sony informed that this year the matter would be handled by a separate body and tenders would be invited through it. But as of now, tenders were not opened. It is clearly Sony’s high demands that are going to keep IPL off multiplexes. The media giant asked for a whopping 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore per screening. But the multiplex owners bogged down by the fee as big as this and tax is not the one to oblige. And the result – Indian audience are most likely to miss the chances of catching it up live on the big screens.

However, the multiplex owners are not giving up hopes yet. “Given the embargo by producers on releasing films, it will be the key to have an alternate programming strategy and Indian Premier League clearly takes the lead in filling the slots besides short film festivals, foreign language film screenings. We plan to talk to the broadcaster directly to obtain rights to screen the matches at our multiplex,” Anand Vishal, vice-president, marketing, Fun Cinemas said.

With IPL moving out of India, nothing other than the multiplexes could have provided the Indian audience with better live experience. And the theater owners might have dreamt of big business opportunities with this relocation. The Indian Premier League supreme Lalit Modi too recognized the need of the cricket fans and opportunities of the theater owners. But in their row of profit sharing, Indian cricket lovers are going to be deprived of great viewing experience! Can’t our all-powerful IPL chief do something to break the ice to bring the Indian audience some spectacular IPL moments?
Source – cricket360.com

Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards will be appearing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers respectively in this season’s IPL, but will be available for a little less than two weeks. With both West Indian players expected to arrive in England for the return series no later than May 1, their IPL stints are expected to last just 12 days.There were concerns that West Indies’ best players would not have been available for the tour, which begins with a three-day tour match against Leicestershire on April 21, after some of them signed deals to appear in the IPL. However, with the first Test scheduled at Lord’s from May 6, a window has opened up for the players to turn out for their respective franchises in the tournament being played in South Africa from April 18-May 24.

“We have named 17 players because we have got a couple of our players going off to play in the IPL,” Clyde Butts, the West Indies chairman of selectors, said while announcing the squad. “Gayle and Edwards will travel to the IPL and will join the squad just before the first Test.”

One of the complaints which the players raised in their recent dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) was the ruling body’s unilateral decision to stage the tour which was organised last October without their consultation and would be contested in direct conflict with the IPL.

The series was arranged bilaterally between the WICB and the ECB, following the withdrawal of Sri Lanka – whose players demanded that they be allowed to play in the IPL.

West Indies are scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs on the tour of England which ends on May 26. Their next assignment is the World Twenty20 to be held in the same country from June 5.
Source – content.cricinfo.com