Indian intelligence agencies have warned that Lalit Modi, IPL chairman is among the latest to be on the hit list of the underworld. It has been alleged that Modi is being targeted because Pakistani cricket players have not been allowed to participate in the IPL this year. According to cricket news reports, a Pak based organisation had given a so called ‘supari’ to underworld don Chota Shakeel to ‘eliminate’ Modi either in India or South Africa.According to reports, this information was gleaned from the interrogation of shooter Rashid Malabari who is also connected with international cricket according to whom Modi is one of the prime targets of the gang of Chota Shakeel. Malabari is a gangster who is associated with the Chota Shakeel gang, and was arrested last week. It has been revealed that the main aim of the plot to assassinate Modi was to create panic and chaos ahead of the Indian elections.
And Modi is not the only one targeted by this gang; others such as Varun Gandhim (BJP candidate from Pilibhit) Pramod Muthalik (of the Ram Sene attacks on the Mangalore pub fame). Reportedly these are the other people on the Chhota Shakeel radar.
Modi reportedly became an underworld target after he failed to cough up the money demanded of him by the gang. In the event there is no perceived threat to the cricket players participating in IPL Season 2 for who the highest security measures will any way be in place. It is also the betting mafia which is involved in international cricket and which is highly active in the South African region according to cricket news reports.
There is also nexus between Islamic fundamental militant organisations and the underworld gangs which further ups the risk faced by Modi. Although agencies have indicated and cricketers are safe and not the target of militants, sabotage of matches is not inconceivable possibility which must be kept in mind.
Source – cricket360.com
Thomas Cook, the premium travel agent in the country has been appointed as `Tour Partner` to Kingfisher Airlines for the DLF IPL 2009 to be held in South Africa.
Kingfisher Airlines is the official airline & travel partner to the DLF IPL 2009 which is being held in South Africa this year. Thomas Cook (Q, N,C,F)* has put together special tour packages in collaboration with Kingfisher Airlines and Kingfisher Holidays. As part of this agreement, Thomas Cook will offer all IPL fans in India the opportunity to fly to international grounds and a lifetime experience of yet another exciting cricket season.Thomas Cook has always been an agency that believes in enabling its customers to experience the best in the travel trends of the given season. The IPL packages by Thomas Cook start from at an attractive price of Rs 43000 for 3 nights and 4 days including Air fare, transfers, accommodation, travel insurance, and match tickets.
Nalini Gupta president & head – marketing, Thomas Cook India said, “Thomas Cook India is pleased to be declared as one of the official tour partners to Kingfisher Airlines for the DLF IPL 2009 in South Africa. I am very excited at this opportunity, particularly since I personally experienced a large movement of cricket enthusiasts from India during the World Cup in 2003. Presently, we are working on very affordable packages largely because we want as many people as possible to have a live experience of the game in the warmth of South African hospitality and beauty.“
Many of the world’s leading cricketers are packing their bags at present, but none quite on the scale of Shane Watson. Like his Rajasthan Royals team-mates, Watson is preparing to fly to South Africa to defend the IPL crown won in dramatic circumstances last year. But, equally as pressing, Watson is in the process of relocating from Brisbane to Sydney, where he hopes a change of scenery will also lead to a change of cricketing fortune.
Continuity is a luxury Watson has seldom been afforded since his international debut in 2002. Flashes of brilliance have invariably been followed by periods of injury, resulting in a career spent as much in transition as the spotlight.
Never was that spotlight brighter than last year, when Watson – picked up by Rajasthan for a relatively modest $US125,000 in the second auction of 2008 – was named player of the inaugural IPL. The Queensland allrounder was pivotal to Rajasthan’s title push, finishing fourth in the tournament for runs (472 at 47.20 with a powerful strike-rate of 151.76) and wickets (17 at 22.52), and was rewarded with an immediate recall to the Australian one-day side for the tour of the Caribbean.
But then came injury. Following a strong Test tour of India, Watson returned to Australia full of hope and optimism, only to be struck down by back stress fractures. Forced to the sidelines for the eagerly anticipated Test series against South Africa, Watson made his comeback in the final few weeks of Queensland’s season, and then only as a batsman. A return to bowling remains weeks away.
And, so, Watson has been left to plot yet another ascent from base camp. The move to NSW, born out of a desire to live closer to his partner, will be symbolic only if injuries remain at bay. But the IPL represents an immediate opportunity to again pit himself against the world’s leading players, and move a step closer to realising his ultimate goal: a long, uninterrupted run at international level.
“The IPL was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” Watson told Cricinfo. “To be involved in something brand new and on such a grand scale might be something I’ll never have the chance to do again. And to do as well as I did at what was a pivotal moment in my career made it even more special. To be able to help Rajasthan to the title and then to catch the attention of the Australian selectors again was fantastic.
“I’m not exactly sure how it will play out this year. I’ve had some chats with [Rajasthan coaches] Warney and Darren Berry. The last time we talked about me playing as a batsman, but I’m not sure if anything has changed in their thinking since then. Graeme Smith will be available, so there will be competition for spots with so many international batsmen around. I’ll hopefully get a spot as a batsman in the first half of the tournament. It will be interesting to see how they balance it.”
Though Rajasthan will be denied Watson’s bowling services for the opening rounds of the tournament, the defending champions could be in for a surprise when the ball is finally thrown his way in May. Watson has been working with Dennis Lillee and Troy Cooley over the past few months in a bid to improve his swing bowling. The early signs, he says, are promising.
“The one good side of having time away from playing is that it gives you an opportunity to work on different parts of your game,” Watson said. “Last year, I used the injury time to work on some technical aspects of my batting and I was really pleased with what I came up with. And the opportunity to work with Truck [Cooley] and Dennis on my bowling this time has been great.
“It’s progressing really well. I’ve been restricted in what I’ve done so far, but will build up that workload during the IPL. Once I get the repetition going I’m confident that I will be able to achieve that goal of being able to swing the ball on a consistent basis. In the first week of May I should be close to full capacity again. I’ll be playing as a batsman for the first few weeks.”
Beyond the IPL, the Ashes looms large on Watson’s to-do list for 2009. Three years ago, the allrounder was all but guaranteed the No. 6 position in the Australian batting order for the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, but was ruled out days before the match with a hamstring injury that opened the door for Andrew Symonds.
The competition will be even greater this time around – incumbent allrounders Marcus North and Andrew McDonald both played important roles in Australia’s recent Test series victory in South Africa – and Watson is open to the idea of a county stint to enhance his selection prospects. Should that eventuate, a reignition of the controversy that surrounded Stuart Clark’s sigining with Kent is all but assured.
“It is obviously more difficult now with the new restrictions on overseas players,” he said. “If I went over it would not be to play a huge amount of cricket. County cricket is fun, but it is definitely a hard slog and there’s no way you want to be burning out this year. Six or seven weeks would be good, but we’ll see what happens.”
Source – content.cricinfo.com
With the Indian Premier League (IPL) season two moving to South Africa, a ding-dong battle is on between sponsors and team franchisees over the value of sponsorship deals.
While sponsors are looking out for long-term deals with lower fees, team franchisees are opting for one–year deal if the sponsorship fee is less attractive.
“Sponsors believe that the shift of venue and ongoing recession would result in 20-40% dip in response. They are renegotiating and trying to reduce the sponsorship fee or going for short-term commitments,” said Ranjit Barthakur, vice-chairman, Rajasthan Royals.
“Had it been held in India, which is likely to be the most recession-insulated place, the response would have been great. While a few previous sponsors are pulling out, new ones are joining in,” Barthakur added.
However, the defending champions Rajasthan Royals hopes to equal the number of sponsors they had in last season. “We had seven or eight sponsors last year. We would have the same number this year too. Being champions, we are getting premium as well,” Barthakur said without disclosing the likely revenue generated through sponsorships.
Apart from that, the team has also resorted to cost cutting measures to maximise revenue. “We have cut down 20% of our cost by cutting down on traveling and squeezing the advertising budget. We have also reduced the number of officials flying with the team,” said Utkarsh Singh, business development head, Rajasthan Royals.
Sensing a drop in ticket sales, the defending champions are striving to rope in big players as its merchandise partners. “We are looking at partnerships in different categories like FMCGs, linen and kids products. They would use Rajasthan Royals’ branding to come out with product formulations.” Barthakur said.
“We already have tie-ups with PUMA in sports apparel, Kids Media India (KMI) in kids’ products and GlaxoSmithkline in energy drink. There are around five major tie-ups in line, which we will announce next week,” Barthakur added.
The team franchisee is also in talks with South African sponsors and partners to expand its fan base and provide maximum value to its Indian sponsors.
“We have tied up with a South African television channel Supersport and sports magazine Sports Illustrated, to connect with local fans. We have also launched a massive school contact programme in SA to garner support from young fans,” Barthakur said.
Source – televisionpoint.com
Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has hit back at Sunil Gavaskar over his comments about franchise coach John Buchanan, and asked Gavaskar to stay away from issues concerning his IPL team.
In his column for the Hindustan Times, Gavaskar termed Buchanan a “failed former cricketer making a living telling international players to do what he couldn’t do”. It has not gone down well with the IPL franchise, which last week tried to put a lid on the controversy generated by Buchanan’s theory of multiple captains by releasing a statement that during a game the team would resort to a group of “strategists” who would report to one on-field captain while making decisions.
Khan has come to Buchanan’s defence, saying there was a marked difference in the time Gavaskar played and now. “I respect Mr Gavaskar – his knowledge about cricket is a billion times better than me,” Khan told reporters in Mumbai. “But this is an era where Mr Gavaskar has not indulged in; nevertheless his knowledge about the game does allow him to make comments.
“This is a new format that’s being tried out. Please give it some breathing space. I am the owner of the team, I bought it. If he wants to implement something, let him buy a team.”
Gavaskar was scathing of Buchanan in his column, saying the former Australian coach had a way with words in India, a country Gavaskar said had few people capable of defusing opinion makers. “To comment on his multiple skipper theory is to give it the importance it doesn’t deserve but what does require comment is how he has got his Queensland pals lucrative jobs with KKR,” wrote Gavaskar. “They have a very big support staff which includes his son and most of them are from Queensland. The owners – poor souls – have little idea that they are being milked.”
Gavaskar also said the Indian media granted unwarranted importance to Buchanan. “In India, where the media lives by the sound bite, Buchanan is a regular,” he wrote. “If the Indian media had not made him out to be a ‘super coach’, he would have been just another failed former cricketer making a living telling international players to do what he couldn’t at the first-class level.”
Buchanan’s radical theory had stirred a controversy on the eve of the team’s departure to South Africa, forcing a nearly four-hour long meeting between Buchanan, Sourav Ganguly, Khan and Jai Mehta, who owns a stake in the team, in Mumbai. A subsequent statement released by Kolkata stressed that there would be only one captain, who would be fed with suggestions from this core group of strategists.
Source – content.cricinfo.com
