Even before the man of the match was announced at the end of the second test match in Napier on Monday Jesse Ryder had staked his claim with an uprooted stump.

Yes, Gautam Gambhir’s solid performance to save India’s blushes deserved the title of the “Second Wall of India’ in the footsteps of “The Wall’, veteran Rahul Dravid.

But, indubitably, Ryder is the man TV cameras will follow, not only in New Zealand but around the world.

As Napier Technical Old Boys stalwart and former club and Bay representative teammate Craig Finlay points out, the world now knows of the talented batsman who could go on to rewrite many record books in the age-old game of willow on leather.

For those who were fortunate enough to have watched him in the Bay since he was a teenager, it’s the worst-kept secret.

His prowess is not just confined to bludgeoning balls over the boundary rope or switching to effortless stroke making. He is equally adept in other facets of the game.

The baby-faced allrounder is just as lethal on the field. A safe pair of hands and an educated line and length with variable speed in bowling make him even more marketable.

That is why so many Indians can’t wait to see the former Napier Boys High School pupil ply his trade in India.

Those who quibble about issues such as why he gave his bat a bashing after he was dismissed last Saturday following his double century have to juxtapose that with a player coming to grips with a world outside his comfort zone.

However, the astute media wallahs in the press booth at McLean Park are equally cautious, not surprisingly, about his off-field antics which have in the past year quite often detracted from his on-field ones. His trials and tribulations have been of major concern to New Zealand Cricket who have done a commendable job in keeping him off the booze wagon.

Central to Ryder not reaching out for another cost-free shot glass from money- grabbing watering-hole moguls around the country is the support he’s been receiving from friends who opt simply to drink coffee and tea when he pays them a visit.

It was only a matter of time that the lucrative IPL Twenty20 competition was going to snap up the 24-year-old middle-order batsman.

The imposing question is who will be Ryder’s big brother in time of need abroad?

The Indian media informed me the owner of Ryder’s Royal Challengers Bangalore team is none other than Vijay Mallya, the No 1 liquor manufacturer in the subcontinent.

“They have some huge parties after matches, win or lose. The celebrations then carry on board his luxury yacht so it’ll be a real test for Ryder,’ a journalist said.

A female scribe added Ryder would also have to deal with the distraction of the fairer sex in Bangalore, which boasts many famous long-legged beauties including the No 1 Bollywood actress, Katrina Kaif, masquerading as the team’s brand ambassador.

“When he comes back from there you guys here will be writing different types of stories about him,’ she said with a grin.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Ryder has shown discipline, albeit on the foundation of some sobering counselling and support.

He won’t be short of advisers. His former Wairarapa Bush age-group teammate, Ross Taylor, will be there. So will the likes of senior Bangalore players such as Rahul Dravid and Englishman Kevin Pietersen.

Perhaps the biggest saving grace for Ryder is that the IPL has been reluctantly moved to South Africa this month because of terrorism threats during the height of general elections in India.

That is not to say South Africa is any more safer than any other part of the world. Nevertheless, it could be an ideal location to acclimatise to an intriguing habitat.

Regrettably for Ryder, his life-long test, rightly or wrongly, will be to show he didn’t win the world only to lose his soul.

Warding off social undesirables, while rewriting cricket history, will become his main preoccupation, whether he likes it or not.

But only he can change that and, more importantly, he will always have that choice.

He can start by taking a leaf out of the book of milk-guzzling Indian Virender Sehwag.
Source – hbtoday.co.nz

Is IPL’s season two jinxed? First, the home ministry put a spoke in the wheel and now sponsors have started retracting. On Wednesday Pepsico announced its association with two IPL teams, but on the flip side, has pulled out of a reported Rs 50 crore deal with the DLF IPL. That’s not all; several sponsors are re-evaluating their position after the tournament’s shift to South Africa.

The bubbly has fizzled out of IPL’s coffer, so no pouring partner for season two. But ‘Yem Yes Dhoni’ from Chennai will continue to endorse Pepsi in this IPL season.

Punita Lal, Executive Director of Pepsico India, said, “We are already with the ICC and can’t have it all. We have to decide where to put the money. We have put it with two teams that we are happy with.”

Well, it might be aimed at the T20 world cup and there’s no doubt that the fact that it’s aimed in time for all the advertising frenzy of the Indian Premier League, is a clear indication that even the cola giant wants to cash in on the IPL fever.

Sandeep Singh Arora, Associate VP of Pepsico, said, “We are currently involved with two brands but remain committed to MI and CSK.”

However, even as Lalit Modi says that the contracted revenue of IPL has gone up by Rs 1725 crore, several sponsors have pulled out of their deals.
Even Religare and Virgin are no longer associated with Daredevils. But that would not hurt as much as Bajaj Allianz and HDIL deserting the Royals and the Knights respectively.
As title sponsors they had paid Rs 6 crore each.

Joy Bhattacharya, Team Director of Kolkata Knight Riders, said, “We have lost a couple but that is more due to their personal circumstances. I think we have done well in terms of adding new sponsors. I wouldn’t want to comment on numbers.”
Meanwhile, there are others like Reebok, associated with as many as four teams, who have also cut back. Havells India has cancelled Rs 7.5 crore of on ground advertising. Though they had set aside Rs 30 crore for the on air promotions, they are now rethinking it.

But perhaps it’s not all gloom and doom. With new brand ambassadors like Shilpa Shetty and King Khan Shahrukh, marketing whizz-kids are plotting new strategies to rake in the moolahs.
Source – profit.ndtv.com

Once the BCCI decided to shift the IPL to South Africa they promised to ease out a fair bit of the extra financial burden the franchises will be forced into. But it now appears that the owners may not get so lucky, and will have to find ways to handle substantially higher costs.

The Rainbow Nation awaits the sudden windfall that comes as a perfect populist offering – five weeks of high-voltage ‘Cricketainment’ that will also generate an estimated $100 million, just the stimulus South Africa’s exchequer would love to have again and again. And obviously, the hosts are thrilled to bits.

“Our country has a wonderful opportunity to experience – there are already 100 of the best players in the world – but a taste of Indian culture and how fanatical the game is in India,” South African skipper Graeme Smith says. “I think it makes for wonderful entertainment, not only with the cricket but the entertainment side of the IPL put into the game is terrific.”

But it is the big-ticket franchises who could have a problem with the rising overheads, or the lack of economic opportunity in good measure.

— Franchises were aiming at a 20 per cent revenue growth just from ticketing sales. But without the city connect, gate receipts would be much less than what they had earned last year.

— Franchise owners get 12-14 hoardings in their home grounds that they give to their own sponsors. But now, in-stadia advertising prospects are bleak in South Africa, something their sponsors aren’t happy about.

— With each team planning to ferry around 20-25 members across South Africa for the tournament, hotel and travel costs could increase quite a bit.

“Most people look at is the BCCI’s IPL side and the franchisees on the other,” says Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Joy Bhattacharya. “We’re partners, and all of us have to get together to make the IPL in South Africa a success. So it is a question of partnership and I’m sure they know we are under financial constraints. We will find a way to make it work.”

This year the BCCI will make an estimated Rs 400 crore from the new broadcast deal that will generate Rs 40 crore for each franchisee. Also, central sponsorship which is roughly 10 per cent of the TV earnings will fetch the teams another Rs 5 crore each. Add to it another Rs 5 crore the teams save since they don’t have to pay entertainment and service tax in South Africa.

But with franchisee fees to the BCCI and player salaries estimated to be Rs 350-400 crore, how do the team owners make money? Clearly, it’s not just the players who will sweat it out at each game.
Source – cricketnext.in.com

This has been a memorable year for Mumbai in domestic cricket. They won a record 38th Ranji Trophy crown. But as the IPL approaches, the Mumbai Indians are hoping to add another glorious chapter to their history by turning last year’s disappointing result on its head.

There is a buzz in the Mumbai Indians camp: a new coach in former India batsman Praveen Amre, who has been very successful with the Mumbai Ranji team, taking them to two titles in the last three years.

“When you work with Mumbai (Ranji team) you’re the only decision maker,” Amre says. “But here you have to work as a unit and adjust yourself to see that the franchise is going there and winning.”

Amre will join Shaun Pollock, who has given up his playing gear for a role as mentor to the team, and Jonty Rhodes, who has been roped in as fielding coach. Ten young Mumbai Indians players have already been to Durban and trained with Pollock and Rhodes.

“As far as we saw, the pitches were pretty good, there was some good bounce and pretty good for batting,” said Abhishek Nayar. “It was good for cricket: bowlers had some nip in it, the batsmen could time the ball as well.”

The Mumbai Indians endured more near misses than hits last year. The players in particular remember close losses to Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals – defeats that cost them a semi-final place.

“The one-run loss to Kings XI Punjab last year is still fresh in my mind,” says Ajinkya Rahane. “But close games are bound to be played in Twenty20 cricket. Fewer mistakes will give us a better chance.”

So even as their key players Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh prepare for a final go at the Kiwis, the first batch of Mumbai Indians will leave for Durban in a couple of days.

Source – cricketnext.in.com

Now that the venue for the Indian Premier League in the second season has been decided, and after Kingfisher Airlines has been chosen as the official flying partner for the event, Kingfisher has selected SOTC, a division of Kuoni Travel India as tour partner to Kingfisher Airlines for the DLF-IPL 2009 to be held in South Africa between April 18 and May 24.

SOTC is one of the biggest travel agents in the country, operating chartered tours to foreign countries has been selected as the Tour Partner by the Kingfisher Airlines to work out the logistic arrangements that would facilitate in taking fans to South Africa to soak in the ambience of the IPL. With an objective to attract the fans to South Africa, SOTC has created a new vertical called as SOTC Sport Abroad. This has introduced various attractive packages with exclusive offers. The base level package for tour to South Africa starts from Rs.60,000 for 3 nights 4 days and include accommodation, match tickets, airfare, and sightseeing. The significant feature of this package would be that the cricket enthusiasts could watch all the eight teams playing in the IPL tournament.Exuding delight on the eve of being appointed as the Tour Partner to Kingfisher Airlines, Kashmira Commissariat – Head Outbound Division Kuoni India felt that it was a matter of honor to be appointed as the Tour Partner to Kingfisher Airlines for the DLF IPL 2009. The company would not relegate the package only to viewing of IPL matches but would include special sightseeing to some of the world’s most breathtaking cliffs, canyons and wilderness of South Africa, apart from providing an opportunity to watch IPL matches in South Africa.

P Srinivas, Senior Vice President (special interest tours), SOTC informed that SOTC Sport Abroad have constructed the packages in such a manner that it would be as uniquely remarkable as South Africa itself. SOTC is one of the few companies in India that specialized in sports tourism and has a dedicated team of professionals across India who specialize only in sports events.

It would however be interesting to see how many fans would finally stand up and get counted. After all, to be on the ground to watch the matches, would ordain burning of more than a lakh rupees and there would hardly be any such cricket enthusiasts who would agree to spend money to watch game of cricket of T20 variety in South Africa.
Source – cricket360.com