If the inaugural edition of the IPL T20 provided it an opportunity to project the brand, India Cements believes this year’s event being held in South Africa gives it a chance to grow its corporate image. India Cements owns the Chennai Super Kings franchise.
Last year, the team’s players had Coromandel King (Coromandel being one of India Cements’ brands) on their shirts, giving this predominantly southern player in the cement industry a national presence. The company even said it would ride piggyback on the Chennai Super Kings franchise as it expanded its national footprint in the cement industry.
The Chennai Super Kings, led by skipper M.S. Dhoni, who at $1.5 million was the costliest buy in last year’s players auction, this year bagged England cricketer Andrew Flintoff at $1.55 million, again among the costliest buys this season.
Source – moneycontrol.com

Bhogle said that the ‘episode on the auction stunned the cricket world; money was supposed to be just for footballers.

“Few people liked the auction as it was. Cricketers were being likened to cattle,” Harsha Bhogle said.

“Accountability came with cricket,” said Manish Porwal, CEO, Percept Talent Management.

Unlike other leagues like English Premier League which evolved with time, IPL was invented in one year.

Selection of the teams were very subjective. Players like Ricky Ponting were paid like a B-grade Ranji Player.

IPL is cricketainment, says Porwal

“The sponsors did not know where to default, they didn’t know where to pitch, whether it was the Indianness that would give them the eyeballs or something else,” said Porwal.

Chennai Super Kings used its money wisely. They have put themselves in a very good position. Their team composition is very good and they have players from every country; if someone leaves, the place is filled immediately.

“CSK is a winning team with a winning captain and a lot of money that can be put behind the team,” said Ashok Malik, a noted journalist.

“T Thushara and George Bailey are players that can make a difference in the team,” Harsha said.

CSK’s Head of Marketing, Rakesh Singh spoke on the show about how franchisee has helped the teams grow.

“Franchisee’s model is developing as we go along because internationally one depends on merchandising and gate collections, but in India, it is a combination of merchandising, gate collections and a lot of sponsorships, advertisement and promotions.CSK is both cricket and business. It has been a part of the India Cements Company’s passion.” said R Singh

“Dhoni is an icon player without being an icon player, he initially gave the team a pan-Indian identity in addition to a Chennai identity because Dhoni is a rockstar,” said Malik.
Source – espnstar.com

Andrew Flintoff does not believe playing in the Indian Premier League will have a detrimental effect on his performances for England because of the amount of cricket he has missed in the last year.

The 31-year-old has had several niggling injuries, the latest of which was a hip problem that ruled him out of the final Test and first two one-day internationals in the West Indies.

It has been suggested Flintoff should be wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes this summer, but the all-rounder told Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek: “I don’t know about that. I have missed so much cricket through injury that I don’t want to miss any more.”

He added: “I’ve not played a lot of Twenty20 cricket and I’d like to play more. I’m not saying the money is not very appealing, but there’s a lot more to it.

“I spent several weeks working very hard at my fitness when I came back from the West Indies and, hopefully, that will stand me in good stead come the summer.”

Other England players, notably Kevin Pietersen, have said the rigours of a long winter away have taken their toll, and Graeme Swann even likened the events of the last few months to an episode of Eastenders.

Flintoff’s Caribbean tour may have been interrupted by injury but he was involved in the debates following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and he insists missing home is normal.

“It’s been a tough winter all round,” he said. “Going to India before Christmas with everything that happened, and coming home and going back, was testing for everyone.

“There have been lots of things going on. These are long tours. We are proud to play for England but people have got things at home as well and families who you desperately miss when you’re away. When you come to the end of a trip, of course people are looking forward to getting home and seeing people you haven’t seen for a long time.”
Source – google.com

Chennai Super Kings left for Johannesburg on Wednesday morning without their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The Super Kings left for Johannesburg via Dubai at 9.45 this morning on the auspicious day of Lord Aiyappa’s birthday by an Emirates Airlines flight.

Apart from Dhoni, medium pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji and opening batsman Murali Vijay, who will return from New Zealand today and some overseas players, including coach-cum-player Stephen Fleming, Mathew Hayden and George Bailey will join the squad later.

From Johannesburg, the Super Kings will travel to Durban tomorrow where they will set up their training camp.

Kasi Viswanathan, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and Head of Operations of the Super Kings told PTI minutes before boarding the flight that the team is geared up to return with the trophy this time.’We are ready for the big occasion”

“We are ready for the big occasion. We want to come back with the trophy this time. We have set our preparations in place with the aim of making the semifinals as a goal and then go full throttle in the final for the trophy that we missed by hair breath last time to Rajasthan Royals,” he said.

The Super Kings would be having a six-day training camp in Durban from April 10-15, which includes a few practice matches against local teams before leaving for Cape Town to play Mumbai Indians in the second match on the opening day of the high-profile Twenty20 tournament. Vishwanathan also informed that alongwith Dhoni, star England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and Kiwi Jacob Oram will be joining the team in Cape Town on April 15.

Dhoni to join on April 15

“Dhoni will be returning to India along with the team today from New Zealand. Of course, he requires some rest. He, alongwith Flintoff and others, will join the team in Cape Town on April 15.

“The Indians as well as overseas players have been involved in international matches for their respective countries and have the experience to straight away go for the matches,” he said.

Viswanathan noted that all the eight teams have made some changes in their squads this time around after first edition’s experience.

“No team could be taken for granted and there could even be high scoring matches as some of the venues have small grounds but the Super Kings will approach every match with caution. We have depth in our bench strength.”
Source – espnstar.com

Led by the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings will be hoping to go one better after finishing as IPL runners-up last year after signing up Andrew Flintoff.

The Super Kings began the last edition with four straight wins, with much of that initial success due to solid batting performances from Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey.

The Australians were available for only the first four matches – and once they returned home for national duty, the team’s performance fell drastically.

However, Dhoni’s Midas touch as captain never deserted him. Lusty batting from Suresh Raina and Parthiv Patel helped the Super Kings romp into the final, where they proved second-best against the Rajasthan Royals.

The Chennai team’s preference for all-rounders saw them snare Andrew Flintoff at the auction in Goa.

The Super Kings will be without the services of Hussey, and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram has declared himself a doubtful starter.

But with the now-retired Hayden available for the entire duration and South Africans Albie Morkel and Makhaya Ntini in prime form, the team cannot be written off.

Sri Lankan fast bowler Thilan Thushara was roped in to shore up an attack which would revolve around Morkel, Ntini and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Stephen Fleming, the Super Kings’ coach and player, complements the team.
Source – cricket365.com