Thursday the streets were filled with fanfare as the Indian Premiere League made its entrance into Cape Town. The star studded parade featured nine floats; one for each of the eight teams and one for the Indian Premiere League. Indian dancers and brass bands from the community made their way down the streets with the league.

There were more than one-hundred and fifty cricket players who attended along with Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and of course Shilpa Shetty. It was no surprise that they each own teams including the Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals.

There were large crowds of people who gathered to watch the parade. The Indian Premiere League parade kicked off festivities that will run until the finals in Johannesburg on May 24. The Indian Premiere League commissioner Lalit Modi also decided to enlist help to find a Miss Bollywood South Africa.

Lalit Modi said “We’re looking for someone who has the star quality to stand out in a crowd, probably without even trying that hard…It’s that special, almost indefinable, quality that makes someone a star more than a beauty queen that we are looking for. IPL matches with their mix of fun and excitement are an excellent environment to identify the kind of person who is a natural stand-out in a big crowd.”

Someone who did stand out in the crowd was the sexy Shilpa Shetty. She always brings energy and fun to any event she gets involved with. That’s why for those of you who couldn’t be at the parade can check out some pictures we got. Take a look and tell us what you think about all the excitement over the Indian Premiere League. Do you think the parade was necessary or do you think that it was too much fuss over a sport? Give us your thoughts on the parade.
Source – desihits.com

CRICKET Australia has forbidden Shaun Tait from playing in the Indian Premier League, meaning the South Australian quick will forfeit his $500,000 pay cheque from the Rajasthan Royals.

With a watchful eye on its growing ranks of walking wounded fast bowlers, CA has refused to release Tait because, it says, he is yet to recover from a left hamstring tear sustained in February.

But The Weekend Australian understands Tait is close to full fitness after almost two months of a radical treatment involving injections of his own blood into the problem area.

Sources say Tait declared himself fit a fortnight ago, but Cricket Australia refused to give him a clean bill of health. As a nationally-contracted player, Tait must be cleared fit to play by CA.

His manager, Andrew McRitchie, said yesterday the CA decision was “very disappointing” as Tait had been making good progress in his rehabilitation.

“The IPL was the only chance to prove his fitness before the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup was picked,” McRitchie said.

“How he proves that now, I don’t know.”

Tait’s loss is a blow for the Shane Warne-led Royals in the franchise’s bid to claim successive titles in the tournament, which starts in South Africa tonight.

“The excitement of playing alongside Warnie and (for) defending champions Rajasthan was definitely something that has been at the forefront of his mind,” McRitchie said.

“The Royals have been exceptionally understanding and they know that Taity is a long-term prospect for them. Whilst (he remains) a (CA) contracted player he will play by their rules, and Taity understands that.”

McRitchie said a lot of people had said they had Tait’s “best interests at heart”.

“I only hope that ruling him out of any competitive cricket … that this actually is the case.

“Me, I’m not totally convinced but I guess we will see.

“There are no guarantees, but Taity will do whatever he can to not only get passed fit but hopefully spearhead the Aussies to Twenty20 World Cup success.”

Tait is in the 30-man preliminary squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, to be held in England in June.

CA spokesman Peter Young confirmed yesterday Tait’s lack of fitness had ruled him out of the five-week IPL tournament in South Africa.

“Shaun Tait won’t be playing IPL,” Young said. “He’s still working through the rehab program and it has been determined that he won’t be playing IPL.

“He has a hamstring injury and there’s associated issues behind the hamstring injury.”

CA appears loath to gamble on the fast bowler’s fitness given its stock of quicks is already fully stretched by injury.

Brett Lee was this week ruled out of the one-day series against Pakistan in Dubai to allow him more time to recover from ankle surgery.

Stuart Clark has only recently become available after a long lay-off with an elbow problem.

Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus were troubled by injuries in the recent Test series against South Africa and Brett Geeves was sent home from the ensuing one-day series nursing a broken foot.

On top of all this, Shane Watson has missed much of the summer with stress fractures in his back.

Tait’s lingering injury also ruled him out of the Dubai one-dayers.

The express bowler was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for $US375,000 ($521,702) at the IPL auction in February, in the same week he succumbed to his latest hamstring injury.

The money is paid on a pro-rata basis for each match played.

Tait missed last year’s tournament in April-May because it was held during his self-imposed exile from the game to rest his aching body and tired mind.

The eight IPL franchises will each play 14 round-robin matches before the semi-finals and final from May 22 to 24.
Source – theaustralian.news.com.au

When Shane Warne returns to competitive cricket with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) tonight (Australian time), he will be doing so in an unfamiliar climate.

The Australian retired from international cricket more than two years ago, but South African crowds who flock to catch a piece of the IPL action will not have forgotten his exploits against the Proteas.

For years the legspinner tormented South African batsmen and their fans, so it will be interesting to see the type of reception reserved for Warne when he leads out his franchise in their opening game against Bangalore Royal Challengers.

“The public have booed me most of the time but hopefully playing with the Rajasthan Royals they’ll get behind me,” Warne told the Sunday Times.

“Hopefully when I come on to bowl I’ll get a clap, or a cheer or whistle.”

Warne’s wiles were largely responsible for Rajasthan’s fairytale opening season, when they swept to victory after spending the least money at the inaugural IPL auction.

His astute captaincy endeared him to fans around India, but questions remain as to whether he will have the same effect in a country where for many years he was all but despised.

Adding to the intrigue is the presence in the Royals ranks of Proteas captain Graeme Smith, who regularly engaged Warne in verbal jousts at international level.

This coming together of former rivals is the basis on which the IPL thrives, but Warne insists that the duo get along well and sees Smith as being crucial to Royals’ success on South African turf.

“We had a few beers after the first game (of the 2008 IPL) and chatted about a lot of stuff,” Warne said.

“We hung out a fair bit. We’ve kept in touch since then and become good buddies.

“I think he enjoys the IPL as well, just having the opportunity and the freedom to go out and bat without the responsibility of anything else.

“For us, being in South Africa and having the captain of South Africa in our side is a huge advantage.”
Source – abc.net.au

When the glitz and the glamour of the build-up to the Indian Premier League makes way for cricket action Saturday, past form will not count for much. Defending champions the Rajasthan Royals could find it tough this time around, starting with their opening clash against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the second match of a double header which gets the five-week, 2009 tournament underway.

Mumbai Indians meet Chennai Super Kings, who were runners-up last year, in the early match.

The relocation of the world’s richest cricket league from India to South Africa means that conditions will be different, with seam bowlers likely to get far more assistance than they did in the inaugural tournament in India last year.

The Royals had an early taste of the Newlands pitch in a warm-up match last weekend when batsmen struggled to play the sort of dominating innings that marked the first IPL.

It is a major blow for the champions will be without all-rounder Shane Watson and left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, two of the main match-winners for the underdogs who spent the least money on players but carried away the 1.2-million-dollar prize money.

The Royals, who will again be led by veteran Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, will hope that Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel and South Africa’s Morne Morkel can compensate for the loss of the two stars.

In contrast to the Royals, the Challengers spent big but achieved little in the first IPL, finishing seventh of the eight teams.

They are likely to be an improved side, however, with star English signing Kevin Pietersen leading the team in the only stages of the tournament and tough South African Ray Jennings cracking the whip as coach.

The Bangalore team will be boosted by the signing of Indian batsman Robin Uthappa, while South African fast bowler Dale Steyn is likely to be more effective on his home country pitches than he was in India.

South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis and leading Indian batsman Rahul Dravid will be expected to improve on mediocre performances last time.

The battle between the Mumbai and Chennai franchises should get the tournament off to a cracking start.

Mumbai Indians will be led by Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar, who missed most of the first series because of injury.

Their squad had a pre-season training camp in South Africa under the direction of Shaun Pollock, appointed as team mentor, and fielding ace Jonty Rhodes.
Source – thenews.com.pk

Shane Warne’s midas touch to minnows Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL season may be a part of cricketing folklore but a new book reveals that the Australian spin legend was not the original choice for captaincy.

In their book ‘IPL – an inside story’, Alam Srinivas and T R Vivek say Jaipur owner Manoj Badale was “saddled with Warne” by chance in the first players’ auction.

“In fact, Warne was never the over-riding original choice for the captaincy of the Jaipur team. Badale made it clear during an exclusive e-mail interview with us. ‘Warne’s views

could only be factored in after the first (players’) auction and it is clear given the choice of Graeme Smith, that we did not build a team around Warne. But rather we picked a team based on individual roles and records”.

The book gave an eyewitness version, by a franchise CEO, of the first auction where Jaipur just happened to buy Warne because no one else was buying him and the auction appeared to be in disaster.

“Warne’s was the first name that came up as the 78 players’ names were picked up. But no one was willing to pick him up at the reserve price. The auction was headed for disaster within the first few minutes.

“Since (Lalit) Modi has some interest in the Jaipur team he made an eye contact with Badale and Co. and nudged them to start bidding. Jaipur raised the placard… hoping other teams would jump into the fray… But no other team bid for Warne. Jaipur, it seemed, was saddle with Warne.”

The authors also wrote that the legendary spinner was “not a strategist” but someone who can just goad people to give 100 per cent on the field.

They said Warne was an “insecure” person who feels “compelled to be liked by others” and is greedy for praise.

“…It is his ability to earn respect and love of his teammates. Warne can goad people to give 100 per cent on the field,” the authors wrote.

“Excuse me, you would say, but isn’t that what captaincy is all about? Isn’t that how Ganguly and Ponting became great captains?… please read our words carefully. We never said that Warne is not a good leader. All we said was that he is not a strategist,” they argued.

“Even his trait to extract the best out of his players, to make them die rather than fail only proves it,” they added.

The book also attempted to justify their point with Warne’s coach Terry Jenner’s view on the bowler’s behaviour. “He (Jenner) could see something else too, behind the bravado, that many people missed, and this was the insecurity that is so obvious in Warne today. He desperately wanted people to like him, to praise him, to say how good he was,” the book quoted from Paul Barry’s biography on Warne.

“Warne will only listen to people that he thinks can help him go somewhere. He shies away from control, authority or demands for rational behaviour. In its extreme form this syndrome is a mental illness called narcissistic personality disorder; Warne appears to be suffering from milder version,” the book added from Warne’s biography.

The authors observed: “Therefore, throughout the IPL, one witnessed this twin emotions in Warne’s captaincy. He went out of his way to be loved by his teammates and rejected anything that did not fit his scheme of things.”
Source – cricket.expressindia.com