The Kolkata Knight Riders’s first camp would be held at the Eden from April 12. According to an official of franchise owner Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, coach John Buchanan would step in couple of days prior to that. No confirmation, however, was available on when Australia captain Ricky Ponting would land in the city.

Meanwhile, CAB president Prasun Mukherjee admitted on Monday that the organisation is lagging behind as far as ticket sales is concerned. Tickets for the other seven venues would be available online from Tuesday.“As of now, we still don’t know when the tickets would be available. We are trying to expedite the process. But it’s not in our hands,” he said.

“The agency that was supposed to handle the issue is facing a few teething problems. A high-level Red Chillies’ delegation would arrive on Wednesday. Hopefully, we will wrap it up as soon as possible.”

Yash Gandhi, a 17-year-old cricketer from Wadala, is over the moon after being picked in the Mohali team for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) under the scholarship scheme.The class 12 student of HR college was contacted by the team’s cricket manager Sachin Bajaj and was taken on board on March 24 and has been named in the team list announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday.

“We have signed Yash under the scholarship scheme. He is a talented cricketer and we have a long-term strategy and wanted to invest at the grass route level,” Bajaj told HT.Sahil Kukreja and Wilkin Mota are two other cricketers from Mumbai who have been signed by the Mohali team.

Yash said he will join the team on April 8. “I will have to work hard now. It will be a big test for me,” said Yash, who also played for Copsewood West Indian Wanderers Second in the Boundary Warwickshire League in England last year.Yash had also scored an unbeaten 365 for Don Bosco, Matunga against St Sebastian in Harris Shield semifinal in 2006.

Shishir Hattangadi the former Mumbai opener has finally quited The Indian Cricket League ( ICL) and has joined the Deccan Chargers (IPL Hyderabad ) to play in the April 18-June 1 Indian Premier League as the squad’s manager.Asked how Hattangadi was allowed to join the Hyderabad franchise team as its manager, BCCI’s Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said that the former Mumbai Ranji Trophy player has sought and obtained a No Objection Certificate from the ICL after leaving the rebel league.

“He was asked to get a NOC from ICL before joining the franchise team. Our contention has been that you cannot be part of both (entities) at the same time,” Shetty explained.

“I am no Test cricket buff but am very excited about the Twenty20 format which is more suited for youngsters and families. We not only have some of the best young players in the game today, but ours is also a well-balanced side. Yuvraj Singh is the best Twenty20 player in the world and Brett Lee is the fastest bowler in the world. It was so exciting to watch Yuvraj hit six sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup. Our top players are regulars in their respective national teams. I expect King’s XI Punjab to win the trophy.”

Preity Zinta’s interview in which she talks about her team — King’s XI Punjab, Yuvraj Singh, Brett Lee and shared her excitement about being a part of the most talked-about event in world cricket – Indian Premier League.

The Indian Premier League Mohali Team has announced Avian Media as its communications agency and Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. as its Below the Line Partner. Avian will be responsible for implementing its integrated Public Relations campaigns and for promoting the team across India while Wizcraft’s role will be primarily to build awareness and to generate excitement for the fans through multiple on ground initiatives and match day experiences.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Neil Maxwell, Chief Executive Officer, Team Mohali, said, “We had been looking for agencies that could help promote Team Mohali with strategic communications support and deliver truly integrated campaigns across India. We were glad that both agencies – Avian Media and Wizcraft demonstrated such an in-depth understanding of the sport and also shared our passion equally. We are confident that both agencies will prove to be valuable partners during this initial phase of brand building the Team.”