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Book and Buy IPL 2010 Tickets Online For All Venues

maverick12210 — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:36:35 +0000

Book and Buy Tickets Online For all matches of the 3rd Edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which is starting from March 13 2010 at the D.Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai with the Current IPL Champions Deccan Chargers taking on Shahrukh Khan Owned Kolkata Knight Riders.

You can Book and Buy IPL Tickets Online for all the 60 matches which are to be played in IPL 2010.

You can Book and Buy IPL 2010 tickets at www.ticketgenie.in which is the official ticketing site for IPL. Tickets can be purchased on the basis of Team, Venue and Dates. The price of tickets varies according to different stadiums and stands in a stadium.

Ticketgenie offers multiple payment options like Credit Card, Debit Card and Net Banking. At purchase time, the customer receives two options, one for “Print at Home Tickets” and the other for “Delivery by Courier”.

Alternatively You can also book tickets for the matches to be played by Delhi DareDevils, Kings 11 Punjab & Mumbai Indians in their home grounds in New Delhi, Mohali & Mumbai at BookMyShow.com

What are you Waiting For??? Book and Buy IPL 2010 Tickets Online Now via CricketFever at TicketGenie and BookMyShow

IPL 2010 Auction Review Pakistan Players Ignored

maverick12210 — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:17:56 +0000

A Tie -Breaker Bid For Kieron Pollard, Return of ICL Cricketers To IPL and all 11 Eleven Pakistani Players being ignored by the 8 IPL Franchises were the major highlights of the 3rd IPL Auction which was held in Mumbai On Tuesday, 19th January, 2010.

Till yesterday speculations were ripe that Current Pakistan T20 Skipper Shahid Afridi will be the hottest pick in this 3rd IPL Players Auction & the 8 franchises will bid tough to get him in their squads, But Surprisingly it was the Hard Hitting All – Rounder from Trinidad and Tobago, Kieron Pollard who walked away with this honour as Mukesh & Nita Ambani owned Mumbai Indian’s bought out Pollard for a huge sum of USD $750,000 only after they quoted the top bid in a historical Tie- breaker bid round in which along with Mumbai Indians, Pollard was aggresively sought after by Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Shane Bond – The Top Speedster from New Zealand who marks his foray into the Indian Premier League after decamping from the ICL, was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of USD $750,000 which they won in a silent Tie-Breaker Bid Round along with Deccan Chargers.

IPL Auction 2010 Sold Players List

Sold players: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai, USD750,000+), Shane Bond (Kolkata, 750,000+), Kemar Roach (Deccan, 720,000), Wayne Parnell (Delhi, 610,000), Mohammad Kaif (Punjab, 250,000), Eoin Morgan (Bangalore, 220,000), Damien Martyn (Rajasthan, 100,000), Justin Kemp (Chennai, 100,000), Thissara Perera (Chennai, 50,000), Adam Voges (Rajasthan, 50,000), Yusuf Abdulla (Punjab, 50,000

Losing Bond to Kolkata Knight Riders did not dent the hopes of Deccan Chargers as they decided to buy another young promising fast bowler – Kemar Roach of the West Indies for a staggering amount of USD $7,50,000. The same amount as Pollard and Bond. Roach’s claim to fame is the series Down Under in Australia where he consistently troubled Ricky Ponting with short pitched deliveries, Deccan Chargers will be hoping that he spearheads their opening pace attack alongside the Indian Left armer R.P Singh & they might replace him in the place of his West Indian Team mate Fidel Edwards who unfortunately did not have too much of a good outing for the Chargers in last year’s IPL, which eventually was won by Deccan Chargers.

Another Young Cricketer alongside Roach who was sold for a much higher price than the base price was South African left arm fast bowler – Wayne Parnell, he was bought by Delhi Daredevils for a price of USD $610,000. Eoin Morgan, the England batsman, was picked up by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD $220,000. Mohammad Kaif, the only Indian up for auction, went unsold in the first round of bidding but was later signed up by Kings XI Punjab for $ USD 250,000.

Ex International & Former ICL Stars Justin Kemp and Damien Martyn from South Africa and Australia were sold at their base price each since barring 2 franchisees, no other franchisee bid for them & eventually Kemp was bought by Chennai Super Kings & Damien Martyn by Rajasthan Royals, both were sold at their base price of USD $ 100,000.

Thissara Perera was the Only Sri Lankan who was bought by Chennai SuperKings for USD $50,000, Adam Voges makes his IPL Debut with Rajasthan Royals who bought him for USD $ 50,000, and Yusuf Abdulla’s Contract was again bought by his previous team – Priety Zinta & Ness Wadia owned Kings XI Punjab for a sum of USD $ 50,000.

Only three of India’s Under-19 players, priced at Rs. 800,000 each, were eligible to play in the IPL and they were chosen by a draft system. Bangalore picked U-19 captain Ashok Menaria, Deccan went for Harmeet Singh and Mumbai opted for Harshal Patel.

But The Major Controversy of the entire IPL 2010 Auction was the fact that not a single Pakistani player of the 11 on the auction list – including several of the World Cup-winning team – were completely ignored by all the franchises, ironically the 1st player whose name was called in the Auction was Pakistan T20 Skipper Shahid Afridi, but to a major surprise – No Franchisee bid for him, The same fate greeted other promising cricketers from Pakistan including Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naveed and Imran Nazir. None of the 8 franchises were keen to buy any Pakistani Player into their squads.

Afridi was shocked and in an interview with the Press stated – “The way I see it, the IPL and India have made fun of us and our country,” he said. “We are the Twenty20 world champions and for me the attitude of the franchises was disappointing. I feel bad for the Indian people who, I am sure, wanted to see us play in the IPL this year.”

Abdul Razzaq, the allrounder, said politics and sports should be kept separate. “They have basically tried to hurt our cricket and image and this is most disappointing because I believe there should be no politics in sports,” Razzaq was quoted as saying by PTI. “In the end it is the IPL which has lost out because the fact is our players have star value and are the best in T20 cricket.”

Sohail Tanvir, the best bowler in the inaugural IPL and an instrumental part of the Rajasthan Royals’ title win, wondered why so much effort was put into getting the clearance from his country’s board and government if none of the franchises wanted to buy Pakistan players.

“They mean to say none of our players are good enough to be in the IPL,” Tanvir said. “I am sorry to say the franchises have taken a decision not based on cricketing sense but on political grounds which is a shame and has hurt the image of the sport.”

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the apprehension over the availability of Pakistan players was the main reason for them being unsold. “Franchises are no more ready to spend $7-8 million on someone who won’t be available for the tournament,” he said. “It not only exhausted their purse but also wasted slots. They want only those players who would be available for the tournament. They are spending money and they want to get the results.”

Shilpa Shetty, the co-owner of Rajasthan, echoed Modi’s words. “We were not convinced about their availability and that’s why we did not want to take any risk,” she said. “If someone is not going to be available, why bid for him.” She also said that though they had watched Tanvir over the past year, they were looking for a batsman.

The co-owner of Kings XI Punjab, Ness Wadia, had a different take, pinning the non-sale of Pakistan players to the lack of open slots for the franchises – 67 players were auctioned for only 13 vacancies. “I do not think that the Pakistan players were ignored purposely,” he said. “Many Australian players were too not auctioned. In fact, last year we suffered because of Australia.”

“Given the current relationship between India and Pakistan, we didn’t want to take a risk,” said a franchise official. “Imagine if we filled up two slots [out of 10] with Pakistani players and were then told that they couldn’t travel, or that their security couldn’t be guaranteed.”

The Fact That All the Pakistani players were ignored by the IPL franchises despite being the current T20 Champions proved that the Current Volatile relations between India & Pakistan, and Politics played a major role which as a result proved that IPL as a major sporting event was marred by Politics, and no franchisee was willing to take their chances of buying Pakistan Players at huge prices only to lose them in the end because of a political reason.

The End Result – Cricket Fans might suffer and they will surely miss seeing the current T20 Champions and talented stars like Afridi, Gul, Razzaq & Aamir playing in this year’s IPL.

IPL 2010 Auction List 66 International Players Listed To Be Auctioned

maverick12210 — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:47:23 +0000

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Management has released the final list of 66 International Cricket Players Who will be auctioned and will go under the hammer to be bought by the 8 franchises who combined have a spending budget capped at US$750,000.

The list is a mix of rising stars such as Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan, and ICL returnees like Shane Bond and Damien Martyn in addition to Pakistan players returning to the IPL-fold. The list includes players from all eight Test-playing nations other than India, with 11 players from Pakistan, Australia and South Africa; nine from Sri Lanka; eight from England and West Indies; four from New Zealand and one each from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Canada and Holland.

The list also includes Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi, who had played for Deccan Chargers in the first season, and Sohail Tanvir, who struck the winning runs for Rajasthan Royals in the final of the inaugural edition. Pakistan’s finds of 2009, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, are also in the list, as are ICL-returnees Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and Naved-ul-Hasan. Pakistan’s players did not participate in the IPL in 2009 following a deterioration in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

West Indies boast an impressive group of contenders; chief among them is Trinidad and Tobago’s Pollard, whose clean, ruthless hitting in the Champions League Twenty20 could merit a lucrative IPL contract. Ramnaresh Sarwan comes back on the auction list while, for South Africa, left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell is in the fray for a deal.

Here is the complete list of the 66 International Players Listed To Be Auctioned in the IPL 2010 Auctions to be held on January 19th, 2010:

Australia: Brad Haddin, Philip Hughes, Doug Bollinger, Ashley Noffke, Adam Voges, Luke Pomersbach, Clint McKay, Graham Manou, Ben Laughlin, Jason Krejza, Damien Martyn

England: Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Robert Key, Anthony McGrath, Monty Panesar, Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Swann, Jonathon Trott

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Imran Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Aamer, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir

South Africa: Zander de Bruyn, Wayne Parnell, Tyron Henderson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Yusuf Abdulla, Vernon Philander, Johan van der Wath, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van Vyk, Justin Kemp

Sri Lanka: Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Zoysa, Upul Tharanga, Thissara Perera, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Chamara Silva

West Indies: Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Daren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Wavell Hinds, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn

New Zealand: Grant Elliott, Lou Vincent, Shane Bond, Nathan McCullum

Zimbabwe: Murray Goodwin

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan

Canada: Rizwan Cheema

Netherlands: Ryan ten Doeschate

The Base Price Of All The 66 International Players Listed For the IPL 2010 Auction is given below -

* 250,000$ - Shahid Afridi, Brad Haddin, Graeme Swann

* 200,000$ – Kieron Pollard, Eoin Morgan, Wayne Parnell, Doug Bollinger, Sohail Tanvir, Mark Ramprakash

* 100,000$ – Shane Bond, Mohammad Kaif, Kemar Roach, Umar Akmal, Shakib Al Hasan, Tim Bresnan, Daren Ganga, Justin Kemp, Nuwan Kulasekara, Wavell Hinds, Kamran Akmal, Phillip Hughes, Damien Martyn, Imran Nazir, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chamara Silva, Lendl Simmons, Upul Tharanga, Jonathan Trott, Sulieman Benn, Grant Elliott, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Misbah-ul-Haq

* 50,000$ - Tyron Henderson, Rory Kleinveldt, Jason Krejza, Nathan McCullum, Thissara Perera, Johan van der Wath, Rizwan Cheema, Zander de Bruyn, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Graham Manou, Anthony McGrath, Vernon Philander, Morne van Wyk, Adam Voges, Nuwan Zoysa, Yusuf Abdulla, Clint McKay, Monty Panesar, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Chanaka Welegedara, Darren Bravo, Murray Goodwin, Thilina Kandamby, Robert Key, Luke Pomersbach, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Lou Vincent

* 20,000$ – Ashley Noffke, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ben Laughlin, Kaushalya Weeraratne

The IPL Multiple Captaincy Theory; Will it Last?

maverick12210 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:11:31 +0000

Kolkata Knight Riders The Multiple Captaincy Theory, will it last?

The IPL Multiple captaincy theory; will it last?

(This is a Guest Post by a Cricket Sports Pundit)

Anyone who has ever played a game of cricket would know there was only one captain per team. Even if it was just for the toss in a backyard game or the captain at your local club. There was one man at the helm and that was how things were done.

It’s an easy enough concept, one man makes the decisions and the rest of the team follows. A small scale dictatorship with hints of democracy, with your seniors supporting you on the field backed up with all the team meetings before games.

It is a concept that has worked well for test cricket. From Douglas Jardine to Mike Brearley to Allan Border and Steve Waugh, the one man captaincy theory works.

Enter John Buchanan. Reading his paperback copy of the ‘Art of War’ by Sun Tzu, apparently written about 2020 cricket, and introducing his multiple-captaincy theory.

It was confusing before it was even tried out. Ganguly seemed oblivious to the concept. Kumar Sangakkara liked the ‘Maverick’ idea. Mcgrath was non pulsed.

Even John Buchanan himself had difficulty getting people to understand his concept – first called the multiple-captains now called the multiple-strategists. Renaming a flawed concept is hardly a step in the right direction.

Cricket teams almost always have a core group of strategists, so this is nothing new. They come in the form of senior players or players with an aptitude and have the proverbial ‘cricketing brain’. Captains usually consult these players before making a big decision or when he is unsure which is in the end what Kolkata decided they would do anyway.

“Needless to say the term ‘multi-captains’ has raised a few eyebrows and questions. The idea is to have a set of strategists as is always the case classically in cricket, who will form a team of 4 to 5 core experts in the field of fielding, bowling, batting and data, etc,” the statement read. “These coaches or strategists will assist the one captain on field with their viewpoints on the game-plan set earlier or shoot from the hip as the case maybe.”

This is hardly revolutionary or indeed maverick. But it’s a stark contrast from the idea that Buchanan initially tried to introduce and was killed which was to have several captains on the field at the same time. Maybe Buchanan hasn’t heard of the term, ‘too many cooks spoil the soup’. But having different captains on the field at the same time is bound to fail.

The idea behind introducing varying captains is to free up time for others to think more clearly and has been in cricket news for a while now. I would argue that if you are not fit enough to lead for 20 overs without being able to handle it then you shouldn’t be a captain in the first place. To captain a team you need experience in playing the game and in leading men. You need to have earned the respect of the players you manage. You also need a certain degree of flair and dictatorial attributes. Imagine putting several individuals with these attributes on the same field and ask them to lead. Each one will have a different idea.

Different ideas that clash in the middle of a heated match are the last thing you need as captain(s). Majorly the cricket reviews and stories have been mostly about criticising such a strategy. The other question is that do we REALLY need four different captains to make decisions like who should bowl next and where the field should be. A quick consult with the bowlers and your senior think tank has worked for centuries.

Why fix something that isn’t broken.

While the theorists are happy to experiment with these ‘maverick’ ideas in 2020 cricket, it should be the hope of every true cricket fan that is it limited to that format of the game.

The idea of multiple-captains is redundant in test cricket, where the pressure of the 20 over format is minimized and there is more room to think and time to experiment over 5 days. Besides it would be a change in culture for a game that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

Cricket leagues and the game as such have changed so much in the last 3-4 years. Some changes that were needed, some changes done purely to increase revenue and entertainment. With time-outs and double sided bats not too far away;

How much tinkering is needed before cricket becomes unrecognizable?

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Buy Official IPL Team Jerseys IPL T Shirts and Official IPL Merchandise Online

maverick12210 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:55:50 +0000

With just 4 days left for the IPL Season 2 to begin in South Africa, the fans are raring to cheer their favourite IPL Teams in the DLF IPL Season 2 in South Africa. What Better Way than to cheer for your favourite IPL Team by wearing their official IPL Team Jersey & other apparel. The Famous Sports Brand Reebok which is a Official Sponsor for Team Apparel in DLF IPL Season 2 2009 alongside Puma has now opened up it’s E-store online where you can buy the official IPL Jerseys,T-Shirts & other merchandise online.

The Reebok e-Store has on date the merchandise of 4 IPL Teams up for sale – namely – Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings 11 Punjab, Chennai SuperKings & Royal Challengers Bangalore. The merchandise up for sale consists of Official IPL Team Jerseys, Trainers & Shoes. All the 4 IPL Team’s Official Jerseys are affordably priced at Indian Rupees 799 Only. with the other items ranging from Rs 750 to Rs 2600.

Here are a few photos of The Official IPL Merchandise up for sale online on the Reebok e-Store

Click Here To Buy The Official IPL Merchandise, IPL Team Jerseys & IPL T-Shirts Online at The Reebok e-Store

eBay India has collaborated with branded companies like Puma, Adidas and Reebok to bring fans from across the world a chance to access all IPL merchandise on the eBay India site: www.eBay.in/ipl

Deccan Chargers have also launched an e-Store at Chronicle Gifts website to sell their official Deccan Chargers IPL Jerseys, Apparel & other IPL Official Merchandise

Click Here To Buy The Official Deccan Chargers IPL Jersey & other Apparel Online at Chronicle Gifts

Another Online Website – PlayGrounds Online is also selling IPL Merchandise namely Official IPL Team Jerseys of Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Rajasthan Royals, & other items like Caps & Back Packs. The Official IPL Team Jerseys are priced at Rs 1600 onwards and Back Packs at Rs 1500 onwards.

Click Here to Buy Official IPL Team Jerseys, IPL Apparel & IPL Merchandise at PlayGroundsOnline

Rajasthan Royal’s Official Website is also selling Official Rajasthan Royals Team Jerseys, Apparel, Official Rajasthan Royals Road to Victory DVD & other Merchandise On it’s main website.

You will need to create an account by registering free online on the Rajasthan Royal’s Official e-Store before purchasing any of the Official IPL Rajasthan Royals Merchandise

Click Here to access Rajasthan Royals eStore to Buy Official IPL Rajasthan Royals Merchandise

Alternate Link For Indian Visitors

Click Here to access Rajasthan Royals India eStore to Buy Official IPL Rajasthan Royals Merchandise

Buy Your IPL Merchandise Now & Get Ready to Cheer your Favourite Team when the IPL Season 2 2009 begins in South Africa with the Official IPL Team Jerseys & IPL Merchandise.

You can also Buy Official IPL 2010 Team Jerseys and IPL 2010 Fan Jerseys Online at http://iplshop.com/ and http://www.tshirts.in/ipl/fan-jerseys.htm

ESPN Cricinfo launches Mobile Service on Snaptu

maverick12210 — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:22:45 +0000

BANGALORE/LONDON, 2nd April 2009 – ESPN Cricinfo -- the world’s leading Cricket website -- today announced a strategic deal with mobile services provider, Snaptu, to deliver international cricket scores and news. Snaptu’s unique ‘virtual application technology’ will enable Cricinfo to deliver a truly excellent user experience on a range of mainstream mobile phones as well as high-end devices.

The Snaptu mobile platform converts premium web content into fast, user-friendly applications in the mobile environment. As the world’s definitive cricket information resource, Cricinfo is the only cricket application available on the Snaptu platform, selected on the basis of its unrivaled authority, knowledge and breadth of content.

“There has been a massive increase in the use of mobile devices to keep up to date with all sports action. The partnership with Snaptu will immensely benefit our users regardless of the kind of mobile device they use to access cricket scores and news,” said Tom Gleeson, Vice President for ESPN Digital Media, EMEA. “The experience is intuitive, stylish and delivers a great service to mobile users by extending functionality.”

Simon Davies, Snaptu’s European MD said: “Having loved and played the game for most of my life, Cricinfo is my definitive point of reference for all things cricket. We are incredibly proud to be delivering the last word in cricket right into people’s pockets around the world”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-wYiCldyA

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do‐wYiCldyA
Web link: www.snaptu.com/a/cricinfo
Mobile link: m.snaptu.com/cricinfo

About ESPN Cricinfo
Cricinfo is the world’s leading cricket website, ranked No. 1 in all of its major markets. The site was founded in 1993, and its continuing success is built on the combination of live ball-by-ball coverage of all Test and ODI matches, news and features written by some of the world’s best cricket writers, and in-depth statistics on every one of the approximately 3,000 international and 45,000 first class cricketers to have played the game. Cricinfo is now accessed by more than 7 million users every month. The site’s global reach, authority and brand recognition are unrivalled in the world of online cricket. And Cricinfo now reaches beyond the internet: You can get Cricinfo content on your mobile phone as well. Cricinfo is now a part of ESPN, the global sports media powerhouse. With this, Cricinfo joins a stable of top-drawer sports websites, including ESPN.com, the US’s premier online sports destination, and ESPNsoccernet.com the world’s leading English-language football website.

About Snaptu
Snaptu is the mobile application network provided by Moblica Ltd. The platform enables the delivery of high quality content services via everyday, mass market mobile phones. Such services include news, sports, movies, weather, social networks and transport information. Provided on behalf of a rapidly growing list of international content originators, Snaptu enabled services represent a breakthrough in end user experience that is set to bring highly functional and stylish mobile Internet offerings into the mainstream. Users can access these services for free from Moblica’s websites (www.snaptu.com/a/cricinfo and http://m.snaptu.com/cricinfo from the mobile phone).

Play Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL & Win a VIP Trip To ICC World T20 in England

maverick12210 — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:09:17 +0000

Play Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL & Win a VIP Trip To ICC World T20 in England

With the Season 2 of Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled in just about in another 2 Weeks time, A Leading Sports & Cricket Website called SportsPundit.com are Launching The Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL Game online which is targeted exclusively for Season 2 of the DLF IPL.

There are many Fantasy Cricket games out there on the web, but what is the major factor that makes Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL Different?

The Answer lies in Prizes!

Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL not only gives the players a chance to win the Grand Prize where the winner of the IPL Fantasy League will win a trip for two to ICC T20 World Cup. There are weekly prizes to be won as well based on the highest scoring manager which are official cricket shirts from the favorite IPL teams. The weekly prizes will also be given to most active Sports Pundit members (writing, voting, editing, and forum activity).

As far as my knowledge goes for Fantasy Cricket Games, No Other Game or Website is close to offering these grand prizes as Sports Pundit Fantasy IPL does.

Now The Question arises – When does this game start & how do we play it?

About the game -

The game will start from the first match on 10th April 2009 and will run through to the final match on 29th May 2009. Members can create a profile and receive a Fantasy Budget to create their own ‘Fantasy Cricket Team’ of players in the series. This Fantasy team will then receive points based on the real life performance of the players selected. Every member will be allowed to enter one team only.

Names and Profiles -

Members can assign an appropriate name to the team irrespective of the official team name. Anyone can choose a management style of their own to boost your profile.

Choosing Players -

The Fantasy Cricket team will comprise of real cricketers participating in the IPL which can be picked up from a list of 35 participating players. The team will comprise of four bowlers, five batsmen, one wicketkeeper and one all rounder. Members have an option to hand pick the team using their own cricketing knowledge or just use the “Lucky Dip” option where the computer picks a team. The members need to ensure that they pick the team before 14:00GMT on 17th April to and “Submit” it before the deadline otherwise it will be automatically submitted.

Mini-Leagues-

Every single team is automatically entered into the overall “World League”. However, you can also enter your team into a private mini-league for your friends. Members will be able to do this under a Mini-League Admin section of the website. Anyone is free to join upto 10 mini-leagues however one can be the ‘chairman’ of 3 mini-leagues only. Members who join a mini-league will not be allowed to move or delete so as to choose your leagues carefully.

Prizes –

There is a Grand Prize where the winner of the IPL Fantasy League will win a trip for two to ICC T20 World Cup. There weekly prizes to be won as well based on the highest scoring manager which are official cricket shirts from the favorite IPL teams. The weekly prizes will also be given to most active Sports Pundit members (writing, voting, editing, and forum activity). The weekly schedules will be announced once the Fantasy League IPL goes live.

League of Leagues Champions –

The mini-league with the highest average score at the end of the competition will be deemed the ‘League of League Champions’ and each manager in that league will be rewarded too. There must be at least 5 teams in your mini-league to qualify for this prize. The ‘League of Leagues’ competition can only be entered by mini-leagues who qualify with the minimum number of 5 teams. One has to register for a mini-league up until 00:01GMT on 1st May 2009. Any mini-leagues entered after this date or who do not have the minimum required number of teams will not qualify for entry into the ‘League of Leagues’.

Early Registration Prize -

All teams that are registered before the transfer window closes 14:00GMT on 17th April 2009 also have the chance to win rewards.

Scoring Points -

Points will be scored by each players performance based on how many runs they score or how many wickets they take as well. Each player will also receive additional points based on the overall performance of the team on whether they win or lose.

Transfers –

All teams will receive an allocation of 3 transfers each week of the season. Members cannot carry transfers over from one week to another as any transfers left at the end of the week you will be not be taken forward. All transfers must be made by 12:00GMT the day of each match. Only the players that you have named in your Fantasy team at the transfer deadline will score fantasy points for that day. Any transfers that you make once the transfer deadline passes will not score Fantasy Points until the next eligible match. Also it’s important that all members finalise their teams by the deadline of 4:00GMT on 17th April 2009 and shuffle their fantasy teams around to without having to use transfers. Transfers made after the transfer window closes will be taken from the transfer allocation for that month.

So What Are You Waiting For!!

I am going to create my IPL Team on April 18 – The Day IPL goes Live & I am Confident that my Playing 11 will get me the Grand Prize of the VIP Trip to England to Watch the ICC World T20 - Will You Challenge Me & Take The Grand Prize? Lets Find Out….Start Creating your Fantasy IPL Team at Sports Pundit IPL Fantasy Cricket & Lets Play To Win…

For More Cricket News and Articles Log on to

http://www.sportspundit.co/cricket/

Moblica Enters into Cricket World with a Cricinfo Mobile App

maverick12210 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:57:19 +0000

Moblica Enters into Cricket World with a Cricinfo Mobile App

Upcoming Mobile Startup Moblica are entering into the Cricketing World with a Mobile Phone Application which covers live cricket news and live cricket scores from the biggest cricket website on the web -- Cricinfo.com, The major advantage that Moblica offers with this Cricket Application is that it’s not targeted only at the High End iPhones but its made for everyday mobile phones which are not as high end when compared to the Apple iPhone. Moblica promises to deliver the similar slick experience which this Cricket Application delivers seamlessly on the iPhone, on other mobile phones as well.

To try this Cricinfo Application on Your Mobile Phone, log on to m.snaptu.com in your phones browser, or go to www.snaptu.com/a/cricinfo and get an sms link. It’s all free and comes with other services like Twitter, Facebook, Blog reader and lots of other user friendly features as well

For a Preview of The Moblica Cricinfo App Check out the video below

www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-wYiCldyA

ICL Willing To Release International Players From ICL Contracts

maverick12210 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:21:40 +0000

The Indian Cricket League’s organisers have confirmed that they are willing to scrap contracts should players wish to return to international action.

Players involved with the ICL have been barred from plying their trade at international level because the Twenty20 tournament is not officially sanctioned.

However with the ICL facing an uncertain future due to the economic slowdown, some players are keen to return to national teams while the Pakistani outfit, the Lahore Badshahs, have spoken about the idea of playing in America.

ICL director Kapil Dev has said the league would not hinder the players’ efforts.

”We are proud to give these players an opportunity to play for their countries,” Kapil told the Hindustan Times.

”Unlike some other boards, we are against the idea of denying players the chance to represent their country.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India effectively banned the ICL because it rivals its own twenty20 competition the Indian Premier League (IPL).

ICL official Roland Landers confirmed some players had terminated their contracts.

”If players want to take this route to play for their countries, we will not restrict them,” he said.”We have never restricted them from playing anywhere anyway.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board is keen to include ICL players in their national team, but are awaiting clearance from the International Cricket Council.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said he had written to the ICC asking for clarity on whether players who have snapped ties with the ICL could return immediately to international duty.

The ICL hit the headlines last weekend after New Zealand’s Sunday News reported that New Zealand players involved in the ICL have received an e-mail from the league stating that they will be released from their contracts if they request for a termination. Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), told the paper if these players end their association with the unofficial league, they will be immediately available for selection to the New Zealand national side.

Earlier, there were also reports from Pakistan that a few of their ICL players, including Mohammad Yousuf, were planning to end their association with the unauthorised Twenty20 league and return to international cricket. The Pakistan board has also indicated it would welcome their ICL players back to the national fold if they cut all ties with the unauthorised league.

South Africa Confirmed As Host For IPL Season 2

maverick12210 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:16:42 +0000

DLF IPL Season 2 2009

South Africa has edged out England to be named host nation of the 2009 IPL. The decision was made after a meeting between the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, and the Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive, Gerald Majola, in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The IPL also announced that a final schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises will be released shortly.

“The South African public loves Twenty20 cricket and CSA successfully hosted the inaugural World Twenty20,” Modi said. “Both these factors weighed heavily in South Africa’s favour, and we look forward to a successful and exciting tournament being held at venues throughout South Africa.”"The South African public loves Twenty20 cricket and CSA successfully hosted the inaugural World Twenty20,” Modi said. “Both these factors weighed heavily in South Africa’s favour, and we look forward to a successful and exciting tournament being held at venues throughout South Africa.”

“We are very happy to confirm that South Africa will host the 2009 Indian Premier League,” IPL chairman Lalit Modi said in a statement following a meeting with Cricket South Africa.

The tournament will be held between April 18 and May 24, a delay of about one week from the original schedule of April 10, 2009. Modi thanked CSA for agreeing to host the Twenty20 event in such a short notice. Six venues have been identified for staging the eight-team tournament and the matches will start at 4 pm IST and 8 pm IST to make it convenient for Indian television viewers back home. The tournament will feature 59 matches as planned and the fixtures will be announced shortly.

Some Reasons on How South Africa got the nod to host IPL Season 2

The weather was the most important factor. The IPL realised that rain could seriously affect “as many as 70% of the matches” if the tournament was held in England.
Top officials within the South African government and Cricket South Africa gave assurances that the IPL will receive the full red carpet treatment.
Less logistical problems as South African domestic season concludes before the IPL’s scheduled start while in England the county season will just get underway.
The cost of running the tournament in South Africa would be substantially less than in England.
Supersport owns the rights both for the IPL and for international cricket played in South Africa while there would have been a clash between Sky TV and Setanta in England.

Why South Africa Won The Rights To Host IPL – IBN Live

South Africa will host the Second Edition of IPL – ExpressIndia

Why England Lost The IPL Race to South Africa – The Times of India

South Africa To Host IPL Season 2 – Lalit Modi – The Times of India