Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Great Indian Premier League
Billed as the biggest-ever cricketing extravaganza, the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off on April 18 in Bangalore.The 44-day tournament, to be played on a home and away basis, will see the world’s top umpires and other officials too in action. All the 59 matches will be telecast at prime-time television for Indian audiences.
The IPL, considered to be BCCI's counter to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), has gained tremendous momentum as organisers lured top international players with hefty pay packages.
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IPL auction changes Ishant's life for ever
Sydney: The morning after the Indian Premier League auction, when their phones did not stop ringing, most Indian cricketers stayed put in their hotel rooms and reflected on the seismic event which has changed their lives forever.
For long, they hankered with their board about suitable gradations and now an open market has reflected their true worth.
Or has it? For young Ishant Sharma fetched a price in the auction ($950,000) which outstripped the likes of Anil Kumble and Muthiah Muralitharan; Chaminda Vaas and Brett Lee; Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Sharma, all of 6'4" and still growing, is not yet 20 and in five Tests and seven One-day internationals, has only 12 and eight wickets to boast. Yet his $950,000 is nearly twice the amount which his captain Anil Kumble has commanded.
Kumble has spent as many summers in the field as Sharma has seen in his young life. It is the brand value and saleability among youth, rather than quality and longevity, which has dictated the market.
Sharma, the success story of the present tour, is reaping beyond his wildest dreams. A destiny's child, he cooled his heels in the Melbourne Test despite picking a five-wicket haul in the previous game for India. Injury to Zaheer Khan marked his return in Sydney.
Kumble's words "Ek Aur Over Karega" in Perth when he clearly already had over bowled an over or two, was the cataclysmic moment of his life.
He kept getting the big wickets, Ricky Ponting all the time, and reviews only got better.
Javagal Srinath has no doubt Sharma was better than him at his age. He predicted the young Delhi fast bowler could be the best in the world in due course. Australian Damien Fleming had a similar refrain on the young beanpole of a bowler. Steve Waugh, Terry Alderman, Kapil Dev - everyone kept gushing and it seems all such praise was adding those extra thousands of dollars to his worth.
The great IPL auction
Dhoni, Symonds fetch highest prices in IPL bidding
Australians big flavour at IPL auction
IPL is not something which concerns me: Flintoff
Oz players forget recent bitterness
A Dummies Guide to the IPL
IPL cricket at a glance
For long, they hankered with their board about suitable gradations and now an open market has reflected their true worth.
Or has it? For young Ishant Sharma fetched a price in the auction ($950,000) which outstripped the likes of Anil Kumble and Muthiah Muralitharan; Chaminda Vaas and Brett Lee; Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Sharma, all of 6'4" and still growing, is not yet 20 and in five Tests and seven One-day internationals, has only 12 and eight wickets to boast. Yet his $950,000 is nearly twice the amount which his captain Anil Kumble has commanded.
Kumble has spent as many summers in the field as Sharma has seen in his young life. It is the brand value and saleability among youth, rather than quality and longevity, which has dictated the market.
Sharma, the success story of the present tour, is reaping beyond his wildest dreams. A destiny's child, he cooled his heels in the Melbourne Test despite picking a five-wicket haul in the previous game for India. Injury to Zaheer Khan marked his return in Sydney.
Kumble's words "Ek Aur Over Karega" in Perth when he clearly already had over bowled an over or two, was the cataclysmic moment of his life.
He kept getting the big wickets, Ricky Ponting all the time, and reviews only got better.
Javagal Srinath has no doubt Sharma was better than him at his age. He predicted the young Delhi fast bowler could be the best in the world in due course. Australian Damien Fleming had a similar refrain on the young beanpole of a bowler. Steve Waugh, Terry Alderman, Kapil Dev - everyone kept gushing and it seems all such praise was adding those extra thousands of dollars to his worth.
The great IPL auction
Dhoni, Symonds fetch highest prices in IPL bidding
Australians big flavour at IPL auction
IPL is not something which concerns me: Flintoff
Oz players forget recent bitterness
A Dummies Guide to the IPL
IPL cricket at a glance
The IPL schedule
The much-awaited Indian Premier League will kick off on April 18 in Bangalore with the match between Bangalore and Kolkata. Mumbai will host the semifinals and the final, which is scheduled for June 1.
April 18: Bangalore v Kolkata at Bangalore
April 19: Mohali v Chennai at Mohali and Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi
April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai; Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata
April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur
April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad
April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai
April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad
April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali
April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai
April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai; Mohali v Delhi at Mohali
April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore
April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata
April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.
May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur
May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.
May 3: Hyderabad at Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali
May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur
May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore
May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai
May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai
May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata
May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur
May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai
Hot topics!
Money and IPL teams chase Gilly
Sehwag set to lead 'Delhi Daredevils' in IPL
Clarke, Haddin and Johnson opt out of IPL
April 18: Bangalore v Kolkata at Bangalore
April 19: Mohali v Chennai at Mohali and Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi
April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai; Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata
April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur
April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad
April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai
April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad
April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali
April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai
April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai; Mohali v Delhi at Mohali
April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore
April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata
April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.
May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur
May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.
May 3: Hyderabad at Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali
May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur
May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore
May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai
May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai
May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata
May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur
May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai
Hot topics!
Money and IPL teams chase Gilly
Sehwag set to lead 'Delhi Daredevils' in IPL
Clarke, Haddin and Johnson opt out of IPL
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