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Anil Kumble will not be on sale in IPL 4.
The former India captain and leg-spinner has withdrawn his name from the list of players for the Jan 8-9 auction.
The move, by itself, is not a surprise;its timing and suddenness has aroused speculation.
Jumbo is a busy man. He has a lot on his plate. He was recently elected President of Karnataka State Cricket Board. He is also a businessman and a keen wildlife photographer.
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Will 2011 see more head-to-head matches between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
The man from Mallorca certainly hopes so.
“I would love to play against Roger Federer this year a few more times because when we play each other it’s in the final, so that’s already a very good result for both of us to be in the final of important tournaments,” said Nadal.
Federer seconded the motion: “We only played twice last year in Madrid and the [Barclays] ATP World Tour Finals in London, which was a great end for both of us.There’ll be huge hype going into the new season with him going for his fourth Grand Slam in a row and me trying to defend the Australian Open title. So right off the bat we’ll have some excitement.”
The recent invitational Abu Dhabi tourney finished with Nadal edging out Federer in two sets 7-6, 7-6.
Here’s a toast to the New Year and more exciting tennis and finals between the supremoes of the sport.
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If you don’t like the bracket you’re in, you can re-slot yourself in a higher one. That’s the message Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have sent out. The four were initially categorised into the 200,000 USD fold. IPL rules allow players to increase their base price and the members of the Fab Five (Tendulkar is the fifth) have chosen to do so.
None of the four were retained by their teams. Speculation as to why the four were not in the initial top bracket is useless. The IPL has done little to enhance reputations. VVS Laxman has struggled, Ganguly shone amidst his team’s inconsistency and Dravid is just coming to terms with T20 cricket.
My dog, Bolshoi, is keen. He intends to become a sports journalist.
“Do you know that Sports Keeda is running a competition for posts about the World Cup on its website?”
“Yes, I received an email informing me of something to that effect.” I reply.
“I wish to participate. Can you eke out my entry on your laptop?”
The second Test at Durban ended with India triumphant, levelling the series 1-1.
A few takeaways from a thrilling encounter:
VVS Laxman is Very, Very Special. He has proved that before and did so anew. What can be said about the Hyderabadi maestro that has not been said before? Dealing in mere superlatives seems trite given the backdrop of his recent achievements. Suffice to say, that he was man-of-the-match (MOM), top-scoring in both innings, the only player to score over 50 from both sides.
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There’s trouble brewing in the small state of Indian Hockey. Or maybe it’s gold rush fever. You cannot have smoke without a fire unless it’s dry ice. What would you call that—a smoke screen? But I digress.
The launch of the World Series Hockey (League) by Nimbus Sports and The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) on Tuesday, the 28th of December, 2010 witnessed another twist in the faceoff between the FIH approved Hockey India and the Indian government recognised IHF.
Hockey India is the current arbiter of the team selections for international tournaments. (The IHF fell out of favour with the international administrative body(FIH) because of its inability to bring the men’s and women’s representation under a single umbrella.)
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Marvel comic book fans will surely have heard the news. The Fantastic Four will no longer be a fearsome foursome. The comic book creators will dispose off one member in the January issue. Who will it be? That will be a secret unveiled early next year.
Who are the Fantastic Four?
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Two matches for charity saw the No. 1 and No.2 players in the world faceoff in Zurich and Madrid. The matches billed “Match For Africa” and “Joining Forces For the Benefit Of Children” finished with scores tied 1-1. Roger Federer was victorious 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 back home and Rafael Nadal hit back 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 in Spain.
The two stars rarely collide on the ATP Tour. The matches were a bonus to their multitude of fans.
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The IPL show moves on.
The IPL player auctions are scheduled for January 8 and 9 in Bangalore. Over 400 players will go under the hammer.
Each team has a cap of $9 million to be played with.
Only two teams have opted to retain their full complement of four players—Mumbai Indians and Chennai SuperKings. Their kitty is whittled down to $4.5 million.
The cricketers have been classified into six brackets—ranging from $20,000 to $400,000.
Bolshoi, my pet Boxer, wishes to act in a Hollywood picture.
“I have decided that I will become a film star. I want to win an Oscar for the country.”
“Sure. And pigs will fly.” I reply.