cricket australia

IPL franchisees demand a say in appointment of curators (Satire)

There are more rumbles within the IPL.

The franchisees are not all pleased with the auctions. Though teams have largely grabbed the players they short-listed, the team owners feel that they should have a say in the appointment of curators and groundsmen especially at their home venues.

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IPL makes no news, can mum make a difference to CA fortunes?

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The news channels have been handed a respite  by the 30 day extension (or notice) to the Kochi franchisee.

Kings XI Punjab will join the Rajasthan Royals by filing a petition against the BCCI for terminating their franchise.

Rajasthan Royals are embroiled in a court hearing that will happen after the Diwali vacation.

Gavaskar has slammed the press for subjecting him to a “trial by media” and said “In the eyes of the Indian media you are guilty till you are proved innocent”.

One man happy with the IPL —specifically Chennai Super Kings— is former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. The New Zealander has renewed his contract with the current IPL champions for another three years. Fleming guided CSK to the IPL trophy and the Champions League title.

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Australian cricket: The Big Bash à la IPL raises more than a few questions

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The Big Bash League

If the BCCI is not quite open to having private equity from foreign investors in the IPL,that is not quite the case with the Australian version (The Big Bash League) of the IPL scheduled to begin in the 2011-12 Australian summer season.

New South Wales and Victoria have allegedly already sold shares in their state associations to two giant Indian corporations.

Brisbane-based Adani Group and Jay Mehta, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, have been named as Indian corporates with possible interest in the Big Bash league.

Gautam Adani recently bid unsuccessfully for an IPL team.

In breaking news, Cricket Australia (CA) has approved minority private ownership paving the way for Indian investors.

The Australian Cricketer’s Association had backed the entry of private overseas investment saying that it will not only bring in much need investment into the sport but also raise the profile of the sport Down Under.

Each Big Bash franchise is valued initially at $20 million each which is expected to rise to $80 million over the next few seasons.

The Australian cricket calendar is being punctured to accommodate the new entity; tests will be foregone for the period of the tournament to ensure the availability of top Australian cricketers for the duration of the tournament.

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IPL: The octopus spreads its tentacles to South Africa, Kochi and Lalit Modi in troubled waters

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Cricket South Africa (CSA) reminded us that the tentacles of the IPL mess are not restricted to just Indian and English shores.

CSA have terminated an external investigation into the bonuses paid by Lalit Modi to CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and 40 other staff during the IPL’s second season.

The IPL was moved to South Africa in 2009 following the Indian government’s refusal to provide adequate security for the event because of the clash with the general election. The security apparatus of the state could not be stretched to meet both concerns.

A payment of 4.7 million rands was made to Majola and his associates.

The South African opposition has slammed the switch to an internal investigation as ‘disappointing’.

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) is known to be investigating the payment back in India as apparently there was no tax paid on the foreign exchange transfers.