IPL and security

Before I begin. Salute to Sachin! I have never been a fan of the adulation he receives. But hats off! That 200 was simply great. None but he deserved to get there first!!
Alright let's get into the IPL issue now
The much discussed IPL security issue is almost threatening to divide the cricket world. While the retired ones like Gilly, Haydy, Symy and Warny (they earn more from IPL than from their respective boards - CA here) are throwing their weight behind L-Mod, players contracted to their respective boards (and this means they earn from the IPL and equally heavily from their boards) are a bit reluctant. Well Kiwis and Ponting, would you be sticking to the same stand if you have also retired from all forms of cricket? I guess no!
By the way, Ricky Ponting and his Aussie cohorts can be assured that life for an Aussie is much safer in India when you compare it with how safe it is for an Indian in Australia. So stop whining and come here to play in the IPL - but wait.. is he playing in the IPL? I don't think he is!! And he doesn't want fellow Aussies to get the money he will not get. Now that's clever Ricky!!! Beware Watsy, Bretty and the remaining y's!!!

IPL still in rough waters and is the IPL going out again?

IPL3.0 still doesn't seem to have set its foot strongly on Indian soil. With so much drama happening around the IPL everyday, L-Mod seems to have a tough time guiding his "Titanic". Firstly, it was the threat from Shiva Sena against the Aussie players. Just when L-Mod thought he had weathered that storm, came another blow - the Pune attack. Not only did the Pune attack come as a shock. It came with an addendum - a threat to foreign players not to come to India to play in the IPL. Now add the T issue in Hyderabad that almost forced DC to boycott the IPL and media boycott of IPL3.0. Just when L-Mod thought he had enuf icebergs to negotiate his Titantic through, Shane Warne has opened a hornet's nest by saying that IPL3.0 could move once again to South Africa. I am sure L-Mod will come out with a denial and Warne will issue a clarification. But the very idea of Warne could make quite a few players think if that could be done. L-Mod, keep your mobile charged, coz you may have to answer a lot of calls very soon!!!
Even as the IPL3.0 boat rocks in rough weather, plans are on the way for the future. 2 more franchises are to be added to the IPL bandwagon. And would you believe this? There are 12 cities that have put in their applications for the 2 slots. Come whatever, the money spinner just keeps spinning on right? And adding more spice is the fact that the owners of one of the top EPL clubs have shown interest in buying one of these teams. Way to go IPL! Way to go L-Mod!!

Kings become Heroes

Couldn't resist this. Anyway let me try

This is breaking news, breaking first on the IPL Spectator blog. An exclusive on blogger. The KingsXI Punjab team has now been bought by Hero Honda. Remember, this is breaking first on your blog - IPL Spectator!

Hero Honda are sponsors of the DD team. How will this turn out. They also have Veeru as one of their brand ambassadors. Will they pry out Veeru from DD and take him to KXIP next year?

On the flip side, Bret Lee, Sangakkara, Yuvi and others are going to miss the hug. ha ha ha!

An update
Well.. its 11.40 am now and I am forced to update this blog with an update. As expected, the news that I broke on this blog is not true!! I am left white faced like just like news anchors on the TV news channels now. But just like the channels I have no shame, remorse or guilty feeling because I am just bring in the news as fast as I can!

The new middle order

Finally we all got to see what would happen when we don't have the "Big 4" in the Indian middle order on Monday. The moment Tendulkar departed, it looked very bleak. Agreed Badrinath did put some resistance. But thereafter it just looked as if India had a long tail. Captain Marvel is more a tail- ender than a good batsman and he proved that with his indiscretion. Alright, I agree I have jumped to conclusions too early. But looking at the way India batted without Sachin, Rahul and VVS - it looks like my hasty conclusions might just turn out to be true indicators!

Afridi's "hunger"

After the T20 WC victory, there's been one player whose ego is too bloated - Shahid Afridi. Ever since that victory Afridi has been hungry to win it all for Pakistan. The great hunger prompted the PCB to give him captaincy of the T20 side and vice captaincy of the ODI side. Now hungrier than ever, Afridi has been trying to shut out opposition with his blind cricket. While there has been some success, he has been unsuccessful most of the times. But the other day at Perth, he took his "hunger" to a whole new level. The sight of Afridi chewing at the ball while Rana Naved tries to control laughter made me laugh till I cried. Not only has he taken his "hunger" to a new level. With 27 cameras around him, he has shown the world a new way to tamper with the ball!! How ridiculously stupid!!! But the ICC seems to have let him off the hook. A 2 match ban is nothing for that stupid act - the most stupid act I have ever seen on a cricket ground!!
Thank God the IPL did not make a hasty decision and try to rope in Afridi. The Indian media would have had a field day!

Yes. They still can!!

The reports are out. After L-Mod announced that he had twisted the IPL rule to allow Pak players to be contracted as substitutes for non available players, Abdul Razzaq has been roped in by DC. If this turns out true, I can expect to see the likes of Afridi toning down their voices against the money might. Now that there is a Pakistani player in the IPL, what will Pakistani cable operators do? Still block IPL.
Blocked or not, L-Mod has found another way for the IPL to reach homes in Pakistan and elsewhere around the world. In a new first - the IPL will go live on (yes you read it right) You tube!! Just when the Pak govt thought it had paid the IPL back in the same coin, L-Mod has pulled another rabbit from his hat!

This one is getting serious ha ha ha

I thought that the IPL auction drama involving Pakistan players (and a few Aussie players as well) was just a cautious reaction by the franchises to fear of non-availability of players. But the issue seems to have snow balled into a catastrophe. While Pakistan's Interior Minister (unbelievable that its the Interior Minister who has so much time in hand to worry about Pakistan players being snubbed by the IPL) is making loud noises, the opposition has even demanded to withdraw sporting relations with India. Another funny backlash is that a team of parliamentarians who were supposed to tour India (obviously for non-sports purposes) have canceled the tour in protest. And finally here is a spectacular reaction - former cricketer Zaheer Abbas has asked for withdrawal of the Pakistan hockey team from the Hockey World Cup to be held in India. Agreed that the whole of Pakistan is outraged at the snub. But, what did the International Hockey Federation do to deserve such a snub from Pakistan?????
Staying with hockey, the eternally generous Lalit Modi as agreed to change timings of certain IPL matches to ensure that the Hockey World Cup coverage is not affected. I would have appreciated Modi had he moved matches to a different day, wouldn't you?