Bookie claims he paid Sri Lanka cricketer Rs 10 crore to fix IPL match
Saturday, May 19, 2012
MUMBAI: Bookie
Sonu Yogendra Jalan alias Malad has told the crime branch that he paid
Rs 10 crore to a Sri Lankan cricket player for fixing a match. He also
mentioned that some Indian cricketers were also involved in match fixing, sources said.
He along with Devendra Kothari
alias Bhaiyyaji, were arrested by the city crime branch on Thursday.
They are believed to be a part of a bigger international cricket betting
racket, crime branch officials said.
The property cell of
Mumbai crime branch on Thursday raided a building at Lokhandwala in
Kandivli and busted a major cricket betting racket. Police arrested
Kothari, Jalan and two others and seized two laptops, voice recorders,
computers, 25 mobile phones and cash of Rs 5.18 lakh. All the accused
were booked under prevention of gambling act and were remanded to police
custody.
Sources said that Kothari and Sonu Jalan's betting
network, whose turn over is around Rs 500 crore a month, is controlled
by a Pakistan-based gang belonging to Chhota Shakeel. Sonu Jalan was
arrested last year from Andheri in another case of gambling by the
Social Service branch. Kothari was also an accused in that case and was
not traceable.
In the fresh case, Kothari and Jalan had clients and punters in Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. In India, the gang has their associates in Delhi, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana.
"We had information that the gang was accepting bets on the IPL
matches. Based on the information, we have arrested them. The gang is
well-organised with having all the betting assessment software with them
which helps them in managing their betting business" said Deven Bharti,
additional commissioner of police.
The gang also asked their member or associates to open an account with the official UK
betting site Betfair and passed on the passwords to Sonu and Kothari,
who accessed it, found out the rates and accepted the bets accordingly.
One cannot place on line bets on Betfair in India as betting on sport is
illegal here.
Sonu, while in custody, had earlier told the
police that he had paid around Rs 1 crore to an IPS officer for not
arresting him. But he was arrested. He had threatened to lodge a
complaint with the state anti-corruption bureau, but went on the
backfoot after another senior IPS officer intervened.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/tale-spin/Bookie-claims-he-paid-Sri-Lanka-cricketer-Rs-10-crore-to-fix-IPL-match/articleshow/13277641.cms
BCCI pads up, may block Shah Rukh Khan ban
Saturday, May 19, 2012
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) might have gone through with a ban on Shah Rukh Khan
from Wankhede but the viability of the embargo is questionable,
particularly given the Bollywood superstar's long-standing ties with the
sport's national governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Some even predicted, in fact, that the ban could have political and commercial repercussions for MCA.
As a business partner, Khan's contribution to BCCI and IPL has been singular. He came onboard the idea of starting a Twenty20 league when few people shared the enthusiasm. In 2008, he bought Team Kolkata along with entrepreneur Jay Mehta
for a whopping Rs 300 crore, giving the league a boost with his riches
and celebrity. He also helped BCCI do the number-crunching required to
ensure that IPL makes a splash in the market.
He has since
then assisted the BCCI on a number of occasions - for instance, on
issues like increasing the number of IPL teams from eight to 10 and
determining how an increase in the number of matches would affect the
TRPs. He has partnered on events like the billion-dollar Champions League to perk up its saleability and attended workshops in and outside India regularly to find ways to better IPL.
Recently, he played a vital role in helping BCCI negotiate with Sahara
India Parivar when the latter threatened to pull out as Team India's
sponsor and as owners of IPL's Team Pune. Khan's involvement in settling
the dispute amicably was acknowledged by both the BCCI and Sahara owner
Subrata Roy.
In such a scenario, it is unclear if the MCA's
decision to ban Khan from Wankhede despite BCCI's apparent discomfort is
practicable. The BCCI's discomfort was clear on Friday when its
vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who is also the IPL governing council chairman and a friend of Khan, said: "The MCA is well within its rights to ban Shah Rukh, but BCCI will take the final decision on the matter."
A senior BCCI official who is bound to play a role when BCCI takes a
final call on the MCA ban said that Khan's role in IPL has to be
"considered when a decision like that is taken. If he has committed a
mistake in abusing individuals, he may be ready to sit across the table
and sort things out. But you can't just ban him because he came to the
stadium in an inebriated state."
Then, there is also the
matter of the commercial impact. If the conflict grows further, Khan's
personal sponsors may threaten to pull out of IPL. Also, importantly,
the 300-odd seats in Wankhede that are allotted to the visiting team
during every match may remain empty every time Kolkata tours Mumbai.
The political ramifications of the ban are also significant. The West
Bengal government, which has spoken in the actor's support after the
Wednesday night fracas, may further throw its weight behind the state's
brand ambassador and make the Wankhede ban a political whirlpool.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/news/BCCI-pads-up-may-block-Shah-Rukh-Khan-ban/articleshow/13278918.cms
Team Rajasthan eliminated after 5-wicket defeat
Saturday, May 19, 2012
HYDERABAD: Floundering Team Hyderabad
seemed to have saved their best for the penultimate league engagement
against Rajasthan on Friday. Dravid's Rajasthan, needing two wins from
their last two outings, looked in a spot of bother after batting first. Watch IPL Highlights | Scorecard | Match In Pics
Their total of 126/8 was not enough to test even Hyderabad, who
cantered to a five-wicket win sans skipper Kumar Sangakkara at the Rajiv
Gandhi International Stadium on Friday. The defeat ensured Rajasthan's
elimination from this year's event with one game in hand.
Coming into this game, they needed to win both to stay in the hunt. With
their batting coming a cropper, it was left to Shaun Tait and company
to keep Rajasthan in the hunt. But the bowling held no terrors for
Hyderabad lad Akshath Reddy
and the in-form Shikhar Dhawan. Akshath, the 21-year old Ranji opener,
impressed with 42 (35b; 4x4, 1x6) as 69 runs came in the first 10 overs.
His 63-run (51b) partnership with Dhawan put Hyderabad on a
firm footing and though the latter holed out for 26 (24b, 2x4, 2x6), the
duo had done enough to ensure the hosts could register their second IPL
win at the venue with eight deliveries to spare. Ashish Reddy applying
the finish touches with two consecutive boundaries off Tait.
Rajasthan have only themselves to blame for this early exit. Hyderabad,
true to coach Darren Lehmann's words, having spoilt Rajasthan's party,
will be left wondering what could have been. Earlier, once Dale Steyn
had neutralised Ajinkya Rahane's threat, the Rajasthan innings lost
momentum. The Mumbaikar, back at second place in the batting charts
behind Chris Gayle, was left clueless by the South African pacer and it could have been worse than 20/1 had Shikhar Dhawan and Ashish Reddy not dropped Watson and Dravid off Manpreet Gony. Fortunately for the hosts, it didn't prove costly.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/news/Team-Rajasthan-eliminated-after-5-wicket-defeat/articleshow/13284261.cms
Women boxers leave for London qualifier
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
NEW DELHI: This chance has come after a long, long wait and MC Mary Kom
does not want to let it go waste. The five-time world champion is
thinking of nothing less than an Olympic gold and she wants to qualify
for the London Games to live her dream. "It's been 12 years since I started boxing. This is our first chance in the Olympics
and I want to make it count. It is a very big stage and every boxer is
working hard for it, striving to qualify and then win a medal. Agar gold
milta hai to fir aaram se ghar mein rest karungi (If I win gold in
London, I can retire and rest in peace at home)," Mary said. A 10-member Indian women's team left on Tuesday evening for the World Championships
in Qinhuangdao (China), starting on May 9. Women's boxing will feature
for the first time in the Olympics and the women will compete in three
weight categories -- 51kg, 60kg and 75kg. The Indians are trying to
qualify in all three categories. This is the only Olympic qualifying
tournament for the women boxers. Competing in the 51kg category, Mary is aware of the tough competition given the limited berths on offer for the Asian region.
"I have the experience but we can't take any bout lightly. I may be a
five-time world champion but I won't underestimate any boxer. There will
be a high level of competition as boxers will be changing their weight
categories to be eligible to qualify," Mary said. Accompanying
Mary in the dream run will be L Sarita Devi (60kg) and Pooja Rani
(75kg). Sarita, who competed in five weight categories before settling
on 60kg, said: "It's been a long wait of 11 years. I have won number of
medals in the World and Asian Championships. An Olympic medal will make
it complete. I have done a lot of weight-training to have more power in
my punches." Still new to the boxing arena as compared to Mary
and Sarita, Pooja's focus is on her first round bout. "It has just been
four years since I started boxing. Mushkil hai to kya hua (So what if
it's tough), I will take it one bout at a time and my focus is entirely
on my first round bout."
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tournaments/london-olympics/Women-boxers-leave-for-London-qualifier/articleshow/13057431.cms
Teams will earn huge money through gate collections: Shukla
Saturday, June 09, 2012
NEW DELHI: Franchises will earn unprecedented revenue through gate collections in this edition of the IPL which has seen a remarkable transition from pass culture to ticket culture among fans, says the league's boss Rajiv Shukla.
Shukla said that he has been surprised by the league's "roaring
success" and has promised to bring in more value additions to the
subsequent editions to make it more attractive. "I never
expected such kind of a response. We were very apprehensive before the
event started because the Indian team was not doing too well, it lost
two successive series (in England and Australia)," Shukla said on
Wednesday. "So, obviously everybody was apprehensive but it
has gone off very well. Everybody is appreciating the success. For the
first time, all the franchises have made huge money through gate money.
All future matches, most of the tickets have been sold out well in
advance. "Tickets are selling like hot cakes, that's the good
thing about IPL. People have started purchasing tickets. Pass culture in
India was too much, so now we are witnessing a transition from pass
culture to ticket culture and it is a good thing," he said. Shukla said despite the absence of Pakistani players in the event, IPL has managed to grab eyeballs across the border as well.
"...we are getting huge response from the internet. It's a huge chunk
of internet viewership throughout the world. Overseas viewing also has
got a very good response. In a country like Pakistan, you know Pakistani players are not playing, despite that people there are watching IPL," Shukla said.
"Even in Caribbean islands, IPL has been shown. So, in every nook and
corner of the world, the IPL is been shown. The matches have also turned
out to be nail-biting. That people are liking, matches are ending in
the last over, last ball. The people are liking that. The spirit of
cricket is being displayed in this IPL," Shukla added. Asked
if anything new is being planned for the coming IPLs, Shukla said, "We
will go for value addition. This time also we went for a new concept
such as the owner's league which is also being shown on TV."
"Owners are playing against each other. The Super Six is also going on.
These two are the new elements and in future, we will be adding more
features," he added. Shukla, however, dismissed suggestions that the sell-out crowds at the IPL are an indicator of the dwindling interest in the ODI and Test formats of the game.
"It's not about the format of the game that people are coming to IPL.
It's the way the tournament is organised, efforts of the BCCI and franchises.
"The best players of the world are participating, the performance,
fighting spirit. The rules are being followed. The way the show is put
up, people are liking it. Moreover, there is total transparency in
everything," he explained. "...whatever complaints people had
have been removed. Cricket is now sacrosanct. Off the ground whatever is
necessary from the entertainment point of view that is being done. The
franchises are happy, BCCI is happy and the spectators are happy. It's a
win-win situation for all." On the policy of players'
retention for the next IPL, Shukla said the matter would be deliberated
upon in the next Governing Council meeting. "That has not been
decided as yet. Right now, I can't say anything on it. We will take a
decision at the Governing Council meeting," he said. Shukla said the franchises are equal partners in the league and would be taken into confidence before any big move.
"I see the franchises as partners in this show. We have to give them
full respect. We have to understand their issues and try to resolve
their problems. That is why we have started meetings with owners.
"The franchises now feel that their voice is being heard. We are not
tinkering with the rules, the rules are there and followed by everybody.
Rules are being maintained, transparency is being maintained and it is a
level playing field for everybody," he said. Despite the full houses, the TAM ratings for IPL have been low but Shukla is not too concerned.
"The only thing I can say about TAM rating is that the paradigm has
shifted. Now TAM has gone to towns which have more than a lakh people
also. Earlier TV serials which used to get more than 8 ratings were
considered to be good, now if the serials get 2 to 3 ratings, they are
considered to be successful. "Keeping that yardstick in mind,
IPL is a huge success. We need to find out that when the stadiums have
full houses, matches are ending in the last over, and there is a huge
rise in internet viewership, how come the TAM ratings have gone down a
little bit. We are analysing the matter," he said. On whether
the IPL will remain a nine-team affair, Shukla said, "That is an issue
which has to be deliberated upon in the Governing Council meeting." Shukla, who took over from the flamboyant Lalit Modi, said he has tried to his best in managing the league.
"Whatever job has been given to me, I have tried to deliver to the best
of my ability. It is for the BCCI members to judge me," he said.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/news/Teams-will-earn-huge-money-through-gate-collections-Shukla/articleshow/13064477.cms
On a high, Mumbai ready for Bangalore
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
MUMBAI: As Team Mumbai and Team Bangalore square off in a potentially mouth-watering IPL
clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night, you can't but marvel
at how both teams are battling similar problems. Barring the fact that
the hosts are third on the points table, compared to the men-in-red's
fifth, both Mumbai and Bangalore, have an identical tale to narrate in
IPL 5. The teams have overly depended on two batsmen to either
set a big score or chase down totals. While Mumbai must thank Rohit
Sharma (293 runs from 11 games @29.30) and Ambati Rayudu
(208 runs from 11 matches @34.66) for scripting unbelievable heists,
the visitors have engineered miraculous jailbreaks through the efforts
of West Indies' Chris Gayle (433 runs from 10 games) and talented South African, AB de Villiers (292 runs from 11 matches).
There's another similarity in the form of underperforming captains, but
world class spinners at the international level, leading the teams. Harbhajan Singh,
captain of Mumbai, may have got 406 sticks in 98 Tests, but in 11 games
this IPL, he has picked up five wickets at 50.20. Meanwhile, Team
Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori has also 'grabbed' five wickets at 47. He too has 359 Test scalps in 111 Tests.
Mind you, both have economy rates of 6.78 and 6.71 respectively , which
for a spinner, are excellent. Vettori, though, even dropped
himself in the last game to accommodate Muralitharan and may do that
again. Want more? Sample this. Both have an interesting home record
against each other . Mumbai haven't beaten Bangalore at their
traditional home venues, Wankhede Stadium and the CCI. (They beat them
in the semifinal of IPL three, but that was held at the DY Patil ground,
which is not their home venue). Bangalore too haven't beaten Mumbai at
Chinnaswamy. The two teams have also come off stunning wins
over the weekend. Mumbai beat Chennai thanks to Dwayne Smith's
pyrotechnics in the last over, while Bangalore mastered Hyderabad, after
De Villiers showed a combination of hockey, cricket and fencing skills
during his 17-ball stay. The one thing that separates the two
teams though is bowling . Mumbai have perhaps the best T20 bowler in
history, Lasith Malinga. With 20 wickets from just eight games, the Sri
Lankan slinger, has made a stunning return after missing three games due
to a back injury . He averages a surreal 8.45 per wicket and consumes a
batsman every 9.4 balls. What's more, in a format where an economy rate
of seven runs per over, is considered acceptable, he concedes just 5.36
per over. Any guesses who Harbhajan will throw the ball to if
and when Gayle and De Villiers get going? With almost 60% of the
matches ending in the last over, punters betting on another close finish
should go home rich. PS: A word of caution for those sitting in the
North and South stands. Wear a nose mask. With short straight
boundaries, you're right in Gayle's zone.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/news/On-a-high-Mumbai-ready-for-Bangalore/articleshow/13059671.cms
Mandeep magic keeps Punjab in playoff hunt
Saturday, June 09, 2012
HYDERABAD: Team Punjab may
not be this IPL's hot pick but one thing they have done well is to
promote domestic players. If it was an unknown Paul Valthaty that performed well last year, this time it is Mandeep Singh who is doing the honours. Scorecard | Watch IPL Highlights | Match in Pics
The Punjab player, who has been the in-form batsman for the team with
359 runs against his name in 12 matches, struck 75 off 48 balls (8x4,
3x6) to set up the visitors' 25-run win over Hyderabad at the Rajiv
Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night. Importantly, the
win pushed Punjab to fifth spot and kept them in contention for a place
in the knockouts. Chasing 171 for a win, the hosts needed a
solid start but the batsmen failed to rise to the occasion as Hyderabad
put in a shoddy display to crash to their ninth defeat in 12 games.
Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar thwarted the hosts' hopes by removing in-form
Shikhar Dhawan (8) -- caught at slip by Azhar Mahmood -- and Parvinder
Awana uprooted Parthiv Patel's (17) stumps to reduce Hyderabad to 31 for
two. Daniel Harris
tried to undo the damage with some lusty blows. The strategy seemed to
work as Hyderabad looked on course to make a fight of the game as they
raced away to 70/2 in 10 overs. It was then that Punjab skipper David Hussey
produced a magical over, giving away two runs and bagging two wickets.
His decision to bring himself on paid dividends as he sent back Harris
(30; 29b, 2x4, 1x6) and dangerman Cameroon White (8) in the space of
four balls. Praveen then packed off skipper Kumar Sangakkara
(4) to reduce the hosts to 74/5 and it seemed all over for Hyderabad,
who finished at 145/8. Earlier, put in to bat, Punjab made a blazing
start with openers Mandeep and Shaun Marsh adding 50 for the first
wicket off 33 balls. Mandeep took on Veer Pratap Singh in the second over, hitting him for two fours and a six as the Hyderabad medium pacer conceded 18.
Source:
http://www.indiaeveryday.in/andhra/fullnews-mandeep-magic-keeps-punjab-in-playoff-hunt-1108-3859015.htm
Virat Kohli heaps praises on AB de Villiers
Monday, May 07, 2012
 RCB stand-in skipper Virat Kohli today heaped praise on AB de
Villiers for his whirlwind 47 off 17 balls which helped them to beat
Deccan Chargers by five wickets and keep their hopes alive of making it
to the play-off in the fifth Indian Premier League.
De Villiers' helped RCB score 72 runs off in the 3.5 overs to
overhaul the stiff target of 182 with seven balls to spare and Kohli
described it as one of the best finishes he
had seen.
"We wanted to win it badly, they bowled well in the middle overs,
but when you have AB, anything is possible. That's one of the best
finishes I have seen. Hopefully we can continue this momentum and make
it to the play-offs," Virat said after the match.
De Villiers was particularly harsh on his countrymate Dale Steyn
as he smashed him for two sixes and as many fours but the
wicketkeeper-batsman said he was scared of the speedstar.
"We needed that win. The commentators spoke about our charity
initiative back home, guess that is what motivated me tonight. I was
actually quite scared facing him [Steyn], I know him pretty well. It
does not happen every day," he said.
Deccan skipper Kumar Sangakkara put the blame on the bowlers to failed to contain the de Villiers at the death overs.
"We made a good score, but we did not get the yorkers in. We
needed to bowl good balls and make it difficult for AB, who batted
unbelievably well.
Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/virat-kohli-heaps-praises-on-ab-de-villiers/946358/
IPL 5: Poor catching cost us, says Sangakkara
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Chennai: Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara Friday blamed
the fielders for their 10-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings, saying his
team dropped far too many catches to win a close game. "It is about
holding catches, I know mistakes happen but we dropped far too many to
win a close game. We batted and bowled well but our fielding has cost us
many games this season," Sangakkara said after Deccan were restricted
to 150 for five while chasing 161 to win.
"It was a case of getting a good start, we got a good start, but they
came back well with some good fielding and we couldn't get back into the
game. White batted exceptionally well. We have some young guys but we
have to get the basics rights," he added.
Chennai have struggled a bit at home this year and skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni said it is because of the wicket which has become a lot
slower recently. "The wicket has become slower, difficult for us to
capitalise in the latter overs, because of the pitch. It is happening
now, it happened last Champions League as well," he said.
Asked about the status of Australian pacer Doug Bollinger, Dhoni said:
"Doug Bollinger is bowling well in the nets, but too many no-balls in
the nets, so we need to assess how he goes. Ben Hilfenhaus did a good
job today."
Suresh Raina was adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round show
where he scalped one wicket with a stunning catch and also scored a
brisk 32. Raina has not been able to capitalise on his starts in this
season and the left-hander said he needs to bat longer to contribute
more to his team. "I think I need to spend more time at the crease,
hitting them well but need to bat till 15th. Whenever the left-handed
batsman comes in, Dhoni asks me to bowl. We need to bat well, put some
good scores on the board and defend well," he said.
Source:
http://cricketnext.in.com/live/news/poor-catching-cost-us-the-match-sangakkara/65555-13.html
Self-belief is important: Sachin's tip to youngsters
Friday, May 04, 2012
 Notwithstanding his perfectionist image, Sachin Tendulkar believes
that "surrendering" to the subconscious mind while batting can be a good
idea.
"It is good to surrender yourself to the subconscious mind (while
batting). The conscious mind can sometimes create problems," he said in
an interaction with budding cricketers of a local club here today.
Stating that nobody can be perfect despite best preparation, the
master blaster asked the young cricketers not be scared of making
mistakes.
"A player has to make mental adjustment and self-belief is
important. If you believe in your ability, you can take on any
opposition," he said.
On the temperament needed in T-20 format, he said, "Things depend
on the team composition. There is no particular formula. You have to
play your assigned role. If you are supposed to hit out and if you get
our doing so, you should not regret."
Asked how much importance the team meetings hold, Sachin said
they are desirable to the extent they boost the players' confidence, but
the exercise could be counter-productive if it involves "grilling and
raising too many questions".
"What a sportsman needs is a clear and healthy mind," he added.
Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/selfbelief-is-important-sachins-tip-to-youngsters/945323/
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