IPL player auction on Sunday

The Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, to be held at a city hotel here on Sunday, will witness franchises juggling with their purses even as they strive to strengthen their teams.

With the player contracts ending only after the 2013 season, the upcoming auction may not be seen by many as major in nature. Many of the teams already have settled outfits from the previous two auctions but a few key purchases from a pool of 101 cricketers this time around could give a side the winning edge.

In this context, the funds remaining with the teams for the auction (from a total of $12.5 million available for each franchise) might play a crucial role in determining how active they are when the players come under the hammer.For instance, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the most successful franchise in the IPL with two title triumphs, two final and a semifinal berth, has $3,131,087 remaining. It has five slots left for overseas players (each side is allowed a maximum of 11 foreign cricketers). Each team is permitted to have 33 players in all, including the Indian cricketers.

Last year’s winner Kolkata Knight Riders has $6,872, 826 and four overseas slots to play with. The two semifinalists in IPL V, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians have $1,415,978 (three overseas slots) and $2,341,739 (five slots) on hand.

Of course, all the franchises, apart from Pune Warriors, have plenty of room for domestic cricketers.

Pune Warriors, with $ 3,304,130 of its purse left, has only three overseas slots and one domestic place remaining.

Rajasthan Royals has a whopping $7,701,304 to do shopping at this auction with four overseas slots available. Sunrisers Hyderabad has a hefty $7,003,696, with five overseas slots left. And Kings XI Punjab has $6,872,826, in its kitty with four foreign places remaining.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, a prominent IPL side, has $2,526,522 and five overseas places left.

Australian captain Michael Clarke and former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting (both have a base price of $400,000) are among the four marquee players at the auction. The other two are South African off-spinner Johan Botha ($300,000) and India paceman Rudra Pratap Singh ($100,000).

West Indian captain Darren Sammy, an accurate seamer and a hard-hitting batsman, might be a smart buy at a reserve price of $1,00,000.

There are some handy pace bowlers around in the mix too such as Australia’s Clint McKay (base price $1,00,000) and South Africa’s Venron Philander ($100,000). West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul ($50,000) could prove a bargain.

Also in the auction would be England’s Matthew Prior, arguably the finest wicket-keeper-batsman in the world, at $200,000. Another influential man with the big gloves, Australia’s Matthew Wade, has the same base price.

Quality spinners in fray

There are some quality spinners too in the fray and Sri Lankan left-armer Rangana Herath ($100,000) might be a intelligent pick in the sub-continental conditions. West Indies’ leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (at $50,000) might prove the surprise package at the auction.

There are a number of domestic cricketers in the mix and the franchises would have to put their thinking caps on. The auction would be a battle of nerve.

East Bengal scrape past Pailian Arrows

A 10-man East Bengal edged past resilient Pailian Arrows 2-1 in a 19th round I-League encounter at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium here on Saturday.

With this win, East Bengal reached the top of the standings with 39 points from 19 matches while Arrows stayed back on 19 points from 18 matches. Churchill Brothers are only a point behind East Bengal with the Goans having two matches in hand.

The red-and-gold brigade found their goals from Nigerian Edeh Chidi (5th), who converted a penalty, and Lalrindika Ralte (32nd) to rally past Arrows, who had taken the lead through Alwyn George (2nd).

The only notable incident in the second half was the ejection of substitute forward Manandeep Singh in the 75th minute, after which East Bengal endured the remaining time with 10 men and conserved the lead.

Demp hold Mumbai FC

Substitutes Peter Carvalho and Koko Sakibo scored late in the second half to help Dempo hold Mumbai FC to a 2-2 draw at the Duler stadium, Mapusa.

Mumbai FC, who scored through Evans Quao(40th) and ND Opara(67th), appeared all set to win before two late goals from Carvalho (83rd) and Sakibo(89) helped Dempo earn a point.

Dempo took their points tally to 35 from 18 matches, while Mumbai FC have 26 points from 18 matches.

Vineeth scores hat-trick

C K Vineeth pumped in three goals in the space of 11 minutes to complete a hat-trick as Prayag United SC thrashed hosts Air India 4-1 at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune
Ranty Martins opened the scoring for Prayag on the half-hour mark, while Vineet struck in the 36th, 37th and 47th minutes.

Elijah Junior pulled one back in the 72nd minute.

A brace by Francis Fernandes (2nd and 45th minutes) helped Salgaocar beat Pune FC 2-0 in another match in Pune.

Lajong pip Sikkim

Shillong Lajong FC edged past Sikkim United FC 2-1 at Shillong, widening the gap with the latter to seven points.

Linekar Machado put Sikkim United ahead in the 20th minute. But substitute PC Lalhimthara equalised in the 78th minute, while Japanese striker T Matsuke netted the winner for Lajong in the final minute.

Force India undecided on second driver

It’s official. Force India will go into the first pre-season test at Jerez with only one driver.
That means Paul Di Resta will have to take bulk of the responsibility to put VJM06, launched at Silverstone on Friday, through its paces during the four-day test session starting February 4.

“Probably after Jerez,” deputy team principal Bob Fernley told DNA from Silverstone when he was quizzed about Di Resta’s partner.

Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil and last year’s reserve driver Jules Bianchi have both been linked to the vacant seat but the team is in no rush to make a decision.

“The shareholders will make their decision in due course. We know who is on the shortlist. We are trying to put together the programmes that are going to really take the team through a longer period than just one year,” Fernley said.

Fernley was of the opinion that having just one driver on board would not affect the test programme and that Di Resta can handle the responsibility.

“Most of the work we do in Jerez are related to the systems, so we are quite comfortable running Paul. Paul is a major part of what we do. He gives us stability and his technical feedback is excellent. That is why it is quite important that we optimise Jerez with Paul as it is the first running. It will be easy for a new driver to pick up on it once those elements have been resolved,” Fernley said.

Team principal Vijay Mallya was impressed with the first look of the 2013 car. “The VJM06 doesn’t look massively different to its predecessor, but beneath the skin we’ve looked at every detail to try and find more performance. I’ve followed the development of the car closely and I’m proud of what we have achieved. The objective now is to make sure we build on the promise of last year and have a strong start to the season,” Mallya said in a statement.

Technical director Andrew Green revealed that the car has been built from the scratch and he was happy with the final product at their disposal.

“It’s a brand new car from the ground-up. We discussed carrying over big chunks of last year’s car but decided not to. The biggest change that everybody is going to notice this year is the fairing on top of the nose to hide the ‘step’. It’s neutral as far as the car’s performance is concerned but tidies up the flow over the top of the chassis.”

Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner to be inducted into Oz Hall of Fame

Former fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner will be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at this year's Allan Border Medal ceremony tomorrow night here. ACHoF chairman David Crow today said McGrath and Turner were the selection committee's unanimous choice for induction this year. "Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner were each the outstanding Australian fast bowler of their era. Despite careers more than a century apart, they had much in common," said Crow. "Tall, right-arm fast bowlers, both men hailed from country New South Wales. Their superb records demonstrate the dominance each had over opposition batsmen over a prolonged period." Thrust into Test cricket in 1993 with limited first-class experience, McGrath became the greatest Australian fast bowler of his generation. In a 14-year Test career spanning 124 matches, McGrath's 563 wickets at 21.64 is the highest tally by a fast bowler and fourth-highest of all-time, behind Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble. His unrelenting accuracy and immaculate length also posed problems for batsmen in limited-overs internationals, with his 381 wickets the sixth-highest in history. In the 2007 World Cup, McGrath's swansong for Australia, he took a record 26 wickets and was named Man of the Tournament. Winner of the Allan Border Medal (2000) and named Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1998), McGrath was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in December last year. McGrath said he was delighted to be inducted into the ACHoF and will fly from India, where he is currently working as a coach for the MRF Pace Academy, to attend the ceremony. "I grew up in the country, watching and loving cricket from a young age, and the thought of playing for Australia was a dream. To achieve that, to be lucky enough to play for as long as I did and now to be inducted in the Hall of Fame, is a huge honour. "To be featured alongside some of my heroes growing up - guys like Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and the Chappells - ispretty amazing, too. "I am proud to be inducted alongside Charlie Turner. I didn't know a great deal about him, but when I found out that we were being inducted together, I did a bit of homework." Turner was a formidable opponent, possessing a rhythmic run and a square-on action at the point of delivery, took 6/15 on Test debut at Sydney in 1887, helping dismiss England for 45, which remains the lowest total by England against Australia. In 17 Test matches between 1887 and 1895 -- all against England -- Turner took 101 wickets at 16.53, the best average by an Australian bowler with more than 100 wickets. Among Australians, Alan Davidson (186 wickets at 20.53) and McGrath (563 wickets at 21.64) are his nearest rivals. Turner reached 50 Test wickets in a record six matches. In 1887-88, Turner became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in an Australian first-class season, a record that stands even today. He took almost 1000 wickets in a first-class career of almost 20 years.

M S Dhoni named vice-president of India Cements

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed as vice-president of India Cements, a company which is headed by BCCI President N Srinivasan.

Dhoni, who recently resigned from Air India, is expected to play for his new employers in the BCCI Corporate Trophy which began today despite his earlier intention to take a break ahead of the important home series against Australia.

India Cements are the owners of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings of which Dhoni has been the captain since 2008 and Srinivasan is the Managing Director-cum-vice-chairman of the company.

That Dhoni had joined the company had come to light when his name was included in the India Cements squad a few days back. A Chennai Superking official has confirmed his position in the company.

The inclusion of Dhoni's name in the India Cements squad for February 1-8 Corporate Trophy had come as a surprise since the Indian captain had expressed a desire to rest and had made himself unavailable for the Irani Trophy.

The latest move to make Dhoni a vice-president of Indian Cements could come under criticism on the ground of conflict of interest.

Dhoni is known to have the complete backing of Srinivasan who had vetoed a move to remove him from Indian captaincy after a string of Test losses.

Dhoni had earlier played in Corporate Trophy for national carrier Air India but since then has resigned from the company.

The Corporate Trophy will be held in four cities – Pune, Nagpur, Indore and Raipur. The Irani Trophy will be held in Mumbai from February 6 to 10.

You need to be mentally tough to excel in any sport: Sachin Tendulkar

Who's not familiar with the upper-cuts that master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is most famous for? But during a recent trip to Ahmedabad, Tendulkar was spotted playing different strokes as the cricketer hit a couple of drives and putted to wow golfers at an international golftournament being held in Ahmedabad.

As Indian golfers waited in anticipation to meet the cricket icon, Tendulkar impressed everyone on the course as he tried his hand at driving and putting. What made the golfing fraternity take notice of the shots was Tendulkar didn't go wrong with any shot he played while trying his hand on the driving range.

When quizzed whether the master blaster wishes to make it to the competitive level, he said, "I haven't played that much golf. Whenever I've been on a holiday I've swung a golf club.

Neither have I played golf at a competitive level, nor have I gone to a golf course to hit few balls. I like hitting the ball, it doesn't matter whether it's a cricket ball or a golf ball."

What impressed Tendulkar while playing golf was the sound that each connecting shot generated. "I enjoyed some of the sounds. The sound and the connection give you the satisfaction and feel about golf," said Tendulkar.

Commenting on how golf in some ways is similar to cricket and the need to stay mentally strong, Tendulkar said, "When you get to the competitive level, in any sport, then, of course, the mind has to play a lot.

It's not about just your talent and ability to connect the ball, but also the ability to do that consistently that's important. And to be able to do that over a period of time, you need to be mentally tough.

For that training is very important. You also need to be backed by a vision to execute your plans. It may not happen immediately." Like other cricketers who were moved by golf, Tendulkar, too, feels there is something enigmatic about the sport that draws cricketers towards golf.

"Golf is a passion. I have also liked racquet sports like tennis, table tennis and squash. Most of the cricketers have ended up with golf clubs. That feeling of having got the shot right, it's different," said Tendulkar.

On whether the cricketer finds golf as exciting as cricket, he said, "At any level when there is competitiveness, people enjoy the competition; specially when the results are getting close and when till the last moment you don't know who's going to win, the excitement level goes up."

Ahmedabad has a special place in his heart. "I have had some wonderful moments in Ahmedabad. It's always fantastic to come back to a spot where you have some fond memories. This time it was golf which brought me to Ahmedabad.

The affection, warmth and hospitality that I received in Ahmedabad are memorable. And I value that," said Tendulkar, who Tendulkar scored his maiden double ton, a 217 against New Zealand in the third Test in 1999 at Motera (Ahmedabad).

Tendulkar, who is going to have a home at a golf course in Ahmedabad, said most probably he is going to spend some quiet weekends at the serene surroundings. "It's a nice spot to spend a weekend in Ahmedabad," said Tendulkar who wishes to give his son Arjun, who is with the Mumbai U-14 squad for the West Zone league matches, the freedom to enjoy the game.

India could go all the way!

Yes, India definitely have a chance of winning the 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup! The ‘Women In Blue’ may be the dark horses, but the planets are strongly in their favour. You never know, they could emulate MS Dhoni & Co!

Captain Mithali Raj has a fabulous horoscope with as many as four planets in exaltation: Uranus, ‘Planet-Y’, Saturn and Mars. If Mithali triumphs, she would become the first woman to lead India to victory in a World Cup. The extraordinary arrangement of planets in her horoscope — as well as those of her teammates’ — supports just that.

Tournament favourites England and Australia come with baggage. Charlotte Edwards had captained England to victory in the 2009 event and will not be able to do an encore. Charlotte has lost some important members from that victorious squad and this young team will not be up to the task even if they reach the final.

Australia’s Alex Blackwell and Jodie Fields have led their country to glory in the 2010 and 2012 World T20, respectively, and their horoscopes were good enough to achieve just that. To expect Jodie to lead Australia to another World Cup triumph would be a tall ask but, make no mistake, the ‘Women in Yellow’ are a very strong team..

Another team’s that’s very strong and astrologically well-balanced is New Zealand. The West Indies and South Africa only have an outside chance. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are definitely not going to all the way. So it’s between India, New Zealand and, of course, Australia. No matter what, Mithali & Co will leave an everlasting impression on cricket lovers in the country.