Jadeja costliest player, Laxman goes unsold at 5th IPL auction
Bangalore, Feb 4 : All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest draw for the franchises with
Chennai Super Kings buying him for a whopping Rs 9.72 crore but struggling veteran VVS
Laxman found no takers in the players' auction for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League
here.
The 23-year-old, whose base price was USD 100,000, went to Chennai after the tie-breaker
clause was invoked when two teams -- CSK and Deccan Chargers -- bid the maximum (USD two
million) for the Saurashtra player.
Both the franchises were asked to bid a secret amount in the tie-breaker and it was Chennai which
managed to outbid Deccan in the final round.
But the cricketer himself will be paid USD 950,000 as per the contract he had signed with the
now-disbanded Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year and even the secret amount that was bid on him by
Chennai would go into the BCCI coffers.
Laxman, in contrast, expectedly remained unsold after a string of poor performances on the tours
of England and Australia.
Laxman started his IPL stint as Deccan Chargers captain in 2008 but at 37 right now, age and
reputation of being a Test specialist could also have been factors for the franchises' snub.
Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, incidentally the KTK captain last season, was
also a big draw going to Delhi Daredevils for USD 1.4 million (approx Rs 6.8 crore).
Jayawardene will, however, get USD 1.5 million as per his contract last year. Some surprise
beneficiaries at the auction were West Indian spinner Sunil Narine, who was bought by Kolkata
Knight Riders for USD 700,000 (Rs 3.40 crore) and Indian paceman Vinay Kumar, taken by
Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD one million (Rs 4.86 crore). Narine had a modest base price
of USD 50,000.
Former Pakistani player Mahmood fetches a contract with KXIP
New Delhi, Feb 4 : Pakistani cricketers have been a pariah in the Indian Premier League for the
last three seasons but former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood today fetched a contract with Kings XI
Punjab albeit as a English player.
The 36-year-old Rawalpindi-born right hand batsman and right arm pacer, who now has a British
passport, was bought for USD 200,000 by Kings XI Punjab at the players auction for the fifth
edition in Bangalore today.
One of the 146 cricketers to go under the hammer today, Mahmood has played in 21 Tests and
143 ODIs for Pakistan but his last appearance for his country of birth was during the 2007 World
Cup in the West Indies.
He had turned up in the match against Ireland, which his team lost shockingly at Kingston, Jamaica.
The cricketer said that in July last year he had qualified to play for England.
Ton-up Younis helps Pakistan thwart England
Dubai, Feb 4 : Experienced batsman Younis Khan proved his class with a superb hundred to put
Pakistan in a good position on the second day of the third and final Test against England played
here on Saturday.
The 34-year-old right-hander scored an unbeaten 115 to repair the Pakistan innings after early
wobbles with youngster Azhar Ali (75 not out) through an unbroken third wicket stand of 194 to
take their team to 222-2 at close.
Pakistan, who conceded a 42-run lead in the first innings after England made 141, now lead by
180 runs with eight wickets intact.
So in command were the duo that England's bowlers, who wrecked Pakistan for 99 in the first
innings, looked helpless and it seemed as if the match was not played on the same pitch on which
16 wickets fell on the first day.
Younis, who had only 66 runs in the last four innings, notched his 20th Test hundred - the first from
either side in the series - with a sweep shot off left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for two, reaching
the milestone off 166-balls.
Younis has so far hit 11 boundaries and a six. Ali, who often praised Younis's support for
youngsters, batted with caution during his 14th half-century. He has so far hit 11 boundaries and six.
We don't want players to miss IPL season: Sahara
Mumbai, Feb 4 : Sahara Group chief Subroto Roy today defended the decision to snap ties with
the BCCI but wants to ensure that the players of his IPL team do not suffer and get to play in the
fifth edition of the Twenty20 league.
Roy said he is willing to negotitiate with the BCCI to find a way out for his players' participation.
"To that extent I am flexible. I don't want my players to suffer and miss playing in IPL. I do not
want to deprive my players. I am willing to sit across the table with BCCI officials and sort out the
issue. I don't want to get into any legal battles," Roy said at a press conference.
Early in the day, Sahara Group announced that it was ending its sponsorship of the Indian team and
pulling out of IPL.
He said he would tell the Cricket Board to look out for corporates to buy his team. "It's upto the
IPL Governing Council. Money is no issue. I will play the players the full amount," he said.
"The decision we took to end ties was not a bad one at all. We had enough of it. Any relationship
does not break on one single issue only. We had a long relationship. It has to do with many issues,"
he said.
"There were so many genuine things we had but they (BCCI) did not give heed to such a small
thing like opening the bid They did not open the bid on a technicality (when Sahara had submitted
its bid for the first time in 2008). Rules were broken for other teams but we were not given natural
justice," he said.
Roy also denied that the current poor run of the Indian team had anything to do with Sahara's
decision to end its ties with BCCI.
"In our 11-year-long relationship the Indian team has gone through such phases. In fact it's in the
Tests that the team is not performing well," said Roy, adding that he had spoken to BCCI President
N Srinivasan yesterday before taking the decision this morning.
India will look to carry T20 momentum into tri-series
Melbourne, Feb 4 : Finally a win under their belt in what has been a highly disappointing tour, India
would aim to carry the Twenty20 momentum into the one-dayers when they take on Australia in
the first match of the tri-series starting here tomorrow.
After a 0-4 thrashing in the Tests and a loss in the first T20 against Australia, India tasted victory in
the second T20, winning by eight wickets last night.
The beleaguered Indians have been revitalised by the arrival of young players such as Suresh Raina,
Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Sharma.
The effort on the field was markedly improved and the Indians would be hoping that the shift in the
momentum continues in the ODIs as well.
The team will have its share of seniors as well with veteran Sachin Tendulkar's return to the fold.
Tendulkar, still on the threshold of his 100th international century, has put his hands up for the
tri-series in order to cross the milestone.
The maestro has faced unprecedented pressure in the last one year during which he played 11
Tests and 21 innings but still wasn't able to get over the line.
There were two scores in the 90s and one in 80s but Tendulkar could not go the whole hog and
found a way to eject himself out from the middle.
Mohun Bagan holds East Bengal to 1-1 draw
Kolkata, Feb 4 : A sloppy East Bengal failed to get past Mohun Bagan who bounced back in style
with a brilliant Odafa Okolie strike to settle for a 1-1 draw in their return leg I-League fixture at the
Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today.
In a must win match to be in the title race, East Bengal went ahead in a dubious fashion when Robin
Singh scored from an apparent off-side position in the 32nd minute but referee Santosh Kumar of
Kerala awarded the goal to the red-and-gold camp.
Mohun Bagan bounced back in spectacular fashion right after the changeover with a powerful right
footer by Nigerian stalwart Odafa Okolie.
Having restored parity, Mohun Bagan received two big jolts when their two foreigners Jose
Barreto and Hudson Lima had to be substituted after sustaining injuries.
Lima's injury after a collision with Orji Penn in the 80th minute in fact reduced Mohun Bagan to 10
men but East Bengal failed to take the advantage as their midfield and forward line-up lacked
cohesion.
The draw in the season's last derby meant Mohun Bagan, who had won 1-0 in the first leg and 2-0
in the local league, maintained their clean record.
In standings, East Bengal (35) remained on second position while one point behind Mohun Bagan
occupied the third position.
Unbeaten India gets promotion to Group I in Fed Cup
Shenzhen (China), Feb 4 : Sania Mirza won the crucial second-round singles match and then
combined with Isha Lakhani to clinch the decisive doubles rubber as India earned promotion to
Asia/Oceania Group I in Fed Cup after a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong in the play-off tie here
today.
Down 0-1, after a 4-6 1-6 mauling of Rutuja Bhosale at the hands of Wing-Yau Venise Chan,
India needed to win the second singles rubber to stay in contention.
Sania did not disappoint and came back from a set down to get the better of Ling Zhang 5-7 6-0
6-1 to level the tie.
It was for the first time that Sania was fielded in the singles match. Earlier Prerna Bhambri, Isha and
Rutuja had played in all the singles matches.
Sania and Isha then rallied to win the tough doubles match 6-7 (7) 6-1 7-5 against Chan and Zhang
to help India move to the Group I.
In next year's competition, India will strive to earn a place in the World Group. India were
relegated to Group II last year when they lost all the league stage rubbers and play-off tie.
India's best Fed Cup performance came in 2006 when they were the runner-up in Asia/Oceania
Zone Group I.
Bangalore, Feb 4 : All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest draw for the franchises with
Chennai Super Kings buying him for a whopping Rs 9.72 crore but struggling veteran VVS
Laxman found no takers in the players' auction for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League
here.
The 23-year-old, whose base price was USD 100,000, went to Chennai after the tie-breaker
clause was invoked when two teams -- CSK and Deccan Chargers -- bid the maximum (USD two
million) for the Saurashtra player.
Both the franchises were asked to bid a secret amount in the tie-breaker and it was Chennai which
managed to outbid Deccan in the final round.
But the cricketer himself will be paid USD 950,000 as per the contract he had signed with the
now-disbanded Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year and even the secret amount that was bid on him by
Chennai would go into the BCCI coffers.
Laxman, in contrast, expectedly remained unsold after a string of poor performances on the tours
of England and Australia.
Laxman started his IPL stint as Deccan Chargers captain in 2008 but at 37 right now, age and
reputation of being a Test specialist could also have been factors for the franchises' snub.
Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, incidentally the KTK captain last season, was
also a big draw going to Delhi Daredevils for USD 1.4 million (approx Rs 6.8 crore).
Jayawardene will, however, get USD 1.5 million as per his contract last year. Some surprise
beneficiaries at the auction were West Indian spinner Sunil Narine, who was bought by Kolkata
Knight Riders for USD 700,000 (Rs 3.40 crore) and Indian paceman Vinay Kumar, taken by
Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD one million (Rs 4.86 crore). Narine had a modest base price
of USD 50,000.
Former Pakistani player Mahmood fetches a contract with KXIP
New Delhi, Feb 4 : Pakistani cricketers have been a pariah in the Indian Premier League for the
last three seasons but former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood today fetched a contract with Kings XI
Punjab albeit as a English player.
The 36-year-old Rawalpindi-born right hand batsman and right arm pacer, who now has a British
passport, was bought for USD 200,000 by Kings XI Punjab at the players auction for the fifth
edition in Bangalore today.
One of the 146 cricketers to go under the hammer today, Mahmood has played in 21 Tests and
143 ODIs for Pakistan but his last appearance for his country of birth was during the 2007 World
Cup in the West Indies.
He had turned up in the match against Ireland, which his team lost shockingly at Kingston, Jamaica.
The cricketer said that in July last year he had qualified to play for England.
Ton-up Younis helps Pakistan thwart England
Dubai, Feb 4 : Experienced batsman Younis Khan proved his class with a superb hundred to put
Pakistan in a good position on the second day of the third and final Test against England played
here on Saturday.
The 34-year-old right-hander scored an unbeaten 115 to repair the Pakistan innings after early
wobbles with youngster Azhar Ali (75 not out) through an unbroken third wicket stand of 194 to
take their team to 222-2 at close.
Pakistan, who conceded a 42-run lead in the first innings after England made 141, now lead by
180 runs with eight wickets intact.
So in command were the duo that England's bowlers, who wrecked Pakistan for 99 in the first
innings, looked helpless and it seemed as if the match was not played on the same pitch on which
16 wickets fell on the first day.
Younis, who had only 66 runs in the last four innings, notched his 20th Test hundred - the first from
either side in the series - with a sweep shot off left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for two, reaching
the milestone off 166-balls.
Younis has so far hit 11 boundaries and a six. Ali, who often praised Younis's support for
youngsters, batted with caution during his 14th half-century. He has so far hit 11 boundaries and six.
We don't want players to miss IPL season: Sahara
Mumbai, Feb 4 : Sahara Group chief Subroto Roy today defended the decision to snap ties with
the BCCI but wants to ensure that the players of his IPL team do not suffer and get to play in the
fifth edition of the Twenty20 league.
Roy said he is willing to negotitiate with the BCCI to find a way out for his players' participation.
"To that extent I am flexible. I don't want my players to suffer and miss playing in IPL. I do not
want to deprive my players. I am willing to sit across the table with BCCI officials and sort out the
issue. I don't want to get into any legal battles," Roy said at a press conference.
Early in the day, Sahara Group announced that it was ending its sponsorship of the Indian team and
pulling out of IPL.
He said he would tell the Cricket Board to look out for corporates to buy his team. "It's upto the
IPL Governing Council. Money is no issue. I will play the players the full amount," he said.
"The decision we took to end ties was not a bad one at all. We had enough of it. Any relationship
does not break on one single issue only. We had a long relationship. It has to do with many issues,"
he said.
"There were so many genuine things we had but they (BCCI) did not give heed to such a small
thing like opening the bid They did not open the bid on a technicality (when Sahara had submitted
its bid for the first time in 2008). Rules were broken for other teams but we were not given natural
justice," he said.
Roy also denied that the current poor run of the Indian team had anything to do with Sahara's
decision to end its ties with BCCI.
"In our 11-year-long relationship the Indian team has gone through such phases. In fact it's in the
Tests that the team is not performing well," said Roy, adding that he had spoken to BCCI President
N Srinivasan yesterday before taking the decision this morning.
India will look to carry T20 momentum into tri-series
Melbourne, Feb 4 : Finally a win under their belt in what has been a highly disappointing tour, India
would aim to carry the Twenty20 momentum into the one-dayers when they take on Australia in
the first match of the tri-series starting here tomorrow.
After a 0-4 thrashing in the Tests and a loss in the first T20 against Australia, India tasted victory in
the second T20, winning by eight wickets last night.
The beleaguered Indians have been revitalised by the arrival of young players such as Suresh Raina,
Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Sharma.
The effort on the field was markedly improved and the Indians would be hoping that the shift in the
momentum continues in the ODIs as well.
The team will have its share of seniors as well with veteran Sachin Tendulkar's return to the fold.
Tendulkar, still on the threshold of his 100th international century, has put his hands up for the
tri-series in order to cross the milestone.
The maestro has faced unprecedented pressure in the last one year during which he played 11
Tests and 21 innings but still wasn't able to get over the line.
There were two scores in the 90s and one in 80s but Tendulkar could not go the whole hog and
found a way to eject himself out from the middle.
Mohun Bagan holds East Bengal to 1-1 draw
Kolkata, Feb 4 : A sloppy East Bengal failed to get past Mohun Bagan who bounced back in style
with a brilliant Odafa Okolie strike to settle for a 1-1 draw in their return leg I-League fixture at the
Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today.
In a must win match to be in the title race, East Bengal went ahead in a dubious fashion when Robin
Singh scored from an apparent off-side position in the 32nd minute but referee Santosh Kumar of
Kerala awarded the goal to the red-and-gold camp.
Mohun Bagan bounced back in spectacular fashion right after the changeover with a powerful right
footer by Nigerian stalwart Odafa Okolie.
Having restored parity, Mohun Bagan received two big jolts when their two foreigners Jose
Barreto and Hudson Lima had to be substituted after sustaining injuries.
Lima's injury after a collision with Orji Penn in the 80th minute in fact reduced Mohun Bagan to 10
men but East Bengal failed to take the advantage as their midfield and forward line-up lacked
cohesion.
The draw in the season's last derby meant Mohun Bagan, who had won 1-0 in the first leg and 2-0
in the local league, maintained their clean record.
In standings, East Bengal (35) remained on second position while one point behind Mohun Bagan
occupied the third position.
Unbeaten India gets promotion to Group I in Fed Cup
Shenzhen (China), Feb 4 : Sania Mirza won the crucial second-round singles match and then
combined with Isha Lakhani to clinch the decisive doubles rubber as India earned promotion to
Asia/Oceania Group I in Fed Cup after a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong in the play-off tie here
today.
Down 0-1, after a 4-6 1-6 mauling of Rutuja Bhosale at the hands of Wing-Yau Venise Chan,
India needed to win the second singles rubber to stay in contention.
Sania did not disappoint and came back from a set down to get the better of Ling Zhang 5-7 6-0
6-1 to level the tie.
It was for the first time that Sania was fielded in the singles match. Earlier Prerna Bhambri, Isha and
Rutuja had played in all the singles matches.
Sania and Isha then rallied to win the tough doubles match 6-7 (7) 6-1 7-5 against Chan and Zhang
to help India move to the Group I.
In next year's competition, India will strive to earn a place in the World Group. India were
relegated to Group II last year when they lost all the league stage rubbers and play-off tie.
India's best Fed Cup performance came in 2006 when they were the runner-up in Asia/Oceania
Zone Group I.