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Shah Rukh expects Knight Riders to have more drive in IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan is confident increased availability of international players will make the team more competitive in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The franchise finished sixth in the inaugural IPL when they struggled to build momentum with various departures and arrivals of non-Indian players, whose participation was cut short by international commitments.

But while Australia captain Ricky Ponting has ruled himself out of this season's glitz-and-glamour Twenty20 spectacular to rest, Khan believes the presence of other foreign stars will boost the Knight Riders.

"Internationally, I think the players will be more available, so we have the whole team to begin with," he told a media conference at a five-star hotel soon after arriving in this south-west city.

"We'll have Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, and then David Hussey will join us when Gayle has to leave. Brad Hodge is here, and so is Sourav Ganguly. Everyone has been practising over the past 10 days.

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IPL's second season begins on Saturday

The IPL, with instant millionaires and lashings of Bollywood stardust, begins its second season on Saturday, thousands of kilometres from home and with controversy raging in its slipstream.

Fans and critics would expect nothing else from this revolutionary form of Twenty20 cricket; it's either wake-up call or death knock.

With security unable to be guaranteed in India for a sport which is now a frontline terror target, organisers were forced to shift the five-week, eight-team, 59-match tournament to South Africa.

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IPL 2009 - Where is the Money?

By Ekalavya Bhattacharya
Last year, the Kolkata Knight Riders franchisee was the only team which was really profitable. Why? Marketing and Merchandising. The presence of a certain Shah Rukh Khan helped them greatly!

SRK was able to rope in his brands. KKR piggy-backed on Nokia and Tag Heur. Reebok outlets were advertising the KKR No. 12 jersey of Khan and all this ensured that KKR made profits to the tune of Rs 13 crores last year!

This season KKR have tied up with even more brands! SRK continues to get in brands being endorsed by him - i.e. Belmonte.

Other teams have realised this and now Making Money is a priority for everyone. This is clearly visible on the official websites of the teams. The number of partnerships have almost doubled. Everyone wants to cash in on the hype. Merchandising options are available for all the teams. Kings XI Punjab is even selling a branded Lassi Da Glass!
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Cape Town awaits IPL celebrity invasion

Cape Town is readying for the biggest celebrity influx of the year as the off-field stars of the Indian Premier League (IPL) converge on the Mother City.

As a popular holiday destination and film-shoot location, Cape Town is no stranger to the rich and famous, but with the glamorous Twenty20 tournament due to start here Saturday, the city is set for a different sort of invasion.

The eight teams in the Indian competition are owned by some of the biggest Bollywood stars and richest people in the world, who will stay at Cape Town's new five-star hotel, One and Only.

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ICC lacks common sense, says Warne

International Cricket Council lacks 'common sense', otherwise it would have created a separate window for the Indian Premier League, said spin legend Shane Warne.

A vociferous advocate of a separate window for the Twenty20 event, Warne said no international matches should have been scheduled for the month of April to allow all players compete in the cash-rich league.

"If the ICC had any common sense, they would create a window for the IPL," Warne, who led the Rajasthan Royals to a fairytale victory in the inaugural edition of the league was quoted as saying by 'The Star'.

"No international cricket should be played in April. The IPL could then be cut to four weeks, which would allow all the international players to play in it.

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Cricinfo: Wins for Chennai and Kolkata in warm-ups

Kings XI Punjab lost by a narrow margin of 10 runs against the Warriors in their warm-up game in Port Elizabeth, as they faltered in pursuit of a competitive 151. Colin Ingram set up the Warriors innings with an aggressive, unbeaten 57, which included five fours and two sixes. Punjab struggled in the field, dropping five catches though they will be encouraged by the performance of their fast bowler VRV Singh who finished with 4 for 24. Taruwar Kohli led the Punjab response with a quickfire 36 but was short of support from the other batsmen, like Simon Katich (12) and Kumar Sangakkara (16), who got starts but failed to consolidate. Warren Bell took 2 for 22 as Punjab, requiring 19 off the last over, managed just eight.

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IPL to miss Pakistan spice in 2nd edition

The Indian Premier League will be missing one spicy ingredient from its heady mix in 2009 after Pakistan's exhilarating players were exiled from the money-spinning tournament.

The Pakistan government banned its players from participating in the IPL after political relations with India deteriorated in the wake of November's terror attacks in Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.

By the time the IPL was relocated to South Africa, following the Indian government's refusal to provide adequate security, as the event overlapped with parliamentary elections, Pakistani players' contracts had already been either terminated or suspended.

The IPL refused to include Pakistan players even after the relocation, claiming new stars had been bought by franchises as replacements.

Pakistani players were outraged and claimed the IPL had not bothered to inform them about the contract cancellations. They even staged a protest under the banner 'Include us or pay us' in Lahore last week.

They have also threatened legal action.

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SRK hits on cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar

SRK on IPLShah Rukh Khan at the Nokia - Kolkata Knight Riders tie up press conference held at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz, Mumbai on Sunday April 5th evening took on Sunil Gavaskar head on. The cricketing legend Gavaskar had criticised KKR coach John Buchanan over their team strategies including the possibility of multiple captains for the team.

When asked about his reaction over Gavaskar’s comments in his column in Hindustan Times about KKR, the King Khan his typical sarcastic style replied, “I have tremendous respect for Mr. Sunil Gavaskar. He was a great player of his times. But T20 is a new type of game. Since he hasn’t ever played this game he has no right to comment on it. If he is still so interested then he should buy an IPL team for himself and implement his game tactics. We know what is good for us and good for cricket.”

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Now Shahrukh Khan apologises to Gavaskar

After apologizing to the Indian barbers for incorporating the word ‘Barber’ in the title of his home production, Billu Barber and subsequently removing it, Shah Rukh Khan has now apologized to Indian cricket’s living legend Sunil Gavaskar for a taunt that he buys his own team if he wanted to run one.

The King Khan before departing for South Africa as the IPL season 2 begins there, said, “I have not said anything against Gavaskar. I just wanted to have breathing space to try something new. I have sent him an apology letter because he was in America that time,”

“Due to the wonderful methodology that television applies, that comment was for people who don’t understand cricket and who are still telling me how to run the team. If Gavaskar asks me to walk on my head and run the team, I would. Anything that Gavaskar says that has to do with cricket, if he mentions, should be followed,” SRK said.

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Curtain up on IPL's bling dynasty

The IPL, with instant millionaires and lashings of Bollywood stardust, begins its second season on Saturday, thousands of kilometres from home and with controversy raging in its slipstream.

Fans and critics would expect nothing else from this revolutionary form of Twenty20 cricket; it's either wake-up call or death knock.

With security unable to be guaranteed in India for a sport which is now a frontline terror target, organisers were forced to shift the five-week, eight-team, 59-match tournament to South Africa.

For Eden Gardens and Wankhede, now read Wanderers and Centurion.

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Great expectations from IPL's million-dollar men

Kevin Pietersen should not be surprised if he finds life tough in the exclusive Indian Premier League million-dollar club.

Pietersen and compatriot Andrew Flintoff were the highest paid among auctioned cricketers at 1.55-million dollars each, followed by India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni (1.50m) and Australian Andrew Symonds (1.35m).

Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are other millionaries, but were not auctioned as they enjoy iconic status.

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Pakistan's IPL hopes left out in cold

The Indian Premier League will be missing one spicy ingredient from its heady mix in 2009 after Pakistan's exhilarating players were exiled from the money-spinning tournament.

The Pakistan government banned its players from participating in the IPL after political relations with India deteriorated in the wake of November's terror attacks in Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.

By the time the IPL was relocated to South Africa, following the Indian government's refusal to provide adequate security, as the event overlapped with parliamentary elections, Pakistani players' contracts had already been either terminated or suspended.

The IPL refused to include Pakistan players even after the relocation, claiming new stars had been bought by franchises as replacements.
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Pakistan-Australia series could affect IPL 2

The organizers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have had to encounter problems of all kinds. They must have foreseen numerous hassles while launching the tournament of such magnitude last year but they might not have anticipated the change of venue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), having so much influence in the International Cricket Council (ICC) of late, had ensured that the international cricket would come to a standstill when the IPL was in progress.

All About Latest Sports Action: Pakistan-Australia series could affect IPL 2