IPL; Star India Wins IPL Media Rights For Rs 16347 Crore

#IPL #MediaRights #StarIndia

Media rights for Indian Premier League or #IPL, the most lucrative and widely watched sports event in India, has been grabbed by Star India for a whooping Rs 16,347 crore.

This contract will now empower Star India to hold complete media rights for this mega event, starting from 2018 to 2022. Thus, Star India will pay Rs 54.5 crore for 300 IPL matches being played between this period.

This is certainly the highest and most expensive media contract ever given for IPL.

However, the shocker was Facebook's daredevil bid for claiming digital media rights of the event – they bid Rs 3900 crore, and lost. But the amount of the bid clearly stunned everyone.

There were total of 13 bidders, but Star India won the complete contract because of their highest bid, covering all the 7 formats of the media coverage.

As per the rules of the bidding, the consolidated bidding had to be higher than the sum of the highest bids for every category; and technically, by putting in the premium of Rs 7882.47 crore, Star India was able to achieve that.

The total amount of the highest bid for every category came to Rs 15,819.51, which is just Rs 528 crore less than what Star India eventually paid.

Sony Pictures Network (SPN), which held the rights since last 10 years had bid Rs 11,050 crore for only one category: Indian subcontinent.

In 2015, Vivo had bagged the IPL title sponsorship for two years for Rs 2190 crore; whereas Oppo has paid Rs 1070 crore for Indian team jersey.

Star India will now pay Rs 3269 crore every year to BCCI for IPL media rights, which means Rs 54.5 crore for every IPL match, between 2018 and 2022.

Star India is also the media rights holder for all matches played (excluding IPL), played by Indian team. This contract will end in March next year.

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IPL 2017 Final 2017: Balanced MI Take On Their Bogey Rival RPS In Maha Derby

#IPL 2017 #Final
#MIvRPS

Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant will meet in the Indian Premier League final on Sunday, less than a week after the two sides faced off in the first qualifier, which Pune won. Supergiant cruised to a routine 20-run win in that match, but Mumbai's bowlers appear to have discovered their form since, holding Kolkata Knight Riders to just 107 runs in Friday's second qualifier.

The match will be played at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

RPS lead Mumbai 3-0 this season (2 league wins and win in Qualifier 1) and will look to keep their grip hold. MI on the otherhand would like to show who is the real boss? owing to their allround ability and better team strength.

Mumbai's bowlers redeemed themselves in a big way on Friday after their disappointing showing in the first qualifier, bowling out Kolkata in fewer than 19 overs on their way to a fine win. Karn Sharma led the way with four wickets, and he finished with some remarkable numbers overall. 

He wasn't the only one who impressed, with Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga all living up to their hefty expectations. It was the kind of spectacular bowling performance the Indians needed, and a far cry from Tuesday's poor showing.

In their last meeting, Pune had two players score half-centuries (Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary), while MS Dhoni added an unbeaten 40. Supergiant were extremely aggressive, but the tactic ultimately paid off. It didn't hurt that Mumbai's top order stumbled, with only Parthiv Patel scoring at a fair rate. Rohit Sharma was kept very quiet, and that's unlikely to happen again.

The absence of both Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir didn't seem to bother Pune all that much in their last match, but their experience could have been crucial in a final. If there's one thing Mumbai aren't shy of, it's just that―experience.

Expect Mumbai's top stars―Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons―to flash their big-match potential on their way to halting Pune's win streak over Indians. It will be close, but Mumbai are billed win the IPL title on Sunday unless the wily old fox - MS Dhoni and Steve Smith have some tricks in their bag!

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IPL 2017: DJ Bravo New Song Featuring VK and MSD

#DJBravo #IPL #IPL 2017

Rhythm is the essence of West Indies and Gujarat Lions all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, be it delivering those perfect slower ones in the Indian Premier League, breaking into victory moves or expressing it all in music.

After creating waves with his #Hit #Song '#Champion', Dwayne Bravo seems set to produce another track which features India captain #ViratKohli and his predecessor #MSDhoni.

The number 'Champion' by the 33-year-old Trinidadian was a hit during the 2016 World Twenty20 in India, which was won by West Indies.

 

This time around, Bravo's song revolves around India and arguably its two biggest #Cricketing names at the moment.

Bravo goes: "Let us go over to India, India, India. I call up a boy named Kohli, Kohli, Kohli. We tell him to WhatsApp Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni." As the all-rounder ends the song, the two burst out laughing.

#Kohli also featured in Bravo's song 'Chalo, Chalo', which features many cricketers like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Michael Hussey and Irfan Pathan.

Bravo will hope his song will put a spring in the step of his teammates.

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IPL 2017: MI host UnderPrivileged Kids At Wankhede

#IPL #IPL 2017

As part of their "Education For All" initiative, Mumbai Indians (#MI) hosted 18,000 underprivileged children at the #Wankhede Stadium yesterday (April 16) for their Indian Premier League (#IPL) 2017 match against Gujarat Lions (#GL).

MI's home stadium turned into a sea of blue as fans cheered and waved the team's flags. It was a memorable outing for the underprivileged kids as they watched MI-GL contest live.


The Rohit Sharma-led side did not disappoint them and thousands of other spectators as they defeated GL by 6 wickets for 4th victory in a row.

To support the cause of equal and rightful education for every child in the society, MI, each year, dedicate one of their home matches exclusive for these underprivileged children. (MI celebrate 10 years in IPL)

Started in the year 2010, through a partnership with various NGOs, #Reliance Foundation and MI have impacted the lives of over 100,000 underprivileged children in support of their education.

#NitaAmbani, Chairperson Reliance Foundation and owner of MI franchise recently credited the success of "EFA" as the biggest win for her.

"Mumbai Indians has emerged as champions both in cricket and in spirit. For me, personally, one of the greatest wins has been our 'Education For All' initiative. In this tenth year of Mumbai Indians, we are celebrating yet another milestone of positively impacting lives of 1 lakh underprivileged children through EFA," she said during recent MI's 10 years celebration.

"Reliance Foundation made elaborate arrangements to ensure every single aspect is looked into for the comfort of the children. A total of 414 BEST and private buses, with over 2,000 volunteers were deployed to transport the children to the stadium and back.

"Over 100,000 food boxes, sufficient availability of water and beverages and a medical team has been deployed to support throughout the event," MI said in a press release.

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IPL 2017: Umpiring Is Below Standard?

#IPL #IPL2017
#IndianPremierLeague

#JosButtler, lbw off #ImranTahir, #MI v #RPS
Buttler was on fire for Mumbai. He had just smashed 38 runs off 18 deliveries when he played all around a length ball that skidded on. It had taken a clear deflection off his bat before rapping him on his front pad. #Umpire Ravi, though, had his finger up before Pune's #Fielders had completed their #Appeal.

#KieronPollard, declared not out off #ImranTahir, MI v RPS
Things evened out in Tahir's next over when Pollard was rapped on the pads and the ball was crashing into the stumps. The decision to make was whether the ball hit bat or pad first. Umpire Ravi thought it was the former, while replays showed it clearly hit pad first. Pollard survived, and went on to make 21 more runs. Supergiant #Wicketkeeper #MSDhoni jokingly signaled for a #DRS review, and was reprimanded after the game

#JosButtler, lbw off #AnkitRajpoot, MI v KKR
Buttler was at the receiving end once again, after getting off to a blazing start in a chase of 179 against the Knight Riders. Ankit Rajpoot, coming in to bowl for the first time in the season, swung a low #FullToss into the right-hander. Buttler missed, and while the #Appeal was vociferous, the ball was sliding down leg by a distance. This time, it was #Umpire Nitin Menon who was at the centre of a howler.

#RohitSharma was wrongly adjudged lbw against lbw off #SunilNarine, #MI v #KKR
Mumbai received another blow the next over when Rohit was adjudged lbw. Narine had been bowling #Legbreaks throughout the #Over, and foxed Rohit with the offbreak that the batsman failed to pick. While the batsman had looked clueless, rooted to the crease, the ball had taken a deflection off the inside edge. #Umpire Nandan gave it out immediately, and Knight Riders got their second lucky break in two overs.

#CarlosBrathwaite, declared not out off #YuzvendraChahal, #DD v RCB
Chahal was into his final over, and Royal Challengers were desperate for a breakthrough, with Delhi needing 45 from 33. Brathwaite was pinned in front of off and middle, having failed to pick up a flatter googly. #Umpire Virender Sharma was unmoved by a pleading Chahal, but the error didn't cost Royal Challengers, with Chahal bowling Brathwaite the very next ball.

#KedarJadhav, lbw off #VarunAaron, #RCB v #KXIP
This was much closer than the rest of the decisions on this list, and significant since Kedar Jadhav was Royal Challengers' in-form batsman going into this game. Two down for just 22, they needed him to anchor the innings along with #ABdeVilliers, when Varun Aaron's indipper struck him high on the pads. Jadhav, while not a tall man, was jumping at the point of impact. It looked close to the naked eye, but was going over off stump, as replays would later show.

IS Umpiring Standard Really Poor In the IPL?
Please comment....


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IPL 2017 - Virat is Back For RCB vs MI In A Crucial Tie For The Hosts

#IPL #IPL 2017

#IndianPremierLeague

Two losses out of three matches have set the alarm bells ringing in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (#RCB) ranks, and they would be mighty pleased to see their #Captain #ViratKohli back in action after the his #Shoulder #Injury sustained during the #IndvAus #TestMatch #Series. 

A #HomeGame vs Mumbai Indians (#MI) would be an ideal platform for the captain to get a feel of things and try to get RCB back on track. #Mumbai on the other hand are upbeat after two consecutive home #Wins, including an easy one over Sunrisers Hyderabad (#SRH).

The Delhi #Superstar has been declared #FitToPlay on Thursday by the #BCCI #MedicalTeam.

#Kohli, who had dropped hints of making a return after posting a video on his #Instagram account of his gym session on April 11, did some #Fielding drills during the team's #NetSession on Wednesday.

Last year, Kohli had scored a staggering 973 runs in 16 matches with four centuries to guide #RCB to the finals against Sunrisers Hyderabad (#SRH) and he would look to improve #Bangalore's current sixth place #Standing on the points-table.

In Kohli's absence, #ABD de Villiers made his presence felt as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 89 off just 46 balls to help RCB post a respectable 148-4 on his comeback match after recovering from an injury.

The poor form of Chris #Gayle is also a concern for RCB. The West Indian power-hitter has been struggling to carve out big scores, which is reflected in his failure to score even one half century in his last 10 innings.

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IPL 2017: MS Dhoni Dancing To RPS Tunes

#IPL #IPL2017

#IndianPremierLeague

#MSDhoni appears to be enjoying spending time with teammates in the first few days of the 2017 Indian Premier League (#IPL) season. The former India captain, known as #CaptainCool because of his temperament and ability to come through #Pressure situations unscathed, often updates fans about his personal life through his #Social media accounts.

He uploaded a short #Video on his #Instagram profile on Monday to let his #Fans know that everything was upbeat in the Rising Pune Supergiants (#RPS) camp, despite a shaky start to their season.

The video has Dhoni #Dancing alongside teammate #AjinkyaRahane with the IPL's highest paid foreign player #BenStokes watching in the background. 

The Pune franchise has had a mixed start to their season, winning their opening match against #MI by seven wickets and then losing to #KXIP by six wickets and #DD by a whopping 97 runs!

"#RPSvMI Smith proves who's the king of the jungle. Overshadows Dhoni totally. #Captains innings. Great move to appoint him as captain," Harsh Goenka had tweeted during the #RPS opening match against #MumbaiIndians on April 6.

After receiving severe criticism from Dhoni's supporters on #Twitter, Harsh deleted the tweet.

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IPL 2017: Big Names Missing At This Years Tournament

#IPL10 #IPL
#IndianPremierLeague

The #IPL is underway and we have casualties galore across most teams on display. Teams have spent crores of rupees on players and now they have to scratch their brains for replacements and team compositions.

As the #ICC #Calendar gets busier with every passing year, #Cricketers are becoming prone to #Injuries. Injuries and/or national duties will keep several star cricketers from their respective #Franchises.

Several big names in the business are either going to miss some part of the tournament or have been ruled due to injuries or national team's fixtures.

Here are the cricketers who are injured so far:

#Virat Kohli - Biggest casualty of the IPL owing to the shulder injury he sustained in the #Ranchi #TestMatch against Australia. He will miss a few initial games atleast but will be vary that he will need to be fully fit for the upcoming #ChampionsTrophy in June.

#KLRahul - Will miss the complete tournament
#ABD  de Villiers - Will miss initial games but uncertain for the whole tournament.

#LasithMalinga - Will miss initial games for #MumbaiIndians (#MI). Presently, on national duty for #SriLanka, the slingy #Speedster will add bite to the MI attack when is joins back.

#AselaGunaratne - Initial games. 
#QuintondeKock (#DD) - Complete Tournament
#JPDuminy (#DD) - Complete Tournament
#RaviAshwin (#RPS) - Complete tournament
#MitchellMarsh (#RPS) - Complete Tournament
#MuraliVijay (#KXIP) - Complete season
#UmeshYadav (#KKR) - Initial matches
#RavindraJadeja (#GL) - Initial matches
#MustafizurRahman (#RCB) - Initial matches

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Did Mitchell Starc do a Twitter goof-up by messaging the wrong Virat Kohli? - Yahoo Cricket (blog)

#IPL #IPL 2017 #IPL 10

#IndianPremierLeague

Things are definitely not going well for #Australian #Pacer #MitchellStarc. After getting sidelined from the #India-Australia #TestSeries midway due to stress #Fracture on his right knee, he has now landed in an embarrassing situation. 

#Starc, with hopes of settling down the air with India and RCB skipper #ViratKohli, sent him a personal message on #Twitter. The message was a lighthearted one with congratulatory words on the Test series win against Australia and also the emphatic home season India had against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh which helped Kohli and his men to climb the No. 1 spot in #ICC #Test #Rankings. Moreover, Starc also wished Kohli to have a #Speedy #Recovery from a shoulder #Injury which the swashbuckling batsman sustained in Bangalore Test keeping him out of the final Test of the series at Dharamsala.

There was nothing wrong with Starc's message. But the only, and perhaps the biggest, problem was that Starc sent it to a parody account of Kohli. Starc, who is dart on target when it comes to bowling absolute yorkers to batsmen on field, went haywire on Twitter by messaging the fan account @imVkohIIi rather than Kohli's official handle @imVkohli.

"Hey friend Hopefully I don't have to look for a new IPL team?? Haha media hey! Didn't get a chance to have a proper catch up mate but Congrats on the series win and on your summer personally… I hope that shoulder is on the mend and not too bad? Good luck for the IPL, here's hoping to an RCB win. Cheers mate," Starc tweeted. Now obviously, the owner of the account could not resist this glaring opportunity and swiftly shared this message to display the great blunder Starc did. Not only did he share the message but being a good bloke replied Starc with humbleness and made the speedster aware of what blunder he had committed.

The owner replied (ignore the glaring English), "Thanx for all these on Virat's behalf. Hoping your injury is well nowe & wishing good luck for all ur upcoming matches. As we all know that u & virat r good frnds on & off the field as many times virat had mention it. As i m fan of @imVkohli & hoping u both to playing together for RCB next year. Lets cheer together for RCB & hope to…"

Starc has played under Kohli's captaincy for RCB in 2014 and 2015, but opted out of IPL 2017 with intentions of being fully fit for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in June. But the India-Australia series turned bitter for Starc as he had to fly back home due to the injury.

The four-game Test series against the mighty Australia did spark a lot of controversies throughout wherein Australian media targeting Kohli topped the list. But regardless of the controversies from the series, this goof-up by Starc certainly has made things lighter.

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IPL 2017: Royal Challengers Bangalore complete squad, key players and list of matches

#IPL #IPL 10 #IPL 2017

#IndianPremierLeague

Arguably the most popular #T20 #Tournament in the world, the #IPL started in 2007 after India's unprecedented success in the 2007 T20 World Cup, when they lifted the trophy in South Africa. 

The IPL started with a bang when #BrendonMcCullum, then playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (#KKR) scored a massive 158 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (#RCB). The #VijayMallya owned team had performed poorly in the first season and came 2nd last on the number's table. The team was criticised for a poor selection of players, which consisted of test specialists like Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jafar and Jaques Kallis. 

The team has come a long way since then and has remained a top contender for the title, despite never having won the tournament in its decade-long history. Led by Indian Captain #ViratKohli, the #RCB displays a mixture of youth and experience but remains heavily dependent on its famous #BattingLineup.

Royal Challengers Bangalore full squad for IPL 2017

Existing players: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Mandeep Singh, Adam Milne, Sarfaraz Khan, S Aravind, Kedar Jadhav, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Samuel Badree, Iqbal Abdulla, Travis Head, Sachin Baby, Avesh Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi

Players Bought: 

• Pawan Negi (1 Cr), 
• Tymal Mills (12 Cr), 
• Aniket Choudhary (INR 2 Cr), 
• Praveen Dubey (10 Lakh), 
• Billy Stanlake (30 Lakh)

Key players:

Virat Kohli 

He might have hit a rough patch in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series but T20 is a different ball game altogether and Kohli;s track record in the format speaks for itself. 

In 154 IPL matches, Kohli has played since 2008, he has amassed 4534 runs at an impressive average of 38.10 and a strike rate of 132. 07. In the last season of the IPL, Virat had hit a golden patch scoring 973 runs in 16 innings with a strike rate of 152.03 and an incredible average of 81.08.

Chris Gayle

The big #Jamaican is easily the most experienced batsman in the team and the most destructive one, on his day. #Gayle has been playing as a mercenary in #T20 tournaments all over the world and is easily a nightmare for any #Bowler at the top of the order. He has 3220 runs in the 82 matches that he has played in the #IPL, with an average of 46 and a strike rate of 156.92 and a top score of 175 against Pune. He also happens to have the fastest T20 #Century to his name.

AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers is #Superman. #ABD Villiers is at a stage of human evolution where he has left the homo sapiens way behind. De Villiers can captain, can bat anywhere, keep wickets, field anywhere, and even bowl at a decent speed. While it is to be seen, if #Kohli and management use him as a finisher or up the order, De Villiers will find ways to score on anyone, anywhere on the field.

Tymal Mills

The Englishman is the newest buy in the team and this is first IPL season. At 24 years of age, Mills has a bright future ahead of him and playing for RCB in the IPL could only propel him to new heights of stardom. Mills is the only pacer in the team who comes with some reputation. Considering the batting line-up, it is very unlikely that he would be short of runs to defend but his skills with the back of the hand slow ball mixed well with his ability to fire #Yorkers at will could be the last piece of the puzzle #RCB need to win the #IPL.

#RCB #Match #Schedule for IPL 2017

Match 1: SRH vs RCB, April 5, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 2: RCB vs Delhi Daredevils, April 8, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 3: Kings XI Punjab vs RCB, April 10, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 4: RCB vs Mumbai Indians, April 14, 2017, 16:00 IST

Match 5: RCB vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 16, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 6: Gujarat Lions vs RCB, April 18, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 7: KKR vs RCB, April 23, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 8: RCB vs SRH, April 25, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 9: RCB vs Gujarat Lions, April 27, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 10: Rising Pune Supergiant vs RCB, April 29, 2017, 16:00 IST

Match 11: Mumbai Indians vs RCB, May 1, 2017, 16:00 IST

Match 12: RCB vs Kings XI Punjab, May 5, 2017, 20:00 IST

Match 13: RCB vs KKR, May 7, 2017, 16:00 IST

Match 14: Delhi Daredevils vs RCB, May 15, 2017, 20:00 IST

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IPL 2017: RPS Skipper Steve Smith Will Not Take Tips From MS Dhoni

#IPL #IPL 10 #IPL 2017

#IndianPremierLeague

#Australia #Skipper #SteveSmith may have just ended a draining Test series against #India, finishing on the losing side, but he won't brook any unsolicited advice as he begins his #Leadership role with #IPL side Rising Pune Supergiants (#RPS)

Steve Smith was a slightly #Controversial appointment to lead the new #Franchise in place of #MSDhoni, the former India skipper who has only played as captain in the previous nine IPL #Editions.

RPS team owner, Sanjiv Goenka, said on Thursday at a team #News #Conference that the change was 'amicable', having earlier explained that the change was made in the best interests of a #Team that had finished seventh out of eight teams on its debut last year.

Asked about the switch to IPL and playing with three other captains, Steve Smith first said he looked forward to interacting with the different leaders. "Centrally, it will make my job easier. The #IPL will be beneficial to me. There are a lot of international #Players and I will get to share the #DressingRoom with them. I will know what people from different parts of the world are thinking," Smith said.

However, when pressed about whether he would welcome constant inputs from the seniors -- #AjinkyaRahane and England all-rounder #BenStokes were also in the podium -- he was categorical.

"There are plenty of guys to talk to, but it is important not to have too many opinions. If opinions are coming from left, right and centre, it can cloud your judgement," Smith said. "I'll try to stay as clear as possible, but it can be difficult sometimes if there are too many opinions."

#MSDhoni had played in the IPL only as #Captain for nine years before he was replaced by RPS owner, Sanjiv Goenka. Smith will have plenty of captaincy challenges as India's match-winning bowler, #RavichandranAshwin, is also part of the team.

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IPL 2017: Kerala Speedster Basil Thampi Makes Debut For Gujarat Lions

#IPL #IPL10

#IndianPremierLeague

#Kerala pacer #BasilThampi, picked up by #GujaratLions for #IPL10, feels that being a part of this #T20 tournament is a big opportunity for young #Domestic #Players like him.

"#IPL is a good #Platform for young domestic players, who get a chance to play with and against international players and for me its a big opportunity," #Thampi told media persons here at Saurashtra Cricket Association (#SCA) stadium in #Khandheri.

Thampi was bought during the IPL auction by Gujarat Lions for Rs 85 lakh against his base price of Rs 10 lakh.

The bowler would be paid much higher than experienced #MunafPatel and #ManpreetGony, who will also play for Gujarat Lions in IPL10.

However, the young pacer considers #T20 #Format as a big challenge particularly for the bowlers. "#Bowling is a big #Challenge in shortest format of the game, but luckily I am getting tips from skipper #SureshRaina and experienced bowlers like Praveenbhai (#PraveenKumar) and Munafbhai (Munaf Patel)," he said.

Gujarat Lions chose Thampi as the team #Franchise owner wanted to make its bowling department stronger and the new entrant has an ability to bowl around 140 kmph consistently.

Gujarat Lions will play the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders (#KKR), 

#KKR co-owners #Bollywood star #ShahrukhKhan and actress #JuhiChawla are expected to be present during the match to cheer up their team.

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Irfan Pathan posts emotional letter to his fans on Twitter after IPL 2017 snub

#IPL2017 #IPL17

#IndianPremierLeague

#IrfanPathan was one of the big names to go #Unsold in the Indian Premier League (#IPL) #Auction which took place in #Bengaluru on Monday, but the 32-year old all-rounder is not ready to give up on his career.

#Pathan, who has played for a number of IPL teams overs the years, took to #Twitter to share a very emotional message with his fans and followers. 

Talking about the challenges faced in his career, Irfan wrote:

"In 2010, I had undergone 5 fractures in my back. The physio had told to me that I might now be able to play cricket ever again and should rather give up on my dream. At that point of time I told him, I can bear any pain but cannot the bear the pain of not playing this beautiful game for my country."

The #Gujarat #Cricketer was clearly hurt after being overlooked by the IPL franchises, but he promised to fight back and to not give up on his career.

"I worked hard and not only played cricket again but made a come back to the #Team #India. I have faced many obstacles in my career and life but never gave up, that's the character I have and will possess."

Pathan missed a majority of last season due to injuries, but he had a good run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in which he picked up five wickets in four games with an economy rate of 6.28.

With a base price of Rs. 50 lakhs, Irfan could have been picked. However, the combination of injuries, combined with loss of form in the domestic circuit probably influenced the teams and that can be the reason why he went unsold.

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IPL 2017 Does Ben Stokes Deserve Windfall? Yes Says Ian Botham

#IPL2017 #IPL10

#IndianPremierLeague

#England all-rounder #BenStokes was picked up by #RisingPuneSupergiants (#RPS) for IPL 2017.

England legend, #IanBotham says "box-office" Ben Stokes deserves every penny of the more than £1.7 million ($2.1 mn) that the England all-rounder will rake in playing in the Indian Premier League. 

Stokes set a record for an overseas player in the cash-rich #Twenty20 competition when RPS shelled out for him at last week's auction. The 25-year-old Stokes has come up through the ranks at #Durham, where Botham is the newly appointed chairman having finished his illustrious playing career with the English county. 

Botham, one of the outstanding all-rounders of his generation, said he was glad that #Stokes - set to have fresh responsibilities with England as vice-captain to new Test skipper #JoeRoot - was being well-rewarded.

"He is getting for the #IPL what most guys going to China to play football are getting for a fortnight's wages," Botham told a news conference at Durham's #Chester-le-Street headquarters.

"Cricket needs to move and I think players deserve the rewards. It's a precarious living. You can have an injury and never play again and I think people realize that now."

Stokes's aggressive style has been compared to that of Botham in his pomp and the former England captain said: "I am very pleased for Ben. He is box office -- that's why he went for what he went for (in the IPL).

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Happy New Year 2017

Here's Wishing All Sport Lovers a 
Very Happy New Year 2017

There is a ton of excitement in 2017 starting with the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam, England's ODI series vs India, Australia v Pakistan ODIs, Champions Trophy Cricket In England, F1 season, English Premier League, Tennis Grand Slam season, IPL, ISL, Hockey and loads more....

Can't wait to grab a piece of the action!!

Who Will Win The Cup??  

IPL 2016 RCB And DD Battle In Knockout Epic

#IPL2016
#DD v #RCB
#Raipur

This is the last match of the league stage.
This is the match that will give us the 4th entrant into the Qualifiers.
All calculations, permutations and combinations have been rested now.
Simple. Winner takes all.

The edge?
Surely with #RCB considering how they have comeback in this tournament. #ViratKohli and #ABDeviliers have masterminded that comeback with some scintillating batting performances. More so by Virat with his 4 classy hundreds and amassing 865 runs so far. Will he (or rather when will he reach 1000 runs in this IPL season is anyone's guess). Bowling which has been their biggest pain point seems to be falling in place aided by a big bank of runs by #AB-VK safe vaults.

If they win today, they go to 2nd position on that table giving them two chances to qualify for the final (a huge incentive).

#DD on the other hand have been silent achievers, much so like the eternal #RahulDravid career. Silent but gigantic achievements, that's it. No fuss. No hoopla... They have combined well to deliver the goods. Had it not been for their too-much chop-n-change policy, they could have easily qualified by now. Their bowling is very balanced and their batting seems to have the depth to take on any attack.

All in all a mouth watering clash at Raipur.

May the best team win.
Who will win?

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IPL 2016 - Gujarat Lions Dim Mumbai Indians Chances To Qualify

#GL vs #MI
#IPL2016
#Kanpur, #GreenPark

Going into the last game of their respective campaigns, both teams had different agenda.
While #GujaratLions were seeking to top the table and go into Qualifier 1 (which gives them two shots at the Final), #MumbaiIndians were in a Must-Win situation to scrape through to the qualifiers by winning and hoping some results go their way. High stakes for both sides.

On a friendly deck at the #GreenPark, MI took first strike and suddenly found themselves in a hole.
After a brisk 30, captain #RohitSharma perished (huge blow in context of the game). He was soon followed by #Guptill and #KrunalPandya leaving Mumbai tottering at 45 for 3. #DhavalKulkarni and #DRSmith doing the damage for #GL.

Youngster #NitishRana and England batting mainstay #JosButtler then set about resurrecting the #MI innings. Rana was the aggressor surprisingly and his clean hitting was a pleasure to witness. Refreshing energy and audacious strokeplay made his innings very interesting but of priceless value for MI.

When Buttler fell for 33 off a brilliant c&b by #DJBravo, the scoreboard read 120 for 4, 13.4 overs.
An ideal launch pad for #Pollard to come in and take the game away from #GL. The well set Rana was going great guns as he smashed the Gujarat bowlers all over the place.

Rana was eventually out for a brilliant 70 (36 balls, 7 fours, 4 sixes). This eventually turned out to be the turning point in the game. Mumbai lost steam after that and last 3 overs only saw 19 runs accumulated. Pollard fell, Hardik Pandya couldn't hit a ball from the middle of the bat and Harbhajan's wild swings could only reach safe hands of long on. 

From a brilliant 153 for 5 in 17 overs, MI capitulated to 172 for 7 in 20 overs. 20 runs short. Massive in a #T20 game. Brilliant spells from Bravo and #PravinKumar minimized damage in the end overs.

It was upto Gujarat to lose the game since the target was well below par.
And their start was abysmal. #AaronFinch was out second ball trapped plumb in front by #VinayKumar. Captain #SureshRaina coming in 1-drop looked shaky upfront trying to move around the crease but unable to connect. The Big #Baz #McCullum wasn't looking comfortable either. However, #McClenaghan's over changed all that.  Raina smashed him for 3 fours and a six to change the momentum #GL way.

No looking back after that as Baz and Raina completed demoralized the MI bowlers, smashing them all over the park before McCullum was out with score on 96 in the 10th over. Comfortably placed.

#DineshKarthik got a rough caught behind decision while Raina's pyrotechnics to finish the game lobbed a straight one to the keeper made the game interesting. MI had a sniff. Or did they? Dr. Smith razed all their hopes biffing boundaries and sixes galore. #Jadeja finished the game with a heave over extra cover that eluded Guptill's outstretched hands for the winning single. Gujarat had won the match by 6 wickets.

Raina's blitzkrieg innings earned him the man of the match award.
Some really ordinary fielding from MI contributed to their loss as well.

Gujarat now top of the league assured of  1 or 2 finish (depending of how #SRH finish after their match against #KKR). #SRH confirmed of qualification though. #MI will have to wait for #KKR v #SRH and #DD v #RCB game' results and hope to scrape through.

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What Can MI, RCB and RR Learn From CSK About Fair Play?

As the top two teams at #IPL8 face each other in Qualifier 1 match today, there is an interesting statistic that needs a look in.

On the #Fair #Play Points table, #CSK are as usual on the top (its pretty remarkable, how they do well on both the tables - points and fair play - season after season) and #MI? .. you guessed it right ... at the bottom (this is big pain point in their inconsistent performances over the years).

Is the Fair Play points table is a good indicator of team's consistency, form and winability?
Its an interesting question to answer.

Teams that generally stay on top of this fair play table, either do very well or do very poorly. 

The 2015 Fair Play table looks like this
1. CSK
2. KKR
3. KXIP
4. DD
5. SRH
6. RR
7. RCB
8. MI

Barring CSK that is on top, teams from positions 2 to 5 have been knocked out while teams 6,7 and 8 have qualified for the playoffs. This is an amazing stat. 

Does playing fair mean compromising on winning? or should teams shouldn't care about fair play and focus only on the points table?

This is why CSK is the best team in IPL ever.
And they have been consistent on both tables year after year.

Just goes to show how #MSDhoni has built this team to play fair and yet keep winning. Win at all cost ... may not work all the time .

RR, RCB and MI can really learn from the CSK about this fair play habit!
No doubt they have some outstanding performers and entertainers, but champs with humility are always looked up to by the public!

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