Pepsi bags IPL title sponsorship rights

MUMBAI: Soft drink giants Pepsi pipped leading telecom communications provider Bharti Airtel to become the new title sponsors of the Indian Premier League with a whopping winning bid of Rs 396.8 crores for the next five seasons, starting 2013.

Airtel had offered Rs 316 crores, in the bid for the title sponsorship of the Twenty20 tournament, owned by the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI).

Farooq Abdullah, the chairman of the BCCI's marketing committee, announced that the rights had been won by PepsiCo over the next five seasons.

"The BCCI is very pleased to welcome PepsiCo as a central partner of the IPL. The value of the winning bid reflects the growth and success of the IPL," Abdullah said.

The bids were opened in front of the representatives of the only firms which took part in the process though four other parties had bought the Tender to Invitation from the Board, said IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla.

Shukla said that the title-sponsorship contract was for a five-year period and will end in 2017.

Realty firm DLF ended its five-year-long association with the IPL as the title sponsor in August and the BCCI floated the tenders last month. DLF paid Rs 200 crore for the five year period of 2008-12.

"PepsiCo's bid is double of the Rs 200 crore paid by DLF in the first five seasons of the IPL. It is almost double than what DLF were giving us. DLF were giving 40 crores per year and Pepsi will be giving us on an average 79 crores per year," he said.

"So far our records of selling various properties of IPL has been very good. We have doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount while selling some of the properties," Shukla said, adding that the fact that the bid by Pepsi was double that of DLF shows the grand success of IPL.

"PepsiCo are one of the largest sponsors in world sport and we look forward to working with them over the next seasons," he added.

Deepika Warrier, the executive director marketing of Pepsico Beverages, said she was happy that the company has reaffirmed its commitment to cricket.

"We have been associated with cricket for the last 20 years. The IPL is a tremendous product. It is a brand which rivals any other sporting brand across the world," she said.

"I think it's an absolutely game changing format. The kind of eyeballs, interest and viewership that the IPL gets in India and across the world is of great interest to us.

"We are very happy with the kind of investment and are confident of getting returns from our investment we are making in the IPL and in cricket in India over the next five years.

"The deal is the reaffirmation of Pepsi foods in India as a market and it's also our absolute commitment to cricket. Together with BCCI, we will take cricket to greater heights in India. It's a leadership stance from Brand Pepsi," she added.

The title sponsor rights include a number of branding and other marketing benefits to be received by the title sponsor at every IPL match during the season as specifically outlined in the Invitation to Tender.

The BCCI had made it clear in its tender notice that the companies which intend to sell off the rights after winning the bid are ineligible to apply in the first place.

Only corporate entities, whether in India or abroad, which are interested in placing a bid for themselves and/or their holding or subsidiary company(ies), for the purpose of the advertisement and promotion of their own brands within their primary product or services categories were eligible to participate in this tender process and to submit bids.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Navjot Sidhu takes dig at Steve Waugh

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer turned commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday came down heavily on ex-Australia skipper Steve Waugh, who criticised India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for demanding tracks that turn from the very first day.

"Ask Steve Waugh whether the Indian team gets a turning track when we visit Perth?," asked Sidhu.

"Does Waugh wants that we gift the Test series to England? The track will be same for both teams," he added.

Sidhu also said that the hosts, in order to win the Test series 4-0, should go for the turning tracks.

"We are not here to give comfort to the English side. We would like to win this series. When we go to England, do they make tracks that offer turn? It is important for India to win this series," Sidhu said.

Dhoni, after winning the first Test against England at Ahmedabad, expressed his displeasure at the Motera wicket and said that "We wanted the curators to prepare the pitches that will turn from day one."

The second Test in Mumbai is scheduled to start from Friday where ball is expected to turn a lot and Sidhu suggested the Indian team go to with an extra spinner in Harbhajan Singh, in addition to Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha.

"I have been saying since day that their strength is swing and ours is spin. More the number of spinners, better it is. If we play Harbhajan in Mumbai, then England will feel psychologically bogged down," he concluded.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Want to go to Kolkata with 1-1 scoreline'

MUMBAI: England batsman Jonathan Trott said that the visitors are determined to level four-match series against India in the second Test in Mumbai starting Friday after losing the opener by nine wickets in Ahmedabad.

"I think it will be good to strike early and go to Kolkata 1-1. It is very important that we have that mindset. I think the conditions are bit different here but it will work in both the team's favour with regards to bounce and turn. Touring India is fine but playing good cricket is more important," he told reporters here.

"We need to produce on the field. We are looking forward to Friday. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to get 1-1," the South Africa-born English cricketer added.

Asked about the pitch on offer at the Wankhede Stadium for the second Test, Trott said, "I did have a look at the pitch. It looks a bit similar to the net wicket. It was turning a bit. When you come here, the red soil tends to spin a bit more and you generally get more spin in Mumbai.

"The ball is coming on fine. There is a little more bounce. Ahmedabad was low and slow but here you will find bounce a bit more. Hopefully, our seamers can exploit that."

Trott's assessment of the pitch is different from what India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had expected.

After winning the first Test against England at Ahmedabad, Dhoni had expressed his displeasure at the Motera wicket and said that he wanted rank turners for the remainder of the series.

Trott praised young India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his unbeaten 206 in the first innings in Ahmedabad and said such knocks help a side to win matches.

"We saw Pujara get a good double hundred and that is what wins you Test matches. If we had managed to get an extra 100 runs in the first innings and Alastair (Cook) playing in the same way (he did in the second innings), it would have been a different game. There are a lot of ifs but crux of the matter is that we are 0-1 down and we need to play a lot better on Friday," he said.

On his own form, Trott said, "Form goes up and down. It is a frustrating thing in cricket. There is no guarantee in life and cricket."

"We had good individual performances, but didn't play well as a team. We had opportunities to put India under pressure but it didn't happen."

In the Ahmedabad Test, Trott scored 0 and 17 in two innings and the English batsman wants to prove himself in the remainder of the series.

"I was ambitious coming to the Test tour of India and I want to make the most of it. There are three more matches left so I am looking forward to it," he said.

He added that the team has been successful in the last couple of years and will have to readjust its goal for the tough Indian series.

"We shared goals and how we wanted to achieve things and how we wanted to go about it. It happened a lot quicker than what we expected. It's good to readjust your goals and work towards it. We knew touring India would be a huge challenge. We understand the challenge that lays ahead of us in the next three games," Trott said.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hasan lifts Bangladesh with debut ton

KHULNA (Bangladesh): Abul Hasan became only the second man in 135 years of Test cricket to hit a debut hundred batting at number ten on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies on Wednesday.

Scorecard

The 20-year-old left-hander was unbeaten on 100 and added an invaluable 172 runs for the unfinished tenth wicket stand with Mohammad Mahmudullah (72) to help the home team recover from 193-8 to 365-8 at close on the opening day.

Hasan became an unlikely hero for the home fans as he turned spinner Sunil Narine for two to reach his hundred, matching Australian Reggie Duff's feat who scored 104 against England at Melbourne in 1902 while batting at ten.

Hasan, whose previous highest first class score was 61, batted with complete authority as he has so far hit 13 boundaries and three towering sixes off just 108-balls to completely overshadow a destructive 5-81 by paceman Fidel Edwards.

Edwards had pushed Bangladesh to the brink five minutes into resumption after tea when he had captain Mushfiqur Rahim (38) and Sohag Gazi (nought) in one over before Hasan and Mahmudullah subdued the West Indians.

The pair has set a new record for tenth wicket in all Bangladesh Tests, beating the 77 run stand between Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain, made against India at Chittagong in 2007.

The pair is just 24 short of beating the world record for tenth wicket in all Test cricket -- 195 set by South African pair Mark Boucher and Pat Symcox, against Pakistan at Johannesburg in 1998.

West Indies were sloppy in the field, as Kieran Powell dropped Hasan when the batsman was on 42 and Mahmudullah was floored by Darren Bravo when on 37 -- both off a luckless left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and both proving costly.

Hasan made the most of the chance, hitting a four and six off Darren Sammy to complete his half-century off just 55 balls and continued in the same vein in the last hour.

Mahmudullah, a recognised batsman overshadowed by the newcomer, has so far hit nine fours in his 89-ball knock.

In the first session, West Indian captain Sammy had helped derail the home team by dismissing Shahriar Nafees (26) opener Tamim Iqbal (32) in quick succession after Bangladesh won the toss and batted.

But it was fellow paceman Edwards who further reduced the home team in the second over after lunch, removing first Test centurion Naeem Islam (16) and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (17) in successive overs.

Bangladesh, who trail 0-1 in the series after losing the first Test by 77 runs in Dhaka, lost opener Nazimuddin in the third over of the innings for just four.

Iqbal and Nafees batted sensibly to add 59 for the second wicket but Sammy struck twice to give the West Indies the upper hand.

Nafees edged a wide delivery to the wicket-keeper while Iqbal was bowled off a sharp incoming delivery.

Edwards then took two wickets in his first over after tea break, with Rahim caught brilliantly by Ramdin and then trapped Gazi, but Hasan and Mahmudullah spoiled the good work in the end.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cook shows class with memorable knock

NEW DELHI: England captain Alastair Cook came up with one of the most memorable knocks by an overseas player on Indian soil in the first Test at Motera in Ahmedabad.

After India enforced the follow-on, Cook led the England fightback with a brilliant 176-run knock that saved the embarrassment of an innings defeat for the visitors.

Cook was the second youngest after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 5,000 Test runs at age 26. He has Test hundreds in Perth (versus both Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath), Durban, Galle, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Nagpur and now Ahmedabad.

Except in New Zealand and the UAE, Cook averages more than 40 in other countries.

If his 766 runs in the historic Test series win Down Under in 2010-11 are mind-boggling, Cook scored his second consecutive hundred on Sunday following on in as many attempts (the previous one was the 118 in Galle 2007 in a rain-curtailed draw).

Cook also hit 294 against India in the Birmingham Test last year, batting for 773 minutes.

Highest individual innings by captains after following on

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ricky Ponting looks to end duck streak

ADELAIDE: Ricky Ponting is hoping a return to the Adelaide Oval, his favoured hunting ground, will kill his run of ducks against South Africa in Thursday's second Test.

The former Test skipper was out for nought in Australia's massive first innings of 565/5 declared in last week's drawn first Brisbane Test -- his third duck in four Test innings against the Proteas.

"I don't shy away from it," Ponting told reporters on Tuesday.

"I've been around enough and played in enough high pressure situations, whether it's a big game or a game where you're under pressure because you haven't scored runs yourself."

South Africa celebrated a big wicket when they had Ponting out edging to the slips early off Morne Morkel at the Gabba.

"I was disappointed last week with all the work I put in pre-season and to make a little error like that and have your game over and done with in five balls was disappointing," he said.

"But it's a fresh start this week. When it's my turn to bat I must make sure I'm one of the guys who contributes."

Ponting, who turns 38 next month and is playing his 167th Test match this week, has the weight of statistics on his side to bounce back into form.

Ponting has scored eight centuries in amassing 2100 runs in 24 Tests against South Africa at an average of 51.21.

He ranks second only to India's maestro Sachin Tendulkar for more runs (13,346) scored overall in Tests at a career average of 52.54.

But the Australian great has a particularly prolific record at the famous Adelaide Oval where he has accumulated 1,723 runs with six hundreds at 63.81, the most runs by an individual at any Test venue in Australia.

"I've got some good memories here, good recent memories with a double hundred last year and some good runs early in the season in the Shield game (for Tasmania)," Ponting said.

Last season in Adelaide Ponting destroyed India with a first innings 221 and an unbeaten 60 at his second turn at bat.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Dhoni's comments negative for game'

NEW DELHI: Former Australian captain Steve Waugh criticised Mahendra Singh Dhoni for asking the curators to "doctor the pitches" and pointed out that if a side wants to be the best it should be able to negotiate all conditions.

"Dhoni's comments this morning were really negative to the game, when he said Indian curators to doctor the pitches, which I can't understand," Waugh said during the India-Australia Innovative Forum on Tuesday.

The Indian skipper, after winning the first Test against England at Ahmedabad on Sunday, expressed his displeasure at the Motera wicket and said that "we wanted the curators to prepare the pitches that will turn from day one".

"You want to be aggressive and be the best in the world, you got to take all the conditions and not always ask for the conditions that suits your style of play. I was a bit surprised with that. I think if you are looking to be the best in the world you got to learn to play in all conditions."

The former great said that during his tenure as the head of the Australian team he was never bothered about what sort of wicket they were playing on.

"I captained the side for 57 games and never once had a word with the curator about what sort of pitch we are going to play," Waugh said.

However, the veteran of 168 Tests said that India were the favourites to win the four-match rubber against England.

"India are a strong side, always hard to beat in India and some of the young players are coming through, which is great sign for Indian cricket. (Cheteshwar) Pujara getting a double century, Virat Kohli, (Pragyan) Ojha taking wickets, it is great for Indian cricket.

"You got to have to turn out of this, no players are bigger than the game and someone will always step up. Sometimes you get too carried away that experienced players are irreplaceable but the natural thing will happen, someone will step up to play and take that role. India will win this series, I think they will win it 3-0 because the pitches will suit their team," the 47-year-old said.

Asked about Australia's visit to India early next year, Waugh said it is going to be an "interesting series".

"In Delhi, can't say Australia can win, can I? No, it is silly. It is just like saying Tendulkar should get retired, of course he should play on, when are you in India. It is interesting for both teams. I think by that time Australia may be more developed than India. Because India are starting to turn the things now and Australia have started their process 12 to 18 months ago. It will be a close series," Waugh said.

Waugh, who is considered as one of the most successful skippers, however maintained that the result of the forthcoming series will depend on lot of factors.

"It depends, I guess a lot on people like Tendulkar whether he is still around. India is coming to a stage pretty shortly where things are going to be a little tough for them for the next couple of years, when they have this new side coming around and legends of the game are no longer there.

"The good sign is that Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly are not there and the side is still playing well. That tells you India has got a lot of depth in their cricket system," Waugh said.

On Australia's ongoing battle with South Africa, Waugh said a draw in the series will be a good result for the Aussies.

"It was good time for Australia to do well in the first Test, they were the underdogs. Michael Clarke has done well as the captain. Ed Cowan, his century was important for Australian cricket. Australia will have their work cut-out in Perth, the conditions there will suit South African bowlers. If we come out with a draw in this series it will be a good result for the Australia," the Australian said.

Talking about the various innovations used in today's game, Waugh said: "I think if you don't innovate, you can't stay ahead of the opposition. As a cricket team you need to be innovative in your approach."

"Innovation is the key, if you don't innovate and stay still, the opposition goes past you," he added.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dev wants Viru to score ton in 100th Test

MUMBAI: Swashbuckling Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who is set to play his landmark 100th Test match against England on November 23, received rich tributes from two former players belonging to the elite club who wanted him to celebrate the occasion by notching up a ton.

"There should be more players like Sehwag. Players like him would bring back crowd to Test cricket. I want him to score a hundred in his 100th match," said 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev on the sidelines of the release of a book on Sehwag's teammate Yuvraj Singh.

The 34-year-old Sehwag scored his first Test century in almost two years in the first game of the ongoing four-match series against England at Ahmedabad -- a blistering 117 -- to set up the platform for the huge Indian first innings score of 521 for 9 declared.

India rode on the 34-year-old Delhi star's ton, an unbeaten double century by young batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and a nine-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to carve out a thumping nine-wicket victory and go 1-0 ahead in the series.

Former chief selector and ex-India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar said he was a big fan of Sehwag, popularly known as "Nawab of Najafgarh".

"He is an outstanding cricketer. He has played his (style of) game every time. There was a lean patch (in between) but he went on with aggression. If you see his Test record it is amazing, it's a milestone for him. I am a huge fan of his. I hope he scores a hundred in his 100th Test match," Vengsarkar said.

Sehwag, who is set to join a select list of eight other Indian batsmen, including Kapil and Vengsarkar, who have played 100 Tests, made a sensational debut by scoring 105 at number six in 2001 against South Africa at Bloemfontein.

Asked if Sehwag should change his batting style in Test cricket in the absence of senior players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Vengsarkar said, "No. He is doing well. He is an outstanding cricketer."

The eight Indian cricketers who have played 100 Tests are: Sachin Tendulkar (191), Rahul Dravid (163), VVS Laxman (134), Anil Kumble (132), Kapil Dev (131), Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116) and Sourav Ganguly (113).

In 99 Tests, Sehwag has amassed 8,448 runs at a commendable average of 50-plus and a fabulous rate of scoring 82 runs per 100 balls, amazing for an opener who is traditionally looked at as the man to take the shine off the new ball for the other batsmen to feast on.

Sehwag not only holds the record of being the only Indian batsman to score a Test triple hundred, that too on two occasions, but has also six scores of 200-plus in the highest form of the game.

His 200-plus knocks are: 319 (the highest individual Test innings score by an Indian) versus South Africa at Chennai in March 2006, 309 versus Pakistan at Multan in March 2004, 293 versus Sri Lanka at Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium) in December 2009, 254 versus Pakistan at Lahore in January 2006, 201 not out versus Sri Lanka at Galle in July 2008 and 201 versus Pakistan at Bangalore in March 2005.

The Delhi marauder's style is based on superb hand-eye coordination, excellent judgement about length of delivery, no half-measure in his shots, fine timing and a compact defence.

He makes runs at such a fast pace that the fielding team looks punch-drunk, indicated by his 14 innings of 150-plus where the opposition has been clueless how to stop his massacre.

He has fallen in the 90s on five occasions, including on 99 once, and missed a double century in Melbourne when it was his for the taking by attempting to hit a six when on 195 in December 2003.

"The way I am getting out people say I am throwing my wicket. Not correct at all. I get out playing a shot and they say irresponsible. If the same shot fetches a boundary, they applaud," he said in a recent interview to a magazine, to sum up his batting mantra.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

A fantastic effort from bowlers: Dhoni

AHMEDABAD: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday credited the bowlers for his team's nine-wicket victory over England in the opening Test, saying that the spinners put in a lot of hard work on a wicket that did not offer much turn.

After India scored 521/8 declared in the first innings, it was the bowlers, especially the spinners, who set the stage for the team as they dismissed the English team twice.

"There was something in the wicket to start with but as the game progressed there was low bounce but not much turn. It was hard work for the spinners. They bowled 70-80 overs, even fast bowlers bowled overs 40 overs. So it was a fantastic effort from them," Dhoni said.

"Even if you misjudged the flight you had time to adjust and not much carried to the slips. So it was important to bowl at the right areas and was also important not to give many runs. Ojha bowled a tight line and took extra responsibility."

The India skipper also had good things to say about man of the match Cheteshwar Pujara who scored an unbeaten double ton in the first innings and was not out at 41 in the second.

"It was a fantastic game for Pujara. He has the temperament to play big innings and has shown that on the domestic circuit. He makes sure he converts fifties to hundreds. Overall it was a fantastic effort by the team," he said.

Dismissed for 191 in their first innings, England put up a commendable performance in their second essay, scoring 406 after following on.

India then overhauled the 77-run winning target, scoring 80 for one in 15.3 overs to go one up in the four-match series.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cook lauds fighting spirit of England

AHMEDABAD: England skipper Alastair Cook, who starred with an epic 176-run knock in the second innings, lauded the fighting spirit of his team and vowed to come back stronger in the second Test in Mumbai.

"We can look at a number of reasons why we didn't win, our first innings was not good enough. But it was a great fightback in the second innings, we were in a tough situation and there was always a glimmer of hope, it had to be something special," Cook said after losing the opening Test by nine wickets.

"It was a challenge, we knew me and (Matt) Prior needed to do majority of the work and there was inspiration at the beginning of the day. The guys showed a lot of character.

"We'll work hard going into Mumbai. We need runs in the first innings, they are crucial in the sub-continent, and we need to keep working as hard as we can and play close to our potential," he added.

Meanwhile, man of the match Cheteshwar Pujara said the wicket was easy to bat on. "The ball was coming nicely onto the bat. There was turn, but it was slow. As a team we knew we had to put up 500-plus and I had to hang around to play my role.

"In the second innings the ball was hard and I had a lot of confidence. I was out for almost a year and since I'm back I'm enjoying it."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More