114 cricketers for IPL’s second player auction

The Indian Premier League [Images] on Thursday announced a final list of 114 interested world cricketers for the second player auction to be held at Goa [Images] on February 6th 2009.

The list comprises the cream of cricketing talent from around the cricketing world including 21 Englishmen, 27 Australians, 13 South Africans, 15 Sri Lankans and an assortment of players from across the West Indies [Images], Bangladesh, New Zealand [Images] and Zimbabwe.

Indian and indeed IPL fans all over the world will for the first time be able to witness the best-of-the-best from England [Images] led by the likes of Kevin Pietersen [Images], Andrew Flintoff [Images], Steve Harmison [Images], James Anderson [Images], Monty Panesar [Images], Ravi Bopara [Images], Matt Prior [Images], Ian Bell [Images], Paul Collingwood [Images], Shaun Udal [Images], Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan and Owais Shah [Images] who have all signed up to participate in the second edition of the DLF Indian Premier League, which is set to kick off on April 10.

The 26-strong Australian contingent up for grabs at the auction includes Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke [Images], Bradd Haddin, Nathan Hauritz [Images], Stuart Clark, Bradd Hogg, Shaun Tait [Images] and Jason Krejza [Images] amongst a host of other international stars.

South Africans Charles Langeveldt, J P Duminy, Andre Nel [Images] and Paul Harris will also be a part of the auction.

As per the guidelines set by the Governing Council for the DLF IPL 2009, each Franchisee will have a maximum purse of US $ 2 million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers best suited for their team’s strategies.

Speaking on the occasion Lalit Modi [Images], Chairman & Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said “The enthusiasm and interest displayed by players from all around the world to participate in the second season of the league has been truly overwhelming. Clearly the DLF Indian Premier League has set new standards in helping uncover and hone some exciting new talent, that have gone on to gain international recognition, all of which augurs well for development of world cricket. We are extremely happy with the interest the league has garnered globally and look forward to the action at the second player auction in Goa.”

A list of the players to be auctioned

IPL won’t affect Ashes

AS Ricky Ponting continues to play down workload issues regarding the IPL, Michael Clarke remains undecided whether to join the lucrative Indian circus this year and Stuart Clark believes it could help his road to recovery.

Heading into his fifth month of international cricket without a break, Ponting denied there was too much cricket, but questioned the tightly packed scheduling of Test series with New Zealand and South Africa this summer.

He dismissed suggestions the IPL would have any significant impact on the Australians, claiming they would only be able to play the last two weeks of the six-week tournament in May.

Following the South African Test and one-day tour, which is scheduled to end in mid-April, Australia is likely to have a five-match one-day series against Pakistan at a neutral venue which would run well into May.

Ponting wondered how many players would withdraw from the IPL after more than eight months of constant cricket and with the Twenty20 World Cup kicking off a four-month tour of England in June that will also include five Tests and seven one-day matches.

“It’s a fair way away,” Ponting said of the IPL. “We’re all going to have to make a judgment call closer to the time the IPL comes around.

“We might only be able to play the last two weeks and a lot of the franchises we play for might have no chance of making the finals.”There’s all those sorts of things that need to be taken into consideration and worked out between the player and the franchises I guess.”

Vice-captain Michael Clarke was still undecided last night about whether to enter the IPL auction next Friday as his management attempted to work through some outstanding contractual problems.

Clarke, who did not participate last year because of personal issues, has a reserve price of $US1m ($1.5m) for the auction should he enter. Australia’s most expensive signing remains Andrew Symonds at $US1.47m.

Meanwhile, reports from India indicate English players will be competing with the vice-captain for the franchises’ money.Kevin Pietersen has a $US1.3m reserve price and Andrew Flintoff $US900,000.

The franchises have a budget of $US2m each to spend in the auction and at least two have shown interest in Clarke this summer.

With Stuart Clark making a slower than hoped recovery from elbow surgery, which has ruled him out of next month’s South African tour, the fast bowler believes the IPL could be a good way to continue his preparation for the England tour.

“I still need to play some cricket and that might be one of the options,”‘ he said.

 

“At a guess if my arm is good I will go in the auction, yes.”

 

Australia’s injury list has reduced from nine to seven with the return of Clarke (thumb) and Nathan Bracken (calf strain) to the team for tonight’s fifth and final one-day match against South Africa in Perth.

Shaun Tait has been rested to make way for Bracken and Clarke has pushed Cameron White out of the team.

South Africa will overtake Australia as the leading one-day team if it wins tonight’s match to take the series 4-1, although without resting strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini and all-rounder Jacques Kallis that appears less likely.

Forgery case against Lalit Modi

 

A forgery case has been registered against Lalit Modi, spelling more trouble for the cricket czar.

An FIR was lodged against Modi yesterday by one Roopa Ram Jat of Gogor village in Nagaur district, accusing him of purchasing land with the help of forged signatures on September 4, 2004, in order to become president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).

Under the association’s rules, to become its head one must be a native of Rajasthan or be a state government employee or have permanent property in one’s own district. Modi bought agricultural land in Nagaur, 290km west of Jaipur, with the help of the district cricket association secretary, Rajendra Singh Nandu.

But Jat, a local farmer, alleged that the signature of Modi was forged and false documents were presented during the registration of the land as the cricket official was not present in Nagaur at the time.

Nagaur superintendent of police Dilip Jhakhar confirmed that cases of forgery (Sections 467, 468 and 471) and criminal conspiracy (Section 120-B) had been filed against Modi. He also said that in order to become RCA president, one should not have been convicted in any case, but Modi did not disclose that he was once convicted of possessing drugs in the US.

In spite of repeated attempts, Modi could not be reached for comment. Jat skirted queries on why he filed the case after so many years, but denied any political motive.

“My main contention is how could an outsider like Modi corner the presidentship of RCA,” he said.

Modi, the chairman of the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL), has been facing the heat over his alleged proximity to the previous Vasundhara Raje regime in the state.

The Congress government recently formed a committee to probe property deals, including one involving Modi, struck during the Raje regime. The cumulative value of the contracts that will be probed adds up to Rs 22,000 crore. One of the deals that could be investigated will be the one that gave the Modi-headed RCA the right to lease out the popular Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the venue of many IPL matches last year.

An RCA member, Anil Shekhawat, filed a case against Modi at the Jyoti Nagar police station on January 20 accusing him of misappropriating Rs 22 lakh of the association’s money.

Government sources said Modi is also likely to be in trouble for his reported illegal purchase of two havelis in the vicinity of the Amer Fort. The ownership of the havelis rested with the state government and was not transferable to private individuals.

Michael Clarke to join $1 Million IPL club

Last year, Michael ‘Pup’ Clarke chose to skip the Indian Premier League in order to spend time with his ailing father. This year, he’s set to make a big bag entry, with a reserve price of $1 million – the minimum that the franchisees will have to bid for him at the second IPL auction on February 6. 

The Australian vice-captain is thus set to become only the second foreign player to breach the $1 million mark, after Andrew Symonds got a fee of $1.35 million last year. 

Clarke’s reserve price puts him way ahead of the other 88 players on the list for this year’s auction, with his colleagues Brad Haddin, Stuart Clark and Jason Krejza being priced much lower at $250,000. 

Howver, Clarke might not eventually end up as the biggest buy. Now that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed the availability of its players for a three-week window, the players’ list will be updated and there is a strong likelihood of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff drawing bigger bids than Clarke. 

There are some other ‘hot picks’ like South Africa’s JP Duminy, who is there in the preliminary list, although no reserve price has been earmarked for him just yet. 

Last year, Indian skipper MS Dhoni drew the highest price at the inaugural auction, with Chennai Super Kings forking out a whopping $1.5 million. In contrast, this year’s auction, a one-day affair in Goa, is expected to be relatively low-key, unlike last year when it had extensive TV coverage and Bollywood presence. 

Though there are players from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and a player from Zimababwe, the franchisees don’t sound too excited about the names. Also, this year each IPL team has a $2-million budget in contrast to $5 million last year. 

However, there are a few new names which have created interest among the franchisees: Rory Kleinveldt of South Africa has a base price of $225,000, above some tried and tested players like Australia’s Brad Hogg who is pegged at $200,000. 

Although every player wants to be a part of the IPL, only 15 to 20 per cent are likely to be sold, with the IPL not liable to pay any money to those who fail to find a buyer, according to the new rules. 

The recession coupled with the fact that most teams already have their lineups more or less in place has meant reduced clamour for new players this year. “Where is the money? Some of the players from Australia are not even available for the entire season, so what is the point,” a team official said. Teams are likely to go for just a player or two, or a maximum of four in some cases. The eight teams are now waiting for the final updated list, with the inclusion of England players. 

Top 15 Players for IPL Auction (all figures in US dollars) 

Michael Clarke (Aus) 1,000,000; Brad Haddin (Aus) 250,000; Stuart Clark (Aus) 250,000; Jason Krejza (Aus) 250,000; Rory Kleinveld (SA) 225,000; Brad Hogg (Aus) 200,000; Doug Bollinger (Aus) 150,000; Shakib Al Hasan (Bang) 150,000; Tim Southee (NZ) 150,000; Kyle Mills (NZ) 150,000; Thilan Thushara (SL) 125,000; Charles Langeveldt (SA) 125,000; Darren Sammy (WI) 120,000; Kieron Pollard (WI) 120,000; Andre Fletcher (WI) 120,000.

Reliance Big TV likely to call off IPL deal

Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG)-owned Big TV’s four-year Rs 137-crore deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in 

India (BCCI) as Indian Premier League (IPL)’s exclusive DTH partner is being renegotiated and may be called off. 

Big TV has raised objections to its rival Bharti Airtel’s DTH brand picking up on-air sponsorship on IPL’s broadcast rights holder Sony Entertainment Television (SET). 

Big TV does not want any of its rivals to partner with Sony as on-air sponsor. As per the original deal inked almost six months back, Big TV is a ground sponsor and has rights to advertise only on ground. 

An official close to the development told ET, “Big TV is renegotiating its exclusive DTH rights deal for IPL and is most likely to pull out if the company’s demands are not met. It is also negotiating on the amount it has committed to IPL since it believes the deal has loopholes through which some other players can get benefits from the deal.” 

Replying to an email sent by ET, an R-ADAG spokesperson said, “We will not be in a position to offer any comment on your query at this point of time.” 

But, for BCCI, giving in to Big TV’s demands may not be possible. Unlike last year, Sony is not offering any category exclusive on-air rights to advertisers now. So any DTH company can pick up on-air sponsorship during the IPL matches on Sony, and the broadcaster’s deal with Bharti Airtel is almost closed. A Sony official, who did not wish to be named, said: “We had offered Big TV on-air sponsorship rights some time back, but at that time they were not interested.” 

PL commissioner Lalit Modi or IPL CEO Sundar Raman could not be reached for comment. ET has learnt that Big TV has also asked BCCI for exclusive re-runs and behind-the-scenes uncut footage of IPL matches. That too is not possible since Sony has exclusive broadcast rights for all platforms—satellite and DTH, which it had won early last year along with World Sports Group for $918 million. 

Also, as per government regulations, exclusivity of content is not allowed on the DTH platform. A channel is bound to provide its feed to all the DTH platforms unlike the West.

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