Update: Lalit Modi denies any match-fixing. No one is under investigation, he told TV channels.

In the latest controversy to hit the team, IPL’ Season 2 Match 41 between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers match has come under scanner after accusations of match fixing.

As if Kolkata Knight Riders’ woes were not enough, it now has to explain why its top scorer Brad Hodge was made to sit out, and that too in the hospitality box rather than the team dug-out during the game held on May 12, 2009. The team went on to play well despite not having Brad Hodge in the playing eleven, however.

Kolkata Knight Riders lost the match by six wickets, despite posting a competitive total of 173 runs.

IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has said that he will investigate the matter. “There is an anti-corruption unit. We will look into the TV footage and investigate about Hodge’s presence in the hospitality box,” he was quoted as saying.

In the Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Royal Challengers of Bangalore match, Kolkata Knight Riders, for the first time, posted a competitive total (their best so far) and looked like they had the game in their pocket.

In fact, it was probably critical for the Kolkata Knight Riders to win the match, at least for pride’s sake, given their dismal performance through the tournament. And, for once, the team did look like they would win the match, what with captain Brendan McCullum’s 84 and David Hussey’s 43, AD Mathews and WP Saha chipping in a bit.

So far, the Kolkata Knight Riders has only 3 points to their credit, from the 11 matches it has played so far. And while the team kissed its semi-final chances goodbye a long while ago, a win here would have ensured that they didn’t go out totally whipped.

There is no source to the allegations of match-fixing that we could figure out. Pat Buchanan is not going to be happy – it will be interesting to know wqhether it was the captain’s or the coach’s idea to make Brad Hodge sit out.

Several state governments had earlier been reluctant to spare security forces for the protection of the IPL teams and venues as the 2009 Lok Sabha election season was also on.

BCCI top brass and IPL chief Lalit Modi has been in discussions with the Home Ministry for a couple of weeks now. But the talks were deadlocked, and the government was not amenable to the schedules suggested by the IPL. Lalit Modi had assured the media yesterday that IPL would take places no matter what – and this is the end-result.

An emergency Working Committee meeting of the BCCI which was held in Mumbai decided to take a final call on the cash-rich event could not find a way to conduct the 2009 IPL season in India despite BCCI chieftain Sharad Pawar who is also the agriculture minister in the UPA cabinet. The attitude of the government that it was not ready to spare security forces for the cricket tournament is said to have forced to take the decision.

The actual venue is unclear as yet. IPL chief Lalit Modi and the franchises have said that the venues could either be in New Zealand, South AFrica or England.

Security would not be an issue in any of those countries as it would be in India. Not just that, the matches would be telecast in India at 4 PM and 8 PM IST. So the TV audiences would still be there. While the IPL franchises would lose our on revenues from local ticket sales, ticket sales in countries with a large expatriate Indian population would be high – and ticket prices would be much higher too outside India. The franchises would save on the security costs, while the TV audience in India would remain.

It is being said that the BCCI had to shift IPL out of India for this season owing to the fact tat the state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra had changed their stance at the last moment. While the Andhra Pradesh government revoked its earlier permission, Maharashtra Chief Minister wrote a letter that the state can’t host matches in that state until 13 May, 2009. There are also hints that Lalit Modi is closely associated with some BJP leaders, and therefore the Congress government was not very keen on helping him out.

The BCCI is now in talks with other boards who are willing to host the event. However, the BCCI has assured fans that the event will be go on and fans can watch the event on television. The new venue is expected to be decided in the next 3 days.

Though the venues would change, IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi has clarified that the number of matches, format and timing of the event will remain unchanged and the organisers would not tinker with the integrity of the tournament.  He added that dates and timings of the matches will remain the same.

A final schedule would be announced very soon.

For those who were concerned about the possibilty of Indian Premier League (IPL) being put off, here comes good news. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has said the league would go on, and brushed aside speculations on the matches not happening.

There had been rumours that IPL could be moving abroad in the wake of terror attacks on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore. However Modi has clarified that they are just speculations are untrue. This apart, he said that the IPL officials are discussing the various issues involved and will come out with a new schedule by next week.

Meanwhile, with the general elections just round the bend, has added to the IPL woes regarding dates. However, it is now being said that the IPL dates won’t be shifted but there won’t be be any matches held held on days when counting of votes takes place. It is expected that the revised schedule will be worked out in consultation with the various teams and state governments.

The second edition of the immensely popular IPL tourney will have 14 cities available currently. IPL officials will sit together and decide on eight venues among the total shortlisted 14.

The IPL organisers had already sent a revised schedule of matches to the Home Ministry, which will now decide whether security can be arranged for the tournament. Organisers had redrafted the tournament’s schedule, taking care that no matches are held on polling days in cities hosting the games. It has specially been taken care that host cities will not allotted a match two days before and after the polling day.

In case the tournament is put off for another season, chances are that it could lead to massive financial losses for the franchise owners as well the tournament itself. It is expected that this fear has now been allayed with Modi’s clarification.

Recently an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting held at Dubai has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the ‘owner’ of the Indian Premier League (IPL), to introduce an anti-doping code for the tournament.

The IPL has also given shape for a dope code based on the World Anti Doping (WADA) Code. It is expected that Board of Cricket Control Board of India would start a new model for players for random testing.

But it is not yet clear that how can the dope test, if implemented, be effective in the IPL tournament. There are still doubts over the move of the ICC for a dope test.  Many people have questioned the relevance of testing in the IPL.

There are also apprehensions that an international player competing in the IPL be sanctioned as per the WADA Code in case there is a ‘positive’ test and an anti-doping violation charge is proved. The BCCI does not have an anti-doping code and thus it cannot conduct tests or sanction a player.

But the IPL machinery has no teeth for taking disciplinary action against players on ground of positive dope test. They have only power to suspend players from ongoing matches. There is no hint that how BCCI could deal with the issue if an anti-doping rule violation charge was proved. The IPL code has the standard two-year suspension for a first violation and life-time ineligibility for a second offence.

Latest in this list is Kolkata Knight Riders pace bowler Ishant Sharma. He has been fined 10 percent of match fee on Sunday for kicking down stumps during the Indian Premier League match against Punjab King’s XI at Mohali. IPL match referee Clive Lloyd found that Ishant was guilty of a Level 1 offence (clause 2) as per the International Cricket Council’s Code of Conduct which has been adopted by the Twenty20 League authorities. This is related to abusing the ground equipment.

Earlier, Indian off spinner and Mumbai India’s former captain Harbhajan Singh had been banned for nine matches for slapping King’s XI bowler S Sreesanth. This had occurred at the same venue. The Harbhajan – Sreesanth slapping row had catched up the attention of global media. The match referee had also warned Sreesanth for his hostile attitude on the field.

Harbhajan, allegedly slapped Sreesanth soon after Mumbai India’s defeat against Punjab King’s XI, leaving the young paceman seeing weep inconsolably in full view of television cameras. Harbhajan had later apologised to Sreesanth. But match referee Farokh Engineer had taken up the issue seriously after the Punjab team management lodged a formal complaint against Harbhajan to tournament officials. The BCCI had also appointed lawyer Sudhir Nanavati to probe the charges against Harbhajan, who is on its payroll as a centrally contracted player.

The IPL authorities had also fined 10 percent of match fee on captain of Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne and skipper of Knight Riders Sourav Ganguly for different breaches of the Code at Jaipur on May 1 during the two teams’ contest. The Match Referee in his recommendation to the IPL said that Ganguly’s act of prevailing upon Pratap Kumar, the on-field umpire, to refer a decision to the TV umpire, constituted a Level I offence as per the ICC’s Code of Conduct. Warne was found of violating Section 1.7 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, which deals with ‘public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or official,’ which constitutes a Level I offence.

The claim was made by the Siddiqui family and said that the marriage with his daughter Aisha took place in 2002.

After the allegation erupted, Shoaib said that he never married an Indian Muslim girl. He also later accused the family of trying to cheat him by showing a fake photo of another girl.

Shoaib Malik is in Hyderabad now to play for the DLF IPL. Delhi Daredevils, the Delhi franchisee of the DLF IPL, had bought him at the IPL player auction two months back.

But it seems that the Pakistan skipper is not showing any nerves. Before leaving for India, Malik said, “If you know there are two legal notices with the Siddiqui family that I have sent them to retract their claims and apologise for trying to defame me, and they have kept quiet on the notices.”

Malik continued, “If I had anything to hide or was afraid, I would not go to Hyderabad for the IPL game.”

Delhi Daredevils will face Hyderabad Chargers at Hyderabad today. Since Delhi already boasts of eight foreign players in the side, the presence of Shaaib Malik making an appearancce in the team is doubtful and is in the hands of Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag.

Malik said, “We are professional cricketers and we have a playing life span of around 12 to 15 years. So we have to remain committed and perform to the best of our abilities. For me, the IPL is as important being a professional as playing for Pakistan.”

Shane Warne said its a real shame that the English players are absent from the DLF IPL, which allows players to make good money and to develop their talents under the training of their greatly talented counterparts from all across the world.

Shane Warne Warne said, “It is a real shame that players like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are not in the IPL.” Warne also said the decision by the ECB to ban players from participating in the DLF IPL was short-sighted and ridiculous.

Several English players have already expressed their interest to play in the IPL. Kevin Pietersen is just one among them. “It is a ridiculous decision… ECB is stopping the players from joining IPL. It is a shame on the part of ECB that their players are missing from such a big tournament,” Warne said.

It is  said that ECB fears that the Indian IPL could hit hard its own domestic tournaments and thus take the shine away from the county matches to the glitzy Indian IPL matches.

After seeing several players expressing interest in participating in the DLF IPL and smelling a revolt, the ECB has softened its stand and has now allowed the players to take part in the 2010 edition of the DLF IPL.

Warne said, “ICC should show some common sense and open a six-week window for the IPL in its international tour schedule. That would make the job easier for the cricket boards of various countries.”

Shane Warne, the captain and coach of Rajasthan Royals, will face off with Kings X1 Punjab, being led by stylish Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh.

In order to ensure that a better wicket is prepared for the coming matches, the pitch would be inspected by the IPL’s technical committee and the Cricket Association of Bengal. The pitch was difficult to play for the batsman mainly because of the unexpected rising and falling deliveries from the pacemen.

The pitch also saw Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, the captains of Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers respectively, getting hurt from the rising deliveries.

VVS Laxman Laxman said the erratic behaviour of the Eden Gardens pitch was shocking. “”This sort of wicket would not at all help Twenty20 or for that matter cricket in general,” he said.

Much to the surprise of the Kolkata Knight Riders team members, the Eden Gardens curator apologised to them for preparing such an erratic pitch. After the match, pitch curator Kalyan Mitra went to the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room and apologised to the team members.

Ricky Ponting, Kolkata Knight Riders batsman, said, “The curator came to our dressing room after the match and apologised to all of us. He has promised a better wicket for our next match as also the five other games the team will play at the Eden later in the tournament.”

Efforts are also on to bring in a pitch specialist from Australia.  Eden Gardens will host its next match on April 29 when it will see Kolkata Knight Riders, the Kolkata franchisee of the DLF IPL being led by Saurav Ganguly and owned by Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan, lock horns with Mumbai Indians, the Mumbai franchisee of DLF IPL being led by Sachin Tendulkar and owned by industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

At the moment, Kolkata Knight Riders is riding high with two wins from two matches and is leading the DLF IPL points table.

Taking cues from the strengths and weaknesses of the teams on paper,

Bookies are rooting for Hyderabad based Deccan Challengers as the team to win the coveted tournament.
International betting houses like Ladbrokes have also entered IPL betting fray and reportedly are making good business, a media report said.

Chennai Super Kings have emerged as the second contender after it posted a mammoth total against Kings X1.

But Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are also closely watched. Rajasthan Royal Challengers are perceived to be the most unlikel team to win the contest.

Hyderabad Deccan Challengers: 4:1

Chennai Super Kings (Odds not known)

Mohali Kings XI Punjab (13:2)

Mumbai Indians (7:1)

Kolkata Knight Riders (15:2)

Delhi Daredevils (8:1)

Bangalore Royal Challengers (8:1)

Jaipur Rajasthan Royals (12:1)

NB: The standings were before the inaugural matches and may have changed.

Tim May also warned that they could walk away with the contract if the problem is widespread.

May said that the hurry to set up the competition has led to some short-term troubles. May is very much concerned about the absence of the important documents and financial transfers.

Tim May said that some players have not received their signed copies of contract. “We need to get a good feel on how widespread it is. If it has just alienated a couple of players I’m sure the thing can be worked out reasonably sensibly,” said May.

Tim May, says, “There may be a significant amount of players and their managers who, if obligations from the employer have not been honoured at this stage, the player, if he’s taken the proper procedures to recover these obligations, might want to walk away from the contract or not take part in the game. That is a long shot at the moment. We need to get a feel for the size of the problem and then try to address it properly.”

Australian cricketer David Hussey who has been purchased by Kolkata franchise for US$ 625,000 is the one who has not received the 15% payment for their auction price. “It’s been an absolute nightmare in terms of the paperwork required to get the players there. I don’t think it’s anything sinister. We’re expecting to have all the paperwork done and Huss will be ready to play,” said Rick Olarenshaw, manager of David Hussey.