The talent hunt is being organised to discover the hidden pace bowling sensations in small town India.

Dabur Glucose-D is the official team sponsor and the energy partner for Kings XI Punjab for the second season of Indian Premier League.

According to the company, the North India edition of the Ace of Pace contest was flagged off on April 20, 2009, from Lucknow.

Dabur Glucose-D will organise talent hunt camps across the six cities of Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Agra and Gorakhpur and will cover over 100 schools in Uttar Pradesh to identify the hidden pace bowling talents in the state.

Besides, talent camps would also be organised at neutral venues like local stadium and grounds to offer residents of Uttar Pradesh a chance to participate and display their bowling talents.

The winner of the Dabur Glucose-D Ace Of Pace will get a chance to interact and get bowling tips from India’s ace pace bowler and Dabur Glucose-D brand ambassador Zaheer Khan.

Besides, the winner will also be enrolled in a reputed bowling training academy to further hone his skills and get professional guidance.

Dabur India Ltd Group Product Manager Suneet Yadav, said, “Cricket has gone beyond the traditional metros and has really become a game of masses in the true sense. Some of the best cricketing talents today reside in small town India.”

He said that some of these talents have already made a mark on the national cricketing scene, but a lot of others are still waiting for an opportunity.

“With Dabur Glucose-D Ace of Pace bowling talent hunt, we are providing these talented bowlers that opportunity to sharpen their skills and come into the mainstream,” he added.

The participating bowlers will undergo a local-level screening, to be followed by a city finale.

The finalists from each city would then come together for the state finale to be held in Lucknow.

Similar talent hunt camps are also being organised simultaneously in West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra.

The decision is said to have come about after the terrorist attack against the Sri Lanka team in Lahore, on March 3, 2009, in which six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured.

According to the ICC, its number one priority was to create  a safe, secure and successful event. The ICC Board took the decision after members discussed a report on the attack and its fall-out on the cricketing world.

The tournament secretariat will move from Pakistan to a location to be determined by the tournaments Central Organising Committee.

The 2011 World Cup will now be hosted in three countries, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Test playing nations have been staying away from Pakistan, since 2008.

The 2008 Champion’s Trophy was postponed after top teams refused to tour Pakistan due to security concerns.

ICC officials added that every one can now put uncertainty aside side and prepare for cricket’s biggest and most high-profile event.

The ICC also let it be known that international cricket tournaments may not take place in Pakistan for quite a few years to come.

ICC chairman David Morgan was quoted as saying, “It’s hugely doubtful that Pakistan will stage any international cricket at home before 2011.”

Pointing out that it would not be appropriate for international cricket to take place in Pakistan in the immediate future, the ICC board said that Pakistan should maintain a full programme of matches for its senior and A teams and that member nations would give all possible help.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board is very unhappy with the decision and has said that it has incurred losses of over £7m after losing its 2011 World Cup host status.

With the venue decided, the IPL is now readying a final schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises.

It is expected that the opening ceremony is in most likelihood would be held in Cape Town on April 18. This is a week later than initially scheduled. Probable venues for the matches would be Johannesburg, Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town.

The weather factor seems to have given South Africa an edge over the other contender England. Besides the weather, England also faced issues in the form of cost, scheduling and the likelihood of conflict between television rights holders.

England had initially emerged as the preferred venue to host the tournament after a powerful lobby within the BCCI and the Indian team management felt that such a move would help in preparing for the World Twenty20 in June, sources said. The Board of Control for Cricket in India at an emergency meeting on Sunday had decided to hold the Twenty20 tournament outside the country after the state governments expressed their inability to provide security to the tournament as it clashes with the general elections.
Meanwhile, Tendulkar, captain of the IPL team Mumbai Indians, has opined that he is disappointed with IPL being held abroad. “It is disappointing that IPL has been moved out of India, Tendulkar said. We will miss playing in front of our supporters. It won’t be the same, he added.

Adding, Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain was also of the opinion that the second edition of the Indian Premier League is going to be different. Pointing out that it was sad that the IPL wont be held in India, he said, “but it is the decision of the board and we will have to follow it.”

Madame Tussauds has been increasingly featuring waxwork statues of Indian icons in a bid to thrill tourists from India and cater to the growing community of people from India and Pakistan.

Video of Sachin’s sitting with the Tussauds team for his waxwork

After  Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar will be the next Indian to be potrayed at the famous waxwork museum. Amongst other cricketers are Brian Lara and Shane Warne already have their wax statues at Madam Tussauds.

Madame Tussauds studios team had a rendezvous with Sachin Tendulkar last week in Mumbai. The team also collected catalogue of reference
photographs and hundreds of precise measurements. “We are delighted to confirm our next Indian superstar is going to be Sachin Tendulkar; his achievements on the cricket pitch are phenomenal and he is one of the biggest names in international sport,” says Liz Edwards, Madame Tussauds PR manager.

Tussauds guys with Sachin: Photo

She spoke about the popularity of the Asian celebrities who have been included at the museum ,”The Bollywood stars we have included over the past ten years have proved enormously popular with Asian guests and film fans from all over the world. We know Sachin will be just as popular for sports fans from home and abroad and are looking forward to introducing the real Sachin to his wax double soon.” she added

The final wax statue of the little master dressed in pure white will be unveiled in April 2009. The figure will be created at Madame Tussauds studios in West London at a cost of 150,000 pounds. Usually the celebrity featured is there to inaugurate his or her wax statue, so it is quite likely that Sachin would come face to face his wax statue then.

The cricket star will join the ranks of sporting greats, including David Beckham, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods and Jesse Owens, in Madame Tussauds interactive Sports Zone. Sachin fans who can never get close enough to the Master Blaster will now be able to click photos of themselves with his likeness.

The T20 Super Series is being lined up to follow the T20 Champions Trophy matches and Cricket South Africa (CSA) has been oozing confidence on its conduct. However, it may have to clear a few hurdles before actually taking off.

India, Australia and South Africa are the three countries which would participate in the T20 Super Series. The cricket boards of the countries have already begun discussions for the series.

The Indian IPL series has already been useful in making T20 a very popular game in the cricketing world. The legions of foreign players in IPL teams – often as captains – and complaints from international players who could not make it into IPL have all served its cause well.

Cricketing enthusiasts believe that it will indeed have to clear several hurdles, including finding a window in an already crowded international calendar and negotiating the ICC ruling of maximum seven T20 matches a year.

A top Cricket South Africa official has said that it will be happening next year, and the T20 Super Series matches will be held in South Africa and Australia. The tournament is in fact being designed in such a way as to resemble the Tri-Nations Rugby Series. The proposed T20 Super Series, which was finalised by the three boards during discussions in Dubai recently on the sidelines of ICC chief executives meetings is being positioned as a tournament with a distinct identity of its own .

There are so many formalities to be attended to before final announcement could come through. The organisers are yet to finalise a window for the tournament next year considering the fact that the calendar is overcrowded already. The international calendar for the coming season already has the Ashes, the World Twenty20 Championship in England, the Champions Twenty20 League, the one-day series between India and Australia, and the Champions Trophy. It is quite unclear as to where the Super Series could be placed in such a tightly packed year.

Besides, many an aspect such as venues, dates, prize money and sponsorship for the T20 Super Series are yet to be even discussed on a serious note.

According to reports, the Indian Premier League teams could visit the country following “advanced” discussions. But Indian authorities have not given any commitment on the proposal. It is also learned that IPL officials and Indian Cricket Board are getting similar interest from other countries also. Sources said Atul Ahuja, Cricket Canada’s chief executive, had discussions with leading individuals in respect to possible visits to Canada by IPL teams. Now there is growing interest to the Twenty20 format across the country.

The overseas market has been turned tube a big crowd puller for the IPL especially when at the online streaming consumption. There had been huge response in the internet from overseas market for all the matches played. All the IPL teams have created their own sites and fan page and are using the online media and videos to lure fans to their teams. It is estimated that around eight million people from countries across the world are viewing the cricket extravaganza of India.

The Internet has proved to be a popular medium for non-resident Indians. According to WSG’s , IPL website received more than 3.5 million hits in the first weekend by users overseas. The international viewer ship of IPL mainly contributed from Asia, Middle East, the UK and the US.

World Sports Group (WSG), the sports marketing and management agency is the agency that has won the international media distribution rights of IPL from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). WSG has paid BCCI $1.026 billion for the next 10 years for these rights. According to available figures, most of the IPL matches has attracted up to around 3,50,000 viewers in Australia. IPL is also attracting huge viwership in Untied Kingdom also. In the US, IPL is being aired on the two leading direct-to-home platforms Dish Network and Direct TV for $59 a month

You know what happened today anyway. Deccan Chargers got it from Kolkata Knight Riders. After the first two matches, SRK’s team is looking like the team to beat. No one has looked so solid so far. If they stay in form, this is pretty much an unbeatable team, which will make all Bong hearts go all gooey. Deccan Chargers really were not any match for them. But then the pitch was like an extra player in the team, and you feel quite sorry for them too. Laxman, better do it next time.

In the other game, the Bangalore Royal Challengers put up a stiff fight and thwarted Mumbai Indians who were missing their home hero Sachin Tendulkar. Thankfully, Dravid did not wear his shaggy dog expression which is probably natural for him, and normal too, but makes me want to surrender in despair. Looking at him, I think he is going to throw down the bat and fall to his knees crying. Okay he has never done it. but Dravid, look brave. Please.

The pressure is now clearly on Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals after Kings XI Punjab after the first 3 days of IPL.

As we are too lazy to write anything today, feel free and click on the links below which are match reports and analyses from a pile of websites.

Boucher guides Bangalore to win over Mumbai

Bangalore Innings Scorecard

Mumbai Innings scorecard

Full scorecard

Boucher steers Bangalore home in humdinger

Hussey guides Knight Riders to a thrilling win

Knight Riders scrape together a victory

Deccan Chargers to take on Knight Riders with a plan for McCullum

Robin Uthappa takes risks, and shines in Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore

IPL Twenty20: Favourite teams of bookies and their odds

Royal Challengers needs to tighten its attacks against Mumbai Indians on Sunday

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.