Indian Premier League Observer

IPL fans across the world, for the first time, saw a super over at the end of 20 overs for Kolkata Knight Riders. The allocated overs ended in a tie, and the way to go afterwards was the Super Over – so far the IPL has not seen it in action.

Kolkata Knight Riders went first for the Super Over. KKR would bat – their assigned three batsmen would be Chris Gayle, Brendan McCullum and Sourav Ganguly.

Chris Gayle was the hero of the super-over for Kolkata Knight Riders. He hit three fours, bringing up a total of 15 runs for KKR.

Rajasthan Royals would need 16 runs to win the super over and the match.

Rajasthan Royal’s Yusuf Pathan managed a six off the first ball bowled by Ajantha Mendis. A better start to their over than KKR for sure. Will they manage to sustain it? It looks like the choice o Ajantha Mendis, a spinner, backfired.

But there was no stopping Yusuf Pathan, and Rajasthan Royals carried IPL’s first super over and the game.

John Buchchanan and Shah Rukh Khan would be hopping mad!

There you have it guys – IPL’s first spectacular success: The Super Over! Nothing has brought people such edge-of-the-seat entertainment than the first ever Super Over. Lalit Modi would laugh himself to sleep tonight.

IPL has a touch of diamond this season. Diamond company Gitanjali Group has unveiled its new diamond studded ‘Man of the match’ trophy to be presented during the home matches of Mumbai Indians. With this the diamond major has padded up for a long association with the Mumbai Indians, owned by Mukesh Ambani.

The new diamond studded MOM trophy is a two feet tall golden trophy with around 550 diamonds on it and 785 precious stones as a symbol of the most precious player. The new launch of the trophy comes following IPL being considered more than just a sporting activity. According to Gitanjali Group executives, cricket is no longer restricted to men as women of the like sof Mandira Bedi, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty have come to the forefront with the game. The new move by Gitanjali Group for an association with an IPL team is aimed at reaching out to the global audience. This apart,  Gitanjali considers this as a start and will be looking at more tie ups with many more sporting events such as this.

It has been pointed out the diamond major will soon get associated with Formula One racing in China and the IFA awards following that. This in fact means that Gitanjali is spreading its association to more than just fashion. According to a senior official, it would be not only looking at fashion or sports or entertainment in particular and as a lifestyle brand, Gitanjali would look at growing with newer opportunities. Gitanjai even took the opportunity to launch the Man of the Match diamond studded trophy to bring in the cast of a film which has cricket as its main theme. Actors Boman Irani, Kunal Khemu and Cyrus Broacha who star in 99, based on the agony of a cricketer for missing a century by a single run, were present.

The uncertain security scenario prevailing in Pakistan has prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to withdraw the 2011 World Cup host status from the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Dispelling all fuzziness about the captaincy issue, Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have said that Kiwi wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum will captain the KKR side for the DLF IPL season 2. Read the rest of this entry »

Dubai-based Emirates has become the main sponsor of the Kings XI Punjab IPL team. The Kings XI Punjab is one of the eight competing cricket franchisees of the Indian Premier League, based in Mohali, representing a huge catchment area of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir.

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With the Indian Premier League 2009 having gone to South Africa, it is now left to sponsors to decide whether to stay on or to withdraw. Hero Honda Motors, the country’s largest two-wheeler maker,is said to be mulling over renegotiating the IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils following the venue switch. Read the rest of this entry »

It is final. The second edition of the IPL will now be held in South Africa.

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The uncertainty over the conduct and schedule of the prestigious and high profile Indian Premier League (IPL) 2009 20:20 cricket matches has got over with the BCCI deciding to take IPL outside the country.

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Update: It was announced by IPL chief Lalit Modi today that IPL would not move abroad. After a discussion with the home ministry, Lalit Modi said that considering the probelms of adequate security during elections, a new schedule for the 2009 season would be worked out. IPL games would also take place in more cities – and games would not be scheduled to happen in cities which are voting on the same day. There would be no games on the counting day either.

A final schedule would be announced very soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Any cricket fan in India would not be surprised if one told him that the great Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is to feature at the internationally renowned Madame Tussauds London. Read the rest of this entry »