MI vs KTK: Kochi Tuskers Kerala shock Mumbai Indians by 8 wickets

MUMBAI: It has to be for some good reason that former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara reckons his teammate and close friend Mahela Jayawardene to be a very good Twenty20 batsman. 

The reasons were quite obvious at the Wankhede on Friday evening when Jayawardene - leading a side that coming into this match had looked listless - led from the front and scored a clinical half century that set the pace for what has to be one of Indian Premier League's best chases. 

Mumbai Indians lost the toss, but made good use of the opportunity to bat first and set a formidable 182. Sachin Tendulkar scored 100 of those runs in 66 balls with 12 boundaries and three sixes when it began to seem like the Tuskers had been throttled again. In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who were left to bite the dust as Kochi finally arrived in IPL, making a mockery of what was supposed to be Tendulkar's evening. 

Chasing under lights in front of the Wankhede crowd, especially when it's not exactly cheering for you, can be intimidating. But chasing under lights can get better in these conditions no doubt as India showed two weeks ago in the World Cup final. Jayawardene seemed to have taken enough notes from that game to keep for the future. 

On Friday, the time arrived for the Sri Lankan to use that bit of experience and he did it with aplomb, winning the toss and yet deciding to bat second. The pitch eased wonderfully and along with New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who scored a blistering 81, the skipper saw his team through. 

Jayawardene had spoken of how it would be ideal for Kochi to beat a team that has been looking in top form. In the run up to this game, the Tuskers had been slammed as too weak against a very powerful Mumbai line up. The odds too were heavily in Mumbai Indians' favour, considering the matches that both teams have played so far in the tournament. 

The Tuskers defied it all thanks to the top order finally finding its feet in the middle and Jayawardene's astute skills paving the way for what has got to be an important victory for Kochi. 

Mumbai can blame themselves for the defeat. Tendulkar's century alone was never going to be enough if the bowling failed to live up to the expectation. That's precisely what happened when McCullum got the opportunity to free his arms and strike 10 boundaries and two sixes during the chase. It was the innings that rode on the platform provided by Jaywardene's 56 and in the end, the two openers made Mumbai Indians pay heavily. 

As far as scoring rate goes, Jayawardene's half century was more brisk than McCullum's. However, the prolific Sri Lankan's knock was void of any flashy batting unlike his Kiwi teammate. 

Towards the end, when the equation came down to 35 runs from 17 balls, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja - who seems to have taken a liking for IPL - smashed 25 off 11 balls which made difference.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2011/news/MI-vs-KTK-Kochi-Tuskers-Kerala-shock-Mumbai-Indians-by-8-wickets/articleshow/7991234.cms

At Rs 34 crore, Dhoni highest insured in IPL

MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is the highest earning cricketer in the world, is the most heavily insured player for the forthcoming Indian Premier League T20 tournament which begins on April 8. 

An insurance firm official confirmed that the Indian captain, who led CSK to victory in IPL 3, has been insured for Rs 34 crore by the Oriental Insurance Company (OIC)-a rise of Rs 24 crore over his insurance cover for IPL 3. CSK has paid a premium of Rs 16 lakh, which includes travel risk cover, including medical emergencies, personal accident and loss of baggage. 

Suresh Raina, retained by CSK, will get an insurance cover of Rs 20.5 crore. Incidentally, little master Sachin Tendulkar, who will play for Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai Indians for the fourth consecutive season, has an insurance cover of only Rs 12 crore. 

Mahela Jayawardene, the skipper of Kochi Tuskers Kerala, has been insured for Rs 20.5 crore. "He seems to be most highly insured overseas player for the tournament," said a source, adding, "Speedster Dale Steyn from South Africa, who will be playing for Deccan Chargers, has been insured for Rs 16 crore." 

According to a source from the insurance industry, every insurance company and IPL team have a different methodology of finalizing an insurance policy. "For example, Ambani has decided to take comprehensive cover for his team, which includes event cancellation cover, workmen's compensation, personal accident cover, medical cover and so on," he said. "For this, he is likely to shell out a premium of around Rs 1.5 crore to the National Insurance Company." 

The cover will be active till the time the final is played on May 28. The policy can be invoked in the event of the death of a player or total disability, permanent partial disability or temporary total disability. The policy holder will be paid compensation for injuries that are sustained on and off the field during the duration of the tournament. One of the rules of IPL is that even if the player is benched due to a disability, he has to be paid his dues by the franchisee. The cover is being taken by the franchisee to cover his or her financial interest. 

Many owners are still in the process of finalizing the insurance cover for their team. "Most of the franchise representatives involved in the insurance negotiations don't understand the trade and there's a lot of confusion," said a source. "Hence the delay in finalizing the insurance policy for many of the teams." 

The official added that many franchise owners seemed to be keen to save money on premium. "However, they do not realize that most of the rates for such risky policies are based on those quoted by reinsures like Llyods of London. Hence, many teams are taking only partial cover to save money on premium, which is a bit risky," he said. Leander Dias, insurance official from OIC, who is an expert on cricket-related policy, is negotiating with several franchises but refused to comment on the developments. 

Incidentally, for the recently held ICC World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) bought a group personal accident policy from OIC. Each player can expect a financial benefit up to Rs. 2.3 crore under this policy.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/At-Rs-34-crore-Dhoni-highest-insured-in-IPL/articleshow/7888086.cms

Was IPL auction fair? Mumbai Indians raise questions

MUMBAI: Until now, there were just rumours. Now, it seems that the IPL players' auction on January 8 and 9 could well have been rigged. Or so it would seem if you look at the angry letter that Mumbai Indians have shot off to every member of the IPL's governing council, demanding an explanation for the last-minute changes to the auction process. They have categorically stated that the changes were not only unjustified but also unacceptable.

The three-page letter, a copy of which is with TOI, points out that most franchises were taken by surprise when they were told about a change in the rules in the January 6 briefings, a day before the auction.

In the first briefing on December 17, the franchises were told that the players would be arranged in pre-defined sets. The plan, they were informed, would be to start with the marquee players and then move to sets of same specialization (meaning: batsmen, bowlers, allrounders etc).

Critically, they were told that "the order of all these sets will be determined by (a) random draw that will take place in the auction room."

At 5 pm on the eve of the auctions, though, the franchises received another email - just two hours before the GC was to take them through another briefing. It said: "An updated version of the auction briefing (has been sent). The only changes are in paragraphs 37 and 38. Please read as paragraph 38 will impact your strategy."

The MI letter says "the so called updated version of the auction briefing reads as follows: The final sentence of paragraph 18 is to be deleted. The sets will be presented to the Auction in order of the auction list (which need not have same speciality players in the same set)".

MI claim that the 'amended' rule resulted in a fundamental change to the auction process as "selection of sets at random" was substituted by a 'pre-decided order of the auction list'."

The primary purpose of deciding the order of auction (whether for subsequent sets or players within sets) through a random draw in the auction room in presence of bidders was to ensure transparency and a level-playing field. In the changed scenario, certain individuals or franchises could have been privy to the exact sequence of the auction which would have allowed them to plan better. More significantly, if they got this information earlier, they could have waited for the right moment to bid for the right player.

Therefore, MI says "Any last-minute change can have justification if, and only if, strong justifiable and emergent reasons can be demonstrated to be present" and adds further "we see a complete absence of such reason or justification. Kindly let us know how and whose instance these changes were introduced."

It should be mentioned here that Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan sat as a member of the GC at the auctions even as his team bid for players and, as TOI had reported on January 10, franchises had already started murmuring that they were unhappy about last-minute changes.

Srinivasan's family owns the franchise even as he happens to be a GC member, BCCI secretary, its president-elect and president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Interestingly, CSK successfully managed to bid for all premier Tamil Nadu cricketers.

TOI had also questioned GC chairman Chirayu Amin about the same on January 10, to which the answer was a meek one: "We always ensure complete transparency. If any franchise feels otherwise, they are free to mention it."

The agenda of the meetings were approved, the quorum and minutes were recorded, the basis - if any - on which order of sets in auction list was determined. Then, MI's question to the GC is "Who authorized to amend these rules and what was the source of such authority?"

If Amin says there was complete transparency, then why are these questions coming out of the closet now?

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/was-ipl-auction-fair-mumbai-indians-raises-questions/iplarticleshow/7375330.cms