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[Blwe_torch]

High-profile IPL gets underway on Friday
17 Apr 2008, 1958 hrs IST,IANS



NEW DELHI, April 17: It's show time, folks, on the cricket field. The days of 'white-flannelled fools' are long over. Cricketers with rock star image have taken over the arena and nearly 100 international cricketers, commanding unheard of playing fees, have descended on India for the launch of the world's richest cricket league - the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The first of the 59 matches starts on Friday at Bangalore amid hoopla and unprecedented public attention in a cricket-crazy nation that is obsessed with the glories and disasters of the game. The opening match will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers.

The league will be a giddy cocktail of sport, entertainment and business and aims to take cricket to a level never been attempted before.

Nonetheless, it will be trial by fire for the Indian cricket board's intrepid vice-president, Lalit Modi, who conceived this league against universal scepticism.

The multimillion dollar Twenty20 tournament, sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), will feature eight city teams -- Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad. There will in all be 59 matches on home and away basis, very similar to the football leagues in Europe.

"The real city centric rivalry between teams can pull the crowd to the IPL matches and players have to show genuine commitment towards their respective teams," said Modi.

"It's not going to happen overnight, it will take years; creating emotions and rivalry is a real challenge for us," he added.

The present ruling group in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been advocating a marketable high-profile inter-city tournament for years, but they could not do much as it was in opposition. Once Zee Telefilms launched the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), roping in World-Cup-winning India captain Kapil Dev, Lalit Modi and former board president Inderjit Singh Bindra quickly conceived the IPL concept. Thus the IPL was born.

Modi, known as an aggressive marketing man, was the main brain behind the formation of the IPL and he flooded the cricketing world with dollars and lured all the top stars to be a part of this league. Bindra quietly worked to get ICC sanction for the mega event.

"We want the IPL to be one of the icon brands in the world and we are going to push everything that is required to achieve that," he said.

Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, started the cash flow by selling the TV rights to Sony-World Sports Group (WSG) for a whopping $1 billion.

Then came the auction for the team franchises, where Bollywood's rich and powerful and some of the biggest business tycoons lined up to buy the teams' rights for a 10 year-period.

Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries shelled out $111.9 million for Mumbai, liquor baron Vijay Mallya spent $106 million for Bangalore, Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan got Kolkata for $75.09 million.

Eight teams were bought as dollars flowed like champagne.

This was followed by another first in auction - cricketers were bought and sold, reminding one of cattle fairs of yore.

The owners dug deep into their pockets to bid for 78 international stars. India's One-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the highest price tag, a whopping $1.5 million, and was bought by Chennai. Australia's Andrew Symonds was next in line and he went to Hyderabad for $1.35 million.

The entertainment quotient of the league got the celluloid touch. While Shah Rukh will shake a leg at his team Kolkata Knight Riders' matches, Akshay Kumar will show his stunts for the Delhi Daredevils, dancing superstar Hrithik Roshan will do his jig for the Mumbai Indians and Bollywood diva Preity Zinta will cheer for her team Kings XI Punjab.

To woo youngsters, the India Cements-backed Chennai Super Kings has also roped in two popular stars Vijay and Nayantara as its brand ambassadors.

"The whole concept of the IPL will be successful if people come to the stadium," said Rakesh Singh, marketing head, India Cements.

"So, we signed up the two most popular stars of youngsters. Vijay is the SRK of the south, if you want a comparison," he added.

But there is more to that, the show before the inaugural match on Friday is also going to be a Bollywood-studded event. According to IPL sources, Katrina Kaif, who's now one of the top paid actresses of Bollywood after dishing out four hits last year, is set to perform. So is Zayed Khan, "who is popular with young folk".

The marketing honchos of the IPL have each spent already Rs.80-100 million in promoting their teams by designing team logos, tuning theme song and picking the right brand ambassador.

With millions already spent and more likely to be shelled out over the next couple of months, the IPL is an unparalleled gravy train.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/High-profile_IPL_gets_underway_tomorrow/articleshow/2959981.cms

[gouravk]

oh my GOd ... just imagine .. toss under the spotlight .. ganguly and dravid walking out .. ooo .. its so exciting !

[Blwe_torch]

oh my GOd ... just imagine .. toss under the spotlight .. ganguly and dravid walking out .. ooo .. its so exciting !

oh our God!.....Kallis already looks uncertain!

[Vick]

oh my GOd ... just imagine .. toss under the spotlight .. ganguly and dravid walking out .. ooo .. its so exciting !

They should also have those cheer leaders dancing around them during toss with SRK giving them company.

[cricinfo]

oh my GOd ... just imagine .. toss under the spotlight .. ganguly and dravid walking out .. ooo .. its so exciting !

They should also have those cheer leaders dancing around them during toss with SRK giving them company.

i want paisa vosool , i want cheerleaders to dance all the time during the match and one Picture In Picture always focussing on them...so that when RD is batting I can watch them 

[Cover Point]

oh my GOd ... just imagine .. toss under the spotlight .. ganguly and dravid walking out .. ooo .. its so exciting !

They should also have those cheer leaders dancing around them during toss with SRK giving them company.

i want paisa vosool , i want cheerleaders to dance all the time during the match and one Picture In Picture always focussing on them...so that when RD is batting I can watch them 

and while SG is fielding he has something to look at (he never looks at the ball)

[Blwe_torch]

The spotlight will be on Dravid and Ganguly

The Indian Premier League plans to do a first in cricket by plunging the Chinnawamy Stadium in darkness when Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, skippers of the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively walk out for the toss in the first match of the 44-days long tournament in Bangalore on Friday night.
 
Charu Sharma, chief exceutive of the Royal Challengers, told Cricinfo that spotlights would focus on the two skippers as they walk out for the toss, adding that they are waiting for permission from local authorities. Sharma also said that one or two players from the fielding side would be "miked up" to chat with the commentators during the match.
 
Talking about the 45-minute long opening ceremony of the IPL, Sharma said one of the highlights would be when all the captains jointly read out a pledge reaffirming the IPL's faith in the spirit of cricket. He said other attractions of the opening ceremony include fireworks, aerial gymnasts and the presence of Shah Rukh Khan and Priety Zinta, co-owners of the Kolkata and Mohali franchises respectively.
 
In a bid to attract more fans to the stadium, 12 cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins, the 'First Ladies of American Football' have been flown in.
 
Sharma said that the intention is to have the right balance of glamour and cricket, adding that they would not want to frustrate genuine cricket fans by having a long-drawn opening ceremony, and with that in mind a "short, sharp and sweet" start to the cricketing carnival has been planned.
 
Source: India Syndicate
http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1347080

[kban1]

Fun Fare


IPL has been promoted as entertainment, now the players need to shine

   
Joseph Koraith In Bangalore
 

Cheerleaders rehearse their act in Bangalore yesterday

Sample this analogy. You have a gas balloon which you are pumping air into. The basic science being, the more gas you put in, the higher and longer it will fly.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would thump their chests and pompously feel that it has pumped what is necessary and more, for the inaugural Indian Premier League to become the kind of success that merits its humongous investment. It’s no wonder that they have been calling today the ‘D-day’ in all their communication.

Gimmicky opening

At 1830 hours, today, the IPL will start with a 45-minute opening ceremony at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium which will see a plethora of gimmicks which will entertain the audio and visual department in lavish measure. Pyrotechnics and the laser show will light up the Bangalore sky while stilt walkers with bright butterfly wings will pretend to fly on the ground. Cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins, called the first ladies of American Football, in their minis cule outfits will groove to the music and cause many among the viewers to skip more than a beat.

The good times

Rope gymnasts suspended over the spectators will perform maneuvers which if tried by 99% of the world’s population, would end up with loads of sprains and muscle ailments. Just watching them rehearse gave the neck enough strain as it is. To add to that there will be performers in bubble suspended over the ground.

All this in cohesion with the live violinists and percussionists providing the melody. Add to that the splurge of Bollywood in Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and music composers Shankar-Ehsan-Loy and not to forget the King of Good times – pun intended - Vijay Mallya whose brands are screaming to you from every nook, corner and crevice of the stadium.

It should be a good show.

The rehearsals for the opening ceremony have begun since three days and such has been the extent of the sessions that the players weren’t allowed to practice inside the stadium, instead being relegated to the side grounds.

Under the spotlight

After the opening ceremony, both the captains will walk out into the centre for the toss. The innovation being, the entire stadium will be dark and both the captains will be under spotlights. Only if the authorities agree to it that is. In terms of the sale of tickets, the organizers claim that the 70% of the tickets that were for the general public have been sold out.

It was on a Thursday, the13th of September that the IPL concept was launched amidst much fanfare and today it will be seven months and five days since that significant day. Almost two months since the insanity of an auction took place. Since then the organizers have been screaming themselves hoarse. Now its time for the players live up to the hype and give something for the followers to put their throats together and scream.


 The waiting game

New Delhi: Former paceman T A Sekar has dismissed speculation that the much-hyped Indian Premier League could be a mere damp squib but said actual response to the cash-rich Twenty20 competition would be known only on match eve.

“It is a new concept so people will adopt a waiting game and most of the tickets in all playing centres will be sold only on the eve or day of the match,” Sekar said.

“For example, when Sachin plays against Delhi team, people here are definitely going to watch him playing and there will be huge demand for tickets."

Sekar, who is the administrative advisor of the Delhi Daredevils, said the event would pick up gradually.

 http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=59&contentid=2008041820080418022043312984169b6
 

[poondu]

IPL will witness intense encounters, says Ganguly



Principal Correspondent







Bangalore: Sourav Ganguly said that the DLF-Indian Premier League would witness intense matches as players were wary of their reputations.

“The bigger the player, bigger the reputation and bigger the responsibility. We are all playing to win and once the cricket starts, the little things like entertainment on the sidelines will reduce,” the Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper said in a press conference here on Thursday evening.

Queried on team-bonding in the backdrop of diverse players, Ganguly said: “The players are all very keen. As for handling players, it is not a difficult thing. We have Ricky Ponting, who is one of the best players in the World and he knows that the team has spent money on him, knows that he has to do well for the team, I see no problems on that front.”

Ultimate yardstick


Ganguly however stressed that Test cricket was the ultimate yardstick for cricketers. “For players Tests are very important and one-dayers and Twenty20 is important for the game of cricket to go forward. If you ask me to appraise Ishant Sharma 10 years down the line, I would look at how he bowled in the Tests. That’s the way it goes,” Ganguly said. The Kolkata skipper also said that all teams in the fray were competitive.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata outfit’s coach John Buchanan emphasised the need to carve space for Twenty20 and the franchise-format. “I see Tests thriving in the future too and cricket is in a good state now. It has three good formats in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20. I hope the ICC and the member Countries nurture this important tournament – IPL,” Buchanan said.

Open mind


Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid said that he was approaching the tournament with an “open mind.”

“We have a good team though there are some people who call us a bunch of veterans cheered by young girls! I wish the crowd comes in good numbers and clad in red, our team colour,” he said.

Chanderpaul not to play


Dravid also said that Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who would arrive on Friday afternoon, was not part of the team for the opening match. Ganguly too mentioned that Chris Gayle was a doubtful starter in his team.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/18/stories/2008041856321900.htm

[dextrous]

Fun Fare


IPL has been promoted as entertainment, now the players need to shine

   
Joseph Koraith In Bangalore
 

Cheerleaders rehearse their act in Bangalore yesterday

Sample this analogy. You have a gas balloon which you are pumping air into. The basic science being, the more gas you put in, the higher and longer it will fly.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would thump their chests and pompously feel that it has pumped what is necessary and more, for the inaugural Indian Premier League to become the kind of success that merits its humongous investment. It’s no wonder that they have been calling today the ‘D-day’ in all their communication.

Gimmicky opening

At 1830 hours, today, the IPL will start with a 45-minute opening ceremony at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium which will see a plethora of gimmicks which will entertain the audio and visual department in lavish measure. Pyrotechnics and the laser show will light up the Bangalore sky while stilt walkers with bright butterfly wings will pretend to fly on the ground. Cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins, called the first ladies of American Football, in their minis cule outfits will groove to the music and cause many among the viewers to skip more than a beat.

The good times

Rope gymnasts suspended over the spectators will perform maneuvers which if tried by 99% of the world’s population, would end up with loads of sprains and muscle ailments. Just watching them rehearse gave the neck enough strain as it is. To add to that there will be performers in bubble suspended over the ground.

All this in cohesion with the live violinists and percussionists providing the melody. Add to that the splurge of Bollywood in Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and music composers Shankar-Ehsan-Loy and not to forget the King of Good times – pun intended - Vijay Mallya whose brands are screaming to you from every nook, corner and crevice of the stadium.

It should be a good show.

The rehearsals for the opening ceremony have begun since three days and such has been the extent of the sessions that the players weren’t allowed to practice inside the stadium, instead being relegated to the side grounds.

Under the spotlight

After the opening ceremony, both the captains will walk out into the centre for the toss. The innovation being, the entire stadium will be dark and both the captains will be under spotlights. Only if the authorities agree to it that is. In terms of the sale of tickets, the organizers claim that the 70% of the tickets that were for the general public have been sold out.

It was on a Thursday, the13th of September that the IPL concept was launched amidst much fanfare and today it will be seven months and five days since that significant day. Almost two months since the insanity of an auction took place. Since then the organizers have been screaming themselves hoarse. Now its time for the players live up to the hype and give something for the followers to put their throats together and scream.


 The waiting game

New Delhi: Former paceman T A Sekar has dismissed speculation that the much-hyped Indian Premier League could be a mere damp squib but said actual response to the cash-rich Twenty20 competition would be known only on match eve.

“It is a new concept so people will adopt a waiting game and most of the tickets in all playing centres will be sold only on the eve or day of the match,” Sekar said.

“For example, when Sachin plays against Delhi team, people here are definitely going to watch him playing and there will be huge demand for tickets."

Sekar, who is the administrative advisor of the Delhi Daredevils, said the event would pick up gradually.

 http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=59&contentid=2008041820080418022043312984169b6
 

who are these girls? they aren't very attractive.

[Libran]

Washington Redskins ....

obviously not  indian and hence not attractive... 

[LosingNow]

OK.. the show has started.

Shankar Ehsaan Loy are entertaining the crowd

[Blwe_torch]

Curtain raiser.........

[Blwe_torch]

I am supporting the Redskin Joes....................oops, I mean Redskin Cheer-leaders.

[LosingNow]

Next up the cheerleaders ..flown in from Washington.. by Vijay Mallya

Ajay Jadeja as the host of Extra Innings ..with no Mandira??

[Blwe_torch]

Aww.........not that good so far.
The same old stuff.....like the opening ceremony of some International tournaments.
They have to think abt the TV angle seriously.

[Blwe_torch]

Kuchh khas nahin!

And hear the commentators...Rameez, Jadeja and LS..............they sound like trained liars.
Trying to unreally sound cheerful.

[LosingNow]

exactly.. I think the "program schedule" is not clear.

TV production looks poor.. anyway, decent show so far.

[LosingNow]

Jadeja is not experienced enough to host something like this...and the TV producers dont know where to go

[Blwe_torch]

I hope the international band of entertainers take the Indian public seriously..............and not as just some frustrated ppl....dying to see some lady-drummers or cheer-leaders live..

[LosingNow]

where are these acrobats from?

[Blwe_torch]

exactly.. I think the "program schedule" is not clear.

TV production looks poor.. anyway, decent show so far.

You are highly charitable.
With the amount of money these folks have blown.......it is apt that they do a highly sleek and professional job.

[Blwe_torch]

Where is KIC these days?
His program has started and is falling flattish............and he isn't here!

[LosingNow]

it is not sleek.. but definitely not anything Indian public has seen before in India..

[LosingNow]

Hopefully they will stick to cricket from tomorrow onwards rather than this tamasha.

[Blwe_torch]

it is not sleek.. but definitely not anything Indian public has seen before in India..

C'mon...........the WC opening ceremony at Eden....which I saw live was like this. There may have been more such occasions.

[LosingNow]

Hope the pitch and ground survive all this

[LosingNow]

WOW.. those are massive fireworks

[Blwe_torch]

The fire-works are good

[Blwe_torch]

The challenge will be to sustain the Hype.

[dextrous]

Where is KIC these days?
His program has started and is falling flattish............and he isn't here!

kic, please come back...aap to IPL ke jaisa bilkul thanda ho gai ho

[LosingNow]

when will they toss?? Shastri is shouting annoyingly.

[Blwe_torch]

when will they toss?? Shastri is shouting annoyingly.

He has a huge duty on his shoulder...to sustain the tempo

[dextrous]

when will they toss?? Shastri is shouting annoyingly.

i think he's just trying to make it MORE EXCITING!

[Blwe_torch]

Warnie is being gracious to Yuvraj.....

[LosingNow]

Ravi And Sunny have left ESPN. Interesting

[LosingNow]

why all this bhashan-baji! toss karo, come on.

[Blwe_torch]

Ravi And Sunny have left ESPN. Interesting

They are on the IPL management committee.
Sunny has been rewarded for not insisting on BCCI acting against ICC......regarding his case.

[dextrous]

Ravi And Sunny have left ESPN. Interesting

they have not, they got special permission to do this

[LosingNow]

Oh.. this signing the declaration part is so SILLY!! This is not the Magna Carta folks!!