With just days left for season 2 of the Indian Premier league (IPL) to get underway, South Africa has been confirmed as the venue for the IPL season 2.

The decision to hold the lucrative Twenty20 tournament was taken after a meeting between IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola at an undisclosed venue.

Although no official announcement has been made yet, sources said that the tournament will be held between April 17 and May 24, a delay of about one week from the original schedule.

Eight venues have been identified for staging the eight-team tournament and the matches will start at 4 pm IST and 8 pm IST to make it convenient for Indian television viewers.

Modi and Majola are scheduled to hold a press conference at 8.30 pm IST where the details of the tournament are expected to be announced.

Reacting to the decision, former chief of CSA, Ali Backer said, “We are delighted that IPL 2 is happening in South Africa. With the IPL moving to South Africa, it is a huge opportunity for the country. Local crowd will cheer for teams of IPL 2.”

Amrit Mathur, CEO of Delhi Daredevils, said, “We are happy that South Africa is hosting the tournament. Level of crowd support won’t be the same outside India, but sponsors are also happy. No issue with the venue of the tournament.”

However, the Rajasthan Royals are still hopeful that the event will happen in India. South Africa pipped England as the venue after the BCCI decided to shift the tournament outside India because of security issues in view of the general elections.

According to the sources, South Africa proposed to quicken the visa process and reduce expenditure of the event. On Monday (March 23) the South African Government spent most of the time lobbying IPL.

Offered discounts on hotels and reduce cost for the staging had made South Africa logistically a more viable option. South African Ministry of Tourism and Players Association backed the bid to host the IPL.

Weather is the major concern for the IPL bosses after which South Africa has emerged as the frontrunner.

Everybody from the SA players’ association to the National Tourism Board has also thrown their weight behind the tournament being staged in South Africa.

Earlier, talking about England as a possible venue Modi had said that its a huge cricket competition and would bring high revenue for the hosts. Close to a USD 100 million dollars would be churned out of the competition and that would boost the economy at the time of recession. And British economy would surely want to benefit out of this.

“The IPL is a big competition. We would bring $100 million of revenue to the British economy. Anybody in a recession would want to have us,” Modi had said.

He also admitted that there are 70 % chances of the game being disrupted by rain and would clash with the London marathon, which could lead to unavailibility of hotel rooms. April and May are rain heavy months for England, which could prove as a deterrant for the tournament to move to UK.

Modi had said, “There are 70 per cent chances of the games being disrupted by rain. The IPL will also be clashing with the London Marathon and a number of Test matches, which will be blocking hotel rooms.”

England take on New Zealand, who they have already beaten in the tournament (match starts 2300 GMT, Saturday).

“They are a good side and we won’t underestimate them,” insisted Edwards. “We go into the final on par.”

England have twice before lifted the World Cup, both times on home soil, in 1973 and again in 1993. And Edwards is under no illusion as to the importance of the occasion for her and the team.

“Sunday is going to be the biggest day of our lives and we cannot wait for it,” she said. “It’s going to be a huge game for us and one that we are determined to win.”

Edwards also revealed that the side had been boosted by messages of support from counterpart Andrew Strauss.

“Andrew Strauss and (England Lions captain) Rob Key have been in touch. We’ve had some really nice messages from some of them and it’s been a real lift,” she said.

She also admitted that the reception the side have received from the crowds in Australia has helped them on their run to the final.

“The reception from the Australians has been great since we arrived and I think they’ll be supporting us on Sunday. “We seem to have gone down well with the crowds and the public – they seem to have respect for us which is great.”

England secured their place in the final with a 146-run victory over West Indies on Tuesday, although they were beaten by Australia – their first defeat in 17 matches – in their final group game.

New Zealand booked their berth on Thursday following a win over Pakistan by 223 runs.

In the Super Six stage of the tournament England beat New Zealand by 31 runs, thanks largely to Edwards herself who scored 57 and took 4-37.

Victory in the final would cap a fantastic year for the side.

They have recorded an Ashes victory over Australia and one-day series victories over New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa and India in the last 12 months.

Eight of the England squad in Sydney have World Cup experience having played in the last tournament in 2005, where the side were beaten in the semi-finals by Australia.

India’s position has been consolidated by fine performance of their batsmen who helped the team to reach 278-4, just one run behind New Zealand’s fist innings total of 279 runs here on the second day of the first Test.

With Sachin Tendulkar unbeaten on 70 and Yuvraj Singh on eight, and strong batting to follow, the way was clear for India to dominate the Test.

Verinder Sehwag was run out early, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid both reached 50 but failed to make their centuries and VVS Laxman fell on the second delivery with the new ball.

Chris Martin, dropped for the West Indies series early this year, celebrated his recall as the most effective of the bowlers, taking the wickets of Gambhir and Laxman to produce figures of two for 53 off 20 overs.

Tendulkar had faced 135 balls for his 70, and was fortunate not to be out for 13 when Daniel Flynn was able to get his fingertips to a top edge but could not hold the ball.

Gambhir, who was trapped lbw off a no-ball from Kyle Mills” first delivery of the day when on six, went on to make 72 off 135 deliveries.

But his concentration failed to a reverse swing delivery from Martin, which was edged through to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, ending a 105-run partnership with Rahul Dravid for the second wicket.

Dravid went soon after, bowled by O”Brien with a ball that nipped back between bat and pad, with his 138-ball innings including 12 boundary shots which contributed 48 of his 66 runs.

Tendulkar and Laxman added 61 in 28 overs for the fourth wicket before Martin took Laxman with the second new ball, caught by Ross Taylor at first slip for 30.

But while Martin was frugal at one end, Tendulkar was particularly harsh at the other on Kyle Mills, who proved the most expensive of the New Zealand bowlers with none for 70 off 15.

The Indian Premier League is a Twenty20 cricket competition created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and chaired by the Chairman & Commissioner IPL, BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi. The first season of the Indian Premier League commenced on 18 April 2008 and ended on 1 June 2008 with the victory of the Rajasthan Royals in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. The second season begins on 19 April 2009. All these Indian Premier League franchises are based on a city each including, Mumbai, Mohali, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.Listed below are the details of the 8 IPL Cricket 2009 Team Franchise Owners :

1. Bangalore Franchise Royal Challengers is the franchise for Bangalore city. In 2008, Royal Challengers IPL Team was led by Rahul Dravid and this year the captain is yet to be declared in. Bangalore Royal Challengers is owned by Vijay Mallya and was promoted by Katrina Kaif. Bangalore Royal Challengers Team cost is $111.6 million.

2. Mohali Franchise Mohali Kings XI Punjab is the franchise for Mohali. Kings XI Punjab team was led by Yuvraj Singh, captain of this year has not yet been notified. This IPL Cricket 2009 Team is owned by Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia of Bombay Dyeing and Karan Paul of Apeejay Surendera Group. Kings XI Punjab Team cost is $75 million.

3. Rajasthan Franchise Rajasthan Royals, the first champions of IPL Cricket Season 1 is the franchise representing the Pink City Jaipur. Last year, it was lead by Shane Warne, the captain this year has not yet been decided. The new thing in IPL Cricket 2009 for Rajasthan Royals is that it will now have a new owner from Bollywood Actress Shilpa Shetty with beau Raj Kundra. Rajasthan Royals Team cost is $67 million.

4. Hyderabad Franchise Hyderabad Deccan Chargers is the franchise for Hyderabad. It was led by V.V.S. Laxman and captain this year has not yet been notified. Hyderabad Deccan Chargers is owned by J Krishan (Deccan Chronical), the famous media group. This IPL Cricket team was one of the poor performers in IPL Cricket Season 1. Deccan Chargers Team cost is $107 million.

5. Chennai Franchise Chennai Super Kings Team is the franchise for Chennai. Chennai Super Kings IPL Team was led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain this year has not yet declared in 2008. This IPL Cricket 2009 Team is owned by India Cements. This team gave tough competition to Rajasthan Royals in IPL Cricket Season 1 Finals. Chennai Super Kings Team cost is $91 million.

6. Mumbai Franchise Mumbai Indians is the franchise for Mumbai city of Maharashtra. In 2008, this IPL Cricket Team was led by Sachin Tendulkar and captain this year has not yet been notified. Mumbai Indians is owned by Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries Limited). Mumbai Indians Team cost is $111.9 million.

7. Kolkata Franchise Kolkata Knight Riders is the franchise for Kolkata city of West Bengal. Last year, Kolkata Knight Riders was led by Saurav Ganguly and captain this year has not yet been notified. This IPL Cricket Team was popular because of its superhit owner, Shah Rukh Khan. Kolkata Knight Riders Team cost is $75 million.

8. Delhi Franchise Delhi DareDevils is the proud franchise of Delhi state for Indian Premier League. IPL Cricket, this team was led by Virender Sehwag and captain this year has not yet been declared in 2008. Delhi DareDevils IPL Cricket 2009 Team is owned by Yogesh Shetty (GMR group). Delhi DareDevils Team was promoted by Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar, which will not promote it in 2009. Delhi DareDevils Team cost is $84 million.

Gary Kirsten has said that India’s goal in 2009 is to be the No. 1 team in the world. India’s coach, who has received praise from many in the Indian team, felt the side’s biggest improvement in recent times was the way they prepared for a game.

Following Australia’s loss to New Zealand in the second ODI at the MCG, India have moved to second place in the ICC’s official ODI rankings. “Getting to No. 1 is the obvious goal for this year,” said Kirsten, “but it’s not playing too much on our minds. To do that, it’s important for the basics to be right. We are just trying to focus on taking it game by game and series by series. The team ethic is great. Everyone is preparing really well for a game and we are moving in the right direction.”

Today’s was an optional nets session at the R Premadasa, and the attendees included Sachin Tendulkar, L Balaji, Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja. Tendulkar batted for 45 minutes and was constantly chatting with the bowlers on the correct line to bowl. Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, spent lots of time with Irfan, primarily working on his length. Tendulkar even bowled to Jadeja and passed some tips now and then to the young allrounder.

Irfan’s form has been a concern for India. Given the new ball in the last game – his only appearance on tour so far – Irfan ended up with 3 for 58 from seven overs; his first spell read 5-0-42-1 as Sanath Jayasuriya went after him. India have been using their slow bowlers in the middle overs, retaining the seamers for the Powerplays.

Kirsten had earlier said the lack of an allrounder who bowls seam had forced the team to take that route, and he felt it had been a bit difficult for Irfan as he has been in and out of the team. “I really can’t comment after just one game,” said Kirsten. “He [Irfan] is working hard in the nets. He has a good work ethic and hopefully will get the rewards for it.”

To be the No. 1 team in the world, Kirsten said that India would have to dominate the opposition consistently. It was something that Gautam Gambhir also stressed upon, while talking about the dead-rubber game at this same venue on February 8. “When you playing for your country you can’t take any game lightly,” he said. “It’s going to be a fantastic achievement if we can make it 5-0. You want to be a part of the team which is creating this history.

“You can’t just think that you have won the series 4-0 and be complacent for the next game. It doesn’t happen with us. When you go onto the field you go to win and not just compete. Great teams are those that carry the momentum forward into every game.”

India have won the series and the final match is to be played at the R Premadasa as well.

There is a clamor in the media for holding umpires accountable; for making them face the same kind of disciplinary action for bad decisions in the manner that players themselves are penalized. This does seem a tad excessive. We have to remember that cricket coverage being what it is today and having the benefit of slow motion replays from every possible angle, every decision of an umpire is scrutinized, reexamined and analysed to the nth degree. The umpires on the pitch do not have the benefit of this technology; one cannot always be perfectly accurate without these aids.

The news of Sachin Tendulkar’s three wrongful dismissals in the present India – Sri Lanka series has once again brought into sharp focus the long debated point about umpiring errors, how to minimize them and whether they should all be just put down to being part of the game. In this editorial Cricket360.com seeks to do a special review of this issue.

It is true that umpiring is an extremely crucial job which needs to be done accurately since so much hinges on it. If for instance there was a newbie who was out at the scores of 5, 6 and 7 the way Sachin was due to three wrongful umpiring decisions, it could well be the reason for the new player being given his marching orders! The results of entire games can hinge on one bad or inaccurate umpiring decision.

Having said that however, are the umpires not human? Can they not be permitted some leeway, some margin of error? How can they be expected to perform flawlessly at all time; no one can! Yet there is a clamor in the media news for holding umpires accountable; for making them face the same kind of disciplinary action for bad decisions in the manner that players themselves are penalized. This does seem a tad excessive.

We have to remember that cricket coverage being what it is today and having the benefit of slow motion replays from every possible angle, every decision of an umpire is scrutinized, reexamined and analysed to the nth degree. The facility of the Hawkeye makes this scrutiny even more minute and thorough. The umpires on the pitch do not have the benefit of this technology; one cannot always be perfectly accurate without these aids.

If some bias or personal agenda on part of the umpire can be established which in turn led to maliciously incorrect decisions, certainly the umpire may be penalized, but to say that they must be penalized for making mistakes sounds rather harsh.

Yes the screening and selection process should be made more stringent, so that umpiring standards are up to the level required for international cricket.  In the alternative do we want to have the third umpire make all the decisions? Won’t that take away a lot of the charm of the game? Won’t that make cricket that little bit more soulless?

Whether their talent is for making money, dancing, acting or simply being more ruthless than the next man, India’s wealthy never lack for attention.

When you add cricket into the mix then the level of hype spirals quicker than the bids in Friday’s Indian Premier League auction room.

The owners of the eight IPL franchises were gathered in clusters inside the Fort Aguada Ballroom to wave their flashing red bats whenever they chose to cast a bid.

Wearing a vibrant red shirt, which looked as if it was bought from one of Goa’s beach hawkers, was Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore team and one of India’s richest men.

Mallya has made his money from his Kingfisher brewery and airline and now has the toys all self respecting billionaire’s crave – a Formula One team and India’s equivalent of a Premier League football club.

Following the bidding process Mallya is now Kevin Pietersen’s latest boss and certainly the most generous employer he will ever have.

Mallya’s personal fortune is estimated at $1.2 billion and in 2008 he was ranked as India’s seventh richest man.

With a bloodstock farm and a fleet of vintage cars, Mallya knows how to spend his money and the parties he hosts on his yacht, the Indian Empress, are legendary in India. KP should fit right in to the Mallya world.

But Mallya’s wealth is dwarfed by that of Mukesh Ambani, the man who pays Sachin Tendulkar’s wages at the Mumbai Indians. Ambani represents regal, old Indian money. His family own Reliance Industries, the oil drilling company rated as one of the world’s most successful businesses with a turnover in the region of $35.9 billion.

Mukesh was too busy to attend the auction so sent his wife on the ultimate shopping spree instead. Nita Ambani was not shy with her husband’s money. A cool $950,000 was spent on South African JP Duminy. Mukesh will not be too upset with Mrs Ambani. He has another $45 billion to fall back on.

Andrew Flintoff made a powerful new friend when he was bought by the Madras Super Kings for $1.55 million. Owned by N Srinivasan, the secretary of the BCCI and cement gazillionaire, Flintoff will be at the heart of a team many see as the best in the IPL. No pressure there then.

But boardroom billionaires are not enough to create a media stir in India. What is needed is a pretty face. That is provided by the IPL’s Bollywood babes. Pretty Zinta, the actress, is part owner with her boyfriend in the Kings XI Punjab, the team based in her home city of Chandigarh.

With Yuvraj Singh as captain, Kings XI are the IPL’s glamour boys and it is there that Ravi Bopara will spend a month in April. Below the fragile exterior lurks a powerful business mind and Zinta is a vociferous defender of women’s rights in India.

She won a national bravery award when she testified against the Mumbai mafia gangs who hold a grip on the Bollywood industry. Cricket really must feel like a hobby.

Her position as the IPL’s number one female attraction though has been challenged this week by Shilpa Shetty, a fellow Bollywood actress but better known in Britain as winner of Celebrity Big Brother.

Having been insulted by Jade Goody is perhaps one unusual way of preparing to work with Shane Warne, the captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals, the team she bought a stake in on Monday.

Shetty was the public face of the Royals today although judging by her answers, she may have to brush up on the career of Tyron Henderson, the Middlesex journeyman her team are about to pay $650,000 a year.

However, Shetty and Zinta are dwarfed in their fame by Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders and the most recognisable face in India.

SRK had a novel way of attracting fans to Eden Gardens last year. He promised before every match to perform a dance. What prevented this show stopping moment was the fact the West Bengal government would slap the team with a hefty entertainment tax if SRK got his dancing shoes out.

He kept his feet shackled but SRK’s name alone was enough to earn Kolkata millions of rupees from merchandising and shirt sales. In the end, that is what it’s all about.

COLOMBO — History-making Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan says mental toughness and hard work are the keys to success in international cricket.

“It’s not all that sweet. It’s not easy to go on for such a long time because you have your ups and downs,” said Muralitharan, 36, after becoming the highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 503.

“The main point is how strong you are and how you make a comeback.”

The Sri Lankan spinner completed a record bowling double here on Thursday when he dismissed Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir in his 10th and last over in the fourth match here, surpassing former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram’s one-day mark of 502.

He also holds the record in Test cricket with 769 wickets.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar is the only other player to hold two major world records — highest scorer in Tests (12,429) and one-dayers (16,440).

“It (the record double) is a great achievement because the only other person to have achieved the feat is Tendulkar, so playing for Sri Lanka and achieving this feat is great for me and the country,” said Muralitharan late Thursday.

“Everybody wants to perform well in both forms of the game, so holding records in both forms of the game means I’ve done really well for a long period. You have to be physically and mentally fit.”

Muralitharan, who made his Test debut in 1992 and played his first one-dayer the following year, said there was more competition for the Test bowling mark.

“Three bowlers were in contention for Test record — Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and myself. They were a little bit older than me. I thought they would retire before me and then I would have a chance of overcoming them,” he said.

“That’s what happened. I didn’t think much about the one-day record as no-one was closer to it. The nearest among playing cricketers was (compatriot) Chaminda Vaas (400 wickets), so I thought it could be achieved easily.”

When asked why the celebrations in the middle were muted after he had reached the landmark, the spinner said winning was always more important than records.

“It’s not all about breaking records. It’s all about winning matches and series. Unfortunately, it (the record) happened in a lost series and we also lost the match,” said Muralitharan.

India had already gained a winning a 3-0 lead in the five-match series before Muralitharan’s record and then won the fourth match by 67 runs.

The Sri Lankan said he planned to play international cricket until the 2011 World Cup, to be held in the sub-continent.

“It (cricket) is the only thing I know, so I want to play as much as I can. I am thinking about playing till the next World Cup. There will be nothing more to achieve after that,” he said.

Muralitharan admitted Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India had played better cricket in the ongoing series, saying confidence was the key to their success.

“Their confidence was high after beating England 5-0 (at home last year) and their batsmen played well here also,” said Muralitharan, who could grab just three wickets in four matches against the tourists.

“There is a period when all the batsmen are set and getting runs. Then they are not scared of getting out. The batsmen struggle only when the confidence is low. At the moment their confidence is very high.

“It’s all about confidence in this game.”

GOA, India — England’s Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff joined the Indian Premier League on Friday as its most expensive players after being auctioned for 1.55 million dollars each.

Pietersen was bought by liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s Bangalore Royal Challengers at a televised auction in this popular holiday resort, while Flintoff went for the same price to Chennai Super Kings.

Both players broke the existing record of India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was purchased by the Chennai franchise for 1.50 million dollars last year.

Pietersen and Flintoff will, however, receive only half their money as England players are available for just the first three weeks of the lucrative six-week Twenty20 tournament.

Tournament rules stipulate that payments are made on a pro-rata basis for matches played. This year’s contracts are for a two-year period.

“A player like Kevin is a great buy for us,” said a beaming Mallya, whose team finished seventh out of eight teams in the inaugural edition of the tournament last year.

“He is one of the most explosive batsmen in the world and will bring a lot of class to our team.”

Indian cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan, who owns the Chennai Super Kings, said he was delighted to have all-rounder Flintoff on board.

“Twenty20 cricket is a game for all-rounders and Flintoff is one of the best in the business,” said Srinivasan, whose team entered last year’s final where they lost to the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals.

As many as 50 players threw their hat in the ring for the 17 slots available to franchises, but the unlucky ones could still make the grade at a later date to replace the absent Pakistan cricketers.

IPL franchises terminated the contracts of six Pakistanis and put on hold four others after the Pakistan government refused them permission to play in India for security reasons.

Young South African Jean-Paul Duminy confirmed his rising stature in the sport when Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians, owned by industrialist Mukesh Ambani, bought him for 950,000 dollars.

Rajasthan Royals, partly owned by Bollywood actress and British reality TV star Shilpa Shetty, created a stir when they picked up ageing South African Tyron Henderson for a whopping 650,000 dollars.

All-rounder Henderson, 34, has played just one international match — a Twenty20 game against India in 2006 — but has turned out consistent performances for his English county Middlesex.

Bangladesh seamer Mashrafe Mortaza, whose base price was 50,000 dollars, went to Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders for 600,000 dollars despite a strong challenge from Kings XI Punjab.

No Indian player featured in the auction since they were already snapped up last year.

The second edition of the tournament, featuring the eight teams owned by tycoons, film stars and leading business houses, will be played across India in April-May.

COLOMBO: He is the hungry young man of Indian cricket. Gautam Gambhir goes about his business of scoring runs in any format of the game with
a tigerish zeal.

Even when he addresses the media, the replies are like a round of rapid-fire.

Just like he bats in the middle. On Thursday afternoon, the 27-year-old was at it again having cracked his best score – 150 – in ODIs as India’s romped to their fourth successive win in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. The knock he felt would keep him in good stead for the forthcoming series in New Zealand.

“I actually wanted to get a big score in the series, because the New Zealand tour is coming up and I wanted to carry some of the confidence from here.” Dwelling on his assured presence at the crease in recent times, the Delhi opener says, “I much more relaxed and confident. Once you feel secure of your place in the side and know that one or two failures are not going to make much difference you feel a lot more confident.”

It has been reflecting in his scores too. The 249 runs from 4 matches is an extension of an extremely successful year in 2008. He was not only hugely successful in Tests – 1134 runs from 8 Tests, average 70.87 – but was equally effective in ODIs logging 1119 runs from 27 matches (average 46.63).

He is possibly the only Indian player after MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag, who commands a place in all three formats of the game. He also became a part of history when he became the 503rd victim of Muttiah Muralitharan, which was a new world mark of highest ODI wickets for the bowler.

Murali might have had the last laugh but he had to bear the brunt of Gambhir’s blade until then as the batsman hit him for 32 runs. The bowler finished with horrible figures of 10-0-66-1 as Gambhir employed the inside-out shot to good effect.

“That shot against an off-spinner is my strength,” he remarked before adding, “for any batsman it is important to play to his strength. He should know his scoring areas, he can’t just play every shot, especially against a quality bowler like Murali. I was comfortable playing that shot and so far it has been working for me.”

His effort on Thursday may have been hard work as he compiled 88 of his runs in singles, twos and threes, but Gambhir emphasises that is how he wanted to go about his innings.

“It’s important to run a lot in Sri Lanka if you want to be successful. I don’t think I can hit the shots as far as an MS (Dhoni), Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) or Viru (Sehwag) can do. You have to know your game well and play accordingly and not copy them. For me it’s really important to batlong as the rest (who follow him in the batting lineup) are big hitters.” Bowlers better beware. It is going to get increasingly tough to corner this feisty left-hander.