Corrie's Rosie reaps her revenge

This is the moment Coronation Street’s teenage temptress Rosie Webster reveals all — in more ways than one.

The saucy secretary played by Helen Flanagan, goes all out to seduce her boss — Weatherfield’s ruthless businessman Tony Gordon — after he takes her for lunch at a luxury hotel.

She strips to her underwear, a sexy corset and knickers, and waits for him in the hotel room in the episode to be screened tonight.

But he rejects her and scorned Rosie decides to take revenge by revealing the truth about his fiancee Carla and her brother-in-law Liam Connor.

So she smugly shows him the footage she shot on her mobile phone of the two of them kissing.

Gordon, played by Gray O’Brien, throws the terrified teenager down on the bed and tells her that no one else must find out about Carla and Liam’s affair.

Then Rosie mysteriously disappears

cricket

IPL: weekly review

Blockbusters, bouncers
dinesh
April 24, 2008

With each team done with two games and every venue done with one apiece, Cricinfo takes stock of the early action.


Virender Sehwag's assault against Andrew Symonds read: 4,6,4,6,4,6 (file photo) © Getty Images


The blockbuster: Not only did Kolkata see more than 85,000 pack the Eden Gardens, but a mud-cake of a pitch, faulty light-towers, and a nail-biting finish. Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers was the most dramatic match of the first week and it will take several bunglers to reprise that classic. Not that the curator, association chiefs or even the chief minister would want another bout of fierce criticism. A blockbuster anyway you look at it.

Mini-battle count Kumar Sangakkara unleashed a furious flat-batted on-drive of Murali before holing out to long-off; Andrew Symonds took a few nimble steps down the ground to pummel Pigeon for two fours; Matthew Hayden saw off Harbhajan Singh; Murali halted his run-up midway while bowling to Harbhajan before the batsman backed off the next ball. Zaheer got Ganguly again, and Dravid, not for the first time, struggled against Pollock. The rivalries are simmering but none has blown the roof off yet. Here's wishing for Ponting to club Warne for 30 in an over.

Sizzling sequence McCullum's assault against Zaheer in just the second over of the tournament (4,4,6,4) was an ideal fire-starter and Rohit Sharma's 6,6,4,4,4 had the Hyderabad crowd on their feet but the most sensational hitting came when Virender Sehwag brutalised Symonds with a sequence that read 4,6,4,6,4,6. Peppering extra cover, square leg, backward square leg, cover, midwicket and long-on, he sealed the match with violent hammer blows.

Spirit watch: The Spirit of Cricket award is at stake but there aren't many takers, it seems. Hayden refused to walk after nicking to the wicketkeeper in Chennai; Sreesanth had several things to say to Kamran Akmal in Jaipur; Scott Styris endured a mid-pitch collision with Laxmi Ratan Shukla in Kolkata; and Symonds and Gilchrist argued with the umpire in the climactic stages at Eden Gardens. At the other end of the spectrum was Dravid, standing his ground after a caught-and-bowled chance but walking away once Harbhajan began to celebrate.

From obscurity to stardom: Dinesh Salunkhe, the legspinner, has got tongues wagging in Rajasthan (when Warne talks highly of a legbreak bowler, you ought to listen); Manpreet Gony, the big medium-pacer, has turned into Chennai's chief weapon; Ashok Dinda has enjoyed opening the bowling for Kolkata; Ravindra Jadeja has played a winning had for Jaipur; and Abhishek Nayar has injected zing into Mumbai. Sehwag, though, is the only Indian to claim a Man-of-the-Match award so far.

Ground watch: Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium produced a near-perfect contest. Zaheer and Co. gained lift early on - to the extent that Dominic Thornely needed 15 stitches after being struck on the face - the batsmen prospered and the spinners thrived as the game went on. Chennai came close but the dewy outfield made it extremely difficult for the bowlers. Jaipur was up there as well, offering help for batsmen and bowlers.


The Australians have scored nearly 25% of the total runs in the IPL so far © Cricinfo


Aussie meter: Most teams have rode on Aussie power. The two Shanes (Watson and Warne) swung a game in Jaipur, the Hussey brothers have played one match-winning knock apiece, McGrath has spearheaded Delhi's charge, Hayden hasn't been quiet and James Hopes has made an impact in Mohali. After eight games, the Australians have contributed almost 25% of the total runs in the tournament.

Mis-fits and bloopers: VVS Laxman playing Twenty20, and Bangalore opening with Rahul Dravid and Wasim Jaffer when confronted with a target of 223. Enough said. Venugopal Rao, opening for Hyderabad, has looked like a fish out of water, as has Darren Lehmann running around on the field. Lehmann fluffing a dolly at mid-off, off a Yuvraj Singh leading edge, was surely the clumsiest so far.

Prime numbers
43 - The percentage of dot balls in the IPL so far

17 - The average number of balls per six, which converts to one every 2.5 overs

2 - The total number of threes run in the tournament

8.27 - The average runs per over in the first eight matches

11.11 - The run rate in the last five overs. During the Powerplays (first six overs), the scoring rate is only 7.66

TV atrocity: An exotically named Lekha Washington going up to Asad Rauf after the Eden Gardens power failure and asking: "What is your prediction for the match?". Equally infuriating was everyone referred to Rauf as Aleem Dar. "We are not supposed to comment," was Rauf's candid reply.

Pearls of wisdom
"It's a hard man's game - that's why it's a profession."
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan gets philosophical on air

"My level of involvement is that I'm here."
Preity Zinta gets into the thick of the action

"Bowling spin can be like poker as well"
Tom Moody doffs his hat to poker expert, Shane Warne, after his match-winning spell

ecb cricket news

English Premier League

England ponders six-region option

dinesh

April 25, 2008

Click here to leave your comments on the latest Twenty20 development


Kent, the Twenty20 holders, could form part of a South region, under new proposals for the EPL © Getty Images


If England is to create a viable Twenty20 competition to rival the Indian Premier League, then the 18 first-class counties are going to have to bite the bullet and merge into six regional sides. That is the message from Sean Morris, the new chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, who believes that without adaptation, English cricket faces being second-best to India for evermore.

"This is a great opportunity for English cricket, an unbelievable chance for England to reassert itself," Morris told The Guardian. "I just hope we take it. India, a big competitor, has got first to the market. Considering that we invented Twenty20, they should not have got there first. It is important that we act quickly."

Morris's proposal is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the England & Wales Cricket Board on May 26, but plans are already in full swing following a week of talks with Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire whose patronage has given English cricket renewed confidence as it seeks to respond to the threat of the IPL. Stanford told the BBC on Thursday that he believed that England was not only better placed to take the lead in Twenty20 cricket, but that the game could eventually overtake football as the world's most popular sport.

Should the regional plan come to fruition, there could be some enticing amalgamations on the cards. Lancashire and Yorkshire could be thrown in together with Durham as a Northern region, with Surrey, Middlesex and Essex all uniting under the London banner. Such a proposal may be anathema to the die-hard fans of the counties involved, but Morris cited the example of South African rugby, where traditional Currie Cup rivals have combined to form potent Super 14 franchises.

"This is the biggest opportunity we will ever get to restructure," said Morris. His argument is that, without reducing the number of competing sides, the talent on display would be spread too thinly, and the prospect of attracting the big-name players would diminish. "When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up? We need to have a product that is exportable back to India, because that is where the money is."

Stanford is willing to invest heavily in the scheme, but has effectively set the ECB a deadline of 2010 to get the competition up and running. "If I was to make a more aggressive bet I would say 2009. But no later than 2010 or they've missed the boat," he told BBC Sport. "We all know that and I don't think the British are going to miss the boat."

Potential regional sides

North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham
London Surrey, Middlesex, Essex
South Hampshire, Kent, Sussex
Wales and West Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset
West Midlands Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Northants
East Midlands Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire

upcoming ipl match

Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Mohali

Punjab and Mumbai seek first win

Ashok Ganguly

April 24, 2008


Yuvraj Singh will play opposite his state-mate, Harbhajan (file photo) © AFP


Match facts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture
There is plenty at stake here as both sides have gone two rounds without a win and languish at the bottom of the points table. Mumbai, who were at the wrong end of two close encounters, will pin their hopes on the possibility of their captain and icon, Sachin Tendulkar, making his IPL debut on a batting-friendly Mohali wicket. It will be interesting to see whether the crowds flock to arguably the most spectator-friendly stadium in India, after large sections of the stadium were empty in Punjab's first game.

Watch out for ...
... a classic contest between Tendulkar, if he plays, and the fiery Brett Lee. Look for needle between Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh; there was some friction over fielding issues during the recent Test series against South Africa. Harbhajan, who may have to captain the side for the third match running, has the added challenge of playing for the away team in what is his Ranji home ground, and will play opposite his state-mate, Yuvraj Singh.

Team news
If Tendulkar does return, Vikrant Yeligati, the offspinner, could be dropped after going for 16 runs in his one over in Chennai. The rest of the team will probably remain largely unchanged, but Nayar may feel he deserves a promotion after taking Mumbai close to a win in the last game.

Mumbai: (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Luke Ronchi (wk), 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Musavir Khote, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dhaval Kulkarni.

Punjab may bring in VRV Singh, the right-arm seamer who has played for India in Tests and ODIs, in place of Wilkin Mota. Mahela Jayawardene is likely to retain his place despite making just 2 in his only innings.

Punjab: (probable) 1 Karan Goel, 2 James Hopes, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Sunny Sohal, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Vikram Singh, 11 Sreesanth.

Stats and trivia
# Mumbai scored an average of 12.67 runs in their last five overs, while Punjab have only managed an average of eight.
# Nayar took three catches in Mumbai's first game, the most so far by a fielder in an IPL match

Quotes

"The wishes of my fans and team-mates is the best gift I have received today. I hope I will perform better this year." Tendulkar on his 35th birthday

ipl match

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Chennai

Joginder the iceman holds his nerve


April 23, 2008


Matthew Hayden praised Suresh Raina's 53, saying "his knock was perfect" (file photo)


As the miscue from Harbhajan Singh's bat went up in the air, many in the crowd got to their feet. The relaxed good cheer of five overs earlier had given way to nail-biting tension, and a couple of them could barely look as S Badrinath ran in from long-off. The yellow headband told everyone that the local boy was under it, and the roar after he held on resonated around this famous old ground.

It still wasn't over though. Abhishek Nayar was still there, intent on showing just why he's so highly rated at the domestic level. Joginder Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's last-over specialist, had bowled tidily to concede just 17 in his first three overs, and with 19 needed from the last six balls, the crowd was slightly calmer.

They shouldn't have been. Nayar pulled the first ball for four and then smashed one over cover to bring the equation down to 11 from four. Joginder's next offering was a no-ball, and a free hit. Crucially though, Nayar took a single to backward point. Nine from four, but the far less dangerous Ashish Nehra on strike.

Joginder had been on this emotional rollercoaster before, in the final over of the T20 World Cup, and once again, his composure saw him through. Nehra could do nothing with a yorker outside off stump, and when he squirted the next one out on to the off side, it left Nayar needing to strike at least two fours to win the game.

A lesser man might have lost his nerve, but Joginder seems to thrive in these situations. Another perfect yorker, and Nayar, who had batted superbly for 44 from just 18 balls, could only strike it straight to cover. Game effectively over.

The thrilling denouement to what was undoubtedly the game of the tournament so far rather obscured what had gone before, though there was plenty for both teams to take away from a match where fortunes fluctuated wildly as a result of the dew factor.

More than half an hour after the finish, the outfield looked like the water sprinklers had been on for hours and it was easy to see why even bowlers of the quality of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shaun Pollock had struggled to make a real impact. Matthew Hayden, who bludgeoned 81 from 46 balls to set Chennai on their way to a second massive total, admitted afterwards that the wet ball had loaded the dice in the batsmen's favour.

"The only disadvantage [for batsmen] was that the ball got quite discoloured," he said. "But they were changing it regularly, so there was no disadvantage for the batsmen."

When the schedule was drawn up, we labelled this game the battle of the Obnoxious Weed [Hayden's term of endearment for Harbhajan] and Head and Shoulders [courtesy of Robin Uthappa's subsequent remarks on Hayden]. It didn't quite turn out that way. Hayden faced only five balls from Harbhajan, taking him for three singles, and the final word went to Harbhajan, whose direct hit ended the slim hopes of a third century in the first week of the competition.

Hayden shared a 104-run partnership with Suresh Raina, and was candid in his assessment of the efforts of a young man touted as the future of Indian batsmanship not so long ago. "He played the better of the two innings," Hayden said. "He definitely hit the ball cleaner and sweeter than I did. His knock was perfect."

Kepler Wessels, the Chennai coach, echoed his view. "He [Raina] batted superbly even in the first game [against King's XI Punjab] and did well here. There'll be a big responsibility on him when Matthew and Michael Hussey leave."

The two Australian stalwarts are around only for another week, and Hayden chuckled when Wessels was asked how much his team would be affected by their departure. "Of course it bothers me," Wessels said. "It's also the example they set off the field that we'll miss."

And while Raina could bask in the satisfaction of a job well done, Nayar and Uthappa were left to reflect on a run chase that never quite got going till it was too late. Uthappa contributed 43, an innings that was immeasurably superior to the 48 that he made in Mumbai over the weekend. This time, he played the ball instead of premeditating almost every stroke. There were some lovely drives down the ground, and the cheeky deflections to third man were timed beautifully.

With Manpreet Goni and Joginder so impressive, it didn't hurt Chennai that P Amarnath and Jacob Oram both had shocking outings. In a five-over spell late on, Mumbai plundered 71, transforming a no-contest into an edge-of-the-seat humdinger. Nayar, whose level-headedness and maturity should take him a long way, nearly took the Indians past the line, but it was almost inevitable that the star of the last act would be Joginder, the domestic titan with chilled aqua pura running through his veins.


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Ask Steven: The highest Test total to include just one individual score in double figures




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FOOTBALL / ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP

United inches closer to title

For Manchester United, the victory is one to reflect upon. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side was issued a reminder by Arsenal of how arduous the closing phase of a season can be, writes Kevin McCarra.


Manchester United were not allowed to be fussy about the way they approached the Premier League title. This was a stumble rather than a glide towards the trophy as Arsenal performed with enormous pride and exertion before succumbing to a defeat that was hardly deserved.

Only a sadist will sneer that they again conceded an equaliser so soon after going in front. The victory is one for United to reflect upon. If they needed a reminder of how arduous the closing phase of a season can be, then they were given it in a resounding manner. Their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, needed little prompting to admit that Arsenal had deserved more. It was as if the laws of physiology had been given the afternoon off when Arsene Wenger’s team acted as if they had not been through the harrowing night at Anfield recently that eliminated them from the Champions League.

This was the energy of desperation from a team frantic to stave off the end of their campaign. United could barely equal it, despite the rest a few members of the squad had been granted when Roma were at this ground on April 9. Arsenal could have equalised here and Old Trafford hearts hammered, for instance, as the substitute Nicklas Bendtner rose for two late headers that Edwin van der Sar reached. There was a liberation for Arsenal in the knowledge that they had nothing left to lose. United, on the other hand, were hampered by all the calculations that buzz in the brains of a side on the verge of retaining this prize. While they did not flow as Arsenal had in the first half, they came up with a means of winning after going 1-0 down. Two victories, including a triumph at Stamford Bridge on April 26, will confirm them as champions because of their impregnable advantage in goal difference.

Despite the spasmodic character of a display in which Cristiano Ronaldo was largely marginalised, there were still openings for United. Jens Lehmann, between the posts for Arsenal because of a wrist injury to Manuel Almunia, needed to make a string of saves even when the United engine was spluttering. With the fixture goalless, for instance, he got a foot to Wayne Rooney’s close-range shot after a Ronaldo cut-back in the 23rd minute. The German’s presence could have been mistaken for a harbinger of achievement. Emmanuel Adebayor had squandered several opportunities, too soft with some finishes and wild with another, before at last putting Arsenal in front after 48 minutes. The tireless Gael Clichy crossed and the United defence paused in the misinformed assumption that Van der Sar would come to catch it. As the Dutchman froze, Adebayor bundled the ball into the net although it did seem to come off his arm.

United should not let the rejoicing at the end obliterate all recollection of their jeopardy. They could have been 2-0 down, as Rio Ferdinand directed a hard Adebayor cross towards his own net, but Van der Sar blocked. At that moment all the admiration was for Arsenal and for the sharpness of players such as Alexander Hleb as they tried to cut down United.

The haphazard, self-destructive trait in Wenger’s side was not to be suppressed all the same. In the 52nd minute William Gallas leaned to his left and put an arm in the way of a pass from Michael Carrick.

Ronaldo was then obliged to give a more sustained exhibition of his adroitness from the spot. His first attempt was disallowed because Park Ji-sung had encroached.

Here was a fertile situation for Lehmann, who delayed the retake at the expense of a caution. Ronaldo was not to be distracted and possessed such supreme faith in himself that he delivered an upgraded version of his initial penalty. Lehmann was once more beaten to his right, but the shot that sped past him was kept even lower.

United could not really kill off Arsenal; it took the full-time whistle to do that. Wenger’s men nearly levelled but the Clichy cross that broke from Wes Brown after 68 minutes banged off the near post. Arsenal were to be undone by a piece of precision. Gilberto Silva fouled Patrice Evra and Ronaldo was the decoy as Owen Hargreaves, just as he had at Fulham, scooped an exquisite free-kick over the wall and low into the net. Lehmann could do nothing more than gawp. Arsenal, who collected five bookings, were not crushed and continued to claw at United. Their challenge for the title had expired a while ago but only this defeat persuaded Wenger to issue the death certificate. His side were killed off over a period commencing with the 2-2 draw at Birmingham City in late February. The manager now has more weeks than he would have wished for in which to consider how he can deepen his squad.

Wenger has, as a parting shot, driven United into a period of chastened reflection. Perhaps that will be a boon to Ferguson. After this the squad will believe him when he insists there is nothing to be taken for granted in the Premier League or Champions League.

April 13: Liverpool 3 (Gerrard 60, Torres 82, Voronin 90) bt Blackburn 1 (Santa Cruz 90). Half-time: 0-0; Manchester United 2 (Ronaldo pen-54, Hargreaves 72) bt Arsenal 1 (Adebayor 48). Half-time: 0-0.

April 12: Birmingham 1 (Zarate 83) drew with Everton 1 (Lescott 78). Half-time: 0-0; Bolton 1 (Davies 47) bt West Ham 0. Half-time: 0-0; Derby 0 lost to Aston Villa 6 (Young 25, Carew 26, Petrov 36, Barry 58, Agbonlahor 76, Harewood 85). Half-time: 0-3; Portsmouth 0 drew with Newcastle 0; Reading 0 lost to Fulham 2 (McBride 24, Nevland 90). Half-time: 0-1; Sunderland 1 (Whitehead 82) lost to Manchester City 2 (Elano pen-79, Vassell 87). Half-time: 0-0; Tottenham 1 (Grounds o.g. 27) drew with Middlesbrough 1 (Downing 69). Half-time: 1-0.

April 8: West Ham 0 lost to Portsmouth 1 (Kranjcar 61). Half-time: 0-0

indian ipl match

interview on modi





IPL SPECIAL / INTERVIEW/LALIT MODI

Harnessing market forces to develop cricket

“We are satisfied that we have created a global cricketing entertainment product, which will get its strength from the sponsors and millions of fans,” says Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League Twenty20, in this chat with G. Viswanath.


Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League Twenty20, is one of a kind in cricket administration. He was in the forefront of bringing a change in the BCCI in the last quarter of 2005 in Kolkata, and has delivered what he has promised. The entire cricket fraternity in India has benefited from the streams of revenue he has generated in under six months. The IPL, of course, is something new, a catalyst that will make India a cricketing hub in the years to come. In this interview to Sportstar, Modi takes us through the story of IPL.

Question: What encouraged or inspired you to work on the IPL concept?

Answer: I think it’s all about believing in yourself and having the conviction to carry on with your beliefs in spite of the odds. This I think summarises the success story of the DLF-IPL, thanks in no small measure also to the faith shown in me by the BCCI and my belief in creating India’s very own cricketing league. Therein lies the success story of the IPL.

I believe what we have today is not only the best platform for showcasing cricket in India, but is also a world stage for many an aspiring Indian youngster. It will significantly benefit the cricketing infrastructure of our country and help develop the game at the grass roots level, a fact mirrored in the 94 talented Indian youngsters who will display their talents alongside the best in world cricket.

It all started way back in 1994, when I partnered with ESPN to launch the channel in India. It was then that we started thinking on how India could have a world class cricketing league to call its own; kind of like the NBA or the NFL in America or even the English Premier League. The second idea that I was toying with was how sports and business could be merged for the greater good of the game. Today we are satisfied that we have created a global cricketing entertainment product, which will get its strength from the sponsors and millions of fans.

Were you always confident of making the most of the market forces, given the fact that the BCCI, and particularly you, were able to market the Indian cricket team from early 2006 to many sponsors and also establish events in Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur and Ireland?

We were always confident, thanks largely to adopting a strategy that focussed on the strengths of Team India. We simply went out and marketed the game to generate what we thought was the fullest potential.

We have simply done the same with the IPL, wherein we let market forces decide the true net worth of the game and its players. Of course the fact that the Twenty20 format is fast, furious and adrenalin-packed to draw in the crowds and an entire new generation of cricket lovers through the gates at stadiums helped a great deal.

Fundamentally, the Indian team per se had to do well, for the corporate community and other entities in the entertainment business to be nudged and respond positively to a unique concept.

In this regard India’s T20 win in South Africa must have been a shot in the arm?

Yes, definitely there has been an overwhelming response and greater interest after India won the World T20. Each of the players has performed well in their respective domestic and international appearances, resulting in excellent valuations for the IPL and its players. I see the T20 format being included in the ICC’S Future Tour Programme (FTP) in the future and all formats of the game will co-exist side by side, as each one caters to a distinct audience with varied appeals.

Consent from the ICC’s full members was also essential, after taking into account the primacy of traditional Test cricket, one-day cricket and also the ICC’s signature events like the World Cup…

I have always maintained that the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) is sacrosanct for all cricket playing nations and the same stands true for the BCCI also. We will continue to fulfil all our commitments to the FTP. We need to realise that the IPL is here to stay and it will carve a niche for itself in the cricketing calendar. It is club level domestic cricket which other countries have been playing for a while and so we will discuss this with the ICC to ensure that going forward the IPL becomes a part of the FTP. I do not forsee a clash of interests between the IPL and the traditional forms of the game.

Taking on board eminent cricketers like Tiger Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri must have been an advantage. It also proves that cricketers are involved in the process of running the event…

The BCCI has always adopted a very participatory process involving the leading cricketers in all its affairs. The IPL is simply following the same philosophy. M. A. K. Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have been leading lights in their playing days and even after retiring from the game, their involvement with it has continued. We are lucky to have former players of such calibre.

They have played very important roles as members of the Governing Council, guiding the fate of the League right from its nascence and participating in all the affairs of the IPL. More importantly this only goes to show that former cricketers are involved in the process of running the game.

The franchisees seem to be happy with the revenue model…

Our franchisee mix is a delectable combination of some of the most business savvy corporate houses and Bollywood stars, each a major brand in themselves, having created billions of rupees worth of value for their individual enterprises. I am certain that each of our franchises would have realised the full potential of the business and ratified their own business models before taking the plunge. Having done that all of them now will leave no stone unturned to ensure success. The format will also help draw in the uninitiated and a whole new generation of fans and so the marketing dynamics would be that much more different. Also do not forget the global audiences that would be tuning into the games, all of which makes for some very exciting times ahead.

What was the intention behind making Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag icon players?

The idea obviously was to generate interest among the local followers of the game. The very presence and participation of these players is enough to inspire and draw the fans to the stadia. Imagine a Mumbai Team without a Sachin Tendulkar or a Kolkata Team without their Dada! Would be tantamount to a Cola without any fizz! The secondary reason was that we wanted these players to be the captains of their respective city teams.

You said the auction was the defining moment of the IPL; did any other method cross your mind to offer the 90 players to the franchisees?

The player auction was a unique event in the annals of international cricket. We spent a lot of time and energy to consider various ways and means of how to undertake the exercise of distributing the international players among the eight franchisees equitably so as to create balanced teams. This was a complex process and needed a complex solution. After a great deal of deliberation and studying various models, we felt that a player auction with groupings was the best option for us.