she is the glamorous face of the Punjab team in the Indian Premier League. In this interview to Sportstar, the Bollywood star, Priety Zinta, talks of her love for cricket and the concept of IPL.
Question: What was your experience in dealing with some of the cricket stars?
The cricketers are easy to work with, are young, full of energy and passionate about the game. They are as much excited about the IPL as I am. They are down-to-earth and warm human beings.
What attracted you to the IPL?
This was the first time the BCCI was privatising cricket — a game that is so popular that it won’t be wrong to say that our country thrives on this sport. The Twenty20 format is brilliant; it binds sport and entertainment in a classical way.
What are the positives of this concept?
The Twenty20 format and the IPL mark a new beginning of the future of sports in India, particularly cricket. Generally parents are apprehensive about their children taking up sports as a career but with this format up and running and different clubs being formed, more and more money will be invested in the game. Earlier, a person, who had the passion for the game and wanted to be a sportsman, could not pursue his dream considering that he would not be able to financially sustain himself and his family. But with this format coming up he does not have to think like this anymore because of the kind of money being invested in the game now. Hence, Twenty20 format holds a bright future for cricket in India.
Is it purely a business proposition for you or is it a step towards greater involvement with cricket in the future?
I would say that both the business proposition aspect and my passion for cricket go hand-in-hand and therefore I am part of IPL today. I, along with my partners, intend to create a team which is extremely valuable and we will give all it takes — time, energy and resources — for the love of the game! Fans do not care about balance sheets; spectators are at the heart of this game and without them, there can be no business. Having said that, I would say that nothing can be followed without passion — be it cricket or business.
What are the strong points of your team?
Kings XI Punjab is a perfect blend of big proven names and local talent. The main strength of Kings XI Punjab is its youth. The average age of the Mohali team is just 24.7 years, hence the energy and passion in the players. Also it is a very well balanced team as on one hand we have young players like Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan and on the other we have experienced names like Tom Moody. We feel so lucky to have Moody in our hand
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
indian tennis
The future seems bright
The way both Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna fought against the Japanese in the Davis Cup regional Asian tie recently was commendable. Indian men’s tennis, no doubt, appears to be bouncing back to life, writes Kamesh Srinivasan.
SANDEEP SAXENA
A jubilant Indian team after defeating Japan 3-2 in the Davis Cup tie.
Leander Paes has managed to soothe the egos of his players and bring the best out of them in Davis Cup tennis.
A captain need not always be liked by his players, but he has to necessarily get good results from his team. For someone who has served the nation with distinction and won quite a few titles, including an Olympic bronze medal, Leander knows pretty wel l that the unwarranted hostility against him by the players would not stick in public memory, which is full of his heroics. He chose to maintain a studied silence, even as he let himself evolve as a shrewd captain, willing to mend his ways, if necessary, when his players revolted against his leadership.
With the All India Tennis Association (AITA) playing a key role in holding the team together, it was tough for the opposition to beat India.
Leander was indeed a proud captain as he led his team to the World Group play-off with a superb display against Japan at home.
In what could easily be termed as one of the best days in recent Indian Davis Cup history, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj fought like champions and revealed a steely resolve as they beat the Japanese challenge on the opening day of the regional Asian tie in New Delhi.
While the strapping Bopanna made light of his ranking — he is No. 325 on the ATP list — to outplay the 118th-ranked Kei Nishikori in the fifth set with a flurry of big serves, Prakash, ranked No. 261, saved two match-points in the decider to shatter the confidence of Go Soeda (ranked No. 156).
The Japanese may have erred in sticking to rankings and youth, rather than pin hopes on the seasoned Takao Suzuki, but the Indian boys had earned their respect in a grand fashion.
A captain cannot just hope that the numbers would do the trick, for it has been repeated too often that rankings go out of the window in a Davis Cup tie. He has to play his cards well. It was indeed a masterstroke when Leander put Somdev Dev Varman ahead of Prakash in the tie against Uzbekistan in February. Never mind the fact that Somdev, the NCAA singles champion, cut a sorry figure on grass. Leander, after all, had sent out a clear signal to his team that it was performance that mattered most and not the players’ rankings.
Leander, no doubt, has a great respect for the commitment of both Bopanna and Prakash. However, he has been unhappy with the fact that they have not been able to push their game up in the last few years.
Bopanna and Prakash, between them, had won only 10 singles matches in Davis Cup after having started as far back as in 2002. Besides, all those wins have come only in the Asian region, though Bopanna showed great character in fighting against the French Open finalist, Martin Verkerk, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 10-12 in Holland in 2003.
AP
Basking in glory... Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj (right), who showed steely resolve in the opening singles.
“This victory should give them a lot of self-belief. I have myself given Rohan a hard time for not winning those five-setters in the past and for not having the required physical fitness. We know that Prakash is one of the fittest guys and he showed a lot of heart in his match. All of us honestly expected him to win his match. It is very big to win two five-setters in a day. It should give them the confidence in long matches in future as they know what they are capable of,” observed Mahesh Bhupathi.
If one thought that the eternal conflict between Leander and Mahesh would affect the morale of the Indian team, then he needs to revise his opinion. In fact, the two are actually doing a good turn to the Indian team.
It will be the fourth World Group play-off for Bopanna and third for Prakash. If they maintain the intensity of approach and improve upon their performance in the play-off tie scheduled in September, they can take India back into the elite World Group of 16 countries.
With Leander and Mahesh providing the stability in doubles, the singles players need to worry about winning only one match each. Leander and Mahesh can provide a further shot in the arm for Indian tennis by winning a medal, nothing less than the gold itself, at the Beijing Olympics in August.
In the tie against Japan, Leander and Mahesh were playing together for the first time since the Doha Asian Games in December 2006. They need to play together in a few more tournaments before the Beijing Games and the two have given an assurance that they would prepare very well for the Olympics.
With Harsh Mankad showing good progress after a long lay-off owing to injury and Somdev set to turn professional soon on completing his University education in the US, it augurs well for the future of Indian tennis.
Indian men’s tennis is slowly coming back to life.
THE RESULTS
India beat Japan 3-2
Rohan Bopanna bt Kei Nishikori 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
Prakash Amritraj bt Go Soeda 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6.
Mahesh Bhupathi & Leander Paes bt Satoshi Iwabuchi & Takao Suzuki 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Mahesh Bhupathi lost to Kei Nishikori 5-7, 1-6.
Leander Paes lost to Satoshi Iwabuchi 4-6, 6-4,
The way both Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna fought against the Japanese in the Davis Cup regional Asian tie recently was commendable. Indian men’s tennis, no doubt, appears to be bouncing back to life, writes Kamesh Srinivasan.
SANDEEP SAXENA
A jubilant Indian team after defeating Japan 3-2 in the Davis Cup tie.
Leander Paes has managed to soothe the egos of his players and bring the best out of them in Davis Cup tennis.
A captain need not always be liked by his players, but he has to necessarily get good results from his team. For someone who has served the nation with distinction and won quite a few titles, including an Olympic bronze medal, Leander knows pretty wel l that the unwarranted hostility against him by the players would not stick in public memory, which is full of his heroics. He chose to maintain a studied silence, even as he let himself evolve as a shrewd captain, willing to mend his ways, if necessary, when his players revolted against his leadership.
With the All India Tennis Association (AITA) playing a key role in holding the team together, it was tough for the opposition to beat India.
Leander was indeed a proud captain as he led his team to the World Group play-off with a superb display against Japan at home.
In what could easily be termed as one of the best days in recent Indian Davis Cup history, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj fought like champions and revealed a steely resolve as they beat the Japanese challenge on the opening day of the regional Asian tie in New Delhi.
While the strapping Bopanna made light of his ranking — he is No. 325 on the ATP list — to outplay the 118th-ranked Kei Nishikori in the fifth set with a flurry of big serves, Prakash, ranked No. 261, saved two match-points in the decider to shatter the confidence of Go Soeda (ranked No. 156).
The Japanese may have erred in sticking to rankings and youth, rather than pin hopes on the seasoned Takao Suzuki, but the Indian boys had earned their respect in a grand fashion.
A captain cannot just hope that the numbers would do the trick, for it has been repeated too often that rankings go out of the window in a Davis Cup tie. He has to play his cards well. It was indeed a masterstroke when Leander put Somdev Dev Varman ahead of Prakash in the tie against Uzbekistan in February. Never mind the fact that Somdev, the NCAA singles champion, cut a sorry figure on grass. Leander, after all, had sent out a clear signal to his team that it was performance that mattered most and not the players’ rankings.
Leander, no doubt, has a great respect for the commitment of both Bopanna and Prakash. However, he has been unhappy with the fact that they have not been able to push their game up in the last few years.
Bopanna and Prakash, between them, had won only 10 singles matches in Davis Cup after having started as far back as in 2002. Besides, all those wins have come only in the Asian region, though Bopanna showed great character in fighting against the French Open finalist, Martin Verkerk, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 10-12 in Holland in 2003.
AP
Basking in glory... Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj (right), who showed steely resolve in the opening singles.
“This victory should give them a lot of self-belief. I have myself given Rohan a hard time for not winning those five-setters in the past and for not having the required physical fitness. We know that Prakash is one of the fittest guys and he showed a lot of heart in his match. All of us honestly expected him to win his match. It is very big to win two five-setters in a day. It should give them the confidence in long matches in future as they know what they are capable of,” observed Mahesh Bhupathi.
If one thought that the eternal conflict between Leander and Mahesh would affect the morale of the Indian team, then he needs to revise his opinion. In fact, the two are actually doing a good turn to the Indian team.
It will be the fourth World Group play-off for Bopanna and third for Prakash. If they maintain the intensity of approach and improve upon their performance in the play-off tie scheduled in September, they can take India back into the elite World Group of 16 countries.
With Leander and Mahesh providing the stability in doubles, the singles players need to worry about winning only one match each. Leander and Mahesh can provide a further shot in the arm for Indian tennis by winning a medal, nothing less than the gold itself, at the Beijing Olympics in August.
In the tie against Japan, Leander and Mahesh were playing together for the first time since the Doha Asian Games in December 2006. They need to play together in a few more tournaments before the Beijing Games and the two have given an assurance that they would prepare very well for the Olympics.
With Harsh Mankad showing good progress after a long lay-off owing to injury and Somdev set to turn professional soon on completing his University education in the US, it augurs well for the future of Indian tennis.
Indian men’s tennis is slowly coming back to life.
THE RESULTS
India beat Japan 3-2
Rohan Bopanna bt Kei Nishikori 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
Prakash Amritraj bt Go Soeda 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6.
Mahesh Bhupathi & Leander Paes bt Satoshi Iwabuchi & Takao Suzuki 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Mahesh Bhupathi lost to Kei Nishikori 5-7, 1-6.
Leander Paes lost to Satoshi Iwabuchi 4-6, 6-4,
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
sanianews
You are watching Sania Mirza Wallpaper 800 x 600 004.thumb photo
FRAME
"I would like to clearly say on record that I could not possibly justify pre-marital sex as it is a very big sin in Islam and one which I believe will not be forgiven by Allah," Sania, a devout Muslim, said in the statement.
"Attributing a view point that is totally contrary to what I believe in and what I stand for as a Muslim and as an Indian girl," Sania said was a creation of media to sensationalise a story and such sensitive issues needed to be confirmed before making such attempts.
Khushboo's remarks on pre-marital sex had kicked up a major controversy and taken political twists with activists of PMK and Dalit Panthers of India voicing strong protests against the film star, who later apologised.
An earlier episode involving Sania's dress code and a religious leader issuing a fatwa (religious edict) to "dress as a Muslim girl" had raked up controversy and Sania refused to speak on the issue.
She had also denied that her remarks at the summit that whether her dress was six inches in length was not made in the context of fatwa issued on the subject.
Muslim clerics had reportedly issued a 'fatwa' taking objection to Sania's apparel during tennis matches, which they said was 'un-Islamic'.
Cricket Live ScoreCard
FRAME
"I would like to clearly say on record that I could not possibly justify pre-marital sex as it is a very big sin in Islam and one which I believe will not be forgiven by Allah," Sania, a devout Muslim, said in the statement.
"Attributing a view point that is totally contrary to what I believe in and what I stand for as a Muslim and as an Indian girl," Sania said was a creation of media to sensationalise a story and such sensitive issues needed to be confirmed before making such attempts.
Khushboo's remarks on pre-marital sex had kicked up a major controversy and taken political twists with activists of PMK and Dalit Panthers of India voicing strong protests against the film star, who later apologised.
An earlier episode involving Sania's dress code and a religious leader issuing a fatwa (religious edict) to "dress as a Muslim girl" had raked up controversy and Sania refused to speak on the issue.
She had also denied that her remarks at the summit that whether her dress was six inches in length was not made in the context of fatwa issued on the subject.
Muslim clerics had reportedly issued a 'fatwa' taking objection to Sania's apparel during tennis matches, which they said was 'un-Islamic'.
Cricket Live ScoreCard
sanianews
Mumbai, July 27
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
AT a recent music video shoot with Upen Patel and Udita Goswami, all members of the unit were forced to switch off their mobile phones. ‘‘We were shooting against a green screen, which could be easily manipulated to create a different backdrop. I’m so scared that my face could be morphed and I might be on the next MMS. The government should enforce laws about the usage of MMS-enabled phones,’’ says Goswami.
We bought Mallika Sherawat. Even Riya Sen and Ashmit Patel sounded plausible. But Sania Mirza? That’s the latest clip doing the rounds on MMS, tech junkies say.
Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery
Is this merely the next generation of privacy invasion? Dhoom star Rimi Sen feels there will always be people who want to take advantage of those in the limelight; ‘‘It’s upto you to be careful.’’
MMS seems to be the hottest conversation topic even at a casual hangout.
But actor Tulip Joshi’s tired of the rumour mill. ‘‘It’s irritating when people discuss MMSes endlessly. I think everyone needs to display some maturity and ignore such things,’’ she says. ‘‘I’m not personally threatened by the issue, but I think there should be some serious action taken to prevent such free circulation of someone’s private lives.’’
Though concerned, actor Kim Sharma isn’t spending sleepless nights bothering about it. ‘‘Maybe it’s fun or kinky to record your private activities, but if it gets out, it’s unpleasant for your family and friends as well,’’ she says.
As for the convenient knee-jerk denial, not everyone’s buying it. ‘‘I think morphing is just an excuse—the initial ‘it wasn’t me’ response. Even Kareena (Kapoor) first denied that it was her, later admitting that it was,’’ says actor Koel Purie.
TV siren Swetta Keswani agrees. ‘‘I’ve seen a few of these clips and it’s definitely the people themselves. It’s entirely the woman’s fault for allowing a man to tape her in a compromising position. This would never happen to me because I’m not that stupid.’
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
AT a recent music video shoot with Upen Patel and Udita Goswami, all members of the unit were forced to switch off their mobile phones. ‘‘We were shooting against a green screen, which could be easily manipulated to create a different backdrop. I’m so scared that my face could be morphed and I might be on the next MMS. The government should enforce laws about the usage of MMS-enabled phones,’’ says Goswami.
We bought Mallika Sherawat. Even Riya Sen and Ashmit Patel sounded plausible. But Sania Mirza? That’s the latest clip doing the rounds on MMS, tech junkies say.
Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery
Is this merely the next generation of privacy invasion? Dhoom star Rimi Sen feels there will always be people who want to take advantage of those in the limelight; ‘‘It’s upto you to be careful.’’
MMS seems to be the hottest conversation topic even at a casual hangout.
But actor Tulip Joshi’s tired of the rumour mill. ‘‘It’s irritating when people discuss MMSes endlessly. I think everyone needs to display some maturity and ignore such things,’’ she says. ‘‘I’m not personally threatened by the issue, but I think there should be some serious action taken to prevent such free circulation of someone’s private lives.’’
Though concerned, actor Kim Sharma isn’t spending sleepless nights bothering about it. ‘‘Maybe it’s fun or kinky to record your private activities, but if it gets out, it’s unpleasant for your family and friends as well,’’ she says.
As for the convenient knee-jerk denial, not everyone’s buying it. ‘‘I think morphing is just an excuse—the initial ‘it wasn’t me’ response. Even Kareena (Kapoor) first denied that it was her, later admitting that it was,’’ says actor Koel Purie.
TV siren Swetta Keswani agrees. ‘‘I’ve seen a few of these clips and it’s definitely the people themselves. It’s entirely the woman’s fault for allowing a man to tape her in a compromising position. This would never happen to me because I’m not that stupid.’
sania
umbai, July 26
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
Fake is better than real: Lolly-popped!
Do you know that Sania Mirza is a porn star? No, we don’t mean Sania the tennis star, we are talking about her look-alike Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery who is doing the rounds on mobile phones as the latest porn MMS.
Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery
It all started with ‘teen’ heart throbs Kapoor and Kapur locking lips in some up-market Mumbai hot spot. Next was an alleged Riya Sen-Ashmit Patel MMS. And the latest in the world of MMS as we just told you are clips of Sania Mirza, Yana Gupta and Negar Khan (Ok, now this last name is not that a big surprise, but whatever!). And as we have found out - with the Mallika Sherawat MMS, - these 'celebrities' are actually fake.
They are look alikes who've suddenly been thrust into the limelight and are probably making the most of their 15 mintues of fame (or notoriety). It seems as if some real hard work is going into these MMSs. To actually come up with a Sania Mirza look alike and then leak the darned thing sure is a tough task.
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
Fake is better than real: Lolly-popped!
Do you know that Sania Mirza is a porn star? No, we don’t mean Sania the tennis star, we are talking about her look-alike Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery who is doing the rounds on mobile phones as the latest porn MMS.
Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery
It all started with ‘teen’ heart throbs Kapoor and Kapur locking lips in some up-market Mumbai hot spot. Next was an alleged Riya Sen-Ashmit Patel MMS. And the latest in the world of MMS as we just told you are clips of Sania Mirza, Yana Gupta and Negar Khan (Ok, now this last name is not that a big surprise, but whatever!). And as we have found out - with the Mallika Sherawat MMS, - these 'celebrities' are actually fake.
They are look alikes who've suddenly been thrust into the limelight and are probably making the most of their 15 mintues of fame (or notoriety). It seems as if some real hard work is going into these MMSs. To actually come up with a Sania Mirza look alike and then leak the darned thing sure is a tough task.
Twenty20 cricket
ECB and Stanford move closer to tie-in
Cricinfo staff
April 22, 2008
The England & Wales Cricket Board could be asked to help revive cricket in the Caribbean after moving ever closer to a lucrative tie-in with the Texan billionaire, Allen Stanford, following a further round of talks at Lord's on Monday.
Stanford, whose multimillion-dollar Twenty20 tournament has reinvigorated interest in cricket in the West Indies, has reportedly offered up to $100 million for a series of five 20-over matches between England and a West Indies All-star XI, the first of which could be played as early as November this year.
In a press release, the ECB said that the latest meeting between Stanford and David Collier, the CEO, "further developed the constructive and positive discussions" of the previous week. "I would be happy to make a five-year commitment," Stanford told The Times on Saturday. "I said it could be an annual event, maybe we could come to Lord's in 2009 and then alternate. The money is real and I think we will get a game."
Also present at Lord's were the president and chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, Dr Julian Hunte and Donald Peters, as proposals were discussed to help provide a legacy to the development and infrastructure of cricket in the Caribbean, in addition to a series of international matches.
It was the second meeting in the space of three days between representatives of the English and West Indian boards. On Friday, Hunte, Peters and Collier all met with the chairman of the ECB, Giles Clarke, in Bangalore during the opening match of the IPL.
During his trip to Lord's, Stanford also attended the pre-season lunch of the Lord's Taverners, which provides support for community cricket - in particular for children with disabilities. During the luncheon Stanford made a donation of £50,000 to the work of the charity which was received by the President of the Lord's Taverners, Mr Bill Tidy.
ECB and Stanford move closer to tie-in
Cricinfo staff
April 22, 2008
The England & Wales Cricket Board could be asked to help revive cricket in the Caribbean after moving ever closer to a lucrative tie-in with the Texan billionaire, Allen Stanford, following a further round of talks at Lord's on Monday.
Stanford, whose multimillion-dollar Twenty20 tournament has reinvigorated interest in cricket in the West Indies, has reportedly offered up to $100 million for a series of five 20-over matches between England and a West Indies All-star XI, the first of which could be played as early as November this year.
In a press release, the ECB said that the latest meeting between Stanford and David Collier, the CEO, "further developed the constructive and positive discussions" of the previous week. "I would be happy to make a five-year commitment," Stanford told The Times on Saturday. "I said it could be an annual event, maybe we could come to Lord's in 2009 and then alternate. The money is real and I think we will get a game."
Also present at Lord's were the president and chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, Dr Julian Hunte and Donald Peters, as proposals were discussed to help provide a legacy to the development and infrastructure of cricket in the Caribbean, in addition to a series of international matches.
It was the second meeting in the space of three days between representatives of the English and West Indian boards. On Friday, Hunte, Peters and Collier all met with the chairman of the ECB, Giles Clarke, in Bangalore during the opening match of the IPL.
During his trip to Lord's, Stanford also attended the pre-season lunch of the Lord's Taverners, which provides support for community cricket - in particular for children with disabilities. During the luncheon Stanford made a donation of £50,000 to the work of the charity which was received by the President of the Lord's Taverners, Mr Bill Tidy.
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