SCHEDULE OF IPL 7

Bailey to lead Punjab in IPL 7

Australia's T20I skipper George Bailey will lead the Punjab team in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League. Bailey becomes the second Australian after Adam Gilchrist to captain the Punjab franchise.

Kings XI coach Sanjay Bangar said Bailey was the unanimous choice considering his success in domestic competitions in Australia and also the fact that he has led the country in the limited overs format. "He was the unanimous choice. He has got success as a leader in the domestic tournaments like Sheffield Shield in Australia."

"He had also lead Australia in the Twenty20 format. And then the overall type of character he is, who can understand a range of players from the bigger names to ones that have limited ability. We are confident he has the ability to bring out the best from everyone," Bangar added.

While mentioning that the senior players in the side like Virender Sehwag will perform the role of mentors, Bangar said Bailey was the right person to lead the side, considering his leadership experience.

"We required a player with past leadership experience. The second and crucial aspect was to have a player who was guaranteed a place in the team for all matches. Within that group we would definitely like to utilise the experience of senior guys like Viru, who are bound to perform the role of mentors. But on the field Bailey will be the captain," the coach said.

Bailey, who was picked up by the Chennai franchise, has played only four IPL matches and his last outing was in 2010 against Bangalore. He has led Australia in 24 T20I and has been part of 13 victories.

Cautious BCCI takes fresh guard on Sharjah

On Wednesday, the IPL announced the first of the three phases of the tournament this year with 16 matches to be played across the three venues in UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The last of those venues grabbed immediate attention and raised a pertinent question: how could Sharjah, once the hub of match-fixing activities, be shortlisted as a venue for IPL especially in the light of the corruption scandal that erupted last season?

At the turn of the millennium, even the mention of Sharjah was a taboo: the Indian federal government in 2001 had barred the Indian team from playing at the venue for a period of three years in the light of the findings in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal. Over the years, the BCCI maintained an unwritten rule that Indian teams would not play in UAE. Incidentally, as late as 2010, Kings XI Punjab asked the IPL for permission to play exhibition matches in Dubai considering one of their sponsors then was the Gulf-based airline Emirates. The IPL replied saying the BCCI does not "recognize" the UAE as a venue.

So what has changed now for the BCCI to make a U-turn and permit matches at the tainted venue? According to BCCI officials the decision was not taken overnight and should not be looked as a desperate one. They pointed out the IPL had carried out an extensive recce of all the venues in UAE before taking the final decision. Importantly, the officials argued that there was no point singling out only Sharjah because any venue would be equally vulnerable to corrupt elements.

"In India the bookies are more active too. Are there not bookies in South Africa? What guarantee do we have anywhere?" a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. "We can educate the players. We can create a bubble where we can secure the players' movements and them meeting people. Also, the government of UAE has told us they are going to provide us with the best of security. They have told us if we have any specific information on suspicious elements they will take swift action."

David East, the Emirates Cricket Board chief executive, confirmed the IPL was given all assurances. "The UAE government is entirely supportive of the IPL being here and will do everything to ensure it is a hugely successful tournament," East said.

It is understood that assurance from the UAE government with regards to keeping the event clean, made as late as Wednesday, swung the BCCI's decision towards staging the IPL in the Middle East. "There are two separate issues at work here and are both at the top of our minds. Going to Sharjah is separate from the IPL events of last year and the Mudgal committee report. Both are on top of our minds and must be dealt with," the BCCI official said.

According to another BCCI insider, the dark clouds of match-fixing that encircled Sharjah in the 1990s had passed long ago. "The main culprit at that point was Dawood Ibrahim, and he is on the run. And things have changed a lot from those days definitely," the insider said.

	Kings XI Punjab's request to play exhibition games in Dubai was turned down some years ago © Indian Premier League Enlarge

However, the perception about Dubai still being the core centre for match-fixing and betting in cricket persists. In the Mudgal committee report on corruption in the IPL last year, one of the panel members, Nilay Dutta, noted that the Delhi Police had "intercepted" calls between a couple of Indian bookies, who had mentioned names of two "international-level Indian players", and their partners in a betting syndicate based in Dubai and Pakistan.

However the BCCI insider remained positive. "Now, Dubai and Sharjah are far better managed places by their government who do not tolerate any nonsense anymore," the insider said.

Although many within the BCCI remained tight-lipped, an influential senior member did have a voice of caution. "Let us wait and see. It is too early to say anything," he said when asked if Sharjah was an appropriate venue.

A franchise head said he failed to understand how the BCCI had changed its stance on UAE compared to a few years ago when few teams wanted to play there. "It has been out of bounds of Indian cricket to such an extent that any cricket contact in that region has been discouraged. Few years back some of the IPL teams wanted to play exhibition matches in Dubai and they were told to stay away. You (BCCI) had certain doubts and concerns earlier, and, now suddenly to revoke that and change the stance is a bit odd," the franchise official said.

The Mudgal committee, an independent three-man commission, was set up by the Supreme Court to probe into the allegations of corruption during the last IPL unearthed by the Delhi and Mumbai Police originally. They concluded that the IPL was far from clean.

"The folklore of corruption and such other malpractices that has come to surround the game of cricket and in particular, IPL, unfortunately has a ring of truth to it. If unchecked, the same would be damaging for the game of cricket and defeat public confidence in the integrity of the game," Dutta, who also sits on the IPL Governing Council, said in his conclusion.

The insider agreed about the seriousness of the report and pointed out the BCCI would have a "much improved" system this time to fight corrupt elements as it had taken on board most of the recommendations made by Ravi Sawani, the board's anti-corruption unit chief. "So there were far more robust protocols enforced," the insider said. One of the major changes will be an anti-corruption officer travelling and staying with the teams. This concept was tried out during the last edition of the Champions League and proved to be useful.

"He would accompany the team to every place and stay in the same place. He is not someone who is snooping on players and officials but he is just around to facilitate. He is easily accessible and someone who can be approached for help or any advice if required," the BCCI insider said.

The anti-corruption code of the BCCI has also been revised with "far stricter" provisions being included for any offences committed. A corporate style audit is one of the new things brought on board. "There will be stricter enforcements. Earlier there were no requirements to record players and team and tournament officials receiving gifts. Prior permission would be required in case gifts are above a certain value. There will be more rigid rules about who can visit and not visit players at the team hotels," the insider said.

The presence of the ICC's watchdog, the Anti-Corruption and Securities Unit (ACSU) is another advantage the BCCI official pointed out would aid Sawani's team. It is understood that the IPL would utilise the ACSU's services during the first phase of the IPL. "They have hands-on experience in UAE on plenty of international matches and have liaisons with local authorities. So their presence there is beneficial," the insider said.

IPL 7: Why BCCI favours UAE over South Africa?

With the announcement of the IPL dates and venues, the rumours - doing rounds for a month now - about the hosting of the seventh edition of the cash-rich event have come to a halt.

Many stories were floating in the media, some rumour mongers even suggested that Pakistan might be asked to host the annual event, while some favoured Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to host the IPL extravaganza.

Now it is clear that the event's first leg will be held in the UAE ( United Arab Emirates) at three different stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The UAE will host the first 16 matches from April 16 to April 30, following which the tournament will come back to India or may be shifted to Bangladesh from May 1 to May 12, if India's home ministry does not allow the event to take place here due to security reasons.

The big question of the day is why South Africa missed the bus this time around, despite successfully hosting the event in 2009, the second year after the inception of the IPL T20?

The world's richest cricket board applied its brain and preferred UAE over South Africa.

There may be several reasons but the board and sponsors might have chosen UAE primarily due to similar time zone. Weather would also be as good/bad as here back home. The atmosphere and pitches of the place would be similar, hence no franchise could complain about this too.

We had witnessed empty stands in 2009 when South Africa played host. If UAE plays host, in that case migrant working population here is more in comparison to any other parts of the world, we may see more fans occupying the seats during this first leg of the tournament. Organisers too hope that a large population of expats in UAE would help boost revenue from gate receipts which would compensate them partly. Also UAE is not very far from India, local fans can also visit and witness their favourite team or player's matches. This also may have helped BCCI to reach to this decision.

Most importantly, the cost of hosting IPL 7 in South Africa would have been huge in comparison to the UAE. According to an unconfirmed reports, Cricket South Africa was demanding in surplus of Rs 150 crore or more to host the event, while staging the event in UAE to cost less than half of the amount, i.e. around Rs 60 crore.

1st leg in UAE	From April 16 to 30
2nd leg in Dhaka or India	From May 1 to 12
3rd leg in India	From May 13 to June 1

Return to Sharjah: The moment one hear Sharjah, the memories of Javed Miandad's last ball six comes to mind. Every Indian and Pakistani want to see their teams locking horns at the ground. Sharjah was one of the favourite grounds till 2000, but after the infamous 2000 match-fixing scandal, India stopped playing there.

However, it is learnt that the UAE authorities have assured BCCI cooperation in keeping bookies at bay.

This time around though fans will miss the Pakistani players as they won't be featuring in the event.

India last played their ODI match at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on October 29, 2000 against Sri Lanka. India scored one of the lowest total (54) in the match, barring Robin Singh, no other batsman (including Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar) managed to touch the double figure. On the other hand Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya scored 189 and their bowler Chaminda Vaas grabbed five crucial wickets to win the match and the 2000/01 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy.

IPL 2014: Delhi Daredevils launch new logo, jersey

 A colourful skyline and hundreds of kites soaring across various parts of the city marked an innovative launch of Delhi Daredevils' new look and new journey ahead of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League.  (IPL 2014: Opening leg in UAE, final leg and title clash in India)



Flash mobs flying kites that dotted the skyline across Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon today also marked the launch of the new logo of the GMR Group-owned team. The new logo depicts a 'Flying Kite'. It is inspired by the art of kite flying, a celebrated pastime for the people of Delhi.

The new logo resonates the irresistible nature of the city and how the love for the game lifts the spirit of each and every fan. It also depicts how the team feeds off the energy of every individual talent and would look to play exciting cricket together in the new season of IPL-7.

The new icon is never static. Its directional shape suggests forward movement, energy, speed and accuracy, just like the flying kite. On the occasion of the launch, Hemant Dua, CEO, Delhi Daredevils said, "The new logo embodies the spirit of our fans, the city of Delhi and our team. When our boys play, we believe that sky is the limit."

Keeping in tune with the logo that embodies the nature of the city and its dare to succeed attitude, the initiative of Kite flying flash mob and innovative reach out campaign for Delhi Daredevils fans was conducted in close to 100 points across Delhi and NCR including Central Park, Connaught Place and Purani Delhi.

Explaining the rationale behind the activity, Dua said, "We are surely the first team to come up with such innovative campaign. The idea is to reach out to our fans and talk about the Logo launch and new look of the team in a completely unique way. We are also digitally reaching to our fans through various platforms."

Daredevils have also revamped their entire website with the aim of engaging the fans in more innovating ways through a major re-branding exercise across the digital platforms.

Dhoni Fan Club

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Personal information
Full name	Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born	7 July 1981 (age 32) Ranchi, Bihar, India
Nickname	Mahi, MS, MSD
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Batting style	Right-hand batsman
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Wicket-keeper, India captain
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 251)	2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	14 February 2014 v New Zealand
ODI debut (cap 158)	23 December 2004 v Bangladesh
Last ODI	28 January 2014 v New Zealand
ODI shirt no.	7
T20I debut (cap 2)	1 December 2006 v South Africa
Last T20I	10 October 2013 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/00–2004/05	Bihar
2004/05–present	Jharkhand
2008–present	Chennai Super Kings
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC T20Is Matches 81 243 122 43 Runs scored 4,342 8,046 6,504 772 Batting average 38.76 53.28 37.16 32.16 100s/50s 6/28 9/54 9/42 0/0 Top score 224 183* 224 48* Balls bowled 90 36 120 – Wickets 0 1 0 – Bowling average – 31.00 – – 5 wickets in innings – – – – 10 wickets in match – – – – Best bowling – 1/14 – – Catches/stumpings 219/37 224/80 327/56 22/8

Early life and background

Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), and he identifies as being a Rajput. His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti Gupta and a brother Narendra Singh Dhoni.^[16][17] Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar
Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, Ranchi, Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach. Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard. Dhoni was a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003, under South Eastern Railway in Midnapore (W), a district in West Bengal. His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straightforward employee of the Indian Railways. But he also had a mischievous side to his personality. Once, while staying at the railway quarters, Dhoni and a couple of his friends covered themselves in white bedsheets and walked around in the complex late in the night. The night guards were fooled into believing that there were ghosts moving around in the complex. The story made big news on the next day.

Shane Watson to lead Rajasthan Royals in IPL, Rahul Dravid to be mentor

 

Rajasthan Royals on Monday appointed star Australian all-rounder Shane Watson captain of the Jaipur franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League in place of the retired Rahul Dravid who was anointed its mentor.
Former India captain Dravid, who retired from all forms of cricket last year, will be involved in all aspects of cricket strategy - mentoring the team and guiding youth and talent development initiatives for the franchise, Royals announced here today.
"I am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals, an extraordinary team which has always given me amazing opportunities," said the 32-year-old Australian on his new appointment for the upcoming IPL season scheduled to start next month.
"(Compatriot) Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid had a lot of faith in me while they were captains and gave me opportunities that helped improve my cricket. I hope to live up to the confidence shown in me by the franchise and give our fans an exciting season of cricket," he said.
"I would like to thank our fans for showing trust in me through their votes on the digital medium. The Royals are one big family and I feel very privileged to be a part of such a special franchise," he added about the franchise's initiative.
"My aim will be to continue playing our best cricket and maintain the winning momentum. We all want to repeat the 2008 IPL success and last season, we were quite close to that. I am confident that we can do it again," he added.
Welcoming Watson's elevation, Dravid described the burly Aussie as a player with top notch leadership skills.
"I would like to congratulate Shane Watson on his appointment as the Captain of the Royals. He is not only one of the world's best all-rounders, but a leader par excellence," the team's new mentor said.
"Watson has been with the team since the first season and is familiar with the players and the staff. The Royals Squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Watson's inspiring leadership," Dravid added.
Watson has been with the Royals since the inaugural season in 2008.
Watson's strong performances helped the Royals win the IPL in its debut year, when he played under Shane Warne.
The strongly built Australian displayed his all-round skills and match-winning performances in crucial ties, and was eventually adjudged Player of the Tournament.
The Queensland-based all-rounder continued to play an integral part in subsequent editions and, in 2012, he played under Dravid.
Last year, Watson scored his first century in IPL and Twenty20, playing against Chennai Super Kings at the latter's fortress - the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.
His took the team to the play-offs that year, with Watson winning his second Player of the Tournament award.
Watson was won the prestigious Allan Border Medal in 2010 and 2011 awarded by Cricket Australia, becoming the second player, after Ricky Ponting, to achieve the feat.
He was also the Player of the Tournament in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 for scoring a total of 249 with an average of 49.80, while taking 11 wickets with the ball.
Watson has been Royals' best all-rounder, notching 1,785 runs in 55 matches, scoring one century and 11 half-centuries at a strike rate of 145.59. In bowling, he claimed 48 wickets with a best figure of 3/10.
Royals CEO Raghu Iyer praised Watson's gritty demeanour.
"We are delighted to announce Watson as Captain. He epitomises all the values of the Royals franchise with his true grit and never-say-die attitude. His skills and experience will surely help the team build on the superb performance last season. His presence in the team will also help young players like Sanju Samson, Unmukt Chand, James Faulkner, Steve Smith and Tim Southee," said Iyer.
"We'd also like to thank our fans who have supported us unstintingly and came out strongly on the digital medium in favour of Watto as Captain for the upcoming seasons," he said.
For the 2014 IPL season before the players' auction, the Royals had retained Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny and Sanju Samson.