Sri Lanka’s Issue With IPL

SL players will not take part in Pepsi IPL 2013 matches in Chennai: IPL GC

Decision taken after SL Govt. issued travel advisory

 

This is about news reports last week that the government of Sri Lanka has issued a travel advisory that its citizens should exercise caution when travelling to Tamil Nadu.

Today, the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to the Prime Minister of India stating that she will not permit  take part in Sri Lankan players or umpires in matches in Chennai during Pepsi IPL 2013.

The IPL Governing Council met this afternoon to discuss the issue. Make secure all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the BCCI.

The Governing Council decided that Sri Lankan players will not take part in the Pepsi IPL 2013 League matches in Chennai and will tell the nine franchises so.

Rajeev Shukla of Chairman IPL 

 

Injured Dhawan in doubt for opening IPL games

 

 

Shikhar Dhawan is certain to miss the opening game of Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5

Shikhar Dhawan is likely to miss at least the opening match for Sunrisers Hyderabad, as he recovers from his hand injury sustained while fielding during the recent Mohali Test against Australia. Dhawan fractured his left hand and was ruled out for six weeks, keeping him out of the fourth Test in Delhi. Sunrisers play their first game on April 5 against Pune Warriors.

“Shikhar Dhawan at this stage will not be available for the first game. We are obviously working closely with the BCCI and the medical team with regard to his progress,” Sunrisers coach Tom Moody said before the team’s first official training session in Hyderabad.

“We are hoping that within a couple of weeks he will be available to join the team.”

Dhawan had made history in Mohali, his 187 being the fastest by a debutant in Tests. His knock opened India’s chances for pushing for a win in a high-scoring game, despite the opening day being washed out. He hurt his hand on the fourth day of the Test but wasn’t required to bat during the second innings.

Dhawan was the leading run-scorer for Deccan Chargers – as it was previously known before the ownership changed – in the 2012 season, scoring 569 runs with five fifties. He was one of the few positives in what was a forgettable campaign for the team, which finished second from last.

Finch to replace Clarke for Pune Warriors

Aaron Finch will be joining his third IPL franchise after playing for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils

Aaron Finch will replace Michael Clarke in the Pune Warriors squad for the sixth IPL season after Clarke was ruled out of the entire season with a back injury. Finch, another top-order batsman, tweeted the development and is expected to leave for India on Saturday.

 

Finch will be joining his third IPL franchise after playing for Rajasthan Royals in 2010 and Delhi Daredevils in 2011 and 2012. He was released by Delhi in November 2012 and went unsold in the auction on February 3 at a base price of $200,000.

He represents Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League and averaged 66.40 in eight matches last season, scoring 332 runs with a highest score of 111 not out. However, he scored only 4, 7 and 1 for Australia in the three T20Is in January against Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Overall, he has scored 1699 runs in 58 domestic T20 matches at 36.14 with a strike-rate of 130.49.

The Warriors will be captained by Angelo Mathews this season.

 

Dravid happy to have Watson at the start

Shane Watson may open the innings for Rajasthan Royals with Ajinkya Rahane

Rahul Dravid has said Rajasthan Royals will be bolstered by the exists Shane Watson, who is expected to join the team in time for the  exist or beside’s second game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 8.

“Watson brings a lot of quality to the team,” Dravid told the Times of India. “Last year, we missed him for the first eight or nine games. This time, we are lucky that way. If we can play to our potential, we should be able to do pretty well.” He also added that Watson may be promoted to open the innings with Ajinkya Rahane.

Royals coach Paddy Upton was upbeat about the prospects of the squad in the IPL. “It is essential to work out a fine balance between team and individual performance,” Upton told the Hindu. “Our focus is to play at our level best and deliver top performances throughout the season. We as a team provide space to our players to take their own decisions, judge their performance and together we all help each other to execute these decisions on field. We try to not only improve the sporting skills in our players, but also help and groom their overall personality.”

 

Brett Lee excited by mentorship role

 

	Brett Lee believes Jacques Kallis could be an important bowler for KKR this season

Brett Lee has said he is “pleased and proud” to be given the bowling mentor’s role for Kolkata Knight Riders and is looking forward to juggling his dual role as mentor and opening bowler. The former Australia fast bowler replaced Wasim Akram as bowling mentor for the side after the latter opted to take a year’s break.

“I’m really proud and pleased to have been given the bowling mentor’s role. My job is to try to impart knowledge to the guys,” he told the Telegraph. “Even though it might seem a short span of time, we’ll still have eight weeks in hand. Lots of cricket will be played during this period. And from what I saw during nets today, each of the players look in good nick.”

KKR’s bowling was crucial to their victory last season and the side relied heavily on offspinner Sunil Narine. Lee said that Jacques Kallis could turn out to be an important bowler for KKR this season. “We have lots of key bowlers in our squad,” he said. “Guys like (Lakshmipathy) Balaji, (Pradeep) Sangwan are quite capable and ready to step up. Then there’s Kallis, who’s one of the best cricketers in the world. There simply cannot be any doubt about his ability with the bat. But with the ball, too, Kallis will play a huge role in determining the fortunes of the team.”

Lee also expressed his confidence about KKR captain Gautam Gambhir‘s form going into the IPL. Gambhir was dropped for the first two Tests against Australia and missed out on selection for the remaining Tests after suffering from jaundice.

Ryder out of induced coma, on road to recovery

 

	Jesse Ryder is out of his induced coma

Jesse Ryder is out of his induced coma and has begun talking again as he

embarks upon the long and arduous road towards a full recovery from his assault in Christchurch on Wednesday night.

Ryder’s manager Aaron Klee said the New Zealand batsman was also now breathing without the help of a ventilator, though he is still battling the effects of his coma and the drugs used to aid his fight against serious head and lung injuries.

“Jesse’s condition has improved to the extent that he is now out of the induced coma and off the ventilator,” Klee said in Christchurch. “Jesse is awake and talking to us, but he is obviously still working through the immediate effects from being in the coma and the drugs the medical team have used.

“Naturally we are thrilled with this progress. This is only the start of the recovery process for Jesse and there is still a big battle ahead to full health, but the progress is positive. Again the family wishes to extend their sincere thanks to everyone for their messages of support and love. They mean a lot and will help Jesse no end in his journey ahead.”

Klee said that Ryder had no recollection of the events that left him in hospital, his last memory of the day being his dismissal for a duck during the Wellington Firebirds‘ season ending loss to Canterbury in the afternoon.

“It’s not like it is in the movies where they wake up peacefully and they give everyone a big hug. It takes a while, there’s a lot of confusion and he’s dazed,” Klee said. ”[But] he knows where he is, he knows what’s happened and he knows I’m here now talking to you. It’s leaps and bounds from 24 hours ago.

“He’s still got quite serious lung injuries and they’re keeping an eye on that because there’s a lot that potentially can go wrong with the lungs, so monitoring that very closely but at this stage they don’t need to support his breathing, which is a great milestone.

“It was great to have him order us around again.”

Ryder had gone with teammates to Aikmans Bar in Merivale where around 12.30am, while making his way to join other Wellingston players at a nearby McDonalds, he had been attacked twice in the space of a few minutes, suffering heavy blows to the head and chest that left him with a skull fracture and a collapsed lung.

Police have arrested two men associate the assaults, a 20-year-old Christchurch resident and a 37-year-old relative who was visiting the city. They have been bailed to appear in the Christchurch District Court court on Thursday, April 4.

Jesse Ryder in critical condition

Daredevils batsman was brutally assaulted after night out

 

New Zealand and Delhi Daredevils star Jesse Ryder is in an induced coma at a Christchurch hospital. He suffered a fractured skull and internal injuries, following an assault in the South Island city of Christchurch. The 28-year-old was beaten up by assailants in the early hours of Thursday. According to recent updates, he is said to be in critical condition.

As per reports and official statements, Ryder was attacked when he left a bar to go to a fast food joint across the street.

According to detective senior sergeant Brian Archer, there was a run-in between Ryder and “two or three” people when he stepped outside the bar. And when he crossed the road, he was attacked by one of those people.

“The hospital advised he is in a critical condition. He is in an induced coma as a result of suffering multiple injuries,” Archer stated.

Fairfax Media quoted a witness named Adam stating that Ryder attempted to fight back as four men “absolutely smashed him.” He added that Ryder was unsure of his assailants’ identities, but they “damn knew who he was.”

The attack was carried out when Ryder was out with his Wellington Firebirds teammates, after they had lost their season-ending one-day game to the Canterbury Wizards.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive, David White, expressed concern while backing Ryder. “We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse. New Zealand Cricket’s thoughts are with him and his family.”

 

BCCI chief plays down IPL disruption threat

 

N Srinivasan was hopeful the political situation, which is threatening to affect the participation of Sri Lankan players, would be resolved before the IPL

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, has said the concerns surrounding the participation of Sri Lankan players in the IPL was an “operational issue” and would be handled so.

 

Political tensions in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, over the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka had resulted in the Sri Lanka Players’ Association raising concerns over the safety of Sri Lanka players in India during the IPL. Twelve Sri Lankan players have been contracted with different franchises, including Chennai Super Kings who have Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya as part of their squad.

 

“India is a safe place,” Srinivasan said in an interview to NDTV. “Every state in India is safe for playing cricket. I cannot predict anything, but these are working matters. We have an event manager, IMG, who will deal with local issues as and when they arise. I believe the government of Tamil Nadu is extremely capable of handling any situation and there is absolutely no problem of law and order or anything of that kind here. And the IPL is still some time away. These are issues which, I think, will get sorted out.”

 

Srinivasan also said that he was unaware of requests made by IPL franchises to shift games but said the board and the IPL would discuss the situation if needed.

 

Srinivasan expressed his happiness with India’s 4-0 series win against Australia but refused to comment on the future of Sachin Tendulkar, who will turn 40 next month. In the home series against England, Tendulkar scored 112 runs at an average of 18.66, and he made 192 runs at an average of 32 against Australia. Having already retired from one-day internationals in December last year, and with India’s next Test series several months away, there has been speculation about Tendulkar’s Test retirement.

 

“I don’t think anyone of us can talk about Sachin,” Srinivasan said. “He is possibly the greatest cricketer India has produced. I don’t think it is for us to sit and analyse his performance series-wise. Sachin is different from others. This is a personal view. I distinguish between choice and my view. If you ask my view, if you ask me what I feel, I think every Indian will say that Sachin is different from others.”

Sunrisers name Helmot as assistant coach

	Simon Helmot will assist Tom Moody at Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad have made four additions to their support staff by naming Simon Helmot their assistant coach, Jade Roberts their trainer, Theo Kapakoulakis their physio and Sankapani their team manager.

Helmot, 41, is the coach of Victoria Bushrangers in the Ryobi One-Day Cup, Australia‘s domestic one-day competition, and of Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. He began his coaching career at the age of 25 and also coached the Australia A side which toured India in 2008. Roberts, also from Australia, is Sri Lanka’s trainer since 2007 and has worked at the Queensland Academy of Sport.

The appointments come a couple of weeks after former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis was signed as the bowling consultant by Sunrisers who also have Tom Moody as their head coach, and Kris Srikkanth and VVS Laxman as their team mentors. Some of the star players in the franchise include Dale Steyn and Kumar Sangakkara.

Clarke out of the IPL, saved for the Ashes

 

Michael Clarke‘s back and hamstring problems need rest ahead of the Ashes

Australia‘s captain Michael Clarke will take much-needed rest at home, and not taking up his likely appointment as captain of the Pune Warriors in the IPL, as the best remedy for the back and hamstring problems that bedevilled his India tour.

Clarke underwent scans soon after his arrival in Sydney and understands these showed that his back trouble was caused not by any new source but the same degenerative disc that has afflicted him since his teenage years.

Complaints of hamstring discomfort were also assessed, with no evidence found of a new injury, rather the accumulated wear of carrying a tender muscle through the tour after he strained it during the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

As a result of these dual problems, Clarke has been advised to rest and then train to strengthen his body and not linking up with the Warriors. It has been reported that Clarke may be offered as much as A$2 million to lead the IPL franchise after Yuvraj Singh expressed reluctance to be captain, but the risk of fouling up an Ashes campaign that may define his captaincy has been deemed too acute.

“Michael Clarke had scans that confirmed his current lower back injury is an exacerbation of previous issues he has had with his spine,” Cricket Australia Chief Medical Officer Justin Paoloni said. “As always, we need to manage this carefully as there are potentially serious consequences with further aggravation.

“He still has pain with basic activities and is not back to full function as yet. He also has a hamstring injury that has been a concern for most of the summer and will complicate his return.

“Michael is having intensive rehabilitation for both his back and hamstring but is still 7-10 weeks away from returning to training and playing. We are confident that it will not affect his Ashes preparation but will know more over the coming weeks.”

On his early return to Sydney following his inability to regain fitness in time for the fourth Test of an ignominious series on the subcontinent, Clarke said he would “listen to the experts” about his battered and fatigued body and his IPL participation.

“I’ll have scans this week and spend plenty of time with the physio, fingers crossed it turns out okay,” Clarke said. “Sitting down for 12 hours has made it a bit stiff, but I’m really confident that I’m in good hands with my physio here in Sydney.

“I’d be silly to make that decision [on the IPL] now, I think I need to wait on the results, listen to the experts and then make a plan from there. I’ve had my back issues since I was 17 years of age so this is no different. In regards to my hamstring I hurt it throughout the Australian summer and it has just lingered on. I haven’t had the opportunity to get that 100% fit due to how much cricket we’ve had.”

The national team’s coach Mickey Arthur, the national selector John Inverarity and the team performance manager Pat Howard have no formal right to bar a player from participating in the IPL, as the tournament’s span has been defined by Cricket Australia as a leave period. However they are likely to privately recommend various players of their preferences, as was done last year when Shane Watson was counselled to stay out of the event.