Karachi: Indian Premier League official and former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah has threatened to take legal course against Mohammad Yousuf if the Pakistani batsman returned to the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League fold.
Shah has claimed that the IPL reserved the right to take legal action against Yousuf as he had been paid an advance of $125,000 for joining them. Even if he had not played in the League for any team, he was a contracted player with them.
"We reserve the right to take legal action against him if he has joined the Indian Cricket League," Shah told Geo News.
The Indian board official said Yousuf was given a contract by the IPL on the insistence of the Pakistan Cricket Board which was keen he get a chance to play in the league after he broke away from the ICL in late 2007.
Yousuf's decision to join the ICL comes at a time when he has filed an appeal in the Mumbai High Court against a stay order issued by an arbitrator against him playing for any other league.
The arbitrator had ruled after ICL had filed a legal case against Yousuf for breach of contract after the batsman first signed up for them in August, 2007 and then returned his advance payment and decided to get a contract in the Indian Premier League.
Monday, November 10, 2008
IPL tickets raise 14,000 pounds for charity
New Delhi (PTI): Four tickets of final match of the 2009 Indian Premier League season fetched 14,000 pounds at an auction in London and the sum would be utilised for Magic Bus, a Mumbai-based charity.
The tickets were auctioned at the recent Charity Auction Gala.
"The IPL tickets were extremely popular at the auction receiving some heated bidding. One of Magic Bus' loyal supporters bid 14,000 for the package," an IPL release said.
Magic Bus founded in 1999 has work with Mumbais slum children, street children, children of sex workers, remand centre children, bonded labourers, children on construction sites, runaways and orphans.
The tickets were auctioned at the recent Charity Auction Gala.
"The IPL tickets were extremely popular at the auction receiving some heated bidding. One of Magic Bus' loyal supporters bid 14,000 for the package," an IPL release said.
Magic Bus founded in 1999 has work with Mumbais slum children, street children, children of sex workers, remand centre children, bonded labourers, children on construction sites, runaways and orphans.
Napier confirms IPL talks
Graham Napier, the Essex allrounder, has confirmed he is in talks to join the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year.
Napier made the headlines during the English summer with a breathtaking 152 off 58 balls in the Twenty20 Cup against Sussex, which prompted talk of him being handed an England call-up. That didn't happen, but he has become a very marketable property and he recently picked up a Twenty20 award in Delhi for the best strike-rate.
"Having had a little taste of the way India is promoting Twenty20 cricket, it is clear there is potential for a great opportunity to be provided to myself and other players to show our skills off on a grand stage," he told the Essex Chronicle.
"Essex has, and always will be, my first side but this is a chance that has arisen and will offer me a great opportunity to further my career," he added. "I'm still contracted to Essex and look forward to helping the club win more silverware next year."
With the IPL set to run during April and May, Napier would miss an early chunk of the county season if he signed a long-term deal with a franchise.
Only one England player, Dimitri Mascarenhas, has so far appeared in the IPL but it is expected that leading figures including Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will take part for a period of the 2009 tournament.
Napier made the headlines during the English summer with a breathtaking 152 off 58 balls in the Twenty20 Cup against Sussex, which prompted talk of him being handed an England call-up. That didn't happen, but he has become a very marketable property and he recently picked up a Twenty20 award in Delhi for the best strike-rate.
"Having had a little taste of the way India is promoting Twenty20 cricket, it is clear there is potential for a great opportunity to be provided to myself and other players to show our skills off on a grand stage," he told the Essex Chronicle.
"Essex has, and always will be, my first side but this is a chance that has arisen and will offer me a great opportunity to further my career," he added. "I'm still contracted to Essex and look forward to helping the club win more silverware next year."
With the IPL set to run during April and May, Napier would miss an early chunk of the county season if he signed a long-term deal with a franchise.
Only one England player, Dimitri Mascarenhas, has so far appeared in the IPL but it is expected that leading figures including Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will take part for a period of the 2009 tournament.
IPL deal tempts Essex star Napier
Essex all-rounder Graham Napier insists he has not yet committed himself to any deal with the Indian Premier League.
But the 28-year-old, who caught the eye in breaking a world six-hitting Twenty20 record last summer, admits to having been in negotiations.
"It is clear there is potential for a great opportunity to be provided to myself and other players," Napier told his website.
Napier was in India this week for the Twenty20 Champions League Awards.
And, although tempted by the move, he admits that his first loyalty remains to Essex.
"Essex has, and always will be, my first side but this is a chance that has arisen and will offer me a great opportunity to further my career.
"I'm still contracted to Essex and look forward to helping the club win more silverware next year."
Colchester-born Napier hit 326 runs in this year's Twenty20 Cup, helping Essex to the semi-finals.
But almost half of that came in one innings, the unbeaten 152 he hit off just 58 balls against Sussex at Chelmsford in June.
And, prior to this season, he had hit just 189 runs in 15 Twenty20 innings.
But the 28-year-old, who caught the eye in breaking a world six-hitting Twenty20 record last summer, admits to having been in negotiations.
"It is clear there is potential for a great opportunity to be provided to myself and other players," Napier told his website.
Napier was in India this week for the Twenty20 Champions League Awards.
And, although tempted by the move, he admits that his first loyalty remains to Essex.
"Essex has, and always will be, my first side but this is a chance that has arisen and will offer me a great opportunity to further my career.
"I'm still contracted to Essex and look forward to helping the club win more silverware next year."
Colchester-born Napier hit 326 runs in this year's Twenty20 Cup, helping Essex to the semi-finals.
But almost half of that came in one innings, the unbeaten 152 he hit off just 58 balls against Sussex at Chelmsford in June.
And, prior to this season, he had hit just 189 runs in 15 Twenty20 innings.
'IPL will boost cricket in New Zealand' - Fleming
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has predicted that the success of the Indian Premier League and Twenty20 will encourage more youngsters in his country to choose cricket over rugby. He will not be playing for the Chennai Super Kings in next month's Champions League but was hopeful of taking over as the IPL team's coach.
Fleming, who retired in March after 14 years with the New Zealand national team, said that the new riches in the sport suddenly make the life of a professional cricketer a lot more attractive.
"I think with the introduction of the IPL there's now a financial pathway to attract athletes to the game so the All Blacks may not get all the best athletes anymore," he said. "We may start to get a few more coming our way because it's now a career option for a lot of our students in New Zealand."
Fleming, 35, played the last of his 111 Test matches in the home series against England eight months ago but is still wielding his familiar Gunn and Moore bat on the world stage. This weekend, he's been in Hong Kong captaining former international foes Justin Langer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sanath Jayasuriya in an All-Stars team in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.
He's hoping to stay sharp before playing for Wellington in February's domestic Twenty20 competition followed by the second edition of the IPL, starting in April.
Fleming said he's interested in working as a player-coach for Chennai but nothing was confirmed yet with further discussions due to take place.
"If there's a role as a player-coach, I'm certainly keen to develop that side of things with Chennai," he said. "I love the strategy of the game, I love Twenty20 and how the IPL is bringing cultures and players together.
"But I don't plan on being a national coach or a first-class coach. The IPL is a little bit different as you are bringing players together for a short period of time. There are challenges in that. But it's the sort of competition that I like."
Exploring new business opportunities, Fleming has been dabbling in sports management, representing former team-mates including Brendon McCullum, Tim Southee and James Franklin.
"It's the first step into the business world. I've been meeting a lot of people and seeing what opportunities are around now," he said. "Looking after the players is quite challenging. It's going to take a bit of time but I'm trying to find out who I am and what I want to do."
His involvement with national players means that Fleming has been following the New Zealand team's fortunes more closely than he might otherwise. He's full of praise for new captain Daniel Vettori, who took over the Test reigns a year ago on the tour of South Africa as Fleming remained in the side as a batsman.
"I think Dan's doing very well. He's a world-class player," he said. "Unfortunately we're going through another rebuilding phase, which we always seem to be doing. That's just because of our lack of resources. There is some talent in the side, though."
During the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, Fleming seemed a model of relaxation as captain of the All-Stars team, keeping wicket, rolling the arm over as a bowler and enjoying the raucous atmosphere at the Kowloon Cricket Club. Even though Fleming hit the winning runs in a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, two earlier defeats - including a shock five-wicket loss to Hong Kong - meant that the All Stars were knocked out of the Cup competition on the opening day.
Fleming is happy to play in unique tournaments like the Hong Kong Sixes, slightly removed from the cricketing mainstream, saying that he doesn't miss the intense pressure of the international scene.
"As a Test captain, every word was scrutinised so you had to be very measured about what you said and very guarded," he said. "You couldn't always speak openly because of how it might be construed and what kind of headline you'd wake up to tomorrow.
"Being happy is the key. You go through cricket with a lot of anxiety as you do with any job. But if you can spit out the other side and have a life that's fulfilled and that you're comfortable with, then you'll be a happy man."
Fleming, who retired in March after 14 years with the New Zealand national team, said that the new riches in the sport suddenly make the life of a professional cricketer a lot more attractive.
"I think with the introduction of the IPL there's now a financial pathway to attract athletes to the game so the All Blacks may not get all the best athletes anymore," he said. "We may start to get a few more coming our way because it's now a career option for a lot of our students in New Zealand."
Fleming, 35, played the last of his 111 Test matches in the home series against England eight months ago but is still wielding his familiar Gunn and Moore bat on the world stage. This weekend, he's been in Hong Kong captaining former international foes Justin Langer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sanath Jayasuriya in an All-Stars team in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.
He's hoping to stay sharp before playing for Wellington in February's domestic Twenty20 competition followed by the second edition of the IPL, starting in April.
Fleming said he's interested in working as a player-coach for Chennai but nothing was confirmed yet with further discussions due to take place.
"If there's a role as a player-coach, I'm certainly keen to develop that side of things with Chennai," he said. "I love the strategy of the game, I love Twenty20 and how the IPL is bringing cultures and players together.
"But I don't plan on being a national coach or a first-class coach. The IPL is a little bit different as you are bringing players together for a short period of time. There are challenges in that. But it's the sort of competition that I like."
Exploring new business opportunities, Fleming has been dabbling in sports management, representing former team-mates including Brendon McCullum, Tim Southee and James Franklin.
"It's the first step into the business world. I've been meeting a lot of people and seeing what opportunities are around now," he said. "Looking after the players is quite challenging. It's going to take a bit of time but I'm trying to find out who I am and what I want to do."
His involvement with national players means that Fleming has been following the New Zealand team's fortunes more closely than he might otherwise. He's full of praise for new captain Daniel Vettori, who took over the Test reigns a year ago on the tour of South Africa as Fleming remained in the side as a batsman.
"I think Dan's doing very well. He's a world-class player," he said. "Unfortunately we're going through another rebuilding phase, which we always seem to be doing. That's just because of our lack of resources. There is some talent in the side, though."
During the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, Fleming seemed a model of relaxation as captain of the All-Stars team, keeping wicket, rolling the arm over as a bowler and enjoying the raucous atmosphere at the Kowloon Cricket Club. Even though Fleming hit the winning runs in a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, two earlier defeats - including a shock five-wicket loss to Hong Kong - meant that the All Stars were knocked out of the Cup competition on the opening day.
Fleming is happy to play in unique tournaments like the Hong Kong Sixes, slightly removed from the cricketing mainstream, saying that he doesn't miss the intense pressure of the international scene.
"As a Test captain, every word was scrutinised so you had to be very measured about what you said and very guarded," he said. "You couldn't always speak openly because of how it might be construed and what kind of headline you'd wake up to tomorrow.
"Being happy is the key. You go through cricket with a lot of anxiety as you do with any job. But if you can spit out the other side and have a life that's fulfilled and that you're comfortable with, then you'll be a happy man."
'SLC tried to stop players from IPL last year'
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka Cricket's bid to stop its players from participating in next year's Indian Premier League is not a surprise for the players' association here, which alleged SLC made a similar effort last year to put a spoke in the wheel of the IPL-bound cricketers.
Sri Lankan Players Association (SLPA) Graeme Labrooy said SLC doing everything to stop the players from playing in next year's IPL was not a one-off incident. "Unfortunately even this year, SLC tried its best to schedule a tournament in Pakistan during the IPL even after permission was given to the players to sign for IPL. So we don't see it as one-off," Labrooy said.
"We are handling matters with Sri Lanka Cricket on a daily basis and I would say that players have signed a three-year contract (with IPL) and the board was aware of it. That is why I think the Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge has taken right steps of releasing the players to play for the IPL," Labrooy said.
According to him, despite the bitterness stemming from SLC's hardline stance against its Indian counterpart, BCCI's USD 40 million bailout proposal was still on. "Definitely there is hope to revive (the offer)," Labrooy said. "They (the BCCI officials) did not say the deal is off. It is still on. But let us get our relationship on the road," Labrooy said.
The offer involved Sri Lanka's participation in the Champions Twenty20 League for the next 10 years and was put forward by the BCCI as a solution for the loss Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) might incur due to the aborted England tour next year.
Sri Lankan Players Association (SLPA) Graeme Labrooy said SLC doing everything to stop the players from playing in next year's IPL was not a one-off incident. "Unfortunately even this year, SLC tried its best to schedule a tournament in Pakistan during the IPL even after permission was given to the players to sign for IPL. So we don't see it as one-off," Labrooy said.
"We are handling matters with Sri Lanka Cricket on a daily basis and I would say that players have signed a three-year contract (with IPL) and the board was aware of it. That is why I think the Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge has taken right steps of releasing the players to play for the IPL," Labrooy said.
According to him, despite the bitterness stemming from SLC's hardline stance against its Indian counterpart, BCCI's USD 40 million bailout proposal was still on. "Definitely there is hope to revive (the offer)," Labrooy said. "They (the BCCI officials) did not say the deal is off. It is still on. But let us get our relationship on the road," Labrooy said.
The offer involved Sri Lanka's participation in the Champions Twenty20 League for the next 10 years and was put forward by the BCCI as a solution for the loss Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) might incur due to the aborted England tour next year.
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