66 Matches over – IPL 6 is drawing to a close –
there are 4 more matches and then comes the Qualifiers ~ not the Semi finals –
a different format where the top 2 teams battle out; as also the 3rd & 4th
– the loser of the top draw gets another chance and plays the next match with
winner of 3-4; then comes the grand finals on May 26th.
Many pundits have gone wrong; the defenders are
out of reckoning; MI leads; CSK also have 22 points [11 wins each in 15
matches] – Rajasthan Royals have 20; RCB & Sunrisers have 16 each; the Hyd
team has 2 matches while RCB has one – against CSK
Rahul Dravid let off the steam and misbehaved on the
field; Yusuf Pathan ended his three-year IPL fifty drought, but took KKR along with him on the downside;
sleazy parties; cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto ordered out et. al. Pune
Warriors won their first match since April 15, which knocked Kolkata Knight
Riders out of the tournament. ~ nothing
of these makes the news as IPL gets dogged in fresh controversy with Sressanth and 2 other players arrested …………………….. yes !!!
Before you read about that, do you remember the
ecstatic moment when India
Indian Premier League (IPL) is known as much for its
sporting and glamour quotient as for its controversies. This year it started
with a ban on Sri Lankans from playing
in Chennai but representing another team
owned by Sun Group; then came the litigation on the stadium. On the field, Harbhajan’s slap-gate was a
moment which kept haunting back with Sreesanth tweeting more. IPL has seen it all - actor Shah Rukh Khan’s ugly spat with MCA
officials and the 5 year ban that followed;
Luke Pomersbach’s arrest for allegedly molesting an Indian-American
woman; saga of drunken brawls outside the country when Delhi Daredevils‘ Kiwi
import Jesse Ryder sunk into coma after being assaulted outside a bar in
Christchurch ~ unceremonious sacking of its creator Lalit Modi.
Yesterday at Mumbai, in a crucial match to stay in the top
two in the league, Rajasthan Royals asked Mumbai Indians to bat, which the
hosts would have done anyway had Rohit Sharma won the toss. Sachin was missing
because of a tendon injury to his right hand; and the costliest purchase Glenn
Maxwell got his second chance. came in.
For Royals, the 41-year-old legspinner Pravin Tambe and left-arm spinner Ankeet
Chavan replaced Siddharth Trivedi and Vikramjeet Malik.
Former IPL commissioner Modi saw the dice turn against him
in 2010 when he was sacked following charges of financial irregularities. The match-fixing allegations surfaced last
year after a sting operation conducted by a news channel claimed to have
uncovered shady deals between team owners, players and management. For all of
Sreesanth’s mercurial talents, the Kerala fast bowler has more often than not
made news for the wrong reasons.
The flash news is that 3 players from the
Rajasthan Royals and three bookies have been booked by the Delhi Police on
charges of spot fixing in the Indian Premier League. Fast bowler and former India player S Sreesanth ,
batsman Ankit Chavan and all rounder Ajit Chandilia were the three Rajasthan
Royals players arrested, reported PTI. The police has also arrested three
bookies in Delhi Delhi Delhi
Ankit Chavan was a part of the squad that played in
yesterday’s match and bowled three overs for 25 runs, while the two others did
not play in the game. The Rajasthan Royals meanwhile made a statement, saying
we are in touch with BCCI onspot fixing probe, and will co-operate with it.
Sad day
indeed for Cricket…….
In that test at New Wanderers played on 15-18 Dec 2006,
Indians led by Dravid won the Toss and were all out for 249 in first essay with
Ganguly top scoring with unbeaten 51. India India India
You may not recognize Sudhir Asnani, he was in news for
making a wrong decision adjudging Dravid out caught behind off Johnson. Dravid
looked back at the umpire, had a few choice words to say, then walked back
shaking his head, and was about to hit something near the dugout but might have
realised he was in full public view and held himself back. Never has he been
seen reacting like this on a cricket field.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
16th May 2013.
Arrest news ~ inputs taken from www.firstpost.com.
Cricket' WAS' a gentleman's game. I cant say for certain whether it continues to be one. I always admired the expression "THAT IS NOT CRICKET'. That expression covered virtually everything GOOD & DESIRABLE in behaviour on & off the field. I stopped using that expression in recent years---after a series of developments like the obnoxious exhibition of deplorable body-language by almost every player to the delight of the roaring youth( probably due to the advent of T V coverage and big money of Ads & Endorsements ), Media presenting a match as some kind of a WAR, artistic play surrendering itself to power-play of the gilli-danda variety, lack of sportsmanship in the face of cut-throat competition leading to lack of appreciation of a good ball,a nice flick,a fine late-cut etc, by the opponent, walking off even when the umpire was in confusion, etc etc. In those nostalgic days,even when players were getting paltry playing money, we had not heard of words like FIXING. Is it a reflection of the general degradation of the society???
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