KKR seek permission from High Court for using loudspeakers

KKR seeks an order from the court directing the government to allow the franchise to use loudspeakers during its matches at the Eden Gardens © AFP

Days before cricket carnival Indian Premier League (IPL) is to start, city franchise Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court pleading for the use of loudspeakers during match days.

The petition moved before a bench of Justices P.K. Ray and Dipankar Gupta seeks an order from the court directing the government to allow the franchise to use loudspeakers during its matches at the Eden Gardens.

The petition comes in the wake of an order by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) banning the use of loudspeakers in residential and educational areas which was subsequently extended to open areas including stadia.

The matter will come up for hearing Monday while Knight Riders are scheduled to play their first match against Delhi Daredevils Thursday at the Eden Gardens.

Knight Riders were granted a similar order by the court during the 3rd edition of the IPL in 2010.

The high Court March 12 (2010) had stayed a notice by WBPCB banning use of loudspeakers and firecrackers and restricting cheering in the stadium.

The team co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan was permitted the use of firecrackers within 90 decibel sound limit as also loudspeakers.

On Feb 24, 2010, WBPCB, citing the West Bengal Noise Regulation (Pollution and Control) Act, 2000, had issued a notice banning use of firecrackers, loudspeakers and also restricting cheering in the stadium.

The IPL begins April 4 with the opening match to be played in Chennai.

Virender Sehwag launches Delhi Daredevils branded gold coins


NEW DELHI: Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag today launched "limited edition Delhi Daredevils branded Gold Coins" made by The Muthoot Group, the sponsors of the Indian Premier League side here. 

The Muthoot Group, which has been sponsoring Daredevils for the last three years, launched the collection of gold coins to honour the of fans of theDelhi IPL franchise. 

Apart from Sehwag, who is also the captain of Daredevils, other dignitaries present on the occasion are M G George Muthoot, chairman of the Muthoot Group, GMR Sports COO Amrit Mathur, chirman of Urban Infrastructure and GMR Sports Kiran Gandhi among others. 

"I have nothing new to say as I have been honouring all the sponsors of the team for the last few days. But I am thankful to The Muthoot Group for extending their support and I hope we can give all our sponsors reasons to smile by winning the IPL this year," Sehwag said on the occasion. 

Muthoot Group chairman, George Muthoot announced a gold coin each for all the players and support staff of the Daredevils team if they can win the IPL V, starting April 4 in Chennai.

Filmmakers offer an interesting palette of films during IPL

Mumbai: Bollywood filmmakers have put up a brave act this year by lining up a string of big and small budget films for release in the next two months even as the cricket fever kicks off from April 4, with IPL season 5. This year, films which will face the IPL, mainly include Sajid Khan`s multi starrer comic caper, `Housefull 2` (April 6), actor John Abraham`s maiden home production `Vicky Donor` (April 20), Viacom 18 Motion Pictures` `Bittoo Boss` (April 20) and Vidhu Vinod Chopra`s `Ferrai Ki Sawari` (April 27).

On the risk of releasing a film during IPL, Sajid Khan told PTI, "Its OK to release a film during IPL..its a myth not to release a film during that time. IPL will also do well and
even `Housefull 2` will be a superhit film."

According to actor-turned-producer John Abraham, "the IPL opens very strong and dips in the middle after the first fortnight, and that is when we have decided to release the film. Because we know there is going to be a fatigue factor somewhere in the middle and we are going to cash in on that."
"It is not a social film (Vicky Donor)..its a commercial one. The concept of sperm donation is first of its kind, we needed it to be treated with care. We know that our target
audience is mainly colleges. We will market this film effectively," he said.

Priyadarshan`s action-thriller `Tezz` (April 27), Emraan Hashmi-starrer `Jannat 2` (May 4), Karisma Kapoor`s comeback film `Dangerous Ishq` (May 11), Yash Raj Films `Ishaqzaade` (May 18) and Ram Gopal Varma`s `Department` (May 18) are other releases.

"This time around we have a fantastic variety of films lined up for release during IPL. Its great that filmmakers are not afraid of IPL anymore. Usually it is vacation time, summer
holidays..so everyone wants to relax.. have a good time, so what better than a good dose of entertainment through movies," Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh told PTI.

"This is a great trend as a mix of both big and small films are releasing during this time. Films should release whether IPL or no IPL," he said.

Now its wait and watch on who scores high on audience attention -- cricket or films. 

Pune IPL stadium set for roll-out.

Pune: Pune Warriors India will finally get to play at home this Indian Premier League as the Rs 260-crore Gahunje cricket stadium - just 20kms from the city - is set to be inaugurated here on Sunday. Located at Gahunje, the stadium will be the home ground of PWI, led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, and is scheduled to host their the first match on April 8.

Built and owned by Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), the Gahunje stadium, with a capacity of 45,000, will be the venue of as many as nine IPL matches this season. "The first phase of the stadium is ready to host the IPL matches when Pune Warriors India will take on eight other teams at their home ground for the first time. A total of nine matches will be played in the new stadium as Pune has also got a chance to host one play-off match between the first-placed team and second-placed team on May 22," Ajay Shirke, the MCA president, said.

AFP Photo

Shirke said PWI captain Ganguly had already visited the stadium with other team members for practice. Highlighting the features of the stadium, he described it as an "architectural wonder" designed by the renowned Sir Michael Hopkins. One of the most important aspects of the stadium is stated to be its drainage system.

"Many times rain plays the spoilsport and even light showers for some time force organizers to alter the match duration. To overcome this problem MCA has opted for a sand-based outfield, developed departmentally with technical assistance from a UK company," the MCA boss said.

"The stadium and the seating arrangements have been designed in such a way that an unobstructed view is assured from every location, making it the best match viewing experience, enhanced by four big LED screens strategically placed to watch replays."

A statue of legendary cricketer DB Deodhar will adorn the stadium, to be inaugurated by ICC president Sharad Pawar in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Subrata Roy, the Sahara India Pariwar chairman.

SOURCE

Want to be Sherlock Holmes: Irfan

Delhi Daredevils paceman reveals his quick wit

With a boy-next-door charm belying his celebrity status, Irfan spoke fondly about his family and friends. And the not-so-mundane desire to time-travel and be Sherlock Holmes. Take a look.

1. My favourite cuisine is my mum’s biryani. She also cooks this mixed vegetable curry which I think is the best vegetarian dish in the whole world.

2. When it comes to beverages, I like milkshakes, hot chocolate and anything else that tastes good.

3. My favourite movie is Hera Pheri. Amongst English films I love Ali in which Will Smith played the title role. I like any movie which has Adam Sandler, Will Smith, Amitabh Bachchan or Paresh Rawal.

4. My favourite music artiste is Lucky Ali. I’d love for him to sing more than he does because he’s got a different kind of voice. I also like listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sonu Nigam and Kishore Kumar.

5. My favourite TV series are Two And A Half Men and The Simpsons. In Hindi there’s a comedy series called Lapata Ganj that airs on Sab TV. A lot of people don’t like that kind of sense of humour but I enjoy it.

6. My favourite gadgets are the Blackberry and iPod. I also carry my laptop with me wherever I go because I like to watch a lot of movies.

7. My mantra in life is Jiyo aur jeene do (Live and let live). With time and experience I’ve also realised the key to being happy is being satisfied with whatever god has given to you. 

8. I idolise my brother a lot. He’s a gem of a person and a very genuine guy. In cricket, I really admire [VVS] Laxman bhai. I don’t think you’ll find any better person than him.

9. One thing I cannot live without is food. I don’t have any other bad habits like drinking or smoking, but I love indulging in food. It’s my weakness.

10. I don’t follow any particular trend or style. I wear whatever looks good on me and whatever I can carry off. 

11. Robin [Uthappa] and my brother [Yusuf] are my best mates in cricket. Robin and I share a husband-and-wife sort of relationship. We fight a lot and at the same time cannot do without each other.

12. Adam Gilchrist was the toughest batsman I’ve bowled to. He was always a tough nut to crack. He had all the shots in the book and at the same time was very aggressive.

13. The easiest batsman to bowl to? There were times when I used to bowl to Mohammad Yousuf and thought I could get him out. He is, no doubt, a world-class batsman but sometimes you feel you can get a batsman out.

14. My favourite non-cricketing sportsperson has to be Muhammad Ali. His entire life is a story of motivation. He was someone who always stood by what he thought was right. He made black look beautiful. He was a three-time world champion and a fierce competitor but he was also a gem of a person. He had a sharp tongue but a pure heart. I remember, once in England I saw a security officer wearing an Ali shirt. I made him take it off in the hotel lobby and gave him his choice of bat from my kitbag in return. I still carry that T-shirt with me.

15. My most memorable cricketing moments are my Test debut at Adelaide, the 2007 World Twenty20 win where I was the Man-of-the-Match in the final, the Test hat-trick against Pakistan and making a comeback in 2011.

16. If I weren’t a cricketer, I’d probably be a priest or a doctor, like my mom wanted me to be. I don’t think I’d have done a good job of either profession.

17. My favourite delivery is the in-swinger that releases perfectly from my hand. I like to see the ball coming in and hitting the pads of the batsman.

18. If I could have a superpower, I’d like to have a time machine. I’d visit the past, repeat the good things that happened and try to change the bad ones. Personally, I’d go back and enjoy my school life all over again.

19. If I were invisible for a day, I’d become Sherlock Holmes and reveal all the mysteries of the world.

20. My message to Delhi Daredevils’ opponents in the IPL is – beware of Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen, David Warner, Ross Taylor and most importantly, our captain Virender Sehwag.

 Paul Valthaty was an unknown entity until A Wednesday (April 13) last year when he took India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings' to the cleaners during an Indian Premier League match in Mohali. The diminutive but effective hard-hitter scored a whirlwind 120 not out off 63 balls with 19 fours and two sixes en route to a six-wicket victory for Kings XI Punjab, chasing down a mammoth 189-run target with almost an over to spare.

Valthaty became an instant superstar. "Last year's IPL changed my whole life. Suddenly, I became a household name and people wanted to know everything about my personal life. It was a crazy period but I think I handled it quite well," said the 28-year-old, who fits the destiny's child tag to the tee.

A shoulder injury in early 2001 hurt his chances of wearing the lion-crested Mumbai Ranji Trophy cap and thereafter a freak eye injury during the 2002 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand forced him to return home mid-way through the tournament. After a few years of obscurity, a contract with Kings XI Punjab beckoned and since then the Air-India employee has only soared.

Valthaty credited most of his IPL 2011 success to his coach-cum-captain Adam Gilchrist of Australia. "I owe a lot of my IPL glory to skipper Adam. Opening the batting with Adam has been one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. He is very supportive while at the crease and keeps helping me out by offering tips on different aspects like my strokeplay or a bowler's line and length or the field placements etc. He's a total team man and a great leader. His commitment to the team can be judged from the fact that though we begin training here only tomorrow, he's already landed here over four days back," explained Valthaty, who took home a swanky new sedan after winning last year's Individual Performance Award of IPL IV.

A lot has transpired since and Valthaty has soaked in all the mixed feelings. "A lot was said about me when I moved over to play for Himachal Pradesh (in the plate division). But I moved State purely because I felt that I would get better chances to play there. However, unfortunately I suffered a wrist injury in October and had to miss out on a couple of Plate Division matches and around four one-dayers. But the experience of playing away from home has kept me in good stead though. Now, I'm fit and raring to go," said the Borivali resident.

Team goals matter more to the all-rounder than his individual show. "Last year we missed making it to the play-offs by just one match. Had we won the match against Deccan Chargers, we would have been through to the knockout stage and from there it's anyone's game. So, this time round, our priority will be to make that play-offs stage. I'm working hard on my bowling too with (newly-appointed India bowling coach) Joe Dawes. I'm trying to work out some good variations which is a must in the T20 format," said Valthaty, who is more than willing to live up to his reputation of being one of the big hitters of the IPL.

"There are bigger hitters than me in the IPL, but I realise that the pressure will definitely be on me since I've done well last year, and I'm ready for it. I won't change the way I play and will approach my batting in the same fashion - strokes and all - and hope to have the same results," he said.

Valthaty in 2011 IPL:
Matches: 14
Runs: 463
Average: 35.61
SR: 137
HS: 120*
4s: 55
6s: 20

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