“The IPL is a good opportunity for the Indian team to prepare before it heads for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup,” said Yusuf, who was a member of the triumphant Indian team captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in South Africa in 2007.

Yusuf will leave for South Africa tonight along with his other Rajasthan Royals’ team-mates for the second edition of the 37-day IPL, starting from the April 18.

Congratulating Indian Test team on its historic victory in New Zealand, the all-rounder said, “It was a very good performance. As a team we are playing very well. We are enjoying each others success.” The flamboyant batsman said playing the cash-rich T20 league on foreign pitches would be a good experience for the players.

He said that IPL champions Rajasthan Royals’ were gearing up for the defence of their title.

“We have got together. The preparations are going well,” Yusuf said.

Source: IPL ideal preparation ahead of T20 World Cup: Yusuf

The Rajasthan Royals’ warm-up for next week’s IPL began with defeat to the Cape Cobras at Newlands. The defending IPL champions, fielding an XI that included rookie Indians and a few first-time overseas names, did well in the field but couldn’t reach the target of 143 set by the Cobras, South Africa’s domestic Pro20 champions.

The Australian import Rob Quiney got Rajasthan’s reply off to a good start, but with wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end, he too succumbed to the pressure. Naman Ojha was the first to go for 10, edging the burly medium-pacer Rory Kleinveldt behind, before Vernon Philander cut Quiney off on 34. Robin Peterson then drew a leading edge from the experienced Mohammad Kaif. The wobble was on.

Peterson drew another wicket when he beat Lee Carseldine’s bat and the wicketkeeper Ryan Canning dislodged the bails. It was a tight call that went in Cobras’ favour. The next to go was the explosive Tyron Henderson who, after hitting a big six, was run out by a flat throw from Philander. Justin Ontong came on for some spin and brought about a top-edged sweep off Ravindra Jadeja’s bat.

Peterson’s tidy spin kept a check on runs and the asking rate inched toward nine at this stage. Enter Shane Warne, who shuffled about his crease and looked in the mood to just biff the ball. He was given a life by Andrew Puttick at long-on but hit a few classy shots before he top-edged an attempted steer to third man and was well held for 21 off 19 balls. Rajasthan collapsed against the disciplined Kleinveldt, who took four, and fell 28 runs short.

The hosts’ 142 was set up by some clean hitting from Richard Levi (36 off 22 balls), Philander (26 off 21) and Kleinveldt (23 off 17) after a young Rajasthan pace attack made early inroads. In the second over, Peterson – in his first game for the Cobras after transferring from the Warriors – got a faint tickle off medium-pacer Amit Singh for 1. That became 15 for 2 in the third over when Puttick, down a place to No. 3, nicked Siddarth Trivedi to Ojha. Ontong’s off stump was knocked out of its base by a lovely yorker from Kamran Khan to make it 22 for 3. Kamran, who was picked out of obscurity in February without any first-class experience, bowled just the one over.

Warne and Jadeja picked up a wicket each with their brands of spin to further dent the Cobras. But Philander, Levi – especially impressive with his hand-eye coordination – and Kleinveldt hit some courageous shots to get the total to respectability. Singh, the medium-pacer from Gujarat, had 3 for 18 from his four overs.

Warne had said before the game he wanted a tough warm-up ahead of the second edition of the IPL and he got it.

Source: Kleinveldt’s four wrecks Rajasthan’s warm-up

Henderson can scarcely believe the course of events that culminated in him receiving the fourth highest contract of the 2009 IPL auction behind Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and JP Duminy. When he first took the field for Border in 1998, Twenty20 cricket had yet to be conceived. And since his one and only international for South Africa – a 20-over match against India in which he was run out for a second-ball duck, and conceded 0 for 31 from his four overs – Henderson has found his niche at an age when many cricketers have opted for the pipe and slippers.

“When I started ten years ago I couldn’t have dreamed of anything like this happening,” Henderson told Cricinfo. “It’s like, ‘Wow, how did this happen?’ [The IPL contract] did come as a bit of a shock at the time, but it has all settled in now. If you look at my stats in Twenty20 they aren’t too bad, and there were obviously some teams out there who thought I could do a job for them. I’m confident I can do that and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Henderson underlined his all-round potency during Middlesex’s charge to the Twenty20 title last season. His 21 wickets at 16.61 and 281 runs at 40.14 were vital to the county’s cause, and his thumping innings of 77 from 41 deliveries in Middlesex’s Pro Arch Trophy victory over Yorkshire last month suggested that, at 34, Henderson’s skills are not in decline.

“The Twenty20 format suits me down to the ground,” he said. “You have four overs to bowl, and they’re usually in powerplays or at the death, so they’re always interesting. And I’m happy to bat up or down the order, and like to get on with it once I’m in.

“I’m a Kolpak player now, and for me it was a bit of a no-brainer. I didn’t get much of an opportunity in the South African side. I played one Twenty20 international against India, and to be honest, I was surprised when I got the call-up. I wasn’t in the best nick at the time, and I didn’t really do much. I’ve had a good couple of years since at domestic level.”

IPL franchises concur. One of the lesser credentialed players at the 2009 auction, Henderson sold for $550,000 above his reserve price at a time when most teams were hunting for bargains.

“I tried to follow [the auction] online,” he said. “I was on my laptop and my wife was on another … [and] then I got a call from someone over there saying that Rajasthan had paid $650,000. It was a pretty amazing day.”

Rajasthan’s purchase seemed all the thriftier when the IPL announced that, due to security concerns in India, it would shift its 2009 operations to England or South Africa. Henderson, who has lived and played in both countries, believes his knowledge of South African conditions will benefit his franchise.

“It does give me more confidence,” he said. “I know all the grounds pretty well and have played on them all on numerous occasions. We have Graeme Smith and Morne Morkel in our team, so I’m sure we’ll be able to provide a few insights into the local conditions along the way. They will probably tap our knowledge a little bit closer to the tournament. At the moment they’ve got so many logistical issues to sort out and I don’t think local pitch conditions are a big concern for them at the moment.”

Source: Henderson still pinching himself after pay-day

The second edition of IPL is taking place in South Africa. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to shift the Twenty20 tournament outside the country after state governments failed to assure security for the event that clashed with general elections.

Last year’s winning team, Rajasthan Royals will kick off the series with a match against Bangalore Royal Challengers at Newlands, Cape Town April 18 and the 33-year-old actress also admitted to undergoing pressure to maintain the winning streak.

“The pressure is really on, especially for us but I feel Rajasthan Royals have an edge since three of our players belong to the South African team, namely South Africa captain Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel and Tyron Henderson,” she wrote.

Source: Shilpa hopes IPL will be a success in South Africa

The Cobras have a strong line-up with several players with international experience, including Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy, Charl Langeveldt, Justin Ontong and Monde Zondeki.

Rajasthan will make Cape Town their base during the run-up to the IPL’s second season, which runs from April 18 to May 24, following a strategic partnership with the Cobras and Western Province Cricket association, owners of the Newlands Stadium.

“We are delighted to be working with the Cobras at Newlands during our IPL tournament preparation. It’s a great venue, and the “Clash of the Champions” over the Easter weekend will be an exciting contest,” Manoj Badale, chairman and co-owner of Rajasthan, said. “It is the first time the Royals have played since winning the IPL tournament and it will be great to see the team back in action.”

Both teams have also agreed to work together on future cricketing and sponsorship opportunities to further sporting links between India and South Africa. In addition to the two matches, the partnership will also include player exchange to develop young talent.

Source: Rajasthan Royals to face Cobras ahead of IPL