Amre, who coached the Mumbai Ranji team to two trophy victories in the last three years, said he took the offer from Mumbai Indians because it would offer him international exposure. “With my experience as the Mumbai coach I will be acting as the bridge between the domestic players and the coaching staff, mainly Pollock,” Amre said.

Amre was part of a bunch of candidates who were asked to give their presentation two days ago but his handsome CV as a coach and also his experience on the South African circuit clinched the deal in his favour. Amre was part of the 1991-92 tour and even scored a century on debut in Durban. He later played for Boland in the South African domestic circuit in 1999 where he got the chance to move around the country.

Mumbai Indians officials confirmed Amre’s appointment but did not divulge much on Rajput’s exit. “He [Rajput] has put in his papers citing personal reasons,” a Mumbai spokesperson said. Rajput, however, was unavailable for comment.

Source : Mumbai Indians hire Amre as assistant coach

The Godrej Group has just signed up as one of the co-sponsors for IPL (Season 2). HUL has joined the list of sponsors of the much-hyped sports event, scheduled for April 2009.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola India has turned associate sponsor of yet another IPL team, Delhi Dare Devils, for its flagship brand Coke. Earlier, the company had signed up as the associate sponsor for Kolkata Knight Riders for its Sprite brand.

Incidentally, IPL had only seven sponsors in its first season; the number has risen to ten in this (second) season. At present, IPL (Season2) sponsors include Coca-Cola India, the Godrej Group, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Vodafone, LG, Samsung Mobile, Airtel Digital TV, Hyundai and Havells.

“Indian corporates are sponsoring IPL teams in a bid to grab high visibility for their brands. We are expecting some more Indian companies to join the IPL sponsors list next week,” said an analyst based in Mumbai.

A Coca-Cola India spokesperson, while commenting on the company’s new sponsorships, said, “We are committed to the IPL as it gives us yet another opportunity to connect with consumers. After signing up as the associate sponsor of Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Dare Devils for Sprite and Coca-Cola respectively, we are now looking forward to the season II of the cricketing extravaganza.”

An HUL spokesperson, when contacted for comments regarding the company becoming an IPL sponsor, said, “We have no comments to offer.” HK Press, executive director and president of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), the Godrej Group, however, confirmed that the company has signed up as one of the co-sponsors for IPL (Season 2).

“We will be using this opportunity to gain visibility for our brands,” said Press. The company is planning to beam a series of television advertisements to promote its flagship brands during the tournament.

On the rationale behind Coke’s move to sponsor two IPL teams, the company spokesperson said, “Cricket and Bollywood are the two biggest passions in India. With IPL bringing these together, its appeal transcends demographics, geographies and even socio-economic classifications.”

Meanwhile, Sony has kick-started its second round of television campaign to promote its channel Sony Max.

According to industry sources, Idea Cellular will soon join the IPL (Season 2) bandwagon. “Lowe India is currently working on advertising campaigns for Idea Cellular,” added sources.

Source: Hindustan Unilever, Godrej join IPL bandwagon

“I don’t want to disclose the names of the players who would be going to South Africa now as we want to keep all options open,” Joy Bhattacharya, Kolkata’s team director, said after the conclusion of a six-day training camp at the Eden Gardens. “We might take the whole squad which took part in the conditioning camp to South Africa. Nothing has been finalised right now. The final team for KKR would be announced in South Africa.”

John Buchanan, Kolkata’s director of cricket operations, had already sparked speculation with his revolutionary theory of doing away with a fixed captain and instead have four or five leaders through the tournament. Kolkata had been led in the first season by their ‘icon’ player, Sourav Ganguly, who is not fully convinced by Buchanan’s multiple-captain theory.

Kolkata’s players will leave for Bloemfontein in batches, with the first lot flying out on Tuesday evening for the tournament which kicks off on April 18. Ganguly is expected to leave for South Africa on April 5.

Source: Kolkata to announce captain and squad in South Africa

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 development comes after the Bombay High Court had cleared the way for the BCCI to seek a new broadcast deal by rejecting a plea from Sony TV, which had challenged the Indian cricket board’s decision to terminate its five-year deal to televise the IPL. Talks had failed because MSM, which holds the IPL contract under the Sony umbrella, wanted a non-terminable contract, which the BCCI/IPL refused to provide.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, was “absolutely delighted” with the new deal. “We have what we believe to be the best deal for the DLF Indian Premier League and Indian cricket fans alike,” Modi said. “I am certain that Multi Screen Media will pull out all the stops in ensuring that the best technology is utilized to deliver excellent content that is creative, innovative and enriching for the cricket fans in India and indeed across the globe.”

The IPL’s relationship with Sony had turned rocky last month after the IPL lost out on a US$31.16 million deal because of a dispute between Sony and Big TV, a direct-to-home provider. Ties between the two dipped further after the subsequent resignation of Kunal Dasgupta, the then Sony CEO, who was known to be close to Modi. Sony is also understood to have been keen on re-negotiating the financial terms of its contract with the IPL and had concerns about the tournament’s revised dates and some of the venues that were being considered.

Manjit Singh, the MSM CEO, said the deal helped reaffirm the broadcaster’s commitment to the Indian subcontinent and the global cricket fan alike. “We are absolutely delighted to bring the exciting IPL line-up of Indian and international cricketers to the millions of cricket fans globally,” he said. “At Multi Screen Media & World Sport Group we have done some pioneering work in showcasing cricket in an entertaining and informative way and we will continue to innovate and extend the excitement of cricket through the IPL. We look forward to a long and successful association with the IPL as the leagues global media rights partner.”

Venu Nair, CEO, WSG said the objective was to place Indian cricket on the global sports calendar. “It’s a task, that we have managed with great distinction,” Nair said. “Today, fans across the world are looking forward to the start of season 2 of the IPL and we are happy to partner with Multi Screen Media to bring the league to a global audience.”

With the tournament moving away from India, there is likely to be a significant international audience now. All matches will be telecast at 4 pm IST and at 8 pm IST in the evening to coincide with prime time for television audiences in India.

Source: Sony, WSG bag IPL broadcast rights

“It’s 70% in favour of England now as per the indications we have got this morning,” a South African official told Cricinfo. “We have been told that apparently, England may be a better fit in terms of crowds, the economics for the franchises who have signed up England players, and travel which would mostly be by road.”

Indian officials say the final decision – expected within the next 24 hours – is now almost entirely dependent on the ECB overcoming considerable obstacles related to costs and logistics and the approval of its stakeholders, including the counties, many of whom fear that their domestic schedule will be affected by the IPL.

The Indian team management, meanwhile, has made it clear that they would prefer England as the IPL venue. “It would make sense to have the event in England as it would help our cricketers prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup,” Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, told PTI in Auckland on Monday. “They could get a good feel of the conditions there.”

Prasad’s view was privately echoed by a powerful group of Indian officials including Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, and N Srinivasan, the board secretary who also owns the Chennai franchise. In fact, an Indian official told Cricinfo on Sunday night that “at this point of time, it looks 90% that the event is going to happen in England”.

“They (Manohar and Srinivasan) believe England is the best option because it gives the Indian players the best chance to prepare for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup,” a BCCI official said. “It also means less stress and travel for the players who are currently in New Zealand and will play the World Cup after the IPL. There is also a significant amount of goodwill here towards England for the manner in which they returned to play after the Mumbai attacks.”

What has also worked in England’s favour is its “multi-racial, multi-cultural cricket crowd” that would ensure a sell-out at most venues during the tournament, which features international stars from across the world. The England move has also received the backing of many IPL franchises, especially those who have signed up English players and hope to leverage that factor in terms of brand and market value.

Yet, there is significant support among officials who actually run the IPL, including its chairman Lalit Modi, for South Africa, which is seen as a more viable option. Modi and Gerald Majola, the Cricket South Africa chief executive, are known to enjoy a good personal relationship, especially after the two boards became founding partners of the Twenty20 Champions League last year. “This gives both the boards a lot of room for negotiations, adjustments and quick decisions, something that may not be possible with the ECB, which has to go by its board for almost every decision,” an IPL official said.

South Africa are still holding on to the hope that the logistics, weather and the basic expenditure involved in hosting a multi-team event of this magnitude will work in their favour. “We still feel that South Africa is a better bet for the IPL when it comes to weather, TV timings and logistics,” the South African official said. “For instance, to start a match at 4 pm IST, as the IPL wants to, you need to start at 11.30 am [summer time] in England. Who will come to watch a Twenty20 match at that time? The ECB has some serious problems to sort out first.”

Besides, the lobby rooting for South Africa claims that England could present a nightmare scenario in terms of expenditure and logistics. “Where are the grounds?” a franchise official said. “The English domestic season is starting around the same time, and then you have the Test series against West Indies in May. Besides, the cost of hotel rooms and television production in England will be exorbitant when compared to South Africa.”

Apparently, there is also a certain amount of concern at the ICC level about the state of venues in England for the World Twenty20 starting on June 5 – the IPL will run until May 24 alongside the English domestic season starting in April and the West Indies Test series in May. “It’s the beginning of the season in England and Wales and there is a lot of Twenty20 cricket being played including the ICC World Twenty20,” David Morgan, the ICC president, told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I do think there will be great difficulties in relocating it.”

Some of the English counties have not quite warmed up to the idea, either. Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, says any move to host the IPL in England would be risky for county cricket.

“Having discussed it with some of the coaches and players here I think the view of Yorkshire is that it would be very difficult to put together a tournament in England at short notice for several reasons – the main one being the overlap with the English county cricket season,” Regan told Sporting Life.

“But equally there are a number of logistical issues such as team security, swapping over advertising boards and certificates and so on that would have to be dealt with. I think there are more logistical issues than possibilities and I think it’s unlikely that England could handle this at very short notice.”

Source: England find backers but face hurdles at home