Lalit Modi turns quizmaster

New Delhi: Suspended IPL chief Lalit Modi continues to use social networking site Twitter for playing more games.New Delhi: Suspended IPL chief Lalit Modi continues to use social networking site Twitter for playing more games.

This time he's turned a quizmaster asking his tweet followers questions about the recently concluded IPL.

Modi asked: "Who performed better in IPL 2010? Right-handed openers or left-handed openers?"

He later gave the answer: " Right-handed openers averaged 32.80 (22.28 in '08), while left-handed openers averaged 25.83 (36.36 in '08)."

No surprises there since Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis (both right-handers) topped the batting charts by a quite a margin.

Modi also asked: "Which was (the) most productive over in IPL 2010 for chasing sides? No it wasn't the 20th. Think!"

The answer was a surprising one. Fourth over was the most one in IPL 2010 for chasing sides. It produced 9.35 runs per over.

Meanwhile, Modi arrived here this morning amid speculation that he is set to take legal action against the BCCI. He, however, was very agitated with the barrage of reporters who were seeking a comment from him at the airport and merely said, "nothing, nothing" at first before losing his cool


"Why aren't you letting me reach my car? Why are you blocking me? Can't you be gentlemen?" he fumed before being escorted to his car by his bodyguards.

Sena invites Mukesh, not SRK; Sachin, Big B say no

Months after training its guns on Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani for his “Mumbai for all” comments, the Shiv Sena has invited him to its May 1 function at the BKC, and says he has agreed to attend. But two other Mumbai icons, actor Amitabh Bachchan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, have informed the Sena that they cannot.Months after training its guns on Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani for his “Mumbai for all” comments, the Shiv Sena has invited him to its May 1 function at the BKC, and says he has agreed to attend. But two other Mumbai icons, actor Amitabh Bachchan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, have informed the Sena that they cannot.

In January, the party had slammed Ambani for describing as “unfortunate” the government decision to make knowledge of Marathi mandatory for taxi permits. Now, a party leader in charge of the guest list said, “That was a personal thing then and it has nothing to do with the May 1 event. Ambani has informed us he plans to attend, as of now. We hope he comes.”

The Sena was hoping to get Bachchan and Lata Mangeshkar on the same stage, but the actor has told the party he will be out of the state. “Bachchan has informed us he will be attending a family function, while Tendulkar will not be in the city either,” said the leader.
Tendulkar, too, had been targeted by the Sena for his comments on Mumbai. On Bachchan, on the other hand, the Sena has always been soft, with party chief Bal Thackeray writing in his favour every time he has been mired in controversy.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who offended the Sena with his statements in support of Pakistan cricketers at the IPL, has not been invited. “The function is open to all. If he wants, he can come,” said a party leader.Columnist Shobha De, historian Babasaheb Purandare, actor and BJP leader Hema Malini and the top brass of BJP will attend.

IPL 2010 Final Match (CSK vs MI)

While the Mumbai Indians were runaway leaders in the league stage with 20 points, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings struggled to a 50:50 win-loss record to just make it to the final four. If we were to compare the two sides on paper, the Mumbai Indians have the look of comfortable winners. Sachin Tendulkar though, would know well that his side is up against the most consistent team of the IPL, a team which has gone beyond the league stages in all three seasons. Though Sachin’s presence at the final is in doubt as he got injured in last match. So overall, Mumbai has the edge in case a ‘fit’ Tendulkar returns, while Dhoni’s team would have to be favourites in case Mumbai go into the game without Sachin. Knowing Sachin though, he wouldn’t want to sit out of a big final, and expect the Master Blaster to play even if he has to hold the bat with one hand. So it will be the contest to watch out for and the winner of this battle will win the war.

Cricketers, politicians, stars wish Sachin on 37th birthday

MUMBAI: The controversies surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) took a backseat as ciricketers, Bollywood stars and politicians wished batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar a happy 37th birthday on Saturday and and hoped for his speedy recovery for Sunday's final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.MUMBAI: The controversies surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) took a backseat as ciricketers, Bollywood stars and politicians wished batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar a happy 37th birthday on Saturday and and hoped for his speedy recovery for Sunday's final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

Tendulkar is doubtful for the IPL final as he has stitches on his hand and is struggling to recover in time for the match.

Leading the state in greeting Sachin, Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranaraynn said, "the entire nation and cricket lovers across the world are proud" to see him setting new records in all formats of cricket.

"As a great admirer of your style and sense of commitment to the nation, I join the millions of your fans in wishing you a very special birthday," the governor said in a message.

"While congratulating you, I hope you will continue to set newer records in the years to come," Sankaranarayanan said.

Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians team mate Harbhajan Singh, greeting the maestro said he is "not 37 years old, but 37 years young, as he continues to play with the zeal of an enthusiastic youngster even today."

Harbhajan said he always felt very close to Tendulkar and looked up to him for advice in his good and bad times.

"In fact I think I have reached this stage in life only because of his support," he added gallantly.

In a special front-page article on the occasion, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna paid a tribute to the master-blaster and wished him many more records for the future.

Rajasthan Royals captain and Australian spin legend Shane Warne also wished Tendulkar via Twitter.

"Happy birthday to the little master and my friend Sachin!! Hope he is not injured for the final... Good luck to both teams," Warne said on his Twitter account.

Yuvraj Singh tweeted: "Happy birthday Master Blaster. Lots of love n best of wishes for the final."

Bollywood was also not behind as veteran actor Anupam Kher said Tendulkar is a "reason to be proud of being an Indian".

"Happy birthday Sachin. You are one of THE reasons to be proud of being an Indian. Tks 4 helping us Rise above the pettiness of our surroundings," Kher said.

Bollywood superstar and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan wished Tendulkar a happy birthday and hoped that he recover for the final.

"Happy Birthday Sachin. Hope ur fingers heal soon," Khan said.

No takers for Sachin statue? Happy Birthday to u

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) season closes, all eyes are on the game. Some, because of the final match, and many, because of the growing storm within.As the Indian Premier League (IPL) season closes, all eyes are on the game. Some, because of the final match, and many, because of the growing storm within.

And far from this brouhaha over cricket, two artistes - though Sachin Tendulkar fans to boot - are unhappy about the way they allege they have been treated by Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) - the agency promoting the Mumbai Indians team. They claim the agency has not paid them fully for an assignment.

Nitin Gorde, 31, and Kedar Ghate, 30, both JJ school of Art alumni, shot to fame after making life-like fibreglass statues of Aamir Khan which were used for the promotion of his action flick Ghajini.

O&M approached them in January 2010 to make six fibreglass statues of Tendulkar, for the promotional activities of Mumbai Indians.
Accordingly they met Tendulkar at Ambassador Hotel in Churchgate. “He was very down to earth. He gave us as much time as we wanted without any airs,” said Nitin. The duo, who are sculptors and make such statues for a living, decided to drop all other work and concentrate on this alone.

...they (O&M) have neither bothered to collect the statue or paid us our money - Kedar Ghate, one of the sculptors

“We were given a purchase order for six statues,” said Kedar. Mumbai Mirror is in possession of the copy of the purchase order which promises the duo Rs 4,95,000 for the assignment.

Once the first statue was made, O&M creative head Santosh Patil came to see it and liked their work. “We were given a cheque for Rs 2,20,000 as advance payment from the agency at the end of February,” recalled Nitin.

Work on the first statue was completed and work on the other five had begun when their troubles started. The first inkling of this came when the agency sent the Mumbai Indians costume and accessories for the statue only after repeated reminders, 20 days after the IPL matches had begun.
“We felt something was amiss, but thought we should not protest too much since this will spoil our impression,” said Nitin whose father is battling a life-threatening disease.

Once the statue was fitted with the costume and accessories, the artistes were back to pleading with the agency to collect it. “We wanted them to release our money and give us a nod to begin work on the other statues,” said Kedar, adding, “But they have neither bothered to collect the statue or have paid us our money.”

“We are in a mess, since we have refused other work and we can’t provide for our families,” said Kedar.

When contacted, Prasanna Shrivastav, Account Director of Ogilvy & Mather said, “We are definitely going to pay them the remaining money. The only problem is that the team is touring across the nation hence we are not getting time to clear this.”

Wish Sachin wins World Cup: John Wright

Ahmedabad: The best way to excel in a job is to enjoy it. And that is the secret of maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s long and consistent innings at the top flight of the game, observed former Team India coach John Wright. The New Zealander is here as a brand ambassador of the Southern Institute of Technology, New Zealand.

“I think he is still looking fit. He is enjoying the game and hungry for more…He is nearing 100 tons in international matches, which is truly Bradmanesque.

Sachin is the best batsman I have ever seen,” Wright said. Tendulkar has scored 47 Test and 46 ODI centuries in his career spanning over two decades.

The Kiwi heaped praise on the Little Master for his enthusiasm and hard work in the ongoing Indian Premier League. “You can’t imagine how much hard work Sachin is putting in to win the league for Mumbai Indians,” said Wright, who has been keenly following IPL action.

Wright is following IPL so much so that he quickly turned around to check the live telecast timing of the first semifinal of the cash-rich league between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Unfortunately for Wright, he missed the live action as was in transit to catch a Hyderabad-bound flight.

Aware of the fact that Sachin will turn 37 in three days, he wished him success for the ICC World Cup 2011. “He has conquered everything, but the World Cup. I hope he does it in 2011,” he said.

The former New Zealand captain looked pleased with the chemistry between India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten. “They have developed a good rapport. I guess this is reflected in their position as No.1 in ICC Test rankings. Against South Africa, they showed a lot of character to retain the top spot,” Wright felt.

Wright also recollected his association with the Indian team. Terming Sourav Ganguly as acharismatic leader, Wright said, “it was a privilege to work with the team, led by Sourav. He never took a step backward, which turned out to be very important. Moreover, the team had fine players like VVS (Laxman), (Rahul) Dravid, Sachin (Tendulkar), (Anil) Kumble and (Javagal) Srinath, who were the bridge between newcomers and veterans,” Wright signed off

Tendulkar's hand injury to be assessed: Zaheer

Mumbai: The condition of Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar`s hand injury would be assessed in a couple of days and a call taken whether he will play in the April 25 IPL final or not, pacer Zaheer Khan said.

"I did not have a chance to talk to Sachin in dressing room because everyone was celebrating by jumping up and down but (coach) Robin (Singh) said that the injury needed five stitches and a call will be taken on his playing (in the final) in two days` time," said Zaheer at the post-match press-conference after his side thumped Bangalore by 35 runs to storm into their maiden IPL final here.

Tendulkar suffered a right hand webbing split while taking a dropped catch of Dravid in the fourth over and he did not field after that during Bangalore`s run chase.

Zaheer said Tendulkar`s injury just three days before his 37th birthday was a "bit of worry".

"It (Tendulkar`s injury) is a bit of a worry. We hope and all Mumbai Indians fans hope that he can play in the final. We would take a call in a couple of days," he said.

Zaheer gave credit to Ambati Rayudu, who made 40 in 38 balls, and Saurabh Tiwary, who came up with a quick-fire unbeaten 52 in 31 balls, for setting up the victory for Mumbai after they lost Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan with only 29 on board.

"I thought both Rayudu and Tiwary batted very well. Our aim was to get to 170 as the wicket was turning and it was difficult to play Kevin Pietersen and (Anil) Kumble. And 180-plus (184 for 5) was a good total to defend. We knew we had the bowling attack," he said.

Zaheer, who captained the side with Tendulkar off the field, said the team was happy to make it to the final.

Asked if an IPL title triumph would be the ideal birthday gift to Tendulkar, Zaheer said, "It would be a belated gift."