Bollywood's ready to take on Team India, lined up a string of releases during IPL

MUMBAI | NEW DELHI: This season, Bollywood's ready to take on Team India, and is not even scared of the IPL googly. After the drubbing in England, followed by the humiliation Down Under, the cricket-crazy nation seems to have developed some kind of a cricket fatigue, and Bollywood, seizing its opportunity, has lined up a string of releases during the busy cricket season.

Unlike the previous four seasons of the IPL, when Bollywood deferred new movie launches during the well-televised IPL season in April-May , this year at least half-a-dozen big films, with close to Rs 200 crore riding on them, have planned their releases bang in the middle of the event. These include Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar-starrers as well as a Raju Hirani scripted film.

"IPL has lost its charm," says Utpal Acharya, head of distribution and acquisition at Reliance Entertainment, which has co-produced the Karishma Kapoor-starrer Dangerous Ishq. "We are confident that audiences will visit cinema halls irrespective of IPL this year." Almost all the others who are releasing their films in April-May endorse Acharya's views.

From Sajid Nadiadwala , who is releasing a sequel to the successful comedy flick, Housefull, which has been acquired by Eros, to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who is releasing the Raju Hirani-written Ferrari Ki Sawari , to the Priyadarshan-directed Ajay Devgan-starrer Tezz, and the Mukesh Bhatt-Emraan Hashmi Jannat sequel --they all think that films will do well this summer.

"People are not only going to watch IPL all of April and May. So, we are releasing Ferrari Ki Sawari during the school vacations, which we think is the ideal time for family audiences," says Samir Rao, chief executive officer at Vinod Chopra Productions. With cricket touching a low after the euphoric World Cup victory last year, Bollywood's taking everything on the front foot.

Says Deepak Marda, joint managing director Cinepolis India, "I believe the lacklustre performance of the Indian team and the lack of buzz around the IPL has given confidence to film producers to schedule their movie releases during the fifth IPL season." The dip in cricket's popularity is evident from the fact that average ratings of the fourth IPL were the lowest among all the seasons.

TRPs of the matches averaged about 3.91 across six metros compared to 5.51 in IPL-3 . In the past four seasons, Bollywood, realising that it couldn't match up to the fire power of IPL, decided to join the cricketing tamasha, with some stars being owners of some teams, while many others endorsing the game's biggest brand by revenues during the games, and at the aftermatch parties.

IPL's impact was so huge that cinema halls wore a deserted look -- some even start showing IPL matches live -- and film producers didn't dare to launch new movies. Before IPL was launched in 2008, the April-June period was considered the best for new movies since it coincided with the vacation for students. Things changed a bit in the past two years, when Mukesh Bhatt's Jannat (in 2009) and the romantic comedy Tanu Weds Manu (2010) bucked the trend and made some money in the middle of IPL season.


"The growing number of movies released every year have led film producers to plan their releases in a manner that they do not clash with each other. This too has led film producers to choose April-May to release their movies ," says Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer of Big Cinemas.

Top executives in the movie hall business, like Sunil Punjabi, chief executive officer at Cinemax agree with Saksena and expect the first quarter of the 2012-13 to be better in terms of revenues than the previous year due to a stronger line-up of movies. Hollywood too has slotted a few releases like Men in Black-3 and The Avengers as well as James Cameron's Titanic which is being re-released in 3D, all which should add to the kitty during the same period.

IPL teams mull loan system for players

NEW DELHI: Plucking a leaf out of the European club soccer book, some of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees are toying with the idea of introducing an inter-club 'loan' system for players. The 'loan' system was one of several ideas proposed by franchisees to the IPL governing council during the two-day workshop meant to facilitate interaction between team owners and the GC. The workshop concluded on Tuesday. 

A top IPL official told TOI that the suggestions were "noted", adding: "We're going to discuss them further before deciding whether to implement them." Another source, however, insisted that the idea of allowing players out on loan had been received well and there was strong likelihood it might become regular practice from 2013. 

Some teams also sought the permission of the GC to travel abroad and play matches with other teams, maybe even in non-cricket-playing countries. In the past, Rajasthan Royals played such matches during ex-IPL chairman Lalit Modi's days. 

The likelihood of increased interaction during matches between owners and players also came up for discussion. It is learnt that some franchisees were willing to discuss the idea of owners having more access to players, if it was possible without compromising on the "sanctity" of the game or "security" parameters. 

Others suggested the owners' enclosures should have basic amenities like a shed on top of the dugout. "Some of the matches are played during the day and there are suggestions to improve the team owners' dugout. We are looking into it and will take all the necessary measures to make a successful IPL," an official said. 

Delhi Daredevils shell out $2m for Kevin Pietersen

NEW DELHI: Swashbuckling England batsmanKevin Pietersen is all set to join Delhi Daredevilsfor IPL 5. His services, which could be available for only about eight of the 16 league games, will cost $2 million, according to IPL sources. But the amount could not be officially confirmed. 

The Delhi team has been on the lookout for a middle-order batsman and has picked Pietersen in the third transfer of the IPL trading window for Season 5. 

In the 2011 auction, Deccan Chargers bought Pietersen for $650,000, but he was unavailable for the entire season due to injury. Of the $2 million, Pietersen will get $650,000 and a sizeable part of the balance of $1.35 million, with the rest going to Chargers. 

In the 2009 IPL auction, Pietersen was the highest-paid player ($1.55 million) along with former England teammate Andrew Flintoff. In 2011, Gautam Gambhir was the highest-paid cricketer with $2.4 million. 

This year, Mumbai Indians have bought Dinesh Karthik for $2.3 million from Kings XI Punjab. 

Pietersen said he was looking forward to the experience of playing alongside someone of the calibre of Virender Sehwag. "I'm looking forward to a wonderful time with the Delhi Daredevils. It will be a great experience to play in the same squad as Sehwag." 

In a press release, TA Sekar, head (cricket) of GMR Sports which owns the Delhi franchise, said: "Kevin's addition would strengthen the Delhi Daredevils squad this season. We are pleased to add Kevin to our line-up. He brings rich experience and an explosive quality to our batting and can be a more than a handy off-spinner as well. We are sure that Kevin will help us to be very competitive this season and the Delhi Daredevils fans will enjoy this addition."

Pragyan Ojha joins Mumbai Indians

MUMBAI: Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha on Saturday joined Mumbai Indians after four seasons with Deccan Chargers for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting April 4. 

Ojha, who is currently with the Test team in Australia, is the sixth player to be transferred during the 2012 trading window. Ojha won the Purple Cap for being the highest wicket-taker in the 2010 edition of the league. 

Mumbai Indians' co-owner Nita Ambani said Ojha's addtion would bolster the bowling department. 

"With a spinner of Pragyan Ojha's competence, we fortify our bowling department that has won us many matches in the past seasons. Pragyan Ojha is a player of great international repute, and we welcome him with much excitement," said Nita. 

E Venkat Reddy, chief operating officer of Deccan Chargers, said Ojha played a big role in the team's triumph in 2009. 

"Pragyan is an outstanding cricketer. He was one of the chief architects of our triumph in 2009. His performances for India, and in the IPL, speak for themselves. We wish him all the best for the future," he said.

Yuvraj Singh doubtful for IPL 5

NEW DELHI: India's World Cup star Yuvraj Singh will not only miss the tri-series in Australia but may also not be available for this year's Indian Premier League (IPL). 

According to sources in the National Cricket Academy, the Punjab southpaw may have to undergo surgery to completely remove the non-malignant tumour in his left lung which has laid him low. 

In case he goes under the knife, Yuvraj will not recover in time for the IPL. "He has been working very hard at the NCA, but he can't get back to the field until unless he is 100% fit," an official told TOI on Saturday. 

Yuvraj's absence in the ODI series will be a blow for the Indian team, which is being thrashed by Australia in the ongoing Test series. It will be an even bigger blow for IPL team Pune Warriors to lose their captain. 

According to Pune's coaching staff, the team is quite concerned about the player's health. "Yuvraj is the star player for Pune. If he goes for this surgery, he most likely will not be fit for the IPL. Yuvi's absence will leave a big hole in Pune's batting line-up," a Pune coaching staff said. 

Warriors' management and the IPL governing council will have to take a call on Yuvraj's replacement. A source close to developments said, "Most of the leading cricketers suggested that Yuvraj shouldn't risk his health. If the doctors are suggesting an operation, he should get it done. And if that happens, an operation at this stage means he is not going to play the IPL." 

Either BCCI or the IPL governing council will have to form a medical panel to plan for his thorough check-up . "We can't rush his comeback ," an insider said. 

Yuvraj hasn't played one-day cricket since last year's World Cup. An injury kept him out of the tour of the West Indies and his England tour was shortened by a finger injury. The left-hander made a comeback during the home Test series against the West Indies.

Pune Warriors retain Ganguly for coming IPL season

NEW DELHI: Inducted as an injury replacement last year, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been retained by Pune Warriors for the coming Indian Premier League season. 

Ganguly had signed up with the outfit after the start of the tournament last year. He had been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three editions of the Twenty20 event and had led the side in 2008 and 2010. 

"We are privileged to have a player of Sourav Ganguly's calibre in our squad. He has been one of India's greatest and most inspirational cricketers. We have no doubt that his presence in the team will boost the team's prospects in the IPL, and motivate the boys to excel themselves," Abhijit Sarkar, Pune Warriors director, said. 

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said the presence of veteran such as Ganguly enhances the league's appeal. 

"Sourav Ganguly's record speaks for itself. Icons like him only enhance the phenomenon that is the IPL. He has always set high standards for himself, and we can expect some outstanding performances from him in the tournament," Shukla said. 

Elsewhere, Kings XI Punjab have signed David Miller, the middle-order batsman from South Africa, for the next two seasons. 

The IPL's fifth edition will start on April 4.

Gayle is only human: Gillespie

After having defeated Delhi Daredevils in a must-win game, Kings XI Punjab now look to maintain their winning run in IPL 2011 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Speaking to the press ahead of the team’s crucial encounter, KXIP bowling coach Jason Gillespie spoke about coming up with plans for the RCB batsmen and the bowlers who’s impressed him in IPL 2011.

Excerpts from the pre-match press-conference:

On having specific plans for Chris Gayle as the bowling coach of KXIP

We’ll certainly make some plans for Chris Gayle. He’s been in wonderful form. But while we’ll be coming up with some plans for Gayle, it will be pretty foolish of us to discount the other very good plays in the [Royal Challengers] Bangalore side. So we’ll certainly be having a plan for all their batters. But yes, for Chris we will try and come up with something since he is in very special form and we have to try and negate that.

On the morale in the KXIP squad after three consecutive wins

I think the guys are really enjoying each other’s company and playing some good cricket. What we’ve been able to do is get our batting and bowling sorted in the one game. There have been a lot of games which we went down in, where we either batted really well and bowled poorly or vice-versa. So to be able to bat and bowl equally well in games has shown that we can mix it with the top teams. There is no doubt about that.

On whether KXIP are focussed intently on the points table

No, we don’t really focus on that too much. We don’t even really focus on the result of the game. We try to make sure that in all the disciplines of the game we can do as best as we can and as consistently as we can. And our belief is that if we do execute our skills to the best of our ability the result will take care of itself.

On whether bowling to an in-form batsman like Chris Gayle can be intimidating for a bowler

It certainly presents a unique challenge. What we are talking about with our bowlers is making sure that their preparation is as best as it can be. And [I ask them to] just go out there with the belief that the plan will work if you bowl in the right areas. Chris Gayle is only human. He can nick a ball like anyone else, or miss one. So he is in good form but our belief is that if we bowl to our plan and back that up with some really positive, strong body-language in the field, we can restrict RCB to a lower score.

On whether Gayle’s is the key wicket in the game against RCB

It will certainly be nice to knock him over for not many tomorrow. There is no doubt about that. But as I said before, we’d be pretty silly to just focus on Chris Gayle.

On the bowlers who have impressed him this IPL

There’s been a number [of them]. From the Delhi Daredevils, Varun Aaron, I think; he bowls with real pace. That’s a good sign for India. I think Ishant Sharma is a fantastic bowler. He certainly has come along in the last couple of years from what I have seen from afar. I think he is a very good bowler and he is only going to get better. And then I look at our line-up and, obviously, there is Praveen Kumar. For a guy who has spent a bit of time on the sidelines, he’s coming back from an injury, he’s performed quite well for us. [He’s] probably one of the most skilful bowlers in world cricket. He can swing the ball both ways. [He] puts batsmen under pressure. There are a number of bowlers going around India and, I think, the bowling stocks are quite rich.