By IANS,
Johannesburg : South African Rudi Koertzen, member of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Elite Panel, will be one of the umpires for the opening Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore Friday.
ICC International Panel members Ian Howell and Brian Jerling are the other South Africans who will officiate in the 45-day tournament, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced.
Howell’s first match will be between hosts Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils April 22, and Jerling will first officiate in the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab in Chennai May 10.
Most of the 10 Elite Panel officials along with 16 Indian umpires will officiate in IPL.
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IPL website stops working
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still does not have a website, Indian Premier League’s (IPL) site seems to have stopped working. Click on www.indianpremierleague.com and you get “HTTP 403 forbidden” message.
Even the www.bcci.tv, the official website of the BCCI, was not working till Wednesday evening. Now, it has some information about IPL tickets, courtesy ticketpro, the company that is selling tickets for the Twenty20 tournament.
The BCCI has struck a $50 million deal with a US company, which will build both the board and IPL websites. The deal for both portals has been finalised, according to a top board official. However, a formal announcement hasn’t been made. While the IPL website is expected to be launched before the tournament starts Friday, the BCCI portal will be partially launched in July and a full version in August.
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Darren Lehmann for Rajasthan Royals
Former Australia batsman Darren Lehmann will play for the Jaipur-based IPL Rajasthan Royals, as a cover for South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who will miss the early part of the tournament as he will be playing in a domestic Twenty20 tournament.
Lehmann, 38, who played 27 Tests and 117 One-Day Internationals, will play under his former Australian teammate and legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne. Smith will miss the first two IPL matches, and Lehmann is likely to play a maximum of three games before Smith joins the team.
Lehmann retired from first-class cricket with South Australia last season after a prolific first-class career during which he scored 25,795 runs at 57.83. He played 27 Tests from 1998-2004, scoring 1,798 runs at 44.95. He also played in the 1999 and 2003 World Cup triumphs.