By IANS,
Mumbai : Sachin Tendulkar said he is yet to recover from his groin injury and is doubtful to lead Mumbai Indians’ opening Sunday against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
“I am a little disappointed that I was not be able to play two important Test matches against South Africa. I have yet to recover fully from the injury,” he told reporters here Thursday.
“The physiotherapist and the doctor had earlier advised me rest and now they have given me the exercises and I am following their advice,” he added.
The Royal Challengesrs team has also been hit by a few injuries, with Anil Kumble set to miss their opening match Friday and left-arm pacer Nathan Bracken ruled out for at least four weeks.
Chennai Super Kings is also battling with the same problem with captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni nursing a finger injury.
“Dhoni has bruised fingers. We’ll see how things shape up in the next couple of days, but with Parthiv there, we don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the Indian captain,” said Super Kings coach Kepler Wessels.
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Adidas to kit Mumbai Indians
adiddas, the leading sports brand, announced that it would be kitting the Mumbai Indians as the team’s official apparel supplier.
Speaking on the partnership Andreas Gellner, managing director, adidas India, said: “adidas has a huge fan base in Mumbai and we are extremely proud to be associated with Mumbaikars’ IPL team, the Mumbai Indians. Led by the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar who is also an adidas brand ambassador, we are looking forward to watching the team in action sporting the 3-Stripes.”
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Bajaj Allianz to chant “Halla Bol” with Rajasthan Royals
Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company will be the main sponsor of Jaipur”s Rajasthan Royals IPL team.
With Bajaj Allianz joining as the main team sponsor, the fan base of Rajasthan Royals has swelled considerably as over 300,000 agents and over 25,000 employees in over 1000 offices across 900+ towns all over India have joined as diehard fans with the slogan “Halla Bol” to cheer their team.
Rajasthan Royals will probably end up having the widest support base with the families, friends, network and customers rooting for the team from all over the country.
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ECB positive about Stanford match
England are “very likely” to take up an offer from Texas billionaire Allen Stanford to play a multi-million dollar Twenty20 match during their tour of West Indies next year, said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke.
Clarke met Stanford at Lord’s Tuesday to discuss possible joint ventures which could include the Texan having a role in any future English Premier League plus the match next year, which could be worth as much as $20million, against an All-stars West Indies XI.
“We did see Sir Allen, but a date has not been fixed for when anything will be played, or what format it will take this year or going forward into the future,” Clarke told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme. “I think that match is very likely to take place. Sir Allen is doing a huge amount for cricket in the West Indies and we are keen to help things develop there.”
With no window in the current international schedule to allow England’s centrally contracted players to compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL) the ECB is eager to appease players who are keen to cash in on lucrative Twenty20 tournaments.
Clarke added: “Of course we are also keen to give our players the chance to make a significant amount of money and these types of games can be tremendously dramatic. We are extremely interested in his ideas, but there is a long way to go.
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IPL cash yet to land for some players
On the eve of the Indian Premier League at least two Australians have not been paid the first instalment of their wages. Leading player representative Tim May is to investigate whether the problem is more widespread and warn that some may not take the field when the tournament begins Friday.
One of the players affected is Victorian batsman David Hussey, who was auctioned to Kolkata for almost double the sum fetched by his big brother Mike.
“Typically, when you try to take something from nothing to a fully organised structure within two or three months you are going to have some teething problems. But there is a worry that some players have not been paid nor received their signed copies of contracts,” said May, who heads the Federation of International Cricket Associations and was made aware of the problem yesterday.
” Most players were to receive 15% of their auction fee on April 1, but Hussey’s manager, Rick Olarenshaw, said it had become tangled in red tape,” he added.
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Mascarenhas a trail-blazer
Dimitri Mascarenhas, the only English cricketer to sign in the IPL, revealed that it was Shane Warne who referred his case for the second IPL players’ auction.
“Warne called me when I was in New Zealand for the one-dayers and I just managed to get in on the second auction,” he told the English media.
Mascarenhas has signed for three-year deal with Rajasthan Royals, which will be led and coached by Warne. Mascarenhas will be in India between May 12-25 and he will be paid $100,000 for his work, which is expected to involve playing five matches.
He is the first of many England players who will ultimately perform in the IPL, with or without the approval of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“I spoke to Hugh Morris (the ECB’s managing director), Peter Moores (England coach) and Geoff Miller (a national selector). I told them of my plans and what I hoped to do. I still want to be an England player,” he added.
Mascarenhas, though, spoke to them after he had signed. “I didn’t have time to do it beforehand. There is a definite risk that it could affect my England place. There are no guarantees. I’m not a definite fixture in the one-day set-up, as it is. But the response I’ve got from everyone has been positive.”