Andrew Flintoff out of Indian Premier League

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) after another operation on his troublesome knee that is expected to sideline him for about six months.

The Lancashire all-rounder has been out of action since undergoing a micro-fracture operation on his right knee after retiring from Tests having helped England regain the Ashes last year. After an arthroscopy operation this week, the 32-year-old will not now be fit to play for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, which runs from March 12 to April 25.

"It is disappointing not to be able to play for Chennai, who have been very supportive throughout my time with them, but I took this decision because I love playing cricket and want to give myself the best chance of extending my career," he said.

Flintoff rejected a central contract from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September but said he intended to carry on playing One-Day Internationals and Twenty20s. The operation means he will also be unavailable for the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies from April 30 to May 16. Once he recovers from surgery, however, Flintoff said he now wants to play all forms of the game for his county.

"My goals have changed since last summer," Flintoff told Lancashire's website. "I trust the surgeon, Andy Williams, implicitly and he is very pleased with the progress of the micro-fracture operation. "When I first had the operation I did not think I would be able to play anything other than One-day cricket, but the news of my recovery has led me to believe I may play in all forms of cricket for Lancashire.

"First and foremost I have to prove to myself that I can regain my fitness and perform for Lancashire," he added. "My first love remains playing for Lancashire and I want to help them win trophies and hopefully I can help achieve that later this summer." Flintoff is confident he will eventually return to action with England as well as Lancashire. "I have worked extremely hard over the last few months to get to this position and realise there is a lot more hard work in front of me if I want to return and play international cricket again," said Flintoff.

"But if I am going to go through another six months of hard rehabilitation and training for long hours, I need a big incentive to be the driving force of that and playing for Lancashire and England again will become that", he added. (ANI)

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Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli rise in ODI rankings

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to top the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, while young guns Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli made big strides in the chart because of the their stellar performances in the just-concluded tri-series in Bangladesh.

Left-handed Raina has vaulted 10 places to sit in 20th position after scoring 210 runs in the series. He is now one of six India batsmen inside the top 20. The other Indian batters to feature in top 20 include Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar in eighth place (down by four places), Virender Sehwag in ninth (up by one place), Yuvraj Singh in 12th (down by three places) and Gautam Gambhir in 19th. Kohli, who was the leading run-getter with 275 runs, including 102 not out against Bangladesh, Kohli has rocketed 26 places and is now just outside the top 20 in the 21st spot.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has returned to the top 10 in the batsmen chart after his impressive showing in tri-nation series in Bangladesh, which his side won. Sangakkara not only won the player of the series award for his scores of 74, 60, 17 not out, 68 and 55 but has also been rewarded with a jump of six places in the latest rankings which puts him in 10th position for the first time since February 2009.

The left-hander has now become Sri Lanka's highest-ranked batsman, leapfrogging opener Tillakaratne Dilshan who has also climbed two places to achieve his career-best ranking of 13th. Meanwhile, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (6th) is the lone Indian to feature in the top 10 in ODI bowlers list, which is being headed by New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Yuvraj Singh has achieved a career-best third position by virtue of his Yuvraj four wickets and 96 that he scored in the tri-series in Bangladesh. (ANI)

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Chennai punch Kings XI Punjab out of IPL 2

Chennai Super Kings beat Kings XI Punjab by 24 runs to send them out of the second edition of the Indian Premier League today.

Riding on brilliant bowling performances by the Chennai bowlers, Punjab could manage 92/8 in 20 overs while in pursuit of 117.

Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Muttiah Muralitharan and Thilan Thushara took 2 wickets each as only Luke Pomersbach and Irfan Pathan registered double figures for Punjab. Muralitharan was adjudged the Man of the Match for his superb bowling.

Punjab got off to a bad start losing opener Sunny Sohal (3) to Thushara in the second over. Muralitharan got his team the second breakthrough when he clean bowled Simon Katich (8) from behind his legs.

Pomersbach hit a six and a four in his 32-ball 26 before Muralitharan had him caught at first slip by Raina. Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh (6) was all at sea against the spinners, specially Muralitharan, before he was clean bowled by Raina. Ashwin dismissed Kumar Sangakkara and Wilkin Mota in a space of three deliveries to reduce Punjab to 60/6.

Pathan hit a four in his 12-ball 14 before he was caught at long-off by Jacob Oram off Thushara. Now all Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers have to do on Thursday is to maintain a better run rate than Kings XI Punjab. Earlier, S Sreesanth and Pathan took 2 wickets each as Chennai's middle order failed to fire.

Sreesanth took 2 wickets in one over to reduce Chennai Super Kings to 70/4 in 10 overs. Batting first after winning the toss, Chennai got off to a good start with openers Parthiv Patel and George Bailey putting up a 40-run partnership. Bailey hit 3 fours in his 12-ball 15 before he was run out by a direct hit by Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh from mid-off.

Chennai SuperKings vs Mumbai Indians Live!

Led by perhaps the best captain in world cricket today, the Chennai Super Kings will start the second edition of the Indian Premier League as one of the favourites.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni did justice to his tag of the most expensive cricketer of the world by taking his team to the final and this year the charismatic skipper would be looking to do one better than their run to the silverware in 2008.

The Chennai Super Kings are looking as one of the strongest contenders. The recently retired Matthew Hayden is available for the whole tournament and he may prove destructive at the top. South African all-rounder Albie Morkel is fresh from his exploits against Australia and will be one of Dhoni's trump cards. The young Suresh Raina will also play a crucial role in coach Stephen Fleming's strategy.

Their brush with injuries and controversies made it Mission Impossible for Mumbai Indians, but the costliest IPL team has much to prove this season. Captain Sachin Tendulkar is back in full fitness and, although they'll miss Shaun Pollock's experience on the field, the South African will be key for their younger players in unlocking the tricky conditions as mentor.

Tendulkar has been in vintage form of late, and his opening partnership with the explosive Sanath Jayasuriya will be key to their run-scoring potential. Harbhajan Singh, too, has hit a purple patch, and his bowling in the T20 version will be their most potent weapon while containing their opponents. Dwayne Bravo's all-round abilities will add balance to their

Team India returns home to Thundering Welcome

Airports in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore were buzzing on Wednesday night. And for good reason. India's victorious cricketers returned home to a thundering reception.

The players were tired but also ecstatic. And he celebration of their triumph in New Zealand is showing no signs of slowing down.

At every airport they touched down, MS Dhoni's men were greeted by huge crowds and eager media crews, waiting for a word from the first team to have won in New Zealand in 41 years.

"It's an achievement. Everyone is happy. The entire country has supported us. It was victory after 41 years," said Sachin Tendulkar after arriving in Mumbai.

For the veterans in particular this was an extra special moment. After years on the international circuit, they have finally started to return home with trophies

"It was a very good series. We played good cricket in both the one-dayers and the Test matches. It's nice to win; we hadn't won there (New Zealand) in a long time. So it's good from our point of view not just to win the series but to play the quality of cricket that we did." stated Rahul Dravid.

In fact, while these men were in the plane, news possibly filtered through that five of them (MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan) had been named in the Wisden Test eleven.

The endorsement by cricket's bible another acknowledgment of their growing stature as a cricket team.

"We are delighted by it," said Tendulkar.

So a few days at home and then to South Africa, but this time not as the Indian team!

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Team India can beat anyone anywhere

Fresh from a rare Test series victory in New Zealand, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes India have what it takes to beat the best in the world on their home soil.

India's Test series win in New Zealand this week was their first in four decades. It was also their third successive Test series victory since beating top-ranked Australia in November.

"This team is capable of winning anywhere," Harbhajan said in an interview on Friday. "If we play to our potential, stick to the basics and focus on the job, we have the team that can beat anyone anywhere."

India defeated Australia and England in back-to-back series at home last year and are once again considered a true force in world cricket. India have yet to win a Test series in Australia, although they squared a close series 1-1 in 2004 and lost a controversial Test series 2-1, before winning a tri-series last year.

India won their first Test in South Africa in 2006 and emerged surprise winners of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup there two years ago. The 28-year-old bowler said winning matches overseas has made a big difference.

"The guys are confident, confident of performing in any conditions," said Harbhajan, the side's main spinner since Anil Kumble retired last year.

"I think this team can win anywhere -- South Africa, Australia -- we have got the ability to exploit any conditions." Harbhajan is his country's second most successful spinner and emerged the highest wicket-taker in New Zealand with 16 wickets.

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Coach Kirsten is the recipe for India's Success

Indian batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar credits coach Gary Kirsten with helping the team become a force in world cricket again.

India won their first Test series on New Zealand soil in four decades this week, their third successive Test series victory since defeating top-ranked Australia in November.

"The secret to this success is the players are playing their natural game," Tendulkar told Mumbai tabloid Mid Day on Friday.

"That can only happen if the atmosphere is good and the mind is free of any kind of pressure.

"... it's the case of natural instincts taking over and that can be credited to Gary (Kirsten). The team environment is allowing players to play their natural game. That's probably the secret," Tendulkar added.

Tendulkar, the world's highest run-getter in Test and one-day cricket, was second behind Gautam Gambhir in the runs tally for the team in the Test series with 344 runs.

Former South African opener Kirsten took over from Greg Chappell last year and has helped the Indian team improve their performances, earning the respect of the players for his quiet approach following a turbulent period under the Australian.

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IPL 2.0 = Epic Disaster?

The second edition of Indian Premier League will be more competitive than the inaugural season, feels Kings XI coach Tom Moody.

Moody said there was no way anybody can pick one team above the other, and said that all the sides were evenly matched.

"All the teams in the competition are very strong," said Moody.

"I think it would be foolish of anyone to try and predict who the favourites or second favourites will be."

The former Australian international said the South African public would be in for a first-class experience when the Twenty20 tournament exploded into action April 18.

"The thing about the IPL - and we saw this in India last year - is that you see some outstanding cricket because you've got all the world's best players on stage in one tournament. So you're in for a treat," Moody was quoted as saying by The Herald.

Moody identified the Delhi Daredevils as one of the Kings XI's biggest threats. The teams meet in Cape Town April 19.

"Delhi Daredevils is always a tough game for us. We have got them first up and they boast a good international list but also have some very good Indian stars."

Moody said the franchise had been received well since arriving in at the start of the week.

"It's of great excitement for us to have the opportunity to practice at terrific facilities here in Port Elizabeth. The ground at St George's is certainly world class, the pitches have been world class and we are enjoying the experience.

"That's particularly so for our Indian players who need to get used to conditions here in South Africa."

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Crowe apologises for Lambasting Sehwag

Former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe has apologised for being too "harsh" and "impatient" while criticising Virender Sehwag's captaincy during the second Test in Napier which ended in a draw.

"I often have bad days and so I wish to apologise for being too harsh, too quickly," Crowe wrote in his column for a cricket website. "I should have waited and seen more of Sehwag as captain before casting an opinion."

Crowe had termed Sehwag as the "worst" captain and referred to his decisions as "unfocused thinking" during the second Test in Napier.

But his comments drew flak from former cricketers forcing the 46-year-old Kiwi to admit that he should have been more patient.

"Tony Greig has made it clear that he thinks I have been too harsh on Virender Sehwag's captaincy in the second Test in Napier," Crowe wrote.

"He rightly points out that Sehwag had a bad game, but who doesn't? He says, along with Ian Chappell, that Sehwag has done some good work as vice-captain in the past. I am not about to argue with these astute gentlemen.

"May I say though that I can't withdraw that comment that what I saw in Napier was the strangest and poorest display of tactics I've seen," Crowe said.

"But I should have been more patient in assessing his role as a leader overall, after all he was only given the captaincy minutes before the toss," he clarified.

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'Sehwag is the Worst Captain Ever!'

Criticising stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag for his poor leadership, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe said India`s performance in the on-going second Test in Napier is a far cry from their attempt at becoming the world`s number one team.

Crowe claimed regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni – he is out with a back injury -- was being sorely missed and pin pointed Sehwag`s leadership as one of the prime reasons for India`s desperate situation against the Kiwis in the second Test, which the visitors are trailing by 267 runs after following on.

"The Indian team effort was pretty sloppy. There was a resigned feel about what the Indian side were obviously thinking in terms of looking to draw this match and to retain that 1-0 advantage," said Crowe.

"But these are troubled signs for India. They have almost taken their eye off the ball. The Virender Sehwag shot was very irresponsible. Gautam Gambhir was lucky to survive a run-out, and the stroke that he played to get out. All this does not become of an experienced side that wants to be No. 1 in the world. Their fielding again was just slack. Nothing much changed and MS Dhoni was badly missed," Crowe wrote in his column.

He blasted Sehwag for his tactics and termed the Delhi dasher`s decisions as "unfocused thinking".

"Sending out a nightwatchman was always unnecessary and shows further muddled and unfocused thinking," Crowe said.

"I have never seen captaincy so bad as I saw with Virender Sehwag," he added.

The 46-year-old right-hander said Dhoni altogether has a different approach towards the game and pointed out that even senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid stood as silent spectators yesterday when the New Zealand batsmen were on a run rout.

"Clearly the loss of Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been a massive turnaround for them because their attitude has disappeared completely. For a side that wants to be the No. 1 team in the world, I was quite surprised at their whole approach, particularly after lunch on the opening day," he said.

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India Vs NZ LIVE! - Gambhir cracks Fifty

Gautam Gambhir hit his 11th half-century to take India to 102/1 following-on in their second innings on the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier.

Gambhir reached the landmark through his eighth hit to the fence and has added 72 runs with Rahul Dravid for the second wicket. The third day's play started with Gambhir and Dravid resuming the Indian second innings at 47/1.

India have their backs to the wall with stand-in captain Virender Sehwag getting out to an irresponsible shot after New Zealand enforced the follow-on with a lead of 314 runs on Day 3.

Sehwag threw away his wicket in a highly irresponsible act to leave India at 30/1. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori brought off-spinner Jeetan Patel in the act and Sehwag walked into the trap.

Sehwag had a wild heave at the first delivery, but edged it to fine leg for a boundary. Next delivery, Sehwag tried to slog sweep, missed the ball and was trapped plumb in front of the wicket. Sehwag hit 4 fours in his 22-run knock.

Earlier, India were made to follow-on after they were bundled out for 305 runs in their first innings. India lost wickets in quick succession after tea with Dinesh Karthik (6) becoming the first victim, caught at third slip by Jesse Ryder off Chris Martin.

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Sachin upset over IPL Fiasco

News emanating from the Indian camp, currently in the middle of a Test series in New Zealand, suggest that they are unhappy with the BCCI's decision to move the IPL out of India.

Sachin Tendulkar, who is the Mumbai Indians captain in the IPL, said: "it would be difficult to replicate the same feeling abroad. It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India. We will certainly miss playing in front of our

supporters. It won't be the same."

"It's obviously going to be different because in India we used to have home and away matches," he said. "Right now looking at the itinerary whether it's going to be in South Africa or England, everything will be an away game for us."

Tendulkar, however, said there won't be shortage of Indian fans in either country because of the huge expat population.

"You don't know which is a home or an away game," he said. "It's always fantastic to have Indian fans away from country, we always appreciate it. Nowadays, virtually wherever we go we have a lot of Indian supporters cheering us, it is a big strength and support for us."

India colleague Yuvraj Singh, who is also the skipper of Kings XI Punjab, said although he was disheartened he would abide by the decision of the BCCI.

"It is sad that the IPL won't be held in India. But we have to go ahead with it as it is the decision of the Board," Yuvraj said

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IPL 2.0 - England or South Africa?

Chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi will travel to England and South Africa over the next 24 hours in an effort to finalise an overseas venue for this year's edition of the Twenty20 competition.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday that it would stage next month's event abroad after failing to get government clearance for security cover because the tournament dates clashed with the country's general elections.

"I'll be visiting both England and South Africa in the next 24 hours," IPL chief Lalit Modi told Reuters. "I'm booked both ways and I'm yet to decide where to go first."

The Indian board said the second edition would have to be played on its original dates between April 10 and May 24 due to the cramped international calendar and that that they were in discussions with interested boards willing to host the event.

England and South Africa have emerged as the main contenders. A decision on the overseas venue is expected to be announced in the next two days, another board official told Reuters.

Indian media speculated that England was the preferred venue. "We have had discussions in the last 36 hours. We shall be meeting representatives of the IPL and the BCCI and shall be reporting back to the Board at the back end of the week," England Cricket Board's chief executive David Collier was quoted in British media.

Meanwhile, the decision to move the event overseas for lack of security has been the subject of a national debate in the cricket-crazy country, with some calling it politically motivated.

The country's two biggest political parties have traded barbs over IPL's decision, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it a "national shame".

India's home minister hit back on Monday, saying: "It appears that IPL is more than a game. It is a shrewd combination of sport and business. There is no reason to add politics to this combination."

But Indian fans and cricketers were disheartened by the shift. "It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India. We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same," Sachin Tendulkar was quoted by Indian media.

But owners of the eight franchises supported the move. "It's disappointing, given the huge excitement that exists for the IPL in India. However, if the choice is no tournament or the tournament in another country, then we clearly prefer the latter," Manoj Badale of the Rajasthan Royals said in a statement.

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Shahrukh indifferent about IPL in England

Shah Rukh Khan hasn’t had a single sleepless night over the change in venue for the upcoming second edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

The change in venue has disturbed all involved, but it has had no effect on King Khan, who owns the ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’ team of IPL. He is even ready to play ‘Pied Piper’ and is sure of bringing Bollywood to the matches, wherever the venue be!

Where the whole of cricket-lovers are getting sceptical about the decision, SRK perceives it as a good sign. He said, “Of course, the buzz would be missing here but I guess the elections will take care of it.” Talking about his Bollywood supporters, he said, “Yes, of course they will (be there). Even I will try to be present at the maximum number of matches.”

The venue might affect the presence of his family, though. Shah Rukh said, “As far as my kids are concerned, I will request Lalit Modi (Chairman of the IPL and vice-president of the Indian cricket board) to reschedule the matches at the weekend, so that my kids can attend it.”

Last year Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal, Farah Khan, Aziz Mirza, Juhi Chawla, Vivek Oberoi, Sajid Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Chunky Pandey and Arbaaz Khan were seen cheering ‘Knight Riders’. But the undecided venue puts a looming question mark over the presence of these celebrities, who might most probably be busy with their movies and professions. We wonder who among the list will be show loyalty to King Khan over his own career this time.

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IPL 2 shifted out of India

Millions of Indian fans heartbroken

Holding the state governments responsible for the decision to shift IPL overseas, BCCI president Shashank Manohar announced that IPL 2 will be held outside India.

The BCCI took the decision in an emergency meeting as the dates of the tournament were clashing with general elections and the government had expressed reservations on providing security for the tournament.

"Due to the attitude of the government that it cannot provide security for the tournament, we are forced to take a decision to move the IPL out of India. I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out," BCCI chief Shashank Manohar said.

"But we're are going ahead with the event so that they can at least watch the event on television," Mahohar added.

As per PTI reports, IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi said the number of matches, format and timing of the event will remain unchanged and the organisers would not tinker with the "integrity of the tournament".

"Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season," Modi said.

“A final decision on the IPL dates and venues will be announced on Monday”, he said.

"Revenue cannot be an issue, the 59-match tournament will remain as 59-match tournament. The issue is the integrity of the tournament. We want to ensure the quality which we deliver and it cannot be compromised. We have to deliver the world standard event," he said.

Manohar also expressed his displeasure at the state governments' attitude, saying Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra Government changed there stance at the last moment.

"The AP government revoked its earlier permission and Maharashtra Chief Minister wrote a letter that we can't host matches in that state until May 13. We had scheduled 18 matches for Maharashtra," he said.

Asked if franchise were also taken into the confidence before taking the decision, Manohar said "the franchise would want the tournament to go ahead".

Meanwhile, a BCCI press release, said it was not possible to hold the event on any other dated that the original schedule due to busy international calender.

"The BCCI is conscious of the general elections, which will be held between April 16 and May 13, 2009. The BCCI has had several discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the scheduling of IPL matches.

"...It is pertinent to understand that within the present International calendar of events, there is no other window for IPL to be played during this year. Immediately after conclusion of the IPL, the teams will play in England on May 25 for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup commencing from June 2.

"After the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the Indian team will play four ODIs in the West Indies after which, the team will tour Zimbabwe for a tri-series involving Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"In September, India would play Champions Trophy in South Africa, following which would be the Champions League. Between October 2009 and March 2010, there are three home series against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa," it said.

The release also said the tournament provided a large revenue last year so, it would not hold a truncated event.

"The experience of the first IPL has shown that apart from providing employment at the various venues, IPL has also contributed close to Rs. 100.0 crores to the exchequer.

"The BCCI, therefore, is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the 2nd edition of the IPL... The BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country,"

South Africa and England are the two countries being considered as the likely venues, according to TV reports.

Earlier, South Africa was considered as one of the alternate venue and according to various reports emerging out of South Africa, Wanderers, Centurion and Potchefstroom are likely venues for the mega event if South Africa takes over the tournament this year, Times Now reported.

Lords and Oval are likely to be venues of the matches if England hosts the tournament.

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Ganguly to be axed as Knight Riders Skipper

Chris Gayle a likey replacement

In a surprise announcement, Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday said they were "still discussing the issue of captaincy", hinting at uncertainty over star cricketer Sourav Ganguly continuing as the leader of the team in the second season.

KKR coach John Buchanan told reporters they were still discussing about the team skipper for the high-profile event, which has less than a month left for its start.

"We are deciding about it. We are still having discussion on the issue," Buchanan said in reply to a query as Kolkata franchise announced a 28-member squad for the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza.

The World Cup winning Australian coach, now in charge of KKR, said they have almost retained the same squad having few recruitments from the camp, after announcing the team.

"Over the next couple of weeks, I will again try to prune the squad... hopefully to bring it around the number of 22 depending on how the boys progress in the next few days," Buchanan said, adding their objective in the IPL second edition is to make the summit showdown.

"From our perspective, our target goal will certainly be to make it to the the final of the series...I think that's an expectation well within our reach. That's quite realistic... For that, we have to look into the differences last year and this year."

"In terms of international players, some of the major difference will be Chris Gayle who will be available throughout the season. Brendon McCullum, who played about four games, will also be available for the whole tournament," he said.

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Modi lambasts Central Govt for kicking out IPL

'This move will ruin India's reputation'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Central government of failing to retain Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) in the country and damaging India’s reputation.

“This decision of the government sitting in Delhi is a huge loss to the country. This will ruin India’s image before the world,” Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said.

He was speaking after the Indian cricket board announced on Sunday that the IPL would be moved abroad because state governments have expressed their inability to provide security to the tournament, which coincides with General Elections.

“The government’s decision means India is not a safe place for cricket and it cannot guarantee security. I want to ask the Central government if it can’t ensure the security of 11 cricketers then how can it protect 111 crore Indians,” he said.

Modi, a senior BJP leader, claimed his government had told IPL organisers that the state was capable of providing them security during elections.

The Chief Minister alleged the Central government’s inability to provide security to IPL proved its failure against terrorism. “We should not bow before terrorism. Today the world considers Pakistan to be an unsafe country. The Indian government has declared us as unsafe and a country like Pakistan,” he claimed.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, a cricket administrator, told reporters in Delhi that the decision to shift the second edition of the Twenty20 tournament would put India on par with countries like Pakistan that are deemed unsafe for international sporting events.

"The government must seriously reconsider ... and adopt a more responsible stand in national interests," said Jaitley, who is also president of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA). "India is safe, that must be the stand of the government."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) met in Mumbai on Sunday and decided to shift the second edition of IPL out of the country after authorities said they would not be able to provide security as the tournament clashes with the April-May general elections.

The BCCI took the decision after days of speculation about the tournament that was originally set to take place April 10 to May 23 before the Lok Sabha elections were announced in April-May.

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SRK backs IPL being thrown out of India

'Elections are bigger than Cricket'

Kolkata Knight Riders owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan said he could understand the security constraints in holding the event during elections.

"We have to respect the elections in the country. That is a bigger issue than our issue. By shifting the IPL abroad, we have tried to find a solution to the problem," Shah Rukh said after meeting IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

"Off course the local buzz wouldn't be as strong as it is here but I guess elections will take care of the buzz," he quipped.

Asked whether he would be there to watch all the matches featuring his team as was the case in the first edition, Shah Rukh said it would depend on how the schedule pans out.

"I will try to be there for as many matches as possible. Hopefully the schedule will help me," he said.

King XI Punjab's co-owner Preity Zinta echoed Khan's views and said general elections have to be given precedence.

"As Shah Rukh said, we have to take elections into consideration. We have no problem with that," she said.

Preity said the IPL teams will have no trouble finding a fan base even in a foreign country.

"That won't be a problem. We have lot many fans everywhere," she said.

"We are going to make arrangements centrally. The IPL Governing Council will manage every venue and do the logistics of the venue," added Modi.

IPL was moved out of country after state governments' refusal to provide security for the matches in the wake of general elections.

England or South Africa are the front runners to host the event and a decision on it would be taken on Monday.

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Kareena not interested in IPL

The foray of Bollywood actresses into IPL hasn’t prompted Kareena Kapoor to follow suit.

Preity Zinta , Shilpa Shetty and Juhi Chawla have a stake in their respective IPL teams, but Kareena isn’t itching to join the IPL bandwagon. Kareena makes no bones in admitting that she doesn’t have much business sense.

“I have no idea about business. I only know how to act. As for business, I will think about it five years later,” Bebo is quoted as saying.

Kareena is the new youth icon of India and has gone ahead to receive four awards in the last one month and the lady’s loving all the adulation.

“Who doesn’t like attention, recognition and awards?” she quips.

Kareena got environment award from Erin Brockovich, then two youth icon awards from Rotary International and Stardust, and was recently honoured by FICCI for her contribution to Indian cinema.

While Bebo’s career is going great guns, where does marriage plan to beau Saif Ali Khan stand on her priority list?

“Marriage can wait,” signs off the czarina of style.

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Pak's HuJI terrorists planned to kidnap Sachin, Sourav

Delhi Police on Tuesday told a court that three Pakistan-based militants have confessed that they conspired to kidnap cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly for securing the release of two jailed HuJI terrorists.

Referring to confessional statements of Tariq Mohammed and Ashfaq Ahmed, Public prosecutor Anita Hooda said the accused had come here to ensure release of Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) members Nasarullah Langrial and Abdul Rahim who were then lodged in Indian jails.

"Ashfaq, a native of Punjab province in Pakistan, had received arms training in Afghanistan along with Taliban militants for over ten days before sneaking into India through Dhaka in Bangladesh," the prosecutor, advancing the final arguments in the case, said.

Simultanesously, Tariq, hailing from Multan in Pakistan, had also got training in Afghanistan and came to India through Bangladesh, she said.

Their confessional statements were recorded on February 13, 2002 by a senior police officer after they were arrested at Nizamuddin railway station on January 31 same year, minutes before boarding an Agra-bound train.

Police had recovered one pistol and seven cartidges from their possession. Earlier, the prosecutor had referred to the confessional statement of Arshad Khan, also a Pakistan national.

The plot to abduct the cricketers did not succeed as the terrorists could not get the logistic support to execute their design in 2002, she said.

The advancing of the arguments remained inconclusive and would continue on March 25.

Besides three Pakistan-based terrorists, three Indians -- Mufti Israr, Ghulam Qadir Bhatt and Ghulam Mohd Darwere -- were also allegedly part of the conspiracy. All the militants, including key accused Jalaluddin, who was declared a proclaimed offender during the trial, had also planned to attack the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai and assassinate former President A P J Abdul Kalam during his Patna visit in 2002, she said.

They have been booked under various provisions of POTA, IPC and the Explosives Act which provide for maximum sentence of death penalty.

They are charged with hatching conspiracy to wage war against the state and keeping explosives.

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