Star Group clinches Indian cricket's broadcast rights

Star Group today beat competition from Multi Screen Media (Sony) to bag six-year broadcast and digital rights of India's international cricket matches at home and domestic events like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and the Irani Trophy.

Star, in collaboration with ESPNCricinfo, bagged the broadcast, internet and mobile rights in India for a period of six years starting from July 2012 till March 2018.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned company's six-year contract is valued at Rs 3851 crore and will cover 96 matches in all.

It would be coughing up Rs 40 crore per match on an average much higher than the Rs 32.5 crore per match that Nimbus was paying the BCCI before its contract was terminated last year due to default in payments.

Star and Multi Screen Media (Sony) were the only two companies to make the bids but a total of five had filed the tenders.

"The BCCI is very happy with the deal. Now the media rights have been fully evaluated and fully priced with Star coming out with a such a deal," BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters while making the announcement.

The second highest bidder was Multi Screen Media (Sony), which bid Rs 3700 crore.
"Following a transparent process of verifying the eligibility of each bidder, the winner was chosen," Srinivasan said.Star Group's India CEO Uday Shankar promised that the company would provide good telecast of the matches.

"I thank the BCCI for giving Star the broadcast rights. In collaboration with our partnbers ESPN, we will do a commendable job," he said.

"We have already got channels. But the option of launching a channel if number of matches demand that is always open," he added.

ESPN-Star already have the rights of all ICC events and also the rights of domestic cricket in England and Australia.

The BCCI's marketing committee had set the price for category A games at Rs 31.25 crore per match (approx USD 6.1 million) plus Rs 1 crore (approx USD 0.2 million), while category B games were set at Rs 34 crore (approx USD 6.67 million) plus Rs 1 crore.
The board failed in its attempt to sell the internet rights separately last year, as the initial base price of Rs 3 crore and the subsequently reduced price of Rs 2 crore found no takers.

The matter has subsequently been referred for arbitration, with the Bombay High Court ruling that Nimbus must deposit Rs 305 crore (approx USD 60 million) with the court as security for the amount the BCCI claims it is owed by the company.

Nimbus has also made a counter-claim of Rs 600 crore (approx USD 118 million) from the board

de Villiers, Clarke new No.1 Test batsmen

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Dubai: AB de Villiers and Michael Clarke have jointly displaced Kumar Sangakkara – who scored 0 and 14 in the recent Galle Test – at the top of the ICC’s rankings for Test batsmen, following their strong showings in South Africa’s and Australia’s most recent Test series.
Scores of 83 in South Africa’s nine-wicket win in Hamilton and 38 and 68 in the drawn third Test in Wellington gave de Villiers 35 points and a jump of two places to reach No. 1 for the first time in his 74-match career. While Clarke has not played Test cricket since January – when Australia beat India 4-0 – he has gained from Sangakkara’s poor show in Galle, moving up to share the top spot with de Villiers. This is the second time Clarke has reached No. 1 in the ICC’s rankings for Test batsmen, the previous instance being in August 2009.

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Mahela Jayawardene and Jonathan Trott, who scored centuries in the Galle Test, were the biggest movers in the last few days. Jayawardene, who made 180 in the first innings, gained seven places to move to 19th, while Trott, who scored a fourth-innings century in a losing cause, has moved up six places to No. 9. New Zealand’s captain Ross Taylor gained three places to move to No. 10.
Jacques Kallis has lost his second position and is now down to third following an average in New Zealand. The other batsmen to slip are South Africa captain Graeme Smith (12th), England’s Alastair Cook (14th), Kevin Pietersen (22nd) and Matt Prior (24th) and New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum (25th).
In the rankings for bowlers, South Africa’s Vernon Philander has been the biggest beneficiary with a jump of 11 places to fifth, a career-best position for him. He is the third South Africa bowler in the top 10, with Dale Steyn firmly holding the No. 1 position and Morne Morkel at 10th after slipping one place. Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, Man of the Match in Galle for his 12 wickets, also rose six places to seventh, a career-best ranking for him.
England retained their No. 1 status in the teams’ rankings despite a poor show in the first Test. They will have to win the second Test in Colombo to retain their position. If England lose the series 2-0, they will drop from 118 ratings points to 113– three points behind South Africa – while a 1-0 defeat will see them slip to 114 ratings points.
Australia, who begin their three-Test series against hosts West Indies next month, will replace India at third in case of a series win. However, if they win 3-0 and England lose 2-0 against Sri Lanka, both teams will be equal on 113 ratings points. In that case, the Aussies will take the second place on the basis of calculation beyond the decimal point.

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road out of SL tour, doubtful for IPL

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Galle: England seamer Stuart Broad is all set to fly home after being ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a calf strain. Broad played in England's defeat in Galle despite struggling with a sprain to his left ankle before the first Test and injured his calf during the 75-run defeat, in which he managed just two wickets.
The sprain could affect Broad's participation in the IPL which starts April 4, for the second year in a row. He had signed a three-year deal with King's XI Punjab but missed the 2011 edition because of a stomach injury sustained during the World Cup.

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement read: "England pace bowler Stuart Broad has been ruled of the final Test against Sri Lanka after a scan on Friday that confirmed a right calf strain. Broad will be back in London, immediately for further assessment before beginning a rehabilitation programme which will determine his availability including the IPL."
With just Tuesday's second Test left on their tour of Sri Lanka, England have not sent anyone for his replacement, leaving Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn to battle for a place in the side for the final Test. Punjab open their IPL campaign on April 6 against Rajasthan Royals.

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Ryan ten Doeschate questions MS Dhoni's Eden remarks

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Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders' Dutch allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate on Friday took a dig at India's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for criticising the Eden Gardens' track last year.
"How can [MS] Dhoni criticise the wicket at Eden? The wicket at Chennai is one of the slowest in the country." Doeschate said on Dhoni's criticism in which he had said that Eden's wicket was slow and not fit for Twenty20 tournaments. "It suits us and we will have home advantage," the Netherlands' international said after a practice session at the ground.

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Dhoni had described the Eden strip as "ugly-looking" when it hosted an ODI and a Twenty20 international against England late last year. A few days later, when Eden hosted India and West Indies in a Test, Dhoni criticised it for being too flat and without any turn and bounce.
Doeschate, who scored two tons for the Netherlands in the last World Cup including the one against England at Nagpur, said he was confident that KKR would reach the IPL's playoffs this time around. "We came quite close last year. This time there are some new players and I am confident that we would be able to go further in this IPL," he said. "My role is to be a good support player. In the present squad we have players like Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis. Besides, new recruits like Sunil Narine is also likely to come in handy this time. So we can push for place in the final."

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I didn't compromise fitness for IPL' - Clarke

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Melbourne: Australian captain Michael Clarke has made it clear that he did not compromise his fitness by opting to sign a lucrative contract with the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Clarke was reported to have agreed to the deal after being offered a staggering $1 million for six games. The Aussie captain is scheduled to have a three-week break before Australia embark on a tour of England in June and July.

He will have a further eight-week break before Australia play Pakistan in four ODIs and two Twenty20 matches in August, tentatively scheduled to be held in the neutral venue of Sri Lanka.
"Representing Australia always comes first for me. I wouldn't do anything that would physically jeopardise that and I've made that very clear," Clarke said.
"I'll be having a good break this winter. If there was ever a time for me to have a go at playing in the IPL, it's now." Clarke was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
Previously, Clarke had resisted the riches of the the IPL to focus on national duty. Clarke will replace Yuvraj Singh, who was this month discharged from a US hospital after a third round of chemotherapy for a rare germ cell cancer. He will join fellow Australians Steve Smith and James Hopes at the Pune franchise.

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Live Score: India 71/0 as rain stops play

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India innings:
If the match gets going then it will help India in the chase with D/L coming into play. The match not happening will be a disappointment for both the teams, specially India to fly down for a one-off Twenty20.

8th over: Rain stops play at the Wanderers. India are 71 for no loss. But, India are currently behind on D/L by 11 runs. Hopefully the clouds will be blown away and the match will get underway soon.
7th over: No stopping Gambhir tonight. He is playing shots round the clock and boundaries are coming thick and fast for India. Lets see when is Uthappa going to shift gears.
6th over: Wayne Parnell bowls an economical over by giving away just four runs. This Parnell over might induce a wicket in the next over. India 51 for no loss.
4th over: 40 for 0. This is the kind of start India was looking for and the openers are doing their job well. Gambhir looks to be in fine touch and Uthappa just playing second fiddle to him.
2nd over: Gambhir takes the attack to Albie Morkel and plunders 16 runs from the over. In the second innings also the track is absolutely fine for batting.
1st over: Lonwabo Tsotsobe bowled a tight line and length, but the Indian openers Uthappa and Gambhir looked in no hurry. India are seven for no loss.
South Africa innings:
20th over: South Africa end up with a massive total of 219 for 4. 26 runs came from the last over of their innings. Three huge sixes, two boundaries and a wicket came off Raina's over. Justin Ontong was the man to depart in the last over after scoring 22. Meanwhile Albie Morkel hit two sixes and a boundary from his three balls.
Justin Ontong b Raina 22 (7)
18th over: Finally Ingram departs! Raina picked up the big wicket but is too little too late? Ingram walks back after a well-made 78 from just 50 balls. He slogged him and Rohit does really well to time his dive at deep midwicket and pluck it from the thin air. South Africa 179 for 3
C Ingram c Sharma b Raina 78 (50)
17th over: Big big over for South Africa. Twenty runs were scored with Ingram going berserk hitting two crisp boundaries and a big six over deep backward point. South Africa 168 for 2.
15th over: Finally a wicket for India! Kallis departs after a blinder. Kallis got on his knee and tried to slog it over deep midwicket, but failed to clear the boundary, Rohit took a smart catch. South Africa 141 for 2
J Kallis c Sharma b Ashwin 61(42)
14th over: Another expensive over, this time by part-time bowler Virat Kohli. Fifteen runs were scored and in the process Jacques Kallis and Colin Ingram brought up their respective fifties and a hundred-run stand.
12th over: No hiding for Indian bowlers at all. Rohit Sharma was brought into the attack but Kallis and Ingram smacked him all over the park. One huge six and a boundary came off the over. South Africa 108 for 1. Productive overs for South Africa with boundary or a six being scored every over.
11th over: This time it's Ingram who hits it for maximum. South Africans punishing Indian bowlers for loose and wayward stuff. It's an excellent batting surface. Eleven runs came off the over. South Africa 94 for 1.
8th over: Kallis not holding back as he gave a Full Monty to offspinner Yusuf Pathan. Yusuf tossed it up and Kallis took few paces forward and lofted the ball over long-on.
7th over: Ingram and Kallis look solid in the middle with the duo picking at least a boundary every over. Ten runs were scored from the over. Indian bowlers feeling the pressure in the middle. South Africa 65 for 1
6th over: Ashwin was brought in by MS Dhoni to put the break into the scoring rate. Eight runs came off the over with Ingram hitting one solid sweep shot for four at square leg area.
5th over: Runs coming at a brisk pace for South Africa. Kallis took charge to the Indian bowlers. Ten runs came from the over that included two classy boundaries off Vinay Kumar. South Africa progress to 47 for 1 after five overs.
4th over: Another good over for the home team as Ingram took charge of the proceedings this time around. Eight runs came form the over that included one crisp boundary off Pathan. South Africa reach 37 for 1
3rd over: Vinay Kumar was brought into the attack by MS Dhoni and he troubled the left-hander Colin Ingram with his gentle away wingers. Just two runs came from the over.
2nd over: Another expensive over by Team India but they picked up a crucial wicket of dangerous Levi who smacked back-to-back boundaries off Irfan Pathan before edging it straight to Rohit Sharma at first slip. South Africa 27 for 1 after 2.
Richard Levi c Sharma b Pathan 19 (7)
1st over: Richard Levi gave South Africa a flying start as he notched up two boundaries off Indian pacer Praveen Kumar, who was a bit wayward with his line and length. South Africa are 13 for 0.
South African opening pair of Jacques Kallis and Richard Levi start the proceedings for the hosts.
20:55: Farhaan Behardian and Dane Vilas will be making their debuts for South Africa, while for India Robin Uthappa makes a return to the team.
20:40: India's skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against South Africa in the one-off Twenty20.
This match is being hosted to mark the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Indian settlement in South Africa.
Welcome to the one-off Twenty match between South Africa and India in Johannesburg.
Teams:
South Africa: Richard Levi, Jacques Kallis, Colin Ingram, Farhaan Behardien, Justin Ontong, Albie Morkel, Dane Vilas(w), Johan Botha(c), Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Juan Theron
India: Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar

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#Johan Botha, #MS Dhoni #India, #South Africa

Indian team did not plan well for England, Australia: Raina

A permanent member of the one-day team, Suresh Raina said he is eager to seal his spot in the Test side as well. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: India batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday admitted that poor planning resulted in his team's recent Test series whitewash against England and Australia.


"No excuse when you play at the international level, you have to perform really well against the good opposition. I think we did not plan really well against the Aussies and England. We learnt from those mistake and moved to good cricket," said Raina.


"We have done really well in one-day cricket. Hopefully, we'll improve our cricket in Test matches also. As a team, we have always done well but we have to do well in Test matches especially in abroad.


"We lost eight Test matches in a row. Hopefully, we do well in the abroad series and work really hard in the Test series," Raina told Times Now.


India were whitewashed 0-4 by England in the four-match Test series last year and they finished the entire tour without a single win.


In December, India went to Australia as the second-ranked Test nation and reigning World Cup champions but returned home after a 0-4 drubbing in the Test series and also failed to make it to the finals of the tri-nation ODI series involving Sri Lanka.


A permanent member of the one-day team, Raina said he is eager to seal his spot in the Test side as well.


"I led the team and we won the one-day series in West Indies. I did well there in the Test matches. I am looking forward to play in Test matches as well," he said.


Asked about India's most promising batting talent Virat Kohli, Raina said, "He is a good player. As a finisher, I think he has always showed great character and responsibility.


"Whenever he got the chance he has always delivered. He has been nominated as the vice captain and I think he will do well when he gets the chance to become a captain of the side," he said.


With the fifth IPL starting on April 4, Raina said he is confident of doing well for his side -- defending champions Chennai Super Kings.


"We would be playing in the IPL after one-off T20 game in South Africa. I am looking forward to it and will do well this season."