IPL 2012 opening ceremony

DLF IPL 2012 5th adition starts today 03-04-2012 is the opening ceremony of the money-spinning Twenty20 event.

A galaxy of stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor,Salman Khan got ball rolling for the fifth edition of IPL with a lightening opening ceremony which promises to enrapture the audience this evening.

The dazzling ceremony will also graced by American pop star Katy Perry .

The IPL, which began in 2008 as a high speed mix of glamour, entertainment, fully cashed for players and the excitement of slam-bang cricket, has had a difficult ride over the past four years.

It has been hit by infighting, problems with teams, criminal investigations and corruption allegations like former chief Lalit Modi and some other scandles.

Fresh doubts have been raised after a fall in viewership figures last year and a reported decline in sponsor interest like Sahara , with the tournament coming soon after,BPL, the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and India's tour of Australia.

"By the time this one ends, all doubts will be put to rest," IPL chief Rajiv Shukla told AFP. "The excitement is building up nicely. We in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) are not worried at all.Because they have much sponserships from national and multinational companies"

The IPL 2012, which enriched with world stars playing for rich franchise's owners, is being investigated by government agencies for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations.

Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended from the league in 2010, is holed up in London as he faces Indian government and BCCI charges of détournement of funds.

From the ten IPL teams, Kochi have been struck down from tournament because of non-payment of fees, while the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab face arbitration in cases filed by the BCCI.

The owners too are feeling the pinch. Pune, owned by the Sahara group, want their franchise fees of a whopping $370 million reduced. The Rajasthan Royals are in talks to sell a majority stake.As viewership declined last year, when the event started just after India won the World Cup at home, some sponsors chose to turn their back on what was once considered a safe bet for advertisers.The Champions League Twenty20, an offshoot of the IPL that involves leading domestic teams from around the world, lost its title sponsors, AirTel, after just one year due to lack of interest among fans.
Former first-class cricketer Shishir Hattangadi, who once worked on the team management of Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians, said the IPL was suffering from a poor long-term development plan.

"It was inescapable," he said. "Team compositions change every year which has confused the loyal fan. There is also the jade factor of watching too much cricket."

The 76-match tournament from April four to May 27 has the nine teams playing each other on a home and away basis before a four-game play-off.

The ICC has refused to take away a window for the IPL in its calendar, so bilateral tours will restrict the top world stars from playing in the entire tournament.
Pakistani players, who are usually a major draw in India, have been kept out of the tournament since the second edition, reportedly due to security fears.

IPL opening ceremony videos

Salman Khan IPL

IPL 2012 Kareena Kapoor performance

IPL katty pairy

IPL 2012 opening ceremony

DLF IPL 2012 5th adition starts today 03-04-2012 is the opening ceremony of the money-spinning Twenty20 event.

A galaxy of stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor,Salman Khan got ball rolling for the fifth edition of IPL with a lightening opening ceremony which promises to enrapture the audience this evening.

The dazzling ceremony will also graced by American pop star Katy Perry .

The IPL, which began in 2008 as a high speed mix of glamour, entertainment, fully cashed for players and the excitement of slam-bang cricket, has had a difficult ride over the past four years.

It has been hit by infighting, problems with teams, criminal investigations and corruption allegations like former chief Lalit Modi and some other scandles.

Fresh doubts have been raised after a fall in viewership figures last year and a reported decline in sponsor interest like Sahara , with the tournament coming soon after,BPL, the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and India's tour of Australia.

"By the time this one ends, all doubts will be put to rest," IPL chief Rajiv Shukla told AFP. "The excitement is building up nicely. We in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) are not worried at all.Because they have much sponserships from national and multinational companies"

The IPL 2012, which enriched with world stars playing for rich franchise's owners, is being investigated by government agencies for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations.

Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended from the league in 2010, is holed up in London as he faces Indian government and BCCI charges of détournement of funds.

From the ten IPL teams, Kochi have been struck down from tournament because of non-payment of fees, while the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab face arbitration in cases filed by the BCCI.

The owners too are feeling the pinch. Pune, owned by the Sahara group, want their franchise fees of a whopping $370 million reduced. The Rajasthan Royals are in talks to sell a majority stake.As viewership declined last year, when the event started just after India won the World Cup at home, some sponsors chose to turn their back on what was once considered a safe bet for advertisers.The Champions League Twenty20, an offshoot of the IPL that involves leading domestic teams from around the world, lost its title sponsors, AirTel, after just one year due to lack of interest among fans.
Former first-class cricketer Shishir Hattangadi, who once worked on the team management of Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians, said the IPL was suffering from a poor long-term development plan.

"It was inescapable," he said. "Team compositions change every year which has confused the loyal fan. There is also the jade factor of watching too much cricket."

The 76-match tournament from April four to May 27 has the nine teams playing each other on a home and away basis before a four-game play-off.

The ICC has refused to take away a window for the IPL in its calendar, so bilateral tours will restrict the top world stars from playing in the entire tournament.
Pakistani players, who are usually a major draw in India, have been kept out of the tournament since the second edition, reportedly due to security fears.

IPL opening ceremony videos

Salman Khan IPL

IPL 2012 Kareena Kapoor performance

IPL katty pairy

Mumbai Indians vs CSK

Will the card parallel the nicer interference?

Mumbai Indians' started IPL 2012 , Pragyan Ojha and Richard Levi, made immediate impact to set up an easy win over CSK defending champions in the season opener. Richard Levi made the way easy to cross 1st hurdle with 50 from 35-balls, but it was Ojha who made the critical contribution. He made a seamless transition from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai, taking two wickets in his first two overs to pull Super Kings just when they were threatening.

g to break free.

Super Kings were 69 for 2, having made a bit of a comeback from a slow start, when Ojha was introduced in the 10th over, and he take two wickets early that make difference - including those of danger men Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo - meant they could add only 43 in the rest of the piece. Kieron Pollard and Malinga stoped CSK move more, taking two wickets each.

Ojha's introduction was a polar moment in the game. Put in on a surprisingly green Chennai pitch - definitely not one that will impress IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla - Super Kings were just coming out of a period of struggle then. One of their big strikers, M Vijay, had taken six balls to get off the mark, and his anxiousness to do so had resulted in the run-out of fellow opener du Plessis. Soon he himself fell to a slower ball from James Franklin.

At the other end, though, Raina enjoyed his homecoming to the tournament he revels most in, starting things off with a six over mid-off, The first of the tournament. Bravo joined in with two beautiful shots on the up off the bowling off Franklin, putting the pressure back on Mumbai. Both the batsmen were now confident enough to take risks off Ojha's bowling. Raina swept the first ball powerfully, Bravo slogged at the second, and drove the next inside-out for four. That was to be the last boundary of the innings.

Ojha refused to give them pace or flatness, and Raina, 36 off 26, picked out sweeper-cover off the fifth ball Ojha bowled. In Ojha's next, Bravo found long-on with similar precision to fall for a run-a-ball 19. Ojha couldn't be kept out of the game. He soon caught the promoted Albie Morkel off the varied bowling off Pollard. In Ojha's last over, the 16th, MS Dhoni fell for a rare non-direct-hit run-out. It must have been some pressure of suffocation at work. Ojha finished with 2 for 17 in his four, and Pollard dismissed S Badrinath in his last to finish with figures of 2 for 15.At 99 for 7 in the 17th over, with two Lasith Malinga overs left, no one would have expected an addition of many more than the eventual 13. The beefy Levi then charged out in the chase, swinging the shoulders, mostly to leg, hitting sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. The pitch remained lively: Doug Bolinger hit both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar with uneven bounce, forcing the latter to retire-hurt. Levi's explosive start, though, had done enough, and Mumbai cruised through with 3.1 overs to spare.

Richard Levi man of the match.

Mumbai Indians vs CSK

Will the card parallel the nicer interference?

Mumbai Indians' started IPL 2012 , Pragyan Ojha and Richard Levi, made immediate impact to set up an easy win over CSK defending champions in the season opener. Richard Levi made the way easy to cross 1st hurdle with 50 from 35-balls, but it was Ojha who made the critical contribution. He made a seamless transition from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai, taking two wickets in his first two overs to pull Super Kings just when they were threatening.

g to break free.

Super Kings were 69 for 2, having made a bit of a comeback from a slow start, when Ojha was introduced in the 10th over, and he take two wickets early that make difference - including those of danger men Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo - meant they could add only 43 in the rest of the piece. Kieron Pollard and Malinga stoped CSK move more, taking two wickets each.

Ojha's introduction was a polar moment in the game. Put in on a surprisingly green Chennai pitch - definitely not one that will impress IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla - Super Kings were just coming out of a period of struggle then. One of their big strikers, M Vijay, had taken six balls to get off the mark, and his anxiousness to do so had resulted in the run-out of fellow opener du Plessis. Soon he himself fell to a slower ball from James Franklin.

At the other end, though, Raina enjoyed his homecoming to the tournament he revels most in, starting things off with a six over mid-off, The first of the tournament. Bravo joined in with two beautiful shots on the up off the bowling off Franklin, putting the pressure back on Mumbai. Both the batsmen were now confident enough to take risks off Ojha's bowling. Raina swept the first ball powerfully, Bravo slogged at the second, and drove the next inside-out for four. That was to be the last boundary of the innings.

Ojha refused to give them pace or flatness, and Raina, 36 off 26, picked out sweeper-cover off the fifth ball Ojha bowled. In Ojha's next, Bravo found long-on with similar precision to fall for a run-a-ball 19. Ojha couldn't be kept out of the game. He soon caught the promoted Albie Morkel off the varied bowling off Pollard. In Ojha's last over, the 16th, MS Dhoni fell for a rare non-direct-hit run-out. It must have been some pressure of suffocation at work. Ojha finished with 2 for 17 in his four, and Pollard dismissed S Badrinath in his last to finish with figures of 2 for 15.At 99 for 7 in the 17th over, with two Lasith Malinga overs left, no one would have expected an addition of many more than the eventual 13. The beefy Levi then charged out in the chase, swinging the shoulders, mostly to leg, hitting sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. The pitch remained lively: Doug Bolinger hit both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar with uneven bounce, forcing the latter to retire-hurt. Levi's explosive start, though, had done enough, and Mumbai cruised through with 3.1 overs to spare.

Richard Levi man of the match.

IPL 2012 2nd Match KKR Vs DD

The match which was reduced to the 12 overs due to heavy rain is finally won by the Dehli Daredevils. A packed Eden Gardens had waited and waited for the rain to stop. When the 12-overs-a-side game finally got underway after a delay of two-and-a-half hours, the home team Kolkata Knight Riders crumbled instantly.Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to field.

At the end of the fourth over Kolkta Knight Riders had had lost four important wickets. And at the end of Seventh over they had lost 6 wickets. Morne Morkel took three of those strikes, including the wickets of Jacques Kallis and Tiwary off consecutive deliveries. The blows also ensured Knight Riders ended up with a decent score after having been reduced to 55 for 6.

Knight Riders were in danger of getting bowled out in an innings of 12 overs, but Shukla and Das went after the spinners. The final total of the Knight Riders was 97. Thanks to Das' 18 and Shukla's 26  runs.

In the reply Daredevils batting was outstanding. Finch build an opening stand of 49 runs with Sehwag. He was bowled by Kallis. Sehwag was caught by  Iqbal Abdulla,Bhatia took his wicket. Irfan Pathan and Maxwell played very well and build a partnership of 43 runs. 

Delhi Daredevils chased the target with fall of 2 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

Score card is given below

Images source iplt20.com

IPL 2012 2nd Match KKR Vs DD

The match which was reduced to the 12 overs due to heavy rain is finally won by the Dehli Daredevils. A packed Eden Gardens had waited and waited for the rain to stop. When the 12-overs-a-side game finally got underway after a delay of two-and-a-half hours, the home team Kolkata Knight Riders crumbled instantly.Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to field.

At the end of the fourth over Kolkta Knight Riders had had lost four important wickets. And at the end of Seventh over they had lost 6 wickets. Morne Morkel took three of those strikes, including the wickets of Jacques Kallis and Tiwary off consecutive deliveries. The blows also ensured Knight Riders ended up with a decent score after having been reduced to 55 for 6.

Knight Riders were in danger of getting bowled out in an innings of 12 overs, but Shukla and Das went after the spinners. The final total of the Knight Riders was 97. Thanks to Das' 18 and Shukla's 26  runs.

In the reply Daredevils batting was outstanding. Finch build an opening stand of 49 runs with Sehwag. He was bowled by Kallis. Sehwag was caught by  Iqbal Abdulla,Bhatia took his wicket. Irfan Pathan and Maxwell played very well and build a partnership of 43 runs. 

Delhi Daredevils chased the target with fall of 2 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

Score card is given below

Images source iplt20.com

Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) and Mumbai Indians 100 for 9 (Dinda 4-17).Pune warriors beat Mumbai Indians by 29 runs.

The owners of Pune Warriors India, who had threatened to pull out of the IPL because they felt disadvantaged by the tournament's rules, watched their team cause an upset in front of a packed Stadium, where they defended a low total against one of the tournament favourites. The Warriors' spinners - of left-arm, offspin and legbreak variety - captain Sourav Ganguly used them in a beautifull way, bloeide on a generous pitch, picking off their victims, while Ashok Dinda offered substantial pace support.Dinda and karthik tookthree wickets in first two overs.

The result was a surprise because Mumbai Indians had closed Warriors innings to 129 for 9, especially after their batsmen chased successfully with ease on opening night in Chennai against champions of IPL 2011 CSK. However, Mumbai Indians were without Sachin Tendulkar, who was nursing a bruised hand,top order batsmen looking in hurry that damaged to chase Mumbai Indians a modest total.
before this story Pune Warriors India's innings start was not good.

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) v Mumbai Indians

Sourav Ganguly was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai Indians produced truely good bowling and fielding performance to give themselves a strong chance to stay on wining track in this IPL season. Without the injured Sachin Tendulkar in their first home game, Harbhajan Singh's team treated the strong crowd at Wankhede Stadium to an intense performance that smothered the Warriors by taking regular wickets and providing few boundary balls.

The first over, after Mumbai Indians had won the toss, set the tone. Lasith Malinga take down a succession of near yorker-length deliveries that were very difficult to play for young Manish Pandey. Atlast he tried to attack the fifth, missed, and was bowled. Malinga had begun with a wicket maiden. Harbhajan bowled with the new ball and was economical, providing few scoring opportunities. With the run-rate barely four an over, the other opener Sourav Ganguly captain of Warriors in Yuvraj Singh's absence, ran past one and gave Dinesh Karthik who is wearing a baseball catcher's mask, an easy stumping.

Wayne Parnell, a South African allrounder who bowls better than he bats, was promoted to No. 3, and he managed to swat Harbhajan for two boundaries, before he was bowled by Munaf Patel. The ball that beat his defences angled across him and then bent back far enough to take the inside edge on to the stumps. The pressure was maintained by Pragyan Ojha, who's left-arm deliveries gripped on the red soil and turned sharply, beating the bat by several inches.

The next wicket was a result of Mumbai Indians' prowess in the field. Two powerful shots from Callum Ferguson had been stopped by Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu on the boundary, and when the batsman attempted a risky single to Rohit Sharma at point, he was run outt by a direct hit. Rohit had only one stump to aim at and his accuracy made up for a half-chance that Harbhajan had missed the previous ball.

At 47 for 4 in the ninth over, Warriors needed a special innings to recover but they did not get one. Robin Uthappa had begun to accelerate after scoring at a run a ball but skied a return catch to Pollard on 36. Marlon Samuels, who is not playing Tests against Australia to play the IPL, couldn't keep out a Malinga yorker. It needed some free swinging from Steven Smith, who made 39, to ensure the asking-rate at the start of Mumbai Indians's chase was a little over six an over.

Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) and Mumbai Indians 100 for 9 (Dinda 4-17).Pune warriors beat Mumbai Indians by 29 runs.

The owners of Pune Warriors India, who had threatened to pull out of the IPL because they felt disadvantaged by the tournament's rules, watched their team cause an upset in front of a packed Stadium, where they defended a low total against one of the tournament favourites. The Warriors' spinners - of left-arm, offspin and legbreak variety - captain Sourav Ganguly used them in a beautifull way, bloeide on a generous pitch, picking off their victims, while Ashok Dinda offered substantial pace support.Dinda and karthik tookthree wickets in first two overs.

The result was a surprise because Mumbai Indians had closed Warriors innings to 129 for 9, especially after their batsmen chased successfully with ease on opening night in Chennai against champions of IPL 2011 CSK. However, Mumbai Indians were without Sachin Tendulkar, who was nursing a bruised hand,top order batsmen looking in hurry that damaged to chase Mumbai Indians a modest total.
before this story Pune Warriors India's innings start was not good.

Pune Warriors India 129 for 9 (Smith 39, Malinga 2-16) v Mumbai Indians

Sourav Ganguly was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai Indians produced truely good bowling and fielding performance to give themselves a strong chance to stay on wining track in this IPL season. Without the injured Sachin Tendulkar in their first home game, Harbhajan Singh's team treated the strong crowd at Wankhede Stadium to an intense performance that smothered the Warriors by taking regular wickets and providing few boundary balls.

The first over, after Mumbai Indians had won the toss, set the tone. Lasith Malinga take down a succession of near yorker-length deliveries that were very difficult to play for young Manish Pandey. Atlast he tried to attack the fifth, missed, and was bowled. Malinga had begun with a wicket maiden. Harbhajan bowled with the new ball and was economical, providing few scoring opportunities. With the run-rate barely four an over, the other opener Sourav Ganguly captain of Warriors in Yuvraj Singh's absence, ran past one and gave Dinesh Karthik who is wearing a baseball catcher's mask, an easy stumping.

Wayne Parnell, a South African allrounder who bowls better than he bats, was promoted to No. 3, and he managed to swat Harbhajan for two boundaries, before he was bowled by Munaf Patel. The ball that beat his defences angled across him and then bent back far enough to take the inside edge on to the stumps. The pressure was maintained by Pragyan Ojha, who's left-arm deliveries gripped on the red soil and turned sharply, beating the bat by several inches.

The next wicket was a result of Mumbai Indians' prowess in the field. Two powerful shots from Callum Ferguson had been stopped by Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu on the boundary, and when the batsman attempted a risky single to Rohit Sharma at point, he was run outt by a direct hit. Rohit had only one stump to aim at and his accuracy made up for a half-chance that Harbhajan had missed the previous ball.

At 47 for 4 in the ninth over, Warriors needed a special innings to recover but they did not get one. Robin Uthappa had begun to accelerate after scoring at a run a ball but skied a return catch to Pollard on 36. Marlon Samuels, who is not playing Tests against Australia to play the IPL, couldn't keep out a Malinga yorker. It needed some free swinging from Steven Smith, who made 39, to ensure the asking-rate at the start of Mumbai Indians's chase was a little over six an over.